Make Your Own Wooden Christmas Ornaments

At our Christmas Moms Group Meeting, we made a couple quick wooden Christmas ornaments. I am loving the unfinished wood look against the green fir trees...but you could easily stain or paint the wood too.

For the snowflake ornament...

I tried to come up with an idea for using those metal clips once removed...but I couldn't.

So far, hot glue has held everything in place.

The joints seemed to require a hefty amount of hot glue.

And the little notch from the metal clips provided the perfect hole for the twine.

Ribbon would also be pretty...but as I mentioned before, I am loving the natural look this Christmas season.

The Nativity ornament turned out adorable as well.

We had several different fabric options for Baby Jesus' swaddle blanket. Burlap would be adorable too.

Be sure to hot glue each fold of the blanket to the wooden Baby Jesus.

I added some natural wood bead garlands to a tree with these ornaments.

These ornaments also would make adorable gift toppers.

Pine Cone Garland

Last month, our crafty girl at Mom's group collected enough pine cones for each mom to make the cutest garland. It was a simple craft that could easily transition for the upcoming holiday months.

I love using natural elements in my decorations - and they are often free! A walk through your back yard and a little twine can help you decorate your home for several seasons!  

Better Together

Our last meeting for my moms group ended up being a Tea & Testimony.

The tables were set with care. Each place held a different thrifted plate. And above each place setting was a card which read...

Those dishes were from all different places. Different homes. Different families. If only they could tell us their stories -- what dinners they have held. What celebrations they were used for. Were they pulled out nightly for regular family dinners? Some maybe only ever sat on display. Some may have been used for special holidays. Some forgotten. Some hidden in attics. Others passed down to granddaughters. But I told the moms, where these plates went from here was up to them. 

I challenged them to think about their stories. What brought them to this place in motherhood. Think of who they are. How did they get to this point in their relationship with the Lord? Where had they been?

In 2 Timothy 1:3-7, Paul reminded Timothy of the spiritual heritage they both had. 

Beth Moore, in her Entrusted study said, "Let's take personal ownership of our spiritual lineage -- both in what we receive and what we pass down...You're a creative blend of all your main influencers mixed in with your own God-given uniqueness."

We can usually trace back a generation or two of our family tree without a thought. This is my grandmother... this is my dad...

But what about your spiritual lineage? Who has been your "main influencers"? I challenged the moms to write out five names. My list included my parents, Sunday school teachers who challenged me to memorize large portions of Scripture, college mentors who showed me the importance of ministering to women, friends who suggest books and podcasts, and even authors I have never met face-to-face have impacted my spiritual walk. 

We have to keep that spiritual lineage going. It's time to get excited about influencing the next generation. 

Psalm 78:6-7 says, "So the next generation might know them (the commands of the Lord) -- even the children not yet born -- and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands."  

" They were to rise and tell their children so that they might put their confidence in God and not forget God's works, but keep His commandments." - Beth Moore

As I think about this group of moms, I love that one of our main goals is to encourage each other to be Jesus to our kids. Next year, we are calling our group MOMs - focusing on the Ministry of Motherhood. 

Since I became a mom, I understand my relationship with my Heavenly Father so much better. I understand more about how God relates to His Son too. It's relational, The love is unconditional. 

I love that the parenting relationship was part of God's plan all along. Through it, we understand Him better. 

At times, the "Ministry of Motherhood" sees daunting. I start to think about all the ways I could mess things up. I doubt my influence. I worry my kids are too small. Or I just feel too tired.

But when my son asks questions and responds on his own to Bible verses we are learning, I reminded that the Holy Spirit is at work and the Word of God will always accomplish what the Lord wants it to accomplish.

What a privilege it is to be the FIRST person to tell our kids about Jesus. We get to help start their spiritual lineage. God gave that to parents! And I can't tell you how excited and privileged I feel about that. 

When those doubts surface, I need to remember 2 Timothy 1:8.  It's His strength - not mine! 

It all starts with just letting these kids see that you love Jesus. Let them see you read the Bible. Let them hear you pray. (Even letting my children hear me confess my sins allows them to understand this life-long struggle of walking in the Spirit.)

And remember the plates... you're not alone. We are better together. 

I had these moms each take home their plates as a reminder of these truths of God's Word and the support of this group. And here's a few ideas of what they could do with these plates.

Or you can always bake another mom some cookies and tell her to keep the plate! Because she might need the reminder that we are repurposed for the Lord's use.

We are better together.

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near."  Hebrews 10:24-25

a little thank you...

As the end of the year drew closer for my mom's group, it was time to start thinking about a little gift that we could leave with the nursery workers. If they didn't volunteer to watch our little ones during the meetings, many of these moms could not attend.

My church has had a profound impact on my children and their understanding about Jesus and the Bible. I am so thankful for all those who willingly work with my children, teaching them that Jesus loves them. Because when those truths are instilled an early age, they have a lifetime to grow.

Little seeds grow great testimonies.

We had these fruit baskets leftover from this craft. You can find the link to purchase them inexpensively in this post.

The flowers were just the $1.50 flats of 6 from Walmart - cut down into two flowers per gift.

A couple of book pages finished off the look, acting as tissue paper for our little gifts.

The tags were printed on card stock and taped to popsicle sticks . I am happy to send the PDF of this printable I created if you comment with your email address below.

A friend used this idea for some teacher gifts - she put her flower flats inside a lunch bag and rolled down the sides. A bamboo skewer made a great replacement for the popsicle stick.

Thank those who impact your children for eternity. After all, little seeds grow great testimonies

Leather Earrings

This week's craft might be my favorite for the year. It was simple, cheap, and so far, I have worn them everyday since making them!

This craft was a super easy one for the moms to finish at our meeting. I prepped the leather, cutting it into 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips ahead of time (using a rotary cutter like this). I also pre-punched the hole at the top using this leather tool.

These cost us less than 75 cents per pair.

Supplies:

• leather (brown or black)
• needle-nose pliers
• earring hooks
• rubber stopper for earring backs

Using pliers, the moms separated the wire ring just enough to slip it onto the leather strip. 

The smaller the opening, the easier I found it to close up the ring. 

We had a pile of the rubber stoppers for them to complete the earrings. 

And, for an added bit of fun, we had tape and paint available. We used regular acrylic craft paint. 

The options are limitless. The earrings are lightweight and adorable. They would also make a super fabulous gift! 

I told my group that I had woken up in the middle of the night in a state of panic. It seems like worries multiply and situations are worse in the middle of the night. My mind wanders. I forget the truths that I know. I forget my God who is in control.

I woke up early, preparing for my meeting with my mom's group. I sent a panicked text to a friend, listing all my worries. She simply replied, "Don't panic."

The Holy Spirit brought to mind the verse that we have used as our theme verse for the year.

My God, who created the stars and controls them, can also take care of me. His great power and incomparable strength can solve any problem and take care of any situation. 

These leather earrings smell amazing. As my head moves, I smell the leather, and I am choosing to use that smell as a reminder of the goodness of our God. I am using these earrings as my reminder that God made me, chose me, and is in control of everything I encounter!