What's up? (a long and random post:)

I had a moment of panic last week when I announced I was closing my etsy shop.
It has been a nice source of income this year and so I got a little nervous...
but I am obeying and trusting that the Lord has something else in store for me.

A few of you wrote to ask what I would be doing now.
Ha!   I don't have any big plans.  I am actually looking forward to simplifying my life again.
You know Lent starts on Wednesday and I am already in the mindset of new beginnings.
Cleaning out my house, my body, my spirit...

Speaking of cleaning out, I have done pretty well on my no-sugar committment. 
I am so much more aware of how sugar affects my moods, my energy, my work-outs.
I am still staying away from it all for the most part, but I allow myself a little treat every now and then.
For me, it's all about moderation.

*********************************************************************************

I found this on pinterest here.

I want it really big on one of my walls.
I don't know who created it, but I would love to paint one myself in a different color.
I spend a lot of time dreaming of a bigger house, a newer house, a house with land, or a house on the beach.  When all along we live in a lovely house that perfectly suits us.
God is so good and I need this as a daily reminder!

**************************************************************************************

Look what I found at Goodwill last week.

I've been searching for months...I've been wanting the set for so long.

Now I'm on the hunt for the rest of the series...

Does anyone else love Little House on the Prairie?

 *********************************************************************************

Working on a couple of custom Family Rules...

Aren't all the colors pretty?

 ********************************************************************************

I picked up this ink pad for the kids last week and showed them our Ed Emberley book.

They have really enjoyed it.

They especially like cutting paper up small and making little books.

I'm thinking this would be a great birthday gift for a kid party too...

 ********************************************************************************

I made curtains for our kitchen window.

They are sort of crooked and wonky but I think I love them anyway.

I got the material from IKEA and I meant to take a close-up...it's really cute.

 ****************************************************************************************

This child/pre-teen has boundless energy.  His newest passion is fishing.

I love this process of "growing up".  I love watching to see what his passions are...how they have developed over the years and what comes and goes.  I have a feeling this is one he will carry through with him his whole life.  What a blessing it is to witness...

 ****************************************************************************************

The last of the Valentine Day roses...

Isn't it beautiful?

It looks like soft velvet in intricate folds.

So, what have you been up to?
Have a blessed Monday...and Happy President's Day!! 

Randomness

I'm in a blogging funk.  That's only to be expected, right?  I'm just not feeling the groove, but I know it will pass.

When we were at the beach, we had the rest of the tile and carpet in our living room/family room/kitchen ripped out and wood floors put in.  They came yesterday to put the baseboards up.  Now we have to put everything back.  True to form, I am re-arranging...again!  I am constantly trying to maximize the space in our house.  I love decorating and my tastes change a lot, so it's fun for me!

I am looking forward to a bloggy house tour sometime in the near future...

We only have nine more days until school starts.
I am relieved on one hand to get back to a routine, and to work uninterrupted again.
But I am sad too...where did the time go?  We had such a nice summer...

Are you wondering what in the world these pictures are?
They are a self-portrait I started, I don't know, two years ago?  I found it today while I was cleaning, purging, organizing (and moving) my art supplies.
My eyes are two different colors, but I surely exaggerated that in this painting.

Anyway, I have no intention of finishing it, so it went in the garbage today.
I am totally okay with getting rid of projects that I'm not going to use.
Sometimes it's all about the process, you know?

Have a super-duper wonderful weekend!

I'll be back on Monday to share how I'm doing on my scrappy rainbow blocks.

Randomness

My wierdo brain needs a different type of stimulation...after sewing and sewing and sewing, I need  to work in a different tactile medium...I have been daydreaming of working in wood.
I made this key hanger a few years ago (hence the scanned picture):

I have big ideas for new ones...and I made a deal with myself that as soon as I finish up a big batch of Pillows for Davis, I am rewarding myself with an afternoon of paint, wood, and scraps of junk :)

**********************************************************

Speaking of Pillows for Davis, today is Amy's birthday!  Happy Birthday Friend!

One more week of Pillows for Davis...or you could go right here to make a donation :)

look at that sweet little face...:)

************************************************************

I also wanted to mention a wonderful give-away going on.    Katy  from scottyboy and katygirl has decided to use her 30th bday as a way to bless others and has gathered 30 items from the handmade and vintage community to giveaway in exchange for books.  Every book bought from a Joyful Life Library

wish list is an entry to win this amazing loot. Buy two books, get two entries. Buy 4 books, get 4 entries. All books purchased from our wish lists will be sent directly to the sponsored hospitals, and will begin bringing comfort to the children and families that need it.

Awesome!

*************************************************************

Oh, and I wanted to share this quick little cutie project with you.

Ava had a playdate with a couple of girls this week and I thought it would be a good time to make the infamous rainbow streamers.  We did the rainbow ones and then Ava had a great idea to make watermelon catchers :) 

We hung hers right above the kitchen table!

Have I mentioned how much I love Vacation Bible School?  A break from 9-12 every day this week has done a Momma good...:)

Have a happy day Friends!

We Heart Art

You probably know how much I love children's art.  My major in college was Art Education, even though I only taught for a couple of years before deciding to stay home with the kids.

It makes my heart flutter to see what pre-school kids create...there is no inhibition and although the end result is always precious, for them it is all about the process.

Our pre-school does an amazing job supporting the arts and every year they hold an annual art show.  This year was as wonderful as always. 

Ava's Pablo Picasso inspired self-portrait:

and her clay turtle:

Jackson's painting:

and collage:

(He was so very proud!)

And look!  All four of our littles sitting together coloring so nicely...Mike said, "Hurry up!  Get a picture of this!" haha

 We are so blessed with the pre-school that our kids go to...:)
******************************************************************************************

And on another note...I am guilty.

I really love my ipad...

and I really love my iphone...
(don't worry, it's just the screen protector that looks that bad!)

However, I think I love them too much.

You shall have no other gods before me.

Idolatry has fallen upon me in the form of my technology...

I get upset when my kids don't want to get off the wii or computer...

I complain about current technology and the impact it has on society...

and yet...

everytime my iphone beeps to let me know I have an email, I am quick to check it.  I must look at that phone 100 times a day!  I don't think I'm exaggerating...it's bad.

What if I opened up my bible 100 times a day?  Or took the time to say 100 prayers in a day? 

I mean I know it's all about balance...but I feel my little gadgets take up too much of my time and energy.

Today I am going to only let myself check it every 3-4 hours...that's a start, right?

Are you guilty of this at all?  I know I can't be the only one...In this circle of blogging and internet friendships, how can we encourage each other with this?

*******************************************************************************************

Happy Happy Weekend!

See you Monday :)

xo,

Chrissie

This and that

Hi!  I have a very random post today...Photos of this and that...

Ava found these yesterday in her Daddy's closet...I couldn't help but laugh!

Our photobooth collection is growing...I want to think of a super creative way to display it and still have room to add more...right now they are just hanging by tiny clothespins...But it makes me smile to walk by it every day...

Flowers on a Wednesday, just because...

 Sneak peek of a custom mixed-media mosaic mirror that I am working on...of course I will show you the finished product after it's delivered!  :)

How my salmon looks before I cook it...with olive oil, lemon juice, and lots of fresh garlic...(told you this was random post!)

So proud of my boys...they both ran in Runners Club this year...about a mile three mornings a week before school, and meets on Saturday.  Logan did especially well, placing in the top 10 all season, even getting in the top five a couple of times.  He wants to run in middle school now :)  I love that our school promotes this kind of activity, our coaches are awesome!

The kids are still l.o.v.i.n.g the Crayola air dry clay...they make stuff almost every day!  Pinch pots are Ashton's current favorite...

I caught this one in action this morning...this set of trains with tracks is really the only toy that has survived all the way from my oldest.  Makes me happy and nostalgic to see him playing with them...he calls them his choo-choos...

Last but not least on this very random day...

A large, happy pile of fabrics waiting to be ironed, cut, and sewn.  I have to tell you that I totally underestimated the time/cost of making my checkbook covers...unfortunately the new batch will have a slightly higher price (about $3)  than the original batch...I hope my etsy customers understand...  I'm also making a new product that I can't wait to show you...hopefully early next week if all goes well...

Happy Wednesday!

xo,

Chrissie

5 very random facts...

Today is the last day on my trip.  During the evenings I've been working on a series of new paintings/prints and I can't wait to start sharing them with you when I get home!  So I thought I'd share 5 little random facts about me today just for fun.

1.  I love quarters.  Ever since I was a little girl I have associated quarters with wealth and luck.  I am not sure exactly where the strong connotation came from.  I have a memory of when I was 8 years old at Disney.  We were on the "It's a Small World" ride, and I saw thousands of quarters where people had thrown them in the water under the boat.  I couldn't stop thinking about them...about how many were there and how much money it must be!  When I was 10 I went on a cruise with my dad and brother, and I snuck into the casino alone and played on a slot machine.  I only had enough money to play once, but I won $50 in quarters on the first try.  I poured them all into my dress and ran to our cabin.  I dumped them onto the bed and felt like I had won $1,000,000.  (BTW, I have no idea how I got away with that.)
Anyway, to this day, I will dreams of quarters sometimes, like I find piles and piles of them.  Ok, have I wierded you out? ha:)

2.  This is my box of journals.  I started keeping one  in 7th grade, and kept one until Logan was about three years old.  They are filled with poems and quotes, my dreams and disappointments.  I don't know how long I will hold onto them, but for now they live in my closet.  Every couple of years I bring them down and rifle through them, and marvel at how much one person can change in a lifetime.

3.  In my early twenties, I was a pseudo hippie and lived in Portland, Oregon for about three years.  I can't believe I'm showing you these pictures.  I had dreadlocks first, and then a shaved head.  Yes, this is a true story.  Oh, and in the picture where I am practically bald, I am showing off my glass pendants.  I learned how to blow a little glass from a very good friend and I survived for over a year selling them.

4.  I have an insatiable desire to chew on ice.  I buy the pellet ice from Sonic.  I started eating it when I was pregnant with Ava, and I asked my doctor about it.  He tested my iron immediately and found out that I was really anemic.  I'm not anemic anymore, but I still chew on ice.  Terrible habit, I know!

5.  I have no picture for this (believe me, you don't want one), but I only have one ovary.  I had to have one of them removed about eight years ago due to endometriosis.  Yes, I have had three children with only one ovary.  I guess the one left works really well! :)

Now, you have to tell me a random fact about you!  Come on, make me laugh!

Have a great weekend.

I can't wait to show you the things I've been working on!

xo,

Chrissie

Randomness

Did I mention that I have a huge secret project going on?

I didn't think so, because I'm not allowed to talk about it yet.  It makes blogging hard, because it takes up most of my creative time.  But it's a good one :)

On Sunday afternoon, approximately 4 pm, I got a very wild hair up my you-know-what, and decided I need to move a few things around.  Ahem.  Let's just say at 1 am I was still putting the computer and flat screen back together.  One day I'll show pictures.

We are struggling with middle school decisions right now.  My oldest is in 5th grade, and we can't decide between our zoned school, a local magnet program, or a private school.  I am freaking out about this...middle school just plain scares me.  I'm praying on this one...that we will be led to the right choice.

I'm making my own version of this right now.  I hope I have pictures soon.

Ava and Ashton has been very pre-occupied with helping children in need right now.  They are mainly concerned with the children in Haiti and those that will not have Christmas.  I feel happy that they have been led to serve in some way and I'm trying to help them make some decisions about what they can do to help, without being overwhelmed. 

We haven't been to church in two months.  I am feeling a lot of guilt about this.  We missed two weeks because of vacation and then I dropped the ball.  Big time.  I miss it.  I want to, need to, get back. 

Thinking a lot about Christmas.  The presents we will choose this year.  What I can handle making, and trying to budget.  I love Christmas. 

I miss my blogging friends.  I'm sorry I haven't been commenting much.  Thanks for sticking around while I go through my I'm-not-blogging-very-much phase.  :)

xoxoxoxo,

Chrissie