A New Home

Our daughter received her first bedroom set last month.

The furniture was a gift from Poppa

and Grandma C.

I found a few treasures, like this darling lamp, at the local Salvation Army.
It plays the children's song, "Playmate".

Princess loves her new room.Even though the furniture isn't new,

it has a new home.

Almost everything we own

has been a gift.
Gifts from family and friends.

But our greatest gift

came from Jesus

and we thank Him

for making a new home

in our heart.

Hebrews 10:16-23

"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then he adds: 'Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.' And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

Truth Without Fear

In the midst of this joyous

Christmas season,

we are knee deep in dioramas and reports on

mammals,

temperate deciduous forests

and

reptiles (specifically, lizards).
I have been hiding out at the Davidson College Library.

Verite Sans Peur (Truth Without Fear)
Researching.

It is where I feel comforted in the midst of fear.
I know that all the answers aren't found in books, especially those questions that haunt a new mother and father as their week old child fights for her life. Truth is, I feel some guilt that my children are healthy and strong; that I am powerless to control the pain and torture that abounds in this life, especially to the innocent, the helpless and the weak. I don't know the cure, but I do know the Great Phyiscian. I don't hold the answers but I know the Truth of His Word.


"We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah." (C.H. Spurgeon)

Please pray

My dear cousin and his wife celebrated the arrival of their first child on Thursday. Elation soon turned to fear as their newly (as in several hours old) born daughter's feet became a pin cushion to test for low blood sugar and then were told she has an Aorta problem and needs to fly out on Monday to a specialist in another state to repair the problem. He also mentioned she is having an issue with her blood and may need a transfusion. They are asking for prayers.

"But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom." ~ Psalms 35:13

Gain Without (much) Pain

Three Ethan Allen chairs...

(Rocket is priceless, don't even bother

trying to guess his value.)

that fit perfectly around our kitchen table.

Festive wall art...

for the dining roomand living room.
If I told you where I found them...

and what I paid

would you believe me?

The chairs were $5 per chair.

The wall art was $1 per piece.

Brand new linens.
Name brand linens.
At the best prices.

Each Wednesday our local Salvation Army discounts all white and yellow tag items, so these were an additional 50% off. But it gets better.

Do you remember me gushing over a book I was reading to Future Pres called "The Wouldbegoods" by E. Nesbit?

Guess what I found!

For a dollar.

Support your local Salvation Army store.

The Best Part

of making a gingerbread house?

Eating it.
To be completely honest, this was a messy day.

I yelled at the kids.

I screamed at my husband.

I wanted to send Rocket to the North Pole.

I miss my mom.

And felt very jealous of all the moms

on the school playground

talking about spending the holidays

with their moms.

I prayed for the children to be in bed at six.

And then, when the house was quiet,

I missed them.

Don't misunderstand me,
Quiet and peace brings strength
to get through another day...
But the best part is allowing our
lives to be devoured by others,
piece by beautifully messy piece.
It may be
painful at times, but it is
oh so sweet to others. And don't

forget to joyfully accept those gifts

freely given by those around you ~

especially the gift of Jesus.

"We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices, whose lot is to be consumed; we are to spend and to be spent, not to lay ourselves up in lavender, and nurse our flesh.”~ C.H. Spurgeon

Nailbutts

I spent time with Nester last week.

She always inspires me to

use what I have...

In addition to making valences with fabric, trim

and a glue gun...
I made a whimsical lamp shade.

While trying to install my valences,

I ran out of the decorative tacks, so I

improvised with buttons and nails.

Really.

You just hot glue the button on the fabric and then hammer a

small finishing nail into the button hole.

Yes, I am VERY proud of myself for coming up with this decorating technique.

Nailbutts.

Coming soon to a store near you!

I wrapped a "bendy" wreath around our dining room
chandelier.

And used an old tablecloth
as a new lamp shade.

More easy valences out of pieces of fabric and trim.
Fabric, trim and a glue gun.

Couldn't imagine life without them.

How many different sets of stripes
can co-exist in the boys

bedroom? I am going for a new

world record.

Our neighbor had two dark drapery panels

and one light panel that she so generously bestowed

upon me.

I vertically cut the dark panels in

half (so I now had four) and

horizontally cut the light panel

into six strips and with the help of
my faithful glue gun was able to

dress up both of our bedroom windows.

No more flashing the neighbors.

Come to think of it, maybe that's

why she gave me the panels. Hmm.

And yes, those are

Nailbutts

holding up my valences.

Thanks for asking.

Thank you, Nester, I love my beautifully

imperfect home. And so does Happy Boy.

He lost his first tooth

the day before Thanksgiving.

I told him it helps him sound

more like Toby Mac.

He told me I am an awesome decorator.

Luckily, we keep each other grounded.

Pilgrims

"For we must consider that we shall

be as a city upon a hill.

The eyes of all people are upon us."

~John Winthrop to his fellow Puritans

on their way to Massachusetts in 1630