The Amazing Caped Kids!

This morning we finally had a non-icky day to go outside and take pictures of the capes I made the kids play.  

When I asked Kessa if she wanted a cape she said, "Yes!  A princess one."  Little did I know that meant DISNEY Princess...as in licensed fabric.  But we had a good coupon so we splurged.  I got the template for the crown from here.  

I was super lucky to find this great pink satin in the remnants!  All the polka dots are felt. 

I know it's blurry, but I LOVE, love love love, LOVE this picture!!

Zeke's only request was that his was orange.  

He's not as fond of being "Super Zeke!" as he is of being

a knight.  Yup, that's right ladies, eat your hearts out, my little guy would rather be a knight that anything else!

For a change today Kessa let me take more pictures of her (and wanted me to!) than Zeke.  Most of his pictures today he was already half out of the frame.

and just for kicks, if you were wondering where Kessa learned to jump like that...

Of Wisdom and Dump Trucks

Everyday, not just most days, but EVERY DAY I find myself praying for wisdom.  Clinging to James 1:3 (If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach and it will be given to him.)

Nothing and no one in life shows me my need of God's wisdom and help more frequently than Kessa.

  We have great times, but she is just sooo much like me I know that only God's wisdom and grace will turn her heart to Him.

This was also my entry for a fun challenge over at Scrap Attack Scrapbooking.  We picked out a word without knowing what it would be, then Lauri, the owner gave us two colors and the word we chose and we had to use them on a LO.  

Most of the time though, we have good times.  Especially with this crazy guy around to entertain us.  

Yup, little boys like to eat out dump trunks.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much cooler than this when you're 2.

I discovered he had loaded it up with raisins.  (and then I had to confiscate the bag because the truck was MUCH more full than this.  lol)

and it even actually "dumps" so Kessa thought she should partake too.  

(on a side note, at least I know it's not lead based paint because I repainted it!)

Apple Pickin' Palz

Hmm...I sure wish I hadn't run out of the yellow fabric I was using for the ruffle before I finished the circle!

This was a really fun LO I did for a challenge over at SAS.  It was one of those fun challenges where you pick a bunch of stuff from a menu and then you find out later when each item stood for and you make a LO based on your choices.  Anyway, we had Japanese cuisine to choose from.

I got to choose how many photos I used and what type of "extras" I had.  My other items were computer journaling (that was the part I hate!  I'm so impatient I just want to write it and be done!  lol)

at least one floral paper, flowers, sewing (I used a Hambly rub-on and also did some faux stitching), and something folded.

On a side note, I ordered close to 150 pictures today!  Crossing my fingers that they come in quickly!  I can't wait to start scrapping them.  :)

Texting God (and other random thoughts)

I don't know about you, but I feel like I have a hard time ever focusing all of my mental power on one thing.  Even if I do manage to get up early to have time with God before the kids get up...it doesn't work.  Someone always gets up.  I feel like God is trying to teach me so many things but I'm only getting snippets of them because there are just so many other things going on (and most of them are things I can't just ignore...no matter how hard I try...like the grouchy baby in the background right now.)  


I was discussing this with my friend Jess today (we were both working in the nursery during church.) and she said that she has this very same problem (we both have three very small children...) and she felt like she was just "texting God."  Just about the most accurate description of what I'm feeling I've ever heard!  Spot on Jess.  ;)


Anyway, I thought maybe if I got some of the random thoughts down here I could get them more flushed out and have a better understanding of what God is trying to teach me.  


First up, I just LOOOOVED this quote from Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris.  
             "Maybe you've never thought about it in these terms, but coming to Jesus and listening to his words involves doctrine.  It involved knowing and understanding what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is, why we need him, how he saves us and changes us.  In other words, it involves knowing theological truth."
This is why doctrine is so important.  Because it DOES effect (or is it affect?) the way we live.   We can't know God if we don't know what the Bible says, and we can't love him rightly if we don't understand him rightly.

Moving on...I read this post on holiness yesterday on the Disciple's Notebook site and was struck so much by it.  When I was in college I did a very indepth study of holiness on my own.  I wanted to thoroughly understand it.  I mean...if God calls us to be holy as he is holy I figured it was pretty important that I had a very good grasp of just exactly what holy was.

"Holiness simply depends on your abandoning yourself to the indwelling Spirit of God, that he may maintain in health the life which he has himself communicated."
"It is true there are responsibilities. What are they? ....Second, an abandonment of the whole being to God, that He may possess the territory, and realize it according to His will, and for His glory"


So very often I let my own flesh creep in and push out the holiness that God is developing in  me.  I do it in a thousand tiny ways every day.  I do when I get frustrated.  I do it when I'm selfish.  I do it when I desire momentary enjoyment over knowing Christ and ultimate pleasure.  I need to be more conscious of all these times.  More conscious that I'm pushing out personal holiness when I do it.  I need to give it up to God so that I might be conformed to the image of his Son more and more.  


And finally, here's a picture of a dress I made for a friend's daughter.  Not the greatest picture but I was in a hurry and wanted to get a pic. before I gave it to them.  :)

Ok, lots more thoughts swirling around, lots more to think about and hash out, but that's enough for one night!  ;)  

Freezer Cooking

So yesterday wasn't really a freezer cooking day per say, but I did have a lot of stuff I wanted to get done and ready for the freezer.  I would also like to note that I laughed in the face of pretty much all of Money Saving Mom's tips for freezer cooking day.  (not because I'm more wise than she, but because I'm a silly silly girl.)  In that, I did a lot of other things first, I started with a dirty kitchen, I didn't really have a plan, and I'm sure a hundred other things!

So, here's what I did get done yesterday:

7 lbs of meat browned
24 hamburgers pattied and seasoned
28 bananas peeled, flash frozen and then bagged and frozen

and here's my cute little banana peeling helper (we use bananas in smoothies every morning so when I find over-ripe ones on a good sale I stock up and just freeze them.)

and today I got some burritos made up and frozen and then the hubby and I had a date night!!!  WoohoO!!!  Thanks to my in-laws for watching the kids and allowing us to go out.  

Lil Blue Boo: Win A Custom Lil Blue Boo Dress!

Lil Blue Boo: Win A Custom Lil Blue Boo Dress!

Ok, girls, Ashley of Lil' Blue Boo is amazing! Seriously, one of the most creative people I've ever come across and she makes the most wonderful custom dress...and probably the only way I'll ever get one is by winning one! (however if she hits 2000 followers on her blog and facebook she's going to give away two!) So go check them out. They're sooo cute!!!

And if you're like me and love her style but can't drop the $$ on a real LBB dress, she has patterns too so you can make your own!

Country or Rock 'n' Roll?

She looks a little rock 'n' roll don't you think?

but she might be trying to sway Grace to the country side huh?  

Reflections

  We're studying Colossians in sunday school right now.  Rob and my husband Tim are doing a great job taking us into the depths of God's word.  We've only just started Colossians so we're still in chapter one.  Today as I was re-reading it preparing for tomorrow I was struck by verse 11.

"May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might,

 for all endurance and patience with joy,"

As I meditated on this verse, so desiring that God bring it to fruition in me, (that I have all endurance and patience WITH JOY with my children...that's my hearts desire right now) several things jumped out to me and I want to get them down where I can come back and look at them whenever I need to.  

First, and most importantly, I can only have this endurance and patience with joy by Christ's strength and only according to His glorious might.  That's such an awesome encouragement to me because I know that he desires that I have all endurance and patience with joy too...so I know that he WILL strengthen me with all power according to his glorious might.  

Secondly, the first part of the next first was like, well yeah!  It continues to say, "giving thanks to the Father"  I was reminded that of COURSE I will give thanks to the Father for that endurance and patience (with joy! ;) because I know I can never have it on my own.  I know it's for his glory.  The other part about that was that I know it's something I can ALREADY thank him for.  I know that he WILL strengthen me with all endurance and patience with joy because I know that it will bring him glory, so even now, when I don't always have all endurance and patience with joy, I can thank him for it because I know that he is bringing it about in me.  

Thank you Lord!

and because I enjoyed such an amazing time of worship at T4G I thought I'd share this with you too.

                      
I miss singing such FIRM, SOLID doctrine during worship.  It was refreshing.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Guest Spot!

I saw the Guest Designer call for Back Porch Memories a few weeks ago on Scrapbook Calls and Contests, and since it was only a month, and was a sketch challenge (and I love me a good sketch) I decided to give it a go.

However, after looking through the gallery I kinda wrote it off.  There were some AMAZING layouts in there!

But today when we got home from T4G (which was AMAZING, but that's another post) I had an e-mail from Alissa saying that the design team had vote and wanted me to be the GD for May!!!!!!  Woohoo!!!  I'm so excited and honored.

Anyway, here's the sketch we had to use:

and here's my take on it:

I was also thinking about the SMR April challenge (circles) when I made this. 

I used a lot of Sassafras stickers on this LO as well as cutting and punching papers to mimic the stickers.

When The Cat's Away...

hmm...I'm not really sure if I'm the cat, or one of the mice...but I'm going to be away for a few days and I'm sooo excited!!!  The hubby and I (and some other people from church as well) are going to Together for the Gospel in Louisville!  Many of our favorite preachers are going to be there and I'm giddy just thinking about how much I'm going to learn and be challenged!  I mean, we're talking BIG names like John Piper, John McArthur, Albert Mohler...eek!!!  (ok, now you KNOW I'm a dork! ;)  So, I'm quite sure we'll be coming back with reading material for at least a year!  lol

Just to give you a little taste here's an excerpt from Piper from T4G '08...

John Piper - Recap from T4G 2008 from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

AND...this is a kidless trip.  I'm excited and nervous both about that one.

On a scrappy note, I have been scrapping, but it was all for a DT call and I can't post any of it until I find out if I made it or not.  Wish me luck!  This is the first DT I've tried out for since all my other commitments ended...and I thought and prayed long and hard about it before applying...so I'll let ya know how it turned out in a few weeks!  ;)

Ok, I'm off to bed, I'll be back later this week, have a great one!!!

Wanna Crop?

    Well, like I mentioned yesterday I've been hanging out over at Scrap Attack Scrapbooking (great challenges all the time and a really fun forum) and I'm super excited because they just announced that they're having a big National Scrapbook Day Crop from April 30 to May 2.  Be sure and sign up for the message board now so that you'll be all set and ready to go for the crop!!!                                                                                        

Hope to see you there!!!

SMR Stickers and my Stampin' Buddy

First off I needed to make a card today so I used the sketch from SMR Stickers as well as an "All Year Cheer" challenge to use ribbon and chipboard at Scrap Attack Scrapbooking.  Here's what I came up with:

Next how about a LO?

This was a fun LO.  Scrap Attack Scrapbooking is having a neat challenge called Scrap Around the World right now and I did this LO for the Germany Challenge.  We were given this German Ad to use for our inspiration.  I flipped it and used it as a sketch to begin my LO.

Isn't my little guy such a cute mess?!?!

On a sad side note....we cut off all his beautiful hair today!!!  *sniffle*  I think that deserves a post all it's own.  

1.2.10

I used a Midnight Oil clear mini album I won a long time ago to make Zeke's birthday mini this year.  All the papers are Lily Bee.

I used my Stampin Up Large and Small Star punches as a repeating element throughout the book.

I got this cute clear library card style pocket at an Archivers forever ago and had been hoarding it for the perfect project...and it fit this perfectly!  I cut the photo to fit and backed it with patterned paper that I journaled on.

I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch holes in the library card pocket for the jump rings and used some Lily Bee rub ons too.  (and my dymo...love that thing!)

It's a little hard to see but I used a dry brush technique to mask a 2 onto the right hand page here.

This was my little guy's "golden" birthday (he turned 2 on the 2nd...)

He's such a doll!!

This was my first clear album, but I loved it and will totally be doing more in the future!

A Quick Post

Hey all!  Just thought I'd pop in and post two LOs I did a while back...they're both pretty simple, but I like them.  :)

The pictures on this one were wonky because of all the splotchy light coming through the trees, but I still love them!

The Calm Before the Storm

This is one of the LOs I submitted for the MM idea book that didn't get picked up so I thought I'd go ahead and share it.  

I love these pictures of my DD and how sweet and calm she looks, however they also reminded me of the opposite end of her personality.  Which is a little...stormy?

I added hidden journaling behind the photos talking about how extreme her personality swings are sometimes...beyond that of most 3 year olds.

but no matter how bad the "storm" is I know there will be calm and I love her just as much no matter how she acts.