She's Moving On

I thought I might have something poetic to say on this day. Maybe something out of 1 Samuel where Hannah takes her newly weaned son to the temple and dedicates him to the Lord. But I don't have many words. Today is the fourth day that Halle has gone without nursing at all, and strangely, wonderfully, it seems right. As you can see from the pictures she has moved right along the food chain, and after discovering the cookie dough bowl was on the counter she stood in the kitchen shouting 'COOKIE' until I went in and gave her some. (Don't shake your heads... you know you eat it right out of the bowl too!)

A large credential I have as a 'super mom' (please read the sarcasm in this!) is that I make a stellar chocolate chip cookie. Nothing fancy, but perfectly crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside. They don't get stale, but that is in part due to the fact that we eat them all before they would have time to! It's no wonder that after saying 'Dadda' pretty regularly, 'cookie' was Halle's second word. Not momma, mind you, though she can say that. Hmph. I'm not bitter.

I am also feeling like pretty big stuff today because I got my clothing labels in the mail yesterday. I had been making these, but with the amount of orders I've been getting I decided it was time to invest. I'm so glad I did! I got them from Miss Label on etsy, who also made my ribbons that I use. They came super fast and look wonderful!

And one last thing, but certainly not least: I am so excited about the awesome response I've been getting in the past weeks for 2 sweet things! Two pairs of my booties are being featured today over at The Pink Camellia's blog, and I hope you'll go check it out. It's a lovely blog, and she has a great shop on etsy too!

Scattered Monday thoughts

Back to the Proverbs 31 woman this morning. Verse 17 says "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Now, I'm sure her strong arms didn't come from doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred each morning... so this chapter again leads me to ask 'How does she do it!?'. I think part of the issue is that my idea of 'beauty and strength' is quite different from what it would have been in her day. Did strong arms equal chiseled biceps that look great in a tank top? I think not!

If you were wondering, I will never be mistaken for one of those people who over-exercises. I do love that post-workout feeling, all adrenaline and heart pounding. But I hate every minute during a workout. Every. Single. Minute. I was not blessed by being 'naturally thin', and I have to work for each pound I lose. (sigh... each gained pound, in contrast, is not so difficult to come by...) Tracey's brother is getting married in less than 3 weeks, and as Trace and Remy are in the wedding, I would like to make myself at the least presentable. Somewhere during the last seven years between my life in retail management and mommy-hood I traded my designer dresses for yoga pants and tees.

I would love to look like this:

But sadly, I'm shaped a bit more like this:

So... long post longer... Jillian and I have several morning dates planned in the weeks to come. And a few shopping trips to find proper wedding attire are in order, I guess. I must do my best to remember that many (I realize not all!) of these stretch marks and pounds gained were earned in carrying my two little beloveds, and for them I'd take dozens more.

1 Samuel 16:7

"But the Lord told Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

My prayer today is that God would help me see what he sees, and I pray that for each of you too! Happy Monday!

Good morning!

This morning in search of breakfast, I decided to try this recipe that I've been waiting over a year to try. I had cut it out of a Rachael Ray magazine at my mom's house (I tried to find a link, but had no luck), but it called for sour cream, and I almost never have that on hand. So after a taco night this past week, I dug the recipe out of a much neglected folder and gave it a try. Beautiful, right?! And the great thing is that it tasted as good as it looks! I hope you get to indulge a bit this weekend!

In other events, it's 35 days until the holiday we don't celebrate, and we have a dragon living among us. Remy found this costume last night at Old Navy and had to have it. In the 14 or so hours since we bought it, he's had it on twice. He would have slept in it had we let him! I'm betting that by the time that day gets here, it will be sweaty, stained and otherwise useless, and that's okay with me! I can't stand Halloween!

Happy Weekend!

Today I'm loving:

~easy mornings. The only minor debate this morning between me and Remy was whether or not he should wear a cape to preschool. Frankly, I didn't care either way, and the conflict was more with himself. In the end he decided to leave the cape at home 'so his friends wouldn't want to take it'. What kind of friends is he making?!

~these sweet under the table moments. Remy makes 'a little nest' under their little table and Halle climbs right in. I love the times when they genuinely seem to play together. They have also been eating their lunches at this table, mostly because I can't clear a space big enough on the big table. =) I spent so much time at this table as a child, and I love seeing them here.

~this Lizzy House fabric from A Fabric Outlet on etsy. I love the colors and images and have been drooling over it. I'm dreaming up all sorts of ways I could use it should I buy it. Add it to the wish list!!

~these new shoes in my shop. They are a variation on the black ones I made (and sold!) earlier this week.

~Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

It has felt like a busy week. I had 6 sales, which is wonderful, but I found myself spending my quiet nap time moments sewing more and studying less. God called to me this morning that I needed to just be quiet for a few minutes, and led me to something I had written in the margin of my Bible several years ago. I thought I would share it with you here:

God, how often do I forget to be still! But you love me even then. Give me strength to exalt you, God, because sometimes I lack even that. But I love you. I praise you because in chaos or in stillness you are an Irrepressible God. An Unshakable God. A sweet tender God.

Your word moves me. I fall at your feet because that is all I can do. My heart is full of your love. You fill me up and I am deeply happy. In this quietness I exalt you. My heart of loud praise shatters the silence, and I can nearly hear your laughter. Because you are. And I do know. Is this the thing that in the stillness you reveal? Because my only regret is not being quiet before this moment.

My prayer for all of you today is that you would have a few moments to just be still and listen. God definitely has something to say!

Happy Friday!

We're going on the road with this show!

So I am actually pretty swamped today with a ton of sewing to do, but here's a look at Halle's new skills. She picked up Remy's harmonica, and she's a natural. (For those of you just tuning in, we are the crazy parents who buy our kids every kind of loud & noisy toy/instrument we can; i.e. full drum kit, harmonica, wooden blocks, shakers, etc.) We kind of live by this verse:

Psalm 98:4 (KJV) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

I am starting my Christmas wish list for me and the family, and I have found so many cute things on etsy! We've decided that to support handmade, we are going to have an etsy Christmas around here. (So if you're on our list, you might start browsing... ) This shop, The Tiny Fig, has the most wonderful things, and I am in love with this French Toast t-shirt. I first thought it would be great for Rem, but now Trace says he wants one.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and emails lately! I love to hear from y'all. Also, if you haven't entered the giveaway for a bib & burp cloth set from my shop at The Eclectic Element blog, there's still time!

Have a great day!

I am at a loss today for some grand thing to say, so I'll just keep it simple. I have had two sales in the last two days, and each makes me want to do a happy dance. We do a lot of dancing in this house for almost any occasion! I am so thankful for the happy things that fill this home, however small they may be. I sort of stumbled into this verse today:

Proverbs 15:13 "A happy heart makes the face cheerful"

And then I loaded pictures onto the computer and found this one I didn't even remember taking. It fits, I think!

And the shameless plug for today: these are a new shoe pattern I was working on. They turned out so sweet and are in the shop.

Don't let it be said

...that I don't listen to my mother! She told me this weekend that maybe everyone doesn't have such 'wild' tastes as I do when it comes to baby shoes. (Really?!) So in an effort to be a little more mellow, I created these sweet little brown corduroy shoes. Simple enough for your baby boy or girl. These are in size 0-6 months, but I could easily customize the size. You can find them here in my shop. I also added several pairs of funky slippers, if you're into that sort of thing.

Trace was gone for the weekend, so I had the littles all to myself. There were only a few minor meltdowns (from me and/or the kids!), and overall it was a great, if not exhausting, weekend. On Saturday we ventured out to the mall. Halle seemed awfully big to me playing right alongside Remy at the train table at the bookstore.

Oh, last but not least, I had my first episode of couponing this morning. After trips to Target and Publix (the two stores are very close to us, otherwise I wouldn't go two places...) and less than 2 hours I spent about $77 and saved $74. A pretty good start, I think, and we are stocked up for a while with several pantry items. Southern Savers is the site I used, if you're interested. I have never been an athlete, but I think this would be my sport, if it counted!

Happy Monday! Have a great day!

Morning Muffins

We are off to an early start this morning! Remy thought that our purchase yesterday of Halloween sprinkles merited making cupcakes. Although I am usually not one to deny anyone cupcakes, I thought that muffins were a better idea for today, so we thawed out some blackberries from our CSA and made some. They ended up looking pretty spooky because of the berries, and the sprinkles seemed quite appropriate.

Here's Rem stirring the batter:

This is Halle, um, helping?

'Mr. Froggy Spotty Foot' joined the party

Froggy and 'Alligatory' (who is an iguana, by the way) added the sprinkles

The finished muffins

I hope your weekend is off to a great start! Don't forget to check out my last post to enter the giveaway!

The Eclectic Element Feature & Giveaway

The lovely Kayla over at The Eclectic Element has featured 2 sweet things today on her blog, and I am hosting my very first giveaway! She has a great blog and a fantastic shop on etsy of her handcrafted jewelry. Be sure to hop on over and find out how to enter~ she has given you the opportunity to have 16 entries! The winner will be drawn on October 2nd and will win a bib & burp cloth set from my shop in their choice of patterns. Thanks a bunch to Kayla for hosting this! Good luck!

Friday Love

Lots of love today! I am having a shortage of pics of the little people~ the faster they move, the harder it is to catch! (And Trace says that I take more pictures of shoes these days...maybe...) I feel like I've gotten a lot done this week, which is unusual for me to feel that way, so all is good.

Today I'm loving:

~Remy. In his journey of becoming a true Southern boy he has taken to liking the Dukes of Hazzard, which we have on DVD. Trace beams with pride when the first thing out of Rem's mouth each morning is 'Can we please watch General Lee?'. The car is the real draw at this point, but whatever. He thinks now that every one of his toy cars needs their own 'special honk' and spends lots of time running from the cops and jumping over things with his hot wheels. We also found Knight Rider episodes online, and Remy was thrilled with a talking car. Oh, to be a three year old boy~ such a wonder-full age!

~The show Glee. First of all, it totally takes me back to my show choir days (yes, I was that girl!) and in each of the characters I see someone I knew in high school. Secondly, Josh Groban was on it this week, and it was absolutely the funniest thing ever. EVER. Enough gushing, but you really should see it!

~This blog: My funky floral wrap booties are being featured in her 'Finally Friday' post!

~This shop. I am definitely starting to do some mental holiday shopping, and this soap is first on my list... maybe I won't even give it away. It looks so good I want to taste it!

~God's provision. I type today with a joyful and happy heart. This week God opened an unexpected door for us, and it really takes a huge weight off our shoulders. God is so good!

~Thinking and studying God's provision led me to Psalm 16 this week. It begins with David saying "Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. I said to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'" I love that David continually accredits God with his fortune, and it is a good reminder for me to do the same.

Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;

you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Psalm 16:5-6

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Shower Gift

There's not a lot going on around here this week that's noteworthy... Sewing, chasing, hide and seek, you know, the usual. I just thought I'd say hi and put up a few pics of a custom shower gift I made. The dress is just like one in my shop, though I tweaked the size so it's more like 6-12 months, and the shoes are 6-12 months too. I'm so happy with it, and I hope the new mom will like it as well. I'll be back tomorrow with some love for y'all... Until then, have a great day!

Shop Swap

I just wanted to do a quick plug for Pattie at Structured Chaos. She has a cool blog and is doing this cool shop swap right now. Basically you sign up to swap some of your cool products with another shop owner and then blog about them. Sweet! You can get more details on her site, but hurry~ the deadline to sign up is September 30th.

I had a great birthday yesterday, thanks for asking! ;) Remy asked how old I was, and when I told him '29' he told me he wanted to get his new mommy. I asked why, and he said because now I am 'old and dangerous'. I'm not sure what that means, but I do feel that way sometimes, I think.

Oh, and hop over to my shop~ I added a bunch of new stuff during nap time!

Vindication

A little peace from the guilt-laden moments I spend at my sewing machine feeling like I should be cleaning, cooking, doing laundry. Sewing and creating give me such joy that it feels almost sinful to steal away these bits and pieces of time. And then I open my email and see an order, followed by the excitement of seeing which item someone likes enough to purchase for their sweet things. I love that feeling and hope it never goes away. I can't imagine that it will. It is such a gift to be able to create those tiny little things for others to enjoy. And to you, the ones who read this little place inside my head. You are all so sweet and special. Thanks.

Badge of Honor

You probably can't tell from this picture, but I had to try... I have my first 'merit badge' of sorts since becoming someone who sews. I have a blister on my pinky from all the fabric cutting that I did this weekend. And I am proud! =)

...onto a completely different subject...

We sang this song yesterday at church, and I wanted to put the lyrics here. I am continually awestruck by the awesome healing power of the touch of God, and I think this song hits it right on the head. (Is saying 'awestruck by the awesome' a little redundant? I couldn't decided...)

As we reach for the hem of your garment

Let us be healed, let us be free

Just a touch can restore us to wholeness

Lord we believe, Lord we believe

Set us free

Lord we give you our weakness

Lord we give you our need

Though it's hard to be humble

We're here on our knees

As we pray, as we weep

As we fall to our knees

Have mercy, have mercy

To be healed, to be changed

In your name, in your grace,

Have mercy, have mercy

Lord we pray

I hope you have a great Monday!

A Sunday tip

Hey everyone! I just thought I would pop in with a quick tip. I'm sure this isn't new, but it's new to me so I'm passing it along. I absolutely hate cutting out patterns. I hate it almost as much as I love sewing! I get frustrated with pinning that thin little paper shifting around. At first I had printed my patterns and then put them onto contact paper for added durability. But they still get lots of holes in them after using them many times, so I knew it wasn't a permanent solution. My solution was that I decided to use felt to make the patterns that I use often (booties, burp cloths, and bibs). The great thing is that they stick to the fabric without any pins, it's inexpensive, and the thickness is easy to trim around. It reminds me of those flannel graphs from Sunday School in my childhood- anyone remember those?! Anyway... I know this picture is terrible, but I took it late last night. I also color-coded the sizes so it's easy to match up the pieces when I'm cutting out several at a time. Voila!

Here's a picture of an adorable pair of slippers I made for a custom order yesterday. They have brown corduroy on the bottom with the cowboy printed cotton on top~ too cute!

Lastly, 2 sweet things is officially on twitter. I would love for you to follow along via this link or the button on the side bar. Have a great Sunday!

Friday Love

It has been a wonderful full week! Yesterday Trace had the day off, so we decided to take advantage and go for a picnic at the park close to our apartment. The kids had a great time playing with daddy, and of course, eating outside. The hardest part was getting Remy to slow down enough to eat... Halle didn't have that problem, and as usual for her, eating came first. I was also able to get quite a bit of sewing done with Tracey home, so it worked out well for everyone. Now onto the love:

Today I'm loving:

~these wee ones, of course! These pictures were all taken at the park before Halle got an enormous bruise on her forehead.

~This blog. The delightful Holly over at Her Southern Heart was kind enough to do a feature today on 2 sweet things. I hope you'll go on over and check it out! It's awesome to get some love from one southern girl to another. =) (I'm a transplant, but I think it's okay to claim that!)

~Psalm 18:2-3 'The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. Her is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.' I love verses that talk about God as fortress. It always brings to my mind imagery of the 'Fortress of Solitude' from Superman. (Those of you who know me know that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Smallville... so bear with me.) Especially on today when the country sort of pauses to remember what happened 8 years ago, I think it is wonderful to remember that God is our protector and fortress, the place in which we can hide.

~These new items that will be in my shop this afternoon. Here's a sneak peek at some of my holiday gift sets.

Oh, and it's not really something I love just yet, but I have set up a Facebook Fan Page if you're interested in the goings on at 2 sweet things. I would love for you to be a fan! It is very much a work in progress right now, but once I get my holiday things listed I plan on doing some special offers for fans, so sign up here!

Happy Friday! I'd better get off this blog and get some things done around the apartment before sweet thing #2 wakes up and we have to go pick up #1 from preschool.

Wednesday...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Despite the crying baby below, we have had a good day. I just thought it was ironic that her shirt says 'Fun to be me' and she's throwing a fit. (I know, one might question the fact that I took a picture...) I took a day off from blogging yesterday to do some sewing (!) and now I'm back with several projects finished.

So after Monday I have been meditating on Proverbs 31 and have become stuck on the concept of stewardship. This comes to me every fall, I think because my dad used to preach a series on it every October. (Reminder, even when you think they aren't listening, they are- my father hasn't been a pastor for 15 years!) I read and reread in amazement how the 'Wife of Noble Character' uses every resource in her world and, more importantly uses them WISELY. A few examples:

v. 13 works with eager hands (time management)

v. 15 gets up early (also time management)

v. 16 buys a field, plants a vineyard out of her earnings (money)

v. 18 her lamp does not go out (planning ahead)

It goes on and on about this biblical WonderWoman! I love v. 25 "she can laugh at days to come". I think she has this optimism because she is prepared for the next days. I also love how this chapter wraps up in v. 30 with "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.". Let me never forget that!

Now begins the task of how to apply these principals. The 'getting up early' part we have covered, but it's not necessarily to 'provide food'. Breakfast does get served sometimes... I also have a friend who does the 'extreme couponing' thing. I'm excited to learn about this, but calling it extreme seems a bit daunting!

Another area I've been trying to figure out is with scraps of fabric. I have many small-ish pieces from other projects and I am unsure of what to do with them. I have given thought to quilting. I would love to hear your ideas- what do you do with your leftovers?

Oh, and here are a few shots of Halle in one of the new dresses I made. The only pictures are of her crying. She really is a happy girl for the most part... today just wasn't her day!

Weekend thoughts and doings

Well, Remy's first day of school went off without a hitch. When I picked him up he was full of stories, and I loved hearing about all that had happened. The best part, was that he doesn't yet know the names of the other kids, so every story is full of descriptions like 'the boy in the orange shirt had a time out' (thankfully Rem did not!) or 'the BIG girl with a red bow played with me in the kitchen'. (I wonder how big she can be, they're all three in his class. Trace and I decided that it's a good thing for our little skinny guy to make friends with every big, potential bully that he can, girl or not...)

Trace decided that Friday night would be a great night for the long anticipated camp out with Remy. I guess it's up to you if you count our screened in porch really camping, but to Remy this was HUGE! I loved listening to my guys conversing out there before Rem fell asleep. I couldn't tell what he was saying, as I didn't want to eavesdrop too much, but it sounded wonderful! I did manage to sneak out and get a few pictures before they dozed off. Around 11 I checked and Remy was shivering, so the camp out had to be moved into the living room, but it was still a great night.

I also had a pretty full weekend of crafting, and I've managed to get a few new things into the shop. I have added some new little booties from a pattern I purchased here, and they are so cute! I plan on making many more pairs of them for the holidays. I also made two new loveys that coordinate with some of the other things in my shop, and they are listed as well. I'm kind of starting to feel like a little elf, preparing for the holidays already- there is so much to do! It kind of makes me look at that Proverbs 31 woman from a new perspective- how did she do it all? Hmmm. Maybe that is a good place to begin with my cup of coffee this afternoon.

Friday Love

Happy Friday! It was a big morning in our house as I took Remy to his first day of school. We packed up his cool new lunch box together and off we went. He was a little nervous on the way, asking me a zillion questions about the ins and outs, but once we got there he just marched into his classroom without so much as a wave goodbye. His teacher asked him if he needed hugs and kisses and he said 'No, I'll see her later.'. Well! I was even proud of myself- I made it to the car before I shed a little tear as I prayed for him and his teachers. I am so excited to hear what he has to say on the way home this afternoon!

So, on with the love... Today I'm loving:

~This sweet boy:

~Some girl time. Halle and I spent the morning running around to several fabric stores and now she's fed and sleeping peacefully. She is always more chatty when Remy isn't around to talk over her =) so we had lots of good 'girl talk'. I let her touch all the fabric (you're welcome, retailers!) and jabber to all the sales associates. She is very social, which seems the opposite of Rem at this age. What fun!

~1 Thessalonians 4:11-12: "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." This verse popped into my mind the other day as I was cleaning the kitchen. I know I've blogged about it before, that sometimes the daily things just seem so mundane. I am really trying to think about things in terms of 'what if Jesus were to see you at each moment?'. My only objective in this life is to live a life that glorifies the Almighty God at each second.

~Hearing the washer finish a washing a load of new fabric! It's off to the washer and then I can try out a few new patterns. Halle picked some great cotton prints that will be in my shop soon!

~This quote by Phillips Brooks: "Bad will it be for every man when he becomes absolutely content with the life that he is living, with the thoughts that he is thinking, with the deeds that he is doing, when there is not forever beating at the doors of his soul some great desire to do something larger, which he knows that he was meant and made to do because he is still, in spite of it all, the child of God." This sort of ties in with the feelings I was having in the paragraph above, I think. Some days I am really restless to do more, be more, go further... and I am a bit envious of people who seem to be content just living. While I think there is a balance, I also think that some of my personal restlessness is such a gift from God because I'm always finding new ways to follow him. Living to glorify him does not allow for me to settle for moments that are less than they should be. Does that even make sense? I need some coffee...

Well, I'm off to enjoy some of the quiet around here. I'm sure I will post soon with the wonderful details of Remy's first day- I know you can't wait! Oh, and the frogs are still going strong. We are down to one snail because Charlie & Lola decided to eat the other one... a little escargot, I guess! Have a lovely long weekend!

Business as Unusual- a manifesto

I heard a song lyric this morning that's been gnawing at me. The line was 'we're just a phone call away from our knees'. It's true, isn't it? We live in a state of 'waiting for the ball to drop' before we go running to God. I refuse to live this way! In fact, forgive me, God, if my knees are not calloused from daily living on them instead of my feet!

Sorry, that was not what I intended to write today... it just kind of came out.

I'm trying to find a good 'normal' for us these days... Balance. I am loving my etsy shop! I have had several sales, and I do feel like this work is something God is giving me the grace to do at this time. But I have learned in the last few weeks that it would be relatively easy to make it a full time gig. Promotion and the business end of running a shop can be time consuming and could pretty quickly weasel their way into all the cracks and crevices of my day.

But what is success? Because hear me now (shaking hand in the air to imaginary audience), if the choice has to be made between playing Chutes & Ladders or sewing, I know which I will choose. Success is pouring myself and who God is into these two amazing little lives that have been entrusted to me. It really bothers me that the choice is not always reflex. Sometimes I really want to sew. Sometimes I would rather check my email. I am often reminded of the gentle words of Jesus to Martha in Luke 10. "...but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better..." I love that he didn't say that the things Martha was doing completely lacked value. She was busy trying to prepare a meal for the gazillion road weary men that had gathered at her house, and that needed to be done. But when it came down to it, Mary made the better choice.

So there it is. Thanks for 'listening' because this post really was more for me than you.

And for those of you who are worried about Charlie and Lola, they are doing 'swimmingly'! (And we're still on Charlie #2 and Lola #2, if you're counting.)