Happy Wednesday!

Good Morning!  I’m just stopping in today to remind you to have a great day!

Every day is a gift and sometimes we just need to be reminded to be thankful for all the small things.

(Photo via PaperRamma)

Crafting for Hope

I always love crafting with my children.  I also feel it’s very important to teach children that we must always help others – whether it be giving a small gift to cheer a friend who is having a bad day, cooking a meal for new parents, or donating to a charity.  So, when Craft Hope posted their recent project, I was thrilled that it was a project all three of my children to take part in.

For Project 22, Craft Hope is collecting flip flops for children in Nicaragua.

I purchased four pairs of flips flips, and then dug through our craft cupboard and my sewing supplies.  I also purchased Crafter’s Glue “The Ultimate”.  This is a non-toxic, water based glue with a super strong hold.  I knew getting things to stick to the flip flops might be tricky, and this stuff seems to have worked well for us.  I also wasn’t worried about my 3-year-old using it, and it goes on as simply as white glue.

So, we covered the table and set to work.

I think they turned out super cute, don’t you?

Spring Crochet

I’m currently working on a crochet project for Spring. A fun home decor item.

Circle after colourful circle. Wonderful, somewhat mindless work.

These are the centers of the granny squares and they will have the look of Spring flowers once done. I think it will be a beautiful throw for the couch.

I tend to take my time with big crochet projects like this. My goal is to have it done for next Spring.

The pattern I am using can be found here.

Have you been doing any Spring or Summer crochet?

When a Friend is Sick

As the title says, I have a friend who is sick. Not a cold. Not the flu. She has cancer. The big C. I wish I could say that she will get better. I wish I could say that she will be able to see her children grow up.

But I can’t.

Her cancer is terminal and it is becoming apparent that she does not have much time left.

I wish there were a miracle for her. For her children.

My friend is also, tragically, a widow. When she is gone, her children will go and live with another family.

I do what I can to help their family, but it never feels as if I am doing enough.

This afternoon, her daughter was over for a playdate with my children. She is such a sweet child. Still very young. So sweet, so caring. We always enjoy her company.

I was playing outside with the girls. My daughter came over, grabbed my hands and started to dance with me. Then she grabbed my hands and leaned back as far as she could. “Come on Mom! Lean back too!”

And my friend’s daughter watched.

And I felt extreme guilt.

She can’t play like this with her mom any more. She is too sick and too weak. It breaks my heart to think about it.

I called her over and we played the game with her too. She laughed and smiled. “Let’s do it again!” I am glad she was able to come play and smile and have fun… and maybe even forget the things that are going on in her home, if only for a few minutes.

The rest of the playdate was greatly enjoyed by all. I was glad to offer a happy moment or two.

I guess it makes me feel in a way, like I am helping. Because there is nothing I can do about the cancer. There is nothing I can do to stop the cancer from stealing my friend’s life. If I can only offer an ear to listen, and a few happy, playful moments to her children, then at least I will know that I did something.

Spring Art

All of my children really enjoy art and crafting.  I love that my older girls are old enough to do a lot more advanced crafting.  As an Early Childhood Educator, I also have a lot of fun planning and crafting with my youngest.

One rainy day last week, we decided to do some Spring themed art.

A quick browse on Pinterest and we had a plan.

We grabbed the paper plates from the craft cupboard, some glue, and a few other supplies and we got to work.

This colourful tissue paper snail is my favourite.

And this lady bug was so simple to make, but we really enjoyed making it too.

Do you craft with your kids?  Have you come across any great craft ideas lately?  I would love to hear about them!

A Summer Bucket List

The end of the school year is quickly approaching.  It always amazes me how fast the school year goes by.  They seem to go faster every year.

I love having my kids at home with me and always look forward to having them home for summer vacation.

My girls have been online looking at all the great programs being offered this summer – art, gymnastics, drama.. There are so many choices out there.  Each child is allowed to do one or two classes over the summer and we save the rest of summer for unscheduled fun.

The excitement seems to be building earlier this year and my oldest daughter and her best friend got together to create their Summer Bucket List.

I love this!  I love that summer brings dreams of fun and adventure.  I love listening to my kids talk about all the fun they had previous summers, what they want to do again and new things they want to try.  This list just makes my heart happy.

Did you notice the words on the bottom?  That is probably my favourite part!

What kinds of things do you and your kids get up to at summer?

Sending Hope and Love

We live a privileged life.

I have always had a roof over my head, clothes to wear and food to eat. Although, like others, we struggle with finances at times, we are not suffering. Truth be told, we probably have too much stuff. The book stores and libraries are filled with books on how to declutter and store all of our ‘stuff’. Yes, despite our desire to always have more, we definitely have enough.

I have a family who loves me and cares for me and is there when I need them. I am so thankful to have them in my life. They add a richness to my life that nothing else can replace. I have good friends, many who feel like an extension of our family. I am so blessed.

Tonight, while looking for some papers, I came across our folders of children we had sponsored in the past. Three children – two boys and one girl.

It was so heartwarming to see their pictures and read over the old letters. I always loved writing to them and waiting anxiously for a return letter to come.

We chose to sponsor through PLAN Canada (formerly Foster Parents Plan), but I know there are a lot of other wonderful organizations as well that offer child sponsorship.

There are so many ways that we can help others. Child sponsorship is only one way. And we don’t even have to go half way across the world to help others – help is even needed right in our own communities.

I recently had the pleasure of taking part in a project through Craft Hope. Together with a friend, we mailed 15 bibs to Craft Hope for their Project 20: Hope for China. It was such a pleasure to know that I could use my sewing skills to make something that would help someone (or a bunch of little someones!) in need.

I hope to find more time for charitable work this year.  I’d love to do something for Atin Afrika.  There are some amazing people there bringing hope to the children of Uganda.  I want to do something special for those kids.. now I just need to figure out exactly what I want to do and how to make that happen.

I would love to hear about the ways you give!  Let’s share our stories and maybe get some great ideas along the way.