One Week - Two Boards

Last week was a pretty busy week with the completing of the elements needed for and installation of one bulletin board and then the cutting of items and installation of another bulletin board. These boards are "living" boards with information being added each month for the one board and info on the other after a poll is taken. I wanted to wait to post until more info was added but I just couldn't wait. 

This first board was completed for a fellow church. 

The sermon series is regarding discipleship with the theme "Who's at Your Table?" When the message series was first presented to me, I had a whole other avenue of thought for this board. My original plan was to make it look like you were entering into a dining room seeing a set table and place cards but the theme and the concept just weren't meshing. So, I did the thing I always do when I am conflicted on a bulletin board. I went to talk it out with my creative friend and cohort, Debbie. From our conversation, a whole new idea, this idea evolved.

The premise is that you are looking at an event planner's notebook. After all, the decision of who sits at what table for an event are usually mapped out by the event planner with the help of the event's host. I used a large black piece of foam board for the outer portion of the binder and a matte finished piece of white foam board for the information pages. To make the binder look authentic, I added a silver strip of paper and pliable wire shaped into loops to imitate the three ring area of the binder. 

The page in the binder is a table seating floor plan. This was all done by free hand. I traced with pencil a circle cutting ring for the tables and a smaller circle for the chairs then went over the pencil with a ultra fine black Sharpie marker. I also measured out a rectangular head table at which I placed the Holy Spirit, Father and Son. 

The tables are being used to record the fellowship events the church will be having monthly. There are 12 tables for the 12 months. So far they have had one event - Ziti Spectacular, Spectacular and  their next event is going to be Soup 'n Bowl Sunday. These I wrote out in red so they would pop off the page. Events will be added to the appropriate table as they are announced. On the opposite side of the binder, I placed the theme which was cut using my Cricut cutter. I also printed out the church's logo on silver paper and wrote in silver Sharpie "Property of". 

The other two pages are "event" pages that have not made it into the binder. The top page is being used for the currently planned event. Computer printed "titles" are going to be generated by the Pastor and hung using repositionable stickers tabs in the appropriate areas of event, date and time.  The open area of the page will have sign up sheets (also hung by repostitionable sticker tabs) for the items that are needed to be brought for the fellowship. The page peeking out behind will list the next planned event and the date. A pen is going to be hung by these pages to be used for the sign up sheets.

Beside the missing titles showing the current and upcoming event information, I'm working on place cards with the names of 12 church families that still need to be attached to the board. I decided on 12 families taking into account the 12 disciples. Yes, I do a lot of symbolism when it comes to the boards I create. When I add the place cards, I will take another picture and post it so you can see a more completed version of this board.

The other board I completed was for the 4th grade teacher at the kid's school. The board is located outside his classroom and is decorated on a rotation basis with 2 other teachers.

I did this board in two parts. This was part one.

I put up a dark royal blue paper as the background. The snowman was made for a previous board I did for my church. He was a lot of work so when the board came down I kept the snowman for future use and here he is! The "snow" batting was also used on another board and repurposed here. The yard stick I've used for crafting projects and recently replaced it with a metal one that can withstand the "use" I put yard sticks through. 

So you get the idea that the board is snow themed but what is the main theme, well here it is - How much snow by March?

I used two styles of snowflakes to decorate the board. The first are the hot glue snowflakes I made and used on a previous church bulletin board. Then, I had cut with my Cricut cutter snowflakes both large and small in a shimmer blue and white card stock. I was so please with the look the snowflakes added to the board.

Now this board is not quite done. The fourth grade teacher is having each student in the elementary classes write down their guess of how much snow will fall on precut snowballs. We will then stack each classes snowballs in a triangular form along the snow line. When the snowball poll has been completed, I will take another picture of the board to show it in its completed form. 

It was a busy week but a very successful one in the area of bulletin boards. Now on to the next one!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Home ..... Family ..... Need I Say More

On a recent trip with my friend Debbie to our favorite store, Hobby Lobby, I found and had to purchase this "plaque". It says, "Family ties are precious threads, no matter where we roam, they draw us close to those we love and pull our hearts toward home."

This is my desire for my children when it comes to our family/home. That when they are older and have families of their own their hearts will always have a special place for the home we provided. 

According to Webster's dictionary, home as a noun is defined as 1) the place where a person lives 2) a family living together in one building, house, etc. 3) a place where something normally or naturally lives or is located. When you look at this definition, it seems a little cold. Home is just a place where someone lives BUT home is so much more. Home should be a warm and inviting place. A place where you can be yourself and be loved unconditionally. A safe haven. 

I have to say that in the last year, my goal has been and still is to change the atmosphere of our home. For it not just to be the place where we live, but the place where we come to be loved, encouraged and accepted. 

I love our house. It is not overly big, it is just right for our family of 4 (okay, 5 counting Mr. Jingle). Dave has always given me free reign when it comes to decorating and being a bit on the OCD side our home has order (yes, I am one of those everything has a place kind of people). Our home is a building that provides specific human needs for our family - shelter, warmth, protection, etc. But what about the emotional needs of our family? Shouldn't our home definitely provide for those needs?! 

My idea of home changed dramatically after I read an article written with regard to how "home" is regarded by a child with special needs after a day of controlling themselves in the classroom. In the article, it spoke of how this child is expected to withhold and control the tendencies they naturally experience throughout their day. They hold themselves in check making sure what they are doing is "acceptable". When they come home, they need to come to a place that allows for them to be themselves. No longer needing to be "on guard". Whether it be in the form of a period of quiet time or busyness, they need time to decompress from that constant need of staying in check. When I read this what came to my mind is a safe haven.
Our families need to have a place to come and decompress after a day of being out in the world - kids from school and activities and adults alike from the workplace and other responsibilities. We all need a soft place to fall. Now, don't get me wrong this doesn't allow for family members especially children to become disrespectful and run rough shod over everyone in the home. The boundary of respect is a must but there should be that ease of being able to come home and just be quiet, maybe spill your guts, check out for a few moments, whatever it may be....time to regroup and know that that is okay.
My desire is for my husband and kids to know that when they are home they are loved and accepted for who they are at all times. Yes, behavior, especially with the kids, will dictate the peacefulness of the home but they will know they are always loved!
Bearing in mind this idea of our home being a safe haven, one of my goals going forward is to react less and listen more. As it says in James 1:19 "You must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry." (NLT)  I tend to be quick to speak and when a certain tone is used quick to get a tone (angry) myself. My desire is to really listen to what I am being told, setting aside tones, to truly be able to help and encourage the one I am speaking with. Now, please understand that if it is one of my children their tone will be addressed but only after we've address the heart of situation at hand. Another verse I want to keep in mind is Proverbs 19:24 "Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." (NLT)  How many times I myself have been hurt by words spoken to me. I pray that the words I use with my family will be ones that uplift, encourage and contribute to their well being.
A home can be just a building but I pray that never be the case for my home. I pray that it is always a safe haven for my husband, children and anyone who enters through its doors!
As always thanks for stopping by! 

Back to Class

I'm excited! It is just an hour and a half until I get back to "teaching" my Friday Arts & Crafts Class.

Due to holiday breaks and snow days, I haven't taught the class since the beginning of December. 

Today, I'm going to be working with the third grade class (which includes my son, Matt) and we will be making the snow bells that  the 4th grade made prior to the class's "hiatus". I was thinking of doing another craft but decided that since I have the supplies already prepped it is best not to mess with the plan.

I do have a few other projects in the works for the upcoming classes. We are going to be creating a valentine mosaic and an owl project that we can hang in the halls of the school promoting how to be "wise." Somewhere in all of this we must create a snowman too, especially since this has been a very snowy winter so far.  All this talk of crafting is making me want to just get started. I hope the kids are as excited as I am to get crafting!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Just a Little More Time

I think we can all agree that we wish we had more time in each day. I know I have thought this a great many times and that is only this past week. 

What would I use more time for? Well, do you want the short list, or the long list? Okay, a few things I could do with more time: read the books I keep buying, blog everyday instead of sporatically, study God's Word more, cook better meals for my family, bake for family and friends (I don't want all those sweets in my house), send out written notes & cards, craft, play games with my kids, work on 2000 piece puzzles (great childhood memory), spend more time with friends, ...... You get the idea! MORE, I would do more!

However, what I've come to realize is there will never be more time in a day. Even when we gain the one hour for daylight savings, it still doesn't add "more time". This realization brings me to a much more important realization and that is I need to be a good steward of the time I do have in each day.

I'll admit I'm guilty of being a time waster. I can get distracted from what I have planned and then the next thing I know the day is half over and its time to get the kids from school which starts phase two of my "normal" daily routine. The sad thing is that the distractions are not things on my list of what I would want more time for, they are mindless distractions, ones without real benefit. So, my request for more time seems to be a little foolish when I'm not even using the time God has already granted me appropriately. These "mindless distractions" are definitely an area I have to work on and put before the Lord to draw upon His strength to keep me from these time wasters. 

Also, I know that "my time" isn't truly my time. My purpose in this world, in my family, in my church is for God to be seen and glorified. Yes, from the cleaning of my floors to the reading of His Word all my moments in life are to show His love, His mercy and His grace.

You see here in is where the real dilemma lies and where change needs to occur. I can make a plan for my day but I have to know and realize that what I plan may not be the plan God has for me in that same day. Also, instead of making a plan by myself, my plan has to be made with God, opening my heart for His divine appointments. 

Yesterday was one of those days where "my plans" got interrupted but God used it to show me a lesson. As most of you know, I go to the gym at 5 a.m. to get in my morning workout. Well, yesterday was like any other morning until I reached my car to go to the gym. I have a remote starter so I had the car warming up which of course keeps the doors locked until I get to the car. I noticed that instead of the headlamps being their normal brightness that they were dimmed and thought that was strange. However, I had the car serviced the day before and determined maybe they had changed the setting. Then as I sat in the car, I noticed on the passenger seat a Christmas card I had received out of its envelope, a gum packet, a wrapper, a store card for a key fob......my heart dropped, I opened the storage unit between the front seats and sure enough the GPS was gone. Yes, someone had entered my car and took what they felt they needed. UGH!!! Robbed! but I knew I was partially to blame. I had apparently left the car unlocked making it accessible to this person. I walked back into the house to tell Dave who in turn told me to just go to the gym and we would deal with it when I got back. Thankfully I took his nudge, went to the gym and was greeted by my good friend, Jen, who listed to my tale of woe. 

This new "development" was going to mess up my plan of spending the whole day working on an upcoming bulletin board. But when Dave asked me, "can you get to the station to file a report?" I knew I had to have the right attitude about this. You see God did not bring the person to steal from me to teach me a lesson, He is not a perpetrator of evil. He did however want this moment for me to show how I would react to this being done and the consequences of someone doing evil to me would bring to my plate. I told Dave I had nothing really planned for the day other than working at home and I would get it done. Even in the moment I was saying it I felt no resentment for having to do this. My plan was going to be interrupted by this event but I was "okay" with it. I truly feel God was pleased with the way I reacted and blessed me for it. How was I blessed? You see our home is located on a corner and there was a lake of ice water that collected on our side street. A police officer just happened (hmmm, just happened?) to be patrolling our area, saw the ice patch and was going slowly past our home. Dave went out to tell him what had happened and he came into our home, took the initial report and started the paperwork so that all we need to to is fax it to the police department when completed. You see, I believe God was pleased with my reaction and kept me from having to step out and lose time on my bulletin board project. And can I tell you I accomplished so much on that board in this one day.

You see the truth is we don't really need more time. We need to put our time in God's hands, His timing is always perfect! I can make my plans but I need to lay them before Him each day asking Him to lead me where He wants me to go and being open to His divine appointments. Is this easy to do "no", because lets face it we are selfish people BUT God never promised us easy. He did however promise that He is always with us and that "for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

So, don't be looking for more time, it will never come. Make the time God has given to you count and draw upon His power so that you may use it in a way that pleases and brings honor to Him. 

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Taking Life "Up a Notch" in 2014

Happy New Year!

It is hard to believe that another year has past but I've learned in my advanced age of 46 that time just keeps moving faster and faster each year. Long gone are those days of being a child when Christmas and my birthday seemed like forever to come. 

I'm not one for making resolutions when the new year begins. Why? Mainly for self preservation. You see when I say I'll do something I get very tough on myself when I don't follow through. Yes, I do think about what I'd like to work on or change in the year to come but I've learned life can throw curve balls that take me away from my original plans. And sometimes those curve balls are more of a benefit  to my life than sticking to what I thought I should be doing. 

This year God has been working on me in the weeks before the new year to reflect on what is truly important as 2014 begins. Nothing solidified this more than the message my Pastor, Eric Dammann, preached this past Sunday. 

You see this is the year my focus needs to be on bringing my spiritual life "up a notch". Yes, I am a Christian. I believe that God sent His Son to die on the cross for me, a sinner, and that through Him, and only Him, I have eternal life. I also believe that He has a purpose for my life that will bring Him all glory and honor and praise. My life is not my own, it is His. 

As a believer in order to know God more, know what He has for me and "understand" and weather the storms that may come my way, I need to be in constant communion with Him reading His Word and praying. God has given us the Bible as an instruction book for life and through salvation I have the power of God within me. I just need to draw upon what He has freely given. 

So as I start 2014, I'm focusing on these 4 things to move into a more mature/closer relationship with my God and in closer unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

1.) Read God's Word - not only for individual devotions but reading through the Bible in one year

2.) Joining a Bible Study - being open and transparent so that I can be encouraged and held accountable 

3.) Memorizing Scripture - so when those curve balls start coming, I can draw upon God's power through the Word I have hidden in my heart

4.) Praying without ceasing - calling out to God at any time, anywhere

What I love about God is how He reveals to me what I need to be doing and how He gives me confirmation of the path He wants me to take.

You see last night God had me at the home of a fellow brother and sister in Christ where we had a devotional in the hour before the year was drawing upon us and at the stroke of midnight we were praying in small groups. God in His wisdom knew that I needed to start my year in this fashion so that I could rise this morning with a new song in my heart, one that before anything else drew me to His Word and time with Him.

Now, I know that each day there will be obstacles sent my way to deter me from my focus on my relationship with God, but I know I can draw upon His power for strength and I praise Him for placing in my life sisters who stand along side me in faith encouraging me daily to continue in my walk with Him.

You see this year I choose to be bold in my faith, to speak what God speaks to me and I pray that in what He is teaching me I can be a testimony of my Father's love and grace!

As always, thanks for stopping by!