Sharing the Love with Paper Crafts

This past week I was a paper crafting fool!  (And LOVIN' it...I might add).  :) 

First of all, our February Craft Club activity was a deluxe card making session!  It was really fun to dig through and dust off my stamping and accessory supplies to design some new cards for my girlfriends and I to make.  Thanks to Kim O'Connell at Paper Perfect Designs I also created a couple of all-occasion gift card holders, too! 

If want a closer look at the designs and details, you may view my slide show on You Tube, in which I featured each card individually. 

Of course, with Valentine's Day a mere two days away, we've also been busy creating Josiah's school valentine box and valentines!  I presented Josiah with several ideas from blogs I follow and Pinterest and he choose from there! 

We created his valentine box out of a Kleenex box with printables from HP Creative Studio.  In fact, you can find lots of other ADORABLE holiday/ special occasion printables here when creativity or time is lacking.  Just be forewarned you'll need lots of colored ink or send the images to a local print shop! 

And all three of us worked together to create his "smartie pants" Valentines using these printables from Tip Junkie. 

On Valentine's Day, we are looking forward to celebrating it with my sister and her 2 kids!  Per Josiah's request, we will be enjoying heart shaped pizzas from Papa Murphy's and homemade sugar cookies!  

I'd love to hear or see how are you spreading the love this Valentine's Day!  Share your comments below.



Honor, Karate and Paper Lanterns @ Kid's Church

As a mother, I feel one of my most important responsibilities (if not, THE most important one) is to train my child in the ways of the Lord.  I do this in many, many different ways throughout the day, weeks and our lives! 

Grandma Laurel praying with Josiah

Therefore, going to church on Sunday mornings is really important to our family!  We attend, The Ransom Church, in Sioux Falls, SD.  We (Rob, Josiah and I) all love our church deeply-- because of it's focus, values, people, pastors, etc...AND our church's kids curriculum! 

Ransom Kids Room/Wall

In December, our church transitioned to a new kid's curriculum, called 252 Basics!  Josiah loves it because of the live drama, fun dance songs, and fun games!  Rob and I love it because he learns important values and Bible stories, learns how to read and look up verses in his Bible, memorizes scripture, and learns how to treat others the way Jesus would want us to treat them!  Every week he comes home with devotions and meal time questions that further reinforce the values, scriptures and Bible stories he is learning. 

In fact, I love and enjoy the curriculum so much--- I help teach and plan all the activities, games, props, and skits that we present to the kids each week!  Rob also helps (running the sound, power point, and filling in any other gaps). 

Each month we focus on teaching the kids about a virtue!  This month our virtue is--HONOR.  We are focusing on teaching honor through Bible stories in 1 & 2 Samuel about the life of David.  And within our messages, skits, and games we have a karate theme woven in them. 

Each month we decorate our classroom/meeting space according to the theme!  So, given the karate theme and mental stimulation games Rob and I made the following the decorations: 

Paper Lanterns

Hanging paper lanterns

Honor Code:  Love each other deeply.  Honor others more than yourselves.  Romans 12:10
February's Memory Verse

Large view of our room

If you live near Sioux Falls and haven't yet found a church home--- we'd love for you to visit our church, The Ransom Church!  Service times are at 9 and 11 am with a Happy Hour between services!!! However, Kid's Church is only offered during the 11 am service at this time.  :)  We'd love to see you and worship with you! 

p.s. The paper lanterns are really easy and cheap to make! I'll post a quick tutorial about how to make them later this week! 
 

Currently....

From time to time I want to share what I am currently into, up to, and doing.  Maybe my ramblings will provide you with a new recipe, inspiration, new product to try, new book to read, etc... Or just simply catch you up on the days of my life. 

Books:  For Bible Study, I am currently reading and leading a group through Resolution For Women by Priscilla Shirer.  This book/study was written to coincide with the recently released movie, Courageous and Resolution for Men.  The book is challenging me to be more intentional and resolved.  It has been enlightening and I definitely recommend it. 

I'm in between books otherwise.  I just read The Help (5 stars!!), The Postmistress  (4 1/2 stars) and Hotel on the Corner of Bittersweet (4 1/2 stars)-- I loved all of them, but especially The Help.  And I am looking forward to reading Room and Hunger Games Trilogy next.  I LOVE to read!!!

Music:  My favorite listening music right now is Kari Jobe's latest album.  And I'm really excited that Mandisa will be at South Dakota Life light 2012.  Lately, I'm digging Mandisa's singing Good Morning.  I love to listen to it each morning when I check my Face book and email.  It would be a great upbeat song to add to your exercise play list!  I also like it because it resonates with my one word journey in 2012, restore. 

Color:  Green

Drink:  Iced tea (of course) or hot Chai Tea lattes

TV Show:  Downton Abbey.  I LOVE this PBS series!!!!  It was recommended to me by my friend, Megan Koch, who blogs at Life Everyday.  Right now Season Two episodes are being featured on Sunday nights on PBS.  But you can catch all of  all Season One's episodes streaming on Netflix. Rob hasn't gotten into them nearly as much as I have but tolerates my obsession with them!  The series is based on a high-class English family that lives in a GIGANTIC sprawling mansion with butlers, maids and footmen at a time when the aristocratic society is crumbling.  

Food Cravin':  Coconut Oatmeal Cookies and Queso Dip from Qdoba

Wishin' For:  a new bike (I really dig this one at Target, partly because it's named LuLu!!)

Needs:  a new computer (my monitor and laptop mouse are broken)

Recent Triumph:  Memorizing scripture. 

Blessing:  Having Rob home a little more often. 

Bane of my existence:  van repairs (front brakes just needed repaired). 

Super Bowl Team Rootin' for:  Neither.....I'm really disappointed about the match-up.  But, we are excited to be invited to Barby and Todd's to watch the game, eat and hang out! 

On our menu:  White Chicken Enchiladas and Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Movie(s) wanting to see or rent:  Courageous, Hugo, and Big Miracle. 

Weekend Projects:  Baking Valentine sugar cookies (since my Mom is taking the year off), making school valentines with Josiah, and putting up February Kid's Ministry decor at the church. 

My favorite new products:  Microfiber cleaning cloths that I bought at Sam's Club.  I LOVE them! They make cleaning so much easier-- they soak up lots of water, don't leave any streaks and just plain make it easier and more enjoyable to clean! 

I also love new-skin liquid bandage.  I bought it to help heal those dry cracks that develop around your fingernails and knuckles during the winter that band aids just won't stick to.  I was very skeptical when I found it on the shelf but decided I would try it and couldn't be more pleased.  When you initially apply the new- skin it does sting for about 20 seconds (because it contains antiseptic) and takes about 1 minute to dry but then works sooooo much better than a band aid--especially in those places where it is hard to keep a band aid in place! 

I would love to know if I provided you with any inspiration or if you have any books, shows, movies, foods, that you'd recommend soon trying! 

BBQ Meatball Recipe

I'm posting this recipe in honor of my twin sister, Barb (aka "Barby").  Although we are twins we are quite different from one another.  I like to describe our differences this way:  Barby reads the Wall Street Journal and I prefer to make pinatas out of the Wall Street Journal. 

Furthermore, she does not enjoy cooking or baking and I LOVE IT!  But in 2012 she made it her new year's resolution to start meal planning and cooking homemade meals for her family.  Last night she advised (via Face book) her family's favorite recipe during January was Rob's BBQ Meatball recipe so I'd thought I would pass it along to the rest of you. (I call them Rob's BBQ meatballs because he is the one that first made them when I discovered this recipe). 

Rob's BBQ Meatballs



Meatball Ingredients: 

• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 5 ounce can of evaporated milk (the smallest can you can buy)
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

Sauce Ingredients: 

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (don't over do; sometimes we use instant onion)
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions: 

Mix all the meatball ingredients together (except the ground beef) in a medium mixing bowl.  Crumble beef over the mixture and mix well.  Shape into 1" balls; placed in a greased 9 X13 baking dish. 

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 18 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. 

Meanwhile, combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour over the meatballs after they have cooked for 18 minutes.  Then bake meatballs covered with sauce for another 10-12 minutes longer. 

Yields:  4 dozen

Side Serving Suggestions:  hash brown casserole, tossed salad, any vegetable or spoon bread.  

Note:  These freeze well and they are a good meal to take to others, because it makes enough for 2 small/medium families. 

Menu Planning 101= $aving$

One of the best money & time saving tips we do in our house is menu planning!  I have been doing it for years.  We cannot function efficiently without doing it.  I took for granted that everyone did something similar.  However, last summer when I posted something on FB about menu planning, I was surprised of how many people don't do it and even received one request to explain how I do it.  So I thought the new year would be a perfect time for a menu planning tutorial so you can reap the same benefits for your family!

Reasons why I menu plan:
I love organization and having a plan.
Forces us to eat a variety of foods and we eat more healthy. 
Saves money (because we go out to eat alot less and I can plan meals around the shopping ads). 
Saves time.
Less running to the grocery store.
Less impulse buying at the grocery store.
I plan meals according to our schedule (i.e on busy days...simple meals).
Reduces stress, tension and hurriedness. 
We have more friends and family over to our house for meals. 
We try more new dishes, foods, and desserts. 

Over time, I've found it works best for us to plan one week at a time.  But others might find it better to plan 2 weeks or even 1 month at a time, especially those of you who live "West River" and are only able to grocery shop once a month.  :)  No matter how short or long you plan ahead, I guarantee you're home will be happier because you menu plan.

During the school year, I only plan our suppers and weekend meals.  But during summer vacation, I plan lunches, suppers and sometimes even snacks for Josiah. 

Review
First, I review our schedule-- practices, Bible Studies, volunteering, birthday parties, and special occasions or days when I know I'll be gone all day.  I do this so I can account for what nights I need to make an extra simple, or extra early, or even a crock pot meal and/or take a dish/snack if we are invited to someone else's home or if we need to eat leftovers. 

Then, it's kinda weird, but I evaluate the weather forecast because we love to grill ALL YEAR LONG, so I want to know which days will be most favorable to grill.

Next, during the school year, I review what Josiah will be having for lunch so that I don't duplicate meals and avoid him ingesting too much dairy (since he is moderately allergic to dairy).  And if it's summer, then I plan our lunch menu, as well. 

Last, I look at what we had last week or even within the last month, so I can be sure we are having a well rounded diet and don't over-do the same dishes too much.  I also consider cravings or requests from Rob, Josiah and friends we might be inviting over, as well. 

Plan & Write

I like to write our menu plans on a weekly calendar that I buy in the office supply section at Hobby Lobby.  However, Post It notes has a nice one that I have been eyeing at Target, too (above photo).  You could also create your own printable menu plan or find a blank calendar to write it on, as well.  Even a piece of scratch or notebook paper will do! 

Once I know all my "factors", I then sit down with my cookbooks and arsenal of recipes to plan out the week.  I write what we are having on what day and what page # and cookbook I will find the recipe.  After I'm done, I place "the week's cookbooks/recipes" in one special place so that they are easily accessible (since I have ALOT of cookbooks and cooking magazines). 

While I am jotting down our menu plan down I also simultaneously write our grocery list. In order to make grocery shopping even easier, I categorize my list by produce/dried goods/canned goods/cereals & snacks/bakery/baking & spices/dairy/frozen/meat/misc and Sam's.  In fact, I nearly always have a grocery list posted on our refrigerator so I can write things down pantry items as I use them. 

This Week's Menu Plan
Here is a peek at our menu plan for this week. 

• Thursday:  Roast Beef, Corn, Apple/Lettuce/Marshmallow Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Bread
• Friday:  Calico Bean Casserole, Broccoli, (left over bread) Pumpkin Pie
• Saturday: 
• Breakfast:  Breakfast Sandwiches
• Lunch:  Grilled Chicken Wings & Tequilaberry Salad
• Supper:  White Chicken Enchiladas, Spoon bread, Chips & Salsa
• Sunday: 
• Lunch:  BLT's, sliced apples with caramel dip
• Supper:  Chicken Parmesan, Spaghetti, Caesar Salad
• Monday:  Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, Cinnamon Roll Pull Apart Bread
• Tuesday:  Cinnibake, (left over bread), toss salad
• Wednesday:  Hawaiian Grilled Chicken & Coconut Rice, Broccoli
• Thursday: Tomato Tortellini Soup 
• Friday:  Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, corn, toss salad

 Let me know what recipes you want me to share from this week's menu plan and I'll post 3 of them by Friday!

Magnetic Memo/Picture Frame Board with Glass Gem Magnets

Last Fall I garnered enough interest to start a monthly craft club at my house.  I plan the craft project(s) and then send my friends a supply list so everyone can put their own spin & touches on our creations. Then we gather once a month at my house to craft and create! It's so fun to feed off one another's energy and creativity, share supplies, and just generally catch up on one another's lives. 

This is what my memo/picture board looks like!

Today we made a memo/picture frame out of sheet metal and some 2 X4's and magnets out of flat bottomed glass gems.  I had seen several examples of this craft but struggled to find clear directions on how to make it, so I'll share our tips & techniques to help the rest of you if you want to create 1 or 2 of them yourself. 

Supply List: 

• Sheet Metal (a 24 X 36 piece was $9.52 in the plumbing department at Lowe's)
• 2 X 4 (cut to your desired length--we made ours a couple of inches wider than our sheet metal pieces)
• Large flat bottomed glass beads (a bag of about 30 cost $1 at the Dollar Tree-- the kind for filling vases with)
• Scrapbook paper
• tin snips 
• paint
• paint brush
• magnets
• Mod Podge
• brayer
• 9001 glue
• 1 1/4 circle punch
• scissors
• sand paper and file
• embellishments (ribbon, stickers, etc...)

Directions: 

1. Cut 2 X 4 according to desired length.  We made ours 1 foot long. 
2. Using a table saw, cut a 1/2" deep groove about 1" from the front edge. 
3. Use tin snips to cut sheet metal according to desired length.  We made ours 10 X 10. 
4. Sand edges of the 2 X 4 with sandpaper and sand the edges of the sheet metal with a file. 
5. Paint 2 X 4. 
6. Cover and/or embellish sheet metal piece with scrapbook paper.  We mod podged our paper onto the metal by applying mod podge to our sheets of paper and then adhering it to the metal. Lay it down carefully because it adheres quickly with little or no wiggle room. 
7. Use a brayer to roll out any bubbles in your paper. 
8. Using a circle punch, punch out your desired magnet designs out of scrapbook paper. 
9. Apply a thin layer of mod podge to flat bottom of glass bead and to scrapbook paper. 
10. Afix the bead and paper together and let it dry. 
11. Using scissors trim excess paper from sheet metal and glass beads. 
12. Apply 9001 glue to the back of  your gem/paper and add your magnet.  You only need to use a very small amount. 
13. Give the 9001 glue sufficient time to dry (about 5 minutes). 

This craft will be perfect for displaying a favorite Bible verse, grocery list, new years resolutions, pictures or recipes. 

Steph's

Natalie's

Close-up view of my magnets

If you don't want to create the magnetic board the magnets themselves would make a nice small gift for a teacher, hostess, secret sister, etc...

My One Word--- Restore

Happy New Year!  Rob, Josiah and I just got back from a wonderful trip to Nana and Gramps for Christmas!  It was a very special and relaxing vacation and a long overdue one.  We hadn't seen most of Rob's side of the family for three years so it was very fun reconnecting with all of them.  We truly couldn't have asked for a better Christmas! 

While we were gone, I meditated on 2011 and envisioned our family's 2012.  I started to think about my new years resolutions, however I eventually decided I would take a different approach in 2012.  I have decided to pick one word to focus on my character and vision in 2012 versus a whole laundry list of things I hope or want to accomplish.  You can read more details about this exercise at One Word. 

My "one word" that I have chosen for 2012 is "restore."  Let me explain why...

Our family's past couple of years, three years (to be exact), haven't lived up to our expectations, goals, dreams or desires.  And in 2011 our lives became more chaotic, frustrating, dark, depressing, messy and more out of sorts than anything Rob and I have ever experienced before in our lives. 

I truly question how we were able to find any sort of peace in 2011 when so many circumstances spiraled out of control to achieve any kind of peace.  Storms constantly raged throughout our lives in 2011---broken relationships/friendships, failed business attempt, losing our family pet, child rearing struggles, and serious financial struggles top the list.  At one point, we thought we were moving across country, so I started packing up our house in anticipation of a new beginning, only to be sorting back through all those boxes almost daily because we are still here and the seasons keep changing.  We more or less have been hanging by a thread but we are still hanging on!!!

Despite our stormy circumstances, we celebrated many good things throughout 2011--God protected our health, Mom and Dad sold the store and retired, a special visit from Vikki, Austin and Phoenix to celebrate Josiah and Phoenix's birthdays together, a special Kindergarten year for Josiah at Christian Center Education, Camp Cousin Week, God's provision in many unexpected ways/resources, new friendships and new opportunities, and I was able to stay at home throughout the entire year.  And most recently we enjoyed our first family trip in three years! 

Throughout most of 2011, I confess I was truly lost about what God was up to in my life/our lives. Because we encountered one roadblock after another in 2011, my eyes have become zeroed in on my imperfections and flaws causing myself to be riddled with guilt and fear.  I won't lie, at times the guilt and fear suffocates me.  Therefore, in 2012 I need to restore myself....thus, my "one word" for the year. 

In 2012 I will not allow my days to be defined by failure, messes, stress, busyness or everyday difficulties. My life is hidden in Christ and I know he wants to restore my peace and joy.  So, in 2012 I intend to find myself again and let God find me again!

I desire to be more patient, flexible, joyful, etc... But, I also want to discover what He desires me to be.  For three plus years, I have focused on Rob's desires, dreams, and goals.  I wanted to and was happy doing that for Rob, but throughout that process, I lost myself and my identity. I know God has a lot of unfinished business in my life that is hindering my future.  So, I desire for Him to restore my soul.  In 2012 I want to soak in his love and acceptance and discover what He desires of me.   

I need to return to work, but I do so with a heavy heart.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being a stay-at-home mom.  But, like most families, we need the extra income so I am contemplating taking a couple of classes to renew my teaching certificate.  But, maybe there is another plan?  Substitute teaching, waitressing, etc... I don't know... I would covet your prayers about this decision. 

All I know TODAY is that I desire to be transformed and restored by God's grace.  I want to put the voices of failure, condemnation, doubt, fear behind me and begin to embody my "one word"-- restore. I need a spiritual makeover to smooth out the rough edges and touch up my life. 

I deeply desire God to restore me in a fresh anew as it says in Colossians 3:3:  "Your old life is dead.  Your NEW life, which is your REAL life-- even though invisible to spectators- is with Christ in God.  He is your life." 

Only God knows how He is going to use my "one word"-- "restore"-- in my life in 2012.  Who knows all the ways He plans to restore my being?  But, I will keep you informed of my vulnerable journey. 

I would love others to join me on this "one word" journey.  Check out the One Word website and think about it!