Grand Opening of Etsy Shop

I am proud to announce that my Etsy shop is now open for business!! I hope to continue adding new things, so keep watching.

I am just excited to finally list something.

I think I will probably scream if something sells!!

Check it out here.

Resurrection Cookies

I found this recipe on Mom2mom Cafe. I thought it would be a great way to tell Tanner the Easter story.

I will let you know next week how it goes. Have you ever tried this with your kids? If so, I would love to hear how it went!

Easter Resurrection Cookies

To be made the evening before Easter.

You need:

1c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
scotch tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 BEFORE BEGINNING.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27.

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing.

Add 1 c. sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know this and how to belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.

GO TO BED!
Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.

Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty! Read Matt. 28:1-9

Whew...that was exhausting!!

Well, Diane and I survived our first Wimberly Market Days!! It was EXHAUSTING but fun.

We were up until midnight last night recovering the last set of chairs, and then had quite the adventure trying to maneuver the U-haul trailer filled with our stuff. I don't think Diane will ever step within 20 feet of a trailer again!

I was certain a little old rancher was going to stumble across us last night after we had missed our turn and were stuck on this narrow, dark, out-in-the-middle of nowhere ranch road. There was no where to turn around so we had to do a 3 point turn - that turned into a 15 point turn. With me standing in the middle of the road yelling out instructions while Diane tried to back up. We eventually got out of there, only to repeat the same scene about 3 hours later as we missed yet another turn. This time it was 11 pm with me standing in the middle of the road yelling out instructions. I'm not sure if the lesson is to avoid trailers or use a GPS!

Oh yeah, fun times!!

But enough about the trailer, and onto Wimberley Market Days. We were #19 to get a booth assigned, and we got the first booth that we requested. YIPPEE!! It was a great setup but we later realized it wasn't the best location. I think we missed out on a lot of the traffic...but now we know!

Here is our booth:



I made some glass tile necklaces and the domestic diva gloves. (click on the pictures for a close up view)





Diane had some really cute furniture, vintage linens and fun knick-knacks from Europe.





And just to illustrate how brisk our sales were, here is Diane hard at work:



Overall, it was a great experience. We didn't sell as much as we wanted, but we did cover our costs with a little profit left over. And now that we know what we are doing and still have some inventory left over, we might try it again next month.

But without the trailer, thank you very much. We definitely learned that lesson the hard way!

Honesty

Tanner comes up with the funniest things sometimes.

Earlier this week, I was making lunch and he informed me he wasn't hungry.

He then said "I don't want to get a big stomach. You know some guys have big stomachs"...as he proceeded to give me his best pot-belly imitation with his shirt lifted and sticking his stomach out.

I was trying not to laugh, as I said, "Really?? So, does Daddy have a big belly?"

"No" Tanner said and he got quiet.

I went back to making the sandwiches, then I heard him from behind me.

"But you have a big bottom!"

Well, thank you! Thank you very much!

I guess it is time to pull out the Taebo videos.

Preschool update

Tanner and I have been "officially" doing preschool for two weeks now.

At times it has been fun. Other times have been a CHALLENGE!

I have had a sneaky suspicion for some time now that teaching might not be one of my greatest gifts.

Well, I think an incident last week confirmed my suspicions.

I was painstakingly teaching the fine art of writing a lowercase a - using the clock face method. You know...start at "2 o'clock" and go up around the clock...and so on. It seemed simple and logical enough to me. So there I was at the marker board taking great pains to illustrate this and explain it in a way Tanner would understand.

Noticing it was very quiet behind me, I turn around to see Tanner's head on his desk.

"Tanner, what are you doing?" (in my sweetest, calmest, not frustrated in the slightest voice - of course!).

And this is what I hear - "Mommy, you are talking too much and I am getting sleepy!"

Needless to say, the lesson on the lowercase "a" ended right there.

Apparently I bore him into a state of exhaustion.

This is going well!!

Introducing...

After much thought and discussion and mental angst, I have finally decided on a name for my creative endeavors. You would think I was trying to decide on a baby name!!

Since Diane and I will be selling our crafts and "stuff" at Wimberly Market Days in a few weeks, I knew that I needed a name. I am even thinking about opening an Etsy store...although I'm not sure where I think I am going to find the time for this!

I wanted a catchy name that had significant meaning to me. The Lord gave me the passage in I Kings 17:5-6 back in November of last year as we were beginning to see the effects of the slow economy on our business. Since that time, those verses have brought incredible comfort to me and reminded me that as long as we are obedient to the Lord, He will always provide for us - even if it is in unusual ways! Just as Elijah was obedient to the Lord and the ravens brought him food both morning and night. Not your typical provision!

Every time I would think about a name for my business, all I could think about was this story and the word "raven". So, I have decided the name will be Raven Brook.

I found a cute graphic online and came up with this logo:



Now I need to get busy crafting and sewing, so that I have some products and not just a name!

Chick Fil A

If you have a Chick Fil A nearby, you will understand the deep sentiment that accompanies this video. Hysterical!!