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Chalkboard Fun

2012
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So I’m loving my chalkboard in my kitchen and love how it’s tucked away in a nice little spot so it’s not so overwhelming…

and I love the chalkboard to do something fun or inspirational on it.  It’s always a great place for scripture, to keep me reminded of our purpose.  But, when Ry’s 30th birthday came, I but up Happy 30th Ryan, and it stayed there for over 2 months.

I do love chalkboards but when they are this big they can be a little overwhelming.  So, when I finally decided that ry’s 30th was truly over, I went searching the internet for something fun to put on it.  That’s when I discovered this over on Miss Mustard Seed’s blog.

I just love a little bit of the shapes mixed with the font, mixed with the pictures:)  So, I ended up coming up with something like this…

Not sure if I mentioned it before, but I’m not an artsy fartsy kind of gal.  I’m more of an arts and crafts kind of gal:)  So, if I see something I like I can usually emulate it in some way….but don’t expect we me to be creating things for pinterest.  Get my point??  But here’s the deal.  It’s okay to copy stuff:)  And anyone who does copy stuff from me I take it as a compliment.  So I hope others would do the same:)  As long as credit is given!!  So, inspiration is all around us and can be found anywhere, we just need to search it out:)

I still love having the scripture in there too.  And I wasn’t quite artsy enough to come up with a picture…but it works!

I also made it the week before Whimsy opened, so it was fun to incorporate that into it as well:)

and the beauty of chalkboard paint is that you can erase and redo, but also little bodies rubbing up against it can smudge:)

Still loving the chalkboard:)  It’s amazing how a unique pop can add so much character.  So take a peek around your house and see if there’s anywhere that you can add one…or we always have lots to sell at Whimsy:)

Also an update that lots of changes are happening around here.  We have gotten our second wind of finishing projects and decorating…so stay tuned to see a guest house update, a new mantle, some new furniture, and fun decor:)  Now to find the time:):)

Filed Under: Decorating

Living Life Sheltered and Naive

2012
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By  now most of you know my past.  I was the typical “good girl.”  I was raised in a Christian home with great Christ centered morals.  I went to Sunday School every Sunday and Youth Group every Wednesday.  I learned Bible verses at a young age and was taught the difference between right and wrong.  To some of you this may seem a “sheltered” life.  I did attend public school but the Lord had mercy on me and provided Christian friends that didn’t always live their faith out, but had great morals.  I was saved from seeing “culture” as some people may say.  I was completely naive to sex and sex related activities until high school, and even then my knowledge was very small.

When I met Ryan I was 23.  And quite honestly I hadn’t learned too much more in that area.  I had been surrounded by great Christian friends and was in my bubble at a Christian college.  Ry has a bit of a different testimony, and as he would say he was building a strong one for awhile:)  He is an amazing man but did experience more than I in the on goings of this world. Some of the stories I would hear from him or others would quite shock me.

I remember after being married to Ry for about 4 years , asking him if he is ever embarrassed by me.  Not quite sure why I asked that question?!?  The only thing he said is that sometimes he was embarrassed by my naiveness to things.  Oh course I jumped on the defense right away because that’s what I tend to do:)  But that was over a year ago now and as of lately I have been thinking about this topic a lot.

Our world is changing at an amazingly fast rate.  Not for the better in my opinion.  As we’ve had children you realize even more how scary of a world it can be.  Ry and I have been considering very strongly home-schooling our kiddos and I am always amazed by how many people are quick to say I don’t want my children so sheltered.  I need them to experience life.  I want them to know what the world is like out there.  And for awhile I would just nod my head and not say much.  And I am not writing this post to say everyone should home school.  I am writing this post to evaluate where our thinking has come.  As I have looked into this topic more I wish I could respond to people with, why in the world would you want them to know everything that’s in this world?? Why would you desire them to experience it??  Why would you not want to protect them from some of it??

There is a difference between being naive to the sin of the world and being naive to God and his word.  Which one is of greater importance for you and your children??

The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.   Proverbs 14:18

More than being “cultured” with what is going on in our society, I believe we need to be knowledgeable of what the Lord has called us to do.  How He has called us to act and behave.  As I was reflecting on Ry’s comment of being embarrassed of me in that area, I later praised God for it.  I thank the Lord that he has guarded my eyes and ears from the sin of this world.  I thank him for the knowledge He has given me to know what is right and wrong, what I want to engage in and what I want to stay away from.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. … Romans 12: 1-21

With that being said, I want to make sure that people realize we are still called to love on people of this world.  The sinners, the sick, the needy, the unlovables.  We are not called to run away from all things that are of a sinful nature.  We are called to not PARTAKE in them though.  We are to lead blameless lives, free of sin.  (if only it were that easy!)

I have had friends from all groups.  I have amazing Christian friends that challenge me and I aspire to be more like them.  I have friends that come right along side me daily and encourage me.  I have friends that I feel like I try to encourage them and be there for them.  I have friends with big testimonies and friends with small testimonies.  (which they are all big in Jesus’ eyes, but you know what I mean:)  And even though I am quite naive to still quite a bit, I love them all the same.  Because that’s what we are called to do.  And even though I may not have experienced all the same temptations, I endure my own on a daily basis.  I fight my own fights and am by no way claim to be perfect in any area.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? Luke 6:41

So.  Why did I feel like I needed to write this post??  Well, I recently saw this on a friends facebook page and listened to it.  It shook me quite a bit…it’s only two and a half minutes long and I really think you should listen to it.  It’s called If I were the Devil, and it’s Paul Harvey speaking in 1965 about if he were the devil what he would attack in our nation and our culture.  It’s eerily prophetic of where we have come..

What really got me thinking is of how the devil really has worked his way into so many little areas of our life.  I just wrote a blog on television and since then the Lord has been convicting me all the more on this topic.  I used to easily get sucked into The Bachelor, you know… all in good fun.  But if I asked myself what of this is pleasing to the Lord?? I just couldn’t come up with anything.  I convinced myself that since I wouldn’t watch rated R movies, and there’s only a couple of questionable scenes in the movie it was alright.   I recently have seen so many people proudly announce on Facebook books that they are reading that make me cringe at first thought, but as of recently make me want to cry.  Satan has entered so many areas of our life and this world that it is hard to not succumb to it.  I praise God for my naiveness of the world and continue to seek out His word for knowledge of how to live in this world.  I desire more of Jesus and with that being said, drastic things need to change.  And lastly I desire to keep my kids as pure as long as possible.  If this makes them socially awkward, so be it.  I’d rather have them looking awkward in this world than in the next!

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. John 15:19

I honestly hope this doesn’t offend you, I just wanted to share what the Lord has been laying on my heart.  I pray that you would continue to increase your knowledge of the Word of Jesus and not of the pleasures of this world:)

Filed Under: Faith

Before & After…The Master Bedroom

2012
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Okay, I know I haven’t done a makeover in awhile…and it’s mostly because I’ve been stalling.  I have all these little projects I want to get done but they just aren’t magically doing it themselves!  Imagine that!  So, I figured heck with it.  It’s more fun to show updates anyhow right?

So, onto the master we go.  I must say this room had one of the most dramatic changes, from the low ceilings to the nice high ceilings, and the false dormer to a now open one.  And from a lot of broken up closets to an open feel.  Back to memory lane we go to see the before..

and after..

I always forget what angle I took first and wished I would have taken the exact same angle for the after, but by the time I realize it I’m a little too lazy to go back and take another one.   Sorry!! The small window in the before is now in our clothes closet:)  That whole wall got covered by 2 big closets.  The one of the left is for our clothes, and the one on the right is our laundry area.  I would have shown you a pic with the doors open had I not revealed earlier my deep dark secret of disorganization:)

So again, here’s one more before…

and after..

again…not the same angle.  Sorry!! In the before the wood paneling you see on the right hand side was a big walk in closet that led up to the attic.  We opened that all up and used the attic space for our vaulted ceilings which are at 11 feet high.  We also added above storage that you can see quite nicely since the doors aren’t on them quite yet:)  My father-in-law made some nice tongue and groove doors that we are adding barn door hinges on and hopefully they will get up in the semi-near future:)

Here’s the now open dormer window..

I love the light it brings into the room since there were only 2 smaller windows to start with.  It also is a nice little cozy reading nook..

and if you notice the 3M box in the background, no…I’m not advertising for the hubbies business:)  Just happens to be some hidden storage at the moment that hasn’t gotten put away in um….4 months.  whoops.

The room has come a long way though, remember when it was one of the first ones sheet rocked and we were soo thankful to have a room to move into with a roof over our heads instead of a pop-up camper?   Back then it looked like this…

The true family bedroom.  And we were so THANKFUL!!  No carpet and all:)

So here’s a few more fun shots of close ups:)

I love trunks, and was so excited when I scored this one at an auction for $35.  I initially thought it would go in Tate’s room til I reassessed the size.  A little big.  I love it at the end of our bed though and works great to store extra pillows and blankets in!

I moved our gallery wall from the stairway in the last house to above my bed in this house.  I have to add a little tack em to get them to all hang level, and there may be a lot some pictures hanging the wrong way still.  whoops.

and I had to find a home for my blue dresser.  She’s tucked in by the door.  I got that awesome gold frame from Ryan’s Grandma after she passed away.  I’m still looking for something to hang in it before I hang it on the wall.

Lastly in case you’re curious I used Martha Stewarts Whetstone Gray on the walls.

I really like how subdued it is.  We get the morning sun and this room is my favorite place to be in the mornings!

 

Filed Under: Makeovers

Television

2012
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This is the post of how television almost ruined our marriage.  Okay, not really…but it could have:)  Cable television has always been a novelty to me.  I loved going on vacation as a kid and watching Saved By the Bell, thinking it was the coolest thing ever.  We never had cable growing up and for that matter we didn’t even have a VCR til I was in highschool.  We had no gaming systems, not even the old school Nintendo.  We had bikes and imaginations.  Kudos to my parents for allowing us to grow up that way:)

When Ry and I got married we lived out in the boondox, yes…even further out than we are now:)  and never thought to get cable or satellite.  Neither of us grew up with it and we didn’t watch a whole lot of tv anyhow.  Then we moved to town.  When we were in town we all of a sudden could bundle our internet and tv, how novel!  And exciting!!  For the first time in my life I had satellite television with DVR.  Why did we ever need to leave our house?  Plus the benefit that we had small children and Mickey Mouse was amazing to them!!  Everyone was happy!  For awhile.  After a month or so Ryan and I started to realize that we weren’t connecting as well.  He would go downstairs at night to watch all of his hunting shows he had dvr’d and I would stay upstairs and watch HGTV or the Hallmark channel.  About the time Ryan was getting ready to leave to be a hunting guide in Wyoming (not really) we realized that we needed to give up cable.  So, we paid the initial start-up fee and then 2 to 3 months later we payed $550 to cancel our cable.  Ouch!  But we seriously felt like it was that important.  Selfishly I loved it, but that’s all I loved.  I could sit on the couch and waste every night watching whatever I wanted…and if something good wasn’t on, no fear….I had something recorded:)

Now, I am not to say that cable is bad for everyone.  I am just saying that for us…it was interfering with our relationship with each other and Jesus.  My sister recently showed me a quote from Mr. John Piper, an amazingly wise man, where he said…

The greatest danger of tv and movies is growing accustomed to the enjoyment of the absence of God.

Yep.  Read that one again.  It will smack you right in the middle of the eyes, or at least it did me!  It is so true!!  With tv you can sit and think about nothing…which is nice at times, but when you would rather sit and do nothing all the time is when there is a problem.

Ry and I don’t watch too much tv.  The tv we do watch we try to make sure is appropriate, although there seems to be less and less these days!  We watch maybe 1 movie a month.  But the real question is are we accustomed to the enjoyment of the absence of God????  In any part of our life???

This is something I will think about the next time I go to turn the tv on, and maybe decide to spend some time with Jesus first!

Filed Under: Faith, Family