Join me in the Making Your Home A Haven Challenge

It's fall... and for me that means wanting my household to be just perfect! Why? I'm not really sure but year after year the fall seems to be my time for a clean house, an apple aroma of some sort, hot chocolate, kind attitudes, loving words and lots and lots of family time. I am joining Courtney and many others over at Women Living Well (have you checked out her blog...? It's a must!) in the Make Your Home A Haven Challenge. Will you join me?

Weekly challenges are designed to help make your home a place of peace. Too many activities pulling you in different directions? Stressful day at work or with the kids? Lots of errands to run? A To-Do List a mile long? This challenge will help you to be intentional each day in finding the calm.

Interested? Head over to Women Living Well to watch the video.

Week 1's challenge was to buy a large candle and light it each day praying for peace in your home. I will be using my candle lantern that Mark and I got on our Honeymoon!

Dear Jesus,
Please bring peace to our home today. Please help us all to use kind words and to practice patience with each other. Please allow us to spend time together and enjoy each other's company. Thank you for this home... for the walls that surround us and the roof over our heads. I pray that we can use it to glorify you.
Amen.

HOODWINKED

So as I was walking up the driveway with little Lily in one arm and our home cooked dinner that Chick-fil-a was kind enough to make in the other hand, up pulls the UPS man. As he was walking up to me I'm only thinking of the millionth thing my Amazon-obsessed husband just ordered. (Although I shouldn't complain because he is very generous in pampering me) Much to my surprise it had MY name on it though... It was for me! The girl who never orders herself anything. After tearing it open I found out that I am one of the lucky ladies who gets to read and review Hoodwinked by Ruth Schwenk from The Better Mom and Karen Ehman from Proverbs 31 Ministries.

I am so very excited about this opportunity. It takes me back to K-Mart when I was a little girl and picked the winning ring and won a Magic Nursery Pet. Does anyone remember those? I carried that thing around like it was my baby. Likewise, I am honored to be able to read a copy of Hoodwinked before it is released. Stay tuned for my thoughts...

Our Sunday Morning Life Saver

So since Lily has been born our Sunday mornings have been cRazY! We barely made it to church on time with just Jase... And now I am teaching the youth Sunday School class so being on time is a must! (Come on, I can't have high schoolers getting there before me... they are the ones who are supposed to be late!)

I started to make it a habit of packing the diaper bag and laying out clothes on Saturday. It has made a huge difference. Then Mark can even help dress the kids and guess what?!? They will match!  (I love my hubby but sometimes his clothing choices are sub par) While shopping at Kohls one day (It was my first day out with out any kids so let's just say I scoured every inch of the store to make it last) I found two little chalk board hooks on clearance for just a few bucks. I snatched them up, added a little paint, and viola!

(Sorry about the poor lighting... when it's dark outside that is as light as their room gets with their little lights... but hey, they are the same lights that were in my husbands room when he was a kid so that's the price you pay for nostalgia...)


Saturday night, if not before, both kiddos have their entire outfits hung (I even hang up one shoe and place the other one near by on the dresser because as any parent will tell you... shoe searching while you are on your way out the door is a beast). This has been such a lifesaver!

Chocolate Deliciousness

A few weekends ago all the girls came over for our DNOW Retreat... a time that I am usually more than excited for because I get to find some great Pinterest-Crafts for them. Well, they broke my heart and asked for no crafts... makeovers is what they wanted. So I couldn't completely shut Pinterest out of the weekend so I decided to get creative with our dessert. I found the idea here to make Chocolate Cake Waffles topped with Ice Cream and Chocolate and Carmel Syrup.

This was SO easy (you know me and a kitchen don't go hand in hand) and even more delicious. And the best part is that it only took a few minutes for each waffle... who wants to wait for 30 minutes when you can have cake in 5?

Want somemore creative and yummy dessert ideas? Follow me on pinterest and click here.

February Craft Night

February... Cold Days... Even Colder Nights... Snow... Snow... and More Snow... So what better way to warm up than with a cup of something tasty? And could the mugs be any cuter?

Pam and Ms. Mary working on their mugs

Chelsie with her bird mug and holding her mom's...

Betty Farley with a mug for Ms. Addison

Janice and her daughter holding their lovely mugs. Her daughter made one with all the great grandkids names on it.

BFFs sharing their finished and almost finished mugs...

Ms. Riley and Ms. Abby holding their finished products. Besides keeping warm with hot cocoa they also like to wear their coats backwards.

Mari's almost finished product... Family names are on the back.

Another mug waiting for the paint to dry to take the vinyl stencil off and wait... Is that the pastor?