Birthday Celebration!

My oldest is turning 12 today and I cannot believe how time has flown!  I feel like I had him just a few years ago!  It is bittersweet to think about this being his last year of "official childhood" since next year he will become a teenager....yikes!  I won't apologize for gloating about him for a few lines either...lol!  He has become such a great young man and Cliff and I are so proud of him!  He is a very energetic boy with lots of hobbies......soccer, BMX racing, playing trombone, drawing, and building with lego's...i truly believe he may become an architect....i have never seen someone put together an 800 piece lego set in just under 2 hours...he amazes me!  Most importantly though, he is a child of God and he is already beginning to truly see the difference between the worldly and those who live for Christ!  It has required some tough conversations that I thought wouldn't come until many years later, but unfortunately that is what our world has come to.  It breaks my heart to think of the struggles that he is facing in middle school that I never encountered until high school or college.  He is a strong young man with a good head on his shoulders and I know that God has great things planned for his life....i can't wait to see what they are and where God will lead him (insert my goofy smile from ear to ear)....just a few pics from the last year of my little boy turning into a young man.....

 

 

5th grade graduation present

Hunter and his buddy Caleb at camp

at the beach over the summer

at a BMX race in Maryland...he's in 1st!

his 1st place trophy from Maryland

Hunter gets his trombone.....

Hunter's first day of Middle School

Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday to Jesus, the one who came to save us from the evil of the world!  May your Christmas be Bright and your New Year grand too!

heather

today is.....World AIDS Day

these are the most precious and beautiful faces that you will ever see....look into their eyes and you will sometimes see sadness, but also you will see hope!  these are the future leaders of south africa...the sadness is due in part to the HIV/AIDS rate in their country...many of these children are sold for sex at a very young age....these pictures are from True Love Waits presentations that a mission team that I was so blessed to be a part of did in and around Durban...which has the highest HIV/AIDS (@ 40%) rate in the country...some of the pics show children signing a purity card...it states that they will remain abstinent from having sex until they are married...we saw so many young people sign these cards, but that just opened up the door for a conversation into how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...

today is WORLD AIDS DAY, it is not a celebration, but a day to come together and stand up and fight for the prevention of HIV/AIDS...and in today's world, the only answer to HIV and AIDS is GOD!!!  teaching those around the world about who Jesus is and also how to remain pure prior to becoming married is the only way for the disease to be stopped!
i ask that you take a moment today to stop and pray for all those that are suffering with this disease, as well as those who are living in countries where HIV/AIDS isn't even acknowledged as being real...

full of thankfulness

it's almost thanksgiving and i am feeling very thankful....thankful that i am the daughter of a loving, forgiving, merciful, and grace giving Father...God....He has blessed not only me, but my family so very much and yet we so easily forget and begin to get down on ourselves about what we do not have....why?  
we are selfish, prideful, unforgiving, motivated by the things of this world...we cannot take our job title, our homes or cars, money or any other worldly possession when we die, so why do we allow the world and Satan to make us feel inferior if we do not have these things?  for me, it is because i don't spend enough time in the Word or on my knees in prayer submitting to Him and His will and letting go of me and mine!...
some verses that God ever so gently likes to remind me of....
"I am the vine, you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:5

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.  1 Timothy 6:7

Have a wonderful week and Thanksgiving with you and yours....may it be a blessed one!
heather


linking up with:

Cake Plate...getting a little too creative perhaps

I am going to say right off the bat that I think I have tried to get too creative with this project.  I love cake plates, but have never found one that I simply couldn't live without...so I thought to myself, make one.....i think that was the first mistake.  i bought a clear plate at the dollar store and went to their candle section too and found the base for my plate....well, i wanted a big M in the middle so I proceeded to find a font that I liked and printed it in a mirror image so that when I put onto the back of the plate it would be correct from the top....so that was a little too plain, so i added polka dots in black and white....here are the pics, not sure if i'm totally in love with it yet...time will tell....

top view one

bottom view

a better view from the top....

Today is Wednesday, so I am linking to these linky parties.....
whatever goes wednesday at someday crafts
make it yours day @ my backyard eden
show and tell wednesday with blue cricket design

so give some love to these blogs and mine too :) thanks for dropping by....
h

Master Make-over Headboard project

We I am in the middle of doing a makeover on our master bedroom....we have been in this house for 8 years and have not done anything to it except purchase the matching sheets and comforter....lol....it's sad, i know...

I have blogged before about my obsession with gray and yellow here.  In the same post I showed two headboards that I loved and was contemplating on whether or not to try and make one myself and save a few $$.  Well, I have and so far I am pleased with what I have...it isn't quite finished.  Still trying to decide on whether or not to tuft it or put silver furniture tacks around the edge....decisions, decisions.....

so here is what i started with to begin the headboard....(sorry, I deleted those photos)

I have a friend who gave me some wood, but it was in two pieces so I had to bracket them together to equal the width i needed for our queen bed...wood=FREE

wood (for a french cleat), brackets, screws...$8.00

batting and 2 yards gray heavy flannel fabric...$30.00...got my batting on sale at Joann's for 50% off

I used a craft adhesive that I already had to spray down the wood so that I could wrap the batting....don't use a lot and make sure to do outside or have the area underneath your wood covered b/c of the spray from the adhesive...

I did 3 layers of batting and used an industrial type staple gun to secure to the back of the wood...

I ironed my fabric, laid it on the floor, put the wood covered with batting facing down onto fabric...this part you will definitely want help...one person to hold the fabric taut and the other to staple around the edges....and viola.....

It is still a work in progress, but hopefully this weekend I will decide how I am going to finish it and will be
able to get it finished, although hunter does have a soccer tourney this weekend....hmmm....will do what i can...that's all i can promise :)  have a great day in blogland...
h

Linking to these parties today....so go check out all the other cool stuff people are making
Making it with Allie @ Allie Makes
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 ideas under $100 @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Thrilling Thursday @ Paisley Passions

Family Calendar

After seeing so many cute ideas for a central family calendar, I jumped on the bandwagon myself...I looked around my house to see what i could use and found a frame that one of my former neighbors gave me when she was moving.....it is painted brown, which I am thinking about changing to maybe white so that when I hang it against my wall it won't fade away......
If I change the frame color I will have to re-print this onto another color paper, but that is easy...so here it is....

Sorry it's in such a random color...my camera must be in a different color mode...i will have to take a look at that later....the nice thing about this is that it will work for any month since you use dry erase markers on it.....my kids like November b/c they can see when they are off from school.... :)  I will try to get better pic tonight and re-post, but for today, this is as good as it gets....happy wednesday :)
h 
I am linking to these Wednesday Linky parties...so go and check out what's going on in blogland....
Whatever goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts 
Show us what you're workin with at Me and My Bucket 
Make it Yours Day at My Backyard Eden 
Hoo's Got Talent? at Night Owl Crafting 

my pantry makeover....

ok, before you judge me for my before pictures, let me explain....the hubby and children have a horrible habit of grabbing something and never returning it to the same place!  Let me just say that never is not an understatement either :)  
So here are the before.....

As you can see, it's a disaster....no organization at all!

Here are the after, much better and look at her in all her perfection!  By the way, my hubby says it's a little to Sleeping with the Enemy for him....mmmwwwaaaaahhhhh, hhhhaaaaa, hhaaaa........i may resemble that remark just a tinsy bit.....

If you have children, no matter the age, hang a shoe organizer on your pantry door and put their snack items at a level they can reach so that you don't have to worry about them trying to climb to reach something if they are impatient.....i cannot take credit for the idea, i saw this on an old episode of martha stewart from several years ago...







i am linking up to Sugar Bee

It's beginning to look like Christmas.....

Ok, so everywhere I have been in the past week is playing Christmas music....even before halloween had officially had its last hour of spookiness....crazy!  can we not enjoy one holiday before being forced to think about the next, which in this case should be thanksgiving, not christmas yet!  i really am not try to be Ebeneezer Scrooge, but.....geesh!

So since there are technically only 48....wait, what!?!  48 days until Christmas, I am posting some little lovely's that I would like to see under my tree this year.....for me, of course! :)

1. This, by the way, is the only thing that I told my husband I want for Christmas this year!

the life planner by erin condren....ooh, aah!

Isn't it gorgeous....oh, i am so excited to get this....you can design the cover with a family photo and even choose the color of the font.....yippee...i am literally spinning around like a young child in my office chair with such excitement over this!  
I have always been a paper planner type of gal thanks to my parents introducing me to the lovely, franklin covey planner when i was in college.  I have a smart-phone, but only puts dates on the calendar so that it will inform my hubby of things going on with our children, ie..doc appt's, haircuts, etc....  There is just something gratifying about making a to-do list along side your daily events and then CROSSING IT OFF once you are done.  Quite frankly, if I could do this on my smartphone, I would be such a happy girl, but until then Iwill stick with my old faithful friend, paper :)  sorry trees.....

2. I usually only wear my beautiful diamonique studs b/c  i can sleep in them and they are so timeless....my real ones were stolen with most of my jewelry when we had a break-in....no one knows the difference though....but these are like ruby slippers for your ears....

a little ear bling at must have moxie 

aren't these just gaaawwwwgeous? i may have to add these to my list, or maybe birthday.....

3.  would love to get one of these with a couple of hundred smackroo's on it....i could do some serious damage at this place....

the best furniture store evvaaahhh! 


So, those are my top three things on my wishlist so far....



 
how about you?  what is it that you are wishing for this year?
h

Wednesday Wows and Finds

I have found an amazing site for lots and lots of goodies that I think are just fab! First, let me tell you how i got there... While perusing blogland, I came across Lisa at Moore Minutes and her post about the Lego party she threw for her oldest sons birthday. (My son is a devoted Lego builder...he keeps asking us to take him to Legoland in California.)  I was curious to see what she had done to keep it from being too childish....whalah, a great Lego party for an older boy!  Well, another great place i found through reading Lisa's post was this great little site that offers more than you can imagine in packaging goodies....it is called garnish they have an online store, blog, and an awesome section on ideas!  As I looked through the products, I started dreaming up reasons that I could order some of these fab items.  this idea is just adorable...my daughter loves olivia...and her red ballet shoes and tutu...i just thought how fun it would be to just have a ballet party with her and her little dance buddies...ah, but then reality hit and i thought when would this happen?...hrrummph....it will have to wait until the holidays are over for sure!  So, I leave you today with another great find....i don't have pics yet, but went to a consignment shop to look for a low chest of drawers and found a pair of CLOGS!!!  i love clogs, there is a story that goes along with why that i will try to post for tomorrow....sorry to leave you hanging :)

h

Hey ya'll it's FALL!!

all i am gonna say is....this is absolutely my favorite time of year!  cooler mornings that give way into warmth throughout the day that rolls right back into crisp air in the evenings....how can you not jump up and down with pure joy at that perfection?  the colors are brilliant, the birds are chirping and singing b/c they can actually come out and enjoy the day without roasting!  oh, and one of my friends just brought me some homemade apple butter that her family made while in tennessee....i can't wait to make some homemade biscuits and spread some butter and slather that home made apple butter all over warm biscuit gooey-ness!  add to that a great cup of coffee and that is pure-fection! have i mentioned that i love fall? 

as my heart aches....

today has been a rough day...

it has been strangely overwhelming and full of fidgeting...

i've been thinking a lot (and yes, the steam is coming out of both ears)....

overwhelmed that my heart is aching to be somewhere else....

with those i call my family half way around the earth....

they are the ones who welcomed me and our team (from church) with outstretched arms....

took us into their homes and made us their family...

i miss them....

their beautiful south african faces...

their laughs, their accents, their teaching spirits...

their stories...especially harvey's....  :)

i miss the way the air smelled...

i miss the landscape...

i miss everything about it....

and today, my heart aches to go back there....

psalm 13: 2, 5-6

how long must i wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? v2a

...but i trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  i will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. vs. 5-6

just like David had a steadfast faith when waiting on God's timing....
i too, must not be impatient....God's timing is always perfect!

h

linking in with tuesdays unwrapped at chatting at the sky

it's not good-bye, but til we meet again....

tomorrow thefab4m's will make the journey to not say, "good-bye" to my grandfather, but to say, "til we meet again."  for some of you, that may sound corny, silly, hokey, or just plain weird.  for our family, it is not.  we know that we will see pops again and that he will be more perfect than we could ever imagine...especially regarding his health...and this is why... excerpt from post last week to see full post click here

I am overwhelmed by the grace and the mercy that God has for us.  We don't deserve it, but yet freely He gives it.  I think that just as the new season of autumn brings new colors on the leaves, a cooler temperature in the air, and transforms our landscapes into something different, God is doing that with me too.  Transforming me to be more like Him so that when people see me, they see a reflection of Him. He is also requiring me to wait on His perfect timing....these are all processes that i am admittedly not very good at, but through God's grace, love, and mercy I will continue to run the race in which He intended for me.

and we, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 
2 Corinthians 3:18

the picture below is of my nana and pops at my sister's wedding last year...together they were such a sweet couple...they were married 62 years....talk about a goal to shoot for....

too sweet...holding hands

dancing the evening away

this post is linked to tuesdays unwrapped at chatting at the sky so head on over there and check out other special moments that others may have unwrapped today....
h

trendy tuesday...wall art

have seen several different takes on wall art all over blogland lately, so i thought i'd make my own version....used letters from Leo Reynolds flicker collection to make our family name...i wanted it to look like it was sorta old, so i ripped up the construction paper matte that i made to make it look worn...i think used mod podge to cover the whole thing and then added the red ric rac....and it's in one of two frames that i got from michael's on sale...gotta love it.

now i have to decide where to put it.....total project cost: less than $5.00....yippee :)
have a great and wonderful tuesday!
h

Wait, Reflection, and Transformation...

This week has been a very emotional week and seems like it is never going to end.  It has been a week themed with the words reflection, transformation, and wait.
These are the definitions for reflection that caught my attention in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

1.  the production of an image by or as if by a mirror

2.  the action of bending or folding back

3.  my favorite: a transformation that involves reflection in more than one axis...

 same dictionary...transform(ation)

1. to change the outward form or appearance of

2. my fav:  the operation of changing 

 

So, you are probably wondering where i am going with this.  

  

This week the reality of losing my grandfather became clearly evident due to his declining health.  I have struggled all week with my true emotions toward his death.  I love him like every grandchild loves their grandparent, but for the first time in my adult life, i haven't looked at the situation as a true loss.  Some of you probably know where I am heading with this, but for those who may not, let me explain.  My grandfather is a child of the One and Only...God.  So as my grandfather has an ailing heart, diabetes, and multiple other conditions here on this earth, i know that the moment he takes his last breath here on earth he will be with his Father and be precious in His sight.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints Psalm 116:15

 So, literally my Pops will be transformed into perfection.  No longer in pain, no more suffering, no more sickness period.  Just like Pops was transformed when he called out to Jesus and asked for forgiveness and was made new spiritually, he will now be made new and transformed forever in Heaven.  For those of us left behind, we wait.  Wait until the day comes when we too will see Jesus.

from the same dictionary...wait 

1. to remain stationary in readiness or expectation

2. my favorite: to look forward expectantly

As i sit here even blogging, i wait for the phone call that will be my mom or dad calling to say, "Pops is gone."  I have been going over in my mind (reflecting) all the memories that i have of him and me or my family and i can only smile.  Yes, my heart aches that i won't see him here on earth again, but at the same time is rejoicing to know that he will be standing at the gate waiting to greet me when my time here on earth is done.

  This is not the only thing that i have been reflecting/waiting upon this week though.  I have read several blogs and other things that have talked about having a healthy marriage that is defined by God (my marriage is fine, but couldn't it always be better?).  I have also been thinking about the reflection i see of myself (physically, emotionally, spiritually) and how is that affecting my husband and children.  My mind seems to run at 150mph all the time.  Normally, i think that with God's guidance, sorting out the garbage and unnecessary happens or is forgotten.  This week though, has been rough.  I have prayed this week seeking the answers to the questions, why now and why pops?  I have asked where does God see my marriage and what about how He sees me?  I have asked about school and whether it is truly God's plan for me in this season of my life.  There are several other questions that i have prayed over in the past week, but there are three themes that have been constant in everything i have read in my quiet time and elsewhere, watched on TV, and then last night at our Wednesday night service.  They are wait, reflection, and transformation.

  I am overwhelmed by the grace and the mercy that God has for us.  We don't deserve it, but yet freely He gives it.  I think that just as the new season of autumn brings new colors on the leaves, a cooler temperature in the air, and transforms our landscapes into something different, God is doing that with me too.  Transforming me to be more like Him so that when people see me, they see a reflection of Him. He is also requiring me to wait on His perfect timing....these are all processes that i am admittedly not very good at, but through God's grace, love, and mercy I will continue to run the race in which He intended for me.


and we, with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 
2 Corinthians 3:18


I began this post yesterday, Sept 16th.  It is now Friday and my grandfather passed away last night.  He has been made perfect and oh, how i long to be where he is....with my Lord!


and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Phil 4:7

a pic of my grandparents taken last year...

obsessing over gray and yellow....

i don't know about you, but recently i've become obsessed in an unhealthy kind of way to anything with the gray and yellow color scheme.  i find myself perusing fabric websites and interior design sites just to see if there is a use of these colors together....i think that i have become a little ocd about it...so much so that my hubby said last night, "heather you're gonna wear that computer out from staring at it for so long tonight..."  i think that is the first time he has ever said anything about my usage of the computer for any length of time...insert smile and laugh.  i am going to show you some of my favorite fabrics that i have found thus far...enjoy!  :)
let me know your favorite color schemes that you are obsessing over right now....

zolton wasabi from calico corner

dahlia dove from calico corner

chevron gold from premier prints

harbor court gold from tommy bahama

parasol chartreuse from calico corner

fabric grey wallpaper by romo

stockholm sun from calico corner

patina grey by r. allen

della lemon from calico corner

charcoal by waverly

suzanis gold by premier prints

smalltalk blackbird by waverly

i am going to be making a fabric covered headboard this weekend...right now i am leaning toward all gray and tufted...kinda like the pics below....mmm, i can't wait  :)

 from overstock.com

 from sarahrichardsondesign.com