twas a great weekend

Yes I realize today is Tuesday, which falls two days after Sunday, which is a little late to be mentioning the weekend, but hey, let's go with it, ok?

Remember that commercial we all grew up with of the frying pan and the egg...this is your brain, and this is your brain on drugs?

Well picture a ball pit at Chucky Cheese's as I make this statement:

This is my brain (the ball pit at Chucky Cheese) and this is my brain when I'm trying to make preparations to leave two small children for another country for a week. Enter the image of about ten wild toddlers jumping and throwing balls all throughout the ball pit.

So all I can say is I apologize in advance in none of my thoughts make sense today. I'm hoping if I dump some of them here then I'll be able to free up a little space. ha!

So back to the weekend. What a wonderful weekend of doing nothing in particular. It started Friday afternoon when I did a little blog browsing while the girls napped. Oh my word yes! They actually both napped at. the. same. time. and it was glorious!

But I read this post and almost wet my pants. Do you know Jami Nato? If you don't, you must start reading her blog immediately. She is hilariously transparent and real and this story was one of my favorites. It is called One Glorious Night and is about the time her dad found a boy in her sister's bedroom at 2 am. It reads like it was taken from a scene out of Parenthood. You must read it. You must! Just don't be drinking anything carbonated when you do because it will sting as it comes back out of your nose from laughing so hard.

Later that afternoon we baked some of these deliciously wonderful treats. Ashley brought us some last week and she kindly shared the recipe and they are so good. For a brief minute your mouth will be in a state of confusion. Is this a brownie? Is it a cookie? Could it be both??

Why yes, yes it is.

It is a Fudgy Brownie Cookie and you should do yourself a favor and make a batch tonight.

We took them to a little shin-dig we had going on Friday night. I was responsible for bringing the chocolate. ;)

Do you know how many e-mails it takes to organize a girls night with four moms and eight kiddos?

I'll tell you.

*32*

32 e-mails over the course of 48 hours to be exact.

And most of them went a little something like this:

Is somebody bringing chocolate? And I think we need wine too.

How many bottles do you think? I have two I can bring.

Ok, I need tonight to get here soon...

How early is too early to come over?

Yay!!!! I'm sooooo excited!!!! :)

We were in desperate need of a little girls-night in... can you tell? Although I don't know who was more excited, the mommies or the kiddos. (Or the daddies! They got together for their own guys-night out.) Although it was decided that next time the kiddos are staying home with the dads while we ladies get to go out for the evening.

The pizza pajama party got a little wild. ;)

There may or may not have been some dancing on tables...

I think the littlest partier was swiping AC's drink in this picture. I can see the top of his little head and the expression on her face tells it all.

Once we got the masses fed, we tucked them all in for a movie hoping for a quieter evening so we could catch up, but it only lasted about 10 minutes before they were up again to play dress up.

So the rest of the evening looked like this:

stuffing dolls while trying to keep little feet from knocking over wine glasses and trying to catch a few minutes here and there to actually carry on an adult conversation.

But it was a fun night regardless and I love these precious friends and their sweet kiddos. And seriously, next time it is the guys turn to host the kiddo pizza party... just saying.

Saturday morning Will took the girls to Monkey Joes so I could clean the house in peace and quiet. It was amazing how much I can get done with two entire hours all to myself.

And there is really no way to transition into this so let me just awkwardly move forward introduce you to our new favorite snack. Frozen Mango. It's addicting so don't say I didn't warn you. I don't even particualry like mango, but this stuff it so good. It is sweet and cold and taste like little pieces of sorbet. I think I polished off an entire bag by myself on Saturday while reading this:

I can't put it down, which is actually a problem since I need to be packing, stocking the freezer with meals, finishing up dolls, etc. I gave this book to my sister for Christmas and she gave it back to me 2 days later. Finished. And she warned me then not to pick it up until I had the time to be able to read it because I wouldn't be able to put it down. So when do I decide to start it? Only the most busy week we've had since Christmas. ;) I must resist the temptation to read some more tonight so I can start packing.

And speaking of packing...I can't believe my luck! I'm home all the time and the one week I'll be gone and my white hydrangeas will be in full bloom. I look forward to this annual event each year.

I love me some white hydrangeas. I'm obsessed. They are, by far, my most favorite of all flowers. When Will and I got married, all I wanted was white hydrangeas, in the church, for my bouquet, on the reception tables, you name it. And when we bought this house we discovered not one, but two bushes in our yard! They bloom only once in the spring and low and behold it will be the week I'm gone that they will be at their peak. It seems early this year, but maybe it is the unseasonably warm weather we've been having. It isn't even April yet and already feels like June, which is a little disconcerting to me.

You see I've already been thinking about what kind of party to have for the girls in May (we are only down to 6 weeks people and if you want to do a party on a budget you have to start planning early to take full advantage of those 40% off coupons from Hobby Lobby!) It is going to be a baking theme (thus the colorful cups pictured above) and I was planning on having it outside again this year (possibly on our front porch?) but with weather this hot, I think everyone would melt into a big puddle within the first 15 minutes. So it is back to the drawing board for ideas...

And last, but not least, this little escapade was how we ended our weekend at 11:34 pm on Sunday night.

Is this little angel sleeping?

Why no, she is not.

Let's take a closer look at this shot, shall we? With the background in focus this time:

Yes, that is what I found when I went to check on our little Picasso before heading to bed myself on Sunday night. Seems she had smuggled a blue crayon to bed and did a little doodling because she couldn't sleep.

She seemed remorseful once I discovered her little project. Just look at that tear running down her nose. How pitiful...

ha!

Oh my goodness, she keeps me on my toes.

Does anybody know how to get the crayon to come off the wall?

I've tried everything and this must have been one super special crayon that does not wash off easily.

Looks like I may be re-painting her bedroom when I get back next week.

Hello Dolly!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Oh my what a blessing you all have been!! Thank you so much to each and every one of you who has sponsored a doll!!!

I did not anticipate such a wonderful response! In fact, you all tripled the number I had orginally estimated so it was back to Hobby Lobby this afternoon to purchase more fabric and stuffing!

Now I'm just trying to figure out how to fit them all in my suitcase. :) I will most definitely be packing all of my personal things in my carry-on so my suitcase will be completely filled with DOLLS!

This is just some of what I've been working on the past few days.

Now the pressure is on to get some great pics of some very excited little girls. I have still been a little nervous about the trip, but thanks to all of your sweet comments and emails, and the fact that I will have my own personal toy store to take with me, I'm really really excited to be going.

:)

Tiny little doll arms and legs are scattered all over the house. I have recruited Will and Anna Cate to help me too. Will turns the legs right side out while Anna Cate stuffs them. And for those of you who know me and my neurotic t.v. will turn your brain to mush so we will not watch it in this house rule (and by we I mean the girls), well it has totally flown out of the window this week. The girls and I have watched more episodes of Madeline while stuffing doll arms and legs that I care to admit. In fact, I can hear Caroline back in her bed right now playing (as she is suppose to be going to sleep) saying "Pepito, Pepito! It is me, Madeline!" in her best french accent. ;)

We are all very excited and thankful for all of your encouragement, prayers, and the opportunity to take all of these dollies down to Nicaragua in a few weeks. Now I need to get off the computer and back to the sewing machine if I'm going to have them all done in time.

I think this is where I will be all weekend!

;)

21 days and counting...

So I went and said yes to something really big. And at first I said no, and then I said no again. But Will reminded me about that verse about fear. You know, the one I so reluctantly claimed at the beginning of the year? The one I didn't want to take on for fear of what the Lord might do to teach my heart exactly what these words mean:

But now, this is what the Lord says

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Isreal: "fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

Yes, that one.

A little over a month ago, my sister and I sat alone in the late service because Will and the girlies were home sick. It was the end of the service and we were singing (and I can't even remember now what song exactly), but an incredible peace came over me and I felt like the Lord was confirming that I would be going to Nicaragua in March.

Um..I'm sorry, what?? Where in all the world did THAT come from?

I had no desire or plans to be going to Nicaragua in March.

At all.

In fact I think I remember stifling some sort of a nervous giggle because it was so far fetched of an idea.

I knew our church was taking a team down there to do medical missions and to dig a well, but that was the exent of my knowledge about the trip.

It really was quite surreal and honestly, a little spooky. I didn't even bother telling Will about it when I got home because #1) if the Lord really had that in store for me then I knew He would make that clear and take care of all of the details without any assistance on my part and #2) because I was fearful that if I told Will about it, he would actually push me to go and I was about 90% sure that I did not want to go!

So imagine my delight when I was approached a few days later by a precious friend in my small group who wanted to know if I would be interested in helping her make skirts for the team to hand out to the girls in Nicaragua.

Ah ha Lord! I thought. That's what you meant! I'm suppose to be helping with the skirts, not actually going on the trip!

Whew! What a RELIEF!

About an hour later, we returned home and Will stopped by to grab something he needed for a meeting. As he is walking back out the door he casually mentions how he had lunch with a friend from church who was part of the team who went to Nicaragua last year and how much it would help if they had more people going who could speak Spanish. And then he says, I think you should consider going, or at least try to help out with the Spanish classes they are offering to prep the team going down there.

And there it was.

No, no, nooooooooooooooo!

Lord, do you realize what you are asking? What if I leave the country and they don't let me back in? I have a 4 and 2 year old!

Fear not...

I'm no where near anything close to being fluent. What if I get down there and can't do it?

Fear not...

What if my roommate snores and I get an intestinal parasite and am miserable the entire time I'm there?

Fear not...

Ugh really? How can I argue with something that He gave the answer to before He even asked the question?

See, I knew this year was going to be interesting to say the least!

So now, a month later, my plane ticket has been purchased and I find myself making preparations to leave the girls and Will to travel to another country at the end of March.

eek!

Now you may be wondering what all of these little dollies have to do with this impending excursion?

:)

Instead of sending out the traditional fundraising letter to family and friends to raise money for the trip, I'm going to let those who are interested in supporting me, sponsor a doll for me to take to Nicaragua to give the little girls down there!!

I know, how much fun, right?? I'm excited now. Really, really excited.

:) :) :)

Anna Cate and Caroline are excited too. They having been helping me with the dolls and will ask me for each one, "Mama, can I keep this one or is this for a little girl in Nicargawgaca?"

Here are the details:

:: $20 sponsors one doll.

::There are five different styles of dolls to choose from and YOU get to pick your favorite for me to make to take with me!

::These little girls in Nicaragua do not have much so it will be a very very big deal to get such an unexpected gift.

:: I'm using a little darker fabric for their skin and dark brown hair so they are custom made especially to look like the girls who will be getting them.

:: I will take lots and lots and lots of pictures so you'll get to *hopefully* see some sweet smiling faces that you helped to create!

So who's in?

:)

If you are interested, please visit www.rosieposiedolls.bigcartel.com to sponsor a doll.

You can purchase directly from the shop with a credit card or Paypal account OR you can just let me know in person which one you want to sponsor.

A great big THANK YOU to all of you who help bring these sweet friends to some precious little girls in Nicaragua! I can't wait to show you pictures...and soon, did I mention we only have 21 days until I leave???

incase you find yourself in need of a time out

Last week when my sister dropped by for an impromptu visit, she found herself standing outside on our front porch, talking to her nieces through the window because mommy was no where to be found.

One of the rules at our house is no unlocking doors under ANY circumstances without permission from Will or I (even if you know the person knocking at the door). So my poor sister, bless her heart, stood outside for a good five minutes before I came out of hiding and realized that she was standing on the porch, patiently waiting for me to come let her in the house.

(the scene looked a little something like this, except the girls are about a year and a half too young in this picture)

We were having one of those days and I had locked myself in my bathroom for a brief respite to regain my sanity (and to use the facilities alone, in private, without an audience.)

ummm, yeah.

Talk about feeling like mom of the year.

Luckily it was just my sister and not a policeman or DSS. And yes, that honestly was the first time I've ever done that (really, what are the odds?)

But all joking aside, this mothering gig is hard work.

At some point during most days, I deal with something that looks a little like this:

THE MELTDOWN

or this:

THE WHINE

Boundaries are tested and mischief is usually chosen over common sense.

Oh wait, children aren't born with common sense. They have to do things like color on the wall to learn that we aren't actually suppose to color on the wall.

And at these moments when I find myself most frustrated and wanting to loose my temper, I have to take a time out and remember what my purpose is in this calling of motherhood, and how to discipline in love and patience instead of out of frustration and anger.

In Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson writes that

The purpose of training our children is not to force them to do what we want. The purpose is not to produce guilt or shame but to free our children to enjoy the fruit of mature living. This means that training should always be exercised in gentleness, along with love and patience.

The wise mother takes the time to correct her children over and over again so they can experience the peace and freedom of knowing how to govern their lives in such a way as to be mature, wise, and at peace with God.

Ahhh, yes. Good words to hear.

Words in a book that I've read about four times already, but somehow still forget to apply in my daily walk as a mother.

Accountability and Community are so so very important in this season of life.

Somehow the craziness that comes with never getting a full nights' sleep and the responsilibty of raising a selfish little person into a loving responsible adult is a little easier to endure when you have friends to walk alongside who can completely relate to your situation.

"Oh, honey, locking yourself in the bathroom isn't crazy. Did I ever tell you about the time I forgot my son at Publix and didn't realize it until I got home?"

"Sarah Mae went through the same phase when she was two and now you would never know that she used to sneak dog food for a snack."

"I can't carry on a coherent conversation with another adult either unless it involves nursing schedules, teething, and diaper rash cream."

We need a wiser voice training us, encouraging us, and reminding us of the beauty in this responsibility that the Lord has placed in our hands.

This past year, I have had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly amazing women who share a joy in mothering their little ones. On Wednesday mornings, we gather together with about forty other moms for a little something called Time Out. The whys and hows of how God brought this ministry into being are not important right now, although it is something I'd love to share if I can find the right words, because it makes me smile every time I think about His goodness and grace in bringing us together.

Each Wednesday morning we get together for a couple of hours to fellowship and listen to a sweet friend share some encouragement that the Lord has laid on her heart. We then get to break out into small groups to share life with each other, sharing our struggles as we encourage and pray for one another.

I share all of this with you because this semester, we have been able to record Brenda's talks from Wednesday morning's Time Out sessions. She is like our very own Beth Moore (hehe..she'd die if she knew I said that!) but she is blessed with the talent of teaching and her words encourage me each week. If you find yourself in need of a mommy time out of your own, you can click on the picture below and it will take you to the talks she has given so far this semester.

But I have to warn you... they are good! Really good and you'll find yourself challenged to grow to be a better wife and mom.

This picture is from our first session in January, and yes, she is wearing a fruit loop necklace and a bandoleer of string cheese. You'll just have to listen to the talk to find out why!

;)

Hope her words will lift you up and encourage you as you move through your days as a mama!

little love necklace

We usually don't give big valentine's around here, but I like to have something sweet and thoughtful for the girls to find at their place at the breakfast table on valentine's day. Both girlies are very into wearing jewelry right now, but there isn't much that is made for children that doesn't sport a huge hello kitty, disney princess, or isn't completely gaudy.

When I saw this tutorial for felt hearts, I knew I had found the perfect inspiration for a little necklace for the girls. I didn't take pictures for a tutorial, but this was the end result:

Very sweet!

I think you could easily adapt the idea to make a precious strawberry necklace for summer or a cupcake with beads for sprinkles. With wool felt, the possibilities are endless! :)

I already had the felt and embroidery floss in my craft supplies, so I only needed to buy the actual necklace to put the charm on. I found it in Wal-mart's craft section and it came as one long 80 inch strand with four clasps included. Just cut the strand down to the size you need and attach the clasps.

The flower was stitched onto the heart using tiny french knots, before I sewed the heart together and stuffed it with a little fluff.

Needless to say, the girls LOVE their new necklaces and I love that our morning's are now battle free over what jewelry I'll let them wear out of the house.

Growing in Grace

She holds the tiny plastic cup with both hands as she proudly shows off her victory garden. Her class, all six of those little fours, spent the morning exploring what life was like on the home front during WWII. Their activity that day was planting green beans to represent the victory gardens that so many people relied on during those long war years to sustain themselves, both heart and stomach.

I peer down into the dirt, but all I can see are three shriveled brown beans buried deep in a discarded plastic yogurt cup.

My teacher says we just have to water it and the plant will start to grow.

I am doubtful.

But she is eager with excitement, so she floods the cup from the faucet. We pick a sunny spot on the kitchen window sill and wait with guarded anticipation.

She is impatient.

It has become her little life's goal to see this plant grow and produce beans of its own.

But how will the seed know what to do?

How will it know it is suppose to come up out of the dirt and grow up tall?

All day long, all these questions. The whys and the hows of life? I struggle to condense biology into the language of a four year old and wonder why don't they teach you this sort of thing in the parenting class at the hospital when you are so blissfully round and ignorant as to what lies ahead?

Because in each tiny seed, God puts all that little seed needs to know how to grow inside. When the season is right in the spring time, the weather warms from the sun and the rains fall to the earth, God whispers "now" and all the little seeds hidden in the earth start to grow.

Oh, she says, like magic.

Well, I struggle, sort of like magic, except that magic isn't real, but His power is.

He is mighty like that. He can fit a world of wisdom into a tiny little space.

It doesn't take long. On morning three, we wake to find a white curl emerging from the dark earth.

This thing that is breaking free from the brown, shriveled hull in which it has lived for so long looks unrecognizable.

She is esctactic and I am amazed at how quickly this plant is growing up strong. Each morning we wake to find it taller and bending toward the sunlight.

It doesn't hit me until a week later, while I'm outside walking in search of a clearer head, the only few moments of the day that are all quiet and mine:

The same manner in which He calls to life the beans and flowers and trees is the same way He breathes life into our hearts.

The soil and the sun and the rain, it is all so familiar.

When we stand alone in the sun of His glory and holiness, the against the Law, we shrivel and die. All that He has spoken in our hearts, the little seeds that lie dormant in the dirt, are worthless without the rain. We do not stand a chance in the sun without the Son, the grace rain that washes down and floods us with mercy. It is actually the grace that enables us to grow, not the law we struggle to keep or the perfection we seek to attain by our own merits.

I am reminded that all of my stunted growth and frustration at lack of fruit can't be fixed by trying harder, but by resting in grace. If grace rain is what awakens and stirs the seeds faith to growth, then why can't I truly believe once and for all that:

He said to me, (to ME!) "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I long to plant a victory garden of my own. I've been tilling and weeding and working hard in the sun.

I find it hard to accept the grace without perfection to offer up on my end.

But there is my mistake, in the work and not the rest. I will choose to grow by resting in the work that has already been done by the Son instead of straining so hard in the sun.

The hard part has been already been accomplished. I am only called to rest in Him and watch His "magic" stir these seeds to grow in grace. So I will offer up my weaknesses and a lifetime of thanksgiving and watch in awe as He produces a victory garden in my very own discarded plastic yogurt cup.

january in february

Here we are half way through February and I'm just now finding the time to share all that we did in January. It was a very full month!

The sewing workshops geared back up and I had a blast getting to know some more blog readers who came to get their stitch on! :) It is so funny to meet people who live right here (like literally minutes away from me) who I've never met before, but made connections about things we share in common, including friends we both know.

And I always love seeing what fabric each person brings. I get so many ideas for cute fabric combos for dresses and clothes for the girls based on the inspiration from what others find and bring with them. It is funny, but you can pretty much guess a person's personality type by the type of fabric they bring to the workshop with them. I always have somebody who is super trendy and another who is very preppy traditional. But all of them precious and so fun to hang out with for a few hours on a Saturday morning.

This past month I turned my sewing room into a doll factory, as I'm learning the beauty and efficiency of fabricating in bulk. It is 10 times easier to make a doll when I've got all of the pieces already cut out and ready to be sewn. I'm currently raising money for an upcoming trip (more on that soon) so I hope to have more dolls ready in the near future as a sort of fundraiser.

I finished up these books...oh these books! I can not wait to pick them back up and start all over again. I'm forcing myself to wait until at least this Thanksgiving before re-reading them. They were a seredipitous find at Goodwill. Did you know that you can actually find great reads at thrift stores? Many of them are brand new too. Not these, but they were only a $1 and almost made a full set. I already had book #2, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, so now I have the complete collection. How in this world I ever made it through childhood without reading it I do not know. In all honesty, a book about a beastly zoo animal, a lady with a black pointy hat and a piece of bedroom furniture did not sound all that appealing at the time.

I couldn't have been more wrong. It makes me wonder what else is out there that I'm completely missing out on?? I devoured these books. DEVOURED. I bought them the week of Thanksgiving and finished the last one the first week of January. Seriously. That good.

The Lord ministered to me more through this series of juvenile fiction than anything else I read this entire past year. I realized half way through The Magacian's Nephew why I was so engrossed by them. Having grown up in the church, I can't ever remember learning about Adam and Eve, or Noah, or the Creation. These stories were always just a "given" but when Lewis writes, you get to hear the Truth with a fresh set of ears. Does that make sense? Oh I could go on and on, but I'll just say that they come highly recommended and leave it at that.

***

Moving on, we were invited to one of the most precious birthday parties for a sweet little friend who belongs to one of my best friends from long ago. :) You have no idea how much I love this picture and that the fact that I get to watch my daughters celebrating the birthday of one my friend's daughters.

And what a precious little thing she is! Just like a little china doll.

Ava had a princess birthday party and we got to come dressed up as a princess! There is no better way to spend a Saturday morning with a 4 and 2 year old than to dress up like a princess and make flower wands and play Kiss the Frog Prince.

This was how Caroline sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl.

I think she got a little confused. ;)

what a stinker!

***

January's weather felt like spring so we spent most every afternoon outside. Thank you, January, for a brief respite from the grey and cold!

We got to plant some cheery flowers ...

... and have quite a few outdoor tea parties in our playhouse that still needs to be painted.

Will's job was to build it and mine was to paint it. oops! Need to check that off my to do list before spring so I can plant some hydrangeas around the outside of the playhouse porch.

On the days that it has been cold, we've been busy inside building forts,

"swimming" in the tub,

and enjoying play dates with friends.

It makes me so happy to have my house filled with the sounds of little girls' play. This is one of the things I will miss most about this stage of the girls being this age. The mornings with friends filled with the giggles of playing dress up, tea party, and baby dolls.

And last is this random picture of Caroline's that marks a major milestone for her. :) She drew a picture of me the other morning that actually resembled a person! I think I've been completely "mommified" because I was SO PROUD of her drawing and displayed it up on the fridge for everyone to admire. I can remember seeing stuff like this in my teens as a babysitter thinking, yeah, big deal, so the child can draw a stick figure and his parent thinks he is a genius.

But now I have officially become "that parent"

...

...

...

and guess what? I don't even care.

;)