crafty fun

so last night this little girl decided she wanted to learn to sew. well, i'm not an overly patient teacher, but hey, why not? she was very patient as i got my work done this morning. then after coming in from playing outside we sat down to get to work. i quickly discovered it was more of her wanting me to sew something for her:) i whipped up a pillow case shirt for her out of an old one i had in my stash. i need to find a ribbon that matches but it is a very vintage cute shirt:) and no, i didn't get a picture of that.

but while i was sewing the shirt, i set her to work on cutting out hearts. she was very diligent for about 7 hearts. then i cut a few, then she cut a few. i had been inspired here ( i am pretty sure if we met in real life we would be instant friends - but for now i just pretend that she is my real life friend!) to put something like this together. i sewed them all together and fell in love!!! and yes, i already have it hanging up!

then i got my craft groove on and whipped up these puppies. i'd been wanting to make the letters every since my dear friend told me about the ones she made her girlies. an empty rice krispy box called out to me from the recycling and the yarn was begging to be used. the hoop? well, i want to paint it a fun color, but i found this scrap fabric and stuck it in there. i want to do several in a variety of colors and fabric for the young lady's wall!

while i had my creative groove on, i decided to give some baked onion rings a try at my son's request....let's just say i'd better stick to yarn, felt, and fabric for a while!!!

one of my goals for 2012 was to get my crafty self back in action. today was fun and hopefully the beginning of a craftier year.

a word

discover

this year i decided i needed a word again. you see last year, i'd like to name as survival. that is how i felt all year - just surviving, for many reasons. although, i will say God grew me in amazing ways last year - it was still survival. this year, with the gift of zija in my life and God's bit of goodness i felt the need to focus. for the first couple weeks of 2012 i pondered. i had a few thoughts, but mostly i just chewed on them. then, one morning while chewing on those pondered words a new word immediately jumped at me: discover....ah yes, God, there it is.

so what am i out to discover you may ask? well, i'm not so sure. but i feel like God has asked me to discover Him a bit deeper this year. to discover where He is at work, where He is leading me, who He is leading me to. i want to discover a bit more about my hubby; where is God leading him, what is growing in his heart. i want to discover my kids; how God is putting them together, what their dreams are becoming. i want to discover my calling; how is God growing my heart, how is God leading me. i want to discover the world; from a different perspective, from getting my heart and hands dirty.

i think it could be fun, intimidating, freeing, heavy, exhilarating and exhausting. i have a few plans in place to help, like this one and maybe this one

so....anyone out there choose a word?

a new home

many of you have already seen the pictures of our "new" dining room. if not, check my hubby's blog out at hoosier happenings. it is really quite amazing and well, makes me giddy happy.

but this post is really about finding a new home for this

this clock hung in my grandpa and grandma's kitchen, then in the apartment, and then in their nursing home room. this summer my grandma died and we had to clean out their room. my cousin brought some items for us cousins to sort through. we found pins, bookmarks, and charms that were easy to divide up (in some rather unique ways i might add!), but there was only 1 clock and 13 of us grandkids. as we all stood there no one seemed overly eager to take it, but i sure wasn't going to give it up. the cousins remembered it from their farmhouse (prior to my arrival) and since i'm the only one with a farmhouse today the clock was sent home with me. i was delighted.

i brought it home and set it on the table. it isn't quite my hubby's style, but i think he knew this clock was staying! i was determined to find the perfect spot for this clock. so we did the dining room and there was no way we would put a nail on the new wall! however, my amazing hubby found the perfect spot for my clock. (it helps cover a wallpaper seam!)


it greets us as we come and go from our farm. it is rather simple clock, but when i hear it tick i can go back to sitting at their kitchen table eating bacon sandwiches, drinking sweet tea out of their green glasses, and listening the their chatter.

i loved my grandparents and count it as such a blessing to have had them for so many years of my life. the loved us all unconditionally. they would show up randomly at our homes while just out for a drive. they were such kind hearted, hard working, dedicated servants. i feel honored to have this bit of their home in mine. a piece that represents the simple passing of time, but reminds me to slow down and enjoy each and every moment.

some ugly beautiful...

there have been some great disappointments lately in my little neck of the woods, but i'd like to take some time to acknowledge those "ugly beautiful" tid bits for which i can offer words of praise this thanksgiving....

...bottles upon bottles of medicine for it helps my son breathe

...piles of laundry for my family has clothes

...dusty floors and furniture for it shows progress on our dining room remodel

...tears for it shows i still feel

...a serving of humble pie for it is a way to receive and demonstrate God's grace

...for trials that draw me to the feet of Jesus and make me fully dependent on Him

...a cluttered kitchen for it fills us

...rainy days for it reminds me that God's love rains down on us

...gloomy, cloudy days that force me to hunt for glimmers of light

...noise from the backseats that bring me to my knees often

...hurt because it reveals my need for healing

...empty coffee cups for the comfort that warmed my soul is lasting

how about you - what glimmers of joy can you glean in the ugly??????

in the morning.......

this past week has been really hard. i feel like i've come to a wall, or more like i've been put in a room with all walls and no doors or windows. the dizzyness is overwhelming, the back and neck pain is intense, the emotions are everywhere. mostly i feel like i've come to the end. everything i've tried to get better works for a little while and then stops. the resources are dry. my will is waivering. there is new meaning to the verse, "help my unbelief!" after a rather sleepless night due to pain that wouldn't relent, this morning was rough. i practiced some "ugly beautiful" when i listed off gratitude for tears of pain that reveal i still feel emotions, daylight to drive my kids to school in so that the drive wasn't nearly as dizzyfying, another day to bear, etc. as i neared home the song "times" by tenth avenue north came on. this portion touched me deep in my soul.

i hear you say "my love is over,

its underneath, its inside, its in between
the times you doubt me, when you can't feel
the times that you've questioned 'is this for real?'
the times you've broken, the times that you mend
the times you hate me and the times that you bend
well my love is over, its underneath
its inside, its in between,
these times you're healing
and when your heart breaks
the times that you feel like you've fallen from grace
the times you're hurting
the times that you heal
the times you go hungry and *are tempted* to steal
in times of confusion and chaos and pain
i'm there in your sorrow under the weight of your shame
i'm there through your heartache
i'm there in the storm
my love i will keep you by my power alone
i don't care where you've fallen, where you have been
i'll never forsake you

my love never ends, it never ends

as i prayed this morning, i begged God for grace. i can't imagine this is what God has for me, but at the same time i can. so, i long for the grace to bear it well and the knowing that God is there - in every single emotion........

13 years...

in honor of 13 years together i thought i'd share 13 gifts my hubby has given me...

1. gift of friendship

2. gift of love

3. gift of forgiveness

4. gift of motherhood

5. gift of order

6. an appreciation for almost all things old

7. gift of laughter

8. gift of culture

9. gift of comfort

10. gift of wisdom

11. gift of humility

12. gift of passion

13. his heart

making the most....

...of our indian summer! hubby has been busy fixing up the chicken coop and painting all of our doors (anyone wanna guess what color they are now?). that resulted in a rather large burn pile. knowing that today was the last day of sunshine, warmth and low winds he mentioned we needed to set it a fire. chicken boy (the nickname my son would like to be known as on this here blog) asked if we could roast some hot dogs. sure, why not? do we need to always eat a healthy dinner? so, i loaded up a tray with hot dogs, chips, bread, pickles, peaches, ketchup and mustard and headed out of doors for dinner by the fire.

i love this girl....i mean seriously, how can you resist that big grin!

and these boys - so glad they are mine! the big fire had burned down, so we had to build a bit of new one to roast by.

here is our fine dining experience....amazing huh? they tell me these are the memories they remember and i'm so glad we can make them together.

and this one...just because i absolutely love her sense of style! dress, tights, cowboy boots....she spent most of the evening running around outside listening to her ipod.

so thankful for these days we've had.....we burned leaves tonight and listened to the corn rustle in the wind and i said to my hubby "this is why you moved me to the country!"