Hearts to Newtown

Today some of my fellow bloggers are choosing to participate in a Day of Silence in honor of the victims and families of the Newtown tragedy. I was planning to participate as well, however, I stumbled across this Hearts to Newtown project and wanted to share with you instead!


The premise is simple. Have your children make a heart to honor Newtown. Here are the words from their Facebook page, "We just want to fill the walls of the school, the Newtown library, city hall, the hospital with reminders that children from all over the country are with them. Have your child draw a picture on a heart piece of paper of something "happy or good," include their name, age, and state, and send it to: Include your school, scout troop, baseball team or church in the effort!"

Cut your heart from a standard 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper. If your children are too young to know about the tragedy, just have them decorate the heart with happy things. Include your child's first name, age, and state.

Once completed you can send your hearts to: P.O. Box 754 Bethel, CT 06801

For more information, you can visit the Hearts to Newtown Facebook page.

Wreath - Share A Smile

 Paper Plates, Paint, Pom-Poms and Blobs of Glue = Lots of Smiles

We made bunches of these and took them down to the hospital to decorate the rooms of patients that would be staying over the holidays.

Ever wonder why we decorate with holly wreaths for Christmas? I did!

The Legend of the Holly Wreath
A young orphan boy was living with the shepherds when the herald angels appeared announcing the glad tidings of Christ's birth. On the way to Bethlehem, the child wove a crown of holly branches for the newborn king. But when he lay it before Jesus, the crown looked so unworthy that the little shepherd became ashamed of his gift and began to cry. Then the Christ Child reached out, touched the crown, caused its leaves to sparkle shiny and green, and turned the orphan's tears into scarlet berries.

Up-Cycled Outdoor Tree Decorations

 My Mom's house has an outside tree/bush that just screams for some Christmas decorations!

Little Mister and I started collecting empty water bottles a few weeks ago. Once we had a few sacks full, we poured a little paint in each, put the lid on tight and then... shake, shake, shake!

I added a loop of yarn around the neck and Ta-Da! A colorful outdoor (a.k.a. water-proof) Christmas tree decoration!

We water-bottle bombed the tree in front of Nonnie's apartment building! 
Surprise!

~I have recently discovered how much fun up-cycling can be! ~

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A Bag of Mississippi

We recently ran across a site that you should know about!

www.adoptaussoldier.org

We applied and were finally approved. Yesterday we received the information on our adopted soldier. It's a boy!!
I am so excited about this opportunity to teach my son to be appreciative of the ones who serve this great country and sacrifice so much for the freedom of others!

We were instructed not to share too much information but we can say he is somewhere in Afghanistan and he hails from Oklahoma.


We packed our first box today. His initial information states that he is in a remote area and has little access to purchase items like snacks, entertainment and hygiene products. So, we bought some items and filled a box. Little Mister picked out the finger bowling game and insisted we buy it for "the box"! I hope our soldier has a good sense of humor!
When I told him that the box was going far, far away, he asked if there were trees???
Umm, I have to admit I'm not so sure but don't think so. Apparently this would not do! So, he wanted to send some. I told him the box may be a little small for a tree. The next thing I know we were outside gathering the next best things... leaves, dirt, rocks, sticks, acorns and who knows what else.
Our box will be carrying a small bag of Mississippi over 7,800 miles away!

We appreciate our soldiers for all of their (and their families) sacrifice! 
May God protect them!

Scripture Tree: Teaching Compassion

Those of you who have been here before probably remember that I have recently lost a sister to cancer. Well, a few days ago a very close family friend, affectionately known as Granny M, lost her son. Ironically enough, several members of this family helped me SO much through the initial stages of my grieving process. We wanted to somehow reciprocate their loving kindness.

Little Mister has been surrounded by loads of sadness and mourning as of late. Through it all, I wanted to think of a way to reinforce his understanding of kindness and compassion to others. I also want him to learn how God's word is there for us when we are sad, lonely, angry or hurting. It can speak to our personal situation and make us feel better. Hurting may be slow to leave, but we can have a peace in our hearts knowing that God, who loves us very much, has this whole world in his hands; that includes me AND you!

So, I found a few scriptures and wrote them on construction paper. We slipped the paper into ziploc bags. I used a hole punch (making sure to stay on the outer part of the sealed area) and made a hole in the top middle. We then added a piece of cut yarn to tie on as a hook.

 

 We wanted it to be a surprise for her to find on her way to church in the morning. This explains the night shots. Yes, I had my son out late. We tried to be stealthy. However, when I opened the car door he yells, "Oh Mommy, the Moon. It's so pretty!" No one called the police so I don't think they heard him. LOL

We love this family and hope they can find strength and comfort in the Word of God!

Pennies from Heaven

Those of you who have been stopping by my blog know that my sister Penny passed away last week on Sept 8th after a long battle with cancer. She had just celebrated her 50th birthday just days before.

Today, in her honor, Little Mister and I placed 50 brightly painted lucky pennies randomly throughout town. We hope that the new owners of these found "lucky pennies" will embrace my sisters zest for life! She was truly a colorful character and will be missed everyday.

(We painted our pennies with bright colored fingernail polish and swirled them with toothpicks.)

We were honored to be interviewed for our town's newspaper! Several businesses have permanently glues their found pennies down as a memorial. I am very touched by the supportive response we have received!

Little Mister on a Fire Truck

What kid hasn't gone through the love of firetrucks stage? Well, today we took a closer look at some BIG shiny trucks, and showed our appreciation for those who work to keep us safe. 

God Bless our firemen and keep them safe!

He saw his reflection in the hubcap!

We framed it and gave it to the firemen! They hung it in the firehouse.

To make the hand stamp firemen we stamped Little Mister's hand in red acrylic paint. We used a small pom-pom to stamp the faces. A foam square was cut into a hat shape and stamped with black paint. Cotton swabs were used to draw the hose, water and badges on the hats. I printed the letters and frame on the computer to fit in a 5x7  frame.

Of course we made some theme snacks during the day too! Fire Ladder cookies.

Rubber Band Splatter Painting

Not long ago we tried to use toothbrushes to get a paint splatter effect. Little Mister did not have enough muscle to get the desired effect so, I have been trying to come up with some other way. Yesterday, I was at the store and had to pick up some office supplies and it came to me . . . try rubber bands!

We used a plastic storage container and cut some card stock in 5x7 and 4x6 sizes to fit in the bottom. I stretched some rubber bands around the container and applied different colors of acrylic paint to each band. Little Mister then "plucked" the bands and viola!

After we finished making a few sheets, we found out that a little girl in our church has developed pneumonia. We used one of the splattered sheets to make a Get Better card by adding band-aids with google eyes!

Batman being a Super Hero to a sick little Princess!

Gnome Hats and a Nursing Home

My mom lives in a complex for elderly and disabled folks. On pleasant days, most of the residents migrate outside to sit on their porches. My little mister looks forward to these days because suddenly, he has innumerable grandparents. They dote on him something awful. He, in return, bats his long eyelashes, gives high fives and hearty handshakes. Scribbles on paper are often exchanged for candy and various other treats.

I have noticed Little Mister is the only visitor that some receive for long stretches of time. It breaks my heart. How lonely they must be at times. This got me thinking about others that may suffer this same fate and what we might do to spread a few smiles. We decided to visit a nursing home and take along some homemade treats!

Rylee's Gnome Hats:

Bugles stuffed with peanut butter with the bottoms dipped in chocolate.

Get Better Cards

I am a cancer survivor! 

In the mid-90's I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I received 6 months of chemotherapy and 24 radiation treatments and won my battle after a long and difficult struggle! Currently, Little Mister has two Aunts battling with cancer, my sister and one of my husband's sisters! One is currently in the hospital and the other just got home a few days ago! It is hard for him to understand that we can't go see her today because she is sick! So, we decided to make some Get Well cards and talked happily about his aunts as we worked on each!

A Happy for the Mail Lady

In this world today, it can be extremely hard to SHOW your child how we are to treat others! Especially when you have already had a stressing day, your nerves are raw, and then someone rear ends you at a red light and you have to get out in the pouring rain all the while your son is having a melt down in the back seat because his juice cup is empty... and on your way home you stop for gas and realize you have left your wallet somewhere...... Need I go on? Sometimes it's just a down right chore to smile and be friendly! I have to constantly remind myself that I am shaping my Little Mister's outlook on so many things by HOW I handle these situations! Would I want HIM to loose his temper and yell at some old man at the gas station? No! Lord, help me to be a good example of how we should treat others!

Little Mister loves to go to the "Box" everyday and check the mail. So, today we decided to leave something in the box for our mail lady!

Materials- Lid from a water bottle, large pom-pom, google eyes, 4 small pieces of pipe cleaner, glue, magnetic strip, pretty box and ribbon

Procedure-
1. Glue the magnetic strip to the back of the lid (the flay side).
2. Glue the big pom-pom inside the lid.
3. Add google eyes to the pom-pom.
4. Dab glue on one end of all the pipe cleaners and place them between the pom-pom and the edge of the lid to make arms and legs.
5. Let dry.
We then placed it in a cute little box along with a note saying that we appreciate her bringing our mail everyday and then added a few pieces of individually wrapped candy. (Nothing that would melt because, well, it is summer!). Then we tied it with a pretty bow and placed it in the mailbox with the flag up!
The next day she left Little Mister a sweet little note of thanks!

Putting some glue in the lid

Don't forget the eyes

Cute Little Man made by a Cute little Mister

A Surprise for the Mail Lady