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Scripted In Glory Religious Christmas Card

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It's time, Rachel.

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."

A tattered homemade burlap and felt banner bearing these words graced the door knob of your grandma's guest bedroom. 

I don't know how old you were, but young enough to be confused by those words and young enough to require rereading for understanding.  Old enough for it to have made a lasting impression on you.

Life.  It's beginning now, Rachel.  You're starting over.  Tomorrow.  Or incidentally, today, since you stayed up too late.

Irregardless, the time is now.  The time to begin anew.

Time to run.  Time to love and to love recklessly.  Time to step out of your comfort zone.  Time to get up ten minutes earlier and not be late.  Time to forgive.  Time to make new friends and foster old friendships.  Time to hold the baby and read to the five year old and cuddle the three year old and pet the cat.  Time to think about how someone else is feeling.  Time to make the phone call.  Time to catch up.  Time to forgive yourself.  Time to remember and to learn from the past.  Time to turn off the TV and pick up a book.  Time to laugh and even be silly occasionally.  Time to read your Bible and reflect on His word.  Time to eat your vegetables, but some cookies too.  Time to trust and to open your heart.  Time to let others in.  Time to give.  Time to give a second chance.  Time to stop yelling.  Time to let the anger go.  Time to see the other side of the issue.  It's time, Rachel.

Time to do the things you love, the things on your heart.  Time to appreciate the gifts that others have.  Time to vaccuum.  Time to not worry so much when your kids spill on vacuumed floors or your husband doesn't notice you vacuumed them.  Time to notice when your husband goes out of his way to help you.  Time to jump in the leaves.  Time to go for a walk.  Time to see the beauty rising from the ashes.  Time to turn up the music.  Time to wait patiently for the three year old to finish his sentence.  Time to stop complaining.  Time to stop making excuses.  Time to stop sighing.  It's time, Rachel.

Time to remember birthdays.  Time to surprise others.  Time to listen to your body.  Time to appreciate your body for what it has done and what it can do.  Time to install a gate at the bottom of the steps.  Time to pray with your kids.  Time to pray for your kids.  Time to file the paperwork.  Time to take a deep breath.  Time to make a mess painting and cooking with the boys.  Time to try something new.  Time to say thank you.  Time to realize that it's not all about you.  Time to take the first step.  Time to commit.  Time to open up.  Time to be thankful.  Time to admit where you are weak to the One who is strong.  It's time, Rachel.

And now, it's time to go to sleep.
Because soon it will be time to start again.

A Tour of Nyla's Nursery

When we found out we were having a girl, ideas for her nursery started swirling in my head. The problem was we had a perfectly acceptable playroom with a unisex jungle theme and green paint color that could be easily converted into a nursery. My husband was convinced this is what we should do, but then again, he's never too sure about any of my "projects" I take on beforehand :)

So despite the fact that I had grand schemes for her nursery in my head, the reality is that we were SO busy this fall with two kids, Matt's teaching and coaching, and my busiest fall to date for my photography business. Christmas break came and went with nothing getting accomplished either because our family was sick most of the time. It was not until I was 35 weeks pregnant that we even touched this room! My dad and I painted the room that week. I finally got around to decorating it about a week before I was due and it would never have gotten it done without the help of my cousin Rebekah and the fact that Nyla was 5 days overdue...I'm convinced she was staying in there until her room was done! :)

The result: a nursery for Nyla that I love! It was completely worth the effort to customize the room for our little girl!

Let me start with the inspiration for the room! My sister-in-law Jamie is an AWESOME quilter and has made so many adorable quilts and gifts for my boys over the years. She knows me so well and had been saving this fabric that she knew I would like...just in case I would have a girl someday! The fabric I believe came out in 2009 and she had been saving it ever since! The name of the fabric is Wonderland by designer Momo for Moda. Jamie and I were discussing the design of Nyla's quilt and since I've always loved sock monkeys, we decided that the border fabric for the quilt would be fabric mimicking the texture of sock moneys! Appropriately, the first thing you see when you walk in the room is Jamie's quilt which become the inspiration for the color scheme and the entire rest of the room.

Here is the link to Jamie's blog post about Nyla's quilt! The quilt rack/shelf that the quilt is hanging from was a gift from my sister-in-law Katie and came from etsy.

On top of the shelf is a family picture taken by my friend Jennifer when I was about 7 months pregnant with Nyla. I added a verse from Psalm 139 and the frame is a thrifted one that I spray painted.

Next is a yarn wrapped N. I saw some of these I liked on Etsy, but decided to try to make my own instead. I bought a wooden L from Michaels and covered it in red felt (to prevent the wood from showing through), and wrapped it in yarn using a glue to secure it, both vertically and then horizontally. This took a little longer than I expected, but I like the result anyway...

Rebekah made the cute "Grow" embroidery hoop! We spray painted the hoop brown. I love the cute button flowers and stitching she did!

This is the view as you look to the left...

I think one of my favorite things in her nursery is her name above the crib, which Rebekah and I made together. I had seen a similar one on pinterest, but on that one the name was painted on. I really wanted to have the texture of fabric instead, so we cut the letters from felt (font is clementine) and stitched them on. The hoops area all spray painted different colors...of course I chose to do this on one of the colder days of February!

A close up view...

Another project that I love is the photo blocks hanging in the corners of the room. The wood blocks are 8x8 plaques that I found at the thrift store for less than a dollar. At the time they had lovely farm scenes painted on them :) I tried to spray paint these, but the spray paint didn't cover very well, so I ended up painting them with acrylics instead. The pictures are some of my favorites of Nyla's newborn photos, printed as 6x6 squares mounted on a 2 mm styrene board from my pro photo lab. I attached them to the blocks using Command photo strips. I like the three dimensional quality this gave and it was a very economical way to display photos!

The quilt hanging over her crib is another beautiful gift! This one is from Jamie's mom, Jill.

Nyla's room is really a sun room and has eight windows. I chose not to put up curtains, because I didn't want to block the beautiful light that comes in...but I wanted some way to decorate the windows and settled on a fabric bunting. This project did not get done until the night before I went into labor and Rebekah and I stayed up pretty late that night getting this made! The fabric is the leftover 5 inch squares from the Momo Wonderland charm pack fabric from Jamie. We cut them down to triangles with pinking shears and backed them with the sock monkey fabric. They are sewn into a brown bias tape.

On the shelf under the window is a cute frame we made at a recent MOPS meeting:

The bunting is on the windows facing north and south. On the west facing windows, I used a ribbon clothesline and covered the clothespins with ribbon too using a glue gun. On the clothesline is photographs and paintings that the boys made for Nyla. I plan to switch the photographs from time to time. For now, some of the ones up are from my baby shower, Nyla meeting her great grandma, and Daddy and Nyla shortly after she was born...

As you look to the right, this is what you see:

We kept a twin bed in her room for when she is older and also for when we have guests. The quilt is one we already had, brought back from India years ago. I think all the colors blend in fine with the rest of the room.

I printed one of her newborn photos as a 12x18 with a frame around it (also mounted on a 2 mm styrene board) and secured it to the closet door using Command photo strips again.

The words are from the song that was playing when she was born, "Little Light" by Audrey Assad and Matt Hammitt:



Next to the door is her dresser and we have one of those baby book calendars that you can put stickers on...hoping I can keep it caught up. Notice the picture has March showing still. Hmmm...

And on top of the dresser are pink antique booties that were a gift from my aunt Gayle and a frame from Nyla's grandma that reads "Baptized in Christ"...still need to switch the picture to one from her baptism day though. The blue Mason jars are old ones from my grandparents' farm.

I used the walls of Nyla's nursery as the background for her birth announcement:

I guess that is about the complete tour! We didn't have much money to spend on it...actually none of the furniture is new, all repurposed, and we basically just bought paint, bedding, and craft supplies. It's a space that I really enjoy being in and I hope Nyla will love it too as she gets older!

Special thanks to my cousin Rebekah and my sister-in-law Jamie for their help and inspiration! :)

Art Class with Aunt Jamie

We headed over to Aunt Jamie's new house today for a fun day of crafting, playing at the park, and eating ice cream after lunch!

Jamie put together this cute craft for my boys...button art on animal silhouettes on 12x12 scrapbook paper. We also ran over to Michael's and picked up some cheap 12x12 frames for 40% off that I'm going to spray paint white to hang these up in their animal-themed playroom.

Concentrating...

Working together with Aunt Jamie


Proud of their art!

The almost finished product (I'll add a picture once I get them in frames)...


Thanks, Aunt Jamie!

Lent Day 12

I am worn out. My husband is out of town. Jordan had two allergic reactions in four days. Single parenting (even for a couple of days) and working at home don't seem to really go together. Worn out.

But that was all erased when I watched my two boys lay down together in bed tonight with their pajamas and blankies and big "brubba" read his Bible to little "brubba." With surprising accuracy.

Thank you, Lord, that for all the things that I mess up and all the noise that I create Every.Single.Day. they are still hearing Your voice over it all.

Lent Day 11

I've been putting in quite a few strollerless miles lately thanks to some early mornings and my helpful husband. But now he is starting track season and it was time to face pushing the double stroller again today.

Just four miles. No problem. Except for the hills. And the somewhat flat tires on the stroller. And the 84 degree weather. And the eighty pounds to push.

A simple four mile run was suddenly not so easy after all. I felt sluggish and tired as I slogged up the hills with my stroller. Weighed down. Weary. Burdened.

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you." Psalm 55:22

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Let's be truthful. It's not just the hills and the heat and the weight of the stroller that were weighing me down. Allergic reactions and time constraints and dirty floors and taxes and laundry and relationships. Worries and stress and guilt.

How much more pleasant are my runs without the extra eighty pounds?

How much more pleasant would life be if I would truly lay my burdens down at the cross?

Lent Day 10

Lord Jesus who dost love me,
Oh spread thy wings above me,
and shield me from all harm.
Though evil would assail me,
thy mercy will not fail me.
I rest in thy protecting arms.

I sing this to my boys every night. My mom sang it to me every night. Her dad sang it to her and her siblings.

Jordan refers to it as the "me" song (see the end of the lines) and demands it immediately when it's time to go to bed.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the comfort of knowing you are always there protecting me. And thank you for loving grandparents and parents who daily instilled this in me. Help me to do the same for my own boys. Amen.

Lent Day 9

Dueteronomy 6: 5-9

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

What a responsibility I have as a mother. These two little boys are listening to my words. Looking at my example. Responding to my lead. And I think I fail them much too often.

It seems that in my quest to raise my children to be "good" kids, I can lose sight of what is more important. Teaching them they are sinners. Teaching them that they can never be "good" enough on their own. Teaching them that they are forgiven children of God.

Teaching them to LOVE their LORD with their EVERYTHING.

All day long. In the little moments. As we go about our day. Lord, help me to lead them to you.

Lent Day 8

I heard a great sermon in church tonight about NOTHING. About how we our lives are filled with nothingness. No good thing. But, praise be to our Lord and Savior who fills that void and brings HOPE and GRACE and PEACE in its place.

II Corinthians 12:9-10

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


How interesting it is that the answer to Paul's prayer to take away the thorn in his flesh was not the removal of that thorn! Instead, it was a call to greater and fuller reliance upon Christ.

Lord, thank you for the thorns. Thank you for the weaknesses. Thank you that your grace is and always will be sufficient.

Lent Day 7

I was recently asked the question, “What do you want most for your children?” and I heard one person reply that she wanted her children to be happy.

Happiness.
The pursuit of happiness.
Isn’t that what we all want?
What we all are striving for?
It would be almost un-American to say otherwise.

Then, someone, please tell me, why are we all so damn unhappy?

How is it that we pursue it, we buy it, we chase it, we corral it, we sacrifice for it and yet, it seems to elude us? We search for it in money, family, education, food, health, love, drugs, and yet, it seems to elude us.

It seems that absolutely nothing in this world can truly fill us up and make us happy.

Maybe that’s because we were not made for this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:3

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Matthew 16: 24-26

I’m not saying that I don’t want my boys to be happy. But I don’t want the pursuit of happiness to lead them on the path of destruction.

Instead of happiness, I pray for them the true JOY and PEACE that is not found in this world.

It’s from above.

Lent Day 6

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Today was a time to be born.

Today I experienced the miracle of new life.

Today I saw God the Father, our Creator.

Lent Day 5

Psalm 27:1, 13-14
The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

I'm leaving shortly to head the hospital to photograph a birth for the first time! Prayers for me, mama, and baby are appreciated. I'm pretty nervous and excited...you would think I'm playing an integral role or something. Regardless of my importance, I'm excited to be a part of it and capture those memories!

Lent Day 4

I Timothy 4:8
"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."

Right now, I’m pretty committed to training for a half marathon in less than a month. With our busy schedules, it’s not always easy to get the training in. I’ll wake up before the sun comes up or dash outside as the sun is going down or push two children in the double stroller just to get that run in. This morning I ran ten miles even though I had only had five or so hours of sleep. I’ve signed up for the race, I’ve committed to it, and so I rarely miss running.

This verse definitely makes me stop and think. About setting priorities. About making sacrifices. About valuing what is truly important.

About training not just my body, but my heart, mind, and soul.

Lent Day 3

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

My 19 month old who never gives me a single moment of peace and won’t let me out of his sight.
A love for his mama that knows no bounds.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Glass door covered once again with grubby little fingerprints.
Three year old staring outside, counting down the hours until his daddy’s ‘cation (spring break).

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Too much work to do and not nearly enough hours in the day. Being pulled in too many directions.
The blessing of vocation. Helping my family get by. Never feeling bored.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

A sick boy crying all afternoon and refusing to nap.
A loving doctor who gets us in fast. A boy whose main concern is why his “brubba” didn’t get to come with him to the doctor. Smiles in spite of it all.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

A farmhouse that sits empty with no Grandpa or Grandma anymore.
A gathering place for family to return to, remember the treasured moments of the past, and look forward to a reunion in heaven.

It’s all just a matter of perspective.

Numbers 13-14
Fortified cities, powerful people, towering giants, flashing swords, imminent death.
Flowing milk and honey, exceedingly good land, protective God leading the way.

It’s all just a matter of perspective…

Or is it? Maybe it’s so much more. Maybe it’s not about how we are looking at things, but WHO we are looking at.

Blazing our own path, trusting our own swords and pocketbooks, looking within.
Waiting for Him to lead, believing that He is LORD and Savior, looking up.

IT’S ALL JUST A MATTER OF FAITH.

Lent Day 2

Lies. It’s what he does. It’s the way he tempted Eve and the way he tempted Jesus and the way he still tempts me each day. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) after all.

What are some of the lies that Satan tells you?
To me, he whispers...

Lies about myself. You are ugly. You are fat. You are unloveable. You are not good enough. You failed again. You are always letting them down.

Lies about my relationships. You have no one there for you, no one who understands you. He is your enemy, not your partner. You don’t deserve to be loved. They don’t appreciate you.

Lies about my Father. Are you sure He’s taking care of you? Surely, He wouldn’t want you to be experiencing this. You are alone in this journey.

And the sad thing is, all too often, I believe him. I don’t respond. I don’t refute. I believe him and I sink down, crushed.

Yesterday, as I was driving to church, late, crafting in my head the reasons that life was too much and I was not enough, this song came on the radio.

Days will come when you don't have the strength
And all you hear is you're not worth anything
Wondering if you ever could be loved
And if they truly saw your heart
They'd see so much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His
You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight
Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long
But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

Before you ever took a breath
Long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed
There was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above
You're the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes

You're beautiful
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured
You are sacred
You are His




Yep. Needed that reminder. Need it every day.

I am treasured. I am sacred. I am HIS.

Lent Day 1

Day 1
Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Preschool kids singing at the Ash Wednesday service at church and a potluck to follow. Spend bulk of morning getting children dressed nicely and making salad with homemade dressing for potluck. Twenty minutes until it’s time to leave. Better get myself dressed and ready too. Run upstairs. Briefly leave children unattended. Older child covers one entire leg and hand with marker. Dash down the stairs to put a stop to it. Look up in horror as younger child bounces down the entire wooden staircase. Comfort him and make sure he’s okay. Sprint around the house to find everything we need. Somehow manage to sprain ankle slightly in the process. Finally make it out the door. Yes. Mission accomplished. Going to be on time. Practice Xavier’s songs. Sing to Jesus. Ten minutes into our drive. Wait. The salad. Forgot the salad. Pull off. Turn around. Head back. Mommy, why aren’t you singing anymore? Drive fast but not fast enough to get pulled over. Grab the salad. The salad that was sitting right next to the front door. Back on the road. Make it to church. Two minutes late. Sigh. Oh well. Only two minutes late. Survive church service. No idea what was said, but survive. Make it through potluck without any major catastrophes. Drive exhausted children home. Head inside with potluck remains. Realize that my purse (i.e. the only expensive thing that I own) is filled with two inches of salad dressing. Oily, smelly salad dressing. Never eating salad again. Throw children in bed for naps. Grab everything out of purse to clean. One. Two. Three. Three ruined books. Try to figure out how to wash the (don’t-dry-clean-or-machine-wash-or-anything-but-spot-clean-me) purse. Decide to throw it in the washing machine rather than the trash can. Younger child awake and screaming for Mommy. Not done cleaning purse and haven’t even thought of opening my computer for work yet.

Oh, the joys of motherhood. Or life in general?

This was my day today.
My Ash Wednesday.
The day when I was excited to hear the sermon and introduce my children to the idea of Lent.
Excited to start these forty days fresh with a new focus.

(I think my last day this disastrous was New Years Day…maybe I should change my expectations of fresh starts??)

I’ve heard a lot people say recently that “at least we know God won’t give us more than we can handle.” And so when I headed out the door alone for my run tonight (thank you, Jesus, that my husband understands me and knew that was exactly where I was headed when he got home), I was thinking about this phrase.

And the more I pondered (yes, I am one of those running and solving the world’s problems types), I realized that this is NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS AT ALL.

Life and God (and the devil for that matter) will ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT QUESTION, EVERY SINGLE DAY, give me so much more than I could EVER handle.

On my own that is.

I am a failure. I mess up. I break down. I yell. I cry. I lose it.
I repeat.
Like every day.

Because I can’t handle life and its burdens. I never have been able to and I never will be able to. And the more I try to handle life on my own, the worse the results (please see above).

So, back to what the Bible really says… The verse that is often is misquoted actually says this:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

A WAY OUT. How often do I find myself in need of “a way out” of temptation?

And while Paul does not specify what this “way out” is in I Corinthians, a quick review in Matthew and Luke of Jesus’ temptation by the devil after forty days in the desert provides the answer to this question.

ALL THREE TIMES THAT JESUS WAS TEMPTED, HE RESPONDED WITH THE WORD OF GOD.

I can feel it. My heart and my soul are hungry for his Word and I haven’t been filling them up to the degree that I need to. To the degree that I can find that “way out.”

So forty days. Instead of starving myself during Lent, this year I’m going to be fed.

Forty days of intentionally reading the Word and reflecting and writing and sharing.

(I promise not every day will be this long.)

Magic House

I was able to get a family membership to the Magic House on Groupon for only $55...unlimited admission all year, 10 guest passes, etc. The boys and I took advantage of Erica's last day off school and went there with her today...

Christmas program

A couple more videos!

Xavier's preschool class participated in the church's Sunday school program and had a few songs to sing.

Here's the boys practicing at home:


(they are choosing to clean, not being forced to! I need some kids cleaning stuff, huh?!)

And here he is at the real deal, acting as if he had never heard the song before and he had to follow all the other kids. Oh well...better than last year!

Ruffer pum pum

My boys are OBSESSED with the little drummer boy this year...song (usually Jars of Clay version), book, movie, etc.

Watch for yourself...



(Sorry about the blinding glare off of Jordan's bare skin...his mommy greases him up after bath time because of his eczema :)

And this is how Jordan dances...

Yum...

Just made these:
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/peppermint-patties-939301/
AND

these:
http://jamespurejoy.blogspot.com/2010/12/salted-caramel-brownie-bites.html
for my MOPS meeting on Tuesday and Xavier's preschool teacher on Wednesday.

I have the right amount for both, so I most withstand temptation now!