Christmas at Home with a Homemade Touch

Merry Christmas! I've been working on "Christmasfying" our home. I like keeping it simple and elegant.

Cranberries in water with greenery and floating candles.


 

Garland on the kitchen windowsill

A branch spray painted with silver for the table.

Christmas mantel

Front view

Secretary desk

A large glass vase filled with ornaments = simplicity!

A mini touch of Williamsburg. This is just a cake plate with greenery and fresh fruit. I also use faux red apples, but I'm still searching the house for those.  It's still a work in progress:)


Have a blessed holiday season!

Linking up to:


www.homestoriesatoz.com
www.hisugarplum.blogspot.com  
www.savvysouthernstyle.net
www.stonegableblog.com
www.impartinggrace.com
www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

Weeping May Endure for a Night -Part 1 (When God Seems Silent)

When we first found out that our twins had cerebral palsy, it didn't come as a complete surprise. I had been noticing some things that didn't seem quite right, but the doctor had said the developmental delays were probably due to their prematurity (they were born 10 weeks early in 1991). I noticed that both children would often have a "stiffness" to their bodies. It was hard to cuddle them in the way you normally would with an infant or toddler. They didn't sit up, crawl, or walk at the time you would expect those milestones. They cried almost non-stop throughout the day. There might be a 45 minute reprieve during a nap, but then the crying would start again. To say I was a frazzled mom would be an understatement. We also had a very precious little boy, Evan, born exactly 9 months earlier, who I felt was getting too little of my attention. Sometimes he and I would drive into the next little town  for a hamburger at Burger King and a quick stop at the grocery store. He was such a wonderful little companion and never any trouble to take anywhere. But then we would return home. I would try my best to love and nurture the twins, but I was operating in survival mode. I was also truly exhausted. I poured out my heart to God time and time again. They were prayers of utter desperation, "Oh God, please, please, help me."  But in all honesty, all I could hear was silence. Looking back now, I can see that God was close, so close, but I couldn't really see it or sense it.

I wish I could say that things got better, but to be honest, things became worse. One of our twins, Alex, suddenly stopped breathing one afternoon. I seemed to be experiencing everything in slow motion. I called for my husband who quickly took Alex and began rescue breathing while I called the ambulance. Alex turned a dusky blue color, but then began breathing again. The doctor examined him at the emergency room, but couldn't find anything wrong. From then on, I lived in constant fear of this happening again. It did happen again - many times. I can't even explain the feeling of never knowing what a day would bring. We began to see a pattern that gave us some level of being able to predict a breathing episode. If it was warm one day and then the temperature dropped the next day, we could be fairly certain that Alex would have problems breathing. He would quickly develop croup,which always seem to lead to his system totally shutting down.

I prayed so many times. I was so full of fear and panic. I wasn't even sure God was hearing me. I had never felt so alone in my life. Somehow, Dave and I managed to get through life day by day, hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute. Dave has always been the strong one that I can lean on, but I know how hard it has been on him. I know the times that he has felt overwhelmed and exhausted, yet having to make life and death decisions. I don't know how many times I have seen him working on Alex and trying to get him to breathe again.

One time in particular stands out in my mind. Alex was once again taken to the hospital and admitted. Dave was with him on this day, while I had went  home to be with our other children. Alex's condition suddenly began to deteriorate. He began having trouble getting his breath and he asked Dave, "Say good job, Dad. Say good job." Dave leaned in close and said those words to him as he tried to calm himself and Alex. Dave called for the nurses and Alex was quickly put into the intensive care unit.  They gave Alex medication to put him in a coma like state so that he didn't have to fight so hard to breathe. After many anxious days, he was able to come back home. He had pulled through yet another time. He was just three years old.

It was some time later when we were visiting my parents in Mississippi, that we had a glimpse into that time he had spent in intensive care. He was sitting in my parent's living room and happened to see a photo of my aunt Loretta. He pointed to her photo and said, "I know her." My mom said to him, "Oh, honey, you never got to meet her. She is with Jesus now." Alex looked again and said, "I saw her. When I was very sick at the hospital, I saw her. She had on a white robe and she looked at me and said, 'Hallelujah!'" My mom and I looked at each other in wonder. He hadn't said anything about it until that moment when he saw my aunt Loretta's picture. That photo seemed to have triggered his memory.

*End of Part 1

Linking up to:

www.impartinggrace.com   

A Small Before and After

We recently bought a small furniture piece on clearance. I'm sure the salespeople wondered how many times I was going to come in and look at it before deciding to buy it.

We put it in the basement and there it sat for a few weeks. Actually, I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision in purchasing it. But after looking at it for awhile, I began to have some ideas...

This looks like a crime scene, but it's actually me trying to decide how a certain size rug would look there - with the use of masking tape.  Have you ever done the same thing? It made perfect sense to me:)

I tried out a mirror I had bought for our dining room from Hobby Lobby. It looked wonderful above it, but I really wanted to keep it in the dining room. We hadn't seen any more of these mirrors there, but after going in for another look, we found the same mirror for 50 % off. My husband's words to me when he saw the discounted price were, "God must really love you."

Next, we added a lamp from T.J. Maxx and my rug from an online site.

I love how it came out!

 See the couch in the background in our basement? I call it the couch that will not die. The couch and loveseat have been great - almost too great. We bought them in 1995 and they have survived 6 children. But I am ready for them to wear out already!

What have you been working on in your home this week? This time of year makes me want to create pretty things.

Happy Holiday season!

Linking up to:

www.impartinggrace.com
www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com
www.atthepicketfence.com

Pottery Barn Knock Off - The Mayflower

Last year, I was admiring this Thanksgiving item at Pottery Barn Kids. But it had a big price tag. If I remember correctly, it was about $50.00.

My husband and I were at Walmart and I spotted this wooden item back in the floral department by the vases, etc.  I thought it looked an awfully lot like a boat. And then I started thinking some more...

I went ahead and bought it, plus a few dowel rods, and some spanish moss to place inside. My husband thought he could put it all together with a few sails made from posterboard. My husband Dave is a great man! He always humors me in my holiday ideas:)

Then we added a few pinecones and voila! A Pottery Barn knock-off for a mere ten bucks and change!

We put this on the kids' table last year and it will make an appearance there this year as well. (Also, your older kids could even help in making this craft with you.)  I have a PB kids Thanksgiving tablecloth that I purchased several years ago also that completes their holiday table. They all seem to enjoy having a "special" table, too:)

A little ingenuity can go a long ways! Happy Thanksgiving!

Linking up to www.savvysouthernstyle.net    www.impartinggrace.com    www.stonegableblog.com  www.atthepicketfence.com          www.kristenscreationsonline.blogspot.com  www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com
www.kellyskornerblog.com  houseontheway.com

The Pain of Invisibility

Are you a quiet, background kind of person? Do you ever feel that you blend right into the wallpaper? Me, too. I feel a little invisible at times.

My (pastor) husband is the exact opposite. He loves people. He thrives in a roomful of people, while I feel exhausted if I've been around a group for a couple of hours.

I often struggle with the feeling that I'm not very important in the grand scheme of things, except in my own home. I love the mundane, ordinary things of life...laundry (well, most of the time), baking, grocery shopping, home schooling, being a mom. I love that I've been able to be home and be with my children during their growing up years and that I still have one "little one" to snuggle with. (I think a 7 yr. old still qualifies as a little person, don't you?)  I love hearing his feet coming down the stairs in the morning and seeing his sleepy face and tousled hair. I am so grateful!

But when I am away from home, I often struggle in finding my place. Even though I am in my forties, I sometimes feel like I've forgotten how to talk with "big" people. I feel like I am not very interesting. For example, when I've been out with my husband and a guest speaker for lunch, it can be almost excruciating because I honestly don't know what they are talking about much of the time and wouldn't know how to contribute to their conversation. My life is still about Sponge Bob, Drake and Josh, Disney Channel, recipes, phonics, and American Literature! But this is when my mind has to be renewed. It's a choice I have to make by putting the right thought into my mind, rather than the wrong one. I can tell myself that what I have to say is important.  I think this improves with practice. It isn't easy undoing years of the wrong thought patterns, but it can be done.

Eighth and ninth grade were torturous for me because being quiet was not the norm. That lead me to believe that I was faulty and that something was wrong with me. This belief creates a vicious cycle of thinking that is hard to break out of.

But I've come to know that being quiet also has a lot to offer. I like listening to people's thoughts and feelings, what they are struggling with, and believing with them that God will work their situation out for the best. I don't find it boring when someone is sharing their heart with me. Sometimes people just need to know that someone is willing to listen.

If you struggle with being quiet or feeling inferior in some way, I would love to agree with you that God will reveal to you that He delights in the way He made you. He can help you in the areas you may need help with, but He doesn't want to start from scratch with you and redesign your personality. You are valuable to Him just the way you are. He wants you to walk in the freedom of the knowledge of your value to Him. When we truly "know" how He looks at us, it changes the way we see ourselves.

Linking up to www.impartinggrace.com

Time to Decorate for Fall!

Last night my husband pulled out my fall bins from our storage room. I worked on it a little last night and wanted to share some of the photos with you. There's a lot of things I didn't get out yet. Some things I wait to pull out until the night before Thanksgiving when I'm getting the dining room table ready for the next day. That is one of my favorite moments of the whole year! I am never happier than when I'm getting ready for the holidays.

This is our living room mantel.

And this is a shot from our kitchen.

The lanterns were found at a local furniture store. I found the garland at Pottery Barn a few years ago. I usually try to go there just before Thanksgiving. In the past, they have marked fall decorations down at that time. Speaking of Pottery Barn, my husband and I came up with a great knock-off of one of their holiday decorations for much less. I'll be posting that one a little later.

And just in a little while, this guy will be making his appearance on our deck.

Hope you're all having fun this magical time of year! Blessings!

Linking up to www.impartinggrace.com   and www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com as well as www.atthepicketfence.com  virginiasweetpea.com

The Simple Things

I haven't written a blog in awhile. There hasn't been anything big going on. We have just been doing our daily routines of home schooling, cleaning, cooking, etc. That list goes on and on sometimes. I have been reading a lot of other moms' blogs, though, and enjoying every minute. I read one yesterday and was so touched by her writing, that I put it on my facebook. If you get a moment, check this blog out:

www.memoriesoncloverlane.com

It is a beautifully written post about staying home with your children when they are little. I hope you can take the time to read it.

It makes me thankful and oh so grateful, that I have been given the wonderful blessing of staying home with my kids from babyhood on. Even when we were living and working at a ministry called Teen Challenge (and money was tight), my husband was always on board with my staying home and taking care of each and every sweet baby.

Now my last "baby" is seven years old, but what fun we've had together!

Yesterday, my 15 yr.old was finishing up a long day of school work. I saw her sitting at the dining room table and felt the Lord speak to my heart, "Take her to Starbucks and get her a little treat." It was a rainy day, but we dashed out the door and had so much fun together.  We even squeezed in a few minutes at TJ Maxx before heading back home. (We had a good laugh when I discovered - as we were leaving the store -that I had forgotten my jeans were rolled way up at the bottom. I was totally oblivious to that fact the whole time I was window shopping).






It's a rainy day here again, but sometimes I like those days the best. Don't you love the look of yellow leaves blowing across the sidewalk? The whole world feels cozy to me on days like this.

The day is beginning and it's almost time to pull out the books again before having a couple days off for the weekend.

Wherever you are today, I hope you have a blessed and happy day!

Linking up to www.impartinggrace.com   and www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com  and www.atthepicketfence.com  kellyskornerblog.com

A Wink From God

If you know me even a little, then you know that I am in the midst of my most favorite time of the year. My daughter and I drove to her orthodontist appointment yesterday and my heart was just so happy the whole drive there. The trees are in their autumn splendor here up North and every turn of the road seemed to show an even more beautiful sight.

That evening, my daughter and littlest boy and I drove down the road a little ways because of a sign that read, "Pumpkins $3.00".  I was over the moon! It was like God gave me a little wink and said, "I know how much you love this time of year, so I surprised you with a field full of pumpkins right by your house." Well, that is how I like to think of God. He loves giving us delightful surprises.

My little boy wasn't in the picture taking mood at this moment.

His good mood has returned!

Of course, I had to drive back there a few minutes later. This time big brother joined us.  Here they are giving us their rendition of "Waiting for the Great Pumpkin". It did seem like Linus and Sally should be sitting out there with them.

And now the front of our home looks like this.  I just need to add some yellow mums.

Happy October everyone!! There's joy all around - maybe even down the road from your house:)

Linking up to www.impartinggrace.com     and www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com    and www.atthepicketfence.com

The Asthma Bell

Here it is. The "asthma bell".

A few weeks ago, our oldest son, Evan, was having a lot of trouble with wheezing, coughing, and some shortness of breath. His inhaler had run out and I was searching through the medicine cabinet for anything that might give him some relief.

I came across some Prednisone pills and set them on the kitchen counter with a note for him. I went on to bed, but then sat up, worried. My husband's sister has severe asthma and has almost died during asthma attacks. I knew my son's asthma was NOTHING like that, but it suddenly occurred to me that I had seen a bell in the kitchen cabinet. (No, I have no idea why a bell was in my kitchen cabinet) So, I went downstairs, found the bell, and set it on his bed.  I figured that if he really ran into some severe problems with asthma during the night - however unlikely that may be - then he could just ring the bell. I mean, what if he woke up, gasping for air and he couldn't even walk to our bedroom? I have a very dramatic mind. But I knew I would sleep better if there was a plan.

Later, when I heard him get home, I called out to him about what the bell on his bed was for.  He came into our room laughing so hard. "Mother! I almost died laughing when I saw that bell and heard you say what it was for." I think he was wheezing and laughing at the same time. My husband looked at me a bit incredulously that I would place a bell on my son's bed,  but I ask you...

Isn't that what we mothers are for?

Linking up to www.impartinggrace.com    

www.kellyskornerblog.com

Crisp Weather Means Pumpkin Crisp

When September rolls around, I love to begin baking anything pumpkin-y. This recipe comes from the November 2005 issue of Southern Living. (Notice those lovely fall colored nails holding the magazine - aren't they groovy?)

 The dessert is called Pumpkin Crisp and I've been making it during this season for the past 7 years. It's easy to put together and so good with either whipped cream or ice cream.



Here are a few of the main ingredients.

The recipe is as follows:

1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 box butter-flavored yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup melted butter

Stir together first 5 ingredients. Pour into a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture; sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans. Drizzle melted butter evenly over pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes OR until golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm with whipped cream (sprinkled with nutmeg) or ice cream.



I add pecans to only half the pan since my kids aren't fond of nuts




Finally!

Since I haven't posted a blog in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd add a few more photos for you to look at.

This beautiful bouquet was given to me by my son, Evan, who saw them at the Farmer's Market and knew I'd like them. Aren't they pretty? I don't know what the puffy, round flowers are called.

It's starting to feel cool and fall-like outside. I snapped a picture of some flowers on the deck.

Last, but not least, my favorite candle has always been Yankee Candle's Buttercream. I love having one burning in the kitchen on a cool fall or winter's day.

I hope you enjoy the dessert and these lovely days of fall. I was in Target yesterday and guess what? There was one aisle with Christmas cards displayed already! Yippee and Happy Fall, y'all!


Linking up to www.homestoriesatoz.com    and www.savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com     and www.impartinggrace.com   www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com  diyshowoff.com