What's all the buzz about Pinterest do you say? Well, I am the kind of person that LOVES to be crafty. I love to sew, especially bags and little girl's clothes...especially girl's dresses...I also love to be crafty and do kids crafts. I love to try new recipes...the easier the better. BUT, I am terrible about coming up with ideas on my own. If I see something I like, it gives me the idea to go for it. So, when I want to make Bethany a dress, where is the first place I look for an idea [if I am not going to use a pattern]? I look at pinterest. If I want multiple recipe ideas, pinterest is my first stop. What I love about Pinterest is that "it's all there"...I can t ype in "little girl's dresses" and up pops a myriad of choices to look at an get ideas from. I can "pin" things to my wall and go back and look at it later and go back to it whenever I want.
So, a friend posted a challenge of sorts today..."52 Weeks of Pinterest". Basically, the goal is to make or do something you see on Pinterest at least once a week. She had a good point...if you look at pinterest all of the time and never do anything you see, then you are wasting your time, and I agree! So, I will try to write once a week about my pinterest inspired creations. Until then, happy pinning!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Spring has sprung!
I put on shorts for the first time today and headed out into the glorious sunshine and springtime weather. This time of year makes me want to do all sorts of things. I want to spring clean, organize, sew, prep the garden, go for walks, and sit on the front porch watching the kids enjoy themselves, just to name a few. Right now, I have two sewing projects on my plate for others, then I plan to make both of Josiah and Bethany's shorts and Bethany's dresses for this next season. I am not happy with the little girls shorts that are out on the market today. They are either too short or too low cut and that is not what I want for my daughter. Also, Josiah is in a big growing season, so it will be easier for me to make his shorts for this spring/summer/fall rather than investing money in them. Then, I desperately need to clean out cabinets, drawers and closets around the house. I think I will start with the kitchen next. My desire is to get rid of anything we don't use or haven't used in a very long time. Time to purge! Then, onto the garden! I have big plans for the front yard. I would like to do a lot of flower planting around our birdbath in the front yard, put up some trellis' [sp?] for my beautiful roses. We also plan to put rocks or mulch - can't decide which yet - down around the flower beds. Then, Danny and I have always wanted to grow all of our own herbs...as Danny says, on an industrial scale...I really want some oregano, basil, lavendar, rosemary, and thyme to start with, maybe a few others. It's also time to start exploring our greenways and parks here in Roanoke. We have so many! This was something we started doing last year with the kids almost every day. Josiah has created his own names for the parks we go to and sometimes we don't know which parks he is talking about because he doesn't call them by their proper names. Amongst his favorites are "the creek park", "the park where the man built the bridge", "the line park", "tarpley's", and "tennis park". He is so cute, and loves our exploring as much as we do. Happy Spring everyone!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Do I do that?
We don't have cable TV, nor do we want it, but sometimes I do watch a few things on the internet. I saw something about Jon and Kate, Plus 8, which I have never really seen a full episode of, but I got to wondering what the first few episodes were like. So, I had a few minutes and pulled up the very first episode and watched about 20 minutes. I was kind of in shock and horrified. It was not how the kids act, how the parents parent, how the house looked, but my goodness, Kate treats her husband like a huge punching bag. She is rude, hateful, condescending, two-faced and just awful to her husband. Kate seems to be a very organized and in control person, but the way she goes about it is just astonishing to me. She never asks her husband to do things for her. She orders: "Do this..." or, "Do that...". Do it now, do it the way I want it, do it faster, or do it neater. If the poor man fails to do all of her bidding to meet all of her rigid expectations, she yells at him, berates him, belittles him and embarrasses him in public. They do very many on camera interviews together throughout the day and she even tells him what to say and how to say it. She is very concerned about what is said in front of others and how it is said and how she appears and how what her husband says appears to others. It is really just astounding to me, really.
It made me start thinking about how I treat my husband and how I act with him. MOMENT OF TRUTH: Watching this show for just 20 minutes convicted me to my core. I am much like the woman in this show. I like things to be very organized [not often is it like that way, however], I like to be in control, I like things to be done my way, because, well, it is the only way, right? Well, this is not the way we are to be as wives to our husbands. Since watching that episode, I have been eager to go back to God's Word and remind myself of the wife I am to be to my husband.
God's Word gives us much insight on this subject:
Ephesians 5:22-23: We, as wives, are called to submit to our husbands because to submit to our husbands is submission rendered to the Lord Himself.
I Corinthians 11: It is clear in this passage that God has called the husband to be the overseer of the wife and the family. This is to bring glory to God.
Proverbs 31: 10-31: We are all familiar with this passage explaining the beauty of the virtuous woman. She is a blessing to her husband. Verse 11, 12 and 23 speak mightily to me:
The heart of her husband safely trusts her. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Her husband is known at the gates,when he sits among the elders of the land.
So, the verses above speak about how we should be as a Godly wife, but what about how we SHOULD not be...the Bible is clear on that too. Here are some of the most frequently used verses that should warn women of their conduct with their husbands and within the family:
Proverbs 19:13b
…the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping
Proverbs 21:9
Better to dwell in the corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Proverbs 21:19
Better to dwell in the wilderness,
Than in with a contentious and angry woman.
So, when I think about the "Jon and Kate Family", I don't know much about them except I do know that they are now divorced, or separated with that intention. I wonder how much of the wife's attitude towards her husband turned the husband away from her and the family [I don't know any of what is going on with them, or why they are not together anymore, so this is just a musing on my part). I know that when I act towards my husband in ways that are not glorifying to God, I don't draw my husband near to me, but instead, I push him away.
So, what should you do instead? Well, I think that bathing yourself in the Word of God is always a good start. I also like a website that goes through 31 Days of praying for your husband. You can find that list here:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/31-days-of-praying-for-your-husband/
I just want to encourage wives everywhere to love your husband, treat him well, build him up, support him and love him as you should.
It made me start thinking about how I treat my husband and how I act with him. MOMENT OF TRUTH: Watching this show for just 20 minutes convicted me to my core. I am much like the woman in this show. I like things to be very organized [not often is it like that way, however], I like to be in control, I like things to be done my way, because, well, it is the only way, right? Well, this is not the way we are to be as wives to our husbands. Since watching that episode, I have been eager to go back to God's Word and remind myself of the wife I am to be to my husband.
God's Word gives us much insight on this subject:
Ephesians 5:22-23: We, as wives, are called to submit to our husbands because to submit to our husbands is submission rendered to the Lord Himself.
I Corinthians 11: It is clear in this passage that God has called the husband to be the overseer of the wife and the family. This is to bring glory to God.
Proverbs 31: 10-31: We are all familiar with this passage explaining the beauty of the virtuous woman. She is a blessing to her husband. Verse 11, 12 and 23 speak mightily to me:
The heart of her husband safely trusts her. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Her husband is known at the gates,when he sits among the elders of the land.
So, the verses above speak about how we should be as a Godly wife, but what about how we SHOULD not be...the Bible is clear on that too. Here are some of the most frequently used verses that should warn women of their conduct with their husbands and within the family:
Proverbs 19:13b
…the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping
Proverbs 21:9
Better to dwell in the corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Proverbs 21:19
Better to dwell in the wilderness,
Than in with a contentious and angry woman.
So, when I think about the "Jon and Kate Family", I don't know much about them except I do know that they are now divorced, or separated with that intention. I wonder how much of the wife's attitude towards her husband turned the husband away from her and the family [I don't know any of what is going on with them, or why they are not together anymore, so this is just a musing on my part). I know that when I act towards my husband in ways that are not glorifying to God, I don't draw my husband near to me, but instead, I push him away.
So, what should you do instead? Well, I think that bathing yourself in the Word of God is always a good start. I also like a website that goes through 31 Days of praying for your husband. You can find that list here:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/articles/31-days-of-praying-for-your-husband/
I just want to encourage wives everywhere to love your husband, treat him well, build him up, support him and love him as you should.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Where have I been?
I have been here all the time. I just haven't felt the inspiration or motivation to keep up with our family blog. I feel like *maybe* a little desire is creeping back in for me to work on my blog some more. It has been well over a year since I have posted anything, and I feel like maybe it is time to catch up and start posting again.
So, let me give you a few highlights from 2011:
January 2011 - Bethany had eye surgery for strabismus repair [crossed eyes]. The surgery was wonderful, and even though the DR said that it would not improve Bethany's eyesight, it really has. Her depth perception has increased and she sees better with her new glasses rx and without her glasses even.
February 2011 - Took Josiah to the Circus for his 4th birthday. It was just time for me and him and he had a fabulous time! He talked about it so much that we took him again this year, for his 5th birthday.
March 2011 - We flew kites for the first time with the kids, and we began to explore all of our wonderful parks in and around Roanoke.
April 2011 - Dyed eggs with the kids for the first time. They had a lot of fun!
May 2011 - Visited Amazement Square in Lynchburg. We had a great time of learning and being with friends!
June 2011 - Baby Caroline, our cousin from Memphis came for a visit. She is such a sweetheart.
July 2011 - This was a trying month for us. Josiah was diagnosed with High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. This threw us for a loop, but it has been so much fun trying to learn how my son's wheels turn and learning how to work with him in ways that will help him. We are blessed to be going through this experience.
August 2011 - Josiah started Pre-K! Wow, I was so nervous to put Josiah on the bus that first day, but since then, Josiah has been dubbed the bus mascot and he LOVES school!
September 2011 - We went to GA for a special wedding. My mom married a wonderful man named Tyson. It was a bittersweet time for all of us, but he is a wonderful man and I am happy for my mom.
October 2011 - We spent several days playing in the rain, watching rainbows, and playing in fallen leaves.
November 2011 - Thanksgiving in VA and in GA - best of both worlds, except Daddy didn't get to go with us to GA :-(
December 2011 - Christmas in VA and in GA - Also, my Granny's husband John passed away, so we went to GA for the funeral.
So, this is just a highlight of 2011 for us. It was a great year, and now I am happy to be in 2012.
So, as I take up blogging again, don't be worried if the posts are few and far between, but I will say this: I want my blog to be glorifying to God, helpful to others and fun. See you at my next post!
So, let me give you a few highlights from 2011:
January 2011 - Bethany had eye surgery for strabismus repair [crossed eyes]. The surgery was wonderful, and even though the DR said that it would not improve Bethany's eyesight, it really has. Her depth perception has increased and she sees better with her new glasses rx and without her glasses even.
February 2011 - Took Josiah to the Circus for his 4th birthday. It was just time for me and him and he had a fabulous time! He talked about it so much that we took him again this year, for his 5th birthday.
March 2011 - We flew kites for the first time with the kids, and we began to explore all of our wonderful parks in and around Roanoke.
April 2011 - Dyed eggs with the kids for the first time. They had a lot of fun!
May 2011 - Visited Amazement Square in Lynchburg. We had a great time of learning and being with friends!
June 2011 - Baby Caroline, our cousin from Memphis came for a visit. She is such a sweetheart.
July 2011 - This was a trying month for us. Josiah was diagnosed with High-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. This threw us for a loop, but it has been so much fun trying to learn how my son's wheels turn and learning how to work with him in ways that will help him. We are blessed to be going through this experience.
August 2011 - Josiah started Pre-K! Wow, I was so nervous to put Josiah on the bus that first day, but since then, Josiah has been dubbed the bus mascot and he LOVES school!
September 2011 - We went to GA for a special wedding. My mom married a wonderful man named Tyson. It was a bittersweet time for all of us, but he is a wonderful man and I am happy for my mom.
October 2011 - We spent several days playing in the rain, watching rainbows, and playing in fallen leaves.
November 2011 - Thanksgiving in VA and in GA - best of both worlds, except Daddy didn't get to go with us to GA :-(
December 2011 - Christmas in VA and in GA - Also, my Granny's husband John passed away, so we went to GA for the funeral.
So, this is just a highlight of 2011 for us. It was a great year, and now I am happy to be in 2012.
So, as I take up blogging again, don't be worried if the posts are few and far between, but I will say this: I want my blog to be glorifying to God, helpful to others and fun. See you at my next post!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...well, almost
This is my spunky little Bethany. Please pray for her as she will have eye surgery tomorrow. I will update you all then!
Monday, December 13, 2010
This, That, and Everything Else
I haven't posted in a while and I do not apologize. The blog takes a back seat whenever we are busy having fun and enjoying life! Let me catch up a bit...
Thanksgiving:
I felt a tremendous need to be with my side of the family for this Thanksgiving holiday. This would be the first Thanksgiving without Dad in our lives and even that thought was tremendously hard for me to bear. Thinking about mom being without Dad was even worse to think about, but we all came together as a family and had a great time at my brother and sister in laws house. The cousins exchanged Christmas presents since we wouldn't be together around Christmas time. A lot of us shared something else...the stomach virus! My poor nieces and sister in law got it first. About 2 days later I woke up to a vomiting son. My poor mom was sick for days. Thinking the illness was over, I made the trek back home to VA, and got sick in the middle of the night. Uugghh! It had been years since I had a stomach virus and I was glad when we were over it and so thankful that Bethany and Danny didn't get sick!
Since Thanksgiving:
We have been busy. Before Thanksgiving I had a terrible toothache that I continued to put off. When the stomach virus was over, I decided enough was enough and visited the dentist. Yep, cracked tooth down to the root...had to be pulled, which was no fun! It was pulled a week ago today and as I sit here and type, I am going through dry socket pain. I have an appt this afternoon to see the oral surgeon again to have the extraction site "medicated and packed". I just want the pain to GO AWAY!!!
The other thing I have been busy with is, frankly, just keeping up with the kids and my home duties. I have really kind of begun again with potty training Josiah. I have pulled out a timer and for the past few days, Josiah has been going potty every time the timer goes off, which I set it for about 20-30 minutes every time. Poor guy wakes up every morning and every afternoon from nap, soaking wet. We have to change the bed sheets everyday, most of the time twice a day. I have limited the amount of fluids he gets a night...no more bedtime milk, but milk and the last of the fluids is served with dinner. Man o'man has this been a long and drawn out process!!! I am beginning to think that Bethany will be potty trained before Josiah at this rate! Ha! Anyway, I will persevere and we will conquer this mountain!
I have taken on a few more babysitting adventures, not every day, but when I am needed. This will assist financially and I have enjoyed having these dear kids with bright, blooming imaginations! They are had to keep up with mentally and physically! They are dear too. It is fun to have them around. Josiah is seeming to feel out of place and unsure of himself. I am just not sure how to help him handle more kids, but I love on him a lot and try to reassure him.
One thing that has taken up an incredible amount of my time is menu planning. Yes, MENU PLANNING! I am trying to have my 2011 menu plans set in stone before the first of the year. I have gotten a lot done, too. Breakfast and lunches were easy to figure out. We will have the same breakfast and lunch menu each week for the entire year. For Dinner, I am trying a wide variety of things. I will be having soup for dinner at least two days of the week during the cold weeks and when it gets warmer, we will be having sandwiches at least twice a week so we might be able to get out and do more in the warmer weeks. I am trying at least one meatless dish each week and one new dish each week. We are trying for a non-monotonous fare. The more engaging the meal, the less likely we will want to go out to eat, which is a major problem for our family. I am keeping a kitchen journal this year so I can keep up with the menu plans and keep up with what my DH likes and doesn't like about the new meals and what I can do to improve for the next year. So, this brings me to another topic....
My blogging New Year's Resolutions:
I want to make things less sporadic, more fun and informational, so here are the changes you will see:
Meal Planning Mondays - will list the weeks meal plans; sometimes I will add recipes, sometimes I will only add recipes upon request
Thanksgiving Tuesdays and Thanksgiving Thursdays: I will share posts of the things me and my family are thankful for
Wordless Wednesdays - I plan to post the cutest picture of the week and let you think what you will
Funny Fridays - we have a lot of funny stuff going on around here - On Friday's I will share the funniest moments of the week.
Saturdays and Sundays will be blog free! Let me know what you think about everything. Do you have any new ideas for blogging in 2011? Let me hear about it!
Thanksgiving:
I felt a tremendous need to be with my side of the family for this Thanksgiving holiday. This would be the first Thanksgiving without Dad in our lives and even that thought was tremendously hard for me to bear. Thinking about mom being without Dad was even worse to think about, but we all came together as a family and had a great time at my brother and sister in laws house. The cousins exchanged Christmas presents since we wouldn't be together around Christmas time. A lot of us shared something else...the stomach virus! My poor nieces and sister in law got it first. About 2 days later I woke up to a vomiting son. My poor mom was sick for days. Thinking the illness was over, I made the trek back home to VA, and got sick in the middle of the night. Uugghh! It had been years since I had a stomach virus and I was glad when we were over it and so thankful that Bethany and Danny didn't get sick!
Since Thanksgiving:
We have been busy. Before Thanksgiving I had a terrible toothache that I continued to put off. When the stomach virus was over, I decided enough was enough and visited the dentist. Yep, cracked tooth down to the root...had to be pulled, which was no fun! It was pulled a week ago today and as I sit here and type, I am going through dry socket pain. I have an appt this afternoon to see the oral surgeon again to have the extraction site "medicated and packed". I just want the pain to GO AWAY!!!
The other thing I have been busy with is, frankly, just keeping up with the kids and my home duties. I have really kind of begun again with potty training Josiah. I have pulled out a timer and for the past few days, Josiah has been going potty every time the timer goes off, which I set it for about 20-30 minutes every time. Poor guy wakes up every morning and every afternoon from nap, soaking wet. We have to change the bed sheets everyday, most of the time twice a day. I have limited the amount of fluids he gets a night...no more bedtime milk, but milk and the last of the fluids is served with dinner. Man o'man has this been a long and drawn out process!!! I am beginning to think that Bethany will be potty trained before Josiah at this rate! Ha! Anyway, I will persevere and we will conquer this mountain!
I have taken on a few more babysitting adventures, not every day, but when I am needed. This will assist financially and I have enjoyed having these dear kids with bright, blooming imaginations! They are had to keep up with mentally and physically! They are dear too. It is fun to have them around. Josiah is seeming to feel out of place and unsure of himself. I am just not sure how to help him handle more kids, but I love on him a lot and try to reassure him.
One thing that has taken up an incredible amount of my time is menu planning. Yes, MENU PLANNING! I am trying to have my 2011 menu plans set in stone before the first of the year. I have gotten a lot done, too. Breakfast and lunches were easy to figure out. We will have the same breakfast and lunch menu each week for the entire year. For Dinner, I am trying a wide variety of things. I will be having soup for dinner at least two days of the week during the cold weeks and when it gets warmer, we will be having sandwiches at least twice a week so we might be able to get out and do more in the warmer weeks. I am trying at least one meatless dish each week and one new dish each week. We are trying for a non-monotonous fare. The more engaging the meal, the less likely we will want to go out to eat, which is a major problem for our family. I am keeping a kitchen journal this year so I can keep up with the menu plans and keep up with what my DH likes and doesn't like about the new meals and what I can do to improve for the next year. So, this brings me to another topic....
My blogging New Year's Resolutions:
I want to make things less sporadic, more fun and informational, so here are the changes you will see:
Meal Planning Mondays - will list the weeks meal plans; sometimes I will add recipes, sometimes I will only add recipes upon request
Thanksgiving Tuesdays and Thanksgiving Thursdays: I will share posts of the things me and my family are thankful for
Wordless Wednesdays - I plan to post the cutest picture of the week and let you think what you will
Funny Fridays - we have a lot of funny stuff going on around here - On Friday's I will share the funniest moments of the week.
Saturdays and Sundays will be blog free! Let me know what you think about everything. Do you have any new ideas for blogging in 2011? Let me hear about it!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Doing what it takes to stay at home
My greatest joy in this life is my children. I desire with all that I have in me to train them to be a Godly young man and woman. I desire to be able to raise them myself and to be here at home with them as much as possible. This is not an easy task in this day and age though, you know? It is difficult, at best, to be home with your kids and have one income and be able to pay all the bills and meet all the needs of everyone in the family. Even though it is difficult, I believe I have the talent and resources to make this staying at home thing work!
This all being said, I would like to share with you what I have been doing from home and I would LOVE for you to share with me any ideas and thoughts that you have that have enabled you to stay at home with your children. As I have mentioned before, I love to sew. My heart is really into sewing little girls items and baby items. I love to make cute little girl dresses, pillow case dresses, pants and shirts for little girls. I also make hot and cold therapy packs for migraines and other aches and pains. These packs are sooo wonderful and I use them for much more than aches and pains! Have you heard of Boppy nursing pillows for the nursing mother? It is one of those big hit items that came out several years ago as a way to make a baby and mother more comfortable as they bond through feedings. For these pillows, I have begun making nursing pillow covers. Guess what else I have been asked to sew? I have been asked the make some doggy diapers! I never thought I would ever make a diaper for dogs! HA! I try to sell my sewing stuff on Ebay.com and a handmade items website called etsy.com. I would love for you to look me up sometime and take a look at my things. Offer insight and wisdom and I would LOVE for you to please share with others the website I share with you. Word of mouth works GREAT!!!
I will say this, as a disclaimer: I know staying at home with your kids is sometimes not able to be done. I know that bills have to be paid, needs have to be met, so I am not saying that women can not work outside of the home or that they should not at all. I even took a year after my daugther was born and I HAD to go back to work to help meet the needs and pay the bills. I am just trying to think outside of the box and encourage others to think outside the box, because for me, I believe I can stay at home if I use all of my valuable resources!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/melliehodges
This all being said, I would like to share with you what I have been doing from home and I would LOVE for you to share with me any ideas and thoughts that you have that have enabled you to stay at home with your children. As I have mentioned before, I love to sew. My heart is really into sewing little girls items and baby items. I love to make cute little girl dresses, pillow case dresses, pants and shirts for little girls. I also make hot and cold therapy packs for migraines and other aches and pains. These packs are sooo wonderful and I use them for much more than aches and pains! Have you heard of Boppy nursing pillows for the nursing mother? It is one of those big hit items that came out several years ago as a way to make a baby and mother more comfortable as they bond through feedings. For these pillows, I have begun making nursing pillow covers. Guess what else I have been asked to sew? I have been asked the make some doggy diapers! I never thought I would ever make a diaper for dogs! HA! I try to sell my sewing stuff on Ebay.com and a handmade items website called etsy.com. I would love for you to look me up sometime and take a look at my things. Offer insight and wisdom and I would LOVE for you to please share with others the website I share with you. Word of mouth works GREAT!!!
I will say this, as a disclaimer: I know staying at home with your kids is sometimes not able to be done. I know that bills have to be paid, needs have to be met, so I am not saying that women can not work outside of the home or that they should not at all. I even took a year after my daugther was born and I HAD to go back to work to help meet the needs and pay the bills. I am just trying to think outside of the box and encourage others to think outside the box, because for me, I believe I can stay at home if I use all of my valuable resources!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/melliehodges
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