{this moment}

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{this moment} - Every Friday.
A single photo - no words - capturing a simple, special moment from the week.
A moment I want to savor and remember forever.  Inspired by SouleMama

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 If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

 

:: Conviction and endurance

This week I was convicted on the luke-warmness of my heart toward putting emotional effort into my relationship with the Lord.  It's not the first time it's happened.  Slowly,  other things and the business of life distract me from what is really important: loving Jesus and living a life that is completely sold out for him.  Being willing to sacrifice all, if necessary.  It's always a gradual fading, so slow that it's not noticable at first.  Then I see someone else's life, and I realize the state of my own heart. 

 

This week I've been motivated in many areas of my spritual relationship.   One of them being verse memory: storing God's word in my heart, where it can grow my love for Christ, for the lost, and where God can use it to change my responses to what they would not naturally be.

 

 

In the same way, I've let it slip with my children. A few years ago I filled notebook pages with some verses for them to memorize, but we didn't get very far.  Yesterday we picked it back up again - inserting it into our breakfast routine, and trying to remember to review them at dinner for Dad.  

 

These notebook pages are the way my Mom helped us kids memorize growing up, and is quite effective - especially for little children that can't read yet.  Plus, kids think it's really fun. 

 

Many of the pictures are ones from my own childhood (if you can't tell).  The favorite for them so far, is this one: 

 

 

I love it when my 2-year-old looks at the picture on the page, draws her own conclusion, and says, "God wants you to be happy when you have to go to bed!"

 

 

I just find pictures out of magazines, books, and old birthday/christmas cards, then type up verses on paper, glue the picture down, slip the whole thing into a clear page protector, and store them all in a

3-ring binder.  Nothin fancy. 

 

We learn the verse first.  Then as we flip from page to page, I cover the verse up, and whoever raises their hand first gets to say it.  Sometimes... I even step out of my I-get-all-my-creative-ideas-from-others nature, and attempt to think of a simple tune to put to the verse.  Promise you won't laugh.  =)

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning is the first step.  But endurance (and God's grace) is what will complete the work He has begun in all of us.  I'm praying for that.  =)

:: Signage

It's always good to have events that push us to getting unfinished projects done. 

My man got this sign hung right before the baby shower.

 

Glad to have it finished, and beginning to make it's mark.

:: Shower time

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for one of my little sisters.  She is having her first baby,

which made it extra-special.

 

 

I was so excited to make tissue paper pom-poms from these directions from Martha Stewart.  I've always loved that woman. =)

And the paper garlands were easy.    I saw this picture, and knew I had to make some.  I used a hole-punch, then sewed them all together, using a long stitch on my sewing machine.  Acctually, my 5-year-old daughter really enjoyed sewing them...and many more.  Now her room is adorned with brightly colored construction-paper garlands.  It's like confetti-on-a-string.  I love it.

 

Blaize & Axel.  Cousins are the best kind of friends.  =)

 

 

The food was scrumptious.  Mini pumpkin muffins, salted nuts, mini cheesecakes, chexmix, and my sister Cara's absolutely best chocolate cake (not pictured here) heaped with berries of all kinds, drizzled with more chocolate.  Did I ever mention I LOVE chocolate?  It makes me happy.  True thing.

 



 

 

These mini-cheesecakes were divine!  And so easy. I found the recipe here.

(Thank you, Mimi, for the wonderful lanterns!)

 

 

 

Us ladies enjoyed having a night with each other, our babies and daughters.  She got some thoughtful gifts.  All-in-all, it was a wonderful night.

:: On the needles again

I love knitting.  But there are times when my needles sit silent, especially during hot months.  When the air begins to cool and the evenings get dark earlier, I begin searching for a portable hand-project I can carry from room to room in the evenings as I listen to my man read bedtime stories to our little ones, or as we watch seasons of unbeatable Andy Griffith, borrowed from the library.

I love the feel of the smooth needles, the tug of the yarn through my hand, and watching something shape from nothing.

I especially love casting off.  The excitement (and anxiety) of trying it on for the first time.  Hoping it fits, and that it will be loved.

My boy has been waiting a year for this cap to start, and finish.  He is so patient.  I used a chunky yarn, so it knit up quick, once I begun, that is!

You can see more info (and pattern) here on Ravelry.

Now it's on to the next idea.  Can't wait to show you!

{this moment}

. . . . . . . .

{this moment} Every Friday.
A single photo - no words - capturing a simple, special moment from the week.
A moment I want to savor and remember forever.

. . . . . . . .

 

{this moment}

. . . . . . . .

{this moment}  Every Friday. 
A single photo - no words - capturing a simple, special moment from the week.  
A moment I want to savor and remember forever.

. . . . . . . .

:: Pallet Art

We don't own one piece of expensive art in our house.  Not that I wouldn't love some - it just never makes the cut, budget-wise.  Inspired by my bare walls and the many ideas on Pinterest, I decided to try making some (being the artist that I am not).  I told Josh I was using "reclaimed lumber", and when I saw the blank look, I explaind:  pallet boards.  But it sounds so much more hip and trendy saying it the other way.

So, not knowing exactly how to dissasemble the pallets, I used a small sledge hammer to whack them apart.  It worked. =)  I then removed (some of) the rusty nails, and let my man take over from there. =)

Once he had the boards assembled, I used this method to paint my lettering.  I'm not gonna lie.  It wasn't easy.  I had to press so hard to make even a faint outline of the letters; but it probably didn't help that I was using old, hardend boards. 

Once the paint dried, I used a rough piece of sandpaper and rubbed over the lettering, giving it a weathered look, suitable for the aged wood.

It's going in my boys' bathroom, and I can't wait to get 'er hung.  Here's hoping that if they have enough years to read it, the message will brainwash them sink in and help them hold fast through the teen years. 

For me: I would absolutely love to know if there is an easier way to do lettering!

:: Loss and Gratitude

This past weekend was cold, very cold.  But oh so cozy inside. 

So delicious to slow down and relax.  Rest, soaking into these bodies of ours, like a big exhale.

However, our children experienced true loss for the very first time.  One of our sweet kittens had a terrible accident.  We tried to nurse her back to health, but the next day she died. 

Immediately after hearing the news, our oldest son set to work, constructing a cross to mark her grave.  Each of us wrote something we liked about her and signed our names,

my man finished it off, and we were ready.

We headed out into the cold. 

The first snow flurries of the season swirled around us.  It was very fitting...for a kitten funeral.

Loss is hard.  But what a beautiful and wonderful way to learn it.  To see love and sorrow not need to be taught to little children, but to flow naturally.  And such a gentle and wonderful reminder of how thankful we should be for each day we have with those we love.  Realizing that each day is not owed us, but a most precious gift from God.

:: Getting Ready

Heating a house with a woodstove is wonderful and cozy, but it is also a ton of work.  However, my man says that even if we COULD afford to heat our home with gas, he would wouldn't.

The hard work it requires is such a good teacher for our children...and forced excercise for

us big people. =)

Sept 29, 2012 - last weekend

I love the sound the logs make when they are being split.  The chugging of the log-splitter engine, the gentle groan of the log as the pressure is applied, forcing it apart;  then the sharp cracking sound as the wood splits in half and the pieces fall to the ground.  You can even smell the wood.  I love it.

whether work or play, those girls of ours LIVE in dresses... and boots =)

We have our very own cheering section while we work.  Little Mista's first two bottom teeth just broke through this week, and he's already working on the top two.  The drool flows freely these days

amidst the smiles.

We have beautiful piles like this everywhere, and I couldn't agree more with my man.  But some days I wonder if we are simply gluttons for punishment. =)

{this moment}

. . . . . . . .

{this moment}  Every Friday. 
A single photo - no words - capturing a simple, special moment from the week.  
A moment I want to savor and remember forever.

. . . . . . . .

:: Harvest

Last night we had the first freeze of the season, so yesterday the kids and I set out to harvest our pumpkins... 

The weather was absolutely perfect.  Warm sunshine, with just a hint of autumn crispness in the air. 

I think God put something in all of us that likes the idea of gathering and storing up for the winter.  Yesterday it was quite obvious in my children!

Or maybe (for my oldest) it was the mere fact that he got to effectively and usefully use his machetti. =)

Now we are ready.  Let those cooler days come!