Summer Secret Service

I'm always looking for ways to serve other people. Acts of service is my love language, so believe me when I say, I LOVE to help people. This summer I wanted to do our normal summer fun, but I also wanted to go a little further and do some acts of kindness for each other.

This summer we have made a pact to do Summer Secret Service. We call ourselves the S.S.S. On the first day of summer vacation we drew names in our family. We also included my mom who spends a lot of time with us.

It's a SECRET who has who. So far, the kids have done pretty good at keeping it a secret. It's not so important to keep who has who a secret, as it is to keep the act itself a secret. It's fun to walk into your room and see that someone made your bed for you. Or it's REALLY neat to think you have to do the dinner dishes and find out someone secretly did it while you were busy elsewhere.

To make it extra special, my son designed a logo for us. I have such talented kids! I love what he came up with. It perfectly captures the love behind the acts of kindness. We printed our logo on labels that we can use for the things we make, and I ordered some business cards from Vistaprint. For example, if you clean the room for someone, you can slip a business card onto the bed or desk to show that the S.S.S. has been there.

We also plan on doing some acts of kindness for people outside of our family. This will be a great chance to use our business card. We can let them know they have been visited by the S.S.S.

I received this very sweet note from my S.S.S. I have spent several days helping a friend through a very trying time in her life. In fact, as I was writing this blog post a couple days ago, I received an important phone call from her. I put everything in my life on hold. I tried to be practical in the love I showed her. I went with her to the hospital. I helped clean her house, and packed some boxes for an upcoming move. I was emotionally exhausted and physically spent. It was a great source of encouragement to find this note waiting for me in my own home. Daisies are a source of comfort for me. To me they are a happy flower. This simple note made me tear up. It was a reminder that God is proud of me. That's enough to keep me going.  

*UPDATE* We had our big reveal, and I found out this letter to me was lurking in my house for over two weeks! I love how God has such impeccable timing. I found it the exact day that I needed to find it!

Everyone needs to feel a little extra love and care. This is a chance we have this summer to give a little, and even get a little. It adds the perfect special touch to our summer fun. I look forward to many more special acts of kindness this summer! The gears in my head have been turning in ways that I can give to my own S.S.S. It's exciting to be a part of something like this.

*UPDATE* Our Summer Secret Service was such a big success, we decided we wanted to continue the special acts of kindness. We have started a new round of good deeds.... the SCHOOL SECRET SERVICE. New names have been drawn, and new acts of kindness are being performed. We are keeping it a secret for the entire school year, and plan to do at least one good deed for each other per month... hopefully more.

Feel free to use our logo and ideas anyway you see fit! 

Let's all join together and do kind things for each other!

Fish Coloring Page

Lately I've become obsessed with editing my daughter's drawings in Illustrator. There is something calming and soothing about smoothing out the lines. I've been searching through all her old drawings looking for things I can edit and play around with.

I'm certain after awhile, the newness will wear off and I'll be looking for a new way to pass my free time. But for now, it's coloring pages. I love all the adult coloring books out there. I've been a fan of coloring my entire life, long before this coloring phase became popular, in fact. So for a little while, I'm certain my blog will be bursting with new pictures to color. Feel free to share and enjoy!

My daughter has become a bit of a celebrity in my class at church. The kid's can't believe she has made the drawings herself. It makes me smile when the kids approach her after church to give her their love and support.

You can feel free to use the coloring pages for your own PERSONAL use.  But please be kind and do not claim these pictures as your own or offer them for downloads.  It makes me sad to see my pictures on a coloring page website run by someone else.

"Then God's peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

Do Not Worry...

Yesterday my daughter came across a bird nest in a bush we were cutting down. It killed her to destroy the birds home, so she left it completely intact, and didn't touch the nest at all. She did however cut around it. I believe the rest of the bush was protecting this nest, and sadly this morning the egg was missing. I'm certain a predator must have come and removed the egg. This broke my daughter's heart. We had no idea the cleaning up of our yard would hurt the life of an innocent baby bird.

Just like our hearts broke for this new life that didn't get a chance, God's heart breaks when we go through trouble. He cares so much for all His creation, even the smallest baby bird, or the biggest adult woman. 

I needed this reminder today. God says I count far more to Him than the birds.

We are having car trouble. For the past two years we have been casually shopping for a new car. One of our cars is rusting out on the bottom, and a new car will soon be necessary. However, today that car is not the issue. Our family car, we noticed was leaking oil. It doesn't spill onto the ground, but it's going somewhere. 

After a day at the mechanic, they couldn't pinpoint the problem unless we allow them to do further diagnostic work. This would be another $100, and they believe it might be a head gasket issue which would result in another $1800 bill. Not the best news in the world. It looks like we will need to be replacing two cars instead of one. YIKES! Big money there!

I'm not going to stress myself out over it. God has promised to provide for all my needs, including my car needs. He cares for me even more than He cares for the small baby birds. I have nothing to fear. I'm not going to worry about my everyday life... I'm going to place it in God's hands. He's got this, so I can rest easy in His promise.

Trust the Lord Coloring Page

My daughter loves to doodle. She is constantly making little drawings in notebooks, or on scraps of paper. I love to find her drawings around the house. They are so beautiful! On Sunday, she shared with me this beautiful doodle drawing in her notebook from church. Doodling helps her focus and listen to the speaker. I LOVE it and fully support her doodling habit! I couldn't resist scanning this drawing in, and turning it into a coloring page. 

I think we make a great team. She draws, and I smooth out the lines in Illustrator to make it a digital picture. One of my dreams for the future is to write a coloring book devotional with my daughter. I would do the writing, she would do the drawing. I would add Bible verses or quotes to each of her coloring sheets.  It's probably not something that will happen for quite a few years, but I can always dream about it for now.

You can feel free to use the coloring pages for your own PERSONAL use.  But please be kind and do not claim these pictures as your own or offer them for downloads.  It makes me sad to see my pictures on a coloring page website run by someone else.

"Trust the Lord with all your heart

and do not rely on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

 and he will make your paths smooth."

Proverbs 3:5-6