Friday Highs.v3

Grammie and Molly playing together.

Seeing a bright yellow bird on our walk the other day.

image found via google search.

Running errands as a family...in the rain.

image found via weheartit.com

Cartwheels on the beach.

Driving to church Sunday....I'm driving because I'm the only one that can drive the rental car. Chris had his seat leaned back soothing Molly, and after about 10 minutes, I asked if he was holding her paci in. His reply?  ...."No, I'm holding her hand."

image by photos by chelsie.

wreath

A new wreath adorns my door to greet you. 

Made from burlap coffee sacks from this store. 

Thank you, Kylee!

An old flower I made from scrap fabric a long time ago. 

And a beautiful pearl from a beloved friend's jewelry collection.

And leftover yarn from the blanket I made for Molly.

which wasn't necessarily for her right off the bat...

*sigh* I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

fresh fruit

Fresh fruit. Simple. Healthy. Delicious!

lampshade redo

This has needed to be done for quite some time. 

I found the lamp base at the dumpster (score!) and got the shade at goodwill for a dollar. Unfortunately, they really didn't go well together. Like, at all. Something had to be done...

The inside of the top....

and the bottom...

Yah! It's definitely not perfect, but I'm happy with it.  :)

Friday Highs.v2

Molly girl found my thumb...

A bouquet of fresh flowers.

This precious face:

My amazing brother. Happy birthday to you.  :)

celebrating his 19th birthday, 2002. 

Thankfulness

I was listening to a sermon from this church the other day, and the speaker talked about pride in a way that I had never heard before. I just wanted to share some excerpts from his message:

Did you know that the believer is never given the permission to be proud of anything, only thankful? 

You can never have pride in who you are without eventually looking down on someone else. In someway of another, you begin to magnify the differences between you and them. 

Did you know that you're never supposed to teach your children to be proud of who they are? You're supposed to teach them to be thankful. 

Pride looks in here. Thankfulness looks up there. 

Pride says I have it. Thankfulness says God gave it.

Pride says we did it. Thankfulness says look what the Lord has done for us.

...Remember that we are all here by the grace of God.

we LIVE here.

saw this on pintrest and had to remake it.

This morning I spent some time with Jesus, and my devotional book led me to the story of Mary and Martha. You know, the one where Mary sits and listens at Jesus' feet. And he tells Martha that she (Mary) has chosen what was better over what Martha was doing. Which, mind you, were probably all good things. She was having company over. So she was probably busy picking things up around the house, lighting a candle or two, maybe scrubbing the toilet. And probably putting on a pot of coffee. Of course there was coffee involved. 

And while none of those duties are bad or wrong, Jesus wants us first at his feet. Listening. Our full attention on what He has to say. 

I have to admit, this is extremely hard for me and my personality/habits. I'm a busy body. I can sit and look around my home and see a million and one things that I need/want to do. 

Ya know, when I was pregnant with Molly,  my Aunt and Uncle sent a gift for her, and a card for me. My Aunt wrote the following:

...You can slack off in cooking, cleaning, and other things...but never slack off in teaching about Jesus. He's the only thing precious that will be the best investment you could ever give your children.

That is exactly what I desire and what I will strive for with all of my heart. 

So there's my disclaimer. Any and all of you are welcome at my house anytime. I'll most likely offer you a drink and a comfy seat on my couch. But I can't promise that my house will be spotless. I can't promise that there won't be laundry sitting around waiting to be washed or folded. I can't promise that my bathroom won't be a little smelly. I can't promise there won't be a sink full of dirty dishes. And I can't promise that I'll have brownies made. (even though I'd probably make brownies before doing any of those other things. HA!)

But my hope is that when you enter my home, you will sense the deep love of Jesus. That our conversations will be rooted in Him, and our hearts would overflow with praises to Him. 

Lentil Wraps

The key to this dish is the Madras Lentils. I sampled these at Costco when my mom was here, and thought they'd make up some pretty good meals. 

Main Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Tortillas

Madras Lentils (you could make your own using some lentils and favorite spices)

Mozzarella cheese

peppers

onions

garlic 

Just sauté the veggies, heat up the lentils, add some cheese and wrap it all up! 

Friday Highs.v1

The other night I slipped into bed, took a deep breath, and instantly felt a rush of amazingness. Freshly washed sheets. *sigh* As I layed there basking in the freshness, I realized what it was...

A natural high. 

And then I realized...I want more of those moments. Sometimes life gets so darn busy. So rushed. So mundane that we forget to pause and soak in what makes us get goosebumps. What makes us feel lovely. 

So here's my attempt at pausing to recognize those moments. O

h, and I'll share them with you. *grin*

Friday Highs. v1:

Freshly Washed Sheets

image found via weheartit.com

Hearing this song, and remembering this moment:

The first sip of coffee in the morning.

Molly's first booger. TMI? Inappropriate? I can't help it. I was SO excited.

still under construction...

Not my computer though. We've got a fresh new start in technology land. We're working at lightening speeds ya'll...

Now it's our car. See evidence:

I hit a deer last night on my way home from church. 

 

But you see that smashed up hood? That's the extent of the damage. 

Me and Molly? Perfectly fine. 

I could go on and on, but let me just say:

 

Thank the Lord for His hand of protection.

under construction...

image found via google search

My gracious brother is helping me reformat my computer, so I'll be out for a just a bit....

Gotta get this computer working in tip top shape!

Hope you all have a lovely day.

Wait, what's that???? Say it louder?

Oh, OF COURSE I'll share a picture of Molly *grin*

Molly and Daddy snoozing...

coming soon...

Edit: I am so sad to say this....When I was originally making plans for my shop, I simply typed the name I wanted into the search bar in etsy. When I didn't find anything, I assumed I could use the name: ADCreations. When I went to register today, I sadly found out that this name is already taken. What a bummer. I should have waited to make the announcement. HOWEVER, I am still totally excited and will for sure have a shop opening by the end of the month. I'm off to conjure up a new name!

That's right. My etsy shop will finally be opening. My goal is to have it up and running this month. So be on the lookout, and tell your friends! I'll be sharing more soon, including sneak previews of the items I'll be selling, the meaning behind my name, and my business practices, so to speak.

Stay tuned!

A day in the life.

Since I've been staying at home, I've been asked on numerous occastions, "So what do you do all day?" I've even had it asked, "So how do you like retirement?" That one is almost laughable. I am FAR from retirement, folks. In fact, I work harder now than I did at my desk job getting paid the big bucks (haha).

So in honor of these inquiries, I thought I'd do a "Day in the life of" post for your enjoyment. It's a bit detailed, and maybe you'll find it boring. But it's my life, and I love it.

A Day in the Life of amyD:

5:30- Molly wakes and it's time to eat.

6:00- Everyone back to bed for a few more Zzzzzs.

8:30- We're back up and Molly eats again.

Good morning, peanut!

9:00- It's family time. This includes family snuggles, lots of kisses, devotions, and maybe singing some songs.

9:45- Chris leaves for work. I change Molly's diaper then lay her down for a morning nap. Oh, and I make the bed. It's something I have to do every day. Makes everything official.

10:00- I get some breakfast and put on some coffee.

10:15- Pour a cup of said coffee, sit down and read through blogs/emails. Then have a bit of quiet time with the Lord. This time is vital for me to have at some point in the day, but preferably this time slot.

11:00- Molly is stirring and ready for some early lunch.

11:30- I separate laundry and start the first load. Here's a peek at our closet. No joke. I did not stage this by pulling everything out of the basket. It was already like that. *grin*

11:45- I realize I'm hungry and go to grab a quick bite to eat (a Kellogg's protein bar) and warm up my coffee. Oh wait, the dishwasher needs to be emptied, then the dishes in the sink need to go into the dishwasher. NOW I can eat.

*gasp* I cannot believe it's noon! Must.Take.Shower.

12:00- Shower (minus washing hair..that takes too much time) and get ready. Molly falls asleep.

12:45- I take advantage of Molly sleeping and work on some music for this Sunday. The offertory is Shadowfeet by Brooke Fraser. Listen here.

1:30- Molly girl is ready to eat again.

-I'm simultaneously typing one-handed...writing blog posts, searching the internet for a place to live, e-mailing my darling husband, etc....

2:00- Out the door. We're headed to Babies R Us today to stock up on disposable bra pads. Not the most earth-friendly, I know, but the cloth ones don't always cut it for my leakage. Maybe my supply will even out eventually. *sigh*

After Babies R Us we hit up Old Navy and their 75% off sale (!). I got two maxi skirts for $6 a piece! Amazing. I also got a sweet little outfit for Miss Molly:

and some pretty earrings:

And of course, our last stop was Starbucks. I'm currently loving iced coffee with the coconut syrup. Mmmmm...

3:30-Back at home. I chat with Laur for a few and change the laundry. Zoe sleeps in the warm laundry basket so I wait to fold the first load. I check my email and take the tags off my new clothes.

3:45- Mom calls and we chat for a while. I am so thankful for her prayers :) I feed Molly while talking to Mom.

4:30- I work on our meal plan for the week. On the agenda for tonight...pancakes and eggs. Gotta love breakfast for dinner!

5:00- Me, Molly, and Zoe take a walk around the neighborhood to get some vitamin D from the sun. It's a warm one today!

5:30- I work on taking pictures of my items that will soon go on sale in my etsy shop! (more to come later)

6:00- Molly is a bit fussy....just wanting to be held, I think. So we enjoy some snuggles and she makes sweet faces at me.

6:30- Molly and I start dinner. See what I mean?

Comfy in the Moby wrap.

7:15- Chris gets home and we eat pancakes and eggs. I like my pancakes with peanut butter. Anyone else?

7:45- I feed Molly before Uncle Jordan comes over, and then she gets a quick bath.

Molly loves chillin in the sink.

This is her crazy after-bathtime hair.

8:00- Uncle Jordan is here. Molly loves her some Uncle Jordy!

We play a game...

Ticket to Ride--our new favorite.

...and have wonderful conversation. Until 1 am. And now it's the next day. And we're ready to start everything over again. *grin*

I refashioned a refashion

Remember back in May when I refashioned some clothes for baby girl? Here's a quick peak:

Well turns out I hate the nightgowns that everyone swears by. Mind you, I took everyone's advice and totally stocked up on these things. Ugh. Everyone is different. Everyone has different opinions and things that work for them. The nightgowns were definitely not my thing....way to difficult to put on!

But I loved the butterfly too much to just get rid of it. So Miss Molly got a new dress!

So tiring to be so beautiful. *grin*

Yummy Greens

The Yummiest Salad in the World:

Mixed Greens

sliced carrots

craisens

chopped walnuts

hard boiled egg

whatever dressing you favor!

I have to give my mom credit for this one...she threw all these ingredients together in a salad while she was here after I had Molly, and I've been hooked on this combo ever since! Thanks Mom!

Sufficient

Cause when I am weak, your strength is complete

it's perfect, completely all I need, sufficient for me.

Your grace and your peace are perfect

completely all I need, You're all that I need.

-Adie Camp, Sufficient

I remember a long time ago my mom telling me that children are a tool that God uses to make his children more like Him. I always knew that when my time for children came, God would definitely be working with me on my patience. However, in my naiveness, I think I thought that would come later on--maybe toddlerhood, certainly not in the newborn phase.

Boy, was I ever so wrong.

Ya know, there's a lot of things people don't tell you in regards to having a kid. A lot of people portray parenthood as this instant unconditional love that automatically makes you the perfect parent. (Maybe that happens for some people) While I have definitely found that unconditional love to exist--stronger than I ever thought possible---I also learned something very quickly:

I am still a human, and my love is imperfect.

In my own selfishness, I struggle when Molly won't go back to sleep in the middle of the night, because I want to climb back into bed and sleep. In my own selfishness, it is hard for me when she wakes up at an inopportune time, because I want to finish my sewing project, or finish straightening my hair, etc. If I'm going to be candid here, those moments of putting her first above myself do not come naturally.

When I first realized this, I really (really really really) struggled and beat myself up over it. In fact, I paced around my apartment with tears streaming down my face because "I'm not a good mom." (the voice of the enemy)

But what I've come to realize is that of course my love is imperfect. It's always going to be, because I am a human. It is only through HIM that my love can be made perfect. It is only when I rely on HIS strength alone that I can love Molly with a selfless heart and mind.

I'm thankful today for this realization. His strength truly is sufficient for me.