Turning to the North

“Then at last the Lord said to me, ‘You have been wandering around in this hill country long enough; turn to the north.'" Deuteronomy 2:2-3

Hearing this verse this morning has been the wake-up call I've desperately needed. I realize I've been pretty quiet on the blog as of late, and there are a few reasons for this. Without going into specifics, let's just say the last 3 months of my life have been riddled with disappointment after disappointment.

This has been a huge test of faith for me. I vacillate daily between blatant doubt and weak hope. It's not a pretty place to be. Ask my husband who is fleshing out the definition of long-suffering by loving and living with me.

Currently, those disappointments have not yet been resolved or overturned. They still are what they are. But back to the verse at the top...yes, all I've been mentally doing has been going around in circles, over and over and over. I'm tired of wallowing in self-pity. I'm yearning for God to do something big. Something that actually comes to fruition. Or perhaps for clarity and discernment to see the hidden blessings of these things??

So here I am...waving my white flag; and attempting to turn to the North.

Merry Christmas from the Wells!

In His Name Religious Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Stolen kisses

"The only thing worth stealing, is a kiss from a sleeping baby." ~ unknown

Christmas cards from Shutterfly

'Tis the season for all things festive, fun, and family! I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas! Traditionally, I really don’t stress too much about holiday preparations. But there is one small detail that does draw out my perfectionistic tendencies….the family Christmas card.

Growing up, some twenty-odd years ago, Christmas cards typically had a painted wreath on the front with some gold-foil lettering. And that was the crème de la crème, some even included a wallet-sized photo of the kids.

Gone are those days (mostly), and enter the modern Christmas card, ala Shutterfly. Where you can use templates to customize designs to your heart’s desire. The sample photos are amazing, which only forces me to emulate that look. Here are some of the gorgeous designs from Shutterfly that I am loving!

I have not used Shutterfly for Christmas cards before, but have used them for greeting cards. The recipients loved seeing familiar faces on them, and noticed the professional appearance and quality cardstock. Shutterfly has oodles of designs and price points for anyone interested in sending out unique and memorable cards. So, what are you waiting for? Go check them out!

Pumpkin Patch: Now & Then

What a precious boy that he's grown into! Last year, he couldn't even sit up by himself, so he remained propped up between pumpkins. This year, he was running like a maniac between the rows of pumpkins, and we barely snapped a photo of him looking directly at the camera. I do see a common theme here: his oral fixation and my love of bulky sweaters. We love you little guy! This Fall has definitely been a lot more fun, watching him discover the colors, leaf piles, and cooler weather.

A New Family Tradition

DIY Fall Wreath

To celebrate Fall's arrival, I decided to do something I've never done before: make a wreath. As with most projects, I began my quest at Dollar Tree. They had a nice selection of wire ribbons, leaf garlands, mums, sunflowers, etc. I ended up buying two 5-foot leaf garlands. The wreaths they had were too small for a front door, but thankfully Michaels was right next door. I found an 18" grapevine wreath with a gorgeous orange sunflower pick with berry accents. After using a 40% off coupon and getting a 50% off sale, the total to make this simple wreath was $6. Not too shabby!

When creating the wreath, I first tried two ways with the garland. The first time, I wrapped it around the wreath, like a running stitch. But that didn't look so great. Next thing I tried was just laying the garland in a circle on top of the wreath. That added the fullness it needed. Enter floral wire and hot glue gun, and tada! About 30 minutes later, my little $6 wreath had blossomed into autumnal beauty.