The one in which I use the word "armpit"

Hi friends. Remember me?

I could begin by giving you a myriad of excuses to read, explaining why I'm not writing as much. I won't. This is faster:

photo credit to the lovely and talented, Jill Heupel 

There you go.

Lately I've been feeling really restless. I don't know why. I have plenty to keep me busy. I mean, we have chickens and ducks now. That's livestock. I own livestock. And we have a really big garden. And I can lots of things. So...maybe I'm a farmer???

I love our life, and our yard. It's very...alive.

Have you ever created your very own mission statement? I took this class in college that had us create one. I'm much different from who I was when I was in college, but when I recite the mission statement I created way back then, my heart still says, "YES! That."

My mission is to love, nurture and encourage hurting people in a broken world.

We don't do storms in this house, so at the first loud clap of thunder, I become a mama-sandwich. One night, as Brynne's foot repeatedly kicked my shin from the right and Hadley inadvertently whacked me in the face with her hand on the left. They slept, but Mama? Not so much.

While I lay, smushed in my bed, I realized that some mamas would love to be a mama-sandwich. But...because of geography and circumstance mamas can't provide for their children, which sometimes means they put their beloved babies in orphanages, praying for them a better life. This breaks my heart wide open.

I wondered what would happen if I ran towards that heartbreak, rather than distracting myself with Facebook.

And...Noonday happened.

I am SO not a salesperson. My voice shakes and I get really sweaty when I have to speak in front of people. But God is bigger than my shaky voice and sweaty armpits. Thank goodness! I believe God will use me and this business, in spite of my sweaty pits, to spread the word about how purchasing through Noonday is providing families with an income to provide for themselves and for their babies. And maybe there will be just one less orphan in the world.

Noonday has really, really pretty things. Everything is handmade, and is a little piece of hope. Take a look:

You can find the full collection of earrings, necklaces, scarves, bracelets and bags here. I'd love to answer any questions you might have, and if you're local...I'd love for you to try on all the pretty things---it really is so much fun!

Smile

Things have been crazy this week.

Last weekend, the husband and I decided to go look at houses.

I proceeded to fall in love with one of the houses. LOVE!

So, we are entertaining the idea of putting in an offer on this house that I love (did I mention I love it??), while simultaneously getting our home ready to go on the market.

[I have no idea if I'm supposed to say all of this before it even happens, but I have a habit of not  doing what you're "supposed" to do.]

Anyway, if you've ever done anything like this---you know it's a lot of work. If you've never done anything like this---Friend, it's a lot of work!

So, I have a lot to smile about---a lot to be thankful for.

Even if we don't get the house, or put ours on the market. It's fun to hope and dream. To imagine. 
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Counting my gifts today (1235-1246)

• Looking through houses. 
• Finding a house that feels like it could be home. 
• Benjamin's 2nd birthday party. 
• Two girls eating cake balls.
• The sly smile on Hadley's face when I let her lick the Nutella off the knife.
• Brynne helping up Hadley when she tripped and fell over a toy. 
• Nap improvement after we separated the girls' cribs. 
• May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. ~Romans 15:13
• Fight club.
• Melissa speaking truth to me. 
• Two porches filled with potted plants. 
• Sweet potatoes planted.  

Hitch in Our Giddy-Up

With all the determination that Miss Brynne uses to keep her sunglasses on her face, even as they slip down her tiny little button nose...

...she and her sister used that same willfulness to fight naps all week long.

It's hard to be thankful when there's been such a big hitch in our giddy-up.

But...

I have wonderful mama friends who listen, and offer their wisdom and experience to me as I try to figure this napping thing out (1219)---and who give me permission to change up the schedule a bit (1220).

I have a friend who listened to me sob over failed naps and poor parenting for over an hour (1221), and then called to check on me the next day (1222). And then she wrote this. (1223)

I have a husband who gave me an afternoon off, so that I could get a massage and a hair cut (and made dinner too!) (1224)

I have a patient friend who lets the girls and I come over, so that I can learn to sew (1225). I have two dresses for the girls that are half-done (1226)-------so excited!!

That same friend was so encouraging at church yesterday when my girls were melting down (1227).

I have a garden full of color! (1228)

Brad and I have a great community group family, that prays for us and encourages us (1229), and blesses us by letting us pray for them too (1230).

I have Brynne, who loves music so, so, so, so, so much! (1231)

I have Hadley, who determinedly mastered a new puzzle in one afternoon.(1232)

And---the girls went right down for their nap today, and slept for three hours (1234). So, there's that.

Thank you, Jesus!

Growing Pains

Every once in awhile, the girls stand still with a look of discomfort etched on their faces.

They rub their legs.
Whimper.
And I know.
I remember.
Growing pains.

Lately I've been growing.

I'm still 5'10".
My clothes still fit.

Our church is humming and vibrant. The character of Jesus has been taught to me in new ways, or maybe I'm just "getting it" for the first time.

Either way.

This whole process is a bit like what the girls are going through.

The more I understand about Jesus, the more I see the ugliness in my heart he died to save. It hurts to recognize my sin. It pains me to see how I rebel and betray the one who so lovingly created me. It smarts to see what a jerk I am sometimes.

But the ache is necessary.
And the result is growth.

God gets bigger.
Grace gets bigger.
Love gets bigger. 

“Aslan," said Lucy "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one" answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

~C.S. Lewis in Prince Caspian

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Counting my gifts today:

1174. Brynne reaching to turn on and off light switches.

1175. Hadley figuring out how to open doors.

1176. Brynne holding an icepack on Hadley's head.

1177. Dancing in the moonlight with my husband.

1178. The girls' faces white with sunscreen.

1179. Sitting in the garden bird-watching with Brynne.

1180. Sheer awe and delight when Brynne would spot a bird.

1181. The girls insisting that their babies needed a bite of snack before they ate any more.

1182. Brynne checking the lawnmower for gas.

1183. Hadley pretending to plant tomatoes (she is all business!).

1184. Heirloom tomatoes in the garden!

1185. Sprouting seeds!

Linking with Jen. 

Funky

I've been behind on counting my gifts!

We've embraced this crazy spring, because all of this is definitely happening over a month early:

1156:

1157:

And, since all of that was happening. I decided to be very brave and plant half our garden. Kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and sweet corn all in! (1158) I also went ahead and planted zinnias and sunflowers too!

Did I mention that our neighbors gave us the raised flower beds graves at the end of our garden, so that we have even more room to plant things? (1159). 

The girls love to help their mama garden! (1160) They get their buckets and shovels, and haul rocks up and down the hill----it's serious business! They'll do this for a good 45 minutes. (1161)

They used those same buckets for an Easter egg hunt this past weekend. (1162)

The girls got sunglasses over the weekend. (1163). I love how kids with sunglasses look like they have attitude--cracks me up! (1164)

The girls also recently got new shoes, which they love, (1165) and Mama loves that you can just throw them in the washing machine! (1166)

Scrapes and bruises on little toddler legs---signs of being active and adventurous outside. (1167)

The girls have been mastering puzzles that I'd thought were too old for them (1168)---one in particular has helped them to recognize really obscure shapes like the quatrefoil and parallelogram. (1169)

We've really had a language explosion around here! The girls are saying all kinds of things. Probably my favorite new word of theirs is funky. (1170). 

Every night, a-la Goodnight Moon, we say goodnight to everything in the changing room. There are two cork boards in that room, with a cork that says: 

The girls point at the cork, and say goodnight to funky every night--hilarious! (1171)

Brad and I went out on dates---that's right, plural--twice last week. It felt good to get out of my yoga pants, and spend time with friends. (1172)

I enjoyed thinking about my core values this week, and getting some things written down.

We've had a rough week with teething, especially Hadley. I laughed as I read another person's core values one of them read, "I believe that teething is a major baby design flaw." (1173)

Linking with Ann.

You make beautiful things...

You make beautiful things out of the dust

I've felt hushed lately. 

It's been, uncharacteristically, in the 70s and 80 for over a week now, so we live each day as if it might snow tomorrow. I definitely remember snow-covered daffodils last year! 

Living like that gives little room for writing here. We've:

• visited multiple parks 
• had lots of playdates 
• gone to the zoo 
• planted part of the garden 
• mowed the grass 
• played in the dirt
• broken in new shoes
• gotten new summer clothes

I'm overwhelmed with the blessing of strong, healthy girls and a loving husband, who makes me shamrock french toast on St. Patrick's Day. 

Thank you, Jesus for showing me all the beautiful things you make out of dust today.

Linking with Ann.