Move over Martha Stewart

Just kidding... Martha Stewart I am not, but give this girl a glue gun, some fabric, maybe some paint and we will have fun! So I discovered a whole new facet of blogging that I didn't know exsisted... home decor blogging!!! I am in heaven! Ideas without spending a bajillion dollars on decorating magazines! Can you say fabulous!!! In case you are interested, here is my new fav

http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/. Seriously if this woman lived near, she would be my new BFF! I am going to make her holiday garland and I may quite possibly just copy her whole house! Who said I am ever original?

While I am in decorating mode, here are a couple of nifty little projects that I am going to give as Christmas gifts this year. Now if you are on my gift list and you see this post, just act surprised when you open these :) Ok?

I am not sure what rock I have been living under, but I also did not know about Modge Podge!!! This is amazing stuff! I am going to be decopodging EVERYTHING! Just finished this little wall hanging for a friend's baby gift. (still need to add ribbon to it and I may go over it with the matte modge podge cause it's a little glossy)

And also while we are on the subject, I burned the heck out of my middle finger (yes the hubs thought this was hilarious as I was showing him my war wound) with hot glue! YOWWWW! Everytime I use the glue gun I say to myself, "This time, let's not burn yourself ok?" But wouldn't you know it on the last frame I stuck my finger right in the molten hot lava glue.... it was a moment that either the expletives were going to fly or it was so bad that you just had to give it all to Jesus! You're curious now aren't you? Is Jennifer cussin in her kitchen??? :) Not this time :) It was so bad all I could do was dance around and say " Oh Jesus please help me". My girls also thought this was hilarious. When I calmed down enough to look at my finger I couldn't tell if it was glue or skin that was flaking off my finger! If you have a weak stomach that was probably TMI. Sorry! Anyway turns out it was just glue, but I do have a lovely blister on the tip of said middle finger. If you care to see it I will show it to you...just don't be offended.

Ok, off to craft some more! Toodles!

'Tis the Season

Well, E & I put up her Christmas tree today! Yes I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet:) but we just couldn't wait any longer! She was so precious...as we were getting everything out of boxes she said, "I just don't want to rush this". Coincidentaly, this is how I feel about her entire life:). Anyway we had the Christmas tunes going and even though it is 70 degrees outside she assured me Daddy's famous hot chocolate is on the agenda tonight! I do believe the hubs and I have successfully passed on our love for the holidays, wouldn't you say?

This year is a little bittersweet for us though. Our beloved Mimi (Hubby's grandmother) went to be with Jesus this past June and this will be our first holiday season without her. As I was putting up the tree, I thought of her again as I have everyday since she finished her race on this earth. You know it is funny how even though we had a year and a half to say goodbye...there are still talks I wish we could have. She absolutely knew how much each of us loved her and how much she had profoundly impacted our lives. But it's the little talks I miss the most.. you know like when my girls do something funny I want to pick up the phone & call her because I know she will laugh as hard as I did. Or when the hubs does something amazing (which he often does), I want to tell her because I know she will be as proud of him as I am. Or sometimes I just want to call her for some good girl talk. She had such a way of listening that made you feel heard and understood...what a gift! So to honor Mimi's memory in this holiday season i want to tell you about a few of the incredible gifts/lessons she so graciously deposited in my life ....

1. Love, Love, and then Love some more. - When things are good and you are loving life, when things are bad, when it hurts, when you are disappointed, when you are betrayed, and when you just plain don't feel like it - that is the time for unconditional love. Boy did she practice what she preached... I never knew anyone who had more ups and downs in her life and yet was so full of love.

2. Let your home be a place of welcome. - When we were youth pastors in E.T., the youth group loved to hang out with us at Mimi's. She had a way of making you feel as if she was just delighted to see you!

3. Light up when those you love come in the room! - She would visibly brighten when any of her "kids" came around or actually if she was just talking about us. She has a sign at her back door that says "Let me tell you about my grandchildren" and if you gave her two seconds, she would.

4. Give your family strong roots and fearless wings - She was an anchor in all of our crazy worlds when we needed it and a gentle nudge out of the nest when we needed that too.

5. Live generously! - Have you seen Hello Dolly? You know where Dolly says "Money is like manure, It's not worth a thing unless you spread it around encouraging young things to grow" - that was Mimi's philosophy... be frugal with your own budget, but be generous with your excess.

6. Contentment - This one was huge for me. Mimi had a lovely home that she and her husband built before Keith was born and can I tell you in 4 decades, it changed very little (sparkly gold countertops and all). Mimi surrounded herself with the things she loved. It did not matter to her in the least if it was out of date or unfashionable. And although she had the means to redo her house yearly if she wanted to, she felt that people were more important investments than things.

7. Pray, Pray and then Pray some more. Again when things are good, when things are bad, when you feel like it and even when you don't - that is the time to pray. Every morning you would find her in her chair reading her Bible and pouring her heart out to Jesus. I am so thankful for this legacy and I feel so honored to have been prayed for by her. It is with great humility I pick up the baton of prayer for the future generations of our family.

8. And Finally Laugh.... ALOT! - Mimi had a fabulous sense of humor! She would crack her own self up sometimes:) Last Christmas we all sat around for hours telling her the "Mimi" stories we remembered... you should have seen her laughing! It was pure joy!

The Adventures of the Hurricane

I just love my curly headed, blue-eyed hurricane! She brings endless entertainment to our lives! And endless clean - up! If you leave her alone for more that 2 minutes she can dismantle an entire room! It is really amazing! I told her this week...."It's a good thing you are so cute!" It never ceases to amaze me how different our girls are! E is our quiet peaceful one, always ready to help, and a rule follower to the last detail. A is a ball of energy and laughter from the moment she gets up until her head hits the pillow. She has two volumes loud and louder. And everyday is a party!

So in the latest installment of the adventures of the hurricane.... we are desperately trying to entice the munchkin to eat her veggies...this is proving to be a lesson in futility! Why oh why can't we humans survive on fruit snacks alone??? Anyway, I know that dipping is always fun and A is a huge fan of the ranch dressing. So last week the star veggie of lunch was carrot sticks with ranch! Taadaa! I put the plate on the tray of her high chair and turn around to wash something in the sink and then I hear...."Look at me Mommy...Look at my eyebrows".....I slowly turn and look to see that my creative two year old is apparently looking to start a career as a make-up artist....she now has two very thick, very white eyebrows painted by the said carrot sticks and ranch and she is moving them up and down with great gusto!Taa Daa!

The Breath of God

Wow! It's November! How did that happen? October was quite possibly the busiest and most productive month of my entire life....well maybe that is a bit dramatic. It was seriously busy though! We finished up the corn dog stand at the end of September. Then we rolled right into the Ladies Conference, then came PURSUE, throw in a skit, some homeschooling, soccer, and a toddler and you have got one busy momma:)! I have loved every minute of it though!

The hubs and I have been talking alot about living life inspired. I love the word inspired, it literally means "God-breathed"... I don't know about you but I want to live life like that! I want the things that I am pouring my heart into to be God breathed! The older I get the more I realize life is too short to just go through the motions! We have such an amazingly creative and passionate God! To be made in His image and not use the unique gifts He put in US would be such a tragedy! As busy as October was, I can honestly say I felt the breath of God and it brought LIFE to my heart!

I loved the Ladies Conference! It was such a joy to see ladies connecting with God and each other. To have helped facilitate the strengthening of familes in such fun and creative ways was really very satisfying!

And PURSUE...wow...where do I begin? The whole concept of the weekend just sums up being a real Christian...pursuing God and pursuing the people He loves! Doesn't get any better than that! You know when you just feel the smile of God? That was my experience with PURSUE! I had such a great time with the kiddos! They are hilariously funny and incredibly perceptive! It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend! And the team that made it all happen....AMAZING!!! Talk about inspiring! Now I will confess that I was completely exhausted on Sunday night...I fell asleep in mid-sentence on my couch:) and Monday was totally a pajama day....oh how I love those days!

So bring on November! I am feeling inspired to snuggle on my couch with my sweet family in front of a roaring fire and perhaps our beloved Cowboys will feel inspired to win a game...a girl can dream can't she:)