5 Minute Fall Centerpiece

This year, I came up with a really easy fall centerpiece for my table that literally took me five minutes to make and I didn't spend a penny!  I know, even better right?!

So here is how I made this:

1.  I took my three crates that I purchased from AC Moore and hooked them together using floral wire.  

***side note-these come unfinished so you can paint them any color you would like...of course I spray painted mine!!

2.  I used Christmas garland (You can used Christmas garland in the fall too!!! It can give any centerpiece a rustic feel) and spread it across the three crates.  I pretty much just plopped it inside because as you add things you can change the shape.  

3.  I added some fall garland, weaving it from one side to the other.

4.  I added pinecones alternating sides as well and stuffed some of them down the sides so that you could see it at different openings.

5.  Weave burlap ribbon throughout to fill in all of the holes.  I didn't leave my burlap ribbon in one piece, though.  I cut shorter pieces so that I could put it wherever it was needed and scrunched the burlap to add fullness. 

6.  Lastly, I had a couple of pumpkins that I threw on the top.  

So there you have it.  A five minute centerpiece.  Easy Peasy as my 8 year old says!

Believe the Best

Recently, God has really been teaching me about my need to believe the best in people or to give people the benefit of the doubt.  

1 Corinthians 13:7 addresses this issue:  "She (love) bears up everything, believes the best in all; there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fail." International Standard Version.  

So, over the next couple of weeks I hope to blog about several people and situations in our lives where we often need to offer more grace and believe the best in others.  I hope that this challenges you as much as it does myself:

Your Spouse
Now this can be a tough one, right? If your marriage is like mine, 90% of our "heated discussions" are because one of us has not believed the best in the other. 

This is typically how it works for a woman: your husband asks you, "what have you done today?" and we loose it because we automatically think he is criticizing or demeaning the amount of work we were able to accomplish in that day.  When in actuality he hadn't thought that much into the question and really meant, "what have you done today?"  We need to believe the best in our husband rather than assume there is more to the question.

How about for the man?  Let's say the husband comes home from work and the wife is overwhelmed because of homework, running the kids to sports, dinner, stress at work, etc. The wife is short with the husband because of her stress.  Should the husband believe the best in his wife and offer grace to her response. Absolutely.

These are just two very simple examples but this week try and think about ways that you can believe the best in your spouse. 

EXTEND GRACE. BELIEVE THE BEST. GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT.

I love this quote by Stephen Kendrick in the book, The Love Dare;   “Love chooses to believe the best about people. It gives them the benefit of the doubt. It refuses to fill in the unknowns with negative assumptions. And when our worst hopes are proven to be true, love makes every effort to deal with them and move forward. As much as possible, love focuses on the positive.”   

Fall Wreath

I really love to decorate for fall because you can pretty much start in September and keep the decorations all the way until Thanksgiving.  You really can get more use out of your fall decorations than Christmas.  With that being said, I also do not really like putting a ton of overtly fall decorations out. This year, I decided that I wanted to make (or have my mom make) two really nice wreaths.  In our house, people use the side door just as much as they do the front door.  So, I went to work on Pinterest and found this wreath that I completely fell in love with:

My mom and I thought that we could recreate this, but it had to be relatively inexpensive because I had to make two of these!  So, this is what we came up with:

The best part...I sprayed painted my pumpkins and pinecones.  I wanted to give my wreath a warm feel and I love the way that it turned out.  I hope to add more to it next year so that it will be as full as the picture that I found on Pinterest. Just remember, you don't have to spend a fortune on decorations.  My mom and I saw wreaths like these for almost $200 at Hobby Lobby.  I think that I was able to make these for $20 a piece with the hopes of adding more to it next fall.  

What I Love About My Pastor

Today is the last day of Pastor Appreciation Month and I wanted to share with you 10 things that you might not know about Pastor Stu Hodges.   So here it is, 10 reasons that I love my pastor, husband and baby daddy:

1.  He is a good daddy. I could give you many reasons, but I will give you my favorite reason. He is always the first one awake to fix breakfast for our kiddos. He does this for a few reasons:  a) To honor me because I like to sleep in. b) When he was a student pastor, one of our students told us about how her dad ate breakfast with her every day. Stu told me then that he wanted to give that memory to his children too.

2.  He is always the first to say sorry.  Stu Hodges has taught me how to have a "heated discussion". He is always willing to say that he is sorry first and accept what he has done wrong in any situation. 

3.  He is really good at yard work and landscaping.  In every house that we have ever lived in, he has always made our yard look amazing.  A place where we can relax and enjoy it with our family and friends.  He typically spends his entire day off working in the yard.  

4.  He loves looking at/buying/selling houses (on the peninsula). In our 16 years of marriage we have moved 6 times.  Now that might not seem like a lot, but I lived in the same house from the time that I was born until the day that I married Stu.  So, 6 times is a lot for me. It is sort of his hobby. Many evenings you will find him looking at houses for sale in this area. He has promised me to stay put for awhile, but I am well aware that if the perfect, inexpensive waterfront property comes available I can go ahead and start packing.  

5.  He is frugal when is comes to spending money on himself and a giver when it comes to spending money on others. Stu has taught me to be a giver to others rather than myself.  Whether it be giving to the church or to someone in need, he is incredibly sensitive to the spirit. He will text me sometimes and ask if he can give money to someone and yet he will not spend more than $12 on a shirt. I love that about him!  

6.  Saturday evenings are sacred. Typically on a Saturday afternoon around 4:00 I mentally lose Stu Hodges. Mentally he is beginning to feel the spiritual burden of what Sunday entails. At 7:30 EVERY Saturday night he goes into his office to make sure he is spiritually ready to bring God's Word. There are NO exceptions to this.  We don't hang out with friends, we don't have date night, we don't do weddings or anything. I so admire his discipline and how he has prioritized the importance of Sundays so much so that he is willing to give up his Saturday nights to prayer and preparation. I love how seriously he takes preaching God's Word.

7.  That man doesn't sit still.  People often ask me, "Does he move that much at home?"  My answer, "Why, yes he does." He gives life 100%. He might sit still for 5 minutes at home, but 5 minutes is all I get! He is the hardest worker I know.

8.  Stu Hodges is the real deal. If you ask anyone that knows Stu they would tell you that he is the real deal. He is not one way at church and one way at home or work. I love that I get to worship and receive God's Word with the same man that I am married to.

9.  He protects. I always feel safe and protected because I know that "Stu's got this." He protects our church and its vision all the time. He has to say "no" to some very good ideas or people so that he can protect Waters Edge.  He protects our marriage.  He is never alone with another female and is willing to give me access to all text messages and emails (even though I completely trust him). He protects me from hurtful things that people say about him. He protects his kids by having a say in every aspect of our parenting. He protects his staff. He always has their back and believes in them. I have always felt safe because of his leadership in every aspect of my life. 

10. He loves God. I had a funny conversation with Taylor (our youngest) the other day.  She said, "I don't care that my daddy is famous."  I giggled and said, "honey, your daddy isn't famous." She said, "I know, all that matters is that he loves God and he does love God very much." You see, she sees him not only preach God's Word, but live out his faith on a daily basis.  She sees him read his Bible in the morning, she sees the way he responds to situations, she sees his compassion and she sees the way he leads his family. My little 8 year old showed me the greatest thing about my pastor, husband and baby daddy...he loves God.

Peanut Butter Parable

On Sunday, Stu told a parable using Peanut Butter Cups. It reminded me of a really funny story. About four years ago, my mother-in law and I were traveling with the kids to Roanoke together for a short trip to visit family and friends. Before we left, I let each one of the kids pick out their favorite package of candy. You know, candy and road trips go hand in hand, right? Brayden picked out a package of about 10 Reese Peanut Butter Cups, Emma picked out a package of 10 York Peppermint Patties, and honestly I can't remember what Taylor picked out but it was probably Skittles. The kids were soooo good and well behaved on the trip. We didn't even make one bathroom stop and we were able to make it there in about four hours. On the trip the kids were watching movies and playing their Nintendo DS games. Brayden had figured out a system where he could see better by hiding under a blanket while he played his video games. When we arrived we assumed that the kiddos would be starving, so instead of unpacking the car we came right in to eat. We asked Brayden if he was hungry and he really didn't want to eat. I didn't think anything of it. So, after lunch we went to go unpack the car and on his side of the car I saw one, two, three....TEN Reese cup wrappers. Ha! That little boy, probably 7 or 8 at the time ate every single Reese Peanut Butter cup under that blanket and I had no clue! I had intended for the candy to be used for the trip up, during and back home! To this day, we laugh at this story because that little boy scarfed down all ten Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Funny thing is, that boy still loves his Reeses! 

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That

Urban Dictionary Definition:  Aint Nobody Got Time For That: not wanting to deal with something/someone in that moment.

This Sunday we kicked off our sermon series it matters.  God has already been speaking to me and working on my heart.  I have to admit, I have definitely had a "ain't nobody got time for that" attitude.   However, my amazing husband kicked me into gear this Sunday during his sermon.  You see, I kind of thought that God was going to use these next couple of weeks to stretch and grow OTHER people who have never experienced a Capital Campaign.  Don't get me wrong, I was going to give, but I wasn't going to consider the fact that God wanted to do something in my own life.  However, it was in that moment that God not just whispered, but screamed to my heart, "I'm not done with you and I'm not done building my church."  I really don't have time to let negative thoughts  and a hardened heart interrupt what God wants to do in and through me.  I need to be open and obedient to what God wants to do in my life at all times.  I think when believers sometimes have an "ain't nobody got time for that" attitude...we miss the opportunity for God to stretch us and grow us in areas of our lives we never knew needed a good stretch.  When it comes to our journey, we can't have an attitude where we don't want to deal with God in that moment, afraid of what He might ask us to do.  Since I ain't got time for my old attitude, I have committed to pray over the next month 5 Dangerous Prayers written by Pastor Bill Hybels:

1.  Search Me..."we must not forget to ask God to point out our rebellion in our own spirits."

2.  Break Me..."You cannot grow as a Christian until you learn to ask for brokenness.  Regardless of your level of spiritual maturity, there will always be areas of your life God needs to work in."

3.  Stretch Me..."This is the kind of prayer to pray when you want to grow up spiritually.  If you know someone whose depth of love is humbling, whose spiritual strength is amazing, that person has probably asked God to stretch him through life's challenges."

4.  Lead Me..."Asking God to take your life and do whatever He wants with it is risky.  We've got to be believe that His plans for us are better than our own."

5.  Use Me..."It's exciting to make yourself available to God so that He can touch someone else through you.  Such a prayer creates adventure."

Command Center

When we moved into our house a year ago one of my goals was to make a Command Center.  You know, an area where all of our "stuff" goes.  I originally thought that it would be in my laundry room, but I quickly realized that this was not going to work because I would just make piles in the laundry room and leave it.  I really needed something that would be in my face every day so that I would be forced to do something about it.  So, I made my fabulous husband put together something in a very, very small area in between our garage and our kitchen.  I feel like that we have optimized this space and I love every inch of it!   I wanted to show you a few pictures and over the next couple of days, I will walk you through the transformation.  Did I mention that my husband is a rock star for being the brains behind this whole operation?  I love him!

This was phase one of our little project.  It took me a month to get to the little details!

We decided to go with the Rubbermaid track system.  The nice thing about this is that as our needs change, we can easily interchange how we have things set up.  I think the hubs likes this because it looks manly.  Argh, Argh, Argh!

I saw this on my favorite blog and I tucked it away as a must do one day!  I know that hers is better, but I just love that my kids get to come in the house everyday with this as a reminder about themselves...(and I loved the movie, The Help, too!)

This is where we will hang our coats, but for now it holds our Busch Gardens bag!

A before picture of our white boards.

This is an after picture of my white board.

Middle School is quite an adjustment for me and for Brayden.  So, I made a calendar that tells us if he is on "A" or "B" day.  He also serves at church on the "C" schedule and this helps with that too.  Whew, my life is getting very confusing!  Lord, help me.

We have 3 hooks in this area where the kids hang their book bags.  Also, as you can see in this picture we have two inboxes.  One is for mail and one is for...I haven't quit decided yet!

This is the boot tray for the kids to put their shoes in and it fits nicely under their book bags.  

This is my new industrial looking mat.  I love it because I don't have to vacuum it--not my favorite thing in life! 

I wish that I could get a picture of this whole room, but it is such a small space.  So, you have to enjoy it piece by piece.  

One last picture.  Ahh!  I just love this space.  Now do you agree with me?  My husband is a rock star!

Where have you been?

I can still remember my grandmother asking me that very question almost every time I walked in her door.  It was her lovely way of making me and my sister feel guilty about not coming over enough.

Over the last couple weeks, I have asked myself that very question many times--not audibly mind you. It has been a CRAZY month and I have felt guilty over not blogging.  However, I have been taking care of the hottest fires in my life and to be honest feeding my children and washing their clothes has been a hotter fire than blogging.  I have sooo many blog ideas to share, so when I have time it will roll out like butta!  I am talking a pantry redo, a new command center, braces, birthday parties...oh the list will go on.  Until then, check out a few pics from the last month!

Brayden at Lake Gaston! 

I grew lots of tomatoes in my new garden...this was my biggest one!

We did crafts.

We took these boys to Go Ape in Williamsburg....AMAZING!

A few Busch Gardens trips.

Brayden's team celebrating after his first out of the park home run! YES

Bold

This week has been one BOLD week!  Let me give you 3 reasons why!!!

1.  The kids and I declared last Wednesday Bold Day for the Hodges!  We spent the afternoon doing bold things all over our area.  I thought that I would show you some pics:

We started our day off with making a card and giving our mailman some Twizzlers!

We made tons of homemade salsa!  So, we delivered some chips and salsa to our principal and her office staff that are working so hard this summer to make the school year a success!

I took the kids out to lunch.  We tried to buy lunch for the gentleman behind us but he wouldn't let us.  Oh well!  The lady at the cash register royally messed up the amount that she charged my credit card, but I was feeling BOLD and exhibited much kindness instead of frustration.  So, I guess we were still BOLD at Subway! 

This is just a pic of Brayden having a good hair day! Handsome boy!

We bought school supplies for STUFF THE BUS!

We went to the Dollar Store and like little fairies, we stuck $1 bills in various things around the store. Someone will be very happy when they can purchase something from the Dollar Store with that dollar.

We put quarters in the machines at Kmart and didn't turn them.  We left them for the next happy customer that wanted a treat!

We went by the Waters Edge Church offices and delivered home made salsa and cookies!  Taylor made them a poster and a note too!  We have the best staff at Waters Edge.  They work so hard and we wanted to be BOLD and let them know just how much we appreciated them!

To end the day we delivered cookies, chips and salsa to my mom and her neighbor.

The kids kept saying, "Mom this is so much fun.  This feels so good to give."  I love that.  There isn't a better way to live a BOLD life than to be gracious, kind, appreciative and giving!  

2.  This past week, my mom had a family member visit from out of town.  My mom had the privilege of leading a family member to a relationship with Christ.  The family member listened to Stuart's message of BOLD from last week and cried and said that she wants to know Jesus!  Wow.  BOLD.  It makes me so thankful that I have a husband that is so faithful in listening to the Holy Spirit and is obedient in being BOLD on Sundays.  It also makes me grateful that my mom was so BOLD to share with her how to become a Christ follower and how to read her Bible for the first time!

3.  I probably should have ended on that note, but I can't!  Stuart had the privilege of pastor swapping with a good friend of his, Pastor Daniel Floyd at Lifepoint Church in Fredericksburg, VA this weekend...talk about BOLD!  I don't get to visit other churches very often, so this was a special treat for me.  We felt so welcome at Lifepoint Church and they were absolutely amazing hosts.  On the flip side, our church loved having Pastor Daniel Floyd speak at our church.  It was a very neat experience!  

So there you have it!  I think that this sermon series will go down in history as one of my favorites...and it is not even over yet!

Bold

We just started a new series at church called Bold!  It has been so good.  Stuart defined bold as:  an extraordinary behavior by an ordinary person because of an extraordinary experience.  When the kids and I did our bible study this morning we decided that we would put this principle into practice.  We have declared Wednesday--Bold Day for the Hodges! We are going to be exhibiting some extraordinary behavior of giving, love and appreciation.  It is my prayer that as a family we will daily live bold lives.  But, I love the idea of making it the forefront of our mind for a day!

We are still making out our list of things that we want to do, but here are a few ideas that we have going:

1.  Go to the dollar store and tape a $1 bill behind a toy--surprise!

2.  Buy things for Stuff the Bus.

3.  Leave the mailman a gift

4.  Put quarters in some gum ball machines for someone to enjoy.

5.  Visit our principal at school and bring her some treats....it is hard working in the summer!

So, we kind of got in a rut, do you have any other BOLD ideas for us?  I promise to do my best to document our journey tomorrow!

Harpersville House--Memory Lane

I am so frustrated at myself.  I am terrible at taking pictures.  I never think to do the before/after pics of things that I have done.  I was so hoping to share with you some of the pictures from the first house that Stuart and I bought in 1999.  It was such a beautiful house with so much character.  The outside was beautiful---a lot of work, but beautiful nonetheless.

Sorry about the picture quality...hey this was before digital cameras were affordable!

It was the perfect set up.  The house was actually on a main road.  But, it backed up to a school with a parking lot.  We were serving at a church doing Student Ministry, so we had lots of students coming in and out of our door and they were all able to park behind our house.  It was so awesome to never have to worry about parking!!

As far as the inside...I don't have any pictures!  I do however have lots of memories!

We had toilet paper, lots of toilet paper.  Students love to toilet paper houses and trees!

We had lots of parties and showers in our beautiful backyard

We had students at our house all the time.  This poor girl, Jessica, lost in a game of silent football.  When you loose in silent football you have cruel and unusual punishment.  She thought that she was drinking toilet water, but we tricked her and she really wasn't!

We tried to get pregnant for 3 years before having Brayden.  I dreamed of this baby room for a long time.  We did a fire fighter theme...before it was so popular.  I had the hardest time finding things to decorate his room, but his room was totally decked out in fire fighter stuff...fire pole and all!

We brought Brayden, our first child, home to this house!

We had generations of family in this house.  This is my pawpaw, my dad and Brayden (The Montgomery Boys)!

We had our first pool at this house!  I was 8 months pregnant in the summer.  Stuart came home from a mission trip and I informed him that I was hot and that we would be buying an above ground pool that day.  We immediately went to the pool store and bought one.  This is by far our most spontaneous purchase we have ever made!  However, we have had a pool in our backyard ever since and we love it.  

This is our last party at our house, Brayden's 1st birthday! We were surprised when we found out we were pregnant Emma and that they would be only 18 months apart.  As soon as we found out, we decided we needed to sell our house (we had lived there 2 years) and buy a bigger/newer house with a smaller yard.  I think that it was for sale for only 1 month before it sold.  

We have lived in 7 houses since we have been married.  Stuart is a bit of a nomad.  We just moved a year ago and I fully expect him to get the itch again in the next couple of years--although he has promised me 10.  I just love that no matter where we live, we have wonderful memories of family and friends.  We have always felt like our home is a place that we want God to use and He has!  

So grateful, so blessed!