Be Still My Heart...

Ava went on her first date last night, with Daddy. They went to the Daddy-Daughter Dance at our church.
"The influence of a godly man is crucial in the development of a girl's self-esteem, and this relationship will set a pattern for the attributes in men she will seek as an adult. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to set, or reiterate, the standard for how you believe she deserves to be treated, and to let her know that anything less is unacceptable for her as a woman."

Oh, how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall at the dance. :)

My Dad never took me to a dance, but we did spend time together on the weekends going to the library, running errands, and going to the video arcade. I treasure those memories of one-on-one time with him.

I loved all the little details of Ava's outfit...the frilly socks, the matching bows, the beautiful corsage. My husband must have spent over 30 minutes ironing his shirt!:)

Be Still My Heart...

My husband is a great and loving father, and I feel so blessed not only to have him in my life, but grateful that my children are so lucky as well.
Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

Chrissie

Inspiration

1. "Fizz Splash 1" - contemporary mosaic kitchen backsplash, 2. Untitled, 3. Color Wheel Final Layout, Tweaked, 4. Untitled, 5. a quote to live by in 2010, 6. artie1_small, 7. Floral Vignette, 8. A New Life....a new love, 9. Gobstoppers Quilt

If you haven't been over to Flickr.com be prepared. I have to be very careful not to stay too long. There are so many beautiful images over I could drool over them all day. Above are just some of my current favorites.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite blog posts from this week. They have all made me think, made me laugh, made me cry...They are all full of inspiration and I hope you have time to check them out.

1. Nella A story of true courage, triumph, raw honesty, and beauty.

2. Believing that HIS plans for me are so much bigger and better than ANYTHING I could EVER imagine. What I've been wanting to say but couldn't articulate. This post brought me back to myself.

3. Feeling "not good enough"? Yes, this was written for me too.

I hope this brings you some inspiration. Happy Thursday Friends!

xo,

Chrissie

Today's Post is Brought to You By the Letter "S"

1. Sewing

I finished machine quilting this...once I get the binding on I'll show you the finished quilt!

2. Dr. Suess Birthday!

Ashton went to school today with backwards and inside out clothes to celebrate the birthday of the wonderful and wacky Dr. Suess.

3. Stones
Adding river rock stones to mosaics...

4. Surprise!...another Sling

I got a call yesterday morning that someone had fallen on Logan at PE. A trip to our orthepedic doctor showed a fractured Scapula and a rib...:(

5. Snacks!

I think a fractured scapula deserves a special 7-11 treat, don't you? Of course I had to join in. Banana Slurpees and theeee best chips ever made. Yes, I did veer off my sugar-free Lent committment. But I am back on today. 100%

6. Simmering...

Thank goodness I had put chicken and dumplings in the crock-pot because when we got home from the doctors I didn't have to worry about dinner.


7. Sunshine

Last but not least, I need this print. I think everyone else in Blogland loves it too. What's not to love?

I hope your day was a little less Stressful than mine. I'm just glad everyone is safe and in bed. Now, I am off to Sleep!:)

Sunshine

It's a yucky gray Saturday, but I was able to catch a few pictures yesterday when it was a sunshine day. My little Sunshine loves to have her picture taken.

Still working on my skills. Most of the time I am set in no flash. I try messing with Manuel settings. Sometimes I get lucky, most of the time not.

I've been scouring a little town for cool shoot areas. I found this rusted door yesterday in front of an old antique store. I love the texture.

Do you remember being almost four years old? Some days I wish I could freeze her just like this. She is just so much fun right now. But I also look forward to seeing her this time next year. I love all my boys so much, and I'm so glad I have a girl too!:)

I think one girl is just enough for me...

I hope your weekend is full of sunshine...even if it's dreary outside there is much joy to be found.

xo,

Chrissie

Something bold...

Two or three weeks ago Steve Brown preached at our church. He comes every few months and I love to hear him speak. This particular day I jotted the quotes below in my notebook. It's not exactly something he said, but what I got out of that particular sermon.
I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted it to be something that would live in our house for our children to see every day. For ME to see every day. So I got a scrap piece of wood out of the garage, painted it black, and printed the words out on my computer. I traced them onto the wood and painted them white. I know they are a little crooked, but that's okay. It's a big piece of wood and I love the boldness of it.

I hung it in the dining room. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably notice that I moved my furniture again. I move my dining room furniture it seems every 6 months. My husband loves it! haha

It's back where its supposed to be now...:)

I still have my Valentine banner up. I love it and the colors so for now it's staying...:)

I am desperate to change out that brass light fixture from 1982 to an updated one. Maybe with a little tax money we can accomplish that...

My mother-in-law bought us this dining room set about 6 years ago when we moved into this house. I have wanted to paint it 10 different times but chickened out every time. I think one of these days I will redo the seat cushions with a fun fabric though.

I don't collect dishes so my collection of Willow Tree Angels lives in my curio. It used to be twice as big but I sold half of them on Ebay a couple of years ago. I kept my very favorite ones. I have some precious family pictures and doo-dads that were my fathers.

On the top is my antique birdcage, and my only fake plant. I have it on that clear box until I can thrift something cooler.

I forgot to take pictures of the other artwork on the opposite walls, but this one is my favorite. Rachel does a really sweet job on these.

One day I'd like to quilt some runners for the different seasons for my table. The plants are there because we get some good light in that room. But here's the kicker. We NEVER eat in that room. Maybe once or twice a year. What about you? Do you use your dining room a lot?

(oh, and thanks for all the book suggestions! I have them all written down and we will try them all!:)

Easy Presents for Kids Parties, a Yummy Dinner, and Family Reading

If you have little kids like me, then they probably get invited to a lot of birthday parties. I always encourage my kids to make their friends a gift.
I know it's a lot easier to go to Target and drop $15 or $20, but I just happen to think that hand-made gifts are special.
This is a really easy and fun project to make for kids birthday parties. Banners to hang in the friends room! For this one, Ashton picked out the papers that his friend liked and I cut the triangles out for him. We printed her name out on the computer and used pop-dots to adhere them.

He decorated each triangle from the banner differently. For the one below, he found the cupcakes in a coloring book and after coloring them with crayons he cut and glued them on. He also used buttons, glitter, a picture of Hannah Montana, and some pretty ribbon. With a little bit of guidance, any child can make one of these. It can be customized to each individual childs interests and likes so easily.

On another note, I am totally addicted to this cookbook. I use it at least once or twice a week. Tonite I made the Marlboro Man steak sandwiches and made this cornbread. YUUUUUUUUM!! Oh yeah, it's not the healthiest dinner, so I made sure to make a big salad too:)

Lastly, we started reading together as a family a couple of weeks ago. We are a big reading house...I myself am an avid reader and I encourage reading of all kinds with my kids. I personally think that if you are a good reader, you will be a curious and good student. But that's another post for another time.

We started reading a chapter book out loud every night before bed. I am trying to pick books that will keep the attention of a very wide range...3 1/2, 5, and almost 10. That in itself is a bit of a challenge. We read this one last week:

It is set in 1912 and it's about a Jewish family with five daughters growing up in New York. I loved all the lessons the book presented and all the kids enjoyed it.

Tonite we started Ramona Quimby, Age 8. These were my favorites growing up. They are so funny and well-written, and so far the kids like this one as well.

Do you have any suggestions for family reading? I would love to continue this tradition and need some more books that would be appropriate for my wide age range!

Thanks friends. I hope you had a lovely weekend!

xo,

Chrissie

Reinventing Yourself

I like that in our lives we are allowed time for re-invention.
That on a whim we can change a look and change perceptions.
That as we mature and grow our desires change.
I like that I am becoming a little more comfortable in my skin.
That I can hear God's voice a tiny bit more clear than I could.
I love that I am learning how to be a more intentional mother and wife.
I love that I can make mistakes and wake up the next day and try again.
I love the exploration of it all.