Quick & Easy Gifts ~ Hand Cream

Quick and Easy Gifts seem to be the theme here lately. My hope is that you'll find something that will help inspire you for a last minute gift. I'm always looking for those. :-) Pinterest is my inspiration for quite a few of these finds.  Please tell me I'm not the only one that's completely hooked!

I found the recipe for the homemade hand cream on Patchwork Times. So thankful I did! I get seriously dry hands (and heels, gross...I know). Sometimes the skin on my fingers will split and bleed around the fingernail. Again, sorry for the detail. :-) Must be the dry air out here in West TX. Anyway, all you need is 3 ingredients! I found them all in the lotion aisle (or whatever it's called) at Walmart.

Ingredients:

16 oz baby lotion - I used Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Lotion)
8 oz Vaseline
8 oz. Vitamin E cream

The Vitamin E jars are 4 ounces each.

Put ingredients in a medium/large bowl and use electric mixer. Mix until it looks like frosting. Warn the kids to not lick the bowl. :-)

I found this hand mixer at Ace Hardware for $13. That is AWESOME. : -)

Here comes the messy part if you have containers with small openings ( I used a small funnel and a small medicine dropper to kind of poke it down into the container). Put the hand cream in containers. I bought the small hand lotion bottles (3 oz each) in the travel size section at Walmart. The white containers are the ones that the Vitamin E cream came in, with the labels removed. There was about 12 ounces left over that I put in the green container. I ran out of bottles. :-)

I tried this right after making it, and it is the best hand cream I've ever used. Not joking! My hands actually felt softer, not like the lotion was just sitting on top of my hands. It seemed to sink in. I could see the difference. Sounds like  a miracle cream, huh? Pretty sure it's not, but it's what I'll be using from now on, and I know I'd be thrilled to receive this as a gift. Do you have someone on your list that would feel the same way? It would be a great stocking stuffer, too. It smells good just the way it is, but you could use a lavender baby lotion, or add a fragrance of your own. Mix it up! Have fun!

Have a blessed day, and thanks for stopping by!

~ Jaime


Come have some fun at these fabulous parties!

Quick & Easy Gifts ~ Polymer Clay Bracelets

The possibilities are almost endless.

I found a Polymer Bracelet Tutorial over on Delighted Momma's blog, and the only word that came to mind was "brilliant". So easy, and yet it had never crossed my mind to try it! This takes us way beyond 3rd grade and making clay dishes and ashtrays for our parents. :-) This is awesome. So many choices! Chunky bracelet, thin bracelets to stack, somewhere in between. The mix of colors. The choices are kind of overwhelming. Do you know someone that loves bracelets? Know their favorite colors? Great! The hard part is done. :-) Have fun with it!

I have my clay, one of my bracelets to use for size, and one of my daughter's bracelets. She is a Princess, and must have her jewelry. : -)

First one... Light purple with black wrapped around it.

I discovered that using this pizza pan to roll out the bracelets gave me a smoother, more uniform roll.

I didn't like how the black covered most of it after rolling, so I wrapped a thin roll of the purple over it.

Twisted pink and brown together to wrap around the metallic purple. I used the excess from the pink/brown to make one of the smaller bracelets.

Here it is. : -)

Chunky bracelet. Can you tell I like a mix of colors?

Bracelets all ready to bake, at 275. I love the red/white one. There is a metallic  grey look to the white.  Very Christmasy.

All done! Baked and cooled. They all fit fine.  The photo doesn't show how vibrant the yellow is in the  yellow and tan/gold one.

My daughter's bracelets.

I'll definitely be making more of these in the next 2 weeks. : -)

I hope you'll give these a try! They are so much fun, and you can let your creative side go wild. :-)


Have a blessed day!

~ Jaime ~


Come join in the fun at these fabulous parties!

Quick & Easy Gifts ~ Bird Seed Wreath

You'll also need cooking spray. : -)

I came across this tutorial on how to make a bird seed wreath. It looked so easy, that I had to try it! We have a bird feeder on our front patio, and birds are flitting about all the time. I made 2 of these about a month ago. I sent one to my Mom:

I mailed it, and miraculously, it made it from Texas to Maine in one piece!

The second one I put up in a tree at the edge of our driveway:

For the gelatin, I use 1 package of unflavored Knox Gelatine. This is a great project for the kiddos. My daughter and I made another one this afternoon, since our birdies have already devoured the first one. :-)

Materials Needed:

4 cups bird seed
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup warm water
3 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 package gelatin
cooking spray
bundt pan

Dissolve gelatin in warm water. Mix in corn syrup and flour. It makes a nice paste. :-) Add in bird seed, mix well. Put in bundt pan, and press down, smoothing out the top. Let set for 24 hours. Turn out onto a plate or paper towel. Let set another 1-2 days. Add a ribbon or twine, and hang up for all your birdie friends!

Whisking the water, gelatin, corn syrup and flour.

Mixing in the bird seed. : -)

Bundt pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Putting the mix into the pan. : -)

Smoothing out the bird seed mix with a spatula.

I discovered that a spatula worked much easier than a spoon to smooth out the top.

Let it set for 24 hours before removing from the pan.

What it looks like after 24 hours.

One more look of what it looks like after 3 days of drying.

This would make a great gift for any bird lover, and a great gift for the kids to make and give. Hands on time is 10-15 minutes. I hope you'll give it a try!

~ Jaime ~


Please come and join in the fun at these fabulous parties!

Quick & Easy Gifts ~ Flower Bookmarks

Today's Quick & Easy gift are these flower bookmarks! I found the pattern on Rockin 4 God's blog. Cute, right? The great thing about these is that you can make them as long or as short as you need. All the ones pictured above were made by the instructions. They take 5-10 minutes to make. I think the longest part is chaining 70 to make the length of the bookmark. :-)

To make these, you need to know how to chain, single crochet, half-double crochet, double crochet and triple crochet. I am putting a few of these in my daughter's Christmas stocking. I discovered that with cotton yarn (the light pink one), it doesn't curl as much on the end. The rest are made out of worsted weight yarn (Red Heart and Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn!).

A little long for this book, but still oh so cute. :-)

My daughter's favorite book, Goodnight Moon, on the top of the pile. :-)

Have a Blessed day!

~ Jaime ~


Please come and join in the fun at these great parties!

Quick & Easy Gifts ~ Spiral Coasters

I thought I'd start doing a series of posts about Quick & Easy gifts. I find my inspiration in many places. Craft magazines, blogs, Pinterest, friends. Having a list of quick gifts to pick from is great for me, especially this time of year. We have stockings to fill, teacher's gifts to make, friends to send gifts to. How long is your list?

Today I'm posting about Spiral Coasters. I found a video on YouTube, posted by Crochet Geek, that showed how to make them. I wrote down the instructions as I watched the video.

I keep a basket of these coasters on our dining room table.

Materials Needed:

Size L crochet Hook - I find that the size made with the L hook is perfect for my small candles. I prefer a slightly larger coaster for our glasses and mugs. I found that with an N hook, I got what I was looking for.
Cotton Yarn - You'll be crocheting with 2 strands held together throughout.
Scissors/Needle for weaving in ends

Directions:

Holding 2 strands of yarn together, make a slip knot.
Chain 2.
6 Single Crochet in the first chain. [6sc]
2 Single Crochet in each Single Crochet. [12sc]
Place marker around last stitch made, so you'll know where each round begins, since you're not joining with a slip stitch at the end of each round.
2 Single Crochet in each Single Crochet. [24sc]
Single Crochet in each Single Crochet. [24sc]
Skip 1 stitch and slip stitch into the next stitch, to even out the round.
If you want to make a reverse Single Crochet edging, watch this video. It shows it better than I can explain it. :-) Basically, you're doing Single Crochet in reverse. It makes a great border.

It takes me about 10 minutes to make one of these coasters. The possibilities are almost endless, with the mix of cotton yarn out there to choose from! I know I would be thrilled if I received something like this as a gift. Anyone on your list that would feel the same??

The first 2 spiral coasters that I made.

These Christmas coasters were made with a variegated red/green/white yarn and a solid green yarn. Love how they turned out!

So many colors to choose from. :-)

So cozy! These make great candle coasters. :-)

I would love to know if you give these a try!

~ Jaime ~



Come join in the fun at these great parties!

*Yarn Along* A Finished Sweater & Scarf, Flowers & Coasters

This is my first time joining in the fun of the Yarn Along over at Small Things, and I'm excited about it! I've been inspired by my friend Serena over on Casting Pearls. Inspired enough to write a blog post after almost 3 months.  :-)

Before I share a few photos, I need to apologize... the quality of my photos are not the best. The lighting in my house at night isn't great.

I FINALLY finished a sweater for my little cousin (she turned one a few months ago) last night. Yay!

 In the upper right hand corner, there are 2 flowers that I crocheted this afternoon to go with it. Now I just need to attach them to hair clips.

Another sweater made from the same pattern.

Two nights ago I finished a Shell Stitch Scarf for my niece. I hope she likes it!

Note: If you try this pattern, I discovered that in Row 2, after you work 5 double crochet, you need to skip 2, single crochet, then skip 2 and 3 double crochet to finish off that row. :-)

Measures just over 5 feet long.

This is what I'm working on now. I am finishing up a set of 6 coasters for my cousin. The link takes you to a Crochet Geek video on YouTube. These work up quickly, about 10 minutes for me.

I am also making a basket/bowl of sorts to put them in. I just made a crochet coaster, going one round more, then did a row of single crochet in the back loop only, and now I'm just doing single crochet around in a spiral to build up the sides. :-)

This set of coasters was inspired by my cousin's favorite colors.

I am currently reading By The Light of The Moon by Dean Koontz. I never get tired of his books.

Good luck with your projects!

~ Jaime ~

Day Eight - Servant's Heart

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:5-11


I found a great article about having a servant's heart. The following passages/quotes are from that article.

"Our God is a servant God. It is difficult for us to comprehend that we are liberated by someone who became powerless, that we are being strengthened by someone who became weak, that we find new hope in someone who divested himself of all distinctions, and that we find a leader in someone who became a servant."

Jesus emptied himself. For us. He emptied himself of his deity to take upon himself his humanity. FOR US.

"To follow Christ means to relate to each other with the mind of Christ; that is, to relate to each other as Christ did to us - in servanthood and humility."

"The world in which we live - a world of efficiency and control - has no models to offer to those who want to be shepherds in the way Jesus was a shepherd. The leadership about which Jesus speaks is of a radically different kind from the leadership offered by the world. It is a leadership which is not modeled on the power games of the world, but on the servant-leader, Jesus, who came to give his life for the salvation of many."

If we are to grow in Christlikeness, we must be willing to empty ourselves, to hold nothing back. We must forget about polishing our image, saving face, or making sure that we look Christian enough. To grow in Christlikeness means to be empty of any and everything that would hinder a servant's heart.

"God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves."

If your sons are anything like Spencer, they're not full of themselves. They're not pretentious, don't know how to be jealous. Regardless of where they're at, I love this illustration at the end of the article, and think it would help in getting the point across on working towards a servant's heart.

The Suitcase:


What you need to empty out of your suitcase -

• Pride
• Selfish Ambition
• Jealousy
• Unforgiveness
• Hatred
• Temper Tantrums

(add what you need to this list...think of what would apply to your sons)

Okay, your suitcase is empty - now what?

To be filled with the Spirit of Jesus, the heart of a servant, fill your suitcase with -

• Love 
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Faithfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-control

In conclusion, What's in your suitcase??


I pray that our sons will grow with a servant's heart. That they will be filled with the fruits of the Spirit. My mind is spinning with how I can explain the suitcase analogy so Spencer will understand. I'm excited about trying to get the point across.

Pray the Servant's Heart prayers over your sons. Fight for them. Intercede on their behalf. Try finding ways to serve with your family. Take a meal to a sick neighbor, or maybe rake up leaves for an elderly neighbor. Volunteer in your community. It would also be a great way for our sons to socialize while serving.

Tomorrow we will be praying the Honor prayers.

I pray God will give you strength on your journey.

Jaime

Day Seven - Purity

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. I John 3:2-3


For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. I Thessalonians 4:7


Purity doesn't just happen, it takes planning. The heat of the moment isn't the time to plan on setting boundaries. Okay, most of our sons are probably not yet old enough to be worrying about these situations, but now is the time to prepare them. I'm no expert, and I feel like I've been thrown in the deep end of the pool some days, trying to figure out how to approach delicate subjects with Spencer. Will he understand what I'm talking about? Will it just confuse him? Will it make him more curious than he would be if I didn't bring it up? I do know that I can set an example for him, answer any questions he has, teach him to respect everyone, and try to help him figure out what "personal space" means. Each of our sons are different in their own special way, and will need to be approached in the way that works best for them.

Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4


Think about this verse in regards to purity. Let's do our best to teach our sons that not only do we need to keep ourselves pure, we need to consider how our actions affect other's struggle to stay pure. How we dress, what we say, things we watch on TV, where we go, how we treat others. Empathy for your friends, for those around you, may help one of those friends stay within the boundaries of purity that they've set for themselves.

This was a tough one for me, because, as I said before, I don't quite know how to approach Spencer on this topic. I would welcome and appreciate any thoughts and/or suggestions. We are praying the Purity prayers over our sons today. Tomorrow's prayers will be the Servant's Heart prayers.

~ Love and Blessing to all of you ~

Jaime

Day Six - Pride

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. Psalm 37:11


Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6


For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:4


When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2


Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4


A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:23


He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8


And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 


The following is from this article about instilling Humility in Children:


Do we want our children to be humble? Most of us would hesitate to answer yes, because we tend to equate humility with weakness. 


A humble person is not someone who thinks he's nothing. A humble person knows he's something, but he recognizes God as the source of his greatness. Thinking one is something without recognizing God as the source leads to arrogance. And who would want to raise arrogant children?


We want to teach our children that they are special, talented, skilled, and everything wonderful, but we also want to teach them that all these things are a gift from God.


They should take pleasure in their accomplishments, not pride. They are choosing to use the gifts that God gave them for good.


Your son could have used his physical agility and strength to be a bully in the schoolyard, but instead chose to participate and excel in sports. Your daughter's academic accomplishments means she used the brain that God gave her for something good. Both children should take great pleasure int that. They are cashing the check that God wrote and gave to them.

Humility engenders respect for others. Only the biggest among us can acknowledge the bigness in others. It's the small-minded person who puts others down. We all want our children to know and appreciate who they are, and to respect others.

A child must respect the experience, knowledge and maturity of those who are older than he is. When a child knows his place, he asks his parents, rather than tells his parents.

A final aspect of humility is the ability to admit our errors. The arrogant person can do no wrong, while the humble person admits his mistakes freely. More importantly, the humble person always keeps in mind the possibility that he could be mistaken.

TOOLS FOR INSTILLING HUMILITY IN CHILDREN

#1. Don't let parental power go to your head.

The best way to teach our children is by example. An arrogant   person can never teach humility. Since being a parent means we're in a position of authority, it's easy to slip into arrogance. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME!" is not the right way to react to a child who is not listening. Our job is to teach patiently and respectfully. The very manner in which we deal with our children's misbehavior can be one of the strongest tools for teaching humility. When we educate quietly, without yelling or insulting, we model humility.

#2. Kids should ask, not tell.

Parents must not only model behavior, they must also verbally teach it. When a child raises his voice to  a parent, he must be corrected.

#3. Don't tolerate disrespectful speech.

The young child who is rude and disrespectful will grow into an even ruder teen who may actually swear and curse his parents. These behaviors don't arrive suddenly with puberty. They develop many years earlier from unchecked arrogance.

When teaching a child to speak with greater humility and respect, be patient! It can take many years for children to really integrate these speech patterns into their automatic behaviors. Consistency on the part of parents greatly speeds up the process, as does concurrent modeling, generous praise and an overall positive relationship. Humility will become a way of life and the respect that flows from humility a matter of course.


Wow. Pardon me while I humble myself before all of you and say that I saw myself as the parent yelling to get the attention of one of my children. Anyone care to raise their hand and join me?? Sometimes, and the end of the day, I'm tired, I'm frustrated, I wonder if I'll ever get a full nights sleep and feel rested the next morning ever again, I feel like I need 2 more of me to get everything done, patience left out the back door several hours ago, and I can't seem to find the kind, gentle voice of reason. I yell to be heard, and yet I'm still ignored.  That is usually with my 4 yr old daughter, not with Spencer, but still, Yikes. This whole parenting thing is HARD. The more I read, and write on each topic we're covering, the more I see just how inadequate I really am. I am responsible for molding my children into young people that love God. I don't feel qualified for the position.

I worry about Spencer. When reading about bullys and teaching our children about respect and not looking down on others, I see him on the opposite side of it. I see him as an easy target for bullys, to be made fun of. He hasn't figured out what "personal space" means yet. He tries so hard to make friends, to be social. I want other kids to look beyond the jumping up and down, flapping of his arms, the stimming. When he's on sensory overload, and can't handle anything else. I can only pray that any potential bullys will be empathetic and respectful instead. I can love him just as he is, while trying my best every day to help him. Speaking of sensory overload, I highly recommend watching  this video. I saw it for the first time about 6 months ago, and it changed my perspective drastically. It helped me understand more of what Spencer deals with when we go out in public.

In the midst of the day-to-day chaos, let's stop to pray for our sons. Let's pray for patience for ourselves, that we can be the example of humility that they need in their lives. Let's teach our sons to delight in their accomplishments, but not use those accomplishments to make others feel less than. Each and every one of us has gifts that God has given us. We need only to use them. It's not an easy journey, but it is a rewarding one. We've been given precious gifts, our sons, entrusted to us for a reason. God knew that through the good times and the bad, that we could handle it, no matter what. Let's pray that instead of having proud and arrogant sons, that we'll have humble and respectful ones. We need to lead by example, and we need to lean heavily on God to help us provide the example.

Pray the pride prayers for, and over, your sons. I'm asking God to give me the strength I need when patience seems low. I pray the same for each of you.

Tomorrow's topic is Purity. I pray your journey is going well. It's an eye-opener for me.

Blessings to you!

Jaime

Day Six - Pride

But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. Psalm 37:11


Though the Lord is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6


For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:4


When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2


Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4


A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:23


He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8


And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 


The following is from this article about instilling Humility in Children:


Do we want our children to be humble? Most of us would hesitate to answer yes, because we tend to equate humility with weakness. 


A humble person is not someone who thinks he's nothing. A humble person knows he's something, but he recognizes God as the source of his greatness. Thinking one is something without recognizing God as the source leads to arrogance. And who would want to raise arrogant children?


We want to teach our children that they are special, talented, skilled, and everything wonderful, but we also want to teach them that all these things are a gift from God.


They should take pleasure in their accomplishments, not pride. They are choosing to use the gifts that God gave them for good.


Your son could have used his physical agility and strength to be a bully in the schoolyard, but instead chose to participate and excel in sports. Your daughter's academic accomplishments means she used the brain that God gave her for something good. Both children should take great pleasure int that. They are cashing the check that God wrote and gave to them.

Humility engenders respect for others. Only the biggest among us can acknowledge the bigness in others. It's the small-minded person who puts others down. We all want our children to know and appreciate who they are, and to respect others.

A child must respect the experience, knowledge and maturity of those who are older than he is. When a child knows his place, he asks his parents, rather than tells his parents.

A final aspect of humility is the ability to admit our errors. The arrogant person can do no wrong, while the humble person admits his mistakes freely. More importantly, the humble person always keeps in mind the possibility that he could be mistaken.

TOOLS FOR INSTILLING HUMILITY IN CHILDREN

#1. Don't let parental power go to your head.

The best way to teach our children is by example. An arrogant   person can never teach humility. Since being a parent means we're in a position of authority, it's easy to slip into arrogance. "HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY ME!" is not the right way to react to a child who is not listening. Our job is to teach patiently and respectfully. The very manner in which we deal with our children's misbehavior can be one of the strongest tools for teaching humility. When we educate quietly, without yelling or insulting, we model humility.

#2. Kids should ask, not tell.

Parents must not only model behavior, they must also verbally teach it. When a child raises his voice to  a parent, he must be corrected.

#3. Don't tolerate disrespectful speech.

The young child who is rude and disrespectful will grow into an even ruder teen who may actually swear and curse his parents. These behaviors don't arrive suddenly with puberty. They develop many years earlier from unchecked arrogance.

When teaching a child to speak with greater humility and respect, be patient! It can take many years for children to really integrate these speech patterns into their automatic behaviors. Consistency on the part of parents greatly speeds up the process, as does concurrent modeling, generous praise and an overall positive relationship. Humility will become a way of life and the respect that flows from humility a matter of course.


Wow. Pardon me while I humble myself before all of you and say that I saw myself as the parent yelling to get the attention of one of my children. Anyone care to raise their hand and join me?? Sometimes, and the end of the day, I'm tired, I'm frustrated, I wonder if I'll ever get a full nights sleep and feel rested the next morning ever again, I feel like I need 2 more of me to get everything done, patience left out the back door several hours ago, and I can't seem to find the kind, gentle voice of reason. I yell to be heard, and yet I'm still ignored.  That is usually with my 4 yr old daughter, not with Spencer, but still, Yikes. This whole parenting thing is HARD. The more I read, and write on each topic we're covering, the more I see just how inadequate I really am. I am responsible for molding my children into young people that love God. I don't feel qualified for the position.

stimming. When he's on sensory overload, and can't handle anything else. Speaking of sensory overload, I highly recommend watching  this video. I saw it for the first time about 6 months ago, and it changed my perspective drastically. It helped me understand more of what Spencer deals with when we go out in public.

In the midst of the day-to-day chaos, let's stop to pray for our sons. Let's pray for patience for ourselves, that we can be the example of humility that they need in their lives. Let's teach our sons to delight in their accomplishments, but not use those accomplishments to make others feel less than. Each and every one of us has gifts that God has given us. We need only to use them. It's not an easy journey, but it is a rewarding one. We've been given precious gifts, our sons, entrusted to us for a reason. God knew that through the good times and the bad, that we could handle it, no matter what. Let's pray that instead of having proud and arrogant sons, that we'll have humble and respectful ones. We need to lead by example, and we need to lean heavily on God to help us provide the example.

Pray the pride prayers for, and over, your sons. I'm asking God to give me the strength I need when patience seems low. I pray the same for each of you.

Tomorrow's topic is Purity. I pray your journey is going well. It's an eye-opener for me.

Blessings to you!

Jaime

Day Five - Avoiding Foolishness

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27


I found a sermon that sums it up well. Most of us have heard all that Jesus had to say. How many of us really put it into practice? Do we think, oh that sounds nice and lovely, and leave it at that? Or do we really apply His message to our lives? When hard times come, when we are hit with a diagnosis that rocks our foundation, when a storm hits that we didn't anticipate, are we overwhelmed, find it hard to function, feel helpless and hopeless, or do we rely on our ROCK. Do we immediately run to Jesus? Do we cry out to him? Do we find a peace that passes all understanding in the arms of our Lord? The storms of life will blow. The rains will come and the streams will rise. Are we going to be like the foolish builder, or are we going to be like the wise builder that had a strong, firm foundation?

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. Psalms 14:1


The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10


The foolish man says there is no God. The wise man fears and obeys God. When you don't believe there is a God, it makes it easy to justify acts of disobedience. Foolish choices bring unpleasant consequences. The wise man has security in loving God and all the power of heaven on his side. (taken from the leader book)

It may not always be easy, but in the way you know best to communicate with your sons, show them the difference between foolish and wise. When Spencer is disobedient, I do my best to explain to him WHY it was wrong, and what he needs to do to change the behavior. Does it always work? No, but I can't stop trying. I know he understands most of what I say. Our son's hearts are at stake. We need to fight, to pray, every day. We need to do what we can to help them understand that foolishness always brings negative consequences, sooner or later.

How is everyone doing with the 21 days? I know it was probably hard to keep up daily with the start of school for some of you. I know I haven't been on time everyday with my posts. I feel like my kids have been starved for my attention lately. I work full-time, and when I get home there is another whole days worth of work waiting for me. :-) Thank you for being patient with me! I am praying for y'all daily, that God will give you the strength needed each day. I have extended the link up until Wednesday night, in the hopes that a few more may share their journey with us.

Pray the Avoiding Foolishness prayers over your sons. I hope you're reading the book and considering the study questions.

Blessings To You!

Jaime

Link Up For 21 Days of Prayers For Sons

I thought it would be a good idea to have a link-up for any of us that would like to share a blog post about our journey through the 21 days. The ups and downs. Give us a chance to laugh and cry with you. To get a glimpse into what you're going through. I hope you'll join us!

Day Four - Integrity

Integrity. So much in that word. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. Standing up for the lesser than. Admitting when you're wrong. Holding strong to your beliefs.

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. Proverbs 10:9


The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3


The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful. Proverbs 12:22


The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him. Proverbs 20:7


To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3


For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the yes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. II Corinthians 8:21


Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. Hebrews 13:18


These verses don't come close to covering all the verses in the Bible that talk about integrity. Having a clear conscience. Honor. Doing what is right and just. Being truthful.

We are responsible for our sons. We want to teach them to be little men filled with integrity, with the hopes that they will grow into men with integrity. Honest men. Faithful and truthful men. Honorable men. Men that will treat people right, will respect women, and everyone else around them. Men that will do the right thing, even when it's hard. Men that won't cave to popular opinion. How can we do that? It starts with us.

We need to look at ourselves. I find that that isn't always easy. It isn't always pretty. Am I filled with integrity? Do I always do the right thing. Am I always respectful? Sadly, the answer is no. Sometimes, especially in moments of tiredness and frustration, I say something I shouldn't. I raise my voice, and say some not so nice things to others or about others. Yuck. Looking at myself and my heart is not something I care to do, but i HAVE TO. I have to examine my own heart and actions, and correct them, so that I can set the example for my son. I don't always know what he is thinking, but I know he watches and listens to what I say and do. If it's okay for mama to say not so nice things, it's okay for him, right? Ummmmm.... reality check for mama. I have little eyes watching me. Little ears listening. What kind of an example am I setting? It needs to be one of integrity. I need to be honest in my actions. I need to have a clear conscience when I do something. I need to stay true to my beliefs. I need to take personal responsibility for my actions. We live in a society where nothing is ever your fault. You did something bad? Blame it on your parents, or your upbringing, or your teachers, the government, or almost anything else besides your self? What ever happened to taking responsibility for your actions? It starts at home.

I found a great article on Raising Kids of Strong Character and I want to share a few lines from that article:

"Be the example. Children learn their character traits best by watching others. Who better to watch than their father? Fathers are the role models in the household and they need to act that way. If you're doing shady business deals, cheating on your taxes or not practicing what you're preaching, your children will see that and pick it up as one of their traits as well. Even everyday things like running red lights when nobody is around, leaving a small tip for your waitress or taking the extra change that the cashier at the grocery store gives you shows a lack of integrity, too. Although these might seem like trivial things to you, they can still have a huge impact on an observant child. If you're going to act without integrity, don't let your children see it. The best thing to do is just act with integrity all the time - even when they're not watching."


This, of course, applies to mothers as well. Let's not try to "get away with it" when no one is watching. That's not integrity. That brings to mind that mentality of "I'm only sorry because I got caught". It takes daily practice to learn a trait. Let's do that! We need to be at battle for our sons, and that means we need to be at the forefront, leading the way, by example. 


"Keep your promises. A child's memory is unbelievable. They might not remember to eat their vegetables in the cafeteria at school, but they'll remember two weeks ago when you said you'd take them to the baseball game. If you break that promise, they're going to remember it for years (and maybe even a lifetime). Keeping your word is part of showing integrity, so be sure to follow through with your promises at all costs. If it's just impossible to keep your promise, discuss the situation with your child and see if they'll let you "off the hook." But make sure this is more of the exception rather than the rule when you say you'll do something."


Ahhhh, the promise. It seems like promises are so easily made and broken, without a thought. Let's not do that. If we say we'll do something, let's do it.


A quote from Brooke:


"Did you know that we can't give our sons something we don't have? Look back over the last week or month of your life. One of the BEST things we can do for our sons is to admit when we've sinned and ask them to forgive us for it. Show your sons the power of humility and use every opportunity; even your failures, to teach them to walk in the truth. What a wonderful God we serve, who allows even our sin to draw our sons closer to Him!"





Let's do our best today to walk with integrity, to be a shining example to our sons, to our families. Pray the integrity prayers over your sons. Be intercessors for them. 


Tomorrow is Day 5 - Avoiding Foolishness. I look forward to hearing from y'all, and I pray you have a wonderful, blessed day!


Jaime