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Made for a special friend.

Easter Peep Trees

Yesterday was Sunnybrook day at church.  Sunnybrook is a Christian ministry-based childcare organization who help children who have difficult young lives.  Kids who live in the country life of Sunnybrook get to express their belief in God, grow in education and experience all that family living has to offer, therefore developing them into their full potential. (www.sunnych.net).

Sunnybrook day at church is complete with Sunday School, "Big" Church as my stepdaughter calls it, and a Pot-Luck Lunch.  I had to decide what to cook.

I didn't want just vegetables or a dessert, but wanted something unique and bright as the children of Sunnybrook. With it being the weekend before Easter I assumed the luncheon would be Easter-themed.

So here's what I came up with.

Materials you will need:

1) 2 small flowerpots

2) 2 - 6" styrofoam balls (or in my case, 4 halves)

3) 2 extra pieces of dry foam (any shape)

4) Toothpicks

5) Dowel rods (I used 20 skewers, because I had them in the cabinet)

6) Wire (able to be twisted, but strong-holding)

7) 12 boxes of peeps (any colors you want)

8) Extra candy (edible grass, jellybean eggs, etc.) used for decoration

First, gather your flowerpots.  You can decorate these if you want.

Next, take 10 skewers and wrap them tightly together with wire.  I cut 3 - 6" pieces of wire and wrap in 3 places.  You will do this twice for 2 peep trees.

Since I couldn't find 6" foam balls at the last minute, I took two halves and toothpick-ed them together. Put as many as it takes to make the ball solid where it will not move. Also do this twice.

Next, cut your extra foam pieces to fit the size of your flower pot, leaving about 0.5" from the rim(s).

Then, take the pointed end of your skewer group and punch a whole about 3/4 of the way through the foam balls. Pull the skewers out again.  Then, punch the styrofoam in your extra foam that are in the flower pots.  After you have inserted the skewers into the flower pot foam, place the styrofoam ball on top. Do this twice. At this point it should look like this:

Then, add your edible grass or decorate as you wish.

Place each peep bird onto the styrofoam ball with toothpicks.  Some near the bottom may have to have several toothpicks to hold it in place.  You can make flowers or patterns or whatever you like.

Tips:

1) Do you project in a cooled area.  Heat makes the marshmallows fall off the toothpicks.

2) Add weight to the flower pots or adhere the pots to the bottom plate. 

The trees become heavy with the birds placed on.

To find out how you can help the children of Sunnybrook, visit www.sunnych.net/help.

"Mississippi Meets Ethiopia"

As a designer, every now and then, you'll get those clients that mention a project that touch your soul and stay close to you heart for years to come. True, everybody that asks me for designs has a story, and, never once, has the story been the same. And those stories are what allows me to do what I do - design to the person's particular needs or character.

I've been knowing the Powell family for years. I grew up with the middle daughter, Megan, of Frank and Lisa Powell and we went to church together.  Every single Sunday me, Megan, our other friend Kaitlin would play after church. Surprisingly, after all these years, we all got married in the same year, same month. Totally cool.

Now for the story...

Megan's older brother, Matthew, married Tiffani.  Tiffani and Matthew had Noah – he's one. Tiffani is now pregnant with a second child, Micah.  

For months, the couple knew God was calling them to do something special.  Little did they know, he had adoption in their plans.  They thought, with one child and another on the way, how could this be true?

Allowing God to show them that he would provide for them, they decided to adopt a little girl from Ethiopia and name her Matsy Grace.  Here's the video that was the ultimate deciding factor on the country they would be choosing to adopt from: http://thephilpotfamily.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-ethiopia.html

In addition to prayers, their greatest need is financial - and by that I mean $30,000!  Apparently, adoption in the U.S. in extremely expensive, but even more so in other counties and God was 100% leading them into Ethiopia.  The expenses include document preparation, translation, agency fees, travel, government fees, medical and orphanage fees.  Whoever thought it would be so much involved??

They are totally relying on God, but also friends and family to make this adoption possible for them. Tiffani asked me do help her with fundraising. My part – to create a postcard mailer to send to everyone to make them aware of their perfect situation.  I was so pleased in their decision, that the rest was easy.

And this is why I love my job.

Follow their journey at mississippimeetsethiopia.blogspot.com.

If you'd like to make a donation, you can in the following ways:

     •  Join the journey by faithfully praying.

     •  Mail a check to Frank & Tiffani Powell, 118 Appleridge Drive, Brandon, Mississippi 39047

     •  Make a donation to their PayPal account on www.mississippimeetsethiopia.blogspot.com

     •  Make a tax-deductible donation through AWAA's Eternal Family Program by visiting: https://www.awaa.org/forms/payment.aspx and 100% of your donation will be applied toward adoption expenses. *If choosing this option, be sure to select Eternal Family Program and type Frank & Tiffani Powell - Ethiopian adoption in the notes section.