Wreaths, Love, and a Spoonful of Patience

I've been getting my craft on again lately. My sister-in-law sent me this picture of a Valentine's wreath. It's kind of like the book page wreath I made at Christmas time except for its clean crisp book pages were cut into tiny hearts.

Don't ya just love it?


I thank Flower Patch Farmgirl for her beautiful inspiration!
I played copycat again and made my own version. I decided on using some pretty paper and ribbon from Michael's. I am such a sucker for the Valentine's Day colors.

The finished product:

And a close-up look:


Not to toot my own horn here, but I think that I have a knack for wreaths. They're my absolute favorite type of home decor. I have many seasonal ones that I've purchased from different places here and there, but I think I'm going to stick with making my own from here on out, and who knows, maybe Etsy can help me make a lil' money while trying.

Speaking of wreaths, I found this really great Martha book for super cheap at a local used bookstore:


She really makes everything look beautiful, doesn't she?! I don't know that I'll have quite the Martha touch, but I am really excited to give them a try!

Knox and I have been visiting a new church recently and we really like it. The Pastor (probably like most right now) has been doing a wonderful sermon series on love. I've enjoyed hearing his words of wisdom and have thought a lot about the way that I show love to others.

We all know the verse in 1 Corinthians: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

The part in the verse above and the Pastor's most recent words about a patient kind of love hit me right between the eyes. This love quality is one that I struggle with the absolute most and especially lately. If you know me well, you know I have always had a short fuse. In fact, there are entirely too many stories out there about me losing my cool one too many times. Patience has so much to do with pride and selfishness, and as much as I hate to admit that I am an impatient person, I am probably a really prideful and selfish person as well.

Since several of my blogger buds are keeping it real and being honest about things they are struggling with, I thought I should expose the real Mommy McCoy. We all can appreciate a little honesty, right?! So here goes: I need to remember God's patience, and then demonstrate that to others. All others and at all times. I need to revise my perspective and make allowances for others' faults, because the good Lord knows, I have too many to count!

So, that's where I'm at today. Learning how to take deeper breaths. Learning how to show that much more grace. Learning how to love a little more like Christ.

Here's a little clip of some Rowe-bear goodness for ya. My dear friend in Cali (who I miss like CRAZY) taught this little tune to us, and it's by far our favorite song to sing. Hope you enjoy!



(I make no apologies for my munchkin sounding voice and for the fact that my son is chewing on a lotion bottle. Whatever it takes to keep baby patient while diaper changing!)