God has been Faithful

Although I have not shared much of this on the blog, God has been doing a huge work in our lives. Through a series of events, the Lord truly revealed the direction he wants us to go for now. There are no promises of what the end result will be other than He will be faithful. This direction included many diligent hours of Brandon studying for the MCAT.  Only by God's grace and power, did Brandon's results blow us away. We praise the Lord ultimatley and supremely for all that he has done and will do, again, no matter the result!

This was us as we called our families to rejoice!

I am so incredibly blessed to have a husband who seeks after the Lord and His will for our family.

Our Sweet Friends: Kev and Kaitlyn

The past few weeks  have been fun weekends with friends. One especially great Friday night was the sleepover of the century. ha. I think it was the first time we have had a married couple spend the night. It was a blast! The boys, of course, played video games and Katilyn and I cooked. These pretty fellas were the result.

                                                        This was the boy's favorite part!!
                                                           Playing with fire....

Needless to say it was a fun night and weekend with the Furniss'. We treasure them and their friendship!

Best, Greatest, Cutest, Sweetest

I have missed blogging about many events in the past 6 weeks or so...one of my favorites being our time with these guys!! These are 3 of our 4 nephews. Greatest little boys in the world if you ask B or I. Love them and every moment we get with them!!!

 We had a spend the night party and boy was it fun! Our menu for the weekend consisted of: pizza, fruit dip, ice cream, gummies, twix, milky ways, cookies, and doughnuts. From playing games to renting movies to having them fall asleep in my arms...the time was treasured. We love these boys and pray blessings on them as they grow into young men of God!

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

Happy Anniversary to us! Wow how it seems crazy it has been a whole year...but it has been the best year of my life! I have loved every moment and look forward to oh so many to come! I love you Brandon!

                                                  (our door decorated by my sweet family)

Variety of Crafts

A few friends mentioned this past weekend that they were still waiting on the pictures to show up. Ha.  Good thing they didn't hold their breath. I have been so busy sewing that I have forgotten all about blogging. From beach bags, to beach hats, to baby clothes, to birthday presents..the sewing has seemed to be a full time job, but oh so fun! The following are just a few of the many things that have come from the numerous days of missed blogging.

Vacation is near

Yes, as my sister-in-law reminded me, there are still not any pictures posted. I know, I know. They will come sometime in the future. Somehow the weekend and week has gone by so quickly.  With hectic schedules and being sick, the last thing I have wanted to do is fulfill my promises on my blog. Ha, kidding. Well...kindof. Meanwhile, all I can think about is what the next two weeks hold for us. B has a big event coming up next week. We are fully relying on the Lord, and it has been truly an incredible time to grow in Christ together. We praise him in advance for whatever the outcome maybe. Still anxious..but clinging to Ephesians 4 that reminds us to" be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication make your request be made known to God". He will be faithful as we have already seen...clinging to that.

The next week we will happily join my family in Florida. Oh my I can't wait!!!!! To sit on the beach with a book for hours with my husband and family will be nothing but bliss! We are counting down the days until both of these events occur. Meanwhile, here is a picture from the first time B came to the beach with my family.

I will continue dreaming of the beach....

Pictures to Come

Its been an interesting week here! Husband working very late nights toward a deadline...my to do list seeming to grow...and no posts here. But this weekend, I promise to post pictures! In the past week I have finished my polka-dot camera strap for our new camera, appliqued more shirts with some adorable new designs, begun working on some picture boards for my kitchen and a friend's baby room, and my favorite......finished Amy Butler's Cosmo Bag!

Can't wait to show you all these pictures soon! This weekend I promise! Hope you all are ready for Mother's Day....excited to remind my mom what a treasure she is to us!

Easter

Well this Easter has been like no other Easter for quite a few reasons.

First, the spiritual side. Of course, an Easter in Memphis is not complete without the Passion Play at Bellevue. As I sat there in awe of a glimpse of what Christ gave for me, it hit me of how much it meant to me that He would give it for my treasured family as well. I saw my sweet mom sweetly looking at the scene on stage. I saw the tender sorrow in my precious father's eyes as Jesus was nailed to the cross. I saw my little brother propped up on his knees trying to comprehend the moment. And then my sweet husband calmly yet seriously pondering on the meaning of the cross. This moment hit me hard like never before. I have always known that Jesus gave it all for me and the rest of the world. But have I broken it down between the small entity of myself and the vastness of the world. Have I praised him enough for this great love? What a gracious faithful God that He would come, die, and rise again for each one of us...each boy, each girl, each couple, each family, each city, each county, each state, each nation, the world.

Second, my brother and his wife came to town. What a treat! You take for granted while you are young being together all of the time. At points it even seems like a hassle. But now that I am grown, married, and out of the house, it is a treasure!!! We are so proud of them and the new adventure they are on! We did not get too much time with them but every moment was fantastic but left us all wanting more! Can't wait to see them again!

All in all..lots of food, lots of games, lots of shopping or golf, and lots of family. Great weekend! Now for some sleep...hold off Monday!!

Paintings

So I have always admired these type of paintings. The ones with unique texture, bold colors, covering a variety of shaped canvases. Of course, they would happen to not fit into my budget. So last week, a sweet friend gave a beginners tutorial on how to make them. So far I have made two..but I think I made my favorite one tonight. It is still drying on our kitchen table..so hopefully it will show itself tomorrow night. But for now...

Obsessed!

New Fabrics just in....can't wait to make plans for each!

Much Needed Help

Ok, I know I mentioned a few projects last week that I had been working on. Today I shall show them to you. I know a "good" blogger takes before and after pictures, but me, I am out to be a good blogger that does not take before pictures. Kidding, I just forgot.  But fear not, I cant paint a picture in your mind as to what it used to look like. It was bright red walls, mismatched furniture ranging from yellow checkered to cream to white to black to red. But we have worked on it and we now have a new and improved bedroom. No, we did not rid ourselves of bright red walls...sorry.  I love red bedrooms. But instead we simplified the color scheme to red, black, and white. We redid everything from the headboard to side tables to adding honeymoon scenery pictures above the bed to adding some finishing touches to picture frames.

Here are the end tables I redid. For these, I wish I had the before picture because it would be a handy reminder what just a can of paint can do. These were hit in the face by the 80s. They were oak colored and had interesting gold handles that clanked as you moved the drawers. Although you can't tell from the pictures, they are antiqued/distressed.

Here is the headboard I made (B helped too) . It cost all in all $20 and 45 minutes to make. Beats buying a new head board! For so long we have debated queen or king, keep our current bed (inherited from my life as a Smith) or buy a new one. For now, this suits us well and I was extremely pleased with the outcome!

Here, my friends is our final product. We love our cozy room!

Happy Wednesday night to all! I pray Friday comes quickly....

LOVES of Mine

Last night B and I brainstormed for sometime about times/events that homeowner's insurance comes in handy and what it covers. As we concluded the conversation, he asked what I would take if our home (apartment) caught on fire and we had to leave all of it to burn. (yes I know at this point this post is seeming rather heavy, sorry, hold on) I quickly responded without hesitation.......my Bible and my sewing machines. YES, my sewing machines!!! Oh how I LOVE these dear machines. Before them, I never really had a hobby...there was really nothing I loved to do outside of being with others. But oh goodness was I missing out!! Now, I can spend hours at my sewing table. With a little music, a lot of fabric, and the steady movement of a needle for hours I find much contentment. The possibilities are endless!! I believe the Lord has graciously ignited this passion in me foreseeing that he Himself would also ignite a passion inside of B, medicine, that would consume much of his time. What a mighty God we serve! Here are pictures of my sewing/embroidery machine and my serger. I thought it necessary for you to get to know these loves of mine...



This is my wonderful serger. I am learning with this one. It only took about 3 months to figure out how to thread it. and when I say figure out how to thread it, it wasn't even me who ended up figuring it out...it was my sweet hubby! He never fails to serve me and get in the middle of whatever crazy things that I am wanting to accomplish. He surprised me with this serger for Christmas!


And below is my embroidery/sewing machine. Oh I love it. It brings out this excitement in me! For those that know we me well, they are probable wondering if there is anything left in my home to monogram. Valid question I will agree. And to that I will answer, I am not sure. Either way, I love this machine, I love everything it does, and I love everything it creates.


k



Hope you all have enjoyed this beautiful day as much we have! Errands, a long walk, my brothers baseball games, and windows open...what a day the Lord so graciously provided. Before I digress, today we have witnessed God working again in our lives in the area of B's studying. We praise Him...what a faithful God we serve!

Happy Saturday!

Sucessfully Launched

Well my blog is off! I have thought about the possibility of a blog for some weeks over. I tried to talk myself out of it many times but I decided on it for a few reasons: 1)it helps document life 2)I have a lot of time and words now that my sweet husband studies each night for many hours 3) I have begun crafting many nights of the week and I would love to be able to document them all in once place and on occasion, show them to my sweet friends/family. Just in the past week I have redone 3 old sweaters, made B and I a new headboard, and refinished some night stands. Pictures to come....meanwhile, happy Thursday! Praise the Lord Friday is around the corner!