Happy Mother’s Day to all of you mamas out there! I hope you feel blessed and loved today. I am thankful today and every day for my precious babies and am grateful for the gift they are in my life. I do not take the challenge and responsibility of motherhood lightly. The role of mother to these darling babes has been the greatest challenge and reward of my life. Being at home with them full time is not something I ever thought I would want, but I can’t imagine life any other way. I’m thankful for and content in this place of joy, messes, frustration, and play, where the Lord has me right now. To each of you who are mothering a child through birth, adoption, foster care, or circumstance, thank you for the important role you play. I cannot imagine what my life would’ve been like without the love and care of my precious mother, my grandmothers, and the many women who stepped in to mentor me when I needed it.
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Simple Ways to Bring Jesus in to Your Child’s Daily Routine
One of the most important roles we play as parents is as the spiritual guide for our children. We’ve found a few simple ways to bring our faith in Jesus in to our children’s lives that I’m sharing with y’all today. We are far from having it all figured out and are still learning so much about every aspect of parenting. For our children to know Jesus at a young age and grow up with a strong faith is our constant prayer and highest goal. If you are of a similar mindset, here are a few simple ways to bring Jesus in to your child’s daily routine.
Best of Bare Feet on the Dashboard – Crafty Edition
It’s my 3 year blogging anniversary this week, and I’m celebrating by bringing you my favorite and most popular posts from the past 3 years. I’m kicking off the party with my favorite crafty posts. I started blogging to have a creative outlet, and creating fun stuff is a huge part of that. I’d love for y’all to check out my old projects and feel free to pin away if you like what you see.
Frugal Friday: The Dollar Store – Deal or No Deal?
Burlap and Pinwheels – A Summer Wreath
Getting the pinwheels to stick in the wreath was far more difficult than I thought it would be. I thought the stakes would poke through and make the pinwheels stand up. Nope. They broke off instead. I weaved each stake through the grass a little bit and then used straight pins to secure the stakes onto the back of the wreath. Because the wreath is on our front door and gets opened and shut a lot, I’ve had to readjust the pinwheels several times. I’m ok with that. I love the whimsical look of this wreath and the fact that it cost only $1 to switch to a summer version.
Tuesday: Raising 4 Princesses, The Kurtz Corner, Hope Studios, Today’s Creative Blog, Coastal Charm, and New Nostalgia
Wednesday: The Trendy Treehouse, Polka Dots on Parade, Lil Luna, and The Thrifty Home
Thursday: Somewhat Simple, Tales from Bloggeritaville, The Shabby Creek Cottage, and House of Hepworths
Friday: Sugar and Spice, Kojo Designs, and The Shabby Nest
Weekends: Tatertots and Jello, Serenity Now, and Candace Creations
Spring?
Look at this big, almost 9 month old boy! He is standing and cruising around the edges of furniture like a champ. Neighbors of friends of ours gave us these Little Tikes playsets, and I know we are going to be playing like crazy all spring and summer. Don’t you just love hand-me-downs?
Verse of the Week – Luke 19:35-41
They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
”Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”
“I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.
Luke 19: 35-41
Today is Palm Sunday, when Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I’ve been doing a Lenten study for the past few weeks, and I have learned so much about the last weeks that Jesus walked on this earth. Before this study, I don’t think I’d ever noticed verse 41. Jesus rides in to the city on a donkey so that He could fulfill the prophecy from Zechariah 9:9. The crowd is celebrating Him, acknowledging that He is the Messiah. They wave palm branches, a national sign of freedom, and lay their cloaks under His feet. The Pharisees try to shut up the crowd, worried that the Roman soldiers will come and regulate on the crowd. All the while Jesus is riding on a young donkey, mourning on the inside for a city and a people that He loves. He alone knows that He is riding to His death. He alone knows that the cheers will quickly turn from praise to condemnation. Imagine His thoughts as He rode through the cheering crowd. The Son of God was so overcome with emotion that He shed tears for the lost. Thank you, Jesus, for taking my sin so that I could live in freedom.
the best icing ever – this recipe will change your life
last year we discovered the best homemade icing recipe ever. if you like good things in your life, make this now and ice some cupcakes to share with friends. they will feel very loved. unless they are diabetic, like my father-in-law. i just tried to get him to eat one and he thought i was trying to kill him. oops. it was still a great easter.
here is the recipe:
8 oz cream cheese (the real stuff)
4 oz butter (also the real stuff)
3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar – sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
cream the butter, cheese, and salt in a stand mixer (you can use a hand mixer) until light and fluffy. gradually add the sugar until incorporated. then add the vanilla. and done. ice those cupcakes or brownies or that cake. in this instance i used strawberry cupcakes, but it is great with chocolate or anything, really. try not to lick your fingers. you won’t be able to stop yourself. enjoy.
a little frugal spring redecorating…
spring is finally, officially, here. it was time for a little redecorating in my living room to bring in some spring time flair. my local grocery store had beautiful bunches of flowers on sale for $4.99. they had my favorites- stargazer lilies, and i couldn’t pass them up. for a vase i used one of my meme’s old mason jars. tie a piece of raffia around the neck and it becomes a vase. i used a fun effect on the pics on picnik.com – called ortonish. i love how it makes them all soft and glowy. if only i could get this effect on my face in real life…
here is another mason jar vase, a smaller version. we use them as drinking glasses at our house. this $2 bouquet of faux daffodils and a little ribbon leftover from our wedding make it festive. you can’t go wrong by adding a few cheap plastic easter eggs. i played around with 2 other effects from picnik, special focus and reala400.