I’ve had enough snow for 2010, thankyouverymuch.

It’s March. March means spring flowers, spring colors, spring weather.

I’m ready for Easter eggs and Easter bunnies and Easter grass.

I am pretending that it’s spring, even if the weather isn’t cooperating.

We’re expecting more snow this week.

I am celebrating pretending it’s spring with a with a homemade flower garland. I made it myself with minimal time and no expense whatsoever. I hung it in my big front window so that I can look at it often.

Here’s what I did:

Homemade Flower Garland for Springtime Decorating

Materials

• Two pieces of heavy card stock in each of four colors (I was going to use the green for leaves but decided against it at the last minute.)
• Four pieces of heavy white card stock
• Craft punches – I used a 2-inch scalloped circle and a 1 1/2-inch circle punch.
• Permanent craft adhesive (Glue didn’t work nicely for this project. It warped the card stock.)
• Monofilament or fishing line (not pictured) – I think this would be just as pretty with some metallic or plain white thread.
• White ribbon for hanging the finished garlands

Instructions for my homemade flower garland

1. First, punch out lots of circles. I decided to make 18 flowers in of each four colors. That meant I needed the following. It looks like a lot, but I cut them out while watching tv with Grace one snowy afternoon.
   • 36 blue circles
   • 36 pink circles
   • 36 yellow circles
   • 36 purple circles
   • 72 white flowers (not a typo – there are 2 colored circles on each 1 white flower)
2. Next, I attached colored circles to all of the white flowers. I made 18 purple, 18 yellow, 18 blue, and 18 pink. In the photo above, I’ve already done the purple flowers.
   
3. While I was adhering colored circles to white flowers, Joe and Grace “practiced” making circles and flowers with my punches.
   
4. I pulled about a foot of the fishing line I stole from Joe’s tackle box my monofilament off of the roll, and then started attaching flowers.
5. Not wanting the flowers to form a specific pattern, I tossed all of the one-sided flowers into a ziploc bag and pulled out one at a time. I laid the flower face-down on the table, put adhesive on the back, and stuck the monofilament into the adhesive.
   
6. Next, I put more adhesive on a circle that matched the flower’s first side, and I glued the colored circle over top of the monofilament. I skipped enough space for one flower and attached the next. In the photo above, the flower on the right is not attached to the line; it’s just a placeholder so that my spacing was consistent.
7. Almost done! I repeated the above process until I had 14 flowers on each line. I made 5 lines and had a couple of flowers left over.
8. The last step is to tie everything together. I cut a piece of white ribbon that was about 3 feet long and folded it into four sections. I tied a line of flowers at each fold (using the long tail I left in step 4 above) and then tied the white ribbon onto the curtain rod in our living room.
9. (Almost) instant cure for the late winter blahs!

Are you thinking about St. Patrick’s Day?

Wouldn’t this be cute if you had dark green paper and a 4-leaf clover punch? You could skip the colored circles and just do shamrocks on the lines.

Happily submitted to Craft School Sunday, Tater Tots & Jello, Just Something I Whipped Up, Motivate Me Monday,  It’s So Very Creative, Make Your Monday, Makes My Monday, Make It For Monday, Made It Mondays, Metamorphosis Monday, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter Mondays, Made By You Mondays,  Get Your Craft On Mondays, DIY Day, Strut Your Stuff Valentines, Talented Tuesday, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Show & Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, Thursday’s Treasures, Transformation Thursday, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On Thursdays, We Made It! Friday, Kid Friendly Friday, and Frugal Friday

After a little Googling, I thought a geoboard would be right up our alley. Geoboards allow kids to work with geometry concepts while playing. Essentially, the geoboard is a grid with pegs in it. Since I’ve started looking, I’ve seen them made from cheap plastic (think plastic plates), heavy plastic, wood, cork board, and even peg board.

It took some time (waiting for glue to dry, waiting for paint to dry, finding time to measure the grid, etc.), but it was totally worth it. Grace loves her board, and we’ve played with it a couple of times a day every day since I finished it.

We picked up the supplies we needed at the local hardware store, and we got started. The materials cost around $30. We could’ve gotten everything a lot cheaper if we’d driven a few miles to the big box store, but… we supported the local people.

Materials for Making a Geoboard

• 12″ x 12″ (or thereabouts) piece of wood
• Sandpaper
• Spray pain
• Lots of push pins
• Sparkly Mod Podge (not pictured)
• Rubber band ball (not pictured)

I wanted our geoboard to be one square foot, but our little hardware store didn’t have any wood in that size. We ended up buying an 8-foot long plank (are they called planks?) of pine.  Fortunately, they did cut it for us, so we had a 1-foot long piece and a 7-foot long piece. I’m sure we’ll think of something to do with the rest of the wood.

How to Make a Geoboard

1. The first step was to sand the wood so that there were no rough edges or splinters.
   
   Despite the expression on my dear husband’s face (he wasn’t ecstatic to be helping me with this project), sanding wood is quite easy. It just took a few minutes.
2. Next, paint the wood.
   Grace wanted her geoboard to be purple. This presented a challenge as the little hardware store only sells gallons and spray paint in purple. I was not going to buy a $30 gallon of paint for this project. Spray paint was our only other option.
   
   I’ve never spray painted anything in my life, but it was easy enough to figure out. I do think I may have had the paint on too thick; it got a little drippy and sticky on the bottom.
   If it looks like I’m spray painting in the snow, it’s because I am. The snow drift next to our driveway was almost as tall as me, so I had to carve out a little ledge and find something to put under the wood so that it wouldn’t be sitting directly on the snow.
   
   I even let Grace believe that she helped to paint her board. As you might imagine, she loved that.
3. I painted both sides of the board. I’m not sure what happened, but the board cracked while it was drying.
   Maybe because I sprayed too much paint on it?
   Because I had it sitting in the snow?
   I haven’t a clue. I picked the least cracked side to be the top. I let the whole thing dry over night.
4. The paint stayed tacky in some places (probably because I put on so much too much), so I decided to use some Modge Podge to seal it. I just so happened to have some sparkly Modge Podge, so it was a no-brainer.
   Sparkles make every project gaudier better, right?
   
   I aimed for a thin, even coat of Modge Podge (except where the board had cracked; I really slathered it on there in hopes that it would sink down into the crack and glue it together).
   This was another instance in which Grace could contribute in a meaningful way, however, and she decided to use the Modge Podge to make a beautiful painting of Max & Ruby.
   In other words, the Modge Podge became a lot thicker and more glittery in some spots.
   I really, really wanted to even out the Modge Podge after Grace left the table, but I abstained. Partly because it had already started to dry, but also party because we’ll someday look back on her board and smile about how she was painting it.
5. The next step is more waiting. It took our Modge Podge a long time to dry.
6. Never actually having seen a geoboard before, I wasn’t sure how big the grid should be.
   I was going to make the pins 2 inches apart with 1 inch on either side. That made sense, and I marked the spots with a silver Sharpie.
   Then I realized that the board was only 11 inches in one direction, so 2 inches apart wouldn’t work. I had to go back and re-mark all of my pins at 1.5 inches. I used 2 rulers to make sure the grid was correct, and I made tiny Xs where the pins should go.
   
7. The last step was to push the push pins into the board. This part was a lot easier than I expected it to be.
   There was one vein across the exact center of the board where the pins just wouldn’t go in. For that part, I used a craft punch  (you know, the metal kind) to push the pins in without breaking their little heads off.
8. The last step is to play!

Playing with Your Homemade Geoboard

We had a really good time playing with our geoboard. Here are a few of the things we did:

We counted the pins inside of rubber bands. Grace liked making the bands stretch longer and longer.

We grouped our rubber bands by color.

We made squares that were bigger and bigger and bigger.

We made all different shapes.

We looked at the same and different.

We made a G for Gracie. She never gets tired of that.

We also made R, A, C, and E, but I didn’t take a picture of those.

Some words are small enough to make on the board, so we did a little of that, too. Grace is starting to recognize a few words, so it’s really fun for me to write things she knows.

I don’t know how I managed to not take a picture of our maze, but we also made a rubber band maze with our board. Grace’s Littlest Pet Shop animals ran around the maze, and we tilted and turned the board around to make a marble go through it, too.

I’m also thinking about making some cards with shapes that Grace can try to recreate. I think she’d like that, if she’s got the fine motor skills to do it at this point.

More Geoboard Resources

• Giant homemade geoboard
• Geoboard on Wikipedia
• Geoboard activities
• Geoboard activities for upper elementary
• Using geoboards (has a variety of activities for different ages)

Happily submitted to Tater Tots & Jello, Just Something I Whipped Up, Motivate Me Monday,  It’s So Very Creative, Make Your Monday, Makes My Monday, Make It For Monday, Made It Mondays, Metamorphosis Monday, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter Mondays, Made By You Mondays,  Get Your Craft On Mondays, DIY Day, Strut Your Stuff Valentines, Talented Tuesday, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Show & Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, Thursday’s Treasures, Transformation Thursday, Creative Craft Thursday, Craftaholics Anonymous, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On Thursdays, We Made It! Friday and Kid Friendly Friday

Last year, I’m pretty sure I put them in a ziploc bag in the pantry cupboard, and Joe eventually threw them in the trash. I imagine that’s what happens to them in most homes.

I feel guilty about throwing them away. Somebody went out of their way to give them to us. Shouldn’t we keep them?

I know, it doesn’t make any sense.

This year, I decided to make them into magnets.

My idea began with Grace loving the Valentine cards she chose to give to her friends. We had more than twice the number we needed, so I set aside one of each design to make into magnets for her.

After Grace’s class party, I swiped the cards from her teachers. Then I asked which cards were her favorites. She chose a few more.

After Grace went to bed, I gathered my supplies:

• Self adhesive magnets in a sheet (They were supposed to be self adhesive, but they weren’t. I had to use adhesive, and I learned that tacky glue does not stick to the slightly glossy magnet backing.)
• The Valentine cards that Grace selected

Putting these magnets together was really simple.

1. I laid the cards out like a puzzle to see how I could waste the least amount.
2. I glued the cards down onto the magnet.
3. I cut around the cards.
   
   See the fairy magnet? That was one of Grace’s cards! It was intended to be a paper doll (from one of her teachers), but it works just as well as a magnetic doll.
4. I stuck the cards to the fridge while Grace was sleeping. She was really impressed by them in the morning when she found them.

I’m not sure what I’ll do next year. I may cover these. I may get more magnet sheets.

Happily submitted to Tater Tots & Jello, Just Something I Whipped Up, Motivate Me Monday,  It’s So Very Creative, Make Your Monday, Makes My Monday, Make It For Monday, Made It Mondays, Metamorphosis Monday, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter Mondays, Made By You Mondays,  Get Your Craft On Mondays, DIY Day, Strut Your Stuff Valentines, Talented Tuesday, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Show & Tell, Works for Me Wednesday, Thursday’s Treasures, Transformation Thursday, Creative Craft Thursday, Craftaholics Anonymous, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On Thursdays, and Kid Friendly Friday

While Gracie and I were shopping this past weekend, we got a few extra supplies. I allowed Grace to pick all of them, so we got a lot of pink foam hearts and purple foam hearts and foam dogs. I added some glittery red foam stickers and magnets, and we were ready to go.

I have to point out that the roll of stick-on magnet I bought cost me 59 cents. The glittery foam stuff was $6.99. How bizarre is that?

One of the hearts that Grace chose was really large, about four inches across. We started with those. I let Grace go crazy with the rest of the foam stickers, and I encouraged her to cover the other hearts.

That was the bulk of the project. It happened so fast that I got only one picture of the whole thing.

After finishing the stickers, I asked Grace which one she wanted to give to each of the people on our list. She assigned them, and I wrote each recipient’s name on the back of the heart so that I wouldn’t forget.

After Grace moved on to a new activity, I cut magnets from the roll and stuck them to the back of the hearts.

The only step left is to give them to our friends!

Happily submitted to Creative Craft Thursday, Craftaholics Anonymous, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On, Finer Things Friday, Beautiful Life, and Photostory Friday

We’re one of those annoying families that like each others company. All three of us prefer to be together, in a group.

Joe and I don’t do many date nights because we like to bring Grace along. Grace and I don’t spend much time alone, without Joe, and Joe and Gracie don’t spend much time alone without me. (Working or migraine scenarios aside, of course.)

Because we spend so much time together, it’s hard for one or two of us to surprise the third.

Joe pulled a muscle in his back last week, and he wasn’t feeling up to a shopping trip with Gracie and I on Saturday morning.

Undaunted, Grace and I went to several different craft stores and found all kinds of great buys. We love shopping together.

I think we looked at every item in every store, for the record.

At Michael’s, we found a great deal for which we spent almost nothing.

Our Michael’s store has free Make It and Take It programs for kids. We had to buy the project piece (in this case, a $1 picture frame), and the store supplies all of the supplies needed to finish it, plus a place to work.

I didn’t know that Michael’s had this program, but now that I do, I can assure you that we’ll be spending a lot more time there on Saturdays.

Grace was able to choose between markers and paints; she picked paints. She painted, glued, stickered, and glittered her Daddy’s picture frame.

By the time we got home, she was so excited to tell Daddy about the present she made for him that she forgot that presents are supposed to be secrets. She gave it to him, and he was proud.

He’s already put his picture frame on the desk in his office.

Don’t forget to help your child (or children) give your spouse a Valentine’s Day present. It will mean as much to them as it does to him.

Happily submitted to Tell Me Thursday, Things I Love Thursday, A Thousand Words Thursday, Frugal Friday, PhotoStory Friday, Friday’s Foto Finish Fiesta, and  Give Me Your Best Shot

When I was growing up, my mom and my grandma always made Valentine’s Day a family holiday. I remember receiving little trinkets and cards from the time I was small.

Valentine’s Day was always a time to say I love you, a time to think of the people who are special in our lives.

I’m continuing that tradition with Grace.

Valentine’s Day is a time to appreciate each other. Joe and I will celebrate our love for each other, certainly, but also our love for our daughter.

I was feeling stuck for a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Grace this year.

I didn’t want to give her candy. She already eats too much candy and junk food. I am eliminating it all together from our home. Aside from that, I don’t want to encourage Grace to grow up associating food with love.

I didn’t want to give her a bunch of stuff, either. Believe me when I say that we are drowning in stuff. Drowning. We have more toys than a family with five children could use.

So… I wasn’t sure how to celebrate a holiday without food or presents.

How sad is that?

2010 is seeing more changes in my life than I ever imagined.

I brainstormed and brainstormed. I had nothing. So Grace and I went shopping.

Don’t judge me. I do some of my best thinking while over spending.

We found this little mailbox. Grace pointed it out to me from across the craft store, and I had an idea.

Grace is just beginning to understand the concept of mail.

We stop at our mailbox every day on the way home from school, and she receives something in the mail now and then. (Every kid should have cool grandparents who send High Five and National Geographic Little Kids magazines.)

Grace likes mailboxes, in general. A few months ago, we made a play mailbox out of a big cardboard box, and she still plays with it often. She even delivers her pretend mail to people when they come over.

I picked up some pretty double-sided scrapbook papers, lots of foam and regular stickers, and a lot of other irrelevant supplies, and we headed for home.

Valentine’s Day Love Notes for Kids

I made Grace mail. I made 14 fancy little envelopes and numbered them from 1 to 14 (like an advent calendar, but counting the days until Valentine’s Day instead). When I’m finished, each will contain a little love note from Joe and me to Gracie Anna.

The envelopes took an incredible amount of time. As I was working on them, I was thinking that I would be able to re-use them for years to come. Presuming Grace doesn’t mangle them, that is still my plan.

My Valentine’s Day Love Notes supplies:

• Double-sided cardstock paper in pretty, Valentine-looking prints
• Foam stickers that Grace chose
• The little mailbox
• Roll-in adhesive or double-sided tape
• A stylus (for scoring the envelope prior to folding it)
• A creaser (I have no idea what this tool is called. You run it along the crease to make it more crisp.)
• A marker or pen to write on the cards
• An envelope template (I downloaded Kelleigh’s for the purpose of making a Dave Ramsey-esque envelope system. I ended up using it for this project first. That’s a major FAIL in the Dave Ramsey department.)

How I made Valentine’s Day Love Notes for Grace:

1. First, I printed the envelope template on heavy duty (but cheap) card stock at 50%, 75%, and full size. I thought the 50% was too small, and the full size wouldn’t fit into the mailbox. 75% worked nicely.
2. I used the template to trace 15 of my envelopes. I planned for an extra one in case something went awry. It did, so I’m glad I had an extra.
   • I used an ultra fine point Sharpie to trace around my template. I would have rather used pencil, but I couldn’t find one.
   • On the first page, I traced 3 envelopes. I was really proud of myself; I’d be able to squeeze all 15 envelopes onto 5 sheets of paper. Then I realized that the patterns were all directional. They would have looked silly if I didn’t have them straight up and down on the envelopes.

     

     Would Grace have noticed? No. But I would have, and I wouldn’t have been happy with the finished product.

     

   • On the subsequent papers, I looked at what the finished envelope would look like, and I traced the pattern as it needed to be. Most of the papers ended up with only 2 envelopes.

     

     One had only 1 envelope (right in the center), and a couple had 3 envelopes.

     

3. Next, I cut out the envelopes. I thought this would be the easy part. I was very wrong.
   • Actually, it wasn’t that hard. The inside turns were a little tricky, and I was using scissors. It would have been easier to cut them with a craft knife, but I’m not so good at using one. Oh, and Grace was sleeping on my lap the entire time I was working, so it would not have been prudent.
   • I noticed quickly that cutting on the line wouldn’t work. The edges of every envelope would have been black. Instead, I had to cut just inside the lines.

     



4. I assembled the envelopes.
   • I used the only straight edge within my reach (an embossing folder for my Cuttlebug machine) to score all 4 fold lines on each of the 15 envelopes.

   

   • As I was folding and creasing the envelopes, I used a little adhesive to stick the bottom flap to the side flaps.

   

   • After I’d creased a couple of the envelopes, I wished I hadn’t. The card stock paper cracked a little in some places. That’s why I tossed one of the envelopes; it was cracked badly on all four edges, and it just didn’t look nice.
   • Aside from that one, I thought the envelopes were gorgeous.

     

5. I decided that I should number the envelopes, and I just happened to have a huge container of Valentine’s Day foam stickers that Grace picked out. They are all dog-themed, and the paw prints would make a nice date medallion on the front of each envelope.
   • I thought the paw prints were a little too plain by themselves, so I dissected them and switched the colors around.

   

   • I thought they looked great. By this time, Grace was awake, and she asked me why I messed up all of the paw prints.
   • Thwack! That was the sound of my ego hitting the floor. I spent an hour taking paw prints apart and putting them back together for to celebrate my love for this beautiful child, and she said I messed them up.
6. I liked the paw prints with contrasting accents, and it’s my project, so I left them that way. I put the envelopes and paw prints in the order that I liked them.
   • I stuck one of the paw prints to each envelope. In most cases, I put it on in the center of the plain side. On envelopes where the sticker would have obscured the design on the envelope, I put it somewhere else.
   • Next, I numbered the envelopes in order from 1 to 14.

   

7. The next-to-last step was to make my little notes. I measured the envelopes, and I cut a card template that would fit inside comfortably.
   • I chose plain card stock in pink and purple, Grace’s favorite colors.
   • I backed each note with a small square of patterned paper that I know Grace likes, and I put a sticker related to the note in the center of this paper.

   

   • I wrote a note beginning with “Dear Gracie” and ending with “Love, Momma and Daddy” or “Hugs and kisses XOXO.” The notes say:
     • You are the best kid in the whole wide world!
     • Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you, every single day!
     • You are so smart!
     • Mommy and Daddy are glad that you are our daughter.
     • You are very kind and generous.
     • You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray.
     • You have the best manners, and you always use them.
     • Mommy and Daddy can’t wait to see you after school every day!
     • You are so cute and adorable!
     • We love it when you help out in the kitchen.
     • We are so proud of you for using the potty!
     • We love hugs and kisses from you!
     • You are going to do great things in your life!
     • Mommy and Daddy love playing with you!
8. The very last step was to put the notes into the envelopes. I haven’t assembled all of the notes yet (because it took a lot longer than I expected to make the envelopes), but I intend to put stickers in some and coupons for special activities in others.
   • For February 1, I tucked some little heart stickers inside the envelope.
   • In the days to come, I intend to have more stickers, coupons for fun activities like a trip to the park or ice skating, or maybe Chuck E Cheese.
   • Once in the middle and on Valentine’s Day, Grace’s envelope will have a clue to the location of a special (small) present. I picked up a couple of Crayola Color Wonder packs that I think she’ll like. I’m not sure whether I’m going to make them a single gift or two separate gifts.
9. I put the envelope into Grace’s little mailbox, rigged the mailbox with a couple of foam stickers to hold the flag in place, and put it in a conspicuous spot where Grace will see it first thing in the morning.

I can’t wait to see the look on Grace’s face tomorrow when she sees her mailbox and the little letter inside. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Happily submitted to It’s So Very Creative, Make Your Monday, Makes My Monday, Make It For Monday, Made It Mondays, Metamorphosis Monday, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter Mondays, Made By You Mondays,  Get Your Craft On Mondays, DIY Day, Strut Your Stuff Valentines, Talented Tuesday, Toot Your Horn Tuesday, Show & Tell, Thursday’s Treasures, Transformation Thursday, Creative Craft Thursday, Craftaholics Anonymous, Show Off Your Stuff, Get Your Craft On Thursdays, and Kid Friendly Friday

We’ve done a lot of decorating this month. 2 dimensional trees, 3 dimensional trees, edible trees and inedible trees. It’s been fun.

If you have been reading a while, you probably already know where the idea for these two crafty projects came from.

If you haven’t figured it out, you’ll have to stop back tomorrow to read how we did them and where I got the idea.

Happily submitted to Wordless Wednesday, 5 minutes for Mom, The Not-So-Blog Blog, Wordful Wednesday, Go Graham Go, Mom of 3 Girls, Newlyweds!, What’s that Smell?, My Sippy Cup Runneth Over, A Daily Dose of Toni,  Moomette’s Magnificents, Life Down Our Lane, Diana Rambles, Jolly Mom, Blessings Abound Mommy, Look What Mom Found, The Shopping Mama, Run DMT, Country Girl, City Life, The Divine Miss Mommy, and MomStart

Our Jesse Tree

How We Use the Jesse Tree Each Night

As I explained in my earlier post, the Jesse tree has become part of our nightly ritual. Each evening, before dinner, Grace helps me to light the candles in our Advent Wreath. We eat, and then Grace opens her Advent box.

Grace picked this box at the craft store a few weeks ago. There were several different styles, but she wanted the one that had a family on the top. It has a Momma, a Daddy, and a baby gingerbread man.

The baby gingerbread man doesn’t have a coat, and this distresses Gracie Anna.

Each night, Santa puts the next day’s ornament and devotional into the box, along with three Dove Peppermint Bark candies.

When Grace opens her box, she distributes the candy to me and to Joe. She’s never tried to keep it all for herself, a fact I find astounding. I struggle with sharing candy even today, and my 2-year-old passes it out like no big deal.

Anyway, after Grace passes out the candy, she gives Joe the ornament (and tells him where to hang it on the tree) and gives me the notebook. I read our Bible story from either our children’s Study Bible or from my Bible (depending on whether the story is in the children’s Bible or not, and whether the story in the children’s Bible conveys the message that we want).

We say a prayer, eat our candy, and Grace blows out the candles.

Our Jesse Tree Ornaments

I made all of our Jesse tree ornaments. It’s been a job, and I’m still not finished.

Nonetheless, I am happy with my obviously homemade and slightly kitschy felt-and-glitter ornaments. Here are the ones I’ve finished so far (in no particular order):

Creation - Earth ornament

Noah and the Flood - Ark & Rainbow ornament

Joseph - The Coat of Many Colors ornament

Isaac - Ram ornament

Isaiah - Rose ornament

King David - Crown ornament

Daniel - Lion ornament

Hope - Watchtower

Rahab - Rope ornament

Ruth - Wheat ornament

Moses - 10 commandments

Abraham - Ten & Camel ornament

Sarah - Cradle ornament

Adam & Eve and the Forbidden Fruit - Serpent ornament

Jacob - Ladder ornament

Samuel - Horn of oil ornament

Jess - Tree stump ornament

Obviously, these are in various states of completion. I’ll add the rest as I get them done.

Jess Tree Resources Around the Internet

• Simple Mom’s post that started it all.
• Rocks in My Dryer used real items to make her ornaments (not felt like I did). Photos of her ornaments.
• Tired, Need Sleep has a great Jesse tree PDF that I used to create most of my ornaments.
• Almost all of the sketched Jess tree ornaments I’ve seen are based on sketches from the Reformed Church of America. Their daily Jesse tree devotionals are the best I’ve seen.
• A comprehensive explanation of the Jesse tree
• Printable ornaments and devotions

Happily submitted to Do It Yourself Day, Tackle It Tuesday, and Works for Me Wednesday

She likes to cut. She especially likes to cut with her special scissors (that really aren’t special at all except that I overpaid for them at the office supply store).

Joe and Grace were home alone one day this week, and Joe gave Grace a few pieces of craft foam and her special scissors. He let her do what she wanted, and she wanted to make a person.

Who turned out to be me.

I know it’s me because Grace told me so when I got home. That you, Momma.

I’m a little thicker around the middle that I’d prefer, but I’ve got great gams. It all evens out in the end.

If I’d been home, there would have been chatting about shapes and cutting and the meaning of life. I wasn’t, so I don’t have any idea what they talked about.

Joe said he did make the legs, the nose, and the mouth for her; he let her glue them on herself.

Maybe next time we’re home alone, I’ll just give Grace the scissors and some foam and see what she comes up with.

At first, I thought it would be neat to use baby pictures of each guest at our Thanksgiving table. It seemed like a great idea – until I realized that I don’t have any photo of my husband that predates our first date in 2004.

Once I realized that a picture of Joe would have to be from the last five years, I modified my plan.

Instead of our baby pictures, I decided to use a picture of each guest holding a newborn Gracie.

I used Photoshop and my digital scrapbooking supplies to print each picture with a holiday-themed border. I printed them on plain white cardstock, cut them out, and attached a 1-inch high strip of construction paper to the back. The strip of paper was just long enough to wrap around our rolled-up napkins.

I modified the Family Fun project, but you could just as easily print out your photos and glue them to a slightly larger piece of patterned paper or cardstock. Same result.

I had intended to convert my photos to black and white before printing them, but I forgot until after they were done. I didn’t want to waste the paper printing them twice, so I left them in color.

Grace doesn’t do a lot of chores around the house, but she does set the table at dinner time. Today was no different.

I subscribe to the Positive Parenting Solutions model of parenting. It’s based on Adlerian psychology, on the idea that children must have belonging and significance in order to feel good about themselves. Contributing to the household improves both belonging (she’s doing something that benefits our family) and significance (she is doing something that is meaningful and important).

There don’t at first seem to be a lot of tasks that foster belonging and significance in a 2-year-old.

But really?

There are plenty. Putting her own toys away. Watering houseplants. Feeding the cats. Taking kitchen scraps to the basement for the worms. Helping to cook. Setting the table for dinner.

As she was setting the table, I handed her one of the napkins.

“Who’s that holding you, Gracie?”

That Pappy! She squealed, handing the napkin to my dad.

I handed her my mom’s napkin. “Who’s this?”

That baby me? She asked cautiously.

“Yep, that’s you. Who’s holding you?”

Grandma!

We went through all of the napkins, and she handed them to each of our guests.

I had expected my cutesy napkin rings to go into the trash after dinner. I thought that our guests would give me a patronizing look and say, “That’s nice.” and that would be the end of it.

No one really said anything about them, actually, but there were no patronizing looks. There were smiles. My dad carefully peeled his napkin ring off of the ring and put it into his shirt pocket. My mom and my sister saved theirs and took them home, too.

What started out as a cute project to help show Grace the people for whom we are thankful turned out to be a gift for our guests.

It was so successful that I’m already planning Christmas napkin rings.

And I might even create some cloth napkins to wrap in them.

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