making home {photo project} 6

Sam's sister and her family arrived this afternoon, and we are really enjoying having them with us. Their little boy, Max, is just a few days younger than our Baby. They are a hoot together. It's almost like having twins in the house!

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This week's Making Home... Merry Christmas!

gingerbread house

Can I make this a Wordless Thursday?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you how late on Wednesday night it is right now.

It's late.

But I've spent the evening/night getting a ton of things done that have been pressing on my week-before-Christmas self. And now they press no longer. It feels good.

Not that I don't have plenty of other things still left to do before Tuesday, but this was at least more than a drop in the bucket. Tonight's productivity makes the rest of my "to do" list seem manageable.

I think.

Since I'm up anyway, I wanted to share these photos from earlier. I love the colors. Happy, happy colors.

Hope they brighten your day a little.

We have family coming in on Saturday, and then people are kind of coming and going until several days after Christmas. We're hosting two family Christmases this year. Fun, fun, fun! The bonus is, of course, no traveling. Which is really, really nice.

A final burst of crafty elfness is planned for tonight. I'm looking forward to some twinkly lights, Christmas music on Pandora, and craft paint :)

Happy Easter!

We dyed eggs yesterday. It really has nothing to do with the real significance of our celebration this weekend...



But, they were beautiful.



All the pretty cups, filled with vibrant color.



I enjoyed this as much as the kids did... maybe even more.



I decided to have the children take turns, instead of all scrambling around the eggs at one time.

Scrambling.

I crack myself up.



The potential for me to become a stress case was high, so it was a very good decision for me to go one-on-one with them. I'm learning when not to push it.

It was actually almost restful this way.



Almost.



She had an idea.



She did ask first. I told her to go for it.



Photo opp :)



We bought more than one kit and customized some colors by putting two tabs in one cup. That was my favorite part.



We had lots of colors.



And the children did a great job being patient... waiting for the colors to get really deep. Those three at the far right are my favorites. Loveliness.







Very fun.

The family is gathering here to celebrate together after church. I'm really looking forward to it. For more than one reason, but one of the shallowest is that I get to eat this. I needed a huge, simple dessert and this won out. I've never made it before. I doubled it and I'm using Cool Whip on top instead of frosting. How midwest is that? And no sprinkles or yellow sugar. Ick. Texture issues.

Hope your day is a wonderful one.

May your heart and mind find peace through the deep, deep love and forgiveness of Christ Jesus.

Happy Easter, everyone!

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53:5-6 ESV)

Merry Christmas!

"For from the Father's throne You came,
His banished children to reclaim;
And earth and sea and sky revere
The love of Him who sent You here.
And we are jubilant today,
For You have washed our guilt away.
O hear the glad new song we sing
On this, the birth of Christ our King!"

- 6th century hymn adapted by Kristyn Getty

cookies, crafts, and a very Merry Christmas!

We've made some crafts! The kids got full control of the color scheme, and I'm cool with that. We have all kinds of paper chains & lively decorations going on now. I snapped a few photos, but mostly I just wanted to be in the moment. I could fully live it or make a great blog post about it, and I chose the former. I know some moms can do both, but not me. Not right now.

Today we're making peppermint bark & cookies for our neighbors. Tomorrow, salt dough wreath ornaments. My sissy and her girls are joining in some of our fun, too, which makes it seem extra Christmas-y & special.

I agree with Ashley. Among other things, I want to give my children the gift of my presence. Being 100% there. I'm shutting down the blog until after the New Year. There's too much to soak in, to make & enjoy together, and I don't want to miss it!

On the house front, we're going to try to order a sink & a few other things for the children's bathroom tonight. I may wait to post again until we have the bathroom finished. It'd be kind of fun to jump back in with a reveal, don't you think :)

So, stay tuned, y'all. We will be back. But, we're laying low blogwise for a bit. Check back in with us from time to time in January, though. We'll see what we have to share with you all! Until then...

MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy New Year, too!!!!!

p.s. I wanted to share this clip with you all. It's John Piper explaining why Christmas, or really the birth of Jesus Christ, was a preparation for the cross of Christ. God became flesh so that He could offer that flesh as a perfect sacrifice on the cross, to make a sinful people His own. It's a strange message to modern ears, a hard message in many ways. We don't naturally want to hear that the little baby in the manger came, mainly, to humble Himself, suffer, and die. But it's also a joyful message, because through that dying love, Christ redeemed a people to Himself and made us His own. He adopted believers as His beloved! He came to die, so great was His love. That God Almightly loves me - unworthy me! - is all the cause for rejoicing in the world. Amen and Amen. Merry Christmas.

Christmas Color Scheme 2010

Hey, all!

By now you all know how much I love my neutrals. Especially white. This directly translates to a love of white, silver, and gold Christmas decor. I just love images like these...

{Domino}

{Country Living}

{Martha Stewart}

Sam and I both love the quiet elegance of a simple, serene color scheme with just a tiny bit of bright color. The children, on the other hand, of course want a colorful, glittery, bright, over-the-top

Christmas House!

And, really, Sam and I do like to see them smiling and excited, so I guess we want their option more than our own:)

I'm attempting to take some of their ideas and mix in some of Mama and Daddy's style to get a result that everyone loves. A home that feels cozy and full of family, love, grace, and happiness without looking like the Grizzwold's. Sam is out of town all week for work, so I thought it might be a good week for extra crafting just to keep everyone's spirits up and to fill some of the long evening hours until he comes home. Next week, Monday through Friday, we're going to try to add some new handmade (or at least partially handmade) Christmas decor to our home each day. ANd we'll probably have lots of sugary, fattening goodies while we craft, too. Time to get reacquainted with the treadmill.

Here's the happy, cheerful, but still slightly guided and cohesive inspiration board.

1. Michael Miller "Ta Dot" 2. image via kristenlaird.com 3. goodhousekeeping.com 4. honeypiedesign on Etsy 5. pamwares on Etsy 6. divinagioielli on Esty 7. Ribbon Unlimited on Etsy

Doesn't that sound like FUN? I'll try to post what we come up with each day :) If you all are making festive things for your holiday season, please leave a link in the comments and we'll come see what you're up to, too!

P.S. Well, my girls have informed me that turquoise has no place in Christmas decor. And especially not pink and red with turquoise. Oh, well. They also told me that there must be red and green together. I was going to try not to do the traditional combination thing. Oh, well. This is what I get for asking their opinions.

P.S.S. Mom, it came late this afternoon! It's lovely. I immediately thought of a wildflower that grows in Door County. Trillium. Grandma Lockwood loved them. Thank you :)

I happened to be wearing my black turtleneck sweater with another necklace today. I just took that necklace off and put yours on after I opened it :) I'm still wearing it now. It's perfect. Love you :)

The Sweetest Part of the Story

Maybe you'd like to read the rest of the story here.

It's worth your time.

Trust me.

Happy Easter, everyone!