Family

This week kicks off a busy (but fun) week for us.  We don't live very near to our family so this will be a treat.  Our G-O Baby will be turning one in a matter of days and both of her grandmothers and an uncle will be visiting.  We are so excited to see everyone...and we can't wait to see how they all respond to our little one.  She has grown and learned SO MUCH since last they saw her.  Seriously...her uncle hasn't seen her since the DAY SHE WAS BORN.  Yeah.  I think it's safe to say she's changed just a smidge since then, don't you?

Anyhow, I'll try to stay on top of the blog this week, but if I take an extended vacation from the blog while we live it up with our folks and continue packing and (hopefully) moving in these next couple weeks, consider yourself warned.

If I'm a bit spotty on the posts, don't worry--I'll be back!

Blessings!

Olioboard

Planning out the rooms for our new home has become really fun since I discovered Olioboard.  It's practically a Pinterest for decorating.  In Olioboard you can create virtual inspiration/mood boards using pictures that you've uploaded, items already in Olioboard from a variety of vendors, or even items you find on the internet along the way.

Here are a couple samples of what you can create that I found on the site (currently trending):

(boudoir glam by livluvdesign)

(NP Nursery (peacock blue) by alamodemaven)

(Mid-Century Living Room by cre8)

(english bedroom by olgaflamuraj)

So, check it out and play!  It's free for most features.  Here's the direct link.

Lessons

This last week I have struggled to memorize my verses.

Call it what you will, but it is just plain laziness.

Yes, I have legitimately been busy with life as our lives are incredibly busy right now, but I don't want to make excuses.  It really is no-holds-barred laziness.  The fact of the matter is that I will do what I deem to be a priority.

Sigh.

I need to realize it's okay to skip packing one more box in order to sit down before or after my Bible study and take those several extra minutes to work on memorizing my verses.

Or I need to stop cruising through Pinterest and instead fill my mind with God's Word.  Even if I'm looking at scripture wall art on there, it's not the same as working to inscribe it upon my heart.

Even in this, God is teaching me.  He's teaching me to persevere and be diligent even more--especially when I really don't feel like it.  He's revealing to me the things that I make a priority over Him.  He's graciously convicting me and showing me how I still make so many truly unimportant tasks "have tos" in my daily life, thereby robbing time from Him to do as He wills.  It may be time spent surfing the web even after I've grown bored with it.  I do not believe it is sinful to surf the web in and of itself, but when I feel prompted by the Spirit that it's time to log off and I don't, well, then that's sin.

I want to be hyper-sensitive to the Spirit's prompting.  I want to be so attuned to God's voice (and equally importantly obedient to His voice) that I don't go anywhere or do anything without His leading.

Seriously, the more I learn of Him, the more of Him I realize I need and the more of me I need to get rid of.  At the same time, I am His child and I am so blessed to have victory in Jesus Christ.  I am bathed in His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness.  He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).

Now I leave you with this:

Ephesians 3:14-21~
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

DIYs to try

I have a long list of things that I want to try to do myself, but I've got my hands full with family visits, a first birthday party, and prepping for a move.  As such, these things will have to be put on the back-burner for now.

I still wanted to share a few with you.

Ok...so, I actually have the time to do this one once we move and will likely NEED to do this one.  All you need to do is punch a few holes in the cap of a milk gallon and--voila--you instantly have a functional watering vessel for your plants.

(found here)

We also have some mismatched furniture that we were given by family over the years and I finally want to do something about it:  Paint!  Here are couple DIY tutorials that I've got a hankerin' to try out...hopefully sometime this summer.

(Tutorial found here)

(Tutorial here)

Lastly (for now, anyways), I know we'll need proper doormats.  I just don't want to spend a lot of money on fancy-schmancy doormats considering their sole purpose (no pun intended) is to get the dirt off your shoes so you don't traipse it into the house.  Instead I hope to find decent and paintable doormats that I can customize as I like.  I dig how this:

 ...turned into THIS:

(Original post found here)

That's all for now!