Valentines Re Cap

Well, Here is just a few things from our Valentines fun.

My Decor:

These were a sweet bouquet from my man!

This is just stuff I've collected over the years and pics of my babe.  I did add that canvas this year. I just redid an old one to be Valentinesy!

My Gift:

We made these at MOPS and I loved how they turned out.

My only suggestion when using sharpies on plates or mugs is write dark because my faded some. 

The dates are our first date, engagement date, and wedding!

My Valentine:

This was taken at a Sweetheart Supper a couple from our Life Group at church does every year. We all gather in the back room of a local restaurant (yum, Colby's!) and have such a fun time.

I look forward to this every year. 

party like it's 1999

I've been prepping for some little girl's 2nd birthday party! Crazy, I know. Surely, Livingston is not turning 2.  I've been thinking through the last year or so of parties.  I'm in LOVE with planning parties and sometimes go overboard.  I've learned the hard way that sometimes too much planning can get in the way of enjoying the reason we are celebrating.  So I've learned to do what I can and let it be.  

These are some of the parties we've had lately:

Leland's 7th and Fynn's 4th Birthday

 Construction theme was a score with the boys and easy to execute.

 We are blessed to have our own amazing and creative baker, Aunt Nina!

Seriously, isn't this cake amazing. 

 The good thing about construction theme is we had tons of everyday toys laying around to use. 

Making the kids a space is one of my favorite parts to decorate.  

Evy's 4th Birthday

This was a Tea Party theme and it was all very girly.  

I loved decorating with ribbons, hankies and lace table cloths.

 We even had a little table set up with a tea set for them.

 I got to pull out all my crystal, vintage tea cups and my Nanny's tea pot. 

Leland's 6th Birthday 

Making invites are pretty easy for me because I just get pictures I want and use photoshop to do the rest. The kids get a kick out of them and the grandparents love them.  : )

Gender Reveal Party

Little did everyone know that what the pinata was stuffed with was...BLUE!

It's fun getting creative and celebrating key moments in your families life.

Maggie Ann's Sprinkle

 We love celebrating babes in our family!

For my sister's 3rd little dear, we had a small sprinkle in the back room of a little 

restaurant downtown. I used some girly things and tied in umbrellas and rain boots!

Livingston's 1st Birthday

 Here is Liv's party table and decorations.  I used burlap, a bunch of clearanced valentines decorations and her pictures from every month of her first year. 

Another amazing cake from Nina. 

A lot of times, I just find something I like to use as the toppers for their cakes....

something I print out, a toy or scrapbook supplies. Whatever works to make it personalized and make them happy.

That is my favorite...watching them giggle with glee and feel celebrated!

So excuse me while I kick this birthday party into fabulousness! 

Then I'll need to nap for 3 days to recover, as always.

: )

falling in love.

I can't believe my little guy is 3 months already.  He is such a joy and our family is fuller with him in it. I feel like a bad mommy because I've hardly posted pics of him.  I've been taking them though...he's such a little charmer. 

He was so tiny! I'll never forget how teeny he felt in my arms. 

 From the hospital...his halloween outfit! 

 Fresh out of bath!

 Love his smile!

 He's shot up in weight and is looking rolly polly these days!

 This is his, don't even mess with my monkey look!

This one is my favorite lately.  He was laying on me. I could eat him alive, he's so sweet.

Hard to believe this is 3 months ago.

: (

for valentines day...

I'm mushy. I admit it.  I love chick flicks. red hearts. candy. flowers. little paper notes with sweet messages. I love it all!

I especially love the man who makes me swoon and tear up when I hear lyrics of a song that brings us to my mind.  I love the smirk of a smile he gets on his face when he thinks something is really funny.  I love that he knows just what to order for me wherever we dine.  I love how when we walk beside each other or sit near each other, that gradually we can't help but touch.  His voice, oh how I love his voice. It resonates in my soul and makes my heart feel good.  His arms sooth my bad days and his advice is always the first I seek. For the rest of my days, I'd be a happy woman sitting beside him doing nothing.

I refuse to hide it.  Puke over my mush. I don't care.  Stop reading this. Fine.  But I prayed for this man for many years and he's is God's gift to me.  I will boast in God's goodness for He wrote this story.

Hope you get mushy tonight.  If you are single, I hope you pray for the mush tonight.  You never know what God might have in store for you.

laughing at the days to come

The kids are napping. I'm trying to work on pictures of a beautiful family I was able to photograph a few weeks ago.  But I can't stop the thoughts running through my head.  My heart is pounding and I'm sick to my stomach.  Another bad diagnosis.  A friend's little boy.  It's been hours since I heard, but I still feel the numbness it brought.  I'm devastated that my prayer list is full of so much grief and tragedy.  When I logged on here to type, I realized it's been over a month since I've written.  Mainly because it's been a hard month.  A high school friend lost a battle to cancer and my previous mentor and friend lost their son due to a car accident. 21 months my friend fought... he was my age and had two young children.  My friend's son was 19 and driving home after finishing college exams.

I rock my babies a little longer. Hold their hands a little tighter. Kiss my husband more often. Try to appreciate this life and the people God has put in it.  I want to be like the woman in Proverbs and be able to laugh at the days to come, but I'm going to be honest when I say I do not always do that.  It's hard to not get discouraged and feel overwhelmed by those hurting around you.  That and the fears of what could be down the line for you or your loved ones.  Of course, this morning after hearing about my friend's little boy, I was quickly thinking of my own children.  Fearing what trials or hardships they might face in this life time.

But then that's it, right?!?!  They will face their share of pain and heartache.  They may never receive a diagnosis of cancer and we may never loose one of them to a car accident, but they will face troubles. So will we.  I was just talking to my friend whose daughter was diagnosed with cancer just a little over a year ago. We were saying that God is good.  He is.  It's the truth.  But when our heart doesn't believe it, we must repeat His word to ourselves over and over until we believe it as truth again.

If you know Jesus, cling to Him and His Word...it will heal you and teach you to laugh at what is to come. If you don't know Jesus, seek Him...repent and believe.

Thankful for this truth today,

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

This quote by John Piper echoes it best:
"She knows her Bible, and she knows her theology of the sovereignty of God, and she knows His promise that He will be with her and will help her and strengthen her no matter what. This is the deep, unshakable root of Christian womanhood.” John Piper

500th

 I feel deflated. This is my 500th post and I just don't feel inspired for a grand post.  I want it to be special.  I mean I know that this little blog is just something for me and it's rarely read by 20 of my sweet friends.  But it's something to me.  It makes me think of that quote from You've Got Mail...

The odd thing about this form of communication is that you're more likely to talk about nothing than something,but i jut wanted to say that all of these nothings have meant more to me than so many somethings -Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Because it is something special to me.  It's my little piece of earth...where I can come to and just release. I can vent, share creativity, sort through what my heart is feeling and leave a piece of me. 

So anyways, because this space is special to me and well, the 500th post of anything seems like something to celebrate... I will share some thank you's to this blog.

Living Life Creatively, 

Thank you for being here anytime of the day or night I can squeeze in some "me" time. I need somewhere to connect and boom...you are there.  It's 1 a.m. and everyone else is sleeping, I can log on here to share a little of me. 

When I look back through the posts over the past six years, I'm shocked about how many crucial "life" moments were hashed out right here.  My second (the real first post...the actual first one was just hello) post was right after we were engaged. We were just traveling, head over heals in love and sooo young. It totally takes me back to the feelings I had during that season. When I was anxious and struggling with longing for a baby. Through our foster/adoption process: our first night, when I wrote a letter to their birth mother on Mother's Day and processing it all right after our adoption was final. This place has been somewhere to showcase all the crafts and decor I've been trying out. When I looked back through the different pivotal moments in life  and how I handle change. From when we first bought our home and the post on how I've summarized the beautiful blessing that is our home. 

 I think the biggest thing it's done for me is capture and work through this season of mommyhood.  It's the hardest job I've ever had and I feel the weight of it's significance everyday. I want to do my best and also to remember all these "everyday" moments. I know they are going way too fast.

 So thank you, dear blog of mine. I'm pretty sure life would be messier, I'd loose perspective more often and I would forget how much fun it is to create if it wasn't for you.

You, are like an old friend. Every time I leave this space after emptying my heart, it does my soul good.

Another good thing to do after meeting such a milestone (especially around New Years) is to plan for the future. I found this list of what I want to do in 2014.  It helps me to have specifics to answer instead of one huge resolution. 

This Year...

A bad habit I'm going to break...

procrastinating laundry.

A new skill I'd like to learn...

sewing (the machine will not intimidate me any longer)

A person I hope to more like...

my Moma (specifically, more prepared and more giving)

A good deed I'm going to do...

this one was hard...I'm thinking of a few I'll have to come back to this.

A place I'd like to visit...

a beach, anywhere.

A book I'd like to read...

A Handmade Year, Jerusalem Greer

Seven, Jenn Hatmaker

Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis (I know...I can't believe I haven't read them yet either)

Hands Free Mama, Rachel Stafford

A letter I'm going to write...

2 things: bring Good Mail back with my besties and write more letters to my children

A new food I'd like to try:

nothing here?!?!?  maybe baking/cooking healthier

I'm going to do better at...

 starting less projects and completely everyone I start.

being a hands free mama...I don't want to overlook one moment of this.

 

be better at meal planning for my family.

memorize Scripture (thank you, Ann Voskamp for these cards & plan)

Thanks for sticking with me through this LONG post. 

Happy New Year and Happy 500th post!

I'm not ready to let go...

I'm up and very tired.  I could blame it on the baby, but that isn't the whole truth.

It has a lot to do with the panic rising up in my chest. 

I'm not ready to let go of this season.

Don't get me wrong. I'm so over standing in long shopping lines, rushing to bake several things all in 3 hrs, staying up too late wrapping and going non stop.

I'm done with those crazy parts of the holiday palooza that is November and December. 

But I'm not quite ready to let go of...

 watching the magic fill their eyes.

 cuddling up close for whole afternoons.

letting everyone enjoy more treats than we should.

having the Man home to play with our littles.

taking time to just enjoy the giggles and be silly.

being surrounded by so many quiet, sacred moments. 

the Christmas Carol karaoke we had in the car.

reasons to dress up and get out of my yoga pants and tshirts.

simply taking a break from reality to enjoy the simplest of life's goodness.

I'm revolting.

No one can leave the house tomorrow.

No work. No school. No appointments.

This is me in denial.

Praying for a snow day.

: )