Family Ties

My heart is full tonight thinking about what a wonderful weekend we just had. It was filled with family, good food and lots of laughs. It doesn't happen enough if you ask me.

When Amy called saying they were coming in for a quick visit(she wasn't kidding - they were here less than 24 hours!), my mind started spinning making plans. Her sweet family would stay with us and we would have a cookout when they got here so all the sisters could see each other.

It was so fun getting everyone together. Although Mom, Dad and Phillip and his family couldn't be here, it was still a much needed "partial" reunion!

These girls were inseparable. They giggled and played and stayed up way past bedtime.

These girls primped and texted and also stayed up way past bedtime!

And Amy and I, well, we caught up as much as we could in just a few fleeting hours.

Trisha and her family came over Saturday night for a cookout. I can't believe we fed 20 people, but we did and it was a blast!

Bailey, Simone and Savannah are all just a few months apart and LOVE getting to play together. I love that they are so close. I never did experience that with my cousins. I hope they grow up staying as close as they are now.

Jay and Amy...after a long drive here. So good to see those faces again!

Dave and Betsy also came over. She hadn't seen Amy in 2 years. There was a lot of catching up to do.

The guys corner - lots of sports/theology/politics talk going on.

Jesse is so tall that I am honestly shocked. He's just about taller than Randy and he's only 15 years old. He wears size 13 shoe!!! So he and the little boys (and little girls) played basketball a lot. They loved shooting the basket and Jesse would stand near the net and help knock it in. Fun!

And Jared - I could just EAT.HIM.UP! I was so sad to see them leave. But I am more determined than ever to not let life get in the way of a quick trip now and then to spend time with the people I love and who love me in return - unconditionally.

Home Decorating

I think I have the bug - the decorating/crafting bug. It's hit hard, ya'll. Inspiration has just overcome me and I had to act on it. What fun it's been!

When we first moved into this house, our kitchen windows were bare. It was seriously feeling like a fishbowl in the evening. So curtains in that room were a priority. I found this fabric at Wal-Mart and guess what? They were shower curtains! Worked just great. They've been up for the 2 years we've lived here but I've always felt like something was missing. Finally I remembered that my friend, Lynda Strickland mentioned that it would be cute to add some ball fringe to the bottom. It only took me 2 years, but here it is...

The fringe made all the difference in the world. Leave it to Lynda. She has the best ideas!

Have you heard that there's a chalkboard craze going on? I've jumped in with both feet and I'm hooked.

Anyhoo, I was thinking the other day about a Bible verse I learned as a child. The reason I remember it so well is because this verse was etched in a plaque that hung on the wall in our house. It was the verse that says, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I laughed about how it would have been impossible NOT to memorize that verse because I saw it several times a day. It just became ingrained in my mind.

That got me thinking. How could I put scripture in front of my kiddos so that they would see a verse and memorize it so well that it becomes ingrained in their hearts. I had so many verses that choosing just one would be impossible. So I got this idea to make a chalkboard to put in the dining room. We would write a verse on the board and then change it after everyone had learned it.

The way this chalkboard came to life was such a work in progress. First I found this uglier-than-sin picture and frame at the thrift store for 99 cents. The picture originally sold at JCPenney for $130! That's right $130! I took some black foam board, cut it to size and painted it with chalkboard paint (which Trisha gave me). Then I glued it to the front of the picture. I trimmed the edges with rope and then made a cute burlap and fabric flower to decorate it. Voila! I wish I had taken before pictures. I'll have to remember that next time.

So we've already learned one verse - Ephesians 4:29. And now we're learning our 2nd one from Luke 10. The kids are loving it and I'm so thankful we have this opportunity to put God's Word in our hearts.

My next project had to do with more chalkboard paint. I'm telling you - that stuff is addictive!! This time I came across a galvanized metal bucket at Michael's for $3!! It was marked down from $15 because it had a little dent in it. Big deal. I probably put more dents in it just getting it home!!

I love to read creative blogs online and I remember reading one where this lady had painted an oval on a tin like this and then used chalk to write what was inside. I immediately knew I wanted this to go on my fridge. And it works well holding our kitchen towels. What's even better is that it hides the gazillion boxes of cereal that we keep stashed up there. :)

You'll have to notice the red recipe binder that's beside the bucket. Kim and Andy gave me a gift card to Books A Million last year for my birthday and that's what I picked out. I finally have my recipes organized and use that thing every day. I love the look of it too. The front has a 3D plate, fork and spoon. Too cute.

And did you notice my little rooster? I got him at Hobby Lobby. He was marked way down and I just couldn't resist. I knew he would fit perfectly perched up there.

But I think the project I'm most proud of is this pillow. I had seen that another craze lately was decorating with burlap pillows. I just happened across some burlap at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section and snatched it up.

I remembered a pillow form I had stashed away and I had just enough fabric to cover it. I saw a tutorial online about how to make the edges fringed and I loved it. I also had the idea to print off a huge letter "N" and trace the design on the front with a sharpie marker. How much easier can you get?

By all means, don't miss the awesome leopard print chaise lounge in the picture above. That was given to us by my super awesome friend, Amy. They had to get rid of it to make room for a bed and they gave it to us.

I don't take these good deals and gifts lightly. I know that they are a blessing from the Lord. Seeing it all in one post like this makes me even more thankful. We serve a loving God!

National Junior Honor Society

Recently Sydney was invited to be a member of the National Junior Honor Society at her school. This society only invites students who have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and models good behavior. So we were very excited to attend her induction ceremony today.

Last semester only 19 students were inducted - and this semester they added about 100 more.

These students will all be expected to do a service project at the school and then another on their own.

For the ceremony, the NJHS leaders explained the 5 areas where they are expected to grow - Leadership, Service, Citizenship, Character and Scholarship. Then they lit a candle for each topic. The students were then called up on stage where they received a certificate.

Way to go, Sydney!

What are the odds?

Sometimes things happen and you just have to stand back and say, "NO WAY!!!" That's just what happened when Randy was playing cards with the kids. Chase dropped some cards on the floor and when he bent down to pick them up, this is what he saw....

They fell straight up and down right in a crack. I can't help but think that God does this because He has a sense of humor. It sure made us all laugh!

Biggest Puzzle in the world!

During the snowstorm I decided to pull out this Coke puzzle that had 2,000 pieces. We were stuck inside for what looked like several days so I thought it would be so nice to have something to keep us busy. Boy did it ever! After several days, Trish came over to visit. She helped with the puzzle and we got lots done.

Then the next weekend, Phillip came to stay with us and Betsy and Dave came to visit. They all pitched in and we finally finished it. 2 weeks - TWO WEEKS! I was dreaming about puzzle pieces. It was the hardest puzzle I have ever attempted and I don't have any desire to do that again. But it was so worth it - except for the fact that it was missing ONE PIECE. Seriously? One piece? Oh well. I was just glad to have it finished!! Woo hoo!