MUST. BE. CREATIVE!

{Be prepared to be bombarded with photos}
It flows from deep within, this desire to design, create, craft, decorate, transform and all other such suitable words.

What do I do when I don't have my own house to be creative in? I use my gifts elsewhere!
I helped create/update the decor in our church for this spring season.


IKEA always comes through for me. The tulip panel set is from there and the purple panels (only 5 bucks each!) we made into lighted panels. Took some ingenuity and hubby help to rig 'em up, but I'm pleased with the result!

These next few pics are from the ladies restroom.

This verse was quite a challenge to paint because the only place I could fit the projector (yes, I like to do things the easy way) was at an angle to this wall. It was quite tricky to make the curves line up.

I borrowed this idea from another church. I love that you see this little sign as you are walking out the door and it is so matter-of-fact. You ARE beautiful. Really.

Little details make all the difference. And I love fake orchids that do not die. I think I've killed 10 in the almost 12 years I've been married. Finally, my hubby got a clue and stopped buying them for me. He's the one with the green thumb, not I.

Do you recall these pretty little birdies? I said I would show you what they looked like on the wall, well, that was over a year ago. So, here ya go.

The next couple of pics are from a gal pals house.

She scored on a used couch and then re-decorated her room around it.

The lovely, funky couch! I got excited about it too and "helped" just a little. I found those pillows for her at Ross on clearance for $5.49 a piece! And, if you look really closely, you'll see a lego guy lying there. She homeschools five boys, people!

The lamps were another one of my "helps". I suggested that, because the couch sits so low, she give the illusion of some height and put lamps behind the couch. Cool lamps are not cheap, once you include buying the shades. I found these lamps for $2 a piece. Read, TWO DOLLARS! They were ugly brass, with even uglier shades, but I saw the potential. I used Krylon's "Fusion" spray paint which will adhere to anything, even plastic. Then I searched for shades. The ones I wanted were $15 at Target and I just couldn't bring myself to do it, not after spending $2 per lamp. The lamps sat at my friends house for a few weeks with no shades, poor girl. But then, HOORAY! We found shades at Ross for $6.99 each. She also put up some pretty white sheer panels and it looks FAB!

Before I sound too much like a decorating diva, let me just give you (and my blushing self) a piece of advice... always check a lamp out before you buy it at a thrift store. In my excitement, I left the store without even plugging them in. When I finally did plug them in, it was at my friend's house. And, OH, the aggravation I felt as I realized that the switches didn't work. Or work well. Now the only way she can turn them on is to plug them in each time.

Oh well, I laugh at myself!

This is me beaming because I actually made asparagus without overcooking it and it getting all mushy-nasty! And it was sooooo easy! I just melted a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil together in a big saucepan. Trimmed some of the woody stems off the ends of the asparagus spears. Threw the spears in to sizzle. I quickly and finely chopped some garlic in-between turning the asparagus. That's really the trick I found, don't cook them longer than say 7 minutes and turn them a lot. I added the garlic in after about 5 minutes, if you add them at the end and turn down the heat, they won't burn. I then sprinkled them with freshly ground pepper and "Real Salt" (the only kind of salt I buy) and voila! Perfecto! I also found that buying the skinny, baby looking asparagus makes them taste nicer. Maybe the huge ones are too far grown? Who knows.

Silly me, I had to take a picture of my salad also. It was so pretty. And so yummy. This recipe is from my girl Tiffany, who passed it on to me years ago and it's my go-to salad for every special event. It has a homemade poppy-seed dressing that I love.

My oldest daughter is quite crafty herself. She has been writing her own "recipes" for a few months now. Here is one of her concoctions that she made for me one sunny afternoon. Mango cubes with drizzled honey and sprinkles.

Note to self: make sure she washes her honey fingers before touching every cupboard and doorknob in the house.

I leave you with this pic of my "Kung Fu China Dolls"

It happens to be a perfect candid of what I see most days. Someone frowning at some injustice done by another sister. What the issue was, I don't even remember. But it was a big deal in the moment and I caught it on film!

Happy creating!

~ christa jean

DWELL.

If I could list the number of houses that I've set my heart on since moving to Washington, it would be kinda funny. It's not an exorbitant amount, but it is an indicator of how fickle a heart can be.

There was that one house. A house right on the Puget Sound, with land and a chicken coop and a guest house. It was offered to us as a rental, but we were resisting the thought of renting for a short time and then having to move again when we found a more permanent place to abide (who likes to move their stuff and then move it all again?). That home passed us by.

The Victorian was, so I thought, the one for us. It was nestled right in downtown but still had some land. It had a brook running through one corner, a HUGE garden, a tree house, a shop, a green house, an attached guest cottage, and a chicken coop replete with chickens (do you sense a theme here?). But, alas. That house was out of our price range. Then there was the house that was on 2+ acres. It also had a bubbling brook running through the property. My heart leapt at the first sight of this property. I remembered all my fondest childhood memories of wading in the creek by our house, looking for crawdads and dreaming I was Diana, Anne's bosom buddy. All my dreams for owning land seemed to be coming to fruition in this piece of property.

The bridge over the brook. So Anne-of-Green-Gables-esque.
Views of farmland.

Cross over the brook and take a jaunt up to the barn.
The big barn with the chicken coop.

And here we go strolling back down to the house.

The house that was 3,700 square feet, people!

That didn't include two other outbuildings.

And then... the horror. When we walked through the house, we saw room after room that didn't make any sense. And some rooms undone. And three hallways in a row. What were they smoking?!


Even if we had been able to get the house for, say $100,000 (it was a foreclosure), we would have had to sink another huge chunk of time and money into re-modeling it. Which, on a sunny day, sounds like a fun idea. Seriously. We love to take the old and make it new.


But, if you'll remember with me, we have a baby due end of August. And four other munchkins who need to be loved and homeschooled. And then the remodeling idea doesn't sound so grand to me. Not at this time in my life.


Oh, how the wait has felt endless. Just when I thought I'd gotten to be pretty good at being patient, I find that I have a looooooooong way to go. Just when I thought the waiting was unbearable, I'd have to wait some more.


Yet, the promise still remained.

{The view off the front porch}

Then there was the house that we actually put an offer on. It was in a stellar neighborhood, had a circular driveway, two acres, and lovely arches inside.


The offer was refused.


And so, we waited more.

The ironic thing is that, somewhere in the middle of our wanderings, probably six to eight months ago, we were offered a house. The owners happen to be friends and they had bought it one year ago to fix up and sell. We walked through the house when it was just newly sheetrocked (is that even a word?) and thought it was cute and quaint, but too small a lot for us. And it was on a corner. With neighbors (gasp!) nearby. No chicken coop. No land with a brook to wade in. No space to roam and enjoy the quiet life.


So, we dismissed it.


A few months later, they asked us about it again and wondered if we would pray about it, because they had had us in mind when they bought it. We smiled and nodded, thinking "It was nice of you to think of us, but... we have bigger dreams to follow."


Shortly after that, I was soaking in the tub one night. That seems to be a place where I can clear my mind, and often, I am able to listen to that still, small voice. That still, small voice left an impression in my heart that we were to "take the Turner house". What? I must've heard wrong. But the impression wouldn't leave me. I also felt that I needed to hide that word in my heart and not say anything to my hubby, for the Lord would take care of his heart. But, I shared it with Carter (he pried it out of me!) and unfortunately, I missed the timing. He, well, let's just say, he had his eye on a bigger fish.


Then, time passed, and we put the offer on the house I mentioned before, the bigger fish.



The day the offer was refused, I suggested we take one more look at the Turner house (I call it that because it's on Turner Street). He agreed. That night we ran into the owner and in the course of conversation let him know that the other house we had been pursuing did not work out. He inquired if we had pondered the Turner house anymore. We said, yes, actually. He said that if we were at all interested, he would put our name in the paperwork with an exclusionary clause stating that we would not have to go through a realtor to purchase said home. And, oh yeah, the house was going on the market the next day.



Seemingly fortuitous timing, eh? Well, I don't think chance was involved in this.
The very next morning we ran into him again, at a gas station of all places. He told us that his wife was at the house that very moment cleaning it and that she would let us in.
So, we went and looked. It was like a brand new house.
The very next day, we started talking price. Two days later we put earnest money down. Now we just wait for the final papers to be processed.

Take a peek at what the house looked like one year ago.

Yeah, Wow. U.G.L.Y.

Take a peek at what it looks like now...

WHAT?!

Amazing.

It was built in 1947 and they were able to keep and restore the original wood floors.

It has five bedrooms and one bonus room. A nice and open kitchen which we've already bought an island for.


The bonus room.

They had to take the house all the way down to the studs, so it is essentially like a brand new house inside. As much as we love to move into a house and put our own fingerprint on it, this fact, that it is totally move-in ready, makes my heart happy.

There are still things I don't love about it, the yard for instance. The linoleum. Being on a corner. No formal dining area. But I can live with those things. I can live with the fact that we can afford this house and that it was meant for us.

Did I get my dream house? No, not yet. But there is still time, should the Lord tarry. We could build in three years if we wanted to. In all this time of waiting, we've learned how to save well. Something we were never good at before. Buying a parcel of land outright is now not an impossibility.

There's a line in a song that says, "So we never got to Paris and found the cafe of our dreams, but our table holds a whole world of memories. No, we never went to Venice and strolled the streets alone, but we built our worlds together and we got the best of both."

If we never get the house of our dreams, at least we have each other and we have a place to

DWELL.

~christa jean

Changing Faces

Bright, shiny faces!
Here are some random pics of the kiddos, in no particular order. Just for fun!

We've been going for weekly trail walks, rain or shine. ~JoyFull!~ ~Patient~ ~Loving~

{Isn't her new do cute? Of course, this was a few months ago and I'm just now posting about it.} Who knew an umbrella would bring such cheer?! ~Soft and cuddly~
{He wears a patch on his strong eye two hours a day in order to strengthen his weak eye. He loves that there is glitter on them. So fashionable, for a pirate!}

Loveyas!

~christajean

Double Trouble

Twins have been on my mind. Seriously.

I am already very poochy belly and only 17 weeks.
I started feeling this baby (or babies) move at 8 weeks.
I know a few people who have had twins in the last year or so.

And then my midwife said the words, "You are measuring 4 weeks bigger than you should be. I'd like to schedule you for an ultrasound."

Soooooo, last Wednesday I get my 32 oz. of water ready and the kiddos and I head to the library. I was told that I needed to have all my water guzzled by 11:30.
Fine. No prob.

I'm just dinkin' around the library and happen to look at the clock... 11:35! Oh no! I had only finished 8 oz.! I quickly chugged all but 4 oz. (just couldn't do it!) and finished my water by 11:4o- ish.

I dropped the kids off at my sis-in-law's for some cousin time and headed up to the hospital to meet Carter. Of course, the first question they ask is, "Did you drink your water?" to which I promptly reply, "Yes."
They didn't ask me if I had finished it by 11:30, so, no lying on my part!

We head back to the exam room and I lie down on the table, praying that the gel is warm. Cold gel is NO fun on a nice, warm belly.

The ultrasound technician (super sweet gal) squeezes warm gel on my belly and smiles. She measures the head first and finds that, indeed baby is 17 weeks.
Note, that I said baby. There is only one.



For a brief second I felt sad for this... what an adventure twins would've been! But then reality check hits me and I remember that I already have four. God knows what I can handle and I thank Him.

Why was I measuring so big? Not sure, but my theory is that my uterus just goes into "done this drill before" and so, pops out the day I realize I'm pregnant.

Back at the ultrasound, Tech Gal says that baby probably won't cooperate because of it's position and we'd have to see the sex a different time. Sigh.
I think she could tell we were disappointed, so she had me get up, relieve my bladder (THANK you!), and move around a bit. I climbed back on the table and she took some face pictures. Sweet, little face that looks like a skeleton.

She jiggled baby's legs a bit and then, voila!
We saw it.

The third leg.

That's right, friends. Eliot get's himself a baby bro!

I had to sign a waiver stating that I understand this is NOT a guarantee and that said Tech Gal could have been mistaken about the sex. You know, just in case I think I wanna sue her if she was wrong. Puhleeeeease. Who does that? Well, someone has or I wouldn't have had to sign it.

Speaking of Eliot... didn't I just have him?
I feel like it. I still recall that day and all that surrounded my home birth like it was last month. And now I'm going through with this again?!!!!
I crack me up!

Ohhhhh my.
Well, if you don't mind a few more "Pregnancy Blatherings" then feel free to read along.

~christa jean
p.s. Once I troubleshoot why my phone isn't syncing with my laptop, I'll post pics of the infamous belly.

I Am Loving This!

Here are a couple pics from The Nester of her random plate wall. The arrow is pointing out the out-of-place oval plate she saw after she took the picture.
Uh, I might have missed that.I will probably do something akin to this in my next home. I like to copy people who are brilliant (and frugal) decorators. I have no shame about this, for we all know that imitation is the greatest form of flattery!

And here she reveals her tips on how to hang them plates on the wall. Thank you, Nester! Especially from those us who get stuck in symmetrical, you've inspired us!

What are you inspired by when it comes to decor?

~christa jean

p.s. I can only seem to get the before pic to fit, but you can imagine what it looks like when she moves the oval plate to the bottom left... perfecto!

Would you fall to pieces in the High Country?

I know I would.
Let me give you a peek at some glory. The pictures below are just a hint of what I see weekly here in my little part of the world. If you ask me how many pictures of pink mountains I have, I won't tell you. ;-D Because, for some reason, I keep taking pictures of them!
The following four shots all happened in the same day. I was meeting a friend for an early coffee/chat/prayer date and saw this...

Look real close (above), up in the right hand corner is the sliver moon again.

My favourites. And it all happened in seconds.

These are mere glimpses of what is to come.

He is good and He shows us daily, if we are awake enough to open our eyes.

Keep our eyes wide open, Lord.

~christa jean

Never forgotten.

Today I remember my niece Lydia.

She went to be with Jesus one year ago and changed all of our lives.

Loss drives you to your knees. And often in that desperate state, your heart opens a little wider and you begin to see Him for who He truly is. He is not aloof. He does not love babies so much that He takes them from us. He weeps at our sadness. He sees that we live in a world full of darkness and death and so He sends us His light.

"The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have LIFE and have it more abundantly."

{John 10:10}

So we, like fragile seedlings, reach for the light. As we trust Him, fear Him, seek Him, love Him, our roots go down deep and become strong and we are able to withstand all.

~ You will never be forgotten ~

February 7th, 2010