Thankful Thursday...for oil changes.

Oil changes make me smile!

I get my oil changed every 3000 miles, okay so sometimes its more like 4000 or even 5000.  Eek!  There is one particular place that I go to get that "to-do check list" item done and as soon as I walk through the door the smell makes me smile! I'm sure those guys in there have identified me as the super smiley crazy mini-van mom is here. :)

That smell of car oil and grease reminds me of my daddy.

He was a hard working mechanic and I can still clearly picture him when I close my eyes.  What he looked like and smelled like every day he would come home from work.  His hands dirty with grease stains, the navy blue work pants he would wear with a different colored t-shirt and black steel toe boots, his shaggy dirty blonde hair, and a smirk of a smile, all would smell of auto shop grease. At the time he was just down right stinky to me, but now that smell makes me smile.

My father passed away February 1, 1995 of leukemia.  I am at a point in which I have been without him more years of my life then I had with him.  That is a heart breaking thought for me. But I am so thankful for the time I did have with him, no matter how short it seemed in my eyes.

I cling to this verse when my heart is breaking from the loss of my earthly father. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4  God's word is truth! If He says those that mourn will be comforted, I can hold on to that truth and take comfort in knowing that it will happen. 

Proverbs 30:5 "Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection."

John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth."

Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

What do we do while we are waiting for God's comfort to arrive?

Habakkuk 3:17-18 "Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."

We rejoice and give Him the praise He desires! In my obedience to that command, I find my comfort.

What to do with washi tape?!

Are you familiar with washi tape? 

Often mispronounced as wasabi tape, it originated from Japan. Washi tape reminds me of masking tape, but much prettier! It's made from paper and comes in a HUGE variety of patterns, colors, and designs. 

So maybe you have some washi tape now but just haven't figured out what to do with it?  It was a buy you made because the tape was just so darn pretty and you had to have it.  :)  Well I've got a few ideas for you to make on your own with your washi tape.

Of course you can search a fav spot of mine, Pinterest for all kinds of ideas!

Make your own cupcake flags for a party. Purchase your color theme and wrap tape at top of toothpick.

How about a set of bookmarks with paperclips?!?! This would be a cute project for a girls birthday party.  They can make a set then take them home as part of their party favor.

You could make binder clips for your kids teachers.  Or for yourself!

This next is my favorite! It took some patience lining the tape up and trimming closely to the edges, but so worth it! You could take this a step further and paint a coat of mod podge to make it even more durable.

Last is decoration for a simple vase.

You could add more or less strips of tape.  Maybe even change the tape out for different holidays.

I love this tape because possiblities are truly endless! Washi tapes are a scrapbooker's dream I'm sure.  Most washi tapes are acid-free, which make them perfect for scrapbooking. What an easy way to add a little something to your pages.

 

So you want to know where to get your own washi tape?  Great place to start is to search Etsy.  Other places you can purchase from are Wishy Washi Tape or Cute Tape.

Have fun!

Deck Rebuild...Day 4

Pollen is out in full force at our house.  My youngest feels the burden of that the most.  His poor little eyes are so swollen and itchy.  He will look and feel this way for the next 2 months.  We are doing all we can to give him a little relief from his allergies.  Breaks my heart but it is what it is and we do the best we can with it.

I touched up the picture below some but I couldn't hide all the red around his eyes.  He gets some serious shiners during this season as well.  Can look pretty bad some days and others you can see relief.  Poor thing!

Hubby has been working to get the frame strong for this huge deck.

This project like all other projects in our house has been "Vernerized!" HA! Meaning super sized the Verner way.  I mean just look at all this wood! This isn't even for all of the deck! LOL! Makes me think of the AT&T commercials with those kids who say the cutest things, "Bigger is better."

 
Most things we do around here end up a huge project, of course by our choice. They can seem so torturous in the process but once finished feel so worth it!

Yep, it's gonna be that big! I can hardly wait!  I found this drawing by the youngest in picture below.  I am gonna miss seeing drawings like this in a few years.

Here it is the last of the old deck.  Curse you tiny toliet... deck!  Despicable Me is a fave movie of mine!

It's all gone! Out with the old and in with the new deck.

Man that is one pathetic plant by the door.  I obviously do not have a green thumb.

We have a floor. Hubby and I enjoyed the afternoon while he was taking a break the other day.  I knew this was going to be so nice but man just sitting in the unfinished deck, I realized it was going to be WONDERFUL!

Definitely have a long way to go, but what a feeling seeing this much progress from my hard working man! Thanks again babe! 

Searching Etsy

While searching Etsy I found these sweet items!

 

 

Deck Rebuild...Day 3

Progress is happening!
 

 
We are moving right along with this deck rebuild.  You can go back and view demo day 1 and 2 if you like. Building the frame work is very important but a very SLOW process!!!!

Hubby is teaching the kids some serious patience on how somethings take lots of time to plan before you just start building.  Did I mention that it is also been good for me as well?!?!

I am seeing a lot of each personality of the kids come out in this process. The youngest is definitely into all this but completely bored with how long the planning part of it is going.  So he does what he does best... entertains himself!

In case you were wondering, that's a garden for our new deck once it's complete. :)

The middle child did a lot of this and is completely happy just being where she is, doesn't need to be entertained by someone or even by herself.  She just smiles and chills!

The oldest on the other hand has to be put to work! She has never been good at entertaining herself or just chilling. Drives her bananas and in the process can drive the rest of us bananas!  Give her some direction and a somewhat challenging job, she is good to go!

The kids also took turns wearing Daddy's tool belt. They worked together to share and get that heavy thing on and off.

The youngest proved he has A LOT of growing to do before he gets any where near able to wear this belt.

He would walk around holding the handles just to keep it up.  When asked to pass a nail or screw, that was FUNNY! He would have to put the whole belt on the ground, get the nail out and pass it on. Cute I tell ya!

I'll leave you with a picture of my little eager beavers.

 

Thankful Thursday... daily bread.

A reoccurring theme in my life I have recently been seeing is the concept of daily bread from God.

That theme has crossed my path in different ways. It has come through different preachers, different studies, and different words.  Daily quiet time, give us this day our daily bread, manna for each day, step-by-step, lighting one step at a time, for today are just a few,  but they all have the same meaning for me.

If I think back to the beginning of when I saw this theme starting, it was a long time ago.  Man I must be a slow learner.  The first time I noticed it was with encouragement on having a daily study time or some say quite time with the Lord.  I heard it from my pastor, my Sunday school teacher,  my friends and of course my momma.  I felt like it was everywhere and something everyone had but me.

I was unsure of what daily time with the Lord was or what it was even suppose to look like.  I am a visual learner and wanted to so bad be a fly on the wall of a friends quiet time to see what this would actually look like then adapt it to my personal life.  I needed some bones, structure or frame work, if you will, to start with.  When asking people about their personal time with God, I would get the response, "well God speaks to us all in different ways" or "we just have to be quiet and listen for Him," "how he speaks to one he might not speak that way to another." I truly understood those statements but they didn't help with what my time with God would or should look like. What I did learn is that the season of your life can also determine what your walk will look like or how much you are even able to take in from God.

When my desire for a quiet time started, I was up to my neck in dirty diapers, dirty laundry, dirty dishes, dirty house, dirty everything.  I was exhausted, mentally and physically.  Taking care of 3 little toddlers and a traveling husband left little energy, time or desire to invest in someone else or something else for me to have to do.  I didn't have the time or patience to "sit quietly and wait."  That was like telling me to make an appointment with a doctor to get my toe nails pulled off, ain't gonna happen!

I did know that there was something powerful to getting my daily bread from God.  I also knew He knew what I was enduring at the moment and God would honor my efforts during this season. I started with 5 minutes then grew to 10, 15, 30, 45, then an hour or two; which was over the process of YEARS I tell ya!

What I have experienced with my relationship with God really is just like the advise I received above because "The Lord YOUR God" is personal to you. (Exodus 20:2)

I encourage you to just take that first step to spend time with God and receive His daily bread for you.   The more and more you are with Him, I promise, the more and more He will reveal Himself to you in ways that is personal to only you. It will bring a smile to your face to see Him working in your life and working so personal to you because He knows us better then we know ourselves.  How can I say that?  Well He did create every nook and cranny of our personalities, bodies, minds, everything.  "I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14-15

No matter what journey you are on and path God has you walking right now, keep in mind He gives us daily bread, manna only for the day and a step by step plan.  It's there waiting for you to take it.  I know about the times when we want the whole picture or idea or want to know the will for our lives right now but keep this in mind,  "I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." John 16:12

Priscilla Shirer said "He (God) doesn't withhold information because He doesn't love you but because of His great love for you." Isn't that an amazing statement! Just take a minute and let that sink in cause yes, it's that powerful.

I leave you with encouragement to receive your daily bread from God.  He will give you just what you need for that day, no more no less.  Don't be afraid to ask Him, "Show me Lord my daily bread for today.  What do you want me to learn about You today Oh Lord? Reveal yourself to me today personally."

"The unfolding of your words gives light;  it imparts understanding to the simple."  (Psalm 119:130)

Chew on this...

Let’s pray as a church for “ALL”, every member, to be “All In” His plan, His services, His word, In Him! Not all are called to be in “All” the work of the church, but all are called to be “All In” the work God has called each of us to. Where is God calling you to be “All In”? If you don’t know, pray for God to reveal that to you. Look at areas of service in the church with the smallest group of members. Maybe it is the smallest group because all who are being called are not All In? Where is help needed? The RYDC is an area of service our church use to be all in. It grieves me to look in the prayer box after two or three weeks to see it empty. I talked with the boys this Sunday about the power of prayers, yet had none to give them. Where is God calling you to be “All In”? ~ Frances