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December 30, 2010

{things i love thursday}


{reading}

"when i read my child a story i am doing far more than entertaining him. i am expanding his world with language, words, thoughts and imagination"
{jean fleming- a mother's heart}


you guys already know i am a voracious reader. i read something every single day. i love it. i have a stack of books on my bedside table waiting to be devoured.

i am {hopefully} passing on my love for reading to my children. we bought eisley and durgin several books for christmas and this one, at the moment, is her {favorite}.


we have read this book every day at nap time and at bed time since christmas day. every. day. she loves it and i do too. it's one of those classics that i remember from childhood and i so enjoy sharing it with her.


this is an usborne book and my sweet friend {krissy} sells these as a stay at home mommmy to contribute to her family finances. so check out her store. you'll find lot's of goodies there!

grace and peace friends!

December 29, 2010

{looking back}

{looking back so that i can press forward}
this year has been a wonderful year full of blessings...that are so easily forgotten at times. so as i look back, my heart overflows with the joy at the amazing and fun things that have gone on in 2010.

1. disney world in january



2. coop turned 3


3. durgin turned 1


4. beach trips

5. our trip to new york

6. these guys, some of our BFF's had twins...but didn't find out they were having twins until the 7th month...craaaaazy!

7. my sweet babies
8. awesome friends


9. this guy...that i love more and more every year


so that's my year! i'd love to hear about the awesome things that happened in your year!

grace and peace friends


December 27, 2010

{the snow princess}

hope you all had a wonderful christmas celebration!
our family had a blast!
as snow fell to the ground jacob and i drank coffee and enjoyed the children playing at our feet.
i will see snow differently from now on.
i will see it through the eyes of my children.
and there is nothing more whimsical that a little princess in the snow...

December 23, 2010

{things i love thursday}


joy
: [noun]; the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.


it echoed from wall to wall...laughter.
merriment.
amusement.
delight.
{joy}
as we shared a meal with friends(the traditional one for this house). we talked about movies and books and friendships and weddings and all the things under the sun. and this practice....it brings joy.

what is bringing you joy today?

December 22, 2010

{diamonds. roses. and knives. OH MY!}


i received the text.
then i waited 10 minutes for my phone to reveal the news {thank you iphone 3}.
a diamond.
shiney and new on the sweetest little finger.
i called her immediately waiting with anticipation to hear it.
confirm it.
relish in it with her.
when she answered i squeeled and she squeeled right back.
{i don't know why girls do that...we just do, k?}
i shared her joy.
she shared her story.
so sweet.
so simple.
so intentional.
ahhhh....the joys of engagement.
i remember mine so clearly. i relive it often. it is a memory held in a special place never to be forgotten.
knives that distracted me.
white roses that filled the kitchen.
the man i love dressed in the color that make his eyes even more beautiful.
one knee.
the four words every girl dreams about from childhood.
{"will you marry me?"}
yes! yes! a million times yes!
i will be yours forever.

take time to remember those special moments today.
relive them.
relish them.
be thankful once again.

grace and peace friends,

December 20, 2010

{do we need more...}


"{sabbath} is time to stop, to refrain from being seduced by our desires. to stop working. stop making money. stop spending money. see what you have. look around. listen to your life. do you really need more than this?"
-wayne muller

December 17, 2010

{fun stuff for you}

okay so maybe it's just {fun} for me...but i wanted to share all the new goodies i have added to {the shop}.
1. rosette stretchy headband.


i think i'm a bit in love with making rosettes.

look that's ali from {aPearantly sew} ....and she totally rocks that headband!

2.  button headbands

check out my model! eisley fell in love with this butterfly button headband and insisted on wearing it for at least one picture.

3. Little Blue Ring Set

so what do you think?
find more stuff {here}!!

happy shopping friends.

December 16, 2010

{things i love thursday}

{photo credit}

baby giggles.
candles.
date nights.
that my husband still opens the car door for me.
love notes on my dashboard.
eisley telling me she loves me 100 times a day.
christmas lights.
our elf on the shelf- nat.
daily hugs from jacob.
the way my children go crazy when i get home from work.
how jacob makes dinner each night so i have more playtime with the kiddos.
coffee dates with friends.
sewing dates with alison.
blogs.
living simple.
books. books. and more books.
coffee.
baking with eisley.
wait. did i mention coffee?



during this advent season i am taking time to focus on the amazing things in my life instead of the petty things that often creep in and change my focus inward.
i am choosing love.
i am choosing gratitude.
i am choosing to see the BEST in those around me.
i am choosing to make the most of every. single. moment.
I am choosing....

grace and peace friends

December 15, 2010

{it starts here}


"one must begin in one's own life the private solutions that can only in turn become public solutions."
-wendell berry


as you know i have been reading {sabbath by wayne muller}.
yes i know i have beat that horse right into the ground {wink}.
but for me, this book has been extremely inspiring and motivating during this particular season of my life!

i'm busy busy busy.
are you?
i feel like i speed through each day reaching and trying to hold onto moments that slip. right. through. my. fingers.

this book is not a new concept...taking a sabbath. resting. that is not new. i know i need to rest but making it happen...well, that is a different story. so here i am consciously incorporating ideas into my life that i have learned, or re-learned, from reading this book.

if i want things to change in the world i need to start with changes in my own life. "small things with great love" {mother teresa}, right?

so i made a list.
a list of things that shape my days.
some i am following and some i want to be able to follow.
they are written in my journal as a constant reminder of the things that i desire to flow out of my life.


just a few to give you an idea....

1. patience.
yes i pray for and seek patience. my children need a patient mommy so that they too can learn to be patient.

2. kindness.
one time this man was very mean to me at the grocery store check out because i was in the express lane {and didn't know it-honestly} with more than 10 items {the cardinal sin of grocery shopping} and i retaliated...in front of my little girl. she was oblivious but it was a good lesson for me. i want to show kindness to all...even those that do not show it to me. why? because i want my children to be kind. they will be what they see.

so what are yours?
to be grateful?
to serve others?
help the poor?

i'd love to hear the precepts that guide your life.

grace and peace friends!

December 14, 2010

{the richest family}


i had two encounters yesterday with two different people.

1. a family asked me where they could find a food bank because they needed to eat.
2. a woman shared that her boys weren't going to have a very good christmas this year because she normally spends $1000 (yes, one thousand dollars) on them and she won't be able to do that this year.

my heart broke for both groups of people.
i thought about the extremes all day long.

i love christmas.
i love everything about the season.
i start listening to christmas music in early november and don't stop until well after the new year has arrived. i love to hunt for beautiful light displays and make a huge deal out of them to my children. i love gingerbread houses and making christmas goodies.
i love decorating the tree and all the traditions that come along with it.
i love christmas!

however, i am struggling this year to find the balance.

we are santa people.
we have the elf on the shelf that my little girl hurries to find each and every morning.
she knows santa brings presents to little girls and boys and all of that good stuff.

but this year my heart is heavier than years past.
maybe it's because i am more aware of the depravity around me.
families that have lost their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet.
some are struggling just to eat.
and we...well, we have plenty.
i want to teach eisley that christmas is about jesus and the "gift" he gave. i hope that in turn she will want to give gifts to others. not neccessarily material things, but instead gifts of love, hope, peace, kindness, thankfulness and service.

i read this post a few weeks ago and it spoke volumes to my soul. and then a few weeks later i read this story (get tissues ready}.

both stories encouraged and challenged me.
so as a family we are focusing on the reason for the season which we believe is the amazing birth of jesus. we are talking about this daily with our children in hopes that they too will desire to give to others more than they desire to receive.

{grace and peace friends}

December 13, 2010

{the most precious gift we can give}


"one of the most precious gifts we can offer is to be a place of refuge, to be {sabbath} for one another."
-wayne muller
sabbath: finding rest, renewal and delight in our busy lives


i held my cup of coffee and she held her cup of ice cream.
our bodies nuzzled into opposite ends of the couch.
we sat there.
cozy.
relaxed.
we talked and giggled.
it's been six months since our last visit and that's just waaaaay too long.
we rejoiced in the evidence of god's hand in our lives.
we shared tears of joy.
we explored the art of parenting and compared stories.
we shared our challenges and took note of our blessings.
she {among several others that are truly gifts from god} is a place of refuge for me.
she always has been.
since the first interaction of that freckle faced teenager and this metal mouth teenager fifteen years ago.
she encourages me.
loves me just as i am {and that often is a task in and of itself}.
she is a wonderful friend.
for her...i am forever grateful!

thank you k.p.


xo

December 11, 2010

{just to be}

"just to be is a blessing.
just to live is holy"

-rabbi abraham heschel

December 9, 2010

{things i love thursday}


**my sweet friends and secret santa**

{please excuse the poor quality pictures- inside, at night, with a point and shoot=blah}

this year, since amanda went and had these adorable little dolls...{yes twins!!}
{aren't they gorgeous??}



...and made things all uneven with the whole drawing names with the kiddos, we decided to do

{secret santa}
with just us girls.
fun! fun!

i thought i had everyone figured out.
but i didn't.
to my great surprise little miss ali little {yes, your favorite and mine from aPearantly sew} had my name all along. now i would have been happy for any of the girls to have my name because they all have super great taste and are great gift givers. but alison shares my love for all things handmade. and girls....she did NOT disappoint!

now several months ago i spotted this {don't buy me flowers rosette statement bracelet} by {allora handmade}. i made one simple comment about how much i loved it and my sweet friend remembered and {LOOK!}



yep! that's mine. isn't it lovely??

{happy thursday friends}

December 5, 2010

{the best christmas gift ever}

okay so maybe it's not the best....
but it's a good one!
new wristlet clutch just added to {the shop}
get it while it's hot!

{happy sunday}

December 4, 2010

{would you like a wristlet clutch with that?}


today my sweet friend alison and i are participating in a christmas craft show.
wish us luck and lots of sells!

and pssst.....

feel free to shop online at

my shop

or

alison's shop

{happy saturday friends}

December 3, 2010

{ornaments {*ornaments*} everywhere}

i'm participating in an ornament exchange!

it's a fun way to send someone a taste of your style and receive some of theirs.
and it's a great way to meet other people.
i remember as a child in school our teacher would arrange pen pals from over seas.
i always thought that was the neatest thing and have continued that practice into my adult life.
so this is sort of like a pen pal only they probably aren't over seas and we won't actually handwrite letters.....but you get the idea!

so if you want to participate hope on over to kate's blog...the accidental traveler.
don't you just love that name?
hurry over because sign up closes at midnight!

oh and p.s. you don't have to be a blogger to sign up!!

{ happy friday }

December 2, 2010

(things i love thursday}

this book....

wayne muller - {sabbath-finding rest, renewal and delight in our busy lives}


seriously guys...it's been life changing for me.
you see... i am a do-er. i do things.
lot's of things.
ALL the time.
my husband is constantly telling me to {sit down and rest}.
rest?
that's when i give him, my "you're crazy" look.
how can i rest when there are mountains of laundry and dirty dishes and floors?
rest.
that's a strange concept to me.
i want to rest. it sounds lovely.
but the duties of life beckon me day and night.

but this week i read the chapter A Life Well Lived.
and that's what i want to be said about my life when it is done.
i want A Life Well Lived.

wayne muller addresses the issue of time. and how over the years we have come put into place the standard that {time = money}.

"people who have a lot of money and no time, we call 'rich.' and people who have a great deal of time but no money we call 'poor.'
"when we are not using our time to get money, we are using it to spend money."

{BUT}

"what if we were to expand our definition of wealth to include those things that grow only in time- time to walk in the park, time to take a nap, time to play with children, to read a good book, to dance, to out our hands in the garden, to cook playful meals with friends, to paint, to sing, to meditate, to keep a journal. what if we were to live, for even a few hours, without spending money, cultivating time instead as our most precious resource?"

{what if we took time?}

"in time, we can taste the sweetness of peace, serenity, well-being, and delight. the trusth be told; with all the money in the world, and no time, we have nothing at all."

{so i encourage you dear friends, take time......just take it.}

December 1, 2010

{others}


as parents...christ followers...human beings...we are teaching our little ones to think of others first.
it's challenging.
not because they don't get it. they do.
we don't.
i still always want a new shirt or that extra decor for my home or to eat out just one more time during the week. there is always something to consume. something to buy. something to desire.
but i don't need it. any of it.
don't get me wrong. there is absolutely nothing wrong with possessing things...it's when the things begin to posses us that there is a problem.

so as the christmas season is fast upon us we are taking advantage of teachable moments with our children. we do this year round but the holidays are a special time to really step out and focus on others.

jacob took eisley on a DADDY DATE the other day. while they were out they made a special trip to the store to pick out a special toy for someone who may not otherwise receive a toy for christmas.  it's under our tree...waiting for the perfect opportunity to bless someone special.



what are some things you are doing to bless others this holiday season?
i'd love some ideas!