Little Things in Life...

It's Been a While...

2012-10-28T20:59:00.000-06:00

I have not posted to this blog in so long. For quite some time, I had lack of inspiration. I have a photography business and just managing the website and blog for it keeps me busy. I have also been ill. God is very good and has blessed us so much. I have shared this on my health and fitness blog and my business blog. One day I will share it here.

We are taking life slower, enjoying the moments and looking for opportunities to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Edited to add...I am linking to Sally's Blue Monday. :-)

Container Gardening with Vegetables

I have always loved gardening. We have a lot of shade and growing a vegetable garden is very difficult. I decided I would try growing vegetables in containers. We had fresh lettuces and greens most of last winter and spring. :-) Success!!! I decided to plant lettuces again this year, only start earlier this time. We are in the deep south, greens grow much better in our fall and spring. In the late spring and early summer they tend to go bitter and burn up from the heat. I purchased several lettuces, kale & broccoli.cell packs from a garden center and planted them in my large pots.

This a photo of one of my large pots, full of potting soil. We have red leaf lettuce, broccoli & pansies.

Here we have kale (kale packs the most bang for the buck in nutrition!), romaine lettuce and some broccoli. See my BLUE finial? It will support the broccoli as it grows. :-).

I like to put a few pansies in my containers. They do well through out the winter here. It looks like someone else likes this pansy as well! It is half eaten!

I picked a very large basket of romaine and red leaf lettuce. I then mixed a couple of teaspoons of salt with some water in a large Blue bowl and let them soak for about 20 minutes. This gets rid of any parasites on the vegetables and will keep keeps us from having a tummy ache.

Rinse and spin dry.

Chop, add any other veggies you have on hand, (I mixed in a large BLUE bowl) and add your favorite dressing. (This salad has cauliflower, grape tomatoes, hoop cheese and apple pears.)
Yum!

Hugs,
Missy

Project Time! ~Tray~

2009-12-30T23:20:00.000-06:00

Everyone else is posting Tablescapes, Holiday Decorating, New Years Eve plans, menu, etc. Me, a project! A craft!

In my archives you will see where I went 'thrifting' and found a silver plate tray. And promised to post more about that tray in the future. (Tray in the upper left.)

Thanksgiving 2008 I displayed my faux turkey, leaves and gourds in it.

Christmas 2008 I displayed my bisque nativity in it.

This year it has under gone a transformation.

Here you see my price tag. $2.48. And I think blue stickers were marked down that day.

You can see there are spots where the silver has come off and a little rust has set in.

Primed with what ever I had that needed to be used up.

Added the color I wanted and an additional coat...

Then added a couple of layers of Chalk paint.

I dropped some chalk paint on the edge. When I tried to clean it up, I got this effect. Loved it!!! Added it to the project. :-) Aren't mistakes great blessings!

Hey, Alabama won SEC Championship and is headed to the Nationals! Merry Christmas will have to wait until next year.

ROLL TIDE ROLL! One more week!

Christmas Day

2009-12-25T23:24:00.000-06:00

New Camera!

Favorite Candy in Stocking...

Ed got a case of his favorite candy. It would not fit in his stocking.

LOL!

Favorite people.

New camera works well and this new movie was watched...

...so many times! Cute movie!

Turkey Breast Pot Roast Yum!

With potatoes and carrots!

Steamy green beans with almonds!

Our favorite rolls made from a secret recipe ;-)

Ed in his party hat that came out of his party cracker.

For dessert, our favorite! Vanilla ice cream with Martha Stewart's Hot Fudge Sauce. Oh yum! And only about 1000 calories!

The Cannon G11 does a pretty good job! Of course, I would like to think that the photographer had something to do with it. ;-)

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T15:13:00.002-06:00

During this time that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I wish all of my friends in Bloggerville a very Merry Christmas!

Sunday Video ~Steven Curtis Chapman~

2009-12-13T07:40:00.000-06:00

All I really want for Christmas...

Sunday Video~Francesca Battistelli

2009-12-06T14:22:00.000-06:00

"I'm Letting Go...."

Enjoy!

Roll Tide Roll!

2009-11-27T18:52:00.001-06:00

Sunday Video~Francesca Battistelli

2009-11-21T21:55:00.001-06:00

~It's Your Life~

Who is watching you?
Who are you living for?

Nice Casual Table Setting & Turkey Post Roast

2009-11-18T22:21:00.002-06:00

I am doing one of those double post thingys. Very nice since these two are so close together. :-)

Thanks you Susan with Between Naps on the Porch for hosting TableScape Thursday every week.

And thanks to Gollum with Designs by Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday every Friday!

Please click on these links to to go these ladies blogs and see all the wonderful tables and food. A site to behold indeed! Many many ideas as well. Now for my post. ;-)

I wanted some plain dishes that I could use and mix and match as needed. And I need a 6 piece place setting. I found that set at... Big Lots! Actually that was 5 months ago. I found them onsale, 30+ piece set on sale for $19.99. At that price, I could use them once and donate them! It came with a serving platter and a large serving bowl, 6 of each: coffee cups, dinner plates, salad/luncheon plates, soup bowl and ....

Cereal Bowl. Yep, 6 (one was broken) honk'in big cereal bowls! 3 heaping cups of cheerios in the bowl! Can you say "Portions?" LOL!

I kept two of the bowls and I use them for serving bowl. :D they are a perfect size!

I love the creamy colour and how it stacks so well on the table.

I can mix and match anything with it. I love my fall napkins with the dishes.

The turkey plate looks great! The dinner plate almost looks like a charger.

Speaking of turkey....

Foodie Friday's menu is:

Turkey Post Roast
Kale
I started out with a 4lb boneless turkey breast. Any brand or size will do. If you have one of those really large crock pots, you can do a whole turkey.

As usual, I rarely measure anything. Just pour or shake until it looks right.

Or until my nose starts burning... I did use about 1/2 c of white cooking wine, 2 T of olive oil.

I chopped up some potatoes and carrots to cook with the turkey. You can add onion and celery, mushrooms, what ever your family will normally eat with a pot roast.

Put it all in a crock pot and let it cook all day.
Kale:
Wash kale very well and chop. Place in pot with a tad of salt, 3 cut winter onion, pepper, minced garlic, ham if you have it on hand.

Bring to a boil and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until tender then add a tad of olive oil.

UMMMMMM UMMMMM ! this stuff is good!

Tender and juicy! Just plate it up and watch it disappear.

My family loves turkey cooked this way and I never throw any of it out. We often have leftovers for 2-3 meals. The turkey will also make wonderful sandwiches, if you have enough left over. It is very good!!! And anything that my family will eat, will make me happy to cook. You can put this in the crock for the day and supper ready that night!

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to go by Susan's blog Between Naps on the Porch to see more tablescapes or to participate in Table scape Thursday.

Then go by Gollums bog Designs By Gollum to see for food and recipes! Thank you ladies for hosting!.

Blue Monday & Bringing Justice to Bella!

2009-11-16T12:00:00.012-06:00

Good afternoon! Welcome to my Blue Monday Post. Thank you Sally for Hosting Blue Monday ever week. It has been a while since I have participated, but I have been collecting photos.... ;-)

I am going to have a double post type thing today. I hope you enjoy it!

Many of you have seen my chalk board before. I love it! Planning on making some for Christmas presents this year. Isn't that teacup pretty? $1.47 cents at The Foundry Thrift Store. Yep! Johnson Brothers. White bone china made in England. I thought only Manuel found bargains like that. I guess going to her blog has rubbed off on me. ;-) They only had one set, but I thought it would be perfect for holding my chalk and sponges I use for my chalk board! Kewl huh! I will photograph and talk about the lamp on another post. The coffee cup, I have several of. I think I paid $ for them some where, like our favorite place... the $$$$ tree? I don't remember. I have so many blue coffee cups from the $$$ tree. LOL my favorite place to buy them.

November is a time that we are thankful for so many blessings that God has given us. I am thankful for the wonderful Christian husband that God has given me. The blessing of a beautiful and sweet daughter who knows and loves the Lord.

November is also a month that churches are coming together and putting an emphasis on the orphans in our country and our world and an emphasis on adoption. Orphan Sunday was November 8th. There was a live event that was tele/webcast all over the country and to other parts of the world and what a blessing it was! If you did not get an opportunity to see it, either at your local church or online, I will post a link at the end of this post. You will be able to view it at your leisure.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come for you. John 14:18
Did you know that in this country alone, there are over 140,000 children in the foster system? Most need homes and need them soon. What would happen if the churches stood up and did what God commanded us to do and care for the fatherless? This number would be...zero. Worldwide, the number of orphans run into the millions! What a testimony it would be for the Christians to step forward and not just support these children, but give them a family, a home. A Godly Christian home and a loving family...

Many feel lead to answer the call that God has put on their hearts. Adoption is expensive. Whether through children's services, domestic or foreign, it is very costly. Often times a family who does a foreign adoption will plan on one child and come home with multiples. Because of this expense, many couples are coming up with creative ways to pay for adoptions in order to not go into debt or add on additional debt. You might say, "but what about the 'tax credit'?" It is nominal compared to the overall expense.

I want to introduce to you one such family, the Wilbanks. (Don't you think a little girl would look precious between these 2 boys?!? I do!)

You can read more about their testimony of God's calling here on their blog Bringing Justice to Orphans . They are in the process of adopting a baby girl from India. Her name is Bella. They are using their blog as one source of raising money toward Bella's adoption expenses and have opened a Just Love Coffee store on their blog! $5 from of every bag of coffee purchased from the Wilbanks' Coffee Store goes into a fund to help in offsetting Bella's adoption expenses. I know most of y'all love good coffee. (I read about your coffee drinking on your blogs all the time! :-D) And let me tell you, Brittnie would not be selling it if it was not good! B/c like me, she is picky about her coffee. Feel free to post a link to their Wilbanks' Coffee Store on your side bar, just as I have done.
I also told you I would post a link for Orphan Sunday Webcast. Fix yourself a cuppa, sit back and enjoy!

Don't forget to go by our wonderful Hostess' blog, Smiling Sally, and check out the other Blue Monday Posts that are linked there. You may even want to participate!

Sunday Video

2009-11-15T06:18:00.001-06:00

A beautiful ballad by Steven Curtis Chapman. He sang this at the Cry of the Orphan Concert. A true testimony to his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Enjoy.

Chic Day!

2009-11-11T22:11:00.009-06:00

Have y'all missed me! I have missed you! Very much. Looking forward to blogging more in the future. :-)

Today I am participating in Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan of "Between Naps on the Porch". Thank you Susan for hosting! After reading my post, stop by her blog to see more Tablescape posts. Many beautiful ideas there!

Wed the 11th, being Veterans Day (Veterans and those currently serving in our armed forces, thank you so much for your service to our country.) school was out. DD and I had a long awaited "Chick Day" planned. We were going to watch Sense and Sensibility (the PBS one with Hugh Grant...), but somehow we watched Spiderwick. I guess you could make that a "Chick Flick" if you use your imagination hard enough. LOL! Then we went on a bike ride. That was fun and we had the perfect weather for it.

Now our "Chick Days" always involve going to a Tea Room. DD and I just love Miss Rosemarie's Tea Room in Hoover, Alabama.

And I thought, "I will get photos of the Table Scapes as well, and I will participate in Susan's Tablescape Thursday!"

Miss Rosemarie's tables are always beautiful! Lovely china, some matching, some not.

She has shelves of teapots, tea cups, teas (many her own blends), cookbooks and other wares for sale all about the tearoom.

DD is hungry! Looking forward to FOOD!

Most of the tables are antiques or vintage.
She has a layer of glass over all of them to protect the finish.

Each table also has a Mint Julip cup with roses. Very pretty.

The tea of the day is Orange Spice! Only served this time of year. It is wonderful!

DD got a tall glass of Sweet Iced Blackrasberry Tea. It is so good!

DD ordered Roast Beef with Tomato Basil Soup.

I ordered quiche, crab crapes, salad and a cup of mushroom soup. YUM!

I love Miss Rosemarie's soups. And I love how it is served in this lovely tea cup!

No more pictures mom!!! (She cleaned her plate and bowl!)

I had a Walnut Maple Scone for dessert,
but it jumped into my tummy before I could take a photo! ;-)

I just love all these tea sets.

Don't forget to stop by Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch, to see more table scape posts or to participate yourself!

And if you are ever in the Hoover/Birmingham Alabama area, go by Miss Rosemarie's tea room. You will not be disappointed.

A kewl thing I forgot to mention about Miss Rosemarie's Tea Room is, if you are wearing dark clothes you get a black linen napkin. If you are wearing light colored clothes you get a white linen napkin. Reason? Lint that the napkin leaves behind. :-) Rosemarie, who usually wears dark slacks or skirt, told me once that she always hated going into a restaurant, place a white linen napkin on her lap and have the lint on her clothes the rest of the day. And the black napkins do the same thing to lighter clothing. So she keeps plenty of both. Great idea!

Over the Rainbow Bridge

2009-11-05T16:41:00.005-06:00

My DD's little Budgie hen, Candie, (right) passed away earlier today. She leaves behind her husband of 4 years, "Tweety" (left) and one son, Elvis. (Yellow Harliquin on the sidebar.)

She started showing signs of congestive heart failure in late July. 2-3 weeks ago, had some sort of stroke that crippled her on the right side. Tweety cared for her by helping her move around the cage, get to the water and by feeding her. We attached the nesting box to the cage as it kept her from having to perch. She stayed in there most of the time as Tweety would get her food and water when she needed it.

It was a very sweet love story to watch.

With the help of a friend, DD buried her later this afternoon. Rest in peace little one.

Photography Special!!!

2009-10-29T11:07:00.002-06:00

I am currently offering a Fall Portrait Special on my Business Blog. Go to Images by "Missy" to check it out!

I Broke a Promise to My Husband....

2009-10-08T20:57:00.011-05:00

...that I made to him 17 years ago and last week I made Tuna Casserole!!! Just before we married, (17 years ago Saturday) he made me promise that I would never make and serve him Tuna Casserole. I have gone 17 years without Tuna Casserole!!! And I have really been craving it. Yum yum!

Look at this delicious mixture. Light chunk and albacore tuna, cream of mushroom soup, fresh broccoli and grated cheese.

And cooked brown rice... yum!

I could not find any saltines, but I did find some wheat things so that is what I used. And added more cheese. Look at that hot bubbly cheese. Yum!!!h

Serve it up! A meal in one dish on a plate. Oh it is so good! DH took a small spoonful and asked that I never make it again. DD took one "thank you" bite then made herself a PBJ.

More for Me!!! :D

Tuna Casserole
2 cans of tuna~drained
Bag of frozen broccoli~Fresh works well too
1 Can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup
Steamed rice
Diced or shredded cheese
Saltines

Mix together, pour up into 2qt casserole dish and bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

Thank you Gollum for hosting Foodie Friday. To see more Foodie Friday Treats go to Gollum's Blog.

A Tag and an Award!

2009-07-23T21:40:00.002-05:00

Several months ago, Sweet Robin at My Blessed Nest tagged me. (Actually she tagged me on my business blog, but I have decided to keep in only business and award/tag free so I am posting it here!) I have not been blogging very much. A couple of projects have kept me busy and I have been wanting to make summer fun for DD in my spare time!

I am to tell 6 things about myself and tag 6 more people.

I am a Christian. Accepted the Lord as my Savior when I was 7. I know, young, but that was when I knew I was a sinner and needed to ask Jesus into my heart. My SS teacher followed me to the alter and led me to the Lord. I will never forget it.
I am Baptist. Raised Southern Baptist. The church I go to is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, but is considered Reformed Baptist.
One of my hobbies is teaching exercise classes.
Another hobby is sewing and crafting. I started learning to sew when I was 5. That is started learning... There are no projects around from when I was 5.... They must not have been that good. LOL!
I was a brownie and a girl scout
I am a Freelance Photographer and you will see a link to my business blog over in my right sidebar.

Now to pass this tag onto 6 people. :D

Valerie at ~ It's a Wonderful Life ~She lives near me and one day we will meet!
Anya at ~ Hills Creek Quilter
Nina at ~ Portugal Bound
Kat at Kat's Corner
Debbie at Jadehollow
Stephanie at Lulu's Cottage

I am looking forward to visiting these fine ladies blogs and seeing what they say about themselves. And the rules are they are to tell 6 things about themselves and pass the tag along to 6 more people! Link back to the tagger's blog and link to the blogs you tag.

Now to show an Award.....

A sweet award from Valerie at It's a Wonderful Life... The Super Comments Award!

I feel very humbled and honored to be given this award, as I have not been much of a commenter of late.

I will pass this award to 6 people/bloggers.

Sally at Smilling Sally's Blog~ She never fails to comment. We could all learn from her. Thank you Sally for all of your encouragement to all of us bloggers!
Kitty at A bit of Fluff~Really Quite Messy ~ So sweet! And in her limited time for blogging, never fails to take the time to say "Hello!"
Nancy at ~Southern Lady~ and a true Southern Lady she is! And never fails to stop by to see what is going on.
Susan at A Southern Daydreamer ~ Runs her own Outdoor Wed Party every week, keep a busy schedule and still manages to speak to all her participants and comments on new posts. (She and Sally are toss ups for Comment Queens!)
Robin at My Blessed Nest ~ Who lives near me and one day, we will get to meet. :-)
C at Primitive Devotion ~ Missed her while she was gone and she is back with us! :-)

And the rules are they are to post the award and who awarded them with a link back to that the awarders blog and pass the blog to 6 other bloggers and link them to the post.

I hope everyone is having a great Thursday and planning on a wonderful weekend! Please take a moment to visit the above blogs, congratulate them and see what they have to say.

Hugs,
Missy

A Blue...

2009-07-05T23:05:00.004-05:00

... Red and White 4th of July!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We certainly did.

Welcome to Blue Monday and thank you Sally (Smilly Sally's Blog) for hosting Blue Monday every week!

I wanted to share with you a few photos of my table.

I made this M&M tablecloth w/matching napkins many many years ago. My in-laws and I use it for every use it every patriotic holiday. Either at our house, the lake house (before FIL sold it) or at my IL's house. The napkins are a generous 22". When I make napkins, I make them big enough to cover your lap!!! Look at how the patriotic M&M's and the white stars stand out on the blue fabric.

And dessert! Luscious blueberries {yum!} on the fruit pizza! Look at that deep blue color! And so fresh and jucy! This is one of our favorite desserts

And we cannot forget table decorations! After reading about all the bargains Gloria got at the $$$ Tree a couple of weeks ago, I went there to see what I could find. Flag garland. I decorated the chandi with it, used it for napkin holders and decorated my teapot with it. Oh, and I had DH and DD pick up red and white flowers for me. Actually DH was afraid to pick out flowers and had DD do it. Didn't she do a great job! I am tired of always using a clear vase... and there was one of my tea pots sitting there. Just the perfect shade blue and there were even two Teapartys here in the B'ham area Sat. Perfect! (This pot btw also makes a perfect pot of tea!)

I hope that you enjoyed my Blue Monday Post. Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I read each and everyone!

To see more Blue Monday Posts or to participated in Blue Monday, go to Sally's Blog~Smiling Sally.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-03T08:06:00.015-05:00

God Bless America!

Wishing every one a happy and save 4th of July!

TableScape Thurs~The McLean House

2009-06-24T21:12:00.010-05:00

Welcome to Tablescape Thursday and thank you Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) for hosting your 44th TT!

In Appomattox, VA., where Robert E. Lee surrendered the Confederate troupes to General Grant, you will find the McLean house. It is a beautiful 3 story home.

The McLeans lived in Manassas, VA. He was a banker and also speculated in sugar. After the war started they moved to Appomattox, VA. History tells us it was because of 'business'. But there is also a legend that during the battle of Bull Run (Manassas), which was also the first battle of the Civil War, a cannon ball went through their Manassa home.

In their lovely home in Appomattox the kitchen was on the first/ground floor. The morning table setting of breakfast for the head cook, housekeeper or even Mrs. McLean would look something like this.

Mr. McLean would have had his afternoon tea set in his study much like this.I believe this is Flow Blue. I was behind a barrier and there was a big ranger woman watching me. I suppose she was afraid I would make off with the china....

On the ground floor, across from the kitchen, is the dinning hall. I bet there were many dances in there as well. I love those empire sideboards.... but this is about table settings. Mrs. McLean (or her servants) set a lovely table. And look at the painted cloth under the table. It is beautiful! Expensive for the day and forerunner to our vinyl tile.

Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. To see more Tablescapes or to Participate in Tablescape Thursday, go to Susan's blog Between Naps on the Porch .

VBS Crafts for 5th & 6th Graders

2009-06-24T08:56:00.003-05:00

You know, it is always hard to find a cool, challenging VBS Project for 5th & 6th graders and still stay with in budget. What I have found that works best, and it is not original with me as I believe the young lady who was in charge of A&C before me told me she did this. Take the budget you have been given, divide the number of classes/grades you have to supply and that is the limit that you give yourself to spend on each class/grade. And that is what I try to do.

We typically have fewer 5th and 6th graders, so we can spend a few more cents on a project per child. But keeping it age appropriate, fun, etc.... Some of these kids were dragged here kicking and screaming... After all, they are TWEENS!!! Some are in Middle School! The great thing about our church is we do not put a 6th grader in a dept with a 12th grader. Nor are they in the same dept with a kindergartner and 1st grader. The 5th & 6th graders have their own Department, their own minister, their own worship leaders, etc. They do not have to be with the little kids or pushed into a scene where they are not quite ready. And we must have some exciting things going on for them b/c we had record numbers of 5th and 6th graders sign up for VBS this year.

5th graders, we chose Painted Ceiling Tiles.

You can buy these by the 6 pack case at Lowes or Home Depot, cut them down to what ever your budget will allow. Kids of all ages love them. This year we selected a larger size and allowed the 5th graders to paint them.

Tempera Paints work best with ceiling tiles. You will need to add a tad of water to them.

We use the primary colors and colors the Aborigine would have used. Some of the children wanted to change things up a bit, so we had white and black on hand for them to do so.

Of course this being Hoover Bucs, Alabama and Auburn Territory, we always have to keep plenty of orange, black, orange, blue, red, grey and white around. However, I did not see much school spirit painting as I have seen in the past.

A young lady, who is a very talented artist and used to be in charge of the VBS A&C researched Aborigine art. Then she came up with some templates for the youth to use with their ceiling tiles. (Thanks Andrea!) And the children were educated on the Aborigine art and then they put their own ideas to work.

I think these 5th graders did a very good job!

They color washed the tile with a background paint one day and gave some thought to their designs. Maybe even doodled with a pencil.

The 2nd day they painted the designs.

We drilled 1/2 inch holes about 1 and 1/2 inches down from the top of the tile. Ran "springy" clothes line rope through and tied it in the back for hanging.

Ceiling tile craft ran around $1.00 per child. You can cut the cost down by cutting the tiles smaller.

6th Grad Craft! Covered Clipboards!

For this craft, we had a lot of supplies already on hand. Supplies such as scrapbook paper, fabric, duct tape, glue & paint. All we had to buy were the clipboards. And through a google search I found them for .77 cents a piece!!! Yes!!!

Since this was to be a pricey craft, we wanted it to be a "right of passage" for the oldest children. Most of them really enjoyed it. And did a fantastic job with their clipboards.

Here are 2 cloth covered ones. They were started on day one. Time was an issue here as we only had 2 days with the tracks being 25 minutes long.

Here are some others that also have fabric on them.

The boys used old blue jeans,, duct tape, really cool designs, but most of them had their names front and center and I did not feel good about putting those photos on my blog....

Here is a completed clipboard. It was done with scrapbooking paper.

Here this clipboard is completed and drying. It has the weeks memory verses included in the decoupage. We try to reinforce the Bible Study Lesson and Memory Verses in all of our crafts.

Day 1 complete the back. Day 2 complete the front.

Because we had so many of the supplies on hand, fabric donated, this craft ended up costing about .80 cents per child. Not one you could do with a large group or a small budget, but doable if you work your plan right.

We had contemplated not doing the Ceiling tiles with the 5th graders next year, but cutting them smaller and, again incorporating VBS/SummerQuest theme, using it for a younger grade. However, I have a 4th grader going into 5th. And DH and I teach 4th graders. They are all 'abuzz' about getting to do ceiling tile painting next year....

Please let me know if you found these posts on VBS Crafts helpful.

I think the ceiling tiles were a hit! And we can give Glory to God!

Mosaic Crosses~VBS Craft

2009-06-19T21:09:00.008-05:00

Our 4th grade craft was an Australian Mosaic Cross. My heart was set on Didgeridoos, but my sources for bamboo kept falling through. And what happened to all that bamboo at the $$$ Tree? Last year they had them by the cases. I never could find them this year. They never did get it at the Old Time Pottery Barn either.

One of the ladies who helped me with the selection of the crafts found the wooden crosses and plastic mosaics online.

$5.99 for 12 at S&S Worldwide.

The mosaics were also $5.99 a bag and there were about 1500 pieces per bag. We had tons left over. Some children did not use as many as we thought they would or completely cover the wood with the mosics.

Day one, the crosses were sanded and painted. This took ALL of the time allowed for the track.

Some children were creative with their painting. :D

On day 2 they apply a generous amount of glue and the mosaics.

While the glue is still wet, have an adult instructor apply the mystery part of the craft (sand). We are not allowed to have sand in the church. So.... this had to be closely guarded and secretive.

If you will notice in one of the above photos, the cross has a hole in the top. This is so you can hang it if you like. If the child wants to hang it in a window or as an ornament, they can paint the back. This is a good time to flip the cross over and paint the back. The sand should keep it from sticking to anything. We used fishing line to hang the crosses with.

Another option we gave the children is to use a 1 1/2 inch magnet on the back. If they choose this, have them place a mosaic over the hole so it will not be visible from the front.

The cost on this craft was about .65 cents per child. And another craft that will be a nice keepsake. We will do this cross craft again. And suitable for different age groups.

Down Under Puppet Craft

2009-06-19T07:45:00.000-05:00

Kocoa the Koala

Several years ago, Pack-o-Fun magazine had a little teddy bear puppet named Traveling Jack. I have been wanting to use him in SummerQuest for a long time. He was on a track a few years ago, but materials did not work out. So he did not get made.

Using the Traveling Jack pattern as a guide, I modified it into a Koala bear to go along with our SummerQuest (VBS) theme. Really turned out cute. The craft takes about 40 minutes to complete using sewing glue and taking the time to write out a testimony or a witnessing story.

We selected this craft for the 3rd graders. Right at the top of the age for making puppets. However, the idea behind this craft was more than a craft to take home, but a tool for a child to share their testimony and to witness to others.

Some of the children wanted to sew their Koala bears.

Even the boys!!!

OK if you need a week long craft. In our case, each grade only came in for 25 minutes 2 days during the week. Some did sew theirs. I think a lot of teachers helped. You can also use sharpies to add color and facial features.

Make the top on day one and glue the bottom on the second day. The sewing glue is often thick. We have to pour it out on a plate and spread it with a flat toothpick. If it is too thick or lumpy, add a tad of water. But it holds when dry.

Some of the children even added clothing and baby pouches to their Koalas. The loved writing out their testimonies and those who did not know the Lord as Savior, shared that as well. Opened up the door for witnessing and praying for that child.

This is an afforadable craft. If you purchase your felt by the yard and use a coupon (Hancock's, Hobby Lobby, Joann's...) you can get the cost to around 60 cents or so a child. 1 and 1/3 yard of felt will give you about 18 puppets.

For 2nd and 3rd graders, puppets are a great craft. A new pattern can be drafted every year to go with what ever VBS theme you have. Sharpies, colored felt pieces, even sewing can be used in the construction. It just depends on how much time you have.

Some of you have yet to have your VBS. If you are using Lifeway's Boomerang Express Theme and are interested in the instructions and pattern, email me through my profile and I will be glad to email it to you.

Crafts for VBS~OutBack Adventure!

2009-06-18T17:35:00.002-05:00

For us, VBS (we call it SummerQuest) has come and gone. Ours was the first week in June. It was a great week for us! Our theme was chosen from Lifeway's Boomerang Express.

For the past 3 years (I think) I have been craft director. A 'mega church' does not always mean 'mega budget' and we do have a few $$ to spend and we like to look for items that the children will enjoy making and not be trashed as soon as they walk out the door. SummerQuest is also for 1st - 6th grade. And additional challenge to find the right craft for the older children/tweens. And we had plenty of them this year!

Kits from the Craft houses are great, but expensive. Some children can complete them in 5 minutes and you still have to entertain them for 15 + minutes. If we find a craft that works, we will use it 2-3 years in a row. Some crafts we alternate. Some we try to work with the theme.

Lifeway had a great idea with the Praise Bells. We did use that one for both the 1st & 2nd graders this year.

Aborigine Praise Bells

We chose one craft per grade and a filler if needed.
To make this craft last 2 - 25 minutes tracks
we had them paint the outside of the pots the first day.

The next time their grade came to the craft track, we had them add the ribbon and bells.

We used primary colors. The Aborgine Praise Bells turned out very nice.
I think few found their way to the trash.
Also a little tip, we tried to make sure everyone wrote their name & Bible Study Room # on the INSIDE of the pot just in case the mom wanted to display or keep it for a keepsake.

This turned out to be a very nice inexpensive craft. Hobby Lobby had the pots on sale for 1/2 and I ordered 500 of them to cover 2 grades and VBS for a mission action project that our church does in North Birmingham. We had plenty of money left to spend on ribbon including enough to cover the N.B'ham project. We used twine for the jingle bells. If we were to do something similar again, we would use a yarn or a softer string.

Tomorrow I will post about our Kocoa the Koala Bear Witnessing Puppet the 3rd graders made.

~Banner~

2009-06-18T06:58:00.002-05:00

Edited to say I just redid my blog for the 4th! I like it!

I just realized I still have my Easter banner up. I think I need to work on a new one in the next few days.....

Outdoor Wednesday-Daylilies

2009-06-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

Good Morning! I hope that everyone is having a great day today. Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday hosted by our sweet Susan from A Southern Daydreamer. I took these photos of daylilies a little over a week ago while vacationing in Williamsburg, VA. They are planted in the garden right behind Raleigh's Tavern Bakery. I love to go there to eat a Ginger Cake and drink some Apple Cider. Yum! What a treat!

The sun is hot, but the beauty of Photoshop is, you can adjust that. :D

As you look at the photos, observe all the different prospectives the daylilies were photographed.

Look Around to see what other elements you can include...

Don't forget the other side of the garden. You can get a different prospective of light.

Y'all know, I love those close ups and micros...

I hope you enjoyed the photos! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to post a comment.

Thank you Susan for hosting Outdoor Wednesday. To participate in Outdoor Wednesday or to see more Outdoor Wednesday posts, please stop by Susan's blog~ A Southern Daydreamer.

Hugs & God Bless,
Missy

Little Things in Life...

It's Been a While...

Container Gardening with Vegetables

Project Time! ~Tray~

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

Sunday Video ~Steven Curtis Chapman~

Sunday Video~Francesca Battistelli

Roll Tide Roll!

Sunday Video~Francesca Battistelli

Nice Casual Table Setting & Turkey Post Roast

Blue Monday & Bringing Justice to Bella!

Sunday Video

Chic Day!

Over the Rainbow Bridge

Photography Special!!!

I Broke a Promise to My Husband....

A Tag and an Award!

A Blue...

Happy Fourth of July!

TableScape Thurs~The McLean House

VBS Crafts for 5th & 6th Graders

Mosaic Crosses~VBS Craft

Down Under Puppet Craft

Crafts for VBS~OutBack Adventure!

~~~Banner~~~

Outdoor Wednesday-Daylilies

~Banner~