Teacher Appreciation Week: The Best Pie Bake Off

 Best Pie Bake Off: We had parents bring in their favorite pie for a Pie Bake Off. The teachers get to sample all the pies and vote on their favorite! I use Bring It for our sign up sheet system. It works SO well and is easy to attach to a email blast. We had 12 pies brought in. 

I also talked to our local Starbucks and they generously donated coffee for 60 people- complete with cups, sugar, cream, napkins and stirrers. It was SO very kind of them and I LOVE how they are very generous with donating to the community. 

 To motivate our parents to participate, we gave away a $25 Village Inn gift card to the winner! 

And Michelle Keyes WON with her Strawberry Pina Colada Pie!

This was a very inexpensive and easy day- I spent $3.00 on pie serving utensils at the dollar store and $25 for the  gift card. Its also nice for the teachers to see that parents appreciate them! 

Teacher Appreciation Week: Thank you for Helping our Children Bloom!

 This week our school, Hopkins Elementary, celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week! I am the Hospitality Chair and this week falls under my duties. I thought I would share our ideas so if you serve on a PTO and are looking for ideas, these will help! 

Our budget for 4 days of teacher love is $400. 

We have approximately 60 teachers, faculty and staff. 

 Our theme for day one was:

"Thank you for helping our children BLOOM!" 

 We did a little plant wrapped in cellophane for each teacher. I got the plants at Walmart. They came in a flat of 8 for $6 and I cut the individual pods out and wrapped them in cellophane that the school had on hand. Get some cheap ribbon at the dollar store and make these cute FREE printables that I found here to stick in the soil with Popsicle sticks.

It takes a few hours to assemble but the finished product looks great! 

These would be great to do an a smaller scale for your child's teacher and very budget friendly.
For 64 plant gifts, it cost around $60. 

 We also did a Salad Bar Lunch that went with our theme! 

This took a lot of prep work but was done for $100. 

I just went to King Soopers and emptied out their produce department! 

We also got all the greens at Costco which was cheaper to buy in bulk (and we WAY over bought so we will use the leftovers for Thursday- so check back!)

We have a LOT of female staff and what

 girl doesn't LOVE a good salad with LOTS of toppings?!

The teachers really RAVED about the salad bar! 

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another "theme" 

and make sure to tell the teachers in your life- 

THANK YOU! 

Easter Sunday

 Family picture before the easter egg scavenger hunt began.

 Daddy wrote all the clues and they had to search for their giant easter egg.

 Sophias tooth cracks me up in this picture! I told her she looked like a bunny:) 

It fell out that night- FINALLY! 

 Such handsome men! 

 We spent some wonderful time worshipping with our Sola family! 

 Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpas for a yummy ham dinner:) 

 and it was a double fun day since we got to celebrate Avery's birthday as well! 

The Gospel: so much more than Good Friday

Today, I reflect on Christ's death, on His sacrifice, on His great love displayed on the cross. The Gospel (His death and resurrection to pay for my sins) has become so much more than a thought on Good Friday to me these past 2 years. I meditate on it every day. I try to teach it and talk about it to my kids every day. I remind myself of it when I see my sin every day! Its transformed the way I live. I used to think that the Gospel was for salvation and I rarely thought about it much. I would  try really hard OF MYSELF to live a good life, obey the rules (which I failed miserably at although people couldn't always tell from the outside)  and the focus really was on ME and what I could DO to look good to God and others. I always felt defeated and discouraged because I couldn't conquer sin- again the focus was on me! Focusing on the Gospel- on His sacrifice, on His great love shown to me on the cross, on His selflessness, on His resurrection- has shown me that the power for the Christian life doesn't come from ME but from what Christ did for me on the cross. When all my focus is on that sacrifice, my life is changed! I realize the GREAT love that Christ has shown me and I love my children, my family, my friends, my neighbors with such a different focus- I want them to see THE GOSPEL thru me and my love. I see the GREAT selflessness that Christ displayed with his death and in focusing on that, God stirs within me a desire to be selfless toward my husband, children, friends, family and serve them! I still struggle daily with sin and my mind needs to be transformed- how? by renewing my mind with the Gospel! By running to Jesus, asking forgiveness and realizing that He HAS forgiven every sin because of the Gospel!!! Oh such amazing, life changing truth!

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow. 

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry. 

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost! 
We stand forgiven at the cross.

{Sunshine on my Shoulders makes me Happy}

 they're "fighting"ha! 

 kissing at high altitudes wears me out:) 

 I just love how small the kids look in this picture!  Reminds me of the book of Job when God talks to Job  (somewhat sarcastically) and asks him, "Where were you when I laid the earths foundation" and he goes on and on in Job 38 showing Job HIS great power and might! 

"What is man that Thou art mindful of him.."

Amazing that the God who had so much power to create all we see- the beauty, the majesty, the splendor- amazing that He cares for me and knows the hairs on my head and keeps a record of all my tears. Such love.

All pictures taken at Daniels Park in Highlands Ranch, CO