BIBLE JOURNALING

I'm so excited about joining the world of Bible Journaling.  So many people are doing this as a way to bring something new to their study of the word and also for helping them to remember scripture.  I have just gotten started in this because of purchasing a lot of tools and bible journals for my girls at Christmas.  My friend Michelle Tuck was telling me about a lady that I could look at her stuff on Instagram Valerie Winners (probably spelt that wrong) but I took a look at it and right away I knew this was something we had to try.  Especially with Kylah loving art and painting.  We already had lots of the supplies just because Kylah has been into art for a couple of years now.  But if you have a journaling bible, pins, and color pencils you can get started.

I ordered the girls bibles from Amazon (who doesn't love amazon!) and bought some pins at Hobby Lobby.  These were for Christmas, but I was so excited over buying the supplies I told my hubs that I couldn't wait for them to open them so I, I mean them could use them.  I love getting new pencils, pens, arts supplies, I don't know why but I do.   Its like new toys.  So anyways, after she opened them and used them some and I started to see others that had posted them on Instagram I finally sit down last night and decided it was time to give it a try.  I had ordered my bible last week from Amazon and it come in(so so excited!!)

I decided to take a verse from Proverbs to start with.  Its not my best artwork but I was so so nervous about writing in my bible! You know other than highlighting and underlining I hadn't ever doodled or anything in my bible so I was really nervous about this.

I used a regular #2 pencil to sketch it out, water color pencils to color, then a felt tip black pen to cover over.  I only used water on the green.  I thought it turned out ok, but it could be so so much better.  I really want to work on my lettering.  The bottom of it is a mess, it was sloppy but again I was nervous, so I need to work on that part.  

SOMETHING OLD TO SOMETHING NEW

Do you ever clean out the attic or closet and see something and think,"Could I make that into something else?"  I do this a lot before I throw things away or give to Good Will.  I most of the time just want it to be cleaned out or gone so most of the time it goes into a Good Will bag.  This time as I cleaned out our attic before Christmas I was in the mood to make sure I kept my eyes open for anything that I could use to make into something else for decoration.  I hate cleaning, but yet feel like that is all I do because of having 4 children.  My kids have really learned to start to do their part and we do have a chore list.

So yet the cleaning goes on and on! Well once I was cleaning out and organizing the attic I found one of Kylah's old art cases (it was like a brief case made of wood with a leather handle on top).  It just held a bunch of paint supplies and she didn't use it anymore and said I could throw it away. . .  It actually had a little crack and scratch at the back side of it.  The color of the wood was old and faded.  So I took the handle and the little hinges off. I also laid out some target bags so I wouldn't get a mess on the table.  Next was the old trusty grey paint from my bedroom and started painting.  

This is once I coated the whole piece with the paint. 

I couldn't really decide what color I wanted to make the shelf I was just playing around with it.  So then I took out some left over chalk board black paint from my sons bedroom.  I used a really old brush to start and kinda give it that distressed look.  

I thought it looked kinda cool.

I wanted to be able to put it in my bathroom to hold my kids hand prints and shells.  I still don't have the exact decoration I would like to have put in it.  I went ahead and hung it and put some things in it for a picture.  OH, and before I forget.  You can now hang things with these Command Velcro Strips!!! They are so so Awesome..... no holes, no measuring.!!! I just attached 4 of them to the back and stuck it right to the wall!!! 

I want to do some small jars or maybe neat looking things in it to match my pallet stuff but for right now this is what I'm going with.  The crack in the back actually gave it some character.  Love how it turned out!! 

BIG ROCK

Well, Sorry I've been gone all weekend and no post, but its been a exciting one!! We were able to make it to the Big Rock Taxidermy Competition in Raleigh, NC.  There were so many taxidermist there competing this year, from Michigan, Missouri, South Carolina, just all over.  We met some really, really nice folks!  Ones that we hadn't talked to since last years event to new ones that we hope to see again next year. 

This is just some of the art work that you see as soon as you walk in the door. 

Its very exciting to see what all people are going to bring to enter. 

Eric was entering a closed mouth white tail deer and a non-water fowl, which was a turkey. 

This is us enjoying the event after we stressfully got everything set up. 

My husband is a perfectionist.  This is our third year entering this competition.  He has brought home 2nd place from the other years and he has worked hours on end to try and bring in a first place ribbon which I can report he did this time!!! I'm so so proud of him! What is even better is that he brought home a first place ribbon with both animals in two different categories!

Aren't these animals great!  He did a awesome job!

Once all the ribbons are displayed then the banquet begins to decide who had the highest score in those categories.. See, there are others who also made first place ribbons, so they take the first places and who ever has the highest score is given a trophy for Best In Class! Which I'm proud to say he won those for both areas!!

So then we get to go back to our hotel in a daze because we totally weren't expecting for the night to be this awesome!!! So thankful to God for allowing us to go and have this experience and fellowship with awesome people.  The next day he can go back and talk with the judges and get advice on how to keep continuing on improving their mounts... This is a picture of Eric and the turkey judge talking about the turkey.

Over all it was a awesome weekend! One I will never forget!

HUNGER GAMES---PRETEND

This year I told myself that I wanted to be better at taking pictures... I am not a Photographer! But wanted to be better at having those pics for memory books (ughhhh), see earlier post.  So during Christmas I walked around with a camera around my neck or used my cell phone to take pictures of stuff so I would have them for later.  This is some that I just had to share because I love my kids and all their friends.  These gals love to play pretend hunger games (which is freaky if you know how the movies ends) not something that I would have wanted to play as a kid, but they love it.  They will run around in the woods for hours playing Katniss and Petta LOL.  So here is a picture first of them after a round of hunger games.

As you can see they are all tired but love each other dearly!

Then since my two girls play it at home all the time, Santa brought them official katniss outfits and a wig(yes) a wig for Emma so she would have long hair since her sister already has long hair.  oh me

Yes they are ready for battle..... Oh how I miss being a kid, when all you had to worry about was what do I play next, or what is the next meal gonna be! (sigh)

THANKFUL FOR GREAT FRIENDS AND PRAYERS

I just wanted to say Thank You for all my great friends, that have been messaging me, posting comments, or texting me to check in on Isaiah.  He has been running a fever since this past Thursday.  The doctor said that some of these viruses have been lasting 7 to 14 days. Ahhhhhhh...... But as of (wait, hold your breath) the last 2 hours he hasn't had a fever and hasn't had any motrin since 8:30 this am.  

Thank you Lord for answering prayers, and for my wonderful friends that have been lifting him up and checking on him because lets face it, if you know me close, then you know I'm that freak that worries about my kids and sickness.  I have major anxiety when it comes to that.  This is something I hate about myself.  I'm one of those crazy people you see riding down the road, praying to God asking him to please let it be something simple and then that song Lord I Need You Now comes on K Love and you go by said car and the person is singing like they are in a concert to a 1000 people with no microphone. oh me, so anyways, we get back home and no he doesn't have a fever, hoping it stays that way and I'm doing my Thank You Lord dance and the fighting begins!  Oh yes, the fighting.  He is already running around the table chasing his sister threaten to hit her with his light saber that he got for Christmas, and by golly its the best sound ever... Yes you heard right, the best sound to come out of my mouth, that "Do you want a whippin for hitting your sister?" Oh, its the best!

So hopin that all stays well here and that no one else in this household gets this funk! I pray that all of you stay well too! Thanks again to all my gal pals out there, I love you all dearly!

I wrote this yesterday and wasn't able to publish it because within a hour of writing it out Isaiah's fever returned.  I'm so thankful to say he slept all night and woke up this am fever free.  I hope and I pray that it doesn't come back tonight, this adnovirus that is going around makes the fever come back every night and it can last a long time.  Please continue to pray that he stays well.  I hope none of you guys out there get this mess!!!

AWESOME FRIEND

Hey, I just have to give a shout out and Thank YOU!! To my awesome friend Kristin the writer of "June Cleaver Would be Shocked!"  She made this Awesome sign that I have to the right as a link to my site, with the green lettering... I"m so Excited!!! She is a homeschooling mom just like me and is trying to do Gods Will by leading her kids and family.  She has been blogging lots longer than me and has some hilarious post that you won't want to miss.. you should check out her site, there is a link in my favorite blogs! Thanks again girl your are the best!!

http://junecleaverwouldbeshocked.blogspot.com/

YUMMY WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZELS

I was looking back over my pictures this afternoon and found where I had made White Chocolate Cinnamon Pretzels!!! These things are supper yummy, (under my Smack Yo Mama board on pinterest).  I found these little Delicious things on pinterest under a site called yourhomebasedmom.com  You can go directly to her site to get the recipe.  They were EASY which is what I like and would be low in calories since they are pretzels and just a little chocolate. (ok, so yes some sugar and butter).  I'm looking to make some of these this week, so that as I try to do more clean eating if I have a sugar crash, I will have a little something I can snack on and not fail miserably and eat one of the kids snickers from Christmas which is what I've been known to do many time. (huff, puff, huff)
I have a couple of my pictures on how they turned out. So cute and yummy!
Check out the recipe http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/cinnamon-toast-white-chocolate-pretzels-quick-holiday-gift-idea/

The First Picture is with the first few ingredients then the 2nd is after I added the white chocolate.  If you are not a fan of the chocolate, they are delicious even before you add the chocolate.  

I actually took a couple and added peanut butter to the middle then dipped the whole thing in white chocolate.  I only have a picture of them with peanut butter because the kids ate them all before I could snag my camera!!! Kids!!!