Cross Wall

I love crosses, probably because I love the story of our Savior's sacrificial love for us on the cross. So I decided to design a wall of crosses.

This is what I used:

1. Projector
2. Paint
3. Wooden crosses (all shapes and sizes)
4. Stain
5. Nails and a hammer

This is what I did:

1. I took the crosses and I stained them with "Americano" Stain
2. Then I laid them out on the floor to figure out how I wanted to hang them.
3. After I knew how/ where I wanted to hang them, I found a verse I wanted to use
4. I projected this verse onto the wall and traced it on the wall with paint
5. Then I nailed the crosses on the wall

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13

It turned out beautifully - rejoicing in the present

Stain Glass Cross

This is a GREAT Sunday School project.  I did it for Easter, but "the cross" is always a good lesson, year around.  You can also cut different shapes out for different seasons.  Last September, I did a stain glass leaves for fall. Use your imagination :-)

What you need:

1. Clear contact paper
2. Colored tissue paper
3. Scissors
4. Ribbon

What you do:

1. Cut the tissue paper into small one inch squares
2. Cut a large piece of contact paper (large enough for your cross) and lay STICKY SIDE UP
3. Lay the tissue pieces down on the sticky side in a random order, barely overlapping each other
4. Cut another piece of contact paper and lay it down so that the sticky sides of the two pieces of contact paper are touching each other
5. Cut your cross out
6. Make a hole at the top for your ribbon
7. String ribbon and tie a knot

What a beautiful, yet simple project. - Rejoicing in the Present

Health: Immunizations

 I have to ask myself...why are their so many more immunizations?
Does my child really need all of these?
Are these age appropriate?
Is this going to help or hurt my child?
Do the research! Know why and what is actually needed before your child and you are "stuck" in a very uncomfortable situation.
By the way, to  immunize or not are the rights of the parents...this should never be forced. You may want to check out this article and see what is going on
!Immunization Interventions!! 
-rejoicing in the present

Resurrection Rolls

John 19:39-40 "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.  Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen cloth"

Resurrection Rolls are a GREAT visual to teach children about the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and they are yummy as well! :-)

This is what you need...

1. Oven
2. can of crescent rolls
3. Butter
4. Marshmallows
5. Cinnamon-and-sugar mix

This is what you do...

1. Read the Scripture to the Children
2. Then explain how Jesus is like the marshmallow (pure and white)
3. Dip the marshmallow into the butter (like Jesus was covered in myrrh and aloes)
4. Use the crescent to wrap him (like with the linens)
5. And then sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on him to smell good (like the spices they used)
6. Bake the croissants in the oven for as long as recommended on can
7. When they came out of oven, have the children bite into them.
8. "What's missing" - the Marshmallows
9. "He is not here"- HE IS RISEN

Great Example....Enjoy - Rejoicing in the Present

Garage Sale Treasure

I was at a garage sale, a few months back and found this picture room-divider for $2. There was glass missing. It was scraped up and nicked, but I found a treasure.  I love pictures and so it was heaven-sent.  So this last week, I finally got around to fixing it up.

Here is what I used...

1. Picture Holder
2. Spray-paint
3. Sandpaper
4. Brush
5. Dollar Tree picture frames

Here is what I did...

1. First I took out all the glass and backing
2. Then I sanded the frame down, so that the paint would adhere better
3. Next I wiped it down to get all the dust (from the sanding) off
4. Then I spray-painted it and used the brush to even the paint out.
5. I let it dry and then sand-papered the frame to give it more of a rustic look (optional)
6. I finished by adding the glass, picture and backing,

It turned out really nice! - rejoicing in the present

Thought for the day.

Thanks to my mom for sharing this. -Rejoicing

I Spy

I spy something that is red and silver, it's made of iron and wood and it has a head but isn't a living thing...Um... a HAMMER!  Yes. :-) This is a fun game to play with your children. In fact, the above picture is from a website, scholastic, where you can play all sorts of fun "i spy"games. The I Spy game is exciting and fun but also has a great lesson that we can teach our children with it as well. 

While I was at the WILDS this last week, I bought some CDs from the Rich Ladies Retreat. I listened to one of the speakers, Cherie Meals, and I got this interesting idea. They were so neat; I had to share.

Wikipedia gives this explanation of the game. The original game is a guessing game. One player chooses a letter of the alphabet and says, "I spy with my little eye something beginning with ...", naming the letter. Other players have to guess the chosen object.^[1]I spy is often played with young children as a means to avert boredom in long car journeys.

What lesson can be taught from I Spy?

There are many different people, with many different needs. Teaching your child to "spy" them and then help with those needs is such an important lesson to be taught. Cherie mentioned that her kids loved to color  and they would use their coloring sheets to give to other people that needed to be cheered up.

Examples she mentioned:

1. Her boss's grandmother lost her husband unexpectedly.  When Cherie expressed the lose to her children, they came up with the idea of singing her a song.  Then another time, they sent her a little DVD of them singing and quoting scripture and talking to her.
2. Leaving cookies out for the trash men.
3. Making a meal for single working moms after they had worked a full day.
4. She also encourages her children to thank police officers and military men for their service. One day, her son slipped off in a store to go thank a police man. It was a bit frightening but encouraging to see her son spying a need and filling it.
5. Taking candy and singing to the residents in the nursing home
6.  ____________Fill in the blank 

 Spy on those that are hurting and help them. :-) - rejoicing in the present