WEIRD NEED TO RECYCLE

I don't know why I have this need to reuse/repurpose stuff, well, garbage actually, but I do.   My good friend Holly is a wonder woman when it comes to repurposing old furniture, vintage sheets, etc.   I love to do that too, although I'm not nearly as talented as she is!  But the kind of reusing I like is when I have old boxes or containers and I hold them up and think "what can I do with this?"  When you teach a children's Bible class, it's fun to reuse things like toilet paper rolls, old boxes or anything else you can turn into a useful learning tool.  Here are a few things I've recently came up with.  Some are for my Bible class and some I've just used around the house.

 This is an old cookie sheet I got for 10 cents.  I glued scrapbook paper and ribbon on it (like you would a scrapbook page).  Then I cut up thin magnets (like the ones you get that have sports team schedules on - flat and basically useless when it comes to holding up heavy stuff on the fridge).  I glued the cut up magnets on letters and words (that I got out of a scrapbook kit) and some hearts I cut out on the Cricut.  Then I used them to hold on pics of "My Boys".  It is hanging on the backsplash area of my kitchen by the coffee pot.  I love it.

This is a box I got at Aldi's one day- there were actually several of them all with no lid flaps and perfectly shaped rectangles.  I saved them and used them as a "scene" for my Bible class. We were learning about Jonathan and David.  The paper dolls are from Cricut and I used toilet paper rolls to make them "stand".  Got that idea from   http://www.dltk-bible.com/craft-index.htm  

This picture is blurry, but this was made with a scratched compact disc. I also got a bunch of free ones from various places and in the mail.  I plan to do this project with my class next month.  We will talk about how "unique" God made us, just like snowflakes and finger prints.  I cut out vinyl on my cricut and put it on top, then cut a snowflake out, and glued Noah's picture in the center.  I'm sure someone somewhere made something like this before, but I came up with this idea myself.

Here are some more junk items I'm working on.  If you have any suggestions for them, please let me know.  The plastic bowl thing is the cover from the stack of CD's - might be a good flower pot?  The other things are ribbon spools - maybe some kind of ornament?  I have no idea yet!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  Reduce, reuse and recycle - God gave us this junk to use, so use it!

HEAVEN IN A CUP

I've not been blogging lately because things have been stressing me out.  They are just stupid things.  Things that I should not let get me down.   Yet, sometimes it just happens.  Stress is weird - it can actually cause you to feel physical pain - like you're really getting the swine flu, when in fact, you are just over-thinking a problem that God will take care of for you anyway.  I try very hard to put things in God's hands, but sometimes, I keep some of the problem for myself and then regret it later.  Such has been this week.  Well, enough of the depressing stuff.   The stress of today (which I'll briefly tell you about), led me to find this heavenly drink. 

I am a Sheetz-cappuccino-kind-of-girl (why do I always have to use spell check to spell cappuccino???).  Not the hard core/real coffee tasting ones.  No, I like the sweet, instant, oh-so-delicious ones.  Well, there are no Sheetz in Wisconsin.  That took me all of 4.5 years to accept and get over!  However, we do have a Quik Trip, which also sells the cappers (what I like to call cappuccinos).  Thru Dec. 4, they are on sale for .99 cents any size!!!  My favorite flavor is tiramasu, but when they don't have that one, I like cookies and cream or English toffee.  Anything sweet! 

Today I was stressed, so I made this at home:  I used about 1/4 cup of coffee and dissolved a packet of Swiss Miss 25 calorie hot cocoa mix in it.  Then I filled my mug with milk and added 1 Tablespoon (maybe more) of the tirasau creamer flavoring that I found at Walmart this week.

Oh my it was delicious!  It was so good in fact that I think I'll take a nap and then get up and have another one!

As for my stress today.  Well, my firstborn, vivacious, charming, witty son is driving 12 hours to visit his girlfriend in Kentucky.  He's meeting her family for the first time.  He left at 5 a.m. this morning.  Now, I know he's 18 and all, but I swear, when I look at him, I still see the little 8 year old boy who carried around a stuffed grizzly bear and watched Barney until I thought I'd go crazy singing those songs in my head!!!!  It's just not possible he's got a girlfriend and he's visiting her in KY and is probably going to kiss her . . . . ugh, I can hardly take it.   Well, about 5 hours into his trip, he calls and tells me his transmission broke down.  He was in IL on the side of a road. . ........ yada yada yada.  To make a very long story short, he got a rental car, found a nice mechanic to fix his truck by Monday so he can pick it up on his way home.  The only problem is that instead of being able to come home on Sunday, it will now be Monday.  I should not say that is the only problem - there is the cost of the transmission, the rental car and the fact that he is missing another day of classes.  My head is about to explode.   I thought potty training was a challenge!  Oh he is so much like his father!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  The Lord only gives us one day at a time for a reason!

CHURCH BUILDING WREATHS

How can you go from this. . . 




to . . . .




THIS. . .

 

Well, with a few tools and a little time, you can do it.   I made 2 of these wreaths for the front of our church auditorium for the winter.  
The total cost for each wreath was around $20.  I got everything on sale - the roses were 70% off!  I love the clearance bin! 

We moved into our new church building last January, I believe - wow, seems like we've been at this place a lot longer.  Anyway, the building is beautiful.  Most of the classrooms and the bathrooms are decorated very nicely.  The auditorium has just plain white walls, so to bring some color in, I started making wreaths to hang on each side of the pulpit/baptistery area.  Here is the one I made last spring:

I love to make wreaths.  Fall wreaths are my favorite, but I make them for all seasons and occasions.  Michaels craft store charges more than $50 for some of their completed wreaths.  That's just crazy!  You can buy a smaller sized wreath at Walmart for around $3.  If you want the next bigger size, you do have to go to Joann's or Michaels, and if you wait until they are on sale,  you can get them for around $8.  I paid $17.99 for the pine wreaths and got another 20% off since I had a coupon, but these are pretty big wreaths.  The flowers you can buy anywhere.  I found some beautiful flowers at the Dollar Tree!  I usually buy the little "accessories" for my wreaths at the Dollar Tree (one of my favorite places).  I buy the cute Santa faces, plastic hearts or cute scarecrows all for $1.  Dollar Tree is also a great place to buy the wired ribbon spools!

Wreath making is very easy, but if you've never done it, here is a quick tutorial from me (and believe me, I'm no expert).  What I usually like to do, is look at the completed wreaths at a craft show or at Michaels (I sometimes snap a picture with my cell phone).  Then, I purchase the flowers/decorations/ribbon I want and the wreath.  For the pine wreath, you have to first "fluff" up the branches.  Then I cut the flower bushes apart so each flower is on an individual stem.  Lay them on the the wreath and play around until you get the design you want, then just hot glue them in - sometimes you may need to use florist wire, especially if the wreath will be hanging outside.  Just a note:  think in the rule of odds - never put an even number of flowers on a wreath.  Either have 3, 5, 7, etc.   That's pretty much it - very easy.   

Well, I know this is exciting stuff, so I'd better end this post so you can digest it all!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  You never know who may desperately need your kindness and understanding. 

MY HOW THE TIME DOES FLY

This is going to be one of those posts that may be boring to some (sorry, Mom).  It is the time of year that I tend to reflect back over my life.  The holidays just do that to people, I think.   I'm just going to share some of my thoughts with you - not that I claim to be an expert or anything, but I do think about these things a lot, so it seems to fly out of my brain and into my fingers as I type, fairly easily.

I want to share 3 photos with you.  The first was taken my first year in Wisconsin - 2005.  I was newly married, 2 months pregnant, and trying to help the boys adjust to our new life.

W

Wow-my boys look so young, especially Tanner.  He's still got a baby look about him.  Gotta love those pre-puberty years!   Now, here is our family photo from last year:

The older ones have not changed all that much, and Levi is taller, but at this point, my Noah was not even walking yet!  He had not even lived an entire year.  I was still nursing him!  Kinda makes my heart ache!  Those innocent, little faces!!  

Look at the difference in my family in just 3 short years!  What experiences we've all been through those 3 years.   

Now, here is a picture taken last month in a disastrous attempt at a family portrait.  Sweet little innocent Noah is almost 2 and he was showing it the day we attempted this:

 

Funny, it looks like I'm giving birth out of my head and enjoying it!

Why am I sharing this?   Well, if you have children, you know how quickly they grow up.  Time sits still for no one.  Not a single one of us know what may happen in the following year!  Believe me on this - Wisconsin is the last place I thought I would end up!  Having more children?  Not a chance, I thought!  It just goes to show that we have to make the most of each and every day.  Never take things for granted, and always let our loved ones know we care for them.  Is this easy to do?  No, which is why it is probably always on my mind.  Even with losing a husband and vowing to never take anyone for granted ever again, I find myself doing the exact same thing only 6 short years later!  Why is that?  What about our humanness causes these things?

I hope I typed something here that will help you and make you better appreciate your loved ones.   I promise next week, I'll have some crafts made or something to share more than my musings!  That is if I don't get the stomach bug that Dan just got over!  Yuck.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  James 4:14  "What is your life?  It is a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."

THE NAKED TRUTH ABOUT THE BUG

Here are some naked paper dolls.  Why do I have these?  Well, they are the base for a lot of projects that I do on a regular basis. 

These were cut out using a Cricut machine (pronounced like the insect, cricket).  I am absolutely in love with my Cricut machine.  I've owned it now for a few years.  It is the original smaller machine.  I wish I would have known they were coming out with a bigger one.  I would have waited, but anyway. . .

Here is my little baby:
(Please do not look at the creative genius' mess surrounding the Cricut!)

I use it all the time for scrapbooking, but it has many many other uses.  See, I teach the 3-6 year olds Bible class, and this machine has been worth its weight in gold!   Let me explain about the Cricut, in case you don't know.  You buy this machine.  It will not cut anything out without a cartridge.  They have over 50 cartridges on the market now - I think I own about 8.  Each cartridge cuts out a variety of things.  For instance, the "Walk in my Garden" cartridge has a variety of flowers, insects, garden-theme things.  You can cut these out from 1 inch up to 5.5 inches (up to 12 inches on the BIG Cricut).     Here are some of my cartridges (again, ignore the mess -I'm working on a lot of projects right now!)

The cartridges are a bit expensive (around $40), which explains why I own about 8.  I always ask for a new one for holidays/birthdays, so I hope to keep my collection growing.  But even with my small number of cartridges, I can do A LOT!

The naked paper dolls were the base for Adam and Eve, which I made for my friend, Jeri's baby Bible class.   Here is what they look like completed.

The Cricut will cut out paper, chipboard, vinyl, material - imagine the possibilities!   Here is a link to the Cricut messageboards where ladies post their finished crafts.  There are some talented ladies out there!  http://www.cricut.com/messageboard/tt.aspx?forumid=8

As I said before, I mostly use my bug for scrapbooking and for my Bible class.  I am a very simple scrapbooker!  Some ladies spend 2 hours or more on a single page!  Ugh - who has the time???  Plus, the page goes in a scrapbook and gets put on a shelf.  How many people actually see that artwork?  I like to do some cute things on my pages, and sometimes, I take more time on certain pages.  Usually, though, it is a slap together work.  Here is a page I recently did for Noah's book.  This was late at night and I have a whole stack of pictures to scrapbook, so I was in a bit of a hurry!

Not too bad, but nothing fancy.  I know I should cut out the letters for the title, but seriously, I have probably 100 or more pictures just to catch up Noah's book to Feb. 2009!  If I cut out all those letters, it would take me forever.  I have 4 boys to scrapbook!  I usually write in the dates and I don't journal very often.  I feel that my pictures tell the story :-).

So, if you are thinking you might like a Cricut - you probably are wrong - you will LOVE it!  Wait until after Black Friday to buy one - you might get a good deal on the big one like my mom did last year - she spent less on her's than I did for mine!  NOT FAIR!

Well, enjoy your day and don't forget to scrapbook those memories!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  If you can't find peace within yourself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

IT'S SEW SIMPLE

This is my kitchen window.  I took the valance down that was hanging there in the spring.  All summer, I had no curtain or valance up.  It did not really bother me, except that there is soooo much wood in my home, I felt I needed something to "soften" it.  However, I had no clue what I wanted to do with it.  I needed all the natural light, so did not want to hang anything dark, and I did not want the curtains to come down to the bottom of the window because they would be in the way.   Well, today, I could not take it anymore, so I went to my craft room and found a Chris Madden panel that I purchased at JC Penney last winter from the clearance bin for only $1.98!   It is very well made and very long - it is made for a patio door, I think.  Anyway, I decided to cut it off  and make a valance out of it.

I'm kind of happy with the end result.  I'm not much of a sewing gal at all, but this was kind of a no-brainer, so I was able to pull it off.  I got the rod on clearance at Wal-mart for $7.00 and I got the wooden leaves at my friend's (Marie) garage sale (3/$1.00).

I love getting stuff cheap and using it in my home.  Here are a couple more cheap fixes.  
This is one of my living room windows.  Again, I need all the light available and with two toddlers, I cannot have side panels because they will pull on them.  I did not sew this cool 1/2 circle.  This was originally a table cover - one of those little round end tables that you cover and put glass on top.  I got it for $3.00 last spring, cut it in 1/2, sewed it across the top and ended up with 2 curved valances.  It is tough material to sew, so I hope people don't look too closely when they come to visit!

                                          

This is my bedroom window. (Yes, those are real deer antlers).  It is hard to see this panel, but it is a dark green with ferns and leaves in a lighter color - kind of a "shadowy" effect.  It was a single panel I got at Walmart for I think $5.  I hemed it, and cut it in 1/2.  Nothing fancy, but it works for me.  I use the blind for nighttime privacy as this window looks out onto our front porch.


Thanks for looking into my windows :-).
THINK CHEAP!




THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:  
The Creator has not given you a longing to do that which you have no ability to do.
Orison Swett Marden

THE LETTER OF THE DAY

For all you Sesame Street fans, "The Letter of the Day" phrase should sound familiar.  Sometimes, just for kicks, I pick out a letter for Levi, and we run around the house and go through the cabinets trying to find that letter.  Then we practice writing it and sounding out words that begin with that letter.  Today's letter was P.


Well, today, we were reading a book that had a pumpkin in it.  He said he did not like pumpkin, so to show him that he has eaten pumpkin before and he does like it, we made some Weight Watchers pumpkin muffins.  

Don't let the Weight Watchers in the title fool you - they are really good.  Very moist, very chocolatey.  If you are counting points, I think they are only 2 pts. each (if you make 24 of them).  There are a couple of ways you can make these.  This is the way I made these today.
1 chocolate cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
1 can crushed pineapple
(P is for Pumpkin and Pineapple)
That's it!  You just mix it up, put it in your muffin tin and bake it for about 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  Keep checking them, but it is hard to tell when they are done because they are so moist and they stick to the toothpick (if you use the toothpick test for your cakes).

Sometimes, I just add a large can of pumpkin, or I use a spice cake mix.   Beware - these are so moist, they will grow mold within a few days, so if your family does not eat them all within a day, you can freeze them to eat later.   


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them. (Walt Disney)