Gifts Given by Grace

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Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ~1 Peter 4:10

In the lyrics of the 'Little Drummer Boy' the singer relates how, as a poor young boy, he was summoned by the Magi to the nativity where, without a gift for the infant Jesus he played his drum.  There are many different accounts of the little boy who played the drums for the baby Jesus.  Was he the son of a shepherd in the fields nearby or was he the son of the innkeeper?  It is unclear, but it is certain that he was a poor boy with a gift for playing the drums slowly and methodically with a beautiful beat and sound.

As I listened to the Christmas song on the radio, I thought about what gifts the Lord has given my children.  Have I recognized their individual God-given gifts, and have I acknowledged and nurtured them?  What non-monetary gifts would they give to the newborn King?  What gifts from the heart could they give to others for Christmas?

Quickly, certain gifts entered my mind.  My oldest daughter has the gift of organization.  I try to envision her at the stable, making sure all the bowls of water are filled for the animals and that they have plenty to eat; the barn floor is neat and orderly; Mary is comfortable and has everything she needs.  Mason has the gift of carpentry.  I can see him repairing the barn walls with nails that he forged with the blacksmith's help, so as to keep the chill of the cold winter night out of the barn.  He fixes the barn door so that it doesn't squeak in the night to wake the baby Jesus.  He is quick to ask Joseph and Mary, "How can I help?"  All the while, he ponders how many nights they can survive in the stable with the dropping temperatures.  My youngest daughter is sitting at the feet of the sleeping baby.  She wants to be right beside Him.  She is sweet and settled in with big eyes as she stares at her Savior.  I can picture her singing a sweet song; maybe 'Amazing Grace' or 'Jesus Loves the Little Children.'

I pondered these things and after I explained the song to them, I asked them, "What are some gifts that you would give to the King if you had no money to buy a gift?"

Ashlyn answered, "I would play 'Silent Night' on the piano for Him."  My son said he would build a box to hold all the gifts brought by the Magi.  My youngest daughter said she would dance.  Hmmm. Now I might have guessed the first two gifts, but the gift from my youngest daughter of dance?  This is not one I would have known.  She is only five and has not yet taken her first ballet class.

This Christmas, I encourage you to seek out what special gifts the Lord has given to you or to your children.  What gifts do you have that you could give without spending any money?  God has given each of us special gifts and talents.  We are to use our special gifts, provided from the Lord to serve others.  Somehow, I have missed this.  With consumerism at a high, maybe our society has missed it.  We don't have to buy things to share gifts.  I hope to teach my children (and learn a few lessons myself) about sharing gifts from the heart that don't cost a thing.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. ~Romans 12:6

Blessings to you as we enter this holiday season! 

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The Perfect S'Mores & Jiffy Pop

This time of year calls for bon fires...

Can you think of anything more fun than sitting outside with a slight chill in the air and eating s'mores?

What is it about roasting a marshmallow on a stick?

Remember these?  Jiffy Pop popcorn seems to transport me back in time.  To pop the kernels over an open fire wear a long oven mitt from the kitchen, because the handle is short!

Our secret to the perfect s'mores? Nutella...a little bit of heaven in a jar.  Some like a Hershey's bar, but we favor the milk chocolate hazelnut spread.

I found the Jiffy Pop at Wal-Mart.

Perfection!  Doesn't this just make your mouth water?!

Friday night is family night around here.  Sometimes we go out, but our most favorite treat is making a bonfire and eating some yum s'mores and popcorn.  It is quiet outside and the only thing flickering at me is the fire...no phone, no TV, no computer.

Rob and I are struggling to cut out some things that have made us way too busy.  As we approach the holidays, it takes some serious planning to make 'all is calm, all is bright' around here!  I'll share some ways that we have found to simplify during the holidays with you soon!

I will continue my 'Life Lessons' on Sunday starting this week.  Stop back by and see what we are learning about 'gift giving' for this Christmas!

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A Vintage Cowgirl Birthday Party

Using a western font I found on the web, I made several 'Wanted' signs.  This one hosts a picture of a vintage cowgirl.

My photos are not great of the party, but I will share the ideas that we used for my daughter's tenth birthday, in case you are planning a vintage cowgirl event!  

A pair of my cowgirl boots holds some flowers.  There was a bit of a breeze, so they kept falling over!  Also, we had to place drinks on the plates to keep them from flying away.  Bandana plates came from Michael's.

These vintage western hankies served as placemats for the girl's table.  We also used them as neckerchiefs for the photo booth.

To see how I made the invitations, click here.

Using Modge Podge, my daughter and I made these sherriff badges with some pretty paper.  Some of the paper was scrapbook paper, some came from Funkytime and some came from photocopying a print from a Cath Kidston bag.  I traced the wooden badges and added two coats of glue.

I purchased the little wooden badges from Michael's.  I found closure pins from Hobby Lobby that we glued to the back of the badges.  We loved how these turned out!  Each child wore one, so we could keep up with everyone at the festival.

I ordered the vintage Moda gift bags online.

Wooden horses from Michael's to paint...

Old timey gum...

and wands of bubbles with the 'Lone Star' were put in the fabric bags.

I printed all the western tags from 'The Best Birthday' site under 'printable invitations.'

I found these great cupcake liners at Sur Le Table, but forgot to use them!

The apple crates came from Hobby Lobby to hold the snacks and gifts.  I lined the ones for food with basket liners in blue and white check from Michael's.

Some old house numbers hold the napkins in place.  These little cherry napkins came from the Country Living section at K-Mart.  They have a nice vintage look.

I did not get a shot of our 'Watering Hole,' but these napkins with the horseshoe were placed near the drinks. I used a child's size wheelbarrel to hold the drinks and made the 'Watering Hole' sign.  Bandana napkins came from Hobby Lobby.

The Gold Mine nugget gum also came from K-Mart.

Again, my picture taking was limited, but you can see the 'wagon wheel' pretzels in the left crate.  They are by UTZ and look like real wagon wheels.  I also put out twisted pretzels and labeled them 'ropes.'

This Mexicorn Dip is always a favorite.  I got this recipe from my grandmother.  The ingredients are one can of Green Giant Mexicorn (11 oz), 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of sour cream, and 1 green onion finely sliced.  Mix and chill.  Serve with corn chips.

Sliced Honey crisp apples with heath bar crunch dip (recipe) were served with 'Skillet hotdogs' (Lil' Smokies wrapped in crescent rolls) in my Grandpa's old iron skillet.

Since we were at a farm, I included some wipes and sanitizer to clean up before the meal.

Bell peppers and pretzels were served with 'Every Girl Needs Her Ranch.'

The Howdy Buckaroo vintage cowgirl tablecloth tied the whole theme together.  The Retro Barn carries some great vintage tablecloths and napkins, too.  It is difficult to see, but I added small horse ornaments to the top of the cupcakes.  I purchased these in a pack of three at Hobby Lobby in the miniature ornament section.

A vintage playing card with the number 10 is stashed in the side of a cowgirl hat.  The sash came from a dress that my daughter wore when she was little.  Ten years went by so fast!

Number 10 playing cards were placed around the table.  It seems that cowboys (or cowgirls!) used to sit around the campfire and play poker!

Western craft paper and free printable paper from Poppytalk were used to wrap small presents.

This is the first year I have ever had a pinata at a party!  I opted for the pull string so that no one would get hit with a stick!  Kids are crazy around a pinata!

Ashlyn stenciled the Cowgirl sign on an old piece of salvaged wood from a Charleston home.  I outlined it with a gold pen.  We used this as a prop for taking pictures.

Sometimes I get overly interested in the topic at hand!  Nonetheless, I found some interesting facts about the Pioneer women of the Wild West and posted these for any other odd bird who was interested!

Some famous women of the Wild West included Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane and Cattle Kate.  If you are interested, there are some great stories about these women!  Many women were responsible for food processing, candle and soap making, spinning, weaving, knitting, raising children and establishing schools and churches.  A woman of the Wild West certainly understood 'hard work!'

The girls all had a turn riding the horses.

I have so much fun using the props and taking pictures of the children!  Kids are hilarious!  I found several felt mustaches at World Market, but many printables are found online.  I couldn't find a template for the 'bubble talk' so I drew one out and glued it to a stick.

If you have a birthday in or near October, consider hosting it at a Fall Festival.  There is so much to do and there was no up-front cost.  The cost to ride the horses was $3 a child. Ten kids; thirty bucks...not bad.  Had I rented the barn with horses on another day, it would have cost $150.  We asked for permission and arrived early to grab some picnic tables on the side.  I had so much fun, but more importantly my daughter and the girls loved it!

To see more of the ideas I found, check my Pinterest board here.

Thanks for stopping by!

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