Kimberly Farmer

 by Kimberly Farmer

Longer-lasting Candy Gift

Ava made this gift for her grandpa. We purchased a bag of individually wrapped candy, and then Ava decorated strips of paper with messages and drawings, which we attached to the candy with tape. Then we decorated an empty container (This is an empty Nesquik container.) with heavy paper and stickers to personalize it and make it fun. Like the Grandma’s Princess Tea gift, this gift continues giving for as long as grandpa is popping candy.

 by Kimberly Farmer

Princess Tea Gift

Ava made this pretty box of tea bags for her grandma. We covered the box with heavy paper and decorated it with stickers and ink to personalize it and make it special. We took the tea bags out of the box and made them special, too. Each tea bag’s paper sleeve has a small square of heavy paper taped to it, with a special drawing or message from Ava. This gift is fun to give, because it lasts for as long as the receiver is drinking the tea. Each time Grandma makes a cup of tea, she is greeted with a message from her little granddaughter living over 2,000 miles away.
 by Kimberly Farmer

A Great Resolution Anytime

If you are a Christian, I hope you have read through the entire Bible. If you have not yet read it all on your own, you need to do so, because God’s Written Word is precious and alive, and not reading it in its entirety is not only doing you a disservice, but it is hindering your growth in the Lord. So, I want to encourage you to dig in, dig deep, and read all of the amazing Word of God.
Keep Reading
I think reading in the Bible everyday for the purpose of reading it in its entirety is a wonderful New Year’s resolution, but I also think it is important that your resolution be to begin and continue reading the Bible throughout this year. Don’t make your resolution to necessarily read the entire Bible in one year. The important thing is not the amount of time it takes you to read the Bible so you can check it off your list of accomplishments, but it is to read the Bible in its entirety so you can gain from it all that the Lord has for you. So, while it’s good to have a daily reading plan to keep you on course, don’t give up if you miss a couple days and can’t catch up. Be encouraged to keep reading. Keep studying. Keep taking in the Word of God. 

Track Your Reading
You can find many different Bible Reading Plans online and there may be one in the back of your Bible. Here is a website where you can take a look at three different plans you can download and print: Discipleship Journal.

Be Effective
Here are some simple tips that make a big difference…..

  • Keep a notebook and pen beside your Bible, so you can write down verses that mean something particularly special to you. You will be glad you did. Writing it down means that it will stick in your mind better, and you will also be able to refer back to it later.
  • Pray before you begin reading and ask God to open your heart and mind to Him as you read, so you may gain as much as possible, as correctly as possible from His Word. Also pray that God will help you put into practice the truths that you learn.
  • Read where you will be the least distracted, so your reading will be effective.
Every book of the Bible has been written by God for our benefit, so let’s read! If you know of a particular reading plan that you like or a tip for studying the Bible that you would like to pass along, please leave a comment and share it with us!
 by Kimberly Farmer

Winter Snowman Window Decoration

Materials:
  • Clear contact paper (cut to appx. 7.5″ x 10″)
  • White tissue paper (torn into small pieces)
  • Construction paper (1 full sheet and some scraps)
  • Glue
Make It:
  1. Draw (or trace bowls to create) a snowman shape on a piece of construction paper. Cut out the snowman shape. Lay the paper on the contact paper and trace the snowman shape directly onto the contact paper using a pen. Set the construction paper aside for now.
  2. Peel the backing off the contact paper and lay it sticky side up. You should be able to see the snowman shape drawn on the non-sticky side of the contact paper. This will be your guide for where to stick the tissue paper. Be sure to overlap the lines as you fill in the snowman shape with the torn pieces of tissue paper.
  3. Once the snowman is filled in with the tissue paper, lay your construction paper over the top and press it onto the contact paper. The edges should adhere to the remaining exposed contact paper. You may want to use a little glue around the snowman edge to help the construction paper attach to where the tissue paper overlaps.
  4. Using glue, add cut-out buttons, eyes, nose, and any other accessories to your snowman. Make them out of paper or use buttons, googly eyes, fabric, etc.
  5. You can cover the front with another piece of contact paper if you like, but we left ours alone. Use tape to display your snowman on a window or door.
The back side.
 by Kimberly Farmer

Colorful Christmas Pumpkin!

To decorate for Thanksgiving, we took a small pumpkin from our garden to my parents house. We abandoned the pumpkin at my parent’s house after Thanksgiving and didn’t expect to see it again. But….. when we visited for Christmas, my mom still had it and she and my children painted it with acrylic paint to decorate for Christmas! It’s an unexpected, cheerful decoration!

 by Kimberly Farmer

In the Hand of God

Lately, my family has been facing some big challenges that seem to have no end. As a result, I have leaned heavily on two things in my spiritual walk that have upheld me and sustained me and kept me sane…

The first is the Bible. The only book that is alive. The only book through which God speaks directly and you never have to question, wonder, or work through whether it’s what He wants. The only book that gives clarity and direction straight from God when everything else is silent. The only book that is all truth, completely dependable, and penetrates to the soul.

The second is my history with the Lord. You see, God and I have a past together. He formed my very being. He came into my heart and changed my life. He has filled me with His Holy Spirit. He has comforted me when I was heart-broken, protected me when I was in danger, held my hand when I was scared, and directed me when I didn’t know where to go. The most amazing part is that through my entire life with Him I have always known the true – deep-down – can’t explain it – so grateful I have it – peace that comes only from walking with Him. My relationship with my Creator, Savior, and Friend is the most remarkable, most important, most dependable, most indescribable part of my life. Without Him I am nothing. With Him I have everything.

I am so glad that I am not floundering in the middle of my storm. I’m not panicked that the boat will sink or that I will lose my bearings. I am in the Almighty hand of God, as is my family, and that is the safest, most wonderful place to be.

Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in You.

2 Samuel 22:31
As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 31:19
How abundant are the good things that You have stored up for those who fear You, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in You.

Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.

 by Kimberly Farmer

Sing a New Song

Ava often asks me to sing a new song to her, and I find myself going blank; so we make up our own sometimes. Children love to hear their own name in a song, so last night I altered the words to “Jesus Loves the Little Children”….
You can fill in the blank with your child’s name, or just make up your own!
Jesus loves little Ava

Yes, oh yes, He really does

In a stable filled with hay

Christ was born on Christmas day
Because He loves you
And He holds you very dear

 by Kimberly Farmer

Window Ornament Sun-Catchers

Here is a fun family craft that knows no age limit and isn’t messy. We each made our own ornament to display on our back door. The tree is window crayon, but you can completely skip that part if you prefer, and just “hang” your pretty ornaments or lights alone. These really took on a three-dimensional appearance, and they look pretty at night-time! This activity would also be fun to use on another holiday – think Easter eggs, shamrocks, hearts, stars, etc. And if you do all the prep work, this project would be perfect for very little children, and could make a great Sunday School project simply by adding a message about Christ or by making a cross.

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 by Kimberly Farmer

Make ‘n’ Bake Christmas Ornament Recipe

After making our Autumn and Thanksgiving Decoration, we used the same Baker’s Clay recipe (below) to make Christmas ornaments. The clay is super simple to make (we only made a quarter of the amount in the recipe). After mixing our dough, we used a cookie cutter to cut it, and we used a toothpick to make the hole through which we later strung some hemp cord, but ribbon would be pretty, too. We left our ornaments with a natural look and only sugar sprinkles baked into the top, but if preferred, paint the ornaments with acrylic paints after baking for some beautiful color! (We really like metallic acrylic paints for some extra pizazz.)
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 by Kimberly Farmer

Window Artwork Taken Seriously

Ava enjoys using Crayola Window Crayons, and on this particular occasion, she spent a good half hour working on her window masterpiece. This photo is the first stage (when Landon was still interested). Scroll down to see all of it.

 by Kimberly Farmer

Thankful

I began this post by listing what I was thankful for, but the list was REALLY long. So, I have instead decided to share what I’m most thankful for…

Thank you, Lord, for making a way for me to know you, to experience your forgiveness, to live my life in your awesome presence, and to one day spend eternity with you. Nothing I could ever do could make me worthy of your grace, your attention, and your love. But you give it freely and call me your own, and because of you, I live.