Mirrors, Metaphors and Kaleidoscopes

A year of change

2012-02-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

What a difference a year makes! Last year at this time I was anticipating a scheduled c-section for the next morning. Today I am playing with my sweet boy during his last day as a less-than-one-year-old! I have learned so much this last year. It has been such a whirlwind that it has only been in the past couple months that I have actually been able to assess all that I really have learned. When I found out Braxton was a boy I am ashamed to say that I was disappointed. I never thought I would react that way. I had always wanted a boy, but for some reason I could not make myself be happy about it. I shudder at that thought now. I am so blessed to have a son, and not just “a son” but Braxton. He has challenged and blessed me in countless ways. I am so grateful that God gave me the privilege and honor of being Braxton’s mommy. Everyday I am amazed by, enriched by and more and more enthralled with my “B”. God really knew what He was doing when He gave me Braxton, even if I didn’t. Happy Birthday my adorable, lovey, feisty, wonderful boy! I feel like our family is better and more complete with you in it. We love you so much!

I took a picture on every one of Braxton’s “month birthdays”. (Is anyone surprised by this??) I still can’t get over the change that can occur from month to month and certainly over the course of a year! When I look at these pictures I am reminded that as Braxton was growing and changing God was using him to grow and change me as well. I am so grateful that God works in mysterious ways and through even the tiniest vessels.

I can’t wait to watch you continue to grow, Braxton. I am excited to see the person you will become. I know you will continue to be an amazing gift in our lives and will bless everyone who knows you with you with your loving and fun personality. Love you!!

Fabric Bulletin Board

2012-02-21T11:08:00.001-05:00

Sometimes it is the smallest and simplest projects that mean a lot. I went from feeling uninspired to now having way too many ideas rolling around in my head. I just needed to get something out of my head and actually done! This bulletin board was not tops on the list, but it was something I knew I could knock off in one sitting. (Ahhh, the sweet aroma of actually finishing a project!) I got the idea from my friend Ashley and knew this would be perfect for Hayleigh’s room. All I did was 1.) spray paint a frame, 2.) mount cork behind it, 3.) Cover it with fabric, and 4.) refine the edges a bit with some ribbon. I can’t wait to put up some pictures and bible verses etc. I know it will make my little collector very happy.

Speaking of, here are just a couple pictures from Hayleigh’s actual birthday a little over a week ago!

This weekend is Braxton Boy’s birthday and two of our life long friends are getting married! Can’t wait!!

Not home yet…

2012-02-17T10:31:00.000-05:00

I have been in a bit of a funk lately…feeling uninspired, unmotivated, exhausted, down, grumpy, discontent. Maybe you know the routine. Anyway, I started feeling myself finally coming out of it the past few days. (Maybe a little thanks to pharmaceuticals is an order). I am feeling more motivated to create, finally! Now, hopefully I can find the time to get stuff done! I also heard a song on the radio today that really grabbed me. The lyrics made total sense to me. It is called “Where I belong” by Building 429

Sometimes it feels like I'm watching
From the outside
Sometimes it feels like I'm breathing
But am I alive?
I will keep searching for answers
That aren't here to find
All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong
So when the walls come falling down on me
And when I'm lost in the current of a raging sea
I have this blessed assurance holding me.

I think Depression and being tempted to be overly driven by emotions will always be a struggle I have to battle against, my “thorn in the flesh” so to speak. It is a nice reminder that that is how it is supposed to be this side of heaven. I am not meant to be completely comfortable and fulfilled here on earth. I am not saying by any means that my struggles compare to those of other people. Many people suffer much, much worse hardships than I will ever taste. But for me in the midst of my trivial, but sometimes consuming, struggles this reminder was just what I needed.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. “ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Also, although random, this is my 100th post! Yay!

One

2012-02-15T14:08:00.002-05:00

Next week my sweet boy turns one year old. In some ways this fact makes sense to me but in other ways I find it nearly impossible to believe a year has gone by already. I feel like I have known Braxton for so long-like he is (and always has been) such an integral part of me. Yet in other ways I look back at life a year ago and realize how true the cliché is that time goes “in the blink of an eye”. This past year has been one of the most challenging and rewarding years in my life. Braxton has enriched and blessed our lives in countless ways. He has caused me to love in ways I never had before. Even though I had “done it all before” with Hayleigh, my experience with Braxton has been incredibly different in almost every way. God taught me a lot this past year. One of the main things I learned was how much I have left to learn.

When Hayleigh was born I didn’t really have any first hand experience as to what to expect. They handed me my bundle, wheeled me out of the hospital and sent us home. As first time parents Peter and I had prepared ourselves, as best we could, for the on slat. But I was pleasantly surprised. Other than having some allergy/digestive issues Hayleigh was an “easy baby” (for lack of a better term). She slept through the night from about 5 or 6 weeks old, followed a predictable schedule but was flexible to go with the flow if she had to, was hardly ever fussy, and never had separation anxiety. I did not feel an instantaneous connection to Hayleigh when she was born but very quickly after that I felt a bond to her that was indescribable. I felt, and still do, that we are connected in a unique way that I can share only with her. There was a guttural attachment to her, a kind of which I had never experienced before. When she lays on my chest I feel a sense of peace and rightness that I cannot fully express. It is like we are connected and all is right with the world when I can listen to her gentle breathing.

When Braxton came I felt a deep and instantaneous love for him, differently than I had for Hayleigh. I think this may have been because I had Hayleigh ay home and knew what wondrous connection was in store for us. I remember saying when he was only days old how I just wanted to hold him and never put him down and how I loved him so instantly in a way I didn’t experience with his sister when she was first born. I had a c-section with Braxton. My recovery was different the second time around. (I had Hayleigh naturally.) Actually the physical pain was less severe, but hormonally I was a mess from the beginning. I think one of the reasons was the c-section. When I was in labor for nearly a day with Hayleigh my body had time to adjust to the idea that she was making an exit. But with Braxton literally one second I was pregnant, not in labor, and the next-there he was! My body was a wreck. I ended up returning to the hospital 3 days after we left with stroke like symptoms. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I was reading a book to Hayleigh and suddenly I could not speak. I could visually see the words on the page but I could not make out what they said, as in my brain would not translate them into words. I looked at the calendar and saw names of family members' and friends' birthdays or events and did not know who the people were. I didn’t even know my own kids’ names. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. Initially we thought that maybe I had gotten a blood clot in my leg from surgery and it has traveled to my brain. I literally thought I might die. I hugged and kissed my parents and babies goodbye like I might never see them again and went to the hospital. I ended up staying over night for observation and was told I had a Complex Migraine as a result of hormones.

In the weeks and months that followed I continued to have hormone related issues. I also struggled to bond with Braxton. He was a horrible sleeper and was very fussy and needy. I always knew I loved him, but the bond that I had felt initially had nearly vanished. It was hard to explain and painful to think about even now. I had to decide to love him. I thought I was a terrible mother. What kind of mother has to make herself love her child? Isn’t that supposed to be the most natural, unconditional love a human can experience? I had times where I resented him for “ruining” my mental health, sanity and time with Hayleigh. It makes me cringe to write these things, and even at the time I knew I was not myself thinking this way. Then I ended up beating myself up even more because I swore I would never be the parent who favored one child over another. I made up my mind to try my best to not act in ways that reflected my emotions of favor versus resentment. Knowing my history with Depression, I had expected to have post-partum with Hayleigh, but I never did. I had more clarity and mental health than ever in my life after she was born. This time around post-partum hit me like a ton of bricks, and it nearly buried me. I fought the idea for a long time, hoping that my hormones would regulate and I would be okay soon. As time went on, I grew in love for Braxton. It became less of a choice and more natural, as it “should” be. My Depression didn’t go away though. It worsened and turned into severe anxiety as well. So, recently I went on some anti-depressants. I have not been on them since I found out I was pregnant with Hayleigh. It was a bit tough for me to go down that road again, but I know its right.

As Braxton turns one next week I feel as if I am reaching a bit of a milestone as well. When we celebrated Hayleigh’s first birthday, someone said to me something along the lines of “don’t you just feel such a sense of accomplishment?! Like, we made it!” I smiled and nodded but honestly I didn’t completely relate to what the person was saying at the time. I was happy to see Hayleigh turn one but I didn’t really feel this sense of accomplishment for myself. As Braxton turns one I can relate to this so much more. I don’t want to pull any punches; this year has been tough. As his first year of life wraps up, I do feel a bit of what that lady was talking about.

I think one of the areas I feel that the most is what I have learned about love. I said before that Braxton opened my heart to love in new ways, and he did. I have always been a person who is too controlled by emotions. That is a struggle of mine. When it came to Braxton there were many times I had to fight against how I was feeling and choose to love. I still hate the sound of choosing to love your baby, but that is part of Braxton’s and my love story. And I have to say that the love I feel for him, while as deep as what I feel for Hayleigh, is very different. There are some sweat and tears there. I feel myself swell with joy now as I can naturally spill over with love for my boy. That is something I don’t take for granted. Our story is beautiful in its own rugged way. I often say that Hayleigh fixed me, and in many ways she did. But my Braxton-Boy did too. The process was not as pretty to see, but he changed me for the better. He expanded my heart and stretched my being in ways I didn’t know a person could. Every single day I grow in love for Braxton. Most days it comes easily and naturally now, but some days, as with any relationship, it is hard. I am still working through a lot of emotional issues related to my Depression, but as I face Braxton’s birthday next week, I look on it was new clarity and a sense of pride. Instead of hiding how we struggled this past year, I want to celebrate how God worked in my life to teach me a lot about myself and about love. I am more of a fighter now. I choose daily to battle my emotions, to battle the lies I tend to buy into and to put on love even when it doesn’t seem to fit comfortably (although sometimes I fall flat on my face). God used Braxton to teach me that. I hope that someday if he reads this he won’t be insulted by my struggles in our relationship, but rather be validated that through the battle God helped me fight to love him and God fought on Braxton’s behalf to win a special place in my heart. And now as Braxton lays his head on my chest or puts his cheek next to mine I feel a sense of peace and rightness that I cannot fully express. It is like we are connected…one.

Sore throats, Sunshine and SMOOTHIES!

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

We have had some sore throats in our house lately. Growing up whenever I had a sore throat my Dad would get me orange sherbet. Ever since we’ve been married Peter has taken on that role. (I know; I am spoiled!) I is just perfect to sooth a scratchy, sore, winter throat…and the winter blues. We haven’t had much snow at all and actually the weather has been unseasonably mild for Western New York. Despite that and although I am a fan of chilly weather even I have found myself feeling like a bit of a shut in-wishing we could play outside in warm weather. Today Hayleigh came down with a sore throat and even though she was feeling sick she was still begging to play outside too. I couldn’t blame her. The sun was beaming through the windows. In her world when the sun is shining it’s fair game to petition me (over and over) to play outdoors. Since it was too cold to play outside we had a bit of a picnic inside. And to soothe our sore throats we made some of my favorite smoothies-with orange sherbet of course! The recipe I kind of made up to imitate a favorite Freshens flavor. I call it my Winter Blues Beater Smoothie. Here is the recipe…yum!!

For 2 20oz smoothies combine:
2 cups Orange Juice
1.5 cups Frozen Strawberries (fresh would work too)
a large scoop of Orange Sherbet
1 cup ice

That’s it! It is so yummy and a little taste of warmer weather! It is also perfect for winter because of the dose of Vitamin C and it has 3 servings of fruit per smoothie! Hayleigh enjoyed hers!

I also enjoyed the sunshine streaming through the windows and could NOT resist taking (and sharing) a bunch of pictures I took of my babies. Well, actually I didn’t try too hard to resist. Please excuse any snot or drool. I couldn’t keep up with the fluids (gross!) and didn’t take the time to edit the pictures other than to turn some of them black and white.

For me a yummy smoothie and these baby blues are a sure-fire way to beat the winter blues. Anyone have any suggestions other yummy smoothies or fun ways you beat the winter blues??!

Linking up at these fun parties!

A prayer for my daughter

2012-02-09T13:26:00.001-05:00

Dear God,

Sometimes I am in awe of all the beauty that can be wrapped up in one relatively small person. Most days, when I have enough perspective to separate myself from all the things I have bouncing around my head and all the things I should be doing (or doing better), I am awe struck by the fact that as much as a human being can belong to another, she is mine. I am constantly amazed by her, challenged by her, melted into a puddle in front of her, and bursting at the seams with gratitude for the incredible blessing of being around her. Thank you beyond what my words can express that you chose me out of all the women in the world to be Mommy to this precious girl. It is a gift I am not worthy of but would never want to give up. As her third birthday is quickly approaching in just two days, I cannot help but reminisce. I am sure there are better examples of your wisdom, providence and perfect timing, but in my life the “surprise” of Hayleigh ranks pretty high. There will always be a special room in my heart for the little baby you used to “fix” me. At the time I found out I was pregnant I never thought I could live and thrive without heavy anti-depressant and anti-physicotic medication. And if it weren’t for your healing hand and your grace reaching even to me, I could not have. Your healing came in the form of a microscopic embryo. I didn’t know what to think, what to do and what was going to come next. I praise you God for your power to heal. Sometimes you use medicine as part of your treatment plan, and I praise you for that. Sometimes the healing that comes apart from medicine is just as restorative and I am forever grateful for you giving me Hayleigh despite me feeling ill-equipped to be a mother.

At times, God, I still feel very ill-equipped to be the mother you have called me to be-the mother I so desire to be. Sometimes it is helpful to remember that from the time of Hayleigh’s conception I was not like most other mothers who planned and waited and felt “ready” to be moms, yet you have prevailed. I have felt unprepared and less-than most of the way. It is in those feelings of inadequacy that I know you carry me and you work in awesome ways in spite of me. Thank you for being the parent that I can never be, the parent that both Hayleigh and I desperately need. And thank you for giving me such a beautiful gift of being Hayleigh’s mommy. I thank you for all that she is as a reflection of your image. I praise you because she is fearfully and wonderfully made. I praise you for her lips that purse to kiss me, her eyes that dance when she laughs, her voice that sings your praise in the most beautiful off key tone I have ever heard, for her tender care for others, her enthusiasm for life and learning, her silliness, her incredible imagination, her quirks, and everything that comprises the complex and ever-growing life that is Hayleigh.

It is my prayer, Lord, that as she grows, you will be near her when I cannot. And that when we are together that you will equip me to be the best mother I can be for her. I pray that as she learns that she will see you in everything. I pray for her salvation-that just as she revels in dressing up and pretending she is a princess now, that as she grows she will recognize what it means to be a child of the King. I pray that her enthusiasm for other people and her exuberance will be used by you to bring people to know you also. Lord, in some ways I wish I could protect her from any emotional pain, from social struggles, the ugliness of this world and from any mental or spiritual struggles she may encounter as she grows older. Sometimes I just wish I could take it all on myself so that she wouldn’t have to, or so that I could assure she would never waver or be broken by all the things that can distract and cripple a person. When I think these things I am so grateful that in you she has a parent that is better than me. Your love is perfect Lord. You know what Hayleigh will encounter and you will not prevent her from going through trials because you know they make her stronger. I pray Lord that whatever she goes through may she always turn to you for the wisdom and strength that she needs. May she find her beauty and identity rooted in her relationship with you. May she find your grace and your love to be boundless. May she learn what it means to be forgiven and free. I know from my own life that the hardest things are often the best things, so in an attempt to be the most loving mother I can be, I pray that you will challenge Hayleigh throughout her life. That you will make her to be a wiser, stronger, more compassionate and relatable person as a result of the circumstances in her life that are not always easy. I pray for her to have unwavering faith and persistence through trials. And I pray that I will allow her to go though them, although it is bound to be excruciatingly painful. I pray that one day she will truly understand just how special she is and just how much she is loved by you, Lord. I pray that that knowledge would equip her to root herself in you so that she will make godly choices, unscathed by the pulls of this world.

I pray that I will continue to learn what it means to be a daughter of yours as well so that I can model that for Hayleigh. It is not easy to be a girl in the culture today. I look at Hayleigh and see so much inner beauty emerging already. I pray that you would use her for all that she is, and that she would never feel the need to change who you have made her to be in order to fit a mold. As she grows, I pray that you would give me the wisdom to answer the tough questions in a honest, true and helpful way. I pray for the patience and strength which I also need on a daily basis. I pray that I may display to Hayleigh the love I feel so deeply and passionately for her-that she will never doubt it. And even more so, I pray that through my own actions she will never be able to doubt my love and devotion to you as well. It is a daunting task to be a mother. I felt it as soon as I knew I was pregnant with this angel, it grew heavier when that red-faced 9lb baby was first placed in my arms three years ago, and it has grown heavier the older she has gotten. Now there is more to parenting than changing diapers, stacking blocks and making funny faces behind a camera. The older she gets, the more I look and really see her-the more I turn inward to look at myself. Am I really the woman I want my daughter to become? Lord, I fall on my face knowing I cannot do it alone. I never could, but it has never been more real to me than now. Thank you for the comfort that comes from your words in Matthew 11:29-30: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. I know I have already made so many mistakes and there are many yet to come. It continues to be my prayer that all my imperfections will be used by you, in all your infinite wisdom, grace and love, to point Hayleigh to her perfect Heavenly Father who will never let her down.

This has turned into more of a prayer for me, than for Hayleigh, Lord. But I know that Hayleigh’s health and well-being, especially spiritually, depend on me. I am both her greatest threat and hope. The magnitude of that is something I feel daily. May my actions reflect that truth, and when I fail Lord, I am ever grateful that your tender and powerful hands are holding us both. I love you.

Amen.

Hayleigh and Braxton’s Circus Birthday Party (part 2)

2012-02-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun thanks to the wonderful family and friends we had surrounding us that day! Thank you to everyone who is a part of the lives of our children. We love you!

Hayleigh and Braxton’s Circus Birthday Party (part 1)

2012-02-07T16:09:00.002-05:00

After months of dreaming/planning in my head and on various lists the kids’ party was this weekend! It came together pretty well and although my house and I are still recovering it was so much fun! I think I will have to break this up into a couple of posts so really cover it well. Here is a look at the decorations, food etc. In another post I will include pictures of my adorable kiddos and our wonderful family and friends.
The idea for the Circus came from the fact that their birthdays are so close together in the calendar year (about 2 weeks). I thought of it being one right after another, like a parade. The circus theme sprung from that. I chose coral/muted orange and aqua for the color scheme because it is gender neutral but (in my mind at least) doesn’t scream gender neutral the way pale green or yellow does. Plus, I just really love those colors!
My very good and very talented friend Erin designed the invitations for me. Aren’t they awesome!?! (Minus the tape over our address.)

I did a Concession Stand. I served food like peanuts, popcorn, pretzels, animal crackers, lollipops, rice Krispy treats on skewers, various candy, caramel apples, marshmallows made to look like dumbbells and even used an old gumball machine I had when I was a kid. We served soda in glass bottles and had fun party straws. I bought tons of coordinating paper which I used for a lot of the decorations. I printed out all my lettering in Circus, Romantiques and Big Top fonts. I gave my mom an idea of what I wanted and she was so helpful in making all the food labels for me. We mounted them on tags and tied them with twine.

For food I divided the courses into “rings” like a 3 Ring Circus. I served five different kinds of cupcakes for dessert. I wanted each flavor to represent some kind of food you might eat at the Circus. I also wanted each one to have a unique topper. So, I did Pink Lemonade Cupcakes topped with a straw, Cracker Jack Cupcakes topped with a prize like in the box of Cracker Jacks, Chocolate Cherry Coke Cupcakes topped with a cherry, Yellow Cupcakes topped with mini marshmallows to resemble popcorn, and an Orange cupcake with vanilla frosting to taste like a creamsicle. My mom and I made some paper toppers for these.

Needless to say, no one left this party without their fair share of sugar!

Now, for the rest of the decorations!
I put signs around the house for different parts of the circus. The living room was the “Big Top”. Complete with clown noses and mustaches for the kids (adults, ahem) to play with.

I had a sign for Carnival Games, which I forgot to take a picture of. The games were really simple, but there were really not that many kids at the party and there was definitely a lack of space. I put a ribbon on the ground for a “tight” rope, had a bean bag toss with some old beanie babies I scrounged up from my childhood collection and we also played pin the nose on the clown. My sister also made balloon animals.

In the dining room I had a sign for the “Main Attraction” which was basically a shrine to my kids, complete with pictures of them from the last 12 months. I also made party hats for the birthday boy and girl as well as the other kiddos. On this table were also popcorn containers for the kids to take home favors in.

Finally, here is the sign I made for the entry way. It is a little backwards to end with this, but oh well.

I had so much fun throwing this party! I think it’s a great theme: fun to execute and fun for kids and adults. I am glad though that my kids are a bit young to expect something like this every year because in reality that will not be the case! As I said, my house and I are still recovering from all the commotion. But it was all worth it for these happy faces!

I couldn’t resist sneaking in just a couple pictures of my kids! Stay tuned for a post chock-full-a-cuties! I know you are waiting with bated breath!

Here are all my sources:
Digital Paper (which I printed): Hello Love Too
Straws, cupcake Liners, and printable flags: Hey Yo Yo
Party Circles (used for bunting and cupcake toppers): Love the Day
Braxton’s Personalized Shirt: Truly Sanctuary
Free Mustache Printable: The Inspired Bride
Party hat template: Tip Junkie
Elephant Die Cuts (used for confetti): The Best Paper Supplies
Twine and tags (for food labels): Pick Your Plum
Polka dot boxes, punch server and glass canisters: Hobby Lobby
And once again the invitations were done by Erin of C and Me Designs

Linking up at these fun parties!

A day in our life

2012-01-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

I want to do a monthly recording of a day in our life. This means I basically carry my camera around my neck most of the day and photograph things as they happen. We have plenty of pictures of us all dressed up, with our hair combed (for those of us that have enough to comb), faces wiped and “we have got it all together” smiles on. Don’t get me wrong, I like a nice picture as much as the next person but the truth is that some days I barely run my fingers through my hair, my kids stay in their PJs all day and then sleep in them again that night and there is a not a serene “all together” moment to be found. I want to capture the reality of what our lives are right now. Life is punctuated by big events where we would never dream of not toting our camera. But strung in between are normal days made up of little moments. Those little moments are what I really live for- the moment when I am cuddled up reading to Hayleigh and I can bury my head in her and just inhale her unique sweet scent, the joy-filled smile Braxton gives me as he sees me for the first time each morning, the sounds of uncontainable laughter coming from the living room as they and Daddy play on the floor with wreckless abandon. So, because these moments are so wonderfully warm and sustaining and because they are as fleeting as they are wonderful, I really want to document them as best I can. I want to be able to look back and say “oh remember how much she loved that shirt?!” “Remember when he would make that face!?” I want to look at pictures and hear their laughter as it is now. Years from now I want to be transported back to the ordinary days. What you can expect from these posts is a.) lots of pictures of my family, b.) an ordinary day in our lives-nothing newsworthy or spectacular here. We probably won’t even leave the house. c.) No staged pictures or “cheese” faces, but there might be some runny noses. d.) The unedited chronicling (as best I can. I am no professional by any stretch. Please don’t expect high quality pictures.) of our life as it is right now, on a normal day. e.) If we are lucky we may get some small, magical moments. So, here goes: A day in the our life the first edition! (I got a bit of a late start in the day, 9amish, but for the first try it will have to do.)

dancing to "markable" cows CD

Hayleigh’s quote/s of the day:

“My birthday party is really soon. I so excited! But it is for B too. I have to take deep breaths. I will take deep breaths so I don’t so too excited.”

(When she was giving us a hard time about going to bed) “But I can’t help it if cries come out of my eyes!”

(When I had finally put away the pile of laundry from the window seat) “Oh no! We don’t have any clothes anymore! They were stolen!”

Braxon’s quote/moment of the day:

“Mama” !!!!!!!!!

B at 11 months

2012-01-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

I realize that no one but me will probably be interested in this post but I find this the best way for my scattered brain to chronicle life as it whooshes past me. So, because this information is only exciting or pertinent to Braxton’s mama (and because this is definitely a co-out of a post) I am letting you opt out of reading further right now. If you continue, be prepared for gratuitous pictures of my kids. You were not without warning.

Busy. Smiley. A profession bottom lip sucker. Explorative. Recently infatuated with Daddy. 5 teeth and working on 3 more. Babbling all the time. You sing along with Hayleigh. You think peek-a-boo is the funniest thing on the planet. Love to hug. Sitting better for stories. New words: up, dog, vroom. Finally sleeping well without reflux meds. You are weaned and take formula from sippy cup, except in the evening when you still want a bottle. Working on a pretty sweet mullet. Can throw a ball almost as far as Hayleigh. You love to play with cars, especially your ramp set. Into everything, as in destroying/throwing everything you can find. You are so strong. The other day you were in your feeding seat and one of Hayleigh’s plastic chairs was next to you and you leaned over the edge of your seat and picked the chair up off the ground with one hand. You idolize Hayleigh and want to play with her all the time. Still crawling but you can stand on your own and you walk holding onto just one of my fingers until I let go and you get so excited you fall/dive.

Oh, how I love you, my sweet boy!

And just two of sissy because I can’t resist.

Bathroom facelift: stage one ($0!!)

2012-01-23T10:15:00.001-05:00

Our bathroom was/is desperately in need of some TLC. It is embarrassing how bad it was when we moved in 2 1/2 years ago and how long it has taken us to spruce it up. For anyone who does not know and who isn’t sick of hearing it yet, we rent. So we are limited as to what we can do obviously. But I am determined to make the best of our situation and make our less-than-perfect rental house as pretty as I can. For this project, at least this stage of it, I was also determined not to spend any money. That’s right, my budget = $0. It was actually pretty fun and challenging. So, as you look at the pictures of our progress, keep those two things in mind: we rent and we are spending zilch on this project. The idea here is “better not perfect”.
Hopefully you will agree that its better. Here are a few before pictures.

The walls were a lovely sponge paint job. (Again, I hate to admit we lived with that until now. Why??) I also had black and white décor, which was fine. I was just ready for a change. I had already taken most of it down for painting before I remembered to snap a few photos, but these give a general idea.
And here is our progress so far.

We painted the walls with some leftover Taupe colored paint we found in the basement. We also painted the trim white instead of the flesh color they were. What a difference! We also replaced the black and white shower curtain with a brown one that we had in our bathroom before. Why do my tastes change so much?
Then I made some wall art for a gallery wall. This is the wall right when you walk in. I found the Keep Calm printable for free here. I used some fabric I had to put in frames and wrap around some wall art that used to hang in our bedroom. I love re-purposing! I also framed some scrapbook paper in a plastic ceiling medallion that I found laying around the basement from a previous tenant. Then I made a couple pieces of art myself: the “brush well” sign and the “men, women and children’s room” printable.

I used some vases and bottles that I had previously found at garage sales and thrift shops to decorate the table. I also made some (very poorly done) decoupage balls out of scrapbook paper and Styrofoam balls and wrapped some yarn around a few smaller ones. I put them in a bamboo bowl I had gotten this summer at a garage sale for $1.

I really enjoyed the challenge of spending no money and only using what we had around the house. I am pretty proud of myself for not breaking down and spending even a few cents. Stage one has already made the bathroom look much better! I can’t wait to finish the next simple projects I have. It is refreshing to me that although we can’t change out fixtures we don’t have to resign ourselves to a totally ugly bathroom. Its better not perfect but I am enjoying making the best of what we have. It’s the little things.Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

linking up at these fun parties.

In my jumbled head

2012-01-19T10:52:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted. Bad Blogger. Isn’t it funny that although I know only a handful of people read this I still feel a tad guilty when I am not consistently posting? It’s not like I have sponsors or thousands (or even approaching a hundred!) readers to keep happy and informed. I really do this for me, as a way to chronicle and celebrate life and exercise my creativity. Sometimes it is hard to remember that and I find myself comparing my puny blog to other blogs, my house to other houses and my life to other lives and coming up short in all areas. This week I have been trying to focus on what is true and on what really matters. And its not if my house is perfect and my blog is popular and if my kids are the best dressed, smartest and cutest on the block. I so long for my kids to understand what really matters and to be grounded in Biblical truth in their lives. I have been convicted, yet again, that I cannot impart something to them that I do not have myself. So I am picking myself up, yet again, and pressing on trying to have a better grasp on what I really want for them and what I really need myself.
That being said, I have been pretty busy doing busy work. Our house was still recovering from the holidays and was in desperate need of a deep clean. I have been working on decorations and plans for the kids’ joint birthday party which is in just over two weeks! Can’t wait! I decided on a whim last week that I wanted to give our bathroom a facelift-and not spend any money. So this week I have been working on doing just that-scrounging our house for things I can repurpose, paint and use in the bathroom. I am also hosting a girls night for the ladies from my small group at church. I am seriously in need of some girl time to just talk, laugh and hang out. I am pretty pumped. We also mailed out Hayleigh’s application for preschool this week. Ah! It is still eight months away, but she is so ready. She thrives on social settings, is enthusiastic to learn and just needs an outlet outside of the house. While I am still struggling to believe she is almost old enough for preschool (it seems like not that long ago my 22 and 20 year old sisters were in preschool) I am really excited for her because I know it is going to be great for her development on so many levels. These days she still spends most of her time pretending. She is almost always a princess of some sort, or a mommy. Yesterday she was having a wedding and invited me to come. How nice of her! Braxton is now her prince and she asks him to twirl her, give her flowers and eat dinner with candles. The guy she ends up with some day has rather large shoes to fill, because apparently B is a wonderful prince. I just love to watch her play and listen to the hilarious things that come out of her mouth. She keeps us laughing and warms our hearts everyday. She says to me now “Mommy, you take care of me and Braxton everyday. Thank you because you make us so happy to play together.” I mean really, can it get much better than that?! So why do I spend so much of my time obsessing over what I don’t have or comparing myself to other people? Sometimes I just need a smack in the face. I prefer when it comes in words like that from my (pretty much) three year old though.
Sorry this post has been rambly and all together pretty uninteresting. Sometimes I just have to get the thoughts out of my head to make room for new ones. To end it here are some pictures of my pre-preschooler.

Oh, what she does to my heart. Love her.

A (late) New Year’s Resolution

2012-01-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

I have never been one who is big into New Year’s Resolutions. I think that is mostly due to the what I deem to be the cliché nature of them. I reason to myself “why make a trite resolution, along with everyone else, that I will most likely fall well short of keeping, most likely half way through January?” I don’t mean to be demeaning to people who make New Year’s resolutions. I think making positive changes are a wonderful and important thing. It is obviously good to challenge yourself and to better yourself. I just fear making a commitment to something just because it is the time of year for such things, and then falling well short of following through on it. I know that January brings a New Year, so it makes sense to evaluate changes and improvements that can be made in the upcoming year, and I applaud those people who have good intentions and work hard to be even a little bit successful at their resolutions. I have just never felt very led to make a resolution myself. I definitely have pinpointed things in my life I wanted to work on and improve, but nothing ever stood out to me more in January than any other time of the year. I expected this year to be no different in that regard.
But right now and in the near future there are some (sort of) big changes in my life. I recently stopped babysitting our good friends’ kids three days a week. It was a choice that Peter and I made together, because with school and essentially two sets of twins to watch, it was getting to be a bit much for me. The choice was a painful one and now that the kids are not here I find a bit of a void because I truly love them. Later this month I am turning twenty-five: a bit of a milestone-the ol’ quarter of a century mark. And in just over a month I will have survived my first year as a mother of two. I have spent some time considering these changes (and the implications of them) and as I have read or heard other people’s resolutions, listened to sermons at church and read my devotions, I have been challenged to make some real changes in who I am as a person. I like resolutions to be practical and somewhat measurable, so in trying to condense my thoughts into something do-able, rather than a long intimidating list, I came up with one idea that everything seemed to come back to. I want to be purposeful.
I want to be purposeful in how I manage my time. This is often a struggle for me and something that leads to lots of stress. I want to be purposeful in being productive and in prioritizing what really matters, what needs to be accomplished and what can wait.
I want to be a purposeful mother. So often I go to bed a night and feel like I blew it, whether in a specific instance or maybe the day as a whole. That is probably the worst feeling. I want to be purposeful in being present and not lost in my own head with countless thoughts and my endless to-do lists.I want to be purposeful in investing in their lives by having more structured teaching time, making the most of unstructured teachable moments, reading more and just just dropping everything to be on their level playing and laughing. I want to be purposeful in being patient with my kids, and also with myself.
I want to be a purposeful wife. So often I put my own needs and desires before my husband’s. I want to be more purposeful in how I take care of and manage the house. I want to be more purposeful in being a better listener and communicator. I want to be purposeful in making Peter feel respected and loved. I want to be purposeful in considering his needs and making sure they are met instead of looking out for myself.
I want to be purposeful in taking care of myself, so I can be healthier physically, spiritually, and emotionally. I want to be purposeful in eating healthier and exercising more. I want to be purposeful about spending more time reading the Bible and praying and in actually applying the things I hear and read. I want to be purposeful in viewing and handling our finances as a Godly steward entrusted with money and possessions from God. I want to be purposeful in telling myself the truth and in achieving the balance of challenging myself without taking on too much. And I want to be purposeful in keeping my commitments.
I want to be purposeful in how I interact with others. I want to be purposeful in being encouraging to others, purposeful in being a better listener, and purposeful in praying for others. I want to be purposeful in making the most of opportunities God gives me in the lives of the people I come in contact with, whether it be the cashier at the supermarket or my family I see everyday.
I often feel like I am failing on many levels. I know the desire of my heart and the calling of my life is to be a wife and mother. It is all I ever really wanted to do and I feel the most fulfilled in these roles. I reason if all I ever wanted to be is a wife and mother than I better be a pretty darn great one. So when I often come up short in the arena where I should be excelling it is pretty distressing at times. Hopefully by resolving to be more purposeful I will alleviate some of the discrepancy between where I am and where I feel I should be. Hopefully, with God’s grace and help, I will be more purposeful in just about every area of my life this year.

Saw it, Loved it Sunday #6

2012-01-09T10:43:00.001-05:00

I have been ~~kind of~~ seriously slacking in doing my Saw it Loved it Sunday posts. I took an unannounced break from about Thanksgiving until now, because things were hectic, but I really want to be better about doing them. I think it is really fun to be inspired by all the awesome ideas out there. I have such fun seeing what other people are dreaming up and creating. So, I am going to get back into the swing of doing one of these feature posts a week, every Sunday (even though this one is on a Monday.) Baby steps. If you are featured please feel free to grab a button from the side bar! Thanks for stopping by! Now let’s check out some inspiration!

Pam and Lisa from Over the Big Moon made shared these quirky Kitchen Pintables this week. I really love the silhouettes and the fun sayings. These would definitely help spruce up the kitchen for a new year, and who doesn’t love a FREE printable!? Thanks ladies!

Jamie from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom made these beautiful No Sew Pillows from a table runner! I am so inspired. I love the texture of them and also the fact she repurposed something and did it on the cheap, my kind of project!

Lemon Blueberry Cinnamon Rolls. Yes please! Inspired by Family Magazine shared the delicious sounding recipe and I have to contain myself as I try to resist licking the screen. Two of my favorite flavors combined into one and them drizzled with ooey gooey goodness. Yum.

I don’t like to do a feature post when I haven’t created something myself in a while, but this time I am. It is not that I am in a creative rut, rather I have a lot of ideas in my head that are slowly materializing. I have some smaller crafts in mind and also some bigger ones including a small scale master bedroom re-do and finally creating a craft space for myself. I am also planning and executing a birthday party for Hayleigh and Braxton in about a month so that has consumed a lot of my creating time. Hopefully I get some project up on the blog this week! Hope you have a wonderful week and have left inspired!

What Foods these Morsels be: Fried Green Beans

2012-01-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

So, I haven’t done one of these “morsels” posts in a while. The premise behind them is that I try a new recipe. What does this say for my cooking…not really mixing it up much these days. I tried a new recipe for New Years Eve though, and I am glad I did. It was tasty. After a change of plans Peter and I spent the night at home just the two of us. I made some appetizers and we made a dinner out of it. It was nice to hang out watching movies in our pjs. We may or may not ~~crashed~~ have fallen asleep at 11pm. What party animals! Anyway, one of the appetizers I made that was not frozen were these yummy fried green beans, because who doesn’t occasionally want to fatten up vegetables?! I got the recipe from Naturally Ella.

Fried Green Beans
Ingredients

2 dozen green beans
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup panko
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon oregano
Enough oil to fry beans

Instructions

Set-up a breading station ( 1/2 flour, milk, and 1/2 panko.) I pulsed the panko, garlic powder, and oregano together in a food processor so that the panko was fine.
Start by rolling the bean in flour, dip it in the milk, and roll it in the panko mixture. Place in a bowl. Once all the green beans are through, repeat so that each bean is double breaded.
Heat oil to 350˚. Place green beans in oil without crowding. Let fry until breading is golden- 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on sheets of paper towels.

Notes
Would also work to bake.

I served mine with a spicy Ranch dressing. I am glad I remembered to take a picture before Peter saw that they were done because they didn’t last long after that.

a year.

2012-01-03T11:17:00.001-05:00

A whole new year started just three days ago .Today also marks Peter’s one year anniversary of working at his current job. There are a lot of thoughts going through my mind as I ponder those statements. As I get them from my mind to “paper” they are sure to be jumbled so bear with me (or don’t). I am still so incredibly thankful to God for providing this job for him. After years of waiting for a break (for Peter to find a job that we knew was more than a stop-gap) and after six months of waiting on the all but promised position at his current company, to say this job was an answer to prayer is only touching the tip of the iceberg. During the years of struggling to make ends meet, countless rest-less, stress-ful nights, thousands of prayers, and those six months of waiting and testing we learned a few essential things. God finally broke through my worrisome nature and taught me what it meant to really trust Him, to really rely on Him day to day, moment to moment, for our physical, material needs, but for our spiritual and emotional needs as well. You would have thought that the months and years of other family, relationship, mental health and financial issues would have taught me that, but I guess I am more stubborn than I had previously known. I am grateful that God stuck with me and kept at it-breaking down my pride and doubt until I was left with no where to turn but to Him. And I did. Every day I fell into the welcoming, reassuring, comforting arms of my Father. I buried my head in Him and hid from every haunting thought of doubt or worry, until I really understood what Paul meant in Philippians 4:6-7 when he says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” It is funny because I had claimed those verses so many other times in my life, but had never really experienced that peace in the midst of trials or strife for any extended period of time until the summer and fall of 2010. It was then, when we were struggling to pay our bills, expecting our second child, and waiting on God to take us out of “limbo land” in relation to Peter’s job that I felt a calm that was contrary to any circumstance we found ourselves in. In those moments it was actually a wonderful place to be, despite what we “should” have been experiencing. I am so thankful to God for bringing us through that time. Not only did it teach us valuable lessons we can take with us throughout the rest of our lives, but it made our present situation with Peter’s new job that much sweeter.

I am also incredibly thankful for a husband who works as hard as Peter does. He has always been a hard worker-something he learned from his parents. The difference now though is that he doesn’t have to work two jobs so we can pay our bills. Oh, he would if he still had to. That is the man I married-the same man who promised me when we were 16 or 17 years old and talking on instant messenger that whatever it took, I would be able to be home with our babies. People can say what they want about Peter, (and perhaps some people in the past have thought he didn’t take things seriously or was not going to amount to anything because he didn’t finish college) but let me tell you something, there is no one, no one, who could take better care of me and our kids. There is no one who could take more seriously their job to provide for his family and there is no one I would trust besides him with my heart. Through everything we have been through in the over ten years we have been together I have never doubted his love and devotion to me, to his family and to his God. Many times he has modeled God for me, even when at times I had difficulty feeling the presence of God anywhere else in my life. His faithfulness, reliability, and care make him easy to trust, easy to love and easy to respect. I am so blessed to be his wife and best friend. The fact that one year ago today he stated a new job that he actually enjoys and excels at is just icing on the cake. When we got married we knew we wouldn’t have much money and we were fine with that. It seemed exciting starting out with next to nothing and making a go at it together. In the 4+ years since it has not always been that rosy. There have been a lot of unexpected and challenging circumstances, but I try not to forget that despite not having much in the way of money and material possessions, we are pretty rich. I can sometimes use the reminder of what it felt like to be so invigorated by love and excitement for life that nothing else really mattered. I count myself blessed beyond what I deserve to be married to Peter and to have the life we dreamed of for so long. Everything else is just fluff to me.

Another thought I am (once again) struck with is how fast time goes. A year. A year! A year? At this time last year I was battling customer service representatives in India to secure our Cobra coverage. I was 7 1/2 months pregnant with a son I had never met but already loved, and was a little leery about the thought of having two children and “screwing up” the wonderful life I at home with my precious girl. At the same time I was lamenting the fact that that same girl was about to turn two. Now I find myself head over heels in love with the sweetest, most lovey 10 month old boy ever, in awe watching my almost three year old prance, sing and twirl in a world all her own, and am most definitely NOT pregnant. We are still in the same house. Part of me hoped that maybe we would be house hunting by now, but oh well, that will have to wait a bit longer. I am sometimes overwhelmed with how fast this year has gone by-as in every time I think about it I am still floored by the brevity of life and the lightning quickness of each moment. The other day we are driving past the hospital where the kids were born and Hayleigh said “Ooooh, that’s where I was when I was in your belly!” I smiled but couldn’t help but choke back tears as I thought “when on earth did you get big enough to not be inside my belly anymore? To be a big sister of a baby who is also big enough to not be in my belly anymore? To be (gulp) dare I say it, a preschooler?" I feel like this past year has gone even faster than the ones before it.

A year ago today.

The highlight of my year.

Where will another year take us? I have hopes and plans. But if there is something I have learned throughout the past couple years of my life its that a.) my plans really mean nothing as far as what will pan out in reality and b.) I am a child of a gracious God who has my best interests in mind and directs my paths in the most wise and loving way possible. I hope that in a year from now I can look back and say that despite the inevitable trials and disappointments that I have kept a godly perspective, soaked up the moments with my amazing husband and children, matured as a person and grown in my relationship with God, enjoyed life, and made the lives of others better. I hope I can look back with fondness on this next chapter of our lives. I will always be a sentimental person. I still struggle with clinging to the moments and people I love as time tears them from my clenched hands. I don’t know if I will ever be able to look at how quickly time goes and be completely reconciled to it, especially when it is in relation to how quickly my babies are growing up. But maybe this year I will be better at “rolling with it” and instead of mourning the passage of time I will rejoice in what new and wonderful things are in store. Here is to 2012, whatever it may bring I know the Author of my story remains the same amidst a world that is ever changing and fleeting!

Magnetic Scrabble letter Message Board

2011-12-31T10:53:00.001-05:00

Scrabble letters are pretty popular these days. I think it is quirky way to spell out messages. Well before the scrabble letter craze my husband’s family members were scrabble enthusiasts, especially my father in law. As much as a I love writing and word crafting I just cannot stand the game. I haven’t quite figured out why, maybe because I am awful at spelling. Whenever they play I am on Peter’s team and am the designated letter-drawer because that is about all I am good for. As a tribute to his love for scrabble, I made this magnetic scrabble letter message board for my Father in law for Christmas.

It was easy-peasy and fun to make! (I had much more fun with this than the game, I must say.) All did was buy a big frame (14x10 I think) and spray the glass with magnetic spray paint. As a tip, if you have never used the magnetic spray paint, it takes A LOT of paint to get a strong magnetic connection. I did 8 or 9 coats of the stuff and was still a little disappointed at the lack of magnetic pull. So, if you attempt this or a similar project be ready to use nearly the entire can of the stuff. I found the scrabble letters online. All the listing said was “100 scrabble letters” so I was nervous that all the letters would not be included, you know that the shipment would come with all the letter “A” or something, but it was a complete set, even including 2 blank tiles! Then I cut pieces of self-adhesive magnetic strips and attached them to the back of the tiles. And viola! A Christmas present that screamed my father in law. He immediately began spelling words with it, a true scrabble maniac! He says he plans to practice on his trick words for the next family game night. Maybe this gift will backfire on me.

Christmas with the Gavendas

2011-12-28T08:49:00.001-05:00

A letter to my son

2011-12-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

B-boy, you turned 10 months old on Christmas Eve! I cannot even believe how much you have changed in the past month. Don’t even get me started on the fact that you are creeping up on a YEAR OLD! How is that even possible!?! You are such a fun little guy. You are playing more and more. I love your little games and your sweet, drooly smile. (Your chin is almost never void of drool.)Your hugs and kisses are one of the highlights of my day. You are so much more active, as well. You have a fascination with anywhere you are not supposed to be, mostly the kitchen which you are not allowed in unless someone is in there to keep you from killing yourself. Just the other day you knocked over the tote we had blocking the door to the kitchen (this is old news to you. It takes you about 2 seconds to move the tote) and also a chair we had put behind the tote to reinforce it. You then stood up and started walking pushing the tote and chair half-way across the kitchen. When you saw I was watching you, you just gave me one of your smiles and laughed.

You also have a game which you play with Nana. Whenever she makes a kissy face and starts slowly coming toward you, you get a little smirk and then lean in the rest of the way so she can smooch your cheek. You are such a lover! You are pretty laid back and quiet as long as people are around. You just love to be around people. I hope that never changes about you because it is such a quintessential part of who you are now. I know God made you to be that way. You light up whenever one of us comes in the room and go nuts when Daddy comes home from work. You adore watching Hayleigh and when she plays with you, you are star-struck and on cloud nine. I love to watch you together and see how much you each love each other in your own little ways. It makes my heart smile.

You say three words now. Your first word was “Da-da”. I don’t know who smiled bigger when you said it, you or Daddy. You call me “Bob-Bob”, which I count as a word, because although its no “Mama” you use it to refer to me and you get so darn proud of yourself when you say it. Hayleigh always laughs hysterically and corrects you saying, “You don’t call her Bob-bob! Her name is Mommy! Say ma-ma, B!” You also say “hi” or actually “haaaaaaah” when you wave. I love to see your proud excited smile when you know you have said a word.

You still have just two teeth. I have been waiting for months for the next ones. I am writing this letter a day before you turn 10 months, so two days before Christmas, and I am wondering if maybe you will be like your sister a wait forever to sprout a tooth on Christmas. Your favorite foods are peas, squash, banana, cheese, and eggs. It is funny though because you don't show much of a reaction to foods as far as getting excited. You do love your protein though! In fact you won't sleep well at night without either eggs or meat for dinner. What a manly man! You love playing with your sillytown toy, your mirror stage and also cars. It is so funny how from very young you loved things with wheels. You can even push yourself across the room riding the ride on toy. You just need a spotter for some help with the occasional balance issue. You still do your "work-outs" where you grab onto something in front of you with both arms (like the ottoman or a shopping cart handle) and rock back and forth and yell. You also have the "hallelujah" dance move down pat where you put your hand up in the air and close your eyes, lower your head and shake your head along with the music. It is hilarious! I also think you are left handed. You eat with your left hand and are preferential to that hand in other things as well. Interesting. I will have to wait and see if you are a lefty like your Aunt Jayna and Uncle Aaron.
I love watching you learning, growing and developing. It never gets old. Your personality is so unique from your sisters and so incredibly lovable and irresistable. I love to just nuzzle and eat up your cheeks. There are really few things that give me more satisfaction than a good cuddle with you my sweet boy. You are such a light in our lives. I love to see your love for others and your happy, sweet disposition. I cannot wait to see how God continues to mold you and shape you into the person He plans for you to be. I love you so much.

10 months or 10 years?! Geez.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

Wishing everyone a wonderful, safe and memorable Christmas!

Unto us

2011-12-23T14:04:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite things about spending Christmas with my family is our traditions. One of them is to read Christmas Devotions over brunch. We usually read the same two every year and sometimes sprinkle one or two new ones in as well. Let me share one of my favorites with you. It is from the book “The Glory of Christmas” which is a compilation of inspirational writings from Charles Swindoll, Max Lucado and Charles Colson.

Untethered by time, God sees us all. From the backwoods of Virginia to the business district of London; from the Vikings to the astronauts, from the cave-dwellers to the kings, from the hut -builders to the finger-pointers to the rock-stackers, He sees us. Vagabonds and ragamuffins all; He saw us before we were born.

And He loves what He sees. Flooded by emotion, overcome by pride, The Starmaker turns to us, one by one, and says, “You are my child. I love you dearly. I am aware that someday you’ll turn from me and walk away. But I want you to know, I’ve already provided a way back.”

And to prove it He did something extraordinary.

Stepping from the throne, He removed His robe of light and wrapped Himself in skin: pigmented, human skin. The Light of the universe entered a dark, wet womb. He whom angels worship nestled Himself in the placenta of a peasant, was birthed into the cold night, and then slept on cow’s hay.

Mary didn’t know whether to give Him milk or give Him praise . but she gave Him both since He was, as near as she could figure, hungry and holy.

Joseph didn’t know whether to call Him Junior of Father. But in the end he called Him Jesus, since that is what the angel had said and since He didn’t have the faintest idea what to name a God he could cradle in his arms.

Don’t you think their heads tilted and their minds wondered, “What in the world are you doing, God?” Or better phrased, “God, what are you doing in the world?”

“Can anything make me stop loving you?” God asks. “Watch me speak your language, sleep on your earth, and feel your hurts. Behold as the Maker of sight and sound as He sneezes, coughs and blows His nose. You wonder if I understand how you feel? Look into the eyes of the kid in Nazareth; that’s God walking to school. Ponder the toddler at Mary’s table; that’s God spilling His milk.

“You wonder how long my love will last? Find your answer on a splintered tree, on a craggy hill. That’s me you see up there, your Maker, your God, nail-stabbed and bleeding. Covered in spit and sin-soaked.

“That’s your sin I’m feeling. That’s your death I’m dying. That’s your resurrection I’m living. That’s how much I love you.”

Max Lucado
In the Grip of Grace

^“ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6

Accessory holder from recycled window

2011-12-23T13:47:00.001-05:00

I have known for a while that this is what I would make for my sister for Christmas. I was inspired by this project of Ashley’s. It is very different from my other window project I made for my mom, but some of the same principles applied. Rylie, my sister, loves jewelry and accessories, especially fun costume jewelry. She has everything stashed in boxes and bins though which is not practical or fun. So, I knew this would be a perfect gift for her because she will not only have easy access to her pretties but she can now have them all on display as well!
The process was pretty simple and because I was strapped for time (who isn’t this time of year?!) I did not take pictures as I went.
My mom found this window for me. I love the character of it. All I did was paint in black to fit Rylie’s taste and style. Then Peter broke the glass out of all the panes for me. (He said it was therapeutic after the week he had at work. I’ll give him that one.)

I cut and stapled screen behind two of the panes, perfect for hanging earrings. Then I stapled some fabric behind that to give it some color and pattern. I did not want to go overboard with the colors and patterns because I figured the accessories would add enough of that. I want this to kind of be a frame and the accessories the art.

Next I glued some wire to the back of the panes so she could hang her hair clips and barrettes.

I also hung some hooks so she can hang necklaces, bracelets or headbands.
I envision this propped up on her dresser or hung on her bedroom wall. I also made her some fun accessories to go with it (not pictured). I really hope she likes it!

Cookie Baking 2011

2011-12-19T07:30:00.000-05:00

We did it! We made it to 1,000 cookies! Actually, we made 1,189 to be precise. It was 2 days. 21.5 hours, 17 varieties, and 99 dozen (plus 1) cookies! (Next year maybe we go for 100 dozen?!) It was so much fun, with lots of laughs, lots of memories, lots of sugar and some seriously aching feet. Saturday we (by we I mean me and my mom and fellow marathon baker) went to my grandma’s house, which is about an hour and change away. Hayleigh came with us and my cousin’s son Gregory was there as well. Hayleigh was eager to help bake, and she was a very big help. Her favorite cut-out shape to make was a bell. She said she made a bell “because we didn’t have any Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella cookie cutters”. I think she may have been a bit confused about the difference between a Christmas bell and Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but that’s cool. She insisted on making her cookies with pink sugar, rather than the traditional Christmas colors.

On Sunday I went to my mom’s and we put on our big girl pants and worked all day as well. Sunday has come to be known as the “productive day” because we do 2/3rds of the cookies on Sunday and little helpers, however sweet and well intentioned stay home with Daddy. My sister Rylie also helped us for a few hours. However exhausting it may get to bake non-stop for this many hours (I actually took a brief snooze on the mixer this year, while whipping up a batch of Pumpkin Cookies), it is without a doubt my favorite weekend of the year. I love the tradition of it and the memories we make along with the delicious cookies. It is something I am proud that we never have given up despite life changes over the years. Maybe someday this will be something that I carry on to do with my grandchildren.

One more day!

2011-12-15T19:36:00.001-05:00

This week has been, (how can I say it without completely exaggerating?), insanely-epically-ridiculously-sickeningly-taxingly-crazy. There. That description was not over the top at all. No, but in all seriousness, this week has been crazy for me. This is my final week of classes in a semester that I knew from before it began I would be lucky to get out of without drowning. I cannot wait until tomorrow evening when I can be completely done, (after I give a super interesting, not at all depressing speech on child abuse.) Clearly I get sarcastic when I am burnt out and exhausted. I was really feeling the stress of my work load this week, on top of the slew of Christmas things I have to get done and my normal to-do list.
I have not even had time to read a single blog this week, much less write a post myself or even attempt a project. My house looks like a bomb went off. Just ask Erin. She has seen it. Dinners have consisted of nice mixture of take out, scrambled eggs and spaghetti. Some weeks are like that, I guess.
I also realized I had not taken a single picture of my kids all week. So, in an attempt to keep myself sane I took a little break from being holed up in the office, while my kids watched way too much Sesame Street, to just play. It is a shame that adults don’t play more because it is super therapeutic and also just pretty darn fun. Who knew a little game of peek-a-boo was just what this stressed out, burned out, Mama needed. I think they did.

If you knew what time of day it was when I took these pictures you would most likely be judging me for the fact that Braxton is still in his pjs. But like I said, some weeks are like that. I am so ready to be done with school for a month and to give my jumbled brain a chance to tidy itself up. (Hey, maybe my house could tidy itself up too!) This weekend is also cookie baking weekend! I can’t wait! One more day!

Some days

2011-12-09T05:00:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel overwhelmed. Some days I feel sorry for myself. I get cabin fever. I get stressed out, burned out, fed up. Sometimes I lose my temper. Sometimes I cry for no apparent reason. Sometimes I envy other 24 year olds who don’t have the commitments that I do, who can be free to travel, have a social life, go on shopping sprees that don’t begin and end in the baby and toddler sections. But then I look at these faces.

All the other thoughts and feelings disappear and I am lost in the beauty and wonder of seeing the world through their eyes.

Some days I just can’t believe they are mine.

Some days I wonder how I ever lived without them.

Sometimes I think my heart is going to swell and burst with joy as I listen to them laugh.

Sometimes I melt into a puddle when I hear this little angel call me “Mommy”.

Some days I cringe at the thought of when he will get to old to hug and kiss me with wreckless abandon.

Sometimes holding the tiniest hands and listening to the smallest heart beat provide more comfort than a lifetime of consoling words.

Sometimes all it takes to give me perspective is to look at these faces.

noel noel

2011-12-08T14:05:00.001-05:00

I had seen this idea on pinterest a few months back. I really loved the idea of using a bell for the letter “o”. The idea originally came from Craft Goodies.

I decided to put a bit of my own spin on the idea. I bought the “noel” as a set for $5 at Hobby Lobby. This is how it looked when I bought it.

I like it but knew the whole purpose behind buying it was to re-create it modeled after what I had seen on pinterest. So I pried the “o” off as well as all the embellishments. Then I primed and painted the remaining letters. Then I distressed the letters a bit to allow some of the red and green to show through. I had a bell from previous decorations that I knew was perfect for the “o”. I glued it down as well as glued down some of the pinecones and some greenery.

I like the end result but feel as though it may be missing something to draw the eye upward. Any ideas? My plan is to put it along side our nativity scene which I am working on for a table display in our office.

Linking up at these fun parties!

So this is Christmas?

2011-12-06T13:10:00.001-05:00

Christmas. It is the most wonderful time of the year, right? I would have to agree. There are few things I love more than this time of year. The decorations. The yummy food. The carols. The list making (this is a year round activity for some though). The shopping. The holiday parties. The generosity of others. Getting away with wearing more sparkles than any time of year other than New Year’s Eve, or for others the only time of year where busting your tackiest sweater out of hiding in the cedar chest is socially acceptable. The time spent laughing and relaxing with family. Some of my favorite family traditions and memories surround Christmas. There is a cheer in the air this time of year and a special warmth that seems to only surround us at Christmas. And it feels good. And it is heart-warming. And it can bring us happiness. But this Christmas, more than any in previous years, Peter and I have been thinking about more than just the warmth, merriment and temporal happiness surrounding this holiday.

When Christmas day comes and goes this year, when all the presents have been opened and all the cookies have been eaten and the once brightly lit tree is dim and starting to wilt, we don’t want the happiness to pass along with it. We don’t want to feel regret in the pit of our stomach that maybe we had it all wrong, that maybe we were a bit out of balance, and now the day has passed. All of the these things that we love about Christmas and that help us define Christmas are good things, but they are not THE thing. We want more than just happiness this year. We want JOY. We want PEACE. We want to remember, and not just in passing, the real thing to be celebrated at Christmas, Jesus.

All of the great and fun things surrounding Christmas can bring us happiness but they cannot bring us joy. They were not designed to. Joy comes in spite of circumstances and the peace that passes all understanding can only come from God. So many times we get it wrong. So many past Christmases have come and gone and I have been left wondering what I should have done differently and prayerfully apologizing for only paying a passing tribute to the one for whom the day is named. Peter and I don’t want that this year. We want to celebrate the season for all it is worth. We want the pretty decorations. We are definitely going to enjoy the delicious cookies, and polish sausage and French toast brunch. We can’t wait to see the looks on our kids’ and family members’ faces as they open their gifts. I have already spent many hours dancing and singing like a fool to Christmas music. We don’t want to take away the sweetness and beauty of time spent doing these things with the people we love most, but we don’t want to miss the real beauty and Truth of this season either. This year, more than ever, we are consciously making a choice to celebrate Jesus, to remember Jesus, to mediate on Jesus, to thank Jesus and to make everything we take part in this year be an act of worship to Him. God’s word says “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17). We are applying that to the way we celebrate this year. We aren’t giving up any of the traditions and elements of Christmas that we love, but we are doing them purposefully, remembering why we do what we do. It is our hope that at the end of this Christmas we are able to say “So THIS is Christmas!”

3 Days 3 Ways: Cupcake Liner Christmas Décor {Day 3}

2011-12-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Garland

I had seen projects similar to this where people cut out circles of scrapbook paper, book pages etc. and coupled them with cupcake liners to make a fun and quirky garland. I figured why not make something like this for the mantle in our office? So I started cutting out circles while watching the Syracuse Basketball team beat Florida Friday night.

I could probably get away with blaming my lop-sided “circles” on the fact that I was distracted by the game but in reality that is not the reason they look so wonky. (Hi. My name is Emily and I cannot cut out a perfect circle to save my life.)

But I pressed on. And on. And on. And on. Until my hands were cramping and begging for mercy. Until I was getting a little loopy and singing weird songs to myself. Until I was ready to throw the whole project across the room or into the garbage. If it weren’t for the fact that I had started this 3 days 3 ways thing I probably would have. But I finished it, kinda. I honestly have to say that eventually I became so bored and fed up with it that I stopped when the garland was much shorter than I had originally envisioned and now I am left with a “Blah” project that I am not even sure I will use. Oh well. That happens sometimes I guess! You can’t win them all. Although Syracuse sure has so far this season. ;)

On another note, I did “win” a few battles this weekend. I was pretty productive on catching up on some cleaning and homework. Also, Braxton is finally back to pretty much himself again! The pink eye is gone and none of the rest of us got it! I don’t know how we managed that. And let me tell you I was nervous. Every time my eye itched I was paranoid that I was getting it and every time Hayleigh woke up with sleepy eyes I was ready to rush her to the Doctor to start on meds. I was very happy that “B” decided not to share the pink eye with us. It was also so nice to actually be able to sleep last night without being woken up by a poor sick boy but what was even nicer was seeing Braxton smile and hearing his adorable laugh last night. It had been far too long without hearing his hilarious and contagious little chortle. That is one thing that I am so happy he infects us with.

3 Days 3 Ways: Cupcake Liner Christmas Décor {Day 2}

2011-12-03T13:22:00.001-05:00

Cupcake Liner Christmas Trees

I bought those Styrofoam cone thingys from Hobby Lobby well over a month ago and have been toying with ideas for how to decorate them ever since. A couple weeks ago my loving, well-meaning husband went grocery shopping for me and bought the wrong size cupcake liners. Since I didn’t have an immediate use for them I stashed them away and didn’t think of them again. Then the other night I had a “light bulb” moment and decided to use them to cover the Styrofoam cone thingys that had been haunting me!

I had a pack of 100 teeny tiny liners and the whole pack nearly covered this medium sized cone. (I am feeling very technical in my descriptions right now. Can you tell?) I had Peter buy another pack of 50 count jumbo liners while He was out and cut them to fill in the holes as well as make my snowflake banner and tomorrow's craft. I also made another tree out of muslin and topped it with a star I made out of scrap cupcake liners.

Then I put them in my tray to replace my decoupaged pumpkins and added a little pinecone tree to be their buddy. The more the merrier right? I also used some yarn wrapped balls and some more left over cupcake liner scraps to resemble snow.

I am very happy with the result! It isn’t perfect, but neither am I so that is okay. I am also happy to finally be feeling like I am tackling some of the things on my to-do list, including these decorations (hopefully some more will get done tonight too!), cleaning and homework. Which reminds me, I need to stop blabbing and get working! Have an awesome weekend!!

3 Days 3 Ways: Cupcake Liner Christmas Decor {Day 1}

2011-12-02T13:28:00.001-05:00

“Be Merry” Snowflake Banner

I was feeling horribly sick this past week. (I am pretty glad I accomplished some projects over Thanksgiving and scheduled posts). My poor B-boy was sick as well. Actually he still he is. Now he has the dreaded pink eye. Blech! Along with feeling sick I was giving myself a bit of a pity party. We were supposed to have our annual marathon Christmas Cookie Baking weekend this weekend but we postponed it for fear Hayleigh or I, or both of us, will end up with pink eye. It is my favorite family tradition (cookie baking, not pink eye). Last year we baked 997 cookies…3 shy of a GRAND! This year we are going to top it! But that will have to wait until the threat of infection has passed. Also, tonight is a Christmas party with friends from church which we also have to miss. I know. I know. I could clearly be much worse than it is, but I am still getting over the disappointment. Also, when you spend 4-5 days barely functioning (think glued to the couch as much as a 9 month old and 2 1/2 year old will allow) it is quite remarkable how little gets done around your house. I am now surging with energy to play catch up with Christmas decorating, the mounds of laundry and clutter that have accumulated, homework (yuck), and various other things on the to-do list. So yeah, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but also motivated!
This is the first project I tackled for the weekend in an effort to play catch up! It is super-easy-the perfect rebound project to check off so I can feel invigorated to do more! All I did was:
1.) layer cupcake liners which I cut to various sizes. I flattened them out a bit. The idea is to make them somewhat resemble snowflakes.
2.)Then I cut out circles out of book pages to fill the centers.
3.)Then I spelled out “be merry” with glittery alpha stickers.
4.)I gave a quick spray with glitter spray paint and glued to a piece of ribbon.
Done.

These are part of the mantle in our office which I not quite done yet. Hence the strategically taken pictures. Hopefully the mantle along with lots of other projects, homework and cleaning will be done by the end of this weekend. Also, I have two more days of fun cupcake liner projects. Stay tuned. :) Have a great weekend!
Oh, and thanks for letting me whine! I am feeling much better.

Linking up at these fun parties!

December 1: then and now

2011-12-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

2010:

2011:

Craft-Ease: Rolled Paper Christmas Tree {Zero Dollar Project}

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

During this time of year, along with pretty much anyone else I am sure, I feel as if money is flying out of my wallet as quickly as leftover pumpkin pie from the refrigerator. I do make a holiday budget and I am proud to say that I stick to it (because I have to). But never the less money doesn’t stick around in the ol’ bank account for too long in the month of December. Time seems to be at a premium too. So what could be better for the Christmas season that a quick and FREE craft?! Answer: not much.

All you need is an old picture frame you are not using, (If you are like me you have a whole shelf full in your linen/craft/junk closet), some leftover pieces of scrapbook paper or cardstock and some hot glue. I also used a little brad for the star on top of my tree.

I feel a little silly doing a “tutorial” for this project since it is pretty straight forward. All you do it cut the scrapbook paper into strips, roll and glue the edges. Then glue them to another piece of paper to resemble a tree and glue a brad, or bell, or any other embellishment that you have on top (think FREE). And voila! A new piece of Christmas décor in less than ten minutes!

I was busy over Thanksgiving weekend spending time with family but squeezed in some time to make this and some other crafts. This one fit wonderfully into my time and money budget. What I also love about this project is the versatility. Depending on the frame and paper you choose you can have a tree personalized to match your taste and décor! Fun!

Linking up at these fun parties!

Winter “mantle”

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Growing up my mom would read us a book called “Warm in Winter” by Erica Silverman. It is a wonderful book about two friends: Rabbit and Badger. Rabbit spends the entirety of the book trying to convince Badger that you really can be warm in winter. I remember sitting on the couch before bed curled up with my mom and sisters under the afghan my great- grandmother had made and listening to my mom read to us. The fire was crackling in the fireplace and and despite the wind howling and snow falling outside the window I had no doubt that you really could be warm in winter. That feeling has stuck with me. Winter has always been one of my favorite seasons, partially because I love the holidays, but also because I love the idea of being cozy and warm with the ones I love in the midst of a cold, winter storm. There are some cold winter nights I still wish I was sitting with my mom and sisters next to my parents’ wood burning stove and reading this beautiful book. My mom still has it and I just bought my own copy to read with Hayleigh and Braxton.

It was the idea of winter warmth that inspired my winter “mantle”, really wall shelves. I wanted to bring in the beauty of winter but make our living room feel cozy at the same time. I didn’t want to make it about Christmas because, as with my wreath, I plan to leave it up all winter. Don’t worry, there are lots of other Christmas decorations which are either up or in the process of going up as well!

I converted the frame I used for my Fall shelves to be a “Let it snow” winter frame. I punched snowflakes out of a paper doily and used alpha stickers. I also used some bulb ornaments resembling snow balls. I found the beautiful white tree (in the above picture) at Hobby Lobby for $5 and I just love it.

The frame contains a collage I made on Picnik, nothing professional but it does the trick. The lantern I found at Savers and thought it fit my “theme” well. As finishing touches I dusted some pinecones with spray paint and used some Spanish moss to make a nest for my book page bird ornament.

For the third shelf I used a tea pot that I also found at Savers for $2. It was a lovely shade of pink so I spray painted it with metallic spray paint. I brought in a little nature by hot gluing some sticks to a glass candle holder. I re-used one of my stockings from my stocking-wrapped pumpkins to wrap another candle holder. The idea was to make it resemble a sweater.

I really enjoy the warm in winter feel that the shelves give to our living room!

Here they are one more time because I am a little obsessed.

These took up a bit more time that I had budgeted over the Holiday weekend so I am a bit behind on other Christmas decorating but hopefully I can catch up on that (and ~~neglected~~ procrastinated school work) this week! Happy (almost) winter!

Linking up at these fun parties!

featured!

2011-11-26T13:07:00.001-05:00

I am super excited to say that my winter wreath was featured over at Craft-o-maniac for the Saturday Spotlight Talent Show! Whoa, that was a lot of links in one sentence! Thanks to Jenn for having a blog I really enjoy reading and being inspired by! I am so surprised and honored to be featured there! Check it out if you get a chance. There are some other beautiful and creative wreaths there as well as Jenn’s fun projects.

Turkey Corn Chowder

2011-11-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

Isn’t it funny how different tastes and smells can bring a little bit of the past into our present in such an almost tangible way? When I was sick I remember my mom used to make this soup for me sometimes. The smell of it still provides such a sense of comfort and warmth for me. It is also perfect to make with Thanksgiving leftovers so I thought I would share the recipe.
Turkey Corn Chowder (serves 4)
2T butter or margarine
1t onion
1 medium potato (chopped)
1/2c celery (diced)
1c creamed corn
1c hot turkey stock
1c cooked turkey (cubed or shredded)
salt and pepper
1/8t paprika
1/8t ginger
1/2 c hot milk
1/2c hot half and half
2t parsley

Sauté onion until tender. Add potato, celery, corn, broth, and turkey. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add spices, milk and half and half. Heat thoroughly.

Yum!! Perfect for this time of year! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving and 3/4s way to a year!

2011-11-25T13:15:00.001-05:00

Don’t you just love my kids’ spirit of thankfulness and cooperation in this picture?! Nice. I had to laugh when this was the best we could muster. This year we headed to my grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. We switch off years between my family and Peter’s family. It was really fun this year because there are lots of kids running around. There are six great -grandchildren now, five of them under three years old, so it makes for a busy house! It’s great to watch all the kids playing together. It reminds me of growing up visiting my grandma’s tiny house full of kids and toys. I know it brightens my grandma’s life to watch all the kids playing. Braxton has been drawn to her and loves to sit with her and touch her face. Hayleigh, on the other hand has always been a little leery, but this time we didn’t do any prompting or coaxing and Hayleigh talked to my grandma more than ever. She also spontaneously gave her a big hug which floored my grandma and almost brought her to tears. Leave it to Hayleigh to do things in her own time, as usual. Anyway, it was a hot day in the little house with the oven on all day and lots of people around, but it was nice. It was Thanksgiving and we have lots to be thankful for. Hopefully, I can keep this spirit of gratitude all year long.

It was also Braxton’s 9 month birthday! In some ways it feels like he has been around for so much longer than that and in other ways I still feel like he still should be a little baby. I am finding the passage of time a little easier to tolerate with him than with Hayleigh. I think that is because I know what fun lays ahead in the toddler years, not that I am not enjoying this stage as well. His personality is emerging more and more everyday. He is very chill and likes to take it all in. He loves people and has become more attached to me the older he has gotten. He is getting more mobile by the day as well and has already had more bruises on his little head than I think Hayleigh has ever gotten! Oh well. He is a boy I guess. And a pretty cute and happy one, I must say.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family, friends, good food and lots to be thankful for.

Thankful

2011-11-22T13:53:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for a husband who says I look beautiful even when I am wearing the same dirty sweatpants I wore yesterday and haven’t showered today.
I am thankful for 2 toothed grins greeting me whenever I walk into a room
for the way “MOOOMMMMYYY” sounds between giggles.
I am thankful for parents that live two minutes away and in-laws that live across town.
I am thankful for pink and orange and purple sunsets.
for my husband’s work ethic.
I am thankful for being able to worship free from persecution, intimidation and fear.
for a house that gives me safety, comfortably, privacy and projects.
for a reliable car.
for kissable cheeks.
I am thankful for my freedom in Christ.
for the ability to pray.
that I am still a work in progress.
I am thankful that the medical bills we have are from Braxton’s birth and not from anyone’s severe health problems.
for endless Berenstain Bear books.
for impromptu Disney princess dance sessions.
for drooly, hiccupy, contagious laughs.
\for my husband’s strong shoulders and tender heart.
I am thankful for over-eager family members who are crazy about our kids and babysit on a moments’ notice.
for friends who I can confide in and have fun with.
for ice-cream.
I am thankful for a husband who never wavers in his devotion to his family.
I am thankful for a grandmother who is still alive and part of my kids’ lives.
for the gift of language and the art of crafting words.
for the internet which connects me with so many people, ideas and a wealth of information, as well as enables me to go to school.
I am thankful for the Word of God in print at my fingertips.
for a cozy hoodie on a chilly day.
I am thankful for crunchy play dough found under the table days after the play dough was last put away.
for the sound of my daughter’s voice as she prays or sings to Jesus.
For a husband who drives home from work to kill especially ugly, creepy bugs. (yuuuup.)
I am thankful for a thermostat that I can adjust to make sure the temperature in my house is just to my liking.
for a supermarket whose aisles and shelves contain everything I could ever need or want to stock my pantry.
for my down comforter.
I am thankful for memories captured in photographs.
for parents who raised me to never doubt their love or the path I should take in this world.
that I have never known the meaning of real physical hunger.
I am thankful to be called a child of God.
for two pairs of saucer-like baby blues twinkling up at me.
that I live in a place that has four seasons.
I am thankful that God in His time turns heartache, disillusionment and despair into joy, wisdom and peace.
I am thankful that my husband’s hand is the only boys’ hand I ever held, and the only one I allowed to hold my heart.
for movie nights.
for walks in the park.
I am thankful that I see in color.
for the bond of sisterhood that holds together three sisters as different as three people can be.
for lazy mornings.
for the gift of laughter.
for the cleansing nature of tears.
I am thankful for my husband’s job.
for answers to prayer.
for a God who sees the end from the beginning.

I am rich.

Saw it {Loved it} Sunday #5

2011-11-20T14:31:00.001-05:00

Happy Sunday before Thanksgiving! What are your plans for the holiday? (I mean besides stuffing your face full of way too much food totally regretting it, vowing you will never do it again, and then stuffing your face full of dessert an hour later.) I love to hear about other people’s family traditions. I think it is one of the best part of the holiday season. Wherever you are celebrating, (we will be at my grandma’s house this year), you may have the opportunity to appreciate some beautiful holiday tablescapes. Maybe you are hosting (yikes!), so the décor is up to you. my opinion it isn’t as important how the table is decorated as who is around it, but I am secretly jealous of a gorgeous harvest table. Here are a few tasteful and beautiful, yet relatively simple table scape ideas you may want to tackle this week! If you are featured please feel free to grab a button from the side bar!

I am in love with this idea from Janel at Hating Martha. These are double sided chalkboard place mats! What an awesome idea and perfect for those of us young and old to write down what we are thankful for. I really am glad to have found Janel’s blog also because her entire premise is being real about imperfections in creating and in life. How refreshing!

This tablescape from Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict caught my eye because it is simple and elegant, plus I am a sucker for white pumpkins. I really enjoy that the décor is beautiful and not overpowering. I don’t like when the centerpiece distracts from good conversation. This table oozes peace and happiness, perfect for Thanksgiving!

This rustic tablescape from Kelly at Eclectically Vintage is made using thrift store finds. I love the thought of old trinkets reminding us of memories when we are around the table with family and friends. What a great way to get good conversation going and remind us of what we are thankful for.

Christina from I gotta create made these sweet napkin rings that double as place settings! They are made from paper towel/toilet paper tubes. These seem perfect for those on a budget or working last minute this week to prepare. This is something even the kids could help with as well! Great idea!

Amanda from Serenity Now shared her ideas for a Thrifty thanksgiving tablescape. I love the elegance mixed with elements of nature. I think my favorite parts are the pumpkin and the gorgeous floral plates. I love how it all came together.

I am loving all these ideas. Thanks to everyone who creates and shares so that I can feel inspired! I am looking forward to Thanksgiving more than maybe ever before this year and am trying so hard to focus on what really matters most. I have so much to be thankful for! Hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday!

Printables and Holiday Cards (C and Me Designs)

2011-11-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am so proud of my friend Erin, who just opened her Etsy shop this week! She is such a beautiful, talented person, and her work really shows that! She specializes in customizable, personalized printable wall art, invitations and cards. All the work is emailed to you ready to print so you avoid shipping costs (and waiting times) and you can print as many as you want! Prices are also very reasonable. Check out her shop here. Here is just a little taste of some of the great things she has for sale.

She also is in the process of creating and adding invitations and holiday cards!

Winter Wreath

2011-11-19T20:03:00.001-05:00

I know, I know some people may think it is a bit early to have a “winter'” wreath up. Thanksgiving hasn’t even come and gone yet. Maybe I am over zealous. In reality, I have lots of projects in mind which I would love to do, but it seems I am missing one supply for each one, except this wreath. So guess what project was the lucky one that got completed?! I needed to get out of my rut! I purposely didn't make it too "Christmas-y" with the intent of keeping it up all winter, which around where I live will be until nearly April.
I used a wreath form, a package of potpourri fillers from Hobby Lobby, and some extra pinecones from our yard which I spray painted. Oh yeah, a the world’s ransom of hot glue. It might be hanging up a bit early, but I am enjoying the end result! (As I look at these pictures I am noticing the gap begging for a pinecone. Don’t worry. I fixed it.)

I love my cheerful giver

2011-11-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Allow me to take a moment to “brag” about my sweet girl. Really I more praising God for the way He created her. This past weekend we put together a shoe box for Samaritan’s Purse. For anyone who doesn’t know they deliver shoe boxes full of gifts (toys, toiletries etc.) to children in third world countries who don’t receive Christmas gifts. They also share with them the message of God’s love and the Christmas story.
I had talked to Hayleigh about the importance of giving and that we give to other people because God has given so much to us. I told her we were going to get some Christmas presents for a little girl who didn’t have much money and didn’t get toys and things at Christmas. She was very enthusiastic about it. So, we were off for a date to get the stuff. I was a little leery taking her to the toy section that she may want to “give” a few gifts to herself. But, I was so wrong! She ran through the store saying “The girl would LOVE this!” and “I want to give the girl THIS, Mommy!” When we got to the check out she put the stuff up on the counter and beamed telling the cashier that these were presents for a little girl who lived far, far away. On the car ride home she was talking about talking about how happy the girl would be with her presents and that she would “probably jump up and down and smile too.” I explained again that we have so much and that this little girl doesn’t have a house like we have and clothes and food like we have. From the back seat I heard quiet sniffles, followed by sobbing (Hayleigh doesn’t do anything half way). I thought to myself, “okay, it has kicked in. She realized none of these toys are for her.” But again, she proved me wrong. Between sobs I heard my precious girl say “Mommy, the girl is so sad. I want to give her my bed so she can have a warm bed to sleep in”. Then it was my turn to cry.
I was dumbfounded at the generosity and selflessness of my not yet three year old. God has clearly given her such a heart for other people. It puts me to shame. Sometimes as a parent we teach and challenge our children, and sometimes they do the same for us. This was one of those instances where I was humbled and blessed by the little person God made my daughter to be. Right then and there I vowed that this Christmas I would put more of an effort than ever on focusing on Christ and giving to others. As I drove the rest of the way home fighting back tears and thanking God for the sensitive and caring heart He has given Hayleigh, I prayed that I would be able to follow her example in being a cheerful giver this season. Really, I want to follow the example of Christ while He was here on earth. I have read through the Gospels time and time again, and know what God did for me that first Christmas thousands of years ago, in sending His son in the flesh. I guess it just took another gift from Heaven sent in the flesh (Hayleigh), for me to be reminded of the attitude with which I am supposed to give.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

2011-11-16T17:03:00.001-05:00

I have been pretty unproductive on the craft side of things this past week or so. Blame it on inspiration overload which tends to paralyze me, and needy kids, who of coarse come first. I have a lot of projects either half done or still in the planning stages in my mind. Maybe one of these days I will actually get them done. Until then, here is a one of my favorite fall dessert recipes. It is so easy to make. I made it today and it literally took me about 10 minutes, but it tastes oh-so-yummy! That is my kind of dessert!

Pumpkin Pie Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
15oz can pumpkin
12oz can evaporated milk
1TB vanilla extract
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1 box yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cup butter or margarine
Directions:
Combine the first seven ingredients. Pour into a ungreased 13x9 pan. Sprinkle cake mix over the top. Melt butter or margarine and drizzle over cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serves 20-24.

This is one of the most moist and sweet recipes I have ever had. I really recommend using a non-greased pan because otherwise it gets too moist and falls apart. It still tastes yummy but it isn’t so pretty. It tastes great with cool whip or whipped cream, but my preference it to eat them as is. I am taking them to our small group from church tonight. It is too dangerous to have these around the house!

My world in pictures

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last month we had some family photos done. We just got the CD in the mail on Saturday. We had seen less than half on facebook already, but I was still chomping at the bit to see the rest. I seriously stalked my mailbox. I even went out there (our mailbox is across the street) on Veteran's Day and was sorely disappointed when I remembered it was a Federal Holiday so there was no mail. (I mean no offense and only the deepest respect and appreciation to veterans; I am just an impatient person.) When they came I did a little dance and rushed the computer to look at them over and over, about 500 times. We plan to make it a yearly tradition to document the changes in our family. Peter and I agree it is something completely worth investing in. Here are a few of our favorites!

Okay, so that was more than a few. I am a little over eager. I can’t wait to create a gallery wall of some of these. Of coarse this would require actually picking a few favorites.

Saw it {Loved it} Sunday #4

2011-11-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

In my travels through Blogland I have been inundated with fun turkey crafts. I love all the different materials people use. It is just so fun and creative! Here are a few of my favorites, some of which I hope to attempt with Hayleigh-girl between now and Thanksgiving. If you are featured, please feel free to grab a button the side bar.
Check out these pinecone turkeys from Crystal at A Pumpkin and A Princess. I am a sucker for a pinecone project and God knows we have enough in our yard for many fun projects! This one seems perfect for my small crafter.

This turkey is one of the ones I am referring to when I say people get creative with the materials they use! This Hardware Store Turkey is so creative. Laurie from Scene of the Sublime (love that blog title) admits she finds inspiration in the most interesting places. Well, this robotic fellow is pretty fun.

This Turkey Turkey Burger is incredibly cute and creative. I would not expect any less from Jill and her boys who blog over at Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons. I wish I could dream some of this stuff up. As it is I just steal their ideas from time to time. This turkey just makes me smile. I feel I have to make it for dinner some night this week!

I also love this Tiny Hands Turkey Applique Shirt. Hayleigh would be so proud to show off her own artwork on her shirt! Angie provides a great tutorial over at Treasures for Tots as well as other fun ideas for stuff to do with the little ones. Her daughter is pretty adorable too!

This turkey table setting from Craftberry Bush (another great blog title) is made out of a gourd. How fun! I love all the attention to detail. She includes in this post the rest of her great ideas for a table setting for the kids as well.

Well, I hope everyone is having a great weekend and is ready for another week! Maybe some of these fun turkey ideas made you leave inspired. Thanks too all the creative people out there for inspiring me!

A letter to my son

2011-11-12T13:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Braxton,
On Sunday we are dedicating you at church. Daddy and I had dedicated ourselves to raising you to know God (and hopefully choose to love and follow God) from before you were born. I find myself re-dedicating myself again and again. Sunday is just a formal and public way to share what we already vowed before God and each other many times before. It is going to be really special because our whole family will be there, except Uncle Matt, Aunt Christina and Karsten who live far away.
You are already 8 1/2 months old. In the past few weeks you have gone from scooting on your butt to get places, but being generally not motivated to move, to now crawling everywhere, pulling yourself up to stand and cruising around anything that will support you. It is crazy to me how quickly you are developing. Daddy jokes that tomorrow you will ask for the keys to the car! Your personality is emerging more and more as well. It is amazing to me how at such a young age we can already tell how different you are from your sister. Not that we expected or hoped you would be the same, but it still is pretty remarkable how two people can be so noticeably different basically since birth. You are an observer. You like to be in the middle of the action, but are not incredibly “outspoken”. You like to take it all in. You love attention and interaction with others though. Sometimes I call you a “Mommy Addict” because I think you just can’t get enough of me. You will hug me and kiss me and bury your head in me in such a way that I swear you are trying to climb back inside me. And of coarse I really don’t mind. It is pretty incredible to be loved so much by someone so dependent on me, so innocent, so incapable of understanding the hurts, disappointments, expectations and fears of this world. Our family is your whole world. That is such a short-lived portion of our life. I revel in the dependency, vulnerability and beauty of this age. Sometimes I look at you and your sister and do a double take because I can’t believe that you are actually mine. All the years that I played house with my sisters and our dolls, all the lists I made of baby names from the time I was in elementary school (“Braxton” was not on any of those lists, but “Hayleigh” was), all the thoughts I had of my future family, and here you are…in the flesh…smiling at me…crying for me…holding on to me…wanting me…needing me. Other than my salvation and God giving me Daddy to be my husband, being your Mommy is the most wonderful gift I have ever received. I feel as though this was my calling in life. The desires of my heart are satisfied in you and your sister: my babies.
Hayleigh made me a Mommy and I felt an instant peace and satisfaction in life. As if this is what God had meant me for all along. When you came I became a Mommy all over again. I think I feel more “validated” in motherhood now that you are here as well. There is quotation from the movie Chariots of Fire that sums up how I feel in being your mommy: “I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” When I watch you and Hayleigh play, when I hold you next to my chest, when I peek in a see you asleep in your crib, I feel a wave of peace, joy and fulfillment rush over me. I know this is the greatest blessing, opportunity, privilege and challenge that God has ever given to me.
That is why we chose to dedicate you. We are really more dedicating ourselves than you. We are saying that as much as I love to believe that you are mine, you really belong to God. He has entrusted your life to me while you are here on earth. I am a steward. That is an amazing and intimidating role. We dedicate ourselves as parents because we know that our responsibility and our deepest desire are one in the same: to raise you to know about God, to see God in everyday life, to see God mirrored in our lives. We cannot make our goal for you to have a relationship with God, although that is what Daddy and I both long for and pray for, because that is a choice that you have to make. We can only strive to be Godly parents who model what it means to follow, love, and obey God. In our short-comings we can try to point you to your perfect Heavenly Father. That is why we are dedicating you. We recognize the magnitude of raising a child. We feel the weight of it. It is as daunting as it is beautiful. By declaring our intentions, our desires, our goals in front of our family, friends and church body Daddy and I are saying publically what we promised to God and each other out loud and in the silence of our hearts many times before.
As you continue to grow and develop at warp speed, I will do my best to enjoy the big and small moments and as Mary did when Jesus was born “treasure up all these things and ponder them in (my) heart” Luke 2:19. I will pray that you come to know God and have a deep and personal relationship with Him. And I will work on my own relationship with God knowing that I can not give you or expect from you what I do not have myself. Being a Mom is the hardest, most rewarding, most challenging, most wonderful, most incredible task I have ever been given. Being a mom is something I am dumb founded at the magnitude of. Being your mom is something I thank God for everyday. I can’t wait to get to know you more and more as your personality continues to manifest itself. I hope that someday this will all make sense to you, and not just in an academic way, but that it will resonate with you. I pray that your gifts, talents, interests and God given personality will be used by God for his glory. And I continue to pray for myself and re-dedicate myself time and time again to being the Mommy that God has called me to be. I really believe, as cliché, as it sounds that this is my highest calling. I so long to do it “right”. It is so easy to get caught up in the craziness of the every day. It is also very easy to get bogged down under the weight of my responsibilities to you and to God as your Mommy. This is another reason we are dedicating you, because there is no way I could do any of this without God. Not that dedicating you magically unleashes heavenly power onto my shoulders, but because it serves as a reminder of the truth that not only can I not do it alone, but I don’t have to. God loves you more than I could ever imagine and for some reason He entrusted you to my care. And I am grateful beyond words. I love you my sweet boy.
Love Mommy

photo credit Rachel Ann Photography

A Thankful Turkey

2011-11-12T11:23:00.001-05:00

Hayleigh and I made this Thankful Turkey last week. The body and head are made from twine and yarn wrapped Styrofoam balls. Each “feather” has something she told me she was thankful for.

We have been talking a lot about the things we are thankful for and that it is good to thank God for the things He has given us. This was a great visual for her to look at and remember the things she is thankful for. It also serves as very entertaining to Peter and I as we smile at the important things in the life of a not-yet-3-year old. Some of my favorites are “Macaroni, ice-cream and peanut butter sandwiches”, “horses and more horses”, “my play kitchen and basketball hoop”, "People", “God taking care of me when I am upset” and “taking care of my teeth”. On a sweeter note I couldn’t help but smile at the sweetness when her first answer was “BRAXTON!!” It will be fun to keep this and look back at her growth next Thanksgiving when she will be (gulp) nearing FOUR!
For tomorrow's Saw it {Loved it} Sunday I am planning on featuring other Turkey Crafts, some of which I hope to make with Hayleigh as well. You can never be too thankful right? Have a wonderful weekend!

Book Page Ornaments

2011-11-09T12:26:00.000-05:00

I made some book page ornaments yesterday. Although I love the Fall, I can’t help myself but start preparing for Christmas a bit here and there. These are nothing special but I thought they would add a nice touch to either our tree or some kind of Christmas shelf display. The weather is beautiful here today (pushing 70 degrees) so the kids and I are headed to a park to soak in some of the beautiful sunshine and fall colors! Have a great Wednesday!

What Foods these Morsels be: Homemade Granola Bars

2011-11-07T14:12:00.000-05:00

Some of my favorite memories of growing up involve baking with my mom. She was always so patient letting me help. I would stand on a chair, clad in my fisher price apron and she would teach me all about baking. Every year we drop everything and spend an entire weekend doing nothing but baking and eating Christmas cookies. It is probably my favorite weekend of the year, and it is coming up pretty soon!!
Anyway, I knew when I had kids that baking with them was something I wanted to make a priority. It is such a great way to bond and spend quality time, as well as for them to learn. Even as an adult it still feels rewarding to mix and bunch of ingredients together and have them change into something new and delicious. Hayleigh jumps at the chance to help in the kitchen. I try to cook with her at least once a week., but that makes for a lot of desserts in our house…and in her belly. I have been trying to find recipes that are a bit on the healthier side so that we are not always baking cookies and cupcakes etc. Today Hayleigh, the little boy that I babysit (Hayleigh’s BFF), and I made some yummy granola bars. These two kids are pretty obsessed with granola bars (aka canella or canola bars depending on who you ask) so this seemed like the perfect healthy recipe to try. I found it at Smashed Peas and Carrots. The results were actually yummier than I had anticipated, especially since there was no sugar added. They were very easy and it was fun for the kids to add the different add ins. I think I may have found a new recipe to add to the favorites!

Homemade Granola bars (italics mine)
3 cups oatmeal
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup shredded coconut (I skipped the coconut and actually dashed in some cinnamon.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I like to use fat-free)
2 Tbsp melted butter
1-2 cups of your favorite add-ins (chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, raisins, cranberries, whole nuts, marshmallows, dried papaya, dried mangos, trail mix...you get the idea) (We used raisins, cranberries and a few chocolate chips.)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix together all of the ingredients and pour into your pan. Bake for 20-27 minutes depending on if you like your granola bars chewy or crispier. (We baked them for 22 minutes so they would be on the chewy side.)

So how about you? Does anyone have any yummy, healthy, kid-friendly recipes you use? If you do please send them my way! I would love to try them!

Saw it {Loved it} Sunday #3

2011-11-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here it is, Sunday, and I am getting my feature post up on time! Woot woot! I know it probably matters more to me than anyone else that I get it done on time, but I feel it is such a nice way to end one week in blog world and begin another, with some fresh, fun, inspirational ideas! So here are some awesome ideas I found this week! If you are featured please feel free to grab a button from the side bar! Enjoy!
First up, these beautiful corn candle holders from Crissy’s Crafts. The entire premise of her blog is simple, affordable crafts that moms have time to actually accomplish. Love the premise. Love the project.

There are few things my Hayleigh-girl loves more in this world than pancake morning. And who can blame her? These Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Jesseca at Sweet Treats & Good Eats are going to have to make an appearance one of these Saturday mornings. Yeeeah, my mouth is watering.

Have lots of leftover Halloween candy sitting around? Are you hiding empty candy wrappers, the evidence of how many pieces you have gobbled up? Need a solution that does not involve you polishing it all off by the end of tomorrow? Trish from Mom on Timeout has 10 Creative Solutions for leftover Halloween Candy.

I love Fall. Have I mentioned that I love Fall? Abbey from The Cards We Drew had a super-fun (I am assuming. I wasn’t actually there), super-creative Candy Corn Themed 2nd Birthday Party for her son. I can’t believe all the ways she incorporated candy corn! Oh, to have a Baby with a Fall birthday.

And because I can’t resist bringing a tiny bit of Christmas in (I can’t wait to bust out all my decorations and get Christmas crafting!) here are some Knockoff Anthro Penmanship Gift Tags from Bev at Flamingo Toes. Aren’t they great? While you are there check out some of her other fun knockoff projects.

Thanks to all you creative ladies for your inspiring ideas and have a great week!

God’s to-do list

2011-11-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

There was something I read years ago which stuck with me, not because I felt at the time that it really applied to me, but because it was a perspective I had never thought of before. It was about my to-do list versus God’s to-do list. Lately God has reminded me of what I read. It certainly seems applicable to me right now! I am not going to do it justice by any means, and no matter how hard I look through my books I can’t find where it was I read this. The idea is that everyday we wake up and whether we have it written down or not, we all have a “to-do list” of tasks that we hope to accomplish for that day. (Some of us are more list crazy than others…guilty. Sometimes I even find myself writing down things I have already done just so I can cross them off!) I don’t know about you but I often end each day with a number of things on my to-do list that are far from completed, or even started. It can be very frustrating and overwhelming. That is why the perspective of God’s to-do list is helpful for me to think of. God has a to-do list too. The difference is that His list is always accomplished. Maybe some of the things on His list overlap mine, but when they are in disagreement I know that His list trumps mine. The day never ends with things on God’s list left undone.
The things I may see as an inconvenience: a baby that won’t take a nap, an untimely phone call from a friend, an unexpectedly long time spent on the phone on hold, a sick or needy kid, etc. are not unforeseen by God, but rather a part of His plan. If I change my perspective a little bit, maybe I can see those things as opportunities, rather than hindrances. I can take advantage of some rare one-on-one time with Braxton rather than grumbling that I didn’t get some time to myself. I can thank God for the privilege to be used by Him in the life of a friend. I can view the extra time spent on hold as an opportunity to pray. And I can enjoy some cuddle time with my sick big-girl or make up some new crazy dance moves when she needs me to stop all my other roles and just be a Mommy. Maybe this means there are a couple dishes left in the sink, or we are eating fried egg sandwiches for dinner, or a project is left half-way done, but I need to be okay with that. I need to realize that at the end of the day the things on God’s to-do list matter more and those are the things that always get accomplished. I was reminded of this the other day as I sat cheek to cheek with a teething Braxton who woke up early from his nap. The whole house needed to be cleaned, there were cookies that had to be made and I had not yet showered for the day. But God used my sweet boy to grab ahold of my heart, as I sat there with him, listening to him breath, feeling his skin against mine. We were still. The list that was pulsing in my brain faded away and I just was. I wasn’t going. I wasn’t doing. I just was. After all in the years to come I won’t look back on this time in my life and say “Man, I wish our house had been cleaner.” or “I just regret not having spent more time doing crafts or online or watching TV.” I really hope also that with God’s help I don’t look back and say “I really wish I had spent more time on what mattered and less time stressing about the small things.”
I look at the life of Jesus while He was here on earth. He had people clambering for Him everywhere He turned. He knew how to say “no”. He also knew when to stop when He was in the middle of something to help someone in need or make someone feel cared for and listened to. He did not do everything that was on other people’s list for Him, but He did do everything on God’s to-do list. As He hung on the cross dying Jesus was able to say “It is finished”. My prayer is that as I lay in bed at night re-hashing the day in my mind and counting all the things that I did not get done, I will be able to thank God that everything on His to do list got done. I pray that God will give me the peace that comes from that perspective. I also pray that He will give me an ounce of the wisdom that Jesus had to discern what needs to be done and what doesn't.
I really hope this has not come off as preachy. I mean all of this more for myself than anyone else. I have found over the years that I learn the best and gain the most insights about myself through writing. I have just been struck lately, maybe a better word is convicted, about my own priorities and perspectives on life. I so often feel like I am being mediocre at every area in my life, and that there is just not enough time to get everything done, much less to do it all with excellence. I am really enjoying blogging as a way to express myself, escape and get some “me” time. I think it has the potential to be therapeutic and a hobby in and of itself. I just want to use it for the right reasons and not allow myself to get too immersed in it in a way that is not healthy. I don’t know if that makes sense. If you find time in your busy schedule, please pray for me that I prioritize better, manage my time well, and am able to have the God-given perspective of being at peace with accomplishing God’s to-do list for me, rather than stressing over my own.

Saw it {Loved it} Sunday #2

2011-11-01T10:59:00.001-04:00

Saw it, {Loved it!} Sunday!

So this is only my second of these posts and I am already falling behind. I hope this isn’t doomed for failure! These projects are equally inspiring on a Tuesday though so enjoy! And, if you are featured please feel free to grab a “Featured” button on the side bar!

I remain a sucker for a DIY pumpkin. Check out this one from Tattered and Inked. I love that you can personalize it and use it indoors or out!

Ever hosted a party and put in hours of hard work to make it look lovely and then glance to the drink table and feel defeat? No more! I love this idea from Jenna at Delighting in Today and may have to make my own version for the kids’ birthday party this winter.

And speaking of party, check out this awesome cupcake shirt she made for her daughter’s first birthday! I am in love!

Becca from From Gardners to Bergers created this Subway Art Z Gallerie knockoff. I love the end result and the idea of having your own personalized subway art for a fraction of the cost of the “real thing”.

I have to admit that lately I am feeling a bit of inspiration overload and time “underload”. Maybe you know what I mean. Hopefully this week I can scrounge up enough time to start a new project! Thanks everyone for sharing your creative, inspirational and beautiful projects so I can ~~drool over~~, enjoy them despite my lack of time. Have a great week!

Craft Ease: Fabric Scrap and Bead Necklace {Zero Dollar Project}

2011-10-27T13:45:00.000-04:00

I don’t know about other moms but lately I have been noticing how lacking my wardrobe is. I have actually found myself envying some of Hayleigh’s clothes. Kind of pitiful. With Christmas only two months away and my kids’ birthdays falling six and eight weeks after Christmas winter is a busy and expensive time of year for us. So sadly any additions to my wardrobe will probably consist of a few clearance finds and anything I can ~~squeeze into~~ repurpose from past seasons. In a last ditch effort to make an old shirt feel new I made this necklace out of old scraps of fabric and some beads from a bracelet I wore in high school, gave to Hayleigh to dress up with and she broke. As I scrambled to get the beads off the floor and away from small esophagus I decided to keep them rather than throw them out. And now they have new life. The best part about this necklace is the cost to me: a whopping ZERO dollars! Take that Holiday Budget!
Here is a little how-to. (I am still getting the hang of tutorials, so I apologize in advance if this is bad. I feel like I either give too few pictures/steps leaving too much to the imagination or too many and the tutorial seems more appropriate for a pre-schooler. I also apologize for the poor quality of the photos. My camera is about to bite the dust. If you have an “in” with Santa please let him know I would really like a nice new one for Christmas.) Okay, really, here is the tutorial.

Gather some scraps of fabric. You know the ones. The beauties that have been cut to shreds but for some reason you still stashed away and have just enough left for a project such as this. Their time has come. (I vacillate back and forth between loving colors and neutrals. Apparently today I was feeling me some color love.) Choose three different fabrics and either cut or tear three strips of each.

Braid the strips into three braids, leaving a bit of extra fabric on the ends. (At about this point I was remembering my braid and knot infinity scarf and wondering if this is too much like it.)

Then braid the three small braids together in one bigger braid. This will be the “chain” of your necklace so the length of these are up to you. Then take your beads and string them on some sturdy thread. Sew or tie the ends of the thread to the ends of your necklace, making a hoop.

Trim up the stray thread and excess fabric. Then cut small strips of fabric and wrap one around each “seam” where the fabric meets the beads and adhere with hot glue. This is where a photo would probably have been helpful. Then, if you want, you can make a fabric flower to either glue or pin to the necklace for some added flair.

And you are done! Easy peasy. What I love is the options that a project like this give you. There are so many different colors and patterns you could use, as well as different flowers you could try. I also love the idea of making one with either glass or wood beads. The possibilities are nearly endless, very unlike my sad little cold weather wardrobe.

Linking up at these fun parties!

A Princess and a {Sweet} Pea

2011-10-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

This girl. How do I put into words what she does to my heart? I feel like it beats in a special rhythm for her. I can’t imagine loving someone with a feistier, deeper, more protective, more undying, unconditional love than I do Hayleigh and Braxton. I love Peter with a deep, never-ending love, but every mother knows that a mother’s love is entirely different than any other kind of love you experience. It is not greater than the love for a spouse, but the composition is inherently different. There is nothing more soothing for me than feeling my babies laying pressed against my chest. It is home.
I have always loved to just sit back and watch Hayleigh play and grow, but lately it has been especially entertaining and heartwarming. She has such a beautiful imagination which I thoroughly enjoy watching develop. I do my best to fuel her creativity and imaginative play. It was such a big part of my life growing up. My sisters and I would play pretend for hours and as I got into elementary school my imagination led me to write lots of stories. I also remember crying and crying when I had to learn to read because I could no longer make up my own stories to the pictures in my Berenstain Bear books. In my mind, once I could decipher the jumbled word jargon on the pages the mystery would be gone (even though I already knew the books by heart). Hayleigh already sits with her Berenstain Bear books and makes up stories. Sometimes I find her in her own world talking on and on about things going on in her head. She is always pretending something, whether it is that the ottoman is a playground…or boat…or school bus, that she is a baseball player…or a chef…or a mommy…or a fire fighter…or a dancer…or a doctor who hears cookie monster inside her patient’s tummies, or her most recent mind creation: her two imaginary friends, Murphy and Acey. Murphy is sometimes scary but Acey is much nicer and seems to be coming around more lately. This girl never ceases to make me smile, or laugh right out loud.

Hayleigh’s latest obsession is dressing up. I was planning on her being a bag of jelly beans for Halloween (a clear garbage bag filled with balloons) but she “couldn’t want” to be that. She “could only want to be princess pea” from Super Why. I had already bought her a couple dress-up dresses from Goodwill and was planning on giving them to her for Christmas. One of them is perfect for a Princess Pea costume so I brought it out early and gave it to her. She was so over the moon excited about it that she wore it for two days and two nights straight without taking it off until I had to convince her to let me wash it so she could wear it again the next day. She, as most little girls do I am sure, has an infatuation with princesses. I did not try to instill this in her. (I found early on with Hayleigh that she makes up her own mind about things and does things in her own time.) Watching her prance around, (and even ride her tri-cycle) in her princess dress made me swell with love and pride. It was just so stinkin’ precious and so kid-like. It made my heart ache in another way too though. It revitalized within me the deep desire I have for Hayleigh to recognize who she is as a child of God, a co-heir with Christ, a princess.

This world is such a challenging place for young girls. It feels cliché to say, but maybe that is because of how true it is. Sometimes I feel hopeless and utterly helpless to raise her to escape, or to bypass, the snags in this world. How will I ever raise a daughter who cares supremely about inner beauty? How will I raise her to be secure and significant in Christ alone? How will I raise her to have a healthy self-image-not selfish or prideful but also not self-loathing and self-deprecating? How can I help her to really grasp and achieve that balance, especially when I myself struggle to find it so much of the time? How will I raise her to find her worth in who she is in Christ and to view and value herself as a princess?
Sometimes I long for her not to grow up and shed the princess costume and pretend world in her head. Sometimes I consider locking her in her room and never letting her leave the house. Sometimes I pray for the rapture. I am not crazy. It just scares me to death to think of what she will have to face, and that in time she will have to face it without me right by her side. It also saddens me to think of her loss of “innocence”. I know Hayleigh is far from perfect, but what I mean is by “innocence” I guess is her natural self. Right now I see so much of her raw, unadulterated, God-given personality. I see her for who she is, untainted by societal pressures, norms and expectations. She is exuberant, passionate, social, sensitive to other people’s feelings, caring, fun-loving, sometimes shy and unsure, and always observing and processing things. I don’t want her to sacrifice or alter in any way who she is just because she learns as she grows up what is “cool” or normal. I know that to some degree this is inevitable, but that saddens me. I so love to just watch and revel in who she is, at the core of her. This is so evident in children this age and the older they get it fades a bit, and changes. I am already mourning when she becomes self-conscious about her own loud enthusiasm and replaces it with a more demure façade. (Not because being demure is bad, obviously, but because that is really so not Hayleigh). I want to instill in her a healthy love and acceptance of who she is. So often people go so far in one direction or another along these lines. They focus entirely on self-esteem at the loss of sacrifice and care for others. Or they harp so much on the horrible, sinful state of the human race that they lose sight of how much God cherishes us: his beloved children. I so desire for my children to be able to find a place where they are confident in who God made them to be, assured of their relationship with God, and secure in their calling to love, serve and share their faith with others. I guess I want them to have a peace about who they are and who God is, and not be distracted or hampered by thoughts of confusion or inadequacy in relation to self. This way they can be free to be others-minded. This is something I have not mastered by any means. Hopefully I can figure it out enough that I can share with with my children.

I know this has been “rambly” and ineloquent. I just have so many thoughts and emotions coursing through me as I write about these things, especially as they relate to my babies. As for right now I will continue to do my best. I will soak up the adorable, imaginative moments and all the other moments where I see the true essence of Hayleigh in all its beauty. And when she dons her princess costume yet again today and I bask in the cuteness, I will whisper a prayer that someday she will come to recognize her identity as a child of the King, which makes her a real-live princess to be sure.

On a much lighter note, my Braxton Boy is 8 months old today!

He is FINALLY sleeping at night thanks to a little classical music on repeat and a healthy portion of protein at dinner!! Whoo hooo!! (I know what it says in the baby books about sleep aids being of the Devil, but if you are going to judge me please do it silently.) This means a decent night’s sleep for me and no more remixes to the Kci and Jojo song “Crazy”. Oh yes, it was a real thing. Here is a little taste of my sleep deprived musical genius: “I am going crazy, crazy, crazy listening to you lately. Goin crazy crazy crazy cuz you’re not sleepin baby. Crazy, Crazy cuz I still hear you. Crazy Crazy cuz you won’t sleep through. Crazy Crazy cuz I keep seein you at 2am…..If I could sleep again, then I won’t go, if I could sleep again, I won’t go crazy.” I am sure it will be in the Top 40 before you know it. Get your autographs now and you can say you “knew me when”.

And since you made it this far in the post, I assume you are at least remotely interested in my kids, so let me tell you that since he has been sleeping Braxton’s personality has emerged even more and he is developing much faster. He is waving, almost crawling, and has this adorable thing that he does now. When we ask him if he is a “big, strong man” he flexes his “muscles” and yells. It is pretty hilarious. Okay, that is it. I have imersed you enough with my pictures of and thoughts on my kids. You may now come up for air.
(A few of these photos (the clearly better ones) were taken by Rachel Ann Photography. We had family photos done!)

Saw it, {Loved it!} Sunday #1

2011-10-23T19:45:00.000-04:00

One of the things I have enjoyed most since joining the blog world is getting inspired by all the creative and talented people out there! I have stumbled upon so many fun ideas and inspirational blogs, as well as “met” some great people. But I am greedy. I can’t seem to get enough of the inspiration and motivation I have found out there in blog land. It could probably defined as a bit of an addiction. This has led me to come up with the idea to start a new weekly themed post:

Saw it, {Loved it!} Sunday!

Every Sunday I will feature a few of the unique, fun, creative, smart, wish-I-had-thought-of-them ideas that I find on my “travels”. (Isn’t it amazing how far you can travel while glued to a computer chair during your kids’ naptime?!) Here is the first edition of Saw it, {Loved it!} Sunday! If you were featured please feel free to grab a button from the side bar!
Stephanie from the Polka dot Bungalow made these seriously cute (and yet simple!) Fabric Pumpkins! I am definitely a sucker for DIY pumpkins! I think there is still enough Fall left to give these babies a try!

Katie from Creative Outlet of a Thrifty Minded Momma made a Fall Light bulb! How creative! I love the beauty and simplicity!

Who doesn’t love the perfect bite of apple pie?!? Stephanie from Lady with the Red Rocker made these mouth-watering Bite Size Apple Pies! This is a must-try for me!

I was inspired this week by Jamie from Easily Dunn who made a no-sew cardigan from a shirt she was had since 6th grade! Nice! I have to admit I have some clothes from high school that no longer fit and are screaming to be re-purposed. I might have to give this a try!

Personally I enjoy candy corn and am a-okay with the online obsession with anything candy corn. Shelley from Prairie Cottage Rose made these, new take Candy Corn Sugar Cookies ensuring that every cookie resembled a piece of candy corn, yellow on bottom, orange in the middle and white on the tip.

Thanks to all the imaginative and talented ladies who came up with these inspiring ideas! Stop by next Sunday for more of my favorite ideas that I stumble upon!

Craft Ease: Fall Banner from Distressed Tags

2011-10-22T10:10:00.000-04:00

Originally this was a guest post over at Home Savvy A-Z but since I finally finished my pumpkin display and the banner is proudly hanging in front of it I thought I would share my tutorial for how to make one of your own!

"Happy Fall" Banner made from Distressed Tags

Here are the supplies you will need for this project:

1.) Tags (I got mine from a daily deal at Pick Your Plum. I just love them!)
2.) Jute Twine
3.) Distress Ink
4.) Alpha Stencil
5.) Fabric
6.) Scrapbook or card stock paper
7.) Acrylic Paint
8.) Paint Sponge
9.) Scissors
10.) Spray bottle of water (not glade air freshener, as the bottle says...hehe)
11.) Hot glue gun (not pictured)
12.) Fray Stop (not pictured and optional)

This may seem like a long list but I had most of these things laying around my house already. Okay, now that we have all the supplies, let's get going on this fun and festive project!

Step 1: Distress the Tags. Decide what you would like to spell out and count out a tag for each letter. Obviously I chose to say "Happy Fall" so I used nine tags. Take your tag and crumple it up so that it is wrinkled. Flatten it back out (sort of). Take the tag and dab it directly onto the Distress Ink ink pad. I used the shade "Tea Dye".

Feel free to be liberal with the ink. It dries much lighter than how it appears when it is first applied.

Then take your spray bottle and lightly spray your inked tag.

The more water you use, the lighter the end result will be. Some pooling is okay, but try to avoid drowning your poor tag. Then repeat these steps with each tag and allow them to dry completely.

I actually inked and sprayed a second time because as my tags were drying I realized I wanted the color to be a bit darker and more distinct. It really is up to you how subtle (or not) you want the distressing to be.

Step Two: Assemble and Paint Letters. I chose to use scraps of fabric behind my letters to add some depth and color. Choose what pattern of fabric you would like to use and either cut or tear small squares in proportion to the size of your tags. I tore mine because I liked the shabby look.

Then cut smaller squares of card stock or scrapbook paper of your choice. I chose a tan textured piece of card stock. I was only slightly uniform in the sizes of these squares. I did not measure them, rather I eyed them. I also used scissors and intentionally did not cut perfectly straight lines. You can obviously choose to be more precise and use a paper-cutter.

Now it is time to paint your letters! I was (again) not precise about centering my letters. I also intentionally painted outside the lines (gasp!). This is the look I wanted but again you can do it however you want. That is the beauty of crafting right? Personalization.

Once the paint has dried, use your hot glue gun to glue the fabric to your tag and then your paper on top of the fabric square. I do not have a photo of this step but I am sure you get the idea.

Step Three: Build your Banner! I chose to use Jute Twine because it is 3-ply. Take a piece of twine and unravel the three strands.

Take one of the strands and snip small sections. You will use this to tie your tags to a long 3-ply piece of twine to make the banner. This is where you may want to use the Fray Stop on the ends of the twine.

Now cut a longer piece of 3-ply twine to use to hang the tags on for your banner. The length will of coarse depend on how long you want your banner. I took way too much to begin with and then trimmed off what I did not need. Then tie your tags onto the larger piece of twine.

Step Four: Embellish your Banner. I chose to use strips of fabric to decorate the banner. I simply tore strips and tied them onto the twine. I knew I needed something to break up the words and add some more pizazz to my banner.

Okay, you are done! Now admire your awesome creation! Don't you just love the way it adds a touch of Fall to the house? I am going to hang mine from the front of a table where I am still in the midst of working on a pumpkin display.

Have a great weekend!

Linking up at these fun parties!

Pumpkin Display and New Blog Design!

2011-10-21T14:01:00.001-04:00

First off, how do you feel about the new blog design? I am kind of obsessed with it! It was done by Krystal of Sassy Sanctuary. She was really great. I love how she consulted me every step of the way and I am thrilled with the end result!

Next, we currently rent a house. I am constantly struggling with the reality that it is…well, a rental house. This means that we can’t change much. It also means that we would not have picked this house if we were buying. In our case it also means that the house is old and badly in need of some repairs and updates. Oh, and the house has a strange layout. We have an office which is teeny tiny and tucked away from the rest of the living space but packed with character. It has built in shelves, a fireplace and hardwood floors. Sadly though because of how the house is laid out we don’t get to enjoy it these features. While I spend a lot of time in there doing school work it does not get much use for anything other than a storage place for things that need to be kept away from curious, grabby hands. Right now it is kind of a cluttered, depressing place. Sad. And since I spend so much time in there, and since it IS near the entry way of the house, I decided to spruce it up a bit with a festive pumpkin display. Hopefully this makes me feel better about being holed up doing school work while it is all pretty and fall-like outside. And hey, maybe it will even motivate me to clean out and organize the office! Okay, let’s bring it in a little closer for the breakdown.

First, I made a no-sew ruffle and ribbon runner using Stitch Witchery for my “seams”. I would love to have a sewing machine someday, save lots of money, have bed spreads and curtains and clothes that look just how I want them and wow myself and everyone else by the things I can create, but for now, this is what I have to work with. And I am fine with that.

I also incorporated a few different “types” of pumpkins including lace stocking covered pumpkins (which I saw a while back on pinterest and have been planning to replicate since Spring), painted “distressed” pumpkins and some gourds.

I used dried and spiraled corn husks as an accent. I bought these. I was not feeling adventurous enough to attempt making corn husk curly-qs. I also took some acorns and carefully opened them up to resemble a dried flower and painted them. I think they add a subtle touch of fall and seem much more feminine than “normal” acorns.

I hung my Fall Banner made from Distressed Tags in front.

And of coarse what would a pumpkin display be without some framed pictures of MY little Pumpkins?!

And here it is one more time: A Pumpkin-y shrine to Fall in all its glory.

I actually have it done before Halloween, just in time for snow! Kidding, although it HAS been known to snow around here in October. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope we still have lots of beautiful fall weather left before the snow hits, especially since I still have lots to check off on my Bucket List! At the very least I brought some of the beauty of fall inside and that makes me happy!

Linking up at these fun parties!