Every year I start out the Christmas season with the best of intentions. Intentions of savoring the season, pointing my children to the Christ of Christmas all the more, doing more for others etc. etc.... I think that's why the devil works overtime, to distract us with the busyness, cause us to get caught up in what we need to buy, do, where we need to be, and so on! This has been a week of major distraction! Illness, crazyness at work, Christmas parties and concerts, extra school assignments that need oversight, baking to do and a long list of shopping that is yet to be done. In it all I am trying to just stop today and remind myself to "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him". {Psalm 37:7a}
So today's post is going to be a hodge podge. I have strayed far from my blogging schedule and am going to just mash a few things together!
First I wanted to share a story of God's grace with you that happened to me last week. I had been having particularly difficult parenting day {if you know what I mean} and my hubby had to go straight from work to basketball practice for one of our sons. I was home with the other three and it wasn't going well. While I was trying to manage things, I had to quickly go online and reconcile our checking account. While doing so I discovered that due to some major miscalculating and a little overspending on my part, we were going to be short $55.00 in our checking account and there were a few checks yet to go through. I knew that I was totally spent mentally and emotionally already and the only option I had was to pray. I knew that I did not deserve for God to bail me out. I had blown it. I just prayed that somehow he would work things out. You know what, that's exactly what he did. When my husband came home that night I had decided not to tell him yet about the money issue because I was already overwhelmed with the rest of the days events and wanted to share those with him. After unloading on him {and he seemed uncharacteristically calm throughout our discussion}, he said, "I think you need some good news". His boss had given him a bonus that day! He has never gotten a bonus in December before and this was totally unexpected {by us!} It was no surprise to God and I was so humbled in that moment that He would choose to "bail" me out in spite of my own failings.
What a great God we serve! On top of it all my husband said he wanted me to take some of that money to buy a new camera. I just have a point and shoot and as a blogger I have been so wanting something that would do a little more! What a major blessing! So I am now the proud owner of a Canon Rebel. Don't expect a dramatic improvement in the quality of my pictures, I don't know what I'm doing yet, but we'll get there!
Let me move on! I want to share a Christmas pillow that I put together this week for my husband's grandma. This is only a small variation from
PB knock off pillow I did last year. This tree pillow uses the same leaf shape, cut out of felt; the same drop cloth fabric, and the same little white poms. I think that wreath is still my fave but the tree's pretty cute too!
If you want to make something similar, I started by cutting strips of felt so that the height of my leaves was all relatively the same. For a standard sheet of felt its about six strips per sheet.
I made two different sizes of leaves. Half of them were "normal" leaf shapes and the other half were skinnier. The skinnier ones I used to fill in between the cracks of the wider leaves.
Each leaf was hot glued on. After the basic shape of your tree fill in with leaves.
Then add your poms and a trunk.
Hopefully Grandma likes it otherwise it looks pretty cute right there!
I told you this was a hodge podge so I want to show you an awesome idea I came across. A facebook friend posted this from a friend of hers {who I believe it is original with}.
These deer heads were cut off those lawn ornaments that you can buy at home improvement stores and mounted on the wall. I think she just used wire cutters. Isn't that ingenious! I don't think I could pay full price for the whole deer to do this but I'm hoping I could find one at Goodwill!
So today as I am writing this I heard the horrific news of the events in Connecticut. Cute pillows seem so trite! Hug your kiddos extra tight and join me in praying for the families touched by this tragedy!
I'm sharing this here:
Funky Junk InteriorsTatertots and JelloBetween naps on the porch
