My sister comes home in about 40 days (she’s been gone almost a year). I’m so excited!!!
This week I’ve been more snippy than usual. I need to choose Jesus and love selflessly even when things feel out of my control. I don’t do well when I don’t feel in control.
I want our front lawn to look like this. With the California drought, we want to get rid of our lawn and use things that are more drought tolerant. Ben is lobbying for a front yard vegetable garden too, but we totally need to finish the back before we start the front.
Thankful that our garden is blooming and growing! We ordered more custom corten steel beds and can’t wait to get that in. We have lots more garden plans going on this spring and summer.
As someone who loves to make things (and share these things publicly here), this article “Work with Your Hands, Not with Your Worship” was really good in getting me to examine my heart and think through why I do what I do. I definitely do find that I idolize things I shouldn’t, and I need to constantly fight to anchor my worship and happiness in God alone, not in anything I create, be it a craft project, my book, or even in my family.
This is another great article in learning how to be okay with not having the answers, not knowing why (or when), but just trusting God.
I read The Nightingale and loved it. We went to the library, and I’m totally a pick-a-book-out-by-it’s-cover person, and it worked out nicely in this case. Suspicion is next on my reading for fun list.
I thought it was interesting what Russell Brand had to say about pornography (see here). It’s something that isn’t really talked about in marriages, or among people, but it’s something that is everywhere, especially in our digital age, and can be so detrimental to our hearts and minds. It can really hurt relationships too. Ben and I were thankful to be part of a church where that issue was addressed among men and women. Men were reaching out to other men confessing their struggles and asking for help (and even women too!), and husbands and wives were talking about it in their own marriages and how to protect it from that. We were far from perfect, but it was a community of grace and not performance. It was a place where we could be the messy, but help each other confess that and love God more deeply. I know it’s something we also have to prepare our kids for, and we’ve already started some dialogue with our girls about it. My friend, Frances, wrote about what they do to protect their home and children from pornography (read here, she links to many good articles in her post), and we do much of the same things in our home and have similar conversations with our girls. Anyway, sorry this was probably an awkward thing to share here, but it’s something we likely will all have to deal with in some form. It’s not something my parents really had to worry about as I grew up since the internet didn’t exist, and it was unlikely I would run into it. It’s a different time now, so it’s something we want to make sure we are prepared for. I’ve always loved this space for being able to share the pretty, crafty, and even messy things like this.
Back to lighter subjects, I’ve been craving onions rings and want to try and make this.
I wish this dress was smaller because it seems like it would be perfect for summer.
Okay, that’s all for now. I guess that’s what happens when I don’t do a “Huzzah” for awhile, I come back with a really loaded one. We are finally on spring break! I have some outings planned, and I plan to have at least one day when we all do nothing except read books and watch movies in bed.
Ben’s been feeling under the weather these past couple days and I’m trying to be extra caring. I’m not usually caring when he’s sick because I tend to think boys need to learn how to suck it up. It’s one area of our marriage where I need to learn to be more understanding.
The girls and I watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for the first time and loved it! The evil kidnapper is a little freaky though.
I like these sandals. I’ve been looking for a perfect pair for spring/summer, and while pricey, I’ve been hoarding a 30% off coupon code and a gift card (and it’ll cover almost all of it), so I’m thinking about it. I tend to hold onto gift cards for years (I have a Madewell one I’ve had for at least 3 years!) because it takes me a long time to figure out if that’s what I really want to spend it on. LOL
Thankful for friends with whom I can share the messy (and ugly) parts of my heart. This makes me especially thankful for forgiveness and redemption found through Jesus alone.
Heather Von St. James is a 9 year cancer survivor and she does something called “Lung Leavin’ Day.” February 2nd is the day she had her lung removed, which her sister declared LungLeavin’ Day. They celebrate it every year by writing their biggest fears on a plate, and smashing them into a fire. I think that’s a special tradition, and if you want to learn more about it, check it out here. I think it would be an especially tribute if those smashed pieces were turned into some beautiful mosaic. Hard things can sometimes bring about the most beautiful.
I got caught up on emails this week, but I’m behind in responding to blog comments, but I’m hoping to get to it this weekend. This whole social media and internet thing is a lot of fun, but I have to admit, I’m bad at keeping up with all of it. I try to get to my emails and blog comments, but I’m not always so good at responding to instagram and twitter. Please know that though I may not get to respond to all of you, I’m very thankful for the time you take to read and/or comment on whatever it is I put out on social media.
I’ve been loving the sunshine lately and have had a deeper appreciation for California. I’m a grey weather loving gal, so this is unusual for me.
God’s really been bringing me to my knees. I’m incapable of so much (everything really), and fall short daily, and I’ve been learning to trust God more.
My sister always encourages me with the joy that overflows from her heart. It’s a joy that only comes from God. Read her post “The Night I Met With Love.”
This food savings site is so interesting in that (along with strategies for shopping healthfully on a budget) they will give you USDA estimates on what your family grocery budget should be monthly based on the ages and genders of the members of your household… Our results were that we were spending less than projected, so that’s good!
The beautiful spring weather has me excited about sandal season again and I like the sparkle in these ones.
Since tomorrow is a holiday here for some in the states, I think the girls will have a lot of fun making these necklaces.
I’m learning every day how to be a more patient and joyful mother. I joke with the girls and change some of the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” song to… “I have four lovely daughters, they’ll tell you I’m insane…” The girls love that line because they know it’s so true sometimes.
I’m so thankful for the good rhythm the girls and I had together this week.
I think Ben and I found a bed frame we want! We are thinking about getting this one (or this), but now we just need to find the right mattress. We are looking for a natural one that is nice and firm, but it’s been proving to be a difficult thing to find. Our mattress search started two years ago and we still don’t know what to pick.
Ben and I have been watching clips of Jimmy Fallon skits from The Tonight Show, and he’s so funny. I think way better than Jay Leno. The current Saved by the Bell one is funny. Ben was left wanting a full episode. LOL
I share some tips on how to keep indoor plants alive here.
Thankful for being able to spend some time with my friend Abby, and she came and taught me how to make authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice. I’m so excited to try it out!
God’s been teaching me a lot lately, from really talking to God in prayer, spending time meditating on the Word, and releasing my desire to control things. I’m just begging God to really transform my selfish heart.
The girls have been asking me a lot more when their Auntie RJ is coming home. My parents get to go visit her in Romania in a couple weeks (and they’ll stick around to travel Europe for another 3 weeks after), but then after that, she’ll have about 3 months left and then she will be home!!!
I know Valentine’s Day is more commercialized and appreciating our loved ones should happen everyday, but it’s still fun to celebrate it. I’m not sure what to do for Ben yet, but if he asked me for a wish list, it would more than likely be some piece of antique jewelry (maybe this), but a sweet handmade Valentine card would do too. Do you make any special Valentine’s Day requests? I did order more Tegu blocks for the girls as a gift (this and this).
Don’t forget to watch Bella and the Bulldogs on Nickelodeon tonight! Ben’s cousin is one the creators, and we want to tell everyone, so they’ll get picked up for a second season!
We’ll be taking care of house things today, and after church gathering tomorrow, we will be watching Super Bowl. Happy weekending friends!
I have a large growing pile of fabric scraps. I refuse to throw them away because I am sure they can be used for something. I have been seeing different types of interesting necklaces made of buttons, beads, and fabric. Then, I figured why not make one out of my scraps...
I think it made my white shirt a little less boring. This was so quick and easy to make.
How to make a recycled scraps necklace (which is very similar to the straps on my braided tablecloth bag):
1. Take your scrap fabric, I cut a .5''-1'' snip and tear the rest of the fabric down for a nice frayed edge. Used 3 different fabrics for each strand.
2. Take 3 of the torn pieces and tie the ends together with a rubber band.
3. Braid the 3 pieces together and tie ends together with rubber band when done.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for more strands. Remember you can make the strands any length you want, if run out of fabric, just weave more into the braid.
5. Once all the strands you want are braided, gather one end of each strand together and straight stitch together with sewing machine. Repeat for the other ends of the strands. Snip off any excess.
6. Gather ends of the necklace and sew together (snip excess) or a ribbon can be sewn at the ends to be able to tie the necklace closed, but I just sewed both ends together.
7. Voila! A nice way to make use of all your lovely scraps.
Sorry if the directions get you a little lost, but it really is easy. I promise. Maybe I should put some in the shop. Please share any other good ideas you may have of things that can be made with scraps. I would love to hear (read) them!
This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…
