Not quite there hair.

Hair attempt # 1. This is without getting a haircut or having it thinned. I don't think it looks much like the pic. I just think it looks like my hair FLAT. I will be in Florida in a few days and get it cut and thinned and lightened and we will attempt it again.

Polo to Messenger

Hubby was cleaning out his closet and got rid of a few shirts. I salvaged this one and decided to upcycle it into a messenger bag for Jboy. I didn't have a pattern I just started cutting and pinning. I think it turned out pretty cool. J was so happy with it he immediately started filling it up. It was also brought to the dinner table and checked on numerous time throughout the meal. Now, I need to make a girly one for G.

I'm melting, melting...

I am sure all of you have seen a how-to on making your own crayons on a blog somewhere. If not it is super easy.
Step one: Take all your broken crayon and peel off the paper. We had lots because it is a hobby of J's to break crayons.
Step 2: Break them up into small pieces and put them into a mold of your choice. We just used a cupcake pan and liners.
Step 3: Bake @ 225 degrees for 25 minutes.
Step 4: Cool and remove from mold and there you have your very own crayons.
Today we made a few of our own. The kids thought they were doing something naughty because they got to peel all of the crayons themselves and break them into (as J says) "Little Tiny" pieces.
I think the colors turned out pretty cool. I only wish I had different molds to use to make different shapes. I will be on the hunt at the thrift store for some for next time.

Another cute kid quote.

Quote of the day by the kids. It made me laugh I hope you do too.

G was telling J to do something he shouldn't. So...
Me: J boy, G isn't in charge of you.
J: Yeah! God is in charge.
G: Mom, J said God's name INSANE.
Me: (Quiet laughter to my self enjoying my 5 and 2 year old)

New hair?

I want my hair to look like this. I have been looking for a way to change but still look like me. What do you think? Now all I have to do is figure out how to achieve this look.

What does God say about that?

In my pursuit of a teaching my children God's word and writing it on their hearts, I wondered if G knew what God said about what we are to do with certain parts of our bodies. I wondered if she knew we were to use our hands to serve others. I wondered if she knew that God had things to say about our eyes, ears, and mouth. So, here is my idea. I wanted to draw a picture of what a "Godly Girl" looked like. I didn't have a large sheet of papers so I taped up a few in the shape of G's body to the back of her door. I then traced her outline onto the paper. Next, we drew her features and her clothes. Now for the fun part. We went on a "hunt" in God's word to see what He had to say about our bodies. We took a looked at 2 verses today. One on the HEART and one on HANDS. We wrote in the verses on the picture of G and discussed how she could "do" these things that God commanded us to do. This is hopefully going to become a daily activity, until we can't fit anythings else on our "Godly Girl". I will do one with J too, but he was napping during our project.

My version of the Felt Nativity

Here are my attempts at the sweet felt nativity set that I saw, and blogged about a few posts ago. I have the wise men, a shepherd, and an angel started. They just need to be dressed. My kids think they need faces however I feel that it would just take away from them. What is your vote? Do they need a face or not?

Completed Mary, Jesus, and Joseph(minus his headdress)
Hopefully a picture of the completed set follows soon!

Tea for Two

A sweet lady @ our former church blessed me with a sweet little tea set for two.

She noted in her card that it was for G and I to have tea together. So in my persuit to have a God honoring relationship with my daughter I thought this was a great way to spend some quality time together and have a little fun. I tried to be as into it as possible and make it feel like a real Tea Party. J was never to far from the action because there was real hot tea and treats being served.



P.S. I just got a new book in the mail. It was recommended by my sweet Sister in Christ. It is called "Girl Talk" by Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre. It is a book on Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood. I am through chapter 2 and I am really enjoying it. It isn't a "how-to" fix all for relationships. It is a book that encourages us to teach our daughters the forgotten art of Biblical Womanhood that the Bible calls us to teach and live ourselves. I am convicted and encouraged while reading it knowing I have failed but reminded that God is gracious.

The Curious Little Monkey

PBS is my friend! My kids would watch it 24/7 if we allowed it. However we limit to 2 cartoons in the morning while Mommy, turns human with a cup of coffee. Curious George is #1 in G and J's book. They love him and all the trouble he gets into. Well it just so happens that little Curious George made an appearance @ the Expo Center in our little town. I got (dragged) a few ladies from the church to come and see it with our family. It was really a cute show and my kids had a ball!

Happy Birthday Banner

This post is long overdue. I made this banner last winter and have never gotten around to posting about it. I have seen many reusable birthday banners in the blog world and wanted one of my own. We have used it @ everyones birthday party's this year and look forward to many more. Her is a pic of G's 5th birthday opening presents under the banner.

Bike Plate

Our church had a Bike Rodeo in the Fall and the kids had a blast. G has never been able to ride her bike @ our home due to uneven, or unpaved, or too busy roads. So she was set free in the church parking lot and improved her skills greatly. She is a lot more willing to ride than I ever was. I think I was around 9 before I learned to ride a bike. To those that say you never forget how to ride a bike have not seem me in action as an adult. I possess NO biking skills.
The kids made a little craft while we were there and thought I would share the idea. It is simple, and cheap! Maybe it is something you could do to get the kids excited about warmer temps. coming soon. Happy Crafting!

Supplies for a Bike Plate:
Index cards
Hole Punch
Yarn
Stickers
Markers or Crayons

Directions:

Give index card, crayons, markers, sticker to kids and let them design what they want their bike plate to look like. Lots of kids wrote their names, other did pictures, some wrote scripture. When kiddos are done decorating, punch 2 holes at the top corners, Use yarn to tie to the bike. My kids both put their plates in the front of their bikes. Others put them in the back like a licence plate. Easy Peasy!

A blog I recently found

Don't you love to laugh so hard that you cry. When I find something that makes me laugh like that it becomes like a addiction for me. I keep secretly thinking about how funny it was to me. Recently I found a blog that has made me laugh like that on more than one occasion.
Because I Said So

I showed it to hubby last night. At first he didn't think it was all that funny but then when I got to the good part. He agreed, or maybe he was just laughing at me laughing so hard it hurt.

You have to read her google searches. There are a couple comments she makes to some google searches that make me cry, start coughing like a smoker, and almost wet my pants (cut me some slack I am pregnant with my third kid). I hope you enjoy her as much as I did.

I love my kids!

A Quote of the day by my son. This was said while he was walking around the living room on his tip toes. With a Knife and a Sword in his hands
"Here rabbits, rabbits, rabbits, I will knife you up."

A Quote of the day by my daughter. Said while she was trying to convince me to let her watch some afternoon cartoons.
"Mom, can we watch PBS? I just really Love learning new words and things like that."

Enjoying, them!

KY Kids Sale. I WANT TO GO!

I found a HUGE kids consignment sale. However, it is all the way in Elizabethtown KY. Over 4 hours from here. I was wondering if anyone wanted to go with? Or do you know of any great kid consignment sales in the area? Or possibly one closer?
I went to a sale like this in Northern Alabama a couple years ago and it is amazing. Great deals, Name brands, lots of choices, and it was just like a Giant "clean" yard sale. Right up my alley. If anyone were interested in going with I am up for it. I am not sure Hubby wants to go and spend hours looking at kids clothes with me. But in the long run he does appreciate the savings. As the Duggars like to say "Buy used, save the difference."

A Funny Found on Facebook

For anyone who is planning on ever being a parent,
For anyone who is a parent,
And for anyone else who wants to laugh at parenthood,
This is for YOU!


Thinking of having kids? Do this 11 step program first.

Lesson 1

1. Go to the grocery store.

2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.

3. Go home.

4. Pick up the paper.

5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2

Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...

1. Methods of discipline.

2. Lack of patience.

3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.

4. Allowing their children to run wild.

5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.

Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3

A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...

1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)

2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.

3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.

4. Set the alarm for 3AM.

5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.

6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.

7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.

8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.

9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive)


Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.


Lesson 4


Can you stand the mess children make? T o find out...

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.

3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.

4. Then rub them on the clean walls.

5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.

6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5

Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.

1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.

2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.



Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6

Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.

1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment.

Leave it there.

2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.

3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.

4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 7

Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 8

1. Hollow out a melon.

2. Make a small hole in the side.

3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.

4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.

5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.

6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.


You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 9

Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know, you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 10

Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 11

Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 10 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it's all worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don't have kids. I guarantee they'll get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

For anyone else reading this - I'm thrilled that you are all enjoying it, as I did - immensely. However, I DID NOT write it! I found it on a friends facebook. I'm not sure who the original author is however many of them are ringing true.

Girls day out.

Saturday morning I got up, got ready and told G to get ready too. She wanted to watch cartoons but I had plans for us. We jumped in the car and headed down the road to the local nail salon. When we pulled in I told G that WE were going to get our nails done together. She was excited but was instantly nervous when we walked in and she didn't understand a word that was being said to her. Let's just say it is owned by sweet folks that English is their second language. However, she was soon involved in choosing the color she wanted to paint her nails with (purple with silver glitter) and giving advice to me about the color I should choose (pink). We sat together and just enjoyed one another doing something fun and fancy. I can tell she felt big. She felt loved. She felt special. Mission accomplished! I know this isn't an instant fix to having a good relationship but it is my start. Spending time with her, encouraging her in the Lord, making HER feel like she is a priority in my life even more than the dishes and laundry. Showing her that I love her unconditionally.
I shared with my Sunday School class that I was feeling discouraged and asked for their prayers. I can honestly say, I feel God moving and changing my heart. I feel the comfort only He can give. In the last week I have made a concentrated effort to praise G (and J) when I see something positive. I have also slowed down my reactions to disobedience. I want to be slow to become angry and I am working on that. I am reminding myself that they are children and they are going to be disobedient. THEY ARE NOT PERFECT THEY ARE SINNERS JUST LIKE ME!
I am so blessed to have them! They have changed me and my view of God's love for me. They have truly shown me what a true sacrifice it was for God to send His ONLY son for SINNERS such as me. I wouldn't be willing to give my children for a righteous man much less someone who doesn't deserve anything. But thankfully I serve a Merciful God who gives Grace freely to all who believe and trust in the sacrifice of His only son Jesus Christ. What Love! That is the love I want to show G and J. I want to adorn the Gospel and make Jesus attractive.
Thank you all for your prayers in my days of discouragement. I am encouraged and I know this is a lifetime process and I am going to ENJOY the ride!! I am going to ENJOY the giggles, stories, songs, dances, games, pictures, and all of the hugs and lovings. They are not perfect kids but they are MY kids. I am not a perfect parent but I am the parent God chose for them. God be merciful to me a sinner.