Friday, December 18, 2009

Welcome to Gentility

For a long time now, I've dreamed of living in an old farmhouse full of family heirlooms, antiques and pictures of long lost relatives on the wall.  I imagine myself sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch snapping beans, watching the chickens scratch in the front yard and wondering how to keep the deer out of my garden.  I see a handmade quilt on every bed.  It's grandma's house - or at least what I've always imagined grandma's house should be.

The reality though is that I live in a cookie cutter modern house in a cookie cutter modern neighborhood.  There's not much in my house that's older than I am, except maybe my sweet husband.  My quilts come from the store and the only beans I have are in a can.  I don't know a lot about gardening, or chickens for that matter.

In this day of modern conveniences and mass production, there is very little of long term worth.  You can't go to Target and pick out something that will be passed on to your children and their children and so on.  So there's something special in the heirlooms that are still with us from the past.  I love things that have a soul, things that could tell stories of where they've been and what they've seen over their long life. 

And so I am resolving to recreate my own "little old farmhouse" right here in the middle of my subdivision.  As I thought about how to go about this, I knew I needed a vision, a focus to point me in the right direction.  I also needed a name for my little old farmhouse.  Every good old Southern home has a name - just ask Scarlett O'Hara about her Tara.  And of course, our family has a thing about G names so it wouldn't hurt if our house had one too.

I turned to the dictionary for inspiration and there is was - the very definition of what I wanted to achieve in my little old farmhouse: "Refined in manner; polite; free from vulgarity and rudeness; elegantly fashionable or stylish in manner or appearance; striving to convey a manner or appearance of refinement and respectability".  It was everything I wanted to bring to my home - it was gentility.

So come on in and sit with me.  I'll make us both a cup of tea.  I can show you my quilting projects and the wonderful treasures I've found at the antique store.  My little old farmhouse will be a work in progress for quite a while.  But company is always welcome.

Welcome to Gentility.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Do Unto Others

This week before the rush of the holidays begins, I am purposing to focusing on serving others with my children.  It's important that our children see us serving, that they know how to find ways to serve and that they participate with us as often as possible.

We will start out with some simple letter writing and cards.  I want my children to carry on the act of a written letter or a card to send wishes to a friend or loved one.  In today's culture of email and text messages, a written note is a lost and dying art.  Tomorrow's schoolwork will consist primarily of writing notes and cards to cousins and other family members who are far away.  I have photos set aside to include with these letters as well.  We also have a card signed for George, the retired Marine we heard about last week who is in need of some encouragement, and another for Tabetha, a friend at Morning Grace who is recovering from major surgery.  Of course I set the example for them today, writing thank you notes that were overdue and a long letter to Amber's birth mom.  Lastly we will begin to work on cards and pictures to put in Grandaddy's care package going to Cuba later this month.

I try to encourage my children to use their talents to serve the Lord and others whenever possible.  Serving others should be a joy, not an obligation, and what better way to serve with joy than by doing something you love and have a talent for!  This Tuesday, I will use my talent and their eagerness to learn about baking to benefit the Charlotte Rescue Mission.  All day Tuesday we plan to make baked goods for CRM to serve during their Thanksgiving meal on Thursday.  Wednesday we will deliver the baked goods and then head home to cook up our own contributions to the Thanksgiving meal we will be attending at Aunt Jen and Uncle Mike's house. 

What can you do to serve someone this Thanksgiving holiday?  What talents and interests do you have that can be used in an act of service to others?  Leave a comment and let me know what you are doing to serve someone this Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Holiday Countdown - In the Kitchen

Now that Halloween has come and gone, thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Call your relatives and finalize your Thanksgiving dinner plans now if you haven't already.  Our family will be spending Thanksgiving with my brother's family and my mom - Daddy will already be in Cuba by then.

Once you know where you're eating, you need to decide what you're eating.  Are you hosting the family at your house?  Do you need to bring something to dinner at someone else's house?  Decide now what you will make and start watching the sales ads for the ingredients you need.

You can also begin to think ahead to Christmas gifts from the kitchen.  I love to bake so I do a lot of baked goods gifts for neighbors, the kids' teachers in their different homeschool activities and some of Michael's coworkers.  I also like to doing some holiday baking now to help prepare me for all the parties and dinner and just special time with family and friends.  If I do some baking now, I have more time to relax and enjoy the season!  I set aside Wednesdays for cooking/baking and cleaning my kitchen.

My first plan of action is to buy bags of ripe bananas marked down at the grocery store.  Then I use them to make as many batches of banana bread as possible - 6 bananas will make 2 or 3 batches depending on your recipe.  Last year I bought some individual mini foil baking pans with holiday lids at the end of the season.  So far I have about a dozen mini loaves of banana bread in the freezer waiting to be gifted to a friend or neighbor or teacher.  I bake the loaves then let them cool.  After I put the lids on the pans, I wrap them first in plastic wrap and then in foil.  Then I put the loaves in freezer bags and stack them in my freezer.  Make sure you label them so  you know what you have!

This past weekend I bought half a bushel of honey crisp apples at a produce stand near my mom's house.  On Wednesday I'll be making apple butter, apple jelly and baked apples to can.  These will also make great gifts!!

Not all my baking is for giving away!  If I gave it all away, there would be mutiny in the house.  I also plan to start preparing cookie dough to freeze and pull out in December for those days the kids want to decorate cookies.  I also try to make a double meal when possible, serving one for dinner and freezing the other for another busy night during the holidays.

Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite gift from the kitchen to give or one you've received!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

3 Months with Georgia



It's hard to believe that little Georgia is already 3 months old!  Seems like just yesterday we were counting her fingers and toes, marveling at the beautiful creation of God.  She's such a little trooper - already she has had to go through jaundice, colic and the swine flu (Mama had it, but God protected her).  We are so thankful she is now healthy and growing.


She is really starting to develop a little personality.  She loves to smile and coo now.  She very much prefers Mama's lap to anyone else's and usually protests if someone else tries to hold her.  She is also rolling over now and loves to lay on her Grandmama quilt in the floor and just look around.




I am so thankful God chose to bless us with Georgia!  What a wonderful gift she is to our family.  We love you Peaches!!

Toilet Paper Pumpkins

Yesterday I found this great little decoration for fall and I just HAD to try it!  It was so quick and easy and I already had all the supplies right here at home.  Thanks to the Moore Minutes website for the idea!!  You can get instructions here on how to make your own, plus another idea for making pumpkins out of dryer vent tubing.

Here are some pics of the finished product:





Post a comment and share how you decorate for fall!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

My Favorite Couponing Website

About a month ago, a friend of mine recommended a great website to me:



This is a great website if you are just beginning to collect coupons or even if you have clipped coupons for years and just don't know where or when to use them. There are several great features to the website:

1. Couponing 101 and other info: This is a great place to start if you are ready to save money but don't know where to begin. There is also a list of terms and abbreviations that are frequently used on the website listed and what they mean. And you can learn the basics of store programs like CVS Bonus Bucks and Walgreens Register Rewards.

2. Grocery stores: Each week the best deals for southern grocery stores are listed on the site. Grocery stores listed on the site are Bi-Lo, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Harveys, Ingles, Kroger and Publix. Just click on the store you like to shop at and see what's on sale and if a coupon is available for that item. If there's a coupon available, it will list the amount in red along with the date it was in the Sunday paper. For online coupons, a link is provided for you to go and print the coupon. The website will also highlight items available for free or very cheap when you use a coupon and frequently lists the best weekly deals so you know which store has the best price if you must buy diapers or ground chuck for example.

3. Drug stores: Each week the website will list sale items for Rite Aid, CVS and Walgreens. Similar to the grocery listings, if an item has a coupon available it will be listed below the item. Also listed are items in the store program deals such as CVS Bonus Bucks or Walgreens Register Rewards. At the end of each store's listing, the website will give you a shopping plan of what to buy and what coupons to use, showing how much you will pay out of pocket and how much you will save or even earn in store money.

4. Other good deals: Frequently the website will post rebates, special sales or giveaways by companies. Last week we went to Coldstone Creamery and took advantage of free ice cream. Today I found out about a new rebate offer from SC Johnson & Company. A lot of these offers are for a limited time so it's important to stay tuned to the website. The best way to not miss out on these deals is to either subscribe to Southern Savers - it's free just click the link on the right side of the webpage - or become a fan of Southern Savers on Facebook and the offers will appear right on your newsfeed wall.

This website can be credited with really giving me a better grasp of not only how to save money with coupons but also with how much money we have the opportunity to save if only we are aware of it! I hope you are helped by it as much as I have been!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The Fourth G

Introducing
AVA GEORGIA VELEKE
the fourth G

Georgia arrived on Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 at 11:22 am.
She was born on my parents' 36th anniversary.
She weighs 6 lbs 11 oz and is 20 inches long.
God blessed Mama with a quick delivery - only 4 and a half hours - surrounded by my hubby, my Mama and my "sister" cousin Beckie.
We are so grateful for this newest addition to our family.
God is so kind and continues to bless our family far more than we deserve.
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Are You Ready?? He's Coming!!

This week I reached the nine week mark in my pregnancy with baby Georgia. In just nine short weeks she will be here with us and the anticipation will be over. Are we ready?? Not by a longshot.

Lately I've had a lot of thoughts about preparations that need to be complete before she arrives and the what ifs (what if she's early? what if I need a c-section and have a longer recovery?). I don't want to be caught off guard and bring home a baby to a mountain of laundry, piles of dirty dishes, an unplanned school year and disorganization. I know that things will go more smoothly if there are meals in the freezer for dinner, clean laundry in the drawers, a system of housekeeping in place that my family knows how to follow. So we have begun to prepare. We're doing lots of extra cleaning, staying on top of chores, planning our school year now for this fall. We are anxiously awaiting Georgia's arrival and we want to be ready for whenever that may be.

This morning as I began making lists of things still left to be done, my thoughts turned to another event I am anticipating - the coming of Jesus. In Mark 13:32-37, Jesus reminds us that the day and the hour of his return are unknown and we must be ready. "If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone. Watch!" (Mark 13:36-37) In the busyness of life we can get caught up in our to do lists, the frantic pace and the urgent things that cry out for our attention. But we must not lose our focus! We must be always looking to the sky, ready for the Savior's return for his bride!

In the same way I don't want to be found unprepared when baby Georgia arrives, I want my Jesus to find me ready and waiting for him. Are you ready?? He's coming!!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

In Step with Jesus

Here's a video of Gracie's dance recital performance tonight. All the girls did so wonderfully dancing in worship to Jesus. I know He is well pleased with both their dancing and their hearts.

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/3b10fbda376437774db5971a109a2d60/video/4339107

Thursday, May 28, 2009

First Harvest

Today we brought in our first harvest from the backyard garden. This is some beautiful lettuce, even better than what you find in the store. The kids are very excited to help me make a great salad for dinner tonight. And we're all anxiously awaiting the future harvests to come - tomatoes, cucumbers, red and yellow bell peppers, squash, zucchini and cilantro.

Hope this is the beginning of a wonderful summer for you and your familiy!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Easter Pictures

Several people have asked to see our Easter pictures of the kids this year, so I'm posting them here for everyone to see. Enjoy!!
Gilbert asked if I thought he looked like a preacher - he loved his tie!

All dressed up for Easter

Gracie did not care about taking pictures - she just wanted her Easter basket!

Nanny found matching dresses and shoes for Glorie and Gracie - so pretty!

We could not get Glorie to smile...until we asked her if she wanted to eat!!

Growing in Jesus (and the Backyard too)

This afternoon, after much anticipation and waiting, my hubby built our raised bed frame and filled it with wonderfully rich black dirt. We've been planning and talking about our first garden for weeks, so we were all excited to see it finally come together. We all went to the store together this afternoon and picked out several plants - tomatoes (large and grape size); cucumbers; red and yellow bell peppers; zucchini; squash - and also some seeds for cilantro, green onions and two kinds of lettuce.

After dinner, the kids and I put our hands in that rich soil and planted the plants and seeds. We talked about how we would enjoy the fruits of our labors all through the summer and also about the work that was needed so that we'd have veggies to enjoy - the watering, the looking for bugs/pests, the weeding, the harvesting. The work has been a big part of our conversation over the last few weeks. With Mama being pregnant all summer, most of the work will have to fall to the kids and Dad. So we've talked a lot about reaping what you sow, being diligent and doing your part.

We've also used this opportunity to teach a spiritual lesson as well. In our own Christian walk with Christ, we reap what we sow. If we are spending regular time sowing the seed of the Word of God into our hearts; if we cultivate our relationship with Christ through prayer; if we seek to grow in knowledge and understanding of the gospel and its impact on our hearts - there will be a bountiful harvest of fruit that will be evident to us and to those around us.

One of the kids asked, "What are we going to do with so many tomatoes and vegetables?" Our hope is to share our bounty with our neighbors and our friends and family. In the same way, when our lives are full of spiritual fruit, the bounty overflows and we share the fruit of the gospel with those we love. If our garden is producing bushels and bushels of harvest, people will want to know what we're doing differently so they can try it in their own gardens. If our hearts are producing in us the fruits of the Spirit, people will want to know how we are able to be joyful, loving, patient, kind, self-disciplined and long suffering. Then we can point to Jesus and share the fruit of the gospel in our lives.

This garden is a new challenge for all of us. It will require work, perseverence and a willingness to learn new things. We will have to be consistent in our care of the garden. For me personally, this garden is also a challenge for me spiritually. How well am I tending the garden of my heart? Is it neglected and overrun by weeds of distraction and busyness? Does my life bear spiritual fruit? Can others around me see the bounty of the harvest that God is producing in me? Is there fruit in the gardens of my childrens' hearts? How can I sow seeds into their hearts that will produce good fruit? How can I share the harvest with those around me?

I'm looking forward to seeing what this summer produces - in my garden and in my heart.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Using it Up and Making it New

I've had a little time this week to do a number of small projects. They all have used items around the house that have either lost the value of their original purpose or have been sitting, waiting to be used for the first time!

Sunday afternoon I took some old receiving blankets and repurposed them. I cut three blankets into 12 squares each. Most of them are now folded and sitting in an empty wipes container in the kitchen, ready to wipe little hands and faces clean after meals and crafts. The flannel is soft and holds up well in the laundry. And it saves us having to use more wipes. We gave up paper towels about a year ago and I've been trying to find a solution to a messy baby at the end of meals. When I saw this idea on another blog, it was just perfect for us. Some of the squares I cut were all white (or mostly white). These went into a play wipes container Gracie bought with her Easter money from Nanny. Now she and Glorie can pretend to wipe their baby and change their diaper without using up toilet paper or tissues. The new "wipes" are getting a lot of use!

After making the new wipes, I was inspired to see what else I could create. I went through my fabric stash and found two long strips of fleece fabric that coordinated with each other. I cut the strips in half and sewed them together to make a blanket top. Then I took an old fleece blanket that was rough on one side and soft on the other and used it as a backing (soft side out of course). It made a cute little fleecy blanket for baby Georgia to use in her car seat when the weather turns cold. I still plan to sew a decorative stitch around the edges as a border - hopefully I'll get to that tonight or tomorrow.

Then this morning Gracie and I pulled out all my card making supplies and made some cards. I made one to take to a first birthday party we attended this afternoon and a new baby card for another neighbor. Gracie was soon joined by Gilbert and they both created some great Mother's Day cards for Nanny and Grandmama and Mama too! Of course I was not allowed to look at the other end of the table when my card was created. The kids loved spending time crafting with me, we saved some money on store bought cards, and we used up some of my craft stash.

These are just the beginning of our attempts to use up what we have instead of buying new things and finding a new purpose for old stuff around the house that no longer seems to have a use. God calls us to be good stewards of the things He has blessed us with. I want my babies to grow up with a good example in using God's gifts well.

Next on our project list is a fairy door for the girlies. Although we've talked about the fact that fairies are only real in our imagination, we also agree that sometimes having something special like a fairy door helps us to imagine even more wonderful things. So we went to the craft store with Daddy this week and bought our supplies. Stay tuned for pictures of the completed project in another post!!

Do you have a great idea for using something old in a new way? Has the changing economy made you rethink if you need to purchase something new or can make do with what you already have? Leave your ideas for using it up and making it new in the comments! I'd love to hear your ideas.

Update on Caleb

First my apologies for not posting an update on Caleb sooner. Most of you have seen me in person or heard from me by email. For those of you still not "in the know", here is where the situation now stands:

On the day of court, parental rights were terminated for both biological mom and dad and the judge gave the go-ahead for Caleb's foster parents to proceed with adoption. I was able to meet the foster dad and he seemed to be a great guy who genuinely loves Caleb. We talked about possible contact between our families so that Amber and Caleb will remain connected to each other but nothing definite has been decided at this point. We are waiting to see what the family's comfort level is.

As far as our family and the concerns we brought to court, it was confirmed that we had been deemed unfit for placement of Caleb by Cabarrus DSS. This was largely a political motivation. The judge in Cabarrus did not want to be responsible for paying benefits to a child for 18 years if she could get another county to pay for it instead. The day in court felt like a kick in the gut as I heard about different communications about us between Cabarrus and Wake County agencies. In the end, we've talked to our placement worker and have been reassured that our record was and still is clean and clear and one of integrity. We've put the whole situation with Caleb behind us and now we're looking ahead and moving on.

Let me say that we are at total peace with God's placement of Caleb with his family. We are overjoyed for them as their uncertain waiting comes to an end and the beginning of a more stable future starts. We thank God that in His wisdom and mercy, He sees the hearts and lives of all involved and does what is best not only for Caleb's good, but our good as well.

Please pray as we wait for God's direction in our ministry. July will mark two years since our last foster placement. It's something we missed doing very much. But we are also busy preparing for the arrival of baby Georgia. So we are open and willing to whatever the Lord will lead us to do next - whether to wait and rest, to resume foster care or to embark in another area of this ministry. We will keep you updated as God lights the path before us.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Open Hands, Open Hearts

Tomorrow afternoon I will be driving to Raleigh to appear in court on Tuesday morning. After 12 months of waiting, I will finally be doing something in Caleb's situation instead of just waiting. All of this is God's timing and I'm excited and anxious to see what He will do while I am in Raleigh. For those of you who are asking yourselves, "Who is Caleb and just what is the situation?" I offer a summary of the last 12 months.

In January 2008, we received a call from Glorie's social worker that her mom was due to have a baby boy in about six weeks. We were already in the process of adopting Glorie from foster care and had known for several months that mom was pregnant, but not sure where the baby would end up since mom was in prison in Raleigh. The social worker said that jurisdiction had been decided and the baby would be sent to Cabarrus County at birth. Since we had sister, would we be interested in brother as well? We of course said yes. So we waited for him to be born. In March 2008, we got another phone call and were informed that baby boy Caleb was born and healthy and would be released from the hospital in two days. We were so excited, we'd been waiting for that call for a while! The day came for him to arrive and we got yet another phone call. Jurisdiction was once again in question and although it would delay Caleb's arrival, DSS felt sure he would come the following day. The next day came the call we never wanted - Caleb would be staying in Raleigh and may never come to Cabarrus County. The baby we had waited and prayed for wasn't coming.

I was heartbroken. I didn't understand what God was doing. But as I prayed and cried, I felt God clearly said "Wait - don't do - just wait". This was the opposite of my very nature. I wanted to call and hound the workers in Raleigh, go up there and make a fuss, bring him home with me!! God gently reminded me that Caleb belonged to Him, not to me. I committed to the Lord to pray and to wait and specifically not to act until I was asked to.

A month would go by with no word from Raleigh. I would begin to be discouraged and finally said, "God, he's yours - put him where he should be and I'll accept it." It still hurt and I still wanted him here, but I was willing to let go if that was what God desired. As soon as I let go, we got a phone call and a little bit of hope. Another month or two passed. Again I affirmed to God that Caleb was in His hands, not mine. Another call and more hope came. For the past 12 months, I have lived on my knees with my hands raised, open handed to whatever God would do. And every time I've affirmed that Caleb is in the hands of God, He sent us hope and opened the door again.

Eventually though I came to accept that he probably would not come. His foster parents could not have children of their own and wanted to adopt him. He's been with them since birth so the bond is very strong. In our hearts, Michael and I let go of the hope he may come someday. We never stopped believing that God was in control and that His will would prevail. But we let go completely of all our expectations.

A few weeks later, I discovered with great surprise that I was expecting baby Georgia in August. I was shocked but also so happy. Many well-meaning people said "Oh God has given you this baby since Caleb could not come". My heart said no, this baby is its own special blessing. God is not surprised and He doesn't give consolation prizes. His will has not changed for Caleb or for us or for baby Georgia.

Last month, I got a call from mom's attorney. He asked me to appear in court to verify that we were willing to adopt Caleb if mom were allowed to sign her rights over to us. He also said that we had been deemed unfit for placement in Raleigh and after seeing our record with Cabarrus DSS, he wanted me to testify and dispute this. I was hurt and angry and confused - why were we unfit?? But at the same time, I was excited. Finally an opportunity to do and not just to wait! And hopefully, I would be able to meet Caleb's foster parents as well.

That brings us to now...God kindly arranged for all the details of my trip tomorrow. Despite all the logistical challenges of going out of town the day my hubby comes home from out of town, finding a hotel, and finding someone to watch the 3 G's - everything fell into place and is ready to go for tomorrow.

And so tomorrow afternoon, I will leave for Raleigh. What am I expecting? Nothing and everything. My heart is fully trusting that my God will do what is best for Caleb. I'm prepared to come home with the final word that he will never come - I would be okay with that now. But I know my God - He is above and beyond anything we can imagine - so I cannot throw out the possiblity that He has allowed all of this in His timing to do an incredible work tomorrow. It could be the end or a hopeful beginning. In either circumstance, my heart cries out "Blessed be the name of the Lord!!"


Pray for Caleb - that God would reveal His will for his life

Friday, March 27, 2009

Dancing for Jesus

Today I had the joy of watching my child's dream come true. We started going to our current church when Grace was just a year old. When she was about two, the church had a homeschool arts festival and it was there that Grace fell in love with dancing. She watched with rapt attention as a group of young ladies in white flowing skirts danced in worship to their Savior. "I wanna dance Mommy!" was her response.

The next fall she was able to start dancing at Kingdom's Feet, the dance ministry of another local church in our area. She is now in her third year there and is becoming quite a little ballerina. But her dream was always to dance in the white flowing skirt with the other girls in our church.

This year she was finally able to take dance class at our church and today, she walked across the stage in her white flowing skirt and danced for Jesus. It wasn't her first recital and it was actually the smallest recital she's been in. But something about that particular stage and that particular white flowing skirt made it extra special. Today she danced the dream that began her love for dancing.

Both dance classes emphasize that she is dancing for an Audience of One, her beloved Jesus. On the way home from the recital this afternoon, as we told her what a wonderful job she had done, she said, "I just wonder if Jesus liked it." I can assure you, my sweet ballerina, that He sees your heart and your dancing and it brings Him great joy.



Daddy brought me flowers!

My Ballerina in White

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Just Do It!

Lately at our house there's been a lot of cleaning out and decluttering going on. We're getting ready for the arrival of the 4th G - baby Georgia - in August. So we're concentrating on organizing spaces and simplifying what we have. We gotta make room!!

In going through some of our "treasures" (read: clutter) I've found so many things I've saved for "later" - curriculum to try when the kids are older, craft projects to do someday, fabric for doll clothes I want to learn to make. I have notebooks full of activity pages for the kids to do on holidays, patterns of quilts to make for more people than I know, stacks and stacks of enough card making paper to put Hallmark out of business.

I realized as I was going through these treasures that NOW is the time to do these things. Life is whizzing by and someday will soon be a day I wished I had made time for, not a day that will be in the future. I'm only given so many days and years to be a mama and I don't want to look back with regret and wish I'd done this or that with my children.

And so today, as I was cleaning out the scrapbook and cardmaking tote of supplies, I loosened my hold on these treasures and shared them with Grace and Glorie. They created some great art, Grace practiced teaching Glorie something new and we now have some beautiful objects for our refrigerator door. I moved a lot of my "grown up" craft supplies (which spend a lot of time sitting in the closet) to the kids' craft cabinet so it will be used and enjoyed, not saved for later.



Grace and Glorie's sunflower creations

Grace and Glorie show off their homemade pizzas - notice Grace's "pepperonis"


As for me, I'm making a spot for my half-finished projects. Hopefully if I keep them out in view, and work a little at a time, they will become finished projects to bless my family and friends and beautify my home.

Do you have stuff waiting for "later" to be done? Join me today - get it out and JUST DO IT!