{ 30 Days of Gratefulness: # 16 }

Today I am thankful for:

( source )

Our beloved Mama B. (David's Mom) who's birthday is today. I doubt there has ever been a dearer soul on this earth. ( Except for maybe her mother) I cannot even begin to tell you the blessing she is in our lives or how much we adore + admire her. She's makes Nov. 16th a beautiful, beautiful day!

Making headway on cleaning the house.

Sweet phone calls.

That I was able to get Annabelle out of the dining room closet quickly, after realizing and bursting into tears that she had locked her self in.

Dryers Limited Edition Peppermint Ice Cream. It's seriously, dangerously good. Thanks a lot Andi. ( it's her favorite and I hold her completely responsible for my addiction to it :)

This really, really good sermon on Fear + Anxiety and Jesus. I did not know until today that Jesus said, " fear not..." more than he said anything else.

Annabelle's precious bedtime prayers to: " Dear Jesus, please fix little baby Ella's body so she can live."

The man of my dreams, who just called down the stairs to me, "Chelle, bedtime."

Thankfuls ( last weeks )

( find this free Thanksgiving printable here )

  I have neglected to post an entire weeks work of daily thankfuls, haven't I?  Not because there is a lack of things to be thankful for by any means, but it's been extra busy around here this past week. David is home from work now, as paving season is over for the year. We are all as tickled as can be about that, and love these special days with him and plan to make the most of them while we have with him here at home with us, during the lull between paving and winter work. 
So in looking back on this happy little week just gone by, I am grateful for:

  How Jack soaks up time with his Daddy's and watches David's every move around the house as he puts finishing touches and touch ups on things around here. All day long Jack carries around his " tool-tools" hitting stuff, and I am thankful for our dear little man in the making, even if it means two cracked + broken windows, two days in a row.   We are seriously wondering if he has a arm of steel, as we've puzzled over how a little person can break windows with three swings of his plastic toy hammer?

  So very thankful to our sweet Jesus for the miracle of little baby Ella, born earlier this week. For the outpouring of prayers and love for her and her dear Mommy, Daddy and two big brothers. And for the sweet hours spent together with really special + gifted friends this week, praying our hearts out and sewing up a little a baby quilt for precious Ella.

This E.Elliot quote: " Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes." ( taken from These Strange Ashes )

Getting so close to checking off, " hang pictures on the walls " from the to-do list.

Asking Annabelle what her favorite thing of the day was: " the little pink christmas tree with lights that we saw at the store mommy! "

Jack and Annabelle's melt my heart baby crush on this scrumptious little baby boy that we are all so in love with.

Havarti cheese ( my #1 pregnancy craving ) in my fridge to snack on, a gift from previously mentioned " scrumptious baby boy's"  nice + pretty Mommy .

Tea partys and matching hoodies and darling little friends.

Sunday morning fresh out of the oven cinnamon rolls before church.

Steaming cups of Trader Joes Vanilla + Cinnamon Black Tea with honey + cream.

Annabelle's adorable new nick name for Jack: Dinky.

This pretty little spot that's: " a shared collection of ideas + links + inspiration for creative, crafty, party throwing, homemade gift loving, and sometimes homeschooling mama/artists... "

Big pots of Potato and Ham + Ham and Bean Soup. Obviously I am on a ham + soup ( with homeade bread ) kick.

{ Thankful : Days 5 + 6 }

Friday, Nov. 5th :

  Making cookies with Anniebelle's to raise money to for our Operation Christmas Child project...

  A impromptu date-night of fajitas + flirting...

  Anniebelle's fun sleep-over with Auntie Roo...

  How David always says to Jack..." oh, he was a good little monkey...but always very curious..."

Saturday, Nov. 6th:

  The golden kaleidoscope of leaves out our windows, spinning downward in a morning sunburst

  A entire two hours spent in the craft room. While Jack napped and Annabelle happily cut and pasted a clown and I  worked on BLESSED banners.

   David stashing a little bag of chocolate covered gummy bears in our cart and  kissing me right in the middle of Winco.

( source )

  Watching this " Random Act of Culture " with tears streaming down my face and some serious goose-bumps. And the email I got back from Grannie Annie after she'd watched it too..." That was SO beautiful! Oh my, I hope that catches on! Oh, I hope they do this here! I think that is a lovely, lovely thing to do and I hope it catches on! It was delightful, hallelujah! Pass it on! It really was delightful! IT's worth your effort!"

  Jacks new love: tilapia. He's on a 30 day elimination diet right now. A really strict one and he can only have turkey and white fish for meat. On top of his already, no gluten, dairy, eggs sugar, soy, nuts, most fruits and some veggies, our try-to -figure-out-what-this-kid-isn't-allergic-to diet.

Pouring out thanks...

Nov. 3rd :

   For Jack's appointment with a new doctor that was a total answer to prayer and that gives me hope for getting to the bottom of his allergy/skin issues.

  Craft night...which included a bunch of wonderful, creative ladies, busy with a fun Advent project, yummy treats,  yards and yards of burlap and laughter + chatting until well past midnight.

  A vase full of colorful leaves.

  For a little shop update.

  Sweet baby flutters.

Nov. 4th :

  For a sweet Bible study time this morning. I think our little group is starting to feel a little more brave and safe to take things to a deeper, more honest + real level. For a lot of conviction on my part as we read through the chapter in our book: Profile of the Lukewarm.  I wanted to jot down some quotes here but after I'd scoured the house for it, I realized that David must have taken it to work with him, which makes me so happy and thankful to know he's been reading it on his own.

  Delighted in these three beautiful little girlies and their matching pig-tail braids...another one of this sweet + darling friend's, 1000 + 1 talents.

The silly telling of a bedtime story by Anniebelle's to her Daddy that started  like this..." Once upon a time Daddy there was a rabbit who had a tail made out of cheese. And who walked on his ears. And had two bellybuttons for eyes..."at which point they both dissolve into silly, silly giggles.  

  Thankful especially for this day because it was on this very day 29 years ago that this most amazing + beautiful lady was born.  Struggled all day understanding why God would allow her birthday to be turned upside down by something really scary happening to her just as amazing + beautiful little daughter. All day + evening I worried and ached for them and for other dear friends who are hurting...and then came David's gentle encourage-ment to " not doubt God ...to just trust that He knows  and allows what's best for us and those we love so dearly. And by last night the prayers  of so many were already being sweetly answered, worries stilled and from the sound of things, it has been a really happy, normal, celebrating + making up for lost time, sort of day for them.

 

{ 30 Days of Gratefulness}

Thankfuls:

Novemeber 1st - 

 
  That afternoon I had bought a 50 lb bag of flour at Costco and somehow managed to get it into the back of my car...and then later called out the door to my just home from work husband..." hey would you mind bringing in the flour in for me" as he magically pulled not one,  but two bouquets of flowers from behind his back. Talk about perfect timing. You can imagine my shock... and my delight. Today I cannot see them without smiling and remembering with particular fondness, the giver of my yellow + orange spray roses. 

  A evening family walk in the rain to stalk up on "Wa's" ( waffles) for Jack. And thanking Jesus for gluten free, dairy free, egg free breakfast food that I can just pop in the toaster.

  Snuggling + three hundred bedtime kisses from our littles...

  This quiet little space to stash away bits of beauty + wise words.


November 2nd - 

  That it was warm enough this afternoon to leave the back door open and let Jack play happily out in yard for over 2 hours.

  For two huge loaves of homemade bread that perfume the entire house.

  For miles piles of clean laundry, because it means we have clothes to wear. 

  For an ugly disagreement ( because are lives are far from polished and perfect )turned to forgiveness, humility and tear-stained kisses. That make me think of the words to this song:

" Well “I Do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another, I’ve heard, is a good place to begin‘Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price for the life that we have found

And we went dancing in the minefields

We went sailing in the storms

And it was harder than we dreamedBut I believe that’s what the promise is for "

taken from Andrew Peterson's, Dancing in the Minefields

  The cute letter Annabelle wrote today for our little baking fundraiser:

" Dear Everyone,

Would you please like to buy cinnamon rolls, bread or cookies for shoe boxes for children who don't have many things? These children get really excited when they open their Christmas shoe box. And it's fun to make them happy.

Thank you very much.

Love,

Annabelle XOXOX  "

Oh, how I love her heart!

Saying Goodbye to October...

 One of our very sweetest + busiest months of the year so far.

Now for some pictorial proof:

( our first school outing, apple-picking with dear friends ) 

 October just wouldn't be October without:

making caramel apples

autumn treasure hunts

finding heart-shaped leaves

wagon rides

cute pumpkin faces from Grannie Annie...

and being spoiled x 29 for my birthday, some really, really special visits from precious friends family of ours, lots of hot soup + homemade bread, finally getting to hear that little baby heartbeat, stacks + piles of books about apples and Abraham Lincoln and acorns and butterflies,birds and babies and fun preschool projects, a really lovely group of bible study ladies, the trio of pumpkins and  vase full of amber/orange leaves on my dining room table, Annabelle reading a book to David with 22 words in it, a fun + yummy early Thanksgiving dinner with good friends , the birth of this dear to my heart baby boy, the kids "sledding" down our stairs, havarti cheese ( oh dear me ) my daily pregnancy craving and the culprit, I fear of more than a couple extra pounds, a entire hour of quiet to spend with Jesus on Thursday afternoons, Jack's funny faces and " WoW's!" ( usually in reference to a big truck ),  the splendid sun spilling over the leaves + trees outside, glowing like the colors from a stained glass window...all the Annabelle + Jack adventures we've had this month, great and small, makes me think of this sweet song ,and the great anticpation of the joy+ love that's yet to be...

{ catchy }

Today I cannot stop singing/dancing around the kitchen to this song. It's my new favorite.  And it makes me happy from head to toe. And yes, it's a love song.

And this is my favorite line of this very sweet little song..." But I'll take less if more means having less of you..."   

  It makes me think of and so thankful for a good, good husband who works so hard every day to take care of us,  who even shys away from hobbies if it means great amounts of time away from us,  a man who has chosen to prioritize his life + work so that even though in some ways it may look as if we have less...it's because he believes and lives that it's more important to have less (financially speaking) than more at the expense of not being together. And David, from the bottom of our hearts, your little family thanks you so much for that.
In case you haven't noticed lately, we pretty much adore pretty much every single thing about you.

{ long time, no blog }

 

  I think it's high time I dusted the cobwebs off the corners of this little blog and started posting again don't you? After such a sudden and lengthy absence you may have started wondering if:

1.  Did she quit blogging for good?
2.  Did her squirrel-y, nearly 1.5 year old son pour a full mug of hot cocoa all over her lap top and end it's life?
3.  Or maybe you've done the math and simply guessed that she is pregnant?

  A little unintentional blogging hiatus, mixed with high volumes of company over the last 3 months, plus yours truly sleeping during normal blogging hours (  from 8 pm to 8 am ) every chance she gets and we've got a 3 month gap in the goings around here.  And the thought of trying to fill in the blanks of the last few months has been enough to stall me on posting for weeks. It's too overwhelming. So instead I am going to start again, here + now, at today.

  It's Tuesday. 2:00 pm. Jack just woke up from his nap and is surrounded by his favorite things right now in the library trucks and books, Annabelle is watching this DVD about Benjamin Franklin, I just got out of the shower, dinner is made,  school done ( which included Annabelle reading to me from the BOB books, she is on her third one now and can I just say that hearing her read is sweet, sweet music to my ears... ), the battery is dead on my phone, there is a giant pile of laundry that still needs to be folded, we are going on a treasure hunt to collect leaves and other fall prettys. A sweet + normal everyday sort of a day to be sure, full of books + art + making + cleaning up messes and food love + laughter with a few fits + tears thrown in here and there to even things out, on this Tuesday in mid-October.

  I love homeschooling for many reasons beside the fact that we can do school in mismatched pajamas with marker smudged noses, and be creating wonderful things like this little village that was all her own idea. I love these happy, "  hey Mommy, I have an idea!" moments...and I love all that you can do with a stack of colorful popsicle sticks.

 

Really love this is most recent portrait of our family that Annabelle just brought to me. And if you didn't already, take a closer look to see the tiny, up-and-coming, one-day-in-early -April, much loved + looked forward to, the sweet + smallest member of our family, to-be.  

{ show and tell + a winner }

Annabelle picked our winner out of her little silver baby cup.

She hold is up for me to see but the winners name is upside down...

And by now you've probably realized that the show and tell I mentioned is of Annabelle's bedroom.

With it's apple green walls, her antique daisy light fixture, her vintage paper lanterns and her flower garden alphabet cards, it is the most decorated room in our house.

And not unlike her sweet little self, it is sparkly, bright and enchanting.

Oh and in case you were unable to read that tiny upside down writing on the little slip of paper,

June giveaway congratulations go to...Aminta!

{ a little bit longer }

**** EXTENDING THE GIVEAWAY UNTIL WEDNESDAY MORNING**** We are home after a most wonderful time with loved ones, new and old in Alaska, but must to run to ID and fetch that very dearly missed daughter of ours. See you then.

{ June Etsy Feature: Down Shadow Lane }

Jen has a wonderful little Etsy shop called Down Shadow Lane. And  her 15,000 + sales, make it a highly successful one at that. Jen sells fabric. Lot's of it. And by lots of it, I mean 57 pages ladies. I have gotten lost in the virtual aisles of her shop, on more than one occasion.  And her clearance section, remnant packs and bundles are really great! And she's agreed to do a fun summer giveaway here, for the bright + summery fat quarter bundle we put together that 's pictured below...we thought maybe it would add a fun splash of color to a summer sewing project or two.

And now for the lovely interview with our featured Etys shop keeper of the month:

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I'm married to a wonderful supportive husband and a stay at home mom to 3 kids (ages 13, 12 and 7) and I didn't start sewing until I was 30 years old. I hired a lady to come over and show me how to use a sewing machine and then I hired a girl from our church to come over and show me how to make a bag. I started making quilts right away (I loved straight stitches) and caught the bug then. I have always loved crafting and was crocheting when I was a little girl. My passions are still crochet and needle work of all kinds. I can't stand to sit in front of a t.v. without my hands making something so movies with the family are a big ordeal, first I have to gather some yarn or hoop and needlework or hand quilt something before we can start the movie.

Is there a story behind the name of your shop?

I started Down Shadow Lane Fabrics with a friend from church and she lives on Shadow Lane so that's where the name came from (my street name wasn't so cute). I run the shop alone now and it's been a full time job that I really love.We just added on a studio to our home and I have custom built selves and cutting table to make the process much faster. I like to call this my therapy room as well because it's my own little escape from the real world and I'm surround by wall to wall selves of fabric and color.

What advice do you have for those of us who are new to or interested in or already do sell on Etsy?

Etsy has been one of the best places for me to sell my fabrics, I haven't had any trouble or complaints about the site. I had my own .com web site but no traffic and with etsy I have tons of great returning customers but I also have tons of new etsy users as well. My advise to start selling is to find the right time of day to list your item. Know your customer base and think like they would (things like what time of day are they on browsing, are they stay at home mom's or are they at work searching the internet while the boss is away? LOL). The biggest and best piece of advise is in the pictures, the better the picture the more likely it will sell.

Do you have a favorite fabric designer or line?

 I have a few favorite designers but I will have to say that Denyse Schmidt is at the top. I was lucky enough to go to Connecticut and take a 5 hour quilting class from her at her studio and it was amazing (She's amazing). She showed us her Hope Valley line before it was released and she also showed us her amazing quilts. If you ever get the opportunity to take one of her classes it is worth every penny!!


What do you love best + least about selling on Etsy?

What I love about etsy is the traffic it brings to my shop, there's no way I could bring that much business to my own .com site. I also love how easy it is to list and up load a item. If I had one thing I wish they would add is the ability to search through my sold pages by the name of the fabric and not just the date.

Tell us what a perfect day in your life would look like?

A perfect day in my life would be to have all orders cut and shipped by 10 a.m. and then the rest of the day to browse flicker and be inspired to sew the night away! Oh yeah and my kids would be perfectly dressed, fed by their father and their rooms clean without me telling them to do it! (daydreaming)

Do you have a favorite Etsy shop/source for inspiration?

I love all the shops on etsy and I get so inspired by the craftsmanship there! I have recently found flicker (better late than never) and I can't seem to pull myself from there! I love browsing everyones favorites and I have started quilting and crocheting like crazy since I found it!! I also love to see some of my customers on there and all the great creations they have made with the fabrics they buy from me!! It's my new addiction!!

 

It was so nice of you Jen to do this interview and giveaway for us, thank you so much! And if you can't wait to win your own splash of summer f.q. bundle, you can certainly find one for purchase here.  To enter this giveaway is leave a comment at the end of this post, telling us what you'd like to make with this fabric, if you were to win it.
This giveaway will be open until a winner is announced on Wednesday morning, June 30th.  

*David, Jack and I are off to Alaska tomorrrow for four days.David's brother Jay is getting married to a wonderful beautiful girl this weekend and of David's 10 siblings, 8 are going to be there, as well as a half a dozen or so friends from ID/WA. I think that's a pretty amazing turnout and says a lot about how loved Jay is, especially since Alaska isn't exactly next door. Debs, Becca + Minta, you will be m.i.s.s.e.d greatly! I still feel like one of you girls should have had my ticket. Thanks for staying home with the new babies + kidlets. I promise to take lots of pictures.

{ the best thing }

Daddy dear, we pretty much think your the best thing since ( thick ) sliced bread  bacon.
Only way better. And we are excited to celebrate you today. And that starts with letting you sleep in, while Mommy is down in the kitchen whipping up a special breakfast. You aren't really into being doted on but we'll see what we can do to make today a little bit extra nice for you. Because you're the best and you deserve it, and not just today either but all the other 364 days of the year too.

( having the three of them in my line of vision, it's my favorite view )

Happy Father's Day to my babies Daddy, to the man of my dreams come true.

XOXO's,
Your little family