Cupcake liner Christmas trees

Every year, our church has a Christmas party that my husband puts together. There's always great food, fun games, a gift exchange and lots of laughs! I've always enjoyed decorating for it each year as well. I like to pull in some help from others, and this year, it ended up being that Alyzza was my special helper. 

We made these super cute cupcake liner Christmas trees:

I bought cupcake liners at the Dollar Tree and Walmart and used styrofoam tree forms for the large ones and card stock to make the tree form for the small ones.

Some of the packages included cupcake toppers, so for some of the trees, I put those on the top. It took us a few hours to make fifteen or so of these, but it was a fun project I enjoyed doing with my big girl.:)

Wouldn't this be an awesome thing to do for a Valentine's Day event as well? You could use red and pink cupcake liners and still put some fluff around it to represent snow since it's a winter holiday.

For the step-by-step on how to make these go here. Have fun!:)

A very happy 60th anniversary!

Not too long ago, we had a celebration for a couple in our church--they reached a milestone--60 years of married bliss. To honor them, Quentin decided to dedicate a service to them and to have a party afterward. I worked on decorations and Alyzza helped me decorate. I decided to go with a fall theme; it looks pretty at this time of year, plus we could keep it up until our Thanksgiving potluck.

Here's what we did to give the Sander's a super celebration....

These felt circle garlands came out sooo cute; it gave me a good excuse to do some sewing again! I found the basic idea here and I just love it!

Pretty garlands make me happy!:)

We used the fabric pumpkins we made last year for centerpieces. Laying these out with some Dollar Tree leaves were the perfect project for Alyzza.

This simple bulletin board was easy to pull together. I stapled cardstock up there and had a couple of pens nearby for church friends to write the Sander's a note.

The pens were placed in a paper pocket that I stapled to the board.

This beautiful cake was made by Janis, another church member who we adore (she loves doing special things for our girls, too, and we appreciate that so much).

Congratulations, Dr. and Mrs. Sanders!

Quentin wanted to give them gifts during the service, and one of his ideas was to give Mrs. Sanders a bouquet of flowers. I had just stumbled across this idea for a fall bouquet, and knew this would be the perfect gift for her. She absolutely loved it. (I hope to make one of these soon for us, but it will get greater use next fall.) Quentin also gave the Sanders a large-print New Testament and had their names engraved on it.

All in all, it was a great celebration. To God be the glory for a tremendous example of love and ministry. Thank you, Dr. and Mrs. Sanders; we appreciate you.

Listening sheets

I've been using listening sheets with A for the past couple of months as a way to train her to listen carefully to a sermon in church. It has been a wonderful thing to keep her involved and quiet during the church service.

When she first came to live with us (last March), I put together a bag of things for her to do during the service. Inside of it would be a coloring book, pencils, crayons, and a Bible. But, when I found this link to the listening sheets, I eliminated the coloring book. If she needs to have a change of pace for a while, then I photocopy a Bible coloring sheet. I want her focus to be on things of the Lord, and not just "fillers" that she can do at home, school or anywhere else.

So, are you ready to check it out for yourself? There are a few options to choose from (readers, non-readers and older children), so click on the link and print away! I know these will be a blessing to you as they have been to us and others we have shared them with in our church.

Pipe cleaner people

About a month ago, I needed a creative idea to use in our Sunday School program. While looking through my ETC (Evangelizing Today's Child) files, I found a neat project that focuses on reviewing Bible verses.

A and I made pipe cleaner people that hold memory verse cards. This is how hers turned out:

All you need is two pipe cleaners, a dixie cup, tape, crayons, scissors, pen and paper. The pipe cleaners are twisted together to make the arms, legs, and a loop for the head. An adult can help the child make a face or they can do it themselves. This is cut out and taped to the pipe cleaner loop. Cut out a small card and write a favorite Bible verse on it. A few can be done so that they can be changed from time to time. The arms hold onto the card. Twist the body to sit on a dixie cup and reinforce with tape. That's all there is to it!

Because it happened to be Q's birthday on the day we did this, we decided to make one for him, too.

I think the resemblance is striking, don't you think?:)

Besides using these to review Scripture, they can also be used as reminders and sweet notes to the people in your family. Have fun!:)

Praises from Vacation Bible School

We had a busy week with Vacation Bible School. Like last year, we had Tim Tutton bring his Video Bus each day and teach the lessons and songs, do fun tricks, and show the videos. Every aspect of the program reinforced the truth of the Gospel. The children knew each day that God loves them and that He sent His only son to die for their sins.

Here are the praises of the week, for which we are thankful to the Lord for:

1. God gave strength each day to Mr. Tutton as he shared God's Word.

2. Two teen boys accepted Christ as their Savior.

3. The Gospel seed was planted in many hearts.

4. We had a high of 25 children on the bus (Wednesday).

5. Along with Q and I, another worker, Pat, came to help with the kids.

6. Lots of cookies were donated from members of the church.

7. Families were impacted for Christ as their children told them about what they heard on the bus.

How was your Vacation Bible School this year? I'd love to hear what God did for you.:)

July fourth celebration

We returned from vacation a few days ago, and since then it has been busy getting back into the swing of things. I'm not blogging as much as before, but it's okay--Little S and A take up a lot of my time and I know it's an eternal investment. :)

So, I just wanted to share with you a few things from July fourth and from our vacation in the next few posts. First up: what we did to celebrate the holiday at our church....

We had a great Sunday School and church service. My father-in-law spoke about civil government and it was good! He got me thinking about some things. I had the opportunity to sing the National Anthem, too. It's one of my favorite songs to sing. Those who served in the military (or those who are serving currently) were honored. My brother-in-law was dressed in his "whites" and led us in prayer at the beginning of the service.

Then, we had a potluck full of lots of yummy food! A couple of days before, a few ladies, along with A and I decorated the reception hall. We bought some things at the Dollar Tree, including lanterns like this:

Hanging underneath were the tables covered with red and blue stars. We sponge-painted those onto paper using craft paint.

We also found these hanging stars that looked great mixed with the lanterns.

We placed these centerpieces on each table to finish the look. We didn't spend a whole lot of time and money doing this, but the end result looked great.

A and I also made this birthday cake for America. It was Q's idea to put the candles on. Our country is 235 years old!;0)

After the potluck, Q gave a devotional. Then, we cleaned up and finished packing for our Johnson Family reunion. Q's family was all there that Sunday morning for church and they helped us get packed up afterward. We had a busy weekend with work, the girls' family visits, etc., so it was great having them help us get on the road.

Next up...vacation! Stay tuned....

Scripture for kids to memorize

I was excited to see a post at Katey's blog, Having Fun at Home. She shares a list of Scripture passages that have word pictures in them, which are easy for kids to memorize. (To find the post, go to her blog archive for April of this year, and you'll find it easily. I tried linking to it first, but was unable to do so).

I really like her list; here are a few of them:

Psalm 23--The Lord is my Shepherd; He leads me beside the still waters...

Ephesians 6--The armor of God is described.

Hebrews 4:12--God's Word is a sharp sword.

Psalm 51:10--Create in me a clean heart.

John 8:12--Jesus is the light of the world.

I've been thinking about beginning this list with A during our breakfast or lunch time. As she has become more knowledgeable about the Bible through our teachings at home and church, I think she is more ready to do this. The time she is with us is so valuable. We know that if she does leave us, than the things that have been taught will stay with her, including God's Word.

Check out that post today. I hope that it will be a help for you to teach your children, grandchildren, and even the children you work with at church and/or school.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105

(This is another verse to put on your list(if it isn't on Katey's already--can't remember!:). It was one of the first verses I remember learning as a child because it was posted on my Christian school's hallway. It has stuck with me all of these years....)

Mother's Day cupcakes

When I saw these gorgeous flower cupcakes at Raising Homemakers, I knew this would be the perfect thing to do for all of the moms at church (click here for a complete tutorial). They are called "mum-cakes" as they resemble mums.

A and I worked in two different segments (taking a break in between to spend time at the library) to make these beauties. We spent three hours on twenty-one cupcakes, and that doesn't include the baking time. I used a cake mix (which I rarely do) to speed up the time. I also made a quick and simple batch of buttercream frosting, but this can also be purchased to help save time. The end result was astonishing! I was so glad that A really stuck with it and had lots of fun helping me put these together.

Take a look....

The petals are made out of mini marshmallows that are cut in half and dipped in colored sugar. This is the most time-consuming part of it, so grab a friend or your kiddos and have fun doing this.:) The frosting acts like the glue as you put the petals on working from the outside in. And just a note about that....you might want to frost a handful at a time as the frosting hardens as it sits out.

Most of the cupcakes were a solid color, but as we were getting close to the end, we made a few that had a few colors in them. They still looked so pretty!

All of the moms enjoyed their special cupcake after church. I even got to enjoy one later as A let me know that I could get one too because I was a mom (so cute!).

These cupcakes could be used for any spring or summer celebration. Just make sure you plan ahead and know that these will take a while. The end result is worth it!:)

Sweet, Sweet Spirit

A and I were invited to a spring banquet at another church this past Friday night. The theme was "Sweet, Sweet Spirit." As soon as we walked in, we noticed all of the colorful decorations everywhere. The ladies who decorated used the game, Candyland, as their source of inspiration. I was really impressed with it all, so I had to share it with you. You might be able to use these ideas for your next ladies banquet or a birthday party!

After we found a table to sit at, the first thing we noticed were the goodies at our place setting.

Circus animal cookies, M&M's, gum, bottled water, and a pencil (which was used for a couple of "candy" word games) were placed on top of a polka dot napkin. Each table also had a different colored table cloth. Candyland is all about colors, and this was just the beginning of it!

I really liked these neat place cards that were placed at each setting.

The program was placed inside our beautiful stemware.

The centerpiece held our dessert--sweet and colorful cupcakes. Not only did they look good, but they were scrumptious as well.

These giant pieces of candy hung over our tables. With some paper plates, construction paper, tissue paper and cellophane, these could be put together easily.

Colored construction paper lined the walls to make it look like the game board.

I loved these big game board pieces. They were close to three feet tall. Here's a close up of one of them...

Pretty cute, huh?

This is the first bulletin board which says the title of the banquet with colorful dots around it. A Candyland game board sits on the drink table underneath it.

The second bulletin board quoted the theme verse for the evening. The speaker spoke on bitterness, which is the opposite of having a sweet spirit. It was both a convicting and encouraging message. We had a super time with all of the girls and ladies there and hope to go again next year.:)

Easter week bulletin board

I searched in my stash of ministry magazines for a bulletin board idea I could do for church. I came across this one in the March/April 2006 issue of Teach Kids! Magazine (CEF press):

"Who did Jesus die for?" is a great question to think about during Easter week. The answer is you, of course.:) During our breakfast this past Sunday, A and I told members of our church to sign their names on the poster.

Around the poster, I added pictures of the week of Christ's death and resurrection. They came from our Sunday School materials (A Beka Book).

Hope this gives you an idea for next Easter, or for another time when you want to emphasize salvation.

Our Easter Sunday

Our Easter Sunday began early in the morning. We needed to get ready for the "Sonrise" service, but first, I had something fun planned for A. I woke her up and showed her the Easter Garden we had put together the previous week.

The stone was rolled away and a sign said, "He is Risen!" Then, I pointed to an empty Easter basket and a note beside it. It told her that she had to read clues to get some things and at the end of it, there was the best treasure of all. It was fun to watch her run around the house collecting things to fill her basket. Finally, she found the last item....

Now she has her very own Bible (and it had to be pink--her favorite color!) I signed the inside of it with our names and put the date in there as well. She loved taking it with her to church and showing everyone there.

We had our early service at an area park. We sang songs and read Scripture together, all focusing on Christ's death and resurrection.

After that early service, we went back to church to enjoy a breakfast together. A and I cooked and dyed these eggs the day before. She even made a "Happy Easter" sign and it looked great. However, I need to work on making hard-boiled eggs better, as quite a few of them were a bit too soft. Oh well...at least they looked pretty.:)

The breakfast was followed by Sunday School and another service. It was a great time of celebrating together the real meaning of Easter.

Since we had a couple of services in the morning, the evening service was cancelled. So, we just made the rest of the day a family time for us. We went to Red Lobster for lunch, then went on a hike.

It was a beautiful day enjoying God's creation. When we arrived back home, we had a nice dinner and played a game of Uno together.

How was your Easter? Hope you enjoyed a time of remembering what Christ did so long ago. Let's be thankful now and always...

Easter Egg Garland

This super-cute Easter egg garland has been all over the web lately, and I had to show it to you just in case you haven't seen it yet. It took us a while to get it done because we were busy with other things, but we are glad to say that the garland went up a couple of days ago and we can enjoy it for Easter and for the rest of spring. I love the look of it in my kitchen as it brightens up my day....

If you'd like to put together your own paint chip garland, go here for the detailed instructions. She is one creative gal, so I know you'll enjoy browsing through the rest of her blog as well.

As for other Easter preparations....A and I just finished putting together something for the kids at church and for our neighbors.

Can you guess what it is? It is something I did last year and wrote about. If you can't figure it out, go here to read all about it. It is a simple and meaningful Easter gift.

Hope you've all had an enjoyable week getting ready for the wonderful celebration tomorrow. Have a wonderful Easter. Christ is risen! :)

Well worth the wait....

For the past several weeks, Q and I, along with a few others from church have met each Wednesday afternoon to pass out church invitations in different neighborhoods. We go out in pairs and place one of these beautifully printed tracts at each door.

If we see people walking along, we stop to invite them to join us at First Baptist Church. We hadn't seen anyone come as a result of our efforts until last week. For the past two Sundays we have seen a couple of ladies come to our morning service because of the invitation they received at their door. What an encouragement it was to Q and I as we saw the fruit of our labors.

It is so easy to give up and be discouraged when you're out week by week inviting others to your church and witnessing for the Lord. I'm reminded of Galatians 6:9 that says, "And be not weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not."

Keep on keeping on in your efforts for the Lord. In due season, we will reap what we sow!:)

Red Velvet Cake

A surprise birthday party was in the works for a while, and it finally happened. We really surprised our friend, Pat after church Wednesday night. Another lady, Shirley, put all of the refreshments together and Q asked A and I to make the dessert. She and I worked together on a red velvet cake. For a four-year-old, I thought she did well from start to finish. I think her favorite part was putting the frosting and sprinkles on with my help.

Here's a look at our finished creation....

The cake was enjoyed by all. With it's light chocolaty flavor and creamy frosting, it was perfect for everybody's palate.

And best of all, the birthday girl enjoyed her slice, along with the sweet fellowship of friends all around her.

And just in case you want to make this fun birthday cake, here's the recipe. It comes from Better Homes and Gardens Annual Cookbook from 2008.

Red Velvet Cake

3 eggs

3/4 cup butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

2-1/4 cups sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1 ounce bottle red food coloring (2 tablespoons)

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1 recipe Buttercream Frosting (recipe below)

1. Let eggs and butter stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 8x1-1/2 inch round baking pans; set aside. (I used two 9-inch pans and it worked well.)

2. In bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; set aside. In mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time; beat on medium-high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. Add eggs 1 at a time; beat on medium after each addition. Beat in food coloring on low.

3. alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on medium-low after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined.

4. Spread in prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until pick inserted near centers comes out clean (cakes may appear marbled). Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Removed from pans; cool.

5. Prepare Buttercream frosting. Place one layer, flat side up, on plate. Spread top with 3/4 cup frosting. Stack layer, flat side up; spread top with 3/4 cup frosting. Stack final layer, flat side down; spread remaining frosting on top and sides. Makes 16 servings.

Buttercream Frosting

In saucepan whisk together 1-1/2 cups whole milk, 1/3 cup flour, and dash salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled (do not stir). In bowl beat 1-1/2 cups softened butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla on medium 5 minutes until light and fluffy and sugar is almost dissolved. Add milk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; beat on low after each until smooth.