Valentines 2012

Gummybear, Skittle, & Jellybean

I completely forgot Valentine's Day until yesterday afternoon. I have three children which means I needed 80 valentines stat! Mom of the year award goes to....

I needed cards I could quickly print out, have the kids sign and be done with it. So heartfelt, right? Okay, okay, I'll give it a bit more effort. Thankfully, my dear friend Pinterest saved me. I found 2 types of Valentines that didn't involve too much work and they weren't candy!

The first one was for the Boys to give out...

POPPING BY WITH A VALENTINE HI!
I made these in my design program and printed them out for the boys to sign.  I went to Staples and bought giant boxes of microwave popcorn and taped their cards to the top of each bag.  I know microwave popcorn isn't the healthiest treat but, its a better snack then some of the candy that my kids brought home from school today!

 

Next up were Jellybean's valentines.  I found this idea on Skip To My Lou (what a fabulous resource for all things crafty!)  The "sticky note valentines" were created by Amy Cluck (another darling site for inspiration).  I loved the template she provided but, wanted to give it my own flair and I wanted to do smaller sticky notes so I made my own design.  You should check out Amy's template...ADORABLE!

Because these were from my Jellybean, I made the colors sweet and soft.  I wish I would have put the "stuck on you" bigger on the inside but, oh well.

After I printed the design onto white cardstock, I folded them and had my daughter sign them for her classmates. 

I went to Staples to pick up a package of mini sticky notes (set of 12 pads) and I separated the pads into sets of 3's (her teacher got a whole pad).  I stuck the pads inside each folded valentine.  I decided not to include the velcro closure like Amy had suggested in her version because they stayed closed well enough on their own.

(sticky notes inside)

Thank you, Pinterest and all the amazingly creative people out there that give this Momma last-minute ideas.

I'm in the band.

When I heard Louie do this at a Chris Tomlin concert it rocked my world.  Completely changed the way I hear nature and worship my King.  I was reminded of this demonstration this past weekend when I had the opportunity to spend the weekend on a leader retreat.

We stood around a bonfire singing praises to our King. The mighty ocean crashing to the side of us, the crackling of the fire, the stars above our heads, and the sound of our voices in the quiet of an empty beach (except a dog barking but, I just think he was singing too).  Standing shoulder to shoulder with others on the same journey, it was overwhelming.  I am so tiny.  I am a speck on tiny's back.

No matter where we are or how we worship, God hears it all.  Can you imagine the symphony he hears every moment of every day?  He doesn't need us to sing praises to Him, He's got a world already praising Him.  Yet, He allows us to join the band.  Incredibly humbling. I encourage you to watch this video.  No matter what you believe, I am confident this will change your perspective.  Science is cool.