Kimberly Farmer - Sandpiper Creatives

God’s Way Really Is Best

“All your sons will be taught by the Lord,

and great will be your children’s peace.” – Isaiah 54:13

Confidence and Comfort

This verse, Isaiah 54:13, was shared with me by a gentleman at our church in Spring Hill a few months ago. I’m so glad he was obedient when God impressed it on his heart to share this verse and some other verses with it on that Sunday morning. It gave me extra confidence and comfort during a stressful time, and it has since become sort of a motto in my mind for our family.

A Frightening Time

This is a frightening time to be raising children. Today’s society, media, and agendas that are pushed on all of us, not only pressure children, and adults alike, with ideas, images, mentalities, and laws that breakdown the morality and good of a society and a home, but they also ridicule Christian families, traditional homes, and anything that stands on the Bible or is connected with the name of Jesus. Things that used to be “hidden agendas” aren’t even so hidden anymore – they have aggressively begun working their way into schools, churches, homes, everywhere.

Perspectives, beliefs, and ideals have become so twisted and perverted that they absolutely floor me at times. Many Christians are watering-down the truth (by “watering-down” I do not mean “being kind instead of hateful” – I mean “watering-down”), so they can fit into the culture and are telling themselves that they can minister more if they are tolerant of sin and society’s wishes. (That must make Satan happy.) Then there are some Christians who are not allowing society to walk all over them, and they are taking a stand; as a result, they are being labeled by others as hateful and judgemental. The distortion is frustrating, sad, frightening, and a powerful tool of the enemy.

Plea of the Heart
My gut wrenches and my heart cries out, “God help me be a light! Help me show the truth! Help me stand up for what is right! Help my life and my voice expose the darkness and destruction and shine your light! Oh, Holy Spirit, move in mighty power! Let my children and my home and my church stand strong in the power of the Lord with our spiritual armor on and fight – Fight for our homes and our families and our futures and for the lost people who do not know Christ.”

Uprising
It’s time for Christians to stop looking through their physical eyes and begin praying, walking, and seeing with spiritual eyes – see that the enemy (Ephesians 6:12) is not sitting on the sidelines, but is on the move, has a plan of attack, and is merciless. Christians, sharpen your sword, saturate your shield in the Holy Spirit, and make ready with the rest of your God-given armor (Ephesians 6:11). Join together with other ready believers and be the army of God. Be so strong in the Lord that He points you out and says, “I want you on the front lines. The battle is fierce, but I am great in you.” Be so strong in the Lord that when the enemy notices you coming, his plans are shaken. Rise up. Rise up strong (Ephesians 6:10), and like David, recall how the Lord has already delivered you (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Then, when the enemy despises you and curses you (1 Samuel 33:41-44), go forward with God’s strength and without fear (Ephesians 6:19,20)…

…the Philistine [Goliath], with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. he looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

– 1 Samuel 17:41-47

by Kimberly Farmer

Filling a Spiritual Prescription

Imagine with me…
You went to the doctor last week. The doctor told you that you have a particular illness and talked with you about treatment. You immediately began treatment, following doctor’s orders, and doing your best to get well.

You went to church last Sunday. God showed you some areas in your life that you need to surrender to Him and offered Himself to carry your burdens and to show you the way that is best for you. Did you begin “treatment” immediately and allow God to do a permanent work in you and did you make a change? Or was the diagnosis enough, and you intend to remain sick?

Interesting to think about, isn’t it?

I hope that the next time we are so privileged to have God’s conviction upon us and His direct touch in our lives that we willingly and immediately yield to Him, and say, “I need you, God. I surrender all that I am to you. Make me whole by Your power.”

by Kimberly Farmer

Colorful Centered Cupcakes

If you are making cupcakes in the near future, and plan on them being white cake (as opposed to chocolate or another dark mix), consider adding some food coloring to make them extra special. This is how we did it for Ava’s birthday:

You need:

White cake batter, mixed and ready for the pan
2 colors of food coloring
Freezer bag

Steps:

Separate out a portion of batter which will be used to fill the center of the cupcakes. Then dye the batter using one of your food coloring choices.
Roll the freezer bag, so that the top edge is rolled under a few times (this will help keep your bag neat and tidy), and then fill it with your dyed batter. Unroll the edge of the bag, gently press out the air and close the bag. Set aside.
Add the other food coloring choice (or no food coloring at all, if you prefer to leave it white)to the remaining cake batter and then fill the cupcake pan. Remember to put slightly less batter in each cupcake liner than you typically do, because you will be adding more batter when you add the colorful center.
Now you’re ready to add the colorful center to the cupcakes. Clip one bottom corner of the bag. (Be prepared to work fast, because the batter will want to keep running out of the bag. Use your finger to stop up the hole as you quickly move it from one cupcake to the next.) Now thrust the end of the bag down into one of the cupcakes and squeeze. Slowly (“slowly” is relative, I know) pull the bag up as you squeeze. Now move the bag quickly to the next cupcake and do the same thing. And so on until you’re finished filling the centers of all the cupcakes.
Now bake and decorate!

by Kimberly Farmer

Pendant Garland

This pendant banner is made from white printer paper cut into triangles and then glued to a long run of embroidery thread. It is now in Landon’s bedroom, but I originally made it and used it for his birthday back in September. It was super easy to make!

by Kimberly Farmer

July 4th Bracelets

We did this project last year on the day of July 4th (a little too late for posting it to help you, so I saved it to post this year). We used a paper towel tube, painted it, and then cut it into strips to make bracelets to celebrate Independence Day!

We used:

cardboard tube
paint (we used tempera paints and acrylic paints)
paint brush
glitter glue (only if you happen to already have it)
scissors
tape

We began by using our standing paper towel holder and covered it with plastic wrap to make painting and drying easy and with no mess. It worked wonderfully well!

Next, we painted with our paints and glitter.

After it was completely dry, we took the tube off the paper towel holder, and I cut down (vertically) the full length of the tube. Then I cut the tube into strips (horizontally) to create bracelets.

Once the bracelets were on their arms (I actually wore one, too), I used some tape to connect and hold the ends together. And then, it was off to the parade, off to the parade, to celebrate!

by Kimberly Farmer

Ava Update: 5 Year Birthday & Singing at Church

Ava is 5 years old! What a wonderful little girl,

and what a beautiful 5 years of my life because of her!

Some things Ava really likes!…

Playing “dress up” and “princess”
Actually dressing up
Playing with friends
Singing
Drawing, painting, creating, etc.
Whistling
Sending and getting mail
Camping
Picking flowers
Going to the zoo
Learning
Visiting with all her grandparents and her uncle
Playing games

Last Sunday, Ava sang (on stage) for the first time at church. If you know Ava, you know that she loves to sing – and dance and “play” instruments – and her favorite songs are ones about Jesus. Before she sang, we discussed together which song she should sing and she practiced with our friend James, who plays guitar (and any other instrument!). We also talked about why she sings and to Whom she sings. Of course, we are very proud of her, and I thought I’d post this for you to see. 🙂

Unfortunately, when she sang her solo, I didn’t hit record like I thought, but I did capture it when she was asked to sing it again and let the congregation join her…

by Kimberly Farmer

Ocean Collage

Landon’s Ocean Collage

Whether you are planning a trip to the beach, an activity to do while you’re there, or you just wish you were going to the beach, this is a simple collage that’s fun for children of any age. Use your creativity and doo-dads you have around the house. The only items you must have are heavy paper/cardboard and glue – everything else is up to you!

Background:We began by painting our cardstock blue. (I gave the kids a few shades of blue to choose from.)

Collage Materials:

While the paint dried, we gather materials like buttons, tissue paper, lace, and grass. We also had some great stickers we had purchased at the dollar tree. Fish/ocean-related stickers are easy to find, particularly at stores that carry scrapbooking isles!

Make It:

As we constructed our collages, I manned the glue and started them out on the ocean floor. Then we added our coral and seaweed, and finally we added our stickers. This project went really well with a two year old and a four year old – the diversity of materials and logical steps of building the scene kept them both interested and involved the entire time.

Ava’s Ocean Collage

by Kimberly Farmer

Father’s Day Candy Can

Ava made this gift for her daddy last Father’s Day. We used an empty can (a Slim Jim can, I believe) and wrapped it with paper to make the shirt background. We followed that with a strip of white paper at the top to create a crisp collar. Then on a separate sheet of white paper, I drew a necktie and let Ava color it. Then we cut out the tie and added it to the shirt. A little pocket on the side added an extra finishing touch with an “I love you” message inside. Next, we added Daddy’s favorite candy.

If you make this, you should be warned that Daddy will love it, but more than the gift, he’ll love the big hugs that come with it!

by Kimberly Farmer

Colorful Golf Tees

I don’t play golf, but my husband, my brother, my dad, and my father-in-law all enjoy it. Even my mother-in-law plays sometimes. It’s kind of difficult to make gifts from children that relate to the game of golf, but here is what we came up with – turning boring tees into fun ones that will hopefully put a smile on their face when they reach in their stylish tee bag and pull out one of these lovelies. All you need is tees and permanent markers. This is one of my favorite “manly” gifts we have come up with!…

Play Makeup

I saw this idea on Pinterest and I had to do it! Create play makeup for your little girl by pouring nail polish into old makeup containers!

I used two colors and swirled them (just because it seemed like more fun) Also, I happened to have an extra sponge brush, so I painted the end of it with nail polish, so the brush would look like the makeup was ready to be applied. The little lip gloss turned out terribly cute, too.

Word of warning… you will want to let these set out and dry for several days before giving them to your child. It takes them a while to dry, depending on how deep your containers happen to be.

by Kimberly Farmer

From Formula Container to a Princess Cottage & Toy Storage

This is a container for Similac baby formula, but we turned it into a Princess Cottage! Permanent markers is all we needed for the transformation. Inside Ava can store all her little princess dolls and their clothing and whatever other odds-n-ends she desires. Your child could also turn it into a cabin, church, barn, store, or whatever he/she happens to be into these days.

Precious Personalized Candles!

When I first discovered this technique, I thought how cool it would be to make gifts for the kids’ grandparents. Just in case it worked, I took pictures during the process, so I could share it with you. And boy, did it work! The results were fantastic, and it was so rewarding for Ava to see her picture turned into a candle!

Ava didn’t actually draw on the candle. She drew on tissue paper, which we heated onto the candle. You’ll just have to try it yourself, and then you’ll understand! 🙂