October 27, 2009

Pass it On

My mother is one of the most creative people I know. She is also one of the strongest. Life has not dealt her an easy hand, but she has handled everything with such amazing grace, dignity, and inner beauty that I can only dream of being half of the woman that she is. So I wasn't the least bit surprised when she shared with me her calling to give her gift of creativity back to the Lord. Many of you may have already seen her new ministry called Pass it On, but for those of you who haven't, I encourage you to go check it out for yourself. She is offering one of her free handmade cards to everyone who links her button to their blog or facebook!

All you need to do is go to her blog, and get the code (in her sidebar) and put it in a new html gadget on your sidebar.
Easy, peasy. Lemon, squeezy.

She will send you a FREE card just for linking to her blog! Her new ministry is such a great way to send a small blessing to someone! After you've linked to her blog, make sure you go back to her blog and leave a comment so she knows where to send your FREE card!

Mama, I'm so proud of you! Thanks for giving me just a smidgen of your creativity!

October 15, 2009

Move mountain, move.

"He replied, because you have such little faith,"
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed,"

"You can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move."

"Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 17:20

*The mustard seed is nestled in the middle of the starburst charm. Do you see it? It is hung from hand-sewn silk cord. More to come soon!*

October 10, 2009

Really Quick...

I wanted to show you two things really quick, because if I don't go to the grocery store soon my husband might have to gnaw off his right arm for dinner.

#1:
We found this old window at one of the new antique stores in downtown Wake Forest today. I want to use it to display jewelry at the Craft & Bake Sale coming up! Brad looked at me and thought I was joking when I batted my eyes and begged him to buy it for me. Seriously though, someone that is crafty, please tell me what a steal this is?! I will post more pictures of it when I am finished making it a display piece.

#2
I am starting to make some jewelry with this. I know it might be a little far-fetched to imagine jewelry made out of seeds. But just wait...I am giddy with excitement to show it to you! I have to wait for it to cure first though.

Okay, now I really need to go to the store!

A weekend with the family.

Here is my favorite picture from our weekend in Pigeon Forge, TN with my entire family. We had such a wonderful time with everyone!
We laughed together.
We talked about wedding plans!
I got lots of good snuggle time with my Brownie girls!
I got to feel my littlest niece move!
We hugged, a lot!
And then we had to leave.
Our trip was way too short, but it was so nice to have everyone together.

I can't wait until Thanksgiving!

You can see more pictures from our trip here. My sister made a great slide show with most of my pictures, but Blogger won't let me upload more than one.

October 2, 2009

What I should have said...

I should have said, "Jaime, I refuse to blog until you come pick up these maternity clothes!" Because they are still displayed on my couch like that picture, waiting for her to come hold out on her end of the deal. Not really, but that makes for a good mental picture doesn't it? In her defense, she was a little scared to come to my land, since I got the swine flu right after my last post.

In reality, I've kinda been avoiding my blog for a while. This happens quite a bit, and I've discovered that I'm not really good at jumping back into this after a few weeks absence. However, I have excellent excuses this time. I've been dealing with some things emotionally, and I honestly I haven't felt like talking about it much. I have started 5 posts in the last 5 weeks, but haven't found the words to finish them.


Like always, there has been plenty going on to blog about. You know us, we really know how to live it up with some excitement. (Did I mention that I had the swine flu?) But honestly, I have been discouraged the last couple of weeks. I hate to use the word depressed, so I am going to choose my words carefully. If you aren't new to the blog (which I am sure all 3 of my readers aren't) then you should know that we are struggling with infertility. Nasty, ugly infertility. And lately, I have started to believe some of the lies of Satan. I have many days where I am discouraged and bitter. For many weeks, I have tried to separate myself from the world, and hide in my own pain, sorrow, and emotions.

But My Savior has really been working on my heart lately. I have always known that there is a reason that we are riding on this roller coaster. I don't always like it, but despite my mood or how well I handle it, I know that God is faithful. I said a long time ago, that I wanted to share our story. Somewhere along the way, I started to make it more about me, and everything that I was going through. I realized recently that this wasn't about me, or even me and Brad. This isn't my story. And the things that have happened over the last year, aren't just stumbling blocks that have gotten in the way of us living the life that we want. They are all a part of the glorious plan that Christ has for us. (Jeremiah 29:11)

While I've been busy trying to hide from life, I realized that I was missing out on it. I am going to try to be more real with you. Because, that is LIFE! I will continue to share His story of our lives, but I hope you won't think less of me when I share about the difficult times as well. I have been hesitant to say:
I cried today.
or
I saw I pregnant woman at the store, and had to turn and walk the other way.
or
She's having a little boy, my heart hurts to hold a little boy that looks like Brad.

Like I said earlier, this is a roller coaster. There are good days and the bad days must come too. In a little while, we are going to pack up the car and head to the mountains. We are meeting my family for the weekend. I am looking forward to some much needed time away. I can't wait to come back refreshed and ready to continue on this journey.

I guess what I should have said was "I'm back!"