Cash Gift for Baby!

Well, I said in my last post this blog would be a combination of ponderings and projects.  Last week you got a pondering, so here is the project!  Hope it gives you some fun ideas!

My Motivation: 

A few months ago, I had to present a cash gift.  Our Worship Pastor and his wife had just adopted a sweet little girl from China, and we took up a collection for them to cover costs rather than throw a big shower. Our goal was to raise enough to cover their deductible for upcoming surgeries for her, and we ended up raising almost double that! What to do? Hmmmm.....

When I graduated from college, my aunt taped a bunch of bills together and had me pull them out of my card; resulting in a long string of green for me to thrill over.  I liked that idea, but what could I put it in?  A Kleenex box was all I could think of.... I went to my hall closet to get one, and some old baby wipe containers I had stashed away caught my eye.  PERFECT!  The brain started churning....

The Result:

  At the presentation, we handed them a gift bag with a card saying something along the lines of 

"here is something to help WIPE away those new baby worries" 

and they pulled this out of the bag....

 (I just fancied it up a bit with some scrapbook paper and ribbon- took an extra 20 minutes at most)

There was a little sign I added once they opened it that said "Pull" (I know, wicked creative)

Surprise!  

And it kept going, and going, and going..... 

At the end, we attached a note that explained how much we loved them and all that sappy stuff.  It was a great mixture of fun, shock, sentiment.... no one had to make a big speech, but it was waaaay more exciting than just handing them a check or an envelope full of cash- especially because the bills got larger as the chain got longer and their jaws kept dropping...  :)
So there it is!  Let me know if you have any ideas on variations!

How this Confessional works....

 "Confessions of a 31 Wannabe" is inspired by the "Wife of Noble Character" described in Proverbs 31.  This is certainly not an original concept, as there are countless sites out there that use this superwoman as a model, but I just couldn't help it. 
My "confessions" will chronicle my journey to not only manage my home in a "31" manner, but to also live my life and parent inspired by the Proverbs as a whole. All of this will be in two categories. 

Projects: Share things I'm doing around the house to simplify, efficientify, (totally made that up) andsustainify (made that up too) so 1. I will be more sane 2. my children will someday call me blessed (and hopefully fewer of the not so blessed names they will likely call me along the way) and 3. my husby will be all respected at the City gate.  If he ever finds it and decides to stand around there long enough for all that. Whiiiiich he probably wont.  I wonder if the water cooler counts? ( see Prov 31:23 & 28)

Ponderings: sharing my unsolicited thoughts on verses and related situations.  Because I can. Hopefully they will be worth reading. :)
Much love,
BD

The Eve of the Sabbath

Confession number one: Its been nagging at me.
To start blogging has been on my mind constantly, so I finally gave in.  Not because I think I have anything new to offer anyone, but because I want it to stop nagging me.  I hope it works.
I decided to bite the blog bullet on the eve of my second "day of rest" sabbath.  My first one was two weeks ago, spontaneously inspired by my friend who is reading the book "Weird" by Craig Groeschel. (I haven't read it yet, but she likes it, so until I get to it, I'm benefiting by association) Since it was so last minute, the house was a hot mess when we went to bed on saturday night.  It drove me crazy at first; resting while there were dishes in the sink, clothes piled on the floor of the laundry room and countless projects screaming to be finished, but by the end of the day I had released them all, knowing I could hit them full force on Monday.
And you know, I think it did something.  I am consistently inconsistent about keeping the house clean. Not in an outwardly way, but that "dirty little secret" way.  Like my dust mop might need to be dusted before I can use it. Spring cleaning isn't supposed to happen EVERY spring, right? And for the love of all that is sacred and beautiful, please don't go in the master bathroom!   But in the last couple of weeks I've notice a couple of little, but hopeful changes..... I've gone to bed with the kitchen counter cleared off more than before.  My laundry isn't quite so backed up.  My dishes don't sit for an embarrassing amount of time. And tonight, on the brink of my second experimental sabbath, my house is clean, ready to chill with us.  Its not perfect, but tomorrow there will be fewer projects and chores to scream at me. I feel great about what I have gotten done this past week. And, I have a feeling that tomorrow's relaxation will empower me to get even more done next week.... I cant wait to see.