Bathroom Stepstool Project

I know I've been absent from my little ole blog lately... did you know it's been over a year now since I've been typing away on here? Crazy, huh?! Posting craft projects and pictures of our family adventures has been a great stress reliever for me because I feel like I am helping to inspire others to create things and documenting important family memories at the same time (since finding time to scrapbook is near impossible these days!) However, with the beautiful summer months upon us, sitting down with the computer seems to be the last thing on my to-do list. Maybe I'll catch up on the blogging during the fall since I have lots of projects I'd like to post and TONS of family pictures that need to be uploaded for out-of-state relatives and friends (I haven't even posted pictures of Selah's birthday, yet! Bad me!!!).

But anyway, I had to post this quick crafty idea for you all because it turned out so cute, was entirely too easy to accomplish, and my dear hubby actually did it all! I found the inspiration on pinterest (of course!), which led me to a blog named Brown Paper Packages (Click here to see her cute step stool). I showed Scott the link and found a wooden step stool at Michaels (using a 50% off coupon) to use to make our own. As a little disclaimer, the stool did have a little sticker on the underside which said something about only using for craft projects and don't stand on it... etc. But it is super sturdy and doesn't even wiggle at all when my girls stand on it, so I think it will be fine!

The only thing I did for this project is sand it down before painting, and then Scott used leftover paint from painting our walls to paint the stool green and add the girls foot prints. He even did the footprints with the girls all by himself! I'm really impressed at the lack of smudges!!! ;o)

Then after I added the names and date with a sharpie white paint marker, Scott painted a clear coat of poly sealer to protect it from our girls that like to destroy everything, and put little felt circles on the bottom of the legs. 

Now the girls don't have to stand on the toilet lid to wash their hands! I'm so excited! It fits our skinny bathroom nicely, and it monuments how big our girlies feet are at this stage of life. I love how you can tell who has the fat feet in the family and the high arch. Lol

See? I even got my husband doing crafty things... though he would be quick to defend himself and say this is a project, not a craft! ;o)

Thanks for the inspiration, Brown Paper Packages and Pinterest! :) And I appreciate you, my faithful readers, who keep checking in even though I've been bad about posting recently. But I hope you too are finding more things to do outside than in front of the computer. See you around!

 Linking to these parties

Thankful to be Rescued

Are you familiar with the story in Zechariah 3 of Joshua the high priest standing before God? I can’t get the story out of my head these days. While many remember the time Satan accused Job before God, this similar story is not as familiar. Since I read it a few weeks ago, God has been using it to constantly remind me that He is my defense, my advocate, and my source of truth. 

In this fascinating passage, Joshua the high priest is standing before the Lord dressed in filthy garments of sin. Satan is also standing there, ready to accuse him before God. But before Satan can get a word in, God turns to him and says, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” (v. 2) After putting Satan in his place, the Lord removes Joshua’s dirty clothing, and He clothes him in pure white garments, saying, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away.” (v. 4)

I just love that. When Satan wants to point out my sin and failures, God steps in before Satan can even raise his pointer finger, and says, “Oh no, you don’t! This one is mine! I removed her from the fire!”

Now I realize that according to Revelation 12, since Christ’s victory on the cross, Satan can no longer come into the presence of God to accuse Christians (HALLELUJAH!) However, he still loves to come and speak lies to my heart. Satan slyly whispers to me that my outward actions determine God’s approval and disapproval. He tries to get me to believe that I AM MY FAILURES…. that I have no right to even approach God – that even if I did try to pray, God wouldn’t want to hear me…  He is too angry that I keep messing up…. ready to just be done with me.

Whoa! Hold on! What is that I hear? It is God shouting at Satan, “I rebuke you!!! Is not this one that I rescued from the fire? Look at her righteous garments! Keep your filthy pointing fingers off of her. She’s mine!”

And as I read and meditate on passages like Zechariah 3 and Romans 8, I hear the strong voice of my God speaking over Satan’s slimy whispers, telling me that His approval of me is constant, based on the work of Jesus Christ, not anything I do or don’t do. He tells me that my failures don’t define me – they are stepping stones on this journey to bring me closer to Him. He makes all things beautiful in His time! When I sin, He is ever ready to hear from me and to give me strength, forgiveness, and love.  He patiently reminds me (because I often forget) that I don’t need to be perfect to access the throne of grace; He has already covered me in His own perfect righteousness!

Hope these humble thoughts encourage you today, my friends. God is good. He loves us. If He is for us, who can be against us?!! (Romans 8:31)

Staying Cool?

With temps hanging around 99 - 104, we have been doing a lot of this lately...

The girls LOVE water, and take any opportunity to get wet... the sink, the bath tub, the sprinkler, a nearby lake, or a friend's pool... they appreciate whatever they can get!

Hope you all are managing to stay comfortable and finding fun ways to cool off, too. :)