like moses

i exclaim

"who am i"

i wonder

"why chose me"

i excuse

"i just can't"

but God

the unchanging

gently assures me

"certainly I will be with you"

what other assurance do I need?

thinking about Exodus 3

for daily beauty

little pink bottle

of fragrant shampoo

says right on the back:

"for daily beauty"

do they know what they're claiming?

do they know that true beauty

goes farther and deeper

than the sheen of my hair

or the glow of my skin?

do they know that true beauty

is hidden in a heart

that is not preyed on

or ruled by fear?

do they know that true beauty

adorns the one who

puts her trust in God

and lives in peace with a quiet heart?

do they know that true beauty

is found in one

who in love will give all

and serve when called?

do they know that true beauty
is much more than skin deep?

do they know what they claim?

surely not.

thinking about I Peter 3 and, of course, the label on my shampoo, but that's not the important part.

a Big Project

I did manage to cross a big thing off my to-get-done list in the last few weeks. This huge thing was cleaning and organizing my disastrous craft area/laundry room/storage space.

The pictures don't do the mess justice (really, I'm dreadfully embarrassed to have even had a spot like that in my house). Before I cleaned it up, there were piles and bags of fabric and craft supplies mixed up with scattered articles of laundry both clean and dirty. Every usable surface was un-usable because of the piles of junk and clutter. The trash was beyond overflowing, and there were spiders (dead and alive) and their webs in every corner. It was nasty.

I ended up throwing away two large trash bags of useless stuff and filling another box to give to our local thrift store. I dusted, and I vacuumed up the spiders and webs and dryer fuzz. I sorted through my fabric scraps, categorized them by type of fabric, and stored them in neatly stacked and labeled boxes. I also reorganized my craft supplies and put them into boxes and bins which I stored accessibly on the shelves right across from my crafting table instead of in another room. Finally, I set up the table with my sewing machine and rotary cutting supplies so that I can go downstairs and sew anytime I have a few minutes. To say that it is much more welcoming is an understatement. I am thankful to have a place in which to work that is more orderly and usable than ever before.

bits and pieces

Life has been filled with bits and pieces of a lot of things lately. It's been hard to sit down and blog about it just because it seems a bit blah. Of course, part of my lack of motivation had to do with me having a cold for a week. It was a week of just trying to cope and take care of the boys; everything else slid.

Then there was the week of playing catch up on laundry, dishes, and house work. All of which, while necessary are not very exciting to blog about. It was followed by a weekend full of social stuff and a partial week of nursing a sick little son.

We did, however, start working on Valentine's day cards somewhere in there which was fun. This year Little Man is making (with a little help) pop-up cards for grandparents and aunts and uncles. Each one is different, and I think they are turning out very cute. We are working on them little by little so that he doesn't get frustrated and worn out.

I'm also making simple, one sided photo cards to send to the above mentioned relatives. All I have left to do is get photos of the boys printed up and attached. It was pleasant to be able to sit in the sunshine streaming through my window and work on them while I was recovering. (I am so happy that the days are getting longer again! Light is a good thing.)

I've also worked on knitting new scarfs for Benjamin and I (more to come) and photographing the boys. In addition, I'm gradually getting my house more tidy and efficiently organized (more on that to come too). Oh, and so far I've been able to keep up on my schedule for reading through the Bible in a year.

All the bits and pieces add up to a sum much greater than anticipated, and I find myself busybusy. But isn't that just how life is...

[Isn't he just too silly-sweet and fun? I simply had to include this photo.]

five months

I am not being as prompt in my month-by-month updates on Brother's achievements and growth as I had hoped I would be, but at least he's getting some journaling. Better late than never, right? And it's a whole lot more than many second-borns get, I hear. Actually, I think it's more than his older brother got too. I think that means that I'm getting more efficient and orderly. (Wow! Wouldn't it be great if the older I got the more organized I became?) Ahem...speaking of being organized, I'm not as I indulge in the urge to scurry down a rabbit trail.

Brother is a cuddly, smiley, drooly, roly-poly, and all together delightful five-month-old. He is definitely teething as evidenced by his general dampness and fondness for chewing on his fingers. I am thankful that he is still fairly mellow and easygoing in spite of his discomfort.

He very nearly lives for interaction and will stare at someone with a pleasant expression on his face until they make eye contact with him. Then his pleasant expression is traded for ear-to-ear grins, and he'll smile for all he's worth. He seems to truly be an extrovert and recharges in social situations.

Brother loves his tummy time and is trying for all he's worth to figure out how to get places. Benjamin says he moves about an inch a minute, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. He can, however, spin around in circles and is getting quite good and grabbing and playing with toys that he comes across as he spins.

Little Man loves sharing his toys and "reading" to his brother, and Brother lights up when he sees Little Man. I know I say this frequently, but I find it oh, so delightful to watch them interact.

I am looking forward to seeing which new things he learns and does in his next month!

earthen vessels

earthen vessels

flawed, faulty

stained, cracked

a strange place

in which to store

treasure

the treasure

of Divine light

at first glance

these vessels seem

like ordinary

and common

things

but upon further inspection

one is blinded

blinded by Divine love

by Divine redemption

by Divine light

streaming through the cracks

illuminating all around

i am one

of the earthen vessels

flawed, faulty

stained, cracked

yet God chose

to pour

His blinding

redeeming

forever-changing

LIGHT

into me

Lord, help me shine Your light

through the very cracks

that seem like defects

to all but You

help me

to illuminate for others

the path that leads

to You

thinking about 2 Corinthians 4

2010

2010 is here

here for a while

hopeful anticipation

what will it bring?

The following are some of my goals for 2010:

~Read all the way through the Bible.

~Pray without ceasing and eliminate worrying (very ambitious).

~Be a more consistent mother.

~Potty train Little Man.

~Transition Little Man to a toddler bed.

~Start teaching Little Man preschool.

~Get Brother to consistently sleep through the night.

~Be a good wife (rather vague, I'm afraid, but it's still a good goal).

~Consistently pack lunches for Benjamin.

~Menu plan the whole year (not all at once, just consistently).

~Consistently serve fruits and vegetables with meals.

~Add more whole grain to my baking and actually use my grain mill.

~Grow a garden and actually water and weed it.

~Consistently have the dishes done before I go to bed.

~Make at least one Etsy sale.

~Learn to French braid my own hair.

~Cut back expenses to save for a trip to Brazil.

I didn't think I had this many, but as I typed more and more came to mind. I'm sure even more will come to mind after I publish this, but I'll leave it at this for now.

Happy New Year!

2009

2009 is gone

gone forever

poignant gladness

time moves on

In January we were becoming accustomed to the idea of Brother arriving in August. A smaller milestone was my 100th blog post. February brought tumultuous emotions, difficult decisions, an amazing Valentine's Day trip, and growth in more ways than one. March was a fairly normal month of projects, treasured moments, and more snow. In April we faced great challenges as we adjusted to the changes from February and tried to be true friends. There were bright spots, though, like the amazing day that we had Brother's ultrasound and found out we were having another boy. May was another fairly routine month. We battled colds, lived everyday life, and celebrated Mother's Day. June was a wonderful summery month full of trips to the park and playing with sidewalk chalk, outdoor work in the garden and on the house and yard, grilling and eating outside, organizing and getting ready for Brother's arrival, and going on vacation. Little Man got to experience the ocean for the first time, and we all enjoyed our first trip to the redwood forests. In addition, it was delightful to catch up with and introduce Little Man to friends and family. July was another pleasant summery month. We celebrated Benjamin's birthday, completed projects, and worked through things. August brought our wedding anniversary and Brother's birth along with all the complex joys and challenges of having a newborn and an almost-two-year-old. September was a very productive month. We continued to adjust to having a newborn, went to the county fair and enjoyed many picnics at the park, finished projects and celebrated two birthdays (my mom's and Little Man's). September also marked my first blogging anniversary. In October I made my first significant hand bag and hatched a business idea. I also celebrated my birthday and had my wisdom teeth removed. November was somehow a very crazy month. I started my Etsy store, enjoyed the boys, and sewed. December was a fun month with a trip to Arizona and our Christmas celebration.

It has been a very full, very hard, and very good year. I'm predicting that this upcoming year will also be full, hard, and good, but that doesn't really take much foresight, does it?

Together (inspired by one of the best days ever.)

beyond talking

communicating

beyond friendship

delighting, loving, liking

asking advice

working out problems

dreaming our together dreams

sharing our personal ones

meshing two individuals'

ideas and dreams

into one

laughing, playing

reading, researching

shopping, and restaurant dinner

taking our sweet time

just hanging out

finally the dark

snowy drive

home

home

with my beloved

Three months, four months, here and gone

[3 months]

In all the craziness of the last couple of months full of holidays, trips, projects, and everyday life I overlooked publishing Brother's three and four month photos and updates. Thankfully I didn't neglect the baby book, so I still have the records there, and I'll catch up photo-wise here.

[4 months]

Brother is a happy, healthy content little guy for the most part. He has his fussy moments, but that is to be expected especially since he seems to be starting to teethe. He loves to make eye contact and "talk" to people and is quick to charm with his sweet smile. Sometimes he'll sit and stare at someone until they look and him, and as soon as they do, he'll give them his trademark grin.

[4 months]

He started rolling early. One day he rolled from his back to his stomach, and the next day he rolled from his stomach to his back. About a week and a half later, he figured out that he can roll across the floor. He also loves to bounce in his Johny-jump-up and is rarely still (even when he's sleeping). I think I'm going to have my hands full with this ambitious little guy.