His for Mine

I know technically Easter is a once a year holiday.  But around here, for me, Jesus and the cross...it's a daily thing.  Because what He did, and my faith in that, makes me who I am.  I can't separate from it.  


Remembering what He did.  Why He did it.  Where I'd be without His gift...His life for mine.  

A faith, and relationship with God...who is very much Alive.

So once a year, we get dressed up extra special for church and we take pictures.  Hunt eggs and gorge on chocolate...but the real celebration of the resurrection is so much more than that one day.


Side note:  Turns out I've been enjoying the Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs almost daily as well...that relationship needs to end...and least that's what my jeans-that-are-too-tight are trying to tell me.

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Before & After

We are all about hand-me-downs here in the parsonage.  We love them...like reallllly love them.  


There's something about broken-in stuff that is just...easy.  I mean, the fact that it's free helps....but there's something about the fact that it's already broken-in that just makes my family love it more. This winter, I bought the boys new coats...and then a few weeks later they received hand-me-down ones from my cousins.  Guess which ones they wore all winter?  Not the new ones.  


We're weird.


Whatever.  Back to my story.


My mother-in-law has furnished a vast majority of our home with her extra furniture.  When we first got married, we "borrowed" some stuff, ya know, to use until we got around to actually buying furniture.  Portions of it we've been borrowing for close to 14 years now.  


New is terribly over-rated.  It has no story.  No past.  No memories.


Unlike these beauties:

They are my mother-in-laws.  But had been living at my sister-in-laws.  And then made it back to my mother-in-laws and then she offered them to me.


And of course you know what I said.  


And after a little paint and a clearance curtain panel from Target, they look like this:

There's four of them in total.  Two have found a home at the dining table and two others are hanging around the rest of the house.  


Adorable, right?

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Almost Two...

Lucy has been a little gem the past few days.  I'm even saying that without a hint of sarcasm.  Sweet, and cute, and pretty compliant for a nearly two-year-old. Last week...she was the opposite of that.

For real.  Oh, she was still cute and all, but man alive she was killin' me with attitude and whining and whining and WHINING.  Everything was a battle.  I found myself questioning how I had ever survived the toddler years before.  And with my first two children, they were toddlers at the same time.  I must have blocked most of that out, because I look back on it fondly. Even the things that made me crazy at the time.

Things like them digging the poo out of their diapers and wiping it on walls, cribs, toys, carpets...the list goes on.  The training, and warning and disciplining...the crying...by all of us.  Good times.  

Lucy's girlie craziness is a whole other ball game though.  The dramatics are insane.  All you mothers of more than one girl...hats off to you!   The battle of the wills began.  Victory was mine.  Right now I'm relishing in it...before the next battle begins.

She has her own will.  Her own agendas.

She looks like her daddy...but that attitude, that determination...that love for Windex...that's from me.

Mood swings.  And tantrums.  

Some days, when the whining never ends, and my patience wears thin...I keep reminding myself...it's someday gonna be really, really entertaining.


Even today, as I watch this, it's funny.  It wasn't so much on that day.  Time brings perspective.


Sister loves her some salsa.  

Oh Lucy.  You make me smile.  And pull my hair out.  And smile again.  

I told you...it was quite the day.  I love that little toe sucker. ;)

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Before & After

Turns out, that before & after projects are way more fun to look at when you actually take before photos.  I instead had to do it the hard way and dig through old pictures to see if I might have captured the items in some random photo.  Waste time much?

I have been on a spray painting frenzy.  If there is a condition for this, then I most certainly have it.  *mental note to Google that later*

My latest project was a kitchen set for Lucy, that has been sitting in our basement for several years now.  It was originally Jake's.  *sigh*   Look at him, all little and wearing a bakers hat.  I melt.  We bought him this from Target, and it was a hit with the daddy because it was blue and red and made him feel better about me wanting to get him a kitchen set.  (which Jake totally loved by the way.;)

Before

This picture must have been 2006 or 2007.

The little kitchen needed a make-over.  

Thank you Krylon.

After:

I decided to make a curtain for it (a cheap dishtowel from Target did the trick.) Originally the "curtain" rod had hooks on it to hang utensils and pans...which never actually made it to the hooks.  


Lucy loves it.  I love it.  And all her little girlie friends love it.  Even Jake has had some fun helping his sister play.  Don't tell him I told you.

Up next was her little doll highchair that I bought at a thrift store for $5.  


Before:  

Try not to be freaked out by the enormous doll.

A little red paint...

Super fun.

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They'll Call Me Back...

Sometimes life gets so full, that I don't know where to start.  And then I wander around aimlessly.


My blog has become that.  There's so much stuff to write about, that I end up not writing at all, because narrowing it down seems like too much work.  


And then I miss the point.  I miss capturing the moments.  And that my friends, annoys me.  Greatly.


As I sit here, I keep thinking...just pick one thing, ONE thing, any thing and write. it. down.  


Carpet Installers.


That's right.  Our upstairs is ready for the carpet to be laid, and I cannot get an installer to call me back and set a date.  For real.  I've called several.  And they are so nice on the phone, telling me how they can get to it "this week" and they'll call me back "right away" with a date...and then nothing.


The weird thing is, I really truly believe them every. single. time.  Did I mention how nice they are?  They've forced me into stalking them.  And I hate stalking by means of the phone.  If only they had facebook...


Anyways.  


We're going on the 3rd week of this.  So this morning, I decided to have Ben call instead.  Maybe they'll like him better?  Maybe.  So Ben called the guy I spoke with yesterday, ya know, the one who would "call me right back."  And Ben explained who he was and the guy was shocked that his installer had not called us back.  He reassured Ben he would talk to him, and "call him back."


I chuckled when Ben told me what he had said.  "You believed him, didn't you."  Ben sheepishly smiled, and admitted he did.  Me too, my dear...me too.


Suckers.


I'm starting to think I could just do it myself.  I mean, I'm pretty handy with a staple gun, and if we never move the furniture around it should be good to go, right?  *cough*

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No Title

Obviously, time has gotten away from me.


I blame it on all the painting.  


Let's bullet-update, shall we?

• Remodel should be done by end of week.  WHAT?!?  I know.  Carpet will be laid sometime soon and then we are done.  Well sort of done...the old kitchen will begin a face-lift in June-ish.  
• New Ladies Bible study begins tonight.  We are doing one of my FAVORITE books, Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  It's my third time through the book, and it slays me every.time.  God uses it to cut my heart right open, laying it bare...often showing me things I do not want to see...but need to.  He's changing me, and that hurts sometimes, but it's always in Good Hands.
• Lucy likes wearing "pretties" now.  "Pretties" are piggie tails, and I'm not gonna lie...she's stinkin' adorable.
• Our new kitchen is completely done.  We moved into it last week.  I already cannot remember what it was like to live without the space.  It's divine.  There is room to breathe.  And that is good.

I'll post pictures...of any kind...soon.  Promise.

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Around Here...

The remodel project is coming along!  

And upstairs...

...just little sneak peaks. :)  I promise a whole walk through once it's done.


Right now I should be painting...


Anyways.  


My organization spree continues.  Again.


I started using a plain old planner from Target this fall.  Just to see if I would actually use it.  And I did *insert clapping for myself*


So, when I found a coupon for this planner that I've been dreaming about.  I jumped on it.


Thank you www.erincondren.com 

The. Cutest. Planner. Ever.


On another note...

• I went to vacuum out my van today, but then decided it was too windy.
  I'd likely get a ticket for littering once I opened the van doors and the wind got a hold of all the garbage in there.  Now, instead, it can just blow out when I pick the boys up from school.  Nice.
• Priming drywall is hard work.  And I am a wimp.  
• I stood in Target for several minutes trying to find the best deal on ground coffee (by the pound.)  Because lately, I've been a little picky.  And cheap.  I finally decided on one that was $7.99 (Archer Farms Caramel.)  Oddly, I didn't think twice about the almost $5 I paid for ONE grande iced caramel macchiato that I giddily bought from Starbucks on my way out Target's door.  At least I'm aware of my discrepancies.
• Lucy thinks Curious George is a dog.    
• I watched The Bodyguard twice this weekend.  Once, on Lifetime, while there were ten hours of commercials...but I did get my whole ironing pile done.  Then last night, DVR'd, so I could skip commercials.  I have no shame.   

Happy Monday!

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