It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Mom and Dad celebrated Thanksgiving here this year. We had a great time just enjoying one another's company and doing a little shopping around town. Probably the highlight though was their first visit to the James Island County Park holiday lights! I've been a couple of times but I hadn't fully explored Santa's village so we all enjoyed seeing something new!
Here are a few pics and videos of our fun family evening.


Roasting Marshmallows in the fire pits








Angel and Church









Tree and Bridge





Local schools paint/create display boards for the Winter Wonderland area. My favorite is one with the various names/characteristics of Christ



Video of the detail of the I AM board

More Than a Fairy Tale

I enjoy reading blogs. I have a list that I subscribe to but I also look at friends' subscription lists. I read one tonight that repeated some truth I've needed to be reminded of lately.

Here's an excerpt:

The Lord will do what He wants for your life that will bring HIM THE MOST GLORY. It’s not about how long or short the wait is, how much you are hurting, how obedient you are (although that’s SUPER important), etc...It’s about HIS PLAN AND HIS GLORY. [...] If I had the choice, would I change [the time I was in a trial?] My honest answer is NO! I wouldn’t. I didn’t think at the time I needed changing at all. In fact, I would have been plain mad if someone told me that. Looking back, I see just HOW MUCH the Lord needed to do in me...

[...] Don’t keep saying, “I’ll be happy when....” Because when that thing comes, there will be something else....Trust in the Lord’s plan for your life, pray for JOY everyday AND DON’T LET SATAN STEAL THAT JOY...

Jeremiah 31:3

I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness

I so often struggle with this! I cry to God when I feel I'm missing something...most often what I'm missing is looking for God's hand in circumstances I don't prefer. I get so occupied when things stray from my "ideal". I forget that God's plans are perfect. When He asks me to do something difficult, He intends His Glory and my good to result. So why do I complain and cringe when He presents a trial? Why am I dreaming up a fairy tale when my Heavenly Father has named me heir to a real throne? Thankfully, His plans even make good of my reluctance to accept what will make me stronger in Him.

Praying for a love like this...

He's Walking Her Home
------Mark Schultz

Looking back, he sees it all.
It was her first date the night he came to call
And her dad said "Son, have her home on time, and promise me you'll never leave her side."
He took her to a show in town,
And he was ten feet off the ground.

(Chorus)
He was walking her home, holding her hand
Oh the way she smiled, it stole the breath right out of him
Down that old road, with the stars up above
He remembers where he was the night he fell in love
He was walking her home.

Ten more years, in a waiting room.
And half-past one, was when the doctor said
"Come in and meet your son."
And his knees went weak, when he saw his wife
She was smiling as she said "He's got your eyes."
And as she slept he held her tight
His mind went back to that first night.

(Chorus)

And wandered through the best days of her life
Sixty years together and he never left her side.
A nursing home, at eighty-five
And the doctor said it could be her last night.
And the nurse said "Oh, should we tell him now? Or should he wait until the morning to find out...?"
But when they checked her room that night,
He was laying by her side.

He was walking her home, holding her hand,
Oh, the way she smiled when he said "This is not the end."
Just for a while, they were eighteen
And she was still more beautiful to him than anything.

He was walking her home. (x2)

Looking back, he sees it all.
It was her first date the night he came to call.

More DIY....

Yep....too many ideas haha I have made some progress on a couple though! One of the awesome ladies in my small group is going to help me with the pillow cover Woo Hoo!

Here's a couple more I've come up with in the meantime Good thing a long weekend is coming up. Have a feeling I know what I'll be doing!!
I'm planning to hang these from dark green ribbon above my bed :)




I'm thinking the frame will also go in my room. It doesn't have many decorations at the moment. I'd like to fill the openings with scripture and quotes.

More fall YUM!

Apparently a renewed interest in cooking came with the DIY bug...
I tried this recipe for small group last night. The group as a whole is a fan of pumpkin. Ladies after my own heart :) Pumpkin dip was a hit! Very quick and easy. Great for holiday gatherings :)

YUMMO!

Recent discovery: dark hot chocolate mix made with milk and peppermint mocha coffee mate= YUM!!

Loving fall/winter treats!!

A finished DIY :)

I bought a cinnamon broom maybe a month or so ago. I love the smell. It reminds me of fall and Christmas at my parents house. So inviting!


I had it long enough that I couldn't really smell it anymore and it was starting to shed a bit on the floor. So when I found two great vases at the dollar store I got an idea for re-purposing the broom!


I just loosened some of the ties holding the broom together and started tearing. Messy but so quick and easy! Clean up really wasn't bad either. Just sent some nice-smelling debris through the vacuum cleaner! Not a bad side effect that my vacuum has cinnamon in it now haha.


Finished! Love it! Accented with a green dollar store runner and a small grocery store pumpkin :)

Left over fabric?? must be destined for another DIY!

As shown in the last post, I bought 3 different fabrics and only have a purpose for 1.....Yea...that lasted all of an hr! haha
Here's what I'm planning for the other two! :)

I bought this pillow on sale at Target with other supplies for the new place. I love that its big and fluffy so great for stretching out on the floor for a movie or project. My parents have one at their house (my grandparents actually had one too!) I really wanted one for my place. Problem is, they didn't have one that matched my living room decor.... enter excess (decor matching!) fabric!!

The paisley print is a little busier than the rest of my decor but isolated on the papasan it goes really well with the olive and chocolate color pallet. I didn't get enough paisley to cover the whole pillow but that actually works out well. I don't think I'd want a whole paisley pillow! The chocolate fabric (on the left side of the chair) will be one side of the pillow. I'm hoping I can get some help from a some of the ladies in my small group to sew it together with a zipper for washing. The small pillows are also from Target. They're dual colored as well so I figured everything would go together nicely! (the large pillow has been on the floor in a corner until now)
Love how everything is coming together!!

DIY in progress!

Thanks to my new obsession with Pinterest....I caught a Do-It-Yourself bug!
For my next project....wall art!!
Inspiration: (no I didnt do this one Its a googled example ;) )



Here's my version!
First, the supplies:


3 fabrics totaling 4 1/2 yds for $23


I went to Big Lots to get some inexpensive canvases ($5 each!) to wrap in the new fabrics. I found the three on top to wrap but I LOVED the one on the bottom so .....my design changed!


Close-up of the one I want to use-as is.



New design plan: wrap the three canvases in the olive green and use the 4th as the print.



Placement: The current plan is for the new collage to go above the tv....still playing with that idea though...

The empty space on the left is another option. Any suggestions??