The A.R.K. Project: Day 6

Sorry it's taking me so long between posts, but the truth is now that summer is here we haven't been leaving the house much.  That, and the fact that the girls were at church camp this past week has made it difficult to keep up our daily doings.  However, we did manage to go out to dinner last night and we picked right back up where we left off the week prior. ( The girls were excited to tell me about the Acts they did while at camp.  I was so proud!)

I decided that we needed to make a stash of items to keep on hand for those last minute trips we make into town.  We aren't always able to plan ahead for our kindness act.  When we opted to head out at the last minute, we grabbed a small gift bag we had and a small item from our new stash.  We ended up choosing a bottle of scented hand lotion.  We thought it was kind of fitting since we planned to leave the bag on the table after our dinner as a special thank you for our waitress; someone who most likely washes their hands several times while working and might enjoy the extra moisture.  We snapped a quick photo before heading out. 

The A.R.K. Project: Day 5

Today we took a trip into the grocery store to grab a few last minute things for dinner.  The girls got the opportunity to bless 3 others while we were there.  We took along a few extra Fun-Dip candies to hand out while we were there.  Today was a little harder for the girls.  They both became shy and embarrassed when they started walking towards the others.  I was proud of them though for pushing through that and handing out the candy anyway.  We explained that we wanted them to have the candy BUT they weren't allowed to eat it until Mom and Dad said it was alright.  They were excited to get a sweet treat and the girls felt happy to see them excited.  I was a little worried about how the other parents might feel about a 'stranger handing out candy' but they too seemed pleasantly surprised.  :)

Photography Fun

I've been taking the girls out a lot lately trying new frames and ideas for photography.  I really enjoy taking pictures.  I would love to build my knowledge and ability to do some professional work one day.  Now that we have a higher end camera, it's made it a whole lot easier and more fun.  Sometimes the girls kind of roll their eyes when I mention the camera, but when I catch them in a good mood (and nice weather) then they get a little excited about working it for the camera.  :)  Today we went travelling about around our neck of the woods and took a few shots that were more about the surroundings telling a story, rather than focusing on a great pose from the 'models'.  I've been wanting to try adding some text into photo's and seeing if I can make the photo match the story of the text.  I think they turned out pretty well.  I would love to get an awesome photo editing software or program but I'm not sure just yet what to look into.  I need to do a little more research on that end.  Here's a little bit of our days fun.

The A.R.K. Project: Day 4

Ok, honesty time.  It is really hard to think of ways to show kindness when you don't leave your house!  I think our summer project might just turn into a 'whenever we leave our house' project, rather than an everyday project.  We'll have to see if we can get better at this as time goes by. 

Today, we did leave our house and we were able to perform a kindness act!  It was a very unexpected, and unplanned moment and I think that made it just a little extra special.  Today we had to grab a few groceries from our local Walmart.  While we were checking out, our cashier (who's name was Patty) was very friendly.  She made us laugh, entertained the girls, price matched a few of our items to save us money (I didn't even have to ask her to) all in a matter of just a few minutes.  We all walked away smiling.  As we were headed towards the exit, one of the girls suggested that we tell her supervisor what a good job she was doing.  I agreed that this was an awesome idea!  We located the correct person, left a good word about Ms. Patty's personality and efficiency.  It's certainly not everyday that you get to leave Walmart in a better mood than when you arrived!

Memorial Day Travels

We traveled out of town this Memorial Weekend to visit with family.  I had originally planned to get some good pictures of my parents during the visit, but instead ended up with a modge podge of this and that's.  Either way, we all had a good time.  We had a cookout, did a little shopping, some baking, and relaxing.  This was the first time that we got to spend some quality time with my nephew's step-son since he got married this winter.  Jamison is such a cutie.  The girls loved following him around and being little 'mommies' for a day.  I look forward to spending more time with them in the future. 

The A.R.K. Project: Day 3

Today, I had to carry out our act of kindness alone.  The girls got to hang out with their grandparents and weren't able to come along.  I took the opportunity at a gas station.  I went into the cashier, bought a $1 lottery ticket and handed it to the man standing behind me and said, "Good Luck!".  The man's reaction was priceless.  He looked at me very skeptically and asked, "Why are you handing it to me?".  I told him because I wanted him to have a good day.  I will never know if he won anything or not, but maybe, just maybe every time he stops in at a gas station convenience store he'll remember someone's Act of Random Kindness.

A.R.K. Project: Day 2

Today we took a little road trip with Mimi and Papaw to visit a few grave sites in honor of Memorial Day.  At the conclusion of our trip, we stopped in for a bite to eat at a restaurant.  We must have hit it at just the wrong time because we had quite the wait to be seated and served.  As a little bribe to keep the girls on their best behavior during our wait, I promised to let them each have a turn with the Claw Game machine that was near the entrance of the restaurant.  This is when we got our idea for today's A.R.K.  The girls both earned their chance to play, then we left an extra .50cents in the change return for another player to find.  I have to admit, I would have loved to have been able to stick around and watch the face of an unsuspecting child when they found the change!  Regardless, we left the change behind with a little prayer of blessing and went on our way.  This is so much fun!

The A.R.K. Project: Day 1

So many times as a parent we wonder if we're doing a good job; are we teaching our children everything they need know to become productive adults and good christian women.  This summer, I came up with an idea that will help me incorporate the act of selflessness in a way that we are all excited about.  We have named it The A.R.K. Project.

The A.R.K. Project is simply that: Acts of Random Kindness.  We plan to fulfill one act of kindness for each day of the summer.  We have come up with several ideas that I think will be interesting no only for us, but for whomever the recipient is as well.  The point of this project, in our minds and hearts, is to bring joy to someone else even if it's only for a brief moment.  To qualify as an "official" act, it has to be something we do off the path of our normal, everyday lives.  So, lets say you're walking into a building at the same time as someone else and you choose to hold the door for the other person and allow them to walk ahead of you.  This, unfortunately, would not qualify as an act for us because this is something we would typically do out of kindness.  However, if the same instance would occur but now you notice another 4 or 5 people headed toward the same building so you choose to stay and hold the door for everyone else too, that might just qualify as an act because it's going just a little extra to show kindness.  Hopefully, I've made myself clear enough that now everyone understand just what we're up for this summer!

Today, we kicked off the A.R.K. Project when we returned a movie we had rented from a local Redbox Kiosk.  We took along a bag of microwave popcorn and a little note that read:

Please accept this Act of Random Kindness.  We hope you enjoy this free bag of popcorn with your movie tonight.  Have a nice day!

We taped both the bag and note to the kiosk and then took off to finish the rest of our afternoon running.  We got a little bonus several hours later when our running took us back by the same location where we had left the items.  The girls were VERY EXCITED to see that they were gone!  It was an amazing feeling to see them so happy, and anxious for tomorrows next Act.  I'm not sure about the recipient of the popcorn, but I can tell you that this one act was a real blessing for us.  I can't wait for what tomorrow brings either!

Let Our Summer Begin.

Summer has officially begun.  It's time for shorts, sunscreen, and dirty, barefoot feet!

School's Out For Summer!

I have been searching for a good way to show our appreciation to our children's teachers this year that didn't seem quite so traditional.  At the beginning of the school year, each teacher sent out a small list of some of their favorite things.  Things such as their favorite color, foods, design patterns, etc.  I sat down to gather some inspiration and wound up finding the perfect project on Pinterest.  So simple, yet fun, and right on target for what I had in mind.  Fill a brown paper bag with a few of their favorite things, tie it all up with a little string and Viola!  Thank You Pinterest!

Both of the girls did a wonderful job this year.  We couldn't be more proud of them.  We've been so blessed to have such good teachers each year.  This year, we added Mrs. Wilbanks, and Ms. Dunning to our list.  The girls both loved their teachers, and always had really good things to say about them.  We are blessed to know that we will get to have Mrs. Wilbanks again next year as Kendall moves up.  Kaylen will have her first male teacher next year.  I already know what a blessing he will be as well!

If They Could Just Stay Little Forever.....

Each night, I do what EVERY Mom does.....I check on the kids last thing before heading to bed myself.  It's amazing how much more adorable they are when they are sleeping!  :)    Sometimes I get to tuck them in a little tighter, or replace an arm or leg that is hanging over the edge of the bed.  Sometimes, yes sometimes,  I get to see a little reminder of just how innocent they still are.  This night, while checking on my oldest daughter, I found her with her baby doll all tucked in nice and tight right beside her.  These are the little things that I will miss as they grow up.  One day, much too soon, she'll trade in her little girl toys for teenage things.  I hope to capture many more of these little memories before that time comes.

Just Messin' Around

I took the girls out in the yard to do a few test shots with my camera.  I'm trying to work in different lighting settings and see what I come up with.  It can be a lot of fun to catch the girls just being themselves.  It can be just as frustrating when they goof off and disregard my instructions!  Anyhow, I thought I would post a few of the shot I was able to catch.

Field Trip Days

This year Kendall's 2nd grade class got to visit Wesselman Woods. It turned out to be a really nice day to go.  It was overcast so it wasn't too hot, and the bugs weren't bad either.  Kendall really likes being outdoors so this trip was right up her alley.  Playing with the turtles was the highlight of the day.  It was a fun day to hang out.

National Day of Prayer 2012

Every first Thursday of May is the National Day of Prayer.  Each year we have gone to the Courthouse lawn to join in on music, praise, and prayer.  It is a great time to stand together with fellow believers and pray for our nation both local, and country wide.  I was really proud of the girls for joining in this year as well.  Who says the generations to come have nothing to look forward to?  God Bless Everyone!