Challenge October 20, 2009

I felt God challenging me this morning. I wasn’t sure to what, but it definitely felt like something.

I have been through a lot in the last couple of years. Many trials, lots of sickness. Hurting family members.

Through it all I have done my best to stay strong. My family needs me! I think God gave women a little extra bit of something to help her hold her family together in the hard times. Not to say it was always me! My husband has been there time and time again to support me. I am so thankful that God put us together to support each other in the good and bad.

Last night Andrew and I were talking. Axel is not feeling well and I got angry! Axel has had so many weird and uncommon ailments. My heart is breaking for him time and time again.

As our conversation went on I realized as I always do that God has some big things in store for my little boy. It is almost encouraging to see the devil come against him so often.  Andrew was praying once for Axel that he would never have to endure any more hurt or pain. But then the thought occurred to him…. What kind of person would he be if he never had to experience anything tough? Axel is one of the most gentle, tenderhearted people I have ever known.  He is a light to all who know him, and he is only four!

I spent a good long time in prayer last night and my prayers for my son turned to prayers for myself. That I would have peace, wisdom and strength. I want to be the best mom, the best wife, the best woman that I can be! I have failed so many times in all those categories and I felt the need to step up and into the next level.

This morning as I continued in thought and prayer I felt God challenging me to something but was not sure what. I opened my Bible and found myself in 2 Peter. “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2)

I have made the choice to bloom and grow throughout my life! This is my challenge. Not just in the knowledge of God, but in all areas. I want to continue to learn and try new things. To be adventurous in life and love. To be someone who is fun and that people want to be around.

Thanks God for the reminder!

Tutus and Hairbows October 12, 2009

The other day during an episode of Heroes I decided to work on some new hairbows. Miracle needed a few new ones and I figured since I was in the mood I would make a few to sell at the Oakwood Bazaar as well.

click to link to this in my etsy shop!

After I made them I was trying to brainstorm ways to display them at my table. I have been meaning to make Miracle a tutu bow holder for a while now and figured I could make it for my display and then she can use it when I’m done. Yeah! Now I just have to figure out how I’m going to hang it at my table.

Tutu Hairbow Holder

Belly Diaries – Week 38 October 12, 2009

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she’s over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you’ll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby’s eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she’s born with brown eyes, they’ll likely stay brown. If she’s born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she’s 9 months old. That’s because a child’s irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she’s born, but they usually won’t get “lighter” or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

See what your baby looks like this week.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby’s development.

How your life’s changing:

For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby’s nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby’s born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.

Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain. Also let her know immediately if have severe or persistent headaches; visual changes (such as double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or a temporary loss of vision), intense upper abdominal pain or tenderness, or nausea and vomiting. These are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia.

Want to Win a Tutu? September 21, 2009

Head on over to the HandmadeMN blog for a chance to win one of my tutus. I am so excited to be doing this giveaway and hopefully get some more exposure to my etsy shop.

Since I am hoping to have a few more visitors over at etsy I spent some time over the weekend taking pictures of some of my new stuff and adding them into my shop. I even made a light box in hopes of a little better photography. I’m still working on some of the details, but they are already turning out better. I didn’t have a white piece of paper big enough, so in some of the pics you can see the seam but I bought a bigger piece yesterday so that won’t be a problem anymore.

You can see all my new stuff at www.lovealwaysxox.etsy.com .

Baby Girl Gift Set

Little Cupcake Longsleeve Tee

Tweet Tweet Paint Tin

Happy Halfsie Andrew! September 20, 2009

Yesterday was Andrew’s halfsie and we had a beautiful day. After a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage, orange juice and toast the whole family headed to the Y for the kids classes. Axel is taking sports sampler and Miracle is in dance sampler. They have both been so excited and were counting down the days. Axel had a blast but Miracle was a little apprehensive. No one else from her class was there so she was the only one. The teacher had a little bit of a tough time getting her to participate but at least Miracle stayed in the class without throwing a fit.  Guess we’ll have to try again next week.

From there we picked up some Jamba Juice and ran a couple errands. (One was getting a new highchair for the baby!)

Then we played six holes of disc golf at Highland Park. Very fun and I did surprisingly well for how giant my belly is! I parred a couple of holes and we all had a great time. Finally we headed on over to Axel’s Bonfire on Grand for a late lunch.

The rest of the evening was spent relaxing and watching movies. What an awesome day with our whole family!