For family and friends: random hodge-podge

I think that pretty much explains it. Here are some pictures I thought ya’ll might enjoy:

Pictures taken on the day of the trash can fiasco. These were a much more rewarding endeavor.
Pictures taken on the day of the trash can fiasco. These were a much more rewarding endeavor.

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I was seeing how this background would work for those pictures I still need to take of their Easter outfits. = /
I was seeing how this background would work for those pictures I still need to take of their Easter outfits. = /

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Mckayla! Come sit with us for the picture!!
Mckayla! Come sit with us for the picture!!
Here she comes!
Here she comes!
All better. Except Mckayla looks like she still wishes she was over there.
All better. Except Mckayla looks like she still wishes she was over there.
Cleaning out the fish tank? A perfect time to play sink or float!
Cleaning out the fish tank? A perfect time to play sink or float!
Pretty in pink
Pretty in pink
Never a dull breakfast.
Never a dull breakfast.
Ever.
Ever.
A little dark, but I love that she was giving her baby a ride on the horse.
A little dark, but I love that she was giving her baby a ride on the horse.
And some funny, funny faces:
And some funny, funny faces:

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Hope and Sophia looked at this and said, "Whoa! Gracie's face is the funniest!"
Hope and Sophia looked at this and said, “Whoa! Gracie’s face is the funniest!”
I quite agree.
I quite agree.

A lovely long weekend to you all!

And the winner is…

imageHey everybody!

It’s time to announce the winner from last week’s giveaway!

The prize is the Botanical Notebook Collection from the Rifle Paper Co. I love these notebooks so much! Actually, I still need to get some of my own. = )

Okay, without further ado: the winner is…

*June* from facebook! Yay!! I’m so excited!!

June, you’ll be hearing from me soon!

Thanks to all who entered, and even to those who meant to enter but fell asleep early and woke up after midnight on Saturday. = )

Hope you’re having a lovely and loving week!!

Christie

P.S. The winner was chosen by some mathematical process on random.org.

Mixing black and brown in the home

For years now I have had various frames and decor in boxes in my house. One reason was that there was very little time to decorate, but another big reason was that I really didn’t know what went together. It wasn’t perfect and didn’t fit into how I envisioned my house.

However, one day, I decided it was quite ridiculous to have empty walls and boxes of frames!

So up it went!

It still didn’t look right at first, but after playing with it for a few months, I’m happy with the results.

One of the biggest things I had to embrace was mixing brown and black. Most of what I had was given to us here and there. I couldn’t see the rhyme or reason to putting it together, but now I love it. It comes off collected and beautifully imperfect (or at least to me!) As the Nester always says, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful!”

So if you have to choose between black and brown in your home…

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… choose both!

Have you entered the giveaway yet? It will close tonight at midnight! Leave a comment on the post, follow the blog by email or like it on facebook. You’ll love the Botanical Notebook Collection from the Rifle Paper Co. Check it out here!

pretty pink book {giveaway}

I have a strong aversion to sticky notes.

At some point in the past I promised myself that I would never have them in my house and so far I’ve stuck to it. (pardon me while I laugh at how horrible that joke was)

You see, my mom was an amazing woman. I’m pretty sure she’s never forgotten a single thing in her entire life. She would make lists of the lists she needed to make, sticky notes for the sticky notes she needed to write, and plans for the things she wanted to plan. Okay, that might be a little exaggerated.

The bottom line is that she remembered everything and was and still is way ahead of the game.

Right above that bottom line is that she used endless lists and sticky notes to stay that way.

Let’s just say, at some point in my teenage years I became not a fan.

Then I got married.

I have a fairly good memory, so I did quite well for awhile just using my twenty-something old steel trap.

Then I had kids. (plural, in case you missed the “s”)

All of the sudden, the lists became vital.

The sticky notes, however, I could not surrender to.

Happily, I found a practical and pretty solution.

Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble

My awesome uncle and aunt who lived in Hong Kong for years would give us these beautiful journals covered in these amazing Asian fabrics. It hit me one day that these could be my perfect solution!

I now have a lifesaver notebook where I keep all my lists, schedules, plans, goals, menus, grocery lists, Christmas gift ideas… you name it. It’s in my pretty pink book.

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Now, beyond being in the book, it’s actually not that organized, but that’s just sort of how I operate. It’s not hard at all to find what I need.

Best of all, every time I pull it out (which is approximately fifty-seven times a day), I get to touch the awesome fabric. And see how pretty it is. And be excited to make a list.

Correct that, the best thing of all is that it can go with me everywhere I go.

This might not work for everyone, but if you struggle with multiple papers in crazy places, you might want to give it a try!

Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble
Barnes and Noble

My favorite practical help from this idea is that I never lose my menu and grocery list on the way home from the store. Seriously, I couldn’t help but think that the bag boy would snatched it just for contempt. I always used to lose my hard-planned menu on the way home from the store!

But you can’t lose a pretty book!

Anthropologie
Anthropologie

Would you like one? or three?

Check out these beautiful prints!

imageNot only are they so sweet to touch (very important in the pretty book process) but they also have beautiful  detail on the inside as well!

imageI’m giving away a set to some potentially happy person!

imageLeave a comment, like the blog on Facebook, share the giveaway, or pin the idea to Pinterest, you know the ropes. = ) I’ll be generous with entries.

Here’s to being more organized with less clutter!

Contest ends Saturday night at midnight!

For family and friends: Gracie’s birthday

Hello all! We posted Gracie’s three-year old pictures here, and today you get to see her birthday fun.

Her first birthday date with Daddy. Three is awesome already! She picked fix-cha-lay, and had hash browns, little swamwiches, and lumonade. Mm-mmm.
Her first birthday date with Daddy. Three is awesome already! She picked fix-cha-lay, and had hash browns, little swamwiches, and lumonade. Mm-mmm.
Birthday presents from Dad, Mom, and sisters at lunch. A pin-y-ata and kite in the mix!
Birthday presents from Dad, Mom, and sisters at lunch. A pin-y-ata and kite in the mix!

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Fun poster/birthday card made by her sisters and supervised by moi.
Fun poster/birthday card made by her sisters and supervised by moi.
Birthday cake finally! This is what she's been asking for for so long!
Birthday cake finally! This is what she’s been asking for for so long!
Somebody's excited!
Somebody’s excited!
And somebody else!
And somebody else!
And somebody else!
And somebody else!
Mommy LOVES Gracie!
Mommy LOVES Gracie!
More birthday cards and gifts.
More birthday cards and gifts.
A raincoat so I won't get wet!! (Gracie hates wain)
A raincoat so I won’t get wet!! (Gracie hates wain)
The complete ensemble: raincoat, boots, umbrella.
The complete ensemble: raincoat, boots, umbrella.
And ladies and gentleman, it's piñata time! (Ok, the girls actually beat on it for an hour in the afternoon. Then beat on it for awhile in the evening; Daddy had to finish it off. = )
And ladies and gentleman, it’s piñata time! (Ok, the girls actually beat on it for an hour in the afternoon. Then beat on it for awhile in the evening; Daddy had to finish it off. = )
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The piñata was a rare treat indeed. Hope quickly went into protection mode.

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The best way to end a birthday.
The best way to end a birthday.

We love you, Gracie!

When a mom feels disconnected

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How many times have I walked through my house, interacted with my girls, gone about my responsibilities, but known something was wrong?

Have you ever felt like that?

I’m here, but I’m just not really here.

My girls play really well by themselves, so it’s not uncommon for me to be working around them while they play some silly game they’ve made up. But there’s still just a difference sometimes.

If I had to rattle off the symptoms they would probably go something like this: my kids aren’t listening to me, I can’t remember what I’m supposed to be doing, when is my husband ever going to get home and save me from this madness, I just want to go somewhere and be by myself…

Now sometimes these feelings are caused by just ordinary, crazy motherhood. I know that. But I think a lot of moms would agree that there are other times when we know something is genuinely wrong.

When I begin to feel like this, and when I’m finally honest with myself, I have to admit: the problem isn’t my kids…

… the problem is me.

A lot of voices “out there” tell moms to just relax. Go do something for yourself… have some me time... Or the Christian version: There’s grace… there’s rest… just remember how much God loves you… He knows what you’re doing is hard…

Those things are true, absolutely, but when I jump to those before really dealing with the issue, nothing is solved, just temporarily passed over.

You see, I’m prone to wander. A converted idol-worshiper.

How quickly I slip from glorying and rejoicing in God to seeking my own pleasure and satisfaction in temporary things, maybe even my kids or domestic accomplishments. And from there it’s just a slippery slope to being discontented and unhappy with everything because loving God has been abandoned.

I try to take these feelings very seriously. As already said, I, by nature was born bent against God. Though His child now and blessed with unspeakable grace and mercy, it’s all too easy to forget.

The only answer is repentance.

I wish I could say that at the moment of realization, I repent immediately, but of course, that’s not always the case. The reason that I’m writing this now is because of two days that have been an absolute struggle. I wish that I had given in sooner.

I don’t think our kids keep us from God as much as we would like to think; they just manifest where we are with God in glaring, vivid color.

When things are turned back right, the day might not look all that different to an onlooker, but the heart will be different, and the mom will know.

For family and friends: Summer Camp 2013

Hello all! I have devastating news: I didn’t take my camera to camp.

Agh!!!!!! How?? I even packed the charger.

Thankfully, I do have a few photos, but not as many as I should. I was really hesitant about taking my iPad around, not wanting it to be damaged or lost.

We had an amazing time!! The girls loved it! We hung out with the teens, did crafts, went on hikes, played on the playground, attended a nail polish party… so much fun!!

Our oh-so cute and rustic cabin
Our oh-so cute and rustic cabin
To say they were excited about camp would be a gross understatement
To say they were excited about camp would be a gross understatement

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Hopey begged to go on the nature trail.
Hopey begged to go on the nature trail.
Hiking with four little kids? Oh yes we did! It was a blast! Strangely enough, Mckayla was a little intimidated by the woods and wanted me to carry her the whole time. But it really worked out for the best, I think we went faster that way. And surprisingly enough, Sophia was a little timid as well, but Hope and Gracie ate it up. Kids!
Hiking with four little kids? Oh yes we did! It was a blast! Strangely enough, Mckayla was a little intimidated by the woods and wanted me to carry her the whole time. But it really worked out for the best, I think we went faster that way. And surprisingly Sophia was a little timid as well, but Hope and Gracie ate it up. Kids!
And the picture I took as we were leaving. This shot does not do justice to the beautiful view! You'll just have to trust me, it was amazing!
And the picture I took as we were leaving. This shot does not do justice to the beautiful view! You’ll just have to trust me, it was amazing!

So, you can see, my pictures are not at all representative of what actually happened at camp. We were so blessed to be with all the other staff, the amazing volunteer leaders, and wonderful teens.

Leaving was so sad.

I truly hope the girls and I will be able to go again next year!

Take two: DIY Canisters

Well, you might have seen my previous post about turning plastic Folgers coffee cans into DIY canisters. They looked like this…

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… Until I put them in the dishwasher; and then they looked like this.

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Boo-hoo!

But I tell you tonight that project redemption has begun. It’s a little crazy how much better the spray paint worked. I wish I would have done it like that from the beginning, but when you have four little kids it seemed so much easier to do it inside with craft paint after they were in bed, then to take the whole operation outside. Anyways.

I’ll know for next time.

Here are pictures of the progress so far!

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