Wacky Wednesday

Do you bloggers go through times when you have no crafts or projects or even family pictures to post about? Yeah... Me too. I thought I'd share some funnies from Pinterest today, just because it's Wednesday and we could all use some humor. But my humor is kinda dry and quirky... So while these are hilarious to me I'm not even sure they'll make you chuckle! Oh well! Here goes nothing!

You can follow me on Pinterest by clicking the icon on the right side on my blog page!

Oh my, I have a terrible time remembering jokes, but I always remembered this knock-knock joke. Maybe because of my Kindergarten teaching days. Do you know it?

Our dog's name is Jude. When we were newlyweds we came home early from a camping trip and stopped for breakfast at a cafe called Jude's. We both started singing the Beatles song and decided if we ever had a male dog we'd name it Jude. And if we had a female dog, her name would be Lucy from "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." Two years later we got our Jude. We only had Jonathan at the time, but now it's funny to us that our dog's name fits right in with the J names for our boys! And that song gets stuck in our heads every time we call our dog, "Heyyyyy Jude...." 

Source: laughingsquid.com via Ellie {Beauty4Ashes} on Pinterest

Ok, so here's proof that I'm a weirdo!!!

Source: Uploaded by user via Ellie {Beauty4Ashes} on Pinterest

Seriously, that makes me snort!

This one is me. All winter. And sometimes in the summer. Do you rationalize like this?

Source: lifed.com via Ellie {Beauty4Ashes} on Pinterest

Ok, here's a super-long one that isn't really funny, per se, but it made my heart happy to read through all the different pictures. I want to volunteer to hold babies all the time too, but would have freaked out as a new mom if someone had asked me, so I bite my tongue. That and my hands/cart are usually full with my own brood! I LOVE the story about the new tires too. So meaningful! What's your favorite one?

Source: lolsnaps.com via Ellie {Beauty4Ashes} on Pinterest

So there you have it, hopefully a giggle or two, or at least a warm heart. I hope your week is going well!

Until next time,

Navy and Coral Girl's Bedroom {Moodboard}

I'm liking the navy trend right now. Navy + green, navy + red, navy + orange and of course navy + pink. I thought I'd give it a little more of a twist and develop this girl's bedroom mood board with navy and coral.

I chose a Jenny Lind bed frame that will contrast beautifully with navy walls. To keep the walls from being too dark and heavy, I imagine navy on the bottom two-thirds on the wall and white on the top. Then there would be these fun, floral decals to brighten up the room. Another secret to keeping the room from getting dark is to keep all of the furniture (except the bed) simple, clean and white. I provided this girl with a book shelf with baskets for books and display or toys, a large dresser, a small desk and a bedside table. 

The bedding I chose is floral on one side with coral and navy stripes on the other. This gives the bedding lots of flexibility and fun! I chose three pillows in the same colors but with different patterns. Patterns are also found in the curtain (chevron) and area rug (stripes). Of course these are just inspiration and you can mix and match all you want. The piece I used for the "curtain" is actually a towel, but a chevron pattern would be easy to stencil and paint yourself on plain curtains, or you can find something similar ready-made. 

For the walls I chose a monogram and a large beautiful mirror. Of course this leaves lots of room for individual personality--framed art, a bulletin board covered in another fun fabric, or a picture collage for a girl's collection of BFFs. 

The lighting in the room includes a chandelier in the middle of the room as well as a lamp on the bedside table. If the desk is used for studying, there should be another light source there as well. 

This is a room that will grow, meaning it would be totally appropriate for a young child all the way through the teenage years, yet there are small things you could change to suit a girl at different stages of interest and growth.

What do you think? Do you like navy + coral?

Insta-Friday

I can't believe it's Friday! We're probably driving north to Iowa as you read this. Gary has been invited to speak at our home church there! We're excited to see our friends there, and I always overload Instagram a little when we're on a trip. You can follow along -- I'm gibsongirl726. 

This week was pretty quiet. Even when we're just hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's house, I still reach for my phone and take pictures now and then. And there seems to be lots of food pictures! I've been experimenting with new recipes that are mostly veggies. I love this new way of eating and I've lost 5 pounds in less than two weeks! Ok, let's get to it.

 

1. Adventures in Potty Training, volume 3. #isnthecute
2. Yup. They still love Legos!
3. Triple batch of banana bread for potluck this weekend! (There were 6 loaves total and I stayed true to my no-gluten commitment. Yay me!)
4. Lunch date with my Sweetie! #Mexicanfood
5. Jonathan and Josiah. So much CUTENESS! #isthataword #brothers
6. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho... Rather, Jared built the city of Jericho...
7. Lunch was so yummy! I'm rocking the quasi-paleo experiment. (That's roasted cabbage with caraway, steamed broccoli and sweet potato burgers. So so good!)
8. Yay for nap time so I can enjoy episode 3! Love #downtonabbey
9. Freezer box - fort - every boy's dream come true! (I don't know why I never posted this, but when I downloaded them to my computer I erased it on my phone. Sigh. Seriously, they're so cute and that box is so huge! They've been taking turns sleeping in it each night. Awesome job, grandparents!) 
 

I hope you don't mind that I'm slipping a few other pictures in here. I posted the series of family shots on Facebook but not Instagram. So now you get to see them too! I know you're excited!!!

1. My sweetie and me. :)
2. Jared & Grandma.
3. Jonathan & Grandpa.
4. Josiah & Great-Grandma (in the halo).
5. Thinking of you Tinkerclonk! (I seriously can't look at tulips without thinking of my bff/sil who I haven't seen for two years now. Have I mentioned she had a baby in September and I haven't met him either??? I've seen my brother a time or two though. At least there's that.)
6. Three in a row. #hydrationstation
7. It's a frittata morning.
8. Boys and their toys. I love this one the most of all my 20 month olds. #getbackjojo
9. I scream you scream, we all scream for ice cream! 100% frozen fruit. (Seriously. I didn't even miss ice cream. Gary made this with a juicer but you can blend frozen bananas and other fruit to substitute ice cream. We had banana, strawberry and mango.)

Ok, that's all folks! Did you have a good week? Any highlights? Let me know your Instagram name and I'll follow you! 

Five Favorite Things

I think I might have done a post or two like this way back when, but I was thinking I should share some of my recent favorite things. Like actual physical things that I use nearly every day--with the exception of the leggings--and didn't cost very much--with the exception of my cell phone. Shoot! Just gave two of them away! By the way, I did the above picture with one of PicMonkey's sample stock photos and a few free Valentine themed add-ons that are free. PicMonkey is definitely still one of my favorite things, but it's gotten harder to use since I refuse to upgrade my account and some of their edits I can no longer use. 

Anyhoo, onto the list! 

*****

Yes, I love my smart phone. I know I say that often, but it's so convenient! Morning devotional, texting/IMing with friends, Instagram, directions, weather, pedometer, shopping lists, Facebook, Pinterest... I use my phone all day long! 

It's a Samsung Galaxy Proclaim ($145 Walmart) with a Straight Talk Prepaid Cell Plan ($45/month). Not super cheap as far as cheap goes, but when we crunched the numbers for a family plan at that place that starts with a V and rhymes with "horizon", we would save around $1500 over the course of a typical 2-year contract. Wait, that was with two phones and two plans, just so we're clear. So far we are happy with the service (live help), coverage and the phone itself, though the battery life is crummy. We also like not being trapped by a contract if our economic status changes or if Gary's employee package includes a phone. You know? It's just good to have an out, even if you don't end up needing it.

 *****

 Ok, seriously, I feel like these Cami Secret clip-on camis ($9.88 Walmart) have changed my life!!! I've been needing these for as long as I care to remember.  They're so much easier than layering with tank tops and stay in place better than I thought they would. I just leave the white one on my white bra and the black on on my black bra and wear them every day. No more accidental cleavage for me, thanks!

*****

Lately because I'm cheap, I came across a new-to-me brand of make up. It's NYC and until I googled some images of it for this blog post, I didn't know it was owned by Maybelline. At first I was attracted by the price (each of the above were under $3 at Walmart), but I'm also happy with the quality. My eyelashes are soft, not clumpy or stiff, and it washes off in the shower--I never wash my face at night. The blush is new but I tried it today and I like it. The only thing I don't like is that the cashier dropped it and while it looked fine, one of the hinges is broken. Gah!

*****

I held out on the leggings trend for a long time. As in, I tried my first pair (Danskin brand, $8 Walmart) a couple weeks ago. I thought only skinny people could wear them. I bought them thinking the worst that could happen is that I'd wear them for pajamas. But they felt like air! Like yoga pants only more so! While I've only gotten the nerve to wear them in public once--with a dress and ballet flats--I've worn them around the house several other times with tunic type shirts. Definitely like them. 

*****

It's the new year. I've had some extra time on my hands. I've been doing a lot of reading to try to find something that would work better for me. Unfortunately I've gotten into the habit of eating what easy--namely lots of processed carbs like bread and pasta. Not good. Something clicked when I read about the reasons why people are loving the Paleo/Caveman diet. But as a life-long vegetarian, I could not embrace eating so much meat! I did decide after reading Ana White's post, that Gary and I should do a no grains, no dairy, not even legumes (bloating) and no processed food fast or cleanse or whatever.

So we are! We're in our second week and feeling fantastic. Both of us have felt more stable, more energetic, clearer skin and better sleep. What are we eating? Veggies. Fruit. Nuts and seeds. Eggs (cage-free, natural diet). Occasionally we'll eat fish or chicken when Gary catches the former or when we eat out. We've both lost a couple pounds too! Without exercising! Not that I'm saying you don't have to exercise to be healthy...

Just this week I came across Whole Living.  There's a magazine and a website and it's really helped me out lately. I've tried several of their recipes and pinned more. We're really excited about our new love of veggies and how good we feel. 

Just thought I'd share so you might be helped by it too. 

*****

Ok, then! Now you know five of my favorite things. What are some of yours?

It's About Time

Pop Quiz: What country is this?

I'll give the answer in a minute. First I want to let you know that this is a personal post. No design, no great house plans, no cute crafts, not even cute kids!

This post is for all of you who follow Beauty4Ashes because you know me outside of blogland. Friends, family, church members, aunts and uncles and my neighbor's daughter's friend's cat. 

Just kidding about the cat.

This post is for those of you who have followed our personal journey the last six months. Those of you who keep expecting a post about what happens after graduation, where the job is, what in the world we're doing already!!! 

Hint #2:

So the big news is that we are in the reviewing-our-references stage of application to work with Adventist Frontier Missions! We are accepting a call to be church-planters in Scotland!

There are no Adventist churches in Scotland. Our job is to move there, settle in and make friends. When the opportunity arises, we share our faith in a friend-to-friend way. Hopefully that leads to Bible studies and new church members. Of course that's the simplified version.

There's an 18-24 month window before we leave the states. Our first training session is this spring and there will be fundraising to do before we "launch our mission". Meaning: My husband still needs a job for 12-18 months.

 When we left Weimar in December there was a serious job offer. But after waiting a month for a certain meeting and certain approval, it didn't happen for one reason or another. We have two other options but neither of them are quite enough to support a family of five. So we wait.

Sure, we've had bouts of discouragement. We would like to have our own place and an income and to put into practice the things Gary spent the last four months learning about. 

But you know what? We are loved. Cared for. Fed. Appreciated. We are certain God has a plan for us. We haven't doubted that we're doing is what we're supposed to do.

We are grateful for our health too. The pastor of the local church, a very healthy, active man in his 60s, suddenly had an aortic aneurism a week ago. One week and three open-heart surgeries later, he is in ICU struggling for his life. (Prayers for a miracle for Pastor John would be appreciated!) 

Kinda puts life in perspective. 

So! We're super excited to start our Scotland adventure, but keep us in your prayers regarding employment for the next 12-18 months. Thank you for sticking with me during this longer-than-expected transitional phase. We'll make it and have awesome stories to tell! 

One more thing, the boys? In heaven! They love love love staying with Grandma and Grandpa! The house is big, there's plenty of room, we have our own bedroom and so do the boys. Helen and I do really well together, especially when it comes to cooking and meal clean-up. We are so blessed!

Pictures from here. 

Tones and Textures {Moodboard}

 

I put this master bedroom mood board together with several goals in mind. Of course we all want a bedroom to be a place where we can unwind and rest. I wanted to keep that relaxing vibe by staying with neutral colors. I chose shades of beige with some blacks and browns and whites. Not using a brighter color scheme means it could get boring pretty fast! To prevent this, I looked for things with lots of pattern and texture. You'll fine chevron, herringbone, stripes, solids, cowhide, shag, jute, fur, knits, terrycloth and leather.

Another element that might not be as obvious is that these things can all be moved. I've got moving on the brain! And renting. Other than hanging the art on the wall and perhaps hanging a curtain rod, nothing gets damaged. No renovations, special flooring or wall treatment. Not even paint as these neutrals would look great with builder beige or basic white walls. 

Do you like neutral color schemes? Or does this mood board make you yawn. Wait, it's a bedroom--isn't yawning a good thing?

Winter Snowglobes {DIY}

Don't you love the little winter snowglobes that are all over blogs and Pinterest? 

When it looks like this outside--or if you wish it would... or are so thankful it's not like that... What I'm trying to say is that Christmas may be over, but these cute little snowglobes are a darling winter display in January!

I found the supplies for these at Walmart. Well, the jars came from my mother-in-law's stash of jars. They're old old mayonnaise jars. Any wide-mouth jar would work, whether it's a salsa jar or a canning jar.  

The trees and figurines were in the Christmas aisle at Walmart, but I'm sure you could find them at Michael's or other places too. The last ingredients you need are hot glue and Epsom salt.

I found it works best to hot glue the scene to the lid of the jar, then pour in Epsom salt over the top. Carefully turn the jar upside-down over the lid and screw it in place. 

Aren't they sweet? I tied twine around the lid to hide the blue of the original mayonnaise jar. You could spray paint the lids (before you assemble the snowglobe), wrap it in ribbon or something else creative.

You could do many variations on this idea, like putting in a pretty ornament, or a matchbox truck with the Christmas tree in the back, or a tiny house... The options are endless!

So there you have it! Have fun creating this winter!

How to Eat a Clementine

 ~ Josiah, 19 months

Insta-Friday Lucky 13

 That's right, I only posted 13 pictures on Instagram this week. Guess I need to get out more! 

 Pretty Ozark sunset.

It's a mocha morning. #thismugisasbigasmyhead 

Princes Jared and Josiah

These two sweeties and I stayed home from church. I was still getting over a little bug from the day before and Jared showed signs of coming down with it too. We were both better by the end of the day, btw. I made all three of the boys paper crowns to play with. Children of the king!

 

In a small town the craft aisle at Walmart is a welcome retreat. #Missouri

Seriously. I bought yarn. I never buy yarn! I have a pretty cool scarf half done!

Salem #Missouri #Ozarks

So in love with this little person! #nothingsweeterthanasleepingchild

 The perfect anytime meal: eggs scrambled with tomato and spinach, cucumbers and sweet peppers with mayo/dill dressing. #glutenfreeexperiment

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading lately. And it's a long story, but my husband and I are doing a gluten free experiment. We're actually eliminating sugar, processed food, grains and legumes for a while, then we'll add them back in to see how we feel. So far we feel good and we've both lost weight! It's only been 3 days.

This funny little guy just said, “I think heaven will be like a big cloud of joy with grass on it. And animals and pretties of gold."

Have I mentioned how much I love my kids? 

Lunch was so good! Sweet potato cakes, Brussels sprouts with walnuts, salad with slivered almonds and cashew-ranch dressing. No grains or legumes or processed foods experiment continues.

It might hold me accountable, but I'm not sure anyone else wants to see what we eat every meal. Right? Do you? I'll post them if you want! Let me know if you do. Are you gluten free? Legume free? Vegan? Paleo? What works for you? 

I love barns! This one belongs to my friend in #Missouri. #barnsarecool

If you're new to Beauty4Ashes, you might not know that I used to do a series called "Barns of Benton County". I miss driving around taking pictures of barns! There's a linky thing on the side labeled "Barns". Hey, maybe I should add a tab at the top! Great, more blog homework.

And now for Episode 2. #downtonabbey

Are you a fan? Have you seen it at all? I just ignored the first season (no tv), but I heard so much about it right before the second season that I watched them all at once online somewhere. Hulu? It's fun to watch Season 3 on a week-by-week schedule. Love this show! (I watch on PBS.com. It's free but only has the current season.)

Why yes, that is a latex glove on my husband's head. Thanks for noticing. #sillyman

Grandkid gallery wall is finally live on the blog! Link in profile.

How can something that seems so simple really take that long to complete? Beats me! I do need your vote on adding some lettering, so if you have a chance, go see the original post and tell me what you think!

I've linked up with Jeanette and the crew!

       
       
           
           
       

Have a great Friday!