Luv U to the Moon... and Back

2013-04-01T02:25:00.001-06:00

"Where O death is your victory?

Where O death is your sting?"

-Hosea 13:14, Cor 15:55

The Hardest Thing About being a Mom...

2013-03-11T14:01:00.000-06:00

You know what I think the hardest thing about being a mom is?

It isn't the messes or the tantrums.

It's not the endless responsibilities, or 3 am feedings or dirty diapers.

It is me.

The hardest thing about being a parent is the harsh reality that having kids doesn't suddenly make you like Mary Poppins or June Cleaver.

Since motherhood began for me, I have realized all to often that I am still the same broken, sinful person (who needs Jesus in a deeper way than I can explain) I always was....only now I have kids. Now I have precious little people in my life who are affected by my sin and I hate that. Now these little people are looking to me, flawed as I am, for guidance in this great big world, and are depending on me for well...everything.

That scares me. I hate my own imperfection. I hate it more when it affects my kids. I hate it when I rob my home of its peace over issues that in the big scheme of things are trivial. I hate it when stress, or temper or being overwhelmed with my own shortcomings takes over my belief system and my actions.

But then a still small whisper breaks through the grievance in my heart to say, "It is ok. My grace is bigger than your mistakes. I love you. I love your children. I am with you. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to live out of my grace and believe that it is enough."

So, today I choose grace.

I choose not to beat myself up over my faults. I choose to embrace the love of a God who is by my side every moment: championing me and reminding me that with every mistake there is a chance to point my children toward Jesus and His boundless love wrapped in endless grace.

Today I choose to love myself because my Father in heaven loves me. Because to Him I am worth loving and to Him my flaws could never be enough to exasperate the fact that He believes in me more than anyone else ever could.

Today I choose to live in grace; to wash my heart, hands and mind in it. I choose to sing a song of His grace over my home by basking in it myself. I choose to acknowledge the power of Jesus to transcend any and all brokenness in my life, and in the lives of these sweet blessings that I call my babes.

How about you mama? Do you choose grace for your life today? Because Jesus already has.

Read this Book!

2013-01-20T10:03:00.002-07:00

Hey friends!

I know that I have been MIA around here for WAY TOO long... I can't even begin to explain my absence .. that will have to be its own post another day.

I only have a few minutes while Ella plays in her crib and Bennet munches on cheerios, so I wanted to use these few minutes to tell you that I have been reading the most amazing book and I think every mom needs to read it! This book is like a breath of fresh air. It doesn't make you feel like you aren't doing enough, or give you unrealistic formulas for raising the perfect children. The chapters are short and it is a very easy read. This book has been life changing for me!

Mammas, Please read it!

I know your time is precious and I would never recommend a book lightly.

(and no, this is not a paid advertisement)

Remember today that know matter who you are, where you have been, what you have done, what you will do, or what you are struggling with, you are God's BELOVED! May you rest in His grace and have a great Sunday.

Love,

Tis the Weekend Before Christmas

2012-12-21T15:51:00.001-07:00

The Frase Family Christmas Card

Well, here it is the weekend before Christmas!

Happy:

baking,

Shopping,

Wrapping,

Eggnog latte drinking,

Cheesy Hallmark movie watching,

Christmas light viewing,

Holiday music listening,

Cold weather dodging

to all of you as you celebrate and prepare for the big day!

In the midst of the busyness, don't forget to stop, breathe and remember what its all about.

Check out some of my thoughts about this Here.

Bless you and Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Memory Lane Library 3rd Edition

2012-12-03T15:26:00.001-07:00

Today I am excited to add another classic children's book to our Memory Lane Library collection.

Today's addition: the Eloise Wilkin books.

Do you remember reading these books as a child?

My favorite thing about them are the sweet illustrations.

The ones I have the most vivid memories of reading as a child are:

For Christmas my little girls are getting:

and

I am so excited to begin building memories of reading these precious books with my girls.

Their lovely pictures and inspiring messages have made a lasting impression on my heart. They remind me of a simpler time: taking me back to places like my grandmother's living room, and the loving bedtime embrace of my parents.

Which Eloise Wilkin classic was your favorite?

Happy Reading and Reminiscing...

Hope and a Love Letter

2012-12-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

You know those moments when you hear a song and it puts to words something inside of your heart that you never could have found the words for yourself? Maybe it even took hearing the lyrics to remind you that the feeling was there in the first place?

this is that song for me lately:

These lyrics remind me of the hope and tenacious love that have sprung up a midst the brokenness and disappointment that wage war on my marriage.

To begin to explain in more detail the saga that is Annie and Justin would take a miracle of time and perfect words, so I will spare you by simply saying this:

True love is the hardest thing I have ever walked out. We struggle every day, but God is faithful, hope is powerful and for the first time in a long time I have felt true hope in regards to my marriage. Not just the fluffy kind of hope that we all pretend to have, but the kind of hope that gets into your guts and keeps you going. The kind of hope that compels you to fight against all odds for the that which you hope for. The kind of hope that invites you to trust again and to be brave in those moments when fear rises up inside of you, causing your throat to close up, chest to tighten and crazy thoughts to fill your mind.

Scripture says that Perfect Love Casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) It is the hope in God's perfect love for my marriage and his relentless commitment to it that has been the anecdote for the fear, pain and surrender that threaten us.

It is through the struggle for my marriage that I am being taught the true power of forgiveness. Piece by piece the lord is unveiling the beautiful love story that He is writing for my husband and me. Without the hardships that we are enduring, I never would have known the kind of love that I am experiencing for him. I have had to fight for him, for my marriage harder than I have ever had to fight for anything in my life. - It is through this fight that I am being humbled by what it means to love like Jesus. How perfect he is! How truly, incredibly, loving and gracious he is beyond anything we can describe or fully comprehend! I have been given a glimpse of this kind of love, and am being championed by Jesus to follow his example. To love HIS way. The hard way. The truest way, and the only way that brings true redemption to our lives.

To be truly candid, at times I have come dangerously close to giving up. Now as I begin to taste what seems to resemble the sweet flavor of hope and healing in my heart I can do nothing less than to prostrate my heart in thankfulness to Jesus for not letting me give up when I wanted to. For loving me when I don't deserve it and teaching me to love my husband at times when he hasn't deserved it either.

The battle is far from over, but hope has begun to flow through my veins again and for that I am grateful. Because of that, I know we can make it. When I feel the deep love for my husband that has been cultivated by our burdens my heart sighs with victory and thankfulness. I am so happy to be with him, and relieved that we have stayed the course. My family is my greatest blessing and my hope is in Jesus who protects it faithfully, strengthens me daily and paid made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could be one.

Hope changes everything.

Hello Again & Some Fall Fun

2012-11-03T09:39:00.001-06:00

So as you may have noticed, I have been on kind of a
"blog break"
for the past month and a half.

I didn't intend to take this break...it just kind of happened...

But as it turns out, it was a rest that I needed.

Now I am back and ready to break my blog Sabbath with a post about some of the fun things that we have been up to this Fall:

Our Annual Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Ella & Daddy bouncing away!

...bouncing...

and bouncing...

still bouncing :)

they had so much fun on the bouncy thing!

Bennet staying warm and cozy on the chilly Fall day at the pumpkin patch :)

The First Snow
(It came early this year)

I don't know what Ella liked more her raisins or her snowman? :)

After they were done playing in the snow,

I made hot chocolate.

My mom used to do this for my sisters and I when we played in the snow as children.

and I wanted to carry on the tradition.

Ella loved her first taste of warm chocolate. As you can see, her favorite part was the whipped cream :)

Pumpkin Carving

Ella dressed herself that day, hence the inside-out clothes :)

Halloween Fun!

Bennet the cutest little elephant around

Ella as Elmo

Sisters

Ready for trick-or-treating :)

It's great to be back!

I hope you are enjoying making memories and creating traditions with your family this season!!

Keepin' it Spicy in the Kitchen

2012-09-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

In my humble little mid-century home, it would be an understatement to say that kitchen storage is an issue. So I have had to get creative when it comes to budget/toddler friendly storage solutions.

One thing that I have done to help save space in my kitchen is to hang a shoe organizer (I just happened to have mine laying around but you can find them at target or anywhere) on my pantry door to function as a spice rack.

I never really thought much of this when I first did it, I was just using what I had at my disposal to make things work when we first moved in. But it has worked out beautifully for me, and almost everyone who sees this seems to think it's ingenious- so I thought I might pass it along - might be a helpful tip to those of you who are counter and cabinet space challenged like myself.

If you had time, you could even get creative, adding labels to the slots, cute paper backing etc.

I know my pantry isn't exactly the picture of perfection, but hey, everything is put away and at this stage in my life, that is good enough for me :)

Annie's Pumpkin Oatmeal Miracle Mask

2012-09-05T23:09:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love the Fall! It is my favorite time of year ~~next to christmas of course~~.

I love the crisp air, the smell of delicious falllish goodies baking in the oven, the crackle of our wood burning stove, sipping on chai tea lattes...I could go on... but you get the point.

In honor of my favorite season being just around the corner, I thought I might let you in on a little Fall inspired beauty secret that will get your gorgeous summer sun-kissed faces feeling prepped and pretty for the brisk Autumn days ahead.

So without further a due:

Annie's Pumpkin Oatemal Miracle Mask

Go to your fridge/cupboard and grab...

A little canned pumpkin - about 1/4-1/2 cup

(fresh pumpkin works great too if you are looking for something to do with those leftover pumpkin guts after pumpkin carving this Halloween)

about 1-2 tablespoons of buttermilk

(fresh or powdered - I use powdered because that is what I have on my baking shelf)

about 1-2 tablespoons of oatmeal

-measurements are really not important, just get it to a consistency that you like-

Mix all ingredients in a bowl

Apply to a clean face

Leave on for about fifteen minutes

Rinse with a warm wash cloth and follow with moisturizer

Your face will feel and look fabulous!

You can stick the leftover mixture it in the fridge to use at a later time. The nice thing is, you are not eating it so even if it "goes bad" it is still safe to use on your face.

Here is what makes the ingredients in this mask so great for your face:

Pumpkin
Has a natural enzyme that helps slough off dead skin cells to reveal tighter fresher skin. This makes it good for combating breakouts, discolorations, scars, signs of aging etc.

Buttermilk
Is a natural moisturizer. It also helps to balance the skin's natural ph levels and promotes natural exfoliation.

Oatmeal
Is very soothing to the skin. This makes it helpful for breakouts, dry patches, redness etc.

It also works as an exfoliant.

Seriously this mask is amazing!
You'll feel like you just had a facial at a fraction of the cost.

Ella's Party

2012-08-20T08:11:00.001-06:00

My daughter Ella LOVES Elmo!

So for her birthday party I decided to do an "Elmo's World" theme.

I went scouring the internet for inspiration

and here's what I came up with...

Elmo's World DIY style:

I made an Elmo cake

What 2 year old doesn't like goldfish crackers? :)))

Mr. Noodle's noodles (aka macaroni salad)

Cookie Monster's cookies

Rosita's chips & salsa

Abby's apple juice

I made all the labels myself, but you can also order them from Etsy

I wish I had gotten a picture of the whole table from the front, but between kids and kids, it just never happened...

The Birthday Girl enjoying "Elmo's pizza"
{which was also on the table but didn't make it into the pictures}

Pool party!

food & friends

Make a wish!

All the little buddies eating cake together. Aren't they cute?!

Don't worry we hosed them off afterward :)

Present time!

Happy Birthday Ella Bear!

Happy Birthday Ella

2012-08-17T08:29:00.000-06:00

Two years ago today,

my sweet Ella Joy,

you were born.

In one miraculous,

God ordained moment,

you greeted the world for the first time,

and the heavenlies celebrated...

the world would never be the same again.

The moment I looked at you

my heart was changed forever.

The reflection looking back at me
would never be the same.

With one breathe

and one gaze,

my universe shifted.

A mother was born.

My precious baby,

my world changer,

you have brought your daddy and me more joy than you will ever know,

and have taught us more about love and life than you ever intended to.

It is hard for me to even remember what life was like before you?

I had no clue before this day two years ago

of my heart's capacity for love...

no idea of the incredible destiny that was waiting for me in you,

or how much I needed you in my life.

The easiest thing I ever did was love you and I thank God for you every day.

Your beginning,

began my greatest adventure.

Happy 2nd Birthday my kind, silly, joyful, spirited,

adventurous, fun,

loving little girl.

I love everything about you.

Love,

Mommy

Some thoughts about blogging

2012-08-10T23:08:00.000-06:00

When I started blogging two+ months ago, I just wanted to write. I wanted to share the things that I was processing and learning. I wanted an outlet for my creativity. I wanted to bless others.

I had no idea what i was getting myself into....

I had no idea about blog hops or advertising and didn't have a clue about twitter (still don't get twitter.) I just wanted to make a lovely little space online that people could go to for refreshment, encouragement and maybe even once in a while just to be able to laugh with me or, at me as I attempted to verbally process through life on the world wide web.

But the "blogosphere" is a strange little world isn't it?

It sucks you in.

Everyone in it is working so hard to gain followers.

Everybody wants to be the big blog on the block.

It seems that if you aren't blogging every day...

If you don't have a budget for giveaways and advertising, and fancy blog designs, then at at times it can feel like you are an unimportant little fish in a very full pond.

If you aren't promoting, promoting, promoting then you won't gain followers, and if you don't have a large following, then that must mean that your blog isn't any good right?....hmmm...

So I did it, I jumped on the bandwagon because that is what bloggers do...right?

I didn't have a budget for ads so I began working harder to promote via social media, button swaps and blog hoppin'

Only here is the problem....

I have two babies in diapers,

I have a marriage to work on

and a home to care for.

I have a relationship with Jesus to cultivate

and I need sleep!

I don't have space in my life for a love affair with social media.

I don't do well with balance,

I just don't. Never have...

I am sort of an all-or-nothing kind of gal

I love to be creative, and I am a free-spirit which is both a good thing and a vice. A vice because I can get so focused on a project, or caught up in a moment that I neglect everything else around me that needs me attention.

I love blogging, I really do,

But I have been an out of balance and unhealthy blogger because I have forgotten one key part to this whole blog thing....

God called me to start a blog, NOT a business.

When I first started this blog I felt like God told me that HE had an audience for me.

He never asked me to reach x amount of followers, or advertise or any of it- that is something I put on myself - because that's what all the other blogs were doing.

Since I started believing the lie that value of what I put on the web was defined by how many people visited my blog or followed it- everything in life has felt out of balance and I feel like my home and family have suffered. I have suffered. I need to get back to my love for homemaking and motherhood, and spending time with Jesus - the very things that inspired my writing in the first place.

So I guess what I am saying is that I need to slow down. Blogging for me needs to flow out of a life that I am fully embracing and living; not out of a responsibility to blog so I can gain a following, or grow a business, or keep up with the "Blogging Jones.'" Sometimes I feel like the blogosphere can be a little bit like high school...only the popular girls are alot nicer ;)

You likely won't catch a brand new post on my blog every day, but you will find me blogging when I feel inspired to, or when time allows. That could mean every couple of days or every couple of weeks, it just depends on life. I refuse to write something just so that I have a post for that day. I want to truly believe in and be proud of what I have produced every single time I hit the publish button. For me, that takes time.

I don't want to my material to be dominated by what people will or won't read. My blog is an expression of me, not an expression of what I think others want to read...
I am choosing for now, not to be concerned with numbers and stats. I don't even know if it all really means anything anyway? I don't want people to follow me because they had to for a giveaway, or because I hosted a blog hop. I want people to follow me because they enjoy my material. I want readers not just followers. Ok, lets be honest, how many times have you followed a blog that you really didn't feel that much of a connection to just so that you could enter a giveaway or because they were co-hosting a link-up. Who has time to read all these blogs that they are following? Maybe its just me, but I don't!

Whether five people or five hundred people read my blog in a day I will rejoice. If five people are inspired because of my blog, then my job is done and I will be happy because those five people matter. They matter to me, and they matter to Jesus.

Please understand that I am not trying to bash other bloggers! This is just my personal opinion and conviction. The blogging community is a wonderful thing, and has been a blessing to me in many ways. I have learned so much from other bloggers, and networking has led me to some great blogs that I am truly excited about following.

This also doesn't mean you won't ever find me linking-up, hosting a give-away, or popping up on social media sites. I just need to make sure that I am doing these things with the right intentions and stewarding my time spent doing them.

I have decided that I don't need to be a big fish to swim in the pond, I just want to be there because I enjoy swimming.

My Heart is Full...

2012-07-30T15:50:00.002-06:00

It is in those insane moments,

(say for example when you are laid-over at a busy airport with a double stroller the size of a small house, two babies under age two, and four carry on bags!) :)

that the love and privilege of family transcends all of the meltdowns, tiredness and chaos of life and reminds me just how blessed I am.

As I watch my husband lovingly soothe our toddler or feel him kiss my head and remind me that he loves me, just after we ~~the ones who are supposed to be the grown-ups~~ have both just melted down ourselves, my heart wells up. I look at my two little girls and my husband and think, about how much I love my little family.

We don't have a perfect life, or a glamorous one, but we have each other. We have a love that transcends failure and we are a team. I look at the three of them, ponder the miracle that they are, and my heart swells with joy and gratitude.

In a quiet second I take it all in.

I let out a sigh,

and thank God

for the unexpected gift

of my precious little family.

I am blessed.

Spoiled with Encouragement?

2012-07-25T17:27:00.000-06:00

Can you over encourage a child?

Can you give them too much praise?

Have you ever heard the statement that if you give a kid too much positive affirmation then they will become dependent on, or that you can spoil a baby with too much love?

I am not psychologist and do not claim to be. I have no PHD, and have not spent countless hours pouring through literature on the psyche of a child. I am simply a mom. A mom with limited experience, but who watches her children's signals and pays attention to the promptings in her spirit. I am a mom who prays for and seeks parenting wisdom daily. I don't claim to know much on the subjects of children and parenting, except for that which life has taught me. With that disclaimer in-tact, I would like to share with you some of my own humble thoughts on the topic of encouraging our children...

See my thoughts over at Come and break bread where I am contributing today.

"Blog-vacation"

2012-07-19T11:02:00.000-06:00

Hi friends,

Sadly I am having some computer troubles, so blogging has been a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated it would be during this time. Please hang in there with me and know that you are on my heart.

Little did I know it that this summer vacation would turn out to be a "blog-vacation" as well. This really is a blessing in disguise because I think that I needed to take a step back from blogging in order to gain some refreshment and perspective. It has also has allowed me to simmer in some uninterrupted time with family, and catch up on sleep - two things I was desperately needing!

So with that said, stay tuned...I have lots brewing in this little mama heart of mine, I just need to find the time, and the computer availability to share it with you. I love all of you, my faithful readers and am so thankful that you have come to visit my quiet little corner of the blogosphere. If you are new here, please stay awhile and visit some of my older posts. If you are an old friend, know that I am having a marvelous and relaxing vacation and will soon come back to you rested and rebooted. Also, keep your eyes open for my first post as a contributor at Come and break bread coming up on July 25th!!! - So excited!

Praying for and Missing you.

"I thank my God every time I remember you"

Philippians 1:3

Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

2012-07-12T07:21:00.000-06:00

"Well I've packed my bags, I'm ready to go....

I don't know how the rest of the song goes....

( still singing in the tune of the song)

de dum de dum de dum de dum dum du-um....

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

Don't know when I'll be back again..."

Except I do know when I will be back again,

My bags are not packed and I am not even close to ready to go!

Just 2 more days until our fam heads off to hubby's home town

for 16 marvelous days of R&R and summer fun!

I am so excited!!!!

It's just the days leading up to it that are making me feel like I am caught up in a tornado.

My to do list is a MILE long.

My laundry pile is the size of mount Everest.

and there are a million things going on around here!

I am so distracted,

and I have NO idea how I am going to get it all done!

The ache of mommy guilt is eating at me.

I need to spend

some delicious quality time with my babes.

I'll catch you on the flip side,

when the frenzie is over

and I have some glorious, vacationtastic

down time to share with you some of the things that are on my heart.

An Honest Look At Family Life and Motherhood

2012-07-10T11:30:00.000-06:00

Hey friends!

I am super excited to tell you that today,

I am guest posting over at Life of a Pint-Sized Mama!

Wanna know what the "Pint-Sized Mama" and I are chatting about?

Follow me on over for An Honest Look At Family Life and Motherhood...

Southwest Style Chili

2012-07-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

Hey good lookin!' What's cookin'?

Today I am sharing with you some yum delish chili that is a favorite in our house.

I even took a picture of it, aren't you proud of me! :)

The original recipe for this chili is vegetarian, but I add ground beef to it. You can do it whichever way your little heart desires.

Ingredients

1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce

2 medium bell peppers

( for looks, I use two different colored peppers)

1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (15 0z) red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (14 1/2 oz ) Mexican style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 cups frozen corn

1 cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp chili powder

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tsp ground cumin

1/2 Tsp salt

optional: up to 1 LB ground beef

Slow Cooker Directions

put all the ingredients (except beef) into slow cooker

stir until well blended

cover and cook on low 6-61/2 hours

or high 3-3/12 hours

or until vegetables are tender

optional:

while the chili is slow cooking, cook the hamburger on a skillet

drain fat

add cooked hamburger to slow cooker towards the end of desired cooking time

This chili is seriously SO good and makes for great leftovers! We will make a batch for dinner and then eat it for lunches a couple of days following.

It's a party in you mouth ;-)
Enjoy!

Homemaker's Confessional: Confession # 2

2012-07-05T14:56:00.000-06:00

Occasionally I have those glorious, wonderful, heavenly, angels singing in the background kind of days where all of our laundry is washed, folded and put away.

And then, there is the rest of the time...

which leads me to my second homemaking confession.

Let me put it this way, Bennet isn't sleeping in her crib yet but that doesn't mean that the crib is not getting plenty of use in our house.

This is where our clean laundry has been ending up...

I know it is terrible and so embarrassing!

But I have gotten to a point where I am learning to relax about it and am trying to stop apologizing for it every time someone walks through my door.

Not because I have given up on my attempt at staying ahead of the laundry game,

but because I refuse to allow my utter laundry failure to be a petree dish that cultivates condemnation in my home.

I have done it for too long and I am stopping!
(or at least trying to stop anyway)

I read a blog post from Sarah Mae a while back where she asked the question "what are you doing to guard your children from shame?"

That question really stuck with me, and I have been pondering it ever since.

What am I doing to guard my children from shame?

A lot of personal conviction has come along with the answers to this question.

Mostly because I realized that the easiest way to let shame into my home isn't necessarily by shaming my children, I try to be very conscious of protecting them in that regard.

But what about letting shame into my home, by shaming myself?
Or worse, shaming my husband?

Now these are two areas where those little shame foxes can creep right on into my home
and no one notices because we are too busy guarding the opposite fence.

I have greater influence on my children than probably any other person on this planet will. How I view myself and my sin in relation to God will most likely influence how they view themselves and their own sin in relation to him as well.

My children learn from my example. They learn how to love God, others, and themselves from me before anyone else. Am I viewing myself and my circumstances correctly?

Do I let the things that are out of my control
or areas where I am lacking cause me forget to that God is in control and that he loves me regardless of my imperfections?

If I want to teach my children that God's love and atonement for sin are unconditional, then I have to live that truth out in my own life; in every area of my life.

How can I guard my children from shame if I am not guarding myself from it?

If a mom always pretends she is perfect, and never deals with her sin, then her kids will probably always feel shame because they will not know how to handle it when their own inadequacy inevitably slaps them in the face. They will have a difficult time understanding that imperfection is a normal part of life that must confronted and left at the cross.

Contrarily, if I am constantly allowing my shortcomings to consume me, then I am also welcoming shame to consume me as well. If I am doing this, then I am definitely not guarding my home from shame and not giving my children an accurate view of who God is and what he did for me and them on the cross.

I am a sinner!
My kids will see that no doubt!
I have a responsibility to acknowledge and carry that sin to the cross before the eyes of my children; to acknowledge in front of them that God is greater than my sin and theirs!

This is living out the gospel before them, and if I am not living it, then all the bible teaching and testimony in the world is not going to hold any weight in their eyes.

I have a responsibility to find my identity in my creator and not in the lie that my imperfections are too great for me to be who God says I am.

He thought me up.

He created me.

He died for every sin I have and will commit.

He took my shame and my children's shame.

Therefore He and He alone has the last word about who I am!

If I want to keep the doors of my children's hearts barred against shame,
I must first keep my own heart guarded against it.

(I also have to refrain from letting my insecurities drive me to inadvertently shame my husband, but that is a whole nother post)

I totally have a huge laundry problem!

But that doesn't change the fact that God sees in me a women who is trying her darndest at this whole wife/mother/ homemaker thing.

For that, He is proud of me.

I am still in process, and have a long way to go with all of this,
but the next time someone comes over and the laundry has accumulated in the crib, or some other strange place...

I can try to simply shrug my shoulders,

sigh at the laundry pile,

and acknowledge it in a way that says, "hey, it doesn't make or break me."

Then, I will do my best to serve that guest with some dynamite hospitality.

What will they remember more?

The pile of laundry in my baby's crib

or the hot cup of tea and refreshing conversation that took place in the next room?

So, You

wonderful beloved of God lady,

know that no one has it all together!

That is a myth we have created in our minds.

Whether you are a laundry diva, or laundry challenged like myself,

You can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that you
are not alone in your struggles!

And You know what?

Laundry or not,

I'll bet your kids,

your hubby,

and the other people in your life who love you,

Think you're the greatest!

Bennet & the Wedding Weekend

2012-07-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

If Bennet could talk she would say,

"Excuse me Mom, why isn't there a picture of me from the wedding, in your Wedding Weekend post?"

Sorry Bennet, here it is...

Her job at the wedding?

...Being cute.

Great work baby girl!

Wedding Weekend

2012-07-01T13:40:00.000-06:00

Here is what I've been up to this weekend...

Doing makeup for this beautiful lady on her big day

Helping my sweet Ella and her adorable little friends Jack, Chloe & Lucy as flower girls & ring bearer

My handsome hubby standing up with the groom

And celebrating with this amazing couple as they joined their lives in matrimony

We felt so priviledged to be a part of their special day

It was a BUSY weekend but worth every second!

Congratulations Erin & Jeridan!

Five Minute Friday - Dance

2012-06-29T09:00:00.000-06:00

Today I am doing another fun link-up!

I am linking up with Lisa Jo at Lisa Jo Baker (formerly the gypsy mama) for Five-Minute Friday

Here are the rules:

I have to write for 5 minutes flat about the prompt that Lisa gives.

No back tracking, no editing, no over thinking

This weeks prompt:

"Dance"

Ok, here goes, timer set and write...

I watch her dance

This sweet baby of mine

arms flailing

legs up and down

A smile with enough innocence and joy to set the whole world aglow

she doesn't care

she thinks shes great

she isn't worried how she looks

she just enjoys the moment

all she knows is she hears a sound that makes her happy

so she wants to dance

she moves to it

she is full of joy

so proud of herself at her great accomplishment

in her eyes she looks beautiful

she doesn't even care how she looks, but if she were to care, she would think she was beautiful

The doubt hasn't set in yet

The world has not yet told her that she looks silly,

that she is off beat

or that the song is not beautiful it is dorky

she is free!

I want to be free like that
and the mommy heart inside of me wants her to be free like that forever

I don't want anyone to stop her

I don't want the world to come at her with its harsh words, criticism and judgement

I know I can't but I want to protect her forever

I want her to always believe that she is as beautiful and talented as she does in this moment

I want her to always be as proud of herself as she is right now

I don't want the harsh words to come at her and stop her dance

My sweet baby,

I can not always protect you

but I will always be here for you

I will always champion your dance

I will always light up when I see you smile and flail your arms

I will always melt when your eyes light up the way they do when you dance.

I will always be proud of you

and to me you will always be the most beautiful dancer in the world

You are my inspiration, my love, my joy, my heart

You are God's perfect creation

He loves your dancing more than I

He and I, will always be admiring

He and I will always dance with you

I love you

Thank you for the joy of your dance

STOP.

...ok, this no editing stuff is driving me CRAZY! Ahhhh!

But...we are playing by the rules...so there you have it, my five minutes uncut on

"Dance"

If you want to join the fun, click the button below and it will take you straight to Lisa Jo's prompt where you can get the skinny and link-up with us.

Happy Friday!

Vloggin' in it up with The Girl Behind The Blog

2012-06-27T20:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my first ever video blog!

Today I am linking up with Ashley from 5ohwifey for her Girl Behind The Blog Link-Up!

I have to make the disclaimer that today has been a total circus for me! So I look pretty atrocious! I went swimming the night before so my hair looks amazing (not) and I don't have a stitch of makeup on.

But hey if it the girl behind the blog you wanna see, that's who you're gonna get!

So, without further a due...here I am, the girl behind the blog...

You will be happy to know that I did make it out of my sweatpants and even found a moment to take a shower.

I also have to say that I have moved 8 times in 8 years but they have not all been in different places, I wanted to clear that up so there's no confusion.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about me, and I REALLY hope that I look cuter next time!

Keep it real ladies!

PS: Sorry Ashley I went over my time limit!

DIY: Creative Ways to Display Pictures

2012-06-25T07:10:00.000-06:00

Being on tight budget has been a blessing in disguise for our family in many ways.

One way is that it has forced me to be creative in decorating our home.

With a little inspiration from Pinterest and blogs like The Inspired Room and Our Vintage Home Love I have learned how to make the most of craft stores, clearance racks and materials lying around the house to beautify my home.

Ironically, had limited finances not forced me to dig into my creativity, I probably would never have discovered that DIY decorating is something that I absolutely LOVE to do!

Today I want to share with you a couple of easy and very inexpensive projects that I have done around my house.

They didn't take any extraordinary skill, and were not overly time consuming. I finished them up within a few hours spread over some naps and after bed times.

(I have learned that if the project can't be finished up fairly quickly, I won't finish it, so I have to stick to things that are not excessively time consuming.)

When we moved into our house last summer, I wanted to display lots of our family photos in the living room but didn't just want to use boring old picture frames; nor did I have the extra money to spend on them.

Here is what I came up with instead:

Project 1

I copied this from Pinterest.

I used a large poster frame that I had lying around but didn't really have a use for.

Painted it using some of the paint that that we had bought to paint our kitchen cabinets with.

Used some twine and clothespins that were in my craft box.

Printed some pictures at costco for 13 cents a piece.

A little hot glue via my neighbor and voila!

(The F was on sale for a dollar at JoAnne Fabrics. I painted it with some paint we had leftover from the dorm room that we lived in our first year of marriage. )

Project 2

Pinterest was my muse for this one also, but I tweaked it and made it my own.

I found some shutters at a Habitat for Humanity re-store for $3.

Used the same paint, twine and clothespins as with the first project.

Printed a few more pics at Costco.

Added a couple more touches to personalize it.

Done.

(The sign I placed above it was a wedding gift.)

sidenote - I used to have the clothespins going in more uniform directions...I'm not really sure what happened but I haven't bothered to fix them. Ha ha-welcome to my life!

There are so many more projects that I am excited to show you, but they will have to wait for now because I have not one but TWO poopy diapers that need my immediate atttention!

~ Remember ~
limited finances = limitless creativity!

&
Don't be afraid to embrace your inner DIY Diva :)

Memory Lane Library: The Second Edition

2012-06-20T09:09:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the next edition of Memory Lane Library

Today's addition to our collection is probably my favorite childrens book of all time,

Here is a hint:

Did you guess it?...

need another hint...

It is a classic by Shel Silverstein...

That's right, it's

The Giving Tree

A beautiful story of selfless love and loyalty

If you have not read it, then please, I beg you to get a copy of this book!

When I was a little girl I read this book over and over again, I loved it so much.

I don't want to spoil it for you but if you are a cryer, have a hanky near by.

Love Love Love this book! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did and still do.

Happy Reading and Reminiscing!

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents"
~Emilie Buchwald