My kids love this!

Kitten's inspired by Kittens.

Easter Baskets

While my mother was visiting us a few weeks ago she made Easter Baskets with my children. They had a blast making them and I thought I would share the results of their crafting with you. Both baksets are covered milk jugs. Jboy made a basketball with orange felt and black foam. Ggirl made Hello Kitty out of cotton balls and colored foam.
At the Easter Egg Hunt we attended both kids filled their baskets numerous times over and had a blast!

Resurrection Rolls

I once made a pan of brownies that I thought marshmallows would be yummy in. So I mixed them in the batter and threw them in the oven. When the brownies were done they were full of holes where marshmallows once were. That is when I discovered that if you bake them they will...disappear!
I have read this idea somewhere else, so it is not original to me but I love using this idea of disappearing marshmallows to demonstrate to a child that the Tomb was empty on Easter morning!
We will be making Resurrection Rolls this Easter:

Ingredients:
One can of crescent roll dough
8 large marshmallows (or one for each roll you’ll be making)
Melted butter
Cinnamon sugar
Bible or Easter storybook

Assemble rolls and read the story:
1. Read John 19, spend the week before reading John 12-18 with your kids.
2. Unroll the crescent rolls. Explain that this is like the cloth they wrapped Jesus in.
3. Give your child a marshmallow and explain that it represents Jesus's body… all white and pure because He was without sin.
4. Roll the marshmallows in the melted butter. This symbolizes the embalming oils.
5. Roll the marshmallows in the cinnamon sugar. This is like the spices used to prepare his body for burial.
6. Wrap the marshmallow in the crescent roll cloth, pinching the dough together securely. Don’t worry about the shape so much, they’ll taste the same no matter how you roll or bundle them. This represents how they would have wrapped Jesus’ body in burial clothes. I like to brush them with more melted butter, but it’s not necessary.
7. Put the rolls in the oven (symbolizing the tomb) and bake for the amount of time specified on the crescent roll package.
8. While the rolls are baking, read John 20:1-18.
9. Open the tomb (oven) and remove the rolls. When they’re cool enough to handle, break one open and discover what happened to the marshmallow. Jesus is risen!

Resurrection Cake

I am getting my ideas together to make our annual Resurrection Cake.
We will be making it a little different than last year but my kids are very excited about this project. In the past we have done a two dimensional cake but this year we are planning on making it 3D. We will have to get some yummy candies and cookies to decorate with but this is always a fun project that gets my family talking about Christ and his FINISHED work on the cross.
What do you do with your family to celebrate our Savior raising from the dead?

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.

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.

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!

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!

Isn't this cute.

I know Christmas is over but I just found this AWESOME homemade felt Nativity on Blue Eyed Freckle. It is too cute. I am not sure they sell such cute felt in Pikeville Ky but I bet this is something easy G and J would like to help me with for next year.

Traditions to Treasure

A few years ago I enjoyed reading Noel Piper's book "Treasuring God In Our Traditions". This gave way to a new focus in our home. Hubby and I try to bring the Gospel into everything we do in our home. Of course we are not always successful but we try. We do Bible time and Catechism questions every night with the kids. We do an Advent Calendar in December to count down the days to our Saviors birthday. Easter has us baking a resurrection cake on Easter that the kids love to decorate with an empty tomb. Reformation Day better known as Halloween we love to watch "Luther". These are just a few of the traditions we are trying to create in our home.
Hubby's Aunt has a really neat Tradition in her home. She has a Miniature case full of various items. Each item represents a time in their families lives where God has shown His lovingkindess, and grace to them. When someone notices the items and asks about them, that gives them the opportunity to share Christ. I just think that that is a wonderful reminder to always be looking for the ways God moves in our lives. Since I saw hers I have been on the hunt for a miniature shelf of my own.
I would love to hear your traditions NOT just holiday traditions.

Family Fall Festival

It has been a while since I have posted but I figured I should at least show my finished products for my families Fall Festival costumes. All are homemade except for Buzz. But I did make my Buzz a jet pack so he had some piece of homemade goodness.

Let Them Eat Woo Woo Cake!

While Grammie and Papa were here a couple of weeks ago we celebrated J boys birthday. Grammie made birthday cake with them. J wanted a Woo Woo cake. Translated that means a Dog cake. So I had found a dog cake in a magazine that showed you how to cut two 9 inch cakes to look like a Woo Woo. In the magazine they decorated it to look like a pink poodle. However J is much more into Dalmations. So, Grammie and the kids iced the cake in white icing and put chocolate covered marshmellows on as spots.
J had a great birthday and it was all the more sweet because we got to celebrate with Grammie and Papa. Next year he will be big enough to have a few friends over to celebrate with us. I hope Grammie and Papa with make it there too!

My VBS Classroom

Vacation Bible School was a...busy week. I worked with the 2,3,&4 year old children. God was gracious and provided me with the patience needed although I was tested many times. I think the kids had a great time, and I did my best to make the gospel clear. I tried to make it all about Christ and not just a moralistic story. Although some of the lessons provided by Lifeway never mentioned Jesus or his sacrifice on the cross for sinners. I think sometimes people think that you have to water down the gospel for children but I am not one of them. They understand way more than we give them credit for. It will be the spirits work to reveal the Gospel to them not mine. I know the seeds were planted and if the spirit chooses to move on the hearts of those precious children He will change them.

These are some pics of my classroom. The kids had a good time sitting around our fire pit every night for our story. We went fishing in our stream, and they put the leaves on our tree. You can also see our "pet" horses, only one of them was named during the week and that was by G. She named one Belle.

Treasure

Oh just found this. I think the little cowboys and cowgals would love to make these. I am not sure what to use for for hammers and chizzels. Maybe I will send the kids home with their treasure rocks.

IDEAS WANTED!!!!

I am teaching 2,3,&4 year olds VBS in a week. I have to decorate my class room in a Western/Cowboy/Dude Ranch Theme. I welcome any ideas you might have to make this a toddler friendly fun room.
I have a few things together all ready. I have made a fire pit and i am making a river with fish. I also bought a rope and tied several loops in it (calling it a lasso) for the kids to hold onto as we got to different stations. I wanted to make swinging doors like a salon would have but I am not sure tape and cardboard would hold up through a week of kids hanging on them.

IDEAS WANTED!!

Tee Pee

Just browsing a few blogs and found this. What a cool idea for a reading corner! I can think about a million and a half ways to use this cool DIY Tee Pee. I love utilizing the great ideas of others.

EATable Art.

Painting bread was so much fun and super easy! I took 2 egg yolks, added a splash of water. Whisked them together and poured the egg wash into my empty egg carton.

We then selected what colors we wanted to make our "paint". A few drops of food coloring in each. (good lesson on primary colors was given to G)
Then we just painted away on our bread.

You can also paint cookie dough before baking it. Once the master pieces were complete we stuck them under the broiler for a minute to toast them up.


Looks good enough to eat.

My Mother's Day Gift

G made me the most precious gift for Mother's Day. She had me draw a flower on a piece of paper and then she asked for her crafting box. I have a box full of ribbon scraps, beads, feathers and other goodies that are hers to use. She went off into the kitchen and told me "don't peek Mom". I obeyed, even though I love to peek. She hid the picture when she was done. Mother's Day morning I was awakened by a slap in the face from J and a "Happy Mother's Day from G. She quickly ran to get her picture she made me. I think it is great! I plan to frame this one. She is so crafty!

A little fun with friends

I remember vividly as a child my brother and I playing with a refrigerator box and taking turns sleeping in it @ night. I broke my arm one night and I missed my turn to sleep in the box. It was very disappointing for a 5 year old.
My kids were playing @ a friends house and they had a BIG box that their kids had decorated and made into a fort. All 5 kids had a grand time playing in this makeshift toy. I need to remind myself occassionally that kids imaginations need to be set free to make up their own games. It doesn't always have to be a conventional toy that they have the most fun with. Rocks, sticks, mud, and cardboard boxes are sometimes the most fun!

Just Dandy!

While Andy was grilling some BBQ chicken, G picked a beautiful bouquet for me. She came to the door with a hand full of Dandelions. They served as a beautiful centerpiece for dinner.