Hallway gallery

A few years back, I made a gallery wall in our family room and it is by far my favorite project I've done.  This is my post about making that wall and the tips I learned along the way.  

When Violet was born, I walked around our house looking at the pictures on my wall and the table frames that I have placed atop our pieces of furniture.  It didn't take me long to realize that I was absolutely not taking anything down or switching pictures out!  So...I found another wall. 

The wall in our living room has a very eclectic, vintage feel to it because I chose random frames from Goodwill and classic pictures from our past and present.  These are a few of my favorites from that wall. 

 

This time around, I decided to make a gallery down our hallway so I chose all white frames.  I wanted to keep the space light and airy since it's a narrow hallway.  I didn't spend very much on this project either because I literally bought every frame at Michaels that went on sale after Christmas (you can double up and use the 40% coupon app plus the 50% off sale)!

Also, I shopped my attic and found a few frames that hadn't made the cut with our decor in the last few years.  I still had a little bit of my Annie Sloan chalk paint left from my my nursery furniture project so I painted those and added them to my collection. Oh...I also had a handsome helper. 

{old frames}

{Hottie}

This display is mostly filled with our family photos and a few wedding and engagement pictures that are special to me.  I also wanted a few detail shots on this wall.  There are certain pictures I have that are priceless to me like my sweet Violet's hand at a week old and Abigail's beautiful curls that I hope are here forever! 

One day I found this adorable shadow box at Hobby Lobby that was 50% off so it found its way into my cart!  This is an easy way to pin my favorite instagram photos and it adds a little flare to the wall.   

Oh, and then I found this fun little bird cage at C'est Moi and decided it needed to come home with me too.  I found a perfect spot for it at the end of the hall! 

I am really pleased with how my wall display turned out and I love looking at all my favorite pictures as I walk down our hall each day.  These are frames that I can easily switch photos in as our girls get older.  Of course, there's always the wall up into the bonus room if I get too nostalgic and can't take any down.  Bless my heart. 

What I learned from my two year old

Have you ever prayed a dangerous prayer?  Maybe I shouldn't call it "dangerous", but a prayer asking for God to do something big in your life?  At the beginning of the year, I prayed that God would teach me more about His love for me.  I asked Him to grow my faith and allow me to know more of His nature and character in regards to his abundant love.  

As a pastor's wife, I have the joy of telling others about Christ's unwavering, unending love.  I have encouraged other women by reminding them that no matter what they've done or how far they've turned from God, He is always there with open arms.  His love is not contingent upon our behavior or our good deeds.  It is constant.  Always.  

I was reminded this week, that even though I know this in my head, I needed a refresher course.  My Savior who knows what I need to learn did not teach me about His love for me in a warm and fuzzy manner.  Instead, he revealed some of my deepest idols and showed me a picture of His heart for me.  

It's really hard as a mom, to not make your children the centerpiece of your world.  I am guilty of this and I constantly battle the need to be filled by the love and approval of my babies.  Violet is young of course, but even so I can see the pattern that I have developed with Abigail.  I love them so much and I really want them to love me back.  But what about when they don't?  What about when they are older and I have to discipline them or set boundaries to protect them?  If my girls are filling my need to be loved, then I will be left in despair, because momma will not be their favorite when I enforce their curfew! 

This week, my sweet Abigail allowed me to have a teachable moment with Jesus.  You see, I absolutely adore her and she loves her mommy.  But she is going through a phase, where she would rather be with anyone but me.  Sometimes it's Mike, and sometimes it's a new friend at church!  But lately, my momma heart has been bruised with rejection by my daughter.  

A few nights ago, she kicked and screamed as I tried to rock her at bedtime.  She wanted Mike, and she was adamant about not wanting me to put her to bed.  The next day was my day off, and I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could.  But she ran away from me as I picked her up from her Mothers Day Out program.  It hurt.  With tears filling my eyes, I prayed that God would help me to love her through this phase.

My dear sister in law spoke wisdom into my life while she was visiting this past week. She reminded me that we can often feel entitled to our children's love and affection.  We can feel that it is our right to have love reciprocated from our spouse, or friend, or even our child.  But Jesus gave up his rights.  He gets in the trenches with us and loves us unconditionally while we are kicking and screaming at Him.  He doesn't give up on us when we go through our phases of rejection or when we run to anyone other than Him.  He is constant and His love endures.  He is a good father, and the moment we turn into his embrace, He holds us close.  Always.  

So if your two year old decides one day that you are the last person on earth that she would rather be with, rest in this truth.  Jesus loves you.  He loves you when you turn away from Him and He loves you when you are consumed by his affection.  There is absolutely nothing in this world, that could separate you from the love of Christ.  This is one of my favorite worship songs, and I hope the lyrics will fill you with hope and joy as you rest in our Savior's love.   As we celebrate Valentines Day later this week, I plan to spend some time with the only one who can love me with a perfect love...that never fails. 

Violet {3 months old}

Little Violet Anne is three months old today.  I have been pretty tearful most of the week with my return to work and leaving this sweet little baby at home.  Thankfully, twenty hours a week is not the end of the world, and I love being a physical therapist. I am often struck with the realization that I get paid to love on people and help them feel better! 

Violet is growing and changing so quickly.  It looks like we will definitely have another little blue eyed girl!  Here is what Violet is doing at three months old: 

* Finally likes her bath and kicks her feet around in the water
* She is sleeping longer through the night.  She was still waking at 4:00 whether she was hungry or not so we moved her bedtime earlier and it seems to be extending her nighttime rest.  Praise Jesus on that!
* She is getting more alert and social.  She watches Abigail and smiles back at her. 
* She is almost rolling over.  She is really high with her prone on elbows and occasional falls into a roll.  
* She looks like Mike...shocker

I feel like I have found my groove with two little girls and I'm enjoying them so much.  Abigail loves Violet or "Biolet" as she calls her.  She follows me down the hall when I get Violet up from her nap and yells "Hello Biolet"!  

Hopefully, this week will be a little easier on my heart as I leave these babies and go to work.  If you stop by on one of my days off, I can promise you that I am in my pajamas with baby spit up all over me, toys sprinkled across the floor, and dishes piled in the sink. I am finally learning the lesson that those things CAN wait until my girls go to bed and time is precious.  A friend recently posted this quote on her instagram and it is now on my chalkboard wall because I need to remember it. 

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow
For babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow,
So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.