preparing for worship.

the sun comes up. there's a new day dawning. it's time to sing Your song again. whatever may pass & whatever lies before me - let me be singing when the evening comes. 

happy sunday. may it be blessed.

refreshed.

i have been in a mood lately. a strange one. 

and i feel like it comes on about this time each year. {except for last year when i was probably too consumed with ONE thing that i didn't notice it nor did i have time - or want to have time - to acknowledge it.}

my life needs some change. but i'm not just talking outwardly - like the i need to clean more & be more organized stuff... there have been things going on inside me. things that i can't put into words. things that only my spirit can testify to. prayers beginning to be answered. hearts changing. new relationships building. older ones flourishing. and so on and so on. 

last week i was tired & i felt like dry bones. as if i hadn't seen the Lord's hand move in a big way in a while. that although i knew He was there, i didn't feel Him, and i didn't like it. whaaaa whaaa.....

i began praying.... as in, on my knees before Him in the morning {with my coffee right beside me, of course}... that He would move. that He would place things & people & ideas on my heart. that He would breathe a fresh wind into my faith. that He would inspire me. 

and this week - well - i'm still tired. BUT i feel like i'm beginning to see things in a fresh way. there are certain things & ideas & people that are starting to stand out - and i don't think that's a coinscidence - it's a Holy Echo that He is starting to build in my life. 

and i am ever so grateful. there is nothing, NOTHING, Y'ALL, that is like experiencing the Presence of the Lord in your life.

i started reading in john this week - our bf teacher put that in my ear on sunday morning and i thought it might be refreshing to change it up from my love of Jesus Calling for Lent. {yes, i go to a baptist church and i just said "lent!"} and the first day i was reading and this passage caught me dead in my tracks.

a little background: Jesus was gathering the twelve and when he saw Nathanael coming to Him, Jesus said "an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" indicating that he knew who he was. Nathanael's response was to ask how Jesus knew who he was and, of course, Jesus said "i saw you under the fig tree". {all of that is a paraphrase!}  and then Nathanael exclaimed, "surely You are the King of Israel!" in which our Lord said the following: 

 "you will see greater things than these."

it struck me. that's what happens when you read the Living Word. it reminded me that i keep looking back at all He has done for us - halfway expecting that to be the highlight of my christian walk during my lifetime. the way that He delivered us, and carried us over the last year. the way i literally saw things happen daily that were only explained through Him. 

and, i think it's very biblical to remember and keep an account of God's faithfulness, but i felt like yesterday Jesus whispered to me - you haven't seen anything yet.

done. peace out. i am officially refreshed.

"great things" are relative.  great for me, right now, is a heart change as to the way i look at those people & circumstances that surround me. where is He? what is He doing? where does He want me to focus? in a bible study i did years ago, i learned that we aren't to choose what we're going to do and ask God to bless it - but we are to see where He is already working and JOIN HIM. yes, Jesus. let me join You - I want to see and experience the great things that You are doing. here i am, Lord. send me.

so the question is: where is He pointing you??

valentine's day.

 normally we don't go all out on valentine's day or anything.

but this year, i wanted my kids to feel soooo loved. 

i feel like they put up with a lot. and handle it so well.

so wanted it to be an excuse to make them feel extra special.

 we face timed in daddy when they woke up and walked into the kitchen. b. said "this is so awesome!" he loved the butcher paper on the table. {it's still on there!} they constantly color on it. 

 

all c cared about was the candy. she kept sneaking it. b is our rule follower and c is a little more independent & strong willed. should make for an interesting few years in high school. :)

and just to keep it real - there were no cute homemade valentine's this year. although washi tape does make everything better. i had seen such cute stuff on pinterest but every time i mentioned something to b. he either didn't "get it" {like the nacho average valentine! sooo cute!} or wasn't excited. so why would i spend my time on something that - let's be honest - is for me to look better as a mom? PLUS when i get his valentine's box, half the time i can't even tell who they came from! ha. so we ended up with $2 spiderman valentines with smarties. b was tremendously excited about them. 

a peek inside my studio.

 a project for a dear friend's wedding.....

post its are now my lifesaver. 

 a blank sign, hung and ready to be painted. i just can't decide what i'm going to do....

 from the hubbs's first truck. an 89 blue two door chevy blazer. love.

 this little muffin has her own signs she "paints" with me. all. the. time. i can't keep this place clean with her in it. she picks up sand paper and sands EVERYthing. whoa. gonna have to keep my eye on this one.

 fabric begging to be used.... soon, friend. soon.

happy wednesday. are you ready for valentine's day??

monday {shop update!}

check out the shop for all these new goodies!

check out the shop to purchase! thank you all for supporting us! it has been such a blessing!

instafriday.

this week was crazy. complete with a trip to austin & back, crazy hair day, a big shop update, custom orders, loads of laundry &  a black tie event.

 what better way to start off a crazy week than with cinnamon rolls. grands does it up right.

i heart chippy paint.

i made it to austin in record time. no traffic. no drinking water. or coffee. no stops. woot!

i've been battling a bit with insomnia. whether i'm here, or there or whether j's home or not. insomnia awaits me when i get in bed. i'm exhausted and sleepy. but as soon as i close my eyes it's like a lightswitch goes on and i can.not.fall.asleep. it's not like my mind is running. it's totally different. so i've tried all sorts of things. this week just might be the week i throw in the towel and go see a doctor. i have a few more things to try first, including yoga. we shall see! do you have any other home remedies??

at the capitol this week the sweetwater jaycees were showing off their rattlesnakes. one of our dear friends is from sweetwater and goes to the rattlesnake festival every year - so these pics are for him!

 

it definitely did not feel like a controlled environment. {this is j's legislative director being brave next to the rattlesnake!!} i stayed behind the iphone.

me & my handsome james bond man. nothing like your hubby all dressed up in a tux. nothing.

quick trip there = a quick trip back. complete with starbucks & mumford. love.

the littles snuggling after nap time. love it when they're sweet to each other. {because it's not all the time, you know what i mean?}

 there's a BIG shop update coming on monday! stay tuned!

crazy hair day at school on thursday. this is the best we could do - didn't have much hair to work with!

 

 making cards for daddy.

instafriday!

linking up for instafriday again. a chance to tell the stories behind the pictures. you can follow me here.

we went to an event for the local school district last week. it was very fun - and was at southfork. where j's prom was. brought back a lot of memories!

it's become party time on friday night when the hubbs comes home. today we will be baking a cake. it's our favorite time of the week.

we opened our first kiwi crate this week. i will do a full post on this next week but let me say: AWESOME.

still pondering a lesson from sunday school. being imitators of God. what does that mean in my daily life? i've been trying to teach b. this verse. i told him it's like being a copy cat. he thought it was very funny....

little branches has learned how to ship from home. so. easy.

project life began this week. so excited to stay on top of this project this year.

a crafting break.

earlier this week, on instagram, i declared wednesday as my bread baking day. it is definitely my least favorite day of the week - the one where i literally hit a wall because i'm exhausted and tired and know i still have two more days! so why not make wednesday a day i look forward to every week? i'll post thoughts on this recipe next week!

making something different to send to whatever craft weekend this month. cannot wait to share. i think you'll like it. ;)

a custom piece for a sweet friend having a boy soon. she is on bedrest in the hospital {for high bp} and we went by to drop it off. it blesses me terribly to see people love something i have made for them {or someone they love}.

last night we celebrated my brother's birthday at dave & buster's. it was so fun to be together {minus the hubbs} as a big family. my brother used to live in colorado so we rarely got to see him for his birthday. but not this year!! it was fun celebrating with him.

and he won 1228 tickets for the kiddos. {it was a combination effort but he for sure won the most}. the littles weren't terribly excited about the tix until they realized they "bought" them prizes! made for a fun end of the night!