HIS Plans

So it's been a couple too many weeks since I last blogged. The shadow box frame was truly a blast to make! I am trying to nail down future DIY projects I'd like to pursue. Any ideas? Someday when we've got a little one coming, I'll have lots of great ideas to put into action (fyi: not planning on this happening anytime too soon)! I've been so encouraged to hear from a bunch of friends that they checked out my blog. How cool is that! It really is mind-blowing to think about how our forms of communication have multiplied in the last few years!

Now that summer has wrapped up, it means school is back in session. For years I have worked with children and wanted to be a teacher. Heck, I got my degree in education! Never did I think that the first school year after I finished college, I would be substitute teaching.

Just before Matt and I got married, we made the very difficult decision that I would not continue looking for a full-time teaching position (after much prayer and counsel) because of Matt's work schedule. Despite the criticism we received for this decision, we remained strong knowing that this was the right choice. The decision was made in the best interest of our marriage. It has been amazing to see how the Lord has changed my heart to accept that His plan is better. His plan wasn't for me to have my own classroom now. His plan is better than anything I could try and think up. I love 1 Corinthians 2:9 which says

However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"

Ya'll know I'm a planner, and it is usually difficult initially to accept when God has a different plan than I do. Reflecting on the past few months, I cannot be more thankful that God denied my request to teach full-time. Because of it, I have been able to give my amazing husband so much of my time and attention. What a blessing! I love it! (Mal, glad we're in this together!)

Well, that's a little bit about what's been going on in the heart of our household. I am hoping to blog soon about my new love for couponing and seeking out the deals!

Love you all

DIY: Wedding Shadow Box

Well, it's been over 4 months since Matt and I got married. (Crazy how time flies!) During this time, I made sure that I kept important artifacts from our Big Day tucked away in a safe place (I used our invitation, save-the-date magnet, "Our Story" insert from the program, pics from our photobooth, seashells that were on our cake, and flowers from my bouquet and my husband's boutonniere). A few weeks ago I was reading the Young House Love blog and was inspired to finally do something with the momentos I'd been saving . . .

Create a wedding shadow box! Genius!

To my joy I picked up a shadow box for just $12.00 from Michael's (on sale for 40% off). This particular shadow box has a maximum space of 11/16'' inside the frame. Make sure to consider how thick your artifacts are to ensure the frame will seal when you're done. :)

(Note: Due to a lack of natural light on this dreary day and insufficient skills to jazz up the pics in Photoshop, I will warn you that these pictures aren't top quality. I'll work on perfecting this for later posts.)

First, I gathered my treasures and necessary scrapbooking supplies.

I chose to use the cardboard that came in the back of the frame as the foundation. Next, I covered it with scrapbooking paper. Then, I spent the bulk of my time arranging and rearranging the layout of my frame.

After finalizing my layout, I tacked everything down with scrapbooking adhesives such as Glue Dots.

Finally, it was time to frame this thing! Take a look at the final product!

What have you done (or plan to do) to save momentos from your Big Day?

Feel free to comment

A blog of our own

Well, I have decided the Brogan family needs a blog! So here you have it! I am an avid reader of different blogs about families, friends, food, and even DIY couples, but never thought I would document life through a blog of my own. Quite frankly, I am not sure my writing skills are up to par enough for this. After much deliberation, I decided it would be a fun experience to allow others to journey with me and Matt.

I hope to use this blog to share recipes, DIY projects, daily and travel experiences, and just generally how life is going for me and Matt.

Love you all,

Brooke