ten plus smile tuesday!

just a little libber face that makes me smile! :)

here i am...back after disappearing for the past week! i promise, it was with good reason. we've been playing and giggling, reading and snuggling, spending time at the lake (for the girlies) and enjoying a weekend away (for mommy and daddy!). here are just a few of our many, many smiles....

1. filling up the van for $1.99 a gallon. i mean, for real, less than $2.00 a gallon; i was sure we'd never again see that, but i did, just this morning. and it did put a smile on my face. (interestingly enough, gas was 40 cents more a gallon just 10 minutes down the road....how crazy is that!?) ***update...i found gas for just $1.83 to fill up the car this evening!

2. the mail. this week i received two packages of fabric scraps for the tidbits swap....so now i just need to find the time to think about projects and get started. then, i arrived home from our weekend away to find a delightful little package from chelle in the mailbox...the starbucks giftcard i won during her birthday giveaway, and along with that some chocolate, music and stickers. she included a cd with the song "glory baby" by watermark. i found my box of tissues and simply listened over and over again...

3. kite flying fun...elizabeth and miranda made and decorated kites for "k" week, and, of course, we had to go outside to see if they would fly! :) fun times!

4. lib's loon lake leaves. because, of course, this week is "l" week...so what better project than creating and playing with the autumn leaves grandmommy and poppy helped her collect over the weekend!

(mom...check out the concentration...she has her tongue out...just like poppy!)

5. wagon rides...

6. sidewalk chalk....(and other outdoor fun!)

7. hanging with jill and brennan. the girls and i needed to kill some time between dropping daddy for a half-day at work and picking him up to head out of town, so what better than killing time with a couple of our favorite friends (especially when pumpkin spice lattes and freshly baked cookies are involved!). :)

8. a fabulous hubby who is able (and willing) to fix leaky toilets...even after a weekend out of town! :) (this necessitated a family trip to lowe's sunday evening, and that too is a smile...seriously, everyone in the fam loves lowe's...elizabeth and kate go crazy for the race-car cart (if you haven't seen these they are quite fun...they aren't a car cart like the grocery, but an actual race-car, and if its any indication of future driving habits, we'd better watch out...kate is quite the crazy driver! as for elizabeth her favorite lowe's feature these days are the big Christmas inflatables....especially the one of santa on the ark (such an odd combination). we aren't big on santa at our house though, and after seeing him on the ark, she simply assumed he must be "noah"...since that makes SO much more sense! now anytime she sees an inflatable with santa, she calls him noah..."mommy, there's noah and the reindeer. and there's noah and the chimney, and noah and the tractor....." someday i suppose we'll have to teach her distinction, but for now i think i'll just giggle and call it cute!

9. a weekend with grandmommy and poppy (for the girls...and mugho too!)...including pumpkin carving, kitty cat hunting, collecting leaves, lego playing, and just plain having a fabulous time. THANKS POPPY AND GRANDMOMMY!

10. smile #9 means that mike and i had an entire weekend to ourselves. we actually went to a "weekend to remember" with familylife. it was a fabulous time...a good reminder of "the basics" and plenty of time for communicating, evaluating, and spurring us on in marriage. and, of course, it was lovely to simply be away...to enjoy a few nights in a hotel, have a great date night saturday evening (and we just happened to be in my hometown for the conference...meaning we were able to go to one of my old favs for dinner...YUM!), and simply relax away from the "stuff" waiting for us at home. it was splendid! :)

11. one last smile...i almost forgot, but the lovely shanna awarded me the kreative blogger award...and i promise to follow the instructions that come with it in a later post (probably tomorrow) and pass it along! :)

ten smile tuesday (with my first ever bloggy video!)

before you start reading let me warn you...this post is filled with pictures...i mean FILLED! if you don't have time to read the whole post be sure to at least scroll down and see my first ever bloggy video! there just may be more to come since i FINALLY figured out how to include them! :) in retrospect, i probably should have made a post for each event of the past weekend, but really, who has time for that...and it is, after all, ten smile tuesday, so there's no time like the present to fill you all in! :)

1. thursday...a lovely little MOPS meeting, followed by an impromptu lunch at costco with daddy, and an afternoon whirlwind of tidying up the house in preparation for our crazy weekend.

2. friday morning...a delightful morning at the "spa"...i went to aveda for a haircut and mini-massage, etc. of course, i have mentioned this smile before on so many occasions. but really, it bears repeating. where else can you get a fab haircut, mini-massage and facial for just $17!? (you'll see plenty of pics of my new haircut in the coming smiles!)

3. friday afternoon...lunch and some qual time with the bride-to-be and the girls...i mean, really, you all know what kind of qual time you have with a bunch of girls the day before a wedding! :) and really how great that my hubs took all day friday off to hang with the girls while i did my morning of pampering, lunch and hanging with the girls...and then i even managed to sneak in a quick shopping stop at kohls (AND actually bought something for myself!) before heading home.

4. friday later afternoon...a blissful nap! apparently having the entire morning out wasn't enough relaxation...

5. friday night...a fun rehearsal and tasty rehearsal dinner. more fun time with dear friends....AND seeing miss elizabeth practice her flower girl duties!

6. saturday morning...the wedding. what a wonderful morning...watching my sweet friend lora, who i've known since we were in preschool, walk down the aisle and marry an incredible Godly man. God's grace and wisdom in bringing this man and woman together is SO evident. not only that, but oh how my heart swelled to see my "baby" dressed in her beautiful flower girl dress...twirling and spinning like a beautiful princess...delighted at her little role in the wedding. and she did a fabulous job...my dad has some video from his camera, and i will try to post it on friday when we're at their house. here is the reveal of the dresses i talked about making with my friend jill awhile back...jill made elizabeth's, and i made kate's (with lots of directions from jill!). i tweaked the ballet slipper pattern because i thought little brown satin slippers would be the perfect compliment to the dress...and jill had the finishing touches with the hair bow and basket. a special thanks to grandmommy and poppy who helped with kate during the wedding! :)




elizabeth and "aunt" jill

the girls...these are the four girls i did wednesday night Bible study with for SO long...

7. saturday evening....the "zooboo"...after the wedding and reception we snuck in a quick nap for the girls, my sister arrived, and our whole gang headed to the zoo. (my parents were already here from the wedding)--we missed you uncle richard...but thanks for sharing your wife!

checking out the penguins w/ aunt shell (i'd love to know what the penguins thought of the gator and cow pressed against the glass)

kate was SO into the animals (and trying to get libs treats!)

sisters all around!

8. saturday night...family. we made homemade pizza....prepared for the party...and just plain enjoyed being together.

my dad, me, michelle, and my mom (its been awhile since we've had a picture of just the four of us)

9. sunday....elizabeth's choo-choo birthday party! michelle and i had LOTS of fun building and decorating the cake, and bless my mom's heart, she kept the kitchen sparkling and helped with lots of the other food prep. the party was mostly family plus jill, nathan, and brennan (and really, they're "family" too!). what fun to have a mini family reunion of sorts though....a house full of noise and laughter and fun.



10. sunday evening...the calm after the craze...how nice to simply put our feet up and relax sunday night. we played with elizabeth's new toys, walked to cvs, and simply rested!

11. monday...back to the norm. really, i am smiling to be getting back into the swing of things after what feels like a month of non-routine. i've always kind of resisted routine, but the past weeks of craziness have made me really appreciate it! :)

12. good eats! cheesy corn tortilla bites, white chicken chili, taco soup, and guacamole...the makings for a choo-choo fiesta! :) (and, of course, a carrot choo-choo train cake with cream cheese frosting!)

and finally...five more pictures that make me smile. from top to bottom, left to right....
3 generations--michelle, mom, grandma, me
kate...i LOVE the twinkle in her eyes
our little fam
four generations--libs, shell, mom, gg, kate, me
our little fam (i love that we've gotten so many pics with the four of us together lately!)

and finally...for your viewing pleasure...the birthday girl!

a teaser...

there will be ten (maybe more!) smiles tomorrow sometime...but here's a teaser of our weekend...jam-packed with smiles and laughter, fun and family. i just couldn't wait to share! :)

the joy of a little red chair

up she climbs

closely followed by big sis...with her own chair, of course...

sweet sister kisses...which kate is totally diggin'

clapping for my talented little self

"i think i'm pretty cute!"

"and so do i!"

giveaway...

check out this giveaway over at The Centsible Sawyer. i know many of you have daughters (or nieces or friends) who would LOVE having this sweet little friend!

ten smile tuesday!

oh so many things to smile about. isn't God gracious like that...to bring a week full of simple delights to be a balm to our aching hearts. this morning at Bible study one of the women shared her testimony and then read the lyrics to this song...by the end the tears were just streaming down my face. we sang the song a couple of weeks ago in church...before the bedrest and miscarriage...and though i liked the song then, there was just something new stirring in my heart...perhaps the realization that it is so incredibly true, even in the midst of things, He NEVER lets go of us....NEVER! and regardless of how painful circumstances might feel, my heart resounds with "still i will praise You." i'll paste the lyrics at the end of this post.

1. our trip on the pumpkin train


2. the many, many meals friends have provided...stocking not only our fridge but also our freezer...what an incredible ministry to our hearts in this time. i am so thankful to be able to focus on the girls and catching up around the house...

3. tears...they seem to come at random times...and not nearly as often as in those first few days....and in a strange way, i am so thankful for them...for the way these cleanse and heal. and it is a blessing to simply to be sad and yet know with full confidence that God is there, that He sees the tears and brings hope in the midst of the pain.

4. jellybeans...elizabeth and i spent about an hour last night sorting jellybeans into color groups, estimating which piles had the most and the least, counting jellybeans...and yes, even eating some! why jellybeans? because its "j" week around our house!


5. a husband who folded ALL the laundry last night...and i didn't even ask him to. i'm a lucky gal! (and i should mention that laundry folding is just scratching the surface when it comes to his loving servanthood to the girls and me in the past weeks...i love you, michael!)

6. grabbing a pumpkin spice latte (a rare indulgence) on the way to Bible study this morning...yum!

7. finishing these little ballet slippers to match elizabeth's flower girl dress (for the wedding she is in saturday...nothing like waiting until the last minute!). of course, they match the dress my friend jill and i made for her (and one for kate...though i don't know if i'll actually get to making kate's shoes)....i promise to share dress pictures after the wedding is over!


8. one Christmas present down....mike and i decided to have a handmade (other than stocking stuffers) Christmas for the girls...he is making some wooden blocks, cars, etc...and i'm sewing up a storm. let me know if you have any fun doll or stuffed animal patterns. this is kate's gigantic alligator tabby blanket. i'm loving how it turned out.


9. looking forward to a big, fun-filled weekend...my sister is coming, my dear friend lora is getting married, my parents will be down, and elizabeth's big birthday party is sunday...not to mention a haircut with my sis friday morning and a girl's day with the bride-to-be after the haircut!

10. prayers...both the blessing of knowing i can share my heart with God in the midst of this time...knowing He hears...and the blessing of being prayed for by SO many people, some we barely even know. these prayers are holding our arms up in the midst of the storm, carrying us, blessing us...its a beautiful thing!

11. i almost forgot to mention my very first etsy sale! hooray! the lovely aminta was my first buyer...thanks! :)

and here are the song lyrics i mentioned earlier...

"You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back
I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth

Chorus:

Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You