colorboard / no.14

color: piecemealing greys - warm, cold, subtle & bold

word of inspiration: ebb and flow [a recurrent or rhythmical pattern of coming and going or decline and regrowth.]

source of word: "Oh morning come bursting, the clouds amen.  Lift off this blindfold, let me see again.  Bring back the water, let your ships roll in.  In my heart, she left a hole." ~ Coldplay, Us Against the World *the first time I heard this song!

1. wish i could grow me some grey roses /2. stoneware bowls! /3. versatile and funky earrings /4. jersey knit dress for summer /5. i have a serious fetish for chairs /6. cute toms /7. juju would look cute in this /8. the artist has a whole series of watercolor hammers ... i want! /9. now this is what you call 50 shades of grey

replenished.

We all go through spells.  Times of vibrancy, seasons of dullness.  Moments we find it easy to rejoice in the good things, moments we find doing that so hard.  With all of our changes going on, I've gotten so caught up in the day-to-day, "now" duties that my heart has been missing the simple.  Splashes of color have been far from my inspiration and busy noise has taken over the little bit of quiet that once existed.  

A few sundays ago, our pastor's wife was sharing something that was pressing on her heart - 

"when you know your identity, you will know how to live".  

**side note: I wish there was a podcast to link to so you could hear the whole thing!  

She was pointing out that we so often think our identity is in our role and function.  What we do, and how we do it.  We put a value on an "identity" that really isn't fulfilling.  At least not God's FULfillment for us.  But when our emphasis is put on our value and worth - i.e. 

i am a daughter of the King! - we will know how to live.

It's been exciting taking new steps since hearing her speak that morning.  God wants so much more for me than being brought down with the tasks and to-dos that I sometimes deem important.  Or getting caught up in these "spells" (like I mentioned above), mood swings, or long-lasting idiosyncrasies we chalk up to being part of our identities.

He created me (and you!) to walk in a newness of life.  to have new mercies every morning.  to live and know His presence daily!  As His daughter, I can enjoy this life and all of it's tasks and duties.  By desiring to know and learn more about God and His love for me and by making a choice to accept my identity and live obediently in it, God wants to bless me.  Replenish me.  Renew me.  Transform me.

All it takes is a choice.  A choice to believe that my identity is worth more than what I value it for.  For this choice and ultimate opportunity ... I feel like I can breath.

I feel incredibly blessed.

"Make me hear joy and gladness ...

... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me ...

... Restore to me the joy of your salvation, 

Uphold me by your generous Spirit ..."

Psalm 51:7-15

pic pix: early lilac blooms that I couldn't wait any longer for, from my backyard, 30.May.2013

ten & eleven months ...

I'm finally getting to posting this!  Because these past two months have been pretty fast paced, I figured I'd just join them into a big post.  As of yesterday, Juju's already 11 months & 2 weeks, but these little facts are only sharing news up until he turned 11 months.

So...pretty much since my last update, I'm a big boy now.  I can now hold my own bottle (quite easily now), suck from a straw, climb on anything that is reachable, and am going to be a big brother.  I'm not really sure what being a brother is yet, but Mama says I'll find out in a few months.

I went on my second airplane ride to Mexico last month.  The plane wasn't the funnest experience for me or my parents.  At least they had lots of snacks for me :)  Mexico was great though.  I've got a ton of amigos to visit if we ever head back there.  Everywhere we went, I'd make a new friend.  That was great.  The heat, at times, got a bit much for me but Mama & Papa would take me into the ocean and that was heavenly.  I learnt that there is so much sand to eat, but Mama freaked out when I put it in my mouth(?!).  All to say, I can't wait for our next beach get-away (Mama typed that last sentence, but I agree with her!).

Chatting is my thing these days.  Let me re-phrase that - chatting CONSTANTLY is my thing these days.  Give me something that will fit in this hand of mine, I find a way to talk into it [like a phone].  Like in Mexico, at home, I make quite a few friends by just talking randomly to people as they walk by.  If we're at a restaurant, at church, or in our front yard, there's people to talk to everywhere!  I think my Mama enjoys meeting the new folk, but Papa isn't always impressed.

Speaking of my front yard...we officially have our own now!  Not only that, but a backyard too.  We did this crazy thing called "moving".  Mama & Papa put all of our stuff in boxes only to take it all out again...it all seemed counter-productive and I tried to tell them, but they didn't hear me I guess.  But because of this "move" we did, I can say that my new bedroom is great and I love all the stairs that I can climb up and down on.  We put my wagon in our backyard, and I love riding it - chariot style.  Daddy always pulls me extra fast...so fast that I scream.  Kind of what Mama does when I put dirt and rocks in my mouth(!!).

I'm still loving playing guitars and singing with Mama & Papa.  Hopefully, they'll let me have a mic at church soon.  AND...I've officially taken my "first steps", as Mama says.  They get SO excited when I walk between them...who's to blame them?  I do too!

So many changes and new things ... and that's only to continue!  Next month, I'll no longer be know by how many months I am, but how many years I am :)

pic pix: love this little peanut...the only way to take still shots of him these days is to bribe with snacks(!), chillin' at home, 16.May.2013 

something about rainy days.

Not sure about you, but after some warm days with sunshine, I find a rainy day so cozy.  As long as it's not snow in May (which yes, happens up here sometimes), the crisp bit of moisture is something I look forward to.  Now, here's hoping for sunny skies tomorrow(!).

"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

pic pix: wet & green, today, my backyard

seaside daydreams + some links.

Tomorrow night, we are joining friends for some fresh seafood (yay!).  It couldn't but MAKE me think of the day we spend in Puerto Morelos, Mexico ... a little fishing town just last month.  Though summer is finally getting closer to us up here, my thoughts are down in Mexico this evening.

Some of my other thoughts have landed me at these places recently:

Little Korboose - There are so many cute items at this little shop ... I think the little airplane would be cute in Judah's room.

Oana Befort - I like this lady's visual journey - illustrations documented.  Talent with a paintbrush.

Mon Tarte - I follow Jordana Claudia, a Nashville dweller, on instagram.  Her posts are light, quirky, fun and sometimes delicious.  If I lived in Nashville or ever visit there, by her recommendations, I'd know what hot-spots to hit.  *she's posted some good gluten-free recipes in the past too.

Oh Happy Day! - Love this lady's diys ... they're just fun and make my day happy.

For some reason, just like seeing people's homes, I LOVE to see what women carry in their purses. 1 | 2 | 3

See the Skyline - The way this mama shares about getting a (2hour) break from her littles, enjoying it, but loving more the moment when she gets back home to see them.  I also like her series: The Gospel in Her Home

Birch and Bird - It's always inspiring to see what this creative Abbotsford lady posts.  One of my go-tos for designing encouragement(!).  I follow her on Pinterest too.


Hope you're all having a great start to your weeks!


pic pix: boats on the shore, Puerto Morelos, MX, April.2013

colorboard / no.13

color: rich, velvet black

word of inspiration: foundation [the basis or groundwork of anything]

source of word: Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established [on/with a foundation]. Proverbs 16:3

1. my kind of black dress /2. black dahlias, another personal favorite /3. pantone themed notebook?! /4. cute way to leave notes for my hubby /5. black wood chips - i think this makes garden beds look clean & classy /6. loving this chair!! /7. cute print /8. ahhh, my love of watercolor continues

ALSO ... the last colorboard (in case you missed it!) and another black & white themed board.

happy weekend.

"Only where children gather is there any real chance of fun."

~Mignon McLaughlin

pic pix: this little lion man making us laugh today - he's getting in all sorts of "fun" these days, today at home

life as a train.

Imagine.

A train moving quickly in an open desert.  You're riding horseback (or whatever vehicle you dream about!) alongside it, trying to catch up.  This train is your life.  You feel like you are always racing just to meet it by the time it reaches the next station because, you just don't want to miss a thing.  You can't follow another train, or leave this one.  Like I said, it's your life.  While you are living, this is you.

What's so funny, is that, seeing as it is your life, you are the one setting the pace.  No one but yourself is is making that train 1) go through the desert or 2) go that fast or 3) go to a specific destination but you.  The milestone/station you are running towards is your own expectation.  Life isn't moving your train, you are ... and usually at a speed much to fast for you to even be on it!

I've learnt aspects of it before, and I'm learning a new angle of it again - personal expectation.  Ever so "sneakily", it creeps into my thoughts and before I know it, I am discouraged because of little lies I am listening.  Thoughts I have created in my mind due to out-of-reach expectations.

I started thinking about it last week when an acquaintance shared with me a study about women who are on Pinterest...a lot!  I did not read the exact article so I am paraphrasing pieces of what I remember!  Basically, researchers were finding that some women were feeling inadequate and unproductive in their own lives/homes/family life.  'I wish my house looked like that...', 'How come I don't have time to do all that I want to do...', 'My kids need me to do this..." etc, etc.  The conclusion of the study: In theory, stimulating and inspiring ideas is an innocent action.  Getting caught up in comparing and pining for what we don't have can eat away at we DO have or what we DO.  Causing us to feel like we aren't doing or don't have enough ... inadequacy.

Personally, I'm not sure that Pinterest has done this in my life (I still love Pinterest & plan to still use it), but I know other distractions have led me to believe that I am just not "there" yet.

In my mind, my house should be clean, my quiet time and personal time scheduled at the same time every day, I should have a creative project on the go, dinner made ahead of time, regular outings with friends planned, my garden already planned and seeded, a family routine set in place, blah blah blah.  The list seriously goes on.  I laugh out loud as I write this, because those things written on paper seem like I think I'm superwoman or something!

But, friends, do you see?  That is the train I am trying to keep up with.  A train moving so quickly to do-do-do ... I'm not savoring the moments (chew-chew-chew!!).  They are all nice and novel ideas, but it can all slip away too fast if all I want to do is reach the next benchmark on my to-do list.

I'll never stop striving to do better, but for now, I really just want to ride my own train and take in the scenery.  Enjoy my little family.  Breathe in each morning as a mercy.  Live satisfied with what I do/don't accomplish.

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."  

Ralph Waldo Emerson

pic pix: a cute little train station, Meiringen, Switzerland, May.2009

thoughts. things.

Mothers Day

It's not every weekend that we get to pamper our Mom and Gramma a little (or them let us do the pampering!).  On Saturday, my sis and I set up my Gramma's sunroom for a little pedicure & fondue fun.  Seeing as Brittany's the professional, I just followed her lead and things went pretty smoothly...except when Judah wanted to tickle his Gramma and Gigi's feet!

14.5 Week Bump

This is the first week I've thought baby is more looking like a bump and not just bloating.  Though, I'm sure, when I reach 30 weeks I'll look back on this picture and say it looked like I was bloated!

This Time of Year

When it comes around to the 2nd week of May, I always think of Texas.  My brothers were going to school down there, and they graduated their programs a year a part.  So naturally, I had to go down there(!).  Last year, my younger brother completed another year/program of school, but I couldn't go because the little lion man was due soon.  It was always nice to experience spring before we had a full-on, green spring up here ... all this to say, I missed Texas this last week.

My Mother's Day

 

Sunday was a day to celebrate our little family.  After church, we stopped for a quick tea at my mother-in-law's house to wish her a happy mother's day.  The rest of the afternoon, we cleaned up the yard together, planted some seeds, and went shopping for a new dishwasher(!!).  How grand it will be to have that delivered on Friday!  No more loads being put through 3 times plus a hand wash :)  I didn't really take a bunch of pictures, but the two above were my favorites - my guys, and the first gift of the day brought with breakfast.

Cousin Love

On our short trip up to Edmonton, Judah got the chance to play with some 2nd cousins (Ethan - 3, Connor - 9 months).  I love watching little people interact ... especially when they're special little boys like these ones!  Remember me posting about them 7 months ago?!

colorboard / no.12

color: cream & soft corals with a hint of gold

word of inspiration: clement [mild or temperate; pleasant. syn: gracious]

source of word: Courage is grace under pressure.  ~ Ernest Hemingway

1. clutch, for any summer occasion /2. love this lady's mixed media ... especially her detailed maps /3. watercolor inspired by Song of Solomon 5:13 /4. this fabric would make a nice tablecloth /5. i could wear this bling /6. cuuuuute skirt! /7. my mother-in-law makes these in our christmas stockings ... i may have to put in a request for these colors /8. how adorable for a lil lass?!

lil bit of fish 'n chips.

Because morning sickness has kept me void of getting anything productive done this week (ugh), we decided to head out for dinner tonight.  Earlier today, I heard from some friends about a mom and pop joint that made some pretty darn good fish 'n chips.  And that they were ... pretty darn good!  Just a little stop off of 17th avenue, Trawlers proved itself a worthy stop for a mid-week meal out of the house AND there is a fish market part of the same store (future dinners perhaps?!).  This is the kind of place I like - unassuming, mom-n-pop diner feel, and so delicious!


pic pix: tonight's fishy excursion, at Trawlers Seafood Kitchen, 08.May.2013

happy weekend.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

~Dr. Seuss

pic pix: oh the joy this little lion man brings, taken this morning, at home

thinking about ...

"We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private; and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship." 

~ C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory

It's the beginning of May, and I still haven't finished my reading list for January-April.  Granted, it's been a season of change, moving, and newness so I won't be too hard on myself(!).

In one of the books I'm reading, the author is conveying the message that we don't memorize things like we (humans) used to.  Before "books" were ever a household item, text was written on scrolls, there were no indexes/chapters/page numbers, and very few copies of each book were print.  Scholars (or whoever could read them) would familiarize and memorize much of the script just so they could reference to what they had read at a later date.  Much of the Bible was memorized.

The author also points out that, in today's society, when we read things, nothing is memorized because we can "conveniently" pick it up to read later.  So basically, we've trained ourselves to read but not absorb information (loosely speaking).  Of course, there are things we had to memorize in school and passages or the gists of a book's message that have stuck, but really ... not a whole lot more.

"Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night." 

Psalm 1:1-2

"Study this Book of Instruction [Bible] continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."

Joshua 1:8

We have such an awesome opportunity to take God's living Word, flood our minds and hearts with it's truth, and literally, sink our teeth into the goodness He wants to share with us.  All it takes is saturating our minds and meditating on the things He has spoken to us.

So that is my challenge for you (and me) ... to find a passage and cling to it today.  Write it down to read throughout the day.  Commit it to memory.  Spend a simple 10 minutes focusing on the words, the meaning, how it applies to your heart.

Only then will we "...prosper and succeed in all we do."


pic pix: thoughts in the clouds, 27.May.2013, at home