found: a servant's heart

I am very excited about the new site, Beautifully Rooted. It is a great place for women to to connect and be encouraged and inspired to deepen their relationship with God. If you haven't checked it out yet, go now! There are articles on faith, food, projects and more.

Once a week there will be a photo link up. I think their words explain it best, "We challenge you to join us by being intentional about capturing God in your everyday life through your camera lens. Our hope is that through this process we'll not only be able to slow down so we can live in His comfort & peace each day, but that we'll also be able to create a collection of images to look back on as a visual reminder that He really is with us every single day.

Yesterday, while Larkin and I were doing his spelling lesson, I could hear Lucy working rather busily in the kitchen. When Larkin and I came into the dining room, she had made each of us a snack.


She even put peanut butter on his crackers! In that moment my heart swelled to see her servant heart shining through. Few things do my heart as good as seeing God working through my children!

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my first guest post

My friend Alison started a "5 Things" series on her blog. Each Tuesday she will post tips on a variety of topics. I was pretty excited when she asked me to write a post about homeschooling for the series. The post is up today, so go check it out! And while you are there look around. Her blog is great and there are already some fun posts in the series!

a little something

Back before Christmas I was able to sneak a few minutes to work on a skirt for Lucy. Even in the midst of the busyness, a girl has to have time with her sewing machine, ya know? However, somehow it has taken me over a month to get photos of it. She wore it to church and I figured that was a good location to take a couple of shots (even if just with my phone). Seriously, there are some really great walls at our new church.

Several months ago I made a scarf with this floral fabric. I really love the fabric so I went a bought another yard and some coordinating fabric for a double layer skirt for Lucy (similar to these I made a few years ago). I also bought a bit of lace to put in between the layers.

I also decided to make a coordinating headband for her. I'm not sure which I like more, the skirt or the headband!

I really look forward to getting my sewing machine back out. It really is hard for it to still be packed up. I don't have a dedicated sewing space in this house, so I've got to figure that part out. But, I am itching to do some sewing!

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settling in

News flash: Moving is hard. When I announced that we were moving, I thought it would be really great to blog about the process. Not about how to pack boxes or in which order to pack them (although sometimes it felt like it would be helpful if someone would just tell me those things), but more about the emotional parts of a move. The good and the bad. The fun and the not so fun.

But I was hit with a pretty big dose of reality. In December, Michael was on tour and for two weeks we had various band members and their families staying with us (which was a lot of fun). The tour lasted until December 23 and then we went to visit family for Christmas for a week. We then returned home to a whirlwind of packing and preparing for the move. I was still homeschooling during most of that time. I was determined not to get too far behind. Did I mention that I was sick through Christmas, too? Because that makes things cleaning and packing easier.

Honestly, there wasn't a whole lot of time to sit and really digest all that was going on, much less be able to blog about it.

{At this point Michael and I decided we had all we really needed in the moving truck.}

The good news? We are on this side of the move and mostly settled. I found this photo on my phone after Lucy had it the other day. Apparently she is enjoying our new back porch...

As a matter of fact, this picture is a great representation of how we feel right now. Happy. Very very happy.

announcement

So, my short blog break turned into weeks with not posts. And breaks like that overwhelm me. For starters I was without my computer for nine days. Much longer than I expected, not to mention a bit inconvenient. Then we were with family for Thanksgiving. I am that weird girl that actually has a harder time starting back with the blog once I take a break. It is like I don't know if I should "catch you all up" on what has been going on or if I should just jump right back in. I know it doesn't really matter, but, for whatever reason, those thoughts just make me avoid the blog. I sound really lame, I know.

Anyway, as you may have guessed from the picture, one thing that is going on around here is packing. We are moving! At the beginning of the year we will be able to call ourselves Georgians again. Well, truth be known, I will always be a Georgia girl no matter where I live, but we will physically be back "home."

It is a very busy time to be packing (and purging). We have guests arriving tonight for the week, Christmas is right around the corner, and then we move! Whew! While it is a busy time, there is a whole lot of goodness in the mix. So, I am going to try and enjoy it all. Yes, even the packing (more so the purging). But, mostly, I want this busy time not to distract me from the wonder of Christmas, and the time to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It could be so easy to get overwhelmed with "busyness" that I forget to rest in Him and celebrate Him.

May we all be able to focus on the beauty and true meaning in this season...

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giveaway winner

So...sorry for the delay in announcing a winner for my giveaway. My computer is at the lovely Apple store being repaired. By the way, I really don't like being parted from it. Tonight I found out their is a Blogger app for my phone, so I am using it now. I am even having to use an image from my phone. Here's to hoping it works.

But let me get on to announcing the winner...Tammy, you are the winner! Please contact me with your info and I will get a CD in the mail to you!

Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone for entering!

*OK so I can't format the text or the photo with the phone app. Oh well, it isn't really worth complaining about. At least I posted, right?

smalltown poets christmas giveaway

I have mentioned the release of the new Smalltown Poets Christmas album. Well, the day has finally arrived and we are so excited! I must admit that my husband's voice sure is dreamy. The whole album is amazing. You can even here my smalls lending their voices to the last track.

There just happens to be a very large stack of boxes full of CDs in my foyer, and since I think it is imperative that you have a copy, I am giving one away right here!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas song. For an extra entry, tweet about the giveaway with a link to this post (my Twitter handle is @abjohnston) and leave a comment saying you did.

This giveaway will close on Sunday, November 13 and I will announce a winner on Monday, November 14. If you just can't wait to add the album to your Christmas rotation, you can order a copy here or you can download it on iTunes.

Merry Christmas!

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pink lady day

Wow, I missed a whole week on here! I have good reason, though. My mama came last Monday and stayed with us all week. I had not seen her in over three months. I am almost positive that we have never gone that long without seeing each other. So, I soaked up every single second of our time together. Ya'll, I love my mama.

We visited the apple orchard a few weeks ago, but the pink lady apples weren't ready yet, so I have been calling to make sure I was there the first day they were available. I really love me some pink lady apples. Friday was the day and I termed it, "Pink Lady Day." Truth be told, I squished the cheeks of each of my family members while squealing, "It's Pink Lady Day!" I know they loved it.

{I really think he is so handsome...even while up in a tree.}

{Someone wanted to be like Dad.}

{Someone else also wanted to be like Dad.}

{We went home with a bushel of apples. That is a whole lot of apples.}

{There are a couple of horses at the orchard that are more than happy to take an apple or two.}

There will be lots of apple products coming out of my kitchen in the coming week. Tonight we started things off with this apple crisp that I found on Pinterest. It is delicious! There is a good chance that I will have some of it for breakfast in the morning. Shhhh, don't tell anyone!

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psych night

I know that my love of Psych is no secret around here. Wednesday was the season premiere so we had a small party to celebrate with friends. And we went with a full-on Psych theme. And wouldn't you know that my camera battery died and I had to use my phone for pics, so only Instagram photos for you today :)

{There is a pineapple in almost every episode of Psych and it is a lot of fun to try and spot it. No Psych party would be complete without one.}

{Our food was based on references from the show, hence our Anna Banana flavored muffins.}

{Alien potatoes getting ready to become a flavor seizure known as Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos}

{I saw this idea on Pinterest and used lime kool-aid for the ice cubes to match the theme. Let me assure you, lime kool-aid ice cubes and ginger ale is drink perfection.}

{The spread. Oh, that is a pineapple cheese ball. Delicioso.}

People, it was a fantastic night. Great friends, yummy food and the best show on television. Not to mention, it was a lot of fun to put together. I can hardly wait for next week's episode!

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give thanks

Last week at craft night we changed things up a bit and rather than each bringing something different to work on, we all worked on the same project. Alison found a fun tutorial for a burlap banner, so we all set to making our own.

For whatever reason, the lettering doesn't show up well in photos, but it does in person. Go figure. Here is a bit of detail...

Our living room is separated from our kitchen by an old brick chimney with wooden pillars on either side and I thought it would be the perfect spot for the banner. As I was taking the photo, I was annoyed by the thermostat because I felt like it was messing with the aesthetic of the photo. I had to remind myself that the thermostat means that we have heat in the winter and for that I should give thanks like the banner suggests.

On the dresser below the banner, we keep our gratitude journals. In these journals we can appeal to our kinesthetic sides as our thoughts take on the physical form of ink on paper...just one way to bring our thanks to the front of our minds and give them a sort of permanence.

Ann Voskamp tweeted today, "God calls us to *do* thanks. That thanks-giving becomes thanks-LIVING. That our lives become the very blessings we have received." My hope is for this spot to be a constant reminder to us to be thankful and to never forget to live a life full of thanks. It is easy to dwell on things that aren't as we wish them to be, and as a result, be robbed of our joy.

"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." Psalm 28:7

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insta-friday :: week 8

{Meet Jillyboo. She showed up at our house and we cared for her a couple of days before finding her a home. I so wish our home could have been hers. Isn't she beautiful?}

{Our latest artist study was of Raphael. The kids really enjoy the projects in this book.}

{It is apple season! We went for our first visit last week and I can't wait to go back.}

{I agreed to have Reptile Day at our house for a group of fellow homeschoolers. Need I say more?}

{There is a large statue of a bear across from our house. The kids love to climb under his belly. Note the shoes. After the bear we headed to the track so she could run. In a skirt and tights.}

{Craft nights are a little messy but always a ton of fun.}

{Sherlock Lucy joined us for school this week. She said she was solving "The Mystery of the Burglar's Hideout."}

Happy Friday everyone!

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fall wreath

I mentioned in my last post that I had started and finished two projects in one night. People, this is significant for me. I am excellent at starting projects and I little less than awesome when it comes to finishing them. So, I was pretty excite to have two completed projects in just a couple of hours.

I know there have been a lot of wreaths and fall decor out in blogland recently and I didn't want to be left out. Actually, we have several doors in our house that lend themselves to wreath hanging. I made this one last year and it still hangs in our living room. And honestly, I really enjoy making them, so I may have to make a few more. They are such inexpensive projects! I think I have less than five bucks in this one.

I really love looking at these swirly flowers. I also really love making them. Anyone else having fun will fall decor?

finally a little sewing

I went way too long without using my sewing machine! Last week I had some friends over for craft night and I finally made something! I found this fabric last week and I just fell in love with it. Yellow and brown aren't my usual picks. Well, yellow is, but I guess that particular combo isn't. Anyway, it is a super soft lightweight cotton.

I knew it would be a great choice for an infinity scarf. I only bought a yard and it was the perfect amount for the scarf and it sewed up very quickly. So quickly in fact, that I had time for another project that night that I look forward to sharing this week! There's no stopping me!

This was the first day I could post photos of the scarf because it has been rainy/cloudy for over a week! The rain was great and all, but I was starting to get rather drained. I need sunlight!

I hope your days have been sunny and creative!

little reader

The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

-Dr. Seuss

I have said many times that one of the most touching things as a homeschool mom is teaching my children to read. Actually, I get excited about my children learning, period. But, there is something extra special about watching them learn to read. Just seeing all the pieces come together...I love it!

Lucy is learning to read. We use this book for our lessons. We are about a third of the way through it. Most days she will ask to do more than one lesson per day. She gets so proud when she reads something new. Her eyes light up and she clasps her hands together in excitement.

She has not been reading books, but last week during a trip to the library she asked to pick out one she could read. In the past, I have liked the small simple books by Margaret Hillert. I pulled this one off the shelf first and Lucy was very pleased with the pumpkin on the cover.

She was so excited about reading it that she tried to start while we were still walking through the library! Once we got home, she had to have a little bit of help, but I was so proud of how well she did.

Maybe one reason that it is so exciting to see them learn to read is knowing that once they are able to read, they can take some other learning into their own hands. Not to mention all the places they can go with books (thanks, Dr. Seuss)!

I was just getting ready to close this post and Lucy entered the room and I asked her why she is excited to learn to read and she replied, "So that I can read on my own." And then I asked her what is so great about being able to read. And she replied, "You get to read mysteries and funny books. And you get to read the Bible and learn about people in it." I think those are some pretty great answers.