Prayer Journals for Christmas

Look at me on a blogging streak!  Haha.  I'm on a roll.  Today has been a busy and hectic day.  It was a blessed day, but a full day.  I slept better last night than I have slept in a while.  Adam and I have been going to bed super late for some reason, and last night we didn't go to bed as late....12:00 a.m.  Yeah, that's not as late for us.  Goodness.  We are usually in bed around 10:30 or 11, but lately we have been night owls...like 1 and 2 a.m.  Oops.  Anyway, this morning August slept in until 8:15....so I slept in until 8:15.  I try to aim to have us both ready to go out the door by about 9:10.  Sunday school starts at 9:30, and since Adam teaches middle school youth, we can't be late.  If August and I aren't ready on time, then we have to drive separately, which is no fun.  Adam spends the morning in preparation for teaching, so August is my responsibility on Sunday mornings.  So, since we slept in, we started off our morning running behind.  After I nursed him, changed his clothes, got myself ready, got the diaper bag ready, hunted for shoes, etc. we were headed to church.  I decided to take August to the nursery for Sunday school for the first time.  He usually stays with me in Adam's class, but lately as he gets older, that is harder and harder to do.  He is very wiggly and just wants to play with everything.  It makes it very hard to focus.  So I took him into the nursery, passed him off to the teacher, and he immediately started screaming.  I searched through his diaper bag and realize I didn't pack everything I needed.  So I leave him with the nursery worker, rush home (in the pouring rain), rush back to church (still pouring), and get back to the nursery to see that he is still screaming.  We are going through a clingy phase.  It's been going on a good month or more.  The nursery teachers are so great with him though.  I'm pretty sure they have more patience for that than I do.  Haha.  So I gave him a bottle when I got back.  I decided I would just try him in the sanctuary during the church service.  He didn't even make it to the actual sermon.  He wanted to sing too apparently, and very loudly at that.  So back to the nursery we go.  I stayed with him since it was a bit busy back there, and I was hoping I could get him to sleep.  No go. 

When we got home this afternoon, I needed to get the house ready for our middle school youth party this evening.  I already had the kitchen cleaned up, I just needed to prep some of the food, sweep the floors, clean the bathroom, and just pick up around the house.  Adam and I also decided to make the students prayer journals as their Christmas present.  We went to Walmart (ugh.) yesterday since I needed to make a return and bought the supplies we would need.  I made the journals for the girls, and Adam made them for the boys.  He is so crafty! :)  Haha, he even admitted that it was kind of fun making them.  We wrote out a prayer inside the front page of the journal specifically for that student.  I wrote one for each of the girls, and Adam wrote one for the boys.  I think doing that showed them how much we care about them and pray for them individually, and it also models to them how to pray.  Not that there is a specific format or that you have to use certain words, but I think sometimes it's hard to know what to pray about if you have not been praying.  I think a prayer journal is beneficial for anyone for a lot of reasons.  1) It's much easier to focus if you are writing down your thoughts. 2) A prayer journal is something you can look back on and see how God answered previous prayers, or how he answered them in a way that was surprising to you.  3) Prayer journals are also a good place to record encounters with God- those moments where you just know that God is speaking through you to someone else or God has purposefully placed you somewhere and used you, etc.  I think those kind of moments are good to look back on in hard times because it solidifies your faith.  I think recording those things is important.  A homemade prayer journal could be a great Christmas gift for a new believer, friend, son/daughter, or anyone really. 

One of the journals Adam made for the boys. 

One of the journals I made for the girls.

I love how you can personalize a prayer journal.  If your child is older, you could let them create their own.  They might be more likely to use it that way.  I have planned on starting a prayer journal for August ever since he was 2 months old, and I still haven't started it.  I want to write prayers for him in it.  Prayers about his salvation, his witness to others, his future, his thought life, his obedience to us and to God, his potential wife, his education, his time management, just everything.  I think it will be neat to give to him when he is older, so that he can see how we have prayed for him through the years, and he can see how those prayers have been answered in his life.

Adam read the Christmas story during the party, and we ate food and played a game.  Well, I missed the game part since I was nursing/bathing a little one. :)  But that's ok.  I missed being part of the fun, but I enjoyed the time with August since we have had such a busy weekend.  I fixed a cheesy rotel dip with chips, cocktail sausages, frozen pizza, cookies, and I let the students bring drinks and other desserts.....it was the party food of champions.  Haha. They seemed to enjoy. Ahh to be in middle school and eat whatever you want without the guilt.  Must be nice. :)  (By the way, am I the only one who has problems with eating too much of the food?  I eat it before they arrive to "test" it, I eat with the students during the party, and then I eat as I am cleaning up the leftovers.  Ughhh....I seriously need to start practicing some self control, because if I do this for the rest of my life, I'm gonna be huge.)

Well I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend.  I will probably be recovering tomorrow, but I also have a lot I still need to get done.  Ummm...Christmas cards anyone?  I have them and haven't mailed them out yet.  That is terrible.  So I HAVE to get on that tomorrow, especially since some of the cards need to make it to Texas!  Ahhh.  Goodnight y'all!  Have a peaceful evening!

Mommy's Day Out

Yesterday I had a much needed vacation.  You know you're a mom when you consider a trip to the gynecologist  by yourself a vacation.  It was bliss.  This was the first time I have been away from August by myself for more than a quick trip out.  I have been on about 3 dates with Adam and a trip to the grocery store.  That's about it.  So I took full advantage.

My husband has Fridays off, so he kept August.  I went to my 9:30 appt with the lady doctor, and then I was a free woman!  I called Adam to check in, and he reassured me that everything was fine and that I should get out and enjoy the morning.  I didn't argue. :) There was some milk stashed in the freezer that I had pumped, so they were set.  I had $11 in my wallet that was my spending money I had been saving for a rainy day, so I picked up a caramel frappuccino, and I was ready to go!  That brought me down to $5 and some change.  Sad, but worth it!

I stopped in at my favorite store.  It was so nice to walk around with no agenda, just browsing.  I saw several things that caught my eye.  I reminded myself before I went in that I have $5 ish, and that's it.  No more!  It was kind of freeing actually not feel like I needed to buy everything I saw.  Here are a few things I liked though. :)

I really like this pillow.  I love stripes and the nautical look.  This pillow was HUGE, and it was only $9.99.  I definitely would have gotten it if I could have!

This is my favorite aisle.  No doubt.  Adam can attest to that.  I love pillows for changing out decor.  It's a lot easier than changing a paint color or something like that.  I like to choose neutral furniture, neutral paint, and neutral bedding, and then I can switch out the pillows to change the look or colors of the room.  Saves lots of money too!  

I looove faux plants.  They actually make ones that look real now.  I have  them in almost every room of the house.  I can't keep live plants.  They don't survive.  So fake plants= money saved! :)

I love this!  I saw it sitting on a shelf with a twin.

Our kitchen opens up into the living room, so it would be really cool to have these up in the corners of the  opening.  It would give some character I think.  They were $25 a piece. 

This pot was pretty cute.  It was only 7.99 I think.  It would be neat for putting  a (real) house plant in, or  putting your kitchen utensils in.  

I didn't check to see the price on this, but this would make a really cute toy chest for August's nursery.  It doesn't have  hinges, so no smashed fingers, and the top is really light so he could open and close it easily.  Plus the style matches his vintage beach themed room.

While I was there, I decided to try on some clothes.  Do you know that I have never tried on clothes just for fun?  Why not!

I really like this skirt.  So feminine.  It was $15.

I also found a bag of like 20 spools of ribbon for only $5!  It was about 3/8" wide, which was the perfect size for a craft project  I have been wanting to do, but I wanted to check out some other stores before I committed my $5. :)  So I headed over to Michael's.  I LOVE crafts.

After making my rounds through the store, I found the dollar bin.  They had a ton of cute things in the dollar bin.  I ended up getting a pack of 8 Paula Deen greeting cards and really cute bag of confetti.  I like to keep blank greeting cards on hand (especially when they are so cheap) because you can use them for thank you cards or birthday cards.  It's a definite money saver since you can spend $3 plus stopping at Walgreen's for one birthday card.  I got the confetti for a sensory bag I plan on making for August.  I think it will be something quiet to hopefully keep his attention during church.  I'll do a post on that after I make it.

With $2 and some tax down, I had $3.75 left.  I headed over to Joann's fabrics.  I have never been there before, but I had been wanting to check it out.  I really wanted to get some fabric scraps for a project, but I wanted some ribbon too.  I was excited when I found this bin!

  I found some scraps that fit into the budget, but then I remembered a few scraps I had at home and decided I needed some ribbon more.  I wasn't heartbroken over the pack at TJ Maxx since it had several spools that I didn't care for.  I ended up finding 3 little spools of ribbon I loved but didn't have a price.  I planned for my $3.75 not to cover it, but I went to check out anyway.  Turns out, each spool was $1, so final cost was $3.28!  Covered it with change to spare. :)

Here's my final "haul!"  

It's amazing how much you value a dollar when you're limited to working with the few bucks you have in your wallet.  I enjoyed the challenge of stretching my money, but more than that, I enjoyed the break.  It was so nice to just get out and go.  I missed August dearly, but I felt like a new woman by the time I got home!  I think every mom needs a break every once in a while.  I'm so grateful to Adam for encouraging me to spend some time out.  He is one awesome hubby.  Oh, and I have to also brag that he got August down for his morning nap this morning and then made us pancakes and eggs for breakfast while I snoozed on the couch.  My allergies were all out of whack for some reason.  So, I am officially spoiled!  What do you do for some mommy time?  Anything you like to do at home for some mommy time when you can't get out?  I hope your Saturday is wonderful!  I will definitely be enjoying mine!

Once Upon a Baby...

I am just now getting around to posting baby shower pictures!  Some wonderful ladies from my church threw me a baby shower the day before I turned 35 weeks pregnant.  It was such a cute shower!  I couldn't believe all of the cute decorations they had come up with.  They are very creative ladies.  The decor was vintage inspired, and the theme was books!  A lot of people included a children's book with their gift, and now we have quite the library for our little guy!  I can't wait for Adam to read to him every night.  That was something my dad always did with me, and it was our thing each night.  I always looked forward to it.  I can't wait for Adam to have that with our son.  Here are some pictures....along with the revealing of his name!

The banner hanging in the background is now above baby's crib.  They had a rocking chair (to the left) for me to sit in while I opened gifts.  It was so comfortable!

Food table

Centerpieces

The cupcake toppers were book covers that Summer printed off of her computer.  They were stuck in the top of the cupcakes with toothpicks.  SO cute!

Yes, look at that belly.  At only 35 weeks.  Oh my geez.  The pin I am wearing was made by my friend Susie who helped throw the shower.  It is made out of fabric and matched my outfit!  So cute!

One of the games we played.  You had to come up with the name of the children's book it was describing.  This was so much fun!

This was a cute game.  A spool of string and a pair of scissors were passed around.  Everyone had to cut the string to the length that they thought would fit around my belly.  Whoever got the closest won a prize.

From left to right: Summer, me, my mom, and Susie.  Not pictured: Kimberly!  These ladies did such a wonderful job.  We really enjoyed it!

The scale held blocks with our son's name.....................August Hare!

We chose the name August because we were drawn to "A" names.  We also really like original names.  August is the month we found out we were expecting, so it kind of makes sense too. :)  His full name is August Mitchell Hare.  Mitchell is Adam's middle name, so we are going to pass that down.  We can't wait to meet August tomorrow (if not sooner)!

Getting Crafty: DIY Initial Plate

I am thoroughly enjoying my 3 day weekend!  Thank you, Martin Luther King, Jr! Adam and I started things off with some breakfast at IHOP this morning.  We haven't been there in a while.

 It was fun to get out and enjoy such a pretty day with him.  After we had some breakfast, we went to my FAVORITE local shop (The United Gift Shop) and did some browsing.  Adam and I love to go in there and look around at all the vintage and antique things.  It's obviously not something he would do in his own spare time, but we always have a good time together just talking and walking around.  While we were there, I came across this little plate that I loved.  It had a verse on it that is very near to mine and Adam's hearts right now. 

So we picked it up for $4.00.  Normally I would only pay $2.00 at most for a smaller sized plate, but with the verse I was willing to pay more.  The center of the plate is blank, but I had a plan for it!  I have been looking for a plate that I could put mine and Adam's initials on.  I saw a project on Pinterest that I have been dying to try found HERE.

To do this, I used one of the napkins from our wedding. The groom's napkins were black with white initals, and the bride's napkins were white with black initials.  I had 2 different fonts in the bride napkins since there was an error by the printing company who ordered them.  They ordered the wrong font (the block font), so they had to re-order it in the cursive font.  We got all of the block font napkins for free.

I decided to go with the cursive fancy font because it is bigger and would take up more of the blank space on the plate.  To do this project, here are the materials I used.

Plate, small craft brush, decopauge, scissors, and an inital napkin. 

First, I hand washed the plate so I could make sure that I had a clean, smooth surface to work with.  Next, I unfolded the napkin out like so.

Then, I peeled back the top layer of the napkin that had the monogram ink on it.

Don't rush when you are peeling back the napkin, otherwise it will tear.  When you're done, you will be left with this.  I just cut out the square of the top layer.

Next, I cut as closely as possible around our initials.

Then, I was ready to decopauge it to the center of the plate.

I should really get a manicure.....j/k.  That's my lovely hubby assistant. :)  I was going to let him hold it down while I started decoupaging, but I decided it would be better to spread the decopauge on the back first, then lay it down and decopauge over it.  So that's what I did. Here it is wet.  You can't tell that much that the napkin is whiter than the plate.  The plate was really more of a cream or off-white.

And here it is all dry!  I need to get a small plate stand for it.  It's going to go in the kitchen I believe.

I really like it!  Since I already had all of the supplies on hand, this project only cost me $4.00.  (Thank you to my parents who bought the napkins for the wedding!)  I'm sure you could do this same project using Word on your computer and then print off your initals in whatever font you would like.  It would also look good with a plain plate, or you could decorate your plate how you like.  I'll let you see it when I have it on the stand in its home.  Thanks for reading!