He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young
. {Isaiah 40:11}

30 August 2011

pardon the interruption

hi there.
sorry i've missed you lately.
small weather complications.
now the power's back and it's time to get picked up.
we survived Irene with flying colors. {even ran around the yard for a while in it.}
our power lines... not so much

26 August 2011

ramblings

the following may sound a bit like whining... i won't be offended if you ignore...

let's just say that i'm a little overwhelmed these days.
i don't feel like i can get a grip on anything anymore.
the house is a bit of a jumble.
half filled boxes all over.
laundry i can't motivate myself to fold because "hey, we're moving".
my meals have left a lot to be desired lately because i don't want to spend the money on groceries. i don't want to go to the grocery store. i don't want to cook.
we've had a lot of "breakfasts for dinner".
i feel like i have one foot in the door and one foot out.
limbo.
i've never been a fan of limbo.
the kids are feeling it too.
CJ isn't happy unless he's in constant physical contact with Hubs or me. {his love language is physical touch to the extreme and i think starting school exacerbated that}
Mak isn't happy because, well, she's Mak ...see pictures below {i don't mean to mislead you, Mak is hilarious and SO fun but she's like her mama. when she's unhappy, everybody is}
and Bean isn't happy unless you're making direct eye contact with her.
we had, what i consider to be, my least favorite day of parenting this week.
no one listened well.
no one napped well.
i had a total of one hour of quiet all day. the rest was fussing, whining, yelling.
it was as if aliens took over our home and my attitude about it all certainly didn't help.
i've had to be purposeful about being thankful.
those days are tough.
we went to the new house for our final inspections and everything is great! as in... the inspector wishes he was buying it instead, great! {sneak peak. more to come. closing the 14th!}
i've been finding some great deals on items we've wanted on craigslist.com.
 
the kids, despite having a miserable start to the week, have been so kind to one another. lots of voluntary hugs and kisses.

Mak can only say a few words clearly but today she said "coffee". that makes me smile. maybe it shouldn't.
CJ turned 3 and started preschool this past week.
weird!
very dear friends of ours are getting married tomorrow!
i'm attending a bachelorette party tonight. i get a chance to unwind!
 
Hubs has been so kind and kept the kids on the nights that i've wanted to run errands.
i wasn't able to find fabric that i wanted for the girls' room... instead, i found even better ones!  already made!
see?
they're just what i didn't know i was looking for. 
i borrowed a camera from my friend and fell in love with it...
a canon rebel
maybe if we weren't buying a house.
anyway... God is good.
but as for me... i am tired.
stay safe this weekend, fellow east coasters!
 
 







24 August 2011

{Summer Squash on the Grill}

Do you have one of these? 
It's a vegetable grill basket and, if not, you're missing out!
We use this baby for shrimp, veggies, chopped meat, everything. It's by far our favorite grill purchase! 
It makes this recipe super simple...
What You'll Need:
This is a tough one to pinpoint because the opportunities are endless based on what you have on hand.
We almost always start with a base of yellow squash and often mix in zucchini, green peppers, red onions, mushrooms
salt and pepper
olive oil
garlic powder

What To Do:
Place your grill basket on the grill and close'r up for 10 minutes.
While the grill's heating up, slice the squash and/or zucchini into medium thick slices {thickness alters the cooking time}
Give a rough chop to the other ingredients. Careful not to be too small here... the squash takes a while to cook so you don't want the other items to burn.
Place all chopped ingredients into a large bowl or resealable freezer bag.
Pour in about 4 T of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
Stir or shake till everything's nicely coated.
{If using tomatoes, you may want to coat these in a separate bag because you'll want to add those later in the cooking process.}

Lower the grill heat to medium and pour the veggies into the basket. Close the lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
Then open the grill, give it a little shake or stir and close again.
Depending on how thick your slices are you'll want to stir every five minutes until the squash are tender. It usually takes us about 25 minutes. When we're grilling meat with this we usually start the squash about 10 minutes before we put the meat on. That way it's all done at the same time. {If you're adding tomatoes, I suggest adding them for the last 10 minutes of cooking to keep them from overcooking. Unless, of course, you like them crispy.}
That's it!
I love me some grillin'!

23 August 2011

something to think on...


Sweet Hubs checked out a link that a friend recommended yesterday and he, in turn, recommended it to me.
I can't say that it is fact, but I can say that it's plausible and if, true, it's life changing.
What is it?

It's the idea that the name of God, the name God gave Moses at the burning bush, which we speak as "Yahweh" is actually not a speakable word at all. It is either too difficult or just impossible to enunciate and is, instead, the sound of our breathing.
If this is true... consider what Pastor Rob Bell {yes, I know he's a controversial character right now but please ignore the man and consider the message that is not original to him} ponders. If this is the case, if our very breath is the name of the LORD then a baby's first breath is speaks the name of the Lord and if it is true then our very last act in life is to speak the name of God. Or as Bell says it "When a baby is born what's the first thing it must do or this baby isn't going to make it. Does this baby have to take a breath or ...say the name of God? And what's the last thing you do and then you die? The last thing we do is take our last breath? Or is it that when we can no longer say the name of God we die?"
I found this all thought provoking.
The idea that our very beings cannot help but utter the name of God. Our very life and existence exude His presence. And the best part is, it's completely voluntary. We do it whether we want to or not. Even unbelievers have to breathe to live. Bell asks, "Is it possible that you can be having a meal with a good friend of yours who doesn't believe in God and you can be sitting across the table from your friend who could be saying "there .is. no. God." and what you would be hearing is [the name of that very God he is denying]." What a beautiful picture? The idea that in order to live you must breath. In order to live you must speak He must be in you.

Even if this whole notion of breathing God's name is just a nice idea, after considering the possibility, the slow breath of my children as they cuddle on my lap takes on new meaning. I can't help but wonder "What if every time I watched their little bodies rise and fall as they sleep they are actually speaking the name of their Creator?"
Changes your perspective a little.

You can read about this more on The Rabbit Room. Jason Gray has written a song on this idea that is coming out on his new record called "The Sound of our Breathing" and can listen to it at the bottom of his post HERE.

You can also watch Bell's full video HERE.



{img source}

22 August 2011

update.

general inspection... done.
septic inspection... done.
chimney inspection... done.
appraisal inspection... done.
loads of paperwork... signed.

next steps...
pack.
wait.
then close.

only 23 days left.

19 August 2011

Clocks.

I found this clock the other day. I thought it was super cute and would be fun for the kid's bathroom or playroom.
Then I saw the price.
Seriously, you wouldn't believe it. I thought, Target worthy... $30 max.
Oh no, my friend. Try $335.
Nope. Not joking.
Anyway, I decided to check out other clocks and see if I could find something a little more reasonable.
There are some smart ideas out there!


with a tutorial


with tutorial

and it's only $2500! {YIKES!}




with tutorial



18 August 2011

it's Thursday. Right?

holy canoli! i'm exhausted!
spent the morning at the beach with two sisters and my sister in law.
got home. took a shower. packed up bean and headed to dinner with my mom.
dropped off bean at my grandparents and was off to the theater to see "The Help" with my mom.
Great movie.
i think they did a great job considering all the details of the book that would have made it a 10 hour movie.
the book is ALWAYS better, in my opinion.
mom and i have decided to make a habit of reading books for movies that are coming out.
i think "Something Borrowed" is up next.

house inspection today.
please pray for perfection, if you think to!
pictures are coming. soon.
i'll have plenty of "befores because there's going to be plenty of "afters"!

seriously, i need a nap!

16 August 2011

Summer's Ending...

School supplies are purchased.
School clothes are washed and put away.
New sneakers are worn in but clean and ready to work the linoleum tiles of school hallways.
CJ's very first school teacher is holding a meet'n greet on Friday.
He starts Monday.
My little man starts pre school!
Am I old enough for this?!
The first day he goes, the girls and I will be picking up boxes and starting the daunting task of packing up the house.
I have 29 days until we close.
Up until now the idea excited me.
Now... it sort of terrifies me.
We met the "mortgage guy" to fill out the paperwork.
Our inspection is at the end of the week.
I feel overwhelmed and we've only begun.
Then I remember the amazing place we're moving to that, by the grace of God, meets our needs and exceeds our wants.
God is good.
So to celebrate the end of the summer craziness and commence the fall busyness, we're heading to the beach for, most likely, the last time this year.
Sad.
Exciting.
Exhausting!
Have a Happy Day!
... and then take a nap for me, will ya?


Gallery Walls

I'm sure you've seen them. They're EVERYWHERE! I've been planning to put one in the new house so I've stated looking around for ideas. There are so many options! Monochromatic. Cluttered. Uniform. Photograph. Art. Mixed. Monogram. Square. Centered. Skewed. Maintained. Consuming.

Here are a few ideas.


using a ledge

one frame. zillions of photos.

floor to ceiling lined hallway

incorperating your office with chalk and white boards

kids art

 fun. complicated.


uniform and crisp
{Samantha Pynn}

matching frames
{Living La Vie}

eclectic
{Design Sponge}

show off a collection
{belle maison}

show off nothing in particular
{happy day vintage}

and just for good measure... here's a few resources on how to make your own...
tape square by A Soft Place to Land

newspaper/paper on the wall by Dream Book Design

wax paper method by Roost 
{will probably try this in the future}

how to hang the frame exactly where you want it by The Scrap Shop

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