Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... Belated

Hello! I'm a little behind on the times, yeah Christmas was over a week ago and News Years was yesterday, but I haven't posted since September, so yeah I need to get up to date with y'all. Might as well add Happy Belated Thanksgiving too lol.  Well, if any of you work retail, you know this is/was the business time of year, then add family time, and just everyday life. It can be pretty crazy. My Christmas was good, mixed in with eh... I live in Michigan, and you may have heard about our big ice storm that knocked the power out in over 200,000 homes. I was one of them. I was without power for 6 days. I stayed with my mom the whole time. And it was annoying after awhile (not the getting to spend more time with my mom part, but having to go to my house to get things, check on everything, and pray my pipes wouldn't freeze (they didn't!)). Glad its over and thankful to have power! So blogging wasn't a big priority at that time.

So now I got you up to date, kinda, it's the new year. And I am so happy for 2013 to finally be over. It was a good and bad year. Probably the worst. My father and half brother passed away, which i'm still not over. I think losing a parent will take some time to get over. But for 2014, i'm praying for restoration. I'll write more on that later. I'm looking forward to 2014. I'm looking forward to more projects, more blog post, and finally- 3 years in the making- the launch my business! Yeah, i'm finally gonna do it! So yeah, that's all for now. I'll write more later, but for now I just wanted to check in with you and share briefly what i've been up to. Talk to you later!
-Jen

A Long Time

Well, Hello there! Its been been awhile since I last posted (since April... yikes!). Well I'm back and ready to get back into this blog! So what have I been up to since, you ask? A lot and not a lot.

I may share more a little later, I'm not quite ready yet, but my dad's been pretty sick these past three 3 and in August of this year he has passed. It's been terribly hard since, but I've been making it through with God as my help. I do want to share that story later, but for today- that's all. Things are getting better. It just takes time.

Speaking of taking time- I'm officially (like really, definitely,  gonna do it, for real) going to start my dream of owning an etsy shop. Ill post all shop updates, the launch/ grand openning, sales, and everything business on here!

And lastly, my home blog is up and running!  You can find all my home ideas, inspiration, and projects in my home. My home blog is The Creative Home Project. You should definitely check it out!

Well I guess that was my summer. I'm very much looking foward to the fall season and all the stuff that's going to happen in my life, my business, and this blog!
It's good to be back!
-Jen

Chalkboard Labels DIY

Hello! I finally did it, my first diy of the year! I've been working on my craft room off and on, it's not done yet, but I needed to do something crafty. So I cleared off my work table and got to work. I bought some glass jars at Hobby Lobby for my dogs' treats and just for fun I wanted to label them. Instead of chalkboard paint (which I love) I went with the vinyl chalkboard surface, also at Hobby Lobby and made the labels myself, so here is the DIY instructions for it!

This is a super easy project and fun and addicting. As you will see I made a ton of labels, just for fun! Also don't forget to read some tips below the diy!

The Supplies you will need is:
     1.) Chalkboard Vinyl Surface - It will stick to almost anything, plus it's removeable and reusable!
     2.) Cricut cartridges- I used Storybook and Songbird
     3.) Jar - Or anything with a smooth surface
     4.) Cricut Machine - This one is the Cricut Create, any cricut will do
     5.) Cricut Mat
     6.) Scissors

Step 1: Cut the chalkboard vinyl to the size of the cricut mat. Smooth out any air bubbles.

Step 2: Pick the shapes you want to cut. I chose from Songbird (the one on the right), the top label. Any shape will work as long as it have enough room to write on.

Step 3: Program your cricut with the shape, size, and any other feature.

Step 4: Press the cut key and the cricut will cut your shapes. Since vinyl is a little thicker than paper, make sure your mat is sticky to where the vinyl will stay on, if not hold it down as it cuts, just be careful not to get too close to the blade. And if the vinyl slips off the mat while cutting, just press the stop button and unload, then realign and start over with cutting.

Step 5: Peel off your shapes. They should peel off easily. If not, like the big one on the left of the mat, lift off what you can then use your scissors and carefully trim off the rest of the vinyl. The blade may have left an imprint so cutting may not be super hard.

Step 6: Peel off the vinyl backing and stick to the jar (or whatever you decide to label).

Step 7: Write on you labels using chalk and have fun!

As you can see I love these chalkboard labels. And yep, I had to put a bird on it (Portlandia reference), which turned out a little small. I like it none the less. So yeah, next up will be my sugar, flour, and etc canisters... and probably more!

I did make a few mistakes on this diy, so here's my tips from what I learned. 

- Before cutting the vinyl, practice on a regular sheet of paper. I didn't quite get the right size at first, as you see in the picture of the cut vinyl. This way you don't waste your vinyl trying to figure out what size labels you want.
- Make sure your cricut mat is really sticky. Mine wasn't, so the vinyl came up from the mat when cutting. If it's sticky, you shouldn't have to hold it down. Plus the shapes should cut out fully.

Cost of project-
  -Jars - $5.00 and under per jar, plus half off (Hobby Lobby)
  -Chalkboard Vinyl Surface- $7.99 orig. $4.79 with 40% coupon (Hobby Lobby)
     So, all together, with my 4 jars and chalkboard vinyl, for my project, it was under $10. Not to bad. That is if you already have the rest of the supplies. The cricut machine cost anywhere from $120 to $300 depending on the size and kind you get. The machines already include the mat, blade, and even a cartridge. Now I think most machines come with a pre loaded cartridge with shapes and fonts. Cricut has evolved since I first got mine. You can check out the Cricut website for more information of that.

As an alternative, if you don't have a cricut machine and don't want to buy one, you can just use a stencil of the shape you want to cut, a pencil to trace, and scissors or an exacto knife to cut it out!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this diy. It's super simple, fun, and addicting. I love it! The dogs, however love what's inside better! :)

And yes, Riley and Lily both love bacon! I do too, I mean real bacon, not bacon dog treats!
Now to go make some labels for more things. Thanks for reading! :)  -Jen

Disciple

Hello! I hope you had a good Easter Sunday! Mine was spent at church, then with family, and ended with watching the conclusion of The Bible series. Yep, I still get an Easter "basket" (decorative box, basket, or etc...this year was going to be a flower pot for my front porch, but I was unable to decide on one), anywhoo... :)   It was a bag filled with candy, a new glass water bottle, a melon baller (yes, I been kinda wanting a melon baller,  I like kitchen gadgets and appliances  it's my other addiction besides office supplies.), and a few other fun things! My doggies were also giving a basket full of 3 different kind of dog treats- one is duck shaped crackers, they love those! and a new rope toy (they love stuffed toys to shreds (literally) so only durable toys make it in this house now).
The Bible series was pretty cool. I only saw a few episodes, but they were good. I hope to watch the whole series sometime. I'm more of a visual person. I like to see things in order to figure things out, like with problems I like to write things down, or with traveling I like to see the directions and how to get there on a map instead of hearing the directions. I've been reading/hearing the Bible since I was very little. Always tried to picture the stories in my mind. Actually seeing them through this series brought them to a different light. One of my favorite things to see was involving the disciples. I don't know why, it just stuck with me different. Seeing a portrayal of their relationship with Jesus, how they interacted, how they loved him and each other, how they followed him- even after his death and resurrection, and a bit of their stories.

Being Christian then wasn't easy. Many of them were persecuted, most were put to death because of their beliefs, and yet they didn't give up. Being a Christian today is a little different, depending on where you live of course. Living in the U.S, there is persecution, but not to the point of prison or death. But there is more distraction, more things that make us comfortable and willing to live in our comfort zones. Jesus is outside of our comfort zone. I don't want to be a Christian who just sits on the side lines. Just goes to church and lives a nice life of being good to people and loving God... I want to do more, be more. I want to be like Peter, when an opportunity comes, to speak bolding about Jesus and do His work. I want to be like Paul, to encourage people and not give up. I want to be a disciple who does the work of Jesus, believes His word, and loves people. I want to live the life God intended me to live. One in which He will say, at the end of it all, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

But how? I know what being a Christian means, I know what His word says, I know how to love others. But how, specifically does God want me to be a disciple. It's kinda a weird question, I mean you should be a disciple in your everyday life- at your workplace, school, home, in everything. I guess for me, i'm trying to figure out what God wants me to do. I've been wondering this for awhile, as far as my calling. I suppose that's for another post. But yeah, I just want to be a disciple. One who walks with Jesus, one who hangs out with Jesus, one who knows Jesus. I want to help people, heal people, give to people, love people, and most important share with people that God loves them, that Jesus is their Savior.

That's what i've been thinking about this Easter. Being a true disciple. I guess I can go in more detail on that too in another post. This is mostly about what's on my mind. God is amazing and good. And even when we think we aren't good enough, He doesn't see it that way. He loves us right where we are, and wants to help us grow from there. There's so much more I can post about this and I will, but I will end this here for now.
-Jen

Martha Moment

Is moving into a house 7 months ago and still not fully unpacked a bad thing? Or does it just show that I may not need everything I have? Or that I want to be organized and make sure everything has a place? I hope it's not bad and I think it could be a both some things unneeded and some things I just wanted to get the right place set up for it. When I first moved in I originally wanted to get the house ready- clean, paint, pull up carpet, then unpack. But life happened and I was never able to do what I planned. I had to just live in my unfinished (cosmetic, not structural or anything unlivable) house. I've been working like crazy to just unpack and settle in a half primed and painted 2 different color for sampling living room. I think I need a week off to get this house done (minus painting, I don't like painting in the winter), but I will work on it little by little with the free time after work. As I was working on it today, a thought came to me. Am I too busy thinking and working on my house when I should be thinking and working on my heart? I do spend a lot of time on pinterest getting ideas for my house, thinking about decorating and furniture placement, and cleaning and unpacking. So much time i've been neglecting other things.

Psalms 37:4 says- "Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." and Philippians 4:8 says- " Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Houndstooth and Damask are lovely... oh and a pink couch is something I kinda desire. But these aren't the things I should be obsessing thinking about. I was reminded of the story of Mary and Martha found in Luke 10:38-42: As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”  “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” I'm so caught up in my house, my problems, and just daily life stuff that I lost the opportunity to spend more time with God, think about Him and what's on His heart for the day, to pray more for what's on God's heart.

To be honest, i'm not the best at setting aside time for that. I spend my entire day taking little moments to talk to God or read a verse, but not a good amount of time. I'm letting life distract me from being at Jesus' feet. I'm being more like Martha in this case. I need to let some stuff go and realize what is truly important- spending time in God's presence.
And once I let go, things will get better, I will feel better. I need Him more than anything, more than a pink and navy blue room. When it comes down to it, not much matters except God and people. God loves us and cares about what we care about. And He is totally cool with that lamp from Target, or the table from Ikea. The desire for my house to be a home and nicely decorated is one that God is ok with. Just look at Solomon's place (well read about). God's ok with nice things. He wants us to have the best, but more importantly He wants us to be the best.
I encourage you, I don't know what things you have going on in your lives, take time for the things that matter most. Do what makes you happy (or buy, with in your budget :), what makes you happy (a nicer tv)) and most importantly do what makes God happy- love Him and love others.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!! 
It isn't my favorite holiday yet. It's fun for kids and couples, but not so much for singles. Kinda depressing. Well, after many years of "depressing" Valentine's days, i've learned its ok, it's just another day! Basically I got over it. This year i'm still over it. I'm still single. And I started something different, something new, something uncertain, and yet something- I signed up for an online dating site. I'm learning as i'm going (was always and will always be cautious). I'm still not a big fan of it, but it's something. I'm tired of not doing anything but waiting, hoping. I'm still waiting and hoping, but i'm also trying this. And if I even just meet some new friends or whatever, that's cool. But I do hope i'll find the right guy sometime soon.
Some things for singles to remember-
1.) You are more valuable and worth far more than anything. No guy can take that away. The right guy will see it and treat you as such. Don't settle for just any one, go for the best, the right guy.
2.) Your time is valuable. Don't let people waste it.
3.) If someone you have a crush on doesn't feel the same way and you get crushed, don't be heart broken. Be sad for a bit, be mad if you have too, then move on. He's not worth it, and really he's missing out. The right guy will come and will know you're worth more and he will be worth everything.
4.) A guy won't define you. Dating won't define you. You define you and before you are in a relationship you should really have a solid grasp on deep down who you are. No guy can change the true you, only God.
5.) A guy won't complete you. He should compliment you. Bring out the best in you.
6.) Be careful. Guard your heart.
7.) Be yourself. The right guy who you are ment to be with will love you for who you are. Never try to impress a guy with exaggerated facts and things to make you look good.
and
8.) Have fun and trust God. He has the best plans for you. Just be patient and prepare yourself. And enjoy your life whether you are single or not.

There's just a bit of my advice for fellow singles.
Later. -Jen

Operation- Live Like No One Else

A few years ago I read the book: Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. And he said: 

“If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”

Meaning if you live below your means like few people do, later on you can live like the few that are well off. That's what I want to do this year. When I started my taxes I looked at my W2 and saw how much I made last year. I looked at my bank account and saw how little of it I had. I'm not the best saver yet. I did save like crazy to buy my house. Usually I will have a couple hundred ( in honesty) in my savings and the rest in a checking account. Usually after tithes, bills, and expenses my accounts get low. I know it's good to have 3 to 6 months expenses in a savings account, I just have never been that good at saving. Until now! It's a new year so that means it's time to buckle down and get saving. So comes in Operation Live Like No One Else. What brought this up was from pinterest. I repined a blog about a family of 4 who lives on $14,000 a year. It kinda shocked me. I make a good amount, but I somehow live on close to that amount a year. I want to change, I want to have a huge amount of savings left over at the year end. I also realized, i'm not a family of 4 and I also only have one income, at the moment. So their scenario may not work for me entirely, but I can use their tips and adjust them to fit my needs better. I'm pretty excited to start and even more excited to see my savings account grow! I'm excited to become financially free! So let the journey begin. I will be sharing what i've learned from changes i've made, what works best for me, and some money saving tips. I will include it in my financial friday feature and maybe a few extra posts as well. I can't wait to save!