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.
 

Piles of Pics

I have had a fun couple of weeks with friends and family- so what better way to share than thru a bazillion photos.

I start with my high school gal pals, my 'Bestirs' (who I have known and loved for more than 20 years). We have committed to lifelong gatherings somewhere in the world at least once per year.

They are an amazing group of women who love me for me and who I am honored to share life with:

The Minneapolis gals in flight:

The weekend:

And tassel necklaces...it's all about the tassel necklace:

And now for the Family:

The men cooking:

Sissies:

Nintendo:

And cute kids!

Love, love, love.

Complete!

Last night was my final session to finish up my 'half sleeve' at the tattoo shop. To be honest, there is a little space left under my arm (where no one can see)...so for all practical purposes, it's done.

Plus, that particular area hurts, like, A LOT, so I'm gonna have to store up some extra courage to tackle that bad boy. Some day. Probably. Maybe.

Here it is:

Yippee! I'm loving it.

The BIG reveal: Kitty Korner Central

As you may recall from a few weeks back, I shared a little teaser about the most epic cat climber coming soon to a dining room near you....well, near me. Since it's my dining room. Contracted and built by my daddy- master of the shelf. I am certain that if you can describe it, he can build it.

I am happy to report that the 'Kitty Korner' is Komplete (see what I did there) and it is indeed as EPIC as I could ever have dreamed. Oh, and Mosie loves it too 😻.

This project was more than a year in the making starting with a vision in my dreams. Originally, I was going to put it in my living room - just 4 shelves for climbing. 

Over time, the plan evolved and I focused on a lovely corner space in the dining room. It was perfect...out of view as you first enter the house so as to not overpower guests with the fact that I LOVE MY KITTY. Like a lot. Then as you get a little closer, BOOM. Cat Tower. But in a chic and stylish way that perfectly compliments the decor of my abode, so it's ok.

Upon further reflection, I realized that having a long runner over my archway in addition to the corner shelves was suddenly an absolute necessity. Contractors don't like when you mess with the agreed upon plan and add new, crazy ideas so he requested that I submit a drawing for such changes. Thanks to Mr. Peterson and my high school architecture classes, I was able to articulate my ideas enough to be granted approval:

Daddio then gave me a list of supplies to purchase before the build date:

I felt both empowered and terrified to accomplish this mission all by myself at the old Home Depot. I had many feelings and internal questions upon entering the store...where exactly do I find all of these boards? Who will cut them? Does that cost money? Can I use a regular shopping cart? If I just start crying in the aisle, will someone help me?

I walked around for a good 10 minutes accomplishing nothing but trying to find a worker that looked 'dad-ish'. Finally at the end of a lumber aisle, a dad type employee asked me if I needed help.

Why yes, I do. I explained to him that my father had sent me to the store with a list to collect the items - for my kitty tower- and that I didn't know how to have success with this task. He then declared that he definately could NOT help me with such a project because it was for a cat. And cats are bad. I pretended to laugh and secretly thought to myself,'What, is he really not going to help me? Is there a rule about wood not being safe for pets or something?'. As he looked upon me with friendly (yet slightly judging because of the whole cat thing) eyes, I realized that he was making a joke and we got to work.

He was very patient with me as I looked thru a stack of plywood for the 'best' one....at one point, he called me honey and explained that all plywood has imperfections...but still allowed me to choose my favorite.

He cut all the pieces to my dad's specifications and helped me load them onto a dolly. And he wished me luck with my tower. Thanks again, dad-ish Home Depot worker man!

The week to follow was for sanding and painting in the garage:

I wanted to get everything prepped and painted before the installation so only touch ups would be needed in the end. 

Finally, the big day arrived! We discussed some last minute details, took some final measurements and he got started:

Are you ready?? 

Sawing took place in the garage and carpet stapling in the living room...and shelf by shelf, it was complete!

 

A close up of the holes:

 

And the runner above the archway:

And Mosby delighting in it all (after a few minutes of training/guidance through the holes to show him the path...safety first):

It's pretty much his favorite thing. It gives him some healthy exercise, an activity to enrich his life while I'm away at work and a high place to diligently watch over his kitty kingdom. Thanks daddy for making all of our Kitty Korner dreams come true:)