win my chevron clutch!

hi there!

remember the clutch that has been dominating my time lately?

yep, that's it. the one in like 3 places on my little bloggy blog.

well...go win it here!

in the color of your choice, of course!

do you want to know what I consider the best part of this giveaway?

no one has to friend me, like me, or follow me to win!

i try not to coerce people into being my friends (ha-ha)  just a joke, people, laugh!   actually, i mean it:)


just leave Megan a comment telling her what color you want.  btw, she is a southern doll!  go check her out :)

outgrowing myself

this weekend was wonderful.

one of my big sisters got married.

i have three older sisters, and it was a joy to be together with our families!

my aunt flew cross country from CA to be here and we enjoyed that too.  my mom enjoyed her even more than us girls did though.  there is something very special about sisters.  i am spoiled because all of my sisters live relatively close by and we can get together on a whim.  it was a blessing to see my mother have time with her sister too!

when we get together, our husbands brace themselves...we are loud.  we laugh. we are silly and goofy.  we cry.  we have a myriad of inside jokes that make us spray liquid out of our noses, but no one else "gets".  we drink coffee and go on 'sister walks' around the neighborhood.  we swap kid stories, clothes and shoes, and music and books.  we remember.

perhaps because of this, i am thinking today about how i am not the person i used to be.

i remember times past and experiences shared.  some were good.  many were not.  one thing that i know is that i am exceedingly grateful that those are things past.  you see, even the good experiences are tainted with the memory of the selfish, immature, and outspoken person i used to be.

today i am thankful that God grows us up.  we are not left to figure things out on our own.   he doesn't say "grow up" and leave us to wonder how.  how to shed this skin that i'm in?  he makes all things new.  he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.  he works all things for the good of those who love him.  yes.

i have been through some heartache, pain, and difficulty.  it has shaved the edges off of me.  i have outgrown myself.  i am 'blissfully ignorant' no more.  i know a little about suffering.  some days i feel as though there is a melancholy undertone that has been left behind from the difficulty.  it feels a tad bit pessimistic. i don't like it.  i am ready to outgrow this self, please.

i have woken up to a new day and faced it with a weary heart though i am unbelievably blessed!  it's not that i'm ungrateful for the day and the gifts it brings, but perhaps i am weary of myself.  it's not the housework, the children, the homeschooling, the bills, or the committments, it's the woman.  i have been aching to be different.  not physically.  just inside different.  you can't join a gym for that, you can't pay money for that.  what do you do to get the inside different?

i am ready to turn over a new leaf...
i sooo enjoy fall and the changing of the seasons.  such bliss in the changing temperatures and falling leaves!  there is a crisp newness in the stripping bare.  growing, blooming things are laid low for their own good and gods glory.  they will return in season.  bigger.  stronger.  with breathtaking beauty!  they will outgrow the space they were in this year.  i will have to divide some of them and transplant them.  i am hoping to outgrow myself again, and have beauty enough to be divided and transplanted.

linking up with Kris

a beautiful woman who makes me think!

front page news

so it's not exactly front page of something earth shattering...

but i was happy none the less!

my chevron stripe clutches made it on the front page:)  so humbling.

are you surprised that i'm not sick of sewing these yet?  (me too!)

i tend to only make things a few times and then move on.  this little bag has kept my favor for a longer spell though.

what i found this morning

every morning (at some point)  i check my email and etsy shops.

many days, i find that my work has been featured in someone's lovely treasury collection on etsy.

this is great for two reasons:

first, it's soo humbling to know that someone likes what you make! and that they like it enough to put it in a list of their 16 favorite items??  feels like a warm hug:)

second, these treasury lists are carefully curated groups of fabulous finds all put together for us to appreciate!  no searching or digging required!

here are a couple of wonderful finds that i was greeted with this morning:

amazing fondant icing chevron brownie toppers!  yes please:) by TwoSugarBabies




this is an awesome custom print that made me laugh:

custom print by NaptimeDiaries

by the way, Jessi from naptime diaries is a lovely, lovely girl with a lovely, lovely blog!  check her out!



lastly, this is an amazing book that i am reading every morning right now:

it was given to me by a dear sweet friend, who is the most beautiful person!  and this book is kicking my butt!  every morning.
if you haven't seen it or read it yet...go get one!  and i am going to buy one for a friend (or two) and pass along this treasure that was passed along to me.

blessings!

one sweet love giveaway/fundraiser

i have the joy of being a part of raising money to help a dear family make a dream of adoption a reality.

you have no idea how much awesome loot you have a chance to win here!

GO and help! donate and win!

be richly blessed by being able to bless others.

i am firmly in support of adoption.  i cry like a baby over sweet babies without a family.

our family hasn't been called to adopt.  but we have all been called to do something about the orphans.

true and pure religion is found in helping the needy, poor, weak, widowed, and orphaned.

homeschool

so, did y'all know that i homeschool my two oldest boys?

well, now you know:)

there is so much i could tell you about this...

but, for now, i will simply say that it's the time of year when most people start asking our kids "where do you go to school?"

their answer?..."nowhere".  that's right.  and it's at this point that alarmed/startled faces dart to my alarmed/startled face to ask questions.

and here's what inquiring minds want to know:

1. how long are you going to homeschool them?

we just pray about it each year, and do what we feel we are supposed to do for that child for that year.  we are in the unique situation of having a son who needs surgery every 9 months, and homeschooling is definitely the best option for him.  we need time off around his surgery dates, so we homeschool through the summer and take off other times during the year when he needs them.

2. what are you going to do about their, ya know, socialization?

well, i went to school with kids who were well adjusted, and some who weren't.  in fact, some of the most socially warped kids i ever knew went through 13 years of school with me.  i don't really think school is the key to being socially well adjusted.

by the way, when i was in school, all i ever heard was:

"this isn't social hour, no talking!"
"you can talk to your friends after school"
"you're here to learn...not socialize!"
"you're going to get your name on the board (detention) for talking/passing notes"

and we had assigned seats so you couldn't sit next to your friends
and on my report cards from kindergarten on up: 'talks too much'

i can't speak for all homeschool families, but i know that in our area there is way more available to homeschool groups than there ever used to be...or was available to me in the school system.  we are so blessed and thankful!

3. how do you teach your own children?  i could never do that!  i would lose my temper.  i would never be able to teach my own kids!

um, really?? are you sure about that one?

did you send them away to learn to speak?

for potty training?

for the 100 million things that you will teach your child before he/she is school age?

yeah, i thought not!

god gives grace for teaching and wisdom to those who ask!

side note: all parents "homeschool" if they sit down and help their kids with their homework!  seriously, people, that's all it is!

4. what 's homeschooling like?

it's like parenting!  some days are mountain tops, and some days are valleys.  my kids have days when things aren't clicking for them and it's frustrating for all.  that's when i say "let's just close this book and pick up another day!  who wants to go play outside?!"

there is nothing that can describe seeing the "light bulb" come on and watching your childs face glow!  i love being able to celebrate their little triumphs and successes of learning, that would otherwise go unnoticed in a classroom setting.

i love being able to tailor their education to fit them perfectly.  if it takes us 2 weeks (or months) to conquer a new concept...who cares?  the point is that it is all coming at them as they are ready for it.  we don't move on and leave them behind.

we also get to skip ahead!  i have been blessed with very advanced readers, and i get to choose reading material and work that is well above their grade level (thus keeping their interest and keeping them engaged!) otherwise, my boys would be bored with school.

4. what if they want to go to school one day?

we'll cross that bridge if it ever comes:)  right now, my boys know that when their work is done, they can rock the play time all they want to!  it usually takes them about 2 hours to complete a full day's school, so that leaves them all afternoon to do as they wish!  so, to them, sitting in school all day seems like jail.

their cousins and neighborhood friends are jealous.

i know that homeschooling isn't for all families, and it might not even be for us forever...so i try to be flexible and pray with my husband about what is best for our kids for right now.

if there are any lingering questions in your head, ask me!

what is that our teachers used to say?  "there are no dumb questions." :)