Saturday, October 27, 2012

testing, testing, testing

Just wanted to share a picture of a baby ballet slipper crochet pattern that I tested for Hui Lan.  I had tested a previous baby pattern for her (shell booties) and loved that pattern so I was excited to get to test these as well.

The pattern was really easy and will be available in preemie - 9 months once testing is finished.


Aren't they adorable?!?  I love them!  Hui Lan plans to list them in her Etsy shop shortly/

Until next time,

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Truth is in the Tinsel

I know, Halloween isn't even here yet and the Christmas stuff is already starting to come out.  First the OCC shoeboxes, I am seeing Christmas trees already on display at stores, and now I am talking about an advent program.  It seems to come earlier and earlier every year!

One good thing about early Christmas sales is that it makes it easier and less stressful for me to get prepared.    A few years ago we began using a Jesse Tree in our family rather than the typical advent type activities.  I bought the book and the first year we colored paper ornaments.  The second year I tried to make them out of polymer clay.  Let me just say that my polymer clay talents need some work.  This year I am carrying a list with me of the ornaments I need so that when I am out and about and see one I need I can grab it.  I love the idea of a Jesse Tree and it is a great tool to help remind my kids what Christmas is truly about.  But I often wonder if my youngest "gets" it.



Last year we stumbled upon a program called The Truth in the Tinsel, created by Amanda White of Impress Your Kids and Oh, Amanda.  She too wondered if her kids were "getting" it, and decided to create this awesome advent program.  Every day you and your child can read a scripture, talk about the story and then create a craft to hang on your own advent tree as a reminder, and it all points to Jesus.

Each day consists of 5 parts, the clue (a printable picture and word clue to hint about the topic of the day), the Scripture, the Talk, the Ornament, and more (additional scriptures, songs to listen to, DVD's to watch etc).  The book includes a supply list at the beginning so you can be sure you have what you need for the entire month, and if you have a preschooler in the house you probably already have most of the items on hand!  Amanda even goes a step further and also breaks it down into a daily supply list so if you don't want to buy it all at once, you know what you need for each day.  And if your schedule is hectic, don't freak out.  Amanda includes alternate schedules so you can do a weekly advent, one which focuses on the highlights etc.

To top it off she has created a Facebook community so you can join up with other parents and see what they are doing to teach the message of Jesus.  The awesome thing is that you can see some of the crafts there as well.  Even if you aren't a crafty momma, these are EASY PEASY to do with your child.  I can tell you that after going through the advent with my then 3 year old, she really was focused on what Christmas was about and who was the main person of the season, and let me tell you that isn't Santa Claus!

You can get your own copy of The Truth in the Tinsel today.  Amanda is offering it as a PDF download that you can read on your computer or you can read it on your e-reader of choice.  Well worth the small fee!  Click here to find out more and to order.

Until next time,

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

We Choose Virtues

Have you noticed that button over there on the right that says "My Family Chooses Virtues"?  Have you checked it out?  Well, today I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about it.

We Choose Virtues is a program created by Heather McMillan, wife, mother, preschool teacher and children's pastor.  It was born from a desire to help children reach their potential through learning good character and how to display it themselves.  She wanted them to change from little caterpillars to become the beautiful butterflies God created them to be!  She uses the virtues in this program with her own children, in her own classroom and in her church classrooms, and she shares them with us as well.

So what is it?  This is a program with 12 simple, easy to remember virtues that translates into all areas of life. These virtues are: I am Diligent, I am Kind, I am Helpful, I am Obedient, I am Forgiving, I am Perseverant, I am Gentle, I am Patient, I am Self-Controlled, I am Content, I am Honest, and I am Attentive. 

 Notice that these are positive statements, they convey what the child or student IS.  I love that this program focuses on that!  But it is realistic, we aren't always living out the positive virtue, so the program takes it a step further and gives us an I am NOT statement for every I am statement.  And for those of you who want them, each virtue also has a Bible verse in either NIVr or KJV.  LOVE IT!!

So what can you expect from We Choose Virtues?  Depends on what you are looking for.  You can start small with just the parenting cards, which include every virtue, a cute story to help your child remember the virtue character, the I am statement, the I am not statement, some teaching ideas and much more.  With these alone you can see your child grow.


But they go so much farther than just parenting cards, the Teacher's Handbook is a must have!  This 54 page manual includes 4 simple steps to teach the virtues using up to 9 of the tools offered on the website.  Don't think you're a teacher since you don't homeschool?  Think again!  You are going to love this handbook.  Full of suggestions of ways to incorporate these virtues and teaching tools into your life without overwhelming your child.  It is included with many of the kits, but can be purchased as a stand alone item as well.

So how did this work for us?  My 4 year old is already looking at me and saying things like, "I'm gonna wait and wait and wait with a smile on my face like Piggybank Frank does," (the character for patience) which is HUGE for her.  We have the Virtue Poster  on the wall in our dining room and she has begun to teach her 12 and 14 year old siblings all about the Virtueville kids, and that is all after little more than a week!  It doesn't take much to see this kind of positive character development either.

We spend about 5-10 minutes over breakfast talking about the virtue of the week.  I introduce the concept on Monday, we talk about ways or situations in which we can demonstrate that virtue and that's it for direct instruction.  The rest of the week I look for "butterfly moments" when she is demonstrating the positive virtue and congratulate her for doing well.  When we have "caterpillar moments" when she is acting more like the not statement we talk about it, repeat our I am statement, she asks for forgiveness and gets it and we go on.

You really can't go wrong with this program!  In all honesty I plan to use this both in my family and in my classroom when I finish my degree.  Sound like something you might be interested in?  Today is your lucky day!  You have a chance to win your very own set of the virtue flashcards valued at up to $14.99!


Don't want to wait or already know you want more than just the flashcards?  We have a special gift for you too!

This month you can take 20% off the purchase of any card set using the code "CARD20"
or you can get 15% off your entire purchase using the code "VIRTUE15"
and all of the KJV editions are being offered at a special low introductory price.
We Choose Virtues even offers their Youth Character assessment, their Family Character assessment, as well as Bible verses for every age to help build virtue in your family absolutely FREE

What are you waiting for?  Enter below and/or visit We Choose Virtues now!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Until next time,

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

GTA projects

Just wanted to share a few projects that recently came off of my hooks for God's Tiny Angels.  With Christmas coming up I am switching gears and crafting more for Operation Christmas Child and for gift giving.  Yesterday I made four of the crowns I talked about here to include in shoeboxes.

First up is the Sweet and Lo sweater designed by Ashley Tisdale.
I worked this by holding two strands of WW yarn together.  To be honest, I didn't really like the way this turned out.  It feels to big and bulky to be a 0-3 months size.  I like the design but would have preferred more stitches and less bulk.

Next was the Looks Like Knit Crocheted, Shaped Baby Hat which you may remember from my crafting for Lent series this year.  This is a quick and easy pattern to whip up that always turns out adorable!
It is worked side to side and then seamed but you shape it as you go.

Next was another sweater, and this one can be found on the GTA website or on Ravelry here.  It's called the Hugs Baby Sweater for Boys.
This was also worked using the Pound of Love yarn from Lion Brand.  While the pattern says this is for a boy, it seems kind of girly to me.  It also came out rather larger than I expected.  I might go down a hook size or use a lighter weight yarn next time.  I love the pattern though!

And finally I made the Simple Simon hat designed by Elizabeth Cote.
This pattern include a "tail" design for both a boy and a girl.  Really quick to knit and rather mindless to make so it is great to make while sitting in front of the TV.  There is also a link in the pattern to make a cute little leaf to attach to it.

Not only was I able to make these items from the Pound of Love, but I also made another Simple Simon hat and a baby blanket.  Unfortunately I didn't get pictures before I wrapped them up for a baby shower.  :o(  

Until next time,

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Do you OCC?

I realize that the leaves are just starting to turn, just a few weeks ago it was still summer.  While the stores may be stocking Christmas decorations alongside the scarecrows and witches, you probably haven't even begun to think about your gift list.  But there is one gift you need to start thinking about now....a shoebox.

If you have never heard of Operation Christmas Child, stick with me a minute and let me fill you in.  OCC is a division of Samaritan's Purse, "a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world".  Samaritan's Purse has been on this mission for over 40 years and consistently receives a 4 star rating from Charity Navigator (the highest ranking).  One of their programs is Operation Christmas Child, which began in 1993.  OCC's purpose is to provide children with a shoebox packed full of gifts as a reminder that there is a God who loves them and who sent His best gift, Jesus, to be their Savior.  In each box you pack, Samaritan's Purse adds a Gospel storybook in the child's own language telling them about the real gift of Christmas.  In addition, every child who recieves a box is invited to attend a 12 week discipleship, program free of charge, offered by local churches.  When they complete the program, each child also recieves copy of the New Testament.  What a great way to bring God's Word to the world, but don't take my word for it.  Watch the video below.



So my question to you is, are you packing a shoebox this year?  It's really easy!  Grab a shoebox (or a plastic box of equivalent size) and add toys (no war toys please!), hygiene items (please wrap soap in a plastic bag), hard candy and gum.  Avoid liquids, anything that could melt (chocolates for example) and glass.  Visit Samaritan's purse for information about how to donate money to assist in shipping costs and to find out where you can drop off you box.  If you chose to donate online you can even find out where your shoebox goes! 

Until the week of November 11th I will be posting ideas of items you can make to include in your shoebox.  This week is an adorable little princess crown you can crochet.  I made one for my princess to wear on her birthday.
 
The pattern is called Sweet Little Tiara, designed by Sarah Cooper.  You can download her pattern for free here.  All you need is a crochet hook, size 3 thread (or two strands of size 10 held together) and a headband.  I made this one in less than an hour!

Until next time,

Monday, October 1, 2012

Taming the Tongue Bible Study

For those of you who are interested (or at least still hanging around despite the fact I haven't posted here is some time!) I am doing a 30 day devotional series based upon Deborah Pegues book 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue over on my Wings blog.  Sure would love for you to check it out!

Until next time,