Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother’s Day 2013

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This year for Mother’s day my wonderful mom had the fabulous idea of going to the “Sheep and Wool Festival” and I do have to say that it was simply lovely. There were sheep things everywhere. And really, how could you not smile at people with sheep hats, barns full of roving, smiling llamas and sleepy sheep? It was beautifully simple and so totally us.  We were all inspired. Since then, I think we’ve all been caught thinking to ourselves on whether or not we could possibly manage to fit a few llamas and sheep onto our lot. While that may be a few years down the road, it’s always good to dream.

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We are so totally blessed to have a Mom who loves us so much. It would take me all year to tell you about how amazing she is… Most mornings when I begrudgingly roll out of bed and stumble to the kitchen, there she is… smiling with a pottery mug full of coffee and a joy that’s infectious. She’s a strong follower of Christ that constantly challenges me and encourages me at the same time. We’re pretty much opposites, so while I can get on her nerves (and vice versa :) ) we still manage to have a great time. It’s always an adventure, but it’s been a great one, speed bumps and all.

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Friday, March 22, 2013

Spring

My oh my it is spring already. Yes, I know it feels nothing like it at the moment for those of us dwelling in the land of perpetual winter, but it’s here! And with spring comes all the wonderful things such as dirt and flowers, farm animal babies, and Resurrection Day…

Here’s just a snapshot of some spring happenings over here…

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my sweet sister Lillie turned 16 this past week… what a beautiful day it was! She so loved the encouraging words of her friends, laughter, food, and simple graces that were shown to her throughout her special day… and I am totally loving her green headphones…

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the 5 chickens whose Chicken Mama takes such egg-cellent care of them are doing fabulously. We’ve been thoroughly enjoying the 5 eggs a day, and now cannot imagine life without our fabulous girls.

I am so thrilled to announce that we’ve recently added 2 more feathered foul to our happy homestead…

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Yes, I am ever so slightly in love with these two ducks.

They’re names are Puddle and Ginger, and we absolutely adore them. We think that Ginger (yellow) will be your standard white duck with the orange bill, but Puddle (brown) is a mystery, though we are pretty sure she’s either a Mallard or a Rouen (Ruen? Roun? Something like that… :) )

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I launched a photography site this winter to help keep my portfolio “out there” and so far so good! I am simply excited to have taken 1 more step.

 

What’s been happening around your home lately?

Friday, February 22, 2013

Party Time

I am nearly 19. crikey. And my next youngest sister is nearly 16. One of the best parts about having a birthday so close to my sister’s is that the party lasts from the end of February to the middle of March. So this year, to prepare to celebrate our consecutive birthdays, we made tissue paper pom-pom things and hung them from the various tall places in our house. And I do have to say, they look simply lovely.

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and in case you were wondering, yes, that second to last pom-pom was made by the boy, and since it was smaller, we put it on a stick in a flower pot. love!

Were these hard to make? Not at all!

Here’s the instructions we used:

(Thank you to Audrey from Oh So Pretty for the instructions!)

Here is what you'll need:
+ 10 sheets of the same color tissue paper (Most people suggest 8 sheets but I found they turned out best with at least 10 sheets.)
+ Scissors
+ Monofiliment or fishing line (for hanging the poms)
+ Bendable wire (I used 24 gauge)

And here are the simple steps for pom making:

1. Stack 10-12 sheets of tissue paper. I bought paper at Paper Source on the plaza. If you haven't been there I suggest you check it out...tons of great stuff to choose from!

2. Make 1 1/2-inchwide accordion folds, creasing with each fold.

3. Wrap your wire over center of folded tissue; twist until tightly secured. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
4. Separate the tissue layers, pulling away from center one at a time. Once pulled apart evenly, fluff the sections until you are happy with the fullness.

5. Tie a length of monofilament to wire for hanging.

TIPS:

+ I found the poms look better when you cut the rounded (or pointy) shape pretty deep instead of just the ends.

+ The first pom I made was a dud. I made it too big and didn't cut the rounded ends very deep and it turned out poorly. I made some adjustments on my second pom and they all turned out great after that.

+ To make a smaller pom follow the same steps but simply cut down your tissue paper to a smaller rectangle or square.

+ I made a multi-colored pom using 4 sheets each of 4 similar colors (a fun alternative to a solid colored pom).

So really, all you need are these 4 things:

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And wa-la! So pretty!

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To top off the afternoon, my amazing mom made cake. Carrot cake. Yum-o!

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Party on!

The Glory of Christ

 

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Pondering and rejoicing in this truth today…

The Christian Gospel is about “the glory of Christ,” not about me. And when it is- in some measure- about me, it is not about my being made much of by God, but about God mercifully enabling me to enjoy making much of him forever.

-John Piper, “Seeing and Savoring the Glory of God”