DIY Sign

I have been wanting to make a sign that was "southern looking" but also had our name on it.  I saw this tutorial and decided to give it a try.  I wanted something to do with our home and Matt came up with "homestead".  I bought a sample of Behr wood stain in "coffee".

 I put on 3 coats, pubbed some off and then repeated.

 I measured in inch on both top and bottom of my 4ft. piece of wood and then used chalk to write on the wood.  I decided on a simple font because I am not a good painter.

 As I painted I didn't mind if the letters were not all filled in because I was going to sand it a little anyway.

 Here is the finished product, waiting to be hung!

Elliott Happenings

Hey Y'all!  It has been so long.  It's not like I haven't had anything to do.  haha.  I have finally started to get my head out of the clouds and see clearly.  It has been a whirlwind few months for our family.  One thing that keeps going through my mind is how kind God has been to us.  We don't deserve anything  yet He has given us so many things that have been the desires of our hearts for so long. Matt is working alot but loving his job, training to be a manager for Waffle House.  I am finally a stay at home mom!  It surprisingly took some adjusting but I am happy and thankful.  We love our new church.  I even had a few ladies over to swim yesterday with their kids.  How is that for branching out and meeting people!   Here are some pictures of events that we have done over the last few months. (I actually downloaded them in backwards order so if you want to see them in order, start at the bottom.  Sorry!)

Ivy starting 1st grade.

                                                          Making cinnamon rolls.

 Potty training Lucy.  She is doing AMAZING!  Not one accident in over a week.  (We just started last Monday!)

                                                                   Swimming

                                               Unpacking....then unpacking some more!

                                     Our cute town.  Spring Hill,Tennessee......I'm so in love!

                                             Road trip to Tennessee. 4 ten hour plus days!

                                      Seeing Friends long the way.  Mick and Terry Pagach

                                        Hanging out waiting for them to change our flat tire. :(

                                                Saying goodbye to Washington friends.

                                                      Packing it up in Washington.

                                        July started with Hollie getting married in California!

 Lamentations 3:222-23  " The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Thoughts of a Stay at Home Mom

( See Number4)

Wow. With everything that has been going on in our family, I was thinking the other day, that in the midst of all of this hardship, God has answered a prayer of mine that I have wanted for over 6 years. While I have been so grateful for my job over the last 13 years, I have always wanted to stay at home with my children. The Lord has seen fit to answer my prayer in an unconventional way ( Matt being unemployed and us living with his parents). When I'm feeling down about our current station in life, the Lord quickly brings to my mind that I am now a stay at home mom.

Here are some observations I have made about how my life is different:

1. I have more time to think of my family's needs.

I have noticed that I spend more time thinking about each person in my family individually. How does Matt need my encouragement? What do I need to be teaching Ivy? What good discussions can we have about life? What have I been letting Lucy get away with because of her cuteness? haha What do I need to work on with her? I am thinking through my role in their life more because I have time to think about it!

2. Study the bible and really think about it.

I have always made time to read my bible, but I am noticing more that I think more about what I have been studying because I am not jumping up to get somewhere in a hurry. With Ivy in school, and Lucy taking a nap, I can easily spend a couple of hours in a good study. It has been so nice. My mind is way less busy!

3. My mind has slowed down.

This could be because I have no friends up here yet, it is raining or snowing so there is not much else to do but I have loved easing into a quieter life and taking time to THINK!

4. Pour into my kids more.

Plan for them. Whether it is taking time to work on Ivy's reading (which I need to do WAY more of) or cook with them, or plan a craft with them . I do more with them!

5. Pray for others more/ think of their needs.

I have thought of my friends and family and how I can be praying for them. I pray for them as I miss them and when the Lord brings them to my mind. I pray for their marriages, ministry, church,kids,etc. I pray for my friend who was just like me, wanting to be a stay at home mom and doing her best to try and do it all, working full time. (She knows that I am talking about her. xoxo)

6. Read more.

This helps when you live with your in laws and I am not cooking every night or cleaning by myself all the time. I have read great, godly books and books that I wish I could have gotten those hours of my life back. ha ha. But, I do read more and I am enjoying reading, laying in my warm bed, watching the rain or snow outside, looking over the mountains.

7. Women's bible study

I have never been part of a Women's bible study during the day. I go to one on Tuesday mornings and get to bring Lucy with me. The church is right down the street from Costco so we always stop for a hot dog on the way home. I did it to get out and meet people. This week was really nice.

I'm sure things will change a little when I have my own house again, and my kids are in more activities and I meet people. This part of change has been really good.

Fall decorating with Thankfulness

I have been really debating whether to get out my fall decorations or not. I LOVE decorating my house for fall. The smell of pumpkin spice and cinnamon, cookies baking, seeing pumpkins everywhere, browns, reds and oranges filling my living room. I love it all. But I have been really sad about moving and leaving our house. Not knowing where we're going to live, Matt still not having a job, trying hard to stay faithful and trusting the Lord. I have felt like this is no longer my home.

This little townhome that I have loved for 6 years. Some people would complain about a little townhome but I have loved every minute of it and have been grateful. I have been thinking what is the point of decorating when I have to pack it all up in a couple months anyway, but, on a whim I got it all out of the garage and started going through it.

I am determined to be thankful today for my little home. As I put up my little thankfulness sign I had tears in my eyes. I don't know what God is going to do with my little family but I am going to relish in being thankful for the many blessings He has given me.

Matt Chandler really convicted my heart with a sermon last week. He said that sometimes we get mad at God for NOT giving us we He never promised us to give us in the first place. I had to confess my sin with tears. The Lord never promised to give me a home. He never even promised that my family would get to live by ourselves. It made me more thankful for what is really important.....my salvation, my husband and girls, health, His provision, His faithfulness and love for my family. Ok. fully crying at the computer now. I have no where near arrived but today I am thankful.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 " Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Psalm 118:1" Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever."

I didn't do this enough

I was thinking the other day that I have lived in our house for 6 years and I didn't pick the beautiful roses that were right in my front yard alot to put in the house. They have been so beautiful and I need to put them in the house more.

A week ago Matt and I put our house on the market. We decided whether Matt gets a job here in Southern California or not we should sell it and rent something to be more flexible. The Lord has definately been turing our hearts in a different direction, however, we just want to be where the Lord wants us. We have looked at places to rent and we have not found anything nice in our price range. It is so expensive here! I am learning to be content wherever we go. I have LOVED this house and have thanked the Lord for it so many times. I loved living here. Some people probably didn't like the area or thought it wasn't very nice but it was ours. I remember when our friends moved us in and everyone had left. Matt and I just looked at each other and cried. We cried and thanked God for our home. We were/are so thankful.

To say that Matt and I are in limbo is an understatement. He has applied for so many jobs and has not heard back from one. I don't know what I would do if I did not believe in the sovereignty of God. I know that we will be where God wants us and Matt will have the job that God intends. I am so proud of Matt for how hard he has been trying to get a job.

The situation has weighed on us pretty heavy lately. We had to apologize to each other yesterday for both reaching a breaking point on Saturday. It's not always roses but we are trying hard to stay faithful. We'll keep you posted!

Remember this?

Remember these pieces from an estate sale this summer?
Here is the finished product.


I still might move this piece upstairs to the playroom after Christmas.

Thanksgiving DIY Project

My friend Kayce had a great idea from a blog today. Here is where I was going to insert the blog address but now I can't find which blog I used. Anyway, here are two blogs that you would LOVE! www.fingerprintsonthefridge.com and www.brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com I found it on one of those two. Sorry! Oh well, you will have fun browsing to find it!

All I did was photo copy her project and frame it in an antique frame that I had. She had used her home computer to copy the definition on burlap!

Thanksgiving Dinner

I have been really excited to plan my menu this year for Thanksgiving. I think I narrowed it down (although I think I need to make something a little sweet or light...any ideas?) Here is what I decided:

Turkey

Very Best Sweet Potatoes (found at Tasty Kitchen)

Stuffing

Garlic Parmesan Green Beans (found at Tasty Kitchen)

Pumpkin Butter Gooey Cake

Then I brought alot of my favorite cook books to bed with me last night to find recipes for the leftover turkey so that we don't overload on turkey sandwhiches....even though I think Matt would kind of like that, I don't want to throw anything away. I am hoping to freeze or use 12 cups of leftover turkey.

Here is what I have planned:

Paula Deen's Turkey and Stuffing Casserole ( I am sure you can find it on Foodnetwork.com, I am using "Paula Deen Celebrates"

Turkey Shepard's Pie (Katie Lee Joel.... I have her website on the right of my blog)

Turkey Corn Chowder (from my Grandma Kitty's cook book. I will have to post this recipe at some point.)

Think on these recipes because you might be going to someone else's house where they give you some leftovers to take home. What are you guys making? Let me know!

Just a little something I threw together

I am starting to put together the desk in my room so I took a little bit of time last night and recovered a bulletin board. I will probably hang it. I had some floral fabric but I think Matt is on flower over load in our bedroom so I tried to do something different.
You can slightly see the other fabric behind mine but this type of board would have ruined when I took it apart. You won't see it once I have pictures on it.
I just used random buttons and ribbon that I had so that I wouldn't spend any money. I think I had gotten the board at a garage sale for a $1 with the plans to recover it all along.

Home Tour Tuesdays (Part 5)

Ok. I wanted to do something a little different today and show you a couple of home projects. First up is my little craft closet in the playroom. This isn't the greatest picture because it looks messy but it is actually really organized. I know where everything is now. All of the white boxes are from Walmart.My fabric box (because I don't have that much. That is the talent I wish I had but don't.)
This is how I keep my ribbons. My friend, Kayce's idea.



More ribbon. Martha Stewart ribbon keeper.
Here is the project I did this weekend. I got this bulletin board from my friend Kelli. I have redone it about 4 times. every time I get bored, I do something new. Here is the before pictures. Nice and bright.

Here is the after. I know, the before looks better in pictures but I wanted a more rustic, vintage feel.
I distressed the wood a little.

The end. :)

Home Tour Tuesdays (Part4)

This is now missing but it has a HUGE old chalk board that I got at a garage sale for $5. Kate and Ivy LOVE to write on it.
Kitchen area (which now also has a baby doll crib with 3 sleeping baby dolls)

Box filled with toys

The Playroom...... It is kind of our transition room. It used to be guest bedroom but we only were using the room 2x per year so we decided to make more of the space. I don't like how it is decorated but I don't want to put a lot of money into it until I know we don't need to use it for another kids room (more on that with Lucy's adoption story.) It is a little messier these days but this is what it looked like when we surprised Ivy with the finished room.