Month: October 2021

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Simple Centerpieces for Fall Two Ways

I love changing the decor in my home according to whatever season we are in. I really just do three 3 big changes a year; fall, Christmas/winter, and spring/summer. I don’t do anything for say, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or St. Patrick’s Day.

Even though I enjoy decorating, I always struggle with centerpieces for my dining table or tabletops. Lately, I’ve been using a 3-tier tray for both the dining table and the table in our living room. But I have been wanting to change it up with something different and fun, but most importantly, QUICK!

I saw a picture online of a pretty fall display built on a long charcuterie board and I knew this was what I wanted to try!  I didn’t have a board like that at home and so the search began (shopping is the best part, isn’t it?!) I found what I was looking for at Target from their Magnolia line.  It’s 40’ long and fits the dining room table perfectly.

Next, it was time to gather my supplies: a garland of greenery, one medium-sized pumpkin, a few smaller pumpkins, a couple of small candles, and a pair of wire cutters. (If you don’t own a pair of wire cutters, get a pair ASAP!  You’ll thank me when you realize how much easier it is to trim faux greenery!))

To create the centerpiece start with the bottom layer of greenery.  I laid the leaf garland down the center of the board and using the wire cutters I trimmed it to just a bit longer than my board so there would be enough to wind in and out of the other items I planned to add. Then I placed the larger pumpkin in the center and a jar candle on each end. 

All I had to do after that was fill in the spaces with the smaller pumpkins, tucking the leaf garland in and around everything, until the board was as full as I wanted and I liked the way it looked! 

Presto, a centerpiece!

My sister, Doe, thought a smaller board would be cool for the table in my living room, but I didn’t have one and didn’t want to go buy one.  So my husband came to the rescue.

He had a piece of 1X8 out in his shop leftover from another project that was just shy of 24”. He milled the edges so that they were slightly rounded, sanded them, and I stained it. Once it was dry we added handles. 

This was a fast project and I was thrilled with how it turned out. I wouldn’t put food directly on it, but it’s perfect for decorating. 

I gathered a new group of supplies: some faux fall flowers I had purchased on sale at JoAnn’s, a variety of jars and vases in different sizes, some battery-operated votive candles and holders, and more pumpkins. 

This time I wanted flowers to be in the center of the tray so I chose a jar that was a good height for the scale of the board, with a broader neck opening. The clear glass of the jar didn’t offer much impact on the tray, but I didn’t want to go buy a different vase. I remembered I had a can of gold marbling spray paint leftover from another project so I simply used that to spray paint the jar–it was just the thing it needed to add a little visual weight!  

I added the flowers to the jar, trimming and arranging them so that they would just sit on the rim of the vase, using only enough stems to fill the opening but not needing to squish them in. 

Next, I added a couple of pumpkins I found on sale at Hobby Lobby and a few small gourds from the grocery store.  My mom always said that when it comes to decorating, a good rule of thumb is: work in odd numbers and keep things in the shape of a pyramid.  So, I kept the larger pumpkin closer to the center and the smaller gourds spread out toward the edges. As a last touch, I included two LED, battery-operated candles in small glass votive holders. 

The completed board looked great on the table, but it still needed a little something to make it pop. I had just the thing! A piece of flannel in yellow and cream.  The flannel layer works like the mat inside a framed picture creating movement and layers for our eyes to follow. 

I’m so happy with the simple little boards that I have plans to make more of them in various sizes!  If I decide to use them for food I’ll simply lay down a piece of parchment paper first. 

You could easily recreate these centerpieces yourself using whatever you have at home. If you don’t want to buy or make a board, a  tray, mirror, or even a picture frame would all work as your base layer.  Look around your house and see what things you could gather together to display on top. If you (or your husband) are handy with tools, whip up a quick board yourself!

If this post inspires you to put together a centerpiece for your table we’d love to see it!  Post it to your Instagram and tag us.

Happy decorating!

XOXO,

Shan

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Legos and Deviled Eggs; A New Kind of Fellowship

If someone had told me at any point in my earlier life that “using my gifts” in ministry would look like me creating a centerpiece by building an incomplete, multi-colored Lego structure while simultaneously preparing deviled eggs I would have been super confused and then laughed and laughed! 

I’ve found myself out of my depths lately when it comes to serving in my local church.  For most of my adult years, I’ve been involved mainly in a Women’s Ministry capacity: pretty events with tasty food, lovely centerpieces, and handcrafted, girly gifts. Sure, in my “younger years” I helped my sister, Shan, put on a few VBS events, and even played my part in a few skits.  But the Youth Group? Not even for a minute.  

I’m not sure I even really liked Youth Group when I was a youth! I mean I loved the teaching and I loved the fellowship, but all the silliness and games just made me want to crawl under a table until it was over.  My older kids weren’t even part of a Youth Group.  But I do remember my Youth Group fondly.  In fact, some of my dearest friends now are people I hung out with in Youth Group (including my husband). And a major foundation for my faith was laid in my High School Sunday School Class.

Images from our first night of serving youth group snacks and a quickly assembled table centerpiece. A simple start that will lead to greater things.

When my husband and I relocated across the country and began settling into a new town and a new church I was determined to wait and see where God would lead me to serve, instead of striving to serve where (and in the same ways) I had always served. I wanted to have an open mind and an obedient spirit to be used in whatever way would benefit His Kingdom the most–without me meddling in things–even if it was out of my normal. I still pretty much assumed it would be in Women’s Ministry somehow–because what else would He call me to?!

What I used to think was a gift for “hospitality” (meaning serving women and couples through events) I’m now realizing is a gift for facilitating fellowship around food–in general.  Over the last few years, I have felt strongly that God wanted me to feed people.  Not just spiritually with His word, but practically as well.  I’ve tried to lean into that calling and be obedient when I sense Him nudging me to get my oven preheated.   Feeding people isn’t a new act of service for me, I’ve been involved in many meal trains for people in my church and have participated in almost every women’s luncheon/tea/event that I’ve known about since I was young. I just didn’t really expect God to lead me to feed a group of teenagers and their leaders.

GOD MADE YOU TO WORSHIP YOUTH NIGHT Centerpiece featuring ping-pong balls from teaching illustration. The big idea for the night: “Who or what will I LOVE this week?”

It started with my son and daughter joining a youth small group through our church. My husband and I offered to host the high school boys group in our home.  Right away, I felt led to also offer to feed the youth and the leaders dinner each week before their meeting.  Feeding them and seeing them get to know one another in a way that often happens when people eat together, fed my own soul in a way I had not anticipated.  All I had wanted to do was take a burden off the leaders and families on what I knew had to be a busy night for them. And to give the kids an opportunity to talk outside of their question and answer time at the end of their teaching time. Both of those things may have happened, but on top of that, I was the one blessed to witness their time together.

GOD MADE YOU TO FELLOWSHIP YOUTH NIGHT. Legos represent living stones being built up into a spiritual house. Notes on the table remind the youth that they are loved and welcomed in our church body and by God.

But then COVID became a whole pandemic and the world shut down. Small groups stopped and transitioned to virtual meetings.  I was so sad to lose that Tuesday evening opportunity.  And then my husband had (and survived) a major heart attack and my whole world flipped into chaos. There was no way I could have managed meals for others as I was barely figuring out meals for us at this point, but I was watching and eagerly awaiting when we would settle down and figure out how to function again.

Once COVID restrictions had lightened up, my husband was feeling better, and we were establishing new rhythms and routines, our church started gearing up to relaunch our in-person Youth Ministry and somehow I found myself heading up a Youth Ministry Support Team. One of the main jobs of this team is to provide snacks for the Youth Group on Tuesday nights.  How hard could that be? I imagined it would be a plain table with simple snacks laid out for the kids, buffet style.  Quick and easy–nothing to see here, just chips and cookies!  

GOD MADE YOU TO GROW YOUTH NIGHT. Fishers of men theme to highlight discipleship.

But as I began preparing for that first Tuesday night, the Lord laid it on my heart to provide a little more sustenance than chips and cookies.  So I rounded up some of the parents for a more substantial snack and then I sat down to whip up some quick signs in Canva to use down the center of the table.  These signs would highlight the five areas the Youth Pastor would be teaching over the course of the year.  While putting those out I decided to use a sharpie marker to quickly write out the main scriptures that went with each teaching topic down the paper table runner so the kids could read them as they filled their plates.  It wasn’t fancy or even really well done, but it was something and it caught the eye.  

The next week, while talking with the Youth Pastor about what the lesson and illustration would be, I thought, “Oh, I can use that on the table as a visual reminder for the kids!”  I had begun to realize this “snack ministry”  was an ideal opportunity to put the Scriptures in front of kids who may not be putting them in front of themselves. And to reinforce the concept and lesson they heard during worship and teaching. Food for the belly and food for the soul.  

GOD MADE YOU TO SHARE YOUR STORY. A movie theater theme to remind them to tell the epic story of what God has done and is doing in their life.

And that’s how I suddenly found myself elbow-deep in my son’s box of Legos at 2:00 on a Tuesday afternoon while 24 eggs boiled on my stove.  I have to say, as confused as I am about why God called me to serve here, I am loving every minute of it.  When I think I have no clue what to do for the next week the Lord will give me just the perfect idea!. And then I’ll spend a few days wondering how in the world I’m going to pull that off–and then He helps me do that too!

So lately, I’m finding my creative juices are churning less over homemade cards, pretty centerpieces,  and pretty gifts  and more over a new kind of centerpiece and a new kind of fellowship. I love getting to see the teens light up when they see a table laden with awesome snacks just for them and watch them look over the centerpieces, connecting what they see with what they just heard. I’ve never considered my love of crafts as a “gifting”–it’s just always just been a hobby that I can pull from for ministry stuff, but now I’m beginning to wonder. It seems that God will use anything, in any way, to serve His WHOLE church body and bring glory to His name! 

GOD MADE YOU TO SERVE.
A skeleton body missing parts illustrates the need for all parts of the body to participate for the body to function well. A mixed-up Mrs. Potato head illustrates the value of each part and of not comparing your role with another. A variety of gifts are wrapped and labeled with some of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

I’d love to hear about where and how you use your unique gifts to serve your church body.  Did you always know that was the place for you?  Has your area of service changed over the years? We’d love it if you’d share your serving story in the comments!

Serving Christ Together-

XOXO,

Doe

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Let It Go! (The Pressure of Entertaining, that is…)

When I was growing up, it was common for people to just drop in for a visit, especially on Sunday afternoons. I loved this as a child because you never knew who might show up or who you might drop in on. 

As a young adult, I found this terrifying! For me having someone into my home required at least a little preparation and warning!

When we were first married and had young children our get-togethers revolved almost entirely around friends with small children or family. These didn’t require a lot of planning or preparation. We were all in the same boat…exhausted and running in all directions. There wasn’t Pinterest or any social media to tell us we were doing it wrong.  We’d gather potluck style, use paper plates, play games and let the kids run wild! The only time I made a big effort was at our annual Christmas party where I really looked forward to trying new recipes out on my friends! I remember one year I made crab (artificial) quiche and I felt so fancy!

Once the kids were older and mostly out of the house something changed and I felt pressure to make things nicer, better….perfect. I would drive myself crazy making sure that every nook and cranny was spotless. The house needed to be decorated and every detail seen to. A menu was chosen that would be sure to impress. By the time my guests arrived I was too tired and worn out to really enjoy the evening and I usually needed a couple of days to recover! 

Where did this pressure come from? Myself! I was the person driving the crazy train! It got to the point that we just stopped having people over. Oh sure, there were other reasons that also led to that happening, but I think mostly I was exhausted. I just couldn’t keep up.

After not having anyone in our home other than family for so long, the thought of inviting anyone in filled me with fear. Fear of rejection, of judgment, of not being or doing enough. But I was lonely and missed the sweet fellowship of people. 

And the Lord was working on my heart. He started to impress on me the need to be faithful to steward the home He had given us. A place with plenty of room inside and out, a place people could hopefully come and feel welcome and loved. A place to share His love with others.  I no longer wanted to “entertain”, I wanted to extend hospitality–to just minister, encourage, and love.  To build and strengthen relationships with the people He placed in my life.

So, I put on my big girl panties and invited a group of ladies over for lunch. They were all co-workers of mine. I wasn’t sure they would accept the invitation when I extended it, but they did and we had a lovely time together! I made a simple lunch of chicken salad with croissants. Nothing fancy. Still, I fretted over the house and food before they got there. Was it good enough? The laughter and conversation we shared around the table told me that fretting was an unnecessary burden I placed on myself. But it was going to take baby steps for me to adapt.

As I continued to reach out to various friends and acquaintances it became easier and less scary. I began to loosen up…a BIT. 

Two of my favorite memories are of having our dear friends, Marc, Lisa, Marina, Ed, Johnny, and Stacy over for PIZZA! Take and bake! Not even homemade, and I think we may even have used paper plates! BUT we had the best time! 

Another time we hosted a chili feed with some friends from church, some neighbors, and my brother and sister-in-law. We had several pots/types of chili to sample and once again the laughter and conversation flowed! I was getting the hang of it! More fun get-togethers continued to happen, and then…COVID! 

Oh, how I missed my friends and vowed to have them over ASAP! Like many of you, the pandemic changed a lot of my thinking, especially about things that are important and one thing that became ever clearer to me was that it was the fellowship that mattered, not the perfection of the house of food. 

So with that in mind, when the time finally came to have friends in again the pressure was OFF. I let myself off the hook with having to feel like everything was just so and doing everything myself. One of ”my” rules had always been that the first time someone comes over to my house for dinner, they don’t bring anything. We provide it all, do it all, but not this last time! This time I asked almost everyone to bring something to share and it was wonderful! And you know what? I didn’t even mop my kitchen floor! And no one even pointed it out with shocked and judging eyes!

I still enjoy doing things well and trying to make my guests feel special. That hasn’t changed, but the internal pressure I placed on myself is no longer weighing me down….Oh, the freedom!

So here’s my new hospitality manifesto:

1) I  Keep it simple. In summer BBQ is perfect. In the cooler months, I  try to choose a one-dish recipe or a crock pot meal. Amy Hannon’s Roast Cobbler from her Love, Welcome, Serve cookbook is a favorite around here. And don’t forget there’s always pizza!

2) I let my guests share in the joy of providing part of the meal.

3) I focus on getting the main areas we will use clean (especially the bathrooms) and don’t sweat the rest.

4) Let the Lord lead in the inviting.  He’s the master mixer! 

5) Relax. Breathe. Enjoy

What about you, friend? Are you caught in the web of perfection, running yourself ragged, trying to impress instead of bless? We’d love to hear what’s on your heart and if you have any of your own tips to share! Leave us a comment!

XOXO,

Shan