Shanna

Advent-“Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Day 11-12-13-14-15 Craft Ideas

day1115 — “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Ornament and Craft Ideas-Days 11-15

This is Part 4 in a series of ornament/craft ideas that I think correspond with the daily advent readings from Ann Voskamp’s book “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.” Read about Day 1-2 here , Day 3-4-5-6, and Days 7-10 here. You can find many ideas on the internet for Bible story crafts. Below are some of my original ideas and some that I modified from Pinterest. I gave credit for those craft ideas that I borrowed. If you decide to make and share one of my craft ideas, I would to love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or send me a link to your blog post.

adventday11rahabscarletcord

²¹“Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”

So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. Joshua 2:21

Materials Needed:

-Red Yarn

-Optional: small hair elastic

1.)Holding one end of the yarn in your hand, wrap the yarn around your elbow (bent 90 degrees) at least 25 times. You will end up with a loop.

2.) Still holding the loop of yarn. Cut the yarn vertically to open the loop. Tie yarn at one end (or in the middle of the yarn you are still holding.

3.) Braid yarn. Tie with another piece of yarn or a small hair elastic. Look an ornament hook through the top.

adventday12ruth

¹⁶But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. ¹⁷Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” ¹⁸When Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to go with her, she stopped urging her. Ruth 1: 16-18

²²So Naomi returned from Moab accompanied by Ruth the Moabite, her daughter-in-law, arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. Ruth 1:22

Materials Needed:

-mini gold tinsel (I found mine at Walmart)

-tape

-red satin ribbon

1.) Cut various lengths of tinsel.

2.) Bundle the tinsel to your liking and secure with tape.

3.) Wrap a satin ribbon around the middle and tie in a bow.

adventday13samueldavid

^“7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

This idea came from Jesus Rolon’s blog “Crafting the Word of God.”

http://craftingthewordofgod.com/2013/08/02/god-searches-our-hearts/

Materials Needed:

-cardstock

-contact paper or a laminator

-scissors, tape, glue or glue dots.

To save some time:

1.) I printed the templates (found at the link above) on card stock.

2.) Cut out all the pieces.

3.) Instead of using contact paper, I colored the heart and laminated it with my table top laminator. (Disclaimer: I tried using contact paper but t makes me all flustered. It wrinkles and bubbles and causes me undue stress! That is why I took the easy route with the laminator.)

4.) Trace the circle on the laminated paper, around the heart, and glue dotted all the pieces together.

adventday14lightindarkness

“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.” Isaiah 9:2

When my girls were little, I purchased a great advent resource called Truth in the Tinsel- An Advent Experience For Little Hands . Each day we read a scripture passage, created a simple craft ornament all while we talked about the scripture and the true meaning of Christmas. I loved pulling out the book and completing the activities. One year, my grandmother, mother, and sister made ornaments along with us. I still have some of the ornaments and they serve as good memories from that year. If you have little ones, this is a great resource for you. The ebook is only $7.99 and you could get started right away. Day #11 ornament idea comes from the Truth in the Tinsel and goes along with December 11th’s reading of Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.

adventday15elijah

^“38Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” I kings 18:38-39

Materials Needed:

-red ball ornament

-heart shaped sticker

-acrylic paint (red, orange, yellows, metallic gold)

-sponges or sponge brush

1.) Stick a heart shaped sticker in the center of the ball. Carefully press around the edges to make sure sticker is sealed.

2.) Sponge fiery colors on the ball and over the heart sticker.

3.) Let dry.

4.) Peel the heart sticker away. If the paint seeped under the sticker, you can use a small amount of nail polish remover on a q-tip to remove the paint. Be careful to test the area first so it does not strip the red color.

Advent-“Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Day 7-8-9-10 Craft Ideas

Advent Crafts — “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Ornament and Craft Ideas

This is Part 3 in a series of ornament/craft ideas that I think correspond with the daily advent readings from Ann Voskamp’s book “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.” Read about Day 1-2 here and Day 3-4-5-6 here.You can find many ideas on the internet for Bible story crafts. Below are some of my original ideas and some that I modified from Pinterest. I gave credit for those craft ideas that I borrowed. If you decide to make and share one of my craft ideas, I would to love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or send me a link to your blog post. 🙂

day7altar

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ²He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2

Materials Needed

-mini wooden craft sticks

-colored tissue paper

-glue gun

1.) “Build” a fire with the tissue paper. Tape it in place, around the bottom, so it forms a flowery-bunch.

2.) Build the sticks around the fire, hot glue sticks in place.

Jacob's Ladder ^“12And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!” Genesis 28:12

Materials Needed:

-Large Craft Sticks

-Mini Craft Stick

-Wood glue or hot glue

1.) Glue sticks together to resemble a ladder.

2.) Paint the sticks. (PS I am sure when I do this craft with the kids, their ladders will be colorful, bedazzled, and might include a few angels on the steps.)

joseph's coat of many colors

^“3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. ” Genesis 37:3

I cannot wait to do this craft with my kids. I had fun making it and the colors mixed together so beautifully.

Materials Needed:

-Coffee filter

-scissors

-paper towels

-food coloring (liquid), water

-bulb pipettes ( We have the Coloring Mixing Set from The Homegrown Preschooler The set comes with pipettes. Amazon has them too.)

1.) Fold the coffee filter in half. Cut out the shape of a long-sleeved coat.

2.) Put the coffee filter on top of a few layers of paper towels. Mix food coloring with a few drops of water. You want the colors concentrated and not watered down.

3.) Squeeze some color in the pipette and drop onto the coffee filter in a polka dotted fashion. The colors will start to run and blend into each other.

4.) When the filter is completed covered with color, allow to dry. No two coats will be the same.

day10tencommandments

“And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. ²The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today” Deuteronomy 5:5

Materials Needed:

-dark colored cardstock

-gray and white crayons

-skewer

1.) Pressing heavily down on a gray crayon, color over the card-stock. Repeat with the white crayon. The colors should resemble stone.

2.) Cut out the card stock to resemble two tablets.

3.) Use a skewer to write roman numerals.

4.) Punch hole and hang on the tree.

Advent-“Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Day 3-4-5-6 Craft Ideas

This is Part 2 in a series of ornament/craft ideas that I think correspond with the daily advent readings from Ann Voskamp’s book “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.” Read about Day 1 and Day 2 ideas here. You can find many ideas on the internet for Bible story crafts. Below are some of my original ideas and some that I modified from Pinterest. I gave credit for those craft ideas that I borrowed. If you decide to make and share one of my craft ideas, I would to love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or send me a link to your blog post. 🙂

day3beadedsnake Materials Needed:

-Pipe Cleaner

-Pony Beads

-Googly Eyes

-Small piece of ribbon or paper for the tongue

1.) Create the head of the snake by curving one end of the pipe cleaner around itself a few times.

2.) Hot glue the eyes and tongue in place. Note: First, we tried using regular glue but it would not hold so we went with the hot glue gun.

3.)Bead your snake. (LESSON IDEA- You could incorporate patterns (AB, ABC. ABBA) into this part. This is a great fine motor activity. My 2- 1/2 year old beaded the green snake by himself.)

4.) Fold over the tail and then wrap on the tree.

My inspiration for this craft came from Frugal Fun for Boys. See below for link:

http://frugalfun4boys.com/2014/10/09/pattern-activities-preschool-kindergarten/

day4godstears

⁵The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And theLord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:5-8

Materials Needed:

-Felt

-Rainbow Ribbon

This craft involved a lot of cutting but once all the cutting was done, it was easy for the kids to put the shapes together to make the ark. It can double as a shape lesson too.

day5starnightlight

⁵And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5

Materials Needed:

-empty baby food jar

-flicker light

-black paper cut so it can fit snugly inside jar

-hole punch

-fabric for the cover

Using a small hole punch, punch holes in the black paper. Roll and unroll the paper a few times so that it fits snugly to the inside of the glass. Put a flicker light inside the jar. Cut a circle of black fabric to go between the top of the jar and cover. Decorate the top of the jar. Turn it on at night.

Here is a picture in the light:

day6abrahamsarah

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. ²And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. ³Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.^[a] ⁴And Abrahamcircumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. ⁵Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.⁶And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” ⁷And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Genesis 21:1-7

Materials Needed:

-felt

This was another big cutting project but I think the ornaments turned out nicely. Lots of hearts and layering of the fabric. The hair and beard were fun to make.

Advent-“Unwrapping the Greatest Gift” Day 1-2 Craft Ideas

Advent Crafts

The most wonderful time of the year is here. A time of anticipation, expectant waiting, and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. I cannot think of a better way to discover the treasures and gifts of this season, then with Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift and Unwrapping The Greatest Gift.

God has been using these two books to speak to me and my family in many ways. Each day, it seems the devotion was written specifically for me, to meet me right where I am. I know that sounds a bit silly and impossible but it is true. The words are composed so beautifully, so descriptively, and so vividly, that they prompt my thoughts towards better things, redirect my heart to those who are hurting, and provide a salve for the hurt and broken places in my own soul. This is the season of hope, love, peace and God’s great gifts.

In The Greatest Gift, the lineage of Jesus is explored through familiar Bible stories and the colorful characters in Christ’s family tree. Each day there is a Bible passage, a devotional, and reflection questions. I love that the devotions are only a few pages long so that there is no excuse not to read them daily. The reflection questions keep me thinking ALL DAY LONG! They are not questions like- Who was Sarah and Abraham’s baby? or How many brother’s did Joseph have? They are questions that require me to search my life and the state of my heart. My favorite part of each chapter is the “Unwrapping More of His Love in this World” section. These are tangible things that a person can do to show their love to God and others by serving, blessing someone’s day, or worshiping God through letter and song.

In conjunction with reading The Greatest Gift, I have been reading Unwrapping the Greatest Gift with the kids. These stories follow the devotional but are written to engage the whole family. The illustrations are exquisite. Free, downloadable ornaments are available when you purchase the book. Last year, I had the girls color each of the ornaments as I read the story to them. This year, I wanted to up the craftiness with making our own ornaments. (We love crafts in our family!) I also wanted a more hands-on lesson illustration that a craft would provide.

You can find many ideas on the internet for Bible story crafts. Below are some of my original ideas and some that I modified from Pinterest. I gave credit for those craft ideas that I borrowed. If you decide to make and share one of my craft ideas, I would to love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or send me a link to your blog post. 🙂

Day1Stump

“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
²And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the Spirit of counsel and might,
    the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ” Isaiah 11:1-2

Materials Needed:

-wood disc

(You can find wood discs at craft store, the Target Dollar Spot, or use some power tools and cut the discs yourself. I went the power tool route because power tools are fun! )

-skinny sharpie markers, paint

OR a pencil, a wood burner, paint

We live next to a small patch of woods and searched for the perfect dead branch to make this ornament out of. Searching for the dead branch (on a cold, damp, and dreary day) really drove home the idea as to how miraculous and impossible (for all but Jesus) is it to have life come from something dead. We talked about how Jesus is a miracle and how he goes to impossible lengths of love for us.

After the discs had been cut, we drew a shoot with a pencil, wood burned over the pencil marking and then painted the shoot bright green. This project was time consuming but the time could easily be cut down using pre cut wood discs, sharpie markers and/or paint.

day2createdbylove

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make man^[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,

    in the image of God he created him;

    male and female he created them.  Genesis 1:26-27
Materials Needed:
-2-1/2″ styrofoam balls
-Mod Podge (Matte works best)
-blue and green tissue paper squares
-heart glitter paper (and heart punch)
-pipe cleaner
With paint brushes, we painted Mod Podge on the styrofoam ball and the stuck squares of blue and green tissue paper over the ball to represent the water and land.  Note: Larger tissue squares work better than smaller ones. And stick the pipe cleaner in the ball prior to doing the mod podge. It creates a handle to make gluing easier.
After the whole ball was completely covered with tissue, we gave it a generous coat of Mod Podge. Once dry, we added a heart-punched, glitter heart stuck on by pop-up glue-dots. “We were created by love, for love.”
I plan to post a few craft ideas at a time. Check back to see the new ones added and follow along with the fun.

November Stitch Fix Review (Fix #13)

I can sum up this whole fix in one word, disappointment. I was so pleased with my October Fix that I decided to push up the date of my December’s fix to November. I had high hopes that this fix would be just as great as last month’s. fix

As I always do, I added new pins to my Pinterest Board and made sure to make some notes to my stylist. The note included a lot of questions marks, which may have been a mistake. It went something like this- “Please send- a warm, fall/winter scarf? A jean skirt? Conservative hemlines and no distressed looks. A warm sweater? Fall/winter skirts? .” I wish I had saved the exact note so I could compare what was sent to what I wrote. I have had the same stylist for a long time so I figured that she has come to understand my style and that I could loosen up on my specific instructions. I guess I was wrong.

From all the pinning, I had a picture in my mind of what items might be sent to me. So, when the box arrived, I ripped into it hoping to find that soft, warm scarf or comfy, over-sized sweater. It didn’t take long to realize that I had got my hopes up for nothing. I knew that most of the items would be going back. Disappointed, I threw the items back into the box and left them there for days before trying them on.

Item #1-

I specifically asked for a warm fall/winter scarf. I specifically pinned warm/winter scarves. Beautiful, bright, colorful scarves. So imagine my surprise when I pulled this lightweight, gauze-like piece of material from the box. Ugh!

The neutral, off white color might be the only positive thing about it. The material is very thin and its ragged looking (at least in this color.) Since it is light-weight, it might make a nice spring (or even the summer.) scarf. I could not help but think that this looked more fitting for a Mummy rather than a cold Mommy (sorry, I could not resist.)

Save your $32.00 and go buy a warm, winter Faribault scarf at Target.

Item #2

I REALLY wanted to like this skirt. I liked how it felt on. It was smooth and stretchy. I had asked for a jean skirt but I had also asked specifically that no “distressed” looks be sent. I know that distressed look is “in.” I was “out” when I saw the price tag- $108 for a skirt with holes in it. No, thank you!

Item #3

I am all for sparkles, sequins, and rhinestones. I really love the color gray. I have tops that open in the back. But this item, just plain confused me. The embellished neckline was very heavy (in weight and look), too much for the lightweight sweater. Not sure why the back opens the way it does because it the bottom of the sweater is slightly fitted. In trying to think positively, I thought that maybe this sweater is casual wear for a princess. So, I grabbed my wedding tiara for a matching accessory. Sadly, the sweater cost more ($88.00) than the tiara itself. Reminding me that I am neither from royal descent or from money and that this sweater is more for fairy tales than for real life.

Item #4

This skirt was the one bright spot in the box. I love swing skirts! It has a great trendy pattern. The skirt fit well and has a conservative hem line (thank you, stylist!) The only problem I had with this skirt was the type of material. It was very thin and a bit see-through. I would have had to wear a heavy slip to wear it out of the house. (The mummy-scarf would go perfect with it for a spring look.) Yes, I could have kept it and saved it until spring. But would I remember that I own it in the spring? I have been trying to simplify my closet and rid the house of things we do not need. So unfortunately, this skirt is not something I need right now.

Item #5-

The color of this sweater is PERFECTION! I love the richness of burgundy. Cable knit sweaters are awesome-always have loved them. BUT WHAT ARE THE ZIPPERS DOING THERE??? They look so out of place. Like finishing touches that break the sweater rather than make it. The sweater would have been perfect without those zippers. Ugh-again! I must be getting old!

FINAL DECISION:

Look by M Prescott Fringe Edge Scarf –RETURN

Level 99 Hayden Denim Pencil Skirt —RETURN

RD Style Donno Embellished Neckline Sweater— RETURN

Le Lis Ellie Printed Swing Skirt — RETURN

Pixley Salena Zipper Detail Pullover Sweater —RETURN

Disappointment. I hate being so down-beat and gloomy. I know that the “Fixes” can not be a winner each time. I know that I will not always like all the items sent. But the items sent seemed too far off from my notes and Pinterest’s pins.

BUT I am not giving up on Stitch Fix…. yet. I was just given a gift certificate and I am now debating on moving up my Fix from January to December. Then again, maybe I should just take a month off and clean out, get my pins and notes together. It might be a nice way to start the new year!

Read more about here www.stitchfix.com Read my last review here- October Stitch Fix Review. It was a great Fix!!!

Would you like to try Stitch Fix for yourself? If you do decide to try it out, I would appreciate the referral. Please use Shanna’s Stitch Fix Referral link when signing up.

On Sickness

We had made it three steps into the store, when my son began making an unpleasant but familiar retching sound. I didn’t even get a chance to think. He had already thrown up all over me and the floor of Rite Aid Pharmacy. Helpless and stuck in a puddle of sickness, I was not sure what to do next.

Almost eight years as a mom and this was a first for me. I had been ignorantly hopeful that I could escape a public display of sickness by one of my own.

My thoughts were interrupted by my crying son who was vomiting a second time, this time all over the store’s New England Patriot’s holiday merchandise display. Standing behind me, my daughter looked on in both horror and shock. I could relate! My composure and confidence were gone. I wholeheartedly yelled for help.

Out of the aisles, from every direction, a team of people came. The first responder was a friendly, emphatic cashier. She spoke to my son in a soothing and comforting voice, “It’s okay, honey. Everyone gets sick sometimes.” A stout, unemotional, authoritative manager came next. With her she carried an empty, plastic candy container which she tossed at me with skill and the authority as to say, you are a mom, you know what to do, now do it. The third team member was a pleasant young man rolling a mop and bucket towards us with a smile. Cheerfully and dutifully, he cleaned up the mess with no judgments or a bad attitude, making small talk as he mopped. When the cleanup was complete, our $300 + damaged merchandise bill was forgiven, and we were sent on our way with our souvenir plastic candy container. What had just happened???

Unfortunately, this was not the only sickness that I have been dealing with. From the outside I seemed a little tired but otherwise healthy. But in the weeks leading up to the pharmacy fiasco, I have been struggling with sickness of my own. I had let my guard down and allowed lies, self-doubt, discouragement, lack of faith, joy, and hope a place to take hold and grow in my heart and mind. I was tired, some days in a very bad mood, and everything seemed just plain difficult. I tried to pull myself out of it by halfhearted prayers, routine Bible readings, and depending on the prayers of others on my behalf.

I kept trying to heal myself with everything I knew how to do. And I wondered why I wasn’t “getting better.” It wasn’t until I was completely helpless, sinking down in my own puddle of sickness, not knowing what else to do, when I called out wholeheartedly to God, “HELP!”

Out of bends and corners of my heart and mind, the TEAM emerged. A peace that I had prevented myself from receiving started soothing the cracks of my weakened heart and mind. I heard the conviction of the Holy Spirit telling me, you know what to do, now do it! Verses and Bible passages that I passively read before, beckoned me to take a second look. I reread passages about joy and thanksgiving through suffering, identity in Christ, faith, hope and love. I let the words linger and impress on my heart.

It was work. Some days were very hard.

I am still working on it. Some days are still hard.

But with God’s help, I am shifting my perspective and working on setting my eyes to see the good things happening around me. That means even in the sickness, sleepless nights, the hard stuff, the humiliating stuff there is always, always good stuff to see and blessings to be found. Blessings like emphatic cashiers and cheerful, throw-up-cleaner-uppers.

I am persevering through doubts and lies by repeating and dwelling on the truths that I read. I am constantly resetting my mind to think on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8.) I have decided to surround myself with people that are uplifting, loving, and that have my best interests in my mind. And I am working to let go of control- my failing, imperfect, human strength and working on holding on to the perfect, all-powerful, never-failing strength of God.

There really is no I in TEAM. Whatever you are struggling with today, I hope you take a moment to surround yourself with a team of loving people, a God who cares deeply for you, and depend on the Holy Spirit to convict and guide you. Shift your eyes to notice the good things. Find laughter in the difficulties. Come away from life’s situations with souvenirs of peace, joy, and thanksgiving.

Pumpkin Fun

Pumpkins oval, pumpkins round;

Pumpkins tumbling on the ground;

Pumpkins giant, pumpkins small,

Pumpkins lined against the wall;

–Virginia Kroll

Pumpkin books, pumpkin recipes, and pumpkin activities. The last two weeks of school have been centered around learning about one of fall’s favorite, brightly colored fruits as we said goodbye to October and hello to November!

I kicked off our Pumpkin Unit with an introduction and challenge to memorize Virginia Kroll’s “Pumpkins” poem. The poem is full of descriptive words and rhyming couplets.

On the first day, we read the complete poem (see link below.) We created hand and body motions to accompany the rise and fall pattern of the words as we read them. I found some great (and free) reading comprehension activities that went along with the poem and picked the activities that I thought would best be appropriate for the girls to complete.

Each day we worked on the poem, adding two lines at a time. We recited it at lunch, we recited it at dinner, we recited it over Skype, in the car, when we walked, at dance, just about everywhere we went. Even my two year old was reciting the opening line. By the end of the two weeks, the girls and I were able to recite the whole poem from memory. It was an accomplishment for all of us.

PUMPKIN BOOKS:

When I was teaching in the public school system, I bought a lot of my own books. Consequently, I now have a great homeschool library. Some fall and pumpkin books get pulled out every October. Here are a few favorites:

Pick a Circle, Gather Squares- A Fall Harvest of Shapes by Felcia Sanzari Chernesky

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum

From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer

The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis

Too Many Pumpkins is one of my favorite, favorite pumpkin books. It is about a white-haired-lady named Rebecca Estelle and her cat Esmeralda. Rebecca has an unexpected encounter with a splattered pumpkin that causes a bit of a situation. A shift in perspective allows her to notice the goodness of her position and she is able to bless those around her. (Sounds a little like A Fierce Flourishing)

With this story, we worked on characterization, cause and effect, and sequencing events. You can get the same materials I used online at The Mailbox Education Center.

FIELD TRIPS:

Our first pumpkin unit field trip included a trip to Rhode Island to visit my family and the Roger Williams Zoo’s Jack-o-Lantern Spectacular. The Spectacular was founded in 1988 by a former mail carrier who has put a team of professional pumpkin carvers together, called Passion for Pumpkins. The carvers spend 6 – 8 weeks creating 5,000 pumpkins to be displayed on the Zoo’s Wetlands Trail amid special lighting and themed music. 1 Some of the pumpkins were amazing (see below, Mother Goose and the Sound of Music.) The creativity is worth seeing. A word of warning though, the path is very dark, there are a lot of people, and some of the displays are scary. If you have children (or adults, for that matter) who are sensitive to noise and crowds, this might not be the best place to take them. We quickly pushed through the crowds to avoid seeing the more spookier displays.

The second trip we took was to the pumpkin “patch” (aka Garden Center.) We walked around trying to find all the pumpkins described in the pumpkin poem. After much deliberation, the girls each found the perfect pumpkin to take home to carve.

At home Dad took over as the art teacher. He helped the girls scoop out the seeds, pick a design, and show them how to carve their pumpkins. The pumpkin carving took a long time to complete but the final products- Mater, Puppy, Panda- came out fantastic.

PUMPKIN MATH:

After the carving, it was time to wash, count, and roast the pumpkin seeds. I read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara. It is a great book to explore estimation and skip counting.

The girls estimated how many seeds they had and decided the best way to count their seeds were by skip counting by 10s. They got busy creating groups of 10s. I cut out circles, pumpkins, and square mats to help keep the groups separated. When all the counting was said and done, our pumpkins contained- 400, 562, and 466 seeds.

PUMPKIN RECIPE:

We like simple recipes. One day, we made Pumpkin Patch Dirt Cups. They were super easy to make and delicious. My kids got a kick out of how real the “dirt” looked. This idea and recipe came from Paintbrushes and Popsicles.

THE GREATEST PUMPKIN LESSON OF ALL

Finally, the best pumpkin lesson came from my husband’s sermon two weeks ago. During the service, he carved a pumpkin as he describe how we are the pumpkin and God is a brain surgeon, a heart surgeon, and an internist. He explained that God needs to do brain surgery on us, scoop out the “junk.” Our junk is then placed on the cross and we are forgiven through Christ’s sacrifice. Next, God performs heart surgery on us. He takes out our dark, broken heart and replaces it with one of love and light. He gives us the Holy Spirit so that we can shine our light bright in a hurting world. The kids were kept in the service and I think that everyone was engaged. It was a great visual with a great message!

Tot-Time Tuesday- Scavenger Hunts

Last week, we took advantage of the great fall weather and made an effort to get outside every day. One day, we went on a nature walk and brought a scavenger hunt along with us. Scavenger hunts are fun, inexpensive, and easily modified for all ages. They are an excellent activity in the practice of observing and the skill of noticing goodness. There are many great scavenger hunts already created and easy to find online. I printed this one from “The Bird Feed NYC” and placed it on clipboards- one for each child. I liked that this hunt uses both words and pictures of items that are easily found in our backyard.

As soon as we were out the door, my girls excitedly began to find and check items off their chart. My son bounced along, happy to be outside. He was glad to have his own clipboard and his own marker. Never underestimate your youngest children and include them in as many activities as possible. With a little assistance and some modeling, my son quickly got the idea of looking for an item and crossing it off the chart. Using the marker was a big incentive too. Due to some past unfortunate incidents, say a mural on a white window sill, we have kept the markers out of his reach and out of his artistic fingers. He was thrilled to have it back in his hand.

We searched and explored for about 20 minutes. It was just enough time to keep everyone’s attention and interest. We ended up finding 19 out of the 20 items. No matter where we looked, we could not find any animal tracks. It really did not matter if we found one or all the items, it was so nice being outside with the kids and spending time together.

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”

[Notebook, Oct. 10, 1842]”
― Nathaniel Hawthorne, The American Notebooks

Check out The Bird Feed NYC’s website and other scavenger hunts here.

Timeless Comforts

She rummaged through her wallet searching for something specific. Her soft, aged, wrinkled hands worked tediously through each pocket and in and out of every fold. She knew that it was there but where it was she was not certain. The rest of us looked on in great anticipation as to what object would be pulled from its hiding place. With a smile and a sigh, she pulled out what seemed to be a photograph. She motioned me over and gently placed it in my hand. I looked down to see a handsome man dressed in 70’s fashion. His brown eyes twinkled. His smile was warm and welcoming. Pointing to the picture, she told me it was her son. I turned over the picture to find words scribbled on the back- “Husband. (man’s name.) Married 67 years. Three children (children’s names.)” The program director broke the silence with a little light-hearted humor and reminded the aging woman that the picture was not of her son but of her husband. A funny statement was made and everyone laughed.

There was great care and respect in the interaction between the director and the woman. A familiarity and trust in the way they looked at each other and spoke. The elderly woman smiled warmly at me and gave me a silent nod. I handed her back her treasured photograph and smiled back with a lump in my throat. Sixty-seven years with a man, three children later, and a whole life lived and the details were blurred and hard to recall.

I wasn’t supposed to be there. Through a series of unplanned, God-orchestrated events, I was found myself filling in for my pastor husband at our church’s monthly non-denominational church service that we facilitate for the residents of the dementia and memory care home in our local community. I had never been to the service before and my husband had given me a 5 minute orientation about how to get there, what to do when I got there, and then told me to come up with some short message to share. One other church member, Evie, would be leading the singing. She had never been there before either.

We were led through a maze of hallways and locked doors, and invited to enter a bright, warm room. There were about ten comfortable chairs placed alongside the walls. Four residents silently occupied four of them. One other resident, a friendly, animated man was seated in a wheel chair near the door. Fall decorations were hung from the ceiling and wooden crafts the residents had made were displayed along the walls. A big, bright window and large ,framed, New England foliage pictures added light and cheer to the small room.

A few introductions were made and large-print hymnals were passed around the room. Evie announced the page number of the first hymn and started us through the first verse. In between the familiar words and phrases, I glanced over at the residents singing. Their mouths moved at different times. Wrong words and phrases escaped their lips. With the exception of Evie’s voice, each song sounded off-key, off pitch, off melody, and sung with poor rhythm. BUT each song was sung with great enthusiasm and joy. The residents sang from their hearts with confidence and peace.

With great reverence they listened to and joined me as we recited Psalm 23 and The Lord’s Prayer. We talked about Jesus and the greatest commandment to love God and love others. There seemed to be a trust and familiarity with the songs and the passages for the residents. It was a sacred place and moment. There was unity as we were connected together to a past of a rich tradition of faith held by all those who have gone before us.

With their worlds becoming blurry and details slipping away daily, these timeless truths woven beautifully into hymns and passages, have been locked and stored in the hearts and souls to serve as anchors of hope and comfort.

When everything is gone and has been stripped away, the thing that truly matters remains… love and Jesus.

I have been thinking a lot about this and what is going to matter when I get to the end of my earthly journey. What legacy will I leave? The hours spent worrying about things out of my control. Petty arguments and disagreement with others. Guilt, shame, bad decisions, and fretting over dumb stuff. Things that seem so important now, when they are stripped away what will remain? Certainly, not earthly comforts or physical strength.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

My visit with these sweet, elderly people did more for me than I could ever do for them. Before I left, I took each one of their velvety smooth, wrinkled hands in mine and I looked them in their eyes as if I could see deep into their souls. I hoped with every part of me that they felt loved and filled with comfort and peace. In the short time I spent with them they helped me put things in perspective. They set me on a path to continue to think about what is important in my life and how I am spending this precious time I have on Earth. But most importantly, they were a testimony to me of the kind of things I should be setting my eyes on and storing in my heart and soul for a future that one day will come.

It is Well With My Soul by Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, (it is well), with my soul, (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

October Stitch Fix Review (Fix #12)

Fall is finally here! There is a crisp, fresh chill in the air. The leaves have started changing colors and gliding off the trees creating unique, mosaic-like patterns on the ground as they lay. My Uggs and a few other cozy fall items have been pulled from storage with joyful anticipation of fall adventures to come. Fall in New England is the best!

I was so excited to receive my October’s Stitch Fix. I had made some specific notes to my stylist. I wanted a warm, cozy sweater to wear with leggings and boots. A tunic with leggings would be nice. I asked for a black blazer to wear over dresses for church and speaking to groups. I told my stylist that I love receiving dresses but I STRESSED the importance of a sending me dresses with conservative hem-lines (in the past this has been an issue.) Finally, I took time to add a few new pins to my Pinterest Board. I tried to cover all my bases.

When the box arrived, I only had a minute or two to see what was sent. At first glance, I loved everything. I couldn’t wait until the afternoon when I had more time to try everything on. I hoped that the items would fit as good as they looked.

Item #1-

This navy blue, flannel tunic is soft and warm. I paired the tunic with Kensie skinny jeans and my Uggs. The Kensie jeans came in one my first fixes and are still my favorite jeans. They have held up nicely which proves that paying a little extra for better quality clothing goes a long way.

Item #2

I asked for a black blazer and I got a black blazer. Basic, versatile, comfortable, and well-made. This is the same designer as my favorite skinny jeans. What can I say? It is just what I wanted and my stylist did a great job listening to my notes.

Item #3

The burgundy color of this dress affirms that fall has arrived. I like the fit and style of the dress. It actually reminds me of a dress I had in high school and I love that. It felt familiar when I tried it on. I first paired the dress with a pair of Sam & Libby’s Bow Flats (from Target) to complete my 1994 look. 🙂 Then, I decided to add ankle boots and the Kensie blazer for a second look. The only thing that I do not like about this dress is the material. It is on the thin side. I am not sure how it will hold up after wear and care. In my opinion, it is also a bit pricy for the quality of the dress.

Item #4

This is what I love about Stitch Fix! I would have never picked out this item for myself. In the store, I would have said too busy, too much pattern. But at first glance, I loved the colors in the shirt (corals and aqua) and the material felt nice to touch. I was curious to see how it would look on and I was pleasantly surprised. The material is soft and stretchy. Not only does it fits great and it feels good on!

Item #4-

I really did not need to try this on because I had already decided that I was keeping it when I first laid eyes on it. It is a perfectly, cozy, warm, well-made sweater. There is nothing more I can say but open my arms and welcome fall in!

FINAL DECISION:

Skies are Blue Primmie Tunic –KEPT

Kensie Rebekah Blazer —KEPT

Papermoon Kallan Dress—KEPT

Loveappella Howella Knit Top —KEPT

RD Style Lois Turtle Neck Sweater —KEPT

This fix gets an A+. My stylist did a great job taking into account what I wanted and surprising me with a few new looks. The only item I would have sent back (due to the individual cost and quality) is the Kallan Dress but as I mentioned in my last post, if you keep all the items in your fix you get 25% off the total. Economically, it made sense to keep the dress. I will admit that I am not “totally” sad about it though. I love the idea of reliving part of the 90s. 🙂

Would you like to try Stitch Fix? If you do decide to try it out, I would appreciate the referral. Please use Shanna’s Stitch Fix Referral link when signing up.

Read more about here www.stitchfix.com Read my last review here- August Stitch Fix Review

And just for fun…check out Fall Fashion Trends Across the United States- http://www.today.com/style/fall-fashion-trends-most-googled-fashion-state-t48021

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PUMPKIN BOOKS:

FIELD TRIPS:

PUMPKIN MATH:

PUMPKIN RECIPE:

THE GREATEST PUMPKIN LESSON OF ALL

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“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Matthew 24:35

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