this camera tells my story

fort worth stockyards

2012-03-08T03:00:00.002-08:00

One cold Sunday after church, a few weeks ago, we finally made our way over to the Fort Worth Stock Yards. It's been on our list of things to do for about a year now. And why we chose a chilly, cloudy morning to do it? I have no idea.

Afterwards we headed over to BJ's (our favorite restaurant) for lunch. Someone was a bit tuckered out from the morning's excitement and took a quick car snooze.

We're planning to go back over when the weather warms up so we can walk around and explore some more. It's seems like a pretty cool area and Isaac certainly enjoyed seeing the cattle and the horses.

project life: week 7

2012-03-06T03:00:00.001-08:00

You can see previous weeks of project life here.

The layout this week was very similar to what I've used in the past. I am trying to use other paper that I have lying around and scraps from things I've collected throughout the week. Here I used a comment card from Cheesecake Factory, paper from a Valentine's Day bag, and a couple handouts from church.

We don't ever do anything for Valentine's Day. Several years in the floral industry gave me a bad taste about it and we made a deal a long time ago that it's just nothing something we want to participate in. This year, I did give Isaac a cute little Valentine's bag with some candy and a Veggie Tale's video from his grandpa and grandma. I originally had something planned for dinner. I can't remember what I was going to make, but it didn't work out. So we ended up at our favorite mexican restaurant. 9 Valentine's Days together and this was the first time we have ever gone out to dinner.

On Monday night we had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. Ben got a bonus from work so we decided to splurge a little bit on dinner. The waitress brought us bread and she also brought out Isaac his own little plate with bread and bananas. He was in heaven!

On Sunday night it snowed!! There had been a chance of sleet in the forecast and I told Ben I really hoped it would snow. He said it was very unlikely. About 8 o clock I went outside to take some trash out and saw the white flakes falling! We ran outside with a video camera and just enjoyed it. Of course, it didn't last very long. But we were like kids. (fyi- we live in D/FW, Texas where it doesn't snow very often)

For the past 3 weeks we've been "church shopping." One of the churches we checked out just started a series through 1 Corinthians. I really like the design of the infor cards so I held on to one to stick in my album. It just happened to be the right dimensions!

a life of obedience

2012-03-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

If you don't know Heather, you can visit her wonderful blog, Finding Beauty in the Ordinary. She has been an awesome blog friend over the past several months. We kind of just found each other; both of us had recently moved away from San Diego and we were missing home! We had that in common and started emailing back and forth from there.

I hope you enjoy her words of wisdom today!
---------------------------------

"The stove is HOT. Don't touch it."

"Look both ways before you cross the street."
"Make a full stop at a stop sign. Don't run red lights."

I'm sure we can all remember being reminded of certain rules and forms of direction when we were younger. Even as adults, we have rules.

Whether we like them or not-- deep down we all know that rules are good for us. They shape us. Guide us. Protect us.I will be honest with you. I have a rebellious streak. For example, I'm often tempted to randomly go and toilet paper someones house just for good times. Fortunately, my husband is very mature and responsible and usually talks me out of it :) When I was really little, I had a stealing problem. No joke, I loved to steal gum from grocery stores. My parents would take me back to the store manager and make me apologize. More often than enough, rules drive me nuts!! Why? Because I just want to do what I want to do when I want to do it.

--------------

The other day, I looked up from my laptop at Starbucks to see a young woman at the cash register. She was buying her two, adorable little boys hot cocoa. After the drinks were made and the barista called out her name, she grabbed the cups and sat her children down at a nearby table. She repeatedly told them, "Don't drink your hot cocoa yet. Wait until I tell you that it's ready." When she got up to grab some napkins, the oldest one decided he thought his drink was ready. He took a sip. And he immediately started crying. His mother rushed over as tears were streaming from his eyes. As she gently coaxed him, she reminded him that this was exactly why she pleaded with him not to take a drink until she told him to.

He was hurt.
He knew better.
Things could have gone differently.
The outcome would have been far less painful.
Obeying God is, in many ways, very similar.

Through His Word, he's given us rules, guidelines, and examples to follow that help us keep our tongues from burning.

An always loving Father, He's given them to us to protect us, keep us from harm, to give us a better life; to help shape us, guide us and veer us down the right paths.

It's our manual.

It's up to us to obey it.

It's difficult to obey God sometimes.

It's far too often much easier to disobey. To go our own way. To do what we want to do.
What are the consequences of disobedience? They can be physical pain. Other times it can be deep, emotional pain. Disobeying God can bring constant drama. It can cause marriages to crumble. It can cause friendships to be destroyed. It can casue a hard heart against God. It can cause us to feel distant from Him.

Like I mentioned before, obeying God is 100% up to us.

We can not blame others for the
consequences of our disobedience.

I know from personal experience that my life is much more at peace if I center my life around obeying and meditating on God's Word. I've had to stop blaming others for
what happens to me and take control of my actions. Obeying God has veered me onto a safer, better path. If I don't follow God's rules, I might not see it immediately, but over time-- destruction inevitably follows. Consequences.
What are some of the blessings that come in obeying God?

[source]

"When a
believer is in the place of obedience, no matter how severe the storm, he is as
safe as if he were at home in his own bed, because the place of security is not
the place of proper circumstances or of desirable circumstances. The place of
security and safety, for the believer, is the place of obedience to the Lord.
They were safe in the midst of a storm in obedience."

-- John MacArthur
"Worshipping
the Son of God-Part II"

Real peace. Genuine joy.
Have you been struggling with being obedient to God in a certain area of your life?

Obeying God is a lifelong process.

We won't be perfected overnight.

This is only something that God can help us grow in .

If we love Him, let's keep His commands.

May I encourage you that God delights in a humble heart that desires to follow and live obediently after Him.

If you haven't been obedient to God in a specific area of your life lately, it's never too late to ask God for forgiveness and for a do-over. He loves you and, like a little child that burned his tongue, desires to dry your tears.

Ask God to give you strength to conquer that faltering area of your life and give it over to Him.
He can make you new. He can set your path straight.

It doesn't mean you won't falter sometimes, but He can help you live out a life of obedience.

sabbatical

2012-03-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

Beginning today I will be taking a blog sabbatical. I have felt for a couple months now like the Lord has been calling me to fast from blogging to spend more time with Him and to be more intentional with the things in my life. I need to take some time to get better at balancing all the areas of my life.

I was also really encouraged by Chelsea.

And while I'm away I'll also be working on a big project that I'm planning to launch Apri1 1st.

Source: etsy.com via Jessi on Pinterest

God is doing some things in me right now. He is changing my heart. He is showing me that I need to set goals and set them for far out and write them down and work toward them. And He is calling me to trust Him with those goals and dreams.

I want to fulfill His purpose in me and for my life.
I want to create because I know He has created me to create.
I want to be the wife He has called me to be.
I want to be the mother He has called me to be.
I want to be more intentional about the relationships in my life.
I want to build new relationships.
I want to seek Him in every aspect of my life, and find Him.

So in the mean time, this space will not go silent. I have several posts scheduled and a few of my favorite blog friends and sponsors will be posting as well.

Have a lovely March. See you all in April!!

psalm 112 for 2012

2012-02-29T03:00:00.003-08:00

I am also guest posting today over at Small Bird Studios about not giving up on God.

I re-discovered this Psalm last week. I've read it before, probably several times, but it didn't ever resignate with me like it did this go-round. I have decided that it is my favorite.

It has now become my Psalm for 2012.

Psalm 112

1 Praise the LORD.
Blessed are those who fear the LORD,
who find great delight in his commands.

2 Their children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures forever.
4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
5 Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,
who conduct their affairs with justice.

6 Surely the righteous will never be shaken;
they will be remembered forever.
7 They will have no fear of bad news;
their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;
in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,
their righteousness endures forever;
their horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked will see and be vexed,
they will gnash their teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

I could probably write an entire post on each individual verse, but I won't.
Instead, can we just focus two of them for now?

v. 7a They [the righteous, aka the saints, aka the children of God, aka you and me!] will have no fear of bad news;
Please don't misunderstand this verse. The author is not saying here that we will never have bad news. You and I know very well that is not the case; not here on earth where sin has made a mess of everything.

Bad news comes. And for some, it comes all too often.

But as children of God, as His righteousness, we have no need to fear it.
Why? How?

Source: tumblr.com via Jessi on Pinterest

Scripture tells us that the Lord is in control of it all. It also tells us that His ways and His thoughts are higher than our own. Even when everything seems out of control, even when we can't understand our circumstances, God is there. He is working it all out according to His will. But we can't see the ending. We can't see the whole story. Which is why we need to trust Him...

v. 7b their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
stead*fast adj \ˈsted-ˌfast also -fəst\
a : firmly fixed in place : immovable source:merriam-webster

source

In God, we are immovable. We are firmly fixed, in Him.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:38-39

Notice also, that this portion of the verse is written in the present tense. It's stating what is, not what will be. We are steadfast. We are trusting God; currently, presently, right now.

Is that how you are living right now? As children of God, we can be steadfast in Him and trust Him right now. There is no need to wait.

v. 8a Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear
Because our hearts are secure in God, we should have no fear. There is no need to fear because our hope is in Him. You see, if your hope is in you, in how you can handle the situation, your strength and knowledge, then you have every reason to fear. But with God, we do not need to fear.

Source: flickr.com via Chelsea on Pinterest

My prayer today is that we would be a people who would not fear the bad news; that we would be a people who are so firmly fixed in God, in His love, that we don't worry about what will come our way; that we would trust His plan and His working and that we would allow Him to do the work that needs to be done in us.

Can you imagine what life would be like if you stopped worrying and started trusting?

alternatives to the birth control pill and our view of children

2012-02-28T03:00:00.006-08:00

Let me being by saying: Keep in mind that I know this issue is a sensitive one for many reasons. There are those of you who don't want kids. There are those of you who desperately want kids, but until now, that hasn't happened. There are those of you who want kids and have faced loss, miscarriage after miscarriage. There are those of you who have kids and feel that you can't handle anymore.
We live in a broken world, destroyed by sin and death. Things are not they way they were meant to be. But I know full well, that God has a plan for each and every one of you and each and every one of your families. He is faithful. But He also asks that we trust Him; that we follow Him; that we allow His Holy Spirit to shape our hearts and minds and to conform them to the way He sees the world. This is one of those areas.

Last week I wrote about how the pill works and why we need to know.

This week I need to address what the other options are. It's one thing to know the truth, it's another thing to live it, but it's something else altogether to have the right tools and know how to live it.

While I know none of these options are popular or even easy, some are uncomfortable and inconvenient, perhaps we need to consider why that is our attitude? For most of us, it's because hormonal birth control has changed our perspective of children altogether. Hormonal birth control has made it easy to ignore what our bodies are made to do. It's made it easy to ignore the fact that God wants children. He wants you to have children.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessi on Pinterest

"Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring." ~Malachi 2:15 (emphasis mine)

Stop and think: why are you trying not to have children?
Don't you know what scripture says?:

Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
children a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them. ~Psalm 127:3-5

Of course I'm not suggesting we all adopt the Quiverfull lifestyle and become like the Duggars. But I am suggesting that our attitude toward children, particularly our own children and our future children, needs to change.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jessi on Pinterest

Children are a blessing, not a burden.

If you truly believed that, how long would you really wait before you started your family? How many kids, then, would you plan to have? Who's plan would you want to follow, yours or God's? (I guarantee His is better; so much better!)

"Opportunities are easily lost while waiting for perfect conditions." ~ Gary Ryan Blair
With all of that said, let's take a look at the alternatives to hormonal birth control. We need to begin with a simple lesson in contraception methods. There are 5 basic categories of birth control:

source
1. Sterilization. This method is commonly know as "getting your tubes tied" for women or a vasectomy for men. While I personally don't agree with these methods because of their permanence, this is something that I would urge any couple to very seriously and prayerfully consider before making a decision. Seek out wise counsel on the issue. And know that just because you have made a decision doesn't mean that it is God's plan for you (that is the case in all areas of life!)

2. Hormonal. This refers to the pill, the patch, the shot, the ring, the IUD (there is actually a hormonal IUD and a copper IUD, but both work in the same way), implants and the morning after pill. All of these methods work in almost the same way. You can read about how they work here. These methods can be abortive.

when those 2 methods are not an option, you are left with...

3. Abstinence. This means that you abstain from sex. While I of course do not recommend this for married couples, I do recommend it for everyone else. God has called us all to purity and chastity- we should be pure in all of our conduct and intentions and be able to practice restraint. It guarantees that you will not get pregnant. 100% of the time, it works every single time. No other method offers that kind of success rate.

4. Barrier. These methods are anything used to block sperm from entering the cervix and eventually the uterus. Devices such as condoms, diaphragms, a sponge, or cervical cap, often times used in conjunction with spermicide, create a barrier through which the sperm cannot travel; thus preventing it from fertilizing an egg. These methods are never abortive.

5. Fertility Awareness. There are several names for this method like the rhythm method, the calender method, natural family planning, charting and basal body temperature. This method can be one of the most misunderstood, intimidating and seemingly daunting and involved methods. But of all the methods, it is the one where you have to learn your own body, understand your cycle and how it works and work with how God made you. I ask all women to at least consider learning about your own fertility. Knowing your body and how it works is empowering. When you know your body and your cycle, there is less worrying, guessing, wondering and stress involved.

source

There are many options in this area. Learn a few of them. Read about them. Discuss with your doctor and friends who have done it. Take a class. Here are a few resources to look into:
*Web MD: Fertility Awareness
*Creighton Mondel
*Taking Charge of Your Fertility
*Couple to Couple League
*basal body temperature

more information on all birth control methods here

You have more options than just "the pill". You are worth more than just doing what everyone else is doing or following a doctor's advice because it's their protocol. Be different. Ask questions. Do the research.

You owe it to yourself to learn and live by the truth.

Again, as I have stated before: My intention is not to be legalistic on this issue. I encourage everyone to do their own research, pray, search the scriptures, discuss it with your husband and other wise counsel and make a decision for yourself.

"If the desire to bear children depended on such philosophizing, the race would have long become extinct." ~ Dr. Leon Kass

Recommended/Related Reading:
*Start Your Family: Inspiration for Having Babies
*Taking Charge of Your Fertility
*Natural Progesterone vs. Synthetic Progesterins
*Pam Stenzel- abstinence speaker

12 in 2012: crib side into a blanket rack

2012-02-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to report that I have comleted my second project on my 12 in 2012 list. You can see a few of the planned projects on my Pinterest board here.

This project has been swirling around in my brain for years. I don't know where I initially saw the idea. But I immediately knew I wanted to do it. For a while now I've been looking for a crib side. It's pretty hard to find just one side at a thrift store though. I didn't need a whole crib and I certainy wasn't going to pay for one.

Then, one night, as Ben and I were driving home from somewhere, we drove past a whole crib, disassembled, laying in someone's trash pile. I told him to "stop!!" We grabbed two pieces from it. (Earlier that same day I also found this awesome mirror in someone else's trash pile).

I had Ben saw off the two of the edges sticking out. I left the other two to act as "feet". Then I spray painted the entire thing. It is now in Isaac's room with all of his baby quilts hanging up.

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with the other crib side. I'm thinking about using it in the living room to hang blankets? I'll be sure to let you know when I decide.

blankets- thrifted or gifted. glider- thrifted. white shelf and drawers- Target.

You can see more of Isaac's nursery here.

the pill: ya I'm just gonna say it

2012-02-22T03:00:00.002-08:00

(I'm over at life... unscripted today guest posting about my wedding and my best wedding tips and advice)

My opinion on the HHS contraception mandate is this: it doesn't matter what the mandate is, it's a violation of the First Ammendment to the United States Constitution. As one writer says, "Contraception is not a right. The ability of a church to uphold its doctrine–that’s a right."

If you haven't heard about President Obama's recent gross violation of our religious liberty in the form of a contraception mandate, you can read about it here and here.

Source: newsweek.com via Danielle on Pinterest

The situation in a nut shell is this: the president has now mandated that all employers purchase healthcare coverage for their employers that covers all FDA approved contraception (birth control)- that includes Plan-B and IUDs as well as forms of sterilization. The Catholic Church, among others, are entirely morally opposed to such methods and are outraged about the mandate. As well all should be!

But why is the Catholic Church so upset?
Why do they oppose these methods of birth control?

The Lord laid it on my heart years ago to stop using the birth control pill. I was on it for several years at the beginning of our marriage. It's what you do. You get married, you are having sex, your doctor gives you a perscription for "the pill".

We don't think twice about it. We certainly don't ask any questions. And if we do, we get very generic responses. They don't tell you that it's on the list of Class 1 carcinogens. They don't tell you that blood clots are a serious risk when you take birth control. They don't test you for blood clotting disorders that have no syptoms (so you wouldn't know you had it until it was too late) before putting you on a pill that will increase your chance of clotting.

source

And they don't tell you how they work.

But you need to know how the pill works.

As Christians, we don't ever have the luxury of claiming ingnorance. We are held accountable for our actions. We are called to know the truth and to live it. But as with many truths, knowing it will cost you something:

"But the trouble with deep belief is that it costs something. And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn't like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them." ~Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

Are you ready to learn the truth?

Here is how hormonal birth control works:

1. It inhibits ovulation. The levels of progesterin in the pill sort of "trick" your body into thinking it's already pregnant. Therefore it doesn't relsease a new ovum at the time in your cycle when you would normaly ovulate.

if that doesn't work

2. It thickens your cervical mucus. This inhibits sperm from making it's way up the vagina, into the cervix, through the uterus and to the ovum.

if that doesn't work

3. It thins the endometrial lining in your uterus. This inhibits an embryo, a newly formed human life, from attaching itself to the uteran wall. This is an abortion. When the sperm fertilizes the egg, life begins. This newly formed embryo travels down from the filopian tube into the uterus where it will implant itself into the wall. In order for the embryo to "stick", the lining has to be thick and full. If it isn't, then the embryo won't attach and will be expelled.

It's impossible to know how often the 3rd occurence actually happens, but it's safe to say that it does happen. And we cannot ignore that fact. We cannot claim ignorance.

We have to err on the side of life, always.

source

It's kinda like saying, "I'm going to demolish that building over there. It's old and unused so it's going to be blown up. There is a chance that someone may be in that building because I haven't checked. But I'm pretty sure there isn't because it's old and who would go there? But, like I said, someone could be in there. Either way, I'm going to blow it up anyways, because I'm pretty sure." example from 180 movie

If someone said this to you, would you stop that person? Would you tell them to investigate further? If you weren't 100% positive, would you still take the risk?

No. And we cannot take the risk in this area either.

Source: Uploaded by user via Brittney on Pinterest

In closing, let me just say this: My intention is not to be legalistic on this issue. I encourage everyone to do their own research, pray, search the scriptures, discuss it with your husband and other wise counsel and make a decision for yourself.

My intention is, however, to get you to think about the implications. As Christians, we don't have the luxury of making decisions without consequences. I know of too many Christian women who are on the pill because it's just what you do. But have you actually looked at the facts? Do you know what the Bible says about life? Do you know when life begins? Do you know prenatal development?

My desire is for you to know the truth and to live it out.
The responsibility is now your's.

Further Reading:
Does the Birth Conrtol Pill Cause Abortions?
How birth control is used to sell abortion

If you have any questions, please ask them!
And be sure to check back as I'll be doing a post on alternatives to the pill next week.

project life: week 6

2012-02-20T20:07:00.002-08:00

Our week was pretty normal. I did some prep cooking: pinto beans, navy beans and rice. I took Isaac to his 12 month well baby check up. He got a lollipop! I wrote down the verse that has been on my heart lately on a folded card. On the inside I journaled a bit about what God is doing in our lives.

This week included a day in the life documentation along with the usual stuff. I used two 8 1/2 x 11 page inserts for that. For the photos from that day, I just had a collage printed. I used Ali's daily sheets to document the details of the day. Behind the collage of photos, I added a few scraps from the day: an appt card for Isaac's Dr appt, a recipet from dinner, an info sheet on the vaccine he got.

This week also included a lot of reading. I am really enjoying Blue Like Jazz. I was able to snap a shot of a sunset one night from our front patio. And Sunday night was haircut night in our home. It was Isaac's very first haircut! Ben cut his own hair.

living in grace, alone

2012-02-19T16:22:00.006-08:00

grace: getting something you don't deserve

If you are a Christian, if you have called on the name of Christ, if you have repented and given your life to the Lord, then you are saved by grace, alone.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8
To live any other way is arrogant.

source

God saves sinners. Sinners cannot save themselves. There is nothing that we can do to earn redemption. It is something that is freely given and humbly received.

Stop trying to be a good Christian.
Stop your feeble attempts at cleaning up your sins.
Stop making lists of righteous acts and stop checking them off.
Stop reading your Bible because you're supposed to.
Stop going to church just because it's Sunday.

None of those things will make you cleaner. None of those things will put you in a better standing before God. None of things will get you into a higher level of heaven. None of those things will bring you joy.

"This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!" Isaiah 25:9
source

Instead, live in grace. Live humbly, but boldly and in confidence. Allow God to transform your heart and your mind. Let him cleanse you and make you pure. He will take away your sins. Delight in Him. Enjoy His word.

Know that you are saved, not because of anything you do or will do, but because of the work of Christ on the cross. Allow that knowledge to move from your head to your heart. And then live like it.

There is freedom in Christ. There is freedom because of His grace.

source

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36
I need this reminder today, and everyday.

Maddie's thrift tip: try!

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Party People -

Maddie here... from Thriftary!

I am so excited to be here today, at the ever lovely, Jessi's blog. A true honor.
When Jessi first asked me to chime in on her ongoing conversation of tips on how to be super thrifty, I drew a blank. Uuuuuuuuuuuhh... Put into words what I blog about every day? It sounds simple. Almost too simple.. But proved to be really difficult.

So, I thought back onto some of my favorite thrifty projects, and I came to realize that the ones that REALLY stand out in my mind are the one's that I honestly didn't know what the outcome was going to be when I started. I couldn't perfectly envision the process. I couldn't define what the end result would be. But along the way, I picked up some ideas, and then I found a need, so I tried to merge them together and VOILA! Thriftary!

So... What is my tip.... you may ask??

It's the most important tip! You will never know what your thrifty capabilities are, unless you try them out.

Here's a good example...

A while back my husband (I call him "Burley") gave me an ultimatum. He told me that "all of the magazines have to be off our coffee table or I'm throwing them out!"
It sounds so much more stern when I type it out... But you get the picture.
Let's be honest... It needed to be done... He was right.

So, I had some resources in the house:

Sewing machine I had barely used...

Some off-white fabric left over from my wedding...

Some burlap that I had purchased on sale with no purpose at all...

Some VERY basic knowledge on how to sew squares and turn them inside out to make them look clean...

And that was about it!

Oh yea... and a spice rack from IKEA that I had no where to hang... So I used the hardware from that.

And I just.... Tried!!!

I started sewing squares together and flipping them inside out to make them look clean... Just like Mom had taught me.

Then I sewed one LONG rectangle and flipped THAT inside out to make it look clean.... Easy enough.

So I started to pin it all together, and see if all those squares and rectangles could fit together....

And they did!!!! So very exciting.
Then I stuck it on the extra hardware that was laying around, in non-use.... And it all came together!

No real plan.
No end vision.
Just the simple act of trying...
And I got to add this gorgeous, thrifty keepsake to my wall AND keep my magazines. Win! Win! Win!

You can check out the real tutorial HERE.

Well folks... Thanks for reading today. I hope that you are instantly inspired to go try your true thrifty capabilities on for size... and Suprise yourself!

And thanks again Jessi, for letting me crash your party!
TTFN,

thrift tip #31: thrifted curtains, 2 ways!

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

My two favorite sets of curtains in our house were both made from thrifted items. I don't believe in paying full price for ~~anything~~ curtains because the good ones are too pricey and the cheap ones are, well, cheap. So, I rarely buy premade curtains.

Plus, it's so much more fun to make your own. That way they match exactly how you want them to and you can add your own personal touch!

thrift tip #31: make your own curtains

Way 1: Use old sheets

The curtains in our bedroom are made from an old sheet we don't use anymore. It's the same sheet set that we used to make our headboard. I'm also using scraps of it for the quilt I'm currently working on. The other sheet is one that I picked up from the thrift store.

before:

To begin, I took measurements of our window, decided what the dimensions of the curtains would need to be and drew a sketch. Then I cut the pieces I needed from each sheet, pinned the fabrics together, sewed and hemmed.

after:

-----------------------------------------------

Way 2: Reinvent old curtains

For the curtains in the living room, I cut up an old set of curtains I had (the off-white) and used some canvas fabric that I found at the thrift store ($2 for yards and yards of amazing canvas is the best deal ever!). I did the same thing as with the other curtains, but flipped them (longer fabric on top). Here is the final product:

It's much easer to sew to big giant rectangle panels and attach them to the curtain rods with hooks. However, if you wanted to run the curtain rod through the fabric itself, you would simply make your panels a bit longer, fold one end over several inches and sew it together. Then slide the curtain rod through and you're done!

Jen's thrift tip: how to make money selling clothes!

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all! I'm Jen and I blog over at The Arizona Russums! I am so excited to be on Jessi's blog today...

I have been selling my clothes for cash for years. Since I love shopping and update my wardrobe frequently, I try to sell my old or unwanted clothing to fund the cycle. Over the years, I have learned quite a few tips about selling used clothing and I am excited to share them with you!

1 – Clean out your closet often. I have written about how I manage my closet before, but basically it’s important to sell clothes when they are most current. Many people let a shirt that they never wear hang in their closet for a year or two before they finally get rid of it. By that time, it’s out of style and no one wants to buy it. If something stops fitting correctly {it shrinks, you lose/gain weight, you realize you got the wrong size/style but can’t return it}, get rid of it as soon as possible, when it’s still a trendy purchase for someone else. If you notice you haven’t worn an item in six months or if you make it through the winter or summer season without wearing some of your seasonal clothes, get rid of them ASAP. The newer the clothes, the more likely you are to get cash for them.

*Remember, you can also sell accessories and gently used shoes.*

{clean it out!}

2 – Cut out tags. I’ll let you in on a secret. If you are getting rid of clothing from GAP, Banana Republic or Old Navy, you need to cut out the season tag. If you look UNDER the main tag on any GAP Inc. item, you will find a smaller tag that says the season the item was sold {ex: Spring ’08 or Holiday ‘10}. The people at the store who assess your clothes and give you cash look for these tags. If the item is too old according to the tag {more than a year or two usually} they will NOT buy the item from you, even if the item is still in style and in great condition. If you cut these season tags out, they will buy the item based on the quality and not on the year it was produced.

3 – Make sure clothes are washed, pressed {if needed} and folded nicely. You don’t have to iron every single thing, but make sure clothes look clean and neat. Iron out any big wrinkles or spritz items with a wrinkle release spray. Fold them very nicely in a box or a bag. I think bags with handles from reputable clothing stores {Banana, Ann Taylor, Old Navy, Abercrombie, etc.} are more appealing when you drop off your clothes at the store than big garbage bags. It’s also a nice touch if you tuck a dryer sheet into the bag to give all your clothes the same fresh scent. This is especially important if you have pets or live in a house with smoke. Just try to remember to remove the dryer sheet before you take the bags into the store.

4 – Sell at the start of the season. Resale stores sell by season just like any other clothing store. If you would like to sell your fall/winter clothes, you should drop them off in August, September or October. The stores I sell at start taking winter inventory at the very end of July. If you are selling spring/summer clothing, the best months to drop off clothes are January, February and March. You are more likely to sell your clothes if you sell at the start of each season. I save out of season clothes until the right time of year. For example, if I have a really nice sweater to sell, but it’s March, I will save it in a bag in my closet until August and try to sell it then.

{via}

6 – Take clothing to two stores. Find two different stores where you can sell your clothing. Some stores, such as Plato’s Closet, Crossroads Trading Co., and Buffalo Exchange, pay cash for clothes on the spot. If you choose to take the money, you will usually get 35% of what the item’s selling price will be. You can also choose to take an in-store credit, which means you will receive credit to shop in that store for 50% of the selling price of your items. Other stores run as traditional consignment stores, where you drop your items off at the store {they still choose which ones to accept} and you only get money if they sell. Depending on the store, your items will be on the sales floor for 30-90 days and you can go in and pick up your cash at a later date.

I usually take my clothes to a big, upscale consignment store chain in Phoenix called MySister’s Closet FIRST. Their customers are mostly middle class women, so they are more likely to take my higher end brands – such as Anthropologie, Nordstrom, Banana Republic, J.Crew, designer jeans, etc. I then take everything they don’t accept down the road to Plato’s Closet where they are more likely to accept “younger” brands such as Forever 21, H&M, etc. because their main customers are teenagers and young adults. By selling at both these stores, since they appeal to different customers, I am able to sell more of my items and earn more money than if I just went to one store.

*If you have time, try to sell on weekdays, instead of weekends, when stores are less busy.

7 – Goodwill it! After I sell my clothes at these two different stores, I immediately take whatever was rejected to the Goodwill to be found by happy thrifters. The whole process of selling at both stores and dropping the remainders at Goodwill takes me about an hour and half total.

If you go through this process twice a year, once for the summer season and once for the winter season, you will benefit from a clean, manageable closet and have some extra cash in your pocket as well! Happy closet cleaning!

Come visit me – I’d love to meet you!

Blog // Facebook // Twitter

xoxo,

Jen

project life: week 5 and thrift tip #18

2012-02-14T05:00:00.001-08:00

Here we are, week 6 and I'm still a week behind. I have a feeling I won't ever be able to have the week done by Tuesday so I think I'm going to settle for just sharing the previous week's pages each Tuesday. With that said, here is week 5:

Isaac helped his daddy put together his new bike seat and then we took it for a spin!

Dinner at BJ's. Isaac sat in a booster seat and his daddy helped him color the kids menu.

I've been trying more vegetarian recipes lately. This is one of my own creations, inspired by the awesome baked potatoes at BJ's. It's a baked potato stuffed with steamed veggies and covered in homemade alfredo sauce. It was super delicious. Be on the look out for that recipe on the blog.

I baked bread this week using the spent grain left over from Ben's homebrew (beer). I used this recipe. Ben loved it. I thought it was a little dry. I'll probably make a few adjustments next time. When the beer is done, I'm planning to make a loaf of this beer bread. Yum yum, right?

For both of the food photos I just added a white label sticker right on top. It just makes it easy to add a short caption.

Isaac got his first pair of brand new shoes this week. All be it they are from Walmart. But I finally found a pair of shoes that slip right on and aren't too big. We brought them home, put them on and he could not stop walking around and around and around. He loves shuffling around outside in the backyard. And now he walks himself all the way from the house to the car. I think he would climb in if he could. But we're not quite there yet.

These two have been best buds this week. For this caption I just wrote a note on a white card, added an arrow sticker and stapled it to the photo. Simple and cute.

And onto today's thrift tip. This one won't save you a ton of money, but it is fun.

My husband has been talking about homebrewing for a couple years now. At first it was just an idea. Then it was an idea for further down the road. And then it became an idea for a hobby he wanted to start, like now.

For Christmas, I researched beer brewing kits, types, costs, etc. I found a class on our city's deal saver (half price) and bought him the basic starter kit. Ladies, don't know what to get your husband for birthday or Christmas? Beer brewing kit. He'll love you forever.

thrift tip #18: brew your own beer

Let's say the average case of Sam Adam's is about $35. Ben is currently brewing a beer that is similar. He paid $40 for the kit. It made 52 beers. In the end we saved about $10. Plus, according to the beer connoisseur to which I'm married, it tastes way better. And it's a fun hobby to boot!

thrift tip week and thrift tip #47: one car for the family

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to thrift tip week! All week long, I'll be sharing my favorite thrift tips as well as tips from other money saving bloggers. Be sure to check back each day!

Want to know how to save a ton of money and get the craziest looks from your friends??

thrift tip #47: Own and share just one car.

What?! People do that?? Ridiculous. Impossible... but it's not!

For over 2 years, Ben and I shared this car:

Ok. So it wasn't my ideal vehicle. But, it was payed off and gave us very little hassle as far as maintenance was concerned. And because we shared one vehicle, we saved a bunch of money! When you don't have a second car, you don't have all the extra expenses that come with that vehicle, like:

*car insurance
*maintenance
*registration
*smog check/state inspection
*car payment
*gas

Our estimated savings for the 2 years we only had one car was about $2000 per year and that doesn't include a car payment (because we always pay cash for vehicles) or any extra expenses we could have incurred do to engine problems, flat tires, or other maintenance issues. If you were to take into consideration that you would be eliminating a second car payment, your savings could be somewhere around $7000 a year or more!!

But back to this being a crazy, ridiculous idea (because I know alot of you are thinking that), it doesn't have to be if you do it right!

Here are a few tips to make one car work for your family:

1. Find and learn how to use public transportation. This would mean taking the bus, train, shuttle, light rail, etc. Most cities have some kind of public transportation system (but I realize some do not). Most places offer a discount for students and seniors, and many have discounted rates if you buy monthly passes.

2. Carpool with neighbors and friends. If you are going to the park, or need to head to the grocery store, why not schedule your trip for the same time as friends or family? Make the trip together and save on gas. Plus isn't shopping always better with company?

3. Walk. I feel like this is a lost concept for our generation. And I realize that for many of us, there isn't anything within walking distance. But for some, there is. Instead of loading up the car, load up the stroller. Turn it into an adventure or exercise! Make the decision to shop nearby, rather than further away.

4. Take your husband to work: plan errand days each week. This was my saving grace (next to riding the light rail). I would pick one day a week to schedule all of my appointments and plan a grocery shopping or Target trip. It was usually the same day of the week each week. This way everyone knows which day you get the car (and consequently, which day you all need to get up extra early to take daddy to work).

5. Make friends with neighbors. This works in different ways. Being friends with neighbors means you don't have to drive your kids to play dates. It means you don't have to leave the neighborhood to meet a friend for coffee (although you obviously can still do that!). It means you can have Bible study in your neighborhood. It means you probably have a grocery shopping buddy (see tip #2). Have people come over to your house instead of going to theirs (this can be with friends anywhere, not just in your neighborhood).

6. Ride your bike. Another thing we don't do alot of. This is similar to walking, except that you can go a bit further. You can also ride your bike to a bus stop (if it's too far to walk) and mount your bike on the front of the bus.

7. Find and take advantage of activities close to home. Find out about the parks near you. Do any of them hold special events throughout the year? Find play groups, Bible studies or stoller strides in your neighborhood. Check out the nearest church to see if they have a library for the kids. Go for walks around the neighborhood instead of going to the gym.

8. Schedule your time better! Time management is key in having just one vehicle. Both parties should know who gets the car when. There is no need to stress about it and this won't happen if everyone is in "the know". Plan appointments, shopping trips, play dates, etc, around the day(s) you will have the car. Know what time your husband will be off work and be there to pick him up! Plan what time you'll need to start and finish meals (dinner preparation sometimes gets divided up if you need to leave the house at 4 to pick up your husband).

Believe me, after writing this, I'm thinking: if we could go back to one car right now we would in a heartbeat!! (Due to the nature of Ben's job, he is required to have a work truck, which is our second vehicle)

So, does it still sound ridiculous and crazy to have just one vehicle?? It can be done. Believe me! My grandma, who had 3 kids, never even had her driver's license. And she made it work. I think it just comes down to having a different mind set and really considering the savings!

Did I miss anything?? Leave your tips for making one car work in the comments.

my first quilt: a baby gift

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

When my friend Crystal told me she was pregnant, I knew immediately I wanted to do something special for the baby. I had been wanting to try quilting for a while now (mostly after watching my mom for years, who is an amazing quilter). As soon as she told me she was having a girl, I started looking for fabrics. She was very specific, "no girly pinks".

I found the bird print at Joann's and thought it was perfect. The print was so cute and the colors were beautiful. From there, I just picked 8 matching fabrics.

I used the pattern for a "Sudoku Quilt". Basically, each square is made up of 9 prints which are all numbered 1-9. No print is in the same spot in another square. So basically, it's just like Sudoku, except it told me where to put everything instead of having to guess! (I'm terrible at Sudoku by the way).

After I finished cutting all the fabric, I started sewing each square. Here is what the first one looked like:

Once all nine were complete, I sewed the together with white sashing in between:

Next came the tedious part. Although at this point I thought all of it was challenging. But so worth it!! (By the way, how did I not realize how much math is involved in quilting??)

I chose to machine quilt each indiviual square, rather than pay to have it done or do it by hand. That meant sewing around all 81 squares individually. Once I got my rhythm though, it went fairly quickly. I just put pandora on and got in the zone:

Then came the binding. I used this tutorial (which is super simple to understand) to get that done because I was totally clueless!

Once the binding was sewn into place, I hand stitched it to the back. And, tada!
You have the final product!:

I chose this quilt for a baby quilt because we have one just like it that my mom made for my husband a while back. When Isaac was born, I would use it as a floor quilt and it was the perfect size for him, especially before he became mobile.

My verdict: quilting is time consuming and can be a bit tedious, but it's so worth it to see the final result!

My next quilt will be a queen sized one for our bed, inspired by this shower curtain. I sketched out my own measurements for this one. Yikes! I have most of it cut, mostly from old sheets and curtains I had lying around, but I need to get motivated to get going on it! I'll keep you posted.

meditating on scripture

2012-02-09T15:28:00.000-08:00

Do you ever meditate?

When I was younger, meditation always reminded me of Buhddist munks. I thought it meant to sit, hum, cross your legs, hold your thumb to your middle finger and try to think of nothing (which, have you ever tried to think about nothing? It's totally impossible!).

Well, I was completely wrong about meditation. I mean, I guess there is a meditation that includes those things, but when scripture talks about meditating on the Lord's word, it means pretty much the opposite.

Psalm 119: 15,16 "I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; .I will not neglect your word."

Christian meditation focuses our attention on God. It may involve reflecting on a passage of scripture, entering imaginatively into scripture or being silent in God’s presence.

In meditation, we center our hearts and minds on Christ. We silence our many words in order to hear God’s word and know God’s presence in our midst.

Psalm 119: 97 "Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long."

Our pastor, Matt Chandler, says it this way, “Gospel meditation is about filling your mind while eastern meditation is about emptying your mind. Other religions and cultures say that emptying your mind will lead to freedom, but in Christian meditation, you fill your mind with truth and that leads to freedom.” (emphasis mine)

Meditation is an important part of prayer and our relationship with God and must be done.

In Joshua 1:8, the Lord says this, "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." We should take these instructions seriously and apply them to our own lives.

I have to be honest about this one. Meditation is a spiritual discipline that I do not do often enough. In fact, I rarely do it. But I want to do it more regularly. I want it to be a part of my quiet time. I know in my heart that in those times of quiet meditation, the Lord speaks and I want nothing more than to hear Him speaking to me. But knowing it and doing it are 2 different things. I now need to apply what I know.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. ~Philippians 4:8,9

What about you, do you meditate on the scriptures often enough??

linking up with Casey

day in the life: wednesday

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I documented a day in the life. You can see other "days in the life" here.

I took a ton of photos. This is just a portion of them.

It was a normal day around here. Other than going to Isaac's 1 year well child appointment and catching an early dinner at BJ's, we hung out at the house, rolled around on the floor, and took naps.

Here is our day looked like:

wake up // morning snacks // Isaac's breakfast // eating // grab newspaper // what outside looked like // my breakfast // clean kitchen // organized fridge // getting ready // what I wore: red tank- thrifted. grey tunic- Marshall's. cardigan- Nordstrom Rack. jeans- thrifted. shoes- Kohl's // fishtank at the Dr.s office // excited about his lollipop while waiting for the doctor // post nap snack: pretzel // dinner at BJ's // "fish hooking" his dada // playing with kitty // time for pajamas! // pre-bedtime snuggles // Ben bottling his homebrew // working at the computer

After that last shot, not much else happened. We watched a little tv and snuggled on the couch.

And that was Wednesday, February 8, 2012.

I also documented the day using one of Ali's daily sheets (love her!). I saved reciepts, appointment cards, scraps of paper and a few other things from the day as well. I'm not exactly sure how and where I will document this single day (perhaps with a separate insert in this week's project life album?).

Want more? Check out other day in the life link ups here.

project life: weeks 3 & 4

2012-02-06T18:06:00.000-08:00

See weeks 1 & 2 here.

I'm still a bit behind. This week I finished weeks 3 and 4. I have the photos developed for week 5 but they haven't quite made their way into the album yet.

Week 3:

This week really was uneventful. We had lunch at Central Market, walked to the park and I spent some more time purging all of the extra junk we have lying around. And as usual, Isaac ate a lot. He discovered his new favorite lunch: bean tostada with cheese and guacamole. That kid loves to eat!

Week 4:

This week was a very exciting one. Not only was it Isaac's 1st birthday, but my mom and sister in law came all the way from Vegas to celebrate with us!! It was a week full of celebration, eating, shopping and good company.

For this page I cut a plastic page cover, added some confetti and sewed it up with a zig zag stitch. I love the result! For the extra insert I added a few more fun photos from Isaac's birthday. This particular photos has to be my absolute favorite!

On the other side of the insert, I added a letter to Isaac.

My mom took this photo while she was here. I am weening Isaac this month and I wanted to have a few photos of him nursing. I won't lie, I'm really going to miss it. But it's time. He has pretty much decided he's ready to move on.

I added a list of all the fun things we did during the week.

And a cute photo of Isaac and our cat, Cal. They aren't really very good friends, but Cal has learned to tolerate a baby chasing him and pulling on his tail.

And that's it! I'm hoping to get up to date this week and have week 5 and 6 ready to share next week. Here's hoping!

vlog: the girl behind the blog

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I am linking up with Captivated by Grace and 5ohWifey for the girl behind the blog. If you're coming over from there, let me introduce myself.

This is me:

And the man to which I'm attached at the hip:

We got married, long ago:

Had a baby:

And now, we're three!:

Of course, there's a lot more to our story than just that. But those are the highlights.

So, onto the vlog, shall we?

I do have to appologize for my eye rolling. Apparently it's a problem I have! But I promise I'm not being snooty, it's just what I do when trying to think of something clever to say.

Please check out all the other lovely vlogs by clicking on the link above :)

Again, if you have any questions or if there's anything you want to know, leave a comment below! Thanks!

And don't forget to enter my girly giveaway!

Cilantro is 4889 and other random musings from the week

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

He's been carrying around this teddy bear all week and snuggles with it on the floor. It's like the cutest thing ever (and yes, that's a giant orange stain on his shirt from dinner)

And then he does these silly headstands. I don't know what is up with that.

We've been spending a lot of time outside because the weather has been so nice. Cal is jealous and watches through the window.

My best toddler tip for the week: give him a bag full of colorful straws. Awesome.

hairstyling note: mousse really works!

This week we went to BJ's for dinner (our all time favorite). Isaac sat in a booster seat next to his dad and ate dinner off the kids menu!! Then, he shared a pizookie with his mommy.

On Wednesday Isaac and I took a trip to Kroger. I, of course, was in the line with the cashier who knew absolutely no produce codes, not a single one. Look, I know it's hard to memorize them all, but you have to learn them! Or people will get impatient. Believe me, I know from personal experience. So here I am, 5 years on this side of being a grocery store cashier, and I'm telling him the codes: Cilantro? 4889. Cantaloupe? 4050. Zucchini? 4067. I don't know what that says about me. Probably that I spent waaaaay too many hours at work and that my brain just doesn't want to let go of my useless knowledge. (Hey.. sometimes it actually comes in handy!)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Oh, and don't forget to enter my girly goodybag giveaway.

our trip to central market

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

A few Sundays ago, my husband and I decided to take Isaac over to Central Market. If you aren't familiar with it (we weren't until recently), it's a grocery store that is super duper fancy and also has a restaurant attached where they hold cooking classes.

After wandering through the maze of produce, fresh meat and seafood cases, fresh bulk food and all kinds of aisles of specialty items, we headed over to the cafe for lunch.

Ben had some kind of Asian chicken dish and I hada penne with veggies and alfredo sauce. Isaac ate Pirates Booty, apple sauce and dried strawberries (all packed from home). We sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful January day in Texas. And it was gorgeous out!!

It was a fun trip, but I'm not sure I'll be going back any time soon. The prices were too high and you have to print all your own labels for the produce (I mean, what do they pay their cashiers for? I was a cashier for years and I had to memorize all the priduce codes!). I felt like if we were going to pay $2.99 for broccolli!!, I shouldn't have to print my own tags for it. They had a crazy huge selection of produce, however, and a lot of rare and specialty items. Their fresh meat and seafood case was crazy too. But, for everything else, including the bulk, I will continue to buy those items at Henry's. Just as fresh and much, much cheaper.

Our trip was a part of my Big 2012 Goals #2- get out of the house more often. I usually shop by myself, or just with Isaac. But we added a husband and a lunch and it became a fun family outing!

a bike ride and what we wore

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

For Isaac's birthday he got his very own bicycle seat and a helmet:

We took him out on it for the first time this past Sunday. I'm pretty sure he had a good time, although he didn't make a single peep the whole ride. I think that means he was just taking it all in.

First Isaac helped dadda put his new seat on the bike:

Then we went for a ride!:

I'm wearing: sunglasses- Fox Racing. sweatshirt- Kohl's. demin skirt- Target girl's dept. leggings- thrifted. boots- 6pm.com
Isaac is wearing: onsie- Carter's, thrifted. sweat jacket- hand me down. pants- gift. socks- garaged saled. helmet- amazon.com

relationship advice: honesty

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

As Christians, we make a relationship with God our life’s priority, which means it has to be a daily priority. In doing this, we give our hearts to God. This really is the heart of Christianity: knowing the Lord through a relationship with His son.

In John 17:3 Jesus says that eternal life is this: knowing the one true God and Jesus Christ, who He sent.

That’s the goal: to know God through a relationship with His Son.

One incredibly important attribute of any relationship is honesty. In order for a relationship to be maintained, both parties must commit to being honest with one another. So I ask, are you honest with the Lord?

I think we all understand the importance of honesty in a relationship. We expect our husband and children to be honest with us and are in turn honest to them. With God, we have to be honest about our faults, our sins, and our worries but also about our hopes and our joys.

And the thing about God is that He already knows everything about us. That means we can ask Him to reveal what we are not being honest about.

Psalm 139: 23-24 says “Search me O God, know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

With honesty, there also needs to be communication. No relationship works without an open line of communication. And not telling God what is on your heart can be the same as being dishonest.

Proverbs 28:13 says this: “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

When your relationship with God is your life’s priority, it will influence all other relationships in your life. When you spend time getting to know God’s heart, it changes yours and how you interact with others. If the Holy Spirit is present in your life, your heart can’t not change!!

But in order for that to be the case, we have to maintain an honest heart and an honest line a communication. While at times that may be very difficult, because of guilt and sin, remember that God is faithful to forgive us and change us!

Again I ask, are you honest with the Lord? What areas do you need to open up about? What sins do you need to confess? What do you need to tell God right now?

12 in 2012: project life

2012-01-30T05:00:00.001-08:00

This year I have set a goal to complete 12 projects. That's one a month. And should be do-able.

One of those projects, which I will work on each week of the year, is Project Life. Haven't heard of it? Check it out! My husband calls it "the lazy woman's scrapbooking" but it really isn't. While it makes scrapbooking easier because it's more organized, you still have as much freedom as you want to be creative. Did I say already that I love it??

I'm not entirely caught up for January, but I have completed the first 2 weeks.

Intro Page:

Most of the cards and paper on this page are from the Project Life Clementime Kit. The "be intentional. simplify." print is by me, from this post. I added number stickers to a tag so it reads 2012. Then I sewed the tag onto a card with red thread. I borrowed the "at the start" idea from Elise (who I adore).

Week 1:

For week 1 I used the "a photo a day" technique. All of the cards are from the Clementine kit. I also added our receipt from Target along with the gift card we used. The page in between is my To Do List for the week. I just slipped it into an 8x11 page protector. I still haven't decided what to put on the other side of it.

Week 2:

I had a little more fun with this week. I feel like I'm starting to get into my groove for the project. I had fun using stamps, stickers and other embellishments. I used the orange arrows from the Clementine Kit as bullets for the things I wanted to remember from this week. The floral print paper is from a thank you card I received in the mail. I wrote down what we were praying for as a family this week on that white card, folded it in half and paper clipped it to the blue card with a butterfly paperclip I had in my things. (I keep a stockpile of random clippings, embellishments and papers that I collect all the time).

And, someone has already been enjoying looking through the album!!

Well, that is all for now. This week I'm working on weeks 3 and 4. I hope to have them both done by Tuesday. I have found that my biggest obstacle in the project has not been time, but keeping track of my photos and getting them printed each week. I think as time goes on, I'll get better at that.

So, have you done Project Life? Do you have another system of scrapbooking that you prefer? I've been terrible in the past at keeping my scrapbooks up to date. In fact, I think I'm still on 2008. Ugh. I don't even want to think about it!

note: A few of my favorite inspirations for this project are Elise, Ali and Erin.

one year old

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, I was in the hospital giving birth.

Gaaahh!! My baby boy turns one year old today.

I.can't.believe.it.

A year of Isaac:

Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Mommy loves you more than you know.

to expose the darkness

2012-01-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ~Ephesians 5:11

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. In church last night, our pastor referred to this verse and I knew I had to use it for this post.

Today is not only a day for reflection, but a day for action. And that is just what I'm doing. I'm taking action.

Paul writes in Ephesians that we are not only to not take part in works of darkness, but we are also called to expose them.

abor-tion noun \ə-ˈbȯr-shən\
1: the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus

Since the day that Roe v Wade was passed in this country, January 22, 1973, over 50 million abortions have taken place. Last year, over 1 million abortions were performed, around the corner from where you work, in your neighborhood, down the street from your child's school.

That means, over the past 40 years, over 50 million little boys and little girls were killed in their mother's womb. Destroyed. Murdered. Gone.

baby in the womb at 8 weeks source

They will never have life here on earth. They "will never laugh,
never sing,
never experience the joy of human love;
nor will they strive to heal the sick,
or feed the poor, or
make peace among nations"
source.

They will never grow up to be scientists,
engineers,
artists,
teachers,
mothers,
fathers,
brothers
and sisters.

50 million lives full of potential. Gone.

As Christians, we cannot stand idly by. We cannot sit on our hands. We cannot claim ignorance. We must expose the darkness.

*Know the facts and statistics about abortion.

*Know when life begins, according to both science and scripture.

*Know prenatal development

*Know the truth about the nation's largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood (324,008 abortions performed in 2010) and it's founder Margaret Sanger.

*Know how legalized abortion affects child abuse rates.

*Know what you can do about it:

You can pray.
You can give (you can also find your local pregnancy center to give in your community).
You can adopt.
You can volunteer.
You can tell people what you know.
You can start a student group on your campus to help pregnant students.
You can advocate.
You can open up your home to a pregnant woman who has nowhere else to go.
You can bake cupcakes.

There are a thousand ways to get involved. But you have to do something.

Proverbs 31:8 says this: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

source

Who among us is more desitute and has a quieter voice than a babe in the womb? Who is weaker and more helpless than a baby who has no voice and cannot fight for herself? (destitute: lacking in resources)

If you have a free 30 minutes, I ask you to watch this video. It will change your view on this topic, no matter where you stand right now.

Please know: If abortion is a part of your past, there is always recovery, hope and reconciliation for you in Christ. "No one is cut off from Christ because of past sin - any past sin... For the repentant there is forgiveness and cleansing and hope." ~John Piper.

1 John 1:9 says:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Today and everyday, let us pray for our nation, pray for those who carry this sin and need healing, pray for those who are considering abortion, pray for the repentence of abortionists, pray for our President and legislators as they make decisions regarding abortion and let us stand up to expose this darkness and injustice.

writing about writing

2012-01-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

When I was in school, I loathed writing. My least favorite part of the semester was the last couple of weeks because I always waited until the absolute last minute to write my papers.

source

But now that I've been out of school for a while I've discovered that I actually love to write. Especially when I can write about what I want and not what's assigned to me.

And when I write,

I want what I write to mean something.
I want it to inspire.
I want it to document.
I want it to entertain.
I want it to encourage questions.
I want it to incite action.
I want it to spark conversation.
I want it to mean something.

But I want to write more often. I've been trying to be better about journaling in my personal life. I can't tell you how awesome it has been to look back and read what my family was going through at a particular time, what we were praying about and asking God for and now being able to see on the other side of the situation exactly how God answered those prayers. I want to keep doing that. I want my kids to be able to read over those things and see what I have seen.

Source: lilblueboo.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I take thousands of pictures. But do I add context to those photos with writing?

Writing is so important. Documentation is so vital. God is constantly telling the Israelites in the Old Testament to "remember, remember, remember". Isn't it terrible how quickly we actually forget?

I've come to realize that I need to write things down: simple things like to do lists or project ideas. And if I need to write those things down, how much more do I need to write down the big things?? The important things like Isaac's milestones or what I'm praying about.

How good have you been about documenting your family's life?: the day to day, the prayer requests, the milestones, the big events, the small happenings.

new skin care regimen: my 30 day challenge

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

first of all, I cannot believe I'm actually sharing this photo with you, but here it goes!

On January 9 I decided that I was tired of the way my skin looks. Over the course of the past year I've been really bad about taking care of it. I decided that this is an area where I can be intentional. Each day, for 30 days, I will be going through the same regimen, day and night. Here is my "before" photo:

After 30 days, I will be sure to share my "after" photo with you (here's hoping there's a noticable difference!)

In case you were wondering, my skin care regimen consists of:

*3 in 1 Cleansing Bar
*Timewise Night Solution
*Even Complexion Essence
*Firming Eye Cream
*Age-fighting Moisturizer

note: all products are Mary Kay. I am using these products because they are what I have on hand.

What skin care products do you use and love??

what expecting moms should know: newborn screening tests

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying this: I do not believe that my way is the best way for you and your baby. Each mother and father needs to make the right decisions for their child. But, in order to make the right decisions, we all need to have the right information at our disposal. That is why I am writing about these topics. Note: I am not an expert and I am the mother of one child. I know I do not have all the answers. With that being said, please feel free to comment or email with any questions or concerns. I'd be happy to respond!

A few months ago I wrote this post. I will be posting on each topic in more detail over the next month.

Our first topic of discussion: Newborn Screening Tests

The Newborn Screening Test, you may know it as the heel prick test, is done on every infant born in a hospital in the United States. It's a test usually performed between 24-48 hours after birth (but can be done up to 7 days after birth). As the parent, you are not required to be notified of it and no signature or consent is needed from you for it to be administered.

What is it? It is a blood test to determine if the infant has any metabolic diseases or other disorders that are difficult to detect otherwise and can be treated. For a full list of the conditions tested for, click here.

note: Screening tests do not diagnose illnesses. They identify which babies need additional testing to confirm or rule out illnesses. Good screening tests have a low false-negative rate (if the test is normal, the child should be healthy), but may have a high false-positive rate (as many affected children as possible should test positive, even if this means many healthy children also test positive). source

source

Why should I worry or care? It sounds like a good test When I stated above that the test is administered, what I meant by that is: your baby's blood (your personal property) is taken in order to perfom a test. Once the test is performed, in most states, the blood sample, to include your child's DNA, is stored by the state's health department. That means, the state/government maintains possession of it without your knowledge or consent.

For information on how long your state retains these blood samples, see this chart. Please note that some states, including California, hold blood samples indefinitely. That means for as long as they want to or decide to; most likely forever.

What are they doing with all of these samples? The simple answer is: probably nothing. But in many situations they are being used for experiments and further testing. You can read more here.

What are my options if I don't want the state to retain my child's blood? This answer depends on the state in which you reside. Some states, including Minnesota and Texas, allow you to sign a Directive to Destroy. In those cases, once the blood has been tested, the state health department then destroys the sample (usually within a year).

If your state does not offer such an option, you can opt to have your child's blood tested by a private company. You can discuss this option with your pediatrician before the baby is born (please interview pediatricians ahead of time, more on that later).

We used Baylor Health Care System here in Texas. You can order a Newborn Screening Kit here. They only store the blood samples for 1 year. We had Isaac's blood samples taken at the hospital. The forms were then signed and sent by our pediatrician. All of the information and instructions are in the packet that Baylor supplies. I couldn't find any other companies to perform the test, but I'm sure there are others. If you find one, please let me know! Note: if you decide to use this option, be sure that your pediatrician is on board before your baby is born.

Here's the bottom line on this one: While I may sound like a conspiracy theory nut; suggesting that the government is storing our DNA in warehouses to use as identity trackers, blah, blah, blah, that is not my intention. I am however, saying that the government does not have the right to take your personal, private property, i.e. your child's blood (which contains DNA) without your prior knowledge and consent. In other situations your blood cannot be taken without a warrant. How is this any different? As a parent, I feel that it is imperative that I protect my child in every way that I can. This is one of those ways in which I feel the need to do so.

For information on other newborn procedures done in the hospital such as eye ointment, vitamin k shot and the hepatitus B vaccine, check back later this month. I had originally planned to discuss those in this post, but there is just so much information to share!

Again, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them here or email me: ihaveapinkbag [at] yahoo.com [dot] com

nostalgia

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-08:00

He turns one next week.
I've been reminiscing lately.
Here are some of my favorites:

Isaac, then and then and then and then and now

2012-01-13T09:18:00.000-08:00

You can see other "then and now"s here and here.

Isaac started off sleeping in a moses basket (which, it you ask me, is one of the best gifts I got at my baby shower.. thanks Morgan!).

You know how moms make those lists of the "Top 5 Things I Couldn't Do Without"? A moses basket is definitely on my list. It was so convenient when we made the long drive out to Texas. It was something that could be moved from room to room with no problem, even while your baby is asleep in it. You can set it up on something or down on the floor. It's light and flexible. We just loved it!

I started taking photos of Isaac in his moses basket from the beginning. I mean, obviously. I was a mother, obsessed with the adorable-ness of her new baby!

A few months later, after he had grown out of it, I decided to put Isaac in it just for fun. I took a few photos and that was that. Then a couple months later I thought it would be fun to try it again. I took a few more photos and decided it would be fun to do this every couple of months to document his growth.

I didn't do it as often as I would have liked. With the next one I'll do it exactly every 2 months. But, I still love the result!

*the 12 month photo was almost impossible to take. Isaac was not having it. He did not want to lay flat on his back for even a second. By the time I was able to focus and click the button, he'd already started making his way out of the basket.

I cannot believe my baby boy is turning ONE this month! I have been so amazingly blessed with this child. He is adored by his mom and dad more than he will ever know. We could not have asked for a more wonderful baby boy.

And with that, we're off to Target today to buy my soon-to-be 1 year old his first birthday present.

Have a lovely weekend!!

a word to the want-to-be wise.

2012-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding." Proverbs 4:7

"Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding." Proverbs 23:23

"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue." Proverbs 31:26

In Proverbs, Solomon tells us to "get wisdom". He also says that a wife of noble character speaks with wisdom.

These statements beg the questions, "what is wisdom?" and "how do we get this wisdom?"

One of my favorite things about the Bible is that if there is a question, if something doesn't seem clear about scripture, scripture will provide the answer. I love that we don't have to be afraid to question scripture because it will prove itself to be true! "For the word of God is living and active... Hebrews 4:12

But back to our 2 questions. If we are going to answer them, we need to look to the Bible. What does God say wisdom is? And how can we can get it?

For the first answer, we turn to the book of James. It's one of the tiny books at the very end of the Bible. James was Jesus' half brother. I love the way he writes. He minces no words and speaks it as it is. As I studied this book over the past few months, it became very obvious to me how much time James spent listening to the teachings of his brother, Jesus. Over and over again he speaks about the same subjects that Jesus addresses, particularly those in the sermon on the mount.

In chapter 3, James contrasts the idea of Godly wisdom with earthly wisdom.

And what do you know? In verse 17 of Chapter 3, he gives us a definition of Godly wisdom:

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

From this single verse we learn that the wisdom we desire to "get" is:
pure
peace-loving
considerate
submissive
full of mercy and good fruit
impartial
sincere

So I ask: how many of those words describe you?

Let's try an exercise. It's one that's often used in the "love" passage in 1 Corinthians 13. Instead of the word wisdom, substitute your name. See how well you're doing at "getting" wisdom.

My example: Jessi is pure, peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Woah. I don't know about you, but as of right now, that is not the wisdom I have, but the wisdom I want. Which brings us to the second questions: how do I get wisdom?

For the answer to this question, let's turn to John. John is the fourth gospel, the fourth book of the New Testament. In chapter 15 we see Jesus speaking to His disciples. He gives them an analogy of how we are to relate to Him. He is the true vine and we are the branches. It is only when we are in Him that we will bear true fruit. (note: It would be helpful to read the entire chapter at this point and I highly recommend that you do so)

Then, in verse 16, He tells His disciples (you and me):

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

But that verse is not a free for all. He isn't saying that we can ask Him for anything and it will be given to us. Jesus has just finished telling us that if we are His friends if we do what He commands, namely love one another.

Therefore, if we are in Him and He is in us, we are His friends. If we do what He commands, if we remain in Him, then we can ask whatever we want. I guarantee, if we are doing those things, than what we ask Him for will reflect that. We'll be asking for pure hearts, for the ability to show mercy to others, for how to love our neighbors and enemies. And we'll be asking for Godly wisdom.

And when we do, "The Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

So what needs to happen now? Do you need to be more obedient to Christ? Do you need to remain in Him and His love? Do you need to ask for purity? mercy? sincerity? wisdom?

Whatever it is, do it. I don't know about you, but I want to get wisdom.

photo a day: week one

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

As part of project life, and to keep me documenting, I'll taking 366 photos this year. That's a photo a day (plus hundreds more on Isaac's birthday and plenty of other occasions). One of my desires for the year is to document everything.

Here are the photos from week one:

new years day, in bed using my new kindle fire // morning snacks at the computer desk // english muffin on the couch // bath time! // trip to Target // quilting // playing on "his" computer // play time! // Ben bottling his brew // painting // teepee!

*there are more than 7 photos here.. obviously. I took more than one photo a day and had to share all of my favorites.

Isaac never took a bottle: our experience with cry it out

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Our son, a combination of this stubborn lady and her stubborn husband, never took a bottle. In the beginning he would drink a little here and a little there, probably just testing it out, but he never fully decided to like it. We tried all kinds of bottles, all kinds of tactics. We tried one week and then waited and tried again. We tried day after day after day. Nothing worked.

He preferred the boob to the bottle. But who can blame him, right?

And so things were a little bit tough. And particularly since I started off his life with a baby-led philosophy. When he was hungry, he ate. When he was tired, he slept (which wasn't very often). When he was hungry, he ate. You get the idea.

So I always had to be there.

And don't get me wrong. I love breastfeeding. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I'm actually denying to myself that the little guy is turning one this month and we'll be weaning.

But then, we decided to sleep train Isaac. It was this post that convinced me to do it. Oh, how sleep training saved me! You see, when you sleep train, you also feed train. Baby is put on a strict schedule: sleep, eat, wake (as opposed to the usual eat, sleep, wake cycle). Now Isaac always slept and ate at the same time every day.

In the beginning it was hard. But things get better, fast. He was napping for longer and was in such a better mood because of it! He quickly started sleeping longer stretches at night and with just one cry it out session in the middle of the night, he's been sleeping through the night since he was 5 months. And now he can fall asleep on his own. He doesn't need me or a bottle and he gets good, solid sleep.

He would eat first thing in the morning. Then after his first nap. Then after his second nap. Then after his third nap. And then he'd wake up twice at night to eat. (This is obviously no longer the case).

The beauty of it: I can feed him in the morning when he gets up and then go back to sleep (while Ben hangs out with him) until he wakes up from his first nap!! This is the typical Saturday morning for us.

Or: I feed him after his afternoon nap and can go to Bible study or leave him with a sitter and he doesn't need milk or a bottle to go to bed!

My point is this: there is a lot of bickering that goes on between those of us who use cry it out and those of us who are attachment parenters. We need to stop. My husband and I chose cry it out and it works amazingly for us. In fact, I think the most common comment I hear from people (other than "he's so cute") is "He is so happy!"

We read On Becoming Babywise and decided to implement it. I had no idea how great it would be. If you were to ask me, I would recommend cry it out and sleep training.

As parents, the choices my husband and I make are the ones we feel are the best for our child. I wouldn't do something that I thought to be harmful for him. I love him too much.

And I believe the same thing for you as a parent. I know you make the choices you do because you feel that it's best for your child.

So no more judging, deal?

day at the lake

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

The weather here in Texas has been beautiful the past week. It was just a few weeks ago that I was complaining because it went from super hot to super cold without any Fall weather in between. I guess it comes now?

One of my goals this year is to get out of the house more often. To go outside more. To explore. One of my 26@26 goals is to enjoy my city as a tourist.

We ended 2011 doing just that. And I can't wait to do more of it.

It was a perfect day. We wore t-shirts and tank tops to the lake. I think it was a beautiful 67 degrees. We packed a cooler with homemade pasta salad, fruit salad, sandwiches and iced tea. We spread a blanket out on the grass. We took the kayak out and did some fishing from the shore. Thank you Ben for the idea.
It was perfect.

And that was New Year's Eve.

ps- my DSLR is busted right now, so please bear with the quality of my Nikon point and shoot camera. You can imagine my frustration.

highlights from our trip to Vegas

2012-01-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my husband's wonderful family flew us out to spend the holiday weekend with them and my family in Vegas. We had originally just planned to stay home in Texas. But I'm so thankful we were able to go back west!

Here are some of my favorite photos from the weekend:

It's good to be home.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

it's on! and i'm ready

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

remember this post?

Well, it's on!

*print by me

I'm ready.
I'm welcoming the new year.
I'm setting priorities.
I'm going back to the basics.
I'm focusing on the important things.
I'm taking control.
I'm seizing opportunities.
I'm writing everything down.
I'm taking photos of everything.
I'm doing what God made me to do.
I'm creating.
I'm developing new ideas.
I'm documeting it all.

2012 booklist

2012-01-03T05:00:00.001-08:00

Each year I compile a booklist. Last year I decided to choose 2 books to read each month instead of having a long list that ends up being unrealistic and exhausting. You can see my 2011 booklist here and how well I kept up with it. In my defense, I had a baby last year.

In addition to a blog post, I also write down all of my books on a list that I keep in my home planning notebook. This year I'm using this list from Money Saving Mom.

source
January
*The Eternity Portfolio (Alan Gotthardt)
*The New Dare to Discipline (Dr James Dobson)

February
*Prophet (Frank E Peretti)
*On Becoming Babywise Book 2 (Gary Ezzo)

March
*A Beautiful Offering (Angela Thomas)
*Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future (David Wolfe)

April
*One Thousand Gifts (Ann Voskamp)
*Radical (David Platt)

May
*Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 (Richard Paul Evans)
*God's Grand Design (Sean Michale Lucas)

June
*Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots (Thomas Kidd)
*It's a Boy! (Michael Thompson)

July
*A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You (Paul David Tripp)
*Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (Ina May Gaskin)

August
*A Love that Multiplies (The Duggars)
*~~Blue Like Jazz~~ (Donald Miller)

September
*Five (Dan Zadra)
*A Taste of Heaven(RC Sproul)

October
*The Creative Family (Amanda Blake Soule)
*The Teachable Moment (Rebecca Branstetter)

November
*The American Frugal Housewife (Lydia Maria Francis Child)
*Doctrine (Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears)

December
*Living Off the Grid (Dave Black)
*EntreLeadership (Dave Ramsey)

source
This is not a firm list. I usually end up reading books in a different order and sometimes replacing books with others depending what is and is not on my shelf. And I might even join in with the Book Club Bloggers every now and then.

Oh, and you can keep up with my progress here, on goodreads. We can be friends and you can read along with me too!

Nevertheless, it sure makes staying organized and keeping track of what I have read a whole lot easier!

Any books on your list for this year?

Big 2012 Goals (and a review of last year's)

2012-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:00

posts all week will be about 2012 and new goals for the year. I'm a little bit excited.

Happy New Year! I'm so glad to usher in 2012. I can't wait to see what is in store for us this year.

Each year I set a few Big Goals. I know a list of a bunch of small goals will never get accomplished but if I pick just a few areas to focus on, I'll be much more successful. I actually accomplished all of my 2011 goals:

*notes were added throughout the year as I made progress on each goal

*I had a baby in January and my first goal was to lose all of my baby weight. Mission accomplished! I actually was back to not only pre-baby weight, but pre-wedding weight by May! Breastfeeding works miracles.

*We moved to Texas in March. At the time I wrote this list, we weren' 100% set on Texas, but we were leaning toward it. If we did end up here, I wanted to get settled in as quickly as possible. Check!

*From early on in my pregnancy I knew I wanted to cloth diaper. But it was intimidating! No matter how much research I did or who I talked to, I was still a bit hesitant. But, I wanted to master it. I wanted to actually do it! And here we are, a year later and going strong. Turns out, it's not as scary as it seems.

*I can't say I fully accomplished #4, although I was pretty successful alot of the time. As my notes say, I had moments of total trust, but I also had moments, days and sometimes weeks of hesitation and skepticism. Turns out though, God always had everything under control.

This year I also set 4 goals:

*After watching this, this, this and this documentary and doing some reading, we've decided to significantly reduce the amount of animal products we eat and substantially increase our plant and whole food intake. More on that in later posts.

*One of the many reasons Ben got out of the Marines was because his schedule was so demanding and we had little time to get out and have fun! If he wasn't working ridiculously long hours because of training, he was home resting and getting ready for the next week of training. We want to go camping, go for bike rides, have picnics and find other fun activities to do (preferably free or cheap).

*I was inspired by Ali Edward's storyology class to be a better memory keeper. I am our family's historian and as far as I'm concerned right now, I'm doing a terrible job. It's definitely gotten harder having the little one around! But I want to have a routine in place so that I'm better about it as the weeks go by. One way I'm going to do that this year is by doing Project Life. I'm so excited!

*My fourth goal stemmed from the study I wrote about in this post. If there was one thing that God seared into my heart in 2011, it was that I am not the judge. I am not to judge. He has called me to love and mercy. I am to show those things to others. Love, not judgement.

So there you have it! 4 things I'm going to do in 2012.

Did you set any goals?

a look back at 2011

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

You can see a look back at 2010 here.

brand new // baby boy // move to Texas // my birthday at BJ's // cat naps // Fort Worth Zoo // first food: peas // Ben's birthday // our first garden // pumpkin patch // first fire in the fireplace // family Christmas photo

Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for us!!

guest post: ashley from luce

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to introduce you to a lovely lady, Ashley. You may know her from luce. If you don't, please give her a visit and say "hi!"

I asked Ashley to guest post here because I really love her and her blog. She is such wonderful writer. And has such a huge heart!! So without further adieu, I give you Ashley:

Hey lovelies! My name is Ashley Marie Wilson, I’m a wife, an artist and the girl behind Luce.

My creative passions are photography, writing, mixed media art & printmaking, handmade designs, and style.

I walk through my days with my heart fixed on loving God and my soul is happiest when I'm able to share, give, and encourage in anyway that I can. If I can make at least one thing easier for someone, then my spirit dances around like nobody's watching.

I am firm believer in following your dreams, and stepping out on faith to grab hold of the life you know you were meant to live.

Your gift will make room for you in this world.

Every single person has a gift... a talent, a role, a purpose.
Prepared for us by God.

Meaning...

Nobody can take it away.

Nobody can steal it.

Nobody else can fill it.

But you.
Our beautiful, all-knowing God already qualified YOU to do it. He trusted you, even already knowing everything about you.

When I fully let that truth seep into my spirit, I realized why there is no need for:

comparison.

competition.

pressure.

feelings of inadequacy.

feelings of inferiority.

copying.

jealousy.

letting a lack of education or money stop you.
being intimidated by someone else’s success .
losing hope in your vision.
lack of confidence.

If we walk in any of those feelings it is out of fear.

Even if it looks like everyone is doing so much around you...do not feel discouraged. There is a space just for you.

Whatever it is that you feel a fire and passion for doing.

Whatever it is that you naturally operate best doing.

Whatever it is that God keeps encouraging you to do.

Whatever it is that tugs on spirit that you can't ignore.
THAT is your gift.

Don't waste another day not developing it, nurturing it, and changing the world with it.

It can be art, business, charity, designing, teaching, fashion, encouraging, managing... whatever it is inside of you, it is yours, and you have the blessing and the responsibility to run with it boldly. I'm running as I write... ;)

It was nice meeting you, don’t be stranger, come over to the blog introduce yourself, browse through shop, or peek into my photography portfolio… would truly love connecting with you!

--------------------------------------------

Thank you Ashley! That was so encouraging and definitely something I needed to hear!!

Please don't forget to hop over and say "hi" to Ashley!!

baby's first: Christmas

2011-12-26T05:00:00.000-08:00

This was Isaac's first Christmas and it was wonderful!!

Can I just say, I loved Christmas before, but having kids, even if they aren't old enough to understand Santa and presents, just makes it 159,028,340 times better!!

This year we celebrated Christmas morning on Dec 21st. Because the next day we were on a plane to Las Vegas to spend the holiday with our family (and surprise my parents!!)

It was perfect.

We woke up at 7:30, the usual time. I nursed Isaac and Ben made coffee. Then we headed into the living room and saw this:

Isaac had no idea what was going on. And when we tried to get him to unwrap presents, he was either hesitant because we had told him "no" for the past week, or he was too interested in his ride-on fire engine to care about anything else.

After presents were unwrapped we went outside for a little ride.

How was your Christmas?? I hope it was just lovely!

*sorry for the poor picture quality. I had to upload the photos through blogger instead of using flickr so my mom didn't see them :)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T05:00:00.001-08:00

"He will stand and shepherd His flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God.

And they will live securely, for then His greatness
will reach to the ends of the earth.

And He will be their peace."

Micah 5:4,5
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

advent: hopefully waiting and anticipating

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

This was my guest post for Erin over at Captivated By Grace. Since Christmas is this weekend, I thought it fitting to share it with you all today:

The season of Advent is in full swing. Are you celebrating? We are this year. And it's the first in a very long time. To be honest, I really never understood the point of Advent growing up. We always lit the pretty pink and purple candles at church on Sundays. And we got to eat the chocolate from the Advent calendars, but I never knew why.

Source: southernliving.com via Jessi on Pinterest

So I'm asking (and answering) that question now: Why do we participate in Advent?

Advent: derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming" or "arrival".

But what does that even have to do with Christmas? This season, these 4 weeks of Advent, are a season of waiting and anticipation for the the coming of Christ.

The Israelites waited for His first coming for thousands of years. The very first prophesy of His coming was given to Adam and Eve in the garden. The prophecies continued over the centuries. And they waited.

And then 400 years of silence from the Lord. But that silence was broken by the sound of a crying baby; "born a child, and yet a King". What they had hoped for became reality. God had not forgotten them. He remained faithful, even when they had not, He kept His promise.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Elissa on Pinterest

And now, just as the Israelites did, we wait. We anticipate the second coming of Christ. We are full of hope because we know He keeps His promises. He is faithful. He will return. And when we start to wonder if He's really coming, we can look back at how long the Israelites waited. And we can be confident in what God told Isaiah:

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts." ~Isaiah 55:9

So, this Advent season, take the time to pray and meditate on the true meaning of the season. We are in a season of hopeful waiting and anticipation. Is that your heart? Are you yearning for His return? Are you believing that He will do what He said He would? Are you confident that He keeps His promises?

In closing, I would love for you to watch this short video. They played it at our church a couple of weeks ago and it is powerful:

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas and Happy Advent!

we were babies!

2011-12-20T08:31:00.000-08:00

Today I was uploading wedding photos to flickr and I just couldn't help but think, "we were babies!" I mean just look:

Ben and I got married when we were 20 and 18, respectively.
That was over 7 years ago.

10 months

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Isaac turned 10 months last month on Nov 25th... double digits (and rapidly approaching 1 year)!

If you're a mom, you know that time just flies.

We took his 10 month photos a few days late this time. I thought it would be fun to take them of him pushing his little lawn mower-walker. He really loves this toy, which is funny because when I first brought it home he had absolutely no interest in it at all.

Fisher Price lawn mower toy- thrifted. Isaac's shirt and pants- thrifted. socks- garage saled.

I love that second photo of him, just chuggin' along. Go, Go, Go. (That's his motto)

*Since I took these photos, he has started walking on his own.

strong opinions on parenting and judgement

2011-12-15T11:29:00.000-08:00

Have you read this post? If you haven't yet, I definitely recommend it. It's awesome. And it will shed some light on the title of my post.

I'm going to admit something to you. It's a sin that I struggle with and have for a long time. Are you ready?:

Judgment.

Man, am I judgemental. In fact, I just told my husband that I'm writing a post on judgement and he said, "Of course you are. You're the most judge-y judge-erson I know." Of course it was just playful banter.

But ouch. The truth hurts.

Thankfully though, the Lord has been slowly pressing and molding and changing my heart in this area.
Thankfully I'm not stuck, wading in the pool of my own sin, struggling to get out... anymore.
Thankfully we are given a new heart when we become sons and daughters of God.

In Matthew 5:7, Jesus says to His disciples,
"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
Here's how I saw that verse: In those times that I'm merciful to others I can be certain that mercy will be shown to me by the Lord. Kinda like, if I'm merciful I get mercy, but if I'm not merciful than it's no big deal, I just won't get anything.

But it's Jesus' brother James who shows us the other side of the coin: James 2:11,
"...judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful."
Whoa. This verse really put Jesus' statement into perspective for me. It's not just that I won't receive mercy, but that I'll receive judgement without mercy.

So here was the takeaway for me: God was merciful (and is daily) to me. I am to show that same mercy to others. No judgement. Just mercy. And that is hard.

So back to the article I initially asked if you've read. It's about all the strong opinions out there on the topic of parenting. And if you've spent any time online looking up topics like co-sleeping, CIO, breastfeeding, baby food, discipline, vaccine schedules, etc, than you know that tempers run high, people get angry, defensive and judgemental.

And this is an area that God has radically changed my heart in regards to others. I've made a decision not to judge mothers for their chosen parenting practices.

Of course we all think our way is the right way, that's why we do it that way! But, the last thing I want is unsolicited advice about how to raise my own child. So I'm not going to give it to others unless it's asked for.

By the way, the last part of that verse in James says, "Mercy triumphs over judgement!"

Next time I feel the urge to judge someone, for what ever reason, I'm going to remind myself to let mercy triumph. Thanks to the Lord, I am given more than I deserve, every single day. The least I can do is afford the same mercy to others.

december daily

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Right now I'm working on a project called december daily. Basically I compile things from each day in December and combine them in an album/mini book. I usually just choose one thing from each day to highlight. Here are some of the photos I've been using in my book:

[quilt top finished]

[barren trees and leaves all over the back patio!]

[Isaac's 10 month photos, taken a few days late]

[new recipe I tried: shrimp parmesan with fried mozarella cheese]

[a fire in our fireplace]

[package from grandma and grandpa]

[the tree out front that finally changed colors]

What have you been up to this month?

give big

2011-12-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

The Pregnancy Resource Center is a non-profit organization that is incredibly near and dear to my heart. I've been donating my time and resources to crisis pregnancy centers since I was in high school.

This year, you and I have the awesome opportunity to support and help out this Christian ministry and everything we give will be matched! That means if you give $25, they get $50! If you give $100, they get $200!! And so on.
*You must give a minimum of $25 for your donation to be matched.

Imagine being able to give the gift of life this Christmas!

source

Every single dollar that the Pregnancy Resource Center gets goes to saving the lives of unborn babies and sharing the message of Christ, who gives eternal life.

Please check out their Facebook page for details on their mission statement and services they provide.

To join in on Give Big, visit their website here and donate between 7 am PST today (Dec 14) and 7 pm PST tomorrow (Dec 15).

If you want to give this holiday season to a ministry who shares the gospel with all of it's clients, who shares hope and healing with women who need it, who works tirelessly to save the lives of babies who may otherwise lose it, then look no further.

source

note: Pregnancy Resource Center is located in and serves the community of Vista/Oceanside, CA. If you prefer to donate to a center that serves your community, check here to find one.

leave

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

I'm warning you all now that I may have a slight leave of absence this month. As I wrote about a few weeks ago, I've been seriously contemplating my recent loss of creativity. But I'm happy to report that in recent days, I may have just re-discovered not only my creativity, but the secret to keeping it around!

Last week I took this online course from Ali Edwards called Storyology. It was just a simple 2 hour course on how to better write your own stories. As I listened and watched, I found myself turbulently taking notes and writing down all of the ideas that were bubbling up in my mind.

source

Before I knew it, I had figured out exactly what has been holding me back and I think I've also discovered how to fix that. As I took notes, I wrote down the words:

Be intentional. Simplify.

Whoa. How simple is that? That is my mantra for 2012. In everything I do, I will be intentional and simplify.

I'm always inspire by Elise and she picks a word(s) each year to live by.

I want to minimize what I spend my time doing. I want to be intentional about the time I have to myself. I want to simplify our life and eliminate the junk we don't need. I want to create. I want to develop. I want to be successful.

So there you have it. So when I seem a little mia this month and no blog posts appear from me, you'll know what I'm off doing.

In case you're interested, one project I'm working on right now is called Daily December.

oh Christmas tree

2011-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to pick out our Christmas tree. We don't have the space in our living room for a full sized tree this year, so we opted for a 4 foot one instead. Plus, we decided to set it up on a table so it's harder for little baby hands to reach.

Have you decorated yet??

See the rest of our Christmas decor here.

tis the season

2011-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'm linking up with Gussy. The prompt is: "Tis the season to deck-the-halls with your favorite HOLIDAY DECOR."

We decorated our home last weekend. This is our first Christmas in our new place, so it was kind of fun finding new "homes" for all of the decor. In our old apartment, everything went in the same place every year. I definitely enjoyed being able to mix it up this year!

You have no idea how excited I was to decorate a mantle!! I spent hours on Pinterest getting ideas and getting inspired (note: I didn't end up using any Pinterest ideas.. just my own). And I love how it turned out!

Most of my decorations were purchased while shopping the day after Christmas. You think black Friday has good deals?? My mom and I go every year at about 6 am. All Christmas decor is usually 75% off or more, everywhere.

The red and blue Christmas bulbs in the vases were pulled out of the neighbor's trash (yes, trash picker here, and proud of it!)

The green Silent Night plaque was made and given to me by my sister-in-law last year for Christmas. Isn't she talented??

This is Isaac's first Christmas. That is me and him hanging his first ornament on his first Christmas tree. It's a pirate ornament that my mom gave me last year to give to him.

The Nativity scene is Isaac's "Little People" set. We have it set up on a shelf for him to pull up to and play with. If you push on the angel, it lights up and sings "Away in a Manger". He loves it.

What did you most enjoy about decorating this year??

guest post: free-verse poetry from Alyse

2011-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today I'd like to introduce you to Alyse. She has written some free-verse poetry just for you! You can find over at Random Musings, Scribblings and Such:

Hai! I'm a sophomore at USC - Beaufort and an English major. Yes, I'm one of the weirdos who actually like to write papers. Ha. I'm also aspiring to be an author. My forte is prose fiction. I currently have a book out for both the Kindle and Nook. I blog about random, often funny and/or snarky things... Yeah, my mind is an oddball. You can check it out here!

Wordwright

White.

Clean.

Blank.

Ready.

Universes explode in my mind,

casting stars and galaxies about wildly behind my eyes.

I hear a profusion of voices,

the altercations of lovers,

the battle-cries of warriors.

I'm not crazy.

All of my kind hear and see what I do.

We just render it differently, we mark their stories down nonetheless.

Marked.

Timeless.

Unlimited.

Alive.

I was here - I am a wordwright.

Don't forget to stop by her blog and say "hello!" Have a lovely Wednesday.

authenticity, or something like it

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel like I'm not authentic enough. I mean, I never lie or make up stories on this blog, but I also leave out things I don't want others to know about me.

But isn't that true for all of us? The beauty about the blog world is that we present exactly what we want others to see. In some ways, that can be good (and safe) but in other ways, it may mean we see others for more of who they aren't rather than who they are.

Today I just wanted to tell you more about me: Jessi. The simple girl. The wife. The mom. The daughter. The sister. The Jesus-follower.

I listen to Jack Johnson all day, everyday. I was introduced to him by my 11th grade Biology teacher and haven't stopped listening since.

I met Jesus in the 8th grade. And I fall more in love with Him every day.

I am a cat lady. Have been since I got my first cat at age 5.

Growing up I wanted to be a teacher, a waitress, a forensic psyhologist, an FBI agent, a coroner, an author, a speaker and a mom. (Some of those still apply)

I am unappologetically and whole heartedly pro-life. I believe that every life is precious, and should be respected as such from conception until natural death.

My favorite city is Washington DC. I'm a sucker for American History and Cherry Blossoms.

One year I got a Tickle Me Elmo for Christmas. I was 12.

We want a lot of kids. Like 6, 7, 8 or 9. But I'm willing to take however many the Lord wants to bless us with.

I didn't read a single book in college. Cliffnotes are a wonderful invention.

I grew up in Las Vegas, and I survived.

My favorite Christmas song is "O Holy Night"

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology.

My spiritual gifts are leadership and teaching. Public speaking scares me, but I love it.

photo courtesy of Chelsea Robbins Photography

Now it's your turn. Tell me something about you.

ps- I'm guesting posting over at The Arizona Russums today.

looking back at November and on to December

2011-12-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Um, where did November go?

In case you're interested, here is a look back at my November goals and what I did and didn't accomplish.

And here are my favorite highlights from the month:

Isaac discovered he really likes apples // vegetables picked from our garden // zoo // backyard photoshoot // helping daddy hang Christmas lights // walking // enjoying his new sippy cup

December goals:

1. Keep running! (a mile a day, at least 5 days a week)
2. Participate in advent daily in our home
3. Take 200 photos (and get them all developed)
4. Buy a 2012 calender/day planner
5. Make significant progress on the quilt for our bed (I can't say finish, because I know that won't happen)
6. Try 4 new recipes
7. Become members of our church
8. Read The Purpose of Christmas and finish To Kill a Mockingbird
9. Get all of my photos organized on the new external hard drive
10. Finish the James study I've been reading

What are your December goals?? (And can you believe it's December already?)

my thoughts: creativity

2011-12-01T06:58:00.003-08:00

"Being creative is seeing the same thing as everybody else but thinking of something different."

The other day I was thinking about how stunted my creativity has been.

I guess it kind of comes with the territory of new motherhood. My days, hours, and minutes are consumed with thoughts of nursing, diapers, lunch, snacks, activities, walks and naps. And what little time I get to myself I usually spend in the shower or cooking dinner. But I'm not at all complaining. I actually love it.

Really, this has given me a chance to consider my lack of creativity. I've been able to think about how I can more efficient about being creative.

source

And I got to thinking, it seems to me that in our culture, especially in the blog world, we have almost a tunnel vision of what creativity is. To most women, creativity is Martha Stewart, HGTV, DIY websites and the like. They think "if only I could sew a quilt or make my own Christmas wreath, then I'd be creative!"

But I want to challenge that.

We were created to create. We were made in our Creator's image. He creates; we create. I believe with all my heart that we all have creativity in us. That creativity just looks different for each of us. It's not about what we can make, or how crafty we are.

Source: darlingdoodles.blogspot.com via pc on Pinterest

It's about the ideas we have- do we act on those ideas?

Anyone can follow instructions and craft something they see on a website. But not everyone can create, from scratch, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, or Beethoven's 9th, or the Apple iphone, or an efficient way of organizing recipes, or an amazing photo that was shot at just the right angle, or a great blog post. There's a difference between copying something and creating something.

You are creative in your own way. You have ideas, but are you acting on those ideas?

It's my fault that my creativity has been stifled as of late. I don't act on anything. So one thing that I've been trying to do more of is write everything down in my notebook. An idea pops into my head about anything, and I write it down. In fact, this post is a direct result of that notebook.

In being creative, in creating, you are doing what God made you to do. I want to glorify Him in my creativity. I want others to see that I am His because I create. I want to bring glory to Him with that which I create and cultivate.

I want to step outside the norm. And honestly, at this point, I'm not exactly sure what that looks like for me. But I'll be carrying my notebook and pen and I'll be praying about it.

source

And when I figure it out, I'll let you know.

"When ispiration doesn't come, I go halfway to meet it." ~Sigmund Freud

note: I am in no way saying that crafts and art do not require creativity. If that is how God wired you to create, fantastic! I am saying that there's more to creativity than just those things.

a few more friends

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Please allow me to introduce you to a few more of my lovely November sponsors:

My name is Kelli Diane. Dailypolkadots is my life in photos, things I like, people I love, things I am doing, and stuff I just feel like talking about : )

blog // twitter // pinterest // blog lovin'
-----------------------------

I am Annelise from Bye Bye Beehive. I'm a vibrant, cheerful girl with a million and one things going on. I'm on a 365-day journey to achieve long, beautiful hair the natural way. That means absolutely NO hairspray, teasing, dyeing or frying. In addition, I am also raising money for local cancer patients through my big hair bereavement. Come check out some good hair days, some bad hair days, and all the awesome randomness of BBB.

blog // twitter // personal blog
-----------------------------

Hello lovely readers of Jessi. I'm Mrs.S blogging over at Everything Girly & Beyond. I like to write about anything and everything my little heart desires. That may vary from clothing, make-up, fashion, recipes, DIY projects and a little bit of the everyday girly life of me. I love to dress up, wear heels and simply be me. Thank you very much for having me!!

// blog //
----------------------------

Hi! My name is Melanie and I have a little blog over at Keeping Up With the Cantelmo's. I started blogging to keep my family updated on our daily adventures and soon I realized through blogging I am able to bless others. My desire is that you feel encouraged and blessed when you visit my blog. I try to be open and vulnerable about my life, my marriage, and being a mom. If you have time, pop by my blog and say hi!

blog // pinterest // blog lovin'
----------------------------
I'm currently taking sponsors/button swaps for the month of December. If you are interested, click here.
ps- it's FREE!

listen, follow, submit, obey

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

I tweeted this the other day: "God has a provision for you. Submit to it."

It just came out when my husband told me the news: the Super Committee that was created to solve the budget crisis failed to come to an agreement and because of it there will be huge cuts in the federal government's budget next year.

That means huge cuts in the military and defense budget.

$1 trillion in defense cuts to be exact.

For more context, consider this:

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said that meeting the $1 trillion in defense cuts would require across-the-board, 23 percent reductions, which would end most of our ship and construction projects. We would be left with our smallest ground force since 1940, the fewest ships since 1915 and the smallest Air Force in its history. Mr. Panetta described these cuts as "devastating" and said they would "seriously damage readiness." (emphasis mine) source

In other words, our ground troop levels will be reduced to pre-WWII levels.

I know, you're wondering what all this political talk has to do with God's provision.

Well, alot actually. A year ago,God laid it on my husband's and my heart that he should end his career in the Marine Corps; get out after just 8 years. At the time it seemed weird, considering we had planned on staying in for a full 20 years. But we listened and we followed the Lord.

Ben was an infantryman. He was a part of the ground force. Chances are, had he stayed in, because of these massive budget cuts, his job would have been eliminated. He would have spent another 4 years in the Marines and still had to get out.

Now, instead of getting out in 4 years with no education or training for civilian work, he got out this year and will spend the next 4 years in college. He will be trained for civilian work. He will be able to support our family.

I've said it a hundred times and I'll keep saying it: God knows. God provides. God's plan is better, so submit to it!

Source: itsanadorablelife.blogspot.com via Ruthie on Pinterest

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9

The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand." Isaiah 14:24

I've spent a lot of time trying to do things my own way. I've ignored the Lord's tug on my heart. I've done things my way. I've intentionally walked away from Him.

I've also listened to Him. I've followed His call for my life. I've felt the Holy Spirit pressing on my heart and obeyed.

From experience, the latter is much better. Listen, follow, submit, obey. His ways are higher and better. Jehovah-Jireh is His name.

diy: how to fill your blog with big beautiful photos

2011-11-28T05:00:00.001-08:00

Over the past couple years of blogging I've learned alot. One thing in particular is that big, bright, beautiful photos make a blog more appealing. Think about your favorite blogs for a minute. I'm going to guess that the photos on those blogs fill the entire width of the blog, like so:

But, if you use blogger like me, you know that when you upload your photos, the "large size" is actually quite small. And it certainly doesn't fill the entire width of your blog or mine.

So, you may be wondering, how do I make my photos bigger? (at least without paying someone else to do it). I am going to share with you my secret. I know there are other ways of doing it, but this is the way that I started using and I prefer it.

First, you'll need an account with a photo sharing site. If you don't have a flickr account, I recommend it. My mom and I share an account and we upload all of our photos to it so she can keep up with baby photos. It does cost for an unlimited account, but it's worth it. Your other option would be to have an account with photobucket.

Next, upload the photos to the photo sharing site that you want to use on your blog.

Then, copy the html code for the photo from the site. For example, in flickr, you would select the photo you want to use, click the "share" button above it, click "grab the html/bbcode", make sure "HTML" is selected. Below the code, you have options for what size you would like the photo to be. The size you choose depends on the width of your blog. (I always use "Medium" which is 640x427 for horizontal photos and 427x640 for vertical photos.)

Then copy the code and past it to your blog post under the "edit html" tab.

Once the photo is pasted, you can adjust the size if you want to. A vertical photo at 427x640 doesn't fill the width of my blog. So, if I choose adjust the size, I do so inside the html code. I generally change it to width=640, height=1000.

When this is done, you have the final product:

See, it's actually much easier than you once thought, right?

Let me know if you try this out on your blog. Leave links in the comments. I would love to see!

Any questions? Please leave those as well.

note: I am not paid to promote flickr or photobucket. They are both sites I personally use.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Usually we're camping at the beach in Southern California.

This year we'll be enjoying a large meal and the company of some friends here in Texas. While I'm of course bummed that we're not with family and that we're not at the beach, I know we'll have a good time here.

the story of us: part 6

2011-11-23T05:00:00.000-08:00

start from the beginning here.

part 6: God had a different plan
You know how scripture says, '"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD' ~Isaiah 55:8? We can attest that the Lord was speaking the truth to Isaiah (not that there was any doubt).

Lots of us get married and have a "5 year plan", right? We plan to spend the first 5 years of marriage just the two of us. Once we've enjoyed our alone time, we entertain the idea of starting a family.

I have to say, how did we get to be so arrogant that we decided to take matters like these into our own hands? But I digress...

4 years into our marriage, in April of 2008, we decided it was time to give this whole "trying for a baby" a try. We figured that by the time we got pregnant and had the baby, it would be about 5 years. Plus, Ben was getting ready to deploy and it seemed logical to be pregnant while he was gone so he'd be home for the birth.

Oh plans. How they change. How our plans are not God's plans. Our ways are not God's ways.

We had no problem getting pregnant. We never have a problem getting pregnant. That same month, I had a positive pregnancy test. And in early May, Ben left for his 4th deployment. I was 12 weeks pregnant.

Many of you know the rest of the story.

It's pretty obvious that our plan was not God's plan.

In the mean time, Ben and I were able to experience a whole year and a half without a single deployment. That's a big deal for us! And how wonderful it was to be able to live like a married couple:

We went for bike rides to the beach, we took vacations to Seattle and Washington DC. We joined a growth group at church. We ate Mexican food every single Friday night (always at the same place). We spent birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving and Christmas together. It was a welcome change.

But news quickly came that a 5th deployment was in the near future. Ben would leave May 1, 2010 for Afghanistan.

By this time, we had almost completely given up on the idea of having our own children. We had always considered adoption (and still do). We just assumed it would be far off in the future. However, not being able to have a baby yet, we decided to start researching adoption for now.

In fact, my plan was to spend the 7 months while Ben was away, looking into and planning for adoption.

God had a different plan, a better plan. On May 14, 2010 I took another pregnancy test and it was positive.

In case you missed it: part 1, part 2 part 3, part 4, part 5.

kitchen tips

2011-11-22T05:00:00.000-08:00

I've been cooking since I got married 7 1/2 years ago. In the beginning all I could do was follow a recipe. And my repertoire was wanting. I mean, it was pretty sad. We're talking spaghetti, steak and mashed potatoes, chicken tenders and a really easy gumbo recipe that Ben loved. End of list.

Over the years, I've paid close attention to cooking shows and the recipes I use. Not only have I added more recipes to my list, but I've picked up different tips and tricks. Some of them I've borrowed from others. Some I've developed on my own.

I have to say though, I'm pretty proud of all that I've accomplished in the kitchen over the past 7 years. I've gotten particularly good at whipping up a dinner from almost nothing (although I try to avoid that by meal planning): What meat do I have in the freezer? What's in the pantry? Any veggies that are about to go bad? Add it all together and many nights, they end up being our best dinners!

But enough of me tooting my own horn. I want to share with you some of my favorite recipe tips:

1. Mix your pancake and waffle batter in a measuring glass measuring bowl. It's easy to simply pour the batter right in the waffle iron or skillet. No ladel required, which means fewer dishes for clean up.

2. Buy bulk cheese and divide into smaller baggies to freeze for later use (my mom's trick). Buying larger bags is cheaper than the small ones. Especially when there's a good sale. (Of course, you could buy block cheese which is even cheaper, then grate it and freeze).

3. Here's an easy iced tea recipe.

4. My favorite way to cook chicken is boiling in water with spices. Simply place the chicken breast in a pot (frozen or thawed), sprinkle your favorite spices (salt, pepper, garlic salt, dried onion), cover chicken with water and bring to a boil. Keep the lid on and allow the water to boil for 45 minutes or so. You can also let it simmer for longer. You can use the chicken now and the broth later. You can also freeze the broth for later use.

5. When your fry pans are small and the bacon is too long, cut bacon into smaller strips. It's always good to have kitchen scissors and this is a good use of them. I think we end up eating less bacon at breakfast time too.

6. Add chicken broth to refried beans to make them creamy. This one I learned from my dad. Ever notice how sticky and thick refried beans are right out of the can? Even after you heat them on the stove? This is an easy and tasty way to make them creamy.

What are your kitchen tips??

pancakes and lions and flamingos. oh my!

2011-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went to the Fort Worth Zoo for "Pumpkins and Pancakes". We had a pancake breakfast and got to enjoy the zoo before opening hours, while there was almost no one there. They had some special events going on like an elephant pumpkin smash and zoo keepers walking around to answer questions.

It was a good time. Mostly we enjoyed watching Isaac watch the animals. We saw lions, tigers, bears, flamingos, elephants, giraffes, birds and gorillas.

How was your weekend?? Happy Monday!

wear are your pants?

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

pull over- Gap, thrifted. onesie- Carter's, thrifted. socks- Old Navy, garage saled

I'm not quite sure how this happened. I think it was just too much effort to get his little britches back on after I changed his diaper. So he spent the afternoon walking around and climbing through clean laundry wearing everything but pants. And to be honest, I think it was the cutest little outfit ever.

Besides, who needs pants? (at least if you're a baby right?)

Have a lovely Thursday!

thrift tip 73: use a thrifted item to be thrifty

2011-11-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

Until recently, this is what my freezer always looked like:

One way that I've tried to be more thrifty is by making freezer meals, buying bulk, buying meat in bulk, buying multiple items if they're on sale and freezing leftovers or food that won't get eaten right away.

The result: A freezer packed to the brim. Where am I supposed to put my ice cream??

After a couple months of this, my husband and I quickly started discussing the option of buying a deep freeze. We both had one growing up. They are awesome. But they are big, bulky and expensive. So we decided to put it on our list of future "big ticket item purchases" (yes, that is a real list that I keep).

Well, I think it was the next week, Isaac and I were at Goodwill searching for some pajamas for him when I saw what looked to be a minature deep freeze in the furniture section. We boogied right on over to it and to my surprise, that's just what it was! The perfect size. The perfect price.

I paid $35 plus I had a $5 off. The total was just $30.

Later that day, my husband went back to pick it up. We brought it home and plugged it in, outside underneath the carport. (That was the other question: we don't have a garage, so where does it go?)

isn't it so cute?
So here we have it...

thrift tip #73: use thrifted items to be thrifty

Now, I have plenty of freezer room. I even bought our Thanksgiving turkey weeks early because it was super on sale and I have a place to store it! I have so much more room now to freeze meals ahead of time, to freeze leftovers, to freeze extra herbs, juice, vegetables.

With the help of an awesome thrifted item: the deep freeze, I can now be even more thrifty. It's like exponential thriftiness!

a few more friends

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

I want to introduce you to a few more friend this month. All of these ladies are so lovely and I have truly enjoyed getting to know them all. Please give them each a visit!

blog
I'm Jamie. I've been obsessed with writing for as long as I can remember. In the past I would get an idea in my head and I'd write it on whatever I had available - a napkin, a receipt, my arm. Now that I have a blog, I get to write my random thoughts somewhere permanent, and I fancy that someone might actually READ them! Yay!

Topics you'll see often on my blog are my Faith, the importance of family time, and random odds and ends that make up the smorgasbord that is me. I value honesty, kindness and love, and I try to weave those values through-out my posts.

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blog // twitter // facebook // bloglovin'
Hi! My name is Heather. I'm a 26 year old, happily married, adventure seeking blog lover :) My little blog is a place to share what's on my heart, what God is teaching me, and what my husband and I are up to as we have recently relocated to a new city. On my blog, you'll see transparent accounts of my day-to-day life with my hubby and our new puppy, Hartley, and some of the fun we're having along the way. I love capturing a moment by camera and simply finding beauty in the ordinary moment of life.

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blog
Hey ladies! My name is Erin. I'm a twenty-something Christ follower with a passion for life, love, and above all else, my faith in God. I love to share the joys and beauty that can be found in this world. I love to write about the things I am learning in my walk with Christ, as well as share some outfits and things I make along the way! I have been captivated by the beautiful grace of God. Come get captivated today!

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blog // shop // twitter // facebook

use code laluce15 to get 15% off any order this month!
I am a wife, artist, and lover of God. I blog over at La Luce about my creative inspirations, adventures of living for God, and following my dreams. I am also the designer and creator of handmade accessory and gifts as well as a photographer. La Luce is ever evolving so come on over and take the journey with me!

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blog // facebook // twitter
Hey everyone! I'm Heather and I blog about my life (marriage, mothering, speaking and writing) from a faith perspective. My blog has a strong focus on scripture and sharing the truth of God's word in a way that is relevant and applicable to everyday life. I try to live my big dream each day and encourage others to do the same!

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You can see my first group of sponsors here.

ps- if you are interested in sponsoring, you can find more info here. it's easy and free!

a good weekend

2011-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend.

Saturday morning we hung out in bed for a little bit. Then we got up and headed over to a flea market that our city has once a year. It was like a bunch of garage sales all in one place (which is both fantastic and very dangerous for my pocket book). Alas, we got out with only a small purchase: a $3 Xbox remote control (which we had discussed getting the week prior) and 2 books, $0.25 a piece. Then we came home and had a big pancake, bacon and egg breakfast.

Later that evening we dropped Isaac off with a friend and Ben and I got dressed up to go to a fundraising banquet for the local crisis pregnancy center. We had such a great time!

I'm wearing: dress- Target, cardigan- Kohl's, tights- Express, boots- 6pm.com, clutch- QVC, necklaces- Express, Charlotte Russe

The little guy has been "walking" with the help of daddy. I know it's only a matter of days...

Sunday we slept in (well kinda). After we got up and got some things done around the house we noticed a pile of stuff sitting on the neighbor's curb. They are getting ready to rent out the house and were cleaning our all of the previous tenant's junk. Their junk is now our treasure! I found a set of rabbit ears and a dtv converter box. I hooked it up and we now have free tv! Total score.

I also found 2 boxes of small Christmas bulbs, perfect for filling vases to set up on the mantle. And there were also a bunch of un-used cardboard boxes.

For dinner I made homemade chicken noodle soup. It would have been a little bit better if the weather was cooler. I mean, I thought it was November? What's the deal Texas?!

In the mean time, someone was go, go, go all day long.

How was your weekend?? Have a lovely Monday!

what stirs your affections?

2011-11-10T08:08:00.000-08:00

Our pastor asks the question a lot, "what stirs your affections for Christ?"

It's a good question.

I mean, just think about it. What things in your life draw your toward Jesus? What is it that you enjoy doing that brings you closer to Him? In what moments do you know you're in His presence?

You need to know the answer to those questions. We all have times where we feel distant from the Lord. We feel like He's left or no where around. But it's not that He's left because He doesn't. He can't. It's because we've left. We've drifted.

So how do we solve it? How to we get back to Him?:
By doing those things that stir your affections for Him.

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."
How do you draw near to the Lord?

For me, it's study. Studying the word. Studying the Greek and the Hebrew. Studying the genealogies. Reading scripture and commentary. Learning. Discovering. Knowing. I love scripture.

Which is funny, because I was always a really good student. I wasn't a driven student. I didn't work nearly as hard as I could have. But good grades came easy for me. I can take notes once and remember the information well enough to get an 'A' without even studying for a test.

Now I understand that God wired me that way. Which is why, I love being a student of the Word. Which is why studying draws me closer to Jesus. In studying scripture, the Spirit reveals God's character, and shows me who Jesus is.

For my husband, it's spending time in the outdoors. He loves quiet moments in the rain, or on the lake. He enjoys God through God's creation. The Spirit reveals the Lord to my husband through the things He's made. The Creator's fingerprints are all over His creation.

So what about you? What stirs your affections for Christ? How will you draw near to Him next time He seems far?

Song. Dance. Writing. Art. Nature. ??

"The LORD is with you when you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you."
2 Chronicles 15:2

happy 236th birthday

2011-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Marines.

Here are some of my favorite memories from the last 8 years while my husband was in the Marines.

2011 Birthday Message:

Source: flickr.com via Alexia on Pinterest

Happy Birthday to the most deserving group of war fighters there ever was.

"Freedom is not free, but the U.S. Marine Corps will pay most of your share." ~Ned Dolan

day in the life: Monday

2011-11-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

good morning world! // breakfast // a little morning music // pre-nap walk // prep dinner in the crock pot // cloudy day // thrifting! // car ride // lunch. minstrone for him; grilled cheese for me // thrift store swag // listening to The Beatles on vinyl // hanging with daddy before bedtime // relaxing on the couch

going back

2011-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Isaac,

Last October, when my mom came out to San Diego to visit, I was about 7 months pregnant with you. She came with me to get an ultrasound and she took some photos (because, well, she's your grandma).

my big belly

your tiny little crossed baby feet

your profile

fetal models

A year later, last month (October), we went back for a visit. I thought it would be fun to take some pictures of you now, in the same place that we were looking at you in my belly just a short year ago.

me and you

on the table, too busy looking at the tiny babies

now holding a tiny baby

and trying to eat it

Isaac, you were that little once! Since you turned 9 months old just last month, you have now officially spent as much time outside of the womb as you did inside. And I think the time passed much more quickly.

Now stop growing up!!

It's incredible to look back. It's even better to go back.

It really is true what they say, "what a difference a year makes." I cannot even imagine what differences there will be in the year to come. But I'm so excited to see them.

I love you dearly,

mommy (or "ama" as you say)

on struggle and trials and God's consistency

2011-11-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

This was originally a guest post I did for Snow in December, but I thought I'd share it here too:

“This has been one of those weeks. I’m praying for a positive and thankful heart. I am so discouraged right now. It just feels like we’re running in circles- not sure if we’ll get out or which direction to go. It’s like we can’t catch a break.”

I wrote those words back in July of this year. We were having some rough times (which, let’s be honest, is all relative). We had just picked up everything we owned, loaded up the car with our 6-week-old baby and our cat and moved from San Diego to Texas.

Why would we do such a thing?? My husband’s contract with the Marine Corps was over and it was time to move on. We were sure that God had called him out of the military. Now he would go to school and start working in the civilian world. That’s a huge change.

So there we were: just 4 months in Texas and it seemed like everything was going wrong. I won’t go into detail because my intention here is not to give Satan any glory. But, the worst part was I couldn’t see any way out. Isn’t that funny? How we get so caught up in our circumstances that we just cannot see how things will get better?

We are so easily blinded by our circumstances!

Maybe that’s why, instead of focusing on circumstances, we should focus on God. After all, while everything else in this world changes, constantly, He does not! In Malachi 3:1 God plainly says, “I the Lord do not change…” (emphasis mine). Bam. Just like that, He says it. No question.

Maybe that’s why, when James is talking about trials and temptations in James 1, he seems to randomly throw in, “Every good and perfect gifts in from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17, emphasis mine).

Now, a few months on the other side of what seemed like a situation that couldn’t get better, I get it! I get why Paul says in Philippians: “I have learned to be content in any and every situation…” (Phil 4:12). If we get caught up in circumstances we lose heart because life changes like shifting shadows. But, if we get caught up in God, we have hope because he does not change.

the take-away:

Focus on the situation and you’ll be happy when it’s all going well but unhappy when it falls down around you (and it will) because life is always changing

Focus on God and you’ll be content, always, because He’s never changing

Seems simple enough right? But try getting that from your head to your heart. I swear, that’s the farthest distance there is; which is why my prayer in that same journal entry went like this:

“Lord, please encourage me. I want to trust you. I know in my head you’ll provide. Put that in my heart! I want to live like I know you’ll provide. I want to stop worrying & wondering & wishing. I want to live now, in your presence and purpose. Amen.”

May that be our prayer, daily!

linking up with Casey:

more candy please

2011-11-03T08:15:00.000-07:00

"Ooooh, candy!"

"Yum, yum"

"Oooh, more candy!"

Hope you're having a wonderful Thursday!!

ps- check back later for another colors of fall post.. I'm a day behind :/

the colors of fall: green

2011-11-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's color was green.

the easiest way to make really good iced tea

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little bit (okay, maybe alot) addicted to iced tea. I love iced tea.

For years I've been making it with my trusty 'ole iced tea maker. And don't get me wrong, it works quite well and makes tea in a jiffy.

But, there is a better way!!

I want to make the most tea with the best flavor. And my mom does just that (I learned this from her. Thanks mom!).

So here's the secret recipe:

You'll need:

4 cups water
2 family sized tea bags (or 6-7 regular sized)
tea kettle (or any regular old pot will work)
ice (optional; needed if you want to drink immediately, if not just refrigerate)
pitcher

Step one. Boil 4 cups of water in kettle (or pot).

Step two. Pour water over tea bags & allow to steep until tea has cooled some. Once they are cool enough, wring them out over the tea. This way you get all the flavor possible.

Step three. Fill a pitcher with ice (if desire to drink right away).

Step four. Poor tea over ice.

Step five. Add about 1 cup of cold water.

Step six. Stir and serve.

Simplest "how to" post ever? I know. But if you ever wondered if making iced tea at home could be easy, now you know!

Note- The longer the tea bags steep, the stronger the flavor. Oh, and I always make decaf because I drink it late into the night and want to be able to sleep.

november goals

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Oh wow. I totally failed last month. See October's goal list here.

So about #1. Instead of taking our new kitty to the vet, we decided to give him to a friend. 2 cats in one house with a baby is just a bit much for me. No hard feelings Tex.

I didn't get an oil change because I actually don't need one for about 300 more miles! I surprised myself and didn't drive as much as expected. That one gets rolled over to November.

The quilt for our bed... still a pile of fabric. Yeah, about that. I haven't even finished the quilt that was on my September goal list! Epic fail.

Okay, I at least made progress on #6. I am about 2 chapters away from finishing The Holiness of God. But... I only read about 2 pages of To Kill a Mockingbird. Again, fail.

Instead of the fair, we took Isaac to the pumpkin patch, so that one I did cross off.

And the transfering of photos will commense this week. Apparently external hard drives aren't cheap? So we had to wait for a paycheck.

Hah. Now that the big long list of excuses is finished, I give you my...

November Goals:

1. Read "To Kill a Mockingbird" - Instead I finished reading Arguing with Idiots and started reading The Complete Book of Home Management
~~2. Cook my first real Thanksgiving dinner~~ I didn't end up cooking because friends invited us over for dinner
3. Send 10 cards or letters - I only sent 4 :(
~~4. Take Christmas photos and order cards~~
5. Post a tour of our living room - FAIL
~~6. Apply for Marine Corps plates for both vehicles (exciting, I know :)~~
~~7. Get my hair did (conditioning treatment, cut, highlights)~~
8. Organize my recipes - Nope
9. Upgrade my phone - This needs to happen in Dec. My phone is like dinosaur ancient
~~10. Start running~~

Check back in December to see how well I did.

What are your goals for the month of November??

the colors of fall: orange

2011-10-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

today is the first day of the colors of fall.

Orange... which was a little more difficult than I expected!

Tomorrow is green!

If you are following along and taking your own photos, let me know so I can check them out.

pumpkin patch #2: happy halloween

2011-10-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

One of my October goals was to take Isaac to the Texas State Fair. Well, when I discovered how much it was going to cost just to park in get in, we changed our mind and decided to take him to a pumpkin patch here in Texas.

We had already been to one in California while we were out there a couple weeks ago, but who can get enough photos of babies with pumpkins? Not this mama!

Happy Halloween!

Have fun tonight with all the ghouls and ghosts and goblins!!

ps- the colors of fall starts today. So, I'll be back tonight with photos from the day. If you want to join, check out the color list. Today is orange!

baby pirate

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, my mom made every single one of my Halloween costumes. And they were always pretty awesome. I intend to carry on that tradition with my own kids. Exhibit A:

Halloween day, 1995

This year, for Isaac's first Halloween, he is going as a baby pirate. I had a few ideas in mind for him: Bam-bam, a dinosaur or some other type of animal. But I landed on pirate because it just seemed like so much fun!

His shirt I bought at Thrift Town for 69cents. It's 24 months (way too big) so I needed to alter it to fit but still make it look pirate-y. When I was in high school, I used to buy big t-shirts and alter them by cutting up the sides and whip stitching them back together. It was kind of a grunge look that I was going for (wow, was I embarassing in high school). Anyways.. I used that technique here:

Of course the shirt had to be striped.. and red and black seemed like the perfect pirate colors!

Next I layed a shirt over it that fits Isaac just right so I knew how small to make it:

Then I pinned up the sides and down the sleeves where I would need to cut:

Then I cut both sides and whipped stitched it back together using black thread.

details:
bandana- Goodwill, shirt- Thrift Town, black shorts- Thrift Town, striped pants- Walmart pj's, boots- thrifted in San Diego

We'll be headed around the corner tomorrow night for trunk or treat at a local church. He'll probably just ride around in his umbrella stroller, collect a little bit of candy (for mom and dad of course) and get his picture taken.. alot.

Linking up with Casey and the October Follow Fest:

Won't you join us?