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Hang 'Em High & Wide: Sewing Handmade Curtains

2012-02-11T10:40:00.001-05:00

I will admit that posting these photos is a bit humbling. Reason? This room was our nursery. For both girls. My mother in law and her artsy friends made this room over for us as instead of hosting yet another baby shower when I was pregnant with my first daughter, eight years ago. When we moved into this big old house, this room was painted black. BLACK, friends. It was hideous. It took the ladies two full weeks but when it was completed, I was thrilled. We had just bought the house and didnt have alot of extra money floating around to do it ourselves. So this room truly was a labor of love on their part.
But now eight years have gone by and Im totally ready for fresh paint on the walls and alot less theme. The big girl, however, does NOT favor change and wants the room to stay just as it is.{sigh}
Anyways, shes been in desperate need of some curtains in there. This house has windows everywhere, which is great for letting light in but horrible on a family budget.There are twenty windows on the first floor alone! Therefore, most of our windows are still bare neked(And yes, we've lived here for eight years). Im admitting my shame.
I took the cheap route and grabbed a full sized flat sheet from Walmart, to the tune of about nine dollars. Got it home, washed and ironed it, then cut it in half down the center.

Took it downstairs to the studio and got busy making the pieces into curtain panels. I didnt need to hem them because I hung them high and wide(the length of sheets is great because you can hang them as high as you need, then hem if needed).
Then I added some simple pom pom trim to the edge to give it a little something extra. Walah. Bedroom curtains for around $15 per window(one sheet plus the pom pom trim). I still need to do this for her second window in there. But this weekend we're finishing the kitchen painting(Im so excited!!!!)

You can see in this photo{above} that the pom pom trim still needs to be added to the panel on the right side. Im working on it! Now if she'd only agree to let me paint those walls...

A Wednesday Win

2012-02-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a big thank you to Courtney from Little Glass Box. I just won this adorable handmade garland from her recent blog giveaway! Her blog is one of my favorites...the girl's got some fabulous style and has been featured on numerous decor blogs over the WWW.

Go pay her a visit. You wont be disappointed!

Its Only a {Bad} Day

2012-02-07T17:19:00.001-05:00

In the Middle of a Bad Day

Father,

help me to recognize a bad day for what it is-

a day.

It does not represent the rest of the year,

or the rest of the month,

or even the rest of the week.

Keep me from making value judgements based on this day.

Keep me from deciding that the children are hopeless,

that my work is in vain, and that I am a failure.

Oh Father,

I'm discouraged and tired today,

but I'm not a failure.

I'm disorganized and frazzled today

but the classroom still functions.

I'm impatient and crabby today,

but the children know I love them.

It's a bad day today,

but it's only a day.

It will pass.

Give me the patience to wait it out,

and to hold my letter of resignation

until tomorrow!

~Poem from Chalkdust, Prayer Meditations for Teachers

This poem was recently given to me by a friend. As a teacher, there are good days. And there are some bad days{shocking, I know}. But that's not why I'm sharing this today.

We ALL have bad days...whether you're a teacher or serve in some other profession. Whether you're a stay at home mom, a single mom, or a grandmother. We all experience those ups and downs.

But keeping everything in perspective(its only a day) and remembering that there is hope(this too shall pass) can drastically change our outlook.

So if you've had a bad day, a bad week or are just blue and don't know why, pray this prayer above.

A little mental encouragement can make a big difference.

Ask for patience. Ask for perspective. And don't give up!

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.Great is his faithfulness;his mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23

Big Changes

2012-02-02T06:25:00.001-05:00

There are some big changes going on here folks. All it took was a fire.(I can say that now in a lighthearted tone because our cleanup is finally complete). It took two weeks of living in a smoke damaged home but now we're back, the girls are back home with us (praise the Lord!) and we're on the road to recovery. Or shall we say makeovers?
If you've known me for any length of time, you know how much of a challenge our kitchen has always been. Living in a super old home can make things very interesting when you're trying to make a functional space. I even contacted HGTV in hopes that we'd get chosen for a new TV show they created. Although we're still in the top 7 as most viewed kitchen disasters over there, we never heard from them. But its OK. Obviously, it wasnt God's best for us. Instead, he sent a fire. A fire which taught me to be content. Really, Im not joking about that. Im finally content to just work with what we have and make it work better for us.
I'll be writing more on this later but for now, heres a sneak peek at one of the first upgrades Ive been doing:

As I write this, all the cabinetry has been primed(which you see here) & repainted, walls primed and the awaits a brighter, more fresh look. We bought new hardware to mask the plastic cabinetry and its amazing how nice it looks now. I'm still pondering what to do with the floor(its pretty awful) but we'll think of something.

Well Im off to get ready for school. Have a lovely day everyone!:)

The Mission at San Juan

2012-01-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

If you read my last post, you heard about my trip to BlogSugar back in September. It was a whirlwind weekend trip for me but well worth the memories and friendships made. Theres nothing quite like meeting those blog friends in real life, spending real time with them and fellowshipping with people you feel like you've known for years.
BlogSugar itself was on Sunday afternoon. Id spent all day Saturday and Sunday morning with a bunch of the girls sightseeing and having devotions on the beach and then before I knew it, BS was over and done with.
I didnt start my flights back home until later Monday afternoon so Leslie and I spent Monday morning walking around downtown San Juan before heading to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. What a beautiful spot! I can see why Shauna loves to come here. In fact, she and Ella met up with us for a little bit that morning. We even went to a huge antique shop.

Hummingbirds were everywhere! I love these little guys and was excited to catch one before it took off.

The old architecture of this place is amazing.

And these pictures make me laugh. I took them for the history loving husband of mine. Figured he may be able to use them at some point when teaching.

Sweet Leslie; the best hostess in all the land:)

I may blow some of these up and frame them to remind me of the trip...

So although it was only a weekend, it was like a dream for me. I got to meet countless other bloggers whom Id been connecting with for months. We formed friendships, laughed and cried together. And made memories. Afterall, thats a big part of celebrating life....making memories!

In my opinion, one of the best parts about BlogSugar was that they kept it small(there were under 200 in attendance I believe). It was such a fun, welcoming environment and felt very intimate-like no one was a stranger.

So tell me: have you ever attended a blogging event or conference?

Id love to meet up with other New York bloggers sometime. Anyone game?

Finally Getting Around to it: Blog Sugar

2012-01-25T18:30:00.000-05:00

I cant believe I never got around to posting about my experiences at BlogSugar this past September. I was so blown away to be able to attend in the first place and then it came and went all too quickly. And now here I sit, three quarters of the way through January of 2012! But I was just thinking about the girls I met and wanted to capture the memories before more time passes by.

{April & Aly}

After travelling 3,000 miles across the country all by myself, I can truly say that there is no place like California. The weather was perfect during the 4 days I was there. In the mid-upper 70s if my memory is correct and erring on the chilly side most mornings.

{Jami, Les, Shauna}

These first pictures were taken on Balboa Island, the day before BlogSugar took place. I flew in Friday night after school(and praised my maker that there had been a power outage at school that day so that I could go home early and actually take my time getting ready to leave). After missing my first two flights, thanks to delays, Jami and Leslie picked me up at LAX and we got back to our condo around what was 4 am Saturday MY TIME. Needless to say, I was exhausted.

Balboa Island was a beautiful area to walk around and shop. While there, we met up with April and Mindy, whom Id never "met" before in blogworld. You know there's gonna be trouble when a bunch of women in sunglasses are walking around with their big ole cameras, snapping away:)

{Mindy,Aly,Jami, April}

I also had the pleasure of meeting sweet Elyse when she came to stay at the condo with us. What a sweetheart this girl is. And her smile just makes you want to be her friend.

Speaking of which, this was where we stayed. Leslie got an amazing deal on it for us the two nights we stayed there.

This was Sunday morning... on our way to the beach for some personal devotion time. It was a bit of a trek down to the beach from the parking lot, but well worth it in the end.

I must say, Ive never even had the opportunity to spend a Sunday morning at the beach. This was a beautiful place to greet the morning and read the scriptures.

Shauna is such a neat person to be around. And you've gotta love her style.

I loved the colors everywhere at Crystal Cove!

At one point, Leslie came running over to tell us to look out into the ocean. There was a huge school (Or schools?) of dolphins jumping near this boat. It was an amazing sight. And yet I couldnt seem to capture them either. Grrr

I called Eric and the girls from this spot to say hello. They had already been to church and home, gone and bought apples and were making homemade apple pies. Only at my house, I tell ya:)

Later that day we went to Fashion Island, a huge shopping complex. We knew that a bunch of other bloggers were also there and ended up running into a bunch of them in different areas. That was neat. To see "strangers" off in the distance...and yet you "know" them all at the same time. We'd run up and hug and laugh. It was a great experience.

The center court outside. Purty fancy if I do say so myself. We ate a delicious lunch here before heading in to Anthropologie(my first time ever in that store...I felt like Id died and gone to retail heaven)

After lunch and Anthro, we found out we were running out of time to get back to get ready for BlogSugar. So we raced back to our condo to get changed and freshened up.

And I can't believe Im posting this picture of myself but its the only one I have of me with Meg...she was THE biggest reason I'd flown so far. Her blog is my all time favorite so I was really happy to get to meet and talk with her...if only for a few seconds. She looked absolutely stunning and I looked like crap...the whole weekend. The California air messed my hair up in ways I cant explain. It wouldnt do anything I wanted it to. But I told myself I was there for the experience and not to worry about my looks.

The workshops were great. We were able to choose three. So I chose to attend Heather's(seen here; Sharing Your Story captured in a most awkward moment...so sorry Heather!), Julie & Jeanette's(Using Your Blog for a Greater Good) and Lindsey's (the Balancing Act).

Here was Meg, tweeting for the first time from Blog Sugar...with the gorgeous Rachel looking on

Such a fun, energetic environment!

The event itself went by in a blur for me. And then, before I realized it, it was over. That night we stayed with Leslie's parents in their magazine worthy home...

That Monday, after a day of the San Juan Capistrano Mission with Leslie and then Shauna & Ella, we picked up Leslie's kids from school and hit the mall for some last minute shopping at H&M and then off to the airport for me to begin my travel home. I didnt get home until late the following morning. By then, the 3 hour time change, jet lag and exhaustion had set in full force and I was beat. Thankfully the girls and I had that entire week off from school which allowed me time to get back into our daily routine.
I will always be grateful for my weekend in Cali with these amazing ladies, especially Leslie, who is one of the best hostesses and travel guides a girl can ask for. And intentionality in friendships? One of her gifts! I so appreciate her friendship and am honored to be able to call her "friend" not only in the blogworld, but also in real life now as well.

Enjoy these last few snippets of my time there...

So there you have it: my trip to BlogSugar. If, by some chance, you were there and we didnt get to meet up face to face, introduce yourself in the comments section or shoot me an email. We can reminisce about it together:)
* I need to add in links to everyones blogs that I mentioned and showed above. But that'll have to be later tonight or tomorrow. Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

Choosing Joy

2012-01-23T00:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday in church our pastor spoke about JOY. He shared that joy is an attitude...and also a gift. The Christian walk is not one for the weak because we face many trials and hardships. But how we react to those trials is what makes or breaks us. Do we have joy in our hearts even in the midst of a bleak situation? Or does it break us down?

Our family has been tested in the area of joy over the past few weeks. Is it easy to be joyful when you've just had a fire and your home reeks of smoke? When your kids cant live at home because its not healthy for them? When you're waiting for what seems like forever for all the estimates to come rolling in, not to mention the actual cleanup?

Easy? Not necessarily. But I'm learning. Learning to be joyful in this journey. Because He feels we're worthy of the trial. We can either cry or rejoice in the fire.

So Ive decided to take this one step at a time. And today, I'm choosing joy. In whatever comes my way, whether it be fun or not.

Because my God is bigger than all my problems. He's proven Himself over and over again in our lives. And its about time I changed my attitude and chose to praise Him instead of asking WHY all the time.

And so, friends, whatever you may be facing today, I pray that you'll ask for God's supernatural gift of joy... We cant do it on any strength of our own. And see things through new eyes.

May our attitudes be right in whatever we're facing today...

Linking up here and here today

Im Lovin It

2012-01-21T11:21:00.000-05:00

I wanted to pop in today to share with you some things that Im loving right now. Life has been keeping us busy around here with the fire cleanup and trying to get our master bathroom renovation completed.(Had I mentioned that we'd painted the walls only three days before the fire? Grrr)

This amazing String Wall Art...perfect for Valentines Day

The blog giveaway over at Courtney's that made my weekend

My first set of latte bowls. A Christmas gift from my favorite mother in law:)

And the first peek of the new master bathroom. The colors are all wrong in this photo but you can get the idea. The walls are Benjamin Moore's Stonewall Jackson gray and the ruffled shower curtain(my Christmas gift from Eric) is also gray. I cant wait to give this room a post of its own. The Lord blessed us in so many ways as we made this room over. It took us a long time but the wait was well worth it. I won the curved shower curtain rod from CSN on a blog giveaway, the brand new light fixture was scored at the thrift store for only $7.99, and it just goes on from there.

Last night we got our first big snowfall of the season: about four or five inches! So I've already been out shoveling the sidewalk and enjoying the fresh, cold air. And now I'll sign off to make our family Saturday breakfast. Its a tradition we started long ago and then didn't get to do for a few weeks while we waited for cleanup to begin.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

No Place Like Home

2012-01-14T08:49:00.002-05:00

If you've ever been displaced from your home for any length of time or reason, you'll understand just how good it feels once you can be back in your own bed.We never planned on coming home to a fire..or the weeks ahead it would require us to be waiting for cleanup to begin. We had a night where the grandparents' schedules wouldn't allow the girls to stay with either set of them so we had them at home. Even though the house still reeks and we're waiting for the cleanup to begin, I can't tell you how good it was to have them home with us again. Nor how happy they were to be in their own rooms and beds...those simple comforts of home. They may not have had sheets on their beds but we termed it an adventure that they got to sleep sleeping-bag-style and they thought it was wonderful.

(and for anyone whos thinking that we're horrible parents to have them staying in their smoke damaged home, it was only one night and we have a huge machine that is filtering the air to make it safe to breathe...to the tune of nearly $100/day.)

And I can't thank you enough for your emails. They're so supportive and encouraging and I feel so blessed to be a part of this amazing blogging community.

We finally found someone to come clean the furnace ducts. He's coming today and the actual (3-4 day)cleanup will start Wednesday. Hard to believe at that point it'll have been two weeks since the fire. Its been such a long process to wait this out but at this point we're just very grateful that things are finally moving along.

Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus

2 Timothy 2:1

Linking up here today

Fire

2012-01-11T17:07:00.003-05:00

One week ago tonight, we came home from church to my worst nightmare. Sirens blaring and lights flashing...all in front of our home. All three levels of the house were lit and we could see firemen walking around everywhere inside. We had no idea what had happened or what the damage was.

But first let me back up. The pastor that spoke that night spoke on Hearing God's Voice and something that he said resonated with me that night during the sermon: God created us for fellowship with Him. Why wouldnt He want to talk with us? That was a lightbulb moment for me. He also said we shouldnt be surprised if/when God speaks to us in unconventional ways. (Remember this later)

So back to last Wednesday night: as soon as we pulled in the driveway I think my heart skipped a few beats. And I just started shaking. Our next door neighbors came up to us right away telling us everything was OK, our pets were safe,etc... Then they explained what happened.

Frank, the husband, had left his wallet in his truck so he went out to get it. When he turned around, he thought he saw smoke filling our house. But his wife is always telling him that his eyes are bad so he removed his glasses, cleaned them and put them back on. Thats when he heard our smoke alarm going off. He ran inside telling his wife to call 911 and tell them that our address was on fire. Then he came back over to our house and kicked the front door in to make sure our pets were safe.

The cause of the fire? We had left a huge shopping bag full of Panera bagels and baked goods on the back of our gas stove and the only thing we can figure is that the dog jumped up to get the goodies and turned the burners on full blast. By the time Frank got inside, the stove was quite the site.
Can you believe the timing though? This is the only actual fire damage in the house: a burned area on the wall right next to the stove.

That night, after hours of spraying Febreeze and air fresheners to try to rid the house of the smoke smell(which is useless, by the way) I was getting ready for bed and I found something on my nightstand: an alphabet verse card from homeschooling K last year. It was Abeka's F verse:

Fear not; for I am with you. Isaiah 43:5

This is not a coincidence, people. Id been shaking ever since we got home and feeling terrified. Why, you ask? Well, as I mentioned before: this is one of my worst nightmares. And while the house and animals(and us!) are all safe, there's still nothing like coming home to the scene we came home to and the fear that it could've all been GONE. All the what ifs? Sheer terror I had been experiencing.

And then He spoke: dont be afraid, Im right here. I literally said out loud "Ok, I hear you Lord!"

And then my thoughts changed. From terror to gratitude. And those feelings have only grown in the days since then.

THANK YOU for...

* Frank...who acted quickly and heroically

*Frank's wife... who took the girls over to their house when we were busy taking it all in

* my sister in law who brought all the bottles of Febreeze and air fresheners(& Reese's cups for me!)

*family and friends who started praying immediately when they found out...and then reached out.

*the meals(we cant use the stove at all right now)

*the offers of doing our laundry(we have laundry in different places-because what good does it do to wash it then bring it back into a smoke filled home?)

*offers of places to stay(one sweet lady even offered to leave her home and give us the keys so we could stay together as a family!)

*grandparents keeping the girls so they're not breathing the smoke in our home

*every email, card and note of encouragement.
*an awesome insurance company thats paying for everything: we're looking at over $7,000 in cleanup now!

We are so grateful! Its times like these when you really get to see the best in people as well as who's really willing to step out of their own comfort zone in order to reach out to you.

So where do we stand now?

Well, the girls have been at grandma's for a week now and we're sick of it. I mean, we're so thankful for the help but we want to be with our girls again. Its just not been safe for them to be here. The machine you see above was left behind by the cleaning company who came to do estimates for us on Monday. Its supposed to filter the air so Eric and I are safe breathing the air(on the first floor anyways).

We stink. Our home reeks even worse. Just think of every piece of your clothing being saturated with smoke.

We've had the cleaners(Monday) and our insurance company(yesterday) come give us estimates. But we can't hire them to come in and get started until I can find someone to come clean the furnace ducts(the smoke settles down into the ducts and then just blows through the house whenever the hear is on). Ive been making phone calls all day, on my lunch break and whenever I could get a free minute, to find someone. And Im having a really hard time finding anyone. The only positive one we found can't come until NEXT TUESDAY. And THEN we have to get the cleaning people in(which will take 3 days to complete). They'll wash everything from the walls, the cupboards(everything in and out), the mattresses, blinds,windows, carpet, etc...They're even going to repaint the kitchen. Its very thorough and we wont have to do any of it(Praise God!) but its all a waiting game at this point.

So my patience is being tested to the max.

Yet, we're keeping it all in perspective. We've been shown kindness every step of the way and we're so grateful.

So tonight, please dont take for granted the fresh air you're able to breathe in your home. Hug your kids a little tighter. Appreciate the ability to wear fresh laundry. And take your neighbors some cookies or something special. Afterall, they may just save your home some day!

Linking up here today with sweet Jami

Christmas 2011 Part 2-The Decor

2012-01-04T18:00:00.001-05:00

As I sit here with a splitting headache, Im going to let the pictures do most of the talking. But I will let you in on a little secret: December/Christmas time are is my most favorite time of the year to decorate and celebrate.

Free printable found here. Isnt it fabulous?

DIY-ed paper chain garlands made from sheet music. I used a music book from the thrift store and made a ton of these, even for my classroom. The kids thought Id committed a sin by ripping up old music I guess.

Another free printable which I printed from here

And no, Obadiahs isnt considered decor, per say, but he does seem to be everywhere these days. Hes a major cuddler. And we love it!

And I have some serious vintage Christmas ornament love. Although the rest of the Christmas decorations have been in the attic for days now, these are still gracing the top of the antique dresser in our hallway. I just love all the color and shiny-ness goin on here. The fact that most of these were scored in one day of thrifting for only 99 cents(yes, ALL of them...I have four huge jars filled with them) makes them even prettier to me:)

Whoops. Sorry for the shot there but I thought this one was funny. We have this huge old (original) window in our diningroom that looks out into the laundry room(weird) and he recently discovered how to climb up there. Watch out, deer. Amazon kitty will get you!

Our 2011 Family ornament. A gift from my inlaws. Yes, I cried. I mean its from Lisa Leonard, people!

The little gymnast got two neat ones...

And the big girl made this at the kids church Christmas party. Its that black paper stuff that you scratch off to reveal colors underneath. Check out her drawing in the middle. Simply awesome.

Our main tree with colored lights I hated. Curse you, Walmart and Kmart with your two million light choices! Next year, Im going back to white. Thankfully, my mercury tree in the diningroom still gave me my pretty fix for this year.

My grandmother's red dishes. I never met her because she was buried the day before I was born.

Our favorite place in the kitchen: the hot cocoa station. And my matching Christmas mugs. A score at Sams Club the day after Christmas. My girls thought they were in heaven because we had cocoa so often during our vacation.

And cocoa just isnt the same unless you can dunk a Christmas cookie in it

Reading central. New Christmas books, a boxed set which the girls and I are reading every night before bed while cuddled up in my bed, and hot cocoa of course.

Remember this spot in my house?

Somebody got new knobs. Courtesy of the Hobby Lobby half off sale. Im in love!

And Im not sure how cleaning this room one day...

...led to this. But Im sure you understand. I mean, dusting makes you want everything cleaner, more fresh, right? Well, it does with me. I just cant wait to rip the rest off of the other 3 flights. The condition of the wood is beautiful underneath...when all cleaned up, of course.

So there you have it: the Christmas decor of 2011. Part three is soon to follow. That'll be the actual recap of Christmas day.

Until then, thanks for reading and following along my friends. Ive been so blessed this year to get to know many of you, many even in real life. I look forward to much more of that!

Christmas Memories 2011-Part 1

2012-01-04T17:19:00.001-05:00

I can hardly believe that Christmas has come and gone. As has the New Year. We're back to school as of yesterday and Ive had this post milling around in my mind for days now but havent had the energy to start my recaps of our holidays.
Our December was jam packed pull of Christmas parties and get togethers. We like it that way because the rest of the year seems to fly by with regular appointments and weekly schedules and we finally get to sit back and relax with family and friends.
So, for us, December consisted of: our church's Christmas program at the nursing home, our worship team Christmas party, the annual youth group party at our house, seen here:

We decorated cookies and watched Christmas movies

Then we hosted our annual couples party. We had an amazing dessert buffet(I forgot to snap some photos, grrr), played Balderdash and had a great time with many of our friends from church.

We took my parents to see A Christmas Carol on stage as their gift from us. It was a really good performance

And for the first time in quite a few years had a Christmas program at church, put on by the Sunday School department.

I loved the angels' wings!

The big girl played a violin duet and did quite well since she got the music only about a week and a half before the performance! Shes always so serious when she plays, it cracks me up.

And both girls were kings. Yup, the girls had boy parts in the program. Thats what happens when you dont have a huge church:) Eric made the costumes(& metal crowns) for all three of the kings. Yup, he sews. Eat your hearts out ladies.

And then there was the Christmas Fun Day at school. Our last day of school we had nothing but food, games, class presents, and fun before our eleven day break from school.

Apparently, my co workers thought they'd be funny and put caution tape up all over my room. Silly teachers!

And thats just the beginning of my Christmas recap! I still need to document some of our home decor and Christmas day happenings. Stay tuned!

And as far as a 2011 recap, we'll see just how ambitious Im feeling. So far 2012 is starting off on the right foot: the dining room has been re-arranged with plans for a window/bench seat and built in bookshelves and we got my fabulous new shower curtain( my Christmas present on super sale, of course) and are waiting for the new paint(Stonewall Jackson gray) to dry on the walls. Hallelujah!

Of course I'll share the Before and Afters as soon as its done.

Girly Room on a Budget

2011-12-18T23:30:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the space my six year old calls her room. Soon the walls will change from cream to pink. Oh, pink. How I have tried to stay away from you by convincing her we could just bring in {pink} "accents."

This piece of embroidery was a gift to my mom when I was born thirty one years ago.

Her happy throw rug, $6 from Walmart last summer

Theres nothing quite like warm flannel sheets on a cold New York winter night.

Her love of all things girly. I plan to paint that wicker mirror frame soon. It was a thrifted find. $3

This highchair was mine when I was little. And my sister played with it ten years prior to that.

Pottery Barn mouse was an Easter gift.

Thrift store lamp(used to be blue but I painted it). Target shade. Pom pom fringe added by me.

Her antique bed is actually on loan to us from my sister who never planned to need it again. But now that she just had a baby girl(surprise!) it will be returned to her some day when they need it. My mom bought it for her at an estate sale for $50

I dont know if you can tell here or not but the footboard is rounded around the ends of the bed.

A cute little vintage suitcase(my old sewing machine was given to me in this) holds her jammies underneath the dresser.

And if you've been a reader here for awhile you'll remember this as the dresser I lugged home from a neighbor's who put it out to the curb. It was green when we brought it home and still needs another coat of paint but for now it works. You can beat free!

The old chair was handed down from my momma.

Frame was a gift from a fellow blogger(which I painted yellow). The frame and picture just make me smile every time I see it. Its so bright and cheerful, just like my sweet girl.

The pink dish is actually an old Pampered Chef serving dish. I found it thrifting a few weeks ago for $3. It holds her little necklaces, rings and bracelets.

I won two of these amazing customized name prints as part of a huge giveaway on Danielle's blog http://www.danielleburkleo.com/over the summer. The artist customized them for my girls with their names, birth dates, and their baby dedication verses. They're one of my favorite things we own. I just need to get them framed and hung for both girls.

And this special hoop art was created for me by Nicole when we participated in the hoop art swap over the summer. It was fun getting to know her through the swap and then I was even more excited to get to meet her in real life at Blog Sugar in September. This is another one of my favorite things as she really took the time to get to know my interests before making it for me. (My favorite movies of all time are the Anne of Green Gables series and this is a quote from them)

So there you have it... a space in my home Ive not really shared before. Probably the next time you see it it will be an entirely new color.

As I was taking these pictures I realized that nothing in her room is new except for maybe a few of her toys. Even those we tend to find at yard sales and consignment shops.

The Lord has blessed us richly through shopping on a tight budget and we dont take any of it for granted. It has allowed us to work toward becoming debt free, a huge goal of ours so that one day we can serve on the mission field full time.

*Oh and if you have any experience painting a pink room, please share your paint colors in the comments section below. To my husband, pink is pink. But like any color, when it comes to paint there are TOO MANY shades to choose from! Her room gets a ton of light throughout most of the day too.*

Linking up here with Heather and the other ladies who inspire me weekly to be looking for the lovely in every day life.

Have a lovely week everyone!

xoxo,

Sarah

A Family Addition

2011-12-14T21:25:00.000-05:00

I cant tell you how much this little guy was meant to be a part of our family. In fact, its shocking how things were confirmed over and over again. Even when it came down to his name.

Obadiah.

Whats that? He doesn't look like an Obadiah to you? Well how about Obie for short.

Eric AND the big girl(8) both felt that should be his name. Without talking to each other. Now explain THAT one.

Ridiculous? I dont think so.

He was her birthday gift. And theyre inseparable. He fits right into our home and lives perfectly.

And the dog loves chasing him around.

Baby, our older cat on the other hand... hates him. But he'll get used to him.

Theres nothing quite like a kitten who loves to ride on your shoulders as you walk around the house. And he loves to burrow down underneath the covers with us at night and lay on top of one of us, purring away like a machine.

I know hes hers. But I like to pretend hes mine. :)

Photo Shoot

2011-12-13T20:20:00.000-05:00

At last year's shoot, taken by me

Today we had the most amazing experience with a new photographer. Its a husband and wife team in our area and I was thrilled to find how modern and open they are. I even brought props from home... huge empty wall frames, a gold ampersand wall decor piece,etc...

We ended up shooting on train tracks and we're scheduled to do another shoot with them in two weeks, hoping to capture some more hours of sunlight. Our appointment today was at 4:00 and it was already getting dark by the time we decided to do an outdoor shoot as opposed to an indoor one. The next location is going to be amazing!

And the best part? Theyre working with us on a trade. Wanna hear how it all happened?

Knowing doing this was a dream of mine, Eric came up to me about two months ago, seemingly out of the blue one day, and said "why dont you start looking into local photographers and their pricing so we can do a family shoot?" (Picture me throwing my arms around him and thanking him profusely)

I kid you not... two days later we got a call from the wife of this photographer asking if she could book Eric for their daughter's birthday party. Though I'd heard of them, we'd never met them in person. So he agreed to do the party and I told him to ask if they'd exchange services. To which they gladly agreed.

Was that meant to be or what?

So thank you, honey... for giving up your paycheck for this particular job so that you could make a dream of mine come true. You're super selfless!

He told me tonight that he didnt care what they made us do during the shoot as long as I was happy with it.

Is he a keeper or what? :)

I hope you're all having a great week. Are you ready for Christmas?

Christmas in an 1860 Home

2011-12-07T21:07:00.001-05:00

Even as I type this, snow is quietly falling outside. Its a heavy, wet snow but still beautiful nonetheless.

This is "my" tree. Its silver, gold, teal and bling. Totally me.:) And its in our dining room, where it was last year.

Yes, this is a second tree. It holds all the ornaments we've collected since childhood. Our families buy ornaments for each of us(including the girls) every year so we enjoy putting them out each year and remembering why we received them. So many years of memories hang on this tree.

I cant begin to tell you how deep my love for mercury glass goes. But when I see a piece I can afford, I snatch it up. Its shiny, silvery, and again, totally me.

The girls and I made a vignette on the long window sill leading out to the laundry room. Usually this is an area that doesnt get decorated but not this year! We LOVE deer so again, this little display is something we really enjoyed creating. I already had the trees from various thrift stores and my mom. And the deer have been collected over time. I have some vintage deer also but you cant see them in these pictures.

My mantle. This fireplace is one of my favorite features in our home. Its a working gas fireplace in our living room and is angled in a corner.

Another shiny thing I love: my glass mosaic tree. Scored last year at Target the day after Christmas. My inlaws gave me a gift card there so I went the day after and snagged three of my mercury glass candleholders and this tree at rock bottom prices.

This is the view into our living and diningrooms if you're standing in the french doors of the living room(just inside the front door).

I found this antique frame at one of my favorite thrifting spots about two months ago. It has concave glass and everything! The only problem is I'll have to blow up a picture and crop it to fit the abnormal size. But even Eric loved it when he saw it. Just a neat piece. Stuck in the frame is a 4X6 print I got from Julie and Jeannette's workshop in September at BlogSugar. Its so hard to believe that was three months ago already!

And of course my yard sale mirror turned chalkboard DIY project has to reflect the season as well. Underneath this you'd be able to see what all is stored in our basement freezer. Its how we keep track of what we've got and what we need.

I dont think Ive ever shown these herre before but I have quite the collection of Gone with The Wind ornaments. Every year my faither in law gives me one or two based on whatever Hallmark comes out with that year. Its special because he goes every year in search of them for me. I probably have about fourteen of them now.

And with the snow falling, I was too cold to actually go out and take pictures of the front of the house so this is the best you'll get for now: pictures of our porch lights from the front door:)

This little guy is an OLD music box. My mom handed him down to me and I love it. I always remember her displaying this on her organ(the musical instrument, not an internal organ...obviously) at Christmas time.

So theres a little peek into our Christmas decor preparations. Have you started to decorate yet?
Im linking up here:

Maggie's Holiday Decor Inspiration Workshop

Eight.

2011-11-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

Dearest G,

Eight years ago, you changed our lives forever. As someone who never wanted to be "one of those stay at home moms," you changed my outlook on that and so much more the very minute I first laid eyes on you.

As a big tough guy who rarely cried, you had your daddy in tears as he just kept repeating "this is my daughter" as he held your new little body in his big strong arms.

While I vowed I would never again live in our tiny hometown valley area again, that all changed when we found out we were expecting you. I transferred jobs and we moved back home, closer to our families, so that we would have support and you would be surrounded by loving aunts, uncles, grandparents and great-grandparents. And then I quit that job to stay home with you and raise you. I just couldnt bear the thought of anyone else doing that for me. No amount of money was worth missing out on those milestones in your life.

I truly have never met a child with such a tender heart...toward others and toward the Lord. Your deep love of Jesus is and thought toward others is nothing but admirable. And I know God has big plans for your life.

I adore your love and care for animals. Even if it means we'll be adding yet another living thing to this home of ours:)

I love that smile of yours...

Your love of learning and reading makes me wish I had been like that when I was young.

The way you still love to cuddle and be held by us...

The relationship you have with your little sister. Some days its not all rainbows and unicorns around here. But most days, life is really good and you're the best of friends.

You bring so much joy into our lives that my heart just swells at the thought of you.

As you face the ups and downs this life brings, our prayer is that you'll always remember that you have a loving Savior by your side, leading and guiding you. And that you'll always seek His will for your life, not anyone else's.

May the desires He has placed in your heart come true abundantly and in His time.

I will remind you of the song that became a bit of a theme song while we waited for you:

In His time,

He makes all things beautiful,

In His time.

Lord please show me every day

as you're teaching me Your way,

and to do just what You say,

in Your time.

In Your time,

You make all things beautiful,

In Your time.

Lord, my life to You I bring,

May each song I have to sing,

Be to you a lovely thing,

In Your time.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!

We love you!

What I Wore: Dress Code

2011-11-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

Working in a small private school, I have a dress code. Its pretty general but as long as Im wearing a dress or skirt, tights or stockings then Im good. Some people would hate that. But I dont mind dressing up. Heres a sampling of some things I wear. Im heading out the door as I hit submit on this which is why its so short. Head on over to Lindseys to see hundreds of other ladies, dressed far better than myself for some fashion inspiration today. And have a great day!

Today:

Cabochon earrings, a Very Jane deal:

And of course, my Kady boots. Love them on cold days. Today is supposed to be 48(yesterday was 65!)

Thanks for taking a peek!

Easy PeasyTutorial: Upcycled Gift Tags

2011-11-27T23:30:00.002-05:00

What do you do with the old Christmas cards that friends and family send to you? In past years, Ive always just thrown them away at seasons' end. But for the last two years Ive held onto them. I enjoy looking back through them the following year, re-reading those infamous 'year in review' newsletters,etc... while we dig out the Christmas decorations.

This year, I decided to use them rather than just toss them into the recycling bin. Now I must clarify: this is not my original idea. In fact, you've probably already seen this idea somewhere else or even done it yourself. But for those who would never think of doing it, Im here for you.

What you"ll need:

Old Cards

Scissors

A decorative paper punch(Joanns and Michaels have great selections...use those coupons!)

All you have to do is look at your old cards and use a little creativity to figure out what part(s) of the card you want to use or punch out. Then repeat until you run out of useable card space.

So what are the scissors for? Well you need to trim the card in order to reach the portion you want to use.

Yes, this is a simple, no brainer activity. But I like to keep my hands busy, even when I'm exhausted. I dont like just sitting and doing nothing. And you might as well put those old cards to good use, right?

Here's my favorite card from last year:

And one of my favorite tags that I made (yes, from an old card):

In a very short period of time, I ended up with all of these. Now I dont have to buy gift tags. And they're way cuter than just writing someones name on the package.

Check out the variety!

Some of my personal favorites...

So have fun this holiday season. Take time to sit and create. It does a body good! It helps your wallet too!

Linking up here, as always. I love Heather's blog and was thrilled to not only meet & hug her but also to attend her workshop at BlogSugar in September. Please go show her some love today!

Also linking up with lisa here

*Dont forget the CYBERMONDAY sale going on in the shop: save 25% off everything currently in my shop with the code CYBERMONDAY25.

Happy Monday friends!

xoxo

Sarah

Joys & Sorrows

2011-11-27T00:00:00.004-05:00

We are very blessed to be surrounded by both sides of our immediate family. My inlaws live five blocks away and my parents live about 7 minutes away in a nearby town. I always swore to my husband we would never live here as a married couple but the minute I found out I was pregnant, we both wanted to move home. We knew we needed their support and love for such a big event in our lives. One of the big bonuses is that Ive never had to hire a babysitter...and I never will! Im totally spoiled in that area.

Well this Thanksgiving we were sad to say goodbye to Eric's aunt (& uncle) who were moving south to be closer to their son and his family. This little lady is quite the spitfire and she and I grew quite close as I helped them sell off their assets from a beautiful home that they built with their own hands. She asked me to take pictures of everything, make up a listing and then post and send it to everyone I knew, hoping they'd get some bites. We sold EVERYTHING in the house that way! In fact, the contents of the home were sold even before the house itself was sold. But they were thrilled that they didnt have to haul all of it south with them and they plan to just start over down there.

This was our last day with them and it has affected my oldest a great deal. In fact, its surprised me how saddened shes been by all of it. But then Eric reminded me that this girl does not like change. And as this aunt lived five minutes away and would drop in routinely on Saturday mornings at our house, this is going to be a big change.

Getting a few early birthday presents has helped the pain a little...

And then our joy was seeing this sweet girl again. Shes almost two months old already and growing like a weed!

We were thankful for all the smiles, even if it was just gas.

And my big sister is adjusting well to being a momy of a little girl. She doubted. But I knew what a little girl can do to a momma:)

Isnt she precious?

So although Thanksgiving Day was a bit of an emotional roller coaster around here, we still know we are very blessed to be surrounded by loving families(AKA an amazing support system), a church body, and one another.

And as you read this, we're heading a few hours south to attend that sweet baby girls baptism today.

I made this for dessert.

Happy Sunday, everyone!

xoxo,

Sarah

A HandbagsNPigtails CyberMonday SALE

2011-11-26T12:10:00.001-05:00

In honor of Small Business Saturday and the upcoming Cyber Monday, I've created a special disount code just for you. Handmade gifts are the best...to give AND to get. So from now until Monday night at midnight, you can use the code CYBERMONDAY25 which will save you a whopping 25%(discount does not apply to shipping or sales tax).

This offer applies to anything currently in the shop, not for custom orders. This means that as soon as payment is received, I can ship it out to you. There's no wait time!

In regards to that, for now I will no longer be taking custom orders. While I love creating one of a kind items for my customers, they just require too much of my time, of which I have little now that Im back to teaching full time. Im not saying it will always be like this. But for now, my family and my day job have preference. Sewing is my creative outlet and I prefer to enjoy it as opposed to get all stressed out over deadlines. I hope you all understand.

For now, have a wonderful weekend and go shopping!!!
Linking up here today...

xoxo,

Sarah

What I Wore Wednesday...Back in the Saddle

2011-11-23T08:38:00.000-05:00

It feels like ages since I last linked up for WIWW, but that comes with the territory of going back to work full time. If you're new here, welcome! Ive spent the last eight years as a work at home momma, raising my two girls and homeschooling my youngest last year. This year I returned to the working world as a third grade teacher. And Im loving it!

Life has been full of changes and adjustments over these past few months but I know God has placed me in this position and particular school and theres full contentment in that.

I clothe myself and my girls from local thrift stores and consignment shops. Everything you see here except my shoes and boots) were thrifted. I cant bring myself to shop in big ticket stores when I can find such great deals for mere dollars. A budget can be stretched alot further if you're willing to hunt for bargains.

I found this cute J.Crew bag(with quattrefoil print) over the summer for only $2.99. I added the polka dotted flower pin that I already had.

My beloved Kady boots from Target(last year). Hands down one of the best purchases Ive ever made for my wardrobe. I love them and wear them all the time.

My Paris necklace. A gift from my Mother in law last year(F21, I think)

And one of my favorite finds this year: vintage wool plaid skirts. Theyre great to pair with cardigans and boots.

I was able to link up today because the girls and I are officially on our Thanksgiving break today! Soon we're off to get haircuts and take a load of their outgrown Gymbo clothes to the consignment shop. I cant wait to show you the thrifted Cole Haan bag I recently found. It will blow you away!

Linking up here today with Lindsey

One Year Ago: The Most Magical Place on Earth

2011-11-20T16:54:00.002-05:00

I can hardly believe it: exactly one year ago, we were heading south as a family. Our family of four, my inlaws, and sister in law. Heading to Disney World!

We also got to spend time in Tampa with Eric's cousin and his family. It was the best of both worlds being with family and being on such an amazing vacation.

We spent the first day at Sea World...

I was really excited that everything was already decorated for Christmas while we were there. Being my favorite time of the year, it made it even more 'magical' as far as I was concerned.

Shark Encounter: the restaurant where you can eat, completely surrounded by sea life. Cool, but very expensive and we had a HUGE wait for our meals which was a downside with 7 starving people.

We saw some neat shows...

Of course the girls were most excited about this place...Magic Kingdom. I have to admit, I was too. Eric and I were here back in 1991 when our high school band traveled to march in the Disney Magic Music Days Parade. My youngest brother in law marched in the same parade last year while we were there. It was a huge flashback for us:)

This picture is kind of an inside joke for our family. Id gotten a Diamond Parking Pass off of Ebay for like seven dollars and we kept joking that we were like celebrities because of the pass. We got to go right through to the parking areas closest to the park. It may not sound that great but at the end of a very long day walking the park,we all agreed it was a lifesaver! I highly recommend buying one(it worked perfectly with no glitches....Ebay is still good for some things!)

My oldest has this "thing" for characters dressed up. She has an entire collection of characters she's had her picture taken with. So Magic Kingdom was right up her alley. The girls got autographs from a ton of different personalities.

I thought my youngest would pass out from the excitement of meeting Mary Poppins in real life. She loves that movie and of course the girls both thought these were THE characters straight out of the movies.

Getting ready to ride DUMBO

The teacups were awesome. Until the force of the ride made me lose my sunglasses. Now I hate that ride. The guy running it even gave me time to search for them but to no avail. My eyes are really sensitive in sunlight and I was desperate to find a new pair all day, which I never did.

The things we do for our kids. We were blessed enough to get through most lines very quickly. But then came the Princesses and Fairies. Eric took the little one to see the Princesses and got through the line in about half an hour. But the fairies? G and I were in line for....get this... TWO HOURS! And its not a line you cna just hop out of. We were in this long hallway with no doors(a.k.a. basically trapped).

At the end of the line she got to meet and talk with three or four fairies. She was excited but still agreed it was too long of a wait.

Waiting for the entertainment...

My sister in law hates parades with a capital P. But this parade was just as amazing as I remember it being when I was last here...at twelve years old. Just phenomenal!

Then came the closing show...the castle. I could've sat there all night watching it change colors.

This is my most favorite photo of our entire trip.

The little girl couldnt hold out any longer...

And before we knew it, we were back on the plane flying home.

Aunt Jessica proved invaluable in the airports. We always pick on her for overpacking but she had packed crafts and activities to keep the girls busy during all our hours of waiting.

The day after we got home, we put up our tree and decorated it and the house for Christmas.

The girls have already asked when they'll be able to go back to Disney. I cant answer that because I honestly dont see us ever doing it again with the missions trips we have coming up in our future. But I AM so blessed by family who made it possible for us to go last year.

Just one more thing to be thankful for this week...
Linking up here with Heather and here with Jami today, as usual.
Have a wonderful week and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Before You Know It

2011-11-14T07:14:00.001-05:00

Since we didnt have school on Friday, I ended up at the computer, spending the better part of the day going back through old online photo albums. Its always fun to do and the girls love seeing themselves when they were smaller. But I have to be totally honest with you...it made my heart ache.

It really does seem like just yesterday that I was changing diapers, bundling them up in bulky one piece snow suit buntings(and then trying to squeeze them into the infant car carrier), nursing them until I felt Id never be free, sleepless nights, you get the picture.

And Im sad to say, I think I missed out during those years. I was so focused on "Im never going to be done with all of this, Im never going to sleep peacefully again" mentality that I missed out on the joys of being home with my babies. Yes, I enjoyed it and felt very blessed to be able to raise them myself instead of sending them off to daycare. But I didnt appreciate it enough.

And now, in the blink of an eye, I have a six year old and my oldest will be eight next week. I have a lump in my throat just writing that. Growing up is hard to do...even for mommies.

Im so glad Ive realized these things before my girls go off to college and Im left with an empty nest. Im living with a resolve to make each day count. Because before I know it, I'll be old and gray. And they'll be grown and gone.

Lord, may I not lose today's joy because I am concentrating on today's chaos.

What special scenes of mothering are you carrying in your mind today? All too soon they'll become special memories sewn forever into your heart.

Linking up here for Life Made Lovely Monday

Oh Happy Day...

2011-11-12T17:37:00.001-05:00

Ever since Julie announced that she and Jeanette were launching this project, Ive been excited about it. I dont know about you but I always want to bless people or reach out, but many times I struggle with how to do that. That probably sounds silly but honestly, I overthink things. I make it more complicated than it should be. I worry "should I give the person on my mind M&Ms? Peanut or plain? What if they dont like those? Should I choose a different kind of candy?" And then I end up just not doing anything at all. Its bogus, really.

If someone organizes a plan, Im all about helping out with that plan. Im just not good of thinking things up on my own. Just bein' honest here folks.

So Im learning that its more the thought that counts rather than "what if someone has allergies?" Or doesnt like this flavor? And I know this firsthand. Because someone's been leaving me little gifts at school, anonymously(If its you and you're reading this, Im totally like a kid on Christmas morning when I find them!:))

The girls and I whipped up this box of....yes, BOXED treats. I'm all about homemade whenever possible. But I simply didnt have the time or energy. And these were in the pantry. Problem solved.

Where will they be going? To our neighbors. Wrapped up all pretty. But its not about the wrapping or even whats on the plate. Its about taking the time to show that you care and are thinking about someone. And yes, we're coming upon the holiday season. But I want to adopt this as an all year round attitude. Not just during the holidays.

Fun printable from here

Who could YOU surprise today?

Sending a Thank You

2011-11-11T14:58:00.000-05:00

We are thankful, today and every day, for the men and women in uniform who have fought or are fighting to ensure our freedom here in the U.S. Sure, its great having a day off from school. In fact, some of us are still in our jammies. But we're working to send some love to one of our own.

The young man in the blue fleece (& orange shirt) below grew up in our youth group. We've known him from a very young age. And now he's all grown up, recently married and performing patrols in faroff lands.

Our small school collected items for a Christmas care package for him all week. The kids wrote letters, drew pictures and thanked him for fighting for them. Some of the cards in particular were really thoughtful and touching. I am glad to say that so much was donated that we're now going to send him TWO boxes. We're praying he will be really blessed by them, since he'll be far from the comforts of home this Christmas season.

In case you didnt know, tomorrow is the last day to get your care packages sent overseas, at a discounted rate, thanks to the United States Postal Service. Fill a box with snacks, toiletries, books, pictures and handwritten letters.This site has great ideas of what to send. Its sure to be appreciated!

And I cant wait to share with you what we've been doing to participate in The Happy Day Project with Julie and Jeannette. I got to meet and hug these ladies in person back in September at Blog Sugar and they truly have hearts that long to make the world a better place, one small step at a time.

Happy Veteran's Day and have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

Sarah

Its Over

2011-11-07T07:28:00.000-05:00

This year was a short soccer season for the big girl. Her head coaches didnt start practices until most teams had already been at it for weeks. The practices were light and only 1 hour long. But you know what? I was OK with that. It wasnt a huge time commitment that we were saying yes to and we still had time to get home after practice and relax or eat dinner together as a family.

She told me at the start of the season that she hated the practices, loved the games. Ah, yes. But she learned to persevere. And had a blast throughout the season, looking forward to every Saturday's game.

Her coaches made it fun for the kids and they even asked Eric to come on board and assist them more than once when one of the head coaches couldnt be there. The three of them had great rapport together and it was amazing to see how much G loved having her daddy as a coach.

And to say she was smitten with her head coach is an understatement. She even allowed him to call her by a nickname that NO ONE else has been able to call her. Ever since, its now OK to call her by that name. Check out her arms here. Can you say awkward? :)

We're thankful that she had a fun season and got to know some new kids. We live in a really small "valley" area but there are 700 kids in the program.

Im even more thankful that we have one more free night in our week as opposed to going to practice. Because that night is now our Spanish class night at the church. Did you miss why we're taking the class? If so, catch up here.

Im linking up here today with Heather and the others.

Have a lovely Monday everyone!

Colorful Fun

2011-11-06T17:01:00.000-05:00

Last weekend while we were buying apples(for more homemade apple pies), we bought two small pumpkins for the girls. Id been promising them we could do some sort of craft with pumpkins once we bought some.

We dont celebrate Halloween in our home and there's no pumpkin carving going on but I thought the girls would enjoy using their creativity to paint their pumpkins. We dug out all of our paints from the art cabinet in our dining room and set to work. I painted a chevron pattern on paper and even Eric joined in, making some sort of pumpkin origami thingy at his end of the table.

We showed the girls the difference between acrylic paints and just regular Crayola tempera type paints. Discovery: acrylic paints work MUCH better on pumpkins:)

They made a huge mess but it was all contained on the table so I couldnt complain. They loved their small pumpkins and displayed them in their bedrooms. Until I found the rainbow one(below) rotting into the hardwood floor in big girls room. UGH.... I guess I can be thankful that we havent refinished the floors yet. That'll probably be next summer.

I LOVE this one...

As always, we try to think up fun crafts and activities that keep our hands and minds busy. This was a fun one for the girls and they got to experiment with different types of paints so it was even a tad educational.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend!

See you tomorrow for Life Made Lovely Monday!

Just Another Sunrise?

2011-11-04T17:27:00.000-04:00

Ive said it before and I'll say it again: I NEVER get tired of the view on my drive to school every morning. I caught this sunrise yesterday morning. God's creation just literally blows my mind. It excites me every morning. It calms me down on the ride home. And there have been some rough days lately.

We serve a creator who creates amazing masterpieces every day. Are we missing them because we're too tired? Busy? Worn down? Discouraged? In pain? Lonely? Empty? Look around you. He's there. Even if you feel like He's silent, not speaking to you. He's right there.

Warning: you might need to slow down in order to see them. Im CHOOSING to do this lately! Life will never slow down on its own. Especially as long as we keep saying 'yes' to every commitment, club, or sport that comes across our path. Sometimes we have to choose a slower pace.

His mercies are new every morning

And this is what we received last weekend... its all gone now but gave us a good preview of whats soon to come.

The Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases

His mercies never come to an end

They are new every morning

New every morning

Great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord

Great is They faithfulness

Linking up here today. Be encouraged.

You are loved.

You are wanted.

You were bought with a price!

An Heirloom, A Call and a Class

2011-10-31T00:00:00.039-04:00

What on earth could I possibly mean by that heading? Well, Im going to fill you in on some big news. First, we inherited this old typewriter from Eric's aunt who is selling her home and moving south to be nearer to her grandchildren. However, this piece belonged to Eric's grandfather, a very educated man who became a teacher after coming to the US. She told me that her dad bought the typewriter back in the days when teachers had to hand write everything. He'd hoped this would save him some time. He saved up for it when money was a hard thing to come by. And years later this same aunt then took it to college with her. Its special not only because it belonged to him but also because it has all the Spanish marks of punctuation as well. As someone who holds a B.A. in Spanish I really love this!
Next, the Call. Today after a period of waiting, we told my family that this summer Eric and I will be heading to Central America to teach in Bible schools and churches affiliated with our fellowship. This is huge for us because since we got married ten years ago we knew we'd one day be called to the mission field but didnt know when. We do feel that some day it will be more full time work as well but for now, we'll be heading there at a point this coming summer. Its an intensive week that we'll be preparing for but we also know that the timing is right. Ive struggled with some lets call them "minor issues," surrounding this news and alot of that is what Ive been referring to in my latest posts. God has been stretching and testing me. And I do feel as though He's beginning to show me the light at the end of the tunnel. Trials are never fun to go through but He gives the grace and knowing that I'll come out on the other side having learned something gives me hope.
Now concerning the class: Since our news is now out in the open, we'll begin taking a weekly Spanish class at the church, taught by one of the sweetest Mexican ladies ever. Shes a good friend of ours and has been hounding us for ages to brush up on our Spanish. Now is the time of preparation.
So pray for me. One, that I'll continue to press in to the Lord in this time as He prepares us. Two, that I'll do well in this class(itd be pretty shameful if I didnt, holding the degree that I do) :) And Three, that I'll be open to anything new He brings our/my way and that my response time will be quicker when He does. My goal is to be obedient and accepting of whatever He brings my way. And that most of all, I'll be able to walk those roads with a joyful spirit. I dont want to go through life with a sour attitude. Im choosing joy but I dont always feel it.
So, in a nutshell, thats whats going on here. Big stuff, I know.(Trust me, Im still coping with it all myself). I have so appreciated all of your sweet and uplifting comments and emails lately. Please keep them coming. Some days it was the only light I felt in the day when I read them!
Have a lovely Monday everyone!
Linking up here with Heather and the others today...

Where You Go, I Will Go

2011-10-28T19:52:00.001-04:00

In this house, we believe in hobbies. Creativity. Using our imaginations. Time spent together as a family. Everyone sitting down to the table. Yes, every night.
We dont have Cable Tv. In fact, we dont even get local channels. Just Netflix and our DVD collection. And radio. Oh, how we love our Christian radio programs like Focus on the Family, Adventures in Odyssey and other radio dramas.

We believe in being frugal. Thrifting. Scoring deals. And saving money. We're working on becoming debt-free. We have a call on our lives to the mission fields of Central & South America and therefore cannot have debt weighing us down.

We believe in hospitality. Opening our home to friends and missionaries. Providing comfort to those in need. Yes, we've been burned in the past by those who took advantage of that. We've become wiser through those situations. But we believe in supporting others in the Body of Christ however we can. We know we've been blessed with a home for this season of our lives. And we choose to share it with others.

We believe that our children are precious. That they are born with a purpose. Have a call on their lives. We are raising them to love and fear the Lord. To seek His will for their lives. To love Him with all their hearts. We're giving them a legacy of faith. Of hope. Of a future.

We've been through rough waters in the past. We know those times of trials and testing will come again. But they mean that we're loved. We're being tested and stretched because God has bigger, better things for us than we could ever imagine. We want to be clay in the Potter's hand.

Life, at times,seems like a maze. A puzzle we must solve. We want to know everything. Have all the answers. Be assured of whats coming next. Thats just part of our human nature. But Ive been learning if I knew everything that was ahead I would probably hide in a corner. Life is hard, thats no secret. But I want to LIVE life. Be challenged. G-R-O-W. Become more like Christ. And in order to do that, I must be taught in baby steps. "This is the way... just follow Me"

Life is not always pretty. Its real. Its dirty. Its messy. People disappoint. Kids test your patience. They WHINE(oh, how I hate whining!). You make friends. You lose friends. Fall in love. Wonder what you were ever thinking. Forgive. Go through periods of plenty. And years of just scraping by. It gets lonely. People you love get sick. Some die. Tragedies strike, seemingly out of nowhere. But its all part of something bigger.Decisions must be made.

Through it all, we have a Heavenly Father who we can cling to. Cry out to. And thats what we choose to do in this family.

Its not always easy. In fact, I've been tested and tried more this past year than any other time in my life. Yes, Im young(31). But I know God has big plans for my life. For the life Ive made with my husband and girls. He's taking us places. Sooner than later.(And yes, thats a hint). Pray for us. I need His grace. In the big things. And in many small things. Things I shouldnt be worrying about. Things I should "just let go of."

Ten years ago, I made a vow: In good times and in bad Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people. And your God, my God. I meant that then. I mean it now. In more ways than I could've ever imagined.
And to be honest, Im madly excited to see what else He has in store for us!
Stay tuned...
Linking up here today with over 7,000 other bloggers. Come on over and introduce yourself!

Signs of Fall

2011-10-26T17:41:00.000-04:00

I never used to care for Fall. Not that theres anything wrong with it; Ive just always loved the winter seasons, surrounding my favorite holiday, Christmas. But over the last two years Ive come to really enjoy the changing seasons we experience here in New York. Its like God's paintbrush just takes over, coloring the trees in vivid shades of red, orange and yellow.

Fall also means birthdays. I cant believe my baby turned six last week. In lieu of a big party with friends, we chose to invite just our families for a sit down dinner. On a Sunday afternoon. After church. Which Ive never done. And there were 15 people. Eric and I made two kinds of ham( orange glazed and brown sugar glazed) in the crockpots, homemade mac-n-cheese(in another huge crockpot), green bean casserole, corn casserole, and the works. Needless to say, the party was a success and it was a huge blessing to be surrounded by both sides of our families, but I was ex-hausted by the end of the party. Id been working endlessly for two days and was actually glad to go back to school on Monday for a break:)

Some birthday gifts from Great Grammy and the custom handmade cape that Eric made for his little girl. Its her Princess Superhero cape. He did all the felting and everything. And the one for G's birthday is 99% done for next month. Hers is a huge artists' palette with her G initial on it. Seriously, he knocks my socks off.

Heres all the kids...us, the girls, aunt and uncles(Erics siblings):

And I was really sad that I didnt get to snuggle with my birthday girl that night before she fell asleep. So I snuck in anyways and stole a kiss. Six. Honestly, I dont know where the time has gone....{sniff, snot, slobber...}

The view out our bathroom window of the neighbors tree. I love this tree.

And some scenes out front of our fall decor. The pumpkins, bale of hay and cornstalks(which you cant see here but flank our front pillars) were a gift from my parents. The huge bucket of mums came from Sams Club. A whopping $15. I seriously love that place!

We dont celebrate halloween in our home but Im loving all the other fun things that surround this season. The colors, the crisp cool air, wearing jeans, sweaters and boots once again!
And guess what? Theyre calling for snow tomorrow!!!

Honoring My Husband

2011-10-23T21:09:00.001-04:00

I dont think I can even put into words how much I love this man. We've weathered high school, college and ten years of marriage together. Ive always adored him and defended him whenever I could. He is truly one of the most multi-talented people Ive ever known. He has a brilliant mind. Is a dedicated father and husband. Faithful. But most of all, he seeks to honor the Lord in all he says and does. He gives things up at the drop of a pin if he feels the Lord requires them. He studies faithfully every.single.night, even hours after the girls and I are in bed. Soon he'll add a Bachelors of Theology to his credentials.
I have always determined in my heart that I would honor my husband in all I said and did. Ive never wanted to nag him or talk down about him to my friends.Why? Lets just say I didnt want to repeat alot of what I saw in the family members around me growing up. Of course thats been tested here and there over the years but never so much so as recently. While I cannot yet share what this specifically pertains to, I will be honest. Its been hard. I still love him with all of my heart. I know that the decisions he's making on behalf of our family are solely God-honoring. And right for us. So what is my problem? Im struggling with accepting the decisions and having a joyful attitude in them. I want to come through these trials with a sweet, obedient spirit. But its also not just a switch I can turn on instantly.
I cringe when I hear women nagging their husbands. Degrading them. Making cruel jokes about them to their friends. While I know that not every marriage is a good one, I do believe its a life choice. Once you make it, theres no turning back. And Im thankful every day that I was chosen for this man before I was even created in my mothers womb.
Im just praying that the Lord will give me the grace to accept these situations, these trials, in my life and come out victoriously on the other side. I dont want to fail the test. I want to pass with flying colors.
Has this ever been an issue in your marriage?
Linking up here with my sweet friend Jami. Hop on over to be encouraged today!

A Love for Books

2011-10-22T17:28:00.001-04:00

When was the last time YOU visited the library?
Im ashamed to say ours is literally down the street but I always forget to take the girls. We went Tuesday after school and spent an hour there. The girls read and did puzzles while I graded science quizzes. The big girl signed up for her very own card as we left.

I couldnt help but think back to all the Wednesday mornings we spent at Story Hour here when my girls were babies. I know that fun events there helped foster their love of reading.

We came home with a huge stack of books and plans to try to go weekly. Its fun for them, free, and a good activity especially in the cold, winter months.

Books are always on our Christmas lists. They can take you anywhere and you can be whomever you want to be. They require the use of imaginations. We're big on that around here.

Ive missed posting regularly but there is just no time for it right now. I cant wait to share with you, my lovely readers, all thats going on here. But for now, you'll have to endure the sporadic posts and lengthy breaks in between. Thanks for understanding.

She Stole My Camera

2011-10-13T16:11:00.000-04:00

One day last week the little one came to me, asking if she could take pictures with my camera. I obliged, since I always want the girls trying out new hobbies and such. And her Fisher Price KidTough camera just doesnt cut it anymore. So if you're in the market for a used one, let me know.:)
Anyhoo, back to the pictures. I was really excited to find these that night after forgetting that Id loaned out my "baby." The one above shows the beaded keychains her big sister has been making by the masses and the ones below are her version of What I Wore Wednesdays. Remember how I used to be so faithful at those posts each week? Well, teaching full time leaves little time or energy for those anymore. But a little certain someone hasnt forgotten seeing mommy take pictures in the mirror. These cracked me right up. Check out her serious face!

And I smiled as I realized where the camera was for this one...flat on the floor.

Her Fancy Nancy doll that she got last Christmas...

Big sister's Molly doll...

Another 'floor' shot...

Big sister writing a letter to her penpal...

Big sister's dresser(a free curbside find)...

She didnt do too badly...for a 5 year old. Speaking of which, Im soaking up all the 5 year old-ness left in her these last couple of days. Pretty soon I'll have a birthday girl{sniff sniff}. We're not doing a big party with friends and family this year. Just a quiet family-wide dinner here on Sunday night. We told both girls we'd be taking a break from big parties but would take them each to do something special for their birthday. The little one wants to go horseback riding and eat donuts and the big one wants to go to Denny's for breakfast, have a friend over and eat one of daddy's special creations, custom created just for her.See last year's Olivia cake here .I cant seem to find G's soccer cake in my archives. Insert audible GRRRRR here.

Simply a Miracle

2011-10-11T17:39:00.002-04:00

Oh how I wish that I could be blogging every single day right now. Theres so much going on in our lives, almost so much I dont know where to begin. So for now I will back up and tell you where we were this weekend. My big sister was scheduled to have her baby girl yesterday morning first thing.
Its been almost 6 years to the day since the last baby was born in our family: my youngest daughter. She turns 6 in a few days. My sister was there for that. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be delivering herself in a few years.

This was taken the night before her delivery when we visited them at home. I thought it was sweet that my dad jumped in the picture...so not like him.

The entire process and wait has been hard on my dad. If you've followed along here for any length of time, you know that we're very blessed to have him here with us after years and years of cancers, surgeries and scary situations surrounding his health. He wouldnt say it, but he was a nervous wreck yesterday. I could tell.

As is usual, timing in the hospital didnt go according to plan. And there were bumps along the way. But the wait was totally worth it.

Here she is! And every time I saw my nephew hold his baby sister, I flashed back to 14 years ago when we waited in this very same hospital for him to be born. I was still in high school and he was the cutest, fattest baby Id ever seen.

My mom with her newest(*and last, I might add, ahem*) granddaughter. I kept telling my parents to enjoy this: their last grandbaby. I think theyre fully aware of that fact which made this event even more precious to them.

Smitten was the word of the day. G just kept asking to "hold her again." Shes too young to remember holding her own sister 6 years ago and she got all surprised at one point saying "mommy, shes moving around!" Ah, yes honey...thats a little person you're holding. Shes little but she can move.

K kept giggling and laughing because the baby got hiccups while she was holding her:)

I could have held her all day. And no, I dont want more babies. I enjoy them more when I can hand them back to their momma and I can go home. But Ive been praying for and over this sweet little niece of mine. That God will get ahold of her at a young age and that she'll make the choice to follow Him for all her days. A Godly heritage. Oh, may it be.

And this was our scene last night as we drove the hours in the car back home. Such a lovely ending to a perfect day.

Theres nothing simple about new life. Except that its simply a miracle!
Linking up here with Amy and the others for Virtual Coffee.

Weekend Recap

2011-10-03T22:04:00.001-04:00

After all the excitement last weekend surrounding my travels to BlogSugar, I was thrilled to have a rather slow week with my girls here at home. We had the week off from school so it mainly entailed my getting caught up on housework, emails and Etsy shop orders,upcoming giveaways, sleep and hanging with my family. So basically, heaven on earth.

This weekend came and went all too quickly. On Friday night, Eric and I got to go out on a much-needed date. We ate out, I wore some sassy new shoes, and we went to see this. We're a huge fan of their films and had been waiting well over a year for the release of this new one. All I can say is: WOW! It was their best yet: very convicting and thought provoking. And they did a great job of mixing in good humor amidst some intense sadness. As you know, we are very conservative when it comes to what we allow into our home as far as media goes. We dont have cable or satellite nor do we even get local channels. Yes, we have TVs. But they're for Netflix and videos we choose to watch. We're big advocates of hobbies and family activities as opposed to plunking ourselves down in front of the tube.(For another review of this movie, see what Sara had to say here)

Saturday, we had G's weekly soccer game. And we froze...literally. Not only was it freezing cold but the wind was whipping pretty hard. Eric went and bought a hot chocolate just to warm his hands and the little one literally hid her entire body under my sunflower fleece blanket. G's team got trounced but she played hard and well.

I took pleasure in whipping the (theoretical) pants off hubby at this game. My mom got it for us last year at Christmas. Its such a fun game...much more so than Scrabble even, although they're similar.

And we decided to try out Jami's quick and easy recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent.

My sister- in- law Jess always picks on us and says she swears we're trying to be Amish because we make our own honey, ice cream, bread,grow our own veggies and anything else we can do homemade. I just tell her to "shut up" explaining that everything is better homemade. Her argument: why would I waste my time making something if I can just go to the store and BUY it? (Contrary to how all of that might have sounded, we have a great relationship and do this all in good humor:)) Someday I'll convert you,Jess. Someday....

I hope you're all having a great week. I'll be back soon to share a big obstacle we just overcame with our sweet girls.

Taming the Lion: A Before & After

2011-09-29T21:42:00.001-04:00

I can hardly believe it but its been an entire year since we first gave the little one a wedge cut. It was right before her Olivia the Pig birthday party and I couldnt believe how much it changed her look. Im not one to get regularly scheduled cuts for my girls. Its too expensive. but I cant maintain her cut myself. The above picture is proof of that. We kept joking that she was looking like a lion.

Until today... Carly brought her back! Such a clean, fresh cut.

She loves to get all fancied up. Every single day. She prefers to wear dresses and I cant keep her out of my hair accessories and jewelry. Shes always stealing them! Her newest favorite is the headband Shauna just gave me. She was so excited to wear it today!And look girls...she can totally pull the look off, unlike her momma.:)

And even more excitement for the day: she finally lost tooth #2. Shes been workin on that one for weeks. This is just me but I hate it when my girls lose teeth. Not only does it gross me out but it scares me. My big girl has already been to three orthodontist appointments. She's seven. And her teeth were perfect before she started losing them.
But honestly, how can you not smile when you see this? :)

I hope you're having a great week!

We just got all the photobooth pics from BlogSugar today. I cant wait to share them with you!

xo,

Sarah

Blog Sugar- The Friendships

2011-09-28T22:06:00.000-04:00

{Above photo collage borrowed from Danielle}
Leading up to my big trip this past weekend, people (here at home) would ask the inevitable question: "why are you going to California all by yourself?" And when I would answer: for a Christian blogging conference and to meet up with friends most would respond with a simple "ohhhhh." As if they couldn't fathom why I would do such a thing. I do understand its not the norm. At least not around here. Its not like everyone you meet in a small town is blogging and making those connections. But those connections were exactly why I made the trek 3000 miles and countless flight hours away. I wanted to put faces to these online personalities Id been talking with for months. To be sure they were real people.To connect in a deeper way with them. And I must say, I was completely blown away by these women.

Upon meeting someone you've never met before, things are usually very sterile. Filled with manners and technicalities. That was not the case this past weekend.We'd run into each others arms, sometimes laughing, sometimes screaming, sometimes just full of smiles. But it was all warm. Afterall, we already "knew" each other from reading each others blogs. {I'll be blogging more about what we saw, ate and talked about and of course BlogSugar the event, in the days to come. But for now, I want to focus on the women. Because they made this an unforgettable life experience for me}. There was no caddy-ness, no gossipping, no backbiting. It was just like one huge reunion.
Rachel(above) was the one who spearheaded the event along with two other ladies whom I'll mention in a future post. She and I have commented & emailed back and forth over the past year but I figured she'd be so busy with all the planning of everything that I may not get a chance to meet her in person. Boy was I wrong. Not only was I smitten with her outward(gorgeous, people!) appearance, but she threw her arms around me, shouting my name and then came back for a second round when we got interrupted the first time. She made me feel so completely welcome and I was blown away by her warmth and love.

Aly and Alyss. Id never talked with Alyss before but her smile alone puts you instantly at ease and one phrase from her made me love her instantly: "curves are cool." See? I told you she was fabulous! Her mother had gone undercover like a day or two before the event, contacting Rachel(above) and got her a ticket. We were so blessed to have her stay and hang out with us for the weekend. And Aly made a huge impression on me with her quiet, gentle spirit. I long for that. I pray for that. Some day, I hope the Lord grants me that desire. She's pregnant with her second daughter and was just the picture of pregnant perfection all weekend. I wish Id had her style when I was sportin my baby bumps!

{Mindy, Aly, Jami, April}

{Jami, Leslie, and Shauna}

P.S. I got to spend the entire weekend with Leslie, Shauna, Jami, Aly and Alyss and Mindy hung out with us a bunch too. Our accomodations were at an amazing resort in Newport Beach where we had an ocean view every morning. Not too shabby,eh?

So did I have fun? You'd better believe it! How could I not while surrounded by all these dynamic ladies in one place?

Please be sure to click on their blog links I included for their recaps as well. (Theres more proof in their posts that I was acutally there since these dont prove it:)

Stay tuned for more BlogSugar posts to come in the next few days.Theres just too much for one post!

I hope you're having a wonderful week!

xo,

Sarah

I Finally Got Around to it!

2011-09-20T16:50:00.004-04:00

As you may recall, I got alot of sewing accomplished this summer even though it was our busiest yet. Its such an outlet for me and Im very thankful for any time I get to sit at my machine and create fun new items.
Sadly, I never could seem to find the time to update my Etsy shop. Here lay piles of inventory and yet at the end of the day I just didnt have the energy to take pictures, create the listings,etc... Until the other day! On Saturday morning I spent the good portion of the morning hours getting things listed. I still didnt get to it all but there are a bunch of ruffled bags and zippered pouches up for grabs over there. Each one is totally different from the next so browse around and get started on your Christmas shopping. I heard that as of today, its only like 100 days away. Can you believe that?!

If you do make a purchase this week, I'll get it in the mail as soon as possible. Keep reading for more info on that...

{I just had to include another pic of the first quilt Ive made; a baby shower gift for my sister}

I can ship orders out as late as Thursday and thats it. Why? Well, Im takin a little trip you see... I cant believe its here already but Im madly excited that it is:) Id love to promise that I'll send you updates and pictures as the weekend in California progresses but I its possible that I'll be too excited meeting everyone and making a starstruck fool of myself to sit down and actually fit a post in.

Are you going? Id love to meet you in person. We can sit down and get to know one another over a yummy cupcake. Sound good?

Right Here, Right Now

2011-09-13T21:58:00.005-04:00

Photo by Michael Forster Rothbart for Press Connects

I saw it here

As I sit here tonight, exhausted from a long day at school, I cant stop thinking about our neighbors. Many people we know were forever affected by this flood. Many more we dont know.

Its been hard for me because I want to be there, helping with my hands. Doing something. But now that Im teaching thats just not possible. I am thankful that the girls school where I teach(in a flood-free zone) is still open. Many area schools are closed, now for the second week in a row, including my husband's school. He only had his students for a half day on the first day of school and then the rains came, the flood waters rose and people were all of a sudden losing their homes and everything they owned.Those schools havent opened since. His school's basement got water which ruined their boilers, they lost electricity, and the (new)bus garage was flooded. Roads are impassible as you'll see on Abbey's blog here and here. Its just gut-wrenching.

People have lost everything. Like my brother in law. Like friends of ours from church. Customers we've worked with for years.

The blessing in Eric being home this week is that he can be there in person, helping out. But what a massive job it is. Its heartbreaking to hear how these people must pick and choose what goes and what stays. Most of it can only be tossed away.

Tomorrow the dump trucks roll into town to clear the rubbage. Theres so much of it that they are now concerned about fire hazards.

Its in times like these that you see some of the best in people(communities pulling together,churches feeding the helpers, etc...) and also some of the worst in people(looting).

We even had a young man and older woman walk up our street trying to pawn off 14 karat gold jewelry saying they needed to feed children. And though we're only minutes from it, we're not in the flood zones. Its sad to say we feel we have to be on guard right now.

Thank you all so much for your comments, emails and even phone texts. We've been very blessed by your prayers for our community.

And I hope to be back soon with some more uplifting posts. Right now it just feels like we're running on auto pilot.

Blessings to you all,

Sarah

Flooding & Devastation

2011-09-08T21:28:00.008-04:00

Originally, I had planned to share the progress of our master bath renovation with you tonight. But that seems completely out of place right now.

How can it be that something that looks so beautiful from the view I have each day...
Can swell so fast and cause so much devastation?

You've probably seen our "valley" on the national news either yesterday or today but had no idea you "knew" someone from there. Well, welcome to one of the towns about a 5 minute drive from our front door:

Tears just flew freely when we saw this tonight.

This is Sarah. She and her husband hired Eric to entertain the kids at their wedding reception last summer with his balloon creations. She hired me to make bags for all her bridesmaids. Then they bought a house in one of the nicest areas of this town. Big, beautiful old homes. Down that street straight ahead of her. They were evacuated at 5 am this morning by the police.

Then we walked down the road a little way to the biggest playground in the area. The smell of petroleum and gas was so overwhelming it almost made you gag on the spot. And yes, we're all on a boil water advisory.

My heart is just aching for our "neighbors." We'll be looking for ways to help out in the days and weeks ahead for sure. Im so thankful we were protected but my heart literally aches for these families.

My 28 year old brother in law lost everything as a result of these rains. My (8 month along) pregnant sister and her family were told to evacuate their city 2 hours south of here. She's decided to stay. So as you can imagine, we're on high alert...and ready to smack her.

I still have a headache from all the different smells mixed together: gas, sewage,etc...

And this is what our interstate looks like. Trucks bumper to bumper because they can't travel any further right now. The interstate has been closed in some areas because cities further south of us are also flooded. I even feel sorry for the truckers. No one planned on this. Everyone was just going about their daily business.

Its very ironic that within the past two weeks we've now experienced an earthquake(yes, I havent even blogged about that here) and now this disastrous flood. Ironic because we live in a part of the US that never sees things like this happen.

As Sarah(above) put it, "its just stuff. Furniture, belongings. We're safe. Thats what matters."

Please keep our towns in your prayers. Its going to take a long time for these families and businesses to recover. Most did not have flood insurance. Because they never thought this would happen to them.

So while Im thrilled to have our master bath nearly completed, its on the backburner right now. I'll share more when Im able.

And I hope you're safe and dry wherever you're reading this from tonight.

My View on the Way to Work

2011-09-06T17:30:00.004-04:00

Thick layers of fog hide the valley in the early morning hours

Ive said it before, I'll say it again: I will NEVER get tired of this view. And how blessed I am that I get to see it twice a day now on my way to and from work.

The girls and I always brace ourselves for what we might see: a group of turkeys, the year old foxes, the deer and her fawn(saw them this morning),the owl we once saw right in the road or the 6+ point buck we saw last week. Its always an adventure. Unfortunately, my camera has never caught them. Because Im driving, trying to reach our destinattion safely and all.
God's creation is so completely awesome! I always feel so close to him when Im surrounded by his beauty.

Linking up over here today for the first time with one of my best bloggy BFFs, Jami.

So hop on over there and be encouraged.

xo,

Sarah

Labor Day Indeed!

2011-09-05T12:21:00.005-04:00

I have a new motto: if its not functional, it either goes or we MAKE it functional. Take the little one's closet, for example. You probably cant tell from this picture but its extremely shallow and therefore, usless to us for how it needed to function for her. This is my kid that prefers to wear dresses every.single.day. Well, theres no place to hang anything in this closet. So I emptied it out...

...and while I was at it, cleaned her entire room. This is everything she owns. Literally. Her clothing, toys, books, shoes...its all right here.

Status of this project: Ive removed her closet doors(nice to hide messes but useless in that the accordian style doors left no room to actually reach into her closet in the corners. Theyre staying off and I'll most likely hang a cute curtain in their place. Id planned to remove all of that shelving as well and replace it with an antique dresser from the attic. But once the doors came off, I realized how much dead space we'd be wasting. So we're keeping the two bottom shelves mounted and are going to add a long clothing rod for all of her dresses and even off-season clothing.

Next Project:

We're trying to finish our master bath. You mean the one you guys started last summer Sarah? Well yes, that very one. Last year we planned to replace the tub & wall surrounds but after discovering mold, rotted drywall and having to move pipes for the new tub, we were maxed out on time, patience and money. Therefore, we continue this summer. Eric has had a couple of guys from the youth group over to help him with this project as well as others over the past few days. Theyre mudding and sanding. And repeating the process about five times.
I cannot wait to hack into this piece of junk with a hammer. I have issues with a sink that hits at my thigh height. Yes, Im tall at 5'9". But this is ridiculous. Im praying that we'll be able to find the perfect old piece of cabinetry or dresser which we can re-purpose into a double vanity. Keep your fingers crossed!

And no, this picture doesnt need to be rotated. Its my kitchen sink. I wont

waste your time complaining about my kitchen right now. Lets just say, we needed to remove the entire sink and re-seal it. We figured out the hard way that previous owners of the home(relatives) had never sealed it which led to leakage and water issues. 'Nuff said. Grrrr So what other projects have we been up to?

Installing a ceiling light & lightswitch into big girls room(she hates walking into a dark room at night)

Mudding the spot in our dining room ceiling where we had water issues earlier in the spring(this has happened about 4 times in the eight years we've lived here. We finally think its all fixed)

Bracing the floor under my laundry room & adding thick plywood under the washer & dryer so they wont jump all over the place anymore.

I swear, its neverending! Im excited to get these projects done but our long weekend has been anything from a vacation! Hubby starts back to school tomorrow.

Our summer is officially over. Its been an amazing one though and I wouldnt trade it for anything.

Whilst you think Im completely buried in dust and grime, I can assure you that I HAD to escape to my sewing room earlier today for some me time. The girls are at Nanny's and Eric was working on the sink independently so I snuck away to make myself a lil somethin somethin for my trip to BlogSugar in just a few short weeks.

All I can say is....is it time to go yet?!

Linking up here today:

Need a Laugh? C'Mon Over...

2011-08-31T22:21:00.003-04:00

Today was one of those days for me as a new teacher. And while I will never use this blog to vent about my students or what things may go ary in my day, I do look forward to sharing funny moments I experience at this new vocation.

So anyhoo, today was rough. I needed a pick-me-up so I found some of my favorites in our photo files and will share them with you. (And please dont send me nasty emails about the term "redneck" in some of these pictures. Im not saying I agree with the overuse of the word; I just love the photos themselves:))

Im surprised we didnt see this sign for reals on our trip to New England this summer. We joked around with our friends from New Hampshire, asking if their mosquitoes were the state bird!
This one still makes me gag a bit but I had to share it:

But the best moment of my day? When a student read from our science book aloud. We were talking about the parts of the ear and they came to the term auditory nerve but pronounced it the adultery nerve. It was one of those moments where you know you have to keep a straight face but inside you're just dying of laughter. Good times, good times.

So did anything funny happen to you recently? If so, Id love to hear about it. Im needing some good laughs right now:)

Have a great night!

Sarah

Surprise Blessings

2011-08-29T16:22:00.004-04:00

My big sister is having a baby. A girl. This was a bit of shocking news to us. She's ten years older than I am and her son just turned fourteen. Nevertheless, we're very excited and cant wait to welcome her into the family.
Her baby shower was last weekend about two hours from here so my mom, cousin, aunt and the littles all made the trek south. We had a beautiful day to travel and the event itself was really lovely. Except for the part where my youngest drank spiked punch. Yeah, there were no labels and I gave it to her. Nice. But besides that part, it was a beautiful home, she was blessed beyond belief and it was wonderful to be there and spend the day with my big sister(no pun intended:)).

This was the gift I made for her. My first quilt. Dont look too closely. Anyone who quilts would probably rip me apart. But I dont care. This was a true labor of love and I was really happy with how it turned out. I loved the colors so much I wanted to keep it. It would go perfectly with the nursery bedding my sister had chosen from the big box baby store.

So its not perfect. But thats ok. I loved it. She loved it. And I'll have to post some photos of it with my new niece wrapped up in it once she arrives in 6 weeks.

Have a lovely Monday!

Linking up here today

xo,

Sarah

What We're Up to Today(& a Winner Announced!)

2011-08-27T17:01:00.007-04:00

{My 1st quilt ...whipped it up for my sister's baby shower}..will post more about it Monday but Ive been dying to share it here. I love the colors!

I shared it here and here with Amanda today

As you know, I dont usually post here on the weekends. But today is an exception. There is alot going on here and I wanted to pop in and announce the UPrinting giveaway winner!

Before we do that, take a look at this tree in our backyard. Check out the size of it, mkay?
This is where the girls spent all morning, peering out of an upstairs window...

...watching him, a friend of ours from New Hampshire, work his "tree magic." Did you know there was such a thing? Well, I can assure you there is. We've been in awe at watching this beast(the tree, I mean) come down. And Dave just climbed up there like Spiderman with a chainsaw, bless his heart(though I told him he looks more like Rambo).

Here he is after cutting 3/4 of it down...and hes still pretty high up there. I kept thanking the Lord above that my husband chose teaching as a profession. Id be a nervous wreck if my husband did this for a living.

With Dave and Eric(hubby) working together, they had this sucker down by 2:30. I had just enough time to feed the lumberjacks a late lunch then fly over to the soccer fields for the big girl's first game of the new season.

This is her 2nd year playing soccer. She is quick to announce that she hates the practices, loves the games. Haha, good times.

And now we're back home, finally taking it a little easy for the first time all week. But not Eric. He and Dave have now left to go cut down trees for some other mutual friends of ours from church. I am always in awe at how wonderfully a church body can work together. God is good! (And now my backyard looks alot bigger...just perfect for the deck Ive been asking hubby for for years now:))

As for the big winner of the UPrinting Giveaway...

Faith... come on down! You'll have to use at least one of those 500 pieces of letterhead to send me a letter from Minnesota! Congratulations! I'll shoot you an email.

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

xo,

Sarah

giveaway time (UPrinting Letterheads)

2011-08-25T20:01:00.003-04:00

{source}

I was excited when the people at UPrinting.com contacted me asking if I wanted to host a giveaway for them. And since its been awhile since I've had a giveaway on this little ole blog, I thought it was high time for one anyway.

UPrinting is literally your one-stop shop for all your printing needs. They offer everything from magnets to window clings, brochures and business cards to vinyl banners on their website and have a super fast turnaround time to get your orders shipped out. I dont know about you, but thats important to me: whenever I order something online, I want it like yesterday.

So I figured you'd be happily surprised when I tell you that the lucky winner of this giveaway will win 500 pieces of Letterhead from the above company! To check out their envelope printing services, visit this link.This is a prize valued at over $169!

What You'll Win If Mr. Random Generator Chooses YOU:

500 pcs. Letterheads for One (1) Winner

5.5" X 8.5"

70 lb. Offset

Front Only Printing

4 Business Days Print Turnaround Time

*Free Shipping

Rules of the Giveaway:

This giveaway is limited to *US residents 18 years & above only

If you have won the same printing giveaway from UPrinting in the past 6 months please do not enter. Otherwise, we will have to choose a new winner.

Disclaimer:

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive letterhead printing services by hosting. Letterhead design inspiration and envelope printing is also available. Please visit UPrinting.com for more details.

Its simple to win!

You MUST be a public follower(that means your name must appear over there in my sidebar...no anonymous entries will be honored) of this blog, Handbags*N*Pigtails. Just leave a comment telling me what purpose you'd use your letterheads for! Its that simple.

One entry per person please.

I will choose a winner tomorrow, August 26th, via Random Generator and post the winner. I will notify the winner and put you in touch with the company ASAP.

Good luck!

Sarah

Gifts Unseen

2011-08-22T21:39:00.008-04:00

Have your kids gone back to school yet? Probably not. But I have. And my girls have. We started today. If you're a regular follower here you know that this has been a big change for us all. Ive been a stay at home momma for the past eight years.

That all ended today.

Im now a teacher. A working- OUT- of- the- home- momma. And I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and say "Ive actually come to terms with that."

Yes, I will miss what was. I miss having day long, one on one time at home with my girls. I miss homeschooling(last year).

But Im fulfilling a new call on my life and I dont take that lightly.

We sing a song at church with the words:

Forgetting what lies behind

Setting our hearts on the prize

Always keeping our eyes on the Lord Jesus

We're Running the Race to win

All the way to the end

Laying down any sin that would seek to hinder us

And we'll be faithful, to our calling

For He is able to keep us from falling

In your promise, we will trust

You'll be faithful to finish the work you began...in us.

This is the newest chapter of my life and I am thankful to say Im at peace about it. I struggled for weeks leading up to school with having joy about it all. I was just wallowing in the pit of my own emotions, which is really the worst place to be.

So what changed things for me?

We went on vacation to the lake.

While there, Eric and I had a full out heart to heart talk. Well, I blabbered on and on more than anything. Once the tears started lflowing I just couldnt stop them. I needed to get it all out. And he let me. Then he prayed with and for me. I felt a little better. Some emotional healing took place that night.

Thursday night came. We hosted a youth group Bible study in our living room on the topic of worship. And thought it may sound weird to some, I kept getting the word freedom. And I knew it was for me. Funny because the topic wasnt on stress. Or trials. But something seemingly unrelated. Still, God used it to further that work in my heart. Additional healing.

Then last Friday came. Technically, my first day at work. An inservice day. I thought I would put in a few hours of prep time on my classroom and maybe even get home early. Instead I ended up putting in a twelve hour day. There was much more to be done than Id originally thought. But at the end of that day I felt even better because my physical classroom space was ready.

And then today the students came. I was nervous but happy and just wanted to get the day started. We had a great day together. And while I am realistic and know that not every day will be all rainbows and unicorns, I know that Im in the right place at the right time. In that there is fulfillment. Peace. And joy. And thats the best feeling of all.

I am honored and blessed to be teaching at a school with the following mission statement:

The purpose of {the school} is to provide an excellent education and train students in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and instill in them Christian morals and standards. The teachers {here} realize the solemn responsibility before God in encouraging a Godly life and character of each of their students in order to give a good foundation for each child's future.

Now if only this house would clean itself. Im tellin ya...this may be the biggest struggle of this going back to work thing yet...

Thankfully, Ive got the first couple weeks of our meals planned out. Tonight was ham & homemade mac-n-cheese. Oh how I love my crockpots! I have a feeling they're about to get used like never before.

{source}

And stay tuned for a big giveaway coming sometime this week! Its valued at over $160!

Linking up with Heather and the other lovelies today

xo,

Sarah

The Lake

2011-08-18T12:21:00.009-04:00

Earlier in the week, we were able to get away to my parents cottage on a small lake about 1.5 hours from our home. I spent all my summers on this lake, learning to waterski and go tubing. One of my favorite things as a kid was waking up to the waves crashing outside my bedroom window. Its still one of my favorite places to be and that love has now spread to Eric and the girls. They love it just as much as I do.
We took walks up the lake. Its only about 3 miles from end to end, so not that big at all. But its good enough for us!

Its surrounded by farms on all sides

The first full day we were there(Tuesday) we drove to a nearby(larger) lake to go grocery shopping. While there, we decided to have a picnic in a nearby lakeside park. The weather was perfect...a nice little breeze was blowing and it was sunny.

Then some guests tried coming to dinner. And against all my pleadings, these two fed the stupid geese, who were quite aggressive and made me want to run. literally.

Then we played on the playground. Well, some of us did, that is.

When we got back to our own lake, the girls got their suits on, only to find even more guests waiting for treats.

Its so peaceful here, especially during the weekdays.

And I kid you not when I say this is the first time all summer Eric actually allowed himself to sit and fall asleep. I couldnt believe it! When he woke up I said "you actually relaxed?! I dont believe it!" After a week of directing activities at our youth camp last week, he needed it. He got very little sleep all week.

Theres so much I love about this picture: the lake, us, being together, and that vintage blanket. My mom has two at the cottage and I totally wanted to sneak them home with my own stuff.

Roasting marshies over the fire...

Feeding fish....

Later that night after it got dark, we lit and set off paper lanterns(anyone seen Rapunzel lately? Yup, those lanterns...) It was amazing and the girls were squealing with delight.

Ah, little cottage...how we will miss you!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Tomorrow is my first day of work(inservice day). Monday all the kiddos come! And yes, I still covet your prayers for my first weeks of going back to work after 8 years of being a stay at home mommy!

Sarah

Life Around Here

2011-08-12T16:51:00.004-04:00

This week has seemed to drag on and on with hubby being gone. Its been many years since we spent this much time away from one another and Im feelin it in a big way. I miss my best friend.

On a positive note, we've been keeping busy this week to make the time pass. And Im remembering to be thankful for all the little blessings along the way...

Time for sewing...

Little ones sleeping soundly after full days of play and nights spent at VBS...
Even fun yard sale finds. Can you tell how big this sucker is? Let me help you...

Talk about a conversation piece! Everyone who's come in our door makes comments about it.

And I must admit, its been nice having company at night. I cant sleep when Eric is away so I lie in bed reading or blogging or watching something online. This little one is working on her second loose tooth. I cant believe it!

This stack pretty much sums up my life right now. Except you cant see my Bible and schoolbooks off to the side(and on the floor).

Ive spent alot of time this week organizing and cleaning out. Ive put stuff on the curb and am completely happy when those things are gone 20 minutes later. Im all about simplifying my life right now.

Ive also refashioned a few pieces of clothing for school. This, for instance, would be nowhere near my dress code at school. So, it became a skirt instead. Perfect!

And the most amazing find the other day. This set of KING SIZED vintage pillowcases for only $2.99! I couldnt wait to get them washed and put on our bed. I smile every time I see them. Vintage sheets are one of my most favorite things to look for when Im thrifting but I never seem to find nice, vibrant ones. The colors on these are so vivid I swear they must be brand new.

Other activities we've enjoyed this week:

Baking

Mowing the lawn(not that its fun but the results are priceless)

Picking up 5 amazing outdoor chairs with cushions for FREE from some local restaurant owners

Had a sleepover

Made Dinner AND ate out with the girls

Craft time

Watched Movies

Housesat for my parents

Picked up Office Supplies for our church from a business thats liquidating(God is a God of provision I tell you!)

So although we miss daddy, we're making the most of it and counting down the hours until he returns tomorrow. Early next week we're headed to the lake for one last go at our summer vacation before I start work next Friday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sarah

Little Ole Me From A to Z

2011-08-10T19:20:00.002-04:00

Ive seen other bloggers do this type of post and always thought it was a fun laundry list. It gives you a peek into someone else's day. Into their life.

And so, while the girls are at VBS, hubby away at youth camp and Im actually sitting in a quiet home, I thought Id give you ME, from A to Z(dont laugh, I know Im a dork).

A-Age: 31

B-Bed Size:Queen(though if we could fit a King Sized set up our staircase Id be sleeping on one, I can assure you)

C-chore I dislike: Mopping my Kitchen Floor(therefore I dont do it very often)

D-Dogs: One, "Bailey" a pure-bred beagle

E-Essential Start to Your Day: Hmmm...Im at a loss here. I dont have any pick me ups like coffee or anything. I just kind of get up and do whatever needs to be done. And yes, I AM a morning person. Always have been.

F-Favorite Color- used to be purple when I was growing up; now anything in the rainbow makes me happy:)

G- Gold or Silver- Both. I wear mostly silver but I treasure the few gold pieces I own, such as my wedding rings and locket from Eric

H-Height: 5'9"

I- Instruments you play: Flute

J-Job Title. Now changing from Stay at Home Momma to 3rd Grade Teacher

K-Kids: Two Beautiful Girls, ages 5 & 7

L- live: small town livin' in New York

M-Maiden Name: Hint: its a floral term. Thats as vague as Im choosing to be:)

N-Nicknames: Honey(Eric calls me this)

Sparkles(my daddy gave me this one)

O-Overnight Hospital Stay: Only when birthing my babies

P-Pet Peeve: Bad(unsafe) Drivers

Q-Quote:"Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light"

R-Righty or Lefty: Righty

S-Siblings: Two. A brother(in Arizona, 16.5 years my senior)

An {adopted} sister(10 years my senior). Shes always been flesh & blood as far as Im concerned:)

T-Time you Wake Up: During the school year it's 6 am

During the summer its whenever we feel like it(LOVE that!)

U-University Attended: I worked my tail off to get my Associates Degree in One Year from a local Community College then transferred to a State University where I finished out my Bachelors Degree.

V-Veggies You Dont like: ALL. Im trying to be better about eating them but I hate them.I blame this on some childhood trauma including overcooked spinach

W-What Makes You Run Late: I love him so Im not naming names:)

X-X Rays You've Had: Dentist & Shoulder two years ago when I was given a horribly misplaced tetanus shot and ended up in physical therapy for 6 months afterwards.

Y-Yummy Food: I will admit that my faves are family picnics and diners.

Z-Zoo Animal Favorite: Pandas in the Washington Zoo

The Anteater at the Phillidelphia Zoo(I had no idea they were so huge)

If you're interested in checking out some others A to Z lists, here are two I recently read:

Laura @ Along for the Ride &

http://www.theweigands.com/2011/08/me-to-z.html

Have a great day!

Sarah

Hard Decisions

2011-08-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

If you're not an animal lover, or a cat lover, this post will seem pointless to you. But as silly as it may seem, Im asking for your prayers for "Baby."

He's my cat. We got him as a teeny tiny kitten and I was very pregnant (with my first child) at the time. So he really was the first baby in our house.

We've had him for eight years. For the most part, he keeps to himself. And he really dislikes being chased by visiting kids. He may even try to bite(when kids pull on his tail). I would too.:)But he also lives up to his name,especially with us. He sleeps right next to me in bed. Loves the girls. And loves to be pet. But not right now.

But he's sick. Like really sick.

He wont eat or drink. 3 days. He doesnt even want to go outside.

Eric leaves for a week of youth camp today. So I'll be handling this on my own.

And I really dont want to.

The little one spent the night with grandma last night. I didnt think she'd handle this well.

On top of that, the vet clinic isnt answering their phones(even though its during business hours) So theres added frustration right now.

So whether you love animals or you're feeling sorry for me or you think Im a total nut, Id appreciate you lifting us up today.

Thanks very much:)

Im praying that something lovely comes from this.

Sarah

How Can It Be?

2011-08-05T08:51:00.003-04:00

We start school two weeks from tomorrow. Well, thats my first day(teacher inservice day). The girls start back the following Monday.

I spent the day yesterday in my classroom, getting things ready. Yet I came home with a larger to do list than I started with. How does that happen?

Today the girls and I are going school shopping with my momma. Im looking forward to it because we've seen very little of my parents this summer with all thats been going on. Plus it means some new duds for my closet too. Isnt she a great momma? ;)

I feel like Im falling behind on blogging. This entire past week Blogger wasnt letting me sign in or comment on alot of my favorite blogs either which is always frustrating. Today it seems to be working just fine.

I hope you have a great today, whatever is on your to-do list. Wish us luck on the shopping!

xo,

Sarah

Handbags*N*Pigtails

Hang 'Em High & Wide: Sewing Handmade Curtains

A Wednesday Win

Its Only a {Bad} Day

Big Changes

The Mission at San Juan

Finally Getting Around to it: Blog Sugar

Choosing Joy

Im Lovin It

No Place Like Home

Fire

Christmas 2011 Part 2-The Decor

Christmas Memories 2011-Part 1

Girly Room on a Budget

A Family Addition

Photo Shoot

Christmas in an 1860 Home

Eight.

What I Wore: Dress Code

Easy PeasyTutorial: Upcycled Gift Tags

Joys & Sorrows

A Handbags*N*Pigtails CyberMonday SALE

What I Wore Wednesday...Back in the Saddle

One Year Ago: The Most Magical Place on Earth

Before You Know It

Oh Happy Day...

Sending a Thank You

Its Over

Colorful Fun

Just Another Sunrise?

An Heirloom, A Call and a Class

Where You Go, I Will Go

Signs of Fall

Honoring My Husband

A Love for Books

She Stole My Camera

Simply a Miracle

Weekend Recap

Taming the Lion: A Before & After

Blog Sugar- The Friendships

I Finally Got Around to it!

Right Here, Right Now

Flooding & Devastation

My View on the Way to Work

Labor Day Indeed!

Need a Laugh? C'Mon Over...

Surprise Blessings

What We're Up to Today(& a Winner Announced!)

giveaway time (UPrinting Letterheads)

Gifts Unseen

The Lake

Life Around Here

Little Ole Me From A to Z

Hard Decisions

How Can It Be?

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A HandbagsNPigtails CyberMonday SALE