+ baking. We tried something new this month and enlisted the help of some who stayed for the potluck. We prepped the bags while people ate and then asked them to take some to the gate guards on their way home. The lead chaplain was hoping that this would show the chapel what we do and encourage them to become more involved. Next month, I'd love to visit the hospital staff, but that might be a logistical challenge (although I was told that we have two hospital chaplains in the service). Over 350 cookies, mini cupcakes, muffins, and cakes were donated. I made chocolate chip cookie dough whoopie pies. I forgot to take photos but they were delicious.

+ reading. I recently purchased Annie Downs' Speak Love, which seems like it will be a younger version of Sharon Jaynes' The Power of a Woman's Words. I'm excited about it. I'm also reading Faith Deployed ... Again, which a friend loaned to me, and I'm working through Angie Smith's Mended. Mended is powerful, by the way. At least for me. It's really speaking to my heart right now. ...

+ healing. I don't share much by way of health issues current or past on here, but lately I've been having some health issues. However, in the past year I've noticed a shift in the way I react. After sharing my issues while visiting a classmate, she handed Mended to me and I began to read it as soon as I returned home. So far, I've only made it through two chapters because I was crying and praying so much, but one section spoke to my heart more than the others:

I prayed this verse and poured out my heart to God. He spoke to me and even though He didn't give me the answer I wanted Him to, I felt more at peace than ever. In that moment, I felt as though my relationship with Him grew substantially.

+ crafting. Also, look at our newest DIY project! I fell in love with a similar but better wreath on Etsy but couldn't justify the cost. So, I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some materials. It took me a little over an evening to complete (I was also making the whoopie pies at the same time) and I ended up replacing white burlap with the uniform material. Also, the flags were a lot brighter, so I dyed them with tea.

+ shopping. For the first time in a very long time (actually, maybe ever), two of my friends and I had a girls' day while their husbands watched their children. It was refreshing and relaxing and wonderful. There needs to be more intentional, let's-build-each-other-up time.

organizing life: the bathroom

Both counter space and cabinet space are at a premium in the master bathroom, and hair styling tools (especially the cords) were difficult to keep organized and out of the way.

I don't use the curling irons, straightener and hair dryer on a daily basis--or even a weekly basis, honestly--so I wanted to keep them under the sink and reserve counter space for daily items, but it was difficult to keep the cords untangled when everything was shoved in a box.  Plus, then I forget that I even have them.

So, Alan stuck some 3M hooks on the side of the vanity (3M hooks seem to be the solution to a lot of our problems around the house).  Now, everything's accessible and we have more space.  Plus, the hooks will be easy to remove!

permanent love notes

You can tell it's almost time for the boys to fly back to Pennsylvania.  In an effort to step up our efforts to let them know they are loved, we did a project we've been considering since before summer began.

I stumbled across the original idea via Pinterest (but I've since either deleted or moved it to a different board, because I cannot find it).  The concept is that you take a sheet of notebook paper and frame it, and then use a window marker to write a love note every day.  We've been leaving the boys occasional Post-It notes with little gifts (i.e. their favorite gum or snack foods) in their rooms, but we wanted more permanent displays.  Plus, I was home alone keeping an eye on dinner while Alan took the boys to youth group, so I wanted something extra to do.

However, because we don't have any spare/large photo frames, I decided to try sheet protectors on a whim.  It just so happens that we have several 3M adhesive strips and a dry erase marker (and I have more notebook paper than should be legal), so the entire project was free and took about fifteen minutes (mainly because I had to look for a Nerf gun so I could see the logo ... not that finding one around the house was difficult).

I wrote the boys' names on their permanent notes, using crayons in their favorite colors.  For T, our aspiring football player and chef, I made a bottom border with a football silhouette and a repeating fork, knife and spoon motif.  For C, our creative builder and strategist, I made a bottom border of a Lego brick and a Nerf logo (or what sort of looks like a Nerf logo ... if you really use your imagination).

Then, I slipped the notebook paper in the protective sleeves and use the 3M strips to stick them on the wall between their doors.  Alan wrote each of them a personal note and I slipped little letters in the tops--at Barnes & Noble today, C picked up a little Hello Kitty letters set for me, and they both requested that I write notes to them.

When they came home from chapel and saw the notes, they were both very thankful and happy about the projects.  And they requested new notes tomorrow.  We've decided to take photos of each day's note

I also made one for Alan, although I used markers instead of crayons.  Between the time I spent making theirs and starting his, he found the markers I had been looking for earlier.

I think it looks pretty nifty.  The words around his name are from my wedding vows to him. :)