DIY "Wood" Signs

VBS is right around the corner and I found a cool way to make some signs.  It's a Survivor theme, so I wanted a fake wood without the cost or weight of real wood.  Here is a step by step way to make signs!

I got plain white foam board at the Dollar Store!.  I can make 2 signs from 1 piece of foam board.

Cut the foam board in half and trim the 2 pieces all around.  Making some deep cuts on the side.  And then make lines and creases with the scissors to give it a wood look.

I happen to have some wood finish stain in the garage and just used that to "paint" it.  It gives it a real wood look and fills in the creases well.  Use extra on the sides so you see no white parts of the board.  It really gives the edges an almost burnt/darker look, making it authentic looking.

Wait for it to dry.
























Then Paint your words.

My Marriage is on the Rocks!



 

 

Yes, my marriage is on the rocks.....Biblical rocks that is.  Jesus the Rock, the rock of forgiveness, the rock of joy, the rock of submission, the rock of self-control, and the rock of love.  The unity of marriage is getting weaker and weaker as days go by.  Couples, Christian or not, are giving up on their vows. Satan is after marriages stronger than ever, so we have to be diligent more than ever to be in prayer and in God's Word, and shut out the world.  A world that is telling you that you deserve more, a husband who helps more, or plays with the kids more, who tends to your needs more...those are Satan's whispers of discontent.  See them for what they are..lies!   Let's just set the flaws of our husbands aside for now...let's look at you.  What rocks are you building on???  Personal dreams, climbing the corporate ladder, diet and exercise, getting that degree, vacations and large home??  There is nothing wrong with wanting or having these things.  But if you are putting them before your husband, then the downward spiral begins.  Our husbands deserve our respect, even when you think they don't deserve it.  When we stand on the rock of self-control and submission, then God can work amazing and beautiful things in our marriage thru our attitude and behavior.  Stop pouting, complaining, picking fights, and nagging..When we bring our selves willingly and joyfully under the leadership of our husbands, those dreams can happen in a healthy and respectful way.

Are you holding onto bitterness for things that were said in a heated argument or careless jibing?  You need to stand on the rock of forgiveness.  God does not say forgive only these certain things.  He just says to forgive. And forgive again.  And forgive again.  And forgive again. If you truly forgive, then you are not bringing it up ever again. 
⁵ But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. ⁶ This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, ⁷ so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹ For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. ¹⁰ Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one^[a] for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. 2 Cor. 2:5-11

Are you mad that he doesn't meet your expectations??  Why are you putting expectations on an imperfect man.  Our help cometh from the Lord.  He shall supply all our needs.  Stand on the rock of joy.  Don't waste another day being mad at your spouse because he didn't take the garbage out.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Psalm 51:12

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11

Are you "falling out of love" with your spouse?  Then you need to choose to love even when you don't feel like it.  Continue honoring him, respecting him, and submitting to him.  Serve and love him as unto the Lord and you will not come back empty.
that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, Titus 2:4

 
I am reminded of the foolish woman in Proverbs who tears her house down.  Our foolish behaviors can destroy a marriage quickly.  Don't be that woman. Bring honor to your husband.  God can restore your marriage thru your biblical attitude and behaviors.
Marriage takes alot of work, but it is so worth it. Standing on those Biblical rocks will bring you closer to a beautiful, passionate, loving, and respectful marriage with your spouse.  Fight for it.  Desire it.  Pray for it. 
I will be praying for you my friends.  Give it to Jesus. 







5 ways to Mother Your Motherhood

Being a mommy, either of young ones or big ones, your motherhood takes a beating.  I seem to take the brunt of Lego fights, complaining about getting the bigger broccoli and the sassy lip service.  My mothering attitude starts to go swirling in the toilet and then I start acting like the 4 yr old, complaining about the complaining and my lip service is less then stellar. My Motherhood needs Mothering.  Why do I let the 6 yr old get the best of me...I am the adult..right???  I should respond in soft , yet firm tones, and quote Scripture in order to correct the behavior. Umm...sure...sometimes...

I need to apply some nurturing to my motherhood.  It needs to be treated like a child who is needing some correction.  Before you should start your day of motherhood, give it some good mothering so it can hold up under the most difficult of days.

-Smother your motherhood in Scripture and Prayer daily- Who else is going to understand your motherhood more than our Heavenly Father.  He is in our shoes on daily basis when dealing with us :) He knows all too well when His children forget the rules, disobey and treat other unkindly.

-Be Careful what you say--because when you say it, it may not seem so bad. But when your child repeats exactly what you say, it comes back 10x more sassy and disrespectful.  I am sometimes taken aback at how I sound through the lips of my child.  Mother your words, watch them and talk like you want to be talked to back.

-Choose to be Happy--If I see my child moping around and grumpy, more than likely, I have been grumpy. I need to Mother my attitude and put a smile on my face.  Turning on worship music or contemporary Christian music really lifts the frowns upside down in this house.  I need to be proactive about creating an atmosphere of Joy and Thanksgiving in my home.

-Get enough sleep and eat well--This is a daily mothering we give our kids, so we need to mother ourselves too.  You need to be rested and get the sleep you need to be the mom you need to be.  If you are living on coffee and donuts for 3/4 of the day, then that will tilt your motherhood in the negative direction.  We need to set the example.

-Relax. Play. Say "yes" sometimes.  --I sometimes see my girls get stressed and ready to blow up at their sister over the smallest of errors.  I say, "Relax, it's OK."  But, I actually need to follow my own advice.  We need to relax and say it's going to be OK.  Yes, we have a To-Do list a mile long, the flowers need planting, and I need to go to the grocery store.  Breathe. Sit down, read a story with your kids.  Then have them help with your to-do list, they love to plant flowers with you too, and maybe let daddy do the grocery shopping :) Enjoy being a mother. Say "yes" when they want to run thru the sprinklers.
You want to see them giggle...run thru the sprinkler with them.
Your kids want to see you enjoying your motherhood.  So take the time to Mother your motherhood, because it will effect generations of mothers after you.

Homeschooling Fail = Mommy Fail

Seeing this practically broke my heart.  A total homeschooling mommy fail!  I failed as a mommy and as a teacher.  I failed my daughter.  These feelings have been plaguing me all day.  My daughter has completely forgotten she even wrote that distressed S.O.S message to me in her math book just this morning, but it has been following me around, whispering to me...

you're not smart enough to teach...
you're not not doing it right...
you're messing up your kids...
they won't learn a single academic thing from you....

And then due to all my feelings of inadequacies, I was short with her the rest of the morning. Oh, how I have let her down.  This funny, smart, sensitive and compassionate daughter, who challenges me to be a better mommy and teacher daily...and I fail to meet those challenges constantly.

At the end of my frustrating day, I sit back and I try to think what she needs.  What is it that I must teach her..I look to Scripture to help me find what it is I need to equip her with.  To my surprise, I did not see anything about Algebra, special blend sounds, cursive or state capitals...

This is what I found....

Teach her God's commandments- Deut. 6:6-7
Teach her to love Jesus - Matthew 22:37
Teach her to be a light -Matthew 5:14
Teach her to be a friend- Proverbs 18:24

This is what I want for her foundation!  There is so much more to teach from Scripture that I want my girls to learn.  The other things will come, bit by bit, in time.  But my main focus needs to be teaching my girls to love Jesus, love others, kind words, laugh , be joyful....and

                                                             play and eat ice cream!

So my dear sweet daughter, mommy may not be very good at fractions and I don't know the capital of Turkey...but I will always love you.  I promise to teach you and to show you God's Word because that is the foundation that will carry you through relationships, jobs, family and life. Always remember....
Jesus will never fail you.