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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Work In Progress - Laundry Room

Our latest remodeling project is our Laundry Room. We have a very generous sized Laundry Room that connects the Garage and the Kitchen so it also serves as a Mud Room and Utility Room.  
Pictures from when we moved in...
{Looking from the Kitchen...Wood paneled walls, unfinished drywall}
{Oh so lovely furnace and water heater}
{Doorway leading from the laundry room to the bathroom(We dry-walled over this door!)}
{Ahh.. the retro flowered paneling. So not my style}
There was no outlet for the dryer located in the room... instead we found that the previous owners used the dryer in the garage. So when we had our handy dandy electrician come over to install an outlet in the laundry room, he fell through the ceiling. 
{Don't worry, only his legs fell through. As you can tell he is feeling just fine after the mishap.}
We have been living with a gaping hole in the ceiling of our laundry room for over a year now. When we finally decided to replace that piece of drywall, I thought it an opportune time to take down the yellow paneling. I convinced Brandon this would only be a mild remodel and he just stared at me with those all knowing eyes. I'm thankful that he knew from the beginning this would turn into a long project, cause it has. It's been 6 weeks since we started and this is what it looks like...
{try to ignore my mess in the middle of the room}
It was weeks of re-dry-walling, mudding, sanding and not to mention moving pipes, patching holes, and moving the dryer vent. But now the end is in sight. Hopefully we will be done in a week and I can post the big reveal! 
By the way... NO MORE HOLE IN THE CEILING!!!!





Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sugar Baby

Leah decided to pa-rouse the pantry shelf while I was cooking dinner last night. Yes, that is a bag of powdered sugar that she is biting holes into...
Once I took the bag away she threw a mild temper tantrum until she realized the mess of sugar on the floor. Crying quickly ceased when her tongue was plastered to the floor.
Big brother wanted to join in as soon he discovered the mess of sugar.
Don't worry, I didn't let dinner burn while I was snapping away pics.
It was a foolproof recipe.
Homemade Chicken & Dumplings
Perfect for the damp and rainy days we've been having.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Hot Cross Buns

I feel like I haven't left the kitchen in days. Josiah and I made up little packages to give out on Easter to family and friends. I found some nice bags at Hobby Lobby and baked Banana Bread and Oatmeal Cookies to place inside. Right now we have Jello Jigglers in the fridge, those are soo simple I don't think it's possible to mess those up! Next on our list is Hot Cross Buns. 

I had wanted to have these for breakfast but Brandon had to get up for work at 4am this morning and there was no way I was getting up at 2am to bake them. lol Instead we might have them for an after supper treat. I'm using Pioneer Woman's recipe from Tasty Kitchen so it's guaranteed to be fabulous.

Thoughts on Good Friday

Today when I woke up I pondered the name of this day,
 Good Friday.
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 This is suppose to be a somber day to reflect on what Jesus went through to save us from our sins. So it made me wonder why then, it would be called 'Good' when today we reflect on His death at the cross. But then it struck me, that we are not meant to dwell on Jesus' death, but instead look forward to what His death brought us. 

When we take the time this day to truly realize the agony and suffering that Jesus went through its enough to make you weep uncontrollably. I can't imagine being one of the disciples, not being able to fully understand what had happened and being stuck in that feeling of despair. I wouldn't know what move to make next. Those 3 days would seem like years. In that sense, I am soo thankful that on this GOOD Friday I know His death on the cross wasn't the end of the story. We can raise our heads and walk in victory this very day if we are a believer. God is greater than all evil and Jesus has overcome the world, so what is there to worry about? Why should we walk in shame or misery?
He Is Risen by Greg Olsen
 I've heard this story told before, and I'm not sure if it's true or not, but this is how it goes. Martin Luther woke in the middle of the night and saw satan standing at the foot of his bed. Upon seeing the devil he replied " Oh its just you." and rolled over and fell back asleep. Hahaha I just love that story. It doesn't matter if it's true or not the point is that satan can mean nothing to us because he has already been defeated. Satan has no power over us if we live and believe in the Risen Lord. So let us celebrate this weekend that Jesus did not stay in the tomb, instead
HE IS RISEN! HE'S RISEN INDEED!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Easter Baskets

I just finished the kids Easter baskets last night. I really enjoy getting gifts for my kids that will help them to grow spiritually.. and this is what I came up with this year.
I bought the Easter baskets last year at Family Christian Stores for $2.50 each! Embroidered on the front of the fabric says "He is Risen!" I love it!
In Leah's basket I put a Precious Moments book, Yogurt Melts {since she can't have candy yet}, the Lulla Bible which I am sooo excited about, and this homemade bunny. I found the pattern in the book Homemade Fun by Rae Grant. It was so fun and easy I made another one for my cousins baby girl.
BOZ is one of Josiah's favorites. Mine too! The movies and books are beautifully illustrated and colorful without being over the top and in your face. Every movies teach wonderful morals and always end in a prayer.
I am also super excited about these 2 CD's. Jones Design Co recommended Seeds Family Worship and once I listened to them myself I knew Josiah would love them. He love music so these will be a great tool to teach him scripture.

All in all, I think I'm more excited about what's in their Easter baskets then they'll ever be!


{P.S. - I simply wanted to share with you what I am giving my kids for Easter because I love these products, I am NOT being paid or sponsored by the makers of these products.}

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Making a Spring Wreath

I've had this great grape vine wreath hanging on a peg in the garage for a few weeks now. I inherited it from my Grandma when she had me take a few boxes of old stuff up to the church rummage sale. Naturally I looked through it first to pick out a few goodies and found a wreath with sun-faded flowers and old ribbon on it. The wreath was in good shape so I plucked off the flowers and came up with this.

The flowers surrounding the wreath I found at Michael's for 60% off. It was a whole bouquet {from the Ashland - Parisian Accent line} I just pulled apart which consisted of roses, hydrangeas and a few small nameless flowers. 
I just arranged them on the wreath until I liked it and then slightly lifted them up and hot glued them in place. 
Soo simple and fun.  Once in a while I need a craft to do that doesn't clutter my Dining Room table for 3 days. I love the elegant greens and creams against the blue door.




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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Early Spring in Rockford

So this weekend we went back to Grand Rapids... we just can't stay away! Actually we went to attended an event at Cornerstone University where Brandon will be going to next fall and it turned out to be a wonderful day! We had to be at the college at 8:30, which meant dropping the kids off at their Grandparents at 6am, which in turn meant I had no time to do my daily readings until we were on the road. As we were pulling into the school parking lot, I read aloud to Brandon from Psalm 118... and guess what little gem I found in there...

 22 The stone the builders rejected 
   has become the cornerstone; 
23 the LORD has done this, 
   and it is marvelous in our eyes. 
24 The LORD has done it this very day; 
   let us rejoice today and be glad.

I knew it was a word from God saying, "Keep up the good work kiddo! You're on the right track!" 

I looked in my husband's Concordance and it says that the word Cornerstone is only used 5 times in the NKJV..... 5 times in 2025 pages! The chances that I read this while we were pulling into the parking lot of CORNERSTONE UNIVERSITY truly astonishes me. Pure Godsidence {meaning not a coincidence... but instead, knowing it was God's perfect timing} if you ask me!

After our visit to the school we headed a few miles north of Grand Rapids to the cutest little town, Rockford. The shops in town were quaint and homey, just what I like. 

Besides all the fun stores, the scenery was breathtaking. I know the pictures I took don't do the town justice cause it got a little cloudy out. The town is right on the Rouge River and boy was it a sight to see. There were fishermen galore and an occasional Salmon jumping out of the water, trying to head upstream.
{I know it's hard to tell but there's a Salmon jumping out of the water in this pic!}

And after a beautiful afternoon of shopping and sight seeing. we sat down at a fancy restaurant situated right on the river. Maybe that's why they named it Reds on the River? ;)
What a wonderful day! Thank you God!
{And thank you Nana and Papa for watching the kids! lol}

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Waterbrook Publishing - No More Dreaded Mondays Review

I recently signed up with Waterbrook Publishing's Blogging for Books. It's a great program where you get free books (of your choosing) in return for honest reviews. When I first read about it, I knew it was right for me because I love to read, and it has become an expensive hobby of mine since I read 1-2 books a week.

I was soo excited to see my first brown package arrive in the mail last week, a book called No More Dreaded Mondays by Dan Miller. I know it probably sounds funny that I would choose this book to read seeing that I don't have a technical job that I go to during the week. Even though I love being a stay-at-home mom, I feel God calling me through my passions and dreams to do more than just this. I didn't want to spend any more 'Monday's' being idle about this feeling, and that's why I chose Miller's book. 

No More Dreaded Mondays implores you to examine your life, look at where your happiness lies, and rediscover your dreams and talents in order to find that purpose-filled job that God so desperately wants us to have. Your job should be so coincided with who you are that it doesn't even feel like work. There were many quotes, funny stories, and life lessons that I enjoyed throughout this book. So many that there is barely an unmarred page in this book due to how many times I starred and underlined quotes.

This book was a life changer for me.  I have already recommended this book to others and will be rereading it as I put my plan of action into place for pursuing my passions as a second income for our family. 

I'm not just saying this cause they gave me a free book... really, just give it a try!





*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.