Sunflowers At Home

Lent

2012-02-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

I have to be honest. I have never fasted anything for Lent. I never really understood it. I didn't grow up in a church and the churches I attended/attend as an adult don't "officially" do Lent. I heard people talk about it in general terms but it wasn't until recently that I really began to understand what Lent was about. So, here is what I learned. In a nutshell the season of Lent is about becoming closer to Jesus through fasting (self-discipline for a spiritual goal), prayer, and giving back. These are things that I should be doing all year, but this is a time to especially focus on it.

Fasting: after a lot of self-examination I have decided to give up the internet for all but an hour a day. (The hour is necessary due to an online Bible study I am participating in as well as checking email for communications with customers and teachers.) The internet is my biggest time waster and I to often get on to just check something "real quick" only to discover it has been much longer than I thought. I will have to more be diligent about what I do and focus on what really NEEDS to be done online rather than wasting time.

Prayer: I seem to do better with prayer when I journal, so I have pulled out my prayer journal again. I have become the gal who throws up the quick prayer whenever something pops into my head but I don't really spend time in deliberate prayer. I hope to work on that these next 40 days. I will also be reading 40 Days With Jesus: Celebrating His Presence during this time.

Giving back: My goal is to make 40 hats to donate to God's Tiny Angels during this season. Since I won't be on the computer as much I should have more than enough time to complete this task.

So if you don't "see" me around the internet as much, at least you will know why. I am hoping that this will help me to draw closer to God and as a result I can feel more peace, which is my goal for the year. Do you participate in Lent? If so, I would love for you to share what you are doing so I can pray for you.

Until next time,

Salt dough pendant

2012-02-15T12:02:00.000-05:00

Have you ever played with salt dough? It's a great, inexpensive, tactile crafty product that I can almost garuantee you have everything to make it in your kitchen already! (If you don't then you should!) What do you need?
2 parts flour
1 part table salt
water

That's it! I used 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup salt and then added just enough water to form a dough that resembled pie crust and we were able to make these:

as well as a few smaller hearts. (The impatient mom tried to turn them into necklaces and ended up breaking them when trying to force the ribbon through the hole!)

Just knead the dough roll it out or shape it then either bake it at 250 F until completely dry or stick it in your dehydrator overnight (which is what I did). For the silver pendant

I used one of my rubber stamps to get the floral impression then used a tooth pick to poke the word peace in it. Painted with regular acrylic silver paint. Once dry I watered down some black paint, applied it and let it sit for a minute or so and then gently rubbed the high spots. Allow this to dry and seal with a spray polyurethane, sealer, or even nail polish! It is deceptively light.

This is a great craft medium for the kids, but it's also fun for adults. Look at some of the creations I found on the net:

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these are EARRINGS!

What are you waiting for? Go raid your cabinets!

Until next time,

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-14T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentine's Day today. Just wanted to drop a quick thought your way to remind you that whether you are with a special someone or not, you are LOVED!

Until next time,

Staying in the Peace

2012-02-13T15:42:00.000-05:00

I have tried to write this post several times explaining why I have chosen this particular verse this week. Each time it became a very long, and even more importantly, a very personal post. Every time I ended up deleting it. What I had thought was going to be a personal quest to find peace has just become a quest to find peace when things get turned upside down and the dreams you had for another are at best put on hold and at worst gone forever. I don't feel comfortable saying more than that at this time because while the situation could have a HUGE impact on me and my household, it isn't my story to tell.

After finding that out yesterday I was amazed at how I was able to maintain peace. Am I upset? Yes. Disappointed? Definately. But what is done is done and rather than dwell on it, I am chosing to give the situation to God and move forward. This weeks verse reminds me that peace is not something that I can get on my own. It is a gift that I recieve when I chose to surrender. This world is full of things that are not peaceful and I can chose to live in the world or to live in the one who has overcome!

So despite the news from yesterday, despite having my 3 year old spew all over herself, the store and me today while grocery shopping (she wasn't sick when we left the house I promise!) and despite everything else the world continues to throw at me, I am taking heart and staying in the peace!

Until next time,

Conversation Heart Printable

2012-02-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

This has been on my to-do list for years, ever since I saw this post on the Creative Ladies Ministry. I finally (yes, I know it's last minute!) created this:

So what is it you ask? It is a wrapper for those little boxes of conversation hearts that you can pick up EVERYWHERE this time of year. This one in particular I know fits the sweetheart boxes sold in 4 packs at the dollar tree because that is what I used to make the template. If your box is slightly bigger or smaller this will still work because there is extra on the left side of the image that can be glued under allowing it to grow some and you can always trim it down if needed for a smaller box.

These would be great to pass out at church (I know it's tomorrow but this post will be here for years and years so someone in like 2019 may see it in time to actually buy the boxes, print all the templates, cut them out and glue them onto the boxes in time to hand out on Valentine's weekend), give as valentines in class, or use as a witnessing tool. Feel free to use it as you please. These will print two to a page and if you want to print them out I suggest you open the pdf file so that the scale is accurate.

Until next time,

Sour Grapes

2012-02-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

Many of the women at my church started a new weight loss program and are losing lots of weight quickly with very little effort. It's one of those "all natural" supplement programs and they are getting some really great results. Start up is over $200 a month. That is WAY outside of my price range.

With their weight loss though, I found myself fighting the green monster,

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then depression because I wasn't getting results as quickly,

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then anger that I was HURTING physically from my exercising (need I say that my muscles are totally rebelling at doing even the basic forms of strength training?).

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I haven't lost weight in about 2 weeks and I found myself praying for God to just give me even a small change in the scale because i was getting so discouraged with it all. Now I don't mean just a little prayer as I step on the scale, I mean some serious prayers ... with tears and everything.

Then, during my Bible study time, He responded to my prayer, Not with what I wanted, but an answer that I needed. In Isaiah 5 the people are doing their own thing. Not so much that it was the wrong thing as much as it was they were doing it without GOD. The chapter begins with an analogy of God preparing and planting a vineyard that He expected to produce fine, sweet grapes only to get sour, wild grapes.

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He compares His people to the wild grapes. They didn't become what He had envisioned and went on to do their own things. Then you get to Isaiah 5:19 where they are mocking God saying "Hurry up and do something! QUICK show (me) what you can do. (I) want to see what you have planned." What a huge awakening for me! I have gotten so wrapped up in what the scale says (which isn't a bad thing in and of itself) that I have left out God! He has given me everything that I need to do this right, but rather than allowing the Son to help me grow into sweet grapes I have focused on how I compare to the other grapes in the field and that is making me sour and bitter. He should be my focus and the center and not how I am doing compared to others.

Chapter 5 continues with several lines of "destruction is certain" for His people who are not focused on Him. I can not do this alone. I have tried MANY times before and failed each and every time. Not only failed but gained MORE weight. I am now trying to refocus on why I started this study, which was about growing closer to the only one who can truly satisfy, and less on the temporary satisfaction of smaller numbers on the scale, because one day those numbers are going to stop getting smaller and then what do I have?

Another hint that I needed to bring God back into this journey was a DVD I found while grocery shopping with the hubby. Now I just want to say that I have looked at this particular rack of exercise DVD's several times over the last week trying to decide whether or not to purchase the DVD version of a VHS program I already own. That would allow me to workout downstairs rather than in the living room only. While going back and forth about it I have browsed every DVD on the rack. On this particular day there was 1 and ony 1 copy of a new DVD I had never seen before.

(You can check it out at http://amzn.to/Ap9Hqn)

So I bought it, and I have to say I LOVE it. That doesn't mean I enjoy the workout, because it does challenge me. What I do love is that throughout the DVD the encouragements are not along the lines of "what a beautiful body you are creating" but rather along the lines of "you are doing a great thing be being a good steward of the body God has entrusted to you". It reminds me the whole time that this body is a gift from God and is His temple and I need to care for it. I am challenged to do my best through the entire workout. It is great for keeping me focused on what is really important.

And that is the challenge I want to leave you with.

If you are going to do it, do it with all of your might!

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Do EVERYTHING for God's glory

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and do it with all your heart!

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So I am still on this journey towards a smaller me, and a more peaceful me, but I learned that my focus needs to be on God. If my focus is in the right place, everything else will fall in line!

You can find out more about Made to Crave and do the FREE 21 day challenge here. You can also join me on SparkPeople for a free weight loss plan. You can find me as Sunflowers4Me.
Until next time,

Off the hook and WIP's

2012-02-01T13:16:00.000-05:00

Working on a few shamrocks to place in the Etsy store, and a few last minute heart appliques.

and a few last minute heart appliques

I also started on a mobius cowl using a mohair blend. Haven't decided if I am going to keep this one or gift it. I plan to start working on some charity projects as well. I have a bonnet I am making for Knit, Pray, Love and if there is enough time perhaps a beanie. Of course Princess A wants one of everything I make which makes everything take twice as long!

Until next time,

Prepare for the Battle

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I have discovered (and some of you may just read this and go "duh!") is that the battles of this life are more than just physical, they are spiritual too. I know, that's deep isn't it? But we are told throughout scripture that we are battling spiritually. (Ephesians 6:10-12). When I look at things through those eyes, I see that there is so much more at stake.

I had a clear realization of just how this works on Friday. I told you in my One Word 2012 post that I am participating in the Made to Crave Bible study (You can get the book here or you can do the 21 day challenge for free here) which not only focuses on God but on weight loss as well. Friday was my weigh in day. After losing almost 6 lbs the first 2 weeks my scale showed no weight loss on Friday. I began to get frustrated and a little voice started to tell me that this really wasn't worth it. (You can read about it on my SparkPeople blog here) This was my first spiritual battle on this new journey I was on.

I had felt peace until the scale didn't show me anything different. I was letting those numbers and that little niggling voice rob me of my peace. So I turned to scripture. After all, Ephesians 6:15-18 tells us to use scripture and faith to defend ourselves, not to mention that little reminder about being ready with the gospel of peace. And I found this little nugget of truth:

Photo taken by Jose Carlos Norte licensed under the Creative Commons license

I felt like I had fallen, that I had failed at this new journey. We have all had moments when we felt like we just didn't quite measure up and in those moments it is so easy to give ourselves over to the negative thoughts that plague us in those times. That my friends is the spiritual battle. We need to remember that even though we may have fallen, we have the strength to rise again (Philippians 4:13)! We are never alone in our struggle. God provides a way if we will just look to Him to lead.

Until next time,

hearts!

2012-01-25T09:12:00.000-05:00

My hooks and needles were getting a little dusty lately. When I was changing out my shelf decorations in my hallway I realized I didn't have anything Valentine-y to replace what had been hanging on the wall. So I turned to Ravelry and searced for some heart patterns. First I made this one:

This is one of the hearts from the Granny Heart Bunting designed by Sandra Paul. If you get confused with any aspect of the pattern, she has created a great step by step photo tutorial here. While I love this heart, it blends in a little to much with my white walls so rather than redo the entire heart I decided to add another heart on top of this one.

Much better if I do say so myself. I like the small pattern so much that I am considering making several of them in thread and sticking them on some small cards as valentine's presents. What do you think? You can find the pattern for the small heart designed by Addy here.

Are you valentine crafting? What are you making? Looking for another heart pattern? Check out my heart bookmark pattern, it's free!

Until next time,

One Word 2012

2012-01-24T13:25:00.000-05:00

I have seen this idea floating around the internet and have been really thinking about what word I would chose as my goal or resolution this year. Haven't heard about it? The basic concept is this, rather than coming up with a new year's resolution, or a list of things to do this year, chose one word that encompasses everything. You can read about this here.

So I have spent a lot of time thinking about it and finally chose my word:

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I have been holding on to a lot of hurts in my life, a lot of anger over postponed plans and dreams. I have been so busy looking backwards or forwards that I have lost the pleasures of the moment. I don't want to do that anymore. John 14:27 tells us "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" Peace is a gift to us, but like all gifts it must be something we accept. I have decided it is time to accept this gift. I no longer want a troubled heart, I don't want to worry about the future.

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"in ME (Jesus) you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world" John 16:33

The first thing I need to do is to focus on the one who gives peace. As the verse above tells us, it is in Jesus that we have peace, even when things get hard we can still find peace. (This was a huge ah-ha moment for me sitting in church listening to this sermon.) So that is what I am focusing on right now.

Since I so often turn to food as a comforter when I don't feel peaceful, I joined an online Bible study based upon Lysa Terkeurst's book Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. In it I have learned so many truths that are helping me to reach my goal of peace in 2012.

So throughout the year, I will be bringing back the scripture cards every week to share scriptures that can help us to either attain the peace God has offered to us, or to help us create a peaceful environment in our homes. And since accountability is a biggie in the Made to Crave study, I plan to keep you all posted during my journey to reach peace with my physical self as well. If you are interested in how I am achieving this you can find me on SparkPeople as Sunflowers4Me. I would love to be friends with you there.

How about you? Have you chosen a word for 2012? I would love it if you shared it with me!

Until next time,

Knit Pray Love

2012-01-19T18:51:00.000-05:00

Anyone else out there joining in on this? It is a partnership between KLove, Air1 and CURE that is striving to get hand knit hats for children ages newborn to 12. They will be given to children being treated in Cure hospitals in Afghanistan primarily and if enough are recieved around the world.

All hats must be postmarked by Feb. 15th. Are your needles clicking?
Until next time,

Last Minute Christmas gifts

2011-12-21T13:23:00.001-05:00

Here are two easy, inexpensive, and impressive last minute Christmas gifts you can make. Let me apologize first for the really horrible picture quality but most of my crafting is currently being done after dark so getting good pictures is next to impossible.

The first, some elegant coasters cost me about $5 a set. All you need to make them are:
Travertine 4 by 4 tiles (these come in packages of 9 tiles for about $4 at you local home improvement store which gives you two sets and an extra tile)
tissue paper
cardstock
glue stick
printer
Modge Podge
spray sealer
Felt protective furniture pads or self adhesive felt
picture of your choice

Sorry there aren't any pictures for this tutorial. I hadn't planned on sharing this project, but it is just to good not to. I loved how elegant they turned out!

First, resize your picture to fit on your tiles and convert it to black and white. For my cousin I used a picture of her new house and added her last name to it. If you don't want to go that route you can use sayings like the ones below: (feel free to use them)

Using the glue stick run line of glue around each side of the cardstock and very carefully place your tissue paper over the cardstock being careful to avoid wrinkles. Cut around the cardstock. This will allow you to print onto the tissue paper. Be sure to let the glue dry and only apply glue right along the edges. The point isn't to get a permanent adhesion, but simply to tack the tissue paper to the cardstock REALLY close to the edges.

Using any program that will allow you to put the pictures on one page (even a word processor will allow you to do this) and print them onto the tissue paper. Allow the ink to dry. Some people have recommended spraying the inked tissue paper with the sealer and allowing it to dry for 24 hours before using. I tried it and didn't really find a difference between using the sealer and not, so use your best judgement on this one.

Cut out one image REALLY close to the printing. It's easiest to do this if you leave it attached to the cardstock while cutting. Apply a thin layer of Modge Podge to the top of the tile and center your image on the tile. Carefully apply a coat of Modge Podge over the tissue paper being sure to remove any air bubbles. If there are any "dents" in the tile where your tissue is I would gently use a paint brush to push the tissue down into the dent. Allow this to dry completely and then apply 2 more coats of Modge Podge being sure each coat dries before adding a second coat.

Once dry, spray each tile front and back with the sealer. I used 2-3 coats on each side. This will make it much more water resistant. Once this dries, apply your furniture dots to each corner. Wrap with a pretty bow and present your gift.

The second is a cute little Christmas tree that I originally made to use as an Advent tree for Princess A (we add an ornament sticker to it every day) and then made a second to give to a family member who decided not to go through the trouble of putting up a big tree this year. I paid less than $2 to make this!

To make this you will need:

(ignore the apples in the background that Princess A requested only to remove them all from her plate, place them on her placemat and then refuse to eat them. I had hoped that she would return to them later, but alas she did not!)

cardboard cone (I purchased mine for $0.50 in the doll making section but you can make your own from a cereal box)
green paint ( I was to impatient to use acrylic paints, but they would work just as well!)
4 standard sheets of felt (I chose to use two shades of green)
a glue gun
bamboo skewer
yellow paint sample cards
scissors or rotary cutter and mat

Start by painting your cone green. This helps just in case some of the cone peeks through between your felt strips.

(yep, we are working on the stove because I am not one of those fortunate people with a craft room, so I craft where I can and since I am using a glue gun the stove is where I work. It's near an outlet, high enough little hands can't grab a cord, extra lighting and it's flat. The drawback? Gotta stand up the whole time I craft!)

While the paint dries cut the felt into 2-3 inch strips across the long side. (The undecorated tree used 2 inch strips and the decorated tree used 3 inch)

(Cut along the black lines where the numbers are)

Fold them in half hotdog style and using a very small amount of hot glue, glue the long sides together really close to the edge. If you use to much glue it won't want to conform to the curve of your cone and won't lay pretty. To little glue and it won's stay shut.

cut a slit from the folded side almost up to the other side about every 1/2 inch.

Starting at the bottom glue your first strip on so that the folded edge extends below the bottom of your cone. Do not cut your strip to length, just glue and when you get to the beginning then cut. Try not to stretch the strip as you glue around. Save your scraps. As the tree narrows you can use the scraps rather than whole strips.

Position the second strip so that the folded edge overlaps the top of the previous strip and glue around as before.

Continue all the way to the top. Once you get to the very top cut a strip about 4 or 5 tabs long and glue the edge to form a circle. Apply hot glue to the top of the tree being sure to leave the hole at the top of the cone glue free. Position your circle over the glue and kind of smoosh the top so that it is more pointy.

On the back of one of the paint cards freehand draw a star. Cut it out. Place it on the second paint card so the the pretty sides are touching each other and the printed sides are facing outwards. Cut around the star.

(eww! Time to clean the cutting mat!)

Apply glue down the center of the backside of one star and place the skewer.

Apply glue all over the back of the card and place the second card over the skewer being sure to line up points on the stars.

Allow to dry, slide the skewer down the center of the cone and mark where it comes out the bottom. Cut off excess. Congratulations of your first easy felt tree! You can decorate it with stickers like I did or hot glue some miniature ornaments on, or just leave it plain.

Plan on making these? I would love it if you would share your finished projects on the Sunflowers at Home Flickr group!

Until next time,

A Snowflake Christmas day 3

2011-12-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today's pattern is from Doni Speigle and is available as a free pdf download from Ravelry. This pattern is written for yarn and is intended to be used as a coaster, but again I worked mine in size 10 cotton thread and a size 7 steel hook and got a snowflake approximately 2 inches wide which is perfect for a card stuffer or a tract. Again, I would love to see your finished snowflakes. You can share them on the Sunflowers at Home Flickr group.
Until next time,

MIA

2011-12-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

Admittedly I have been a bad blogger of late. I could claim it was the time of the year (trying to finish gifts and shopping), I could claim illness ( I slept 15 hours and still have a chest that hurts, a throat that hurts, body aches, a headache, and a fever), I could even claim the demands of being a mom, but the truth is, I just haven't felt it.

Now, those of you who stick around and read this blog and aren't just stumbling onto it, thanks so much and I really appreciate you. I promise to get better and start posting again. I have several patterns I am writing up to offer in my Etsy shop. (One thing I have learned is that it is a lot easier to offer the pattern than it is to offer the finished item!) I also have a few crafts that I have done and I want to share with you. (I actually went to take pictures today only to discover that every rechargeable battery in my house that fits in my camera needs to be charged!)

Now that Christmas is almost here I again realize that I have not kept up with my snowflakes like I wanted to, so I am trying to create a mountain of them to put in my Christmas cards and to use as tracts to leave while I am out shopping. So this month, I am going to share snowflake patterns. Most won't be my own, but if you like snowflakes it will save you the trouble of trying to find 31 different patterns. I would love to see the ones you make! You can share them on the Sunflowers at Home Flickr group. And if you know of a pattern that you think I should share, drop me a line with the link.

Until next time,

A Snowflake Christmas day 2

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-05:00

Day 2 is a pattern from Brittany Boesken and is only 1 round! Worked in yarn you don't even need to stiffen this to make a beautiful decoration. These would be really great Christmas tags for presents! You can find her pattern here on her site It's a String Thing. If you make one be sure to thank her for the pattern and tell her who sent you. I would also love it if you would share your pictures on the Sunflowers at Home flickr group.

Until next time,

A Snowflake Christmas day 1

2011-12-01T01:30:00.000-05:00

Lucy from Attic24 shared her pattern for this beautiful snowflake. She worked it in DK weight wool, but I am making mine using size 10 thread cotton and a size 7 hook to yield a smaller flake suitable for cards or tracts. Either way it is an easy and quick flake and she offers a great step by step picture tutorial. You can find her pattern here. If you use it, please be sure to tell her thanks and how you found the pattern!

Until next time,

I.A.K. week 4

2011-11-21T00:01:00.082-05:00

It is my prayer that during this challenge each of you have searched out ways to be intentionally kind yourselves and to use these actions as teachable moments with your children. Like Jenae, I do not share what we are doing in an attempt to gain any recognition or glory. I am not better than you. I can be rude at times, unintentionally blind to the needs or hurts of others, and selfish. Not one of us on this big green and blue planet are perfect. But like Jenae, I want to instill in my children the importance of being conscience of others. We live in a world where we have so much opportunity to help one another and yet we act as if it all revolves around us.

My generation (Generation X) is often described as the "me first" generation which is scary when you think about the fact that we are raising the next. I want to break the cycle of thinking that what I want should be most important. This isn't what my Bible teaches me and it doesn't make for a very good society either. It is only when we consider others that we can truly find a place of happiness. It is my hope that by sharing some of my thoughts and actions this past month, and that in your efforts to participate, something has changed, a seed has been planted. I know that I view thing differently and I am beginning to see that tiny little seed sprout in my own children at times. When Princess A is offered a sucker after story hour and she asks to bring one home to each of her siblings as well I see that little seed of kindness growing. When Little Man invites his youngest sister into his room to watch a movie he doesn't particularly like so that I can cook dinner without a little one under foot I see that seed sprouting. When Lady H offers to take everyone out for ice cream knowing she doesn't have enough to buy her a cone too, I see that seed sprouting.

Here are the things I am focusing on this week:

food for the community cupboard. With it being so close to the holiday season I wanted to get holiday type foods. However I talked to a few of the workers and realized where the need really is. Flour, sugar and canned meats. I highly recommend talking to the people who work where you plan to donate. These places tend to get lots of canned veggies and such, but not a lot of meat. They can't take fresh obviously but there are canned hams, tuna, chicken etc. My community cupboard takes the large bags of flour and sugar and repackages them in smaller portions so they can help more families.

Start making hats for the hat drive at my children's school. Even Lady H who is a beginner crocheter can help with this one. Make a rectangle approximately 19-21 inches by 7-8 inches. Seam the short edge and gather one end for a very basic hat for adults.

We are cleaning out our closets and donating coats to the local union mission which passes them out to the homeless.

Hubby is a hunter and there are a lot of organizations that will accept the meat, process it and then give it to needy families. Here in WV it is called Hunters Helping the Hungry, but most states have a similar program.

SMILE at everyone you see. Sounds really simple but until I actually thought about it I didn't do it. I was walking around with a neutral expression on my face. This came to me when hubby was getting a prescription filled at our local pharmacy and the pharmacist was not just smiling, but radiating kindness and goodwill. When I told my sister about it she immediately knew who I was talking about and said this woman was ALWAYS in a good mood and that she always walked away feeling better. Another friend posted about this pharmacist on Facebook and everyone who has their scripts filled at this pharmacy pretty much said the same thing, just interacting with her made them feel better. Now I am not going to pretend that I am some bright, bubbly, always happy person cuz I tend to have my dark, grumpy, get away from me moments. But a smile? I can manage a smile even when I want to throttle the person that jumped in front of me in the express 10 item only line with 25 items while I have an unhappy, nap deprived toddler in my buggy and I have put back all non essentials just so I can get out of the store before said toddler has a total meltdown. Yeah, I can smile. For all I know that person may have a sick and grumpy husband at home who swears he needs all 25 ingredients for the get better soup his mom always made and that he just can't feel better without it while he watches that show on TV she totally hates to watch and her kids are hiding in their rooms texting their friends rather than run to the store and get the ingredients she is missing forcing her to venture out despite the fact she feels just as bad as her husband does. She may really need that smile today. And if not, well, at least I smiled.

Don't let the end of this challenge be the end of your intentional acts of kindness. Who knows, your act of kindness may become the talk of Facebook and that could spark others to do something too! Wouldn't it be great if kindness went viral?

Until next time,

I.A.K. week 3

2011-11-14T14:45:00.051-05:00

To be honest, being intentionally kind has really changed my perspective on some things. Not that I wasn't a kind person before this challenge, but that when you intentionally look for ways to be kind you become more aware of the people around you. Rather than averting your eyes when you see the man dressed in dirty clothes holding a cardboard sign you check your purse to see if you have any cash to pass through the window and if not you whisper a prayer for God to watch over him and keep him safe. Instead of taking for granted the cashier ringing up your purchase, you intentionally converse with him or her. A lot of times it is the little things. This week I am focusing on the little things.

So with no particular days assigned, here are the things I intend to do this week:

Return my shopping cart to the cart coral or, even better, the store. While this won't ensure the employee doesn't have to come out and collect carts, at least they don't have to collect mine. If more of us did this it would make a huge impact.

When shopping in the clothing department, if I notice an item that has fallen to the floor I will replace it on a hanger and hang it back up. This helps both the employee in fellow shopper. The employee doesn't have to rehang it and other shoppers can find it!

I will park towards the back of the parking lot when shopping. This frees up the closer spaces for other shoppers to park and it will give me and my family some much needed exercise.

I will be aware of those in line with me. I will be looking for people with just a few items, or those with small children who are getting fussy and allow them to check out before me. It doesn't hurt me to wait a few extra minutes and those minutes may bless their day.

When shopping, if I have coupons that are about to expire and I will not be using them I will place them on the shelf with the item so that another shopper can enjoy the savings.

When visiting the park (weather permitting of course) we will look for trash and pick it up. Everyone deserves a beautiful park!

I will intentionally and truly listen when people talk to me, this includes my family. I admit there are places and times when I am guilty of the offhanded uh-huh rather than truly listening to what the other person is saying. This week I will truly listen and contribute to the conversations whether it is the cashier telling me about her day, my husband describing his hunting excursion, my children telling me about the math problem no one could solve, or my neighbor talking about having to buy their first ever snow shovel I will listen intentionally.

I want my kids to learn that being kind isn't always about giving someone something tangible, sometimes it is about giving part of yourself to someone so that they know they are valuable. After all, everything in life boils down to just two things, love God and love your neighbor. I want my kids to grow up doing both! What are you doing this week?

Until next time,

IAK week 2

2011-11-07T15:33:00.000-05:00

Intentional Acts of Kindness for this week include

Monday: shopping for the community cupboard. I try to pick up some things every Monday when I go shopping.

Tuesday: Share my Letter S lesson plan for the week, as well as free printables, over at Sunflowers at School

Wednesday: Make a preemie baby hat for God's Tiny Angels using this pattern

Thursday: make a batch of cupcakes for my new neighbor who has been so kindly been giving be the clothes her older daughter has outgrown.

Friday: Share a free Redbox rental code by taping it to my local kiosk DVDATWAG (only works at Walgreen's locations but you can use it once for each credit/debit card you have!)

Saturday: I will be taking Princess A to the Lowe's Build and Grow clinic. While we are up that way I plan to visit the new BAM in the mall and drop off this coupon for customers to use.

Sunday: Release a book via BookCrossing, a community that tags and then releases books into the world for others to enjoy.

What's on your list this week?
Until next time,

I.A.K. Month

2011-11-01T16:40:00.003-04:00

This month, November, is a month of giving thanks, and I have so much to be thankful for. I have an awesome family, a house to live in that keeps us all warm and dry, more than enough to eat, more than enough clothes, more than enough of just about everything. Jehovah Jirah has done more than just provide for me, He has provided abundantly. Some days I remember that more than others.

Some days, I forget just how much I am blessed. I have battled depression most of my life. When depression hits it is really difficult to see just how good life really is from that dark place. Perhaps that is why I jumped on the idea that Jenae posted over at I Can Teach My Child. She has declared November as Intentional Acts of Kindness Month.

The basic idea is that everyday for the month of November you and your kids do something intentional to be kind and bless another. I know that in my dark days having someone say or do something kind goes a long way towards helping me see the light at the end of the tunnel. So this challenge not only allows me to hopefully lift someone else, but it also is an opportunity to teach my children the gift of kindness. You see, kindness not only benefits the person who is blessed, but it also blesses the person performing the act.

Think about it. When you do something nice for someone else, don't you feel good too? Acts 20:35 says it is more blessed to give than to receive.

So here are my acts of kindness for the week
November 1: I am posting a free rental code (N4FUNV) on my local blockbuster express kiosk, I also did dishes (my daughters daily chore) and raked the yard (my son's daily chore)
November 2: making the Crochet Yoked Baby Sweater to be donated to God's Tiny Angels. We also went through all of the Halloween candy collected and sorted out all of the hard candy to be included in our Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
November 3: send a card to my local librarian. Princess A has been attending story hour at the library and the librarian puts a lot of work into making sure it is an educational and fun hour every week
November 4: drop off some food at the community cupboard
November 5: FREE PRINTABLE over at Sunflowers at School that can be used this month with your child.
November 6: Since it is Sunday, or as Princess A calls it "church day", I am making this Angel Bookmark and leaving it in a public place with a card attached to it. (look for the free printable on Sunday!)

So what about you? Are you doing any intentional acts of kindness? I would love for you to share them here!
Until next time,

Crochet Prayer Shawl Companion Review

2011-09-12T14:35:00.000-04:00

When I was given the opportunity to review The Crocheted Prayer Shawl Companion: 37 Patterns to Embrace, Inspire, and Celebrate Life I jumped at the chance. I don't personally wear a lot of shawls, but I do make some to give away at times. Besides, who turns down a free pattern book?

If you are involved in a prayer shawl ministry, this is a book you should have in your library. If you are simply a lover of shawls, this book will inspire you to join a ministry!

This book is so much more than just patterns, although 37 of those are included for some beautiful shawls that range from beginner to advanced and simple to complex. It includes the story behind the creation of the prayer shawl ministry, as well as a wonderful "where to begin" section. This includes helpful topics such as choice of colors and their symbolism, how to chose which yarn for your pattern, the spiritual component of each shawl, packaging ideas and so much more. If you are new to making prayer shawls this section was written just for you. There are even some pointers that experienced shawl makers may have forgotten or never considered.

I enjoyed the full color photographs of each shawl as well as the detailed information for each pattern such as skill level, finished measurements, and yarn suggestions. I found the pattern instructions to be easy to follow as well. I do wish that the crochet abbreviations chart had been included at the beginning of the book rather than the end to assist novice crocheters. (The book uses standard abbreviations determined by the Craft Yarn Council of America). A chart is even included for the Standard yarn weights to assist you in finding the perfect yarn.

What I enjoyed most though is that each pattern includes a little something written by the pattern designer whether it be the story behind its creation or some tidbit to help you with the pattern. In addition there are letters interspersed throughout the book from those who make these shawls with stories about their gifts.

The book closes with ideas on how to start your own local prayer shawl ministry. The patterns are worth it, the instructions are worth it, the letters are worth it. Don't pass this one by!

While I did receive this book from the publisher, there was no expectation of a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Until next time,

taking a yarn break

2011-08-05T16:21:00.002-04:00

I have been working off and on making this baby afghan for a friend.

Honestly, more off than on because this afghan seriously eats yarn and feels like you are going nowhere with it. Basically you are making two afghans at the same time so it is going to be really warm and soft, but making it seems endless. It is about 1/2 done and has alread used 4 skeins of Simply Soft yarn! (You can find the pattern here.)

I have also just begun knitting an afghan (if it is knit is it still an afghan?) for Princess A as well. I picked up some peach acrylic yarn at AC Moore in the mill ends box. With the 40% off coupon I paid about $4 for a pound of yarn. I am converting this knit potholder pattern. I am doing 5 repeats across and 7 repeats tall to create an afghan for her toddler bed that matches her sunflower room. Hopefully I will finish it before she outgrows the bed!

Ocassionally though, my hand itch to pull out the sewing machine. With J and H heading to middle school in about 1 1/2 weeks (yippee!) I decided to work on something school related. When I saw this notebook cover tutorial I just knew I had to make some for H. She has her girly moments. Besides, who wants to have a composition notebook that looks like everyone elses? These look much better!

(Totally do NOT look at the awful finish of my dining room table! It was a 10 year old hand-me-down when we got it 13 years ago. It is so due for a refinish but I just can't work up the gumption to pull out the palm sander and do it!)

Then J informed me that most of the teachers want the subject and student's name on the front of the notebook. May have to add a clear vinyl pocket to the front of these. I told H that she would have to see what her teachers say before I make anymore. Besides, I secretly hope they tell her that the covers are a no-no so that I can keep that frog one for myself! That was the last of the material I had left from the purses I made almost a year ago, and even then it was several years old.

Until next time,

FOOD!!

2011-07-26T12:24:00.002-04:00

I picked up an awesome play kitchen for Princess A at my local thrift store for $5 a couple of months back. She has happily been creating meals for us using empty food boxes and her imagination since then.

Her 3rd birthday is next month and I wanted to make her some play food to continue to spark that wonderful imagination of hers so my hooks were freed from the monotony of my current project (a baby afghan that I don't think will ever get any bigger no matter how much yarn I hook!) and put them to work on some food! Here is what I made for her last night:

a Simple Carrot (pattern to come)

Chocolate Wafer Cookies (pattern below)

Ami Mini Pumpkin

Thanks to those of you following me on Facebook, plans are also in the works for a cupcake, and I am even picturing maybe a steak as well as a banana, apple, and maybe some grapes.

The Chocolate Wafer cookies (aka Oreos) are super simple to make! If you want to make your own here is what you will need:

scraps of WW yarn in black and white ( I believe I used Red Heart Super Saver but they were just little balls so I really can't be sure)

size E (3.5 mm hook)

darning needle to assemble

each piece begins with a magic circle. If you aren't sure how to do this check out the video tutorial if you are a visual learner. Basically you wrap the yarn 3 times around your finger. Then insert you hook through the center of this circle and pull up a loop. Now crochet in the center of the circle (as if this loop circle were your chain circle). Once you have crocheted all of the stitches for the first round pull the beginning yarn firmly to tighten the circle completely.

Using white, create a magic circle

single crochet in the circle six times then tighten the circle (6 sc)

work 2 single crochets in each of the next six stitches (you are working in rounds so do not join!) to create 12 single crochet on this round

work *2 single crochet in the next next stitch, single crochet in the next stitch. Repeat from * five more times. (18 single crochet on this round) Join to the first sc and fasten off, weave in the ends.

Make two more in black. On the second black circle leave a long tail and do not weave in the ends.

Layer so that you have a black on the bottom with the right side touching the table, an white layer and a black layer with the right side facing up. Using the long tail and a darning needle sew around the cookie using a running stitch being sure to catch all layers of the cookie. That's all there is to it!

P.S. for some great inspiration check out the places I party (where I am sharing this project!) over there on the left side of your screen! You know you want to!

Until next time,

June Blooms - Day 30

2011-06-30T00:01:00.002-04:00

For our last flower this year, I am featuring an upcycled project. In my house, we don't drink a lot of pop, or anything else that comes from pop top cans. However, tell your kids you need some pop tabs and you will get a gazillion of them! Here is today's project:

I just thought it looked really cool. The designer, Renato Ambroise, suggest that you use a strong synthetic thread for this because the stitches will be rubbing on the metal and that could wear through cotton yarn. Wanna make one, or two, or a gajillion of them? You can find the step by step, photo tutorial by clicking here.

Would you like to see another series on Sunflowers at Home? If so please let me know what you would be interested in by either leaving a comment or email me.

Until next time,

June Blooms - Day 29

2011-06-29T00:01:00.000-04:00

This month has really flown by! I can't believe that it is almost over! I hope you guys and gals have been enjoying the flowers I have found and shared with you.

Speaking of flying by, before you know it we will be scrambling to finish Christmas shopping and decorating and wrapping. So before it gets stressful, and EVERYONE is posting projects that will make us drool and wish there were more than 24 hours in a day so we could make them all, I wanted to share this one:

I love the 3-d-ness of it. It is pretty simple to construct and can be done by the inexperienced crocheter. Work in it WW to create table decorations, tree tuck-ins or even present decorations. Or you can work it in thread or embroidery floss for small headband tack ons, a lapel pin, or get totally whimsical and add it to a ring blank. You can find the pattern for the Poinsettia designed by June Gilbank by clicking here.

Until next time,