birthday blessings to you!

today is my best friend's birthday!

happy birthday lisa!

lisa and I met at Grove City College all the way back in 1986 as freshmen! It was in her dorm room that I rededicated my life to Christ. It amazes me that we've been friends for 23 years!! A lot has happened in that amount of time-weddings, jobs, homes, children, moves, more children, lots of long distance phone calls, tears, crafts, thanksgiving visits, vacations, knitting, lots of laughs and memories too many to count! oh the places we have been. and oh the places we have yet to go!

lisa is one of the women I look to as a "gold standard" of godly women. this girl is a godly woman! she does everything so beautifully and with such love! I admire her knowledge and application of God's word, her dedication to her children's education by using hers to homeschool, her 'just try it' attitude, the amount of love she invests in each of her friends (and their families), the care with which she decorates her home, the economical way she feeds and tends to her family's needs, and the help meet that she is to her dear husband. I have learned so much from her! thanks for all the ways you bless me lisa!

I am SO blessed to have this godly woman in my life! I only hope I can be the friend she needs as well.
Love you Girl!
little one

thank you doesn't say enough

a big 'thank you' to my sister for hosting the boys and me for the long weekend! we had a wonderful time. and the boys are already planning a summer weekend without mom!kathy started the weekend by presenting me with pre-birthday present choices: the crafty, the cozy, or the vera bradley option. I chose the cozy option and found a great pair of pj pants and t-shirt while shopping. then she had an A+ idea- bowling at blue fusion! the boys so enjoyed the time spent laughing and scoring together.and then yesterday when we arrived home another pre-birthday present was waiting for me from my best friend! here are the photos we took to record the opening.lisa sent the gooseberry patch cookbook that her recipe is in, a stitched moleskin, and a hand crafted bracelet! all perfect choices for me. thanks so much lease!

yellow: day five

yellow week is coming to an end. I've enjoyed seeking out the yellow in my home. with all the grey outside, it was fun to find small pieces of sunshine to focus on inside. these are my last two yellows.

yellow: day five

scrap quote by lisa

and kitchen cookbooks

(just can't get enough light into the house for good shots! sorry.)

this week started off really grey for me. my spirit was heavy, bogged down, and tired. ever have one of those weeks where you know something is just not right, but you just can't figure out what it is? this was that week for me. I think I'm going stir crazy. we've had so much snow, so many grey days, and not much outdoor time. who wouldn't be restless? but in the restlessness I need to be able to find peace. we're not promised bright sunny days, warm sunshine, and happiness every day. we're promised a heavenly father who is beside us each step of each day helping us make the most of a life honoring Him. so in the end, my week ended just fine. my MIT (most important tasks) for my business are complete! my laundry is caught up! my house is clean! and the boys and I are going on a road trip! get ready aunt kathy...here we come! humm...seeking out...I was seeking out yellow each day, and I found it. what if I seek out Him each day? I'm guaranteed to find Him!
have fun seeking out the blessings in this weekend. check back next week for a few finished knitting gifts and a peek at my new cross stitch project!

yellow: day four

I'm still having fun finding more and more yellow.
connor's step up on our yellow bathroom floor:peep, peep- our first spring decoration: one of our favorite breads:
handy manny has fun in our house:my special treasures from my grandmother.
they made me smile and think of her today.

a bit of yellow

erin at house on hill road started yellow week. I didn't realize how much yellow we have speckled around our home until now. these are a few of my choices for yellow week.

yellow: day one
big yellow bus

yellow: day two

yellow: day two

an old favorite:

yellow: day three

our favorite yellow cups
they always need washing

yellow: day three
searching for threads for a new project:

There are three things that will endure-

faith, hope, and love

and the greatest of these is L O V E.

1 Corinthians 13:13 nlt

valentine's party prep

we made pretzel buttons for spencer's class instead of paper valentines. his request...because he's now in 5th grade! these are so easy and so delicious. here is the recipe.

we made over 160 of these! our only mod to the recipe- we found 2.5 minutes at 350 was the perfect time for melted (but not burned) kisses!

my personal tip: stock up on the kisses by purchasing them on clearance after valentine's day! they'll be fresh for months and you can add the easter m&m's for our next holiday! this is a "go to" recipe! enjoy.

createthursday

so if you read my last post, you know yesterday was a day I was looking forward to. these photos summarize of my activities.

I started with my favorite- blueberry pancakes. we put together connor's valentine's- a bookmark, pencil, and a star wars valentine.I found a great shot of the cousins to put in this stamp block frame.
I worked on my christmas daily scrapbook. yes...christmas...yes...I'm still working on it.I updated my project 365 cards.I made a bit of progress on my punch needle.
I also made some progress on the pink paper bag hat. you'll see just a peak of my crafting lounge pants made my lisa. I even wore them into subway to get lunch. connor asked, "mom, why do you have your pjs on?" all I could think was why not?
I finished the afternoon and evening making pretzel buttons for spencer's class.I'm not sure what I was thinking. I was thinking I'd have more time. but where was it to come from? I still had c.e.r. home in the morning, the same few hours with both at school, and my same responsibilities waiting in the evening. what was I thinking?

thanks for the day, lord, it was a good day.

anticipation

so I was a busy, busy bee today wrapping up loose ends around our home, so that I could have an entire day free to do what I want. what's the "I want?" craft, create, knit and watch a few dvds!! I've not conciously done this before, but I'm full of anxious anticipation for my createthursday!

what spurred this on? an outburst about three weeks ago. I broke down crying in the kitchen (while the boys were at school, of course) yelling "when do I get to do what I want to do??!!??" some days feel like that. you're probably like me-a willing giver of your time, energy, talents, and gifts. all that giving without some refilling, and I had a recipe for a crying fit.

so I'm off to finish my laundry, so my mind is free to start a few new projects tomorrow.

congratulations mark!

a few weeks ago mark asked me to remind him about the upcoming deadline for photos for his company's employee photo contest. he chose the photos to enter; I got them developed into 8x10 size; and he submitted them this past week. today was the official judging.

mark has always had an interest in photography. he consistently takes many more photos than I, trying for that perfect shot. seems like he may have found one.

the first entry is of connor at age 2 using an electric bubble maker while we were in hilton head on vacation.
the second is of spencer in 2006 at rock mountain bible camp. this has been a favorite photo of ours since it was developed. and now we're even more in love with it, because it...drum roll please...earned FIRST PLACE in the people category and BEST IN SHOW!!

how awesome is that?? when mark called this afternoon to share the good news, I could tell he was in shock. so excited. so surprised. so honored. so I say awesome job sweet! I'm so proud that you stepped out and tried something new!

you can read mark's thoughts on his blog here.

grandmother's needles

the end of my day and no 365 picture taken.

"maybe I'll just skip it today. no. take your time and find something meaningful," I thought. while mark put the boys to bed, I went to my craft room. remembering flylady's montra "you can do anything for 15 minutes" and the mission of decluttering this month, I had a plan.

as I began to clear spaces and put things away something became clear...as I looked around the floor and counter, all I could see were my grandmother's craft items- stacks of quilt squares yet to be put together, framed projects from her home that I choose to add to our home, lots of yarn, and lots of knitting needles. back in november when she died, I received all the 'craft items.' I was happy and thankful to take them as I wanted to be sure a family member inherited all those precious tools. but since then, I haven't been able to do anything with them. her memory too fresh.

tonight my latest clearance find-this large jar from target ($2.37 thank you very much) has found a purpose! It now holds my cherished collection of knitting and crocheting supplies from grandmother. May the projects I make with these needles be as well loved as hers always were.

and as leslie said, "like her hands are holding yours."

babies, babies, babies

these are the photos I promised yesterday. one finished and one in progress. both from itty bitty hats by susan b. anderson.

Pattern: rosebud
Yarn: Bernat CottonTots- Pretty in Pink, Sweet Green, Pastel Variegated
Needles: addi turbo US size 7

Pattern: pink paper bag
Yarn: Bernat CottonTots; Pretty in Pink
Needles: addi turbo US size 7
my knitting for babies goes in waves. we have several babies soon to be delivered, so you may see more of these itty bitty knits over the next few months. I find them fun and easy to do. and how could you not want to knit for precious new life!

craft to relax

sunday afternoons are pj days for our family. once we arrive home from church, we all get "comfy" and begin a day of recharging. it's quiet around here, and I like it that way. on a typical sunday afternoon, connor takes a nap; spencer reads or plays his psp; mark watches sports and is found not far from the couch; and I flutter about-sleeping for a spell, maybe a load of laundry or two to get a jump on the week and possibly some craft time.

I spent a good portion of yesterday crafting. kathy and I started making cards before church, and I continued after she left for home. funny how all crafters are unique in their tastes and styles. my aunt and my sister like to make one unique card after another, while I like to spend time planning out ideas to find one I love, so I can make multiples. so yesterday I lifted an idea my sister created with one of my stamp sets and made multiples. some of these sets will be used for birthday gifts for special friends.

kathy purchased 100 of these pale pink, postcard style cards at a local high end stationery store that was closing it's doors. she picked them all up for $6.00! I added some $1.99 ribbon from michaels and my stamp design, and called them delicate.

after my cards, I moved on to knitting. I finished another "rosebud" baby hat for one of mark's co-workers and started the "pink paper bag" hat for a special friend. both of these hats are found in itty bitty hats by susan b. anderson. those pictures will come tomorrow.