"I'm Bored."

I'm not ready to say goodbye to summer, really I feel like saying what summer? The count down to school starting is even more of a presence since in just a few weeks on meet the teacher night at my daughters school Service Beans will launch. I have enjoyed being on the PTO and it's inspiring to see how hard these people work to make the school better. It really is all about the kids for them. When I start to feel overwhelmed with the "to-do" list for Service Beans or anything else I am doing I have to take a step back and remind myself why I am doing it and it puts everything back into perspective. I put together a short list of some of my favorite inspiration sources. I hope you will take some time to follow these links and be inspired. Start a service board on Pinterest, pin them if you can't look at them all now. Maybe let your kids take a look at the sites put it on them to figure out a way for your family to serve using these sites as inspiration. Next time you hear the word bored come out of their cute little mouths set them to work on planning a service project for your family. I broke the sites down into 3 categories...

I have more time then money right now...



I love Sevenly :) The idea is genius! Get cute clothes, support a cause, it's a win win!

I have time to listen...



Pay It Forward Radio hosted by Kathy Bacon out of Denver. Maybe you don't feel like reading to get inspired or need something to listen to in the car or while you clean house? Here ya go! It's really a great way to see how their are many people trying to make a difference in the world with what ever resources they have.

I need doable ideas and I need them now!



Pennies of Time. Sheila and her boys do much service, she really presents service in fun and doable ways. She also just put together a post with lots of great links to sites like ours.

Please share your ideas or sites you consider your "go to" for inspiration.

Christmas Traditions

This is a BUSY time of year, no arguments there I am sure. Every August I think Christmas is in 6 months and then boom it's here again! Last night I was all thoughtful like and enjoying an herbal bath, essentially soaking in a big cup of tea hehe. I was thinking about something my sister told me about called the 12 days of Christmas Pay It Forward movement (I think she saw it on Pay It Forward Radio's FaceBook page you should check it out) and I said I would join in too and try to do them all, I just need to plan. It got me thinking about last year and the 12 days of Christmas service  advent calendar that I made. I compiled a huge list of ideas to choose from, we probably ended up doing 8 of the 12 days of the advent calendar. What I learned from doing it last year was what we will realistically do and can do and I need to plan better!  As I was pondering all this I realized that both of the a fore mentioned 12 days of Christmas activities are focused mostly on non-family. Now there is nothing wrong with that but since it's especially busy this time of year and because of where we live and the realities of actually going outside the home everyday to do something I need to change it up. I also want to capitalize on the time I have with my family at home and it should also be a time of focusing on Christ in the home. A lot was done especially this summer that focused on people outside of our family and we had a blast doing it. However I really need to focus more on teaching my kids to love and serve each other, it starts in the home right! I am hoping this will help them focus on others inside our home. I am so tired of the I wants flying around my house! It's going to drive me mad, mad I tell you! Their being flung every where, landing in puddles on the floor, dripping from the sealing, piling up on the counter...you feel me?

12 Days of Christmas Service Advent Calendar

I am going to use the same advent calendar I made and used last year with just a different focus this year. I am  going to try and do all the ones from the Pay It Forward 12 Days of Christmas too I just have to plan and if I don't then it will be a bust. Really the whole idea behind this post is to get you thinking about your traditions and to PLAN. I am sitting down today and planning out all I want to accomplish this month. Making sure I have what I need and not over doing it which is entirely to easy to do. Make your list and then cut a 1/4 off of it then it should be attainable...or do you need to cut 1/3 off?

List of ideas for serving family
1) Have each child write a note to a sibling and hide it somewhere they WILL find it.
2) Pull the note out of the sock in the morning and tell the family that at dinner we will all take turns talking about our favorite things about each other. This would be a great time to talk about our favorite things about Christ too. 3) Find a way to serve a family member that day, kids could clean each others rooms :) 4) Take time with each kid individually to help them each make a craft for another family member(s). 5) Take kids to a store and have them buy a gift for someone else in the family. The idea is to get them thinking of others and caught up in the joy it brings. 6) Have each child take (a nice) object from there room and give it to a cousin or close friend. 7) Mental exercise, paint  a story for your kids with words about what their life would look like without all their wonderful family. Then have them brainstorm about why they are grateful for their family members and write down their answers. 8) Make New Year's cards for family members with a special note inside from them. 9) Make special treats for dad's and/or siblings lunch. 10) Now that most have video on their cell phones you can make a short video of each child (or whoever) leaving a message  for someone else about why they are loved and what makes them special.  11) Service coupon books, each person in the family lists ways they would like to be served and each person lists ways they can serve others. Then make simple coupon books for each family member. A good time to talk about how service isn't always convenient but is always worth it. 12) Have children read their favorite book to a younger sibling or make something with a younger sibling etc. If you have any ideas you would like to add to the list PLEASE e-mail them, leave a comment,or FB them to me and I will add them, I can even put your name by it if you want :)

Traditions
This is one we have enjoyed all year and the fun part is we get to use the money in it to do some good this year :)

The Giving Jar

I found these traditions on Be-Inspired Mama she lists 30 ideas from different bloggers and these are my favorites. 
11. A Letter to Your Child “For my daughters first Christmas, my husband and I decided we would start a new tradition. We decided that we would individually write a letter to her each year on Christmas, save them all, and then give them to her when she turned 18. 14. Goodies for Service Workers “[We bake] goodies for the firemen and delivering them on Christmas Eve.” Valerie from  16. Kids Exchange Gifts “My boys give gifts to each other on Christmas Eve. We started the tradition when we had just two boys, and now that we have four, it’s even more fun!”  17. A Kid-17.Decorate Kids’ Tree “We purchase a tree just for the kids and then the kids make all the decorations."

A word on Christmas Shopping. Me and my sister both agree that shopping for presents on Amazon is the way to go. 1) It's much easier to over spend especially on impulse items at stores. With Amazon or any online store you can remove items up until the last moment, seeing the total makes it much easier to spend wisely. 2) Selection, my daughter is in to drawing and a ton of stuff comes up in the search on Amazon at Target etc it seems to be mostly be a narrow swath of toys. I got her a great drawing deal that I know I wouldn't see at Target or Marshall's etc. 3) Time saver! You can be done in one shebang! If you have Prime there is no shipping costs. No I am not getting paid to say this, wish I were ;)


Just to show you that Christmas tradition doesn't have to be all ooey gooey heart warming all the time...One year me and my SIL Emilee wrapped an alarm clock and set it for 2am. There were people sleeping everywhere it seemed like and wouldn't you know it the tree happened to be in the same room as 6 sleeping adults and several kids. We made sure to put it in the back of the massive pile of presents...oh it was hilarity when it went off. We just barely escaped with our lives but it was worth it. Now that my hubby's siblings like doing Christmas on their own me and my SIL were thinking we should send them all wrapped alarm clocks, GRIN :)
Alright your turn to spill your favorite Christmas Traditions! Share here or on my Face Book page. Hope this gets you thinking! Have a great week and don't over do it, remember KISS - Keep It Simple Silly:)

Week 5 SIP Summer Camp - Tray Favors

If you have followed my blog long enough you will know my SIL Keri. She is one of the most gifted artists and story tellers I know *just ask her kids about the alligators that pull their van* that one was from a while ago but it's stuck with me. Keri is truly just a joy to be around. I see all the fun stuff she does with her kids and it's fun to see them grow and will be neat to see who they become because of their fabulous mom. Don't get me wrong her kids drive her bonkers as much as the next mom but that's just part of having kids! This service idea is really perfect in so many ways, please read on and you will see what I am talking about.

I once saw an object lesson where the teacher made a tall, beautiful red velvet cake with cream   cheese frosting. She talked about love and service and specifically the attitude with which we serve our families. She asked if anyone wanted a slice of cake and of course I raised my hand along with the rest of the group. She cut a beautiful large slice and placed it on a plate and then handed it to the girl sitting next to me. She gave her a fork and a napkin and asked if she needed anything else. She talked about how we all want to serve others with love and happiness. Then she turned to me - "You still wanna slice?" I said yes and in the next second her hand was digging into the cake and she was pulling off a chunk of frosted red crumbliness. She dropped it onto a napkin and handed it to me without another word. Everyone in the room was laughing, shocked at her abruptness and coarseness. Then she talked about how we tend to serve our families - giving them what they want but doing it begrudgingly. That image of her hand digging into the cake will forever be in my memory, along with the lesson that if I am going to do nice things for my family, I need to do it lovingly.
I think the same lesson applies to service in general. We should find joy in service because we are serving God as we help others.
Knowing all this, and feeling strongly about all of this, I still find it challenging to actually involve my kids in service, and to teach them how to do it without complaining.
My kids are the ones who fight over who gets the tall green cup, who sits next to mom, and who watches cartoons in the rocking chair. I am the mom who likes to sing out nice little quips like, "when we're helping we're happy," or "let us oft speak kind words to each other," just hoping that my small reminders will magically turn them into nicer people. They fight often enough that when they do treat each other nicely I find myself wondering what their ulterior motives are, but I am nonetheless relieved that maybe a little of what my husband and I are trying to teach them is getting through.
While I do hope that they learn from example that it's important to serve others, I think it's also important to actually give them chances to serve. So I was happy to find a small way that they could actually help other people in need. My women's group at church just did a service project for Presbyterian hospital. We made receiving blankets, collected books and magazines, and made tray favors. Tray favors are simple little notes with "get well" sentiments on them that go on the food trays for patients in the hospital. The service coordinator at Presbyterian said that sometimes they get tray favors made by children that they put on the trays of children in the hospital.
Perfect.
So for our family night this week I printed out some simple notes and then had the kids draw pictures on them. We talked about how I put notes in their lunches sometimes and how it makes them happy to find the notes at school. They all agreed that the kids at the hospital would be happy to get little notes, too. Our notes said, "Hope the rain brings some flowers," "Get whale soon!" "Here's some sunshine for your day," and "Feel better soon."
Jacob loved drawing octopus and whales


Beau colors better with his tongue out.

Rus enjoyed this activity because he said he could color like a kid and no one would know.

We made about forty tray favors in all.


A few days later we were able to deliver them to the service coordinator at the hospital. She said she would take them up to the children's ward that day and that they would be so happy to get their notes! My kids beamed and told her all about the ones that they colored.
When we got in the van my son Jacob said, "I'm glad we did that, Mom. It makes me feel good inside." Bekah and Beau agreed.
Success.
So check around...while I know it can be challenging to find ways for your children to help others, I know that there are opportunities out there, and the effort is wonderfully rewarding.
Thank you DeAnn and the SIP project summer camp for getting our family involved!
Keri Payne

A huge thank you to Keri for this weeks SIP Summer Camp post!

Have you missed any of the previous weeks? Scroll down and check them out! Also it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you left some comment love or if you wanted to show your support for The SIP project by sharing on Pinterest or Face Book or if you wanted to follow on Pinterest or Face Book, or just follow my blog. Next week I am going to start doing some giveaways that will only be announced on my Face Book page...just a little incentive to get over there and hit the like button! Now get...

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Dish & Serve - Raisin Pie & giveaway

The lovely Jane from Adventures in Dinner is here today to Dish & Serve. I launched Dish & Serve on her blog to see the original post and to see why I started Dish & Serve check out this link.

I'm beyond happy to be guesting today at DeAnn's amazing blog and to be a part of 'Dish and Serve'.

DeAnn is so inspiring and to be honest I struggled to decide what to do.

I finally decided after WAY too long (thanks for being patient DeAnn) to pull out a recipe of my Grandma Kelly's for Raisin Pie.

This recipe is really the height of old fashioned pies. You just don't see them anymore and to be honest I've only seen this version in my area of Canada (Ottawa Valley).

If any of you have seen it elsewhere I'd love to know.

My neighbour (across the street) lost his wife a year ago very abruptly and he had a large group of relatives over recently to plant a tree in the backyard in her honour.

A beautiful Magnolia as gracious as Vivian was.

Not really knowing what to say I offered my support through food.

Pour boiling water over 1 1/2 cups of raisins.

Let stand until cool and drain, saving the water.

Get your pie crust ready or use prepared.

In a bowl combine; 3/4 cup sugar, 2 T. flour and the zest of a lemon (yes, in my bowl is a LOT more-I made three).

Add in your raisins with the juice of one lemon and 1/2 cup of your raisin water.

Place in 9 inch pie crust.

Dot with butter and top with pastry.

Poke with a knife to release the steam.

Bake (on a tray unless you'd like to clean your oven) at 350 for 40 minutes or until the bottom is browned.

Share.

If you would like to do a Dish & Serve post just let me know! I would love for you to do one :) Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

I am going to do a giveaway, right now...well you can enter right now. 

For what you say, hows about a $30 gift card to Target?! Sound good?!

(and if you don't live by a Target a gift card to another store will be arranged)

What you have to do to enter:

1. Pin two different things from my blog onto Pinterest

2. Like my Facebook page if you haven't already

3. Leave a comment saying that you did both and boom you're entered. 

easy peezy lemon squeezey...now get to it!

Starts today, ends Sunday night the 10th winner will be announced Monday the 11th

Dish & Serve Chocolate-dipped oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

This title is a mouth full but who wouldn't want a mouth full of yummy chocolate dipped deliciousness???I am SUPER excited to have Torie & Liz here from Bake Me Something Good. ALL their recipes are pretty amazing, their site is a go to spot to get your sweet tooth fix. I couldn't be more happy with their post. 

We've all been there - the last day on the job. No matter how excited you may be to start a new position, it's tough to leave behind co-workers and friends, and to move out of the comfort of a familiar routine.


When we heard that our friend Jess was leaving her current job for a new one, we knew we wanted to do something to make her last day extra special. And when we want something to be special... we bake!


On Jess's last day at work, we showed up with some tasty Chocolate-Dipped Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Jess was surprised and touched, and there were tears all round! We told her she could share the cookies with her co-workers or keep them all to herself, and being the kind person that she is, she shared. Jess even sent us a note the next day:


"I'm completely honoured that you two chose me for your random act of kindness. I love moments of "paying it forward," and I feel really special that you thought of me. I will, indeed, pay it forward. I'll let you know who the lucky recipient is. : )"


It was a win-win for everyone - we felt great, Jess felt great, and cookies were consumed! If you'd like to try some of these goodies yourself, here's the recipe – it’s adapted from one of our favourite food blogs, How Sweet It Is.

Chocolate-Dipped Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from How Sweet It Is; Makes 60 cookies

1 c margarine or butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar, loosely packed
2 eggs
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla
2 + ½ c flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 + ½ c rolled or large flake oats
1 + ½ c chocolate chips
2 + ½ c dark chocolate for melting
Optional: 1-2 tbsp milk, if dough is crumbly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine margarine, sugar and brown sugar in an electric mixer.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined.  Mix in flour, salt and baking powder, then add oats.  If dough is crumbly, add one tbsp. of milk at a time until it is no longer crumbly.  Stir in chocolate chips by hand, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Scoop dough by tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets and flatten slightly.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

When cookies have cooled, melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 second intervals at 50% power.  Dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate and set on wax paper to harden.

Enjoy!

Leave a comment and make my day...seriously! What do you think of the new Dish & Serve posts???