DIY Mason Jar Powdered Sugar Shaker

This week I chose to do a POWDERED SUGAR SHAKER!

Supplies:

• Mason jar
• Nail
• Hammer
• Powedered sugar

Directions:

1. Take your empty mason jar and put the lid on it. 
2. Take a nail and hammer it through the mason jar lid making holes. 
3. Put powdered sugar in it.
4. Shake! Shake! Shake!

I know, these are so simple. I love it! :)

Appreciate the small things

I am not one for New Year Resolutions for a few reasons. 

• I always seem to let myself down.
• I shouldn't need a "new year" to want to better myself. 
• Everyone else does it, and I like to be different :) 

But this year, I REALLY want to change a few things in my life, and I am not getting any younger. So...here are my *New Year Resolutions* Please my friends, keep me accountable! 

1. Interact with God daily
2. Reach out to family more, rather then just the occasional, "How are you?"
3. Appreciate the small things 
4. Strengthen my marriage {always room for improvement, even those with the best of marriages!} 
5. Oh and, GET OUT OF DEBT :/ 

All this to say, in *2012* I found myself focusing on worldly things TOO much, even though I knew they were so temporary. Why did I do this? Because I am human. That is why. I need to remind myself of this daily. But just because I am human, doesn't mean it is my "ticket" to focus on these worldly things. God has placed these "things" in our life because he wants to see us happy. But first and foremost, we need to be completely happy and satisfied in Him. I need to work on this in the new year. 

In *2013* I am reading the bible in a year. Each year I tell myself I am going to do this and I get to about day 3, and get overwhelmed and I think to myself "I have read Genesis so many times, I practically memorize it!" This time, I am following a website {thanks to my friend Amber Dawn} that I am really fond of! Here is the link: http://www.ajesuschurch.org/pdf/reading-plan-2011.pdf. Please do this with me! I wake up and look forward to my time with God. I feel so excited :) 

Please, make your New Years Resolution, it isn't too late! And I will help and encourage you to keep those goals too, let's do this friends! 

On a completely different note: SO thankful for all the new friendships that I have already made this year! You girls are true GEMS! XOXO

A few pictures from *2012*

Pregnant on Halloween at work :)

Christmas party for work!

Daddy and his boy.

Pinterest Project #1

So my Sister and I have committed to completing one "pin" a week off of Pinterest. The first one that I chose to do was a magnetic menu board! 

Supplies:

• Tray from a second hand store
• Magnets
• Super Glue
• Chalkboard Paint
• Chalk 
• Napkin or rag

Directions:

1. Take your tray that you got from a second hand store and tape off the outside of the tray so that when you spray the chalkboard paint, it won't get on the outside. 
2. Spray the tray with chalkboard paint. Let it sit until the first coat dries, and apply a second coat. Let it dry overnight.
3. When it has dried completely, take the tape off and take your piece of chalk and rub it all over the chalkboard part of the tray so that it primes it.
4. Once you have done that, wipe the tray down with a napkin or a rag to get all of the chalk residue off. 
5. Turn the board over and super glue four magnets {two on top and two on the bottom}.
6. Final step: WRITE YOUR MENU ON THE BOARD FOR THE WEEK :)!

Yes, I know.

I have been a complete slacker, AGAIN! But just wait, starting January 1st, my sister and I are committing to completing one "pin" a week off of Pinterest {maybe even more} and I will be posting the final outcome of each of them! I am a little bit excited to say the least :)

So {PLEASE}, stay tuned.

{Thankful}

A new day! I love that each day is new. I don't have to think about what happened yesterday or what is going to happen tomorrow. I just deal with today. I think that is the biggest thing that has changed since staying at home with baby. At work I would always stress about the next day but things have changed now, and for that...I am THANKFUL! 

Carson has changed so much over this last month. We went from the army crawl, to a real craw with in a day. Then the next day we went to pull yourself up on everything and stand forever. Then the next week we went from standing to walking while holding onto the couch...table...toy bin...window....mirrors...table...everything in the whole house! Yes, even the garbage can! It is so exhausting but I am so thankful for him. He will be 8 months in 9 days...where on earth did the time go? I remember sitting here a couple months ago anxiously awaiting the day that he would crawl so that he would be less fussy. Now, I miss those days where he would just lay there, I could get a lot more done that is for sure! Oh well...he is just too darn cute to complain :) 

You know what else I am thankful for? A loving God. I have found God more and more each day and I am so in love with it! It really makes me excited to get up and be in the word. Today in my book, it talks about trusting God. When we trust God, we can relax and enjoy life! Just think about all the problems in your life that you stressed and worried about, now think of how they all worked out. Why do we spend SO much time stressing about things that we can't control? I need a constant remind to LET GO AND LET GOD. We need to stop worrying and stop complicating our life by trying to figure out everything. God will give us the answers, so let's let go of our problems today and be THANKFUL for trusting God :) 

The little things

Mmmm...coffee :) 

Here I sit, finally able to blog again. At first I said to myself, oh I will keep up with my blog...I will write every day. Well that doesn't seem to be happening :/ I am working on a new nap schedule with the baby and it has taken a lot out of me to say the least! Normally he takes three thirty minute naps so I don't even have time to sit, but now he is getting used to taking two hour and fifteen minute naps. What a relief! Still fine tuning the awake times between each nap though. None the less, it will leave me more time to blog :) 

So something special happened to me this week that I wanted to share because it makes me heart leap with joy! I was going over our finances wondering how we were going to make our bills this month and just flat out stressing. I tend to do this a lot and I am ashamed to say that the last thing that comes to my mind is to pray about it. Well friends, this time it was the first thing that came to my mind! So there I am, on my knees praying for God to provide...and LITERALLY moments later my phone goes, DING! I had a new e-mail. I love new emails because usually it means that I made a sell on Etsy. Sure enough, I did. It had been almost a month since my last sell. Yes...yes...it was only $6.00 but in that moment, I felt God. I just knew that he was letting me know that he WILL provide, no.matter.what. Awww I still smile at this :) And God wasn't done yet. I sign into my online bank account and I see "Bank adjustment- $200.00". 

....??

I have never seen anything like that in my LIFE. Pure God. He is SOOOO powerful and is a constant reminder for us to JUST HAVE FAITH. He WILL provide. 


*Pray, pray, pray and he will listen*

http://www.bencourson.com/teachings.asp

You must check that link out, he is an awesome preacher!

Feeling....overwhelmed/reassured.

Today has been such an off day from the very beginning. Within an hour of being up, there was a car crash a block away from where I live involving this BMW that is always speeding through town (some teenager). Apparently he took the corner too sharp and slid into this blue truck who had his pregnant girlfriend in the passenger seat. From what I heard, she wasn't able to move because of a neck injury so PLEASE keep her in your prayers. Stuff like this makes me so sad :( I hope that the baby is okay! 

The next part of my day involved my Jetta's transmission going out. We had just bought the car around July and it has been one thing after another with it. And now is NOT the time that we have extra money to just toss around. 

To top the day off, my sons naps have been all over the place today [we struggle with him only taking 30 minute naps]. I am trying to get him on some sort of schedule but nothing seems to work with him. I feel like he is impossible at times! Oh and we just started officially crawling two days ago so he has been crawling to any object, pulling himself to his knees...then his feet...and then let's go and falls backwards. He hasn't learned to not do that yet :/ The worst is when he does it in his crib and I am not there to catch him. Owie! 

All this to say, I realized that I have not been putting my complete faith in God. I feel like lately I have been trying to micro manage my own life when really...I don't have ANY control over it at all. When I opened my book today it was saying that when we want something very strongly, we can easily convince ourselves that it is God's will for us to have it. When the bible says "in due time" (1 Peter 5:6), "at the appointed time" (Genesis 18:14), "when the proper time" (Galatians 4:4). It is all in God's timing, not ours. That is so reassuring! So whatever it is in your life that you are trying to control, let go and let God. 

I think that is all I had on my mind today :)