Merry Merry Merry Merry CRAFTING

Here are some of the things I have made and failed to post over the past four months or so.

Terrible.

I know.


I made these for a little girl we know to take to her school's Halloween party. The idea was not my own; I got it from here, and I am sure that the originals put mine to shame!


No, I did not home-grow these pumpkins; however, I did pick them out, with the help of my sister. I loved the way they looked stacked up. And, I was able to use one of my pumpkins after Halloween ended. I did this by making some minor modifications, as pictured below:

All it took was the original pumpkin, a scrap piece of fabric, some shrubbery from the bush outside our neighbor's door (don't tell!), a little scrapbook paper, and about eight inches of twine. And... voila! :)

I made this at Fired Up recently. As is evidenced by the picture below, painting ceramics is not necessarily my forte. The time it took to paint the tree was time well-spent. Andrew went with me and painted a wonderful plate. I wish I had a picture of that! The whole experience made for a great date night for Andrew and me. Fun for all ages! Truly.


Several weeks ago, Andrew and I stopped into Goodwill, and stumbled upon this set of stocking holders. I intended to use them for each of our stockings (obviously); however, I later realized that Lady needed a stocking holder too, and I could not find a third one to match these two. I devised another way to hang our stockings, and I actually like them better without the holders. So that these would not go to waste, I made these little hanging ornaments. The tools I used to create them? Hot glue gun, pine cones, twine, scrap fabric pieces, old sheet music, and spare wrapping paper. It took all of about four minutes.
The tree took slightly more than two minutes, but turned out nicely. Three days before Christmas, it is still light-less, but much improved from when I opened the tree box for the first time. And yes, our tree is artificial. Moreover, it is a hand-me-down, three foot tree. It is perfectly proportioned with our 600 square foot apartment!
I made each of the ornaments, and the topper, by hand. Well, technically, I used a Cricut machine that my husband bought me. And I LOVE it! I will save that story for another time.

Before you ask, these berries and pine cones are also NOT from our own yard (since that would be impossible, seeing as how we do not have our own yard).
I saved the best for last. The Christmas countdown is my favorite creation of the season. Tools used: 25 match boxes (the tiny kind), hot glue gun (essential to every crafting endeavor), wrapping paper, rubber stamps (for the numbers), fabric (for the bow on top), and old sheet music (for the star on top). I surrounded the countdown tree with the quintessential pine cones and berries. What can I say? Resources were limited!

This idea was not my own. I wish it were, because I absolutely love the final product. I got the idea from the 2009 Christmas issue of Country Living.

Merry Christmas!

I believe in weekends! :)

"I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happiest girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day. And I believe in miracles." - Audrey Hepburn

My husband emailed this to me, saying that he, "saw it, and was reminded of," me!

What a sweet reminder of how much I am loved!

Have a happy Saturday!

Daily Reflections

Andrew and I have been married just over a month now. It has been a wonderful month; full of ups and downs, and learning new things, and messing up, and starting over, etc., etc. Life as a married person thus far has brought so many new joys into my life, as well as new challenges. I am soaking up each moment, and falling more in love with Andrew, and with Jesus Christ, each day. Andrew is such a determined, hard worker. He is gone teaching during the day, and usually works three nights each week and weekend. He is exhausted. But he still makes being a wonderful, God-fearing husband his top priority. He remembers how important praying together is, even when I feel too tired. He remembers to kiss me on the cheek each night when he gets home from work, even if I am already asleep and do not even acknowledge that he is beside me. He shares my hopes and dreams with me, and encourages me to pursue those dreams, no matter how silly they may seem to anyone else in the universe (if, in fact, they were privy to my hopes and dreams, which they are not). He also bought me a dog. A perfect, 4.3 pound, 7 year old, toy chihuauah. Her name is Lady. She has an overbite. Due to the condition of her mouth, my dad calls her "Bucky." I think she is adorable. And precious. And sweet. And I love her.

There is an explanation for my absence from the blogging scene: We do not have internet access in our apartment. Due to this lack of internet access, I am a bit out of touch with the blogging world these days.

This being said, I did stumble upon something that is, at least in my mind, pretty neat. There are a lot of mornings when I dash out of the apartment so quickly that I do not read my Bible before I leave for work. And I can always tell the days that I do this, because those days just never seem to turn out quite right.

Here are daily reflections, scripture readings, and suggested prayers (for all those days when you simply do not know where to start on your own. I have lots of those.) The reflections and verses are usually short, but they are not usually "fluffy." In other words, despite their brevity, they are also substantial enough for you to ponder throughout the day.

The scripture posted for the reflection today is Psalm 14:2. They posted The Message version. Here is the NIV version of that same scripture: "The LORD looks down from heaven, on the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God."

I do not always understand. Actually, the times and things that I understand are probably far outweighed by the times and things I do not understand. But when the Lord looks down from heaven (and how awesome is it that the LORD of the whole universe and everything in it cares enough to look down on us from heaven?!) I want Him to see me, and to thing, "OK. She is seeking me. She is searching and learning me. She is living a life that is focused on pursuing me."

Unfortunately, there are many days when, if God were to look down from heaven at me, He would not think that at all. He would probably think something more along the lines of, "Wow. Look at all those, silly, pointless things Logan is getting distracted by. Why in the world is she focusing on how messy the house is, why so-and-so does not seem to like her, what she should make for dinner, what time she needs to wake up in the morning, what she should do this weekend, or how she is going to make that payment? Does she now know that worrying about those things in futile? It is the devil's way of distracting her eyes and heart from me. LOGAN! PAY ATTENTION TO ME! DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?"

I often do not understand the depths of God's great love for me. His love should overshadow every fear, every worry, every worldly thought, every selfish ambition. In His compassion, He loves me through my misunderstanding. In His patience, He waits for me to return to Him.

My prayer for today? God, grant me understanding. Teach me to learn to trust in your ways, to focus on them always, and to walk in them each step of each day.

The Big Day: Part 1

Chesley, the talented photographer who took our engagement pictures, also took photos during our wedding. She did a remarkable job. For more of her pictures of our wedding, go to her website. I cannot stop looking at the pictures she took, and I can't wait to see the rest!

This is precisely pre- Daddy-losing-it. Andrew's eyes were a little foggy too. It was precious! I, on the other hand, held it together quite well throughout the entire morning (we were marriage at 10am!)

This is a picture my cousin took during the ceremony.

Sean Cook, such a man of God, served Andrew and me communion, and prayed a prayer of blessing over our lives together.

:)

My athleticism in action.

Rehearsl and Rehearsal Dinner: Part 1

I am MARRIED now! And the whole wedding day could not have gone more perfectly. Everything and everyone was beautiful. My only dilemma now is what to do with my spare time since all the wedding planning is behind us! That being said though, I am glad the actual wedding is over so that I can begin my life with the man I love. I could not be happier.

Believe it or not, I took VERY few pictures on the actual wedding day; however, here are some shots that some friends took!

During the rehearsal dinner, people who wanted to stood up and said a few words... words of encouragement, blessing, or special memories of Andrew and/or me. This picture was taken when my sister was talking. Her speech was priceless. I was in shock that she actually stood up to say anything, but on top of that, what she was incredibly touching. I just lost it.

My sister was the maid of honor, but these girls were just as big of a help in the whole process. Jennifer (to my right) made the banners that we hung in the fellowship hall for the reception. She has been a dear friend since we met our freshman year of college. Calista and I traveled to Guatemala together. She and her husband, Alex, were just married in May. We are starting this journey together. Lucky for me, she had a little head start. I will need all the pointers on married life that I can come by!

My aunt took this picture after the rehearsal ended. I think Andrew was probably starving by this point, but he was a trooper, and posed rather willing for a final picture.

Daddy looks calm and collected here, but don't be fooled. Saturday morning was a different story. Real men cry. It's a fact. And I love it.

There are many more pictures where this came from, so stay tuned! :)

Favorites for the Week

I fell in love the moment I saw this picture. The bright colors are cheerful as can be. This is a really small space, yet there is so much going on in it, and it is incredibly multi-functional. Somehow, at the same time, the designer manages not to make the area look overly-cluttered, or too busy. There is extra seating, a great eating or writing surface, and awesome lighting, via the window (which is adorably curtained), and the lamp, which takes up virtually no space in the room at all.



Here is my source, as well as one of my favorite blogs!



This picture, from here, reminds me of Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Mama Bear's chair, Papa Bear's chair, and Baby Bear's chair! But what really caught my eye were the colorful tiles around the fireplace! Those little pops of color make all the difference. If you are curious to see what the rest of this house looks like, simply click here!


Without explanation, this picture seems random, I know. So, allow me to explain.
My dad has an odd affinity for Saltine crackers. I am not exactly sure why, but he generally likes to have a box on hand. My fiance (to whom I will be married in eight days) is obsessed with his pocket knife. He looks for any excuse to pull it out of his pocket (since he never goes anywhere without having it there) and show it off. Yes, I realize the knives in the picture are more butter knife-ish, and less pocket knife-ish, but, in my book, a knife is a knife. Finally, my mom and I have been collecting glass bottles for months, to be used in the wedding (Did I mention, by the way, that it is a mere ten days away now?) For these reasons, this picture struck a cord on my heartstrings this week.

Summer

Today was an exceptionally busy day. Between doctor's appointments, pharmacy visits, and client phone calls, a single word popped into my mind... A word that carries with it a whole host of emotions. The word?

Summer.

The word itself is loaded with nostalgia, ideals, expectations, hopes.

When I think of summer, I literally get giddy inside. I remember how I longed for summer as a little girl: family vacations, cookouts, pool (or lake) parties, evening boat rides, berry picking, riding in the bed of my dad's truck.

Summer possesses its own kind of sweetness, as do each of the other seasons. Fall is a time of excitement and preparation; of celebration and thanks. Winter is a time of hustle and bustle, of anticipation, of going and doing. Spring brings with it the sweetness of renewal after a long, cold winter season.

But summer's sweetness is extra special. It holds the promise of rest, of warmth, of sunshine. It is a sweet reminder of days gone by, of simpler times.

Of course, now that I am learning to be a grown up, and working full time, other than the weather and my morale, nothing much changes in the summer.

In fact, this summer has been exceptionally busy: graduating from college, starting a new job, moving into a new apartment, planning a wedding, and preparing for married life.

But the ideals of summer still remain.

And something about summertime is still exceptionally sweet.