Candle Letter Art

I recently redecorated the boys' bathroom and I'm still working on a few things in there. One thing I wanted to do is have each of their initials on a shelf that holds their wash cloths. I came across some cute candles that went perfectly and I thought I would just put letter stickers on each one. Well, apparently stickers don't stick to wax... so I needed another solution. I looked for letter decorations for candles, but couldn't find any. But while searching for a solution online, I came across this idea:

First, you find a font you like and print out the letters you want on the candles, then cut around them:

Next, place them on the candle and secure them with a few pins:

Go around the edges of each letter with a pin and when you've finished, remove the pins and the paper. You will see the outline of the letter etched into the candle:

Select the color of your pins and cut them so they're not so long (I probably cut about 2/3 of each pin off)

Push the pins in along the pattern of the letter etched in the candle.

Finished product! Not super happy with the C so I may try to fix that one later (that's one thing I really like about this idea... it's forgiving - if you mess up you can just reposition the pins... and there's always the other side of the candle!)

Strawberry pickin' and jammin'

We went on a field trip to a strawberry farm on Tuesday with our CC group (and just a shout out to my CC family for rescuing me that morning!). It started a little rough, but Connor and Dylan ended up having a wonderful time picking (thank you, Rachel!) and even Sam was very happy (thank you, Chele!). We ended up with a lot of strawberries... and they were so tasty... so we ended up making freezer jam with them.  Here are a few pics:

The strawberry field (part of it anyway):

Connor picking strawberries:

Dylan picking strawberries:

Connor and Dylan crushing the strawberries

Crushed strawberries (after this we added the hot sugar/pectin/water mixture):

Strawberry jam:

Now praying we did it right!

Our little garden

The past couple of years we have grown a few veggies in earth boxes, but we decided to expand just a little and build a couple of raised beds. We started our vegetable plants from seeds this year (we usually just buy plants that are already started) so we're hoping they're successful. We wanted Connor and Dylan to be involved in the whole process so they could see how we get big, beautiful (hopefully) vegetables from tiny seeds and how grand God's design is! They helped us plant the seeds in pellets and we prayed over them. Then they helped us prepare the soil in the beds (and ofcourse their favorite part was worm hunting!). And, then they helped us plant and fertilize the vegetable plants. When the vegetables grow they will help us pick them, store them, and cook them. It's so amazing to see them learn so much!

Here are some pictures from our little garden adventure so far:

 Worm hunting!

 Found some!!

Planting

And fertilizing.

And digging.

Sam chilled.

And ate grass.

And cooed.

And melted my heart!

When Dylan got bored with gardening, he chilled with Sam.

And jumped on the trampoline.

I had to get my hands in the dirt, too.

And done! 

(Molly the dog worked hard, too, apparently)

Somebody Needs to Bring Me a Lemon!

Well, I have not been the most patient person today... and my children have definitely been trying it (1 in particular - I won't name names, but his name rhymes with chillin').  Anyway, we have all of the fruits of the spirit represented on a different piece of fruit:

• Love - a strawberry (fruit of love - think chocolate covered strawberries)
• Joy - a pineapple (they have a happy smell)
• Self-control - an apple (think Garden of Eden)
• Peace - a "piece" of watermelon (play on words)
• Goodness - a banana (because they are just so yummy!)
• Kindness - grapes (because you can share them)
• Faith - cherries (not really sure why cherries on this one) :)
• Gentleness - a peach (they bruise easily)
• Patience - a lemon (you have to eat it slowly)

So, we have all of the fruit on the fridge with magnets and when one of us needs to be better about demonstrating a certain fruit, someone in the family may bring them the appropriate piece of fruit as a reminder.

Today, I need somebody to bring me a lemon! I recognize that its something I have not been demonstrating very well today and I'm praying that God will provide the patience I need. Some days with 3 littles are very difficult, but I am so very thankful for every moment with them.  Even the hard days are blessings because they are learning experiences and it is on those days that I cling to my Father and draw closer to Him.