More of Him

I really do enjoy crafts...and I'm starting to discover, that sometimes through this creative process - God talks to me.

One of my current projects is a blanket for a dear friend whom I used to teach with. As I was sewing this weekend, I thought about how the two pieces of material become one. How two unrelated pieces are brought together to create a beautiful pattern. They are brought together with thread that is unseen when looked at. It brought to mind an analogy of a braid and marriage.

I didn't think much more about it, until Saturday night. The kids were in bed, and T was finishing some things up at work. I pulled out my Bible to do some reading because I had some heavy things on my heart. My Bible opened to the book of Ecclesiastes and I began reading. I came to 4:12 -- "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

In the analogy of a braid, a braid can appear to have only two strands of hair. But it is impossible to create a braid with only two strands. If the two can be put together at all, they would quickly unravel.

The mystery of a braid is that the two strands actually require a third. Though not immediately evident, the third strand is what actually holds the other two together.

That's what marriage is like. God, in the midst of two lives, woven together with His, coming together to form that threefold cord that's not easily broken.

God is the only third party that can make a marriage work.

And He manifests His presence when we submit ourselves to His truth.

Love rejoices in The Truth!

May we submit ourselves to His truth. And may we continue to search and find More of Him in our daily activities.

To read More of Him, visit Heather at Not a DIY Life.

braid explanation found here.

Inspired to Create

Where do you get inspiration to create?

Thursday was a beautiful day. After mowing the lawn (and getting my first official sunburn of 2008), I found this:

He had his drawing pencils and sketch book and was creating this:

"Two rotted trees with a stump in the middle"

I was pleasantly surprised when I saw him out there with his sketchbook. We hadn't worked in it since early last Fall, but he remembered all the details of those times: the sketch book, the pencil case stocked with pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener and then, the blanket!! It was such a precious moment to see him sketching...and inspired by nature.

Seeing that reminded me of another one of his drawings. We were talking about the color red, and here is what he created:

And, it was inspired by this:

YEP! That is my Green Eggs & Ham book from when I was a wee-one! (Back in the days when my sister was still telling me my name was hyphenated!)

While Quintin didn't copy my bunny's Easter baskets in hand, he did offer his bunny many carrots from which to choose for a yummy meal!

Drawing is not something I would do for pleasure - but I receive so much pleasure in seeing Quintin's artistic interpretations of his life and the world around him. What a joy to see his inspirations come to life whether it be in pencil or crayon!

Photobucket Phun!

Saw this at Susan's Learning for a Lifetime and wanted to play along!

Here are the directions:
1. Go to Photobucket.com
2. Type in your “answer” to the question in the search box.
3. Use only the first page!
4. Insert the picture on your blog!




1. What is your current relationship status?





2. What is your current mood?





3. What is your favorite movie?





4. What is your favorite band/singer?





5. Where do you live?





6. Where do you work?





7. What do you look like?





8. What do you drive?





9. What's your favorite TV show? (Currently)





10. Describe yourself.





11. What are you doing today?





12. What did you do last night?





13. What is your name?

Wordless Wednesday

1 Click - Friendship

You know on amazon.com, where you can sign on for 1-click ordering? Where in just 1-click your order is on its way to your house? Well, this post is about 1-click Friendship.

1-click onto a blog that started much more than I could have ever imagined.

Honestly, I cannot remember how I stumbled across it - I believe God's hand was involved! I do know that the friendship started with food - my first comment was left on a post about cookies - chocolate chip cookies - and boy, are they yummy.

As I kept visiting this blog, I noticed we had similar interests:

~She was originally from the east coast. (I'm on the east coast)

~She featured a lot of Southern Living at Home products in her posts. (I sell SL@H)

~She had two boys (I have two boys). And hers, now 3, are all so adorable.

~She featured a lot of wonderful looking recipes and shares her love of being in the kitchen! (I like to cook/bake)

~And, she has a super fun personality that kept me coming back for more. (I love to laugh)

~One pretty cool thing that we discovered through chatting, was that one of her college roommates went to high school with me! (This means she knows how to pick great friends!! Right, Lynn?)

So, what do you do when you meet a blogger that you have so much in common with? Well, you pick a date to get together when she comes into town and actually...MEET HER!!

(We even dress similarly!!)

Sarah, aka Short Stop, came back east for a visit last month and we set a date to meet at Cracker Barrel (what is it with me, bloggers, driving in the rain, and Cracker Barrel?)

She had arrived before I...ahem...traffic! But, when I walked in and saw a momma pushing a stroller and sporting a Vera Bradley bag - I knew it was her!! I sneaked up from behind and told her the bag and stroller were a dead giveaway!!

Sarah is so warm and bubbly on her blog - and even more so in person!!

It was like we had met like this a dozen times before. It wasn't awkward or strange at all.

Those who read both our blogs can probably guess that we had plenty to keep busy talking about - and we did manage to gobble up some dinner (and dessert) too!

When we left, we asked the cashier to take our picture. She asked if we were sisters and she seemed to enjoy watching the two of us interact with one another. What a special treat that she said that to us - it was just the perfect topper to the evening!!

Thank you Sarah for finding the time to fit me in to your travel schedule - I am just so glad that we could get together!! And, I enjoyed that I got some time with little Lincoln too!!

So yeah, 1-click friendship - a comment left on a post about cookies. And the following comments, emails and g-chats grew into something so much more! Thank you for your friendship, Sarah!

16 months already???

Well then, let's have ourselves a party. Anyone care to dance? Just click on the play button below before you scroll down through the pictures! :-)

Click on this one to make it bigger and see his face better! I LOVE those dimples!

Where has the time gone? Its been a great 16 months, my baby boy!!!

Is it just me...

...or do forks and spoons hanging from string and scarves...

as well as blankets hanging from the TV cabinet...

spark something that could be the start of the hottest and latest new trends in today's interior decorating?

Show & Tell

Today is Show & Tell Friday, visit Kelli's to see more!

"Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item."

My last show and tell was about the sewing machine my mother had given me and that I wanted to purchase a new one.

After checking out some different brands, I decided on this Brother machine. I found it for a great deal - almost half of its retail value. Its a special edition featuring the "Project Runway" show logo. I'm not familiar with the show, but if someone is using this machine for not only several people to create clothing with but to be featured on a realty tv show - I knew it was a good one! My parents came with me - Dad stayed in the truck with the kids and my mom and I went in the store. She liked it so much, she bought one for herself as well - not only was it such a great deal - but she needed an upgrade to do her quilts! (quilts, part 1 and quilts, part 2)

I've done several projects and I absolutely love it! I had started this one last Fall but didn't finish it because I knew it was too big for Elle. When I make her clothing, I have to do a size smaller than her age - she's a half pint like her mom!!! :)

And, Wednesday afternoon, I started my second project and finished it yesterday. I used Sewsensible's Twirl Skort pattern and I absolutely love it. Yesterday morning the kids and I went to the mall and I found the top at Kohl's! Its a perfect match. Now all we need is some warmer weather and she's all set!

Thanks for visiting my Show & Tell - Have a wonderful weekend!!!

My Trip - Movie and Music!! Don't miss out!!

For the photoshow below, click on the button with 2 squares in it to enlarge the photoshow to full page! And, click on the play button on the music player underneath the slideshow. Its is a song by Sugarland, who was in concert at the truck show (sponsored by Kenworth - how awesome!!)

Wordless Wednesday (more to come)

Cold Tangerines - A book review

I saw this book, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the extraordinary nature of everyday life, at Short Stop's blog and had been tempted to pick up a copy to read it. Boy was I in for a shock when she posted that she had 10 copies from the publisher to give away on her blog. And then, when the day came to announce the 10 winners, she had a bigger announcement: She had attained a copy for each person who commented - 30 copies! Thank you Short Stop and Thank you Zondervan!!

Not only did Short Stop want us to read this book, but she wanted to know what we thought of it. And our reviews could win us some prizes - how sweet is that? :-) Oh, and she'll be hosting the author, Shauna Niequest, for a Q & A session on Friday! Be sure to stop over for that!!

I was really excited when my copy came in the mail. Just pulling it out of the envelope made me smile with its pretty orange color and smooth texture. It is a compilation of short stories, I believe about 40, and it is nice to be able to pick up and read a little and then walk away. (You know, like when you're called away by the children and forget what you had last read? LOL)

As I was reading the introduction, I underlined this, "...we are changed and inspired and ennobled, able to see the handwriting of a holy God where another person just sees the same old tired streets and sidewalks." She was writing of the longing to be our best selves. This captured my attention, because I am someone who searches for God's fingerprints - in those parts of our lives when we don't understand why something is happening. To me, in searching for God's handwriting or fingerprints - we can draw closer to Him and become our best selves - the person whom He desires us to be.

I could totally identify with many of the struggles and feelings she expresses in the book. There were several mom-stories where I was laughing, crying and shaking my head in agreement. (A hot shower!! Car seats in the doorway!!) In other parts of the book, I found myself having a difficult time understanding her reactions to some of the things happening in her life; for example, her focus on her weight early in the book. During those parts, I found myself wanting to encourage her to wait on God and for His perfect timing; or to see herself as God views her.

To be completely honest, I believe I thought I would be reading a different type of book when I started. With this being written by a Christian women, I assumed the book would have more of a spiritual emphasis. I found myself longing for her to pull in the scripture verses that gave her strength in those moments. Verses that I could use to pull myself together when I am in a moment of similar feelings or thoughts.

But what I found was a book written by a woman who is real - real to show her brutal honesty and herself completely. She writes beautifully of her dear friends, her family and the love she has for life. And that love jumps off the pages of this book. However, Cold Tangerines did not change my perspective on my life as I was somehow expecting - and maybe that is because I am similar to Shauna in that, in my own way, I already try to 'celebrate the extraordinary nature of everyday life.' Or, perhaps my personal frustrations with weight kept me from seeing what she wanted me to see. This was not one of those books that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning, but I would recommend it to a friend as an enjoyable, well-written read.

Thanks again Short Stop for sharing this book with all of us! You are such a joy and a delight!