free mother's day printable and a story

When my sisters and I were little girls, my aunt came to live with us for a time.  We lived in a big, big house  so there was plenty of room for everyone.  I loved having her live with us because it provided a different adult to interact with day by day.  And I knew, even though she technically had the ability to punish me if I was naughty, she was more likely to "let it slide" (let's just say, she knew how to make peas disappear from a dinner plate for you).

Of course I loved my mom, but it's safe to say every child has a different relationship with a mom versus an aunt.  I love when my niece, little L says I'm the best when I bring her chocolate cake (or a rock, she's not particular, haha).  Her Aunt Jenn and I can keep her pretty happy.  She loves us both, though in a different way than she loves her own mommy - who she loves the most!

Back to the point; my aunt was still young (16 she told me, but that was a lie!!), and didn't have any children of her own.  At school, in art class around Mother's Day, my class and I all got to make cards for our moms.  I made my mom a very pretty card, but I also had the ingenious idea to make my aunt a card as well.  I knew she wasn't a mom herself, but she was a woman in my life who I looked up to and she cared for me, so in a way I felt she may think of herself as a mom at heart.  If that was the case, then in my eyes, she deserved a card!

I was so excited about how smart I was to think to make a card for my aunt, that as soon as I got home from school, I ran to her room and proudly presented her with a Mother's Day card.  As you can imagine, this caused a slight drama with my real mom who thought I had just given my aunt HER Mother's Day card! But not so, I was one smart cookie, and there had just been a slight misunderstanding, and my mom also got her own beautiful card as well.  Crisis averted, hehe.

I know my aunt still has that card I made her to this day. At least, that's what she tells me. :)  She was touched that I somehow tapped in to the fact that even though someone doesn't have children, it doesn't mean they don't feel like they're a mom, or that they're a mom at heart.

Thanks for letting me share a little tidbit of life, and for all the "moms at heart" on Mother's Day, enjoy this free printable I had some fun whipping up!  Frame it, use it as a bookmark, or fold in half and give as a card to someone you think would be a great mom :)

Happy (early) Mother's Day to my own mom! And to my lovely mom-in-law! And to my Aunt R :)

Jelly Bean Prayer Tutorial

As my sisters and I have mentioned before, 4 out of the 7 of us work in a program for kids called Cubbies. It is at our church and we all work in the 4 year old classroom. Once a week we spend time with all these little four yearolds and teach them about Jesus. Around every holiday we try and do something special for the specific kids at each of our tables. I have four little girls at my table and needed to think up something for Easter. I decided to do a project with the Jelly Bean Prayer. I love how each color of Jelly Beans tells the story of Christ, and kids seem to love it. I found a great printable from Mama-Jenn, check it out, it is my favorite so far out of all the ones I've seen. Now this project is very simple, but a great and fun way to teach kids about Resurrection Sunday.

Materials:

Jelly Beans

Canning Jars

The Jelly Bean Prayer Printable

Scissors

Hole Punch

Ribbon

Jelly Bean Fabric (found mine at Joann's)

Step 1: Cut out your Jelly Bean Prayer Printable

Step 2: Fill your jars with Jelly Beans (I like to do rows of colors to go along with the poem)

Step 3: Cut out square swatches of fabric and place them on top of the canning jar lid, screw on the lid.

Step 4: Hole punch a corner of the printable and with your ribbon secure it around the lid.

 TA DA Finished!!

John  11:25,26,

 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and 

the life: he that believeth in me, though he were 

dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

good ideas for your man

Did I draw you in with my juicy title?  Gotcha! The title is plural, but I only have one idea to share today. And it's not very risque.But you're here now, so you might as well stay! I'm ready to stop rhyming, are you?

So, here's the issue I had that led to my genius idea: during the holidays, or my birthday, or our anniversary,  my husband usually shoves himself mercilessly out into the cold, dark world mere hours before the events occasion, with no list and no ideas.  Tragic. Can you relate? It's during these times that I'll get the frantic call where he tries to be all mysterious and weasel my sizes out of me because he's at the store and he found shoes that he thinks maybe, hopefully, I'll like but he can't remember my shoe size for the life of him! (HE'S a 10.5 and I didn't even have to look!)

It doesn't bother me that he doesn't have this memorized after knowing me for almost 8 years, and living with me for 4 years, but he does know that I love to be surprised, so having to call me last minute and ask my size for something usually spoils it and disappoints him! Poor guy!

Eventually, after a few years of living in this last-minute-gift-turmoil, my bright idea came to me.  A business-card-sized piece of paper that he can keep in his wallet with all the important info!  So, I made this; (I used Microsoft Templates for business cards and re-designed it to fit my needs). 

The sizes to fill in are: "Shoe," "Heel," "Tops," "Bottoms," and "When in doubt."  "When in doubt" is for those times when it may be an off-beat item, like a pajama set that only comes in "S," "M," or "L." My husband would look at that and see the top and bottom together and suddenly worry he didn't get the right size!

Don't want to go to Microsoft Templates and make your own? You should be able to click on the picture above and simply print it. It is already formatted to size - if there are any problems, please let me know in the comments!  I tested it already and it worked perfectly. Cardstock is best since it will be in his wallet, and if it's anything like my husbands, it will take some wear and tear! If you have access to laminate it, even better!

I hope this helps someone else out there in the blogosphere as it has helped my hubbie immensely!  He loved this idea (he loves anything I do to help him be more organized)! Happy shopping men!

all things valentine ♥

For God so lo v ed the world
that he g A ve          
his on L y       
begott E n        
So N    
                         T hat whosoever
 believeth I n him       
    should N ot perish
         but have E verlasting life.

♥ Yummies ♥

♥ Goodie Bags and Kiddie Gifts ♥

download free fortune cookie tags 

from seven sisters here!

 

 ♥ teacher gifts and school valentines ♥

 

Project Ideas...♥

button heart frame ♥ i really should be sleeping

bubble gum necklaces ♥ one charming party

love one another printable ♥ becky higgins

heart crayons ♥ the long thread

teacher supply boxes ♥ eighteen25

Linking to...♥

 

 

 

Free "Heroes for Christ" Valentine's Day Card Download!

As I've mentioned before, my husband and I aren't your usual Valentines celebrators.  Our typical scenario involves a homemade card and a "better than average" home-cooked meal.  We're pretty low maintenance when it comes to the whole "Cupid, draw back your bow" stereotypes (not that there's anything wrong with that! This year I even got a little gift for him! woahhh!).  We do put a lot of thought into our cards though. My husbands' always crack me up, and mine run the gamut from sentimental to funny to weird..(ok, ok we both do).

a Valentine's Day card from my husband in the days of yore

This year, I was feeling sentimental, and wanted to give him a more spiritually inspired card.  I've been reading through Joshua and Judges lately, and in our Friday night Bible studies, we've been going over the same as well.  Now usually I would consider these two books to be "man reading." I mean, give me a love story in Ruth and Esther any day over war heroes and military campaigns, thankyouverymuch.

But, as I read the books, I was surprised to find an idea forming for a Valentine's Day card for my funny valentine.  Some of the manliest men can be found in these books, with the likes of Gideon, Joshua, Caleb, etc.  What a wonderful compliment it could be to be compared to one of God's mightiest warriors!  So, it got me thinking - what does God say about these men?  What were they like? Can I find the qualities of my husband in one of these men?  I decided to focus on three; Joshua, Caleb and Gideon.

• Joshua - He began as a servant and became a leader.  He was a forerunner for his people, when spying out the Promised Land with Caleb, he was one of the two out of twelve who wanted to encourage the people to obey God and take the land.  He didn't care what other people thought.  When he was in battle, he prayed for help and mercy - he knew he could not face his battles without God, and was certain of God's will for the battle to be won so much so that he commanded the sun to stand still, and God allowed it to happen.  He was a man of action!  He didn't waste time.  His testimony preceded him beyond his days in battle as the Bible says all the days of his life the people worshiped God.

• Caleb - The Bible says that Caleb chased giants (sons of Anak)....uh...WOW!!  Caleb was confident but calm.  He was the second spy with Joshua who wasn't scared to go to battle for the Promised Land.  The Bible even says when all the Israelites started arguing  and bickering about whether they should fight now or wait, he quieted the people.  I imagine Caleb as someone strong, tall, with a big voice.  He could motivate people, encourage them.  At least three times in the Bible it says that Caleb was someone who "wholly followed the Lord."  Three times!!!  You know God really really means something when he says it more than once!  At the end of Caleb's story, there is even a brief portion describing how he provides land for his daughter.  Can you imagine Caleb as your dad??  He chased giants!  And he was a provider for his family!   

• Gideon - Gideon was not a trained soldier; he was a humble farmer, but he was a God-fearing one.  He did not seek out fame or honor in battle - in fact, God comes to find him!  Proof that God can use anyone!  God knew that there was something in Gideon that the people needed.  Gideon was someone the people would trust, an obedient hero.  Gideon was careful and planned. He didn't make a move without consulting God and asking several times for God to show him for sure what the right answer was.  God gave him victory in battle, and despite this, Gideon remained a humble spirit with a thankful heart.

At a glance, the men can seem very similar - they are all heroes of war.  But when you take a closer look you can see how different they each are.  Joshua, the fearless man of action; Caleb, the confident and calm motivator; and Gideon, the meek and humble hero.

So, I made a Valentines Day card for each.  I'm calling them my Heroes for Christ Valentine's Day Card Collection! :) The front of the card details characteristics of each Bible character.  On the inside it says "You are my Joshua" (or Gideon or Caleb depending on which card you give).  On the back of the card are a list of Bible verses I used to figure out what each persons characteristics were in my study.  And oh yeah, they're free for you too!  Just click this link, pick which guy your hubby/fiancee/boyfriend is most like, print it 2-sided on card stock (optional: trim the sides a bit after printing), and give!

Caleb                                                                    Gideon

Joshua

Oh, and I bet you're still wondering which one I'm giving my husband?  He's my very own Gideon. :)  Who would you pick for your Valentine?

 do you like my wrapping? I just used a bit of paint and my thumb to make the fingerprint hearts!

Linking to: