Kindness Elf #Day two

Christmas Kindness Elf #Day One

In the past week or so I have been inspired by postings on facebook of 'Random Acts of Kindness' carried out in our local town. I began to research what this was all about and came across the 'Random Acts of Kindness' website. This lead on to how as a family we could be more proactive in spreading kindness and love and I found these blogs very helpful. 'The imagination tree' and 'Not consumed'. Of course once you begin searching there are tons of helpful ideas and plans. M even preached in church on Sunday about giving, not just out of duty and to the church but to those around us who are in need from 2 Corinthians 9v 6&7

'⁶ Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. ⁷ You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

So yesterday (always last minute) I ran around town looking for some little elves and came home empty handed. I got my pencil and from my basic pattern of 'Jean' from Bit of a whimsy dolls I drew an elf pattern. I had intended to create a boy and girl elf but after 3 hrs of cutting, pining and sewing and with the kids ready to be picked up from school, I settled on one elf! 

In the evening I started drafting some sort of plan/ ideas of kindness for the 24 days of advent. I didn't get it all done by any means and just hope I can keep it up now that we have started.

This morning we kicked started our advent Christmas Kindness Elf with our elf delivering this message to the kids...we started simple...

 And here is our Kindness Elf who delivered the message...

Children in Need.

  ' A Party for Children in Need'. Pudsey is saying 'Hooray, we have presents'!

Half term round up!

Half term:
N.Ireland- rain, food, mini bus trips to the park, catching up with my bestie, meetings with solicitors and estate agents and helping Mum pack her suitcase for Australia.

My sister in law made a cake with Lj to surprise me on my birthday, which was celebrated with some of my nieces and nephews.

A day trip to Cambridge with MJ, Lj and Zara. MJ introduced me to the world of War hammer in Games workshop, while the girls found a corner to draw and colour. Lunch at St Andrews church cafe, a great place as lots of space and a play corner for the kids. A look in the toy shop and a play in the park before returning to our car on the park n ride.

Half term flew by and it was hard to believe we had a week and a day off from school.

Just another Saturday

Just another Lilyjean creation...

 Lj is concerned that she might forget things so this morning she decided to make a memory box. Using my camera (hers has no space left!) she took heaps of photos of her room and it was my job to put them altogether!

Just another day of the boys making Warhammer figures, spraying Warhammer figures, painting Warhammer figures and playing Warhammer!

Lj's note to her class

 Lj loves to draw and write and I love (biased Mummy) what she produces. She sits quietly and concentrates then produces her artwork. This mornings piece was for her class.
It reads...'To Miss Sacco's Class, 1DS. Has anyone seen a box with string? (This is her backpack which she made from a cereal box with twine straps which she left at school yesterday). She continues 'I saw a fox running across the road last night. We did not run over it because it was too fast.'

Always create

The creativity continues in all our different ways.

M and MJ have been pulling out all of M's old Warhammer models and paints. They love to spend Saturday afternoons at the table painting and chatting about the team they will collect. MJ spends his evenings writing secret strategies for how he can beat his Daddy! Even Grandad C has been re inspired to get painting so they can have a family battle at Christmas.

I have been involved in all sorts of little projects over the past few weeks. The biggest is putting together a Calendar for 2016 with one of my best friends but in between I'm creating crafts to sell at our local Christmas market, designing birthday presents and Christmas presents commissions. It seems there is never a dull moment in my days which is just how I like it!

At the weekend Lj made a 'laptop'! It had a mini packet of raisins as the mouse...it was so sweet and so well thought through. This is the screen image. Lets play a little game of spot...
Can you spot the maze, the football ground, the school, the zebra crossing, the man walking his dog and the boy in the swimming pool? And just because I got it wrong...the other people are not carrying bags of shopping or wearing gloves...that is just hands!!!

I pray that my children would never loose their imaginations and ways of creatively expressing themselves. I hope one day they won't find themselves in well paid but life sapping jobs but in jobs where their creativity is respected and encouraged. For M and I, I pray that we would never be afraid to step into something new but we would always believe that God is good and desires to give us good things.