Author name: hill

it has to be done.

it is december and this is our idea of bundling up. 

and i think that this is not good enough.
so, B and i have decided that it has to be done.
what, you ask?



well, after perusing this lovely blog,
and after reading all about her adventures in the town where i grew up,
B and i have decided that we must take our children there.
in the winter.
with snow.
sometime.
i just hope that sometime will be sooner than later.
like maybe next year, hon?
it would be absolutely incredible. 
i just know it.
watching the skiers on bachelor 
(we’ve vowed to never ski again),
going ice skating,
going sledding,
drinking hot cocoa by a warm fire,
driving the family by the houses where i grew up
and seeing my grandparents’ old ranch. 


B loves the idea of a road trip.
i can just imagine the goodness of a trip like this.
it is going to be great. 
just great. 
one of these days, it will be done.
i hope. 


but until then, we’ll just sort of bundle up. 

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
Luke 1:46-48


531. that K must skip everywhere she goes
532. a day to get stuff done (thanks, mom & dad!)
533. running errands with only one child
534. getting a start 
(albeit late) on that wrapping
535. a coffee mug for the car that reminds me that i can have abundant joy

yo-yos.

so many of you have asked about 
this cute (if i say so myself) headband. 





it is so easy. 
you can’t not do it.
seriously, people. 
i can hardly tie a knot in thread. 
i’m not joking. 
and i have a hard time threading a needle unless the eye is super big.
but i can make these.
and now so can you. 


here’s what you’ll need:
headband
(i love the five headbands for $5 at h+m kids – 
which i too can wear – but you can use any kind.)
fabric scraps
needle and thread
felt
glue gun



first, trace two sizes of circles on the back side of fabric with a pencil. 
(the big yo-yos i made are about 3 & 3/4″ diameter.
yet another reason to get these bottles.)
i used a small bowl from the kitchen for the smaller yo-yos.



cut the circles out.

then take a break to help your “helper” made a sad looking ornament
(see, i told you, my sewing/crafting skills are not anything incredible).


then get back to work.
next, tie a knot (the hardest part for me)
and sew the thread through, really close together. 
(do you like my sewing terms?)



pull the thread as taut as possible and then tie a knot, 
cut the thread and voila!

figure out the ideal placement of the yo-yos on the headband.
(i like to have the yo-yos slightly on a side rather than directly on top)
place the yo-yos on the headband and 
using a glue gun, glue them to both the headband and an oval shape of felt. 
i just use one good dollop of glue per yo-yo. 

then, cut the felt so that it doesn’t show through the top of the headband.



and now you’re done!
my headbands usually have 5 or 6 yo-yos, 


but you could do any combination. 



and here K and i are with our matching headbands. 
oh, how i love to be matchy-matchy with my daughter.


here’s what i was inspired by.
the yo-yo possibilities are endless.

i have these on my mantle with everyone in the family’s initial.
this is the only place where i could find lowercase craft letters



this month, i’ll be posting the Scripture 
leading up to Christmas that i listed here. 


At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 
where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, 
the baby leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
In a loud voice she exclaimed: 
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
As soon as the sound of your  greeting reached my ears,
the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 
Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Luke 1:39-45


round three has now begun. 

please vote again for this little blog 
so that it can stay in the running!

(just click on the icon above and vote on the right side of the page)

Photobucket


526. L’s new singing abilities
527. a morning off (kind of)
528. a lovely new therapist for L
529. quiet saturday mornings
530. friends who hear sermons on the radio and email because they’ve thought of me

advent tree.

well, i am so sorry that i am not getting this out 
into the blogging world until today.
i tried, oh how i tried,
to get this done sooner,
but it just didn’t happen.
you know how that goes.

the kids have their advent calendars but this one is for me.
i put it high up on the mantle so little fingers can not touch it. 
(hopefully)

so here goes… 
the advent tree

i was inspired by this and this. 

first, i spray painted some branches.
well, actually, i started to spray paint some branches 
but then i ran out of my new favorite color of paint. 
so the two littles and i went to our local craft store and
(of course)
they were out of that color. 
does that ever happen to you?
it happens to me 
all.
of.
the.
time. 
seriously. everywhere i go. 
anyway, i got some acrylic paint
(because i can be flexible)
in the same color and hand painted the remaining branches that way. 
that was definitely not the most ideal way to do this, but oh well!

i then cut little squares out of white cardstock
which were 2″ by 2″
then, i punched a hole in one of the corners and
wrote the numbers 1 through 25
at a diagonal angle in each corner.

i wrapped each square into a cone and taped them. 
i then filled each cone with God’s Word (see the list below).
i wrote each Scripture on a piece of brown paper bag
(which has each adjoining cone number written on the back),
and folded them to fit. 
the Scripture i used is the Christmas story compiled from both Matthew and Luke,
which a mom at my mom’s group gave out a few years ago.
it was driving me crazy that i couldn’t remember where i had placed it. 
well, lo and behold, when i opened up 
my Christmas decorations storage bin, there it was!
hooray. 
i’m more organized that i thought. 
well, not really, but at least i found it.

day 1. — Matthew 1:18
day 2. — Luke 1:28-33
day 3. — Luke 1:34-35
day 4. — 1:36-37
day 5. — Luke 1:38
day 6. — Luke 1:39-45
day 7. — Luke 1:46-48
day 8. — Luke 1:49-52
day 9. — Luke 1:53-56
day 10. — Matthew 1:19-21
day 11. — Matthew 1:22-23
day 12. — Matthew 1:24-25
day 13. — Luke 2:1-4
day 14. — Luke 2:5-6
day 15. — Luke 2:7
day 16. — Luke 2:8-12
day 17. — Luke 2:13-14
day 18. — Luke 2:15-16
day 19. — Luke 2:17-19
day 20. — Luke 2:20
day 21. — Matthew 2:1-2
day 22. — Matthew 2:3-6
day 23. — Matthew 2:7-8
day 24. — Matthew 2:9-10
day 25. — Matthew 2:11

just don’t look too closely 
or you will see that only 
days one through three have Scripture in them.
i’ll get there. 
slowly but surely. 

here is the advent tree in yellow advent for Auntie B. 


addendum:
maybe some of you who made the tree did it this way already,
but i was feeling a tad overwhelmed by
needing to write the entire Scripture passage on
each piece of paper. 
while lamenting over this to Auntie B, 
she simply suggested that i write the verse address only.
problem solved!


“How will this be” Mary asked the angel,
“since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:34-35



Photobucket

and today is the last day to vote for this little blog!

(for this round)
(just click on the icon above and vote on the right side of the page)
(you can vote on each of your browsers, on your phone, ipad, etc.)

521. frosted sugar cookies
522. messy, messy kitchens
523. sprinkles on the floor
524. the bigs dancing
525. country Christmas music

this season last season.

it’s {embrace} the camera day!









as i get 
more and more
excited about the beginning of this advent season, the
more and more
my mind goes.
goes to last Christmas season. 

last year, we were on track to have a wonderful couple of weeks
preparing our minds and our hearts
for Christ’s birth into the world. 

and then,
we were thrown into one of the most horrible
experiences we have ever experienced. 
in no time, B and i found ourselves 
handing the bigs off to my parents 
(yet again),
sleeping at the hospital 
(yet again)
and not knowing when we would be back 
(yet again). 

everything about this season takes me back.
our advent wreath
(which we didn’t get to finish lighting last year),
putting up Christmas decorations
(which we didn’t get to enjoy),
baking sugar cookies
(which we didn’t get to eat),
driving around looking at Christmas lights
(which we didn’t get to do),
sending out Christmas cards 
(which i did while at L’s bedside in the PICU),
our Christmas eve service at church
(which we missed),
and putting the kids to bed on Christmas eve
(which we didn’t get to do).


as i can’t help but think about last year,
the fear begins to slowly seep in
until it has gripped me and has total control over me.
then, the joy is completely lost. 


“Do not be afraid… your prayer has been heard.”
Luke 1:13


but everything about the anticipation of this season 
also takes me back to the comfort and faithfulness of God.

although we didn’t experience
a typical Christmas morning at home,
we felt God’s comfort and experienced His faithfulness
the entire time L was in the hospital.
and even more so when he was released.

which did happen.
much earlier than doctors expected.

that’s right, bright and early on Christmas morning, 
B, L and i got to come home.
and boy was that joyful.


i am savoring every moment i can this Christmas season. 




“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…”
Joel 2:25

don’t forget to vote!

just click on the icon above and
vote for this little blog on the right side of the page!

be sure to check back in tomorrow for a DIY for this:

 
and be sure to check back next monday for a DIY for this:




516. being with all of my babies
517. lighting the advent wreath
518. putting up Christmas decorations
519. baking sugar cookies
520. God’s faithfulness

pressing letters.

Auntie B and i visited my sister at 
a letterpress class she is taking this semester.
yes, she is an architect by day and a creative mastermind by night.



and how freaking cute is my sister?
so freaking cute.
as my mother-in-law says,
“she could make a garbage bag look good.”
she could.



i was amazed at the trays and trays and trays filled with different fonts.
it was glorious.
here are some gigantic wooden letters.



you just couldn’t help but be inspired to create something.
anything.



my sis does about nineteen things at once
to make one lovely letterpress card. 



and who knew you would add color to the entire machine?
it’s called frosting the cake.
i know.
so perfect. 



and how cute is this red stool?
so cute.
i’ll take six, thank you very much.



my sis taught us the little dance that you must do 
with your feet in order to pull the lever smoothly. 



you really must be a good problem solver in order to do letterpress.
there is a lot of adjusting and tweaking and fixing.
to make things just perfectly right.


“thanks” for letting us come, Aunt WW!

and check out her adorable graphic design etsy shop.


This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: 
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
but before they came together,
she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 
Matthew 1:18


and please vote again for this little blog!

(just click on the icon above and vote on the right side of the page)


511. being inspired
512. chick-fil-a
513. letterpress
514. staying out past my bedtime
(that’s morning guy’s problem)
515. hanging with my girls

wait until your mother comes.

there are so many fun things to do at Grammy’s house.

D loves inventing new things with these tubulation things. 
i believe this is a sprinkler head type thing 
that would allow Grammy to water her garden with ease.

the headache i got from taking this shot was totally worth it.

K has been singing one of the songs she has learned at CBS
over and
over and
over again. 
her favorite part the song is
“wait until your mother comes, 
wait until your mother comes!”
but she doesn’t really sing it. 
instead, she demands you to 
“wait until your mother comes.”

she loved adding the loud piano keys at Grammy’s house
to her already noisy performances. 
and yes, we are loving K’s new outfit,
if you can’t tell.
(thanks Great Grammy!)

and don’t forget to vote for this little blog!
(just click on the icon above and vote on the right side of the page)


506. new toys at Grammy’s
507. phone calls with Gramma Pink
508. a morning retreat
509. coming home
510. listening to the rain falling

nearly a vacation.

first of all, i am so honored to be still in the mix!
woo hoo!

round two has now begun.
please vote again for this little blog
so that it can stay in the running!
(just click on the icon above and vote on the right side of the page)


a little while ago, B and i got to go on an incredible adventure.
without any children.
i know.
it was nearly a vacation.
seriously. 
i felt like i was on a trip. 
it was that great. 

we found ourselves out on the open sea



with the best skipper in town
(Uncle J)
and his lovely first mate
(Auntie B). 

nothing was going to stop us. 
B was even armed with a motion sickness bracelet.

we were taught all about 
booms, 
the furl, 
the helm,
rigs and
tacking.

and i am still not sure if i could use any of those terms correctly,
but i do know that this is called a winch,
and it is not to be confused with a wench.
let’s be honest here, remember when i said it was like being on vacation?
well, that tells you how much work i really did. 

a rare shot of just B and me.
and don’t we look so relaxed?
we were.


just like Beth Moore prays to see God’s creation, 
Auntie B prayed that we would see dolphins.
and guess what?


we sure did!
it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. 
seriously.

they were just cruising right next to our boat!

these three guys hung around for a long while.

it didn’t lessen how incredible it was. 

not one bit. 

B even tried to have one touch his foot. 
it came within a couple of inches. 

Auntie B, me and a little friend on the right.

and then there were tons. 

this was my first time sailing.
and i now love sailing.

my handsome beau. 

the sail!


our skipper in action.

being the skipper is serious business. 
i was really nervous to be at the helm.
(see, am i using that term correctly?)
not sure. 

Auntie B took great care of us.

one of my new favorite photos of him.
he never likes to have his photo taken. 
i’m so glad that the children don’t feel the same way. 

the setting sun.

our view coming back into the harbor.

we had such a lovely time.
such a lovely time.

B and i also got to experience the green flash at sunset.
remarkable. 


501. dolphins
502. dear friends
503. pretend vacations
504. wind
505. witnessing the sunset

top heavy.

i hope that you all stuffed yourselves silly with turkey yesterday!
we sure did.
my mother-in-law is an incredible cook and 
we thoroughly enjoyed eating every single thing that she made from scratch.


don’t worry, i helped.
i provided the homemade rolls
(first time ever making them) 
and three children.
see? i brought essential elements to the feast.

and here’s my update on the number of gifts that i have wrapped: 0
so yeah, i’m making great progress.
not really, but hopefully i will (start and) complete all of the wrapping
by the end of next week, which is when we have our first Christmas celebration.
i know. 
it’s way early to celebrate Christmas 
we usually have around eight celebrations because we have a lot of family.
and no, you’re not confused, we don’t celebrate hanukkah. 
it’s more like a month-long Christmas.



and here is K, all bundled up to play outside a few evenings ago. 
she was nice and cozy but unfortunately 
was a bit too top-heavy and fell over fifteen seconds 
after she headed out the door and immediately came back inside. 
i can’t imagine how all of you moms feel when this happens for 
those who actually get snowy weather.

today is the last day to vote for this little blog 
in this round of the competition!
click on the above icon and vote on the right side of the page.

496. turkey
497. my favorite stuffing
498. more homemade fudge
499. sleeping in B’s childhood room
500. wild times with the cousins
Scroll to Top