This is a day that I have been waiting for for so long. Most women will tell you they get the whole house and the hubby might get a space of his own (usually the basement), but I don’t see it that way and I finally got to claim a little piece of our house all to myself. I honestly didn’t think it would ever happen, and once it became a reality I quickly became nervous that I wouldn’t do it justice. But I got over that real fast, unpacked and reorganized all my stuff, and it is my pleasure to introduce you to the newest and favoritest corner of my home (as of yet): MY CRAFT SPACE!!

ACK! Is it really mine? I still can’t believe it! See the workstation? That was a birthday/mother’s day gift from the hubby, and it’s actually a kitchen island, fitted with a breakfast bar on the other side so I can sit up high and work. My dad labored hard over that mother to sand, paint and stain it to perfection (as I knew he would - he’s so good with that kind of stuff) and it was all I could do to keep from peeing myself when we picked it up from their house, all finished and pinky-peachy!

The desk is actually the vanity that used to sit in our entryway that was a dark walnut stain. It fits perfectly in between the two china cabinets, so I knew I wouldn’t have to buy another desk, but that dark color wasn’t working at all. So three cans of spray paint later, some new hardware and there ya go - a $15 fix.

These prints my mother in law got me for Christmas and I *heart* them so much (the birds, go figure) and knew that they would be in my future craft space.

Lots of little jars filled with yummy eye-candy and loads of inspiration.

And what I love most about it? It’s on the main floor, just off the kitchen so I can still be in the same vicinity as the fam while I’m working. My favorite part about fixing this space up was rediscovering things I had made and watching Conner discover them for the first time. He loves to come sit in my lap when I’m working on the computer, and each time will point to something new and ask what it is. And I get to tell him it’s something I made, or something someone made for me and in a little way I get to share a little about this part of me that I love so much, and hope one day he will be a part of as well. Besides the fact that I think it’s just the best room ever, it is such a place of peace for my heart that I feel like I finally have a place. I feel so blessed and so lucky. I know that sounds silly, but for those who understand I don’t need to further explain because you totally get it.

I really do walk by this room and sigh with such satisfaction, not so much with what I’ve done with it, but that it’s done. Now it’s time to move onto the boy’s rooms and I hope I get them done soon. The clock is literally ticking away time that I will have to devote to things like this. Next up: a quick tutorial on stamping your own onesies.

One of the coolest surprises about moving (esp. during the winter time) is finding out what kind of foliage you are adopting. Imagine my sheer delight to find all these buds after a good rainfall last week. It’s so pretty and cheery - I love it!

Last week some of my crafty gals came over to have another polymer clay night and I am finding that the more I do with the stuff, the more I am growing to love it. Joy’s obsession with it began over a year ago and she will cover anything in it. Literally. Journals, pens, animals and children, whatever strikes her fancy. We joke around that we’re afraid to leave things at her house because she’s going to give them back covered in polymer. But in all honesty it really is a versatile craft in that you can do so much with it, and it doesn’t cost much to get started. Maybe she’ll do a Polymer-101 on her blog once she returns from jet-setting around Europe (*wink, nudge*).

So after making the beads for the bracelet that I put in the shop on Friday (and thank you to those who purchased them!!) I had some time to kill and decided to make something for myself. Joy made me a clay cross for my birthday last year that I use during my prayer time as a visual and something to hold for whenever I might need it. I love it so much and use it often, however it has gone awol since we moved. So I decided I would make another one and put my own touch to it.

I love how it turned out, especially the colors. For the center I used a wooden cross that you can purchase at craft stores in a bundle pack, that way it’s not too heavy and you just mold the clay around the shape. The beads added a nice finish to it, I thought. And since I had some clay left over and loved the way the colors marbled, I made two beads (surprisingly) and fashioned them into earrings. They’re not normally earrings I would wear, but I do love them so much I’ll probably get over it.

And that’s all for now. I’m planning a shop redesign and update for April, so I’m hoping to get a jump on that when we get back from vacation, in addition to other crafts that I am dying to complete. Here’s a pic of my little biker on his favorite toy, the strider. The no-pedals feature teaches them balance faster and it works - he’s getting pretty good at it! Have a great week everyone!!

Holiday weekends are always so much fun, but the older your kids get (and the more you’re reproducing), the more exhausting they are! But let’s not fixate on the exhausting part - on to some pictures!

Saturday we colored eggs with Conner which, I don’t know why I was surprised, but he made a mess. After explaining twenty times that you gently place the egg in the colored water, not hold it up high and let it cannonball in, he still wasn’t getting it but look at that face - having so much fun!

I really can’t wait until he’s a little older and we can dive into some seriously fun art projects together.

Every Easter we gather at my parents house for lunch and a good ol’ Easter egg hunt. It’s still a concept that is lost on him right now, but with a little direction he found all his eggs (and a few for that were meant for the big kids, too - hey, if you lose out to a two-year old I don’t feel bad for you).

And the fun part - finding out what’s inside the eggs.

I said I would post a hair pic, and as you can see it’s really anticlimactic. Just a trim, she did cut longer bangs which I hate, but I always think it’ll be different this time and it never is and two days later I’m styling and clipping them to the side. I had a before picture, which got lost when my hard-drive went berserk a few weeks ago, so here’s a pic of it at Christmas (which nothing had changed from then anyways):

And after:

Hello sunshine! It’s not that much of a difference but having had it darker for four years it was quite an adjustment. I wanted to go really blonde, but thought I needed to ease into the water, not dive in head-first esp. since pregnancy sends my indecisiveness to the tenth degree. And then here’s a 25-week belly shot just for funsies. Hope you all had a fabulous holiday!

Vegetable beef soup in the crockpot, movies lined up to watch for Conner’s nap time, and my latest craft project ready to be started…it’s going to be a great day!

I’m not going to say I sigh heavily when I’m “tagged” on any kind of blog-meme, because who doesn’t love to see their name and blog written on someone else’s? And since I really have nothing else to blog about (okay, that was a lie, I just don’t feel right blogging about some things yet - you understand, right? No? Fine, go pout.) I’m doubling-up on two tags I’ve been sent.

The first is from Subu and she got me with one of those share weird and borderline creepy things about yourself. I’ve done this before, and it’s not that I can’t think of any, if just…well yeah I’m so used to my overall weirdness, nothing is jumping out at me except the following three things. I love diving right into the inner workings of people, don’t you? So without further ado: more reasons you should not admire me.

1) I rub paper. I’ve mentioned this before but it bears repeating because this is a serious addiction. I’ll take an innocent piece of paper, fold it in half, then in half again, half again, until it’s a small square and then rub the corners until they’re dull. I will then keep folding and refolding and rubbing and dulling until it’s a mass of ripped, soft paper. I’ve done this since I was little and at the ripe age of 26 I still do it, especially if I’m bored or stressed. Sometimes it gets so bad that Tim will not give me dollar bills to hang onto b/c I will start rubbing them. Some of my friends can attest to this, and thank you to those who DO NOT CALL ATTENTION TO IT.

2) I used to think the piece of furniture called chest of drawers was actually called chester drawers. Like there was a company called “chester” who trademarked this particular piece, much like how everyone calls a tissue a kleenex, whether it’s a Kleenex brand or not. I did this up until a few years back when I said it to Tim and his face contorted in this half-confused/half-entertained look and said, “chester what?” It was worsened by the fact that I repeated it to him, with certainty, like that was in fact what they are to be called. I still do it if I don’t think carefully before I say it.

3) My family loves the Dairy Queen ice cream cakes, so for one of our birthdays (can’t remember which) we had one, and I love to eat the big flowers they put on top (made of 100% crisco, you know the ones I’m taking about). So on this particular cake, I had eaten this giant red rose, loving every bite of it. The next day I had to go #2 and my poop was completely red. As in COMPLETELY. RED. I panicked, and being the hypochondriac that I was at the time, ran out of the bathroom, crying that I must have some kind of cancer since my poop was red. I made everyone come and look at it, including our innocent foreign exchange student from Norway, to confirm that I must be dying. It was a few days later before we put two-and-two together and realized that red dye #40 is a very powerful thing to ingest. It will turn your poop red.

The second tag I got was from Bee, who I *heart* and would love to meet up with eventually, and I am to name five blogs that I have to read daily. My bloglines have taken a life of their own since I don’t have time to read blogs like I used to (and NoBloPoMo screwed me really bad in making me fall farther behind), but these five were the first that jumped out at me that I really enjoy and want to spread some linky-love.

1) Will Blog for Shoes - not trying to be the “oh I love your blog, too!” b/c I really do. Bee deserves a stellar pair of shoes, a tiara and a stunning sash that reads, “Miss Congeniality, with a side of sunshine coming out of my rear” You make me laugh with your wit and I get a smidge giddy when your blog is lit up on my blog reader.

2) Oh Amanda - I loved her blog from the beginning and since meeting her in person I look forward to reading about her life and talking with her any chance I get. And never mind that her little girl is one of the prettiest I think I’ve ever seen.

3) Greenbean Baby - Ellia is an amazingly talented artist who makes the coolest things from paper. I found her blog a few months back and have enjoyed reading about her craft, and how she juggles it all with two children as well. She is certainly an inspiration!

4) Jessica Claire - while I am fascinated by photography, I’m just the hobbyist. However I love looking at photographs and Jessica’s are probably my favorite. They’re so stunning and brilliant and I feel like the colors leap from my monitor and are total eye-candy. I love looking through her gallery and if you can appreciate amazing photography, I highly recommend her site.

5) The Superficial - okay, this one is a guilty pleasure and he’s pretty crass, but if anyone can make fun of Hollywood and do it with so much wit and inappropriate suggestions, it’s this guy.

Now, if you’ll excuse me I must continue my day of running around frantically and then join the largest slumber party I’ve ever been too - eighty-five church women locked in a building for twenty-one hours. Y’all pray for me.

Another year - it’s so hard to believe! I know time only seems to race by the older you get, but this feels insane. My baby is turning two in a few short weeks (two, people!! when did this happen??), we’re having another baby, we sold our house and are looking to move on up (more to come on that later), and that’s just the things I know about now at the present. I tend to get a bit…tizzied when life gets crazy. Tim is so patient in dealing with me when I enter this state of extreme craziness, so knowing just how busy and insane our lives are going to get in the coming months, I’ve really resolved this year to simplify. I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to go about doing that. All I know is it’s something that I’ve been thinking about for the last few months, easy ways, every day, to simplify. Part of me is going to really struggle with this. It’s the same personality that tried to talk me into making another batch of peanut butter balls on Christmas Eve because I thought I might’ve left someone out. This personality is very rarely right and always causes strife. There are other personalities that can cause problems yet they’re fun to have around, but this one I want banished for good.

So that’s my main New Year’s Resolution. Simplify. Sounds…simple? We shall see. There are a few other’s here and there, but one that I was happy to not scribble out was losing weight - that will be a July resolution. I leave you with this picture of a new way to introduce potty training to your toddler. One of those candy-pooping animals. You push his bottom and out pops a poo. This makes Conner laugh hysterically and he claps every time the bear relieves a jellybean. I wonder if he’ll enjoy being potty trained just as much.

This year will be really hard to say good-bye to. I don’t normally get attached to years, per se, but this one holds so many memories, both great and agonizing and I will look back on 2007 and say that’s the year my life really started.

If I could sum it all up in one word it would be redemption. I had demons that followed me for years, past hurts and mistakes that on my own I could not shake. But the Lord sought after me tirelessly, loved on me, accepted me, and best of all redeemed me. I no longer walk around characterized by my wounds, nor do I identify myself with my faults. I am a new creature in Christ. I can proclaim with David that he lifted me out of the muddy pit and put a new song in my mouth. He took this empty shell of a woman and filled her with his peace and strength and love, with so much more on the way. This didn’t happen quickly, and there were times I wanted everything to stay the same because it was hurting too much. But faith without suffering does not exist, and even when life hit the skids I was reminded of Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

If I could sum up something that I’ve learned this year is that God is good. He is so good. Even thinking on his goodness it’s hard for me not to fall on my face and thank him for this. I know that I am nothing without Him. Life sucks sometimes and I can’t imagine not having a God to cling to when things are just rotten. I have never felt peace in so many storms than when I know the Lord, God above all gods is braving them with me. That the creator of all things swoops down to find me in my time of need, and love on me, provide for me, rescue me, and restore me.

I don’t normally use this blog as a platform for these kinds of posts, but today I simply want to proclaim what the Lord has done for me and praise him for his goodness. I never thought people could change, that you could try to act differently but at your core you are still the same. But now I know that is not true. I get to look in the mirror everyday and realize that I am changed. God changes people. God changed me. He saw something in me and through the tireless and continual prayers of others, and of his own pure and jealous love for me sought after me and redeemed me.

I’ve gotten to see God in many forms in my life - Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; Jehovah Machsi, my Refuge; Jehovah Rohi, my Shepherd; and now, Jehovah Gaal, my Redeemer. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for redeeming me. My heart and my life will be forever thankful.

May 2008 bless you as much as 2007. Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

So remember about a month ago when I was crying the blues about losing my beautiful diamond ring?

What’s that on my hand? Is it a new one? NO! It’s the same one - I found it this afternoon, randomly of course, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. I was still holding out hope that I would find it in the process of moving, but I was getting a bag out of the cupboards and I saw it and it didn’t register at first that it was the ring, but then it clicked, and I began screaming, “OHMYGOSH MY RING!” Which doesn’t sound too weird, except I was on the phone with Tim, mid-sentence on something else, so I’m sure he had to pull the receiver away from his ear a bit. I still can’t believe it. And I even had a dream about a week ago that I found it and I woke up with that just-woke-up elation, where whatever happened in the dream you really think happened, only to realize CRAP it was a dream. And as the day wore on I went into a tailspin of stress, so this was just the best thing to happen today.

I know I am one of thousands who luuuuuuvs Christmas music. I have my favorites - Jingle Bell Rock, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Oh Holy Night, just to name a few - but last year as I was cleaning the kitchen and listening to one of my favorite radio programs, Delilah (yes, I am a mom), I heard this beautiful Christmas song that brought tears to my eyes. As I was washing the dishes, I listened to this young girl’s beautiful voice sing this folk song and I couldn’t stop welling up. I only heard it once, but I found a copy of it on You Tube and will definitely be purchasing the single from iTunes. The song is called The Gift, and it’s by Aselin Debison. You can listen to it here, or if you’re at a place you can’t listen right now, here are the lyrics. I hope you are blessed as much as I was!

For anyone that knows me, knows I am not a jewelry person. I admire it, and admire my friends that can wear it, but I, sadly, am not one of those people. And the more understated, the better. I told Tim when we got married that he was a lucky man (for many reasons), since I didn’t like jewelry very much and he would save a lot of money in that area.

But after Conner was born, I found a ring that I fell in love with. It was a diamond cluster ring in the shape of a star or flower, depending on your perspective and I wanted it sooooooo bad. So as a birthday/thanks-for-pushing-out-a-huge-baby gift, he got it for me and over the last 19 months I fell so deeply in love with this ring. I went from wearing it every now and then (I didn’t want to mess it up) to wearing it everyday. Anytime anyone complimented it, I beamed proudly and told them it was a gift from my wonderful husband.

The last few weeks have been a little rough as my body is adjusting to pregnancy again, and this week was no exception. Tuesday, after a long morning (when I had to get my root canal re-treated), and stressful afternoon, I was frantically getting stuff ready for our small group meeting that night. I went to take my rings off to wash my hands and gasped when my diamond ring was not on my finger. I went into panic mode, literally tore the kitchen apart looking for it, and then began to cry at the thought of it being lost at the grocery store, or worse, in the yard with all those blasted leaves. I called everywhere I had been, left my name and number and said a prayer that there is a kind soul out there who finds it and turns it in. I kept thinking about it all night, and every time I did I would start to cry.

I moped around most of the day yesterday (and I’m a great moper - just ask my mom), hating that I had lost it. I was putting laundry away and found the box that it came in and as my eyes welled up a little, a thought came to me: It’s just a ring. It’s just a ring. It’s not my home, or my child or husband, or anything else that can’t be replaced. It’s just a ring. It’s just a possession that, while I loved it so much, I can not take with me when it’s time to leave this world. I tucked the box away so I can be reminded anytime I think about it or anything else that I lose in the future.

I am so incredibly blessed in every area of my life, and I feel so silly now for wasting so much energy on mourning the loss of a ring. The truth is it can be replaced, and we will try (we’re going to check into our home insurance, and in the meantime I start saving my monies), but who knows, maybe I won’t want to replace it. But it’s all okay now - it’s just a ring.

Amidst all the ick that I have been feeling the last few weeks, I have really come to realize just what an amazing, supportive group of friends I have, of all levels of encouragement. While I appreciate all the prayers and heartfelt words that have been expressed, I also appreciate those who just want to make me smile. Kelly is great at that. I mean, look at what an amazing e-card she sent me, so warm and heartfelt

See what I mean? So encouraging and honest. Really, Kelly, thank you for giving me a great laugh this morning (and for those who want to see more incredibly offensive yet hysterical ecards, go here). And if you’re in the area…and you happen to stumble upon a diamond cluster ring, can you give me a call?