Crafty Spring Break Plans

The Scout will be out the door this morning for a visit with family in Houston, as we are taking a full week from schooling.  We have lots of back and forth, running around town to do this week.  My grandparents recently moved into an assisted living home and we have many commitments to help out this week.  We have family coming in from out of town to help, which means some tidying up around the Mac house too.  Lots of cleaning and repairing to do at my grandparent's house and getting ready for a yard sale.  Whew!

Where does that leave the girls for some fun Spring Break vacation action?  Well, we have planned out a week of crafting to make up for the fact that the Squeaker and the Bug will not get much of a road-trip this year.  Here are our best laid plans and we'll let you know how it turns out:

The Squeaker:
Being 13 she has her own idea and crafting style, so all I have done is make some suggestions.  Some worked, some didn't.  Anyway, here is what she is planning - 

• Hand Knitting a Blanket (This is of her own design, so I have no tutorial to share . . . yet)
• Stick Raft: I am certain she is envisioning launching this at the park.
• Micky Mouse Collage Art The girls are planning on redecorating their room this summer.  The Squeaker will be decorating her side in Mickey Mouse art and deco.  She's planning this collage to get a jump start.

The Bug:

• Missionary M and M bracelets The Bug will be making these bracelets to support her missionaries in Haiti and beyond.  Here is the Friendship Bracelet pattern we are using.
• Weaving She has chosen this really neat looming craft.  We recently covered A New Coat for Anna during our FI♥AR curriculum at Co-op.  Since then she has been enthralled with weaving.  Hopefully this will help feed her need to loom.
• Treasure Rocks We really thought these "Treasure Rocks" sounded cool.  She is planning on making lots for her friends and her cousins, The Doodle Bugs (my 19 month old nieces).

Mommy:  These are my hopes for a few solitary crafting moments for myself 
. . . we'll see. : )

• Quiet Books I love these and have wanted to make them for the Doodle Bugs for quite awhile.  I have most of these materials on hand, so it should work out.
• JUST SOME QUIET CROCHET TIME - I don't care what I do, I just need a hook and some yarn.  Here's my best Greta Garbo impression, "I want to be alone . . ." with my yarn!
• Card Book Taking all the lovely cards that I have saved and making them into a journal.

Altogether Now:
We are planning on crafting together some Fairy Houses.  We have built several around the local Nature Trail and in the backyard.  I think we might try our hand at gluing them together, where our dog or the elements could tear them apart.


What are your Spring Break plans?  Any crafting in your near future?
Leave a comment and let us know.

Happy Homeschooling

aka The Joyful Socks Mom

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LADIES OF CALVARY: 5 Steps to Get Back in the Fire!

 

I want to know Him more.  I want to love Him more.  I know that in Jesus is found every answer to every concern or situation in my life.  Why then, do I feel cold, untouchable and mute?

We have all been there before.  Tired, run-down, empty.  Feeling as though our prayers are going up, but nothing is coming back down.  Although, we know the truth and even speak it out daily, we can still feel stagnant and unmovable.  You are not alone sister!  We have all experienced it, but how to get out of it?  The answers may sound simple, but ACTION is imperative when putting yourself purposely back in the Holy Ghost fire.

1.  Read your Bible.  Pray and ask God to search your heart and give you new revelation.  "Revive my spirit!"

I love to use devotionals that are centered around "youth" during valley times in my life.  Youth ministers are driven to excite and ignite youth toward following Christ.  If it works for a young person, why wouldn't it work for me?  I use these online devotionals and blogs when I am feeling the need for some spiritual stirring and revival.  (Which lately has been a lot.)  It usually works too!

Rising Voice Ministry: This is a Focus on the Family ministry for "millennial" ages.  I enjoy their blog and read it even if I'm not feeling low.  It is centered around actively seeking and doing God's will.  Sounds biblical to me.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33 NKJV

Teen Devotionals:  Teen devotionals at http://www.tddm.org/ are really great because they are changed frequently.  I use this one not as frequently.  It is set up in blog format (which I love).  I can find the newest posts quickly.  However, this site is set up with a social-media format so that you can interact with other people.  I DO NOT recommend signing up or signing in with your Facebook account.  I just read and go.

Journey to the Cross:  This is a quick daily devotional for teens.  I like this one because they are short and thought provoking.  They also have "soaking" music that helps me release my own worries and prepare to go into the throne room of the most high God.

{Many of these devotionals will vary on doctrinal issues as they are not published by my own denominational organization.  No biggie!  The Bible is the truth and that's that.  If you have difficulty with a specific doctrinal issue in a devotional, either stop using it or go directly to your pastor.}

2.  Call a Christian friend that is good at accountability.  Look, the last thing I need when I am in the valley, feeling low and humbled is the harsh truth, right?  Wrong.  The last thing you need is a friend who will make you feel good about your slothful choices.  NO ENABLERS ALLOWED!  A good friend will tell you the truth, the Bible truth, about your behaviors and decisions.  They will hold you accountable AND encourage you to move up higher in your walk with Christ.  Lean on those individuals, they will lift you up in prayer, hug your neck and give you a "swift kick" in the right direction.  ; )

3.  Clean your closet.  It is amazing to me every time I clean my closet.  I don't really even buy clothes for myself anymore, except at thrift stores and resale shops.  Yet, my closet is congested with clothing that either doesn't fit or items I am less-than enthusiastic about.  For me, it serves as a reminder that God has let me live in a well-blessed land.  We are fortunate in our freedoms, liberties and financial resources.  This is an excellent reminder to be thankful and give the Lord some overdue praise.  Next, take your unneeded clothing (and maybe a couple of nicer outfits too) to a local charity for distribution.  


Need some ideas? Leave a comment or contact me - I'll tell you where you can take your donations. 

4.  Cook for someone else.  One of the sure-fire ways (no pun intended) to get moving out of the valley is to do for others.  Care for a widow or the fatherless with a meal and a prayer.  Invite a friend over and cook for those in need in your church.  Then deliver the meals together, make those you are serving twice blessed.  This is a two-fold remedy: you are blessed from blessing others and you will enjoy fellowship with another sister in Christ.

5.  Ask your husband to pray with you.  Look, I'll be the first to admit that it is hard at times to go to my husband for prayer, when it should be the FIRST place I go.  I am my husband's help meet and I want to have it all together (those who know me best, know this is a falsity of huge proportions . . . me having it all together).  Being a surrendered wife, this should be where I run for fervent, intercessory prayer.  Just as a river, whatever flows from the head of the river, flows down stream.  Let the blessings and renewal flow to you through your husband's fervent prayers!  Besides, who would pray more fervently than a husband who would like for his wife to get out of the valley? . . . even if it is only to have a clean pair of matching socks again.  :  )

Have a blessed weekend in the Lord.

Sister Mac

aka The Joyful Socks Mom

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Frugal Living: Natural Play on a Dime!

As promised, we have completed filling the Bug's Natural Play area with fun and engaging toys that will keep her time filled with imaginative play and education.  Now, that might sound like a tall order, but it was much simpler than you would think.  I did not spend hours crafting.  I did not spend hundreds of dollars (you guys know me better than that, don't you?)  What I did do, was look at the resources we had on hand.  I took some time at thrift shops and yard sales to look for a few odds and ends.  We used my husband and his handy-dandy shop to fill a few requests from the Bug.  We set some ground rules for her new Natural Play area, and there you go.

I ended up only purchasing only a few separate items for her play area.  Total for the entire revamping of the Bug's toys?  $12 Total!  Natural Play without breaking the bank or breaking Mommy's back!

What's in the Natural Play baskets?  Clockwise from top:

• Tea Time basket - This is actually an older set that has been up on the shelf.  Since moving to the Natural Play area it has seen far more action.  We use this together at least two times each week for "Mommy and Me" teatime.
• Seaside basket - I spent a little extra funds on this basket.  I purchase a bag of nice shells at Big Lots for $6.00, adding to them with various shells we collected last summer at Galveston beach.
• Forest basket - I purchased some nice smooth rocks at the Dollar Tree . . . you guessed it, $1.00.  I had some feathers, pin cones (from the local park), some paper and fabric flowers already on hand from my craft supply cabinet.  The felt owl was a gift from Mr. Fix-It, one of my Co-op students.
• This is a partial shot of the Bug's exclusive Natural Play space.  It is actually a space that is part of our homeschool area in the living room.
• Food and Kitchen basket - This basket features a few items we already had around the house.  I would really like to add some wooden and felted foods to this basket, but that is for another time.  The Bug had a wooden pedestal and mortar which is perfect for mimicking kitchen action.  I gave her a salt shaker (full of salt but with a cotton ball stopper) left over from a sensory bucket we did in the Fall.  Then a few simple fun things like: a plastic apple, chopsticks, cinnamon sticks, small "mixing" basket and wooden sticks for mixing.
• Play "Silks" basket - Okay, this is where we did a bit of skimping.  I am not going to spend a ton of money on genuine play silks, there, I said it and it's out there.  Instead, we just went through Mommy and Great-Grandma's wide selection of handkerchiefs, bandannas, scarfs and head-coverings.  The Bug picked her favorites and we piled into a basket for her.  Done.  I like my way better than the more expensive play silk method, just saying.

What's in the Natural Play baskets?  Clockwise from top:

• Gnomes from the Bug's Woodland play basket.  We made these little cuties out of salt dough.  We used yarn and felt for hats.  We are currently working on dresses for for the little "gnome" sisters.  The big kids have been reading the Hobbit out loud.  I think she has been inspired to create many "shire" like play scenes using these as her hobbits.
• This is a little inspiration display that we created together.  It sits just above her play area.  The old photo is a picture of her daddy when he was a little boy with her grandfather (his daddy).
• Wood baskets: The Bug has several different wood block baskets.  Hey, her dad is a carpenter so this is an area of plenty!  He cut the round blocks out of natural wood and left the bark.  I don't know how he hollowed the wood, but she LOVES to use this in play.  I've seen it become a bird house, a gnome home, Bilbo Baggin's home, a casserole dish, a secret hiding place . . . and the list goes on.
• Wood figures from her Woodland play basket.
• Woodland play basket:  This is the basket that holds the hodgepodge of her woodland characters.
• This selection of woodland play came from all over.  The figures were gifts from friends over the years.  They are old ornaments that I took the hooks off of  and re-purposed them as woodland angels.  The little decorated drift wood was given to her by our neighbors, who are surrogate grandparents.  The wife used to craft these little items.  She gave a finished one to the Bug and she also inherited all the craft goodies that went into making these.  Nice!  
•  More Wood play baskets: Here are more blocks.  Yes, there is a basket full of old Jenga blocks that I got at a yard sale for $0.75.  They work great for all the many things she needs to build.  She doesn't seem to mind that they say Jenga on the side either.
• Accessory basket: This is where the Bug stores all the Salt Dough goodies that we made for her.  Plates, flatware, food, trees, toadstools, etc.  This only took an evening of family fun to create and everyone had fun chipping in.  Cost?  The salt, water, oil and flour that we already had on-hand.

So, there you have it.  Not exactly organic, but as natural as we are going to get on a tight-budget.  It has made for one happy little girl, which is part of the point!

Happy homeschooling,

aka The Joyful Socks Mom

www.TheMacRak.com

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