Blood Water Mission

At VBS this year, the collected offering went to the Blood Water Mission ministry.  This organization helps to provide clean water to impoverished villages and towns in Africa.  Each night of VBS, the boys and girls saw a story of a named child and what he/she had to do to get water - and oftentimes that water was filled with bacteria, mud, and other harmful additions.  With our neighborhood yard sale coming up, I thought it would be the perfect time to set up a lemonade stand (summer bucket list item) AND give the money collected to a good cause.  Blood Water Mission came to our mind and so it was...

Cole made signs while I stirred the lemonade.  We had the perfect spot at the end of our driveway with yard sales on either side and across the street.  With hot temps, those precious signs, and that handsome face, shoppers couldn't help but stop and purchase a refreshing drink.  Many people gave above the 25 cent price tag and it was the perfect lesson in generous giving lived out in front of my children.  

Sweet friends from our small group came out to support.  Thankful for this crew!

That Sunday, Cole took his earnings to church and gave them to our Children's Pastor, Mr. Andy.  $64.50!!  Praise the Lord!

Keeps Getting Better

Immediately after posting here about our super-duper fun trip to the circus yesterday, the door bell rang with a gentleman delivering a package for the boys.  The Jefferys, our dear friends from Delaware, sent belated Christmas gifts for the whole family which we were not expecting.  What a terrific surprise!
 

Cole has been set for life with art supplies (which his little heart LOVES) and Cade now has new diggers, books, and an activity set to enjoy.  Michael and I also received some favorite Italian chocolates which we've enjoyed on our visits up north.  Wow...THANK YOU Dawn and Alan.  Your generosity and love for our family as your own constantly blesses and amazes us.  We appreciate your friendship and are anxious for you to come visit our neck of the woods.  Love y'all!

 

And if the day wasn't fabulous already, I had a GNO with our neighborhood Bunco group and won the pot for the most Buncos.  Oh yes...fabulous Friday indeed.

Northern Delights

We just love our northern friends Mr. Alan and Mrs. Dawn. They sure do spoil us rotten. . .

Large packages in the mail full of belated Christmas and Valentine goodies to be opened. . .

loads of fun to be had. . .

and new pajamas to be worn.

There were also a few bookshelves from IKEA for Mommy that she just hearts :) Jeffreys, thanks so much! We hope to see you this summer!

Simply Homemade

Thanks to Pinterest, my go-to gift for neighbors, cookie swaps, hostess gifts, teachers, friends, firefighters, etc. was a simple bag/tin/box of Christmas Chex Mix.

Three ingredients: Rice Chex, crushed candy canes, and a bag of white chocolate chips.

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or use the microwave

2. Add a few crushed candy canes to the melted chocolate

3. Add in rice chex (more or less to your liking)

4. Spread the mixture in a single layer on a wax paper lined cookie sheet

5. Sprinkle remaining candy cane pieces on top and place in the fridge to harden.

6. Once chocolate has hardened, break apart and serve! Be careful. . . it's addicting!

Cole and I always enjoy making his preschool classmates a Christmas treat, and I found the cutest idea this year.

Snowman Soup:

Ingredients: Packet of hot chocolate (Kroger had Nestle boxes of 10 for $1.00!), Hersheys kisses, mini marshmallows, mini candy canes.

I had these cute snowman bags left over from last year and added a homemade tag

Now. . . what to make next year?

Cute Teacher Gift

It's hard to believe that Cole's third year at Treasure Creek has come to an end. What a wonderful year with Mrs. Jayne and Mrs. Tammy. They loved on my sweet boy and taught him so much about Jesus. We're forever grateful for the impact they've had on his life.

I always enjoy making homemade gifts for Cole's teachers - they were my favorite things to receive during my teaching days and I love passing that on to others. With Cade's arrival, I needed something fairly simple, but still creative. Thanks to some inspiration from my friend Jennifer, these cute, inexpensive lemonade jugs were perfect!

Drink containers w/ four matching cups - $4.99 at Kroger

Lemons - 25 cents each

Wooden spoons and kitchen towels - 2 for $1.00 at Dollar Tree

Homemade tag w/ directions - free :)

Sweet Surprises

I said in an earlier post that I LOVE seeing the UPS truck pull up in front of the house. The anticipation and excitement of a new package is so much fun! Add to that the sweet surprises Cole, Cade, and I received through the regular mail these past few days and our week was super special!

Surprise #1:

Michael came in from getting the mail with a package from Pitter Patter Art earlier in the week. I couldn't remember ordering anything from Laura (you MUST check out her site!), but with this 'pregnancy brain' you never know :) As I opened up the package, I was shocked to see a sweet onesie/burp cloth set monogramed with Cade's initial. Curious to know who it was from, I scoured the other contents and found a simple 'Congratulations' note from my dear friend Ellen. I LOVE it and can't wait to use them both!

Isn't it super cute?!?!

Surprise #2:

While playing in the den on Thursday, all three of us were surprised to hear the doorbell ring. As Michael went to the door, we noticed a package that the postman had laid on the front porch. Michael asked me if I'd ordered anything and I asked him the same question. Neither of us had, and we were even more surprised to see that the package was addressed to Cole. Looking at the return address we noticed that it was from a dear couple, Alan and Dawn Jefferys (otherwise known as Big Al and Mama J) that we stayed with in December on our weekend getaway to NYC. They showered Cole with gifts then and are still blessing our little boy. . .

What's inside!?!

I can tell Dawn's checked in with the blog - she couldn't have sent more perfect items for Cole. A space book about the planets, chap stick (Nerd flavored and Mickey Mouse), PipSqueak markers, a letter 'C' notepad, and a Make Your Own Prayers magnet book (which is sooo cute!).

Thank you!

Just as we've been blessed by these sweet surprises, I pray that our family can bless others through whatever way the Lord would lead. Who knows. . . you may receive a special delivery - be on the lookout!