Friday Fun

Friday Craft: The Best Halloween Costumes

Karen

Okay. Maybe not the best, but I certainly like them. I know these ideas are last minute, but maybe you’ll get some ideas for next year. Unless you’re really crafty and can whip them up in no time flat and if that’s the case? I’M JEALOUS OF YOU.

Here are some of my favorite costumes from Family Fun:

Girl Costumes

Paper Doll (*squee!*)

Our cute paper doll costume can hold its own against Halloween ghouls, ghosts, and goblins.

Materials

diagrams and templates
poster board
paint
black marker
headband
duct tape
foam core
hot glue (an adult’s job)
elastic and Velcro straps
white t-shirt and shorts (concealed by the costume)
frilly socks and Mary Janes

Instructions

Clothing and accessories: Measure your child, then on poster board, draw a shirt, skirt with bloomers, and accessories to fit. (Download our free purse and bow templates, and shirt and skirt diagrams.)

Cut out the pieces and cut several 2- by 4-inch tabs from the scraps. Paint the pieces and let them dry.

Use black marker to outline the tabs with dotted lines and to add details to the clothing and accessories. Attach the tabs to the pieces and the bow to a headband with duct tape.
Reinforcements: Strengthen the shirt by attaching a roughly 7- by 8-inch piece of foam core to its back with hot glue (an adult’s job). Cut a strip of foam core to fit the skirt waist and hot-glue it on as well.

If the bottom of the skirt seems unstable when worn, add a strip of foam core along each leg.
Straps: Have your child hold the bottom of the shirt in front of her, then cut two lengths of wide elastic that can each reach from the top of the shirt, across your child’s back, and to the bottom of the opposite side of the shirt.

For strength, staple a rectangular scrap of poster board to both ends of each strap, then tape one end of each to the top of the shirt (the foam core, not the poster board).

Horizontally attach two strips of adhesive-backed Velcro at the bottom of the shirt and the matching strips to the foam core on the free end of each strap.

Use the same method to attach a single horizontal strap at the skirt waist.

Face Book (hahahahaha!!!)

This friendly costume will have people wanting to add candy to your bag Halloween night.

Materials

12- to 15-ounce cereal box
glue stick
wrapping and white paper
marker
thin elastic
duct tape
baseball cap

Instructions

Book cover: Cut off the top and bottom flaps and one narrow side of a 12- to 15-ounce cereal box so that you’re left with three panels. Apply a glue stick all over the printed side of the cardboard, then cover it with wrapping paper that’s an inch wider than the box on all sides. Fold down the edges of the wrapping paper and glue them in place. Glue an 11- by 17-inch sheet of white paper on top.

Inside pages: Beginning at a short end, accordion-fold two sheets of 11- by 17-inch white paper. The folds should be 1 inch wide.

Glue an end flap of each of the folded sheets along a short edge of another 11- by 17-inch sheet, creating a table shape. Glue the bottom flaps of the accordioned sheets to the book cover leaving the center piece loose.

Face opening: Lay the book wrapping paper–side up and draw an oval face-opening in the center. Use a craft knife to cut through the cardboard and paper (an adult’s job).

Neck strap: Attach a length of thin elastic with duct tape under the white paper.

Hat attachment: Cut off the bill of a baseball cap. Attach the front of the cap to the book by running a strip of duct tape down the front center of the cap onto the top edge of the book above the face opening.

Continue running the tape over the edge of the book cover, straight down under the paper, through the face opening, and into the inside center of the hat.

Finishing touches: Glue the center of the white book page to the cover, then use a marker to write “face book.”

Jellyfish Costume

To get this sweet and sassy jelly ready to roll, cover a broad-brimmed hat with bubble packaging and sparkly fabric, then add some ribbon-and-rickrack tentacles.

Download a complete materials list and illustrated step-by-step directions.

Materials

Glue gun and glue sticks
Broad-brimmed straw hat (we used a child’s sombrero)
1 yard of sparkly blue fabric
1 yard of blue fleece or felt
Large-bubble bubble packaging (we started with a 15- by 1-foot length and cut it into pieces as needed)
Clear packing tape
Fabric measuring tape
20 (1-yard) lengths of curling ribbon (we used 10 yards each of blue and silver)
5 (1-yard lengths) of 1-inch-wide sheer blue ribbon
3 (1-yard lengths) ofK-inch-wide red rick rack

Instructions

The Hat Base: Apply glue all over the underside of the hat brim. Lay the brim glue-side down on the fleece or felt and press it firmly. Trim the excess fabric. Cut away the fabric from the head hole.

Fill in the area around the crown with balls of bubble packaging, then top with sheets of the packaging, securing it with packing tape as you work.
The Covering and Tentacles: Measure the hat from one edge of the brim, up over the crown, and down to the far edge. Cut a circle from the sparkly fabric with a diameter equal to the over-the-crown measurement plus 6 inches. Cut the remaining fabric into 6 strips measuring 1 1/2 inches wide by 1 yard long.

Glue one end of each fabric strip, ribbon, and piece of rickrack to the brim’s underside, evenly spaced and about 1 inch in from the edge. If desired, leave a gap of 8 inches at the hat’s front center for your child’s face.

Temporarily bundle the ribbons’ free ends into the headhole. Center the hat’s crown on the fabric circle. Pull the fabric up over the edge of the brim, gluing it to make even gathers. Have your child wear blue clothes and try on the cap. If it’s too wobbly, glue felt or fleece strips to the inner hatband until it fits securely. Trim the tentacles as needed.

You can find many more girl costume ideas here.

Boy Costumes

Alien Encounter

An alien costume ranked so high, you might say it was out of this world. According to Ryan, age nine, “It should have curvy black eyes and wear a robe.” Fitting the bill is this trick costume, inspired by finalist Kim Harvey and her son, Andrew, in FamilyFun.com’s annual on-line contest.

Materials

Balloon inflated to about 12 to 15 inches
Large bowl
Papier-mâché glue (See Tips section for recipe)
Newspaper, in 1 1/2- by 6-inch strips
Ruler; Scissors; Utility knife; Safety pins
Masking tape; Craft glue
Cardboard tube with a 2-inch diameter, at least 14 inches long
Tights
Green acrylic paint and paintbrush
Double-sided carpet tape
Black paper
3-4 yards of black polyester fabric
15- by 24-inch piece of cardboard (corrugation should run the long way)
3 1/4 yards of ribbon, 1 inch wide, in a color that matches pajamas
Velcro Sticky-Back strips
Black long-sleeved turtleneck
2 green rubber gloves
Fiberfill
Black skirt with elastic waist
Pajamas and slippers

There are a lot of instructions, which you can find here, along with helpful diagrams.

Monkey Business

Combine two traditional costumes to make one outfit that’s totally bananas.

Materials

templates
wire hanger
brown faux fur
brown duct tape
hot glue (an adult’s job)
headband
tan felt
rectangular box
scrap cardboard
poster board
ribbon
craft foam
office clothes and tie
face paint for details

Instructions

Tail: Untwist and straighten a wire hanger. Snip off a 3-foot length and fold in the tips so that they don’t stick out (all adult jobs).

Place a 3-foot by 6-inch piece of short-pile brown faux fur face down and lay the hanger along one long edge. Secure it with duct tape. Roll the fur around the wire and secure it with hot glue (an adult’s job).

Bend and tuck 4 inches of the tail into the waist of the costume pants, and secure it with duct tape. Bend the tail to give it shape. (We cut our tail from a 2/3-yard piece of fur and used the rest for the ears and hair tuft.)

Ears and hair tuft: From faux fur, cut two ears and a rectangular tuft with one jagged edge. (Download free templates.)

Hot-glue the tuft, pile-side up, to the center of a headband (an adult’s job). With the pile sides facing backward, pinch the ears as shown to give them dimension, and hot-glue them to the side of the headband.

Glue a piece of tan felt to the center of each ear.

Briefcase and tie: Cut a long narrow side panel from a small, rectangular box. Snip two handles from scrap cardboard and cover them with brown duct tape. Tape the handles to the box as shown, then cover the box with tape. Write “This monkey means business” on poster board and attach it with ribbon to one of the briefcase handles.

For the tie, cut out a banana shape from craft foam using our template and tape it to a real tie.

Bedbug

Create a cute bedbug costume so your child can creep and crawl around the neighborhood looking for treats.

Materials

template
pipe cleaner
craft foam
duct tape
poster board and ribbon
robe and pillowcase
headband

Instructions

Antennae: Wrap a pipe cleaner around a headband so that the two ends stick up at an angle.
Bedtime attire: A robe works best as a base for the legs and a pillowcase can be used as a candy collector.
Legs and sign: Use our free template to draw insect legs on craft foam. Cut out the forms and place duct tape on the ends closest to the body. Tape the legs behind the robe’s collar.

For the sign, write a message on poster board and hang it around your child’s neck with ribbon.

You can find many more boy costumes here.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, YA’LL!!!!

Abundant Life

Audio Teaching: The Example of Elisha

Karen

by John Schoenheit
Having an example to follow is a big help to all of us. That point is especially well made in the poem, “Sermons We See,” by Edgar Guest, which opens: “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day.” In that regard, the prophet Elisha was a great example to Jesus Christ, for whom the Old Testament was written. Both Jesus and Elisha came after an “Elijah” (John the Baptist was figuratively called “Elijah”). Elisha means, “My God is Savior,” while Yeshua (the Hebrew of Jesus) means, “My Yahweh is salvation.”

Like Jesus, Elisha was a powerful man of God, but not in a worldly way. He never was king, never built a city or Temple, never conquered an enemy army, nor wrote any books. Like Jesus, he defined his greatness by his relationship with his God. Setting a powerful example of faith, Elisha parted the Jordan River, multiplied food, healed a leper, made the “blind” to see, raised the dead, did various miracles, and finally, even in his death, gave life to the dead. As well as being an example to Jesus, Elisha’s example challenges us to be an example to others.

Click the arrow to listen.

Transcription | Related Article

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NaNoWriMo

Are All NaNoWriMo People Crazy?

Karen

I don’t know. Would you call someone crazy if she ate a whole package of sugar cookies over the course of two days?

Oh hush you. It was a rhetorical question anyway.

Yes. To answer the title question – we’re all just a little crazy … about writing, that is. Myself included. But it’s a good crazy, I think. We want to write and when we have the chance to write, we don’t know what to write – it’s a never ending battle, trust me. I want to participate in NaNoWriMo this year, but I’m not sure I can take another year of FAILING at it.

You know what bugs me? Setting up my NaNoWriMo profile for this year and not being able to say that I participated, let alone won, the 2010 challenge.

I couldn’t tick 2010. Because even though I had PLANNED on participating, I didn’t. So of course, I didn’t WIN it.

That bugs me.

That space. That void. That FAILURE.

AAARGH.

You know what else bugs me?? I didn’t even ACCESS my NaNoWriMo profile until Saturday. In years past, I would haunt the site on September 30th, refreshing every few seconds so that when registration went live, I would be one of the first to sign up. What has happened to me?!?

I don’t know what was wrong with me last year – I just COULDN’T get motivated enough to write anything.

But this year. THIS YEAR, I will do better.

Maybe.

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/128183738470367234

I don’t know, man. I have a lot LESS time to do NaNoWriMo this year than I did last year. Last year, I wasn’t even freaking working. Now? I am. Full time. And it’s one of those jobs that SUCKS the life force right out of your body so that you get home, pale, shaking and desperately trying to control the tick in your left eye.

Fine. You caught me. I can make the time. I mean, how many posts have I written scolding whiny people complaining that they didn’t have the time for NaNoWriMo? Too many to mention here, that’s for sure. So yes. I can make time. I will get up earlier, or stay up later, or forego a blog post or two, or ignore my family … but yes, I can make the time.

My BIGGEST problem is finding the mental energy. Right now? I have just enough left over to formulate a sentence or two – but only a few. If anyone asks me anything deeper than “hey mom, what’s for dinner,” I may spontaneously combust from the sheer effort it takes my brain to fire what little synapses I have left.

In short? I will implode.

All of this to say, I still don’t know if I will attempt NaNoWriMo this year.

I guess I better decide something, the challenge starts in just seven short days!!

Listen to the audio version.

Day-By-Day

There’s Really Nothing to Report

Karen

Falling leaves
(NOT my picture. Puh-lease. I wish).

What a beautiful day! ………. To stay in and get some chores done.

*sigh*

I didn’t want to. I had to. Since we’ve been gone these past three weekends, my house was looking like something out of a horror movie – only with more color and fewer ghosts. But I prevailed, ladies and gentlemen, I got everything on my to-do list done this weekend.

Laundry
Bathrooms
Dry mopped the hardwood floor
Mopped the kitchen floor
Straightened up the bedroom (which really means I put MY laundry away. Kevin always puts his away).
Blogged

Wait. As I’m sitting here writing this I’ve noticed one thing I didn’t get done today – my desk. Is gross. And I WILL get MY corner cleaned up before the end of the day.

As God is my witness, I SHALL clean this corner up today! (Just channeling a little ‘Gone with the Wind’ there).

Anyway. I feel like I actually accomplished something today, which is more than I can say for MOST of my weekends, thank you very much.

We have one more band weekend coming up. We’ll be making a one-day trip to Columbia Missouri next weekend -that’s Jazz’s last band competition. It’s at Mizzou and hopefully our kids can take 1st place. We’ve done really well this season, but it would be the icing on the cake if we brought home a 1st place trophy.

I’m sort of glad the season is winding down (I bet you are too). Though I have SO MUCH FUN traveling around and cheering them on, it’s exhausting. Especially when you start a new job in an industry you know nothing about and are trying to focus and learn as much as you can in a short amount of time that your brain is mush by the time you come home and it’s all you can do to keep your eyes open to finish dinner with your family.

So. Yeah. The job is going well.

😀

No really. An email was sent out to the clinic on Thursday letting everyone know that I was “ready” to take charge of two doctors. This means I’m in charge of these doctors’ patients and anything schedule related comes to me. I’m getting all sorts of voicemails from patients wanting to either cancel appointments, reschedule appointments or, they want to make an appointment, which requires research on my part before I can make those appointments. For you see, I work for a group of neurosurgeons and they are not like primary care physicians – you can’t just make an appointment to see them for every little ache and pain, there are certain things that I have to look for in order to make that appointment. And if those things are not present, then I have to “flag” the nurse (which is like an instant message system) and ask them if it’s okay to schedule them.

Because I’m a peon and am only paid to do what I’m told. Which is FINE. I’m OKAY with that. I just have to be careful how much initiative I take on.

So I’m learning a lot about this medical field and picking up new terms and learning about new procedures and tests every day. I have to say, it’s damn interesting and no two patients are alike as far as what they need done. It’s challenging and completely absorbs my focus and attention and I really love it.

And I’m not just saying that – I really do LOVE my job.

I’m starting (and only JUST starting) to get a handle on my new routine. My energy level is starting to slowly catch up with my duties and I’ll be used to this new lifestyle in no time. The one thing that I have the hardest time with is the fact that I’m isolated from my family. It’s like I’ve been sequestered and I’m quite literally stepping into a whole new world, separate from them and definitely out of my comfort zone.

But it’s exactly what I needed. I felt like my brain was going soft and it feels SO GOOD to be using my brain again.

Or what little brain matter I have, that is.

Even though my shift starts at 8:30, I’m going in at 8:00 for the next three mornings to make up for the time I’ll have to take off Thursday morning to get my tooth fixed. (I broke it last weekend). I’m thinking I’m going to regret making my appointment for so early in the morning because this means I’ll have to go to work with a numb mouth and will likely be talking weird.

Oh well. I’m getting used to coping with obstacles, what’s one more, right?

Update on my guys:

Kevin has been on a mission to get Dude out in public more. Dude is still going to the office every day and they go out to lunch twice a week. They go shopping at various places whenever they go out – they even went out to the driving range and hit some golf balls. (I have a video of that coming soon). Dude is a very introverted individual and Kevin is hoping that by getting him out and around people more, he’ll loosen up a bit and not be so freaked out whenever he gets a job. He hasn’t had any more interviews but it hasn’t been for lack of trying – he’s been applying someplace nearly every day and Kevin keeps track of his spread sheet and makes him re-apply at places. It’s just a matter of time before the kid gets a job. But it might not be until this crappy economy turns around and I’m predicting that won’t happen until Obama is voted out of office.

*ahem*

In the meantime, Dude has been getting his documents ready to submit to a vocational college. He’s planning on taking two computer classes next semester, so that will be enough to keep him busy until he gets a job. It’ll be interesting to see how he juggles his schedule whenever he gets a job AND is going to college.

Kevin is pursuing some client leads and has been doing well. The word is getting out and he’s becoming more and more busy. It’s just a matter of time before his business really takes off the ground. If you know of anyone who needs a good accountant, give him a buzz! He specializes in elder care, so if you have an elderly person in your family that needs some accounting help (not just taxes, but paying bills, etc), he can help! (http://kkacct.com)

Jazz is finishing up the first quarter. He’ll be getting rid of the following classes: History of Baseball (which he actually enjoyed, believe it or not) and Math Functions, which is a pre-Calculus class. I’m not sure what classes are coming up, but the kids really seem to enjoy switching out classes every quarter and semester. Our school district is considering getting rid of the 4-block schedule set up and I think that would be a HUGE mistake! Having only four classes per quarter is a lot more manageable than having the same SEVEN classes all year long. We’re only one of two high schools in our district that is set up this way and everyone has really loved it. It would make a lot of parents and students upset if they eliminated it.

So. All of this to say, we’re doing well.

Prompt Fiction, Saturday Stuff

An Overgrown Garden

Karen

Carmen tried not to look guilty. “I planted a little story seed …” she held up two fingers, very close together, to illustrate her point.

“You mean you lied,” I shot back.

“I didn’t lie, per se,” she swallowed, “I just didn’t tell him the whole truth.”

“You’re an idiot. What do you think lying is??”

“Oh, shut up.”

“That’s like saying, ‘you’re a little pregnant.’ Either you are, or you aren’t. Either you’re honest or you’re not.”

“I like story seed – it sounds better.”

“Seed my foot. You have a full-blown garden.”

“Pass the hoe,” she giggled.

“You need a backhoe,” I snorted.

.

.

.

Listen to the audio version.

*************************

Write up to 100 words, fact or fiction….

This is a themed writing meme hosted by Jenny Matlock. The goal is to write something that does not exceed 100 words (not including said prompt). The prompt is in bold.

Abundant Life

Teaching: Gnostic Ideas have had an Influence on Christianity

Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

It is good for all of us to know something about the first-century Gnostic controversy, because this controversy continues to this very day, though in a different form. Gnosticism, and its cousin Neoplatonism (or Platonism), changed the face of Christianity by introducing ideas that have more affinity with pagan religions and philosophies than with the Judeo-Christian heritage represented by the Bible. This influence moved the Church away from its Hebrew heritage, notably regarding:

1. One, and only one, God. Gnostics and Neoplatonists influenced some Christians to embrace a God beyond being who could have multiple personalities.

2. The appreciation of Creation as reflecting the work of a good God, and the natural world as integrated with the supernatural world. Gnostics believed that the material world was the work of a lesser, evil deity, and therefore all that is material is unholy and ungodly.

3. The balance of knowledge and experience, with the idea that God is relational and reveals Himself in covenant with His people. Gnostics viewed “God” as beyond being, so to call God “the supreme being” would be to limit His greatness. This God was a far cry from the personal God of the Bible.

The Gnostic and Neoplatonic influence factored into the development of Trinitarian doctrine, as we document in our book One God & One Lord (Chapter 16). This influence is evident in such pro-Trinitarian arguments as: “God is mysterious,” or “If you believe in the Trinity you will lose your mind, but if you don’t believe in it you will lose your soul.” Secret knowledge, though not necessarily rational and biblically accurate knowledge, was the key to one advancing toward the Gnostic godhead. Trinitarian theologians continue to be the only ones who can explain or defend the Trinity, while most pastors and churchgoers just leave the complicated doctrine to the theologians. [For a website dedicated to the truth of One God & One Lord, visit www.BiblicalUnitarian.com]

Traditionally Jewish affirmation of the natural realm is exemplified in its concept of “kosher” foods. God made the food, but the world has become corrupted by sin. Therefore, food must be examined and blessed by a rabbi to be okay to eat. The same is true for sex. Rather than taking the perspective that many Gnostic and Platonic Christians have through the centuries, that sex is unclean in itself, Jews sanctified sex within marriage and considered it “pure” or “undefiled” (Heb. 13:4).

Gnostic tendencies toward a non-human Jesus in the early Church led monks and scribes who copied the manuscripts to add to the text to make it clearer that Jesus was a real human being. Some had been influenced to believe that Jesus did not sweat, defecate, or perform other normal human functions that were considered beneath him as the god-man. To counteract this, these scribes would add to the text things that would emphasize his humanity. Such is the case with the record in Luke 22:44 that depicts Jesus as having sweat like blood falling from his forehead. In his book, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, Bart Ehrman well documents this as a forgery. [1]

Gnostic teachings were being widely disseminated by the end of the first century, and John the apostle addressed this teaching in his Gospel. One interesting way that God inspired him to do this was by recording the miracle of the changing of water into wine in Cana of Galilee. This would have been a slap in the face to Gnostics, who had no way to explain why he would do a miracle like that. Christians who legalistically deny themselves and others wine or other forms of alcohol also have a tough time with that record. Jewish teaching in the Tanakh (the Old Testament) shares both the upside and the downside of drinking. Wine “…that gladdens the heart of man…” (Ps. 104:15; Zech. 10:7), but is also “…a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). This affirms that God has provided fermented beverages, but expects humankind to be wise and not abuse them.

There are also forms of the denial of the physical body that are characteristic of Gnostic Christianity. For instance, even today some Christians feel that dancing is of the Devil, and who forbid even liturgical dance. But the Jewish perspective, and no doubt a part of first-century Church’s practice, was to rejoice before the Lord’s presence in dance. It is possible to dance using movements that are not sensual or provocative, and there is no biblical reason to believe that to so employ the body more fully in worship would be a sin.

There is no reason why today’s environmental movement should be led by atheistic evolutionists. Both Jews and Christians have a vested interest in the preservation of the wilderness areas and protecting our environment as the handiwork of God. The fact that sin has entered the world does not make the Creation of God unrecognizable as a masterpiece. We can clearly see the majesty of the Creator in the amazing beauty of the natural world, and should want to protect it as much as is reasonable. There are few things as awe-inspiring as to view pristine wilderness knowing that it is the work of God.

Another way that Gnostic or Platonic Christianity denies the material world is the way it teaches that the soul is immortal. The body, then, is considered unnecessary equipment, compromising the reality of, or the need for, resurrection. True biblical Christianity sees the body and soul as integral to one another, and neither being able to exist without the other. As we argue in our book Is There Death After Life?, believing in death as a graduation to a higher spiritual realm is not Christian as much as it is Gnostic and Platonic philosophy that undermines an appreciation of this earthly life. How many people have lost the will to live in a fight against sickness or injury believing that their death would usher them immediately into the presence of the Lord? [For further study see our topic on What Happens if You Die?]

Another way that Gnostic or Platonic Christianity still rears its head is when we see ministers given a pass by their denominations or churches when they fail to integrate their faith and ministries with their personal, private, and family lives. Their faith and ministry should be authenticated by their family life, not discredited. The ancient Jewish paradigm was expressed in this maxim: “To know the relationship of the rabbi with God, look in the face of his wife.”

1 Timothy 3:4, 5 and 12 say that to be an overseer or a deacon in the Church one must “…manage his children and his household well.” Ministers who detach themselves from their most intimate family relationships and think they can still be effective ministers have succumbed to Gnostic thinking that divorces belief from behavior.

We are called to integrate our “regular life” with our “spiritual life” so that the two are seamless. God is interested in the single sparrow, and He is also interested in every detail of our lives whether seemingly “spiritual” or not. To serve the true God is to be called to live an integrated life, where one’s faith and practice are integrated, producing fruit that is apparent to all.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

(Comments have been turned off. The information is here to inform and bless you. God granted you the gift of free will – take it or leave it).

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