mantel – Skies of Parchment

October 10, 2013

This.

is the first white pumpkin and cool orange pumpkin I’ve seen within a hundred miles of where I live. *so excited*

First White Pumpkin

is a little glimpse the fall mantel I’ve been working on.

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is the little guy who cut three eye teeth within the past week. He’s been grumpy and miserable for so long, and yesterday he started smiling again.

Happy Hudson

is how my kitchen looks when company is coming and there are yummy pumpkin things to be baked.

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is who follows me into the kitchen every. single. time. :)

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is what I always wear whenever I’m in the kitchen.
Anthropologie apron, thanks to my mommy. ♥
[also, this is what a picture look like, taken by a 6-year old :)]

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is the little girl who has can’t stand socks, or certain shoes, or certain anything.
Sensory issues. :(

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is a super cool water bottle, made by June Jars, given by my friend Shelly.
I ♥ it. And her.

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is how my attic looked before organization. Well, actually, it’s my yard sale pile. But it’s a pretty close ‘before’.

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is after, and what I spent my money on, rather than getting a smartphone. (I know, I know. I had the old kind of phone! Organization is just a big deal to me.)

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is made my day. Skype dates with sisters in faraway places.

skype date

is the woman who inspired me to do This.

is a day be thankful for the gift of life!

This 037

May 3, 2011March 20, 2013

2.5 weeks in Pennsylvania.
Then a day after returning home I got hit with a bad case of strep throat that had me in bed for a week, and recovering for a week after that.
Now it’s a week later, and goodness, I’m not sure I remember how to blog anymore. :)

So I’ll just chatter, I guess. About things I’ve been thinking the past few weeks…

And add of bit of the flora and fauna that we had earlier this spring.

About how we’ve been tested in the whole department of choosing gratitude, as I wrote about in my previous post. Choosing to see the blessings I’ve been given, I must admit, in the past few weeks have been a stretch.

We returned back to the south because there was work here for Ben again. That was a huge relief, knowing that at least for a month there would be work. I remember thinking, “Whew, it’s going to be SO nice that he can put in full weeks again, after not having steady work for about two months. We can finally catch up a bit financially.”

flowers9

That was probably the arm of flesh, depending upon itself. :) And over the next few weeks I realized again our complete dependance upon God, and also His faithfulness to us. Because a full week of work still hasn’t been in the picture since we returned 3 weeks ago. Not because work hasn’t been available, just, well, other things.

Like me getting strep throat, and Ben taking off a day of work because I was so sick I couldn’t function. Throw my two doctor’s visits in there, an injection, two kinds of antibiotics, and I was finally feeling better. I don’t know what we would have done without Ben’s younger sister to help care for the girls for several days over that time. Oh, and Olivia’s trip to the doctor because of terrible mouth ulcers.

Then a few days later Ben got strep throat, from me passing on the highly-contagious virus. Insert doctor’s visit for him, an injection, and antibiotics… We have health insurance, but it only covers medical emergencies, and nothing of the above.

You get the picture. Not exactly the financial strides we were hoping for! I remember praying and thinking, “God, surely there is something to be thankful for in all of this, but right now I’m so sick I can’t see it!”

But God was faithful. And there was enough money to pay bills and put food on the table.

[quote on mirror from Leslie Ludy]

Then came the news of the devastating tornadoes in north Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. And there was an opportunity for some of the men from our church to go up for a day and assist with manual labor, helping local residents in any way they could. And both Ben and I felt like he should go, and he wanted to go. No, there hasn’t been steady workweek for him lately, but we have a roof standing over our heads and were not even touched by the destruction that completely wiped out whole areas. We felt like Ben going would be offering our gratitude to the Lord for the many blessings He HAS given to us, even in a time where we feel stretched ourselves. And giving in that way is so much more heartfelt when it requires personal sacrifice. So Ben went, and blessed, and gave.

And God is faithful. There is enough of money to pay bills and put nourishing food on the table.

And then there is the walk of faith in the future that we’re excited (and maybe a bit nervous) about. It’s called Ellerslie. We have dreamt and prayed, and doors are opening. Ellerslie was founded by Eric & Leslie Ludy as a discipleship training school in Colorado, in 10 week semesters. Lord willing, Ben and our little family plan to attend in October for one semester. It’s still 5 months off, but with a family, these kinds of things take a lot more planning than the fast decisions of a single person! :) We were accepted in January, so have been thinking of this for a few months. Ben will be a student, and I will be a supportive wife and loving mother. :)

flowers1

flowers2

But all this comes at a time when it really is a walk of faith. We are beyond excited about this, and know that actually going will be well nigh to a miracle because God is leading us to go at a time when it really hasn’t been stable financially. I realize that we are in a minority of people that has been extremely blessed in the western world, but even so, not having steady work for several months doesn’t seem to be the most “safe” time to go. :) But that is where God is leading us, and we are confident of His faithfulness!

After just the first couple months of adventure God had us on this year, the next months look exciting! :)

[our personal flora and fauna :) ]

laundry

[first spinach from the garden]

fresh salad

Sooo, that’s a little bit of what’s been happening. And I’ve been seeing God’s faithfulness in huge ways in our lives.

Despite challenges, despite things out of our control, HE IS faithful. His faithfulness is not dependent upon everything in our little world going well. He supersedes that, and cares for us well in every season. And I am so grateful to love such a God!

~clarita

p.s. more to come later on the lovely past-trip… it was too long to combine into one post! my heart is full and overflowing from such a splendid time with dear family and friends!

February 15, 2011March 20, 2013

Of Princesses and Pink Cupcakes

The past few weeks since the girls have returned to good health [after the two-week illness bout over Christmas] have been so wonderful. These are the kinds of days I imagined when I thought about what being a mom would be like one day in the far future. :)

… happy, giggling children
… happy chattering
… occassional fights, but nothing to disturb the day too greatly

[The Dining Room mantel]

However, I live in the real world like everyone else, so not every day is like that! [see previous post]

But the past few weeks Zoe has been over-the-top happy. As in, giggles after almost every sentence she says. At stuff that isn’t even remotely funny. Fits the perfect description of “chatterbox.” So sweet to her sister [well, except for when I’m on the phone catching up with friends I haven’t talked to in months; then, well…]. Just generally happy almost all the time. It really is quite amazing. Not that she wasn’t usually happy, but now she’s just gushy happy.

Olivia, on the other hand, is in rough waters with teething. Part of her sickness over Christmas, along with the flu, was getting all four eye teeth at once. Since finally cutting those, she’s still been sooo grumpy, and it dawned on me through a talking-with-a-seasoned-mom-moment that she is also cutting her 2-year molars early. Sooo, still working on better days with that poor child. At least now I have more sympathy. :(

[Anyway, that part was for my mom. :) It’s not like everyone else is interested in hearing about someone else’s teething child. But Nana? Yep. She’ll listen for hours. ♥]

Zoe has also been living in the imaginary world of being a Princess. This just thrills my heart, seeing the innocence, the core desires of a girl’s heart being voiced so unassumingly. “Mommy! Look at me! I’m a blue-ti-ful Princess!”

[She has a lisp, or a “listhp” :), but most of her words are pronounced correctly. But she always says, “blue-ti-ful.” And I think it’s so precious I’m not about to try to change it.]

There is no shame in voicing the question, “Do you like me, Mommy?” just to hear a reassuring YES along with a tight squeeze. Or in asking, “Am I blue-ti-ful?” to hear the pride in a parent’s voice in the YES, because parents generally think their child far exceeds normal standards of beauty, blinded-by-love though they may be. There is no shame in enjoying beauty, in being beauty. “Mommy, watch me dance!”

My children teach me so much about God. And about relationship with God. About going to God honestly with the questions I’m feeling. It’s not silly or ridiculous. That’s what relationship is about – honesty and being vulnerable with our hearts before God. Not pretending that everything is okay if it isn’t. Being honest if we need a hug today. Being real with God, like Zoe was yesterday morning, “I’m sorry I wasn’t being nice to you, Mommy…” I’m intertwining the various relationships here, but I hope you follow. No wonder Jesus told us to be like a little child…

So the combination of Princess-love and hearts and pink and Valentines’s Day called for some pictures. I don’t claim to be a good photographer, and sometimes I’m rather embaressed to put up my shots, but you know, this is our life; we’re normal, we’re not perfect, but we invite you as friends. Although I would love to take a real photography course sometime, just to learn more about it. Any good suggestions? [on one that wouldn’t break the bank account?] Some of you “real” photographers have given me tips here and there and I love when you guys do that.

These pictures were taken in evening light, and I just loved the softness about them.

These following pictures were taken on a cloudy day, and I thought the lighting would be perfect. But just as we started taking pictures, the sun broke through the clouds VERY brightly and thus the harsh lighting. :( Re-doing wasn’t really an option, because, well, my girls aren’t really photogenic. :) It’s more like I run after them trying to snap a few pictures that hopefully will turn out. Olivia especially. She’ll probably wonder why I hardly have any pictures of her. And I’ll say, “Because you were always a blur, a whirlwind of running.”

But if she is fascinated by Zoe, then we can get a few still shots. But definitely not posy-posy. Oh no.

Valentine Princesses 124

On my chalkboard in the dining room, which adjoins to the living room, I have written:

TODAY:
– enjoy little things
– smile at my children
– choose to Trust

So because I want to make it a point to do fun little things with my children, and to meaningfully look into their precious little faces and smile into their eyes…

…and since Zoe is SO into pink [that was the first color she recognized, and it’s still her favorite today], and because this book is one of her favorites ever ever ever…

…we made pink cupcakes for Valentine’s Day. We had SO much fun! I felt like a little girl myself, and I don’t normally enjoy baking all that well.

I am not a baking genius, lest this picture fools you. My secret lies in the next picture.

Pillsbury Cake Mix, you are my new friend. You make baking so easy, and look so amazing. Baking right after breakfast was actually easy, due to these easy ingredients:

Other than Zoe cracking an egg and it sliding down off the counter and running down the cabinets and making a puddle on the floor [“I can do it! I can do it!!” she had emphatically told me], and other than batter flying around the kitchen when she was mixing up the batter with the electric mixer, it was a grand success. She chattered like a magpie during the whole 2 hours, or however long we were baking. I hope she remembers times like this, because this day will go down in my memory as pure loveliness.

[Pajama-clad and morning-hair glory all three of us. I look like I was either 1) crying my eyes out the night before, or, 2) just woke up 3 minutes prior. Neither was the case.]

BUT – the point of this picture is the matching aprons! They were a gift from my sister Ervina, and I’m sure she has no idea how much we love wearing them together. And if I forget, Zoe will remind me. She loves it that much. And besides the fun we have wearing them, we can think about Auntie Ervina and how much we miss her… ♥

Zoe’s role as Assistant Gourmet Artist was taken seriously.

This part of putting on the sprinkles delighted her little soul to no end. “Enjoy little things…”

And of course, whenever there is baking, there are always eager tasters.

We wrapped a couple of them up in little paper wrappers, inspired completely by Rachel. Never in a hundred years would’ve I thought of such a cute idea.

I love white cake stands, but have none of my own. So, putting a plate on top of a white milk glass bowl creates the effect I’m looking for. At least, until it has to be moved. :)

Zoe was making all kinds of faces that morning for the camera. These are for my mom too. :)

And thus ends my rant on how FUN it is to have two little girls. :)
I would like to have 2 more, just like them, please. :) And then boys may start after that. But I LOVE having two little girls!

[And now I’ve used up all my picture allowance on xanga for the month. And it’s only the 15th. Premium suddenly looks appealing. So if you see me uploading strange amounts of pictures to facebook, it’s because I can copy and paste, thus the odd size picture assortment…]

And that’s the post Of Pink, Of Princesses, and Of Cupcakes.

-clarita

Tag: mantel

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