How to Hang a Grouping

What You Need:

Ugly wrapping paper or butcher paper

Level

Scissors and Tape

Pencil

Hammer and Nails

Arrange your pictures/plates/artwork on the floor.  Play around with it for an hour until you've found the layout you like best.

Leaving the rest of the pieces on the floor, choose one photo.  Place it on the paper and trace the outside of the shape.  Cut out the shape and then lay it on the back of your photo.  Use a nail or the sharp end of the pencil to mark/poke a hole where the nail(s) will be.
Be sure to label the paper and the back of the corresponding photo.  Because if you're like me, you will forget which piece of paper goes with which frame before it's all said and done.

Using the layout on the floor as your guide, tape the pieces of paper onto the wall:

Once they are spaced to your liking, use the level {now} before you put any holes in the wall.

Hammer the nail directly into the hole you have already marked on the paper.  This is especially handy when you have a shelf or something that requires those ~pesky~ evenly spaced nails.

Pull the paper off of the nail and hang the  frame with the matching letter on the back.

Voila!  A perfectly evenly spaced grouping, with no extra nail holes in your wall!

Keeping it real:  See the photo in the top right?  I have no idea whose house that is.  I bought the four matching frames at a yard sale and I am waiting to find the perfect photo to put in there.  Does anyone else do this??

A New Day

Yesterday was not one of my finer moments as a mom.  I kinda wanted to stand on the counter, stomp my foot, and yell "everyone be kind, have a good attitude, and NO complaining!!!!"  I maintained self-control, but I was boiling on the inside.  It was the kind of day that I looked at the clock at 3:06pm and started counting down the minutes until bedtime.  For an ever so brief moment the power suit and smart phone looked appealing.

But only for a moment.
Sometimes the pettiness of life can get in the way of seeing the treasure right before me.  

The gift of life.  The gift of being.  Of thriving.  Of enduring together.

Many of you have heard her story, but 3 days before Christmas Edie lost her entire home to a fire.  Everything.  Gone.  Edie has been a cyber mentor to me (whether she knew it or not).  Her gift of words, her knowledge of literature, her joy as a mom: these have not been taken. But all of her things are gone.  As a lover of art and literature, there was a great and mighty loss when her house fell.  But she rejoices in the gift of life.  Is she struggling?  Sure.  Is she devastated?  Yes.  Does she appreciate her family more than ever before?  I can only imagine the welling up of love in her heart.

And just this week I learned of another dear bloggy sister.  Joanne's daughter found her.  Life changes in an instant.  She is my age.  My age.  It could have been me.

Today is a new day.  I'm not going to reach the boiling point.  I am going to love fully, live richly, give thanks deeply.

Please keep these women and their families in your prayers.  Go hug your kids.  Go kiss your husband.  Relish in the life you live.  It is a treasure.

Out of the Blue

Our "girls" have been very busy.  Even though it is colder than usual here in NC, they don't seem to mind.  

 We collect at least one egg each day.  On Sunday my daughter (who happens to be the animal whisperer of the family) came in VERY excited from her egg collecting.  Remember our "Easter Eggers"?  They finally got the hang of things:

We have collected two blue eggs in addition to the regular brown ones.  See the color and shape difference?  The white one is from the grocery store.
I love the softness of the colors together.  Painted by the Artist of life.

*I'm linking up with Sweet Shot Tuesday.  Slip on over to see some amazing photograpy!

No Winter Blues

 I know you might think I am crazy (I'm pretty sure you already do), but I LOVE winter.  There's just something wonderful about the coziness and togetherness that this season brings.  My blog posts have been a little scanty lately but we just finished our winter track-out and I enjoyed it to the fullest.  I have found with homeschooling, I need the break as much, if not more than the kids.  I like slipping back into "just the mom" role for a while.
I like being the teacher, but sometimes the teacher has to crack the book learnin' whip and keep the wheels a turnin.  That's a figure of speech, so please no emails about me using a real whip on my children.  Seriously.  Don't. 

As I was saying, we've enjoyed our break doing lots of fun stuff and doing nothing at all.  Both bring me such happiness...

 Sipping hot chocolate by the fire after some outdoor winter fun.

 Playing Wii and other fun games with the family.  That's my fun-loving mom bustin' a move with the "Just Dance for Kids."  Notice the dog trying to take a nap right in the middle of the dance floor; my husband dancing in soccer flip flops; two bowls of chocolate for when we've just exercised too much; and the kid with the light saber trying to pull a fast one on his unsuspecting sister.

Remember my word for the year?   New running shoes have helped me be more purposeful in my exercise commitment.  For some reason the "holiday cheer" decided to camp out on my thighs.  Grrr....

We have had record amounts of snow so far for our region.  This makes for a lot of fun...

 and great photo moments.

So now that we are back to our "regular programming" my blog will not suffer as much.  I love, love, love vacation; but there is something to be said for a regular routine.  Some people call it a schedule, but that word scares me.

How about you?  Do you prefer a routine or a true schedule?

Sunday Rest

Do not add to what I command you

and to not subtract from it, 

but keep the commands 

of the Lord your God...

Deuteronomy 4:2

Change is Good

For the last 15 years we have hosted some sort of New Years Eve party.  This year we took a deep breath and said, "Let's do a Christmas party instead!"  Thinking that our friends would have an abundance of things to do, we thought we should over-invite.  Right?

Wrong.  The day before our party we looked at our list and realized almost everyone was coming.  While on a quick run to the store to pick up more food, my 7 year old said, "Mom, how are we going to fit all of those people in our house?"  I was kinda thinking the same thing.

But you know what?  It was a blast!

36 adults and 40 kids sounds a little crazy, but it was great!  So great, that I think we started a new tradition.  So what if we didn't have a place for everyone to sit!  My home was filled with laughter, friendship, and holiday cheer.  Yes, change is good.  A little crazy, but GOOD.

Three days before New Years Eve we were starting to wonder if we were going to have to ring in the new year alone, though.  For my social butterfly husband, that was going to be very sad.  Some long-time friends called us (and saved the day!) and we were able to ring in the new year with them.  We didn't really know the other two families that were going to be there, but I found out how fun it is to make new friends.  Change is good.  Taking a step out of my comfort zone is good.

If you know me at all, this next picture will come as no surprise.  I do love a good change of scenery, especially when it involves my mantel.  Out with the Christmas, in with the winter.

 See, change is good!

My husband was off for a couple of days so we took advantage and had a fun family day.
I overcame my fear of bears as we visited  some in the snow (see over my right shoulder).  It was beautiful.  So was the fence that separated us.

Obviously other members of my family need to work on their fears:

Have you made any changes lately?

*I'm linking up with the winter mantel party over at Stories of A to Z.  Come join the fun!

Sunday Rest

What a God we have! 

And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! 

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, 

we've been given a brand-new life

 and have everything to live for, 

including a future in heaven

—and the future starts now! 

God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. 

The Day is coming when you'll have it all

—life healed and whole.

1 Peter 1:3

the Message