whatever

thinking....

the winner of the Alexander Creative Family Rules poster is.....

Love this! Thanks for the opportunity!!

Posted by: sharon y. | April 20, 2012 at 02:17 PM

send me your info sharon y. and i will hook you up with Ryan Alexander!

now if you didn't win....go get your own!! 

{ poppyandpinecone }

so i said yesterday i was missing pam and dreaming about going back to africa.
it's on my mind everyday.
i feel like.... i am in some kind of pull between what i know is right and what i do anyway....like shopping among many other things.
i know that spending money on "things" that mean nothing is not right.
meaning: it's worthless. 
but i like those things....cute clothes....shoes....new jewelry.
but it means NOTHING to God.
and shouldn't i care about what God cares about?
shouldn't i want what HE wants for me?

i know that He does not want my time and thoughts and money to be spent on clothes and nothingness.
even if i do look super cute...i can't take it with me when i die.
going to africa to visit pam doesn't mean i can't go shopping...it's not that.
it means i feel messy in my heart and mind and can't make sense of it yet.
God is the only one who can resolve this issue in me.
and He will keep working on me i am sure of that. 

then i got these books....and i'm done for.
i am on chapter ONE of katie's book and i canNOT stop the tears.
the entire time....every word....crying.
have you read this book?  after only chapter one i would say YOU SHOULD.
and her blog?
it will wreck you. 

and i am scared to read seven.
very scared.

pam and i email each other quite a bit.  
her emails are so special to me.  
i read them over and over.
once i read them out loud over dinner because she and i were coresponding back and forth right then.
i wanted my family to be amazed at what God is doing through them and for them.

her son wrote a book and it's on kindle!  
he is so talented.
we downloaded it on sean's kindle and he loved it!  
sean said "that is so cool that jake wrote it AND it's on kindle!"  
it inspired him.
it's called The War Horn....you can download it here for $2.99
he's using the funds to help raise money for a trip back to the US to go to a writing camp....awesome. 

way to go jake.
i am so proud of you!   

 

and now....on a completely DIFFERENT subject

i am going to take the year off from taking family photos.
i just can't get it all done.
it makes me sad but coming to that decision has been a relief.
there are things i want to do but haven't because the photo season loomed over my head.
thinking "i won't have time once pictures start up again"

i did do one session.
love them.
levi and griffin are just plain cute in every way.
and tickling works for smiles when the chickens were too distratcing behind me. 

:)

thank jess and joel for being my only clients this year.  

ha!

i have a lot of you ask about my lens and camera.
i use a Canon 50D and i only own one lens....canon 24-70 f/2.8
so every picture on this blog for two years now has been with that lens.
unless they are my phone pictures.

 

tom petty was really good.
his voice sounds exactly the same as it ever has...it was pretty incredible.
he was so gracious "thank you so much!" after every song and sounding like he deeply meant it.
it is so crazy to sit at a concert & look at the performer that wrote a song that i have been singing my whole life.
to watch them sing it!?
it's surreal.
i LOVE that about live music.
he didn't play wildflowers though....my most favorite....bummer.
but it was a great show. 

and i liked being there with mr. duerksen.
he's my my real most favorite.

 

SNAP...a small recap.

i took no photos of people.
it's probably a nervous thing....right?
all the pictures in this post are of things i saw this weekend and have nothing to do with my words because that is the only option here!

well... as almost all nerve wracking, fear of the unknown situations are....everything was fine.
like all of YOU knew it would be.
it was me who was doubting. 

 
i really don't like being the new girl.
the one that no one knows....or in this case the one who knows no one else.
i was walking into a weird and new experience for me.
but it was GREAT!
everyone was SUPER nice and kind and friendly.


 (side note:  dont you think this couch could not be more perfect for the craft house????)


i had FUN roommates.
we laughed the entire time.
it was such wonderful girl time for me.
lindsey, jeannett and maggie were even better than i hoped.  

the entire conference was done so well.
we were entertained....spoiled....and taught.
i was so impressed with all of it.
i looooved the Queen Bee Market! 
it was my first time to get to see so many of these handmade products that i love online....in person!







my session was with jeannett and ethan and moderated by amy.
i felt like it was just right.
i spoke from my heart.  
and as always....i cried.
only in the beginning.
it was a relief to be actually speaking the words i had been going over in my head for weeks...months.
to get them OUT and not have to worry about messing up any more.



speaking them out loud brought my passion alive again.
fanned the flame.
getting to share what is deep in my heart felt awesome...like it was stuck inside and then released!

God sent so many women to give me words of encouragement all weekend.
they were all so kind and gushingly sweet.
it was humbling.
they made me feel so good all day long.

i got to meet blogger friends in real life...
mique, kami,  tauwni, jess, andrea, heather, alissa, patty and kim to name a few.

the sponsors were generous!
our swag bags were extreme.
this was about a quarter of the loot...seriously...they rocked it.



so....my thoughts on what i got out of the conference.

1. it was a wonderful break from the everyday of mommyhood.

2. meeting bloggers is awesome.

3. speaking makes me nervous and yet i really LOVE doing it.

4. girlfriends are such good medicine.

5. i was reminded again of what i am in this corner of the internet....and i like it.
    i first realized it first when i was in Atlanta for the coca-cola social media conference surrounded by big
    bloggers filled with business mindsets and big goals and plans for their blogs.
    at the end of the day....i just want to glorify God.
    in my words, in my photos, in my home, in my relationships and definitely on my blog....every day.
    and that is a work in progress.
    it's a journey.
    i still mess up a lot.  
    i still react poorly sometimes often....i am normal.
    but i am here in to serve God with JOY and do my best every day to let His Light shine through me.

i loved SNAP.
it was awesome to be asked to be a part of it!
they know how to throw a party!

hey....how about if YOU were at SNAP and you took your picture with me....send it to me!
i have no photos of you or me.
it will make a great post.  :)
pleeeease.

thanks!

 

girls day

i brought my two littlest girls up to my parents for a short visit.
there was no school and it looked like it might rain again and after that LONG rainy spring break we just had i was done with that...so we packed up and left.

and today we had a girls day.

:)

breakfast at Wheatfields.
biggest french toast i have ever seen.
 


wheatfields has tiles all over in beautiful colors made into a mural...so so pretty!
 


trying on glasses.



pretty dress for mommy that did come home with me.


rainboots that i REALLY wanted to come home with me.....badly....the zig zag ones.
but they stayed.



i tried to convince my girls to pick these earrings and they went with milk and cookies earrings instead.



a little shopping at Gap...40% off shirts and leggings!!
score.



visited my MOST favorite fabric shop!!! 
sarah's fabrics has an unbelievible selection of all the beautiful fabrics you want to see in real life...not just online.
camera fabric?!  
adorable.





lunch was Sylas & Maddy's...local ice cream shop.





ice cream for lunch is perfectly acceptable for girls day.




pretties at urban outfitters....also loved their rugs.
did not love getting asked "can i help you with something SIR?"
excuse me?
what?
never happened to me before....we had quite a laugh about it all evening.
so many comebacks i could've had. 

my mom and i stopped by to see my grandmas.
one was doing great and one wasn't feeling too well.
my girls were quite entertained by the fish tank at the home.





home to my moms....my sister showed up with her girls....we sent the kids off to play and had grown up girls time.
my mom found this wine in south dakota...home of sturgis.....oh my.



yummy dinner and off to the park till it was dark.



so much better than stuck at the farm in the rain.

yep.

i hope you have a beautiful Easter weekend.
we'll probably dye eggs today.
then i will head back to the rest of my family today so we can have easter together.
with a starbucks midway home...there is ONE starbucks exactly middle of the road between me and my moms house.
we frequent it...every time.

happy easter.

HE IS RISEN.

remember this video?

i still love it.

sunday's coming.

 

the etc.

our local thrift shop is called The Et Cetera Shop.
the town i grew up in had one also so it's been part of my life for a long time.
i donate LOTS of stuff to it every year. (kids out grow out of clothes so fast!)

but i buy LOTS of fun stuff there too.

i stopped in yesterday for their grand re-opening after remodeling....ya know....just to peek.



i left with a box almost too big to take to my car myself.
oh my.

this seriously heavy duty fish shaped bottle opener could not stay there all alone.
it needed me. 
it was lonely....it had traveled all the way from Moses Lake, Washington!


 
a little spray paint....
a little oxi clean....
maybe some RIT dye for the chenille...

another chalk board.
i just can't resist them!

and if they have a green painted chalk tray....forget about it?!!! 
it must come home with me.

talby came home and said "what does thrifty mean?"

thrift·y/ˈTHriftē/

Adjective:	(of a person or their behavior) Using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully
Synonyms:	economical - frugal - sparing - saving - economic

 

craig may disagree that i am "thrifty" BUT at least i enjoy a bargain when i find one. 


pottery in the perfect shade of turquoise....
teeny red cardinal salt and pepper shakers to be saved for a craft someday...
a silver dish to hold bracelets in my bathroom....

and a handmade blanket that screams "happy valentines day!"


 

 
a weathered globe....
and a yard of sweet heart fabric.

it was a fabulous day at the thrift shop.
i love those kind of days.

we are painting this after school...because....it's pretty!


(source...)

and i can't wait.
it looks completely relaxing to paint that.
pattern and color over and over.....ahhhhhhh.

 

do you have big valentine's day plans?
i will be honest with ya'll....i don't celebrate Valentines.
i don't decorate.
i don't make treats.
i buy the $2 box of cards for my kids to take to class...with Victorious and Angry Birds.
i am sure if craig was one of those guys that went nuts with gifts and flowers for valentines i wouldn't object to that but seriously i just don't really care.

i know i am loved everyday.
and my kids know it too.
 
here is my ode to valentines....from the Lord.

thank you Lord for that kind of love.
amen.

:) 

******************************************

 

don't forget to enter to win a $100 gift card to the Olive Garden HERE.

 

MONDAY!!!!

i had a great weekend!

did you?

my little girls had their first indoor soccer game of the season.
annie never stops wiggling, dancing, jumping or kicking the entire game.
oh and also she hugs.
her teammates.
:)

talby scored a goal....played tough.
she loves soccer! 
how about those lime green shirts?!  wowza.

my mother in law took annie and scott with her onto sean's tournament where craig already was.
i had a quiet afternoon of organizing in the craft weekend room.




folding all the fabric again and seeing how much i have.
organizing it by color.


this order came this week....new fabric is just the happiest package to get in the mail.

i found some new material at hancocks fabric this week too.
i love this one.

i know it looks like nursing scrubs from the pediatrician's office.
BUT it is happy and sweet and i love it anyway.
:)


done.
folded....sorted....cute.
CHECK.

i feel much more ready for this Whatever Craft Weekend than the one just last month.
it is a great feeling.

i took talby to a volleyball clinic late saturday afternoon.
then everyone came back home and my mother in law took three to her house for a sleep over.
i love when that happens!
they love to go and it's nice to change it up around here.

with all that childcare....craig and i were WILD and CRAZY!
we sat on our computers and balanced bank accounts, recorded mileage and organized things for taxes.

pretty hot right?

smokin.

our sunday was church, watching club volleyball for lauren and basketball for sean and some arby's drive through for lunch and pizza hut for dinner.
and a two hour nap....sooo good.

i hope i can share the sermon from sunday with you soon.
i thought it was really good.
i was challenged.
and i laughed really LOUD.
do you ever get the giggles when it is completely NOT appropriate?
i used to do that a lot but now i am mature.
ha!
totally kidding.

my bible study this week with BSF has been on 1 Corinthians. 
i have enjoyed spending more time with God this week.
i was missing that.

don't hold back.


and this morning i woke up to SNOW!
i love snow.
it makes me happy (in the beginning :)

happy monday.

 

hi.....

i want to make this cake....my kids would LOVE it.

a commenter yesterday told me about this site....a Childs Own.
i was in awe.
the poor girl is so swamped with work though.  i wish i could help her out! 
she is an amazing artist!
my kids loved it too.
they kept thinking of which of their drawings would be the best to send in.
:)
i think they think it's a contest....
annie quickly drew this picture for that blog.  

a rainbow bus!!! love that....and those cookies too.
mmmm. 

i am sitting here in the crafting/dining room....surrounded and nearly buried in the things to prepare for the Whatever Craft Weekend #3.
i had a successful day today getting supplies and using my time well.
(that can be translated as....i had time for starbucks without having to speed on my way to the bus stop)


do you see i found cupcake fabric that is glittered?!  hello?!!  
(brother sister design studio fabric from hobby lobby)      (and my planner is from erin condren)

this is my little crafty cave.

 

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so this has been on my mind to share with you lovely ladies.....

i was driving in my car and listening to a christian music station.
the DJ came on and said who the song was by and then said something like:

"there are so many people that think they need to change before God will love them"

they say that in church, in books, on the radio.
i have heard that probably over a hundred times in my life.
but all of a sudden

I HEARD IT.

and i felt so sad in my heart.

do people REALLY think that?
Are there people that think that God won't love them if they are flawed? 
That they have to be fixed and pretty and better before God would want them?

if that is you....if that is what you were taught or what you have told yourself....

IT IS NOT TRUE.

You cannot do anything in your life to make God love you more.

You cannot do anything in your life to make God love you less.

HE IS LOVE.
He loves you....right now.
in your mess.
in your heartache.
in your despair.
in your mistakes.
in your anger.
in your grief.
in your fear.
in your depression.
in your loneliness.
in every teeny tiny corner of your very being.....

HE LOVES YOU.
no matter what you did ten years ago, last month or today.
He is ready to welcome you into His open arms.
all you have to do is ASK. 

i hope you know that deep and unfailing and unENDING and never changing LOVE from God and Jesus.

"Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Matthew 9: 12

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  
Matthew 11:28