This spring, we’d planned to send our 5-year-old to camp. But when summer came, those plans changed.1 So, we had to get creative with how we’d spend our time over the next few days, weeks, and months.

Works of Art

Just months after baby brother came along, I wanted something that my daughter and I could do together. One Monday, on the ride home from school, she asked if we could have “Make It Monday.” We started these last November, and we’ve continued (most weeks, at least) to this day.

My girl has shared that she wants to be an artist and a chef when she grows up, so Make It Mondays have been the perfect opportunity to make art and food.

First, let’s start with art. This summer was filled with art making. We did a ton of paintings and drawings, made a few collages, sculpted with clay and play dough. We also picked up a few fun arts and crafts kits from the store. Nothing too crazy. Just casual, fun art making.

In addition to art time with my daughter, I reconnected with my own love for art and making. I’ve been working on paper products and exploring book binding, so I made a few notebooks, notepads, and sketchbooks. And I put them to good use with my daily doodles and occasional paintings.

I also took a few online classes. One taught me how to take my doodles and turn them into repeating patterns in Adobe Illustrator.2 I also started an in-depth Illustrator class.

In the Kitchen

Our “Make It Monday” creative time extended to the kitchen, and we had a fun time baking and cooking throughout the summer. Some of our faves includes donuts, pancakes, and pizza. We even made our own pizza dough for the first time!3

Getting Organized

Over the past year since having my son, our house has been pretty chaotic (gross understatement, but let’s just roll with it). At the top of my to-do list for the summer was cleaning, organizing, and decluttering.

I started small, first reorganizing our linen closet and toiletries. Getting this done was a small win that motivated me to continue. Next, I created a command center/drop zone right off the kitchen. Before, we’d sit our bags and things down on the table and all around the house. And our shoe rack was in the entry way even though we primarily come and go through the garage.

Then, I started to tackle our office/craft room. I’d already been in the process of moving all things craft related from my daughter’s room, so this was a good time to consolidate, clean, and organize the craft items. I bought organizers4 and planned out what would go where. This area is still a work in progress, but it’s a lot easier for us to navigate now.

Summer Reading Adventure

One of my goals in life is to raise library kids. Not only do I want my children to love and enjoy reading, I want them to experience the wonderful world and third space that is the local library.

Most weeks, we went to the library at least once. Some weeks, we went twice. The cool thing about this library is that there’s a park outside. We went for story time, “crafternoon,” playtime, lunch in the park, and more. We had family visits with all four of us, some with just me and the kids, and even one with a friend.

In addition to our library visits, my daughter had a summer project from school. Each year, her school assigns an engaging summer learning activity, which students present upon their return to school. This summer, the project was to read in creative, fun, and unusual places and to take photos to capture these moments.

Since I’ve been working on making notebooks, my daughter requested that we make a special one for this project. She picked out sheets of colorful smiley face and rainbow vinyl for the cover, along with a lime green wire to match. She was excited to read, and even more excited to fill her scrapbook up with pictures. Each week, we thought of places to read. The library. The park. The museum. At the pool while on vacation.

It was so fun to see her book selections, listen as she practiced her recently acquired reading skills, take pictures, then get them printed. She was overjoyed when it came time to look through the prints and arrange them in her scrapbook. I think we’ll do this one again next year!

All in all, we had such a blast being creative and doing fun, creative things all summer. Many messes and memories were made in the process!

Click here to read the next post in the Creativity Roundup Series!

About Something Worth Sharing

Something Worth Sharing is a collection of stories, reflections, and spiritual snapshots written by Brandie A. Johnson in the margins of motherhood, marriage, ministry, and ordinary moments.

My Reflection on the Writing Process

I love to read poems, but in recent years, it's been a challenge to write them. Reviewing the different poems in this chapter - “Poetry and Emotional Intelligence” by Perie Longo in Expressive Writing (It’s Easy to W.R.I.T.E. Expressive Writing), I chose the one that felt most accessible for me - "My Secret Place1." When I began writing, I envisioned "my secret place," Prayer Mountain Dallas.

Significant life events have happened here, and still, some of my favorite moments are when I'm sitting still, hearing from the Lord, taking it all in. I wrote from that perspective, sitting with what I saw and heard, focusing on literal, descriptive imagery first, then moving to my emotions and experiences being in that place. I opened up writing about a physical location that holds meaning in my life, and as the poem progressed, I found myself expressing what it truly means to me.

Along the way, I also included my awareness and appreciation for others in that space. In my revision, I changed the first few lines to reflect my ritual upon arriving at this place, describing the "opening scene" in greater detail. I found a flow and ended up writing a whole new poem. I also jotted down several ideas and prompts to either expand this particular poem or develop a collection about "my secret place." I'm excited to continue exploring this one!

My Secret Place

My secret place is the rickety red bench on the big balcony 

(there’s a smaller one a few feet away, but it doesn’t have quite the same vantage point).

From here, I can see and hear clearer than anywhere else on earth.

The trees swaying in unison, the leaves tumbling to the ground,

Birds soaring high, but they seem almost within reach compared to the planes flying by.

The whispers of the wind and the words of songs and prayers fill the air,

Some I know by heart, others I can only interpret from the depths of my soul. 

Do you have a “secret place”?

If so, I’d love to hear about it!

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About Something Worth Sharing

Something Worth Sharing is a collection of stories, reflections, and spiritual snapshots written by Brandie A. Johnson in the margins of motherhood, marriage, ministry, and ordinary moments.

About My Secret Place

Here, I’m sharing one of my writing assignments from an expressive writing course from my expressive and creative arts studies. This assignment included a reflection on the writing process and a short poem based on a specific chapter we read.

Ingredients:

• 1 last car ride from the school until August

• 1 popsicle shop, nestled between the savory scent of brisket and the bold aroma of espresso

• 1 Instagram-worthy wall mural with the reminder: “It’s cool to be kind”

• 4 different families who each had the same good idea

• 1 creamy, colorful strawberry cheesecake popsicle—dipped in white chocolate, covered in sprinkles, oozing with joy

• 1 refreshing cucumber lime popsicle, generously dusted with Tajín

• 3 black fans spinning lazily beneath a pergola offering slivers of shade

• 2 happy kids, faces sticky with a mixture of sugar and sweat

• 1 satisfied mom, soaking up the vibes and storing them in her heart for the summer ahead

Directions:

1. Exit the school parking lot with windows down and hearts light.

2. Swap out the traditional end-of-day car snack for a yummy end-of-the-school-year treat.

3. Cruise through the Bishop Arts District just slow enough to catch the breeze and the moment.

4. Park in the first spot you find. Don’t worry if you’re crooked. No one’s watching. (even if they are, it’s all good.)

5. Walk into the popsicle shop. Pick whatever you want. Spare no expense, dollars or calories.

6. Smile as the baby waves at strangers and the new kindergartener twirls in the aisle like summer’s already arrived.

7. Grab a table outside. The Texas heat has chosen to be kind today. (enjoy this while you can. It’ll choose violence soon enough.)

8. Snap a few pics. Don’t sweat the angles or aesthetics.

9. Let the melting popsicle drip down your arm.

10. Savor it all. These sweet little faces. The treat that is this moment. This slow start to summer.

About Something Worth Sharing

Something Worth Sharing is a collection of stories, reflections, and spiritual snapshots written by Brandie A. Johnson in the margins of motherhood, marriage, ministry, and ordinary moments.

About “A Recipe for the Start of Summer”

Inspired by my reflections and the pictures from this adventure, “A Recipe for the Start of Summer” is a hermit crab essay in the form of a recipe. It’s like a time stamp of this moment in time for my kiddos and I.

1. Caring for my household and

2. Creating with him.

When it comes to creativity, fruitfulness looks like allowing God to lead me in sharing his truth in engaging ways. Sometimes, it begins with the word, and other times, he speaks to me after the creative process has already begun. Here's one such example.

Back in April of 2023, I tried my hand at a fun Facebook design challenge.

At first, I just wanted to exercise my creative muscles and try something new. But as I began to create my floral themed coloring book, I was inspired by the flower designs.

Looking at the flowers, I was reminded of Luke 12:27: Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

What started out as a fun design challenge transformed into a flower-themed, scripture-inspired coloring journal, Consider How the Wildflowers Grow.

Buy on Amazon

With spring in full bloom, I invite you to take some time this week to journal with God and think about how He cares for you and what’s blooming in your life. Whether you work through all the prompts in one sitting or one each day, I encourage you to slow down and enjoy this moment with God.

Journaling Prompts

1.) Read Luke 12:27. What comes to mind when you consider how flowers grow?

2.) Do you have a favorite flower? What about it catches your eye or draws your attention? Is there a fond memory or experience attached to it? As you journal, take a moment to describe how your favorite flower looks and why you like it.

3.) Read Luke 12:28. Ask God to show you how much more He clothes and cares for you than He does the wild flowers.

4.) Sometimes, we struggle to believe God, to take Him at His word. Jesus pointed this out with his address to the disciples in Luke 12:28 - “you of little faith!” In what ways or areas are you currently lacking faith? Take a moment to give it to God.

5.) Read 1 Corinthians 3:6.Pause for a moment, and meditate on this verse as you journal. How is God calling you to plant or water what He is growing? Who is He calling you to partner with?

6.) Consider what God is growing in your life or in the world around you in this season. What is blooming in your life right now? If you’re unsure, ask God to reveal it to you.

7.) Take a moment to reflect on the power of God alone to make things grow, then write a prayer of thanksgiving.

Feel free to share any reflections or revelations from your journaling time!

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About Something Worth Sharing

Something Worth Sharing is a collection of stories, reflections, and spiritual snapshots written by Brandie A. Johnson in the margins of motherhood, marriage, ministry, and ordinary moments.