Missing Days...

The million dollar question is 'where does the time go?'! I am a pretty organized girl. Thanks to my blog and kids' schedules I usually know what day of the week it is, but rarely do I know the actual date. So I miss birthdays and holidays~ not because I forgot that my Grandma's birthday was on March 13th, but because I didn't know it was March 13th! I was rereading my post from yesterday, and in it I said that I would tell you more about my upcoming April items 'as it approaches'~ like I had time. Then last night it hit me that April is IN 2 DAYS!!!

So, as promised, here are some pictures of only a few of the the spring things that will be in the shop soon:

And, for good measure, here are a few pictures of my little 'treasure hunters' in the back yard. It's been terribly fun for them that there is a ton of junk to discover back there! (And not so fun for Trace...)

Monday~ Weekend Tales and My Problem with Prayer

The weekend came and went with very little event for me and Halle. She was feeling poorly for most of the day Saturday and Sunday, so we stayed in and worked puzzles. Lots of puzzles. Or rather, only eight puzzles but we did them a zillion times. Thanks for your well wishes, though, and she is finally feeling better today. We are pretty sure that entitles us to a trip to the park after nap time to breath in some fresh air... we earned it, right?

Our friend, Brett Clark, came to visit this weekend and share with our church family about their family's upcoming adventure into full time missions in Thailand. I have talked about the Clarks before, I think, and you can read more about the awesome things God is doing in their lives at the Journey with the Clarks blog. If you want to see an amazing story of people who have given up everything to follow God's calling on their lives, you have to read more about them!

I have also been on a sewing binge, and I hope to have some pictures for you soon. I had a big 'step out of the boat' moment last week when I decided that it would be a good move for my business to take out an ad on a popular blog for the month of April. I am terribly nervous and excited about this all at the same time because I've never done anything quite like this, but it all fell into place and I feel like God's hand was totally in it. All sorts of spring goodies are coming off my lovely little sewing machine~ I'll share more about that as it approaches...

For some reason this weekend I've been stuck thinking about a concept from a book I read some time ago called "Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers". In short, the principal is this: In our American 'gotta hurry' culture, it has become exceedingly easy to quickly say 'I'll pray about it' when confronted with a need. We are willing to pray (or at least say we will...). I am guilty of this too often myself. But what the book begs us to consider is that what if, in our quickness to say we'll pray about something we are overlooking the chance to actually BE the answer? Now, hear me: I am by no means minimizing prayer~ it is invaluable! But what I am discovering is that through a life of constant prayer and time with God we are generally more connected with the Holy Spirit and therefore in tune with his leadings.

The example the book gave was something like this: Say your neighbor suddenly becomes wheelchair bound. He comes to you saying 'I could really use a ramp to access my house.' You tell him you will pray about a solution. You are a carpenter and have wood, tools, experience. Why don't you simply become the answer? In my own life I am having ups & downs with this. But I am finding that the more I consistently & constantly (KEY!) am immersed in God's word and prayer I am more available to His leadings as the opportunities appear. Less and less in those situations do I need to remove myself and pray, but rather I am equipped to make a Spirit-led decision in that moment. Cool, right?!

My challenge (to myself and you) is this: I am trying (here's the rub and the goal...) to live so in intimate connection with God that in those situations I will be able to discern whether He says 'Pray.', 'Go.', 'Do.' etc. I am trying to get out of the habit of saying 'I'll pray about it.' and be someone who actually does it if the situation warrants. Sometimes prayer is the right and only thing! (And always appropriate, I think~ don't hear me as saying not to pray!!!) But I want to be available to actually become the answer to someone's need precisely at the moment of His leading.

Okay, so that's my Aha! moment of today, I guess. I would love to hear your thoughts on living a Spirit-led life. For now my sewing machine and coffee pot are calling, and I'm sure at this point I've said too much anyway~ Happy Monday!

Friday Love

Happy Friday, friends! I won't be blogging much today, as I have a feverish little Princess that can't quite get comfortable enough to nap... and as my littles are my greatest loves, my loyalty lies there~ I know you understand. ;) I hope you have  a lovely weekend! Ours is stacking up to be busy but great with visits planned from some dear friends. See you on Monday!

Less Words Wednesday

I had thoughts of doing a 'Wordless Wednesday' post, but I couldn't post these pics without a few words of explanation. I'll try to keep it brief!

This photo could be called 'Soccer Dude Style' after my last post 'My Soccer Mom Style'. Rem's sense of style is on the very cutting edge of what 4 year olds like. He's avant garde, right? Thank you for your kind words on my picks from that post. Just know that they were dreams... in reality I am more likely to show up in jeans, an old hoodie, and my beloved Toms.

I call this picture 'How I survived the grocery store and actually had fun in the process.'. I usually try to go shopping with only one child in tow, but Remy's new preschool schedule doesn't allow for that. So I made up this simple list and told Remy that his job was very important.  He was a man on a mission and took this very seriously. Also in the process he learned how to make check marks... We truly had so much fun hunting~ I will definitely do this again!

One final shot. We made our first trip to the playground at the park down the street. It had been taunting us in the cold weather since we moved here, and it was finally warm enough. Yay, spring!

And in other news, my sweet friend, Courtney, has bestowed upon me my first blogging award, The Stiletto. You can see 'her' in the sidebar and read all about the award here. Thanks a bunch!

My Soccer Mom Style

I was thinking about my new status as Soccer Mom (see my last post)... gone are the days of cardigans and pearls (were there ever really soccer moms that wore that stuff?!). I was searching around etsy daydreaming about what I think would be the perfect spectator style, and here is what I came up with. I'm a big believer in casual comfort, but would still like to look pulled together.

Japanese Print and Organic Soy Wrap Hoodie, Isla New York

AG Tomboy Jeans, Anthropologie

Spring Equinox Flat, HydraHeart

Chocolate Circles Headband, In Honor Of Design

Strawberry Shortcake Necklace, aux petits oiseaux

Abanoz in apple green, Bayan Hippo

So what do you wear to the big game?

When did he grow up?

Well, Saturday I entered the world of soccer moms. This day seems a long day coming, we'd been talking about it for so long, and finally it was here. My little man was so excited and then we get to the gym, and he wasn't so sure. Amidst the sea of 4 year olds he seemed so small in his giant new shirt. Slowly he stepped to the back of the pack, stopping every few feet to check back and make sure that I was there on the bleachers. At one point he came to a critical moment: it looked like he may cry, and I thought to myself 'if he cries, I probably cry too'. I mouthed 'You can do it baby, be brave!', and he took a few timid but daring steps toward the group again.

At that point the coach divided the littles into about 4 smaller teams, and one assistant, sensing that Remy was shy came up to my boy and introduced himself. He asked Rem for a high five, and then it was all over. My Big Brave Boy was gone into the world of organized sports (well, as organized as dozens of crazy 4 year olds can be...). The head coach told us at the first that several of his assistants didn't speak very much English, and it may have been a good thing because that same guy who high-fived Remy got an earful for the rest of the practice! I could hear Remy saying 'Hey, watch this!' to his coach as he did any number of wonderful 4 year old soccer tricks and stunts. My boy the clown was in rare form, and I loved every minute of it!

Halle did her best to stay with me in the bleachers, though she really wanted to be out there on the floor with Rem! I have lots of new artwork on every random scrap of paper in my purse~ the one day I forget to pack her notebook...

It all seems pretty monumental. 4. Like he's not a baby anymore, not even a toddler. At the moment when we were both tearing up on Saturday, a mom on the seat in front of me said 'He's your first, isn't he?'. I nodded, and she smiled knowingly. My first. My big man. (sniff, sniff, cue the string quartet) And if this wasn't all enough, here is what I walk in on in the bathroom tonight. I snapped a few pics and then was told to get out because I was interrupting 'guy stuff'. 

Friday Love

Happy Friday, lovelies! I have so much to love today that I can hardly get it down fast enough~ so blessed! We'll get right on with it:

Today I'm loving:

~Impromptu games of tag in the yard. We are ignoring that the weather people (what do they know anyway?!) are talking about snow for this weekend and we've been enjoying every moment we can in the fresh air. I think it does a world of good for our moods!

~That I am a dessert genius. Okay, not necessarily a genius, but one illegal bonfire (didn't know you aren't supposed to burn until April...) plus graham crackers plus marshmallows plus peanut butter cups equals THE MOST INCREDIBLE TREAT. EVER. And I'm sorry that I didn't take any pictures, but I just ate it too fast! I also love that woodsy, smoky smell in our house after a fire. I am so far from 'woodsy' that I'll take it where I can... (This girly girl is not so much for camping!)

~This baby ruffle-bottom goodness. This is a sneak peak at Hallelujah's Easter outfit!

~This new dress and the fact that Halle is always willing to model. She says 'dance dress?', and of course I can't resist! This dress plus a few other new things will be in the 2 sweet things shop momentarily.

~This Amish friendship bread. I have heard of it for years, but today I finally made it, and it is soooooo good! The deal is that someone gives you a starter and you squeeze it (in a bag) and add to it over 10 days. Then on the last day you divide it into new starter bags, which you then give to friends, and make 2 loaves of this cinnamony deliciousness. I will totally be making tons more of this in the future! It's kind of like a chain letter, only without the threats of death or drama...

Have a wonderful weekend! Remy starts soccer tomorrow, so it's sure to be an eventful one for us.

Wednesday

"I'm guided by a force much greater than luck."

Four Leaf Clover Polaroid by futurowoman

This has never been one of my favorite holidays. I don't particularly like green, and in fact, when an army recruiter called me in high school I said 'First things first, sir, would I have to wear green?'. He replied 'Umm... I think so', thinking that I was kidding. To that I said in all seriousness 'I don't wear green'. When he realized that I wasn't joking that call ended quickly. Upon comparing notes at school I realized that most friends couldn't seem to get the guy off the phone, and I felt pretty happy about getting off the hook. I do wear green now on occasion, but it's not my favorite.

The quote at the top of this post is from Empire Records, easily one of my all-time favorite movies. (And I'm sure you all agree, one of the best movies ever made. EVER. Amen.) I'm not sure exactly where the character was going with it, but as a Christian, I think it is fitting. Trace and I were just talking this morning how this holiday has gone from a day celebrating a missionary to a day better known for green beer. That quote came to my mind first thing this morning when I started seeing all the green... Who guides me? What motivates me to live differently?

In my Bible study this week, I am studying the characteristic of love. God's love. And Beth Moore started out this week's section by saying this about love: 

     

"We talk about it. We sing about it. We praise it. We seek it, and we long for it. Love. 'The fruit of the Spirit is love.' God's kind of love is foreign to us. How can we love the unlovely- not endure them, but love them? How can we genuinely desire the best, not for ourselves or our friends, but for our enemies? Love challenges us. It frightens us, and it embraces us. Ultimately only love can change us so that we become people who love."

I want to be someone who is motivated by a guiding force of love from God. I don't want to be waiting on luck, and I'm not. God's will, this life living for God, doesn't just happen living by chance. So today I'm not feeling lucky, because I'm not. I've been chosen!

Remy and I were talking about this being St. Patrick's Day and I was telling him what a missionary is~ someone who goes out and tells other about Jesus. He said 'Well, aren't we all supposed to do that?' Yes~ Now to live it! Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

St. Patrick said this: "Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me." Amen.

Normal Days

I'm finding that I don't have as much 'inspired' stuff to post about these days, but I am not at all upset about that! Life is happening all around, and I am just breathing it in~ loving my little people and the things they are learning/doing/making! As I type they are both dancing their little brains out to this cd. (It's called Deliberate Kids by Phil Joel, and has great rockin' Christian music that's not at all annoying for the adults in the room!)

Yesterday Remy started at his new preschool (drama, don't ask...), and on this particular day they had a field trip planned to the grocery store. I was to happy tag along being the helicopter mom that I must be, and for anyone wondering, the grocery store is a fantastic trip for preschoolers! Seeing their little faces light up at the giant skids full of Easter candy was so cute! We also got to see one of the lobsters, the inside of a truck trailer (major score for Remy!), a cake being frosted with icing from a 5 gallon bucket (again, HUGE deal!), and a trash compactor smashing up boxes. This all adds up to a super-fun time for a bunch of 4 year olds!

Today has been slightly less eventful, but that too is fantastic. This morning the wee ones and I decided to paint pictures of spring. Halle had used finger paints but not brushes before, so she was very focused with her new tool. Remy made a great painting too~ his pictures right now always involve some kind of animal/dragon/dinosaur making tracks on the page, and today's narrative was much more involved with something about a duck being chased around a sunflower by a dinosaur. I love that!

And yes, I do feed him...

And lunch, perhaps on of my favorite meals... whole wheat pita with basil/parmesan pesto, sliced romas, and mozzarella cheese~ so good! Happy Tuesday!

Friday Love

Yeah, so this is my child, um... tied to a tree. And his sister watching, leaning on the tree wishing she were tied up too. Oh to be young again! The rope was found amongst the mess of things left in our garage/yard, and don't you know, a rope can become oh so many fun things. He tied himself up, only to be rescued by his own super-hero strength. Once again, UltraMan (the new alias) saves the day! And you may never see an outside picture where he isn't wearing that bicycle helmet because he insists on keeping it on at all times. He may need to hop on the bike, and when that happens, there just isn't time to put it on again. A four year old boy just has to go, go, go. Given that he seems to be a bit less that graceful at this age, we are thinking the helmet may not be such a bad idea. In fact, we may need to get Halle one too! Happy Friday!

Peek

Just a quick peek at a custom order I shipped out this week. I am doing as many custom items lately as I am listing, and I love that~ please don't hesitate to send my an email if you want something special!

I'm in love with this new Hedgehog collection from Michael Miller (which I purchased from the lovely Fabric Shoppe on etsy)!  So cute!

Am So Happy

Truly feeling it in my toes today. It's pretty deep. In giving myself permission to breathe, I think I'm feeling a bit more capable to do what God is calling me do to (though I don't claim to know exactly what that is!). A Bible Study I'm doing struck a chord this week: the author said "there is no greater risk than emptiness", and I really identified with this. I have a rooted, nagging longing to do something and a lot feel frustrated with the question of 'what?'. So I try to fill it. And typically it's filling it with good things just not necessarily things that God has called me to. There are so many good things.

But lately I've been trying to live more in the moment, letting God guide me in the daily and allowing him to be revealed through the small things as well as grandiose ones. I know especially as a stay-at-home mom, I feel like the 'dailies' just outnumber the grand~ How I love seeing God in my small stuff! This small stuff is my life, which makes it add up to a pretty big part. (Sorry if I'm talking in circles... are you hanging with me?)

I've just grown tired of trying so hard to see the BIG that I'm missing the miraculous right in front of me! So I'm taking my time again. Cruising through my days with my eyes wide open for miracles, and you know what?! I'm seeing so many! My sweet boy told me this weekend that he 'trusts God to help him not be afraid', and my curly girl knows the words to the B-I-B-L-E, complete with fist raised into the air and shouting 'Bible!' at the end.  Suddenly Halle can walk down the stairs holding the railing instead of scooting, and Remy can write his name. These are my miracles!- And I'll take every one!

And on a different, sweet yet so very sad note, Layla Grace, the little girl I talked about last week with Stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer, passed away yesterday morning. I am deeply saddened, but also rejoicing that she is cancer-free and has been healed in the arms of Jesus. She has forever changed me and the way I look at life, and I think I owe a big part of how I am seeing each day to her.

Baking and Making

This weekend our church had a dessert night, and somehow our small group was volunteered (or maybe someone in our group volunteered us?) to make all the desserts for 120 people! We were feeling a bit intimidated about getting it all done, but in the end it worked out great! I made two of my 'old standby' Martha Stewart vanilla bean cheesecake, one with the glaze and one without. I won't bore you with the details because I absolutely do not stray from her recipe~ it is the most amazing cheesecake I've found!

Before I divulge my new top-secret recipe, let me just tell you about two of my favorite kitchen tools. The first is Cake Release from Wilton. You use it anywhere a recipe says to 'grease and flour' a pan, and the cake will pop out, crumb-free, every time! This stuff is amazing!

Another of my favorite things for baking is something I use nearly every day. My hand mixer. I think it goes back to my pioneer roots, as I would rather use this than bother with setting up and plugging in another machine. Plus I love the fact that it uses zero electricity and washes up super-easy. I received mine for Christmas from some wonderful friends, and I think they found this one at Williams-Sonoma, though I couldn't find a link anywhere.

Okay, so on with the new creation... It really isn't top-secret, as it really isn't anything too complicated, but it came out so great that I thought I would share. First I made a basic chocolate cake. Mine was rather spongy (it contained 4 eggs, I think!), but you could use any cake recipe that you like. The only alteration I made to the original recipe is that I took about 4 tablespoons of good quality raspberry preserves, heated them for a few minutes to thin them, and added that to the batter. I made it in an 8x8 pan and flipped it out on a wire rack until it was completely cooled. Once it was cooled I used a large serrated knife to split the cake horizontally into two layers, and I laid it open like a sandwich. To the bottom layer I spread on about 1/2 cup of the raspberry preserves. I placed the top layer back on top.

For the icing I made a thin chocolate glaze by heating about 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons white corn syrup in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until just starting to boil. Then I removed it from the heat and added about 12 oz. chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. I allowed this to come to room temp. and then spread over the cake. As a finishing touch I shaved a chocolate bar into small curls and added this to the sides of the cake while the icing was still wet. It looked so pretty!

**Amended to add: Use whichever pan(s) your recipe calls for! Mine happened to be a small recipe that only called for an 8x8, but a regular layer cake recipe would have exploded in such a small pan! Any form of cake would work for this, I think!**

I also had some time this weekend to do some sewing with these gorgeous new fabrics form Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane Collection. I had been drooling over these prints for months and finally bit the bullet and bought some when the perfect project came up. I love how these skirts turned out! I actually have a few more of her prints that I haven't cut into yet~ I can't decide what to make of them because they are so lovely! (I was fighting bad lighting, but hopefully you get the idea... I take the worst pictures!)

Happy Tuesday! I have a few custom orders I'm working on today, so it promises to be a busy one! See you tomorrow!

Monday

Happy new week! I had some things to post but seem to have misplaced my USB cable for my camera, so it will have to wait. I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend~ I'll be back either later today (if what is lost is found...) or soon anyway. Have a great day!

Sun Love

Well, to flip yesterday's post completely on it's head... We took advantage of the sun last yesterday evening and spent a little while outside. I always think it's funny; these first 'warm' days when everyone strips off a few layers and spends time outside like they've been set free~ it's still only 40 degrees, but it feels soooo good! Remy got a new bike, an official 'Big Boy Bike', for his birthday and was thrilled to ride. The greatest task was keeping Halle from messing around in the mud & slush~ it's just so tempting!

Today I'm loving the sun and the forecast of warmer days ahead. I'm loving the smell of cheesecake baking in my oven. I have to make two for an event at church tomorrow, so it isn't really for us to eat, but I love the house smelling like a bakery! I'm also experimenting with a chocolate-raspberry thing that I am inventing. I haven't started that one just yet, but I will hopefully have a good report next week!

The weekend promises to be busy, as usual, but I am hoping to fill up any spare moments with extra love and snuggles from my sweet little ones~ I'll take that any time I can! I hope you have a wonderful love-filled weekend! Happy Friday!

The Thaw

The weather has been awfully gray for the last weeks, as it has been everywhere in this hemisphere, I think... And honestly I'm pretty tired of it. But alas, there is hope~ today the sun was shining! And when I went to pick Remy up from preschool, his class was playing outside on the playground. You could see the excitement on everyone's faces, most of all the poor teachers who have been cooped up with these stir-crazy wee ones for months. I do appreciate the sun, but as things melt it gets so ugly before getting pretty again. Our yard is less covered in snow, and it's our first glimpse of what the ground here looks like, as it's been snow-covered since we arrived. There is definitely a lot of work to do as it warms up!

And here's a little snapshot of our little bungalow... kind of reminds me of the Brady house or something...

Happy Thursday! I have some baking I'll hopefully be able to tell you about in the next few days (if all goes as planned). 

Crafting Gratefulness

I am admittedly a throwback~ I have many times in my life thought that I was really made for another era: one with hats and party dresses, music driven by voices and not electronics or videos, and paper correspondence. I still take time to hand-write notes on pretty stationary, and I love receiving them as well. I do send many more emails, but to me there's just nothing like some crisp paper and a lined envelope~ I love that! I also take time to write thank you notes regularly, and this is a habit that I want to instill in my littles.

I don't want to give the impression that I have a perfect system, and even as I'm typing this I am thinking to myself, 'did I even get out Christmas thank-yous?'. Sometimes being scatter-brained wins out! But today was the day for Remy. My boy really is the most grateful little guy I've ever known. He genuinely appreciates thoughtfulness and is the first to say it. But I want him to know the value of telling the gift-givers in writing. And in truth, writing these notes is also a sneaky way to get in some extra writing time for a busy 4 year old who needs to practice his letters!

Now I wish I could put beautiful pictures of the notes we crafted by hand, but we did take a shortcut and buy notes at Target. Remy liked the monkey on the front, and I knew I was pressing my luck by having him write his name two dozen times. I pick my battles...

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this: Do you still write thank-you notes? Are you bothered that no one seems to send them anymore? Are notes now just for formal occasions (weddings, showers, etc.) or every day? Are they even 'required' for formal events now? Does it bother you when you don't receive one?