Obtaining perfection

This could also be titled "Obtaining Maturity". That is what it means to obtain perfection. God does not expect us to literally be perfect and without flaw or stain! He is the only One who can do that. He made us...He knows we are human! Obtaining perfection simply means no longer being a spiritual baby, growing in God, becoming a strong Christian, learning to carry heavy burdens in the Holy Spirit, learning to pray effectively, and learning to carry the cross. So while it is a lofty goal, it is my goal for 2014. Obtaining perfection. Here's the plan, as outlined by Tozer in "Success & the Christian", my current read.

1. MAKE UP YOUR MIND. DECIDE. "And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21

2. PUT AWAY UNCHRISTLIKE THINGS. "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 20:7

3. BECOME PREOCCUPIED WITH THE WORD OF GOD. "But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him." 1 John 2:5

4. TAKE UP YOUR CROSS. "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Matthew 16:24

5. GET CHRIST IN YOUR FOCUS. "...looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

This photo captures Marie #2 drinking from a "big girl cup" for the first time. Wishing you a Happy New Year full of God's abundant blessings as we mature in Him!

love = give

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that He GAVE his one and only son..."



love = give

He loved us, so He gave that which was most precious to Him and was a part of Him and was Him. Reflecting on this beautiful truth this Christmas season. Wishing you a Merry Christmas full of His joy!

And the winner is...

HOLLIE C!!!!

(Ladies, I assure you my assistant was impartial. I could have used a random number generator online, but opted to go old school and draw a name out of a hat...er...bowl.) Thanks to you ladies for participating!

A little giveaway

To celebrate the launch of this site, I'm hosting a teeny little giveaway. These Christmas packaging goodies are up for grabs, and they include some of my faves: labels, writing utensils, embellishments, thank you cards, and a notepad (perfect for all the lists I like to make...ha).



::THE FINE PRINT:: All you have to do to be entered is:

1. Leave a comment on any of the posts below.
2. Enter your email in the SUBSCRIBE box on the right sidebar.
3. Share the link to this site on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter.

You must complete all three steps! The deadline to enter is midnight CST on Sunday, December 8th.

Advent Ideas for the Bambinos

I grew up in Germany because my family was stationed there multiple times during my childhood. It is a beautiful country steeped in hospitality and tradition. One of these traditions is the use of advent calendars for kids to count down the days to Christmas. Marie #2 cannot have chocolate due to her reflux, and rather than give her a bunch of trinkets and doodads like I did last year, I opted to do an advent calendar based on activities. Some of the activities are fun, while others are based on charity and giving. They are in no particular order:

1. Set up a kid-friendly nativity
2. Watch "The Polar Express"
3. Read a Christmas story
4. Make a Christmas paper garland
5. Ride around and look at Christmas lights
6. Visit Santa
7. Go to a parade
8. Go to a tree lighting
9. Make ornaments
10. Write a letter to Santa
11. Bake cookies for Santa
12. Donate food to the local food pantry
13. Make a card for a soldier
14. Make gifts for your teachers and sitters
15. Donate 3 toys
16. Read the Christmas story
17. Watch "The Grinch"
18. Open new Christmas pjs
19. Game night
20. Make a card for the mail lady
21. Have a dance party to Christmas music
22. Have a birthday party for Jesus
23. Visit daddy at work with goodies
24. Visit a Christmas tree farm


I made 24 envelopes out of scrapbook paper. Inside of each envelope is an activity for each day. What I really love about this is that it is easy to switch out the activities based on how much time have you have to allot to your advent activity on a particular day.


If you keep the envelopes safe from destructive kiddie hands, you can use them again next year!

UPDATE 12/19/13: I have somehow managed to keep up with our advent activities, although I must admit there have been days where we had to play catch-up and do two. I will say...the advent using activities, although a great way to create sweet memories and spend quality time together daily, is HARD! I may revisit this again when Marie #2 is a little bit older. Next year I think I'm going to revert back to a traditional advent calendar with goodies and treats or we may do Truth in the Tinsel.

Toddler Fall crafting

I am a HUGE fan of kiddie crafts. Though it is certainly easier to let Marie #2 watch tv, I limit what she watches as well as the amount of television she watches. I try to keep her well-rounded and she is certainly curious, so we do a lot of crafts and music and activity books and outings. A lot of my mommy friends have told me they are intimidated by doing crafts with their toddler (and with good reason), but it doesn't take a lot of time or money to do something with them that you can keep for yourself or mail to grandparents and godparents and the like. I especially like crafts that are flat and can be filed or stored in a binder because we move a lot. A LOT. I love the simplicity of these and the fact that no two are alike! Below are a few crafts we did in a pinch with materials I had already.

Thumbprint pumpkins.

Materials: paper, paint, tiny thumbs. As a matter-of-fact, I didn't even have orange paint so Marie #2 and I made some with a bit of red paint and a bit of yellow paint.



Paper forest.

Materials: paper, glue stick or tape. I cut everything out and helped her assemble.



Scrappy corn.

Materials: paper, raffia, glue stick or tape. Coach actually did this craft with Marie #2!



And the quintessential handprint turkeys!

Materials: paper, paint. Marie #2 made these with her cousins while we visited them for Thanksgiving.



And with that, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD.
1 Chronicles 16:34

Thank you, Veterans

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

Our Fall Bucket List

I love to make lists. ::chuckle::

But unlike a list of chores or errands, this one is fun! Every season I make a list of activities to do with Marie #2 that are specific to the season. It includes outings as well as crafts we can do together and even books to read that are season-related. Although it's late in the season, I thought I'd share my Fall Bucket List with you so that you can do some of these with your family, too, before Christmas is upon us.

Visit the pumpkin patch. (Missed it. Sad.)
Go to a football game. (Or ten.)
Walk through a corn maze. (Same as the pumpkin patch. Sad.)
Learn why leaves change colors.
Bake a pumpkin pie.
Go on a hay ride. (Missed it, too.)
Make thumbprint pumpkins.
Make a handprint campfire.
Pick apples at an orchard.
Take our family Christmas card photo.
Read "Yellow Dress Day".
Take a nature walk.
Go to a Veterans Day parade in honor of my dad.
Learn about Thanksgiving.
Make a tree or garland of thanks.
Make a handprint turkey.

Stay tuned for our Advent List...25 activities to do with your family from December 1st to 24th!