Category Archives: Family

Light bulb snowmen ornaments

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Every year, we try to make a new ornament to go with our homemade gifts. Made these light bulb snowmen in 2006. I had been saving all our old lightbulbs for several years prior, so I had quite a stash, lol! 🙂

First we spray painted the bulbs white. Then we attached wire around the metal part of the bulb to act as the “hanger”. Next we cut hats out of scrap fleece from other projects and hot glued them to the metal part – trying to hide most of the wire part with the hat. Used permanent markers to add faces & buttons and noted the year on the back. Topped it off with a spray glitter & that’s it! 🙂

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Garland out of braided, used baler twine

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Nothing fancy here. Just braided 4 strands of baler twine that I had been saving from each bale of hay we fed the cows the winter before. Thought it would be perfect for our mini-ornament farm tree. [Anybody out there who’d like some used twine to make your own crafts, just let me know, lol!] 🙂

This tree also features our very first pullet eggshells (2004) as ornaments. A friend of ours made these for us with her mother. Such a fun keepsake! 🙂

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Garland out of ribbon & black walnut slices

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A few years ago, one of the Christmas gifts we made were strands of ribbon garland with sliced black walnuts & bows. I believe I saw the idea in a craft book somewhere…

We collected the seeds from around the farm, and had the boys remove the shells by pounding them through the holes in red bricks. A pretty messy job, but they didn’t seem to mind it too much, lol. Mike cut them into 1/4″ slices once they were nice & dry. (If my memory serves me correctly, I don’t think he was too fond of this part as it was a tedious task & many of the seeds broke while cutting. THIS IS WHY WE DON’T MAKE THE SAME CRAFT TWICE, LOL!!!) Then he sprayed them with some kind of clear varnish. Lastly, I bought a spool of satin-like ribbon and twine-looking string. I wove a double strand of it through the holes in the slices – twisting as I went. At each twist between slices I tied a bow with twine-looking string. As I recall, the ribbon was kinda pricey, so we made smaller strands of garland that work nice for a simple, tabletop tree. 🙂

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Baby food jars – Christmas Candles

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Thought I’d try to get some posts up of past craft projects we’ve done over the years.

Did this one about 11/12 years ago. Yes, I saved all the baby food jars from when the boys were little guys…

I honestly can’t remember how I came up with the idea – perhaps I saw one in a craft show or in a magazine ?

I can’t remember the name of the paint I used, or if it’s even still around, but it was a small spray can of “stained glass window” paint found at a local craft store. Not much to it – just gave them a couple light coats & let ’em dry. 🙂

I made a TON of them! Many were used as centerpiece decorations for class reunions & anniversaries. Then I did a bunch of red and green ones that I still bring out for Christmas. A tea candle fits just right and lasts about the perfect time before burning out. A couple jars are too small for the candles, so I remove the metal around the candle & it fits snugly inside. Added bows, and that’s it! 🙂

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12 years of Christmas Cookie Parties

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**2025 UPDATE**TIME CHANGE**1-4PM**

As we age and our family grows, we’re moving the time to be a better fit for driving in daylight and bedtimes for grandchildren. Still keeping the first Saturday of December as our annual date, but we’re moving the time from evening to daytime beginning in 2025.

{ORIGINAL POST CREATED IN 2012, and as I edit this over the years, you’ll see edit dates inserted throughout the post.}

We are always excited for the first Saturday of December. Since 2000, we have hosted a Christmas Cookie Party each year.

It started as a fun and easy way to get a nice variety of cookies for gift giving (and consumption, lol)… Each family brings 8 dozen of the same cookie for the exchange, plus a few extra cookies for judging/sampling purposes, and leaves with 8 dozen assorted cookies. Mike chooses a few judges & prizes are awarded for best tasting and best display. Each family brings copies of their recipe to share, too. (We stopped bringing paper copies of recipes years ago – just seems easier to txt or email those as requested.)

We even have some who like to come for the fellowship and don’t want to bake cookies. They usually bring an appetizer to share which goes well with our homemade egg nog or Christmas coffee…

For the first ten years we “adopted” children through a local organization and furnished gifts for many children.🎁

And over these past 10 years we have collected donations of school supplies for children both abroad and local.✏️📚🖍✂️📓

We’ve had anywhere from 6 to 18 families participate each year. Large crowds are fun because there’s so much energy packed in our home – but small crowds are nice, too – time to really talk & visit with dear friends and family.❤️

This has been a WONDERFUL time of preparation for us to kick off the Christmas season. Definitely a routine we all look forward to. Our tree & decorations go up during Thanksgiving week. Then we all work together to tidy things up around here. Cookies are baked and freezers get full of beautiful (and yummy) cookies to share with others…which leaves the rest of the month for my favorite part: to work on homemade gifts and other fun projects in a clean and Christmassy home! A perfect time to s-l-o-w down and meditate on the REAL reason for this season…our Savior, Jesus Christ.✝️

Funny – what started as an excuse for a party to get cookies, has blossomed into a wonderful tradition for our family!

So if you are reading this post, CONSIDER YOURSELF INVITED (OR REMINDED) to join us the first Saturday of December at 7pm – every year. Whether you want to participate in the exchange or just come for fellowship, we’d love to have you! This tiny house is the happiest when it’s bursting at the seams…🙏🏼

Thought I’d share some pics we’ve collected over the years:

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2021 PICS🎉

2024 pics❤️

HIS HANDS are here…

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If you are reading this post, it’s because Mike gave me permission to post it. Otherwise, this page will just be tucked into a page in my Bible…

11-29-12
Rough day today. Ever had one of those?

Not like “physically rough”, but “spiritually rough”.

Not like: “I hate God”, but like: “God show me where You are in this…”

I’m sharing a burden for my best friend today. A burden heavier for him, because God made him a man. A husband. A father. A provider for this family. A man plagued by his past mistakes. A man made new in Jesus Christ, but still remembering his old self. A man who wants so badly to undo his mistakes. A man who looks so hard for fixes, that he can’t see His Hands. Sometimes.

Then I walked into the barn and saw the gloves he had left behind. Struck me as the perfect picture of how The Lord’s Hands are laced throughout my life – even when I can’t physically see them.

The Lord always leaves “His imprint” for me to find. Sometimes it’s through people. Sometimes it’s through nature. Sometimes it’s through music. Sometimes it’s through circumstances. It’s always there – permeating through my senses. The question for me becomes: am I TRULY looking for it? Seems crazy that what seems obvious in retrospect is so blurred by my in-the-moment-nearsightedness…

So what’s the common thread? The one true strand that He weaves for me? Could it be HIS WORD? The very thing I love to read? I feel like David as he pours his heart out in so many Psalms! Just the exercise of asking these questions – this new willed discipline of coming back to the only Word that is sufficient for my moment’s existence…just this tiny effort of walking in communion with my Heavenly Father…begins to shake the scales off my eyes, unmuffles my ears, and forms words on my tongue that first came from Him. THEY ARE ALIVE!

I’m crying now. Real. Physical. Tears. I can’t believe that my heart cry from this morning – the one where there was no answer in sight – where I felt worthless and unable to offer anything to my best friend – where I had to rely on His Spirit interceding for me because I didn’t even know how to pray…and He sent me a sister at that EXACT moment – to unite with me in prayer…

That heart cry has been heard, and He’s answered me with His Word.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 NIV84)

And then one final lesson, The Lord had in store for me… He must have heard me whispering in my mind – how it sure seems like I’m always praying the same thing…different situations, but same requests… I searched my Bible for passages on faithfulness, and He led me to David’s Song of Praise in 2 Samuel 22… Then I went to Psalm 18, and I thought there was a glitch in the Bible app on my phone… The Words I had just read in 2 Samuel were ALMOST IDENTICAL to the Words I was reading in Psalm 18! Wow. This is powerful to me today. NO, I don’t think He minds that I have overlaps in my requests. I think He just wants me to pursue Him. Forever. 🙂

“To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but Your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (2 Samuel 22:26-33 NIV84)

To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless, to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (Psalm 18:25-32 NIV84)

Yes, Lord, Your Way is perfect, and Your Word is flawless. I pray the meanings of these verses will flow out from me like living water… May my husband receive the same nourishment from them that I do. Use me to help him see Your Hands, Lord. AMEN

Entered my 4th decade…

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So I’ve been 40 now for one month! 🙂

Can’t say I feel much different – still behind in pretty much every category – and still moving slower than I’d like, lol!

I don’t mind, though – I like keeping busy, and I hate rushing… 🙂

Mike made me a frame for one of our school maps out of scrap wood he had laying around. I love it! 🙂

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From Michael, I got an ITunes gift card and he also joined in on Paul’s gift… Apparently, “the gift” for turning 40 is chocolate – namely, M&M’s… (Not sure if that’s because they were on sale the day they were shopping, or because we tend to bend our eating habits for special occasions and perhaps the birthday girl would share her loot, lol…)

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I decided to try to see if I could get the candy to last as long as possible – after all, it’s not our habit to eat it often, so that shouldn’t be hard to do, right?

My 3 boys rolled their eyes when they saw what I did… 🙂

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So how’s my “great idea” workin’ out???

COMPLETE – EPIC – FAIL!!!!! 😦

Every single one of those candies are gone, lol. Didn’t even last one month!! And sadly, I was the worst offender… 😦 This is EXACTLY why I don’t keep this stuff in the house… A terrible example of self-control, I was. 😦

[In my defense, I’d like to say it’s the Peanut M&Ms’ fault. If they didn’t taste the best, I wouldn’t have hunted so much for them and eaten the ones in my way, lol! I know, lame excuse. Uggg.]

We just finished memorizing the first book of James, and there are several verses that were very convicting to me… When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full‑grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:13-15 NIV84) Yikes, Lord, such a simple, little thing – yet a perfect example of how weak I am when I rely on my own power to fight my battles. I guess I felt like I didn’t need Your help in this…that I could handle it with my “big talk” and “methodic system”. I know it wasn’t You tempting me… You were there with me the whole time, just waiting for me to ask You for help. Instead, I allowed desire to drag me away, and that led to sin – the sin of not practicing self-control. It’s easy to practice self-control when you don’t have something you desire in your kitchen cupboard. Strengthen me, Lord, to be better able to handle the next time I’m in a similar situation. How amazing that M&M’s can lead me to repentance, lol! I love Your sense of humor, Lord. Amen

Oh Lord, I pray over my day

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Oh Lord, I pray over my day –
In my work, in my walk, and in my play.

You see no difference in what I do –
Because it can all be done to glorify YOU!

Hooray, hooray…
I gotta say!

‘Cause now I’m free,
To be the me –
YOU WANT ME TO BE!!

A poem inspired on 11-13-12 after our family prayed together for our day. I “accidentally” ended my prayer with the first stanza’s rhyme, and then felt an overwhelming desire to plunk out a quick poem. I haven’t done that in awhile, and it was fun. 🙂

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of words! Verses that come to mind are: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2 NIV84) and But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:25 NIV84)

🙂