TUESDAY SALE...

HELLO LOVELIES!  JUST A QUICK LITTLE NOTE TO LET YOU KNOW THE SHOP IS HAVING A TUESDAY SALE.  ALL ITEMS HAVE BEEN MARKED DOWN 25%.  SALE WILL END AT 12AM CST TONIGHT.  HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Repurposing an Old TV Armoire...

Years back, Matt and I had purchased this armoire to house our older tv upstairs.  But when that tv died and we ended up with a flat screen, the armoire kind of floated around the house filling temporary purposes, waiting patiently to fill a need.  It is a rather large piece for our size home, but I was confident it could fill the right spot.

When we were working on our kitchen a few months back, I also worked on the armoire at the same time, sanding it down and painting it in between kitchen projects.  But, finding the time to build it out inside, just kept eluding us, that is until this past weekend.

Matt built in permanent shelves to make it into a much needed school cabinet for me.  I have been needing a "central" location for all of my teacher's manuals, grade books and test keys for 5 different grades.  I am schooling a sophomore, 8th grader, 6th grader, 2nd grader, and 1st grader!  Not having an organized place to coordinate all of that, has certainly not been helpful.  I am clearing my brain and gearing up for a fresh year of school now.

This is the raw look of the shelves Matt built for the cabinet.

Here it is painted and filled with school books.

Looking forward to an organized school year(hopefully!)

Creative Days to Put the Busy Days Behind....

Summer is always a unique time, isn't it?  A change of schedule, fun trips or outings, maybe a vacation, etc...

I think for mom's particularly, it can be a bit hard.  At least for me, I struggle with it.  All of those trips, events, visits, etc take a whole lot of planning and preparing.  The quote "I need a vacation from vacation" hits a little too close to the truth.  And in all honesty, I prefer everyday life.  I do look forward to vacation for the time we get to spend with my husband, because everyday life for him is crazy busy-and vacation time is so nessasary for him to recoup.  Vacation for us just means rest, each other, and catchup on some much needed repairs or projects around the house:)  I do hope we can take at least one vacation away before the kids start leaving home but we chuckle at the line in "cheaper by the dozen 2" when the mom is asked why they do not buy a lake house and she replies in a type of humor "oh, well, we need the money for things like food...water...hahha. "  Yep, we can relate:) and for now I find contentment in that!  We are quite blessed with camp, missions trips, family visits, and the like.  So much so, that I have become a tad overwhelmed at packing for 8 of us and then unpacking and doing it all again!  My mind just has felt like it got packed away in one of those suitcases and I think it got lost in transport:).  Between the 8 of us, we have traveled for a wedding, camp, a wilderness trip with the youth, a missions trip to CA with the youth group, had most involved in a week of VBS and a 2 day visit to a friends cabin for some time to rest as a family(thank you thank you thank you sweet friends-we were so blessed).  We are now back from it all and about to change direction to prepare for school.  But this week is kind of a bridge between the two.  A time to just kind of coast-whew-it has been nice.  The kids are simply playing and creating this week(except for my sr higher-he is hitting the books already).  So I have been resting my brain a bit with creating, starting new projects, finishing some old. Here they are...

 One of my favorite ways to work with t shirts, is to make them into throw pillows.  Quilting them first makes them so cuddly!  Sure brings those fun scenes to life again!

 I have been playing a lot with my reclaimed linens.  I finished a few quilts that have been waiting to be quilted for quite some time now, began making some new sets of napkins, and added some new bean bag sets and rice packs to the shop.

And...it is that time of year again!  I have been making a pair of mittens a day again to prepare for the winter months.  Last year I made and sold approx 120 pair!  One a day is a good pace for now. 

A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That....

 

A little back tracking here...Our family started out the summer by taking a group of kids from church, to camp for the week.  We stayed as well and had a great week!  Always a favorite week for our family.

One of the days, up at our cabin, Joslyn and I drew out an oversized mural on a white sheet for the kids(and neighbor kiddos) to paint.  It was a fun afternoon for us mom's to just sit and chat while the kids were enjoying the craft project!

This year I planted 32 broccoli plants!!  It is a staple in our home-bet you can't tell:).  We have had an excellent year of broccoli so far!

I have had fun making a few batches of journal/notebooks for the teens this summer.  Both camp and for the missions team this year.  These were some of them.

The kiddos are of course living in the pool.  Even little Israel is enjoying it!  He is going to be 1 in a few days!  Can you believe it, where does the time go?

Our church has been in another building project this year and it has been amazing to watch the progress!  God has blessed us so much!  We are at 5 services on Sundays, so a new sanctuary is in great need, and is well underway to being finished-Praise the Lord!

And we just celebrated the church's 50th anniversary this month.  We had our church service and summer picnic out under the big top:) this past month to celebrate and thank the Lord for all He has done and is doing-it is always so amazing to be all in one service(all 1300 of us).

Was a bit sad not to have matt there to celebrate with that Sunday, but he, Cole and a team of students and leaders had just left on their missions trip to work with Filipino immigrants in California.  More about that amazing work of God to come!

I have been pluggin along with my new creations in the shop.  I have been making necklaces from wood and it has been a wonderful distraction from my normal creations with fabric. 

While Matt and Cole were away, I was able to dig into some bigger projects around the house.  Israel will be moving into his room with Noah very shortly, so it needed some work to make it baby friendly.  

 And the much larger project was moving Madison into her own space!  She turns 14 today!!  Our three girls have shared a room since the beginning of time:), and I never thought I would split them up.  But the Lord has given me a great peace and confidence that giving Madi her own room will be a positive change for all of them.  I have been seeing Madi's need to have quiet time, a place to express her growth and maturing, and I have also seen the younger two's need for play and imagination that just wasn't happening with the little room they were all in.  I think a few months back, a shared about how we were putting a carpet remnant in a small little corner nook in our basement and were trying to give it a good purpose since we were in such need of space as we grow.  It has cycled through as a playroom, school space, teen hang out, etc-but was still just not being used to it's potential.  So Madi and I have been working to transform it into her own room.  It has been so fun!  We have gone with an industrial look since it is unfinished still.  She picked grey, black and white to go with her "pop" of orange bedding.  We are still slowly working through ideas, but how fun it has been for her and I!  And just in time for her birthday-yea!

She has been enjoying that Israel is in there right now with her.  W moved him out of our room a few months ago to get him ready for going upstairs with Noah.  Once we have him sleeping through the night, he will make that move.  But for now, Madi and Iz are roommates.  And she has actually been helping with him in the middle of the night.  And for this tired mom, that has been a real gift!  Somehow, this change has just made our home feel even fuller and I am loving it!

Capturing a Few Moments...

 Yesterday was a very long day for my husband-and today will be no different-summer is very busy for a youth pastor!  So while the littles slept late in the evening and I missed Matt, this is what I  accomplished...

 A sweet little bib and skirt set for a baby girl.

 A bit more work on my rug-just about finished!!

 I have been working on smaller things to use the yummy scraps I have oozing out of my bins...

We are grabbing hold of those impromptu evenings when we all get to be home together.  Enjoying that the weather has given us such a glorious variety.  Some hot days for swimming, but also some cool days and evenings perfect for a late night fire and smores.

 I was able to keep some of the Christmas lights down(I actually remembered this year) and have enjoyed lighting the garden at night .  Makes it some sort of magical and i get to enjoy the blooms evening in the darkest of hours.

 I just ate up getting the chance to photograph our kiddos at the beach and thought it would be fun to share a few more of those moments.

                                                      Sisters...

 I am so excited to finally have some one on ones with each of the kiddos...  It is amazing to see these and see how short I look by this ever growing young man-  When did this happen? A boy learning to turn knowledge into wisdom-one who can lighten my heart when I am all too serious and yet respect his mama too all at the same time.  And one who made me giggle today when he announced, "I am addicted to driving"  HUH?, imagine that?  He is just about finished with his Driver's Ed class-I still get weepy every now and again out of the blue, like when I see his teacher toss him the keys and he opens up the car for everyone and gets in to drive away.  Be safe my sweet first born, the Lord has such plans for you!

 My sweet little Bell with her favorite hat-she has had me track down as many "painter's hats" as I can when thrifting.  They have become "her" and I am so glad to have this to remind me of these days. The one who wants to work with me when she grows up and inspires me every day-we would make quite a team-what a fun thought.  The one who shows such gentleness and tenderness that I need to be reminded of.

 My striking teenager giving me trouble , of course, about me giving her a hug-but laughter makes anything bearable!  And she is a strong and lovely character, a helper and a precious friend already.

 My constant-Joslyn my peace-always.  Sweet and funny as all get out-and such a beauty! A lover of all of God's creation and ready to share all the intricate designs of her creator.

 And the one who has kept me young, refreshed my joy in life, and filled that mama need that will probably never go away, I realize now.  Worth every tired morning and achy bone.

 The boy who tells me "I love you with all of my heart"  every single night and insists on holding every door for me -such a little gentleman.  He brings everyone together and bridges the old to the young.

The littlest man with all his big sisters!

 He was just loving the sand....10 months old....

I just couldn't help myself--so cute!


And a picture I am kind of happy Madison snatched the camera for.  It has been a few years since I have found a new "antique" quilt for my collection.  But a few months ago I found this beauty hidden amongst the rows of linens at one of the thrift stores I visit regularly.  It is so pretty, so delicate, well loved and soft. A wedding ring quilt.  I had to bring it for pictures(and because I sleep with it every night now, so when we are away from home, I still bring my "blankie." So parts of me never grew up.

So there are a few more little updates.

Just A Little Something Today...

  I love that each day when I work on photos for the shop or the family, I have my computer set up to show photos from one year ago that day-it is a fun way to see all that has happened in a year!

So, one year ago I was heading home from the Doctor's with the news that Noah had in fact broken his arm falling off of his sister's bunk bed.  To this day he still wishes he could break it again because the cast makes an awesome floaty in the pool;)  We laugh at that but then insist-"please do not do that again-you float just fine on your own"

Here is the new giggly sweet 6 year old-cast free-for now.

And that happened right in the middle of the construction of our new bedroom in the basement.  This is where we were at just one year ago-right now there is a very sweet baby taking his afternoon nap  in the finished room because mama still has not moved him to his own room yet-tough to let go when it is your last.

This past month we traveled to Michigan for Matt to perform the wedding of his new intern and his bride. Beautiful wedding, beautiful bride, and lovely new couple we are excited to work with this year.  We were able to make a stop at our favorite beach and get some pictures while there.  We visit this beach in the summer when we are at camp, but we never have the older kiddos since they are campers, so this is our first time all together-yea!  It was a beautiful and chilly chilly day!

We are off to a busy start of the summer-lots of trips for ministry(Matt and the older two at least and even an international missions trip)  A sister getting married-continued drivers training for our oldest, and school on a bit different pace.

I am still slowly learning how to weave on the oversized potholder looms.  I have a new one that was built for mother's day.  It is smaller than the first so that I can take it with me if I need to.  It is somewhere around 3x5 feet.  We spaced the pegs differently on this one too-closer for a tighter weave.  I am almost finished with the first one on this loom. It is not a type of weaving easy to find information on-so I am learning as I go.

Been trying out some new ideas for the kiddos.  Bell still loves when I make her clothes, so i am eating that up!


 I have gone through a redo of the shop photos these past couple months-still a bit to go.  By the time it is all done I will have taken about 3000 new photos.  Hopefully it is helping customers!  Shopping online is always a challenge since you cannot touch or try the items.  Having the shop continues to stretch and challenge me.  Always grateful for the ability to work from home, but with the changes in this ever growing family, it has not always been easy to figure out how to wisely choose when to work or how much to take on.  I have stepped back from custom orders almost completely while I figure out a new rhythm with homeschooling 5 of the 6 kids and having a very active almost 1 year old heading up the rear.  Here's the new look....


My scripture this week....

Psalm 119:114  You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

The context is of a man who is pressed on from others who do not love God's word, and yet he has found great comfort and strength in the Lord's law.  He sees the love the Lord has for us in giving us these laws, to protect us, guide us, bring us great joy.  God's word is a refuge for us, a hiding place, and place of rest-oh wow, there is nowhere else I would want to be in this crazy life, crazy culture, crazy world! I have always seen scripture, His commandments, as true freedom.

My prayer right now, one that seems to keep coming up right now-is that the Lord would give me a quiet mind so that I can understand what I read in His word.  It is true that with a family of 8, quiet is not easy to come by, but it does happen;)  and more than you would think, but so often, when it does come, I am not ready, my mind is cluttered, I am running on so little sleep that putting thoughts together is extremely challenging.  I have been a "doer"  not a "thinker"  this past year.  Hoping to grow again. Hoping to think again!  That is my prayer.

I hope you are all well!  I am sending a hello!

Sewing This Past Week....

I sat down to the sewing machine this past week to work on some gifts.  It is a refreshing thing to create something that I have not in the past.  And all three of these fit the bill for that!

Our older two girls just left yesterday for a trip to Arizona with my folks.  It was the first time they were on a plane-so it was very exciting!  Flying is not really an option with there being eight of us, so I was thrilled for the experience this will be for them!  I wanted to give them each something new to take with them that I had made just for them.  For Joslyn, I made a reversible sun hat...






and for Madison, I made her a travel case for makeup...







We were also celebrating my mom's birthday and it has been a few years since I have made anything for her, so I made a new travel tote for her crocheting and such....

And Joslyn painted her suitcase, making sure it was easy to spot and was a good representation of her!  I told her it reminded me of sitting on my dorm room floor painting my luggage in a vibrant flower power for a visit home.  I also remember my dad's smirk and head shaking when he picked me up at the airport.  Funny how now he is with my daughter and again, the flowers invade the trip;).

Now I'm just adjusting to the two girls being away-still seems lonely even with four kids still home. Such a perfect example of how each child completes a family and the family is just not the same when even one is missing.  They all are such priceless pieces in God's plan for our lives!  They are having a good time though and I love the memories they are making.