We’re not doing Halloween this year. Lydia is just too fearful. And I’m just too tired to deal with screams over cotton spiderwebs. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and if you’re interested, there are some SUPER FAB posts by some SUPER FAB guest bloggers (and one by moi) about Halloween over at Impress Your Kids. Seriously, good stuff.

So, in light of my NON-Halloween-ness, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to join in with Mary’s Giving Up on a Perfect Halloween. (By the way do you read Mary’s blog, Giving Up On Perfect? Well, you should. She is delightful.)

I’ve been wanting to share this for oh, 14 years now. Please indulge me as I share the

BEST IDEAS I’VE EVER HAD ABOUT BIBLICAL HALLOWEEN COSTUMES.

Tell me that is not a hilarious title. I’m giggling already.

Here goes:

1. Lazarus: an unraveling mummy with a name tag that says “Hello! My Name is Lazarus!” (see John 11)

photo by ittiebittiesforyou

2. Lot’s Wife: dress completely in white, paint face white and carry a salt shaker. Or randomly freeze. (see Genesis 19)

photo by zen

3. Plagued Egyptian: dress in standard Egyptian garb but also attach plastic bugs (see Exodus 7-11)

4. Jonah: Dress in tattered Bible-time clothes but add a little seaweed sticking out and maybe rub on some fish smell, too. (see Jonah 1-2)

photo by bibliona

5. Delilah: Bible-time outfit while holding a big pair of scissors and maybe even a few more beauty parlor supplies in tow. You know, kind of Bible Costume meets Frenchy:

photo found at thegoldencloset.com

6. Baby Bible Heroes. There are just so many great babies…let’s see Moses in the basket (cut a hole in the bottom of a basket and wear it with suspenders), baby Jesus (swaddling clothes, anyone?), baby Jacob & Easau (you know, if you were twins, one could be hairy and the other…not hairy) or even young Joseph with a technicolor coat.

photo by catheyse97

7. Adam and Eve. Pre-sin. KIDDING. (see Genesis 2:25)

So, if I was super-spiritual or was looking for a few eye-rolls from every non-Bible-believin’ person I knew, those are the costumes I’d choose. You know I’m kidding right? (Except for Lazarus. That one IS pretty funny.)

If you’ve got a funny Halloween story to share, link up with Mary. She’s giving away PRIZES!!

Giving Up on a Perfect Halloween: 7 Bible Halloween Costumes is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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I have always loved valentines. When I was little they had perforated edges and tissue paper thin envelopes. Now they come with shiny stickers and holographic words, but still they are delectable. Tiny little cards with yummy illustrations.

The day after Valentine’s Day I always hit up Walgreen’s or whoever has everything for 75% off. Then I look at the valentines to see which ones do NOT have the word “Valentine” on them. Lots of them are pretty non-lovey-dove and say stuff about being best friends or give sweet compliments.

Then I use them as fun greeting cards the rest of the year…

• fill an envelope with five or six and then mail for a fun treat
• drop in your kids’ lunch
• hide in your hubby’s coat pocket or briefcase
• tape to your kids’ mirror as a special surprise if you have to leave while they’re still asleep
• use as a notecard when dropping off food or returning something to a friend
• use as a bag tag for a gift

This is a cheap and cute way to brighten up anyone’s day! And oh, my favorite Valentine ever? Well, I’ve been saving these since 1994. You have to be very special to get one of these bad boys…

(stop by shannon‘s for more great tips!)

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Use Kid’s Valentines As Greeting Cards! is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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When we were Children’s Pastors in Birmingham, I wrote a two week lesson about Thanksgiving. It was entitled, “Thanks and Giving”. I have no idea what it entailed. But the title always stuck with me. (Did I make that title up? Or did I steal it? I hope I made it up. It’s catchy.) I want my Thanksgiving season to be filled with THANKS and GIVING.

So, this year, I am trying to do the same with Lydia. Last week we did GIVING. Our church collected 12 tons of canned food for a local charity. We gave about 8 of those cans. We made a very big deal about collecting and giving those cans to the people that needed it. (You can see the pics here.) Lydia was so excited and proud to bring her canned veggies to church!

This week is THANKS. So, to help Lydia focus on being thankful, we made a Thankful Countdown Turkey. Creative title, huh? And it just so happens to be a great craft to link up with the Fall Impressions carnival Leigh and I are hosting over at our blog, Impress Your Kids! (Was that a great commercial or what?!)

First I cut a huge piece of brown craft paper. (That was the best purchase ever. It’s like 300 yards long. I’m going to have it forever!) Then a little bowling pin shaped turkey body.  I let Lydia cut out the beak and I cut out the gobble. We glued on some wiggly eyes and our turkey was ready!

Then, I cut out fourteen feathers from assorted colored construction paper.

But we didn’t glue ANY of the feathers to our turkey. We chose one feather and I asked Lydia, “What are you thankful for? What do you really like that you could say thank you for?” She said, “I like flowers.”

So, I wrote flowers. She drew some great flowers..er, uhm some colored lines.

Then we attached it to our turkey and then hung the whole thing up on the wall.

Over the next 13 days, we’re going to pick a feather each day and write down something we’re thankful for on each one. By the time Thanksgiving arrives, our little turkey will be sporting some beautful feathers and we’ll have documented everything we’re thankful for!

Hopefully, Lydia gets the gist of it. I’m excited to see our little turkey and it’s thankful feathers grow!

(To see more fun Thanksgiving-ish crafts, visit Impress Your Kids. And if you’ve got a cool craft to share, link up!)

***

don’t forget about my giveaways: tummy time safari, $50 to bn.com, anthropologie s&p shakers and a shutterfly print pack.
I’m going to announce the winners on Saturday…or Sunday…soon.

Thanks & Giving is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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It’s so random how I can remember exactly what I posted a year ago on my blog. I woke up this morning thinking about what I posted last 4th of July and was thinking, “Too bad! I’d like to post that again!” Well, since Independence Day comes along every year, I figured this post could, too. In fact, to be truly redundant, I’m going to post a picture I’ve posted before, too.

This is one of several makeshift cemeteries for fallen soldiers in the Korean War. My great uncle took this picture. Doesn’t that just make it more chilling? And just looking at those white tombstones…it’s exactly how war heroes are honored here. They just wanted it to look the same? Honor them as much as possible? It literally brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. (more family pictures of Korean War here)

[abrupt change of pace]

And now, here’s what I posted last year—a link to Adventures In Odyssey. These radio dramas are completely family friendly, not to mention totally high quality and extremely fun! Click here and you’ll see FIVE complete episodes about exciting events in our country’s history. Including my very favorite, “The Day Independence Came”, when a young boy goes back in time to the Revolutionary War!

Each episode is only about 20-30 minutes long, I promise your family will love to listen. And I’m sure that it will add to the meaning of your holiday experience–I’m trying to figure how to get them on my ipod before we go anywhere today!

Thank you, God for the men and women who have given the ultimate price for our freedom! Thank you for the unbelievable gift of living in this country!

Happy Independence Day!

The Price of Freedom is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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It’s Memorial Day. My hubby has been home for THREE WHOLE DAYS. I love Monday-holidays!

So far, we’ve mowed the lawn (well, dh did), turned Lydia’s playroom into a bedroom (sans bed, we’re on the way to Toys R US now), cleaned out AND organized the buffet, the extra random closet in the living room, the china cabinet AND moved a bookcase from one room to another PLUS put together (and filled) my amazing IKEA find.

Only four more months till baby pirate arrives. Surely I won’t be this nest-y the rest of the time, will I? It’s exhausting!

(and oh, I’ve enjoyed your theology comments. this is the first 4 minutes I’ve been online since I posted it, so I’ll be responding to them tomorrow when all this nesting is done, I promise!)

I Think I’m Nesting. is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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Easter is four days away! Four days and we are still wearing coats outside! What happened to spring sandals and sleeveless Easter dresses? I guess Lydia and I will be stylin’ on Sunday with tights and hats!

I have a thing about Easter. It started a long time ago—when I first heard that the word “easter” wasn’t in the Bible. I just assumed it was like “trinity” or “rapture”, not actually in the Bible, but it just meant something else that was for real. Well, not so. According to the wiki, which I don’t entirely trust, there are several etymological roots for this word. But the one that most interests me has to do with the goddess Eostre, who is pictured with lots of pet bunnies. (Ring a bell?)

I know back in the day, Christian holidays got mixed up with pagan holidays. I get it. I know the missionaries were just trying to get people into “the fold”. So, yeah, combine your pagan feast with the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, whatever, just stop worshiping the bunny rabbit god. I know there is not one thing I do in my Christian walk that isn’t tainted by American tradition or a completely random pagan history. I understand it.

And I really didn’t mean to ramble this long about it. I’m not an expert. I haven’t studied it extensively. But anyone with half a brain has to wonder what eggs and bunnies have to do with Jesus coming back to life.

But I never knew what to do about it. I mean, I love a good hard boiled egg colored pink. I pine all year for a Cadbury egg. And I simply adore a little girl in a flowery dress! Last year, I read a post by Shannon about this very thing. She and her family have a First Day of Spring party and do all the “easter” traditions—then on “Easter Sunday” they celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. What a great idea!

So, this year, we had our first Spring Party! It wasn’t a big huge party–just Lydia and Nora playing together.  We just celebrated Spring like we’d celebrate Back-to-School or the first snow! It was perfect!

We dyed eggs.

We made lamb, bunny & chick puppets. (I like the bunny best.)

We even had an egg hunt. Lydia and Nora were so polite–Nora would show Lydia where an egg was, then Lydia would put it in Nora’s basket!

Then we decorated cupcakes with marshmallows and m&ms. It was really cute…and apparently really yummy!

I know in the grand scheme of things, eggs and bunnies aren’t going to ruin Lydia’s spiritual formation. But in an effort to do my best for her and for the Lord, I like this Spring Party idea. I didn’t feel like we were pushing so much into one day (or skimping on the chocolate eggs). It was just perfectly balanced. I can already tell on Resurrection Sunday, we’ll be able to just talk about Jesus and hang out with our families.

Of course, she’ll probably get an Easter basket from her grandparents. Oh well.

Springy Eastery Type Party! is a post from: ohamanda.com
Happy New Year! Here are some of my favorite resources to help you make the most of 2012! One Bite At A Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler, an ebook by Simple Mom!
Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule, finally get your house under control!
E-Mealz, online meal-planning with shopping lists! {20% off with code SKINNY when you choose one of their healthy menus}
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