I'm sometimes crafty...sometimes.

Wanna see what I made?

A fur wreath.

That's right...fur.

You don't have to like it. I love it enough for the both of us.

No, it was not my original idea. I was inspired by The Nester.

The next thing.

Now that the exterior of the house is freshly painted. It's time to start on the interior.

Why do my children think it is okay to scribble on the wall?

My sister has been a mother for 8 years and told me that her 4 children have NEVER written on the wall.

ARE

YOU

KIDDING

ME?

I can't find a wall that hasn't been marked.

Maybe it is because they are artistic and the empty wall is beckoning them to fill it.

Maybe it is because they need attention, being one of so many children and all.

Maybe it is because they have too much unsupervised time.

Maybe it is because I was unable to breastfeed them.

Maybe this is their rebellion period and we are going to breeze through adolescence.

Maybe...

Maybe...

they are just children.

Children who will grow up and leave the nest one day and all my walls will be pristine and unblemished.

Maybe we don't need to be in a hurry to paint the interior of our house.

This, on the other hand, I don't even know what to say.

Do you think I should be concerned?

Bloggy Friends

...are the best!

I received this award.



"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."



And I would like to pass it on to:
1. New Every Morning
2. Smellin' Coffee
3. Life with the Lords
4. The NC Brownings
5. The Toscano Family
6. Callery Chronicles
7. And the Festival Continues...
8. Reflections of a Mom's Life

A New Coat

...of paint. We painted the exterior of our house. It is almost finished. So close to being finished that I am going to post the before and after pics as if it were completed.

We did not hire anyone for this job. It was a labor of love. John did a lot of it, I did some, and each of the children contributed a little to the work. But Poppy did the most.

Before:

In Process:

After:

It turned out just like I wanted.

But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:15

My sweet husband...

...gave me the best Birthday present I've ever gotten.

He carved our initials into a tree in our back yard.

I LOVE IT!!!

He took a picture of it and had it framed with these words printed on it:

John and Karen

Sitting in a tree...

The BEST birthday present EVER from the sweetest man I know.

Thanksgiving...a photo essay

Before the chaos... everything is ready...

Everyone arrives... brother-in-law, John and my Dad...my Mom and I are working furiously on something in the background.Thank goodness my Mom brought the giblet gravy.
Th kid's table

Notice: Fig has a mouth full of deviled egg.
After dinner, everyone read a passage from the Bible praising God's goodness

Did you know that Thanksgiving is my birthday?

Thanks, MOM, I love my new coat.

Shine On!

I am thankful that Jesus shines through people who are willing to be lamps for Him.

Tuesday is L.A.M.B.S. day. (Ladies A.M. Bible Study)
I look forward to Tuesdays; it is a sweet, sweet time. Since there is a children's program, Fig goes too and enjoys his class.

This week, Fig and I took on all the regular Tuesday obstacles and battled our way to L.A.M.B.S. I'm telling you, there is serious spiritual warfare going on every week. But we made it, had a good morning, and headed out to the car afterward. I was battle-weary and knowing that the cupboards were bare at home and even if they were full, I didn't have the energy to make a PB&J sandwich, I pulled into the handy, dandy McD's drive-thru. I ordered a happy meal for Fig and pulled around.

"Oh, look! There's my friend Sam! Hi, Sam!" I wave and smile at Sam who is in line in front of me. I think to myself..."I love her...she's so cute and sweet". We inch our way up to the pay window and I extend my debit card to the McD employee. That sweet lady said, "Enjoy your lunch; the car in front paid for you." I couldn't believe it. What a blessing to me. Jesus was shining all over the place because of that thoughtful act of kindness.

But here's the thing. Although I enjoyed the radiance of His glory, there is a bigger story to tell. You see, when you are shining for Jesus it floods all over the place. Places where you didn't even anticipate. As much as I was blessed, the cashier at McD's was overwhelmed by the reflection. I'm glad I was there to see Jesus shine all over her, too. She's probably STILL smiling.
Shine on!
Shine on!