Arrrggggg Matey

This year for her birthday, my girl only wanted one thing.....

.....a party fit for a pirate. 

So, a party fit for a pirate she did get. 

A few little details and a New Year's Eve spent stitching. 

I honestly think that I've officially mastered the idea of an easy handmade birthday party.......

.....and it only took me nine years and two kids. 

Happiest of happy birthdays, my little pirate. 

Here's hoping FOUR is your best year yet. 

And in case you're wondering, I am one over-the-top excited girl. 

In just a few hours, I'll be hitting the road and headed to Austin to spend the next four days with the world-changing women of Noonday Collection for our conference. 

It's basically all I've been able to think about, and I may or may not have packed last week. 

Here's hoping your weekend is anywhere close to as amazing as mine is sure to be. 

Jesus is the Reason (A Guest Post)

Hey friends! Crazy busy week wrapping up the Noonday season and whatnot, so today I have a SPECIAL treat for you! I'd like for you to meet my precious friend Rachel. LOVE her heart for Jesus, her desire to make her marriage work, and her passion for making her home the happiest of happy places to be. I've been there, and let me just tell you-- it's one of the happiest places ever. And today she's going to share with you some ways you can work to keep Christmas focused on Jesus. LOVE her heart and LOVE her ideas even more!

Hello there everyone. What a joy it is for me to be able to join my sweet friend McCall over here today to share my heart with you all. It is kinda funny how McCall and I came to know each other. We actually met via Instagram, crazy but such a blessing. All of you know about Noonday, thanks to McCall and her passion for the company, but McCall came to my house and allowed me to host a trunk show and we clicked right away. Social media is the best. So again, I am grateful for McCall and her allowing me to do this.

 Anyways, I guess a little bit about me. My name is Rachel Cox, I am a recent college grad, and newlywed. I didn't think graduating college was a big enough change so I threw marriage in there two weeks after graduation. But really, I am married to my best friend who is working on his PhD in Civil Engineering at Mississippi State University. We live in Starkville, MS in a super old Victorian home that has been divided into apartments...old things make me happy. I work for a new church plant here called Redeemer Church, and I work primarily with college students at MSU through our college ministry called Four Corners Mission Network. I love Jesus with everything that I am, and I strive to make my life about making his name known and proclaiming his true gospel to those around me. I love to create in my free time, and thankfully I am married to an engineer with a passion for woodworking and using his hands so I call on him a lot.  Also, I love to blog, check out my random thoughts, recipes, and our latest projects over at Oh Simple Thoughts. But enough about me...let's get to the reason I am here. Jesus.

In the midst of Christmas, I wanted to provide some perspective or encouragement about what it is we as Christians are called to really observe and celebrate during this month of festivities. Many of you have heard of Advent I am sure, and you may have a million different thoughts or opinions on what you think it is. I know some people celebrate Advent by giving candy or gifts each day to their children to get them more excited than they already are about Christmas day, or some use the Jesse Tree to celebrate this time leading up to Christmas. I am not going to use this post to say one is better than the other...but I want to challenge us to stop and consider what we do during this holiday season and why we do it. 

Christmas for the believer is a time of true celebration. Why? Well I can tell you it is not because of decorations, lights, hot chocolate, presents, or even time with family, though all these things are so wonderful to enjoy. No, Christmas is about celebrating that our Savior God, who is almighty and so worthy of our praise, became flesh, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) He became fully human, "so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17) So for this reason we celebrate. We were a people without hope, dead in our sins and carrying out the passions of our flesh (which these things by the way do not have to manifest themselves in what we may consider "obvious sins", the passions of our flesh can be glorifying ourselves through a perfectly decorated and clean home, or an excessive amount of spending on gifts, or become self absorbed and making life about us...) But despite all this God sent his son, to become our hope. (Ephesians 2)

I could go on and on about the importance of this idea, but I encourage you to preach the gospel to yourself daily, whether you have been a Christian since childhood or for only a few years. We all need to be reminded of the hope that only is found in the person of Jesus Christ. We are filled with hope, so we celebrate Christmas out of the overflow of joy that comes from being filled with that hope of salvation. So where does Advent fit into all this? Well I think that it is an excellent thing to do, that practically can prepare our hearts for a celebration rooted in hope and not materialism. Advent is simply a time of prayer, fasting, and anticipation of what is to come. For Ben (my husband) and I we made an Advent calender and filled each day with verses about Jesus' birth. Some are prophecies and some are directly from the accounts of Jesus' birth. We read these most every night and talk through them together. We also included various Christmas activities for each day, such as take a baked item to a neighbor, drink hot chocolate, sleep under the Christmas tree, make a Christmas ornament. 

We want to enjoy all the things we love about Christmas too so please do not read this post and think you can never do fun Christmas things again without feeling guilty for not focusing on Christ's birth. No, out of the overflow of hope, rejoice, and drink some homemade hot chocolate with your sweetheart and kids. I think this is a time to be enjoyed and a time for us to slow down. However, the reason we enjoy and slow down is not because of family, time off work and out of school, gifts, giving, or amazing food...it is all rooted in the gospel, just as everything in our life should be. In Acts 20:24 Paul says, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." That is a powerful statement...our reason for life is to testify to the Gospel. The gospel that begins in the hope found in a baby's birth, Jesus Christ. So why not make Christmas about Christ, and not us. Why not teach our families and children to rejoice in the Lord during this month and not gifts. This is such a prime time to teach the gospel to others.

So I encourage you all now, to stop. Praise the Father for sending his son, born of a virgin, in a humble manger, to become the redeemer for us and our ever increasing sin. He is worthy of our praise today, friends, praise him, not gifts, or activities relating to Christmas, but praise HIM. I hope and pray this encourages you the way it encouraged me. As I have been pondering what to write I have become so excited about the Gospel and my amazing Father God. I pray you experience the same excitement. 

Would love to hear from you all, and to meet some more social media friends just like McCall. Check out my blog, Oh Simple Thoughts, if you have some time and say hey! Blessings to you and yours this Holiday Season, and Merry Christmas!

xoxo- Rachel Cox

Instagram-ing It Up {a how to just for you}

It's no secret I love Instagram. 

In fact, it's my favorite means of social media (shhh....don't tell facebook). 

However, I don't love the fact that some of my favorite pics can only be viewed on my phone. 

That is, until today. 

Thanks to a friend, I found an awesome, easy tutorial that takes your pics from Instagram to a 4x6 JPEG image that you can then print wherever you so choose. 

So, for $.28 each, I had some printed today at Wal-Mart. 

I also collected some cardstock, scissors, and magnet strips (also from Wal-Mart for a whopping $.97). 

I glued the pics to the cardstock. 

Once the glue dried, I cut them out and stuck the magnets to the back. 

And there you have it-- in about thirty minutes and for about $3.00, I made some of the cutest magnets I've ever seen. I also made sets for both grandparents as a 'just because we love you' happy. 

You can check me out on Instagram (username leemeandthegirls). 

I'd love to see your new Instaagram print projects posted there!

Also, this weekend I'll be representing Noonday Collection at a fundraising event for Charity Water. 

I'll be donating my commission to help provide life-saving clean water to those in need.

Usually my commission goes into our adoption fund, but not this time! 

So, if you've been eyeing some Noonday, this is a great time to order! 

Just select me as your ambassador during checkout and put CHARITY WATER as the trunk show. 

And remember-- Noonday makes great Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, and give yourself a gift gifts! 

www.mccallaldridge.noondaycollection.com

The fundraiser will remain open through Tuesday, September 17. 

And oh, there are so many things to love about Noonday. 

Crafternoon Delight.

This past weekend, the hubby away working a Christian retreat...

you know, molding young minds and whatnot. 

I realize that when some women's husband's are gone, they catch up on some girlie TV, eat bon bons, and sip margaritas. I am clearly NOT one of these women. 

You see, I am a crafter. 

But my hubby hates it. 

He doesn't hate the finished products; he hates the in-between phase..when there are paintbrushes overrunning our kitchen sink and canvases covering the table. 

So when he's gone, I craft like crazy and try to squeeze in as much as possible. 

Make sense? 

I thought so. 

So, within about an hour of Dad heading out, we got to work. 

We started with a few Father's Day gifts that I can't show you yet because the hubs reads the blog. 

Sorry, Lee, you'll have to be patient. 

And then, I tackled this project that I've been wanting to get to for forever:

We hung the springs from my baby bed on Libby's wall,

 complete with a little banner action I threw together last week. 

She can use little clothes pins and clip pictures, etc. to it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. 

We also threw together a little collage on her wall. 

Yes, those are small clip boards. 

And that piece to the top left says LET THE WILD RUMPUS START...one of my favorite quotes ever. 

This piece was my favorite. 

It's made from the top of a shoe box, some scraps, and some pieces I printed off of the computer. 

Easy and cheap is my favorite craft combo. 

And for the finale: 

On Friday, this was a bench that sat in our carport. 

It had spent years in my grandfather's workshop. 

It was special to me but too unstable to sit on anymore. 

So, we removed the legs, worked a little magic, and made it into a very special shelf for Hollyn's room. 

And that, my friends, is what I like to call a Crafternoon Delight. 

Happy Tuesday to you and you and you. 

Libby is spending this week at camp, so we're busy watching Hollyn enjoy her time as a an only child and remembering the days of just one kiddo. Two is such a different world. And I can only imagine that three will be quite the adventure. 

Cutest. Wedding. Ever.

In case you don't stalk me on Instagram (in which case you are surely missing out), this past weekend I was the matron of honor in the wedding of one of my nearest and dearest. 

And when I say it was the cutest wedding ever, I tell no lies. 

Don't believe me? 

See for yourself. 

Cutest decor ever. 

Cutest way to display the bride's new last name ever on the cutest dress ever.

Cutest location for a ceremony ever. 

Cutest centerpieces ever. 

Cutest display ever. 

Cutest drink bar ever. 

Cutest idea ever. 

Cutest mugs and straws combo ever. 

Cutest food set up ever. 

(BTW, hamburgers and fries are the cutest wedding food ever.)

Cutest ring bearer sign ever. 

Cutest bride ever ever ever. 

Cutest picture of us ever.

Cutest pose ever. 

Cutest A TEAM ever (maid and matron). 

Cutest dancing shoes ever. 

Cutest bridesmaids ever. 

Cutest remake ever. 

Cutest cake ever topped off with the cutest little lovebirds ever. 

Cutest group of college friends ever. 

Cutest idea ever. 

Cutest end to the cutest night ever. 

Pinterest, eat your heart out. 

Making Heart Day Special

So I wanted Valentine's Day to be special for Hollyn. 

Libby had a big school party to be excited about; Hollyn was stuck home with me. 

So, here's what we did: we painted. 

OK, so maybe I helped a little to get her started...

I mixed a little shaving cream and a little food coloring, and there you have it. 

BEST. BATH. EVER. 

Needless to say, my little girl is quite the artist. 

She giggled and laughed and painted and giggled and laughed and painted. 

I'd call that a successful morning. 

And Libby's school party was quite the hit. 

Here's hoping your weekend was wonderful. 

If you need me, I'll be stalking the sample; it's Noonday spring sample shipment week. 

Ask me if I'm excited.