Multitude Monday

Counting 1,000 gifts...
#37 Words of value from my daughter shared during a show and tell at school. Her teacher posted this in our weekly update:

E. shared what she learned about birds, following the drama lesson on the Nightingale of Wittenburg. As she discovered various qualities of birds, she was able to see members of her family who possessed some of those same qualities. For instance, in her Mom she saw the protecting, self-sacrificing qualities of a partridge, who is willing to lay down its life for its young. And these were HER words. WOW! What mom wouldn't be blessed by that!

I am.

Thankful,
Stacey

Loving Your Family

I am looking forward to this coming week as we count down the days to Valentine's Day! Here are a couple of ideas I have used in the past that were big hits with our family.

1. I purchased heart shaped post it notes and gave everyone permission to leave love notes all around the house! The fun part was finding them in the most unexpected places!

2. I found small metal mailboxes at the $1 spot at Target last year. I put them on the breakfast table and each morning there was a treat, sticker, or small present for my girls to receive. This was super easy and they were giddy with excitement to get their mail each morning! This year I am going to start on February 7th for 7 days of You've Got Mail.

3. I researched each name in our family and the meaning of it. For our Valentine's Day dinner I made heart shaped place mats for each person with their name and the meaning of it. I laminated them so we can use them year after year!

4. We had desert as our dinner on February 14. Last year it was strawberry shortcake, but this year I think we are going to some type of fondue dinner!


How about you? Do you have any great Valentine traditions to pass on? Join the Link Party and let us know! Remember to copy the url to your actual post not just your blog!

Love,
Stacey

How Do You Compare?

It is party day over at Heart to Heart With Holley! This was a great week of thought provoking questions. I chose my favorite entry and my comment to share with you today! I hope you have super weekend!

It's a junior high lunch table. We eavesdrop on giggly girls...
"My boyfriend is captain of the football team."
"I found THE COOLEST JEANS last weekend!"
"I got an A on the Science test."
Is anyone else's heart racing just thinking about being back there. Good grief.
Okay, I've regained my composure. The point is that as women we compare. A lot...
(To read the rest of the entry click here).

Question: What is God doing in your story right now?

My Answer:
Henry Blackaby says, "God is always at work around you. It is your job to find out where He is at work and join Him in it!" So, clearly God is at work, and right now He is working on my heart. He is saying, "Follow me one step at a time. Do not anxiously look around and wish you could be doing other things. Just do the next thing I tell you to do." Seriously, yesterday I followed this plan throughout the day and my heart was more at ease. I was not sitting and wishing I was off doing something else. And I was not overwhelmed as much by all I had to yet to finish. Doing the next thing - like feeding the kids or praying with my husband is really okay. The next thing is God's thing for me right now.

Looking Forward,
Stacey

Multitude Monday

#28 All I need to take is one step at a time....He reminded me of this three times in the past 24 hours.

First, here, "If only the next step is clear, then the one thing to do is take it! Don't pledge your Lord or yourself to any steps beyond what you know. You don't see them yet." (Amy Carmichael)

Next here, "Follow me one step at a time. That is all I require of you." (Sarah Young).

And finally, here:



Thankfully listening Lord,
Stacey

Who Shares Your Story?

I have been participating in a 21 day challenge through Dayspring and Heart to Heart with Holley. Today she is having a link party and asking us to share our favorite post from the week! I love this one from Wednesday January 27 called Who Shares Your Story? You can read it here:

Here is my comment in a nutshell:

"I love the way you describe the 3 types of relationships we have. Currently I feel like most of my relationships are at the Functioning Level because of my season in life. I have a newborn and I am the one merely functioning! I recently told a someone that I feel as though I am not fully present in any of my conversations. Have you ever felt that way? Mine is due to being extremely tired at the very core of my soul. Physically, mentally and spiritually just slap worn out! Heart level relationships take being purposeful, and a commitment to being known. I love these and need them in my life, but I do think I am in a season where I am just not capable of maintaining that too well. Thankfully, most of people in my life understand that about me."

So, how about you? Who shares your story? Who would you like to go deeper with? Are you challenged as you read this to pursue a friendship or let down your walls to let another person know you?

Leave me a comment below and tell me what you think!
Looking Forward,
Stacey

Design Girl Wannabe - Master Bedroom

I am so excited to finally have a plan for our master bedroom! I have searched high and low for design inspiration and a color scheme that captured the look and feel of what I wanted. After what seemed like years of looking , I found this beautiful room at Houzz:

I think the key elements that I love are the clean white bedding, the pop of color in the pillows which can be easily changed for a new look, the photo above the bed and the cozy lounge area for reading or watching television. I also like the use of black in the room which really provides an anchor to all the white! I found some fabulous bedding at Overstock.com to begin to build upon. Now I am looking for slipcovers, bedside tables and just the right photograph compliments of my husband! I am not sure what accent color I am going to use. I am thinking about green or a linen color. Currently my bed is a red oak slatted sleigh design, and it will have to stay that way for now. But with a picture finally in mind I can move forward! And that feels awesome!

I love the fact as well that dreaming and planning doesn't cost a dime. Now on to frugal shopping!

Looking Forward,
Stacey

P.S. I will post before and after pictures as I am able to begin to make these changes. Right now I feel like Bob, from "What About Bob" ---taking baby steps!

Multitude Monday

#13 Saturday breakfast dates with daddy, her first of many:

Looking Forward,
Stacey