Nurturing Creativity AND a Give-away!

Creativity rises up in all of us in various forms, but if you are a mom sometimes it is difficult to make time for, or nurture, that creativity. Projects may be left half done because a little one falls down or needs help combing her doll's hair. Projects may be left in your mind because there simply isn't time to think them all the way through....save it for a rainy day kind of thing. Whatever kind of mom we are (stay at home, work part time or full time, homeschooling or not), we all value creativity. We all do our best to nurture creativity in our children (through imaginative play, crafts, music, dance, or various other activities), but sometimes we forget that it is just as important to nurture our own creativity.



My dear friend, Renee, who blogs over at FIMBY (yes, I have referenced her blog before) has just released her first e-book and the title is....you guessed it....Nurturing Creativity: A Guide for Busy moms! I have loved Renee from the first time I met her and enjoyed getting to know her (and her family) through playdates, dance class, and homechurch gatherings. Since she moved back to Canada (snif, snif), I have kept up with her through her blog and emails. You can imagine my delight when Renee emailed me and told me that she was working on her first e-book and asked me to contribute some of my thoughts about how I make time and space for creativity! I cannot tell you how honored I was! And now I have a copy of her e-book to give away to one of you! This e-book is packed full of great ideas for all kinds of mamas. Here are a few words from Renee (pulled from her blog):

I'm a busy mom too. I manage our home, I cook the meals, I homeschool our kids. I keep things running around here.

But I'm a creative person also. I didn't always believe that I was creative. I thought that was for someone else. Someone more gifted, with more time, more resources. Someone with less adult responsibilities.

Have you ever found yourself thinking the same? That you're not creative (at least not as creative as so and so). That you're too busy, you just don't have the time.

I wrote a little book for you.

The cover of Renee's e-book.

If you don't happen to win this give-way but still want a copy of Renee's e-book, you can purchase it here for only $3.00. It is very affordable and will be worth every cent. Enjoy it, and make some time to be creative! Sometime in the next couple of weeks I will share a little more about what creativity looks like in our home.

If you would like a chance for a free copy of Nurturing Creativity simply leave a comment. Tell me why you like to be creative or how the book may be helpful for you! The give-away will close at 7:00pm Tuesday, March 27th.

An Easter Garden

Seasonal creations are so much fun for my little ones, and I enjoy them too! Recently, the weather has been especially "Springy" so we decided it was time to create our Easter Garden. This is our first year creating such a masterpiece, but we were so inspired by my sister in law and nephews last year that we looked forward to doing one this year. (You can see their Easter Garden from last year here). The kids were very intentional about the flowers they chose, the rocks for Jesus' tomb, and the Playmobil people that they insisted on putting in the garden. The scene is complete with Jesus in the tomb (and yes he will be there until Easter when we roll away the stone.....a little longer than 3 days), guards in front of the tomb, girls sinking in the mud (per Jeremie), and a few climbing trees (for good measure, I suppose).

Soap Making Made SImple

Soap making does not have to be a nightmare; in fact, it is so much fun! I am not a professional; I would identify myself more as a "beginner" in the soap making adventure. I have actually only made 2 batches of soap, although they turned out so well that I gave some of it away as gifts and still had enough bars to last me 4 months! In this post, I share a little of what I know and a lot of what other (more experienced) soap makers know in hopes that you will try it! The first time I made soap, I followed a recipe exactly. This last time I used a recipe as a template and tweaked it with what ingredients I wanted to use. SoapCalc became my new best friend for a full week while I worked out my recipe.

So if you are ready to make soap, you need to gather a few supplies that you might not already have in your kitchen.

• A digital kitchen scale that measures in ounces
• A stick blender (doesn't she look like she's ready to go?)
• A wire whisk
• Metal mixing bowls
• A couple candy thermometers
  
• A soap mold (this can be a glass cake pan lined with freezer paper which is what I use now, but I have also used quart sized paper milk cartons, although the soap in the middle does not cure as well so that is why I switched to the glass cake pan).
• Vinegar (in case of a lye spill)
  

Here are a few tips that helped me along:

• Research, research, research. I know there is a lot of information available on the internet, and this can be very overwhelming (it was for me at least). I recommend reading what Renee (who happens to be a dear friend and writer of FIMBY) has to say about soap making. She has been making her own artisan soaps for years, and she is very good! She was my inspiration! I found the links on her blog to be most helpful. Her soap and body care information is very helpful.
• Give yourself ample time for making your first batch of soap. It doesn't take long, but it does take time. I wait until all my littles are nestled all snug in their beds, and I am confident that they are all asleep.
• Enlist help! Yes, this is my favorite one because I have yet to mix the lye myself. My dear hubby and I make the soap together. He really enjoys the process; it is all about the science to him.
  
• Wear goggles and gloves! Lye is a very dangerous chemical and will burn your skin so please protect yourselves. We also mix the lye outside, although I am not so sure this is necessary (we do it anyway).
  
• Make sure you get a reliable scale. The first scale we bought kept shutting off while we were measuring and would not tare properly so spend the extra money and get a good scale. This is the one we currently use.
• Have Fun and share what you make!

Here is my most recent recipe that I made in December for our holiday soap (make sure you check EVERY recipe in a lye calculator before you begin making your soap).

Olive Oil 37 oz.

Palm Oil 19 oz.

Castor Oil 5 oz.

Coconut Oil 190z.

Shea Butter 16 oz.

Water 36.48 oz.

Lye NaOH 13.18 oz.

Orange Essential Oil 1oz

Rosemary Essential Oil 2 oz.

Nutmeg Essential Oil 2oz

2 Tbsp Nutmeg

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

The recipe was adapted from Renee at Fimby. I changed the essential oils and some of the carrier oils, but the process is the same.

Prepare your cold water in a metal mixing bowl and set aside.

Melt your solid oils on low heat; add the liquid oils, stirring frequently.

Carefully pour your lye into your cold water (being sure to wear your gloves and goggles). Keep the Vinegar close just in case you need it. The vinegar acts as a neutralizer for the lye.

The lye will heat the water. You want to mix the water and the oil when they are at the same temperature. I mix them at 120 degrees, but I know some people mix them at 115 or 110 degrees. Be very careful not to overheat your oils or you may find yourself waiting for quite a long time before they cool to 120 degrees.

So when both have hit 120 degrees remove the oils from the heat then pour the water/lye into the oils.

Using your stick blender, blend until trace (trace is when the soap mixture is still liquid but leaves a "trace" when you pull the stick blender up out of the mixture. This is when you add your essential oils then mix a little longer.

Pour half the mixture into your soap mold. Put the nutmeg and the cocoa powder into the remaining mixture and blend. Then pour over the first layer.

Using a spatula, make s-shaped and figure 8 patterns throughout the soap to give it the "swirled" look.

I put my soap mold into a cardboard box and leave it covered up for 24 hours. After 24 hours, take it out of the box and out of the mold and cut it into bars. After experimenting with different thicknesses, I found that thick square bars take longer to cure than thinner rectangular bars (makes sense).

Set the bars back into the cardboard box (leaving ample space in between each bar for air flow). Store somewhere away from kiddos. Some recipes say the soap needs to cure for 4 weeks, but I found that this particular recipe needed a longer curing time so I used the soap after 6 weeks, and it was perfect! Let me know how it turns out!

Kaylynn's Haiku

Kaylynn wrote this Haiku yesterday. I was delighted with it, and I figured you would enjoy it too!

The water sparkling
In the stream nearby calling
Us to it's big banks.

Twists and Turns

Life is a journey. One full of various stages, most of them not lasting an entire lifetime.
Sometimes we embrace their exit and other times we mourn.

As a mother I have had to embrace many different stages as my children have grown and changed. Many of them have been opportunities for growth and rejoicing, but some of them cause a deep sense of loss and mourning.

Nap Time
(I know you totally thought I was going to say something inspirational or intense.....keep reading)!

The time when the littlest is quietly slumbering in dreamland....

not screaming MINE about every toy, book, shoe, shirt, or piece of food in the house.....
OR
finding the markers that were stuffed behind the couch then successfully coloring all over her feet, the window, the wall, the chair, the heater and big sister's back
before mommy figures it out,
OR
eating the kitty food,
OR
taking her noodles and wrapping them around her toes
OR
sitting on the cat...
OR
stuffing wadfuls of fuzz into her mouth
OR
pulling big sister's doll's hair out just to eat it
OR
bruising her head by running, jumping, climbing, smashing, crawling, playing, sliding, riding, reading, or anything else that involves moving

But just sleeping silently, breathing deeply, and possibly soaking the mattress with drool.
(insert beautiful, soft music here)

With Kaylynn I embraced the napping phase until she was 4 years old....Jeremie was done napping at 2 and a half, Kalli done napping at 2, and Cami, well she was done napping as of last week when she decided to jump out of her crib.
Yes I did say JUMP...complete with the floor shaking thud, the screaming, and (dare I say it here) the bloody nose. Her remark when I reached her.....my mommy horror meter rising....was "I jump bed!"

She escaped. No more confining crib to keep her in and force her to take those precious, slumbering hours. Mommy "lays down the law," she giggles, and is up out of bed as soon as I leave the room, running into brother's room, climbing up onto his bed, jumping again.

I put her back to bed, check on her later when all is quiet (naively thinking that she must be asleep). She is sitting on top of the dresser next to the cat looking out the window, "I look winow mama." How she got up on top of the dresser is beyond me. I think she has some sort of human super powers that we have not discovered yet....maybe a camera in her room will reveal her bursting into flames, running up the walls, disappearing, or doing strength training with the beds.

Mommy tries laying next to her, and she whispers to me..."no nigh nigh mama." So, with a sigh (some battles are just not worth it), we get up, play outside, eat a snack, grab the pen just before she scribbles all over the library book, and think maybe this is not going to be so bad. Maybe she doesn't need to nap anymore. This isn't the first time I have been wrong; come dinnertime her super powers needed re-charging.

We love you!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Happy Holidays from our family to yours. We pray that you enjoy a season of peace, joy, expectation, thankfulness, and beauty! Our hearts are full, and we feel enriched with more blessings than we could imagine. We embrace each day and have made no exceptions this holiday season. May you feel the love of Christ as you celebrate with your dear friends and family. Merry Christmas!
Love, the Johnson family (including Rosie, the chicken).

In Which She Turns 9

It's hard to believe that my once tiny little baby is now 9 years old. I remember holding her small 6 pound frame and how fragile she felt (I am entitled to some reminiscing). We celebrated in true Kaylynn style...complete with thwarted plans due to our spontaneity. We started the day with breakfast at Kaylynn's favorite place: the Cafe Nomad. Then we decided to venture up to Augusta to visit the Children's museum only to find it closed for remodeling (note lack of planning here). So, here we were with an expectant birthday girl and no idea what to do. Thank the Lord for parks and water! We had a blast running, playing tag, lava monsters, swinging, and enjoying a picnic lunch.

She is growing into such a big girl!

And getting STRONGER!

I put this photo on here because we truly have about 30 of the playground

(all taken by Kalli and Jeremie). I love the kid's eye view.

Kaylynn also enjoys taking pics.

Our best pouty faces

PRESENT TIME!!!! Kaylynn is easy to please and appreciates anything homemade. She LOVES "back then" times and understands how much hard work goes into making a gift. So, imagine her delight when gift time came and nearly everything she opened was homemade: A felt doll made by Kalli (with help from Jeremie), American Girl accessories made by her cousins, a journal made by Auntie Louise and Uncle Brian, her very own moccasins made by daddy, and a quilt (yes my very first) made by me!

This hat was not homemade but picked out by Jeremie especially for his sister. She adores it and wears it everywhere. She does have a hat fetish and almost always has some sort of head covering....a bonnet, a winter hat, a baseball cap, a hood, a knitted hat, a beret.....really anything.

Everyone inspecting the moccasins Daddy made.

Kaylynn and the quilt. I cannot tell you how pleased I was to have this kind of reaction! I was so nervous. I am not an experience seamstress. I do not sew straight, but I love sewing, and I love fabric! The quilt was crooked but still absolutely beautiful to my sweet daughter.

And of course cake time!

And here is the quilt on her bed (this photo taken by Kaylynn). The last birthday gift was another American Girl doll purchased with her very own money (she was so proud). She saved for months and was able to buy it after she was given some birthday money from relatives! I feel so blessed to watch my daughter grow into a young lady. A young lady who loves the LORD and loves life. She teaches me everyday to laugh, have fun, and embrace all that God has to give. Although, I am not so sure how I feel about her growing up....some days I do wish there was some way to slow that down.

Cami's Debut

Cami absolutely loves to dance. Just tonight she was helping me with the dishes when the kids turned on some music. She instantly started groovin. Then she looked at me (realizing that I was not dancing) and said, "Dance Ma." I guees it kind of runs in the family. Often we catch her moving to a beat only she can hear. This video is classic, though, because EVERY time the kids turn on this particular song, this is how she dances to it. She has some great arm action plus more. Also take notice of the little bear she is holding; it goes nearly everywhere with her, even to the beach. We went to the lake with some friends this summer and birthday bear went swimming. It was very entertaining! Anyhow, enjoy the video!

A Circus

We do things rather spontaneously around here, and I guess I kind of like it that way. This usually means that we have some crazy fun but may not always be super organized. Kaylynn decided that she wanted to have a circus so we ran with the idea. Check out books from the library about the circus, decide on an act, gather up the cousins, practice, practice, practice, enlist daddy to turn the living room into the Big top, make some popcorn, give daddy a viking hat, tie, and suspenders and call him the ringmaster, invite Grandma and Grandpa to come watch, and you get one Super Fun, Extremely crazy Johnson Circus!!!

The kids chugged around the house in their circus train led by conductor Ean. They all made their own train car then followed as Ean led them around the house until they "arrived" at the Big Top.
Cami just enjoyed the popcorn.

Kaylynn played some fun circus music.

Jeremie and Jaden were our clowns, and they were quite the entertainment.

They even tried juggling.

But their favorite was jumping through the RING OF FIRE!

Kaylynn took her act very seriously and practiced diligently for her balance beam act.

Cami even wanted to do the balance beam (along with all the other children).

Kaylynn's second time on the balance beam.

Kalli was our "pretty" girl, and even she wanted to try the balance beam.

I did some juggling ( I bet you didn't know I could juggle)....

well I juggle good enough for the Johnson Circus anyway!

We had a wonderful afternoon full of many great acts not picuted here including: a gazelle (done by Gabe), the two headed child (done by Kaylynn and Jeremie...they were quite intimidating), a dancing baby monkey (done by cousin Bob), a magic trick by Uncle Brian, and a super fun ice cream fight (inpsired by Pipi Longstocking)...well fun until the kids got too cold. Be inspired.....sew a circus banner, get some sheets for the Big Top, put some costumes together, and have a circus! It is such a blast!

It's Not That Serious

Have you ever had one of those "Aha" moments? You know the ones with the light bulb? Well, I have had many, but the most recent one was very liberating! You see, I am a very intense kind of person. Intense in a laid back sort of way (if you can imagine that contrast). I like to go with the flow, but I am also very intentional. I also have a very addictive personality....you know the kind that checks an ebay listing over 30 times in a matter of minutes (okay that is an exaggeration but you get my point). So, put intensity together with a quasi-addict trying to live intentionally and you get (drum roll please).....ONE STRUNG OUT MAMA! I have felt so trapped lately in my "intentional" living. Have you ever felt that way?

Like your completely stuck and any headway you're making isn't really headway. With my zeal to live intentionally came bondage. I was trapped in my head and couldn't get out. Question after question: Should we or shouldn't we...eat that, travel here, spend here, teach here, play now, read now...it goes on and on. I laid awake at night thinking about these things and more....will our kids be safe? Will our kids succeed? Will our kids be followers of Christ? Are we really raising them to love Christ?

I am also very good at creative problem solving and a great rule follower (is that even gramatacilly correct)? Naturally, when I would come up with a question, I would make a rule to "fix" it. For example: I think we need more Bible time so Alan will read the Bible to the kids at dinner every night (on top of what I do during the day) and that will make it so they are better Christians. OR we will use Christmas to celebrate Jesus' birth but we will NOT give gifts; we will "serve" somewhere. OR I will read my Bible and pray twice a day so I will have more patience and more wisdom with my kids. Now, none of these things are bad or wrong, but they are simply rules. MORE BONDAGE!

I wanted to RUN freely!

I used to be a mama who LOVED everything about...well....being a mama. I enjoyed teaching, nurturing, and I loved to play! This year, I have grown to dread those things because all I can think of is....how do I make this year intentional....how do I make sure they are learning everything they need to learn.....that mom is using that curriculum I should too...maybe that is intentional. And again, the battle in my mind begins. The other day, Alan said to me, "Is it hard being so intentional?" This question has run around and around in my head, and the answer I have is: I are not intentional, I are OBSESSIVE (I think I am being a little dramatic here, but it fits)!


I recently started reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and I have gained new perspective (well, actually it is old perspective just new in this stage of my life). She talks a lot about living in the moment. Breathing in the here and now, and seeking out 1,000 things to be thankful for. I cried when I first started the book because I remember being that kind of person.....the one who could see God's grace in everything. Then I mourned because I realized the kind of person I had become. I became so obsessed with trying to live life as fully as God has asked that I completely forgot about LIVING and embracing the here and now.

I began to fly again (which is a little scary at times)!
I had to change the way I was looking. I didn't have the right lens. I was looking at life through intentionality NOT through Christ. What my heart desired was good but the way I was carrying it out was not. I wear glasses, and when I take them off I am as blind as can be....if I wear Alan's glasses, I am still blind. And when I am blind, I run into things and well....it gets dangerous. I felt like I was walking through life blind (for a few months). I didn't have the right glasses on. You know it's bad when your 8 year old says, "mom, you never play anymore." OUCH! I used to play, but then I got serious....too serious about being intentional.....and I forgot to play.

I used this photo because it fits my transition. The older two are looking out (figuratively seeing what will come), and Kalli is so living in the moment (hiking up her tights).

Matthew Chapter 6:25-34 has solidified a lot of this for me. Many people know it as the "worry" passage, but I like to call it the "take no thought" passage. I will not type it all out here, but just the first verse (25):

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

"Do not worry" in this passage literally means "take no thought." Take no thought about your life...and all the other things mentioned. I was taking too MUCH thought about life.

So now it's time to relax.

Even when a dear old grandpa wants to buy each of the kids Jelly Bellys at the store (simply because they remind him of his grandkids), and everything inside of me screams, "ALL THAT SUGAR!!!! It isn't good for them.....their teeth....their health.....their lunch..." I take a deep breath, thankful for this kind man's generosity, thankful to be a blessing to him, thankful that I can teach my kids to humbly accept a gift, and Relax. I say to myself, "is it really that serious?"

I still consider myself intentional....I have simply shifted the way I look at living intentionally, and right now that means taking a deep breath, laughing out loud, living in the moment, going back to old home school routine (I will talk more about this in another post), seeking out things to be thankful for (rather than things to be intentional about), and PLAYING!

There you have it....probably the most transparent you will ever see me get on this blog, but I wanted to share God's goodness and grace with all of you because...well...authenticity is important!