Hi Y'all.

I took a break from Five on Friday last week due to the fact that I just needed some rest from juggling it all.  Being a mama is sometimes just enough and it's okay to lay some stuff down and choose rest.  Something I have spent most of my early motherhood learning.  Naps. Are. Ok.  They are needed sometimes in order to be a better wife and mother to your littles.  

Here are my five...

ONE: 

This Sunday makes the last Sunday Post and soon our Sunday's together will turn into Inspiration Sunday with our new Blog Series...

You can click (here) to read about all of the details.  

I am so excited to share some of the DIY projects and Inspirational stories that I have received already, but I need MORE.  You can submit any projects that you have going on around your home and in your life and/ or testimonies of how God has used you in a big way to impact His Kingdom.  

Either way, the point of this new series is to Inspire Others, no matter where they are at.  And together we can motivate, encourage and inspire one another to JUST START.

Do what you love and leave behind what you don't.  

This is my motto for my life for the year of 2014 and the the words "Do It" to tag along.  

So needless to say, I want to inspire others to do the same, all while being inspired myself.

This new series starts March 2nd... That's NEXT WEEK!

So get started.  Send me your favorite DIY projects and Inspirational Stories (here).

Oh, and if you haven't LIKED our new Facebook PAGE... come on over and give us a click.  

We would love to have you join our encouraging community.

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Here is an easy, simple DIY project for ya.

Since the first of January, I have devoted myself to writing The Sunday Post each week.  What started out as quest to reach more readers and increase blog traffic has transformed into so much more.  The increase of readers and encouragement has pushed me back to my once-upon-a-time dream of having a "must-read" blog.  It just shows that if you just "start" moving toward what you want in life then your efforts at least get the ball rolling and actually gives God something to work with.  When we find ourselves waiting for it all to line up "perfectly" or waiting for just the "right" moment we are limiting ourselves.   And God.   I have never seen my girls just sit for something that they want... unless I have used my deep "mommy voice" and made them.  They go after it.  They don't need everything to always make sense or appear to be perfect.
They see, they want, they go after it.  

You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.

~les brown

So let's keep the ball rolling shall we?

The Sunday Post was completely unlimited in topic and was a great starting point.  However, for the month of March I want to take our Sunday's together with a different approach.

What motivates us to finally get started?  

It usually starts with just a hint of 

So for the Month of March and April, I want to inspire you, by showcasing not just my own, but others who have stepped out and tried something new, something crafty, something courageous for the Glory of God.  Maybe you painted some cabinets in your home or you got crafty in the organization department.  Maybe you have decided to tackle a full out renovation project and have hired someone to update your home.  Or maybe you stepped out in faith and did something that God was calling you to do, like introducing someone to Jesus, praying out loud for someone in need or starting a dream that God is calling you to in your life.

Regardless, big or small, I want to know.

Here is YOUR chance to be showcased on This Whole House through our NEW BLOG SERIES...

"Inspire Me" 

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DIY and Design Projects:

Just send a short snip-it of...

1.  Your design project (before and after pics) --if you only have after that's fine.

2.  How you did it? Or if you hired someone, what inspiration did you use to gather ideas?

3.  How has the outcome helped you love your space?

God Inspired Stories and Testimonies:

You just tell me what happened in your own words. 

From Beginning to End and How God gained the Glory.

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Please email me your stuff by clicking (here).
Starting March 2nd, I will begin showcasing your posts.

I am SOOOO excited to see the entries.  Until then, here are some other projects to INSPIRE you.  These DIY projects were completed by "beginners" who stepped out and decided to do something new.

Before.

 After.

Pure White and Clear Wax by Annie Sloan

These look fabulous Lindsey Holmes.  

As of Thursday morning I honestly didn't think this Friday post would happen... 

Since Wednesday morning, our house of 5 has been powerless due to an ice storm that came through all day on Wednesday.  The crazy thing is that the roads were never treacherous, nor was the ground even covered.  But the trees.  Oh the trees.  They just couldn't handle the weight of the ice and just like the snow storm (here), this ice shut this whole beach town down.  

Especially our house.

As of Thursday around lunch we decided that we could not possibly endure another night without power, so we checked ourselves into the hotel just one mile down the road.  Plus by this point, severe boredom had taken havoc and these two parents decided to celebrate Valentine's day a little early.    The craziest thing, is that by Thursday afternoon it seemed that we were the only ones still without power.  Even though I am sure that this wasn't true, it still seemed that our street was the only one lacking.  

Maybe they just missed the street of the quiet, little ranches.  Hmmm.

So as I sit on my wi-fi, sipping my coffee and watching the baby snooze in the warmth of the hotel room, I am truly grateful to write you this post.  And I have a true perspective of what my Great and Grandparents did.  Don't wanna go back to that... but man they were some tough mamma jammas.

So after that rant, here are my Five...

The ONE before the ONE:
 This link-up is raising awareness for a little boy named Teddy.  You can read Teddy's story here and join the cause. #TeamTeddy

ONE:

We had a Valentine's party with all of my girl's besties and it was that night that God really brought some perspective to this whole Homeschooling Journey that I have been on this last year.  

You can read about that (here).

TWO:

We lost power, played board games and ate pizza (take out).  This was when being in the blackout was still fun and all of the heat had not yet seeped out of our 1970 windows.  

Oh, and Wade Nagy got beat in the game of Trouble by his wife and his 5 year old, 

by which at that point he had decided to let his 4 year old beat him also.

THREE:

This was dinner.  This HAD to make my top five because I was just so impressed.  

Gotta do whatcha gotta do to survive...  and my man needs his meat.

#baconandchicken

I hope one day that this very window can be turned into this...

That way when the chicken and the bacon are done... just hand that plate right over to me through the window.  Sounds perfect.  Plus summer... oh yes.  Good idea.

FOUR:

(chime the Angels singing and in the words of Wade Nagy... Glor-aaaaaaaaaaay!!!)

This was an early Valentine's present.  A night in a very nice, WARM hotel. 

And this is the sweet sleep my baby got just moments after check in.

They just weren't made for the cold.

Praying that tomorrow will bring sunshine and power to our house. 

FIVE:

And finally one that doesn't have to do with my family.  Even though they are the reason that I write.

THIS WHOLE HOUSE now has a Facebook Page!!

Head on over and LIKE it here.  

Be sure to invite all of your friends as well!

And thanks to Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha for hosting all of this fun!

Last June during one of the craziest seasons of my life, God called me to homeschool. 

 It wasn't what I would have necessarily chosen for myself, nor was it what I thought I would ever do.  Before I had babies, 3 to be exact, I was a public school teacher.  I taught first grade, second and even did an internship with Kindergarten.  First grade was my favorite and by the time I was getting ready to have my first born, I had fallen in love with the many different types of children that I got to be around each day.  I was around children of all different colors, ethnicity's and social class.  Public school was the mixture that I had always wanted my own children to be a part of.  

That is partly why this "calling" was so hard for me.  As a child that LOVED school, I had a hard time with the idea of my own child having calendar time with her two younger sisters and possibly a few stuffed animals.  And then, what about all of the fun festivities that take place each year, like Grandparents day and Christmas plays of baby Jesus and the angels (oh wait, that's not public school).  Who was she going to do the Thanksgiving classroom "feast" with... her stuffed Teddy and Porcupine??  And then what about the audience.  Who would come watch paper bags become puppets and 3 little girls show off all the many talents they had learned throughout the school year?  Then there was yearbook, field day, art class, team sports, etc. etc.

The list of fears kept going.  

And the number one fear... 

How was she going to be socially accepted with no one to talk to?

Little did I know though, was that God would call me to this season to actually teach ME something.   What I have learned is that my child loves having me as her teacher.  My child loves the fact that her best friends are her sisters.  She loves that she can wear her pajamas to class and bring her bestie Barbie to sit with her during carpet time.  She even loves it when her baby sister losses it and becomes a total cry baby... because she gets to be one of the many "mommies" in this house that makes things all better.  I have also learned that those she chooses to "socialize" with are those that share the same values, the same beliefs for life and the same passions for laughter as she does.  I have learned that even though her friends go to different schools and have other friends that it doesn't change how they feel about my girls.  They connect.  They socially "get" each other because they all have one common denominator.  

Love.  

And God is Love.

Over this last year, we have had friends come and watch puppet shows made out of Popsicle sticks.  We have had friends come and wrap up shoe boxes for Operation Christmas child and we even had friends come and celebrate Jesus' birthday with some yummy red velvet cake. 

And tonight, we had a house full of little kids ready to hand out their hand-made Valentines to the ones that they love.  My heart was full. 

Tonight, I am thankful for friends who take being a friend much further than socialization.  They take it deep and straight to the heart.  They let you know that your life matters.  Those are the types of friends that I witnessed tonight.  Yes, the mothers of who brought their younguns' to be with us, but also the little friends that ran around here, carefree and fully devoted to having fun with each other.

And so, I am grateful, (even though more days than not, are pretty rough) 

that God called me to Homeschool this year.  

What is God calling you to do?

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Here are just a few reasons why I am thankful that God brought me away from the fear of being socially accepted and into the calling that He had for me and my girls.  

There is only one thing better than window shopping that still manages to produce the same outcome... when I actually get to go to the store.  Even though I come out with nothing, I still get the gratification of shopping.  Only without the debt. (We have recently started the Dave Ramsey Plan again.)

I am not much of a shopper when it comes to clothes and I absolutely hate grocery shopping... but put me in a home goods store and I can go a little crazy.  I have learned the hard way about my shopping ventures, in which I didn't have a "plan".  I usually came home with a ton of pretty stuff, but then I would go to put it in my house and it wouldn't match or it just wasn't the "look" that I thought the item would bring.  

Just because it's a good deal, doesn't mean it belongs in your house.  

So just like the grocery store, I try to plan my shopping for my house with a list.  Sometimes I browse online before heading to the stores and sometimes I hit up the local craft store to try and recreate the decor.  No matter how I do it, I always try to have a vision and a plan.   I usually never buy the item the first time I see it.  I wait, then if I get home and decide it's a must have, then I give it a few days before I make the purchase.  Then I have more justification when Wade Nagy sees it taken out of the "budget." 

 Wade and I've never been very good at a budget, therefore we have never really had much to spend... get what I'm sayin.  But through the years of financial difficulties (here) that we have faced, I have learned that you don't have to have an under-designed home just because you don't have much to spend.  

You just need a little time, patience and Pinterest.  

Last night, Wade and I had a much needed date night.  

We are fortunate to live next to this...

Mayfaire Town Center... just a mile from our house. God knew. 

So after being at home all week, some good ole' browsing was just what I needed to loose myself in home decorating and forget all about the many diapers I have changed.  Ahhhh... refreshing.

So here are some highlights.  

(And if you know my hubs... then you know that he can turn any event into a highly entertaining show.) 

 First stop was Pier One.

 And then this pretty thing caught my eye.  Not the cabinet... but the big red SALE sign.

  I don't even have a place to put it, but because it was on sale I was convinced that we needed it.  Of course every time I mention buying new furniture, my hubs reminds of the fact that he can build it.  

Sounds like a great thing... but not for the person who doesn't like to wait. :)

Who thinks they can name the caption of this pic??

I can't believe its been a week since last Friday.  Unlike some weeks... this week flew by.  Maybe it's because the snow said goodbye and the sun and warmer temps gave me the itch for spring.  44 days.  Not like I'm counting.

TWO:  I mean come on.  A snow blizzard (well maybe not a blizzard, but enough to shut this beach town down) and then THIS just a few days later.  If I could have 70 degree weather daily... heaven.