our "Million Dollar" give-away

Today is a great day for trick-or-treaters. We are giving away million dollar bills and 100 Grand bars or PayDay bars to each child who comes to our house in costume! Even if you don't have a costume, you can still receive a million dollar bill. The message on each bill is worth even MORE than a million dollars. Here's what it says:

"The million dollar question: Will you go to Heaven when you die? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on Judgment Day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He sent His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. You broke God's Law, but Jesus paid your fine. That means He can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then He rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn from sin) today and trust in Jesus alone, and God will grant you the gift of everlasting life. Then read your Bible daily and obey it."

You can order your own set of Million Dollar bills to give away at livingwaters.com. They even have Trillion Dollar bills now too. Inflation, I guess! Go shine for Jesus and have a wonderful day!

pretend pumpkins for a faux Fall

It’s been a looooong summer, especially here in SoCal.  Yesterday it was 99 degrees in my area!  But with decorations, we can at least pretend that it’s Fall now, even if the hot weather doesn’t relent.  On my mantle I have six 3M Command hooks left from our Christmas stockings last year.  Well, I may as well use them throughout the rest of the year too.  It turns out that 6 is a great number for many reasons.  There are 6 people in our family.  And there are 6 letters in the words: AUTUMN, WINTER, SPRING and SUMMER.  How perfect!  I love it when a plan comes together!  After a few clicks on Adobe Illustrator and a few snips on my Silhouette (using left over scrapbook paper), here is the finished product for Autumn:

 

Here is my computer sketch for stringing the seasons on my mantle this year.  I will have to post the others later as the seasons change:

 

 

To get the letter cards to hang straight and even, I punched a ¼” hole on the top, cut a 6” piece of twine, folded the twine in half, knotted the ends and then slipped the folded side through the front of the card.

When the seasons change, I can just slip the twine out and use it for the next card.  To quote my 2nd grader, “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!”

 

And I mustn’t forget my pretend pumpkins. This was a cute and simple craft we made at my last MOPs meeting.  It’s simply a toilet paper roll covered in fabric with a rolled up brown lunch bag stuffed in the middle.  What a great craft for kids too!  I was so inspired by this 2-minute craft that I also cut a roll of paper towels in half to make a bigger pumpkin.
 

 

The best part - everything is reusable and I didn’t buy anything new for these projects.  Yay!  It’s the “little things,” right?  Now I’m ready to light my cranberry candle, sip some hot apple cider and cuddle up in a blanket…as soon as the weather gets cooler.  Either way, I am reminded to be thankful to God for His blessings, with or without decorations or cool weather.  God is good, even if my circumstances aren’t.  This verse spoke to my heart this week:

Though the fig tree does not bud
    and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
    and the fields produce no food…
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.
 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.
Habbakkuk 3:17-19.

 

May you be refreshed by God’s strength today!

creativity in crisis

I love this little drawing by my 5-year old daughter, my second-born. She is turning out to be very good at drawing. I was amazed at her sense of proportion when I looked at this picture of her and her 2 sisters and baby brother after getting their hair cut. Kids rarely draw hair by it's overall shape first, usually they draw lots of crazy lines. Only the girls have eyelashes. :) And those shoes! So cute! Can you tell I'm a pround Mama? She has a natural eye for design.

As for me, I’m having a "mid-life design crisis" of sorts.  In the “X” of my creative life, I’m approaching the middle, trying to find where I came from and where I will go.  For a while now, I’ve been totally uninspired to make or design fun things (resulting in a lack of blog posts).  I see things in such practical ways now.  Is it easy to clean up?  Is it superfluous?  Will it collect dust?  Will it end up in a landfill?  Will it have lasting results?  Is it worth the little time that I have?  It’s really a question of purpose.  Is there purpose in what I’m doing?  If not, I haven’t the time or the heart to do it.

This ultra-practical no-frills perspective has intensified since having our fourth precious child.  Holding him is so satisfying and exhausting at the same time. I’ve been in mommy-mode for 7-1/2 years now, changing diapers the whole time, and for at least another 3 years.  My body and brain have been worn down to mush.  I get an occasional spark of creativity when facing parenting challenges or browsing Pinterest.  Having children has been wonderful!  I mean that!  But it comes with a price.  We counted the cost each time.  The first was to give up an enjoyable job as an art director/product designer and leave the working world for a while.  In this I also lost face-to-face contact with many creative and inspiring designers who speak my language.  I have no regrets – I love being with my kids.  Even so, I still hear the siren song of the next creative project.  I just don’t know what to make right now and I’m too tired to figure it out.

Another cost is that I have to die to myself more with each child.  That is the key: to die to my flesh that says, “I need my own space and freedom!!” so that Christ may LIVE in me.  Over the summer I pushed to disciple my young kids like a “good Christian mother” should.  “Sit down and be quiet!,” I would shout above the constant skirmishes.  “We are going to learn about Jesus and LIKE it!!”  I would find myself so frustrated at times that it was better to plop the kids in front of Veggie Tales and call it a day.  “How do I do this in the Spirit and not in the flesh, Lord?,” I would pray.  “I just want to please You and for my kids to know You.”  And then that still small Voice would whisper, “Just love Me and they will get to know Me through you.  Serve Me by serving your family.”  Talk about purpose!  What is the chief end of man?  …to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

I love how the Lord speaks to me – He is so gentle and comforting.  I want to speak to my children that way.  Knowing the answer is one thing, putting it into practice is another.  For this, I ask for prayer.  That’s where I am.  As for where I’m going, I’m sure creative inspiration will come back in little ways during less busy days.  My creativity is a gift from God.  I just want to make sure it has purpose, and hopefully, eternal significance.

a model baby

We’ve been a bit busy since the year began.  (Actually…VERY busy.)  Our fourth baby was born in January, a sweet little boy who has stolen all of our hearts.  The timing was great to be able to have our friend, Lisa, photograph our newborn at only 8 days old in our own home.  What a treasure!

She has been a professional photographer for years and recently started doing newborn photography too.  Her daughter came along to assist and they were a great team.

I enjoyed watching her gentle technique with my sometimes uncooperative baby boy.  She stayed for 3 hours and patiently waited for me as I nursed him, calmed him and tried to get him to sleep.  He sometimes cried, spit up on her, peed on her, but mostly slept, which is what we wanted.

To create a womb-like atmosphere that would keep him sleeping the house had to be warmed up to 85°.  Lisa brought heartbeat sounds and her own heater that blew on him the whole time.  She also had various thick cozy blankets to put him on.  

I especially liked the cute hats she brought as props – one was an upcycled bunny hat she handmade from an old sweater.  She had such cute ideas!!  The one below is a little "love puppy".  The experience will be a sweet memory for years to come.  For more information about Lisa Joy Photography, visit her website at lisajoyphotography.com.

And here is my little Levi at 3 weeks modeling a new baby shirt design.  Maybe someday this design will end up on my Etsy shop.  For now, our family has been taking time to enjoy our new baby brother.

I'm a Liebster Blog!

What a nice surprise to have been given a Liebster Blog Award from a sweet sister-in-Christ and fellow blogger, Janiene at "A Bunch of Bishops". Janiene writes about her life with 3 little ones and the fun and creative things that interest her. Part of this honor is that I now get to present the award to 5 deserving blogs that have less than 200 followers. It's a great way to help each other get noticed. Here are my five:

My long-time friend, Karen, blogs about her new life in South Carolina. I've enjoyed her recipes and organic gardening posts. And of course, I've enjoyed reading about the beginnings of her parenting journey.

I heard Linda speak at my MOPs group 3 years ago. She was so real and honest about the sometimes crazy life of a mother. I laughed so hard at her stories that I almost spit out my coffee! She loves the Lord and has written a devotional called Spilt Milk. I enjoy the genuineness of her blog posts.

Veronica Walsh Illustration

I had the privilege of working with Veronica years ago. She is an amazing artist and now does a variety of children's illustrations. I love her gestural, light and airy style. Her beautiful art is featured on this blog.

The Painted Page

This blog showcases the work of 4 illustrators who illustrated 4 different classic children's stories: Veronica Walsh (Thumbelina), Jennifer Gray Olson (The Princess and the Pea), Carolyn Le (The Nightingale), Patricia Cantor (The Ugly Duckling). The artwork is beautiful and my children have enjoyed looking at it.

This blog gathers interesting photos of upcycled projects, both big and small. Check out the latest post with upcycled zipper flowers - too cute!

Congratulations to you all! You've done a great job!


~ PAYING IT FORWARD ~
There are a few rules that accompany a Liebster...

1. Post about your win on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award (LittleDesignAngel)

3. Copy and paste the award button to your blog.

4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized.

5. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.