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Be Creative

May 23, 2014 By Erica Deuel 3 Comments

be_creative_signCreativity is a complex idea. I think most people think of creativity as literally pulling out craft supplies and creating something awesome. Creativity can look different, and that is something I have been learning. I like how Wikipedia defines the word CREATIVE: “a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is created (such as an idea, a joke, an artistic or literary work, a painting or musical composition, a solution, an invention etc.). The ideas and concepts so conceived can then manifest themselves in any number of ways…”

When we said “yes” to our foster son, we were saying “no” to other things. Having three boys so close together and a dramatic three-year little girl keeps us busy. My boys are 7, 5, and 5. So, you can imagine the competitiveness that can arise on a daily basis. The Nerf gun wars that run around our house have picked up in frequency. The impromptu wrestling matches have me looking into referee jerseys. When they all roll out on their bikes, it’s like a miniature motorcycle gang has invaded our street.

It is amazing and I would not have it any other way, but it can be tiresome and hard as well.

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In the moments where I wonder how many times I have said “please, stop arguing” and “we use our muscles to protect,” I question if I can do this. Do I have what it takes to love, care, nurture and protect these four hearts through this world. The truth is I do not.

I need Jesus and only the love that he can bring. Our foster son goes through a wave of different emotions on what seems like an hourly basis. As soon as I think I have figured out the root causes of his actions, something happens that throws off all of my thinking. It’s like God is saying “don’t try to understand my plans, just trust me in the journey,” so we hold fast and are constantly checking our hearts and words on keeping this perspective. I like plans, I like knowing what to expect, I hate surprises. So, I am being stretched. And you know what? It’s good.

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wood_signGod is in control of our lives. He has my kids in the palm of his hand, and he is their protector. I do my best, but then I am reminded I am not their Savior. In all my deep talks, I was reminded the other week that some of my well thought out and intentional moments with the kids may not even be the most meaningful things. In a moment of exasperation of asking, pleading, and enduring an unusual amount of timeouts, I asked my foster son what was going on. I will never forget what he said. He said, “I think I need some Jesus music”. It still brings tears to my eyes as I replay this story.

That is something I say and quickly turn on Pandora or pop in a CD when I am tired and feel anger and frustration in my heart. He must see it, but that is never something that I would have thought that could have transferred to him. Kids really are sponges.

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I say all this to say, I am learning that being creative might not be limited to actually making, creating something with all my supplies.

It might be the words or actions we use to teach our kids how to navigate through this world.

It might be the way we organize our time or our method of getting groceries into the house.

It might be how we get food on the table or nutritious food in their bellies period.

It might be how we share to make it through the day. (you don’t have any socks? Borrow some from your brother)

It might be the way we learn to accept help and stretch ourselves outside what is our norm.

Creativity is  a complex thing, that doesn’t always included art supplies, and I believe you have it inside of you too!

craft_room_wallI made this sweet little sign to hang in my office as a daily reminder that I can be creative right where I am now. In the moments where kids are my entire day, I can still be creative.

I was looking at the clock the other day and realized how I better take this picture quickly or the sunlight would be gone. So, I used some Lemon Heads as an incentive and got all four kids lined up and eager for their picture to be taken. As I saw them standing there I realized a) two were standing in a puddle in socks b) one had not been obedient and changed into a new play outfit instead of pjs c) one was still wearing her soppy wet clothes from playing in the rain. I sighed knowing this was not ideal but was thankful to just get them standing still all together for a picture.

love is patientNow, when I look back I wouldn’t have the picture any other way. It sums up where I am at. Four cute, sweet kids that I love and adore and we are not perfect but doing the best we can to remember love is patient and God is not through with any of us yet. As you are making it through your day, know that I am thinking and praying for you that you would be filled with “a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is created” and that it makes a difference for the people around you!

**If you too would like to make a sign like this, I made mine based on the idea with this Love Sign. Have fun!**

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DIY Painted Wood Hangers

May 6, 2014 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

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If you are new to my blog, the heartbeat here is to encourage people to add a Spoonful of Imagination to their lives. I believe we all have some kind of creativity inside of us and the more we stretch ourselves to express that, the more beautiful life can be.

I think you can take almost anything, add in a little imagination, and come up with something that is full of meaning and charm. Today, I hope to prove that with my DIY Painted Wood Hangers.

I pulled together a little acrylic paint, wood hangers, glitter, glue, and sharpies and got started!

wood_hanger_craftThe first thing I did was paint my hangers a pretty coral pink on one side.

painted_wood_hangersNext, I used a little painter’s tape to add some stripes. I wanted to leave a little of the natural wood look, so I placed painter’s tape where I wanted the wood grain to show and painted the rest of the hanger.

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After the paint dried, I pulled up the tape and the wood stripes looked perfect!

pretty_hangersI think the hangers looked cute enough to be left alone, but I wanted to embellish them a little bit more. I used a little glue, paint, glitter, and sharpie to add some fun touches to my hangers. Once they dried, my painted wood hangers were complete!

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painted_arrowThese little hangers were so fun and easy. My kids love them too and have given me requests to make some for them.

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wood_painted_hangerI love when you add a little print to these hangers and hang them on a hook, it is such a beautiful and simple wall decor! So, what about you? Do you think you will be painting some hangers?  Pssst if you love this print as much as I do, please check out my sweet friend’s store!

 

 

 

 

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Be Still

February 23, 2014 By Erica Deuel 10 Comments

Sometimes there are posts my heart wants to write, and my hands literally can’t type fast enough.

My heart has been stirring. Its been hurting. There have been moments of confusion and lots of frustration. Now, I realize it’s mostly anger towards myself. Let me back up.

This blog is a dream. I feel like just recently I woke up one day and realized I was a business woman. It didn’t happen over night. Slowly a hobby of writing posts grew into doing reviews, attending a blog conference, to hosting craft nights, and shipping out craft kits. I can’t believe I get to do all this. It’s just amazing. This realization was paired with the realization that I am not a mom in “survival mode” anymore.

For so long, I was that young mom with more babies than I had hands. I didn’t know how to change two sets of diapers, feed every two hours, get groceries, etc. I’m not saying it’s all easy with my three now, but they are kids. I don’t have babies. My kids are really good and can play and entertain themselves. Which leaves me with time to spare and how this hobby slowly grew into a business without me realizing it.

I simply dreamed and acted on those dreams all along the way. And now I find myself with a choice. A Choice. A choice of how I spend my time.

That is where my heart has been. It’s been in conflict. Do I love my kids better by being on the floor with them at all times playing (even if I don’t need too)? Is it selfish to give so much energy and time to my blog dreams, while I still have young ones at home? How am I supposed to love with urgency while balancing so much?

Little did I realize there was another dream growing stronger all along the path that was waiting to converge with my wrestling of how I spend my time. That’s where my parallel dream comes in. I want to be a foster mom. I have not opened up here about our second foster placement. It was a hard one. We were misinformed on a few key factors of the situation. It broke me. I left that experience not knowing if I had the strength to continue in the foster care world. It is hard. It is emotional. It is sacrificial for everyone in our home and even remotely connected to our life.

All this sums up my processing and where I have been for the last two months. With such a heavy heart, I know I have been short, down, and overall struggling. Family. Blogging. Fostering. I have been failing at managing it all.

It was time to breath. Change needed to happen. So, when I realized I could load up my cute little herd and head west for a week at my sister’s in the country I did.

drivingroad_tripaudio_books

corny_valentineroad_funMy sister, Olivia, lives in Arkansas with her husband Cody and two year old daughter, Charleigh. You’ve probably heard me talk about them before. Oj (as I call her) is one of my best friends. She and Cody are also trained foster care parents. They recently took a little one year old girl placement, and after a week of having her felt led to take her older 4 year old brother as well.

Farm houseold_barnsold_barn_with_chickensgoatThey are the picture of country living. They have goats, chickens, horses, cows, and lots of projects that require tractors. They farm and make lots of their own food. They have a beautiful, simple life. It always does my heart good to go and experience their world.

farm_lifecowsstare_downchickensThis visit I was looking forward to breathing. Digesting. Unplugging.

I knew it would be slightly different to most visits as they now had two foster kids to care for, but my sis insisted we still come and I was eager to get away.

For two days, I watched my kids play, I explored fields with them, played with them, and I actually sat. I sat without something in my hands. No craft. No keyboard. I just sat.

playing in a field

farm cowswalking in a fieldplaying_with_cowsMy heart was tired, but I felt it softening. I laughed. A genuine laugh.

laughterfamily_huglaughI saw the beauty in little things and heard conversations in a different way. My heart was softening and rediscovering joy. I was ready for some answer to what was going on in me and what I needed to do…to get happy.

muddy_puddle

lady_bugscousinsWe explored the outdoors and through it I felt like I was exploring my heart.

climbing_a_treeold_treeclimbing_a_dead_treesit_and_thinkkids_playingplaying_in_a_puddleimagintion_playI got to witness conversations my sis and her sweet husband had just mere days after their perfect country life was flipped upside-down by taking this sibling placement of two. That’s exactly what our last placement was. Two young kids that had lived in turmoil and neglect. They had “issues”.

The majority of the known issues will be changed with time and love, but it is hard in the moment to keep that perspective. Oj and Cody processed the progress they were already seeing after only a few days. They talked about the pain they see in the kids. I could hear it in their words that their hearts were broken. They were broken in love. They were living and breathing “love the least of these.” I heard it. I saw it. I felt it.

I could relate to those emotions with our first placement. She was a newborn. She was perfect. Quite frankly she was pretty easy. BUT when things got hard and my schedule and life were effected by our second foster placement, I didn’t like it. I had a different reaction. I was angry. Not at the kids of course, but at the situation.

I felt I had been tricked into taking these kids. Even though we were only doing respite care, I felt in over my head, and I wanted out. I emailed, called, and begged the case worker to find their long term home soon. My kids and my husband heard and saw my heart. It was not pure or pretty.

One thing Oj said to me as she was trying to decide if she could take on the older brother was that Cody asked her, “What will last out of everything you are doing?” As in, what truly matters? What are things that have a temporary fleeting nature and what are things that will have impact beyond our years?

That has struck a chord with me and I find myself pondering that question. What am I doing that will last?

We left Arkansas, and I still didn’t have answers. I drove home almost in complete silence. I was thinking. God was stirring my heart.

bridgefilling_upI witnessed some hard moments as Oj and Cody were parenting their foster kids, but they did it out of love. They started their day with Jesus and coffee, and through every action through out the day I saw them act and parent with love and not react and just handle what was dealt their way.

foster_love

foster_care_loveI drove and longed for a foster placement. I have checked my email every five minutes for weeks waiting for that “call”. It hasn’t been there. It all finally clicked. I am now seeing I wasn’t ready. I would say my “funk” has probably been there since our last placement. I have let the frustration rest, live, and breath in me for almost two months. I fed that anger with being frustrated with the system and pondering questions like, why are we not being used!?

I wasn’t ready.

My heart, priorities, and life were not set up in a way to love so sacrificially. I am seeing now. I feel like I didn’t try hard enough with our last placement. But the truth is there is no amount of “me trying harder” that is going to arrive at real and lasting sacrificial love. I  have been resting on my own strength, and that will never be enough. I need Jesus.

Out of a rough situation came beauty. In my flesh and horrible moments, God still allowed me to see why we had those kids. We got to hand them off to what is most likely going to be their forever home. We have an on going relationship with them as we babysit, have play dates, help one another, and attend birthday parties. The kids have changed. They are different. God has so graciously allowed me to see what the beauty of a loving, steady home can do for kids. They are the sweetest kids. I love seeing them. There is a sincere joy that comes from hugging them and being in their presence. I love them. And the foster mom? She is quickly becoming one of my closest friends. I don’t deserve all the good things that came out of that experience.

I’m not saying I have it all figured out. I don’t know yet how all of this plays out with loving my kids, my husband, future foster placements and my business all together, but I do know I see a light. I have hope. I believe in a God that:

Higher than the mountains that I face
Stronger than the power of the grave
Constant through the trial and the change
One thing remains
One thing remains

(his) love never fails.

it never gives up.

it never runs out on me.

I’m still largely raw and humbled, but I am seeing that is just where Jesus wants us to be. At the bottom, with an open heart, I have new eyes. I am finding rest and peace in areas of my heart that used to be angry, hard, jealous, and tired. I am on a continued path of figuring out the balance of life and the path that Jesus wants me on, but I am so thankful for where he has me right now. I’m breathing.

To Oj and Cody, if you have a peaceful moment and find yourself reading this, thank you. Thank you for your testimony and love. Thank you for opening up your home in what was an already busy, transitional time. You’re being used and changing more lives than just those three little ones in your house. I love you.

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I Am Your Biggest Fan {Valentines}

February 12, 2014 By Erica Deuel 1 Comment

valentines_for_kidsDo you exchange valentines with your kids? We do. I love helping them make valentines for their friends, but I get really excited to see what they make each other.

You might remember the Birds of A Feather valentines I made for my kids last year. This year I made these little paper fans to say that “I am their biggest fan.”

As parents we should be our kids biggest advocate, supporter, fan, right!? On Valentines, we will have a fun dinner and all place our valentines on one another’s place setting. Because Matt and I are fancy like that and agreed years ago not to celebrate Valentines Day with a big dinner date.

I bet you have most of these supplies already around your house. I used some left over Christmas wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, glue, scissors, and a few popsicle sticks.

valentine_suppliesI made a little accordion fan with just plain white paper to test the length of paper I needed to make the size fan I wanted. After I cut my paper to size, I folded them into accordion fans.

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Paper_fan_tutorialI then glued popsicle sticks on the inside flaps of my fans to give them a little weight and stability.

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kid_valentinesNext, I placed drops of glue in the folds at one end of the fan and used a clothes pin to hold the folds in place while the glue dried. This allowed for my fan to always look like a fan, even when it’s not being used.

acordian_paper_fan

creating_paper_fanWhile the glue was drying, I printed out a little message and used my 2″ hole puncher to cut them out. The final step was using some string to attach my cards to the fan.

They were so simple, yet I know my young kids will love them. You can embellish them as much as you want! I think ribbon glued around to give them more of a handle would be pretty cute too!

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DIY_valentines_for_kidsDo you celebrate Valentine’s Day or keep it simple, and more kid centered too!?

We are having crazy ice/snow storms where we live. I hope you are staying warm and safe! Thanks so much for stopping in!

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