All is Merry and Bright

Before I begin, I feel like I need a disclaimer - my camera is NOT awesome. And I am not an awesome photographer. There. Now, enjoy the not-so-great photos of our Christmas decorations! 

Our Entryway decor and Santa beard countdown; the kids love adding a cotton ball to Santa's beard each day!

Our living room, with some holiday coffee filter wreaths hung above the windows. I had planned on putting large poinsettias on each wreath, but I was tired of running out for more craft supplies, so it didn't happen. There's a very good chance these wreaths might stay forever - love them, and I can easily take out the red/green flowers from the center wreath. Maybe I'll add blue flowers instead...(to go with current decor)? Also, I printed the subway art from eighteen25 this year. The colors printed a little funky (red, blue, and khaki, rather than green) - BUT, it matches our decor and I decided to keep it the way it is!

The stockings, hung with care. I still need to add the ornaments to the kid's stockings; they represent  each year that they've celebrated Christmas.

Our "Dining Room", which normally serves as a playroom. I moved our kitchen table into the dining room for a special  dinner the other night. We loved eating in there...makes me wish we were ready for a real dining set, but where, oh where would all the toys go?

The Christmas pennant and cardstock trees I made from last year.  Our Little People nativity is the only one we own and we love it. I can't wait to get a more "grown up" set.

We made these yarn trees on Monday; I love how they turned out. Russ on the other hand, thought they were upside-down ice cream cones....silly! Also, you can see our mini-activity advent book - I've made one of these for the past 3 years. I re-use old Christmas cards from the previous year, plus whatever else I need to make an album. Each day, I write down a new activity for us to do. It's a fun way to countdown to the holidays, and we know there's always something (even if it's very small!) to look forward to. 

Our Christmas book collection. These sit in a basket near the couch - we've been reading them the entire month of December. Books make me so happy! 




Hoping you and your loved ones will have a Merry Christmas! 

A Special Gift

A few weeks ago, our church took an "extra" offering, which goes to supporting many missionaries and organizations that need our help. There was a lot of build-up to this special day, and several missionary leaders came to visit our church in the weeks beforehand. On one particular Sunday, Avery's class got to meet some of the men and women who live their lives working for these organizations. They learned about the hungry children in Nicaragua and the schools being built there, and the needs of so many others around the world. Those leaders asked us to think about what we might be able to give to help. Over the next couple of weeks, Avery and I would talk about these families in need, and Avery has included them in her nightly prayers.

The morning came to give our special offering. I reminded the kids, and they both ran to their rooms to get money out of their piggy banks. Avery came back with $2, and then realized that she meant to get more, so back to her room she went. She gave $7 of her own money that day!! Nate also gave some, too, although I don't know how much because he wanted to be in charge of his money.

During the service, as we were singing, the Sunday school teachers led the children down the aisles and allowed them to drop their money in a bucket at the front of the church. What a wonderful opportunity for these kids to feel important and special, as they gave gifts to these organizations!! I felt so incredibly proud of my little ones as they walked to the front of the church; I'm so thankful that they know and love the Lord, and that they understand (in their own way) that we have so much, and they were willing to share with others that have so little. God has given me two beautiful, thoughtful children, and it's my prayer that I can be a model and guide to them, so that they will grow up, always seeking God and doing their best to follow his will.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me the gift of these children, and for giving me the privilege to see them give to you. Lord, that moment holds a special place in my heart, and I'm so grateful that I was able to witness it! Thank you for the abundant ways in which you bless our family!

Faith

Recently, I found myself in a situation where I had very little faith in a positive outcome.

Nate had seen a stuffed penguin in one of those grocery store "claw" games where you have to try and reach it and pull it up in order to win it. Well, he went on and on about how he wanted that penguin and I agreed that he could take his own money the following day and try to win it for himself. The next morning, he asked me continuously, "When are we going to the store so I can win my penguin?" and I told him over and OVER again that we would go in a little bit, but not to get too excited because he was not going to get that penguin. I told him how HARD that game is to win, and what a WASTE of time and money it would be for us to make this trip. I just knew he'd leave there, angry and disappointed. I was already worried about how upset he would be.

Finally, we left for the store. This was all against my better judgement, but he was so PERSISTENT and so sure that I had to let him try. He put his coin in and got close, but didn't win. So, I tried, and still didn't win. I let him put in the $5 bill he brought, and he tried again. This time, he WON! He actually got it! I could not believe he won that silly penguin; I was so happy for him. And with several games left to play, he even managed to win a Christmas elf for Aves!! He won twice!!

WOW! I felt so poorly about my earlier attitude. I had only been trying to protect him and prepare him for what I thought was sure to happen, but I was wrong.

Most of the time, I consider myself to be a "glass half-full" kind-of girl. But, in some areas of my life, I tend to think, "This is too hard. It's not worth my time. It's not worth my effort anymore. I can't imagine how things are going to change for the better. I can't see how God is going to make this for good." But more than anything, in those times, I need to remember that it's all in HIS timing, and that he has a plan for my life. I need to remember the promises he has made to me. I need to live with BIG faith.

Thank you, Nate for showing me your faith in the little things. Lesson learned.

Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 2 Samuel 7:28.

Kitchen Table Re-Do

The final (big) piece to updating our kitchen was painting and staining the kitchen table. We've had this table for about 10 years - Russ's parents bought it for us way back when it was just the two of us. While I'd love to have a bigger table, this one does the job for the 4 of us, and I can't imagine a different table in the small, angular space that we have. So, it works. But it needed to be a different color. The natural stain just wasn't cutting it anymore, and so I vacillated between painting the chairs and table legs white or black, and staining the top a dark walnut. For the longest time I imagined the table with white legs and chairs, and I think that could have been gorgeous. I was afraid with that, though, that it would blend in with the light blue walls and get "lost" in the kitchen. So, after taking a poll from friends and family via facebook (it was all very official, you know), I decided to go with black + dark walnut for the top.

Now you should know that I'm a lazy painter, so I spray painted the chairs and table legs, after gently sanding them. I just couldn't imagine painting each of the spindles on my chairs by hand, so spraying was the easiest, quickest way to go. In a matter of days, I had the chairs painted and covered with a layer of water-based poly.

The table top was another matter! I had never stained anything in my life, but I was excited to try, and under the impression that it was going to be easy. Ha! My FIL taught me how to take off the previous stain with a de-glosser. That was awesome and saved me so much time over sanding! Once the top was ready, I brought the table into the garage and stained it. About 6 times. I could not figure out why it was taking so many coats to get it to the darkness I desired. I finally realized that I was wiping off too much after each coat had set for the recommended 5-10 minutes. Lesson learned. Also, I had a lot of trouble with the rounded edge around the table top - how do people do that part? I still don't know, but I was tired of trying, and so I just left good enough alone. I am constantly quoting the Nester's phrase, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." This gets me through a lot of projects. :) Because this was a kitchen table that will see LOTS of use, I wanted to cover it with the water-based poly I had used on the chairs. I had the worst time figuring this out. With the chairs, I had applied it very generously and it all worked out fine. However, on the table top, I could see bubbles and streaks everywhere! I was so frustrated! After about 6 coats of poly (no kidding!), I finally caved and called my FIL to ask him for some help. (He's a wood-working genius!) He showed me how to do a wet sanding technique, which helped me to hide some of the bubbles and streaks that were showing up. After that, he then applied the poly in a VERY thin coat, and that really seemed to make the difference. We did a couple of very thin coats, and then I decided it looked good enough to me to call it done. As I mentioned, I'm lazy and impatient, and I was SO ready for this table project to be finished. At this point, it had been 2 weeks since we'd eaten at our table. Our picnics in the living room were getting old!

So, I'm sure you're on pins and needles waiting to see the finished table, right? ;) Here are a few pictures. I do not have a great camera and my photography skills aren't so hot, either....so, bear with me (and my pictures).

The Before

The After

I love it, and while I wouldn't want to do it again, I'm so happy with the way that it looks and the fact that it's done! So...what do you think? (I only want to hear the nice things!) :)

Noise

Last night, Avery, Nate and I were watching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Nate had fallen asleep in the bed, after a LONG day of playing and "helping" me decorate the house. It was just Aves and I, and the movie was almost over. During the final scene of the movie, when Santa is flying over the rooftops, Rudolph's nose begins to shine and make that squeaky noise that it does in the movie. I guess because Avery wasn't expecting it, when she heard the squeaking, beeping noise, she didn't realize it was from the show, and she thought it was an alarm of some kind in the house. She LOST it....hands to her ears, eyes wide, screaming and crying all at once. I was terrified, because I had no.idea.what.was.happening. My heart was beating out of my chest. I calmed her down pretty quickly, but had to force her hands down she could hear me tell her that it was not an alarm and just the show. It was upsetting to see her with so much fear. I wish I could take that all away from her.

“I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” 1 Chronicles 21:13.

Grateful Attitude...?

So much for my 15 minutes each day on the blog! Ooops! I wish I were better at keeping things updated here....

I've been talking a lot about gratitude this month, not just on facebook, but also at YCW, and also during Sunday School with the kids. I want to have a grateful heart, and I do feel that for many, many aspects of my life, I see the blessings, and I am thankful. But there is one area where I am specifically lacking, and I don't know how to get away from the negative whirlpool that crashes my thoughts each time this topic of gratitude comes up.

Here are some thoughts that enter my mind, when I'm trying to focus on the blessings:

I am grateful, but I wish things were different....

I am thankful for my blessings, but I don't understand why this has to be so hard....

I am grateful for "this", but I wish it could be like "that".

Do you ever have "grateful thoughts" like this? It doesn't really seem like gratitude when I'm questioning my path, and wishing things were different!!

While my grateful attitude wavers in some areas, my faith will hold steady. I have felt God's mercy and forgiveness when I did not deserve it. I have felt his love in times of loneliness. And I can see how he chooses to bless me abundantly. It's those blessings I need to focus on right now. Yes, my life is not perfect; I have troubled relationships and past sins. But God continues to love me, continues to bless me, and for that I am undeniably thankful.

I love this song, Blessings by Laura Story..."What if trials of this life are your mercies in disguise?" It reminds me that even the challenges can be blessings.

Checking in...

Is it okay to just check in? I don't have much to say, and I need to get to bed. How do people who post daily come up with new material? My life is going to have to get more exciting!

I did some online research for a women's bible study, and by research I mean I "googled it". I found quite a few helpful links and potential places to spend time and learn, but one in particular really seemed to click with me, and so I'm considering getting started! The only thing holding me back is that the study started today, and I need to purchase the book pretty quickly so that I don't fall too far behind. I love the concept of this bible study group, and I think it may be just the thing for me to get more involved in God's word.

Nate, on the other hand, is very into the Bible lately. He loves his little blue bible that he got as a baby. He carries it around the house and he'll point out the red text and he knows that those are the words Jesus has said. He wanted me to read it with him tonight, so I started to do so, and then he stopped me and told me I had to sing it. So, we sang some verses from Matthew! I love that he wants to read his Bible.

In other news, today is my Momma's birthday! I was so blessed to be raised by her and to be a part of her family. I hope she had a terrific day...Love you Mom!!