Friday, September 23, 2011

Sweet, Beautiful Emeline...


It is that time of year.  
Our sweet, beautiful Emeline would have been 4 years old today.  So hard to imagine, and trying to do so brings such pain.  
Four years ago, I was giving birth to my first child.  A sweet blessing that my husband and I thought would be happening years down the road.  Our plan wasn't His plan.  We were "planning" to wait four years before having children; yet, the Lord changed our lives, our hearts, our world on September 23, 2007.  Even though we would only hold our precious Emeline for 7 perfect weeks, our lives would never be the same.

I never imagined being a mother at the young age of 24...my husband 25.
I never imagined I would be trading in my car for a minivan...at 24.
I never imagined I would be preparing to give birth...at 24.
And, I never imagined how precious life is...at 24.

Everyday, I am reminded that this is not our home...and how I long for that day to see my Lord and Savior and to hold our sweet Emeline again.  This song by Laura Story has weighed on my heart as this "season" begins of remembering Emeline.  From September through November, the days are harder, filled with so many memories.  It's an aching, a hurt that can't be filled or replaced by anything.  But, sometimes the blessings in life do come through raindrops...they come in ways we would never imagine...but, only because sometimes it is through the pain, the tears that we truly see Him and know that He is near.  We will never understand loss, hurt, pain...but, our family can say that He has been faithful, He has renewed our spirits and has poured out His mercies upon us morning by morning.

"What if the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst 
this world cannot satisfy...
 What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise."


Happy 4th Birthday, sweet Emeline Ruth.

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, 
His mercies never come to an end.  
They are new every morning; Great is Thy Faithfulness." 
Lamentations 3:22-23

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Our Breakfast (every meal) Nook

So, it has been a year since we moved into our lovely parsonage.  And, we have just finished LOTS of painting, hanging pictures, re-doing kitchen cabinets...things like that to "spruce" up the parsonage and make it "our home."  It has been a lot of work, but boy is it nice to sit back now and enjoy each room!  Especially being a stay-at-home mom...even though I don't like the sound of that "job title."  It sounds so lackadaisical!  Ha!  But, what I mean is, since the girls and I are in our home quite a bit on a day to day basis, it has been such a blessing to be able to make our surroundings enjoyable.  So, thank you, to our wonderful church family!


Before:  This isn't the best of pictures...but, this was the "Nook."

After:


We painted the wood paneling...best thing ever!  We also painted the wood trim white.  I love our "Every Meal Nook"!  

Paint Choice: Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Ozone...Love.

Amazing how a light fixture can transform a space. It was a hard call deciding on the fixture.  We wanted to be budget conscious, yet have a nice, practical light.  I really wanted a drum pendant, but we needed something that would put off more light for this dark corner in the kitchen.  Found a great deal on this chandelier at Lowe's.  For the price, I think it really updates the area.
via Lowe's - $42.88


Next, I wanted to display our big girl's artwork somehow.  I contemplated framing it, curtain rods, magnetic boards...but, this is what I came up with thanks to ohdeedoh.  We were able to find this Ikea set on ebay.  Love it!

Ta-da! What better art for one's wall than your own child's? :) Big smile. 

The other "element" I wanted in our "Nook" was a place for us to write and read Bible verses.  I had been on the search for a large frame, and we remembered we had this SC palmetto tree frame.  It originally held my MA diploma...but, was framed wrong.  So, long story short, we ended up with an empty frame (insert our eldest gal knocked it over and broke the glass).  So empty frame = perfect to make a chalkboard frame.  Thanks to help from my father-in-law, I now have a chalkboard where we put a verse up each week and memorize it.  Our big girl is doing great, too, at memorizing them:) 
Frame + white spray paint + sheet of plywood + chalkboard spray paint = framed chalkboard :)

And lastly, I love having a place to post invitations, cards, pics, etc. - so, I created these memo boards.  Just took some cheap frames from Goodwill + can of white spray paint + fun fabric + foam board = super-cute memo boards!


Chalkboard/Memo Area

Very excited about our new "meal" area if you can't tell! We are so blessed to be able to transform this nook into a space for our family.  And, a place where we gather with so many friends and family to break bread and enjoy life together!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Every Girl Needs Ruffles


So, I love reading Jones Design Company. I love Emily, and all of her posts are so enjoyable and inspiring! Check out her blog - it is phenomenal! You probably won't want to read mine after reading her's! Ha! But, she has tutorials on how to do super-fun, crafty things - like sewing a ruffle pillow.  It is so chic and cute, love it!  Here is my attempt:

strips of material

sewn to ruffles

lay and pin each ruffle down 

all ruffles pinned down - ready to sew!

 ruffle pillow


So excited about my new ruffle pillow - made out of a sheet by the way!! :) Check out Emily's tutorial for step-by-step instructions. And have some fun with ruffles! I'm ready to sew ruffles on everything!  Ok, maybe not everything - but, you will have fun sewing for sure!