Pinsomnia!

I am a pinaholic... whoever thought of pinterest, my husband is not a big fan of you! I love to look at pinterest. It's a world of crafts and decorating and fashion and I just can't get enough of it. I have tried so many wonderful recipes that have become a favorite in my house. I've also tried some of the decor secrets and cleaning remedies.

A few weeks ago I found a wreath that I loved and decided to recreate it. Yes, I took the idea from someone off pinterest, this is not my original idea. It cost me a total of  $15:00 to make this wreath and I am very happy with the final product!

I used jute to wrap a Styrofoam wreath form then I added silk flowers, a large letter that I covered with moss, and numbers that I painted. Simple and easy. A tip when making a wreath : nice silk flowers can be expensive. I wait till they go on sale at hobby lobby. I usually try to buy large flowers that do not need a lot of fillers. Hobby lobbies flowers are much nicer than most other stores, but when I need fillers I go to the dollar tree and fill in with their flowers that aren't so nice. You don't notice them as much though because you use the expensive and the inexpensive together. However this wreath only has a few flowers, I love how there are different textures that add variety! Thanks Pinterest for all your wonderful inspiration!
~Court

Childhood Treasures

I grew up in a pastors family, and thankfully so. My dad has been a pastor ever since I was born and still is today. So, he has been my pastor my whole life. A lot of people don't understand the life of a pastor and his family. Unless you have been there it's just hard to explain sometimes. My family has moved quite a bit. Not as much as some pastors but we have had our share of moving. I only remember living near extended family for about 2 years of my life and even then I was so young that I don't have a lot of memories with them. My immediate family (Mom, dad, brother, and sister) were always very close growing up. Most holidays were spent, just us. We didn't travel to visit family because we lived so far from them.

When you're in a pastors family, your family usually revolves around your church family. When they hurt, you hurt. When they have joyous occasions you share in their joy. They become your extended family. I have an adopted grandmother at my church now. She loves me as I were her own and my children. Even though being a pastor's daughter wasn't always easy, I wouldn't take anything for it. I have had the opportunity to travel places I never would have gotten to go and meet people that I would have never gotten to meet. What an honor it has been to serve God alongside my family.

My husband pretty much lived in the same place his whole life. He did move for a job for a season of his life. His mom is very sentimental and always kept alot from their childhood. She has toys and clothes and homemade blankets. From where we have moved so much my parents were unable to keep things like that, or they got lost in the move. So I have made it a point to keep sentimental things of my kids. I have every Halloween costume, blankets, and some of my favorite clothes and a couple of their first toys! My mother did save a couple of my dresses. I was premature and she kept some of my preemie dresses. I wanted to keep these forever so I hung them in shadow boxes in my oldest treasures room!

It was an easy way to decorate her room, just some pearl straight pins and shadow boxes I picked up at TJ Maxx.

I hope you have some wonderful childhood treasures too! :)
~Court