fancy shoes

I’d like to think that I am a pretty creative person. And, I guess, I am. However, most of my ideas come from someone else.

Like these shoes:

I love the burlap flower on the simple black shoes. I believe these little flowers are sold on etsy and I could have purchased a pair, but instead thought I could just make some myself.

I had some grey felt laying around and thought they’d be a cute flower for the winter. I put in a little tulle for fluff & some mini glass beads in the center.

They are attached to an alligator hair barrette covered in ribbon. A clip-on earring back would be the preferred method of attaching to a shoe, however, I do not regularly purchase clip-on earring backs and when I want to do a project, I just try to make do with what I have so that my boys do not have to accompany me to another craft store.

I also made this pair with dark grey felt.

Now, why, you might ask, am I adorning high heels when I am three weeks away from delivering a baby and should not actually be wearing them?

Because tomorrow is my baby shower and of course I want my feet to look fancy.

commenting

This may be a silly question to those of you who are blog experts, but how do I comment on comments made to me? Will you get them if I just post it under yours? There have been a few lovely ladies who have either asked questions or who I just want to reply to a sweet comment and I'm not sure the best route to take.

Suggestions?

the nursery in its current state

So the furniture has been set up, the closets reorganized and No. 3 is now sleeping in the guest room so that I can take over his room and turn it into our new nursery. 

 

Originally, I wanted to keep this room as No. 3s room. I spent A LOT of time on those stripes and it breaks my heart to paint over them.  However, taupe stripes are not in the plan for the baby’s room. 

There is much to do in here:

- paint the walls {prime them first, I’m afraid}.

- buy & install a chandelier

- decide on bedding & purchase/make it {or, rather, have my mom make it}

- wallpaper the large window wall

- paint the bed

- make roman shades for the three little windows

 

- paint the baby’s scripture verse above the crib

- create a collage of frames on the wall above the dresser

- accessorize, accessorize, accessorize.

Lots of work to do, but I’m looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, I have a husband who cares about my well-being and the well-being of our baby, and he refuses to let me paint the walls. I am at his mercy for this step so we’ll see when I can convince him to do it.  Actually, I am thankful for his protective side because I can often overwork my poor little body and painting this room would surely not be the best for me.

I’ll keep posting photos as the room progresses.

wholesome goodness

{m y n i g h t}
carrot cake +
milk
+
the bachelor

Oh, so wholesome.
Seriously, i do love carrot cake. And there is just something about The Bachelor that draws me in. So I'm a little bit in Heaven {it also helps that I am cozy on the couch in my pj's with the house mostly clean and the children sound asleep}.

I hope your night is as delightful {and perhaps a bit more wholesome}.

a mobile that isn’t a mobile

I saw this image the other day in a Potterybarn Kids catalog and was inspired to create my own little flower mobile for the baby’s room.  

So, off I went to Michael’s and bought many many white & cream flowers.

 

and a Styrofoam wreath form.

I wrapped grey grosgrain around it to fully cover,

securing the ends with these little silver pins. {I have no idea where we got these pins, but they proved very helpful for this project.}

I then stripped the flowers from their stems and attached them to the wreath. I first started by using fabric glue, but quickly realized that it was much easier to pin them in.

Look closely {beyond my beautifully painted fingernails} and you can see the little silver pin.

I just kept adding more and more flowers until I was happy with how it looked.

And here it is, hanging in my kitchen.

 

And oh what a view the baby will have while laying in her crib .

I’m looking forward to actually putting it in the room, but believe me, I’m quite a few steps back from accessorizing with a non-mobile mobile.

he knows her name

In college, we went to church at Christian Assembly, the home of worship singer & songwriter Tommy Walker. So many of his songs have gained popularity and because our university was nearby, many were sung at our weekly chapel services. Needless to say, many of Tommy Walker’s songs have deep meaning to me and stir up emotions very quickly {well, truly, many things stir up emotions in this girl, but you get the idea}.

My best friend just sent me a link to this one … just as a walk down memory lane. I did always love this song for so many reasons. There was a period in college that was very hard for me and this song brought much comfort. To know that I had a heavenly father who adored me was exactly what I needed to hear at that time {still do, in fact!}. Plus, a really cute boy at school sang this one on our university’s first worship cd and so I always had a sort of affection for it. Oh, Jay Murphy.

A N Y W A Y …

I just listened to it and realized that not having a name for my daughter is hard for me. I think I just want to know who she is. And yet, I can’t for the life of me figure out what her name is. Now, bear with the video, because it is pretty cheesy and it was a song that was recorded in 1998 {12 years ago! Oh my!}, so it is a little dated. But it is beautiful. And it really does speak to me every time I hear it. This time around, it is the fact that

He knows her name

I just get to carry her. She is really His and He knows everything about her before she is even seen by me. What a great reminder and a reassurance to me that although we don’t have a face or a name or little feet to know yet, she has been known since time began.

May you be blessed today by this oldie but goodie.

ikea

I have a love-hate relationship with IKEA.

Sometimes I get so excited to go, only to realize that I really am not an IKEA kind of girl. Most of it is a little too modern and strange and colorful for my liking.  Sometimes it is CRAZY busy and I just want to leave, only to realize that I have to walk 4 1/2 miles to get to the exit.

And then sometimes, it is a hit. Like today. I took my two little {feverish, coughing} boys just to grab a couple of things so I can keep going on the baby’s room. I know, I should not have taken my sick children into public, but I assure you, they covered their coughs and we really weren’t there for long.  Plus we got out of the house we’ve been stuck in for the past few days. If you’re a mom, you know how vital an outing is. Sick kids and all.

So here is what I found:

These basic white cotton curtains. Love that they are super long. These hang in many of our many windows, and I’ve also bought them just for the fabric {for pillow backs, bed skirts, fabric flowers}.  And, apparently they lowered the price from last year {$24.99 to $14.99}.

  

These linen curtains. I do have two pairs of these in my house, but I’ll be using this pair just for the material. It is a pretty rugged natural linen, and I adore the grayish shade of them.  They are a bit more spendy at $49.99, but for about 8 yards of fabric, I figure I’m getting a great deal.

These cups. We use them for the kids.  We’ve made an effort to rid our lives of any unnecessary plastics, so we tossed out the kid’s plastic cups and have them use these. They do just fine with glass. Plus, if they break, the only cost $1.99 for six.

 

I wasn’t looking for pillows, but a down insert for $6.99? You can’t beat it!  And I do love throw pillows …

And some plain white napkins. How boring, but essential.

I noticed a theme of very white items. Apparently I shop the way I decorate.

I also stopped by the craft store to get these:

more to come tomorrow on what I did with them.

oh what shall we name our baby?

the carousel

The Lord speaks to His children.  Sometimes its just a feeling, sometimes a pretty clear word. Sometimes it comes in dreams or through someone’s words or a song. And sometimes it comes through a picture.

A few months ago while praying for a close friend, I got a picture of a carousel. It was going around and around with that tinkling music and colorful swirl of lights.  People were riding, laughing, smiling. And my friend was standing off to the side, taking it all in.

Now sometimes a picture is hard to interpret. Was the Lord really telling me something? Did I just have a picture of a carousel in my mind because I was recently at the zoo where there is a carousel?  Perhaps. But as I was reminded today, He uses everyday things to teach us something bigger.

As I was remembering this picture and reflecting on the meaning, I feel like it is something we all struggle with and really need to consider. 

I wonder how often we are observers rather than participators?

We see the adventure, but are held back from joining in.

It may be fear {what if its going to fast for me? what if i don’t get the horse I want? what if …}

It may be intimidation {I don’t know if I have it in me}

It may be the unknown {I’ve never done that before}

Whatever it is, it is holding us back from what the Lord has for each one of us. He wants us to be free, to have joy, to be part of a great adventure, to have meaning and a purpose. 

I’m challenged to figure out what my ‘carousel’ is and what is holding me back from jumping on.  I don’t want to merely watch, but I want to be a part of the ride.

I encourage you to do the same {and share with me any insight you might have!}.

beautiful blogger

I’m pretty new to blogging.  I remember vividly a few years ago my husband talking about ‘blogs’ and I was clueless.  Somehow, I found a blog which led me to another and then another, and … you know the story. I was hooked.  I go in spurts.  Right now I’m on a blog-love spurt. I think the lack of magazines in print has influenced this greatly.  Sometimes {okay, a lot of times} I just want to sit on the couch and look at an inspiring magazine. However, my favorites have all been cancelled {I’m still in mourning}, and so I have turned to blogs.

One of those blogs is Loving Pretty Things.  Good inspiring photos, links, personal stories. Its what I love.

  

And she generously nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger Award. 

Sometimes I feel like I don’t really know why someone would want to read about me or see images that I like {do we all doubt ourselves? Do we blog for each other or for our own pleasure?}. The fact that Tracy, a perfect stranger, would find my blog both beautiful and worthy of a little award is touching. 

And so, as a recipient of a nomination, I am now required to follow the rules:

Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

Copy the award & place it on your blog.

Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.

Nominate 7 bloggers.
Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

So here is my list of 7 interesting things about me {can’t promise it is very interesting, but it is a list nevertheless}:

1. I really love good worship music. I wish I could always listen to ‘my’ music in the car, but most of the time it is Psalty or a kid movie. Although I can’t complain because an in-car DVD player is the greatest invention ever created for moms like me.

2. I prefer every light to be on in the house. For no other reason than that I like light {my husband did just walk past me and mutter, “why is every light in our house on right now?”}

3. This is NOT interesting, but I am just dying to lay on my stomach. Soon, I remind myself. Soon.

4. Both my husband and I are from the Seattle area, but we met at college in California {Azusa Pacific University}. We joke that neither of us needs a degree to do our jobs. Therefore, we paid A LOT of money to meet each other {and some great friends}.

5. As a little girl I was a ballet dancer and still have a secret dream of being a ballerina. It is such a far cry from anything that might happen, so I just do pilates instead {I call it ballet laying down}.  But let me be honest for a moment and add that I haven’t done pilates in, oh, ten months maybe. I’m really not a devoted work-out kind of girl. Perhaps someday.

6. The highlight of my day is getting the mail. That sounds like I have a terribly boring life. But I do really enjoy getting mail.

7. Someday I’m pretty sure we’ll live in a warehouse. This is my husband’s dream of all dreams and I will oblige happily once we no longer have kids who need a neighborhood to play in.

And now for seven of my favorite blogs {that I also think are beautiful}

1. armommy.blogspot.com

I do love this blog, but even more so, I love the lady behind the blog. Rae is a dear friend of mine with such a creative talent and sweet heart for moms. Please have a look around at her stuff!

2. audreycaroline.blogspot.com

it is very likely that you’ve read her story, but I adore Angie’s wisdom and vulnerability and can’t wait for her book to come out!

3. mymamamadeit.blogspot

great creative ideas for re-designing clothes.

4. blog.urbangrace.com

she hasn’t been blogging as much as when I first started reading {could be something to do with the darling baby she just had} but I love Erika’s style, her ideas and photographs.

5. flythroughourwindow.com

a fun mix of amusing stories, recipes, adventures and thoughts from Erika’s twin sister Darby. Definitely one of my favorites.

6. resolved2worship.xanga.com

I mostly adore this one for the photography of this G O R G E O U S woman’s G O R G E O U S seven children.

7. lindseycheney.blogspot.com

good craft ideas, inspiring house, darling children … a fun read.

 

So there you have it. Thanks again Tracy for the nomination!

the nursery {part two}

I’m really excited about this post.

If you’ve looked around at my blog {or if you know me}, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that I am a lover of neutral, muted non-colors.

You would also know that I have three boys.

And am expecting a baby girl in just a few weeks.

And you may have gathered that I’ve been O B S E S S E D with her room. It’s all I can think about. Well, I guess not all, but it is what I choose to think about when I have a few minutes to think.

I’ve been to a bunch of fabric stores searching for inspiration {I found nothing}. I’ve looked at a million blogs with nursery ideas. I pulled out my magazine tear-outs.

I’ve waffled the past few days with going with my original thought of grey, white & a touch of blue or if I should let her be a girl and go with pink.

So, I’ve been gathering stuff that I love from around the house {and things for the baby} and finally sat down today to compose a little inspiration montage.

And I think I’m sold.

Some gold. Some silver. Lots of white. Linen. A little hint of blue.

And a few sparkly things.

ooohhh … yes, I love it.