On a "Whim" and a Prayer

This week I had an amazing testimony building experience about paying tithing. It's a lesson I seem to need every few years. This time it involved a possibly expensive car repair and not much $. Next time you are deciding whether to pay your tithing or fix your car, pay your tithing! We were looking at $10o0-$1500, but instead were recipients of a miracle in the form of a $5.00 part and minimal labor charges. All I can say is "Thankyou Heavenly Father!!! Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!"

Oh, and pay your tithing!

On to this week's project. Actually, let me back up a little. I used to work as a preschool teacher before we had kids. I love little kids ages 3-5! They are so funny and smart. I love their little crafts and songs and books! I swore to myself at that time that I would be the mom that does art projects and crafts and all that good stuff.

Fast forward to our first 2 kids. They are 21 months apart and I was so good with them doing projects. We went on field trips, played at the park, went to story time at the library faithfully!

We did crafts, painted, glued, glittered. You name it!

Fast forward to our 3rd child (5 years later). She was lucky to go out side in our back yard and play in the weeds and dog poop. That was a field trip to her. What happened to me, you ask?

I was tired. And apathetic. And pathetic.

Poor girl. I'm sad sometimes when I think about what she missed out on.

Fast forward to now. I have another kid. He's just starting to like to color and play with playdough. I swear that boy will know how to cut and glue and glitter before he goes to school.

I think about my own childhood. My mom had us do crafts. She taught me to sew. She tole-painted and beautified our home. I'm grateful for that example. So I decided to do a craft with my kids that she did with us when I was a kid.

Thus I present this week's "Wednesday" project.

Mason Jar Lid Ornaments.

I save every christmas card we receive every year. We reuse them as gift tags for presents and crafts.

My mom did it, so I do it.

Well, I have a huge bag of cards that I dumped on the table. The kids chose 2 cards for each ornament. They took the round insert of the lid and traced around the portion of the card they wanted to showcase. After cutting out their circles, they glued them to each side of the lid. Then they glued the cirlce into the ring of the lid. We embellished the outside of the ring with fun stuff (ribbon, wire garland, pom poms, puffy paint).

Here they are! I remember the ornament I made as a child. It had a picture of Mary and Baby Jesus on it. I put a ring of glue around the picture and sprinkled glitter on it. I don't remember what was on the other side though. But every year when we decorated I would look for my special ornament.

The kids loved making them. And it wasn't too much of a pain to clean up (always a bonus). We put their names and the year on each of them. Boy, when my kids move out I won't have very many decorations left over.

I guess then I'll start getting ornaments made by grandchildren....

I hope that's a loooonnnng ways away!