Filled With Possibility

"Aaah, summer - that long anticipated
stretch of lazy, lingering days, free of
responsibility and rife with possibility..."

~ Darell Hammond ~

"Time to rise and shine and get ready for school you two!" My son popped right out of bed, while my daughter needed a little more encouragement. Without opening her eyes, she groaned, "How many more days?" I said, "Oh, summer will be here soon enough." I then kissed her forehead, and lovingly whisked away the covers. They went through the routine of eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing hair and teeth. My son was excited about going to the zoo, and produced a zoo-themed art project to praise. My daughter reminisced about her own 1st grade zoo trip and summed it up with, "You're pretty much gonna love it." We prayed together, then they ran to the end of our driveway to chat and wait. I poured a cup of coffee and heard the bus slow and stop. I waved and they waved back as I lost sight of them down the road.

Where just minutes before there was hustle and bustle, now there was only silence. I looked down and noticed the wisps of steam rolling off my coffee. I admired them while appreciating how the pretty blue and white mug warmed my hands. Glancing out front at the garden, I noticed more purple blooms than yesterday, as well as more green. Note to self: pick flowers and pull weeds... after finishing coffee.

This morning routine will only last for a few more days, then we'll be on to summer vacation. I'm relieved. Although I appreciate the quiet and regained sense of independence when they're in school, it'll be nice to have the kids back home in the nest. There's another kind of freedom and peace in that. Most days we'll have nowhere to be. When we stay home, we'll have a picnic lunch or go for a nature hike in the woods. We might take a bouquet of flowers to the neighbors and return with a bag of green beans or a carton of eggs. Other days, we'll go swimming with friends, go to a 4-H meeting, or a learning activity at the library.

Aaah, summer - that season when I am reminded of the younger years: younger kids, a younger me. It'll be good to slow down and savor these: the long, lazy days, childhood, and motherhood. All filled with possibility. 

Our Jack O'Lantern...

"It's cold and we are sleepy,
the air is cold and still.
Our jack o'lantern grins at us
Upon the window sill..."

~ Unknown Author ~

My 9 year old daughter created this original artwork!
I transformed her sketch into digital images to share...
so from both of us ~ please enjoy!

 Above, printable bookmarks or tags in brown and orange hues.
They look great printed on cream-colored card stock.

Below, printable bookmarks or tags for kids
(or kids at heart!) to color... this was my daughter's idea.

 Below, an 8.5" x 11" printable sheet of journal or note cards in 2 sizes.
I love the texture and shading on this jack o'lantern.

Here are the free graphics
& sources used in these images:

*The Graphics Fairy*
Torn paper texture

*Shadowhouse Creations*
Softly aged sepia texture

Thank you for stopping by!

Homegrown Sunshine

This morning, after seeing my daughter off on the school bus, I remained standing by our kitchen window. My thoughts drifted to what I would've seen here only a few short months ago: a seemingly infinite expanse of white fields. Today, the only white I see is in the blossoming crabapple tree and petals of a few scattered daffodils. There is green, beautiful green everywhere, but it didn't get there without a little gray... and as I look up, yes, here it is again. Here comes the rain.

I usually don't mind rainy days. After our long winter, I'm downright grateful for it instead of snow or sleet. Still, this morning I couldn't help but yearn for the sunshine and blue skies we had just yesterday.

"Whatcha thinkin' about, Mom?" was followed by a big hug and kiss. A little boy now stood by my side, and we looked out through the rain streaked window. He sighed and offered some 7 year old wisdom, because he obviously could see I needed a dose. "Mom, you know we can't have all sunshine, even though it's pretty nice. We've got to have rainy days too. They're not so bad... come on, I know! Let's read some books!"

So that's what we did. We spent the morning hours reading all kinds of books in "Daddy's chair." The gray clouds and rain outside lost their power.  We chose to make our own sunshine:

Suppose you're dressed for walking,

And the rain comes pouring down, 

Will it clear off any sooner

Because you scold and frown? 

And wouldn't it be nicer

For you to smile than pout,

And so make sunshine in the house

When there is none without?

~ Phoebe Cary

Our local weather forecast is rain and thunderstorms all week, and that's to be expected. It's the end of April, after all. My prediction is of a slightly different sort:
a week of sunshine, of the homegrown variety.

A Little Love & Kindness

Little deeds of kindness,
little words of love,
Help to make earth happy
like the heaven up above.

~ Julia A. Fletcher Carney ~

 Vintage clip art image of little girl
with baskets full of flowers,
and 8" x 10" pretty spring stationery.

6 sweet tags or bookmarks:

 Black & white clip art version of the little girl with flowers:

Below is an 8.5" x 11" printable coloring page:

Here are the free graphics
& sources used in my artwork:


*TuckDB*
Little girl with flowers

*The Graphics Fairy*
Apothecary label frame

*UFDC*
Starburst pattern endpaper

*Vintage Feedsacks*
Perfume label

(Please note: The website Vintage Feedsacks
appears to be no longer active. I've provided a link
to the perfume label image via Pinterest.)



"Miss no single opportunity
of making some small sacrifice,
here by a smiling look,
there by a kindly word;
always doing the smallest right
and doing it all for love."

~ St. Thérèse de Lisieux ~

Thank you for stopping by today!

The Birds' Christmas Tree

I designed most of the images to be cut out together (as seen below)
then folded and glued (I used a glue stick).  Sit under a heavy object for at
least 10 minutes to prevent the paper from curling.

It's sweet to think of others this time of year... 

including the local birds!  We like to put out extra birdseed
 and hang suet cakes in our crabapple tree.  It's fun to watch
 them fluttering and hopping about... and it feels good
 knowing we've helped provide a meal for them.

Here's my gift idea ~ if you're already putting together
a gift basket for a gardener, or just looking for a simple
gift for teachers, etc.... buy a few suet cakes at the store
(or make homemade bird tree ornaments with your
 kids) place in a brown paper bag, fold down the top
and punch 2 holes.  Weave jute or ribbon through,
and add one of these cards or tags ~ done! 


Here are the free
graphics & sources:


*TuckDB*
Postcard image ~ robins

*The Feathered Nest*
"The Birds' Christmas Tree" poem


Thank you for stopping by!

In a Winter-Wonderland

"Now we don hats and mittens;
take our loved ones by the hand,
as we all become children in
a winter-wonderland."
~ Janet Martin ~

3.5 inch round graphic
and printable with 6 (below).

Snowflakes are from this free font.

3x5 inch, postcard-size graphic
and 8.5x11 printable stationery, etc.

Tag with little girl on sled,
and printable sheet of 6 tags in 2 sizes:

 Original, unaltered Christmas postcard from my collection:

"Childhood Winters"

I sit and watch the white snow
Piled up outside my window.
And I see in my memory
Red mittened hands and rosy cheeks
Of the child of long ago.
Building snowmen and laughing
Against the wind.
Such simple pleasures
For a child to enjoy
Making snow her winter toy...

~ Rasma Raisters ~



Hello, and thank you
for stopping by!

October's Party ~ Clip Art

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came...
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

~ George Cooper ~

I made the 2 printable papers above for my kids
to color & cut out.  We all had fun with it!  I've also
included the individual clip art leaves for you.
Below are sources I based some of my clip art on:

Ivy leaf
Laurel leaf
Maple leaf
Oak leaf
Oval leaf

Thanks for stopping by!!

You're Sweet...

I made these colorful conversation heart
Valentine's Day cards for my kids...
and yours!

Here are the free images I used:

Heart
Pure glycerine label

Hope you enjoy these sweet printables!
Thanks for stopping by today!

Vintage Matching Game ~ Free Printable

Do you remember playing matching card

games as a kid?  I decided to make a vintage version, to play with my two.  All you have to do is print 2 pages with the images below, cut them out, and find a kid of your own who'll play this game with you!

If you're unfamiliar with this card game,

here are some simple playing guidelines:  

Place the cards in 3 or 4 rows, face up.

Look at them and try to memorize where they are.  Flip the cards over, then take turns trying to match them.  The player with the most pairs wins.

My 7 year old daughter played this with me a few days ago.  Before we started, I asked her to tell me about the pictures.  She recognized a few things, but thought most looked funny.  We talked about how people lived differently long ago... and thought about some of the modern conveniences we take for-granted.  Came upstairs tonight to find her teaching my 5 year old son how to play.  They were entertained while I made supper!

All of the vintage illustrations used in this project came from The Graphics Fairy... Thank you!

pocket watch

electric fan

sewing machine

old-fashioned tricycle

spectacles

tea kettle

Thanks for stopping by!!

A Little Patch of Dirt

When I was young, my daddy gave me a little corner of our huge garden to tend.  I could do whatever I wanted with it... which usually was just play in the dirt and plant the occasional annual or two.  Asparagus came up there also... it didn't matter, so long as it was mine.  There was something special about having a place to call my very own.

Years later, I knew I wanted my own children to grow up being in the garden.  As soon as my babies could go outside, I took them for walks to see what was growing, to hear the birds, see beetles and butterflies.  As they grew, giggles could be heard as we played with the watering hose and filled up the bird bath.  Digging and getting dirty was most enjoyable... and still is!

When my daughter was about 4, I asked her if she'd like her very own garden... she was so excited!  Sunflowers, zinnias, daisies, daylilies and a butterfly bush have all grown there, in "Olivia's garden."  She used to have a brightly colored birthday plate she loved so much.  She ate her dinner on it almost every evening.  Then one day, it slipped out of her little hands and broke.  She was devastated... until I suggested we use it to decorate her garden.  It's been out there a little over a year now, and she still points to it and tells people, "There's my favorite plate!"

My son has a garden also... although it's not as big as his sister's.  It's a little triangular plot, about the same size mine used to be.  We always put our pumpkins and squash there at the end of autumn, and by the next spring he usually has dozens of sprouting seedlings to take care of.  This year has been so dry, it's nothing but dried up grass and dirt.  Up until today, he's used it as a construction site for his tractors and backhoes... but today it's different.

Today, it's a rock garden.  My daughter informed me of her plan this morning, and the three of us went scouting around the yard.  A bit of a rock gatherer myself, I already had many stacked in borders around other beds.  We hauled over some of those ~ others were found in daddy's plowed up vegetable garden.  The finishing touch was a bit of hay placed around everything.

I realized I've been sad my son's garden didn't grow... even as he played in the dirt of the construction site, completely oblivious to my concerns.  He did ask me why there weren't any pumpkins this year, but then said, "It's been too dry, huh mom?"  Already knew the answer, and went on playing.

I stood back and watched as my two little ones showed me what it is to be happy, and make the most of whatever you're given.  Next year my son's garden may go back to being a place where green things grow, but for now, we're all pretty happy with the way things are, because it's not all about what you do for a garden, it's about what it does for you... even if it is only a little patch of dirt.

The Light of Life

For at one time you were darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light.

~ Ephesians 5:8 ~

Last evening, as my daughter walked ahead of me, she spotted one of the most treasured of summertime creatures... a lightening bug.  She called out, "Did you see that, Mom?  The lightening bugs are out tonight!"  Just like that, her walking turned into bouts of chaotic running, jumping and diving... until, yes, she'd captured one!  She carefully cupped her hands the way children do, and brought him over for me to see.  "Let's take him inside for awhile... please?"  It was a beautiful time of day, glowing dusk after a day of welcomed rains, but on mugginess I happily closed the door.

My daughter wanted to draw, and so put down her little treasure... and soon discovered, "Mom, I think he's got a hurt wing.  He's not flying very well."  In fact, he fell off the bench where he was roaming, onto the carpet because of lost footing.  No harm done.  She found a potholder with an open pocket, and placed him inside.  "I just want to keep him safe."  She started drawing away, but every few minutes she'd check inside her potholder to make sure everything was as she'd last left it.

Daddy and brother soon walked through the door, and before long it was getting to be bedtime.  My little girl came to me, with her delicate treasure once again blinking in cupped hands.  "Mom, would you please let my lightening bug go?  I don't want to keep him from his friends."  She ran upstairs smiling, ready to be tucked in for the night.

As I stood in the doorway and opened my hands, I watched as the little bug walked to the tip of my finger, and flew off...

This morning as I was on the verge of waking up, a song from childhood entered my thoughts.  "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine... This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."  There are a few other verses to the song, but this is what I remembered next: "Hide it under a bushel?  No!  I'm gonna let it shine..."

I opened my eyes and thought about how selfish it would've been to keep the little lightening bug inside (in a potholder no less!).  It wouldn't have been able to share it's light with the world, as it was created to do.

 

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying,

“I am the light of the world.  Whoever 

follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life."

~ John 8:12 ~

Once we discover the light of the world, we receive our most precious gift.  I pray for opportunities to share it with others... because I believe it's something we all were created to do.  After all... who wouldn't love to enjoy the light of life? 

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness,

to pull another hand into the light."

~ Norman B. Rice ~

Box of Treasures

My children and I stopped by

for a visit with our neighbors,

and came home with

a box of treasures...

I was thinking we should stop by and visit our neighbors,

 and then as we drove by their home, Glenna happened to be

 out in the garden... smiling and waving at us.

It was my sign to take the kids down for a visit!

We walked down the strip of grass between the pasture and road connecting our properties, and soon had dogs barking at us... Glenna was back outside, smiling and ready to give out hugs!  We sat on a front porch glider and talked as my kids played with their dogs...

 Inevitably, the kids (and dogs!) were thirsty, so we made our way inside to the big farmhouse kitchen.  Olivia motioned to a small cardboard box, and Glenna told her it was full of old recipes.  

She looked at me and asked, "Do you want them?  I was going
to bring them to you, but since you're here..."  She told me they were from one of her long time friends, and neither one had use for them.

As you can see, I happily accepted her offer!

Later, we said our goodbyes and walked back home... me with my treasures, and the kids with theirs (candy, of course!).  Once in the kitchen, I began sifting through the hundreds of recipes... a labor of love... much like the effort it took to create the cards in the first place. 

Most are typed, others hand-written.  In fact, mom says

the hand-written ones remind her of my grandma's handwriting... very pretty.

I've included 3 recipes in this post,
but anticipate sharing more soon.
For now, I'll leave you with...

 Here is the back...

I also scanned a plain lined recipe card,

and added aged, torn paper texture

I made with an image from

The Graphics Fairy:

For fun, I added a collage I made a while back...
French script and white roses...

... and a yellow Catherine Klein rose.

Hope you enjoyed your visit here!

Have a great day!!

An Amazing Place

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

~ Psalm 118:24 ~

Recently, with all the beautiful weather, I've been spending more time outside.  Sunday afternoon was no exception.  I asked my husband to lend a hand to clear out some weeds from a front flower bed.  After he'd made his much appreciated contribution of large-scale shoveling and pulling, he left me to the fine-tuning.

As I sat there at the edge, my thoughts were as busy as my hands.  I began thinking about my sister-in-law and her newborn son.  It brought back memories from when my children were babies... of course, there were the sleepless nights and times of worry, but oh so much laughter and many, many tender, sweet moments.

I felt a twinge of longing for those days, and a bit of sadness that my children were out of that stage... and then my little boy of 5 years bounded over from the backyard.  He didn't say much, just plopped down next to me.  It was like he knew I needed his company.  After catching his breath, he asked what I was doing and if he could help.  "Of course!"  With that, he brought my focus back to the present.

"Children have neither past nor future;

they enjoy the present, which very few of us do."

~ Jean de la Bruyere ~

He grabbed Daddy's shovel and was able to get some dirt turned over here and there.  Then he looked for worms.  Soon, he was just there, sitting next to me.  Out of the silence, I heard, "Mom, I like being with you."  I looked up at him and asked, "Why?"  With his pretty green eyes linked directly to mine, he said, "Because... you're so Mom-like."  Then he smiled and went back to his dirt.

If I ever needed to hear those words, it was in those moments.  God knew what was on my heart, and sent a sweet messenger to remind me of a few things.  Yes, I've raised my 'babies' but they're still my little ones... they'll grow in to bigger children, but they'll always be mine, and I'll always be "Mom."

There are still the occasional sleepless nights and times of worry... they will exist, as long as my children and I are together on this earth... but for all that, there's still so much laughter and many, many tender, sweet moments yet to be...  We've come through much to end up where we are... and right now, the present is an amazing place to be.

"Rejoice in the things that are present;

all else is beyond thee."

~ Montaigne ~

Mason Jar clip art & Kids Printable

 There are 2 vintage images of Mason jars

offered on The Graphics Fairy's site.

 Here are the original versions:

 

Mason jars

Cute glass Mason jar

I'd admired them many times, and so I

knew exactly where to look when I needed

a Mason jar graphic.  Only... I didn't realize

both versions had lids.

 

I had an idea for an art project for my kids,

and needed a canning jar graphic without a lid.

So, here's what I came up with:

Here's my art project idea:

 

It's very simple and open-ended,

which is good for encouraging a child's creativity.

I printed out the page below, gave it to my kids,

and asked what they would use to fill it.

 

My daughter said buttons and flowers,

and my son said fireflies... and of course those

would escape since there's no lid...

 

Oh well!

 

We're going to have fun with this today!

 

So... how would you use this Mason jar graphic?

I'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanks for stopping by,

and have a great day!

Kids Spring Math Worksheets

My children are 5 and 6 years old.

They love it when I make them special
 worksheets... either drawn by hand,

or made on the computer.

Here are two 8"x 11.5" math worksheets

I made today, using sweet Spring graphics.

Click to enlarge and save.

  

Here are my sources

for the free graphics:

*Vintage Images*

Pink rose

*Vintage Ephemera*

Egg illustration

*The Graphics Fairy*

Watering can

*The Vintage Moth*

Bunny

Butterfly

Hope you or someone you know

can use these free printables!

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

A Wonderfully Ordinary Day

Yesterday I woke up to sunshine streaming in the window, and a sweet little girl who'd curled up next to me.  Time for us both to get up, since it was a Kindergarten day.  She looked so peaceful... I waited for a moment before giving her a nudge.  She opened her eyes and focused on me, smiling.  We stretched, yawned, and made our way downstairs.  Soon my son was up too.  Another happy child... it's so nice when they both wake up "on the right side of the bed."

Didn't take long before I had two children chiming in for pancakes... how could I say no?  As it turns out, I flipped as they ate.  My daughter ran upstairs to put on her school clothes and to finish getting ready.  As I was cleaning the mess of dishes, my son came closer and asked, "Mom, what are we gonna do today?"

I thought for a moment, and glanced out at the sunshine.  "Would you want to help me in the garden?"  His wide grin and eagerly nodding head was a pretty clear reply.  My daughter came back downstairs, and we stood out on the porch as I finished doing her hair.  We said our morning prayer, and had a good laugh when we thought a yellow cement truck was her school bus.  Sure enough, the real bus came, and we all waved our goodbyes.

Soon after she'd left I had the idea to make Jell-O.  My little guy picked out strawberry flavor, and we made it together.  He handled it pretty well when I told him we couldn't eat it just yet...  pretty sure it also helped he knew we were going outside.

Once out in the flowerbed, I started digging and pulling... and noticed there was a growing number of toy dump trucks and tractors lining up nearby.  My son came to stand beside me, a little winded, and said, "We're ready to help, mom!"  As I pulled up clumps of grass and other weeds, he loaded them into his various little trucks, and transported them to a designated dump site.

While working in the dirt, we talked about grubs and worms... and those noisy birds chirping in the crab apple tree.  At one point, I heard, "Oh, I forgot something!"  and looked up to see an excited little boy running inside.  He returned carefully balancing our jello and 2 spoons.   "Is it ready now?"  It was, and so we took a break and he leaned against me, saying, "You know... I love helping you work in the garden, mom."  One of the sweetest moments of my day.

We went on to pick my daughter up from school, have supper and bath time... I tucked my son in to bed first.  He said, "I can't wait for more weeds!" and thanked God for our garden in his prayer...

I gently shut his door and led my daughter to bed.  We noticed the moon in the sky, and she shared how she loves to look up at the moon sometimes from her bedroom window... "even after Daddy tucks me in bed."  Moved, I said, "I do the same thing... I've always loved the moon too.  I turned to face her, and said "You know, today has been one of the best days I've ever had."  To which she responded, "Well, that's good... now just go to sleep."

I chuckled at her perfect timing, and smiled as I closed her door.  In fact, I believe I smiled until I finally drifted off... reluctantly closing the book on such a wonderfully ordinary day.

Best Day Ever!

Last night, as I was tucking my daughter in to bed, she said, "Mom... I want tomorrow to be the best day ever!"  I smiled and assured her that every new day God gives us is the best day of our lives.  With that, she closed her eyes, smiled, and turned over in the covers.

This morning, she woke up a little early.  She scampered to the bathroom, then came to the stairs to stretch.  Her hair was crazy curly, and she was wearing her favorite candy-striped PJ's... and a big grin.  I asked, "What kind of cereal do you want?"  She replied, "Oh, not cereal today Mom!  Cinnamon-sugar toast and tea for me!"  I started the toast, then got out all the tea, so she could pick out which flavor she wanted.

Of course, while making her decision, she had to stack all the boxes ~ blackberry, orange spice, vanilla and caramel, peach...  After much deliberation, and my threat of fixing plain old tea, she selected peach.

As her tea was brewing, I helped her brother pick out what kind of tea he wanted... because, naturally, he wanted what his sister was having.  The toast finished, and I spread it with butter, then sprinkled it with sugar & cinnamon.  In that order.  I placed it in front of my daughter, turned around and sugared her tea.  As soon as I turned back around, I realized my mistake!

Now, my daughter is particular when it comes to her cinnamon sugar toast.  The cinnamon goes on first, then the sugar... and she can tell if you don't do it that way!  She was giving me a look of disapproval!  "Mom, can you please try again?  I will help you remember the right way to make it this time."  My son was grinning from ear to ear, since that meant he got his breakfast a little sooner.

I grabbed 2 more pieces of toast, and heard her say, "Okay, first you put on the butter..."  I replied, "Yes, I always get that part at least... cinnamon then sugar, right?"  "You got it Mom!"  She was proud of me.

So I got it right... correction: we got it right... after trying again.  I think her day is off to a pretty good start.  After all, to be my daughter's "best day ever" doesn't mean that today also has to be the most "perfect day ever"...

I think today will be my "best day ever" too!

This is the day that the LORD has made!

Let us rejoice, and be glad in it!

 

~ Psalm 118:24 ~

Hope you have the "best day ever" today!

Thanks for stopping by!