In Your Words Blog Hop

My first ever blog hop is only a week away! The hop starts on the 7th, my day is the 11th. I am seriously excited!
Just a reminder, you'll want to check out Sew WE Quilt every day for posts about the hop, including her favorite picks, and give-aways for some fabulous prizes!
I don't have a give away to do for you all this time (sorry), but I think some of the others in the hop will be including a give away in their post, so you will want to go check out each days participants! Of course, you'll want to see what each person has done "in their words" anyway! I know I will!
Hope you enjoy the hop and I look forward to posting my words project for you all to see on the 11th!

In Your Words

I am excited to announce that I am still going to be a part of a blog hop in January!
The new blog hop to take the place of the Nancy Drew Is A Clue hope that was rescheduled for March (still SO excited for that one too!) is called In Your Words. Whatever your project is, you are to add text to it that is something that either describes you, or is your "theme" for 2013, or something like that!
I am excited because I have a few short phrases that have been tumbling about my head for awhile that would be perfect for this.
I am thinking of doing an embroidery project, and maybe incorportating some quilting or something along with it. I'm not sure, you'll have to tune in in January to find out for sure!
I am looking forward to seeing what each participant does, this is so much fun!

Finished Gratitude Embroidery

Do you remember the Gratitude Embroidery project I've been working on? Well, I FINALLY finished it! The embroidery part anyway, I still need to figure out getting it framed......

From top left:
Jesus is the Way, Truth, Life
Cross
My Boys
Wedding Rings (marriage)
Family
Phone
Birds
Music
Ice Cream
Lake Cavanaugh
Tea
Gardens
Friends
Sal (sniff, sniff)
Yarn
Glasses
Trust
Bicycle
Quilts
Rainbows
Chips and Salsa
Mail
Sewing/Embroidery
Lollypops
Our Wedding Day
Camera
Church
Love
Water/Streams
Mountains
Bugs (good bugs)
Heidi
Books
Sun, Moon & Stars
Mom & Dad
Candles
Clothes
Communion
Fruit
Pamela
House
Electricity
Trees
Sunset/Sunrise
Teddy
Flowers
Daniel
Bible
Car
My Birthday

That's a pretty good list and I had so much fun doing this project!

November Fun

We did a lot of fun things in this month of November...went to my parent's home twice, celebrated Thanksgiving with family, visited friends, decorated the Butcher's Christmas tree with the whole family, went for a hike in the woods again, and lots more little things. Here's some collages of our month...

Going to my parents' home in the autumn means delicious apples off my dad's trees, and raking leaves into piles for jumping. My dad did not rake for a couple weeks before we went to make sure there would be a lot of leaves for the kids to rake and jump in. They loved it and we got a beautiful sunny but chilly day to play in the leaves and munch as many apples as we could!

Heidi discovered a bag full of fabric scraps in my mom's sewing stuff and mom lets her play with them when we go over there. Heidi's favorite thing to do is dumpy them all out. She also found a basket and decided that was more fun for the scraps then the bag. She was so funny!

The boys love to play outside at my parents' home, even when it's raining! And my parents are remodeling the guest bathroom to fix some leaking walls and other issues, and replaced the toilet.....it's sitting in their backyard right now and is very tempting to curious little boys! (David said he was making "yucky soup" for Liam, LOL)

We took advantage of a dry Sunday afternoon to go back to the trails in Snohomish. It was still muddy from the near-constant rain we've been having, but other than wrecking shoes, we had a lot of fun going down the right hand fork of the pathways. This is definitely a fun place to explore!

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Butcher family gathered at Bill and Carol's for some family time decorating their tree. Liam helped put lights on, Pierce got the honor of putting up the angel this year, and everybody had a good time!

And, here's a few pictures that didn't fit anywhere else. David has been into building "robots" a lot lately, the kids enjoyed a snuggle together on the couch, and Heidi took Stella for a ride in her baby-sling.

Hope you all had a wonderful November!

Nancy Drew

***update, the blog hop has been postponed until March because of issues with the fabric being available. I will still be on the list for the hop, so I will keep updating and talking about it and let you know the new dates soon!***

Have you noticed the button on the right side of my blog?

I am going to be joining in the blog hop fun in January with the Nancy Drew Is a Clue! Blog hop and can I just say that I am super duper excited?!?

I have a bunch of Christmas sewing to do, three kids to mother, a slew of house hold chores that need to be done each day and yet I am so incredibly impatient to get the fabric and start on my ideas for this hop!

My mom's been involved with other blog hops that MDM Samm (sewwequilt) puts together and I think the idea is just fabulous, and when mom told me the next hop was going to feature Nancy Drew fabrics, well, I just had to jump in!!! I loved Nancy Drew books as a young girl and I can't wait to share them with the kids when they are finally old enough, so this is a perfect theme for me to join in with!!!

I'll probably share some peeks to my project as I get the fabric (it's so much fun!) and get my projects done.

But mark January 14th on your calendar, because that's the day I'm featured in the hop! The hop runs from January 7 to January 17 and I am excited to see what the other participants do with their Nancy Drew fabric!!!!

The current blog hop is "holiday lane" pillows and they are so fantastic! I am loving how everyone took the same basic pattern and have made such unique pillows!

More of October!

Here's the rest of the pictures from October. We sure had a fun month!!!

Here are pictures from the second pumpkin farm we went to. This one was for a MOPS wide playdate, so we got to see Nicole and Pierce, Julia and Knyves, and a lot more ladies/kids from our MOPS group. There were free hay and "train" rides, animals to look at and pumpkins, of course! The weather cooperated and we had a lot of fun!

After the MOPS playdate, we had about an hour until we needed to go pick up Jon, and were already pretty close, so we just went to a third pumpkin farm and played around there until time to get Jon. This one had a goat who could pull a rope with treats attached up to himself overhead.....and a maze made out of hay bales. Each Pumpkin farm has it's own special attraction and we really enjoyed going to several this year!

I made tooth tins for the kids for when they lose teeth. We are very gently doing "the tooth fairy". The kids know it's like santa and not real, but having fun with it all the same. I was hoping to make a tutorial on how I made these....we will see if that ends up happening with how busy I am in the next couple of weeks.

David did some tracing in school, his name, age, favorite color and favorite animal. I got new dishes with money my parents gave me for my birthday (JCPenny's "Pearl" collection----a 12 setting, 72 piece set for $100!!!!), the kids made faces (not sure why there is not one of Liam), and I arranged all the pumpkins we've collection on the table, alongside the shamrocks we were bequeathed when my inlaws had to move out of their office.

And lastly, here's the kids trying on their costumes on the 31st. Heidi ended up refusing to wear any costume, but had a little fun playing in them and dancing with Liam.
Jon took Liam and David trick or treating in my inlaws' neighborhood and they had a lot of fun.

Alot of stuff in October

October was a pretty big month for us. Heidi and I had our birthdays, we had a fun pumpkin farm playdate, David got his haircut (his own choice too!), and much more.....

Here's Heidi and my joint birthday party with my inlaws. It was a ton of fun. We did an ice cream sundae bar with three kinds of ice cream, three kinds of sorbet and a plethora of toppings.

In the same week, we saw TWO sets of double rainbows. I managed to get pictures of the second set...and yes, the double rainbows brought lots of "I just don't know what it means!" jokes.

 I made Heidi a felt "paper" doll for her birthday:

David's hair cut (the patch is because I accidentally poked his eye badly....I felt awful)

 This collage has a bunch of "miscellaneous" stuff.....I worked on scrapbooks at my last Craft Day, I've been working on my decorated cork board (I still have to attach the fabric), Liam lost his first took (and Heidi had to "show her teeth" too), we went out for an autumn walk, had tea and discovered that Heidi should be in gymnastics...

And lastly, my MOPS table went to the Pumpkin Farm for a playdate. It was a lot of fun. We ended up going to three different pumpkin farms this year, and Craven Farm is my favorite!

I've got more pictures of stuff we did in October on my camera, so I am going to get those up in another October post! I've got pictures from the other pumpkin farms, pictures of the "tooth tins" I made the kids, and much more!!!!

FMF: Roots

I seem to be on a write-every-other-week kick lately.......I don't know, it's just been hard to motivate myself to write lately.....I blame it on the weather & my clumsy and slow desk top computer (which is what I have been using alot lately because it has a printer).

Anyway, here I am. This week's word is "Roots". I had two thoughts almost immediately. One was roots as in the things and people in your past that work together to make you who you are. And the other, strangely enough, was the roots that show when you've had your hair dyed. Funny, I know.

So, anyway.....here we go:

I have my "main roots", the childhood home where I grew up, friends and family that helped shape my life. They are a deep, beloved and important part of me. Precious.
And then, there are the other roots.....the threads which hold me to the people and places I've spent pieces of my life. Places and experiences...People who have come in and out of my life and left indelible impressions on my heart 
Some roots are long and wide, others short and slender. But each one is part of me. I wouldn't be ME without them.
Some roots have their touch of painfulness, others their eternal sweetness. But none can be discarded or cut off, not can be truly forgotten or completely ignored. Each root has taught me some sort of life lesson and painful or sweet, I am grateful for each one.

Five Minute Friday is a group of writers who get "together" each friday to spend five minutes writing about the same topic. Go see more here.

FMF: Look

This week's Five Minute Fridays word is Look.

For me and anyone else who needs the reminders.......
Look up.
Look down.
Look left.
Look right.
Look all around.
Keep your eyes open and really look.
Experience life to the fullest and don't shut your eyes.
Because you will miss so much if you do.
Children grow up.
Husbands, friends, family do too.
And so do you.
So, don't close your eyes, don't look away.
Look up to God, and follow His lead.
Look around to see what needs you are the answer for.
Look at the faces of the people who love you.
Really look.
Look to the past just enough to learn from it.
Look to the future just enough to dream.
Look at the present and be grateful.
Look to God and trust Him.
Look up.
Look down.
Look left.
Look right.
Look all around.

Thought I'd do my Five Minute Friday a little differently this week. If you want to have a peek at what my fellow FMF'ers wrote about Look, you'll find the links here.

painting, my birthday and a walk in the woods

Last week we had quite a bit of fun...
The kids and I did some painting projects.....they painted wooden initial letters (and themselves) and I painted the frame of a cork board. When I finally finish the board, I will show you what I am doing with it.

On my birthday we had a picnic at the beach. We played, walked along the beach, watched the sunset over Whidbey Island. It was a good birthday.

And then last saturday, we went to a park we've never been to before in Snohomish. It's 11 miles of trails. There was so much to see, leaves to crunch under our feet and good times of togetherness. We will be going back.

FMF: Welcome

I am a little late.....but I have been before, and I'd rather write the post late than not at all.
Oh, and I will probably give myself an extra minute this week as I am writing this on my desk top computer, and the keyboard I have for it is sticky and weird......so a little grace is needed.....
So, with 6 minutes on the clock, let's talk about the word Welcome.

The word Welcome brings to mind a cozy house filled with wonderful smells, comfy furniture, yummy treats and good friends.
While my current dwelling makes it difficult to achieve the welcoming home I envision, I still try to make it comfortable for my guests....even if it means hiding all the messiness behind the closed door of my bed room.
Someday I hope to have the organizing and cleaning thing down well enough that I don't have to hide any messes behind any closed doors, but I'm not quite there yet.
I get a lot of inspiration, encouragement and just the tiniest bit of intimidation from groups like Home Matters, and organizing blogs, Pinterest, and home decor catalogs.
I get discouraged with how tiny my home is, how I can't decorate like I would like to because of apartment rules and financial restraints, but I also get challenged (in a good way) with figuring out how to decorate and organize with what I have and can do. How to use what I have to make an inviting place for my friends and family to come to.
I often fail, mostly because I get so worked up with the outward appearance of hospitality and welcome and am too stressed to give the welcome that really matters....the one from my heart. I want a pretty, welcoming home but I need to remember that the welcome from me is the welcome that really warms others hearts.

Five Minute Friday is brought to us by Lisa Jo. Find her Five Minute Friday and others' too here.

jam and jeans

In the last week I've kept myself busy. Last week, Jon came home from work with a huge container of plums. Between the two of us, we made plum jam. It's really tasty......but then, I've always liked plum jam/jelly. The kids love it. They are constantly asking for bread and jam.

And, I sewed patches of a pair of my jeans and a pair of Liam's. I saw an idea for patch work using pretty (or cute in boys cases) fabrics and thought it would be great to try. I ended up layering a piece of denim under the pretty fabric to give it more durability and sewed them on using fun stitches on my machine (I am still in denial that I own a viking sewing machine!! Thanks mom!). I am also doing a pair of khaki pants of Liam's, and have plans for another holey pair of my own. Sadly, the only pictures I have are these ones of Liam's jeans, but it gives you an idea.

About 10 years in the making

When I lived in Mexico (2001-2003), I decided to make an afghan. I picked out a fun color---a variegated blue and made up a pattern in my head that I liked and was fairly easy.
And today, about 10 years later, I finally finished it!

FMF: Grasp

I always know I've slacked off in blog world when I have two Five Minute Friday posts right next to each other, as it shows I didn't do any other blogging all week.
Sorry. Hopefully I will have something for you soon. I keep forgetting to take my camera with me.

Anyway, here we are again and this weeks word is Grasp. Five minutes on the clock, let's go:

Have you ever watched your kid (or someone else's even), finally get it? It could be school related: addition, reading, or just something to do with growing up, or whatever and you've watched them struggle with it seemingly forever and then one day, it's like a light bulb goes off in their heads and they get it. The idea has been grasped, understood, internalized. They have matured through the trial and they really get it.
I think that's what it's like to grow as a follower of Jesus too. We struggle with a concept or a hardship and it seems like we will be stumbling along in the dark forever and then, all of a sudden: ta da. We get it. We are able to grasp that idea and understand it. 
I have had so many of those moments over the years. And they are amazing every time. When I finally am able to grasp and hold onto what God has been teaching me, it feels like the whole world has opened up for me. It's awesome. 

Five Minute Friday writers all group together over here. Go check them out!

FMF: Wide

Today's Five Minute Friday word is Wide. Let's go...


I saw the word earlier today and thoughts of Wide have swirled in my head. There are just so many avenues to write about. Which one to pick?
I'm still no nearer to an actual decision.....so let's see what happens if I just start typing. 
Have you ever seen a river in flood? How it swamps it's banks and the land around it is saturated? That's kind of like how I want to live life----so full of God's love that it swamps it's banks and floods my entire life, and consequently the lives around me.
Sadly, so often, I stay confined within the banks of.......of what? Fear is all an answer there can be. I am afraid. Afraid of being swept away by the flood. Afraid it will lead me where only more fear lies.
And yet, isn't God's love the exact opposite of fear?  Isn't the road traveled with God the only sure route? Could I ever live life and live it abundantly and over flowing without Him?
Sure----some of the fears are legitimate. Real. But I think I can trust my God enough to believe that in the end, it's all going to make sense.
So, what is there to lose? Just the banks of my life. Just fear. Just everything holding me back.


So, that's it for Wide. Seems a little abstract, but there you go.
Come with me and let's go see what the others have written for Wide on Five Minute Fridays.

the three kids and some baseball

I took these pictures of the kids the other day. It started out with David wanting me to take his picture, and then I decided to try and get face pictures of all three. It worked pretty good. Heidi loves to say "CHEESE" for the camera, it's so cute.
Also, I couldn't resist taking the picture of all three of them cuddled up together while they watched some TV. It was so cute!!!!

We took the kids to the park today and hit a baseball (and a couple of tennis balls) around for a bit. The kids loved it, and I loved that they were getting exercise and having fun at the same time! We had a fun family day today.....the park, watched a movie, and wandered around at the mall.

FMF: Focus

here we go for Five Minute Friday. Today's word is Focus.

Focus. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't. My craft area and kitchen counters are proof positive that I often don't. The fact that I already tried to write this post yesterday is also proof that I often don't. Of course, it didn't help that the TV was on last night.
Tonight's a bit different. Kids and Hubs are in bed, and the TV is off. There's not much to distract me tonight. 
I get distracted so easily. And yet, really cool things happen when I am focused. Like the crafts I have done that turn out really cool. Or having a clean kitchen, it's so nice. 
I haven't yet figured out the secret formula that works for me to keep me focused. I've tried lots of time management ideas.....none really work, or not for long. Inevitably there's a new book to read and that's the end of all my good intentions. But, I keep trying and someday maybe I will light on something that works. Like a maid. Ha ha ha, I guess that only works for the kitchen.....I'm on my own with getting my crafts done. It's one of the main reasons (friendship time being the other), that I've started having craft days. They help me focus. On both crafts and house, actually, because who likes entertaining in a dirty house? I sure don't.


There you have it. If you'd like to see other's posts on "focus", visit Five Minute Fridays!

Life In Every Breath

You may wonder why I call my blog what I do. Here's just a few thoughts I've had on it...

Because all we've been promised is one breath, one day at a time and because I want to experience each moment of life for all that it's worth and because every breath is a gift and because life is a breath, and for so many other reasons.

Because I need the reminder to live in today. Because each moment is special.

Because kids grow up too fast, and life changes in an instant and because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Because tragedy and joy are intermingled and inseparable, even in the littlest things.

Because breathing in is just as necessary as breathing out, and living life is a way to give glory to God.

 I think it really should say "live life in every breath, breathe in every moment of life and give thanks to God for each breath you breathe." but that's a little long, so I've kept it simple with "life in every breath".

the fair, a baseball game and more

we've been having a bit of fun the last few weeks.

I was able to bring the kids to the Evergreen State Fair because of a special they were having that if you brought food for a food drive, you got your entry to the fair for free! We had a blast and it was such a nostalgic thing for me, having grown up doing 4H, fair was a huge part of my life and I hadn't been to one in a very long time. I got really emotional as we were walking in and at a couple points during our time there, but thankfully I didn't cry. We rode the carousel, ate a funnel cake and wandered through the animal barns, just to name a few things we did that day.

Then, that same day in the evening, Jon and I got to go to a Mariners game! That was fun too! Jon had got the tickets from a lady at work who couldn't go, and Jessie watched the kids for us. We had impressive seats, only about 25 feet back from the 3rd base line and even though our team lost, we had a good time.

A couple days ago, I pulled out our colored salt for the kids to play with and practice their letters and spelling words. I also colored some salt for Heidi since I hadn't yet. I colored hers a really pretty lavender.

And lastly, thanks to Pinterest, I got this idea for making a baby sling for Heidi. My mom had given me this beautiful corduroy fabric and I just couldn't wait to do something with it! It was a quick sew up and Heidi thinks it's pretty cool. I made it a little big so it would last her a few years.

FMF: Graceful

This weeks Five Minute Friday word is Graceful. Lets see what comes in the next five minutes....


Graceful. I think of a beautiful woman, dancing to soft music. I think of children, looking like angels in their sleep. I think of God sending Jesus to broken humanity. I think of my mother, who seems to be the embodiment of grace. I think of my friend Pamela, who also reflects grace to me. And so many others in my life.
I think of how grace-less I often am, and how I wish for a heart that overflows with grace. Because it is the outpouring of grace that shines love and Christ into others' lives, and how often I have stumbled and not given grace when it was needed and how many relationships have suffered because of it, and how many people only see Jennifer when they look at me because my selfish grace-less-ness covers over the Jesus grace?
Thank God He is a God of grace, or I would have been damned long ago. But for His grace I can continue to learn and to grow, and to scratch through the surfaces of self and reflect more of Him.
Each moment I give grace, is another moment I allow the Holy Spirit to work in me. And, it opens new worlds and gives new meaning to life. Grace is a door to an abundant life, to get grace is a knock on the door, an invitation, but to give grace is to open it wide.
I want my door to be open. Wide.


That might have been more like 6 minutes....but there you go. Find more posts on Graceful at Five Minute Fridays!!!!

FMF: Change

This week's Five Minute Friday word is Change. Here we go:

"The world is changing. I can feel it in the air....."
Or something like that is the quote from Lord of The Rings, and just about sums up how I feel right now.
As soon as I got home from the lake, I could feel it. A change in the air. Maybe it was just my perception heightened by the fact that we usually go to the lake toward the end of summer, but it feels like autumn now. And strangely enough, I am ready for it. I didn't think I would be. Not after the lousy bit of summer we had here in the pacific northwest. But I am. Maybe it's the fact that we usually have beautiful "Indian Summers" around here. Maybe it's the fact that Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. Maybe it's just being ready for the change that a new season inevitably brings.
I like change in moderation, and in the right circumstances. Like when it's something I like, or I am in control of it. But change can also be very, very challenging and painful. At least the seasons are a change to look forward, each season having something special to do with it.
There is a lot of changing that happens with being a mom. Watching the kids grow and change. Going through different "seasons" of life with those kids, or with your husband. Going through changes in your own body. At lease the seasons of nature are more or less predictable.

There you have it for this week. Check out what other people have written about Change at Five Minute Fridays!!!

Lighthouse Park

There was a MOPS playdate at Lighthouse Park yesterday, for the Farmers Market and play in the playground. I got there early so the kids could get their wiggles out before we wandered through the Market, and my friend joined us. We had a really fun time. I've always enjoyed Lighthouse Park, even before they added the playground. And this was the first time we actually went over to the lighthouse!
I read the information plaques around the lighthouse----so it was educational as well as fun!

Sitting on the porch of the "assistant keeper's house", currently the lighthouse gift shop. The boys in front of the lighthouse. Heidi and I in back of the lighthouse.

Fun at the playground area. Lots of wall walking, swinging and more!

Play on the beach, play on the dock, and berry/fruit eating in the Market

Lake Cavanaugh 2012

Every year my parents rent a house on Lake Cavanaugh and we get to spend about a week up there enjoying family, and lake side fun. It is the week during summer I look forward to all year----summer's Christmas!
This year was no exception----we had a blast!

Canoe trips
swallows
Playing in the shallows
mixed weather
Floating
Tie Dye Tee Shirts
Swimming
Liam swam to the buoy
Jumping off the dock

"Polar Bear" evening swims
Fabulous food
Liam jumped off the dock
Woods
2 puzzles
Kayak rides
4 Generations
garter snakes in the lawn
Sun bathing

Coloring flags
Playing the the pebbly sand
Sunsets
Erasable colored pencils
Life Jackets
Card Games
Puzzles
Amazing views
Walks on the road

Book Review

I just read The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. As in author of the "Anne" books.
I made the mistake of reading part of the introduction first. NEVER a good idea if you want to actually enjoy the book as it is. My advice: read the book first, then go back and read the introduction if you want to. Let the book be untainted by other people's opinions of it.
So, I read part of the introduction first, and from it deduced that I would probably hate the book. I casually flipped through the first half, reading here and there (another thing I DO NOT advise), and kept thinking I would hate it......then I got interested in spite of myself and ended up reading the entire second half, almost without stopping.
I will be going back and reading the entire thing from start to finish because the second half left me deliciously and totally happy. It is a story completely predictable with a happy, fairy-tale, "happily ever after" ending. The best kind of ending in my opinion. I am not a tragedy fan. Even if tragedy is "closer to real life". None of that in endings for ME, thank you very much... Maybe because I truly do not believe that life is a tragedy. No, in my opinion, even if tragical (a very Anne way to say it) things happen in life, over-all it is a wonderful and beautiful love story with heaven at the end of it. It is my deepest belief that to have life in Christ is to have a "happily ever after" ending. And so, it thrills me to read, watch or hear of stories that reflect such an ending.
So, I enjoyed the book very much. And if you like predictable, simple, romantical fairy tales with happy endings, then I think you'd enjoy it too. If not, I would not bother with it if I were you.

Five Minute Fridays: Join

So glad I double checked this week's FMF.....because it's not the word I was thinking it was. I thought it was "push". It IS "join".

I am late in getting this post written and all because I was at the lake all this last week...just got home this morning. It was wonderful......but more about it another time

So, this week's word is Join. Here we go:

Join. so often in my life I have stayed in the fringes because I've been too shy or too scared to join in the fun. I know I have missed out on "opportunities of a lifetime" because of it. The events I have joined in have proved that to me.
Last year, I made a decision to join MOPS. This year, I'm joining the leadership team for MOPS. And I am so grateful to God for giving me the courage to do it, because it has been such a blessing.
Going on DTS where I did, on board the Mercy Ship Anastasis was me joining into what I believed God was telling me and I earned so many blessings because of my obedience.
Obedience.......joining in. That is were the blessings lie. Letting go of fear and grabbing onto life. Life abundant. God's gift. God's gift to me. God's gift to anyone who would follow.

Five Minute Friday found here.

FMF: Stretch

Today's Five Minute Friday word is Stretch. Here we go......

Stretch. Isn't that what we do every day as a mother? From the moment we learn that we will have a child. It begins with our bodies, as we stretch to be able to encompass the wee one growing in us. It twists and wraps into each part of our lives.
We stretch our love, our finances, our peace of mind. We stretch when our child asks of us something we feel is beyond us. We stretch when we trust God to take care of that child when they are out of our reach, out of our site. We stretch as we encounter different people with different parenting ideas and choices, and we stretch when our spouses ideas are different too.
To allow God to work through the stretching is what makes us healthy, what shapes us into the women we need to be, the women He created us to be. His work in us makes us able to abide some of the stretching which would otherwise tear us in two.

Find more lovely thoughts and posts about Stretch!

Second Craft Day

I had another Craft Day today and boy was it fun! There was a better turn out this time----4 including me. This Craft Day centered around embellishing shoes and making yarn pom-poms!! My shoes still have a ways to go----I need to let the glue holding the glitter dry and I'm giving it about 24 or so hours....then I'll finish them.

Can you see Liam? He's begun an embroidery project....I'll have to post about it later. He's super excited about it and has been working on it ALL DAY!

While getting ready and cleaning for the day, Heidi found a fun place to play with my phone (I love how proud of herself she is!):

There will definitely be more Craft Days! I wish I had started doing these years ago!

FMF: Connect

This weeks word is Connect......rather fitting, as you will see

Connect to me means a lot of things but right now it is translating into the connection we make with other people. For instance, I joined MOPS this last year and had a wonderful time connecting to the women in the group, and most specifically the women at my table.
In this last week, I was approached with the request that I be a discussion group leader this year. I had already signed up to the a DGL helper, but they are short of leaders and wondered if I would be willing to be one. I asked for time to pray, talk to my husband and consider it as it is a rather large responsibility.
I am pretty much convinced that I should do it, that God is leading me there, and to tell you the truth, it's kind of exciting because it's a whole new level on connection. Connection with the moms that will be at my table, Connection with the group of women who are in leadership. Even a deeper connection with God as I lean on Him and His strength to be the discussion group leader I need to be.
The connection I had with the other moms at my table this year was something I really needed, something that encouraged me and helped me. I am so grateful for the friendships I made and for the opportunity that is before me.

Five Minute Friday is a community of bloggers writing their own thoughts about a single word each week. I am blessed to be a part of this connection!

Embroidery!

I have new parts of my Gratitude Sampler to show you!!!! And a fun collage of a little helper too!

Books, Sun&Moon&Stars, Mom&Dad, Candles, Fruit

Pamela, Home, Trees, Bible, Birthday

Heidi climbed up in my lap while I was working on my embroidery the other day and wanted to do it herself. I will have to get her some fabric and let her have at her own piece, because she wasn't too happy with me when I wouldn't let her do every part of it, and only let her pull the needle up. She was totally into it and can you see how serious she was about it?!? Liam wants to try embroidery too.....so I think I need to buy a couple more little hoops and let them have their own little pieces to work on.

And here is a picture of the whole piece so you can see where each little block is and how it looks! Getting close to being done! As you can see, I got tired of going in order...so I've been going off my list of things I am grateful for, and putting each thing where I think it fits best. It's helping me stick with it when I am so close to the end and some of my ideas aren't translating to cloth/embroidery very well.

Swimming Days

We've been going to the pool almost every time it's sunny. Which, this summer means maybe once or twice a week. But, in one week we had gone swimming more this summer than all summer last year. That's because Liam is very independent now (thanks mom and dad for all the lessons!!!), David can swim around in his life jacket with almost no problems, and Heidi is almost to the same point! It makes swimming so much fun and so easy too!
So, we've gone a lot and this week we have my nephew Pierce here with us. We went swimming on Monday and had a bunch of fun and since I HAVE FINALLY FOUND MY BATTERY CHARGER FOR MY CAMERA (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), I brought my camera along and got some fun pictures before I joined the kids in the pool.

Hoping to get more time in at the pool before they close it down for the wintery months......also hoping they choose to keep the pool open a little longer than normal seen as we've had such a dismal summer, but I'm not counting on it. I guess we'll make Jessie take us to her indoor pool after they close ours.....

FMF: Here

Five minute Friday

Here
it was so easy to live in fantasy......dreams of then and when. I was constantly living for the next thing, instead of enjoying what I was doing in the here and now.
Slowly, I realized that what I was doing was not healthy. And I started opening my eyes to what was around me. Waking every morning and thanking God for the day before me. Living in the moment. Not always thinking "When..." There is some comfort in living in Today. God has given me the strength for today. I don't need to worry about the future or regret the past. I can enjoy my children at the stage each of them is in today, instead of wanting them to be older or younger than they are. 

I am here. Today. This moment. As my blog title says, I am trying to "Live Life In Every Breath". Every breath means here. Now. All of me.

Yes, I plan for the future....some. But with the knowledge that until it is Today, it's not as important as the day that is here and now. I still dream, but my dreams are tempered with contentment.


Five Minute Friday! join us!

Outdoor Water Play

We spent this weekend at my parents house to celebrate my dad's birthday. The kids always get alot of outside play when we're here. It is so nice. Yesterday, the hose was turned on for Heidi and she spent quite a bit of time playing with it and filling up buckets. Of course, once the boys saw the water, they had to join her. Mom and Dad's plants got lots of watering yesterday!

Baptism

Liam was baptized last Sunday evening at church. Jon went in with him. What a special time. We also gave him a full size Bible with his name printed on the cover.

We have a voucher for a video, so I am looking forward to getting that!

Beyond

It's Five Minute Friday time!!!! This weeks word is Beyond.

Beyond. My first thought is "beyond this life". The life to come is so unknown. Yes, when we believe in Jesus there are certain unchangable truths. Someday we WILL be with Him.  Someday we will not have to live by faith because someday God WILL be a presence we can feel, touch, experience. Revelation says that God will wipe every tear from our eye. Someday we WILL live in peace and wholeness and joy. And yet, while we live here and now, it remains Someday. Beyond the here and now. Beyond what we can see. And there are so many unknowns about the Beyond. And I think even with the truths and assurances we have, the unknowns can still be scary. I can trust that I will live in peace and wholeness and joy, but I still wonder what it will be like. What will it be like to experience a place where God IS the light? What will it be like to see Jesus face to face? What will it be like to have every innermost thought brought forth for all to see? It can be a little daunting and yet.....and yet it can be so thrilling too.

Craft Day

I have been wanting to schedule a Craft Day forever. I finally got one scheduled and today was the day. Sadly only Jessie was able to come, but I had so much fun that I am planning to do more---every two weeks or every month or so.
We did a couple of paper crafts using my plethora of scrap-booking materials and it really was fun. Here are all of our finished projects:

Here's my first. It's a house number door plate for our front door. Before was just boring old number stickers on the door. I like this much better (hearts are for privacy):

And this is Jessie's first craft, a poster for Allan (star bursts are for privacy):

For our next craft, we did the same thing, a flower petal craft based on this web site post. It was so much fun, I want to do another......Jon even wants to make one!!!! I want to try it with fabric too.....

PS...a huge thank you to my husband for letting me use his Iphone to take the pictures of my crafts. I have not been able to locate my missing camera charger yet...boo hoo. And thank you to Jessie for taking pictures of hers.