Thanksgiving at Garner State Park

Been working hard.....

A few more crafts for your viewing pleasure. Some were done here at home, and others at preschool, but all were great fun! Oh, on that note, very few of these are actually my idea. I am a craft copier! I am not sure where I picked up all of the ideas, but I don't take any credit for them!

This is a clay pot painted black and turned upside down on a piece of construction paper. It made the cutest pilgrim hat for Aidan's Thanksgiving Feast at preschool.

On this turkey hat, you write what the kids say they are thankful for on each feather!

We LOVE this one. Punch a hole in the top on the cup and run a string down the inside. Hot glue the string to the top of the cup and tie it to a small piece of sponge on the end. Dampen the sponge and run it in short jerky motions down the string. Sounds just like a "gobble"!

These are the last 2 we will do next week from The Crafty Crow:

I am going to use coffee filters for the feathers and let the kids paint them using water colors. They like watching the colors bleed down to the bottom!

With this one, I will put several dots of watered down paint on paper and let the kids blow through a straw to disperse the paint. It produces the same look as the spinning.

All Boy

Aidan LOVES climbing this tree. Lately, he has been swinging off the branches like Tarzan and laughs himslef silly as he flies to the ground. With every flight, my stomach turns and my heart skips a beat but I know he is just being a BOY!

Delicious Dinner!

I made this salad for dinner last night and it was YUMMY! I served it with garlic bread sticks and called it a meal. It was a nice change from the hearty soups and stews that come with the season and SUPER easy. Click on the link and ENJOY!

Italian-Marinated Vegetable Salad

Thanksgiving Reads

These are a few of the book we have been reading this week! The kids have really enjoyed each one and love doing the crafts to go with them. As soon as we are done, I will post more of what they have been working on!

Turkeys

We are having so much fun learning about Thanksgiving and making fun crafts! I usually don't post about crafts, but lately Emma and Aidan have been really excited and proud of their work.

Yesterday we read A Plump and Perky Turkey and made our own paper plate turkeys afterwards (another idea from No Time For Flashcards). The kids (and mom I must say) loved gluing the tissue paper feathers and requested the book to be read several times throughout the day! FUN!

Crafty

The kids and I did a fun, super easy fall craft yesterday. I got the cute idea from No Time For Flashcards.

We read

I stenciled leaves on some construction paper, then had the kids decorate them with fall colors. We cut them out and then wrote on the back what we are thankful for. Now, they decorate our dinner table!

Happy Birthday Princess!

My baby girl turned 3 this past Sunday! She adds such joy and spunk to our house and I pray we have many more birthday celebrations to come. WE LOVE YOU EMMA!

Clean House and Clean Heart

This is a devotion I enoyed this morning from Proverbs 31 Ministries.....cleaning time!

November 10, 2008

Clean House and Clean Heart
Tracie Miles

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10 (NLT)

Devotion:
I was tired of tripping over shoes, left over belongings, stray hangers, and dirty clothes!

I finally admitted I had to clean out my closet. After hours of sorting clothes, I stepped back to admire my clean, neatly organized closet. I breathed a sigh of relief and reveled in my success. Although it took quite a long time, it was well worth the effort. I could hardly wait to get up the next morning and enter my tidy closet, looking for my clothes with a fresh, new perspective.

Cleaning is something we all prefer to avoid, but its something that is necessary. When it comes to cleaning house, the more we neglect doing what is needed, the worse things get, and the longer it will to take to get clean again. That was the case with my closet.

As I admired my coordinated closet, I considered how our hearts are like messy houses at times. On the outside we look in order, but on the inside our hearts are full of clutter – clutter such as unforgiveness, bitterness, self-condemnation, sadness, lack of joy, worry and much more. All this clutter makes for a huge mess behind the closed doors of our hearts. Just as putting off cleaning our homes creates chaos around us, the longer we allow our hearts to stay cluttered and messy, the more messes our bad habits make in our lives. Think about the havoc negative self-talk, selfishness, or grumpy attitudes have caused in the past.

I felt God nudging me to do a little house cleaning, or should I say, heart cleaning. For example, in a house with two young teen daughters with changing hormones, busy social lives, and lots of drama, sometimes I have to remind myself that they need a happy mommy, not a grumpy mommy. They need a patient mom, not an impatient mom. They need a forgiving mom, not a mom who constantly reminds them of their mistakes. My husband needs a happy wife. My friends need a faithful friend. My church needs a willing servant.

The mentality of cleaning up our heart can apply to every area of our life – marriage, family, work, relationships, and even self-image. Let’s face it, as nice as a clean house is, it is more important to have a clean heart!

Today’s verse reminds us how we should desire a clean heart. When David prays this prayer, he desires a new heart, a clean heart, and a spirit that desires to be like Christ. David knew that the only way he could achieve a clean heart, was through the power of Christ. So it is the same with us. Therefore, we must ask God to create a new heart, a clean heart, within us and believe that as a result, our spirits will be renewed.

Maybe you know you have some serious house cleaning to do, but could it be you have some heart cleaning to do as well?

Dear Lord, I seek Your face today and ask You to restore in me a clean heart. Help me to rid of all the clutter in my heart which is keeping me at a distance from You, and preventing others from seeing You working in and through me. Infuse me with a desire to maintain a clean heart throughout each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Cleaning up the Clutter by Emilie Barnes

My Heart’s At Home: Becoming the Intentional Mom Your Family Needs by Jill Savage

Visit Tracie Miles’ blog

Application Steps:
Pick an area of your home to de-clutter this weekend. As you clean, pray for God to purify your heart.

Reflections:
What has been burdening your heart lately? Is there some unforgiveness there? Bitterness? Or doubts?

Ask God to renew your perspective and help you begin the cleaning process.

Power Verses:
Jeremiah 17:9-10, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.’" (NIV)


© 2008 by Tracie Miles. All rights reserved.

Yummy Treats!

There are some GREAT recipies in this holiday edition of Kraft Food and Family. Enjoy!

Ooh La La

Grandma sent cupcakes home for the kids last weekend. They are from the fabulous

Ooh La La Bakery here in Katy. Watching them go after these enormous cupcakes was too cute!

Fall Festival

Air Show

Stephen took Aidan to the air show a couple of weekends ago.......they had a blast!

Preschool

It took me a few days, but here are my babies ready for their first day of preschool last Monday. They love their teachers and can't wait to go back. Wow, what a difference a year makes.....

This year

Last Year

AM Slumber Party

A few days ago I woke up to an interesting site. Aidan had made his way into Emma's room at some point in the wee morning hours and they decided to have a little slumber party in her room. Notice how they completely dismantled the rocking chair to make Aidan comfy! Toys were everywhere, blinds were open, and the room was filled with the sweetest laughter. They had a blast....sneaky little things!

Still Here!

Yes, I know. It has been a LONG while since I have been in blog land! There are so many reasons for my hiatus and honestly (given that there is actually someone who reads this) most would be quite boring to you.

For me personally, this has unexpectedly been a very painful and emotional summer. I feel like I have so much to say and not one clue how to put it all into words. So, I will turn the attention elsewhere....kids!

As for the children's summer, I am afraid it has been a bit boring, but I can confidently say that they get an A+ in perfecting their pretend play skills!

Here are some of our summer pics........

I don't know that ANY of this ice cream made it in her mouth!

Beach Fun!

So, these last three pictures are a perfect example of the extreme difference in personalities of my children. When given a large piece of butcher paper, colored shaving cream and a brush (or spatula that Aidan requested) this is what happens. You have Aidan, who paints once color at a time ON THE PAPER. No messes, no paint anywhere but the PAPER. Then, there is sweet Emma. Given all the same materials, she decides to ditch them ALL and make her body the canvas! She had a BLAST. Until clean up time that is!