At work in me

A few weeks ago we had a revival at church. It was small and intimate but it was really good and I enjoyed every night that we went. Since then I have been praying a lot and asking God to work on my "Joy." I know that sounds wierd but as an individual I have felt not myself and been unhappy a lot lately. I know that with a lot of time on my knee's and an open heart that God would be faithful to me and answer my prayers. The best way to describe me would probably be the word, calloused. I almost feel numb to life sometimes. Depressing, huh? Well imagine how my family felt living with me. Thank you to them for loving me anyways and putting up with my moodiness. With all of this said, God answered part of my prayers last week. On Monday, I sat down to read a book with Mollie entitled, "A Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck. She didn't make it all the way through but I read on for myself. It made me cry and was so touching. It is not a religious story by any means but it was just a touching story. It is about a young boy who really wants a new bike for Christmas. He learns that instead of a bike he is getting a hand made Christmas sweater that his Mother knit for him. He is not excited about it at all. In the end he learns that hand made gifts are filled with love because whomever made them poured their love into it while doing it. He ends up getting a bike too but he is more over joyed about the sweather. I later read the story to Maddie and cried again. We got to talk about how sweet the story is and that God gave us Jesus as a gift on Christmas and that is why we celebrate. It was a great time together and I enjoyed it. Nonetheless, the story stuck with me and I kept thinking about it. I just loved it. Well, a few days later while walking through a parking lot...God struck me with his answer to my prayers over joy. He flashed the story in my mind and then proceeded to tell me...
Jennifer, you are hand made. I made you and I poured all my love into you.

It was like a ton of bricks and it was such an experience like non-other and very eye opening. God made us all and we are hand crafted. Our parents, our friends, our children...if that doesn't bring joy to your life what about the part about all of his love being poured into us? Thus, why he gave us the greatest gift of all, Jesus.

Joy has been an issue for me but now I can say that I find joy everyday when I think about this and I give all glory to God. Thank you for revealing this truth to me in an unexpected place, a children's book.

Coaster anyone?

At MOPS last week they taught us how to make some cute little magnets. I used what I learned and decided to make some coasters for various friends and family as Christmas presents. It was really easy and lots of fun. I think they turned out really good and I may have just found another little hobby to add to my list. Anyways, the pictures aren't great but you can get an idea. We always have a lot of people that we want to get something for but our budget doesn't always allow for it. This so afordable and at least we can give a token to them to show how much they mean to us. This is how you do it.

Supplies:
small bathroom tiles from home depot
stazon ink from hobby lobby
any type of stamp
embossing powder, clear, thick from hobby lobby
felt
glue

Steps:
taking your tiles, stamp and ink make the design you desire. Sprinkle embossing powder over the design before it dries and then put it in the oven at 350F until all the powder is gone. It looks like it will be wet but that is the shinyness of the design and sign that it is done. Be careful to let them cool for a long time. Then glue on felt to the bottom. Viola!

Snowing Gingerbread houses

Wouldn't that be cool if it really did snow gingerbread houses? Well, I am sorry to inform you that it didn't do both but we did!

As most people now it snowed last week here in East Texas. Even though it didn't stick it was so great. Everyone had smiles on their faces from ear to ear. Who would have thought that some snow flurries could change the spirits of an entire town in moments. It was really something. This is the first snow Mollie has ever seen and she was AMAZED. Maddie was at school during the majority of the flurries so I didn't get any pictures of her but she did get to play and enjoy it. We talked about for the whole ride home and then played a few more minutes outside. The only down side was that it more or less was a tease to them...it just made them want lots more to play in. We are thankful for what we got and glad that it didn't make driving or anything else crazy for us. You can't even see the snow in the pictures but I promise it was snowing!





A couple of days ago Maddie and I decorated a gingerbread house. This has turned into a tradition in the Carlile house. We buy a little kit and put it together. It is good time together and we enjoy eating the candy and talking about how to make it look cute. Maddie is such a good little cook...she loves helping in the kitchen and I really enjoy her help. She is so delightful and I know most parents think this about their own children but I am going to say it anyway. Maddie is so smart. She amazes me with her logic and vocabulary. She even said the other day, "transparent." She used in the correct context and everything. I was floored. Anyways, here is the outcome of our gingerbread house decorating tradition.

Merry Christmas to me!

I have been looking for a new table and chairs for a long time. I knew what I wanted I just couldn't find it without compromising. Well, Sunday I went to Sam's to get some diapers and low and behold I found just what I wanted. I came home and told Trey all about it. Needless to say, he was not nearly as excited about it as I was. Our old table and chairs was still nice but whenever we had anyone over we didn't have enough room and it was kind of worn out on the table top...finish wearing off, markers, paint, glitter...you know kid stuff. Anyways, I really wanted to get it but Trey wasn't on the band wagon yet. Finally yesterday I convinced him and asked if it could be my Christmas present. He agreed and we went to Sam's so he could see it. The only bad part was that it required assembly. Trey graciously put it together for me. It is great. I think we all love it and we have plenty of room when friends and family come over. There are two more chairs that go with it but we put them at our breakfast bar until we need them. I am so thrilled and love using it. It looks great in the house and even though the wood is a different stain than the rest of the kitchen cabinets I don't care. Plus, I am thinking I will put a table cloth on it to protect it so that it doesn't turn out like the last table.

Crashed

Mollie takes naps in her bed but sometimes when she wakes up she will fall back to sleep while you are holding her....by the way I love it when she does. She is my cuddler. Maddie never was a big cuddler as a little baby. She cuddles now but is still wiggly. Mollie on the other hand will sometimes just lay against you for hours. It is bliss. Anyways, the other day when she got up from her nap she fell back asleep on me while we were sitting on the couch. She ended up being there for two hours. I thought it was hilarious that she crashed out with her blanket over her face...I guess she needed it to be a little darker. It worked out good for me because then I could take a picture without bothering her. I just wish I could do the same on the couch and no one would bother me. Hahaha.

To craft or not to craft?

I got a little crafty and tried something new the other night. It turned out well enough but took way more supplies than I had anticipated. Luckily I followed advice and bought my supplies at a dollar store so it wasn't too expensive. What do you think?



I had a MOPS meeting yesterday and got some more ideas for crafts for the holiday season. It was tons of fun and super easy. I think I will be going to get supplies later today and try some more out. Check back for more pictures on how it turns out.

Rockin Around the Christmas Tree...

Maddie had her annual performance at the local Miseltoe and Magic a few weeks ago. Her dance studio performed the Nutcracker and the little girls had a part in the big show so that is what they performed at M&M. They did such a wonderful job and in my opinion they stole the show....I am just a little bias. Anyways, it was fun to kick off the Christmas season with lights, shopping, music, and dancing. Maddie had a big fan club too. Several people came from church, work, and friends just to see her dance. It was great.