{...raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...}

...these are a few of my favorite things...

friday was a fun fun family day filled with decorations, FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT, hot chocolate, A Charlie Brown Christmas and lots of snuggles.

it also containted a few other goodies....

1. this necklace from spunk and sass designs (my sweet hubby bought for me)

2. this candle from bath and body works -mint chocolate = yum

3. this hot chocolate recipe i stole from my sweet friend- alison

                      3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
                      5 tablespoons of sugar
                      1 capful of vanilla
                      milk to taste
                      whisk over medium heat until mixed well and warm
                      fill your mug and top with whipped cream
                      yummy yummy in your tummy!

4. this amy butler fabric ordered from skyereve fabrics

yes these are {a few of my favorite things}



                      
              
                              

{decorating + {hot chocolate}+ charlie brown}

no early morning shopping for this girl. nope. no sir-ie.
i woke at a decent hour, made breakfast for my darlings and coffee for the hubs.
we enjoyed a leisurely morning of play and snuggles.

later we picked up our christmas tree and came home to decorate while the little ones napped...saving the star for eisley to place. however, midway through the first strand of lights eisley made an appearance. she was too excited about the tree to sleep. so we let her stay up and help.

she decorated her own tree with the help of her minnie mouse. then at the end we let her place the star.

at christmas (halloween and thanksgiving too) we have a special FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT. i write it in caps because we always say it with exclamation! it's a big big deal to this little family.

after the tree was up and everything was back in it's place. i prepared for our HOT CHOCOLATE DATE!

now eisley doesn't get a lot of sweets so things like hot chocolate are super special to her. she savors every moment. she held her mug just like a grown up. she sipped it gingerly. we sat close. snuggled. enjoyed our drinks and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas.

sweet memories.
forever treasured in my heart.
what does your family do to celebrate the holidays?

{advent sunday #1}

tonight our little family gathered round to begin the advent celebration.
it was simple.
and very sweet.
we lit one candle this week to celebrate the hope of jesus' coming.
jacob read luke 1:26-38 from the message.
then i read a similar version from eisley's little bible.

earlier in the day eisley and i crafted an angel from construction paper in preparation for tonights reading.
we used her little people nativity scene to animate the good news that the angel gave mary.
eisley prayed a sweet sweet prayer thanking God for our time together.
then she blew out the candle.

{i dare you to use this phrase today}

{photo credit}

"god gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. have you used one to say {thank you}?"

-william a. ward

{small things with great *LOVE*}

this season brings attention to the fact that we are blessed.
we have plenty.
sunday night we studied genesis 12.
abram was blessed.
why?
so he could bless others.

"i will make you into a great nation and i will bless you. i will make your name great and you will be a blessing." genesis 12:2

we are seeking ways to bless and encourage and meet the needs of others. i found this little clip of shane claiborne, author of irresistible revolution. he speaks very powerful words....

"we can do no great things, only small things with great love"
-mother teresa

**check out this video of shane reading a few lines from his book**

"today, small things with great love, or don't open the door"
-shane claiborne

grace and peace friends,

{{walk it out}}

{sabbath walk}

"the story is told of a south american tribe that went on a long march, day after day, when all of a sudden they would stop walking, sit down and rest for a while, and then make camp for a couple of days before going any farther. they explained that they needed the time to rest so that their souls could catch up with them"

{sabbath by wayne muller}

yesterday i took a sabbath walk with my sweet family. i wore flip flops and let eisley walk instead of riding in the stroller. why? because those things would force me to stroll instead of the walk turning into something i had to accomplish like exercise.

it was beautiful.
refreshing.
we noticed the vibrant colors.

and we were silly with our shadows.

we talked and giggled and enjoyed each others company.

we picked flowers.

we played in the leaves.

we let our souls catch up with us.
just what we needed as we enter another holiday season which can often be overtaken by chaos.
hope you have a wonderful week and that you {take time to let your soul catch up with you}.

grace and peace sweet friends,

{{just do it}}

{{photo credit}}

"sabbath is not dependent upon our readiness to stop.
we do not stop when we complete our phone calls, finish our project, get through this stack of messages or get out this report that is due tomorrow.
we stop because it is time to stop.
sabbath requires surrender"

{{Sabbath by Wayne Muller}}


so today....even though my house is dirty and the laundry is not done.
i will stop.
i surrender.

{{shop update}}

finally... some {NEW} goodies in the shop.

take a peek and let me know what you think!!

"what is not started today is not finished tomorrow"

-johann wolfgang von goethe

{like peeing in your pants}

photo credit

wishing you a super {HAPPY} saturday!
do what you love!

{are you longing?}

{photo credit}

"be content with what you have;

rejoice in the way things are.

when you realize there is nothing lacking,

the world belongs to you."

-lao-tzu

contentment.

sometimes it's hard to come by.

for me it's not the material things i'm after to fulfill my longings.

no.

for me it's time with my family.

there is not enough of it.

but when i stop focusing on the lack of time i have with my family and

start focusing on the amazing moments we share...i find that lao-tzu is right...

{{the world belongs to me}}

happy friday friends!

{things i love thursday}

**the fact that everything is inspirational**

i read this quote not long ago...and it keeps coming back to mind.

"today be aware of how you are spending your 1,440 beautiful moments and spend them wisely" 

 -anonymous

inspiration is everywhere.

i get to use my 1,440 beautiful moments to enjoy this amazing life.

to be inspired.

to inspire.

so a few things that inspire me.....

1. words.

spoken or written. words are powerful. someone shared the ABC's of encouragement with me on facebook yesterday. powerful people. powerful.

2. baby giggles.

there is no sweeter sound than the laughter of my children. happiness abounds for these little darlings. they are living a full life. a life of enjoyment and play. it inspires me to work less and play more.

3. other bloggers and crafters.

Ann Voskamp

Jacob Beaver

Krissy Tilly

Allora Handmade

Alison Little

The Pleated Poppy

Kim Davis

there are many more but these are a few that i gravitate to daily.

4. books.

photo credit

i have a stack of them on my table. Sabbath, Handmade Marketplace, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander to name a few but there are many more just waiting in line.

"enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation and a pinch of creativity"

- bo bennett

what are you loving that inspires you today?

{boutique success}

over the weekend i participated in a little event
{{handmade holiday boutique}}
it was super fun and i sold waaaaay more than i anticipated and got to meet and hang out with lots of fun people.

i'll be working super hard to get the shop restocked.
but for now a couple of photos from the weekend.

happy monday friends!

{boutique style}

today is the day.

the "handmade holiday boutique" is a go!

little miss ali and i stayed up waaaaaay past our bedtime last night adding a few finishing touches on our sweet little project. now it's bright and early and we are off to showcase our creations! wish us luck!

our shops

the pleated polka dot and apearantly sew

will be back open on monday morning so stop by and say hello and give us some love.

{things i love thursday}

***

late nights spent creating handmade goodies

last night my sweet friend Alison came over for a sewing date. i fell asleep on the couch before she arrived and she told me she fell asleep with one of her little ones before she came over. but we have a little "Handmade Holiday Boutique" planned for this weekend so we had to stock up.

and stock up we did!

with the stocking up came hours of conversation and several cups of coffee.

it was great to catch up. i don't get to see her on a daily basis and miss those conversations about the ins and outs of life.

words are so powerful.

"gracious speech is like honey - good taste to the soul, quick energy to the body"

proverbs 16:24

have you shared precious words with a friend lately?

make the call.

you'll be glad you did.

blessings and peace friends

{birthday = gratitude}

i woke up at 5am.
i always do.
i love those moments of stillness that fall across my home before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.
she sees the light on and calls for me.
she tells me about her dream....all the details. i secretly love them. every. single. detail.
she wants to be with me.
we have snuggle time on the couch while the boys sleep the morning away.
i bask in the goodness of this life.
another year.
another year with them. all of them.
those that mean so much to me.
there are too many to count.
i am loved.
therefore i love.


1. this guy...he hung the moon ya know?

2. then there are these little gems.  so sweet i could just eat them up! every day they challenge me  and show me how to live life to the fullest. enjoying every moment. embracing every giggle. playing. loving. laughing. creating. being what he made them to be.

3. then there are those people that i know fell straight from heaven to take this journey called life with me.

4. of course i couldn't do without the wisdom of these people.

happy birthday to me.

thank you to all of you.

{ "soundrack to prayer" }

derek webb.
singer. song-writer.

my husband and i are big fans of derek webb...and his adorable little wife sandra mccracken. in fact he wrote a song to his wife that we absolutely love because it sounds so much like us...i wanna marry you all over again.

we have seen him perform in person and he's awesome. he speaks out about social injustices and pushes the bar with his music. he loves jesus and his people. he sees god in all things. which is something i am learning to do. god is in nature. god is in art. god is in music. god is in all things.

whatever is good and perfect comes from god...right? (james 1:17)

i'm looking for god in the mundane. the ordinary. the plain. the simple. because when i recognize god in those things....they become visionary. extravagant. exceptional.

so derek webb has a new album out and i must have it (hint hint: birthday coming up!)
ahem....as i was saying...he has a new album out that he has referred to as a worship album. but a friend of his, matthew smith called it a "soundrack to prayer."
and i thought that was lovely.

go here for a little snipit of enjoyment!


happy friday friends!

{things i love thursday}

***

{repentance brought about by forgiveness}

***

photo credit

last night the bedtime process had a bumpy start.

snuggles and a quick show before bed.

check.

"eisley please turn off the tv and go to the bathroom"

obedience?

check.

then it begins.

"mommy i don't have to pee-pee!"

i can feel it escalating. and my mind races for distractions. things to redirect to. no luck.

defiance arrives and stays for a little while.

we finally get in her bed for snuggle time. i hold her close and tell her how much i love her. how glad i am that she is mine all mine. the she replies....

i love you mommy.

you're pretty.

you have pretty hair.

that's kind mommy?

i'm going to make better decisions mommy.

i'm always going to be your little girl.

all of these sweet words were mixed with my affirmations and lots of giggles.

she repented because i forgave her.

her heart softened.

her attitude changed.

she is learning from me.

if i forgive, she will forgive.

if i repent, she will repent.

if i love, she will love.

you get the idea.

i see god at work in her life and mine...and i love that!

{ i have a confession }

photo credit

i am a perfectionist.
i don't know when it began. maybe i have always been like this.

in high school, i don't remember doing things perfectly but i remember having the desire to never get caught doing them imperfectly.

in college, never late for class, always obeyed the rules (i went to Liberty University), studied hard.

now as a wife and mommy, i struggle.
i struggle to meet my own demands.
the house must be clean.
the toys must be put away.
the laundry must be washed....and folded {yuck}.
dinner must be cooked.
budget must be maintained.

when i look at the list that goes on and on and on i realize there just aren't enough hours in the day. i read this quote this morning by the amazing and encouraging ann voskamp

"the state of my space doesn't reflect the state of my soul"

wow.
she's right.
it doesn't.

so today, as ann says

"i'm doing the next thing"

i will do one thing at a time mixing in the important stuff like
snuggles.
horsey races {she's the pink one and i'm the mommy horse}.
tickle bugs.
hugs.
sweet stolen kisses with the hubs.
talks.
book reading.
dress up.
and all the things that make this crazy life FUN.

friends...do you need encouragement today?

hop on over and read ann's blog. it's long but it's worth every second. but if nothing else skip down and read the blue box that starts with:

"what to do when you want to give up and stay in bed"

i hope you find encouragement today my friends. strength to do the next thing.

blessings and peace my friends,

{the perfect christmas gift for kids}

do you ever head out to a restaurant with the family and realize you have not brought the proper ammunition to battle your precious, short-attention-span children?

or a doctor's appointment?

well i have the perfect gift to help with those many many moments when we need our children to be still and quiet.

{{ the crayon roll }}

it rolls up and will fit into any bag or purse.

just grab a couple sheets of paper or a small coloring book  and off you go!

visit my shop to find several designs to choose from.

happy shopping!

{welcome and hello}

welcome to the pleated polka dot. where everything is better with polka dots {wink}. i'm super excited to introduce you to the shop. you will find all kinds of goodies there from pouches to rings to crayon rolls and some other fun things that are coming soon!

i hope you will visit again and tell your friends!
and if you followed me on Just A Mom And More please consider following me here too!

oh and check this out....
a little down the page on the right. do you see it?
{squeeeee!} I have a button!
can you believe it?  i'm just so excited!

and i have the awesome little miss Design Girl to thank for it.


i'll be posting regularly at this site now....so i hope you'll keep coming back!

blessings on this lovely monday morning