Fall Collection 2010

Gorgeous fall colored flowers are in..

Kindergartner Alert :Tyler

It is hard to believe my baby is now a kindergartner at Twelve Bridges Elementary. He has a wonderful and experienced teacher and is having fun in kindergarten. He talks about his new friends Nolan, Wyatt and Bralynn and I love working in his class on Mondays and doing the art docent 2 times a month. Here he is on his first day of school:

Mr Carter

Cruising along in 3rd grade, making new friends and enjoying his new school. Although he says he doesn't like the wasps! me neither.

Junior High a whole new world!

Brandon started this year at Twelve bridges Junior high or middle school, whatever you want to call it and it is 6th - 8th grade. He is loving the excitement of the lunchroom, transfering between classes and meeting new kids. Mommy admittedly is praying a lot for just the right friends to be met and "good" choices to be made. i love seeing my strong boy thrive in his new environment and how he is growing. the new hair style (wanna be Justin Beber flip) is pretty cute and the start of his tween years. WOW!

My 3 Sons

Well it is a new year and Fall is here. i love how my precious boys are growing, here is there first day of school picture.

Custom school flowers--Blue and Gray --show your school spirit!

We love to make school colored flowers for your girls to show their school spirit on spirit day!

Lamb

The Ocean

The Vine

The Fence Be Still and know that I am God.

After school Car "snack bag"..no more "grumps"

It has been i huge help having an after school "bag of snacks" for my boys LOW blood suger GRUMPS... so i just pack a bag of dry snacks or fruit and they look forward to it instead of picking on eachother on the ride home from school..thanks Susan for your suggestion!

Chick with a stick..I love crocheting!!!!!!

Thanks to my sweet friend Trish, I have learned this new and wonderful relaxing hobby of crocheting. Anytime I have "wait time" for kid's school or sports events, dentist appointments, etc... I just grab my stick and yarn and get crocheting... I love love love it! It is the hobby for those who hate to "WAIT" and do nothing--that's me! The flowers for hair pretties or hair bands or button covers and purse embellishments are my favs but soon were are going to start a felted evening mini purse--can't wait!

Kids and chores...many hands lightens the LOAD!

I am a big supporter of raising up "boys who will be good hubbies" and one important area is helping around the house and if that is just a "normal" thing my boys are doing then when they are married it will be second nature. If everyone does their part the fact is moms are less exhausted, frustrated, overworked and actually have MORE time to sit and play games and have fun with the family! If mom is just running around like a "chicken with their head cut off" and does EVERYTHING for everyone, this is a disservice to your kids and their growth... I like to call them "martyer moms" doing everything and not accepting or asking for help and the results are they never have any time to what the kids really want from them....which is more of mom, their time and attention... so do your future daughter-in-laws a favor and raise up men that are good helpers, team players and men that contribute to the home. I am working on a chore chart to take the "nag" out of chores...coming soon.

Grocery bill game...how low can you go?

Well in my attempts to lower my monthly grocery bill.. i have a new strategy; it starts with chekcing out what you already have in the house pantry / freezer and then planning meals for 1 week from that.. get creative, stretch what you have in the pantry or leftovers. I started shopping at WinCo--super cheap but you have to be careful with the meats so I usually get most beef from Costco or Trader Joes! Although, my buddy Chiara shared the filet migon tip- they have a long filet roasts for about $15 and you can cut it into individual portions and probably get 2-3 meals worth. Anyways, back to the Getting your grocery bill down TIP that worked: I used my large Costco shopping bag and shopped filling only it with this weeks food and surprisely it was only $83 for the bag!! WOOOHOOOOO!! My goal was less than $150 a week..does this mean I can go buy those boots I want??

Spiritual disciplines of a Bible believing Christian

I am working on "back to the basics" for our small group and what are the typical disciplines of a Christian that is growing and serving God, this is what I found:
Prayer/Fasting- time to pray (ACTS- Adoration- praising God for who he is, Confession-ask for forgivness of your sins, Thanksgiving, Supplication- praying for others & yourself)and listen to God/ just being still & fasting to draw closer to God in that process

Spiritual Growth and Bible study- reading and understanding and even memorizing God's word (keep it in your heart)

Fellowship with other Believers in church and small groups

Tithing/Giving to further God's kingdom and ministries that support this

Serving-using your God given gifts to serve at church or in ministry or in the community

Newbie Blogger

Well here I am my very 1st blog...it is just so exciting I can't stand it! We are going on day 4 of rain and wind, no wonder I am blogging..cabin fever for sure! I am excited to share recipes, art, my heart, God, spread sheets, poems, mommy fun and ideas with my friends so buckle up and here we go. oh and to explain ART mama, I am a total art lover- creating art/crafting as well as appreciating art in photography and a new hobby of taking pictures of "God's Canvas". The mama is for being the proud mother of 3 active boys (Brandon 11, Carter 8 and Tyler 4 1/2) and the 137 is for Luke 1:37 which is my life verse. I hope you enjoy this blog and Welcome !