Comfy & Cozy Style

I have been loving something about that cozy sweater-like pendant for a long time now. It inspired me to put together a little design board as a break from schoolwork. I am thinking about starting a design blog with things like this. We'll see!

-Dani

Christmas Crafts

Last weekend I must have been feeling in the Christmas spirit. Okay, really I was just putting off working on my final projects for school. Here are some crafts I did to make my apartment a bit more Christmasy. Sorry for the quickly taken photos!

I was inspired by a wreath that my sisters' friend made so I looked up a felt flower how to (I used this one here) and ended up with this for our door!


I also painted this canvas with snowflake templates that my mom made and wrote on it with a gold metallic paint marker.


I am excited for school to be over so I can work on some more crafts without feeling guilty!

P.S. I just have to share an amazing gluten free banana bread recipe here that is actually easy and doesn't require a bunch of strange ingredients. Check it out.

-Dani

Pillow overhaul.

It feels good to finally get my sewing machine out for the first time in months! Now that I finally have a little desk to use as my sewing area, I can get some projects done!

I just recently bought a little loveseat at the neighborhood wide yard sale a couple weeks back and covered it with a cute slipcover from target (i literally go to Target like every single day that I don't have to work... )But I like to keep my purple quilt on my couch and the throw pillows I had been using were plain old brown ones from my room way back in probably middle school. Sooo... time for an overhaul. My need to sew + no really good fabric stores in town + my newfound love of online shopping = fabric.com

I got two yards of this print for less than $30 including shipping. I definitely used less than a yard for this project, so I'd say it cost me less than $15. Cheap=awesome.

This is not really a very involved project, so I won't go into a lot of detail. But I'm proud of how these pillows turned out:



My pillows were 17 1/2 by 17 1/2 inches, so I cut squares of fabric that were 18x18 to allow for a 1/4 seam:





This is super easy. Just sew the squares together inside out, leaving enough space along one edge (about the middle third) to squeeze the pillow inside. Flip the case right-side out, insert pillow and pin and hand-stitch (or machine stitch) the opening. I don't mind hand-stitching them when I have plenty of time to sit around and watch a couple episodes on Netflix like I did today.





Ta da! Cheap, easy, adorable AND I never even had to leave the house. That's my kind of project.

Mouse Pad Makeover

So while at a garage sale I found the most hideous mouse pad I have ever seen. But it was only 50 cents. So I bought it knowing exactly what I had in mind for it.

For a mouse pad this gigantic in size, I need about a 1/4 of a yard of fabric. Make sure you choose a fabric that will not allow the design you are trying to cover up to show through.

This is a very fast and simple project!

I gathered together all my supplies, which included:

mouse pad
fabric
spray adhesive
cutting board
straight edge
fabric cutter
fray check




I took the mouse pad outside to use the spray adhesive, paying special attention to really covering the corners. Then I quickly laid the fabric on top.

Then I lined up my metal straight edge to the edge of the mouse pad to cut off the excess fabric.



Just for extra safety, I lined the edges with fray check.



I love how well it turned out! Or maybe I just like it because it is coral!







-Dani

Blessed to be His Grand-daughters

To read more about our grandpa click this link --> Grandpa Morton

What follows is a piece that we wrote and read at Grandpa’s funeral on Wednesday, April 17, 2013…

“Grandpa, where do we even begin? We have so many fond and hilarious memories with you, which always included you holding out your hand so we could kiss it like you were a princess or something. We all lost countless games of checkers and Skipbo to you – yes, we admit, you are the King of Checkers! One vivid memory we have of you is how you would have us all pile onto the toboggan and pull us behind the four-wheeler through the snow. Whether we lost boots, mittens, or a cousin along the way, it always seemed like you left us behind just a little bit longer than you had to while we were hollering at you to stop! And when we set up haunted houses in your basement, which was a frequent occurrence, you even pretended to be scared of the grape eyeballs and the spaghetti brains that we forced you to put your fingers in.

We are ever so grateful that Grandpa has consistently been a solid rock in our family and has always encouraged us and supported our educations. Even during our last visits with him, Grandpa told us girls that we were beautiful and that he loved us. It is certain that he has had a great impact on our lives, and we wouldn’t be who we are without his influence.

Just an hour or two before Grandpa passed away, Megan was reading a devotional before bed and was touched by these words that were about to become so relevant:

‘At the end of your life-path is an entrance to heaven. Only I know when you will reach that destination, but I am preparing you for it each step of the way. The absolute certainty of your heavenly home gives you peace and joy to help you along your journey. You know that you will reach your home in my perfect timing: not one moment too soon or too late.’
As Hebrews 6:19 says, ‘We have this hope as anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’ Grandpa, we look forward to seeing you again one glorious day in the presence of our Lord, and can’t wait to have the honor of once again giving you a kiss on the hand.

You will forever hold a special place in our hearts as a man that cherished each one of us, brought constant laughter to our lives, and set a beautiful example of what it looks like to love the Lord. We love you!”

Complete in Christ

A Little West Palm Beach

Last week, the whole family took a trip and met up in West Palm Beach. What an exciting and relaxing time we had! These are just some of the pictures off my phone (which I was without for a few days because it took a dip in the pool and had to spend some quality time in between two slices of bread- no rice!) Maybe someone else (hint Megan and Jenny) will have some more to share!

Matt and I ready to take off!
I RARELY drink pop. I ordered one on a flight and the flight attendant gave me a foreign can! It may have tasted a bit strange.
We had a few not so nice weather days, but it was probably a blessing in disguise keeping us from not getting absolutely fried! (Although that happened to some of us anyway.)
We couldn't believe the grocery store. Not only do you park in a parking ramp, but there is an escalator just for your cart! The sign is reminding you to take your children out!
City Place! Filled with some of the best shops ever!
One of the amazing stores was Restoration Hardware.
It also had a puppy store! They were some of the cutest things I ever did see!



I believe it was the first morning there that all four of us kids were very ambitious and got up early to go on a sunrise run on the beach. The workers looked shocked that we were all up so early. It was a beautiful sunrise, needless to say our ambition fizzled out the next few days!
Megan and I ready to eat.
I matched this bed far too well to not get a picture.
Matt's classic must- have beach picture.
Matt and I got a kick out of this gator claw necklace at the airport.

Boy, do I miss it. Not only the sunny weather, but the whole family spending time together! So thankful for this trip!

Do-it-yourself adorable chair!

Okay, so more like "do-it-yourself with the help of your little sister and odd looks from neighbors," but hey, this was a fun project... and it turned out adorable! Now I actually want to practice my cello just so I can use my newly beautified chair!


I first saw this project on Pinterest (ahhh, so addicting!), and I immediately thought of my nasty old fold-up chair that I sit on to play my cello. Unfortunately I didn't take a before picture, but I'm sure you can imagine the former ugliness!

Easy project -- all you need is some spray paint and about 1/2 of a yard of fabic. Crazy or classy! Although I have to admit, my old-man veteran neighbor thought I was crazy for "wasting paint on a chair." He had to come over and look at the spectacle up close (I spray painted it in my front yard)! He then proceeded to talk non-stop to Dani and I for about 30 minutes. (He's a talker... it's okay though -- he's hilarious and has good stories!)



So, the project instructions that I saw on Pinterest involve actually removing the seat cushion and re-covering it. However, this was impossible with my chair, so Dani and I resorted to shoving the fabric through with a butter knife. Yes, butter knives can be used for more than just butter! So if you don't want to completely remove the seat/cushion, try this technique AFTER spray painting the frame of the chair.

This project was very easy & cheap!! About $3 for a can of spray paint and $3 or $4 for the fabric... and it's SO cute! Now I have a cute "cello corner" in my room instead of that nasty old chair!!

-Jenny :)

Lace Love

I love lace and I love my new bag!


For Valentines day, our mom made each of us girls the sweetest bags! She had seen me eying all the pretty laces at the craft store and went back and bought them to sew on a little tote bag! I was so surprised and just adore how cute it turned out!







-Dani

Changing it up

My recent state of continual change in circumstances has made me think that maybe “change” can almost be considered my consistent way of life. I’ve started to wonder if instead of being one of those people who is afraid of change, I’m afraid of no change—of being stuck in a rut somewhere and feeling inactive. I’ve thought that if you’re willing to constantly be changed and challenged by the grace of God, then change is a good thing. Right? I want to always be open to the idea of being transformed, renewed and through that, strengthened by God’s love.

But personally, lately sometimes I wonder if my antsy-ness and restlessness—my yearning for knowing what’s coming next and for being anxious about where God is leading me now… maybe it’s not okay. I’ve been in this state of never-ending shake-ups in my life for the past I don’t know, 5 years. Always moving around, leaving home for months on end, going through nursing school, moving away, having different friends coming and going in and out of my life. I’ve started to wonder if I should take it easy on the whole “trying to constantly make big decisions and do something life changing” as much as possible attitude. THAT is a struggle for me. I’ve always been the type of person to feel a need for activity. I thrive under a little pressure and stress. Basically, the more I have going on and the more I can accomplish in a day, the better I tend to feel about my life in general. (Dad, I get this from you!) I want to be engaged in change so it feels like I’m getting somewhere or making progress. I don’t think I even realized that this is something I really really struggle with until recently. But maybe God is changing me and allowing me to realize that’s not how it has to be:

Learn to live from your true Center in Me. I reside in the deepest depths of your being, in eternal union with your spirit. It is at this deep level that My Peace reigns continually. You will not find lasting peace in the world around you, in circumstances, or in human relationships. The external world is always in flux—under the curse of death and decay. But there is a gold mine of Peace deep within you, waiting to be tapped. Take time to delve into the riches of My residing Presence. I want you to live increasingly from your real Center, where My Love has an eternal grip on you. I am Christ in you, the hope of Glory.--Jesus Calling

I heard something from one of my favorites, Joyce Meyer, the other day. She said, “the devil hates progress and any determination of it.” So wait… where does that leave me? I need to be doing something. Making progress. Getting things done. Naturally, I started thinking about all the things I need to start doing: how I could improve some of my relationships, things I should be doing to serve in my city, how to be a better nurse.

I’d been struggling over what exactly I wanted to say on this subject. Then it hit me at church this morning: It’s not the change in circumstances or actions I need to be concerned about. It’s letting God change my heart that’s important.

My circumstances don’t matter. Being busy, building relationships, serving in the community… those things are all important and God continually leads me in those areas. But it’s even more important to not let those things be a distraction to the changes He’s trying to make inside of me. Without His presence and influence, my work is meaningless.

So, it’s my hope and prayer this week that we can all take a step back and focus on what God is trying to do inside of us, rather than being caught up in all the exciting external circumstances. If we slow down, listen to God in every moment, and be open to the little things He’s working to change in our hearts, life will fall into place exactly as He already planned it.


Megan

So happy

We are so excited and proud of this girl! After what I know has been an extremely long, stressful, and often discouraging process for her, Jenny received the news that she was accepted to her desired college for grad school! She has always had such a heart for taking care of people and animals and plans to go into occupational therapy. Congratulations Jenny! We are so happy for you!

Craft Break

Over my long Christmas break I finally had time to try some of the craft ideas I had been thinking of. Plus, my room needed some sprucing up since it had become a dumping zone for school supplies and projects.

I had some canvases sitting around for a while but I had been too scared to commit to painting something on them to end up changing my mind. Finally I just did it. I decided to put on a phrase on one of them and it was super easy to do. All you need is your canvas, paint, paint brushes, and letter stickers. I just painted the whole canvas the color I wanted the letters to be, stuck on the stickers, painted the whole canvas in another color as a "wash", then took the stickers off.




I had been wanting a little chalk board where I could easily change out verses. I found an unfinished wood frame, sanded it a little, then painted the frame white and the inside part with chalkboard paint.


One day when I was bored and in a crafty mood, I made some chiffon flowers. Then I found some twigs outside and attached the flowers to them and put them in a bottle.



It's funny how some simple little projects can revive a room!

-Dani

Lake Michigan Winter

A couple weeks ago Matt (the little brother) and I took an excursion to Lake Michigan. Or should I say on? We were walking out to the water when all the sudden we realized that we were way farther out than the shore usually is. We were on ice! We probably should have turned back right away but we just had to get some pictures first!






The lake was like a giant slushie with rolling waves. It was so crazy but even more beautiful! I promise we didn't go as close to the edge as it looks! But I'm very thankful we didn't fall through the icebergs!

-Dani

Tennessee in December

Way back in December (can you remember that far back?) after I was finished with my classes, I made a trip down to East Tennessee to visit the best sisters ever.


I love being up in the clouds looking at nothing but God's beautiful creation. Views like these remind me of how unimaginably perfect heaven will be!


We completed some serious Christmas shopping at the mall, but we also visited some fun antique stores. I think we might have had a little too much fun.




Before I got there we were already planning to make a gingerbread house. We went out and bought pounds of candy. Apparently they don't sell bulk candy in TN?




Here's our finished gingerbread house complete with a jello swimming pool (Jenny's genius idea) and a stream. So what if a swimming pool in the snow doesn't make sense. I'm pretty sure a house made out of gingerbread (graham crackers in our case) and candy also doesn't make sense!

We drove to Asheville, NC one of the days to meet our grandparents and take a tour of the Biltmore. Sadly we did not get many pictures because photography is not allowed inside the house and it was rainy outside. What an interesting place!


One night we went to what is called the Speedway in Lights. We saw millions of Christmas lights and Megan got to live her dream of driving her car on the speedway!


Sadly, Megan and Jenny had to work a few times while I was there... Welcome to the real world. After going to church on Sunday, Jenny and I brought frozen yogurt to Megan while at work. She was so busy that it melted! We were so sad for her. She says she is "fake" smiling in this picture, but we tried our best to cheer her up!



I don't know about them, but I had an absolute blast and many laughs. I was totally not ready to leave, but luckily they came home for a few days a week later! Oh how I miss them!

-Dani