PAPER & INK III

Hi friends! In the midst of waiting on the warmer weather- it's just starting to show up, praise God!- and the arrival of the new little boy, we're still chugging along and doing our best to make the most of the end of this long winter. Which means more painting and crafting indoors, one of our projects being this owl that Asher I joined forces on a little while back; I did the drawing, he did the water coloring. I wish there was the time to do more like this. 

Happy spring to those of you in warmer climates, and for the rest of us- we're almost there.

P.S. Don't miss the latest new daily bible reading series on She Reads Truth. It's a short, 14 day plan and it's all about the risen Christ! What a joyful breath of fresh air to be on the other side of the sobering days leading up to Easter. Now we can give ourselves fully to the celebration of the truth that our Redeemer lives! Thanks be to God for His unfailing plan of justice, grace, and salvation in the lives of those who believe.

HANDY SNACK BRACELETS FOR THE KIDS

My two little helpers have been tagging along to lots of my appointments lately, and that poses some challenges! Like how to interact with the doctor or vet when there are strollers being knocked over, crawling all over the floor, or little fingers exploring the very enticing medical instruments within reach. Haha! You know what I'm talking about moms.

Actually, Asher and Silas are usually very good in public, praise the Lord! But there are still those times that call for a distraction, which is why I was inspired when I saw this DIY cheerio necklace by Lenya over on Raising Miss Matilda. I happened to have pipe cleaners and a bunch of left over Apple Jacks from Asher's birthday party favor bags, so we had to try our own version of wearable snacks. And yes, they help! Not to mention we had a great time making them together, although I did most of the making and they mostly just sampled, haha. But keeping a stash of these in a small plastic container in my bag has made a big difference when we're out. We don't normally keep sugary cereal in the house, so these are truly a special treat for the boys!

SUPPLIES

Pipe cleaners

Apple Jacks, Cheerios, Fruit Loops, etc.

DIRECTIONS

String the cereal onto a pipe cleaner and twist the ends around each other to close. Store in a hard plastic container to prevent them from crumbling in your bag, and then enjoy!

Easy as can be, right? And thanks again to Lenya for the great idea!

ASHER'S A-MAZING "A" THEMED BIRTHDAY PARTY DECOR

Hi there! I'm so excited to share some the details of Asher's 4th birthday party decor! I had a lot of fun planning it and putting it all together, although I have to admit that it took me a while to come up with the direction for it. Asher doesn't have a favorite superhero or toy, which made pinning down more conventional ideas hard. In fact, I was at a total loss until the "A-mazing A" idea struck.

Remember these inspiration I started with from this post?

I stuck to it pretty closely starting with a big, quirky "Welcome to Asher's A-mazing A Party" display with twine and clothespins, full of fun "A" items; an aardvark, alien, axe, artichoke, airplane, anchor, argyle socks, astronaut, antlers, Arkansas, arithmetic, armadillo, ant, alphabet, arrow, abacus, antelope, asteroid, atlas, alligator, acrobats, anvil, and of course- the best one of all- Asher!

THE "A" WELCOME SIGN

THE ACTIVITIES
'PIN THE "A" ON THE A-LPHABET'

I've always loved typography so I will never turn down an opportunity to make giant, printed letters!

And...

"THE A-MAZING PAPER A-IRPLANE MAKING STATION"

Equipped with cardstock in black, orange, teal, and pink {couldn't forget the girls!}, chalk for decorating their paper, and- of course- dads to help the kids do the folding.

THE ACCESSORIES

THE TABLE SETTINGS

I wanted to keep the orange, teal, and black/white color theme consistent, so I made sure the plates and cups matched the balloons. The black and white paper straws might have been my favorite little accessory.

'A-MAZING "A" TREAT' FAVOR BAGS

I put together these simple favor bags using brown lunch bags, orange and teal decorative paper, printed "A"s, and clothespins as fasteners. Inside were "A-pplejacks", "A-nimal crackers", and "A-lmond Joys".

THANK YOU CARDS
 And lastly, I just so happened to spot orange and teal thank you cards at the Dollar Store...

Photos of the big day and the birthday boy are coming next!

A RECYCLED MILK CARTON VILLAGE

I started stockpiling our empty milk carton containers as soon as the weather got chilly last fall. After seeing some very inspiring little handmade villages {here & here}, we had to take advantage of these cold winter days indoors and give it a try! They've been a work in progress for quite a while... They got their first coat of paint, the holidays came and went, and they sat half-done in our craft cupboard for a good couple of months. But now that we're in the thick of winter and only halfway through the month of February, I'm kind of glad we took our time. We finally finished them and they are oh so fun!

And they're easy. All you need is;

SUPPLIES
Empty milk cartons

Paint {I also used a large tub of inexpensive white craft paint not pictured here}.

A couple of brushes, at least one large and one small.

A black Sharpie, for outlining your painted doors and windows.

And/or: Paper, tape/glue, scissors, and markers/crayons if you want to skip the paint all together and cover your cartons with paper.

DIRECTIONS

Wash the insides of the cartons with hot, soapy water. This might require fully opening the tops of the cartons and then gluing them shut again {after painting}.

Paint! {Ours took a few coats of white to cover most of the labeling.}

Asher had a blast getting to use the "big kid" acrylic paints on his little houses, and both boys loved setting up a little village equipped with masking tape roads on the floor and matchbox cars.

Have you done any fun crafts with your kids lately? Share some thoughts or a link in the comments so we can see what you're up to!

And for another recycled craft idea, see our egg carton masks here.

PAPER & INK

One winter morning about a year ago I decided I was going to paint. So I went into my barely-used art room, grabbed a canvas, some brushes, and some oils, and carried them downstairs to the dining room table. It's been a while since I've had the time to do a lot of art, but I thought I could sneak in ten minutes at a time throughout the morning in the middle of the normal happenings with the boys. Well, three hours passed and despite my best efforts, zero painting happened. And that was the morning I learned that there are just some seasons of life where you can't do it all. Or even some of it. Or even ten minutes of it. And in a flurry of frustration where all I could think was "that's it, I give up on ever trying to do anything other than be a mom again!" I packed it all up and stored it away. And- though I felt like a tantrum-throwing quitter in the moment- it turned out for the best. I haven't missed staring at those unused art supplies a single bit. And in time I realized that just because I can't do something as involved as painting doesn't mean that there isn't time for other good things. A few months later I took out some paper and a marker and sat down and copied an illustration out of one of the boy's story books. It was simple and relaxing and and there were no curious little fingers attempting to taste-test the turpentine!

One of these days there may be time to get the oils out again. But until then, I'm learning {and re-learning, it's a constant lesson of motherhood} the art of letting go of what's really not all that important at the end of the day. And in the most trying moments when I feel like being a mom has swallowed up every trace of what might make me ME, I look to Christ. The One who gave up so much more than a hobby for our sakes. The One who reminds me what real treasure is; the grace to be able to count "all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord"...and the incomparable gift of being "found in Him". {Reference Philippians 3:7-9} 

Sometimes it's easy to forget, but do you know what's more worthwhile than finding the time for my own personal pursuits? Setting my gaze on Him long enough to remember that I have the incredibly unique privilege of being a child of God, a wife to a wonderful husband, and a mother entrusted with four precious souls that are worth pouring myself out for. Every last ounce of me, if need be. Praise be to God for His patience and perseverance in teaching me what really matters, and for inviting each one of us to receive the same grace.

AN EASY CHRISTMAS ADVENT CALENDER FOR KIDS

I had no plans to make a Christmas advent calender this year, but when Asher kept asking me "is it Christmas yet?" the need became apparent. I've seen some truly amazing ones, like this one- wow! Ours is incredibly simple but we were able to throw it together in about an hour's time with no real planning or prep. And as much as I'd love to do something really amazing one year, that's generally how I like projects with kids- fast and easy!

It started with a simple calender that I drew on our chalk wall using a yard stick...

But since we had exactly one week until Christmas, it seemed like it would be fun to mark the last week's countdown with something fun and special. Something that would engage the boys and point to the real reason we celebrate Christmas; Christ, of course! So, we made eight little cards and wrote a special bible verse in each, accompanied by two dark chocolate chips that they'll get to share each day.

You know the really cute decorative tape you see in stores today? Well, I wanted some for this project so I made our own by drawing stripes onto masking tape with a green sharpie.

Can you believe Christmas is around the corner? Just like Thanksgiving, it sort of snuck up on me this year. My guess is that we're all heading into a pretty busy week or two, and I hope it's a time of fun and joy and refreshment for all of us. No doubt there will be a few *moments*...you know, the ones that make you wish the holidays could just be over with already. But that's where it really helps to remember the point of the season- the peace, rest, and joy that comes only from Christ. Take a moment to pause and remember His words; "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." {John 14:27} 

Merry Christmas, friends!

AN EASY EGG CARTON CRAFT FOR KIDS

If you're looking for a quick, easy, and inexpensive craft idea for the kids, these egg carton masks are it! With cold weather upon us, we've been spending a lot more time indoors lately and it's great to have simple activities to occupy the boys. I got the idea for it here, and saw another great one for girls here. And the best thing is it didn't require a trip to the store, we already had everything we needed.

SUPPLIES
A cardboard egg carton
Scissors
Craft paint
Paintbrush
Optional- elastic string to attach to each side of the mask for wearing
 

What about you guys? What are you doing to keep your kids busy these days?

PUTTING HIM FORWARD

So I saw this very, very inspiring quote in a She Reads Truth devotion a few weeks back: 

"From the time she wakes up, __________ is quietly doing what needs to be done to put forward Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of Man." 

I'm not big on New Years resolutions, but there is something so powerful about this. It's more than just a resolution, it's a way of life. And it reached out and grabbed me and before I knew it I'd made my own printable version! Once it's printed, the goal is to hang it next to my bed as a fresh reminder each morning of why I'm here.

I'm here for Him. For His plan. For His glory!

Though my life is still riddled with frailty and uncertainty and sin, His isn't! He is perfection, and because He gives Himself freely, His perfection is mine. It's yours. It's ours. 

If only we'll reach out and accept it...

Let's press on together as we strive to put Him forward this year. In fact, if you want to join me, send me a favorite photo of yourself and I'll {do my best} to make a personalized resolution for you to print out, too! {sarahkeller1@gmail.com}

Happy New Year!

ASHER'S ART | OIL PASTELS

I got a pack of oil pastels as a birthday gift from my Grandaddy, and Asher and I have been dabbling with them for the past few days. Let me just say that these pastels blow the socks off of crayons and colored pencils and even finger paint. They're so vibrant and creamy and easy to work with. I want to frame every single drawing Asher has done! They require a little more supervision {plus a bath afterwards} but they're well worth it. I enjoy using them just as much as him, and so it's a really nice little morning activity to do together while I sip on my coffee. I may not have the time for oil painting right now, but this is a pretty nice alternative...

What simple activities are you guys doing with your kids these days? 

P.S. Can't help but think back to our ABC Cutouts with Asher's fingerpaint art...still need to frame those, too!