etsy

I've finally gotten my etsy site up and running. I'm selling my handmade cards here:

Madison Hollow

:)

my craft haven

I have all of my crafting materials and tools stuffed into the two feet between my bedside and the wall. Until I have a dedicated craft room, this is it. It's squished, but it is mine, and I love it. This area is my escape when life gets crazy and I need to medicate myself with creativity. Also, it is an outlet for my organization sickness :)

father's day

Our gift to Jim for Father's Day:


Ingredients: paper, triple flower punches from stampin up, shadow box frame, embellishments, adorable picture, love :)

crafting joy

I recently ordered some goodies from Stampin Up, out of their summer mini catalog. Here are a few of the things I've been working on:


These are a couple cards I made using two different triple-layer flower punches from Stampin Up, cardstock, and Stickles.


This is a little travel folder I made for Jim and I to keep track of places we want to go. We have so many places we'd like to see and things we'd like to experience, and this is a cute way to keep the lists. The supplies I used here were cardstock, twine, a binder clip and the newest travel stamp set from Stampin Up.


These cards are not finished yet. One of the items I got in my recent order was a crop-a-dile for setting eyelets and such. These two cards are the result of me experimenting with it. But they will get finished soon.

I'm also working on a special Father's Day gift for Jim, but I'm not done yet. I'll post pics as soon as it is :)

a conversation

Me: "Eli, do you want a little brother or sister?"
Eli: "Uh huh."
Me: "Do you want Mommy and Daddy to have a boy or a girl?"
Eli: "A boy and a girl."
Me: "Oh, so you want Mommy and Daddy to have one of each?"
Eli: "Uh huh!... ...and a puppy."

love

Valentine's Day is a few days away, and I find myself thinking about the two men in my life. And about love. And wondering how much more love I could give. And how the world's idea of love is so narrow.

When I had Eli, I started experiencing a kind of love that hurt. It was confusing. I would just look at Eli, and my heart actually felt pain. There was nothing wrong with him; he was healthy and content, but this new-found emotion actually came with physical discomfort. All of the sudden, I was completely aware that this little person was mine. And helpless. And wonderful. And I loved him. With a protective, furious love. And with everyday God gives me with him, I love him more and more. And my heart expands to hold this love.

Being a mom has taught me selfless love. True selfless love. And I'm trying to love both of my men selflessly. The world portrays love as little more than an emotional high. Something to be held hostage, given only if reciprocated perfectly. And then given to someone else if it loses it's excitement with time. It's little wonder that people "grow apart".

My husband is my best friend. I try everyday to think of new ways I can show him how much I love and appreciate him. And we've been given the amazing privilege of raising this wonderful little man together. Who knows what God has in store for us in the future, maybe another little one. The "emotional high" has long since worn off, but it has been replaced by much more incredible emotions. Feelings of deep respect and love and excitement and security and wonder for the future all wrapped up together into my commitment to him. And to our family. And I will guard our family with the same protective, furious passion that God revealed to me through Eli.

And I pray that each day God shows me how to love even more.

me and Neil

When I was growing up, my Mama was quite smitten with Neil Diamond. So it was pretty common to hear his music drifting through our house several days a week. I think it's safe to say that his albums were the soundtrack to my childhood. And because of this, I have a love for his songs that few of my peers do. Or at least few that I know of.

Now that I'm several hundred miles from my family, I listen to his songs more than I think I would if I were near them. It makes me feel like I'm home again. I'm sure anyone reading this has music that does the same for them. It's such a good feeling, a safe feeling. A reminder of times when all the members of my family...got along better...but then that's a whole other blog post (which won't happen, btw ;)

It's funny to see Jim's reaction to hearing Neil playing sometimes. He is, in the truest sense, a child-of-the-eighties when it comes to music. Hair bands, metal, progressive...you get the idea. For him to walk in to Neil singing one of his funky songs...it's hilarious. Of course, I get the same reaction to emo or country...

I find myself wondering what the soundtrack to Eli's childhood will be. Only he will be able to determine that when he's older, but Lord knows he has exposure to anything and everything here. I seriously can't think of any style we don't listen to in this family. We stay away from anything crude or vulgar, but between Jim and I, we literally cover every style of music.

I'm in no rush to find out, mind you. I'm loving every minute of Eli's childhood and plan to extend it as much as time allows me to. I just hope whatever he listens to when that day comes gives him the same warm, comforting feelings that Neil gives me :)

oh Christmas...

The first week in January is not my friend. I always get so sad when the Christmas season comes to an end. As a Christian, I realize that I celebrate Jesus' birth throughout the entire year, but there's something special about the time from Thanksgiving to New Years Day. Maybe it's the music. Maybe it's the excitement and anticipation of all the festivities the season brings. For me, it's the time of year where I can put on the records I listened to every December growing up, and remember the innocence of being a child at Christmas. Before the world came in and stole that innocence. Before my parents started aging and I came to the realization that they won't live forever. Before my best friend's parents got divorced and I realized that even "the perfect Christian family" wasn't perfect. Back when I didn't have to work at making the season magical. It just...was.

But now it's different. Now I'm the mom. Now I decorate and I bake and I make the season magical for my son. And I love doing it. Seeing him get so excited to get his candy out of the homemade Advent calender every night before bed...making his first gingerbread house with Grandma...and Christmas morning, opening everything from his Mommy and Daddy and grandparents and aunts and uncles (and of course Santa). It took quite awhile, but I was thrilled every minute watching his eyes just light up. But my favorite part of the season had to be cuddling as a family and watching old Christmas movies and reading together about the real story behind the holiday. These are the moments I hope he cherishes and remembers his entire life.

It seems like the day after Christmas, radio and tv stations drop anything Christmas related like the plague. I realize to them it's all about making money, an unfortunate result of our society's drive for profit. But for me, the entire Christmas season is about being reminded of that innocence...an innocence I think we all search to regain our entire lives. An innocence that drives us to believe that anything can be fixed and everything will be okay. That is why Christ was born that day, after all...to give us back our innocence, in every way. And maybe that's why the season is so powerful. It's a reminder to us that our hope is not unfounded, that we will have that lost innocence back again someday. When our Christ returns, we will be children again, forever safe in the arms of our Father. And everyday will be Christmas...an eternal celebration of His birth.