Pretty Parsonage

Valentine's Day Cards...34 Cute Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:40:00 +0000

I LOVE cute Valentines. Growing up, it was always exciting to go to the store and pick out our favorite paper Valentines. And, then we'd make our Valentines' card holders out of paper plates and decorate them. Oh the days! There are SO many cute ideas now for special Valentines! And, I couldn't resist showing a few of my favorites! Each one is linked to its home site. These are all just too fun! And, so many of these are printables that you can just download and print! Or, easily create something similar!

CHOCOLATES

valentine chocolates - via mel's kitchen cafe

rolo - via family fun

mm's - the fry family bl og

kisses - me and my insanity

CANDY

love bug - the better martha

bananas - fiskars

starburst - bhg

swedish fish - dimple prints

bubble gum balls - living with three moon babies

SNACKS

fruit - unkown

goldfish - backless shirt

smores - dimple prints

goldfish - tammy mitchell

teddy grahams - spoonful

NON-FOOD/NON-CANDY

pencil - family fun

bubbles - prudent baby

arrow pencil - sweet muffin suite

cars - tip junkie

bubbles - the mother huddle

heart crayon - whipperberry

crazy straws - pinterest

heart bookmark - thirty handmade days

heart glow - kommunicated

CRAFTY

PAPER

printable 1 "love" - jones design company

printable 2 "hello darling" - how about orange

printable 3 "pastel sweet valentines" - delightful distractions

printable 4 "cute graphics" - pumpkins and posies

printable 5 "watercolor valentines" - jones design company

printable 6 "Bible verses" - happy home fairy

The Girls' Valentines

Last year, we did the cute bubble gum machine ones. This year, I found these cute heart puzzle cards at the craft store on clearance. They were originally $5 marked down to $2 plus 10% off! (thank you, military discount!) I wish I could have been a little more creative with the decorating, but I just let the girls color them and write names on them. Love that they are little puzzles!

I hope these ideas can be a fun collection to look at and possibly find a cute idea to use to spread some "love!" Happy "heart" day!

Christmas Cards + Valentine's Craft

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:01:00 +0000

I will always love the inspiration that came from this picture.

via apartment therapy

I saw this two years ago while searching for a creative way to hang the girls' artwork. Of course, crazy, this was before Pinterest. The good old days where I googled everything! But, I loved this and so we bought the Ikea system off ebay and put it in our kitchen. The fun thing has been the other uses I've been able to use it for - hanging Christmas cards and other seasonal decorations.

Our Christmas Cards

So, what do you do with your Christmas cards? I know this post is a bit late, but for those of you who are like me and still had my Christmas cards up last week, maybe this can give you some ideas!

Love this idea from Tiny Prints - take a picture of the photo Christmas cards, and use the picture as the person's contact image that pops up on the screen when calling.

This is another favorite - I've considered doing this one, but haven't yet. Take the cards and punch holes in the side, and use rings to connect and make them into little booklets to set out each Christmas. Such a cute idea! Via AllenDesigns or Close2MyHeart

What we've done the last couple years is put our Christmas cards in a basket - and, we call it our prayer basket. The goal has been at each meal to pull down the basket and let the girls choose some cards of family and friends to pray for - and rotate through the cards. Love this idea, if I could just make it a routine - it'd be even greater!

Moving on to Valentine's...

I saw this cute idea on Jones Design Company. She has a free template for hearts that are numbered till Valentine's Day. And, she created a banner with just ribbon hanging on each of her children's doors, and each day adds a heart with double stick tape to the ribbon. And, on the heart she writes something that she loves about each child/husband. Such a quick, yet cute idea! I'm all about simple fun!

So, using her template, I printed out the hearts, cut them out and then let the girls color them. Pasted them to some fun paper and hung them on our little wall. Each day, I'll have the girls tell me something that they love about our family, friends, Jesus - anything related to being loved and loving others and write it on the heart.

I love finding creative ways to do things as a family - and, yes, they must be simple! A late Merry Christmas - and, and an early Happy Valentine's Day to you and your's!

Sweet Message + Fun & Easy Gender Reveal

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 19:32:00 +0000

Here's a sweet message from our girls.

It was quite a surprise when we found out we were expecting this little guy! I had just gotten home from a missions trip to Ecuador and surprise, surprise - the Lord had a plan to bless us with another sweet blessing, but this time a boy! After three girls, we just knew it was going to be another girl! But, we are thrilled at the thought of some blue in our home! It hasn't been the easiest of pregnancies so far, but we are blessed nonetheless with this precious life. It is such a miracle - and, we truly give thanks to God for this new baby! The little guy's name - James Dawsey. We've had it picked out for quite a while, as each pregnancy it got trumped with little girls' names! He will be named after my husband's maternal Grandfather - and, even more special - his birthdate will be on Granddaddy Dawsey's birthday - June 12, 2013. Pretty neat how God works!

So, on celebrating and "revealing the gender" to some of my husband's family that is close by, I didn't have much time to figure something fun out to do, but thought of this:

(sorry for the blurred pictures, only had my iphone to take them with!)

Bought 2 sets of pre-done cupcakes at the grocery store

Scraped the icing off the top.

Cut a little hole out and filled it with some blue icing.

Used Betty Crocker Decorating Cupcake Icing in Sky Blue. I definitely grabbed the pink first and about walked off with it! Not used to grabbing blue! But, for a quick project, this stuff worked great. Not quite as cheap as a tub of icing, but was perfect for this.

Filled the hole with the icing.

Put part of the cut-out piece back on top of the cupcake.

Re-iced the cupcake with it's original icing.

And, done! Fun cupcakes to share for an "impromptu" gender reveal gathering!

Everyone eating their cupcakes!

There you have it! It's a boy!

The fun part was that as we plated each of the cupcakes, the girls got to hand each cupcake out. It let them fill included. And, for a quick idea, it turned out pretty good. A lot less time consuming and $ involved! But, perfect for a small, fun gathering to share the fun news! I'd always wanted to do something "fun" to reveal the gender - of course, my husband and I still wanted to find out as we were looking at the ultrasound - but, fun to share with others in a creative way!

Some other ideas I love:

Love this idea from Sugar Derby - a little time-consuming, but super-cute and different!

This is pretty cute, too - from Catch My Party.

There are so many cute ideas out there, along with the popular "cake cutting" or opening a "box of colored balloons"! All it takes is getting on Pinterest and seeing so many neat things! But, if you're needing a quick and simple plan, go for the store-made cupcakes! Fill them up, and you're done! A lot of fun and such a blessing to celebrate a new life.

A New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:52:00 +0000

Well, it's a new year. Where time goes, I sometimes wonder. But, 2012 was filled with so many wonderful memories. And, I am looking forward to what 2013 holds. It will be quite an exciting year for our family! But, as I think about my hopes and dreams for this new season of life, this new year, my focus seems to be on gratitude.

via

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 118:1

May we all give thinks in all things - and recognize His goodness, daily!

Fall-spiration

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:45:00 +0000

So. Ready. For. Fall. A little "fall-spiration" as I like to call it.

It's finally cooling down a bit where we live...yay!

love all things white.

love the bundle of wheat.

love the little pumpkins and little banner - cute.

love these - the color, style - so fallish.

cute print.

won't you join me? :)

chic outfit for fall - love the scarf/sweater.

cute pic - love the colors.

once again, love all things white. especially against the dark stairs.

adorable.

awesome colors.

super-fun craft! love these.

White Paint + Chevron Fabric = New Chair

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:35:00 +0000

I finally finished this chair that I posted a few months ago about here. Very excited with how it turned out! It was a pretty wood chair prior to painting it white, but I do like the change. One of the legs was separating from the chair, so we just attached a bracket to pull the leg back into the chair. The foam covers up the bracket. Worked out well! So, when you're out thrift shopping, always imagine the possibilities in a piece of furniture! All it takes is a little sanding, paint and possibly fabric depending on the type of furniture! And, for this chair, I bought a piece of foam to cushion the seat.

Found this piece of chevron fabric for $5/yard at our local fabric store - score! Nice thing when you buy inexpensive fabric is that once it goes "out of style" it's a simple fix to change out this seat. Wouldn't even take a yard of material to do so.

Welcome to our home, cute chair :)

Glazes Make Everything Better

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Pinterest has brought about such a new world of sharing ideas. Food, fashion, decor, crafts, kids stuff, you name it and you can just about find it on Pinterest. For me, it's like a virtual magazine. Which sadly has caused a stack of magazines to accumulate on our sofa table.

I used to be SO excited every time my Real Simple would arrive! And now, it's not quite as thrilling as it once was. Maybe that will return if Pinterest loses it's current thrill for me. But, one of my favorite boards is my Food Fun Board. This morning was a rainy morning here on the coast so I figured it was a proper time to visit the board and see what yummy breakfast item the girls and I could make! I've been meaning to make this recipe for a while and finally got to it this morning - if you're not a lemon lover, this one's not for you! But, if you like lemon, this Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze is lovely! It's perfect for that summer crop of zucchini! Easy and fun for kids to help with as well!

The recipe is from NancyCreative. She has a great site with some amazing recipes!

My little cook!

Glazed perfection...

Ready to eat!

Lemon-Zucchini Loaf with Lemon Glaze

By NancyCreative

Makes one 9×5″ loaf

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)
Zest of 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini (you don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it)

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan; set aside.

In large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well, then add canola oil and sugar, and blend well. Then add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend everything well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed in mixture.

Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t overmix.

Pour batter into prepared 9×5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (if your oven tends to run hot, check the loaf after 40 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. While loaf is cooling, you can make the glaze…

LEMON GLAZE

1 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon glaze over cooled loaf. Let glaze set, then serve.

Enjoy!!

Fun on the Fourth

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:09:00 +0000

The 4th of July is always fun. I basically grew up thinking the fireworks were for me - since it's my birthday! But, now that I'm getting old, I realize that is not the case:) But, it's still a pretty fun day to have a birthday. Here's some pics from our celebration.

4th of July wreath

I know...random decorations mixed with 4th of July decorations...one day (20 years from now), time will allow for "proper" decorating!

"Fireworks" made out of scrapbook paper...idea from here. Super-tricky to make, I must say!

I love to find cute, free printables and put them around the house. Found this one here.

And, this one from here.

A wall in the hallway - this print from here.

Here.

In our kitchen - before.

After...I just found the outline of a star off the internet, traced and cut different ones out of scrapbook paper. Then cut ones out of white cardstock and let the girls (and me!) decorate them. Simple and fun!

Messy and fun!

Fun stars.

And now, fun on the boat and at Capers Island!

Our sweet J-bug!

We love LiLi!

Captain Grandad - and, he is a real "Captain of the Sea!"

My sweet family...love.

Cool girl.

Sister love...or big sis taking care of lil' sis :)

Daddy and his girls:)

Fun at Capers Island! The water felt great!

Our little fish...she loves the water!

Cousin love.

Sweet cousins!

LiLi love!

Treasures from the day!

Fun on the Farm - 2

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Another fun trip to the farm...I'll let the pictures do the talking:)

All of Mom's "babies" :) Lots of plants!

Can you spy the Tree Frog? :)

My beautiful big girl.

Sweet Nana:)

I could just eat her up!

Sweet baby cheeks, lips, fingers...cherish.

Mom and Dad's Garden

Lettuce, anyone? :)

Love the color.

Onions and Spinach.

Sweet Peas - girls love eating these!

Potatoes.

Peppers and Onions.

Julia's favorite thing to do on the farm!

Mom showing E how to pick lettuce.

Tomatoes.

Green Beans, Corn - and probably forgetting something.

The Homeplace

Love this pic.

Muscadines.

Look who has the key...:) To the Gator, of course.

My Granddaddy and Dad - love their smiles.

A pajama morning:) And, our sweet Heidi.

Wild hair, no pants, and big sis' shoes. :) Life on the farm.

Sprinkler time! Definitely brought back memories of being a kid.

Not so sure about running through it! Haha

Love it when they play together!

Fearless.

LOVE this picture...

Another fun trip to the farm...home. :)

First Crop

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 18:42:00 +0000

Yay for our first veggies! We got our first squash and zucchini about 2 weeks ago. And, since then, we've been getting lots more! So fun picking our own vegetables. We're eagerly awaiting our first green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and spinach!

So, the zucchini got a little large!

Tomato Plants are staked and ready now. Thanks to our neighbor for making our stakes!

Our first cooked meal with our veggies. Added our sauteed vegetables to some noodles with some homemade pesto at my mom and dad's. Delish!

Downtown Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 21:39:00 +0000

Just a few "snippets" from our anniversary getaway! Happy 6 years to the most humble and loving husband a girl could ask for...6 years later, 3 babies later - and love him even more than the day we wed...So blessed.

Aaron's sis gave us a carriage tour - so fun! Can't wait to take the girls on one!

Fun Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:04:00 +0000

I love to go thrift store shopping. And, I especially love it when I find something fun. I thought I'd share some of my favorite finds recently.

This chair was a Goodwill find a while back - $14. A beautiful chair - traditional with a little "moroccan" flair. I was debating whether to keep it dark or paint it. My husband is all about some dark, wood furniture - and, I on the other hand love white! So, yesterday I decided to paint it - I'll show the "after" pic of it soon - all I have left to do is put the fabric and foam on the seat.

I found this fun cart yesterday at a local thrift store and when I saw the price of $1.99, I knew I could find a place for it somewhere! And, the color is perfect for our house. I love a mix of vintage/modern/traditional. Super-fun.

And, this fun spice rack was found on my way to see my BF. I had some time to kill and stopped into the local Goodwill. I have been wanting a spice rack of some sort because the cabinet for our's is about five inches wide and a super pain to get the spices in and out of! So, I saw this and was about to pay $7.50 for it because all the bottles were marked separate - but, when I got to the register, the lady said she was just going to charge me $1.50 for all of it!

I didn't realize we had skipped a couple years - notice the date.

Aren't they cute? Just needs a little cleaning and tlc.

Fun finds...as we continue to make this house our home! I know it isn't about the "things" which fill our homes, but for someone like me who likes design, finding fun "things" at cheap prices add a personal touch and bring a smile to this heart. So, yay for cheap, practical finds!

Our Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Finally! This spring we were able to build our first raised bed garden...something I've always wanted to do - grow our own vegetables. Thanks to my wonderful husband and dad for building it! It has been super-fun for the girls, too! Elisea LOVES watering it as Julia tries to transfer all the dirt OUT of it! We can't wait to get our first veggies!

Getting the ground ready.

Making sure it's level:)

We used 2x10 size pre-treated lumber.

Side posts to give it some stability.

The "little"helpers.

Adding the top piece of wood.

Almost done.

Aaron created this wedge piece to go on the sides - an extra support.

My wonderful husband also went and filled his truck with topsoil and mushroom compost to fill our raised bed!

Vegetables planted!

One month later, they are growing for sure! Girls hard at work:)

Squash and Zucchini - this picture was taken last week, and they are already almost twice this size now!

LOVE her little ringlets! I could just eat her up!

Sweet sisters!

Time for play:)

So thankful for the daily blessings of life and so excited about our growing vegetables!

Entryway Table Runner

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:27:00 +0000

On days when both girls nap (Elisea has her on and off days now that she's becoming a "big" girl), I sometimes look for a project. There's always things I'd like to do around the house, but it's great to start and finish a project within "naptime"! Our entryway table was one of the pieces of furniture that was in the parsonage when we moved in...And, whereas it isn't my favorite piece of furniture (a little too traditional for my liking), it fits well in the space. We had a super-fun Crate and Barrel entryway table at our last parsonage, but we let our sister and brother-in-law borrow it because we couldn't fit our shoe rack under it. And, we love having our shoes by the front door. I think the two weeks we vacationed to Maui two years ago got Aaron and I loving the idea of leaving our shoes at the door!

So, back to the table...I decided I wanted to make a little table runner for it. I measured the space, grabbed some leftover material from my stash, and went to town sewing. And, I think it adds a nice change to the space. It also protects the table from all of our "stuff" that gets dumped there!

Finished product.

Before.

After.

Simple, fun change.

Love the material.

And, one day I would love some of these to line the entryway! Super-cute shoe bins from Ikea.

But, until then, we'll stick with our grocery bags. :) Another fun project...Just took two grocery bags, cut them in half, and let the girls decorate them! Huge fan of practicality and simplicity!

Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:12:00 +0000

Once again, I ventured away from blogging over Easter...But, I did want to post pictures of the special day. We had a lovely Easter celebrating our Risen Savior with friends and family. And, hope you did as well!

Where does time go?! Last year's pic...Crazy how much the girls have grown!

Nana and Granddaddy were here to share this Easter together. And, Nana made the girls' dresses - LOVE them!! She is so gifted with sewing and smocking! Thank you, Mom!

Aunt Jynne spent Easter with us as well!

The Grandaddy and Grandad :)

Daddy getting ready for church.

Sweet girls! Friends from church.

"Everybody hug!"

What would we do without this sweet friend?! We love you, Clarissa!

A sweet surprise - our "other" family:) Mr. Trey and Miss Ella

Elisea's "Big Brother" and "Big Sister"

Our dear friends, The Fairbairns:) So special to see them on Easter! And, they looked so nice in their matching outfits! Love the coral!

Our church has a bare cross that on Easter Sunday, everyone can place a fresh flower on it to represent new life!

Easter egg dying:)

Great idea - using a whisk!

3 generations:)

Little Jules easter basket - I love getting "goodies" for the girls! Especially, when they are practical and fun!

Big E's easter basket - I collect things throughout the year for different gift giving purposes...makes it a lot of fun:)

Sweet gift from the Aunt and Uncle:)

E's aunt bought her a butterfly kite - and the uncle put it together:) She loved it!

What would we do without puffs?!

Fun at the park.

We live, because He lives...

2 Corinthians 5:15

"And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again."

Framed Hair Bow Holder

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

I've been sick for the past week and a half. But, thank goodness, I'm now on the mend! After 3 doctors' visits, I finally got diagnosed correctly - strep. But, feeling better, and determined to get my health and energy back! I think the older I get, the harder I feel like I get knocked down when sick - even though I know strep can hit hard. My body has taken a toll these past few years, but I'm not going to let it get the best of me!

On a crafty note...Something I've been wanting to do for a while is make a bow holder for Elisea's bows. So, I grabbed a frame at Goodwill, some spray paint and ribbon at Wal-Mart - and finally got around to making it. A super-easy project that I'm excited to hang in her room. And, if it wasn't for two girls three and under always being at my beck and call, I could have whipped this thing up in no time! I laugh at how long it takes me to accomplish things sometimes because having children changes EVERYTHING...But, if it wasn't for my girls, I would have no need for a sweet little bow holder! Simple joys...and a very grateful momma's heart.

Love this ribbon.

I just stapled the ribbon to the back with a staple gun. It took me a couple times to get the ribbon placed correctly.

Elisea's Bow Holder

I decided to leave out the pink polka dot ribbon I had originally planned to use. Too many patterns competing. But, love the paisley! It might be an obsession.

Too cute.

Fun part of having little girls:)

Easy Chair Re-Do

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:03:00 +0000

A few months ago, I bought some fabric on clearance at the fabric store. And, finally, this past weekend got around to recovering the dining room chairs. Sometimes, it's the little things that can make me so happy! But, the dining room set belongs to our church. Most parsonages come completely furnished - so, we are very blessed to have furniture provided for our family. Our home is a mix of personal and church furniture. But, to give the chairs a little update, I changed out the fabric on the seat. And, I just left the other fabric underneath in case the next family wanted to change it back. But, SUCH an easy way to update a chair! All you need is fabric and a staple gun. So easy and a great way to freshen up a piece of furniture! Of course, if these were my personal chairs, I would paint them white! But, for now, this is a fun, simple way to update.

Before:

After:

A fun, neutral pattern...light and simple. And, it was $4/yard! Always check out the clearance/marked down sections in fabric stores - sometimes you can find just what you're looking for!

And, it looks nice with our china - kate spade bonnabel place. Which we use all the time - ok, maybe not! But, it looks nice in the china cabinet! One day...

Happy Heart Day

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:25:00 +0000

"We love because He first loved us." I John 4:19

Happy Heart Day!

Days Off

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:08:00 +0000

Aaron's days off are few and far between. Being a Pastor is no doubt a full-time job! When the phone rings, he has to answer and respond...whether that means getting up from the dinner table and heading to the hospital or being gone all day with visitations, work and meetings in the evenings. And, our weekends are a little different than the average family! But, when he does take a day off, it is SO nice to have family time and just be together! This was a little outing we took to a local duck/geese pond. And, I am not kidding when I say there was at least 50+ ducks, geese, and sea gulls! A fun day though...love my family.

Not the most attractive bird. Pretty coloring though.

Look!

Singing...one of her favorite things.

Such a big girl with her hands in her pockets! Where has time gone?!

Love these 2 punkins...an awful lot!

Have a blessed week!

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before Him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is He who made us, and we are His;

we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving

and His courts with praise;

give thanks to Him and praise His name.

For the LORD is good and His love endures forever;

His faithfulness continues through all generations."

Psalm 100

Crafting with Vines

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 04:11:00 +0000

Wreaths have become a popular decor item to adorn front doors. There are SO many different kinds of wreaths, ones for every season and holiday! Stemming from Christian tradition, the advent wreath was one of the first known...

Interesting history taken from Wikipedia:

"In Christianity, wreaths are used to prepare for the Advent season or the "coming of Christ."^[2] The first known association with these now modern day wreaths dates back to the Lutherans in Germany in the 16th century. In 1839, Johann Hinrich Wichern used a wreath made from a cart wheel to educate children about the meaning and purpose of Christmas, as well as to help them count its approach. For every Sunday of Advent, starting with the fourth Sunday before Christmas, he would put a white candle in the wreath and for every day in between he would use a red candle.^[3] The Advent wreath is constructed of evergreens to represent everlasting life brought through Jesus and the circular shape of the wreath represents God, with no beginning and no end. The Advent wreath is now a popular symbol in preparation for the coming of Christ, to mark the beginning of the Christian Church’s year and as décor during the Christmas festivities."

Interesting, isn't it?! I love symbolism...and love the idea of having a wreath year-round on our front door. Even if it's just for me to see as I enter our home and be reminded that this is God's home - and He is what completes us...He is what makes us whole...and, He is what makes this home a home - a place for His presence to reside and bring glory to His name...and a place where He regularly picks up broken pieces of our inadequacies and draws us closer to Him.

In a previous post, I had some pictures of my favorite wreaths. While at my parents, the debate was between making this burlap wreath or a grapevine wreath.

I love the burlap wreath...love it! And, my mom had a massive role of burlap - like the "real, farm burlap"; but, it would have required us going to the store to get a foam wreath. So, instead, we took advantage of this:

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

Dad had just pruned the grapevines before we got there - so, we had PLENTY of grapevines!

We soaked the grapevines to make them more bendable. Worked pretty good. Except for Julia wanting to play in the water!

Grapevine Wreaths...

Next, I wanted to make some burlap roses...

They were pretty easy to make...Here is a great tutoria l at Jones Design Company. And, I used the green floral wire to attach them to the wreath (so I could easily remove them and use the wreath again).

Not perfect, but nice and rustic!

Back home on our front door.

I think it could use some more roses...but for now, just 3 little ones.

I love the sun hitting it in these pics.

Next, I wanted to make a birdbath/feeder I'd seen on Pinterest.

Here was the inspiration!

So, if you've never made a grapevine wreath, it takes QUITE a while to wrap the vines into a wreath!! Reason for my wreaths being not quite as nice and thick as the "inspiration" pics!!

I just used twine/hemp to hang it.

Come and eat little birdies! It's right outside our kitchen window, so we can watch for them:)

In the summer, I think we'll convert it to a birdbath.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" Matthew 6:26

Thanks, Stowe Dairy Farms (aka Mom and Dad!), for all the fun, crafty projects!

Fun on the Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:54:00 +0000

Last week, the girls and I headed up to my parents while Aaron was in Israel with a group of pastors. It is always SO refreshing to escape to the country...my home for 18 straight years! It definitely helped pass the time while he was away, too! When I'm there I always like to take the camera and escape through the lens...taking pictures of the beauty that is there. The girls love it at Nana and Granddaddy's...cows, goats, chickens, cats, Heidi (black lab)...Christmas trees, wide-open fields, a Gator, tractors...you name it and they love it! We are so blessed...

I spy Elisea and Julia! I love how they look so little compared to everything else!

Favorite book to read with Nana!

These are few and far between...Elisea, smiling and looking at the camera!

Dad hard at work...

Used to be the generator house.

The girls love to ring the bell.

Is there any other than John Deere? :) Not in this family!

Farm girl.

Amazed by the cows.

Weird to some I know...but, loved the contrast in colors and the shape.

Nature is so beautiful.

I love how little she looks in relation to the silo.

Moooo

Elisea loves checking for eggs with Nana.

The old milk barn.

Julia LOVES riding the gator.

I love how they are looking at each other.

Sorghum seeds - turned into a sorghum treat for the birds.

Christmas trees.

The old homeplace. Used to be my Great-Grandparents home.

Leyland Cyprus Christmas trees.

A soon to be garden.

Beautiful skies.

And, a beautiful week on the farm. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Homemade Invitations

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:41:00 +0000

I have always had a love for stationary, cards, anything paper! When I was a child, I loved collecting stickers...I had numerous sticker albums filled with lots of fun stickers! And, I always loved going to camp and getting new pen pals! Writing letters was such a fun hobby - and picking out the stationary or card was just as much fun...return address labels, cute stamps, you name it - and, I loved it! And, still do...cute paper, cards, labels - anything paper makes me smile...I always say, maybe one day I'll learn more about graphic design...But, for now, I'll look for ways to be creative:)

For Elisea's birthday, we had a small party with her church friends...I knew I wanted to do a pancake and pajama party...LOVED the idea when I saw it online a while back...what could be better, kids waking up and heading over in their pj's!

My PRO list for a similar party:
1. Parents don't have to change their children out of their pj's!
2. Children 3 and under are usually most happy in the morning!
3. Pancakes are an economical choice when planning on a budget and super-fun to do w/children with all the fun toppings!
4. And, that could mean an omelette bar and coffee for the parents! Which is also budget friendly:)
5. A morning party means it's over by lunch which gives you as a family the rest of the day together!

So, as you can tell, I was super-excited about this party...and, even though I knew I could tell our friends by word of mouth, I still love a cute invitation! Just one of those things that I find joy in...So, I started looking online...

These were all adorable options I found...And, I love etsy and have used it before for invitations.

via etsy

But, for budget friendly purposes, I decided I would try and make our own.
And, this is what I came up with...nothing incredibly special,
but pretty cute I think.

First, I opened Word and changed my document size to 5x7.

Next, I added 2 columns onto the document.

I then googled for a pancake graphic image.

And, found this one:

via google

Then, I just typed the invitation. I had previously downloaded the fun fonts
I used from here. I had this pack of plain white greeting cards, so I used these
to print the invitation on...you could also use a regular piece of cardstock.

I had this pink cardstock leftover from Elisea's first birthday, so I cut it to the
right size and used it for the back of the invitation.

Lastly, I grabbed this ribbon I've had for years, and cut two strips and taped
them down using the scrapbook adhesives - love these squares!

End Result:

So, next time you have a party and need invitations, check out your own supplies first! It really is fun to think of ways to create something using only
what you already have...especially if you enjoy making things!
Here's for inspiration!

"I not 2, I 3!"

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:30:00 +0000

Where have the days gone?! We celebrated our big girl's 3rd birthday this past week...And, what a special day it was! So much could be said about our sweet blessing...the new life she brought into our lives the day she was born...the gifts of hope, faithfulness and joy that re-rooted themselves into our lives...as a result of her life and the Lord's love being poured on Aaron and I...

When deciding on her name, we came across Elisea - a Hebrew name (female form of Elisha) meaning, "God is salvation;protect my health." And, therefore, the perfect name for our #2 girl...Claire was a name I've always loved, and it means "bright." So, we welcomed to the world our blessed, healthy and oh, so bright, Elisea Claire.

Elisea's first days...

Elisea's 1st Birthday

Elisea's 2nd Birthday

Elisea's 3rd Birthday

Yes, that is a chip clip holding back all that hair she has!
Ha! It's her morning-do:)

Our 2 girls...love it when they play together:)

Our sweet LiLi and the birthday girl

That beautiful hair!

Her Pink Princess Castle Cake that she insisted on - after viewing the Lego Cake I had picked out (because she loves Legos and it looked super-easy!), she spotted this one in the sidebar - soooo, the pink castle cake it was! thanks to bettycrocker.com for the recipe and detailed directions!

My first cake ever to make as well! Thanks to Granddad and LiLi for their assistance!

Our girls - cute as buttons...Mom and Dad - exhausted!

Fun night at chuckecheese...yes, one of those things I said I would never do as a parent...haha! I must say, it is hard with winter birthdays...can't have much outdoor fun:(

And, Saturday morning we had a friend party - a pancake and pajama party! So fun! Elisea's church buddies showed up in their pj's and we had fun toppings for the pancakes and did omelettes and coffee for the adults.

One of the most fun things is picking out the "fun stuff" for the party!

I love it...

Big girl's mickey mouse pancake w/yummy toppings:)

Sweet Julia

Fun times...memories in the making...and truly blessed indeed...

Happy Birthday to our sweet, Elisea Claire.

"For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever and His faithfulness to all generations."

Psalm 100:5

Yum-O Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:57:00 +0000

Every now and then, I get in the mood to try something new. Thanks to Pinterest, my mouth is usually drooling after I see something yummy pinned on there site...and of course, then pin it to my board. :)
So, for dinner tonight, I made Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps. Super-easy and super-yummy.

via shewearsmanyhats

I remember having these a couple years ago at P. F. Chang's. And, loved them! So, we created our own at home tonight thanks to this recipe! Can we say, Yum-O?!

Since I knew this would be a little spicy for the girls, it was easy to just take some extra chicken and cook it in an extra pan with some carrots. Then, we added some brown rice and green beans on the side for all of us. Fun, pretty healthy, and tasty dinner night!

warning...site under construction

noreply@blogger.com (Christy) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:17:00 +0000

With the start of the new year, I am ready to change this blog a little bit...so, fair warning that as I learn the in's and out's of blog world, the state of the blog may be crazy at times! Here we go...