Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

This post makes me ridiculously happy

Color is my love language.
I've told this story before, but when I was a little girl I would dump out my two large boxes of Crayolas and line them up in rainbow order.Something about it fascinated and soothed me, and thirty-something years later things are still the same.

We made heart shaped crayons for the kids to give as Valentines this year.

Start by soaking the crayons in a bowl of water.  A lot of the paper peels will start lifting off.

The kids took all the wrappers off and threw them away.

  Of course, for fun, we put them in rainbow order ;)

The kids and I broke them up into little pieces. The larger pieces I cut with an exacto knife.

I got my molds at Ikea.  Line the bottom of the oven with tin foil.
I put them in at 200 degrees, but I had to keep a close eye on them.  When they started melting I had to add more pieces.

Coming out of the oven, I let them sit for a minute, and then we put them in the refrigerator to cool for awhile.

We made a pink/red set, a yellow/orange set, a green/blue set, and a blue/purple set.

Finally, we made a cute valentine in picnik.com and printed them at 3 x 5.
The older kids will sign their own on the bottom instead of me typing it out.

It was a lovely afternoon crafting with my favorite littles.
They were mesmerized by the process!

Linking up here today:)

Gratitude tree

I dug this Thanksgiving sign out today and I couldn't find a place to hang it.
I had this thought of putting a chalkboard under it where we could all write different things we were thankful for.
Than I had an idea for a gratitude tree.

I whipped it up very quickly.  I just used large butcher paper to cut out the tree trunk and a basic tree top shape, cut it out, and used scotch tape (which won't damage my walls) and taped it up.
The wall is right in the center of the house so it doesn't get a lot of light (sorry for the akward photos), but it is a great place for it to be.

I used construction paper to cut out leaf shapes.  The kids all took a turn writing on a leaf something that they were grateful for.  We will do this every day until Thanksgiving, and we will have a tree full of gratitude!  :)

10.  friend of all ages
11.  sunlight streaming in the morning with a hot cup of coffee
12.  the privilege of buying my kids new books when they want them
13.  their passion for reading
14.  a dishwasher that makes my day more convenient
15.  having no where that I have to be tomorrow , so I can spend the day at home!

A little bit of Lovely

Mother's Day was a simple, lovely day.

I went in my studio for a few hours in the morning to catch up on some orders, all alone.  That was nice.

I really wanted a picture of me with the kids.

Mike tried...he probably took over 30 of them, but no one was into it.

That's okay...at least I got one!  :)

We spent the whole afternoon by the pool.  I am reading Redeeming Love, again.  If you haven't read it, it's a good one.

I went to a garage sale on Saturday and picked up this little ceramic strawberry for 25 cents.  I told everyone it was my Mother's Day present.  Logan told me I was wierd.  Ha!

 My favorite presents are handmade, honestly.  I love when the kids make me stuff.  I save all of them.

Here's what we made the grandmother's...flower bouquets.

And then Mike picked up Outback for everyone for dinner and brought it to the house.  The thought of going out with everyone in a crowded restaraunt didn't sound appealing.  It was nice to have it here.

A nice simple day was all I wanted. ;)

Preparing for Easter

These few days leading up to Easter have left me feeling in a very fragile and vulnerable state.  I remember feeling this way last year too...the weight of my sins feeling heavy in my soul...the remembrance of my Father who forgives me and loves me unconditionally...the thought of Jesus on the cross...trying to instill in my kids the true meaning of Easter while still enjoying the bunnies and candy and excitement of it all...

It can get overwhelming, all these feelings.  But if nothing else I believe it all prepares me for the celebration of Easter...

 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

John 2:19 ESV

 I have been faithfully doing my spring cleaning and 40 bags in 40 days challenge.  I took photos of the process, but then decided that I didn't really need to show you the pictures. ha!  I will tell you this...I had more than 40 bags!  I kind of pride myself on keeping our house basically clutter-free...over the last couple of years I have been more concious and aware of what I buy...really contemplating my wants vs. my needs...trying to teach our children the same...and yet my garage is FULL, full of all the things that we no longer want or need, and I realize I have a long way to go in regards to being more concious in that aspect...

I am guilty of wanting more...a bigger house, a newer couch, more land, more fashionable clothes...the list goes on and on...and while I don't think there is anything inherently wrong at all with having nice things, I must learn to be happy and content with what we DO have.  Which is a lot in the grand scheme of things...  I just haven't quite mastered that balance yet.



And so I surrender to our Father, that He will accept me as I try to be the best wife and mother and daughter that I can be.  That I learn to give more and more, that I learn to give unselfishly, that I try to stay true to the simple lifestyle that best fits myself and my family.  I surrender to all the mistakes that I have made, make now, and will make in the future.  I surrender to the fact that He loves me no matter what.  What a gift He has given us, and it takes a whole lot of heart, a whole lot of faith, to accept that gift.  It can bring me to my knees.

Fun-filled Saturday

We had a super fun morning at our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt on the lake.

I love all these shots.  :)  It was a colorful, fun, child filled event!

"Two eggs, Momma!  Like me!"

  Couldn't resist the colors...

  Neither could she...:)

He was tooooooo excited!

Our neighborhood crew:

Momma and Papa Duck:

I'm linking up here:

Hope you are having a fun weekend too :)

xo,

Chrissie



Rainbow Ballerina Party

I guess you could say this was Ava's first "real" birthday party.  We've always celebrated at home with family and few close friends, but it has always been very small.  This was the first year she requested a store-bought cake instead of Momma's home-made cupcakes.  She also requested a Dance Party...so we had it at the Dance Studio where she takes Ballet.

 I managed to get a shot of the two of us...:)

I had to show you this...a rainbow made up of fruit to go with her Rainbow Ballerina theme...so yummy and easy to make!

The dance instructor taught a little class for about 45 minutes...taught them a small combination... and did some dance games.

We had cake and ice cream and the instructor did face painting while everyone had a chance to "free dance".  I think that was everyone's favorite part!

Look at some of her sweet friends...so cute!

One of my favorite parts about her five year old party was a decision she made about gifts.  In lieu of gifts, she chose to collect books for the local children's hospital.  She has been blessed with a heart for giving!  I have been so inspired by this project that when I mentioned it to Ava she was so excited!  We spent time together decorating the box and shopping together for books.  They will all go to children who have extended stays at the hospital.  We will deliver them together next week.  It has been such a great experience and we are so proud of her :)

Don't worry, she was still spoiled by some gifts for her...art supplies, rainboots, a new swimsuit, and a baby doll really made her day!

I love being this little girl's Momma.  Birthdays are bittersweet for me...I am a little bit nostalgic at how quickly the time goes by, and how fast my kiddos grow!  But at the same time, it is so exciting to see how they grow and flourish...and I get so excited at how our parent/child relationship gets stronger with each passing year.  I love who she is now, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for her!

Happy Birthday Ava!  We all love you so much!

Linking up here:)

Happy Spring!

A tiny bit of Spring decorating today...in honor of  the first day of Spring and Spring Break at our house!

Wreath made over the weekend, mosaic bunny made a couple of years ago:)

(4x6 postcards of these available here:)

 No time for words today, I've got a date with four kids and a tub of air dry clay...:)

Happy Spring!

xo,

Chrissie

Linking up here :)