It doesn't get much better!

I'm drained. Today has been a tiring kind of day. Hubs and I stayed up late after drinking a bit too much coffee after 8pm. It was worth it - and, after a HIGHLY emotional episode of "Parenthood"... wow. I think I went to bed drained. Anyone else follow that series? We just started watching it and I cry every.single.week. Geesh!

Anyway, our second born woke up at 6am and was just a crab bucket. After about 2 hours of whining and then screaming - she pointed to her ear and said, "boo boo". So at 8:40am we were at the peds office hearing the diagnosis of another ear infection. Blech. Poor baby, poor ears. After a swing by the pharmacy we got home and crashed. Augs didn't even want lunch - just bed, as she whined over and over and over. She slept 1 hour and was back up crying. I think this ear infection is a doozy. :/ My eyes were heavy and I had very high hopes of maybe a good ol' snuggly nap on the couch with the still tired babe, but, nope. No sleeping - but lots of snuggling and relaxing. Those are precious times that I wouldn't trade for the world! Though I'm sleepy and still have a very full night ahead of me - I'll be alright. There are far worse things going on in the world then a sleepy momma.

So, apparently shoes are a big deal right now in our lives. {grin}
I shared the story of the shoes for my big girl and would you believe that just today I have another one! Only this time it's for my Augs, and, much more brief. ;)
Walked into Salvation Army on the way home to grab an Ugly sweater, of which they had none, and stumbled upon a BRAND NEW pair of black Stride Rite toddler shoes. No scrapes. No wear. No gross shoe smell. Brand new. And the best part... $1! Yep, Stride Rites, in Auggie's size for a buck. Ah, thank you Jesus!

Of course I googled how much they run normally. $47! I think we found a deal, folks! Woot. :)

Tonight we have our annual Elevate Christmas party with the teens at church. I'm praying that the Lord works in the lives of our teens, both the ones who come to church and the visitors we may have. We need the Lord to move and we trust in His plan for this group.

Last thing in this rambling post. I promise.
Yesterday I made some super yummy Cranberry Walnut bars. They are savory, rich, and so delish. Found it here and if you enjoy cranberries, walnuts or butter {grin} you MUST try them. Ta-ta for now, friends.

Christmas Shoes : A Momma's perspective.

It had been a beautiful night of worship through music, testimonies of God's faithfulness, and a delicious meal.  We had lingered over hot coffee and been happily chatting about all things - being women. :) As the years go by I find myself enjoying these moments more and more. There was a time when I was caught up in the busyness. I was running and planning and always on the move. These days I enjoy a sit down chat. I look forward to looking in a friends eye while she shares life with me. This was one of those nights.

The Lord had already been working on my heart that day, prior to the event, and I was tender while listening to the ladies around me. Each one celebrating the Holiday season in a different way. Some were older, others quite young. We had newlyweds and retirees. It was brilliant. My heart was full and I felt as warm as the candles flickering in front of me. But, like all things... it ended and was now time to head home.

My drive home was pretty normal. It was finally colder and actually felt like December - which was great, for me! I flipped on some Christmas tunes and drove on my merry way thinking about the great night and an equally great night that was coming the next day. Our church was to have the annual childrens Christmas program and it was my firstborns last year in the 2's and 3's portion. {sniff}Then, out of some place selfish and worrisome came the sinking thought - "ugh, I don't have any "Christmas shoes" for my girl." All the beauty of the night seemed to take a back row, now, as I thought about this. She had her Christmas dress and I knew how we would use gold ribbon to tie back her hair... but all I had for her feet was some clunky black boots. It wasn't a big deal - I mean, some kids have no shoes at all... but, it kinda weighed on my heart. I thought back to the two Mocha's I had splurged on earlier in the month. Could the total cost of both of those been the equal to one pair of size 10 girls shoes? And that's how my mom mind works sometimes.

After parking the car I went to pull out two diaper boxes of clothes we had been given that night, from a new friend. She has two older girls and no longer needed the items. Since I'm always needing something... this was a wonderful thing! I lugged them inside and kissed my hubby hello. We chatted about the evening as I began to look through our new treasures in the diaper boxes. It was then my heart fell and the tears came as I opened the second box and found... of course... black dress shoes. Christmas shoes for my girl.

Just one more way that God shows His perfect care for me. Shoes are not the priority, nor is looking put together for a childrens program. We know that. But it's in these small ways where sometimes I feel the most loved and seen. And my firstborn couldn't have been more excited about them! We had a great talk about God's provision and she is starting to get it. This year - for Ava - God provided Christmas shoes. And in the meantime, continues to work on this mom heart in the area of trust. The show went on and the children did a great job! Glory to God in the highest!

Happy Homemaker Monday - December style!

Helloooo and happy Monday! The Lord has given us a day that I am sure we will not too soon forget. His provision is amazing and we've been experiencing it since we woke up. Christmas cards full of love, friends sending notes, yummy smells and chocolate, and just every little sweet thing to make me feel the arms of my God wrapped tight around me. We are blessed and we are thankful!
The Lord knew I needed this day to be like it is. After some heartache and melancholy last night... Joy really did come in the morning! And, even it if it wasn't so joyful - God is still good.
We have been opening our home on Sunday evenings after church for our youth leaders to come and share a meal with us. Never fancy. Always loud and lots of activity. My heart is never more full then in those moments looking around my home watching people just "be". I am so thankful for this house that we can jam pack full of folks. I'm so thankful for crock pots of soup and warm bread and children running around crazy. There is SO MUCH JOY in opening your life.

And now, onto the day...

The Weather:::
Yikes! 20's! I'm absolutely loving it. And, I think I get a lot of crazy looks when I say that. :) This momma has been itching for some cold weather. We had a beautiful "snow globe-esque" morning on the way to church, but everything melted by the afternoon.

Right now I am:::
Taking a little break. Girls are napping, dishwasher is emptied, laundry is going, a new scentsy is melting away and smelling amazing. I might have had a few oreos. :)

Thinking:::
God is so faithful. It never ceases to amaze me how our every need is thoroughly met - and then some. I'm also really seeing a great connection between our generosity and the Lord working in our lives. So challenging.

On my reading pile:::
"Living" and "Thriving family"  magazines. It's been a light reading time of year.

On my TV:::
We've had the Sounds of the Season channel going all day - it's a wonderful mix of Christmas music. Tho, if Dominic the Donkey comes on again... it's over. Bleh!

On the menu:::
Monday - Leftovers :) Lots of Meatball and potato soup leftover from our meal lastnight.
Tuesday - Chicken Marinara with friends!
Wednesday - Church night, not sure.
Thursday - Pasta bake
Friday - Pesto Chicken Penne. Already done and in the freezer. What a great Friday that will be!
Saturday - Need to do some shopping.
Sunday - "

On my to do list:::
Continue with laundry
Do the elliptical for at least 15 minutes. {setting small goals - I hate exercise}
Put all the clothes away
Vacuum girls bedrooms
address Christmas card envelopes

What I am creating:::
Zilch. No crafts happening right now.

Homemaking tips:::
Did you know that hair spray gets ink out of linoleum? My husband did! Second born drew us a lovely scribble right in the middle of the kitchen floor - in black pen. Hubs to the rescue with his bottle of White Rain! :) It's totally gone now.

Looking around the house:::
Tree is wonderful. Kept everything really simple this year and so glad we did. The home is full of life and memories and you can tell a family lives here. It's all clean, too. LOVE having company over - helps to keep the clutter at bay, for at least a day.

From the camera:::
Our 8 footer! Always wanted a HUGE tree.

Every ornament has a meaning - either hand made, gifted, etc. Favorite spot is on the couch to sit and watch the lights at night :)

On my prayer list:::
Friends with financial needs.
New pregnancies I keep hearing about.
Traveling family during the holiday

Bible verse, devotional:::
Yikes. Nothing to share here. Just loving all the ideas on Advent - we are trying to go through a booklet put out by Focus on the Family that uses the names of God. Powerful!

Friday Favorites...

I'm jumping on the "Friday Favorites" band wagon! Fun idea! It's a wonderful, calm, afternoon here. The girls are napping, I'm watching Little Women and sipping a mug of Mocha - all comfy on the couch. Love family day!

Favorite #1 - our REAL tree. {excuse this lame pic}

We went to three places this morning to find it - and at our last spot nabbed it for a great price. It's 8 feet tall and smells amazing. :) I love a real tree. I cannot wait to decorate it with my little girls and hubby.


Favorite #2 - Christmas Yummies

This recipe is called "Terribly terrific Toffee". Um, yum. And I love that it made from inexpensive saltines - a cheap and seemingly easy idea!  A Southern Grace has the full recipe here.

Favorite #3 - Gift wrap idea, using my little girls fingerprints :)

 

What a brilliant idea and {again} a great money saver! You almost wouldn't want to rip these packages open. I'm hoping to do this with my girls for their gifts to Grandparents. I think it adds an extra element of precious. Check out the full how to at Splash of Something. 

Favorite #4 - Truth! I love how from time to time I find these great verses written out beautifully.

 

{Found this on pinterest, it didn't lead to any blogs or anything I could cite}

Kind of a random bunch of favorites - but, by now I'm sure you aren't surprised by that. :) 

Have a wonderful Friday! 

Two trains of thought.

Remember how a looooong time ago I shared that I was going to turn a portion of our very unfinished basement into a workout room? Yea, still working on that. No where near where I want to be - but, encouraging news is that I made some progress today! After lunch with a friend and some encouraging words, I feel a new motivation to get serious and get moving.
Right now I'm at the cleaning - moving around - organizing stage. This afternoon I was able to vacuum up a zillion dead bugs, lay down the small piece of flooring, move the tv table, tv and dvd player, elliptical and new machine we were given, and prep just 1/4 of the basement to be used until my "dream" room can be completed. Something IS better then nothing, right? Here's the condition now.

I found a massive bucket of basement paint and plan to paint over the highly unsightly yellowing that seems to be happening on the wall behind the TV. Then it dawned on me... if I get this place cleaned up real well, I have LOADS of pink paint and could easily move a few toys down here for the girls, too. That would be after MUCH cleaning, however. At one point I got distracted and might have spray painted a wall with a can of beautiful Gray spray paint I bought for another project. See, I'm distracted. Anyway, though it doesn't look like much - I'm so thrilled to get things going. I want to put some sort of plastic shelving under the table for workout DVDs, my free weights, maybe a jump rope and some music. ??? I'm a looong way from the ideas I've pinned on pinterest - oh how I love this under the stairs storage, green rug and basic beautifulness. 

And this idea - the curtains! The hidden machines! The sight of clean and no dead bugs. Since laundry is my FAVE household chore, I could see lots of time spent in this! 

But it does give me a goal to work towards. :) 

Next train - woooot wooot. Cute things. 

Today while reading through my newest edition of "Living" magazine, I stumbled upon this cute idea - also basement related. I have a drying rack set up in our basement, but, it only holds so much. I try to hang dry several items and this would be such a help - especially as it rolls back up and won't "clothesline" someone. Buahaha. A-hem. 

This is a retractable clothesline, friends. It's supposed to look aged and it's just about the coolest thing I've seen in awhile. So I looked up the website and WOW - if you are into the junkin', antique, old-ish look you want to go check out Farmhouse Wares. www.farmhousewares.com  It has a ton of cute ideas and the prices vary. This clothes line is roughly $13! Some things were a bit more pricey.

I thought this candle holder was pretty cute, too.

Ah, motivation, you are wonderful. Now...back to it!
What projects are you working on? Re-doing any rooms in your home?

Luke 1 - the anticipation.

 

{source: google.com, images}

I never get tired of the story from Luke chapter 1 in God's word. It's another one of those God stories that proves over and over that truly "nothing is impossible with God". Elizabeth, barren for her entire life at this point, is told by God that she will conceive and bear a son - who will be John the Baptist. And just like Sarah in the OT, she was not a young woman - in the prime of child bearing years, but as it says in the word, "advanced in years." 

But for now I want to focus in on the description of what her son, John, will be like. (Luke 1:13-17)

"But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.  And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.  For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.  And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’^[a] and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

This morning I was so challenged and reminded by the last part of that paragraph. John's role in life - "he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ... "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.. " While this verse is VERY specific to the readers of that day and addresses the target group as specifically Israel - this mom heart was still encouraged on one point - MAKE READY A PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE LORD. As the days go on and I raise my children I'm so challenged by that. Am I raising my children and teaching them the greatness of the Lord, and preparing their hearts to know Him? 

As the Christmas season rolls on, what great opportunities to teach and share the story of Christ - coming to earth as a baby, growing up as a child, and then dying for our sins as a man. This season lends to anticipation, something children "get" all too well. They anticipate gifts and goodies and seeing grandparents far away - so how can we build in that anticipation about our God? I'm reminded today of just how great a task I've been given and I'm motivated to be creative with how I prepare my little ones for the wonderful day that is Christmas.

"Haul out the Holly....."

 

Go on, sing it. December 1st and the Christmas season is fully upon us :) I feel like I've been waiting since July for this time to come. Tonight I'll head to our local church for the ladies Christmas event - Rejoice! I spent a good part of the day yesterday setting up and decorating some tables, and will share some pics after I take some tonight. :) I look forward to this event every year - such a blessing to be a part of a church that teaches the gospel and guides us to keep our minds on track during this time of year. Which, brings me to my main point...

Keeping it simple. 

My home decor this year is low key and lovely {at least to me}. I did a lot of greenery, mini trees, etc. Things I already own.
Our gifting will be simple and to the point. Nothing excessive. Thinking of doing the "four gift rule" idea for my children.

I'm doing a lot of home made and kid created gifts and baked goods. Which I know Grandpa's and Grandma's will love better anyway!

Buying groceries to eat at home and planning to eat at home instead of resorting to overspending in a pinch when we are out and about. {minus last night's impromptu visit to Ted's Coney Island}

Last night we took our girls to the Capital downtown to watch the tree lighting ceremony. We had never gone and weren't sure what to expect. Let me encourage you to really seek out these kinds of opportunities. Not only was this FREE, but there was a local high school choir singing carols, FREE hot cocoa and Christmas cookies, and the Governor was there! Hubs shook his hand! The huge tree being lit was the icing on the cake for me. :) A special memory and something hubs and I both agreed would become a new family tradition for us. I enjoyed the light crowd, too. It started at 5:30 so not many were there - but, it was already dark so the tree lights were lovely.

While my husband would have preferred a more decorative tree, microphones for the singers, etc. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the evening. It seems the older I get the more I enjoy the simple things in life. Small treasures. Memories of performing Christmas carols with my high school choir, a warm pre-winter night outside, watching my children think we were doing the coolest thing ever, mini cups of hot cocoa, other families with young children taking this same opportunity and soaking it in.

The Lord is so good to give me those moments of calm and joy. My heart, as I shared recently, has been so weighed down with chaos all around me. I'm reassured again and again at the beauty found in simplicity. Today we ring in December 1 and remember who we celebrate this month.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” John 1:1-2, 14