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Monday, December 27, 2010

Mason Jar Meal in a Basket



For Christmas Presents this year I made a meal in basket. These baskets would also be an ideal house warming gift or present for a new mom. 


Each basket includes:
Suggested additions: 









Christmas Gifts Preschoolers Can Make

Every year I have the kids help with Christmas Presents for our family.It seems to give them a sense of ownership in the giving process, and in turn giving them experience of the joy of giving.
 The materials I used were all art materials I already had in my house. We may not have spent a lot of money on these, but the couple of hours that went into them was part of the gift we gave to our friends and family.


HAND PRINT TAGS
After we explored with green paint I helped the boys make some handprints that were used for labels for our annual puppy chow bags. Daddy made the puppy chow this year because I was sick and didn't wan to infect out entire extended family!





FINGER-PAINTED CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS/BOOKMARKS 



We first started our 2010 Kid-Made Christmas Projects with SEVERAL finger-painting sessions. I would not recommend trying this all in one session, or you will burn out your kids and yourself. For a really cute addition, print pictures of your kids fingerprinting to include with the bookmark.

 We didn't have green finger paint, so it was a great time to learn how yellow and blue make green. Just let the kids explore the paint.  Let dry and cut out trees.




On a different day, we did some Easel Painting for the backdrop of our our ornaments. You can just as easily do some red finger-painting to do the background, but I found this great easel at Goodwill and the boys love any excuse to paint with it.




I finished the bookmark/ornaments by mounting them on construction paper, putting contact paper over each one, then attaching some embroidery thread we already had in the house.



Thursday, December 16, 2010

Higher than I...


Psalms 61:1-5


"Hear my Cry O God; Listen to my prayer
From the ends of the earth I call to you,


I call as my heart is overwhelmed,
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.


For you have me been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.


I have been blessed to have "rocks" and be a "rock" in my family. There are several people who are on my speed dial who get the first call/email/txt when life is great or when it feels like my world just imploded. I am also blessed with family, children, and a husband who can hopefully lean on me when needed. Moms get to be the rock for little arms when they are hurting. We are the CEOs of our house, the touch spot for our kids.


In this world of broken people, there is always someone who needs to lean on me and in turn I lean on others who can help support me. The problem I have found with leaning on broken people (myself included) is we tend to fail...a lot. The people I lean on have or will eventually fail me in some way. I long to always remember that I am to lean on a rock that is HIGHER THAN I.


I am A rock, but not THE rock. And that when my family, my husband, or my kids start to lean on me so heavily that I feel I will collapse under the weight of it all, that I point them towards the true rock. That I lay down my false pride in being their refuge and make sure they find a true and lasting refuge in His Word and His promises. My prayer is that I remember the countless times His Word has been my refuge from others, the world, and quite honestly myself.



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