17/52

"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."

Monday (Afternoon) Coffee Date

Happy Monday!

So I've already had two cups of coffee.

One from home, one on the go.

Both were reheated, several times.

So I missed you this morning, but I thought I'd stop by this afternoon for our date because I've really loved having a set time each week to update my blog and also have been very encouraged by the comments that several friends have left. It's actually felt a bit like an actual weekly "coffee date". I like this new tradition.

I'm off work today because Harry had his 15 month check up this morning. So this was my breakfast companion. I took this photo last week sometime, but he did enjoy some greek yogurt this morning too.  This boy takes mealtime very seriously...until he's done and then food starts landing on the floor.

My house is always a mess ;)

Parenthood is not very glamorous, but it is such a wonderful blessing!

Let's see, back to this morning. Harry was up bright and early (sometime before 6:00am) so we snuggled on the couch for a little while, played, cleaned the kitchen, did some laundry, and made some messes...all before his 9:45 appointment.

He checked out as healthy as can be! He is meeting his milestones, is healthy...and PRAISE JESUS has not had the same "asthma" symptoms in at least two weeks (something he was struggling with for the past few months). Wahoo!

This was my sweet toddler boy when we got home. In typical fashion he fell asleep a few minutes from home and woke up shortly after this photo was taken. Despite his need for a nap, this boy didn't fall asleep again until about 1:30 or so.

Hence this late afternoon post. Oh well!

Last week was killer. Not only was it long and tiring, but having my phone stolen completely threw me off track. I am still adjusting to being relatively "unplugged" without the internet at my fingertips whenever I need it.

I admit that I am a recovering iphone addict. I'm sure at some point we'll figure out how to get me a new "smart" phone for a relatively inexpensive price, but for now I'm using an old phone and am being forced to just slow down.

I've blogged a bit about it this week...so I won't ramble on and on about the whole ordeal...except to say that it has been good for me. Being quiet, whether I want to or not, has challenged me to pray more for my family and those who I know need to be lifted up in prayer. It's funny how much of my time was filled with mindless thoughts thanks to my phone. Now I am finding that I have a lot more time to think about things that truly matter.

It's kind of exhausting, and kind of freeing at the same time. With all of this extra time to think I'm realizing that

a) I'm not as important as I sometimes think I am (aka: the online world is doing just fine without me spending so much time on it) 

b) there is nothing wrong with just living my life without the pressure of always being connected.

I'm still missing it (especially instagram) but I am learning to live without it. And I am thankful that God has been with me throughout it all, reminding me that I can talk with Him, about anything and everything, throughout my entire day. How can I not be thankful for that?!?!

What are you thankful for today? Have you been learning something new (or maybe something you've "learned" over and over that is being re-learned again during this season?

I hope you are having a good day. And even if you're not, because let's be honest...not all days are "good", I hope that you are finding that God is really with you. No matter what obstacle you are facing, big or small, He is right there in the midst of it.

I have been reading this verse every day, and it has been encouraging me to trust that God is truly FAITHFUL...He isn't finished with me yet, but I can trust that He will keep working on my heart until the day I get to be with Him in eternity.

Hope it encourages you too!

And I couldn't resist sharing this sweet little moment between my dad and son. This boy LOVES his Grandpa. I mean really REALLY loves him...it's probably the most precious thing. EVER!

Here's to the rest of this week :) I pray you find blessings in the little moments throughout your week.

So glad we met this afternoon!

Week in Review + HARRY WALKS!

Last Saturday, Harry took eight steps.

Monday my phone got stolen...and I've been without my trusty photo/video/instagram companion (aka my iphone).

The rest of the week has been quiet. Not much technology going on for me because, hello...getting on the computer is a lot more work than engaging in the internet via my phone. Also no texting/phone calls gave me lots of "unplugged" time to just be.

It has been sunny ALL week! Wahoo!

The rest of my school year is officially on two pages. Summer is coming FAST and I honestly cannot wait. I think there are only 37 work days left. But I'm not counting ;)

Now I've got my LG Envy3 (spelling?) reactivated so I can text and talk on the phone. It feels like I'm living back in the dark ages, but hey...at least I can communicate with people in the outside world. Unless I met you anytime after January 2011...in that case I do not have your contact info in my phone. So email me with your digits and I will remedy that (Karla...if you read my blog, I'm talking to you)!

And tonight...in the Verizon store while we waited for my archaic phone to be linked to my phone number again (drumroll please).....

Harry took FIFTEEN STEPS.

And he wouldn't stop. He kept getting up and trying again.  And he got cranky if you picked him up because HE WANTED TO WALK.

This is a miracle.

And then he fell asleep in the car on the way home because walking is exhausting when you've never really done it. Also, he's gotten a lot of fresh air lately.

It's 9:07 and I'm SO ready for this week to be over because it's been LONG. But I'm thankful for many things, even on the hard days.

And I think I'm going to officially say that my son can walk now. Just shy of 15 months.

This summer is going to be a good workout for me, chasing after my toddler. How do I have a toddler?!

Here's a "high quality" picture I took with my old new phone tonight:

Happy Friday!

Long Week...Already :-/

So my phone got stolen on Monday. Yep, that was yesterday. This week has already felt like an eternity.

On a more positive note, I went the dentist (right before said phone was stolen) and had zero cavities (which means I still have yet to get a cavity, ever).

Being cavity-free does not make getting my phone stolen any less crappy.

So if you read my blog and have tried calling/texting in the past 24 hours, I'm not ignoring you. I just have no phone.

Hopefully my detective husband can help bring justice.

I may just be taking a break from technology in general this week. It seems like a good idea, because I'm tired and grumpy.

I opened my Bible this morning and the first verse I saw was:

"Be still, and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10.

I didn't realize until this happened just how connected I am to technology, even without having a Facebook account anymore. Maybe I need to take this as a sign that God wants me to just slow down. I don't really have another choice.

If you need/want to get in touch with me, shoot me an email. If you click the email "button" it should link to my email address.

I hope you're having a better week than I am.

At least it's sunny! The weather is trying hard to brighten my mood!

16/52

"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."

Monday Coffee Date :: Comparison

How are you?

For me, the answer is usually that I'm good or that things are going fine. Sometimes that's completely true. But most of the time it's more complicated than that.

I am doing well and also desiring to be better. Life is a wonderful blessing, but it's also a challenge. Lately I've been struggling with comparison a LOT. Comparing myself to others as a wife, mother, friend, you name it. As if that weren't bad enough, I've been finding that I'm not only comparing myself to others, but I'm also comparing myself to what I wish I were like, or how I think I should be.

I'd love to say that I've figured it out and am on the other side of this struggle, but I'm not. I'm right in the middle of it and I'm just having to work it out slowly but surely. Being off Facebook has been really nice, kind of refreshing. But my thoughts go straight to comparison too often, with or without social media. It leaves me feeling inadequate, confused, dissatisfied...I'll keep you posted on what God teaches me through this.

Do you struggle with this? Is there an area of your life that you're struggling with or learning a lot about right now?

I'd love to know...because my goal thus week to be intentional about prayer and I'd love to be able to lift you up in prayer specifically! :)

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On a less serious note, here are a few pics from my weekend! We celebrated our friend Bryan's birthday at a yummy new restaurant in Seattle.

Josh and I enjoyed the movie "Safety Not Guaranteed". We know the guy on the far left. He was just an "extra" but was on the screen for a couple of minutes! Such a small world!

Harry enjoyed a little greek yogurt yesterday with some granola. It was very serious business...obviously! ;)

Thanks for enjoying some coffee with me this morning! Hope you can make it to our weekly date next week.

Hope

Jesus is ALIVE and while this world is full of darkness, I am thankful for His light and the hope that it brings...even on the darkest days and in the face of evil.

Josh shared with me a story that was so touching that came out of the Boston Marathon bombing earlier this week. Brent Cunningham is a former Washingtonian who was a Young Life leader when I was in high school. He had a huge influence on many people that I know, all because of his love for Christ and dedication to living out his relationship with Jesus in his everyday life.

Today is Friday, which is always a good thing! Take a minute to read this article. It will start your weekend off right!

Cup of Tea

I admit that I like to be comfortable. 

I love getting into my pajamas after a long day. 

The feeling of being wrapped up in a warm blanket is one of my very favorite things. 

Unless it's really hot outside (which is a rarity here in the PNW) the heat in my car is typically turned up as high as possible.  This tends to cause my husband and I to bicker because he is my opposite, always wishing it were cooler.

Drinking hot coffee in the morning or tea at night makes me feel warm inside and out.

But these are merely temporary comforts. I eventually have to get out of bed, or turn off my car. I am thankful that the Lord offers us deep comfort through His steadfast and unconditional love.

15/52 (a few days late)

"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."

Monday Coffee Date :: Back to Reality

After a week off it's always hard to get back to into the normal routine, but today I'm thankful for a cup of coffee and a little chat to start the week off right.

How are you friend? 

Did you have a good weekend? 

Mine was busy - after a week of caring for a sick little one (who finally got better by Friday) I feel like I tried to cram a week's worth of creative/productive things in so that my spring break wasn't a total wash.

I got the last of my craft room projects done, which basically means I talked Josh into hanging a couple of shelves for me so I could get some pictures and other things up off the floor. It always feels good to get things checked off the list.

 

What do you think? 

If you ever want to do something crafty, you are welcome to come join me!

Did you get anything checked off your list this week? 

Something else I did this week was delete my Facebook account. I have to tell you that it has been SO REFRESHING to disconnect a little bit. Sure I still check photos on Instagram, I've been blogging a bit this week, and I have a few blogs that I like to read as well.  But it's nice to have a break from everything that people post on Facebook. I can now enjoy a few pictures from friends, and read some blogs that inspire me, and that's it. My online life is much simpler. I no longer know what everyone is thinking about and/or doing at every moment and I love it. Maybe someday I'll open my account up again, but for now I am really enjoying my Facebook-free life.

I love simplifying things. I may not have gotten much spring cleaning done this week, but with a clean craft room and less online "clutter" I am ready to launch into the final stretch of the school year. 

Hopefully the weather around here will start to feel more like Spring because I am really looking forward to sunshine and fresh air.

What are you looking forward to?

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and an even better week.

Week of Pleats

It was actually more like an afternoon than a week for me. I had every intention of trying all of the projects from Jones Design Company's week of pleated projects, but alas I only had a few hours during a nap and a little time when Josh was home from work to get my pleat on ;)

I started with the pleated medallion, and LOVED how adorable and easy it was. I planned to make a bunch to hang from the ceiling in my craft room, but I'll get to that at some point (maybe) ;)

Also in this picture is some pleated ribbon inspired by this project. I may glue it to the bottom of this oval plaque that I just painted chalkboard paint on :) I'm still not sure, but I love the bright orange color!

And here are my favorites - the pleated tissue paper notecards. Aside from finally getting some sleep the past two nights...these little beauties were the highlight of my spring break!

What do you think?

I'm thinking about selling some in my shop with a hand-stamped message on the front and space to write your note on the back. Or maybe just plain, so you can write your own message on the front.

Doesn't that look adorable? I already popped a couple of these in the mail. LOVE.

So what do you think? Would you like a set of pleated tissue notecards? I may be putting some in my shop AND am thinking of doing a little giveaway in the next week or so :)

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Click the photos to check out the rest of the pleated projects on Jones Design Company.

Such a fun way to spend what few free moments I had during my break from work (that didn't involve taking care of my little sicky)!

Over the Hump

After five horrible nights for poor Harry, last night was not so bad. Knock on wood, tonight will be even better. He still has a faucet for a nose and a pretty yucky cough, but I finally feel like we've made it through the worst of it. Just in time for my spring break to be over.

On the bright side, I did just about nothing during my break, which was more relaxing than it would have been had I done everything I'd planned to do. Also, extra snuggles (and lots of snot/tears all over my clothes, but hey who's going to complain ;) lol).

In other baby toddler news:

• He just popped another tooth through which makes for a grand total of 13 teeth at 14 months. He has eight teeth on the bottom and five on the top. Thankful to have most of the teething out of the way.
• Harry can point to noses now when you ask him to.
• He says ball, yes, yeah-yeah, and will pick up anything resembling the shape of a phone and have imaginary conversations.
• He LOVES to sleep on his tummy, something he never did until a few weeks ago. So cute to see him sleeping with his bum pushed up in the air ;)
• The highest number of steps he's taken without holding on is three, with a "fourth" step which is really him falling/diving into whatever is near him. For the most part he just loves to crawl and push his favorite walking toy around the house.

I even had a little time during naps this week to get a little crafty. I'll be posting my projects tomorrow at some point, so stay tuned.

Happy (almost) Friday, unless you're on vacation like me, and in that case I hope the next three days go very slowly so you can enjoy the time off.

And now for some very random photos from this week:

This one kills me! I can't look at it without cracking up.

10 on 10 :: April 2013

This week has been trying; today was the hardest.

After another sleepless night (the fifth in a row) I woke up dreading Ten on Ten. I usually love this day each month, especially when it falls on a day off...but I knew it would be a challenge to see the beauty in today.

Despite my son's ongoing cough (long story, more on that later) there were so many moments today that were worth capturing. These photos really took me by surprise.

I am thankful for the reminder today that I am blessed, even in the midst of challenges, to live this life.

Time to be creative.

Coffee.

Flowers from a friend.

Doctor's appointment.

Sick sweetheart.

Finally fell asleep.

Sun and reflections.

Spilt water.

Laundry piles.

Overgrown grass.

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How was your day? 

Were you able to find some beauty?

I'm thankful for Rebekah and her vision to find beauty in our daily lives. Check out her blog A Bit of Sunshine, and the rest of the Ten on Ten sets, here.

Monday Coffee Date (late)

Hey friend, sorry I'm late. I meant to meet for coffee this morning, but it's turned into a post lunch, during naps kind of "coffee date"! I had visions of a wonderful post for this morning, because HEY I'm on Spring Break this week...so instead of things going according to plan I'm running late and my house is a mess. I guess that's what "vacations" are for - letting go of my plans and being okay with a messy life.

What's your drink of choice for today? I already downed my coffee first thing (I needed it, more on that later) so I'm enjoying a nice cup of tea.

Today my friend Hilary's son is over.  She watches him every day while I'm at work, so today I'm helping her family out while she's gone for a much needed long weekend away and her husband is at work.  Unfortunately Harry is sick. Yes he's sick during my spring break (which has happened during ever. single. school. vacation. ALL. year!). Okay my whine is (almost) over. But seriously, there isn't much worse in my book than a sick baby/toddler. Poor kid threw up Friday night, had a fever Saturday and Sunday and is now fighting a runny nose/cough. Poor guy cannot catch a break.

Yes, I know...the upside is that I'm not at work so the long nights of soothing a sick toddler aren't as bad because I can take it easy the next day. On the other hand, all of my plans have to slow down and I just hate seeing him sick. Plus, now that I've  grown accustomed to getting full night of sleep, getting up every couple of hours with Harry wipes me out. Just one (of the many) reason(s) why I'm not ready to get pregnant/have another baby. The sleep deprivation is killer!

At least I managed to lay him down long enough this morning to take a shower.

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[Pardon that brief, several hour interruption, due to Harrison's snot/cough/tears which resulted in a quick nap. He's happily playing now while Landon continues to snooze. How do mom's with more than one kid do it?! Karla...if you read my blog, props to you girl!]

So where were we? I think I was complaining a little. So let's change subjects. Did you notice that cute print sitting on top of my journal and Bible? Such a good reminder that today is a gift, no matter how it turns out! I thought it might encourage you too!

It was the "thank you" that came with a purchase from Katy of Katygirl Designs (Etsy Shop) and Scottyboy & Katygirl (blog). I have this print hanging in my craft room. LOVE!  She's inspiring to me on many levels, as a Christian, wife, mom, designer & blogger. You should seriously check her out. She designed our adorable Christmas card this year, and Harry's first birthday invitation.

Speaking of inspiring, you should check out the "Week of Pleated Projects" that Emily of Jones Design Company is putting on. I think I may just try to make every project (depending on how hard the other ones are). If that's the one productive thing I do all week I will be thrilled!

What's inspiring you these days? Any project you're dying to try out? I may be doing a little painting this week too. If you live close by and have a project you want to work on please come join me. You'll have to deal with my cute (and hopefully healthy) 1-year-old ;)

Well thanks for being a patient friend today. I should know by now to let go of any preconceived notions I have about how my day will go when it's spent at home as a mom. Can you relate? Even without kids, life can be unpredictable to say the least.

Hope to see you back this week for a free printable and photos of the projects I attempt to get done!

Thanks for chatting. I can't wait to grab coffee with you next Monday. I'll try to be on time ;)

14/52

"A portrait of Harrison, once a week, every week in 2013."

In ALL Things + Embracing the Camera

For a while I was just trying to get through the day. Every day. Being a working mom of a barely one-year-old is draining. I wouldn't change it for anything, I am so blessed to be Harry's mama and to have the job that I do. But it honestly wears me out.

So time spent reading God's Word, journaling and spending time in prayer really slipped through the cracks for a while.

Just recently I rearranged my craft room (I even posted a few photos here), which has given me space to keep my sewing machine out, and more importantly a place to sit and use my laptop.  I posted a link to She Reads Truth earlier this week, but having space to read their daily devotional and actually crack open my Bible first thing each morning has been amazing.

It's been almost two weeks now and I am feeling such a difference in my heart and it's spilling into my life. Instead of just going through the motions and trying to get through the day without forgetting something I'm supposed to do...each day has a new purpose. I am being reminded of who God is and how GOOD He is every. single. day.

Instead of being overwhelmed, frustrated, tired (okay I'm still a little tired, but that's unavoidable given my current life stage), self-focused, etc. I am finding myself thinking more about God. It's so refreshing! He is far better to think about than I am!

Are you in a rut with the Lord? Has it been a while since you opened His Word? I was too but I am changing (by His grace) and it is rocking my world!

Here's the link again to She Reads Truth. We're on Day 4 of a series about prayer. Jump on in with me :) It's not too much reading but it is changing my perspective!

And if you're a mom and want some encouragement today, head on over to the Scottyboy & Katygirl blog and read THIS post about how a challenging parenting moment reminded Katy of her own relationship with Jesus. It's all about repentance and forgiveness (which is what today's #shereadstruth post is about too)

And here's me in a photo, because let's be honest...I take way too many photos of other people. Instead of "embracing the camera" with someone though...I'm embracing it in my new and improved craft room, which is my favorite spot in the house because it's where I've been able to reconnect with God lately! :) Check out The Anderson Crew for more details about "Embrace the Camera"!