Tulip Girl

These days I have been turning my DIY energies away from the house since we plan on moving in the next year. It just makes sense. One thing I've wanted to do for a while is make alphabet cards for Miss Wiggles. I'm not usually into drawing but I'm not incapable of a good doodle here or there so I am taking a hack at it. First thing was to get good paper. I already had a pad of Bristol paper for my light box (a box you take pictures in to help with lighting when photographing small objects like jewelry). Then there was the inevitable search for the colored pencils and pencil sharpener that I knew had to be around somewhere but never when I need it. I found the pencils but never did find the sharpener. Then I cut the paper down to size. Lastly, Is searched the Internet and Miss Wiggle's toys for easy pictures to draw to represent each letter and then got to work. Like I said, I'm a doodler more than a pen and paper artist. Props to Google for Ant here. After an atte...

Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Psalm 92: 13-15 I pray today we as we begin to tend to flower beds and growing our vegetable gardens, we remember we who are planted in the house of the LORD, those of us who have put our faith in Christ Jesus, will flourish as trees bearing fruit, good fruit that brings nourishment to both our own spirits and to those around us. It is God's promise, His blessing to us to tend us, prune us, water us, and shine His light upon us that we grow more and more in likeness to Christ Jesus with every passing day.

Why wait for our next home to make all my dreams come true? I ponder this because if anything I've learned in my life, permanent isn't a word I would apply to finding a home. We moved a lot growing up, we have moved a lot since we have gotten married. Granted my parents have been in the same home now since I was in middles school...which was about fifteen years ago or so. Still my heart holds out for the permanent though it really feels unfamiliar and so I wait. Wait for the blanket of Peonies I see in my imagination or the climbing rose bushes that will wall in a someday garden. I wait for the windows draped in fabric lovingly displayed in a home for my family reflecting the temple for God in my heart. Maybe it is the same well the I draw from that yearns for the permanence of Heaven. Life has so much change, a constant process of death and renewal, loved ones, habits, places, dreams, ideas. Then again as I wait to plant the garden in my imagination, I am reminded that li...

This weekend has come with some reality checks. While it is fun to spray paint everything into newness like, little plastic tables, flower pots, old windows, or what ever, there are other painting projects that were getting out of hand. There is the big paneled wall that we wanted to paint white, the rest of the dingy trim, Mr. Man's room, the guest bedroom. A few things came crashing in on us, primarily, time and money. We are diligently saving for a home of our own...as soon as the last one sells...as soon as the lease on this rental we live in is up. Then there is all that actually needs to get done before July. So, to make a long story short...which wasn't an actually long story come to think of it, we returned a couple cans of paint. We won't be painting the office or the paneled wall or the guest bedroom or maybe even Mr. Man's room I want new patio furniture but maybe we should wait until we have our own patio. I want a pretty guest bedroom. Maybe that ca...

I've never been in a book club. I also hadn't thought about reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp . I'm not entirely sure why being an avid reader. So when some friends invited me to their book club, at first I forgot. I'm pregnant, Hubby in a Masters. Thankfully my phone continued to chime at every Facebook message update regarding the book club. I figured it was out of the question Monday since after all I didn't have the book. It is amazing what our spirits choose to fight against. No reason to it at all. Then Hubby gave me a gift. A Kindle. My first thought and first action was of One Thousand Gift and now my spirit or mind or whatever it was finally jumped on board. Ann Voskamp's book was the first one I bought. I began to read. My spirit again resisted her words, some part of my heart maybe not wanting to feel, content to stay closed and ignored. It is amazing what our spirits choose to fight against. No reason to it at all. Then I found myself walking...

Edit: Found it! Click HERE to join Simple Mom in conquering clutter one Hot Spot at a time. :) On the DIY side of things these days, I've set many lofty goals for this week. I still plan on keeping them. However, I am pretty significantly pregnant and that limits me. I think I will have to be flexible. The Nester is doing Take a Risk Day . Another blog I can't find again for the life of me is doing a fixer week on home offices. I am participating in that one...if I can find it again. Urgh . Basically, there is a pregnancy induced desire to nest so I'm embracing it. What really stinks is that the time I have the most opportunity to get tons is at night...you know after Miss Wiggles is asleep at 7pm. That of course is when I can barely stand to be on my feet anymore. Figures. Here is my list: Three cans of paint brand new and ready to cover the walls: a. White paint to cover paneled wall b. blue to paint camel colored office a nice pale blue c. another white to finish the ...

Last night I had one of those pregnant emotional moments. It was Friday night after a long week, I was tired, hormonal, irritable, basically code red. Then Hubby asked me what I would want if we had a clean slate. His being a military contractor that is a real possibility as the military works to phase out contractors. I became a bit unhinged. What ensued was a pouring out of my heart mixed with a scary dose of tired and pregnancy hormones. It was messy. It was also clear there was some serious need for quiet time in prayer. So this morning I sought out Stormie Omartian's Power of a Praying Wife and just read and steeped over the scripture. I haven't steeped over scripture in a looooong time. It felt really really good. Then I decided to try something a little stronger and sought out The Bible Knowledge Commentary to prepare for the study of Philippians for Sunday School this weekend. In there as I soaked up the words, there were some Greek words and so then I sought out V...

Love my cuddle bugs!!

He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Song of Songs 2:4 She had been created for the Garden she forgot. God had formed her to breathe His breath of life, commune with His holiness, cultivate His creation, enjoy His love forever. She was made to walk with Him in the cool of the day, relax in His presence in complete transparency before His gaze. Longing for Love by Ruth Senter Oh how my heart longs to look up and through my climb to see a glimpse of my Heavenly Father that I be reminded why I find myself some days precariously clinging to a journey that I've been promised will transform me. There are days of well worn paths, easy, cool shades and warm sunshine then there are the days the journey is more dry, rocky, painful. There is mundane, there is humility, sometimes even apathy and some part of me shrinks back thinking this isn't the promise, this can't be complete fellowship with my Abba. Still I climb on, seeking, trusting ...

Miss Wiggles loves helping around the house, vacuuming, feeding the cat, sweeping. I am in love with her pink giraffe printed broom. So is she. Cleaning the kitchen recently, we found that the majority of her letters were under the fridge, not on the fridge; good study of prepositional phrases right? Of course Miss Wiggles wanted to get in on the action once we started cleaning under the fridge. She used to love to lay in front of the vacuum when I would clean the carpet. Maybe she thought it would be fun to be sucked up in it, I'm not sure but she laughed really hard over this game so I stayed patient. Yes, that is an apron she has on. If I have mine, she has hers. Her play kitchen is in the kitchen though usually she climbs on that rather than pretend to cook. I can't hold a disinterest in cooking against her. She most likely got that for me. So far feeding Leo is her daily chore. I put the food in a cup and she puts it in his bowl. She also dispenses the treats. I'm t...

Brainstorming a boy's nursery is not my forte. I at least know blue and nautical. I don't know a shade of blue or what kind of nautical; preppy, east coast, west coast, shabby chic, vintage, primary colors, just blue. There are just so many options and I am at a loss. I'm afraid the whole thing may just run away with me and in the end be a mish mash of what ever nautical thing lands in the poor little guy's room. I do know since I live in a rental, a fresh coat of white is all we will do on the wall. Maybe some wall decals we can remove later? Help!! I like this living room, taking out door stuff and bringing it in. This blue does make me feel pretty relaxed and at 2am that is very important. This is a color palette I can live with. Lots of random frames full of nautical stuff does sound fun. Would that work for a nursery? Email me, leave comments, anything. If you have an Etsy shop or just ideas you would like to send my way, please, I'm so totally open. I promi...

Seeking a break this evening, Miss Wiggles asleep, Hubby working on a paper for his masters, I wondered over to the The Nester's blog and immediately felt my heart leap in recognition of her words. She shared about a book her sister has written, Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life. I pre-ordered it. You know what, that hit the pretty little nail square in the head for me. I've been trying to articulate a struggle of mine and a journey Hubby and I have been through this last year that any attempt at wording it has been impossible. Even now I may fail. Maybe what I have been searching for is a pretty little bow wrapped testimony in words I can put in a blog post a tidy up something that wasn't a tidy process in the first place. Realization, transformation, letting go, humbling, disbelieving, stubborn, learning,personal, complicated, lots of things but not tidy. Moving back to this little town on the Chesapeake Bay held so many possibilities for me. Some w...

As I write, Miss Wiggles hasn't eaten anything more than a mouse's portion today. Her face is pale, her eyes sunken, her lips chapped. She is already on antibiotics for the ear infection that came ten days after she finished the last round of antibiotics for the last ear infection that came only about three weeks after the end of the last year infection before that. She has already been sick four times since Christmas. Her Birthday celebration was pitiful Saturday as both she and her daddy were miserable sick. She rallied and has been healthy for almost a week. I'm at my wits end. Last year, she was sick once ever other week. I know this because it was always the week of MOPS. We made it to two sessions. Since Miss Wiggles had croup last October she has been sick almost consistently since. We have a pediatrician appointment this Monday to see what the heck is going on with her. I'm going to be a monster if they don't take this seriously. Four ear infections since ...