Sunday Rest

I am the Lord your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.

If only you had paid attention to my commands,

your peace would have been like a river.

Isaiah 48:17-18

Travel and Admiration

I'm still working my way through the questions from Ask-Away-Day. You girls did great with the questions... lots of variety!

My new bloggy friend Kay asked: Why don't you tell us where you took your favorite vacation. Was it a family trip, couple or solo? How long was it and what made it so special?

Our most recent family trip to Maine ranks up there at the top. But if I had to choose one trip, it would be my trip to Europe last winter with my traveling buddy (my mom). Specifically Fussen, Germany and Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Both are quaint, old (as in 700 years old!) cities, rich in history, with amazing views, and charm. We were able to spend 7 days in Germany, visiting my brother who happened to be deployed there at the time(tough deployment, wink wink). He was our tour guide and chauffeur. It was a fantastic trip. I highly recommend visiting Germany in the winter. It is the "off" season so the crowds are low and it is gorgeous. The picture above was taken from the Neuschwanstein Castle. My hubby doesn't like to fly but he encourages me to travel and enjoy the world. I love that man!

Samantha asked: Besides the obvious(God, Jesus, and your mom) who is/are you role model/s? People you look up to, admire, respect, and strive to be like. Why?

I've learned that people (including myself) will always disappoint if I expect too much {perfection} from them. Therefore, I cautiously answer this question. The first person that comes to mind is Beth Moore. Not only has she written numerous books and speaks to thousands each year, she is REAL. She's funny, in love with Jesus, beautiful inside and out, and caring. Unlike some big-name speakers, I've watched her join women in the crowd, get down on her knees and love on them. She's not pretentious or condescending. She is transparent and joyful. Most of all, she is IN LOVE with her Savior. I want that ... desperately.

I admire Alyssa Ann at Resolved to Worship, not only because she is an amazing photographer, mother of 7 beautiful children, and has a surreal ability to turn trash to treasure, but because she is wise beyond her years. I always feel refreshed and encouraged after visiting with her.

Ree ranks up there too, with her ability to cook, write, homeschool, blog, and take amazing photographs... everything I want to be able to do when I grow up. ;)

These were such good questions, I want to ask you the same:

1. Favorite vacation destination?

2. Who do you admire and why?

May I Suggest...

It's crunchy like a chip but a pretzel. The best part? FAT FREE! You can find similar ones at the grocery, but they're pretty pricey. Trader Joes is much cheaper.

My favorite way to make my non-fat treat full of fat enjoy my pretzel slims is to dip them in this:

It's World Market's version of Nutella ... crunchy!

The perfect snack.

I'm not a big breakfast girl, but cold mornings are better with this:

This stuff is hard to find. Let me know if you run across some. I'm thinking I could make my own version with quick oats and dried cranberries. Hmm...

My newest favorite: Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer. It adds moisture with a little menthol/peppermint buzz.

BE FOREWARNED: It's not just a touch of color as I first thought. I originally went with Papaya but it was super dark. Thank goodness for CVS easy return policy. I recommend Peony for a nice everyday color.

Okay, so guess I'm a little into the cuisine this week. If you are trying count the calories this little gem is great. It is full of flavor, low in fat and calories, and perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.

Have a "smart snack" suggestion? Please share!

Here, There, Everywhere

I love to move furniture. Love. It. This table has been used in almost every square inch of our family room/foyer. Hello, my name is NEM and I have an addiction. It is now back to its original spot out of necessity. I'll explain in a moment. However, by moving it I had the task of coming up with something tall because it is now in our foyer which has 20' ceilings. To give you a little perspective, that round wicker bowl is about 30" in diameter. I had some sticks in my upstairs hallway and tried them out. At about 4' tall they fixed the height issue. It's kind of a nice neutral look for winter, too.

Yesterday I touched on decorating for winter. Another thing I like to do is pull out my winter art. (I don't have art for other seasons, just winter. They are my grandfather's handiwork and he must have loved winter).
See these cute winter acorns? I found them at Ross $3.99 for 3. I think they were supposed to be giant ornaments, but I thought they would be great for winter.
Back to my moving furniture thing. I don't have ADD, really. My children are growing, much to fast, if you ask me, and they decided to outgrow their little desks in the schoolroom over Christmas break. So I gave up my desk for the greater good of my children's learning needs. This left me with no place to sit and pretend like I am watching tv with the kids work on the computer in the family room. So we moved this secretary from the foyer into the family room.

Hello friends. This is where we chat everyday. Right here. :)

See the 3rd acorn? More of my grandfather's winter scenes, too.
QOTD:

Do you like to move furniture? Why or why not?

No Winter Blues

After my brief hiatus last week, I want to keep our conversation going. You'll find the Question of the Day at the bottom of this post.

January is the month of simplicity. After the month of December, it is a welcome change, but sometimes it's hard to find non-christmasy winter decorations. Apothecary jars are the perfect place to have subtle hints of winter. Three kinds of fake snow (found on sale right after Christmas) is a simple and inexpensive way to fill them.

I found these sparkly little styrofoam balls in the floral section.

This little tree was 75% off of $1.99 in the Christmas Village section at K-mart.

Speaking of trees:

I added a few silver snowflakes and the mini snow hats to my white sticks.

Don't get the winter blues... add a little white or a little sparkle to celebrate the season.

P.S. This was a good excuse to show off my new 12x18 canvas print of my babies. :)

QOTD:

Do you decorate for winter?

What's your favorite thing about January?

Sunday Rest

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in times of trouble.

Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way and

the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam and

the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1-3

The Week's Top 10

10. Husband left for a manly hunting trip to Arkansas.

9. I threatened to dress in camo and hide among the 4-wheelers to hitch a ride so I could visit all of my Arkansas bloggy friends (give me a shout out if you are from the Greatest Duck Hunting state in the Union).

8. Headed to the NC mountains with 3 kids, 1 dog, homeschool materials and enough snow gear to line the inside of a cruise ship and head to Alaska.

7. Said dog puked no less than 5 times on the way.

6. The only place to pull off I-40 to clean up puke was Harper's Gentlemen's Club.

Fortunately the kids were so traumatized by the amount of regurgitation on the floorboard they didn't even notice the sordid place.

5. Enjoyed an afternoon of this:

Love this action shot

My dad trying to enjoy himself (heehee)

4. Despite the below-norm winter temperatures we've experienced throughout Dec-Jan, Wednesday chose to be warm enough to rain. Not snow. Rain.

Wednesday was our day to ski. Sniff, sniff.

3. Only blogged once. Sorry. I was on vacation... sort of.

2. Drove home in an ice storm (yes, the day after we had rain) and barely avoided a falling icy tree by 2 feet on the winding mountain road.

1. Stayed up until 1:30 a.m. last night to prepare for our first homeschool co-op. Procrastination at its best.

How was your week?