Pray for Johanna

Johanna and her husband Scott are experiencing what can only be described as a living nightmare. She is very sick and they are battling hour by hour to find a solution to administer her life saving medication.

And yes, it is indeed a heavy burden that they are carrying. But it is a burden that they are not carrying alone. The Lord is faithful and the Lord is good. He is faithful and good! Through each update that is shared, I am astounded by their unwavering faith to call out to Lord and trust in His sovereignty to carry them through each new challenge that threatens her life...they are a powerful testament to enduring hardship, trusting that the Lord sees their pain and is working for their good and they faithfully proclaim that He is to be glorified in it all. Praise Him!

Johanna and Scott (and their whole team of caregivers, family members, doctors and supporters) are in need of our prayers. Would you take a moment to pray for them today? Here is a link to their CaringBridge site with her story and updates:

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johannawatkins

 

Crafty Corner: Trees Please!

Sometimes when I'm meandering through a cute boutique, I see even cuter 'for display only' store decorations and take pictures of them. Secretly of course....like, super stealthy and sly so as to not draw attention from any store employee (who in all reality could care less if I snap a pic for the purposes of attempting a recreation of said decoration at home). Sometimes, the pic simply remains a thought and sometimes the plans to create come to fruition.

Such a photo was taken whilst gal pal shopping in Colorado with my High School Bestirs. This was one that I had full intentions of trying! The girls covered me and I went in for the kill:

What sweet little Holiday trees.....paper, wooden dowels in a wooden stand? Seems easy enough!

I took a quick trip to the 'Hob Lob' a few weeks ago to gather my supplies and found the parts to make the tree trunks:

Picked a variety of cute paper:

And then spent some time experimenting with patterns. I used scrap paper to make a template...which involved several trials of cutting out and folding to see what I had. I landed on this:

 

Feeling satisfied with the result, I moved forward with my 'special' paper. I added a border around the edge of this one to be fancy:

Next, I made a second template with a slightly taller/skinnier triangle shape (same experimenting/cutting/folding process):

I made 2 of each shape and then cut 2 of the wooden dowels a little shorter so my paper forest would have dimension:

Easy to complete all 4 in less than an hour, versatile for any occasion (just choose paper patterns to fit a specific theme)...and they turned out pretty cute:

 

Crickets...

Do you hear that? Blarg....The past few weeks have been less than stellar for blogging material. Maybe it's the holiday busyness? Or the super cold polar vortex-y air that forces me to hide in blankets in the evening hours and wear wool socks to bed?

No matter the reason, this week is a bust! One exciting note to share...last week, a family in my neighborhood expressed a need on the social media for a few Christmas gifts for their children. My Small Group was blessed to have the chance to help out! We pooled some funds together and I was able to purchase a number of delightful items- certain to put a smile on little faces:)

Eeekkk, I'm so excited to deliver them!!! Tis the reason for the season! 

Ok, all. Have a great week....ill try to get back on track with the bloggage (that's a word) soon.

 

 

No Time...There's Never Any Time!

In the infamous words of SBTB alumna Jessie Spano, I have both not enough of it and way too much!

How is that possible? Well, lots of big staffing changes at work equals added internal/external stress on all (good stress...and an amazing outlook for our future classroom teams but stress none the less). We are busy, and tired. And did I mention busy!! Training, classroom projects, intakes for new families, paperwork, caring for all the children...the list goes on. There's just not enough time in the day to compete all that needs to be completed. On a related note:

Look how cute the new Toddler teaching team is:)

So, what have I been doing to help clear my mind and recharge? Well, naturally I am deep in the throngs of binge watching the original Gilmore Girls series from the very beginning. This is where the 'too much' time comes into play. The evening hours pass by as the fine townspeople of Stars Hollow share the intricacies of their tv lives with me. We are all for sure becoming best friends....before I know it, I've managed to work thru 1/2 of season 4! It's way too late and I should be in bed! 

What a strange dichotomy that is before me....somehow time exists simultaneously in plenty and in want in one 24 hour period.

Not sure really what these thoughts have to do with anything...aside from the fact that I had no other pressing items to blog about this week and I can't NOT blog. So, I shall take a moment to reflect on the idea of time and how to be thankful for it. When I seemingly don't have enough- this means that my hours are filled with meaningful work, I am needed and I am able to use my skills to make an impact for good. And when I have too much- what a gift to have the privilege of rest, peace and sanctuary in my cozy little home while the world outside speeds on by.  And of course there's this (sorry, I had to!):

Blessed beyond measure on all fronts. Thankful.