CUPPOW! from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Yes, once again I have Pinterest to thank for this little lovely.

What are some of your favorite grocery budget “helps?”  (This week, I reinvented the leftover roast and veggies we had two nights ago into a really tasty beef pot pie. Real beef broth was the key, I think. As well as the addition of thyme. Hard to beat.)

First of all, my husband kept the kids downstairs for a whole day as a precaution and I tried to stay out of everyone’s way. Let’s face it. A puke bug at 38 weeks just isn’t ideal. Throughout the day I revisited The Purl Bee and resisted pinning every single one of the projects in Molly’s Sketchbook. Wow. Cannot wait to get back to sewing.

(Here’s an artsy pic my brother in law took of our stairwell. The only relevance I can think of for this picture in relation to this post is that I was upstairs that day, and everyone else was downstairs. Hence, the stairwell, which has been partially painted since then.)

While being quarantined, I cut out the pieces for these felt baby shoes, as well as the felt parts of these Valentines for my big boy to make. I also cut out some little red flannel hearts that I’m not sure what we’ll do with yet for my girlie’s Valentines. It has to be just the perfect project, you know.

Add in a few loads of laundry (some of them baby clothes– yay!), a light dinner of toast and honey for my sickies, some Christmas thank-you notes finally finished, and a belated birthday gift for a friend completed. (It was one of these, which I found out she wanted by stalking her pinboards. Sneaky.) I was also able to whip up some big brother/big sister shirts for my big kids, so it ended up being a pretty productive day in the confines of my bedroom.

We also had a quiet and restful weekend. I stayed in sweats and p.j. pants for most of it. Those are starting to be only things that are comfortable. Husband brought home some new ones for me, because a) he’s great and b) he read Rachel’s Baby Time post. (So, thanks Rachel, and congrats to you!) They are blue and gold (in support of the good ol’ Mountaineers), super duper comfortable, and pictured below in this shot with all four of my children, three of whom were building fortresses in preparation for a friendly game of Castle Wars (which was invented by the great SD Smith).

Yup, sometimes a change of plans is just what a person needs.

HT: Whit Elam

Vowels from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

First up? Pinecones! We happened to know where there would be a HUGE stash of pinecones just waiting to be had. One problem: it’s not our yard anymore. So, we asked our new neighbor for permission to scavenge our old yard. His response? “Sure! Mi casa es su casa!” What a swell fella. We took more than enough, but they were all closed up, wet and cold. No problem, thanks to the Google. We just popped them in the oven on 250 degrees and waited for them to open up to us. The house smelled heavenly for a bit and they are now even more beautiful than before. Here they are, from start to finish.

I also found some sort of lacy white thread from a box that my grandmother had given me. We had a nice cozy snow day where the kids played outside a lot and I had the time to whip up a simple crochet chain to drape on the branches as well. I love it when a plan comes together…for free. I would love to have time to make some of these birds and nestle them in the branches. And this will be our topper this year. I’m seeing a theme developing, aren’t you?

Here’s one more little touch that I’m pretty proud of, inspired by this picture. I found a dirty old box in the garage that had been long since neglected. With a little rinse and some more of our pinecones and candles, it’s useful and pretty once again! I saw two more pinecone related projects that really interested me…maybe next year. This pinecone garland and also this one.  Maybe a combination of the two?

I hope you’re finding ways to make things cozy in your home as well!

This morning, I read the book, Song of the Stars, to my kids at breakfast. I had a hard time not crying. Seriously. (Now, I’m not saying it isn’t because we happen to be expecting a baby of our own. I know my hormones are out of whack, but I’m pretty sure I would have cried even if I wasn’t as big as a house right now.)

I was transported back to my childhood as I beheld what looked like a vintage Little Golden Book. The illustrations are just so charming. But the similarities stop there, as this book is no ordinary “Farmer Jones” tale. No, it’s full of a secret excitement. The wonder of that special night so long ago as seen by the natural world is just beautiful. It may have seemed like just an ordinary night to the people of the world, but God’s creation might certainly have sensed that something was different…something was about to change. Okay, everything was about to change. And finally, in my adult years, and with the help of my children, I am able to see the wonder of it all.

Sally Lloyd-Jones, you’ve done it again. Thank you! We just happen to be using The Jesus Storybook Bible during our nightly Advent time, and Song of the Stars is most definitely a book for our Christmas stash of stories. As we prepare our hearts during this Advent season, the excitement builds.

I hope you’re feeling it too!

Herb Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Sage

Autumn Chopped Salad

Crock Pot Mushrooms and Wild Rice (Sorry, no picture–just take my word for it.)

Something’s up with Pinterest right now and most of my pinned recipes are not showing up on my boards. I’m sure they’ll get it worked out. (Please, please get it worked out!)

What recipes have you tried and loved lately?

It’s the only home our children have ever known and I’d like to do something to make a memory of  this place that has been our haven. Do any of you have any creative ideas for a photo we could take or memento we could make to mark this big change for our family?

We have loved this house, this land, this cozy refuge from life’s storms. We’re excited about the future, but a teeny bit sad to say good-bye. What would you do to keep a little memory of your house?

She and her husband are on their way to Ethiopia to meet their little son. Please join me in praying for them as they continue their journey of adoption.  Here’s a great place to start! And here is a prayer you can follow along and agree with, from one of the elders from their church.

Father, we all are humbled by the salvation you give to us so freely.  Thank you for painting such a beautiful picture of this gift in the life of the Perrys. Please grant them safety and peace and rest on their journey. Bless the time they have with their new son and give them smooth and quick interactions with all the necessary authorities along the way. We have seen your hand at work in so many of the steps they have taken so far and we look forward to seeing how you work out all the details to follow. All of this, in the name of your son…

We are enjoying our summer and anticipating a couple of big changes, one of which is the new baby and the other, a new place to dwell.  All the hard work to transform our place really paid off and the Lord blessed us with the quick sale of the house. I’m not sure we’ve ever been as busy as we are now, so thanks for understanding my absence! I can’t wait for things to settle down a bit so I can share a little more with you about all that is happening…