Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals, and her friends Erika and Narci, for this blog post. 

It's been a great week around here, one filled with accomplishment, and that always makes it a favorite for me.  Jonah and I got a lot of painting done this week, and again, I couldn't have done all that I did without him.  I'm so thankful!  I'm also extremely grateful that the Lord helped me all day long yesterday as I painted the very tall walls in our stairwell.  I prayed the whole time I was painting, literally, and I was so happy to be finished that I could have cried.  When I say that the Lord helped me, I truly mean it.  I am not being flippant at all about those words.  Ask Noah, he heard me thanking the Lord the entire time.

That being said, here are some other favorites from throughout my week.

First up is what I saw on Instagram yesterday by Rachel Martin.  I agree wholeheartedly with all of this and am a firm believer that more can get done when you're kind to someone.  People have bad days, friends, and sometimes they just lash out.  I would guess that every single one of us has been on the receiving end of something like this.  I would also guess that we all have been the ones lashing out.  As much as it is up to you, pursue peace always, but especially this time of year.  There is a song I love by Francesca Battistelli called Heaven that talks about this.  Read the first couple of verses below.

I hear the bells, they're ringing loud and clear

You can't help but love this time of year

It's Christmastime, there's something in the air

There's a little bit of heaven everywhere

Somehow there's a little more of love

And maybe there's a little less of us

Or maybe we're just slightly more aware

There's a little bit of heaven everywhere

Is that not true?  There should always be a lot less of us.  The world doesn't revolve around us, after all, and there no more perfect time of year than now to extend the love, mercy, and grace that Jesus so willingly and lovingly bestows.  We are to be lights that reflect Him, because He is the light of the world.

Speaking of music, Christmas music is my favorite right now.  I have a few artists on repeat that I love right now: Francesca Battistelli that I mentioned, Matt Redman and his album These Christmas Lights, The Tenors, Pentatonix, Chris Tomlin and his album Adore, The Carpenters, to name just a few.  My favorite is worship music, and there are no better than Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman, in my humble opinion. 

Actually, worship music in general is pretty much all I listen to.  Have y'all seen that year at a glance thing that Spotify offers?  All of my artists and albums are worship music. 

I also saw this image yesterday from a friend's Facebook post, and I laughed ridiculously hard. 

#truestory

I'm laughing as I read it again, and I share that in jest. 

I wrote and published my very favorite kind of blog post this week, my Christmas house tour.  Probably all of three people actually care about this, but I look forward to doing this post every single year.  I love to look back and see how my tastes have changed over the last couple of decades, and I love to do the actual decorating.  It's fun to me, and I love to do it all year long and am forever moving things around and cleaning out, and repurposing what we already have.  (Repurposing is a fancy word for shopping my house.)

I love for things to be clean, orderly, clutter free, and pretty.  The pretty part is what is so different for me than a lot of people, but all of Mom's girls are like me on this, and they all have beautifully decorated homes.  I love seeing all the differing tastes, and I think it's all so pretty.

Judging from the number of views that little post received, it's also a favorite of other people.

I spent Tuesday with my sweet mommy, and we ended our day with my favorite Christmas cups from Starbucks.  My favorite drink to get there all year long is the Chai Tea Latte.  It tastes like Christmas in a cup.  It's really warm and slightly spicy, with undertones of cinnamon and (believe it or not) black pepper.  I realize that sounds so strange, but I've made believers out of several people.  Try it for yourself, but I'd get the smallest size, in case you don't like the flavors.

Some of my favorite people tore down our deck Wednesday afternoon, in preparation for us to get new siding on the house.  It's supposed to be started today, but it's raining, so maybe they'll get started on Monday now.  When it gets built back, it'll be built low to the ground, with steps going out from this door down to the flooring.

Also, today is the birthday of one of my favorite people ever pictured above: my wonderful stepdad, Bill.  If your'e reading this, Bill, happy birthday!  I love you and look forward to celebrating you Monday night. 

Crash was lamenting over his days of running out of that door for the unforeseeable future.

Here is a portion of what I painted yesterday in my house, and it wasn't my favorite.  But it's done! 

This was Chip's favorite day of the week.  He hopped up into Todd's spot in our bed, and he was living his best life.

Ignore my torn up cuticles from decorating and fluffing Christmas trees and painting, but this is my favorite time of year to get my nails done.  The brighter and sparklier, the better.  I didn't look at the name, but it's that dip powder I've been getting on my nails, and it's my favorite ever. 

(Just because it's pretty.)

I'll end with one last thing.

If you're local to me, I'd love for you to join us for my favorite night of worship all year long, our Christmas night of praise and worship.  It's this Sunday night, at six o'clock, in the sanctuary of our church, Collierville First Baptist Church. 

Well, I need to dust a little downstairs, and vacuum and get started on laundry before my dad gets here.  Thanks for reading my blog!  Love to all. 

update on our house |for personal use & to look back on|

I've not posted a lot, but we're still doing #allthehousethings over here.  My latest thing has been painting.  I've been going slow, because if I don't, I get easily overwhelmed.  Also, my feet KILL ME if I do too much in one day (hello forties and old stress fractures), so I can only do this in small increments.  (It's a lot of up and down from the ladder.)  Here is the color I've been using.

I love it so much!  I've been doing all the halls in the house, with Jonah's help, and I have been really pleased with how it's turning out.  The color is a Valspar color that Lowe's matched for me, but the inspiration was Amazing Gray by Sherwin Williams.  We originally asked for the satin finish, but they goofed and gave us semi-gloss.  I don't hate it.  On Monday, I sent Jonah for more paint, and asked for satin again, and they gave us satin.  Needless to say all that I'd done on Monday had to be re-done yesterday, because the finish of the paint makes a huge difference in the color of the paint.  They gave us two more gallons for free, and I repainted it all again yesterday.  Today's project is the  stairwell of our house.  Hello, high walls and painting with an extension roller for the first time!  I may have dreamed about this last night.  On Monday, we will finish up with the last bit of the downstairs halls. 

The siding was supposed to start today, but it got pushed off (AGAIN) to tomorrow.  In preparation for that, Todd, (my wonderful, wonderful) stepdad Bill, Graham, and Jonah (not pictured) tore down the deck yesterday afternoon.

Instead of rebuilding it to be like it was prior to them tearing it down, we're going to have it built low to the ground with a wood flooring and with stairs from this door Crash is looking out down to the new lower deck.  We originally thought we would just make it a concrete pad, but the wooden version will be cheaper. 

Also, before Bill left last night (after being here all day making adjustments to this new beautiful porch covering roof thing), they took down the railing on the front porch and it will also be replaced.

See the old railing on the front lawn?  It'll all be replaced.  All the wood you see on the new porch covering will be wrapped with the new siding that is sitting in our backyard. 

Things are moving right along!  It's exciting.  I can't wait to see the finished and updated version of our house when it's all over and done with. 

Well, that's about all I've got for today.  I'll be over here painting some more if you need me.  ;) 

Love to all. 

Wednesday Women in the Word

In all my years of church attendance, I've never been part of a church family like the one I'm in right now.  I've never had a pastor like the one I have now, and I am so thankful for this.  More than any other person has ever told me this, he shares with us all the time how vital it is to pray and read the word of God if you want to hear from God.  I agree with him wholeheartedly on this, and will also add how life changing it is, when this becomes part of your daily routine.  I may skimp on other things on my "list" of things to do from day to day, but I almost never miss having quiet time with the Lord. 

Having this time at ANY time of day is better than not having this time at all, but I think mornings are best for this.  It's quieter in most homes in the early hours, and the hustle and bustle of the day hasn't yet begun.  But to do this early in the morning, you need to prepare the night before, by going to bed at a decent hour so you can get up.  If you struggle with this, pray and ask the Lord to help you in doing this each day.  He will help you, I promise. 

What my time with Jesus looks like each day may differ a bit, but here's what I do most mornings.  I pray first.  I always pray before I read the bible, because a lot of times, I have to ask for wisdom as I read.  I begin my prayer time with praising God for who He is.  He is Savior, Redeemer, Comforter, Prince of Peace, Almighty, never changing, friend, King of Kings, my rock, my strength, the song I sing.  This isn't a time to thank Him, but to give Him the praise He alone is worthy of.  Next, I ask Him to show to me any sin in my life that I need to repent of.  He is always faithful to show me something.  I thank Him after this, for all He has done, then I pray for others. 

I always sit down to read with my bible, a journal, and a pen, and I always have a plan to go by.  I know of people who can just open up and begin to read, but for me, I need a plan to follow for accountability.  Right now, I'm reading along with my church family in the book of Revelation, and because that is so deep and sometimes hard to understand, I am also reading along in an Advent plan that goes back and forth from the old testament to the new.  Sometimes I write out scripture, but I'm not doing that right now.

There is no "right" or exact formula for this, the point is just to start.  I "hear" from the Lord every single time I open my bible to read.  He speaks through His word, and I always ask Him for ears to hear.  The more I read, the more saturated in His word I become, and that is what I want: for it to flow out of my heart, my mind, my mouth.  The more I read, the more I know Him, and the more He shows me.  I may be going through a little time of sadness or loneliness, and I'll pick up my bible and read that He satisfies the thirsty.  (I read that once in such a time, somewhere in the book of Jeremiah.) 

We're all busy in life, let's admit that, but let's not be so busy that we neglect time with the Lord each day.  I will put a lot of things off, but my quiet time isn't one of them and neither is attending church services.  It's so important to sit under godly preaching each week, and it's uplifting and faith building to be around other believers.  If you don't have a church home, consider finding one, and be faithful in attendance.  You'll never regret that decision.  Going to church services faithfully also gives you the added benefit of friends, which is where all of my friends came from.  Here's the thing about attending church services: the enemy makes it so easy for us to miss.  Once you miss a week, it gets easier each week after.  This was never a suggestion in our home, as we raised our sons, but a requirement.  We even go when we don't feel great, because we can either be miserable at home, or we can be miserable at church, and when we go, we don't stay miserable for long.  (We do stay home if we have fever or something contagious, but that's very rare.) 

Don't let a church service be the only time you spend with God each week, though.  The personal relationship I have with the Lord really grows when I spend time alone with Him, much like it would if this were a relationship with my best friend.  I have gotten to know her by spending quality time with her, and my relationship with the Lord is the same. 

This time of year is a great time to start something new like this.  If you're local to me and need a church to call home, come and visit mine.  I attend Collierville First Baptist.  If you're not local, ask some friends about where they go and join them.  Don't neglect these things: prayer, reading the bible, attending church services.  Make them a priority, and you will see a huge difference in your life.  Don't take my word for it, try it for yourself. 

I pray this encourages someone today.  Love to all. 

Come on in! |Christmas Home 2019|

I love seeing what everyone's homes look like, especially at this time of year.  I love to decorate and for things to look pretty.  Maybe because I'm at home more than I'm not (except for lately), but I am always working to keep my house looking a certain way.  I do this for my own family, because we're really the only ones who are ever here. 

That being said, here's what mine looks like this year.  I do change it a little every year, partly because I forget to stop and look back, but mainly because I love changing things around.  I get this from my mom.  ;)  I'm not complaining.  Her genes are strong in all us girls who belong to her, and we've each been told we're good at this sort of thing. 

This is right at the front door, coming into the living room.  I love these little plates, and even more than them, I love the Target dollar spot aisle, where a lot of things came from this year.\

Here's my tree!  I think she's lovely.  We put a lot of white lights on this year, more than usual, so she really stands out. 

Up close and personal...I don't love an overdone tree in my house, though I love everyone else's, so we go for just our favorite ornaments.  A lot of what you see are two strands of garland with those big red ball ornaments, and I have six giant white snowballs. 

Jonah likes things simple, and I tend to let him do whatever. 

I love the hearth!  My sweet and best friend Abbey bought me these adorable pillows last year for my birthday/Christmas, and I couldn't love anything more.  I like them here because we have dogs, and if there are pillows on the couch, the dogs will lay on them.

The truck on the hearth is new this year, and was an early birthday present.  That lantern thing is still a favorite new thing from last year, and was also a birthday gift.  (December birthdays mean Christmas things, and I'm fine with that!) 

I like to put Christmas things everywhere.  This desk is in our living room.

This is the downstairs bathroom, and I just stuck some branches of greenery and red berries into that Mason jar and added new pine scented soap and the Christmas tree from Hobby Lobby.  (Side note: I love buying hand soap from Home Goods, and always love the kind that has the glass jars, like this one.)

New paint!  (Amazing Gray, by Sherwin Williams.)  I hung this new bulletin board thing and those three pictures to the left of it over the weekend.  The board came from Michael's, and I paid one dollar for it.  ONE DOLLAR.  I love it and will change up what I put onto it throughout the year.

And yes, I wear that necklace, but until I wear it, it looks cute hanging there.

This little three tiered stand was a Christmas gift a few years ago, and it's my favorite thing in the house.  I love changing up all that sits inside of it, but the Christmas version is by far my favorite.  I kept it simpler this year than in years past and added little finger bowls with winter animals on them, a bunch of discarded old and bright Christmas ornaments, and some napkins my mom made for me.  There's also a set of white sugar and cream jars.

Home Goods candle, Home Goods plant, old platter.

I changed up this area a lot this year, and that wooden thing is a cutting board.  I added another candle that smells like pine from Bath & Body Works, and some cute little bottle brush trees to match the tea towels.  The green plaid towel was in a set of two from Hobby Lobby (half off!) and the red and white ones came in a pack from Home Goods. 

I told you, I add Christmas to every spot in the house.

This is at the top of the stairs, and the red and black buffalo check is a scarf I put on top of the bookshelf.  I love the flocked tree!  It came from Marshall's last year, and I think it's cute just as it is.

This is the last room with Christmas, and it's our bedroom.  That blanket stays put all during the cold months, and the pillows are more from my friend Abbey, and the one in front that says "Mistletoe" was a birthday gift from my sister Trish.  As was the plaid blanket. 

When the boys were all little, we put stuff in their room, but they don't let me do that anymore, not even the fun Christmas flannel sheets they used to love.  Oh, well. 

I hope you enjoyed the tour!  If you're on social media and we're friends, share yours, I'd love to see.

Thanks for reading.  Love to all. 

traditions |zoo lights|

Every year on Thanksgiving, we eat with my mom and stepdad and whatever family is in town.  The Friday after Thanksgiving, we go to my dad's, and every single year for many in a row, we go to the zoo to see all the Christmas lights.  It's always beautiful and this year didn't disappoint.  Last year the weather forced us to miss out on this, so it was good to go again.  

I thought I'd share all the pictures.

This is at the Teton Trek exhibit, but the lodge was closed for a private event.  

This was the tree that was at the entrance, and I'm shocked the camera on my phone caught this pattern.  I love this picture.

The carousel is always free during this event, and everyone rode while Todd and I sat and waited.

These two structures were my favorites of the whole night.

This tunnel is also my favorite, and this was the first year we walked through it, usually we ride the tram at this point.

Who knew Drew was the donkey whisperer?  Look how this little guy was laying his head on Drew's arm!  Drew said his arm was aching by the time he stopped petting him, the donkey did this for more than five minutes.

Jonah's smile cracks me up in this picture.

They added these fire pit things, and we sat around one and drank some hot chocolate.  I love this picture of Graham.  

Obligatory daddy/daughters picture every year.  Doesn't he look so handsome in his hat?

After this, all the boys rode home with Todd, and I drove Trish and Dad back to his house.  We were excited about seeing his lights that we did for the first time in person.

We all agreed that we outdid ourselves this year.  It was a great night!  Trish and I rode back to my house together and she came in and saw all our Christmas decorations, but I'll share more about that tomorrow, maybe.  For now, I'm off to make my bed, fold clothes, and paint the hallway upstairs.  Love to all.