Easy fall decor

I'm back....and not as late as the last time. :) Life in general is just plain busy, but I'm encouraged in many ways. I mentioned a couple of months back that I've been organizing things around the house. Even though I am not done, I'm feeling a huge sense of accomplishment lately. I can actually find things and can work quicker and easier with projects. We are seeing the Lord work mightily in our family. Alyzza is doing well post-adoption and we're seeing praises in regards to Little S' situation. Thanks so much for your prayers. We will continue to keep you updated in the best way possible.

One of the things I have been enjoying this fall is starting back up at M.O.P.S. again. Little S is in a new class and since she's older, she always looks forward to going with me. In fact, when we're out and about doing other things she'll ask if we're going to M.O.P.S. She loves it that much! This year, I joined the steering committee as the crafts coordinator. This past summer, I worked at gathering ideas from my stash of books and magazines as well as off of the internet. I came up six crafts that I'll be sharing with you after we do them. We did the first craft recently, and that is shown in the second photo. I'll explain more on that below. But, this first picture shows something I did with Little S last month. I call it "Fall in a Jar."

We went for a walk and I encouraged her to find things that she'd like to put in a jar. She found leaves, twigs, rocks and crab apples. She talked about what she found with Dad. It's great to incorporate God's creation in the conversation as well. This jar made a great centerpiece until she accidentally dropped it on the floor and the jar broke into many pieces! (Yikes!)

Here's our beautiful fall wreath we made at M.O.P.S. It was a hit with everyone! It was probably the most time-consuming prep work I've done for any craft (for 60-70 ladies), but it was well worth it. Alyzza helped me with counting strips of fabric, but the cutting had to be done by me. Thankfully, the rotary cutter came in handy. The other ones should be easier to pull together and I've had offers from some of the ladies to ask them for help if I need it. Here is the link for this wreath, which really can be used for any season using the right colors. From the instructions it does not say how many strips you need, but someone asked about that in the comments section. You need roughly 100 strips or so to make a full wreath. Use a variety of prints and solids to make it look the best. I used denim and corduroy to add some texture to it as well.

How's your fall season going so far? Have fun adding these ideas to your fall decor this year. 

Glitter snowflake

During A's Christmas break, we put this incredible snowflake together:

It's the cutest decoration for the winter season. Do you know what it's made out of? Look closely--

If you guessed Q-tips, you're right! This project was found in Family Fun Magazine's December 2011 issue. After you wrap a large piece of cardboard with plastic wrap, you arrange 18 cotton swabs as shown in the picture above. We used glitter glue at each point, but they recommended using tacky glue then sprinkling glitter onto the glue (I guess it depends on how messy you want to get, right?). You let your snowflake(s) dry overnight then find a place to hang it with monofilament line. Pretty neat, huh? :)

Come and join me....

Happy new year, everyone!

Life has been busy, but this year I've got a plan to keep up with the important things in life. I love organization, but with the girls joining our family this last year, things around the house have become very disorganized. I was simply surviving as a wife, mom, and keeper of my home. This year I really want to thrive!

So....for the past couple of weeks, I've been reading, researching and trying out new things to help me be all that I can be for the Lord and my family. Here are a few things that I am beginning in this new year, that I hope will help you as well:

Personal Growth: I know that I can't do anything well without the Lord's help, so I'm striving to get to know Him better through Bible reading. A devotional book by Jason Janz called, Alone with God, should help me with this goal. I'd also like to read some books and on the top of the list are....Changed into His Image, by Jim Berg, The Ministry of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson and Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis.

Home Organization: I found a neat website called Home Storage Solutions 101 and I love it! Each week, you're given a new area in your home to tackle and get organized. This week's challenge has been to clear kitchen counters for more space and to keep your sink free of dirty dishes as much as possible. It's been a little bit of a challenge, but I'm already seeing improvement. I've already begun next week's challenge--kitchen cupboards! If you sign up for their emails, you will receive a weekly task for the whole year.

Menu Planning and preparation: I am still going to be using E-mealz as much as possible, but I needed to find a way to write out what I'm going to be preparing for each meal every week. If you click here, you'll find several templates to help you with meal planning. I'm currently using design #4 and I have it posted on my refrigerator for easy reference.

Mothering with Purpose: As a new mom, I'm enjoying spending time with the girls. But, I have found with not being very organized with the above mentioned things, that it hasn't left much time on teaching times and special activities with the girls. So, I'm going to be working this week with A on a craft and cooking list. There are so many things she wants to learn how to do, so we're going to make a list and aim for at least one a week. I'm also working on getting some busy boxes together for Little S. Having a better routine with this active 16-month-old will help her grow, but also keep her out of trouble. Yes, I've seen her get bored with toys, and that's when she pretends she's a tornado and all of our belongings are strewn all over the house.:)

Of course, these are just a few areas of my life; there is so much room for growth in my marriage, church ministry responsibilities, musical abilities, crafting, and community involvement. I haven't written down ideas for these other things yet, but I will in the days ahead. Each new year is like a blank canvas. It has no mistakes in it; it just has room for it to become beautiful. I know that the Lord can enable us to become more beautiful in His eyes as we strive to please Him in every area of our lives.

How about you? What new things would you like to accomplish this year?

The Thankful Tree

We started a new tradition in our house this year for the Thanksgiving season. We have a thankful tree on our dining room wall. It is not complete yet, but hope to have more thankful hands on it before the month is over.

I used brown packaging paper to make the tree and wrote "The Thankful Tree" on it as well as First Thessalonians 5:18 ("In everything give thanks....). Then, on most days after lunch we trace one of our hands and write something we're thankful for. It's been an encouragement to me in so many ways. I have been delighted to see A get so into it. In fact, she has written a few of them herself. My heart smiled after I asked her what one of them said. She said, "I'm thankful for you, Theo." :)

What traditions do you have for Thanksgiving? I'd love to hear about them!:)

Lovin' my pumpkins!

Happy Fall, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the sights and scents of the season. There have been days when I look outside and see that fall is in full swing. But, there have been days that feel like summer and a few days where we've seen a white Christmas! It's kind of strange, but that's Colorado for ya!

If you were to come into my home, you'd see lots of pumpkins in many forms--some ceramic, some fabric, and a few that are the real thing. Here are a few of my favorites, including an easy craft idea:

I made this fabric pumpkin at one of my M.O.P.S. meetings. It's adorable and sooo easy to put together. I think A and I will make some of these for our Thanksgiving potluck at church (and perhaps use them for our Thanksgiving celebration with family). All you do is take a fabric quarter (found in quilting section at the craft store) and place it right side down on a table. Take a toilet paper tube and place it standing up in the center of the fabric as you put three plastic grocery sacks around it forming your pumpkin. Take the corners and edges of your fabric and push it into the tube. Use a small piece of a paper lunch sack and twist it to make a stem. Then, curl green pipe cleaners (two are recommended; I lost one of mine!) and stick them next to the stem. Now you have the cutest little pumpkin to decorate--and take apart later if you'd like for easy storage.:)

A can't wait to roast pumpkin seeds this year! I'm going to teach her how to scrape out the seeds and cook the pumpkin meat. Perhaps we'll even make that pumpkin pie that Q has been hinting about!

Do any of you have a wall flower from Bath and Body Works? I love their scents and right now, I have creamy pumpkin. It has been one of my favorites! You've got to try these if you haven't yet.:)

What's your favorite thing about fall these days?

Snow fluff cookies

As mentioned in my previous post, we got our first big snow of the year. It was really cute to hear A talk about how it was Jesus' birthday and suggest making gingerbread cookies. She immediately associated the winter scene outside with Christmas. I had to explain to her that the holidays weren't for a while yet. She was disappointed as she cannot wait for Christmas.

This snow picture right outside our door was so beautiful and peaceful. Hard to think that it was so much warmer just a couple of days before this happened!

Remember the mobile I told you about? It has a completely different look with the snow in the back ground.

We began a tradition in our house a few years ago that involves the first day of snow. We make cookies and drink hot chocolate. Now with kids, this day is even more fun. I have enjoyed making snowball cookies, but this year I chose to do something different. By looking in a couple of cookbooks, I came across a recipe for snowfluff cookies. Another recipe called them cornflake kisses. No matter what you call them, they are perfect for this special day.

A and I used the recipe in this Mix and Fix Cookbook (published by Parents Magazine years ago). This book has been mine since I was a young girl. Flipping through the pages has brought back memories of making some of these recipes.

Here's the recipe where it's called cornflake kisses:

2 egg whites

2 cups cornflakes

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

1 cup dry shredded coconut

1. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff.

2. Gradually add the sugar, and keep beating!

3. Gently fold in the other ingredients, just barely mixing everything together.

4. Drop the batter onto a greased cookie sheet, a teaspoonful at a time.

5. Bake in a moderate oven (325 degrees) for 12 minutes.

Makes 30 small kisses.

After lunch, Q and A went sledding for a while. When they returned they were drenched, but had such a good time together. We all sat down to eat snowfluff cookies and drink hot chocolate. This is such a neat tradition for us to continue with the kids.:)

Fall Leaf Mobile

I began this post last night while it was still looking like fall. Snow began falling tonight so tomorrow will look more like winter has arrived. It may not be the case where you live and you can still enjoy the gorgeous colors of autumn for some time.

A and I put together this fun decoration a few weeks ago to celebrate this season. If you have some leaves right outside your door and you'd like to preserve them, this is a great project to use them for.

I found this idea in last month's edition of Family Fun Magazine. After you press your leaves in a large book for a couple of days, place them between two pieces of clear contact paper. Cut around them, leaving a small border. Punch holes, tie a string to each, then hang them from a branch. We found our branch near our garden then taped it to the curtain rod. When the sun shines these leaves really glow. It's amazing!

Take time to enjoy this wondrous season God has given us. He is the Master Painter of the universe!:)

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.:)

Strawberry Lemon Trifle

A and I made this easy (and low fat!) dessert for a ladies Bible study last weekend. It comes from Taste of Home's Fast Fixes with Mixes Cookbook. We enjoyed every bit of it, as it was a refreshing treat during this summer heat.

Strawberry Lemon Trifle

4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened

1 cup fat-free lemon yogurt

2 cups fat-free milk

1 package (3.4 ounces) instant lemon pudding mix (for a creamier treat, use two boxes and double the milk)

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2-1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided

1 tablespoon white grape juice or water

1 prepared angel food cake (10 inches)

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and yogurt. Add the milk, pudding mix and lemon peel; beat until smooth. In a blender, process 1/2 cup strawberries and grape juice until smooth. Tear cake into 1-inch cubes; place a third in a trifle bowl or 3-qt. serving bowl. Top with a third of the pudding mixture and half of the remaining strawberries. Drizzle with half of the strawberry sauce. Repeat. Top with remaining cake and pudding mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Yield: 14 servings.

Winter has finally arrived!

While many of you have already experienced some snow (or LOTS if you live on the east coast), we've barely had any at all...just some flurries earlier this season. It is so dry in Colorado, and we desperately need the moisture. We have seen some on the mountains, but we haven't had any come and stay in our neck of the woods. It is also such a beautiful part of winter, so I've been wanting to see it.

Well, when I got up this morning, this is what I saw:

And by late afternoon, this is what the same location (right outside our front door) looked like....

There's lots of white stuff out there and it is gorgeous! Isn't God good to give us beautiful things to enjoy? While I watched the snow fall, I took down the Christmas decorations and rearranged the snowmen figurines. It was a fun project to do inside where it was nice and warm.;)

How are you enjoying the winter season? Enjoy God's beauty--and stay warm while you're at it!

He Stood There

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope you all have a wonderful time with your family and friends, giving thanks to God who gives us all the wonderful things we enjoy. I am so thankful for my salvation and the Bible. God's Word is my best source of encouragement, wisdom and instruction.

I thought it would be fitting to share a story that I wrote, based on a special Thanksgiving weekend that happened during my college days. My sister and I joined a couple of our friends in their home for the long weekend. I hope your heart is blessed and challenged to be a "light" to those who need Christ. Holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter are wonderful times to share Christ with those who need Him. Hearts seem to be more tender during those seasons as well. I don't know if the main character in my story, Papa, has come to the Lord, but I sure hope that he has. (By the way, you may share this story with the people in your home, but please do not duplicate or copy this in any way. Thanks!)

He stood there

Head bowed and eyes focused on the ground,

he stood there.

We exchanged good-byes, but I could tell something was wrong. He was deeply saddened that his children were leaving once again. I was merely a guest for the holiday weekend, so my leaving, most likely, did not affect him.

It was a wonderful time of dining, enjoyment, as well as relaxation. Instead of the usual turkey feast, we had a juicy ham with all the traditional fixin's. One of the reasons why it was a great time was that my sister was there, so it felt like I was home. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves by taking walks, sitting around the piano and singing to the Lord, or just talking to one another--lifting each other up...

and he stood there watching.

We also found time to read and work on our school projects. Occasionally, we took "funny story" and "poetry time" breaks to get a way from the books. We joked around, and laughed so much...

and he stood there listening.

At the end of our weekend, we took numerous pictures of one another. My sister and I took pictures of the family. I noticed three big joyful smiles,

and he stood there with a half grin.

As we were packing our things I asked him, "Papa, are you going to miss us?"

And standing there,

he said, "Yup." We backed out of the driveway and stopped to pray to the Lord thanking Him for the blessed weekend. As soon as I opened my eye, I noticed that Papa was no longer in the garage, but in the living room. I saw his facial expression as he waved to us.

And he stood there

as we drove off. My heart was tremendously impacted because of the testimonies of the other three family members. Papa needs Christ, and he doesn't realize that yet. He thinks that he's too good for the gift of salvation. Romans 3:12 says, "...there is none that doeth good, no, not one." With much fervent prayer, Mama and children are waiting on the Lord to change Papa's heart. Just like Papa,

the world stands there

watching and listening to us. Are we being the light to the world that we need to be? This thought entered my mind during the break. When I'm outside walking down the sidewalk, I see people with half grins and hopeless eyes. They are lost...they need Christ. When I see them, I also see Papa, watching, listening...

standing there.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see yoiur good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Our snowy season has finally arrived...

A wet snow came down for a few hours today. As in many areas of the country, the cold weather has seemed to take its time. Although I love warmer weather, it was refreshing to see the snow today.

It was time to make some snow ball cookies to celebrate this new season! You can go here to find the recipe I like to use. I did something differently tonight--I added a chocolate-almond candy bar piece to the center of each ball of dough. I stumbled across this new twist in a holiday cook book I own. The result was scrumptious! Q and I enjoyed this yummy treat with a cup of hot cocoa.

Do you have a tradition for the start of a new season? I'd love to hear your ideas!:)

Turkey bulletin board

There's a new board in our children's Sunday School area at church. Using dollar store letters, I wrote out the phrase, "In everything give thanks."

I had everything else on hand from when I taught school. I just love my turkey! He is dressed like a pilgrim and is full of color.

I would ask my students what they were thankful for, then write that on a turkey feather. Since we only have two or three kids who come to Sunday School, I'm going to have them write what they're thankful for on leaves. There's plenty of room to put some on both sides of the board.

Most of the bulletin board set comes from the Carson-Dellosa company. I'm sure you can find it (or something like it) to use in your church or home school classroom. You might be able to make your own turkey or find bits and pieces at your local dollar store.

The possibilities are endless....

Cards for Christmas

The card-making group got together today to make some cards for Christmas. It seems like a bit early, but the season will be here before we know it. I really enjoyed making the following cards with the ladies. Then, we stayed longer for a potluck lunch and had a good time of fellowship.

Simple and elegant. Those are the two words that come to mind when I look at this card. I really like the stick-on rhinestones. I'll have to use them on cards I make at home.:)

This card also has stick-on jewels and it is just beautiful. It took us a while to put it together, but we all loved the end result.

This is my favorite card. The simple embossing was fun to do.

This whimsical Santa card was neat to put together. We used the embossing heating tool to make the white paint on Santa's pants puff up.

We made a fifth card this time. This gift-wrapped card has a slot to insert a gift card inside. It was so easy to put together, too.

Have any of you started making your Christmas cards yet? Have fun!:)

The pumpkin seed experiment

Yesterday, we cut up five more pumpkins (just three left!) and cooked the meat. I thought it would be fun to experiment with different flavors for the pumpkin seeds. After looking at some ideas online, here's what I came up with: a batch made with Lowry's seasoned salt, a second batch made with garlic powder and a third batch made with pumpkin spice and white sugar.

Each small bowl-full of seeds was mixed with a couple of tablespoons of butter before the spices were sprinkled on. They each baked for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees. (You can also bake them at 250 degrees for about an hour.) I stirred each batch every ten minutes or so during baking time.

And the results? Well, don't ever try putting just garlic powder on the seeds. This was an idea I found on the web, and I did not like it at all (I threw them away, too.). I recommend using garlic salt instead. Using Lowry's seasoned salt made them taste sooo good, but I think I put a little too much. I would definitely do this again and go easy with the salt.

Oh, and I must tell you that our favorite flavor was the pumpkin pie spice and sugar! This is such a yummy treat. I didn't measure each ingredient, but I think the ratio was one part spice to two parts sugar. You can experiment and see what you like. I just didn't want to sprinkle on the spice on it's own. The sugar gives it a nice crunch and coating....yum!!!:) Below are the seeds right after I layered on the spice and sugar mix....

The next time I do this, I am definitely doing the pumpkin spice flavored seeds again, but I also want to try something new--perhaps a salt and sweet mix, kind of like kettle corn!

Do any of you have ideas for new flavorings I can try? I'd love to hear them.:)

Autumn Blessings

The Lord has been so good to us this season--answering some prayer requests and giving us some unexpected blessings. So I thought I'd share these with all of you.

1. God took care of me while I dealt with a health issue. It was not as serious as I thought it would be.

2. I made it into the Longmont Chorale Singers group, which has allowed me to meet more people and be a witness and testimony.

3. We've been finding awesome deals at thrift stores and with coupons at other stores. The Lord has been providing for our needs and then some!

4. We received some dear meat from our friend, Tony. Do you remember reading about that story?;)

5. Q was given a couple of opportunities to preach in high school chapels. Ministering to the students was a blessing to us.

6. One of the boys in our Bible club got saved recently! :)

7. Two friends gave me a HUGE stash of craft/sewing supplies that I'm already putting to good use.

8. God answered a personal request I've had for a long time. A big burden was lifted.

9. Our background checks and references came back a couple of days ago for our adoption. It happened very quickly and we're so thankful for that. Next week, we have our first home study.

10. Conversations with friends and family regarding our adoption has been a blessing. They have offered clothing and other necessities for our future child(ren) once we know what the gender/age will be.

What has God been doing in your life? I write blessings and answers to prayer a few days a week in my journal. It's good to reflect on how God takes care of us and loves us...even to the last detail.

Our God is good all the time. Always remember that!

Decorative pumpkins

From the dozen or so pumpkins we harvested from our garden, Q gave me two of them for decorating. I've been decorating the front rooms with fall and Thanksgiving decorations, and these two pumpkins added so much to them.

I saw pumpkins at a craft store that looks like the monogrammed one on the left. Since I did not take a picture of it there, I did my best to replicate it.

The skin of this pumpkin was so soft, that when I wrote on it with pencil, some green coloring came out. I gave it a deeper green color by tracing it with a colored pencil.

To make this monogrammed pumpkin, all I did was use black acrylic paint. Before I began working on each pumpkin, I drew out some ideas first. It's good to do this, so that you're less likely to make a mistake on the real thing.:)

I enjoyed painting on my pumpkins this year and have already thought that it would be neat to come up with some other designs in future years.

Have you made anything for your fall decorating this year? I'd love to hear what you did!

Making pumpkin puree...and a new recipe!

Q and I just harvested these beauties from the garden....

Do you see a green one in the mix? I'll be doing something with that one as well as one of the orange ones (so stay tuned!). The rest will be used for all sorts of recipes. I started on a couple of them yesterday.

First, with Q's help, we cut these in half. Then, I took out all of the seeds and cleaned them up inside.

We cut the pieces into nice big chunks and placed them into two baking dishes. I poured about three cups of water in each pan before placing them in the oven. More than half way through I forgot that I had not covered the pans, so I placed aluminum foil on top and let it bake some more. They baked at 350 degrees for a little over an hour. You'll have to test it to see if the meat is soft when you prick it with a fork.

I cut the skin off and placed small chunks into my blender. I did about three batches like this and the puree came out sooo creamy (kind of looks like baby food). In the past, I've used a potato masher, but it won't be as smooth in consistency. Do it whichever way you prefer.:)

Then, I made these cookies and took them to dress rehearsal last night. I shared them with my new friends in the chorale. They all loved them! I found the recipe at 5 Dollar Dinners. They are so scrumptious....perfect for the fall season...enjoy....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a stand mixer or mixing bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, eggs and canned pumpkin puree. once smooth, add the flour, soda, cinnamon pie spice, and salt. Stir until dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack before serving.

Handmade cards for Fall

The gals and I got together again to make four new cards. They are perfect for this new season. Take a look....

This first one is one of my faves. After stamping the image in the center, we used a blending pen to add more depth to the flowers.

I just love the tag that hangs on the bottom corner. The leaf in the center is so pretty, too.

I really like the color combination in this birthday card.

This card seemed to be everyone's favorite. Everything about it is soooo cute!

Our time together ended with a birthday cake and home made ice cream. Three of the ladies celebrate their birthdays this month. We had a great time and I look forward to the cards we'll be making next month.

Watermelon popsicles

Q and I have been enjoying a yummy treat lately....

These watermelon popsicles have been good to have in the freezer with this August heat! The best thing about them is that they are super-healthy because they're full of natural ingredients and don't have very much sugar. I found the recipe here while searching for a way to use up tons of watermelon that we just couldn't eat all by ourselves.

Enjoy!

Watermelon Popsicles

1-1/2 pounds seedless watermelon without rind, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup mint leaves, minced

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

pinch of salt

In a blender, puree the watermelon with the sugar until smooth. Stir in the mint, lemon zest and salt. Pour the puree in 8 popsicle molds or in 2 standard ice cube trays (insert popsicle sticks halfway through freezing) and freeze until hard, about 3 hours.