Mustard Seeds

SEW LOVELY for girls

Remember when I held SEW LOVELY sewing retreats? Well, I'm ramping up to offer them again--this time to young girls (ages 9 & up). It's in the form of a mother-daughter class/retreat and I have two different sessions, one in June and one in July. 

Now moms, you do not need to know how to sew to come to this class. You don’t even have to pretend to be crafty. The main reason I am having you come is to bond with your lovely daughter (of course) and also to learn alongside her so that when you get home you both know enough to keeping sewing forward. 

Here are the details. Please feel free to forward this to mother-daughters that might be interested. 

First of all, SEW LOVELY is more than just a sewing class. I call it a retreat because along with the sewing class portion, there are sumptuous snacks and meals, vintage sewing decor, party favors, fellowship and more. 

DO I HAVE TO OWN A SEWING MACHINE?

Yes, you do have to own a sewing machine to take this class. One of the greatest benefits of this class is I will teach you how to thread your needle, wind your bobbin and make a button hole using your machine. You will go home confident in how to make that machine hum. You can purchase a reasonable, quality machine at Wal-Mart or Amazon. My best suggestion for beginners is the Singer 2259 Tradition. This one is also a good beginner machine.

WHEN & WHERE IS IT?

At my home in Arvada, Colorado.

Friday, June 19 (6:30-8:30 pm)  & Saturday, June 20 (9 am-5 pm)

Friday, July 31 (6:30-8:30 pm)  & Saturday, Aug. 1 (9 am-5 pm)

HOW MUCH IS IT? $250 per mother-daughter couple

WHAT DO WE GET FOR MY $250?

Your daughter will walk away saying, “Why yes! I do sew.”  She will also take home three completed projects, a binder with patterns and notes and the confidence to sew on her own. You will also get appetizer/dessert (Friday), and breakfast, lunch, and yummy snacks along the way (Saturday). Believe me, you won’t go away hungry.

Rice Pillow

Small Tote Bag

Half Apron

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING WITH ME?

• Sharp sewing scissors or shears The pair that you have in your drawer, which you use to cut paper will NOT work.
• Box of pins I prefer this kind because they are longer (1 ½ inch) and the pearls make them easy to grab. Don’t worry about a pin cushion (Wink! Wink!).
• Seam ripper
• Sewing gauge
• Spool of white thread
• Sewing machine. Bring all bobbins, parts and instruction manual. Package of replacement needles for your sewing machine. 
• Package of hand-sewing needles
• Tape measure
• Fabric for your three projects

TO REGISTER: Go to joysongschool.com. Space is limited. Submit the registration form and then you will receive an email to proceed with payment.

 

Beth Mess #17

Gardening.

Hello, October.

Fall is here. Wah-hoo. The house is adorned in autumnal colors. My garden produced 7 pumpkins! (Something I've never grown.) Now, I just wish the weather would cool off a little bit. I'm ready to wear some knitted goodness without having to peel it off at 10 am because I'm sweating walking to my car. 

Much of my time these days has been spent launching the VESSEL club for girls and getting into the routine of writing on the VESSELS blog. This blog isn't just for young girls. I believe you'll enjoy it too, so go on and subscribe. I'm posting recipes and crafts as well as devotional-type study on women of the Bible.

I've been overwhelmed (in a good way) of the response to the real-life club on Wednesday nights. Last week, we had 54 girls attend! I'm so thankful that many moms have stepped in to hang around and help while we stitch and hot-glue our way through crafts.

Alhough I'd love to spend my days just focusing on blogging and crafting, having school-aged kids and one still at home has proved to be quite busy. I only have one napper these days and Jack comes home from kindergarten at 11:15. Like you, there's endless laundry, meal preparation and then the mothering. Intentional parenting and the shepherding of my children's hearts is a daily challenge and just when I feel stretched to my limit, it pulls a little more. But every once in a while I get a glimpse that some of it might just be working....when I receive an unprompted thank you or when I see my kids choosing to treat each other with kindness instead of  swiping a toy and yelling, "I had it first." 

I guess what I want to say is that for those of you who are feeling weary of motherhood, stay the course. Fight the good fight. We all get emotional and physically exhausted, it's just part of this mama gig. 

I've started running again--this time consistently since May. The solitude of being outside, listening to worship music and talking to the Lord have been a great time of refreshment for me. I've begun to rediscover my love of running abet the pain of my post-child rearing body. I've been pumping this song on my headphones while I run. It always seems to pump me up before returning to my brood.

  

Blog Silence

How was your summer? Ours was awesome and very full. 

My lack of blog posts may have had some of you wondering if I have completely disappeared...

God has had me working on something new and completely exciting, so my blogging energies have been spent elsewhere. Today, I want to share my new blog called VESSELS-filled by Him, poured out for His purpose. You can visit the blog here. 

God has been leading me in this direction for some time, but this summer I felt like he kind of unveiled the plan to me. I'll post more on this another time. But along with the blog, there will be a real-life club (for girls 3rd-6th grade) that will meet in Arvada, Colo. on Wednesday nights. 

So please take a look a look at the new blog eand share it will any girls you know. This doesn't mean that Mustard Seeds will go away, but there will be more regular posting on VESSELS for the time being. 

The Yard Project

A while back, I talked about our "yard renovation." I keep waiting for the"light to be right" or for the everything to be put in its place and "photo-worthy." But this morning as I was sitting at the table on the patio I decided, " Forget it. I'm taking photos right now, bad lighting and all." So here goes.

This is the Widdi Woods area when we first moved in, three years ago. You couldn't see the fence it was so overgrown.

 And now....

Three years of purging overgrowth, new dry river bed paths, crushed granite, cedar mulch, plantings and a new fence.

This is another "before" shot.

And the same corner today.

We built the treehouse last summer. This year, we added the pea gravel.

Here are a couple of in-progress/before shots of the patio area.

And the now the new patio.... large poured surface and a sidewalk out to the front fence. We tore out the falling-down gazebo and trellis wall thing-y. 

We rebuilt the planter around the crabapple tree, added large river rock, re-routed sprinkers out away from the house. 

Between the patio and the fence, we had a cement retaining wall poured and added rock around the edge.

This is the view of the other side of the yard, standing on the edge of the patio. When we moved in, this was all grass. Over the last two years, we created the large planter and my container gardens. We were planning a gravel path around the garden, but the cement looks much more finished.

On the right side of the path is this dry river bed with fire pit. The fence is also new (and waiting to be stained.)

All my transplanting and cultivating in now in full bloom. 

We brought in nearly 24 tons of rock and loads of cedar mulch. Our yard is quite large and the rock and mulch seemed to have "brought in" the borders, making the planted areas more manageable. Everything feels manicured and clean. 

This project was a windfall of blessing--a gift of the highest regard. We LOVE our new space. We eat almost all meals out here and I tend to do all my computer work perched under the crabapple tree. 

We already hosted quite a few dinners on the patio. I can't wait for my summer's end garden party.

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Beth Mess # 16

Lest you think she has "grown out of it," here's another one of Beth's messes! This big girl turned 4 a couple of days ago, but she is still just as full of mischief, creativity and humor as she ever was.

While drawing with sidewalk chalk, she decided to add some water to "paint" with it.

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Beth Mess #13

Still making messes: Beth Mess #14

Book Recommendation: 101 Bible Stories from Creation to Revelation

Well, summer is upon us. I love it when my kids are home, without having to rush out of the house each morning. Still, it's good to have some kind of routine. And, for me, the beginning of new season always encourages to start fresh, healthy habits. 

Enter morning quiet times. . . for your kids. Check out this post to see what I used to do when the sprouts were smaller. Now that I have an independent reader and three different distinct ages, I've had to regroup and brainstorm some new books and ideas.

Anne is entering 3rd grade and is now an independent reader. I want her to be able to read something each morning without feeling overwhelmed by pages with solid words. 101 Bible Stories from Creation to Relevation, by ZonderKidz, illustrated by Dan Andreasen, is a perfect fit for her. 

As the title suggests, this Bible storybook includes 101 stories. Each story has a one-page illustration and one page of text--perfect for a daily reading. When I asked Anne to read one story the other morning, she quickly asked, "Can I keep reading more stories?" So I'd say she liked it. 

She and I both really like that how the illustrations aren't "too cartoony," making the book feel like a "bigger kid" book and not a toddler Bible storybook. The illustrations are really  beautiful and have a "realistic feel."

 

The chapter reference is given at the beginning of each story in case you want to look up more details. The stories are simple and easy to understand, without "dumbing it down."  And, I feel it stays true to the Biblical account and details. 

You can check out this link to read some samples. 

This would be a great gift to readers who have Bibles already and might feel intimidated reading its gray pages of text. Plus, the price is quite reasonable. I plan on buying this book as birthday gifts for other children my daughter's age.

Disclosure: ZonderKidz provided me with a free copy of this book for reviewing purposes. My opinions are my own, and I only share about products that I believe are of interest to my readers. 

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Your Hills of Calvary

 Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures of their Hill of Calvary. Sorry it's taken me so long to post. It's been one of those months that I've been so busy projecting, gardening and mothering that I haven't taken the time to actually document any of it. 

So without further ado, here are you fabulous hills. I love how everyone used their own unique ideas and supplies. Check out the links and pin ideas for next year.

This is Pearl's Hill of Calvary. Check out her paper mache tomb.

Check out Terra's awesome Good Friday activities. I love how she used Woodeez and Little Critters to re-enact the story.

 Yanna's lovely grass hill.

 This is the Van Kooten's hill. It got a little hairy! Love it!

Melissa translated my instructions into German and used them with in women's Bible study (along with Resurrection Eggs in German), as a way to encourage the moms to do something Christ-related with their families. How cool!

And the Langevin's empty tomb on Easter morning.

And now the Haufschild's.

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Catching up

We've had quite a bit going on here the last few weeks (apart from Easter). My parents visited for a week at Easter and I helped plan decorations for a major school event. We also painted our house,  built a new fence, and had a new retaining wall and patio and sidewalk poured...Things have been a bit hectic. But the yard is looking fabulous and I can't wait to share pictures. 

But first....Easter. Did you have a fabulous, meaningful Easter? I hope so. I'm going to post your Hill of Calvary photos soon. Promise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've decided that Christmas isn't the only holiday worthy of "baking cookies." I've been stuck on this cookie recipe (I use almond instead of orange extract). It works wonderfully for sugar cookies. And, did you know that you can make your own colored sugar?! I'm not sure why it took me so many years to realize that you don't have to buy colored sugar in tiny bottles in the cake mix aisle. Just put some sugar in a zip lock, add a few drops of food coloring and shake. Seriously?! This amazing discovery has changed my cookie making forever. Instead of icing dripping everywhere, we are going to have SUGAR in all colors. 

And on to....hot cross buns. A couple of years ago, I made a double batch of buns to deliver to friends on Good Friday. It was festive and fun, but the buns were pretty dense and dry. So this year, I started early making test batches in March... My favorite recipe is the Pioneer Woman's version. 

 

And now on to the yard...Here are my children working hard dismantling the crumbling stone patio. They seriously worked for two hours straight helping Matt and I haul rock to the driveway. This is one situation that I am in total support of child labor. 

 

Our family was blessed with a wonderful gift that made this backyard transformation possible. I can't wait to take some "after" pictures to show you.

See that little garden shed on the side of the house? Gone.

See that peeling paint? Now a beautiful yellow.

Uneven patio? Clean (soon to be stained) poured cement. 

Did I mention the fence? Whenever a big wind blew, we would hold our breath praying it wouldn't fall down. Now it's a sturdy new thing, with picket fencing up in the Widdi Woods. Sigh. 

I never knew the joy that new cement and fencing could bring. I can't wait for this summer's garden party.

Hello, Red Door and Black Shutters! You make me oh-so-very-happy. 

Songs of Easter: Day 40-Listen-Reflect-Pray

 

Mustard Seed's Songs of Easter is a 40-part music series that provides a way for you to "dig a little deeper" this Easter season. Maybe you don't know anything about Lent or even what to do to make this season more meaningful. Start here. A new song will be posted each day  at 11 a.m. mountain time--just in time for lunch. Quiet yourself. Close your eyes. Listen the lyrics. Reflect. Pray.  It's simple, but significant. I'm praying that by intentionally listening each day, the Lord gives you a deeper understanding of his love and grace on the journey to the cross.

Songs of Easter: Day 39-Listen-Reflect-Prays

 

Mustard Seed's Songs of Easter is a 40-part music series that provides a way for you to "dig a little deeper" this Easter season. Maybe you don't know anything about Lent or even what to do to make this season more meaningful. Start here. A new song will be posted each day  at 11 a.m. mountain time--just in time for lunch. Quiet yourself. Close your eyes. Listen the lyrics. Reflect. Pray.  It's simple, but significant. I'm praying that by intentionally listening each day, the Lord gives you a deeper understanding of his love and grace on the journey to the cross.

Good Friday

"The full force of the storm of God's fierce anger at sin was coming down. 

On his own son.

Instead of his people.

It was the only way God could destroy sin, and not destroy his children whose hearts were full of sin."

---The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

 

P.S. The Jesus Storybook Bible Kindle edition is on sale right now for $3.99. 

Your Hill of Calvary

I was thrilled when Amber sent me a link to see her Hill of Calvary. I especially loved reading the sweet confessions. 

I would love to see your hill, too.  Leave a comment with a link to your blog. If you don't have a blog, email me a photo. (janna@mustardseedswriting.com) I'll do a post with all the pictures. And,remember to share how it's made an impact on your family.

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Don't forget to add your crosses today. Here are some other "teaching ideas" to use over the weekend.

• On Good Friday, wrap up a clothespin in white cloth and lay it in the tomb (Jesus). Then, cover the tomb entrance with the 4-inch dish. On the Eve of Easter, remove the clothespin, leave the cloth and leave the tomb open for your child to discover first thing on Sunday morning.

• Have each member of your family take a rock and write a personal struggle or sin on the stone with a permanent pen. Put the rocks in the tomb on Good Friday--the day Jesus died for our sins. Then, cover the tomb entrance with the 4-inch dish. On the Eve of Easter, remove the stones and throw them away. Leave the tomb open for the family to discover on Sunday morning. Talk about what “grace” and “forgiveness” means.

• "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." Romans 4:25

•  The path to the cross was paved by my sins. Cut a path in your grass leading up to the cross. Make a path with your “sin stones.” Then, put these rocks in the tomb...to once again die...with Christ.

• "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

• On Easter, Jesus not only rose from the grave, conquering death, but he conquered our sin-- FOREVER. Our sin is dead! Remember to emphasize the JOY and excitement of Easter. Especially for younger ones, I think it's important to emphasize the joy and miracle, lest they only focus on the sad part of the crucifixion. 

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Tutorial: Hill of Calvary

 

Maundy Thursday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"God was going to pour into Jesus' heart all the sadness and brokeness in people's hearts. He was going to pour into Jesus' body all the sickeness in people's bodies. God was going to have to blame his son for everything that had gone wrong. It would crush Jesus . . . But it would be all right . . ."

---The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

 

P.S. The Jesus Storybook Bible Kindle edition is on sale right now for $3.99. If you don't have this, get it today!  It's amazing. 

Photos: I took these last summer at St. Paul's Church in Auckland, NZ. (Where my brother-in-law was married.) I was captivated by these amazing carvings on the walls.

Songs of Easter: Day 38-Listen-Reflect-Pray

 

Mustard Seed's Songs of Easter is a 40-part music series that provides a way for you to "dig a little deeper" this Easter season. Maybe you don't know anything about Lent or even what to do to make this season more meaningful. Start here. A new song will be posted each day  at 11 a.m. mountain time--just in time for lunch. Quiet yourself. Close your eyes. Listen the lyrics. Reflect. Pray.  It's simple, but significant. I'm praying that by intentionally listening each day, the Lord gives you a deeper understanding of his love and grace on the journey to the cross.