Friday, January 29, 2016

Seeking Beauty...in Beauty

This post is part of a continuing series called Seeking Beauty.  To see all the posts in this series, click here.

Hi!  So, if you've been reading along with this burgeoning series of mine, you know that when I talk about Seeking Beauty I mean searching for the face of a beautiful Creator who made this world and everything good in it.  He's leading me on this search, and of course I hope you'll join me:)  Sometimes the ways we find beauty are not obvious (or, what would be the point of me writing about them?).  

But then again, sometimes Seeking Beauty just is what it is...and that's what my Beautiful Things Pinterest Board is all about.  

dandy426153
Photo: Barnstorming

 :
Photo: klaartje

Tunnel Of Love
Photo: Buzzfeed
Aaahhh...that's nice.  Click here to see more!
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Monday, January 25, 2016

Snow Days!

I had something else in mind for today's post, but life was interrupted by this:



Or maybe it wasn't that life was interrupted but that it happened.  That's what it is to seek beauty. You gotta roll with it sometimes and take what comes.





If you're on the East Coast too, I hope you're having fun and that you are safe and warm today!

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Friday, January 22, 2016

Seeking Beauty in...Difficult Times

This post is part of a continuing series called Seeking Beauty.  To see all the posts in this series, click here.


Sometimes, its hard for me to find the right words, and this post is a perfect example. How can I communicate how to seek beauty in the middle of tough times?  Sure, I could tell you stories.  Stories of children with cancer, other children gone too soon.  Of sickness, violence, addiction.  God has blessed me with an overdeveloped sense of empathy, so stories stick with me.  I often have to pray over strangers before the story of their suffering will recede in my mind.  And if you are like me, looking around at the chaos and destruction and suffering in our world, you are calling out, "Why?  Why do such terrible things happen to innocent people?  Why is there such suffering?"

I wrote a post a couple of years ago about that "why." It is actually one of my most popular posts.  It is called Pain and you can read it here.  It takes first steps in explaining why, as a person of faith, I believe suffering exists.  The headline: suffering is the necessary consequence of free will.  It results from a fallen world.  And, more importantly, this: when we suffer, we have a chance to look upon the face of God. 

So, this post isn't about why.  It's more how.  How to see beauty in a world that is so messed up.  I think--and of course you are free to share if you disagree--the only real way to do it is by looking for Jesus.  Sometimes the most beautiful moments I have with the Lord come directly out of difficult times.  A painful experience which will cause me to seek Him, to witness His work in my life, to be acutely aware of His presence.  This has happened for me especially as friendships ebb and flow, and that stinkin' empathy catches up with me.

For many of us, we had to get pretty low in order to lift our eyes to Heaven and acknowledge our weakness.  I want you to know that I searched for years before coming to Jesus.  I researched and read and visited churches and other places of worship.  I had a lot of knowledge...and it didn't get me very far.  What did?  Sinking into a deep pit of depression and loneliness, and crying out for a God I still hadn't acknowledged to help me.  And when he did...it was Jesus.  I truly couldn't believe it, and honestly didn't want it to be Jesus.  Until that point, I was sure Christians were a hypocritical and judgmental bunch, not to mention wrong.

But then, when Jesus claimed me from the edge of a cliff and started opening my eyes, I experienced true relief from suffering for the first time in my entire life.  I began to learn from him, lean on him, trust him as he led me forward to belief, baptism, and a life with him.  I could not have experienced that immense beauty without first suffering.  BUT.  I had to look to him, too.  I couldn't reject him anymore.  I had to open up his word and read it.  I (being hyper analytical) also had to try and understand some of the mysteries I found there.  And then, I also had to learn to trust when understanding wasn't coming.

Paul talked about suffering a thorn in his flesh (some kind of suffering) which he pleaded with Jesus to take away from him.  Instead, Paul was told "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Paul concluded, "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong."  2 Cor. 12: 7-10.

If this seems completely contradictory to you, you are right.  Jesus can be that way sometimes. His logic is not the same as our logic...it's better.  And we are in no way promised an end to our suffering here on earth, that is very clear.  Jesus tells us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!  I have overcome the world."  John 16:33.  He knows we will go through trying times, and he's looking for you, even there.

Want to find beauty even in the middle of difficult times?  Look for him.

This is heavy stuff.  Please feel free to comment publicly or send me a private message at thatmommyblog{at}gmail{dot}com if you have any thoughts to share.

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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Harry Potter Floating Candles Tutorial

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please visit my Disclosures page.

As promised, here's the tutorial for my Great Hall floating candles for our Harry Potter party.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles


Keyword here: sloppy.  They can be sloppy!  It's okay!  It will be dark(ish), they will be elevated, and everyone will love them even if they are a mess.  That was my approach and it worked out, so trust me on this.

The first step is to collect paper towel rolls for a few months or weeks, depending on how many candles you want.  Next, cut each paper towel roll in half--don't worry about being exact or even neat.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles


Next, break out the hot glue and create drips around the top (the cut end) of the cardboard roll.  Just thickly apply hot glue, keeping the candle as straight up as possible so it drips nicely.

The next step is to spray them.  Again, sloppy was my mantra.  I laid it on thick and let it drip some, because, after all, these are drippy candles.  I used a matte white paint but I also think a dark color or black could be really cool.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles

After spraying and allowing them to thoroughly dry, break out your hot glue again.  Now it's time to glue your battery-operated tealight candles into the top of the cardboard sleeve.  I used these lightsand liked them really well.

I glued them in on one side, and then reinforced on the other side with a generous dollop of glue. You will want to leave some openings for the fishing line later.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles

Once the tealights are in there, it's time to glue in your fishing line.  This is the most maddening step, but its not too hard. I pre-cut my line to about 5-6 feet each.  On each candle I dropped a big bead of glue into the cardboard sleeve on opposite sides, then inserted about 1/2" of each end of the fishing line, to create a clear loop about three feet long.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles

I tried to make them on exactly opposite sides of the candle so they would hang straight, with varying success.  The glue held really well, though.

DIY Great Hall Floating Candles

Now you're ready to party!  I just used thumbtacks to hang them from our ceiling and it worked like a --ahem-- charm.  Have fun!

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Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Harry Potter Party: Games, Food, and Decor

This post may contain affiliate links, but all opinions are 100% mine.  For more information, please visit my Disclosures page.

Y'all must know by now I love a good themed birthday party.  See, for example, our Arctic Birthday Blast, Pirate Party and Star Wars Party.  It was no different when Biggest asked for a Harry Potter party this year. Holy goodness, it was so much fun.  Most of these ideas I got from Pinterest, for original sources please click through to my Party On Boys Pinterest Board.

DIY, Tips & Tricks, How To, Ideas, FREE Printables

When our guests first walked in, we first led them into Diagon Alley, where they shopped for their wand at Ollivander's.

Diagon Alley

Ollivander's Wand Shop

Ollivander's Wand Shop

To encourage them to hit Diagon Alley first, I had blocked off the other side of the foyer using a black plastic tablecloth and plastic chain:

Decor, Decorations

Decor, Decorations

I made the wands following the tutorial over at Give Peas a Chance.  I really shopped and shopped for good chopsticks to use and settled on these:


They turned out so cute!

Wands, Wand Shop, DIY

Wands, Wand Shop, DIY

To make them, I first used hot glue to add dimension.  Then I sprayed them with Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, and used brown and gold acrylic paints for the details.

Wands, Wand Shop, DIY

The kids loved picking out their own wand and even the grown-ups were impressed!

In Diagon Alley the kids could also eye the sweets at Honeyduke's, but a sign informed them the store was closed "until all the snitches are found."  What could that mean?  We all wondered.

Honeydukes, Harry Potter Food

So, after picking up their new wand, they were ready to head to Hogwart's through Platform 9 and 3/4:

Platform 9 and 3/4, Brick Wall Decor

I got this brick-patterned plastic sheeting from Amazon and it worked great.  I had to tape a couple of sections together to make them tall enough, so bear that in mind when you are shopping.  But it was waaay easier than painting fabric myself.

Once at Hogwart's, I led the kids through a series of fun activities and games.  First, they had to be sorted.  I made our sorting hat with an old witch hat and some paper grocery bags.

Sorting Hat

I should have done underneath the brim, too!!!

Sorting Hat Game

I decided to give the kids some control over which house they would get, by creating a spinner and letting them have two spins.  That way, no one would have to get Slytherin;)  To make the spinner, I used a spinner from Twister, took the plastic spinny thing (it's technical name) off, and attached my own design with tape.  It worked great!  I loved it so much that I made you a free printable, just click here:

Once the child spun twice, our Sorting Hat announced the result (through a hidden baby monitor nearby).  The nine-year-olds immediately realized where the voice was coming from but my six-year-old was still wondering that evening...so I call it a success.

Next up, was Charms Class where the kids had to use their wands to keep balloons up in the air.  It was so. much. fun.  I think they could have just done that for two hours and been happy.

Charms Class

Sidenote: check out the cute Hogwart's decal!  I got it as a set with the Gryffindor decal pictured later in this post, and they are both affordable and gorgeous.  You can get them by clicking here.

Next we headed to the Great Hall for a snack.  The Great Hall was maybe my favorite part.  I loved how my floating candles turned out.

Great Hall Floating Candles

Great Hall Floating Candles

I saw these several places online but never saw a great tutorial, so I will bring that to you tomorrow. (Update: you can see how to make the candles by clicking here.)  I also used plastic tablecloths to make the House Banners.

For snacks we had Golden Snitch Cake Pops:

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

These were the first cake pops I ever made, so I read a lot online and ended up using this cake pop pan and I am so glad I did!  It wasn't easy, per se, but much easier.  I also really liked this tutorial from Homemaker Chic. Follow her advice on modifying your cake recipe and especially adding shortening to the candy melts.  I just used yellow candy melts and gold sprinkles, then stripped and cut cheap craft store feathers for the wings.

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

Golden Snitch Cake Pops

We also had Huffle Puffs, and Witches' Brooms and Hats (thanks Mom for helping make these!)

Snacks, Food, Huffle Puffs

Snacks, Food

Snacks, Food, Witches Brooms, String Cheese

Snacks, Food, Witches Hats

UPDATE: I now have a free printable of the food labels available here!

Our drink was Polyjuice Potion (lime sherbet and Sprite).

Snacks, Polyjuice Potion

After snack it was on to Potions Class, where each child received a teeny cauldron for his or her potion. We mixed up Horklump Juice and Ground Unicorn Horns (Vinegar and Baking Soda). They never seem to get tired of watching stuff fizz up like that!

Potions Class

Potions Class

Potions Class

UPDATE: I now have a free printable of the potions labels available here!

Once they were done with Potions, I asked them to make sure they sent my son a Birthday Wish through the Owl Post:

Owl Post


Owl Post

I found the printable sign at Jonesing to Create.  I had the various cages on hand, but looked high and low for an owl.  I ended up with a stuffed Hedwig, which I bought here. She doubled as a birthday gift for my son, and he loves her.

Owl Post

Toward the end of the party, I announced that I'd received my own Owl Post saying that nine golden snitches had gone missing, and released the kids to find them scavenger-hunt style.

Snitch Hunt

For these snitches, I spray-painted practice golf balls gold, then threaded through a length of tulle using a skewer.  So easy.

DIY Golden Snitch

It was quiet for 30 seconds before they started running in to trade in their Snitches for a bag of treats from Honeyduke's.

Honeydukes, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Flavour Beans

They each got Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

Honeydukes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Flavour Beans

 These are both wonderful and terrible.  With flavors like Dirt and Vomit, but also Cherry and Blueberry, there is something for everyone!  You can go on your own disgusting culinary quest right here.

Chocolate Frogs

I also made Chocolate Frogs.  They were super easy using this candy mold. And we had Wingless Snitches made from Ferraro Roche chocolates and plain gummy worms labeled "Blood Worms."

Finally, the kids spent some time in the Gryffindor Common Room (our playroom) before heading home.

Harry Potter Party

It was really so much fun.  Well worth the effort for those smiles!

Harry Potter Party

Harry Potter Party



P.S. For all the FREE printables mentioned in this post, please click here, and then share my post so others can benefit and enjoy!

P.P.S. Lovin' the Linky's at:


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