Happy Easter Eve

I swear time goes faster & faster these days. my mom use to always tell me, "Don't wish your life away" I never really understood it as a kid, but I certainly do now! Some how, maybe a miracle I am managing too fit in a short blog tonight. I have been crazy busy with all the Easter festivities, but I love every minute of it. 


So on Thurs night Jason & I went to see our church's passion play "Alive Again" (Let me just take a moment to say-- what an AMAZING job! Seriously TOP notch) Well of course I know the easter story but it is always so cool to see it in 'real' life. During the performance I had an "ah-ha" moment. I don't get these often so it was a little surprising to me but there was a scene where Jesus was talking to Peter. Peter is saying (in my own paraphrase) oh no lord I'd never deny you... to which Jesus replies "...but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail..." There it hit me. I have never before in all my 'church' years thought or even considered that Jesus prays for us! Jesus prays for me! That got my mind on a tail spin for a minute as I sat thinking "Jesus, what is it you pray for me?" I have always loved God but it has only been the past few years that I have understood His love for me & accepted it. To think that the heavenly father would pray for me, opened my eyes to a new mind-blowing love. Although I begin to think maybe that was just part of the script, is that really in scripture?(Jesus has probably named me doubting Thomas cause I doubt everything) IT IS! Luke 22: 31-34. I started reading & found a great sermon by John Piper  Sifting of Simon Peter


So I can go on to speculate what Jesus might pray for me, something like trust me my child, I know what you cannot see. Or don't sweat the small stuff.... I really have no idea how Jesus would pray for me but it brings so much peace & love to my heart just to know that the creator of everything, cares enough to pray for ME, little old me!


So in all the Easter HOP or Hype rather, don't forget to take time to realize what Easter really means & the man behind it all! 
Happy Easter.

Me, myself & I-- the unusual blog about Me...

I was emailing a friend the other day who had asked how they should describe me, if you've ever had to answer this about yourself you will soon find it really is not easy. Or maybe I'm just complicated, but I surely canot be summed up in one word. I have spent a lot of my life being misunderstood, so I thought I'd do an unusual blog about myself.

• I am very hard to read, or so I'm told.
• People mis-interupt my quietness for snottiness, when people first meet me they either love me or hate me. Often people tell me later, I really did not like you when I first met you... (Oh thanks- lol!)
• I am crazy analytical, I will over analysis everything!!!
• I love fashion but I am not a girl who will ever carry a coach purse, or live in an oversized home, I have no shame in resale or garage sales, I love finding a good deal. 
• I clip coupons & debate over spending $5 on things I don't really need.
• I will never use a credit card. Cash only.
• I have no desire to "keep up with the jones's" I'm perfectly content being a Courtney ;)
• I love being a mom & wife more then anything in this world- when I became a mom everything in my world came into perfect harmony.
• Music & Drama makes me come alive
• Singing frees my heart. “People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.” Swift
• I am an artsy fartsy to the core.
• I love having friends but also totally love being alone.
• My guilty pleasures are starbucks, sweet tea, fried zuchinni, & pizza (could eat it everyday). 
• I am totally neurotic & have irrational fears (jason can fill you in if you really wanna know)
• I am not good with words unless I am writing them.
• I can sing in front of thousands of people & not bat an eye but if I have to speak I'd rather die!
• I am a goodie-too-shoes.
• Don't smoke, don't drink, don't cuss. And have no desire to start!
• I'd rather have 1 BEST friend than 50 fake friends.
• Most days my house is messy, I'm wearing sweats, no make up, BUT my home is filled with laughter & fun.
• I am overly cautious with what I let come out of my mouth, I never want to cause anyone pain by what I speak.
• I hate being put on the spot. I need time to process my thoughts.
• I love craft fairs
• I love the park & the zoo
• I am totally impulsive
• I am a perfectionist to my detriment
• Yellow makes everything look better
• Decorating, Reading blogs & watching the cooking channel are my fav pass time
• I stink at initiating conversations, but really I'd love to talk to you
• I cannot bake anything but pies & brownies but I LOVE to cook
• I hate waking up early but I also hate staying up late, combined they are just horrible! I need sleep to be a nice person
• I love rainy days
• My life can be summed up in Taylor Swifts last album -- every song is dedicated to someone in my life, don't worry I won't share. ;)
• I only like breakfast for dinner & I usually eat dinner for breakfast
• My favorite number is 9
• I've only dated guys who's names start with the letter J-- I have no idea why?!
• Small things give me anxiety (ex. calling the insurance co., or taking my car for a oil change) Big things are a breeze, I stay cool calm & collected.
• I'm addicted to pictures because I have a horrible long term memory
• I do believe in love at 1st sight.
• I have a really corny sense of humor (this ones for you Court!) ;)

   I don't think that being a strong person is about ignoring your emotions and fighting your feelings. Putting on a brave face doesn't mean you're a brave person. That's why everybody in my life knows everything that I'm going through. I can't hide anything from them. People need to realize that being open isn't the same as being weak. 

Muffin Tin Monday

 Muffin Tin Monday. OK so I have officially stolen this idea! Who knew that if you give a kiddo a variety of foods & make it look cute- they will devour! Karly is a pretty good eater, but not a fan of veggies (thank goodness for Juice Plus Gummies-- Shout out to my friend Sarah for hooking me up!) But I found this great idea & thought I would give it a whim-- huge hit!!!

So here is the 1st of many Muffin Tin Mondays:

Blueberries

Cheese on Bunny Sticks

 (the sticks are from a tic tac toe game from the $1 store)

 But perfect tooth picks for a 3 yr old!

Apple sauce with sprinkles

turkey rolls

carrots

low fat ranch

I thought I would pass along the idea :) The variety & fun things you can do are endless. woohoo. love a good idea, even if it's not my own ;)

Moment to Remember.

I had to take a minute to sit down & recap my day. I think this very well may have been one of my favorite days I've had in a long time. Started off pretty usual, Sunday morning trying to pull myself out of bed, get everyone ready for church... and it was sunny so we wanted to make the early service. I just have to make a side note, that Karly & I were dressed & ready to go WAYYY before Daddy was ;) just saying! Oh & I made him breakfast, and I don't mean just coffee. I was a woman on a mission. lol. ok back to the point. We had planned to go to Eckert's Easter Egg-citement, it was a gorgeous day for it, we even took my cousin along for a little extra fun. We really did have the best time- hunting eggs, petting baby animals, just enjoying the day together. Karly went from hating the Easter bunny to being totally obsessed with it, she was actually asked to leave the bunny & give someone else a turn (this is huge people!).

It felt like my world was all aligning again.

We have made it a tradition since my parents live so far away that we do dinner together every Sunday evening (haha, they live 7 houses down from us, same street) just a little tradition we have started. So what better day to break out the grill!? But I did have one panic moment. I am making burgers, went to add some garlic powder & the cap was not on tight-- the entire spice jar was now in our burgers! AHHHH. No worries we worked it out. Dinner was delish.

The real topper was everyone sitting around playing games and just enjoying life together. We ended the night with a game of baseball in our yard with Great Grandma cheering up on from her chair. It was one of those moments that I hope & pray I never forget. I am so thankful for my parents for so many reasons, but the thing I love most is that they gave me an amazing childhood. To see them (not so spring chickens anymore) running & playing ball with my baby girl just makes me so happy; and yet also seeing how happy it makes them, makes me happy. My heart was in a state of bliss. It was just a moment I want to always remember!

Oh and I think I might need to sign Kar up for something that involves hitting a ball, holy cow the girl has a swing on her! any suggestions out there for a 3 yr old?

Last years bunny experience- bribed with cookie & mommy to even get close to the bunny!

This year... LOVES bunny. Not just 1, but 2 Bunny pictures!

can some one tell me why this bunny looks like a dog with  pink ears attached?! humm...

They were buddies.

Trying to 'impress' my child

So as much as I love any holiday there are some that are extra special. As a Christian mom I want more than anything for my child to know that these holidays are fun but they are much much more than that. My hearts desire is to "impress" God's word & love into my child in every way I possibly can. I believe that is MY JOB (well mine & her father's) Children are impressed by so many things, people, friends, disney, cartoons, toys why not impress them with Jesus as well?

I think that Easter is one of the harder "holidays" to teach. I have been on a serious quest to find ways to help a 3 yr old understand words like crucifixtion, resurrection, rose from the dead, died for our sins... hard concepts for a 3 yr old! Today I went to the bookstore & found a good video/cartoon about Easter, the real meaning of Easter. After nap today we watched it & she asked good questions and was very interested. My favorite part was that while she was watching it she said, "Mommy Jesus reminds me a lot of Daddy". My eyes filled with tears & I stopped to text jason. I mean could there be any better compliment?! And how blessed are we to have such an incredible man as the leader of our home. I am so proud of him, I really wish that he could have been here to hear it first hand! (ok enough rambling...)

A couple ideas I found were:

#1--Resurrection Rolls

Start with...

 Roll said marshmallows in melted butter. Just enough to get ‘em wet.

we were pretending the marshmallow was Jesus. (I know. Just go with it.) I explained how when Jesus was put in the tomb the women were going to rub his body with precious oils and good smelling spices. So, that’s what we were doing–dipping Jesus in the butter…er, oil. (I know, it’s weird. Keep reading.)

Then roll buttery marshmallow in brown sugar/cinnamon-sugar mix.

Or you know, roll Jesus in the spices.

 Place one marshmallow on the wide end of a crescent roll. Roll up and make sure you pinch the edges so it’s sealed tight!

Now, I explained about the tomb and it being sealed with a rock. So we pretended the crescents were the tomb and we sealed Jesus…er, the marshmallow up in the tomb.

 Cook for the appropriate amount of time.

If you don’t seal the crescents up tight, your marshmallows might leak out…not a pretty sight. And kinda confusing if you’re pretending they are supposed to be Jesus…

As we waited for the tomb-snacks to cook, we read a few stories about Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

When the timer rang, I put one tomb-snack on the plate. I reminded her that this snack was like Jesus in the tomb. I asked her what she thought happened to the marshmallow. Then we opened up the crescent and peeked inside. Our marshmallow was gone! It was a big empty roll! And AMAZED. She stared at it—and was almost afraid! She said, “But where did it go?!”

I explained to her that just like we were surprised that our marshmallow was gone, Jesus’ friends were surprised, too. They didn’t expect Jesus to come back to life. But he did! And he’s alive today.

#2-- The tomb/ garden

I took a round baking dish outside and filled it with dirt…we were making a mini-garden. Then we found rocks, sticks, plants, moss and leaves to cover and plant in our new garden. The final piece was a giant potato. Yup, like from Idaho. We chopped the bottom off and carved out a little hole in the middle. We placed it cut-end down and suddenly, it wasn’t any garden. It was the tomb and garden where Jesus was buried.

A great reminder of what Jesus did for us–but also a pretty decoration for our Resurrection Sunday celebration. By Good Friday evening, the leaves will be looking a little dingy. By Saturday night? downright pitiful. That night before look  at the garden again and talk about how Jesus’ friends must have been feeling. Thinking back to when we made our garden–it seemed like a long time ago! This whole time Jesus had been dead and his friends were so sad–and scared and confused.

After the kiddo goes  to bed its time for you to get to work!

And when they wake they will be so surprised to see the garden alive with beautiful flowers and growth and LIFE! I love the gorgeous picture of LIFE and beauty the flowers gave us.

I want my child to know and understand what Jesus did for her on the cross. I want Easter to be as big and as exciting and (dare I say?) magical as Christmas. This is just one way we’ve decided to help impress the greatest gift and miracle onto our child.

Time to sit back & relax.

Some of you keeping up with my furniture saga, it is finally coming to a close- Thank God! My living room has finally met my expectation ;)

It was a doozing getting there & all I will say is whatever you do- do not buy from American! They are a nightmare. As my blog says, be nice to me or I'll blog about you! lol. Its true. As always Ashley Furniture came through for us again. We actually went there 1st but they didn't have what we were looking for... when we went back this time they had EXACTLY what I had pictured in my mind AND, we got a third table, the leather protection plan & still spent less money than at American. ugh just saying the name of that place gives me a headache.

Here is a before shot (well kinda, I had already started working on the coffee table, it use to be dark brown & the walls use to be olive green, but you get the picture)

And here is the new room:

ok so I added this pic only because I love  my little peeing tom hiding in the side table ;)

And what is a room with out accessories?...

Here is my little holiday area. I have to have a little place to decorate for the holiday or I will get all crazy & decorate the entire house. I need boundaries ;)

I love this wall, even though its hard to photograph...  I made the wreath, cost me a entire $1 to make (incase you are wondering it is coffee filters & cupcake liners) Love it & so easy to make! I wanted an & sign, this one was gold so nothing a little spray paint can't take care of! Love my spray paints!

We call this our creative wall. Karly's creations are displayed & I think they make a nice addition to the room, makes it not so stuffy! I like houses that looked lived in by real people :) I thought it was the perfect spot to add my fav saying "Enjoy the little things in life, one day you will look back and realize that they were the big things". I can't tell you how many times a day this quote keeps me focused on what is really important to me!

This came out of my boredom one night.  I  have a little bucket that I always throw extra buttons into. I was cleaning up thinking what am I suppose to do with these & got me going so I quickly found a frame & some fabric and about 20 minutes later- wahh-lahhh.

The beginning of my photo display. My husband is so cool to go along with my ideas. We have tons of these wood planks in our garage from an old fence. I wanted to bring a little of the outside in. I love a mix of rustic & modern. So I sanded & stained the wood. My hubby helped me drill holes. Hobby lobby hooked me up with some knobs & ribbon. So for under $20 I was able to appease my photo addiction.

Really love how it turned out, but wish the lighting in the room was better. This photo does not do it justice!

Last but not least I rehabbed my original coffee table. karly had spilled nail polish remover on it. Making for a bad day in the Courtney house. I loved the table & did not want to get rid of it. I started reading up on ways to re-do furniture & gave it a whim!

I beat the table up a little bit to give it a more rustic look

Painted the entire table with our wall color

Mixed glaze & stain together and very sloppily painted it all over the table & let sit for a few min...

With an old rag, give the table a good massage...aahhhh

Put original knobs back on & added a pillow on top, it quickly has become Karly's favorite reading spot.

So there it is. 

Our Living Room. 

Now it is time for me to sit back & relax in it!

It's calling my name...