Tales of a Crafty Mama

small joys friday on a monday

It has been a really long time since I have done a "Small Joys Friday"; I have missed reflecting on the little things in my life that bring me joy. So I'm bringing them back- hopefully every week!

Here are just a few small things that have been bringing me joy this last week...

Watching Audrey's excitement about getting her very first "kid's meal" from our favorite local burger place. You could tell by her face that she felt very special and super cool.

An evening in the park with my little family. I loved watching Audrey run back and forth between the playground toys and the water area- she loves climbing and water pretty much equally so it is very hard for her to make up her mind on where to spend her time! (Side note: All of the rest of this post's pictures are from that night, taken mainly by my sweet husband- hence the lack of pictures of him!)

Elliot's very first real smiles on Friday! Totally made my entire day, of course! It is downright silly now the things that Erik and I will do to make him smile again and again- baby talk, funny faces, super exaggerated smiles...P.S. Have I mentioned how crazy in love I am with our little boy?

Yes, concerned grandparents, Audrey did climb all the way up this climbing wall by herself. But don't worry. I was there to "spot" our little monkey!

Lots of book love. In the month since I've had Elliot, I have been dying to find a good book to read. I've been plugging away at Anna Karenina for a few months now and it is good...but so, so long! I am a little over half way through and have needed a bit of a break from it. But last week some good books came into my life:

• Mitten Strings for God. Recommeded by sweet Jewels (more on her later!). It has a super cheesy title, but is so good. It is basically a bunch of essays on parenting and how to find beauty in the simple things in life. I am limiting myself to only reading a chapter in the morning and a chapter before bed so that I can savor it!
• The Jesus I Never Knew. I have read other books by Philip Yancey before, but not this one. Really enjoying it so far.
• East of Eden. Our book club chose this for our summer book. I remember reading The Grapes of Wrath as a senior in high school, but I don't think that I have read anything by Steinbeck since. I am really, really loving his writing style so far.
• Grace Based Parenting. My sister-in-law recommended this book and it is really giving me some great insights on godly parenting. I think that this book actually deserves it's own post after I finish reading it because I have quite a bit I could write about it...Has anyone else read it? What did you think?

A fun Sunday afternoon at our friends' house. Lots of yummy food, kids running around, and laughing- all in honor of their sweet daughter's baptism that morning at church. Days like this make the thought of moving away very hard...

Lots of organizing going on around here. When one of my friends was horrified a couple of weeks ago by the number of emails I had in my inbox (over 1000!), I decided it was time to clean up a little bit. I have the number down below 300 now. Almost done...

And...last night I went through seven boxes of stuff that need to be gone through before we move. One enormous, heavy bag of papers to be recycled later, I was left with two half-full Rubbemaids- one of stuff to keep and one of stuff to give to the Goodwill. It felt really, really good to purge. And the great thing is, it inspired me to get rid of more! (Sidenote: In those random boxes I did find some really cool things, including some really sweet and funny letters that I wrote to Erik back in high school.)

A few blogs that I have been loving:

• Eyes of Wonder by Jewels. Hard to put into words how lovely and inspiring her blog is. You just have to check it out for yourself!
• Cuisine Nie. Yummy vegetarian food recipes written by one of my favorite mama bloggers Nie Nie.
• A Path Made Straight. Another sweet mama whose writing I find so encouraging and beautiful.

Don't laugh...A new Gilmore Girls episode in the mail from Netflix. Just a little something cheesy and girly and light to watch in the evening after a long day of being mama to two.

So far, all of the poop has washed out of my clothes. Whew.

Happy Happy Monday everyone!

TIME (and my struggle with it)

I have struggled with blogging lately. Not due to a lack of things to write about; I actually have a million things that I could share with you- things that are inspiring me right now, things that are frustrating me, things that are making me giddy...No, my struggle with blogging has more to do with the complete exhaustion I have been feeling the last couple of weeks. Not just physical exhaustion, although at nearing 25 weeks of pregnancy I definitely do have that! In fact one night last week I went to sleep at 9pm, which is completely unheard of with a true night owl like myself! So, yes I am tired, but I have also been struggling with a lot of emotional exhaustion. I have felt stretched very thin lately, finding it hard to get everything done that I need or want to get done, finding time to spend with everyone I love, and most of all managing my time and all my commitments.

I am definitely a people pleaser. Therefore, I find it very difficult to say "no" to things when I need to or even want to. I am learning more and more to be more assertive in this area, but it is a constant struggle. God is really teaching me that I do not have to feel guilty for putting my family's needs first, or even myself first, when it comes to sometimes saying "no" to things, but it definitely not something that comes naturally to me. So the last couple of weeks I have been evaluating (with my sweet husband's help) some of the commitments I have and making decisions about what should stay and what should go. (Don't worry, my blog is not going anywhere! )

Some things that I want to give more time: my relationship with Christ- I am still learning how to grow in this area now that I am a mama and do not have the time (especially in the morning!) that I used to; Erik and Audrey- both individually and as a family; keeping in touch with my extended family- I have been absolutely horrible at this lately; maintaining and strengthening my close friendships both nearby and far away; and growing as an individual, especially creatively- I have not been making very much time to create and I need to. It is something that is truly refreshing and a break for me and for my own sanity it should be more of a priority.

Some commitments I have right now but will not have in the coming months: being a MOPS Discussion Group leader-I love this ministry so much and have really enjoyed being in leadership this year, but my "surprise" pregnancy has made it difficult to put as much energy and heart into it as I had hoped. With a new baby this next year, I have already made the decision not to be a leader next year. This commitment will end in June, right before my little boy is born; being on the Design Team at my local scrapbook store- I definitely do not regret committing to this. It has been so fun to be challenged creatively, get lots of fun, free product, and to get to know the people who work at the store better. However, I am grateful that this commitment is ending in April because it would be so hard to keep it up come June!

Some commitments I have now but am evaluating my involvement in: Book clubs- I am in two right now. I had always wanted to be in a book club, so when I was asked to join two around the same time last year, I said "yes" to both. But it is getting really hard to keep up with the reading for both groups, and honestly I definitely prefer one over the other...so, I think that I just need to be assertive (yikes!) and quit one. Home group/Bible study- Erik and I have been committed to the same home group for three and a half years. Over time the group has evolved- new people have joined, people have left or moved away- and as a group we are no longer affiliated with the church that originally helped start the group; in fact, every couple in the group right now goes to a different church. We have loved being in this group so much and have made some of our closest and dearest life-long friends there. However, lately we have been feeling like our time as a family is really lacking. In fact, we realized recently that due to Erik's work schedule and our date night (which we don't feel like we should give up!) we are only together as a family two nights a week. That means only two dinners as a family a week, only two nights of family time, and only two nights a week that I have help at the end of a long day with a toddler! So needless to say, we are seriously considering taking a break from home group. As much as we love our friends, the health of our family is the priority.

Tonight as I spent time with Audrey getting her ready for bed, I realized just how important learning to manage my time better is. It hit me how fast Audrey is growing up and changing and if I do not make time to enjoy the little things with her now, they will quickly be gone. So I had fun giving her a bath, giggling with her as she helped me wash her hair and stick her alphabet and numbers up on the wall. I smiled and loved on her as I got her dressed and brushed her teeth. I did not rush through story time, I let her pick out "one more" book to read together. And I savored the sweet moments she cuddled with me, giving me kisses and hugs before I laid her down in her bed. These are the moments that I want to, need to make more time for. And not just make the time, but truly be able to enjoy the time.

simplify

I am a list lover. I love making lists of things that I need to get done, I love making grocery lists, and I love making lists of New Year's resolutions. Last week I made my typical list of oh, about a billion things that I want to accomplish this next year. I know that realistically I will not meet every one of my goals, but I enjoy making the list every year just the same. It is always fun to dream, right?

However, there is one thing on my list of resolutions this year that I am taking very seriously and that is the word "SIMPLIFY". Simplifying my life has been on my mind quite a bit the last few months. This last fall I read the book The Simple Living Guide by Janet Luhrs and it really inspired me to start simplifying things in my life. As I have mentioned on my blog before, I tend to be a sentimental packrat, so of course I think of simplifying my clutter first, and I do believe that is a very important part of following through on this resolution.

Yet I also feel like God has been wanting me to focus on simplify how I manage my time. Lately I have felt like my time is stretched really thin, like I have a million things to do but not enough time in the day to fulfill all of them. Some of these things are things that I really enjoy doing, like spending quality time with Erik and Audrey or working on scrapbook stuff for the design team that I am on (Whoops! I still need to write about that! Another day...). Some of these things are things that I do not always enjoy, like cleaning the house or running errands, but they need to get done. And then there are those things that I just feel obligated to do, usually because I have said "yes" to something that I should have said "no" to or just because of silly expectations I have put on myself.

This next year I want to conquer the clutter in my house. I want to go through our storage stuff and get rid of a ton of stuff. I want to become really picky about what things I keep and really generous with what things I give away or just get rid of. And I want to become more mindful of how I spend my time, making the things and people (that's you, my sweet friends and family!) that matter the priority and saying "no" to the things that don't.

Here are a few things that I have found really motivating and inspiring this last week or so in my new journey to simplify my life...

One of my favorite scrapbookers and bloggers Ali Edwards wrote in her newsletter this last week about choosing a life word to focus on this next year. I chose "SIMPLIFY", of course.

"You should own nothing that is not useful, beautiful, or loved." I have heard a few different versions of this quote over the years, but that specific version comes from my sister-in-law who got it from an Oprah magazine.

Speaking of my sister-in-law...she is feeling inspired to simplify her life right now as well, so I have been really encouraged by her!

Last spring my friend Julie wrote this lovely post that has stuck with me ever since I read it, and as I work on learning to manage my time in a way that is pleasing to God, I feel like this post will continue to inspire me.

A really cool blog that I was just introduced to yesterday (thanks again, Amy!), Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. The author, Sara, has been on a mission this past year to simplify her life and her writing is so motivating! I have really enjoyed reading her posts because she comes at things from a very environmentally focused, yet extrememly Christian perspective- a unique combination that I have not seen very often, and am really interested in. I found Sara's post "Blissfully Happy" especially inspiring! She has a Flickr set linked to that particular post that you should also check out- not only is it cool to be able to read more details about how she and her husband downsized, but her style is awesome and her photography is amazing! If you're interested, Sara also has a really fun food blog, Happy Foody.

I am also really interested in what I will notice in my personal Bible study this next year as I focus on simplifying my life. I am still studying the book of John, and I am sure I will very convicted at times as I know that Jesus spoke often of things such as giving to the poor and storing up treasures in heaven, rather than on earth.

Here's to a year of learning to SIMPLIFY!

small joys friday

So, it has been awhile since I posted "Small Joys". Certainly not because I haven't had my fair share of joys the last few weeks. It just seems like every Friday lately I have been insanely busy! I have had an ongoing list of joys to share in my head, let's see if I can remember all of them...

This sweet girl is turning ONE YEARS OLD in eight days! I seriously cannot believe it. Someone told me a great quote the other day about being a mother: "They are the slowest days of your life and the fastest years." So true. (P.S. This picture is from when she was two months old)

Of course, with a birthday comes a birthday party which I am having lots of fun planning. As soon as I get new batteries for my camera, I will share a picture of the invitations that I made. Is it wrong to say that I absolutely love how they turned out?

We got to spend last weekend with Erik's family. They were all over from eastern Washington and we were kept very busy celebrating a graduation, having BBQs, attending a wedding, and celebrating Audrey's birthday a little early since most of them will not be able to make it next week. Erik's sister, Kelsey, stayed at our house Friday and Saturday nights, which was a special treat because we do not get to see her very often.

Audrey is getting so close to walking on her own! She is getting more and more confident and not holding onto our fingers as tightly. She has even taken a few steps...

"He must become greater, I must become less." This verse from the book of John has been on my heart a lot the last couple of weeks.

The way one of Audrey's little friends says "Audrey". It comes out sounding more like "Owie" and it is the cutest thing ever.

This stuff is so awesome. Every time I run Audrey's bath with it, it makes me want to take a bath too. It smells so incredible and is super relaxing. I was first introduced to California Baby products when a sweet friend sent Audrey a package when she was first born that included this and this. Love their stuff.

God has been teaching me some awesome stuff lately about simplifying my life. I have been reading two books on simplicity. The first one is called "The Simple Living Guide" by Janet Luhrs and it is kind of like a bible on the art of simplicity. The second one is called "Pure Style Living" by Jane Cumberbatch and it is filled with beautiful photographs and inspiration on finding beauty in simplicity. I read about them on another blog and then was so excited when I  found them at my local library. They are both super inspiring and are really changing some of my perspectives on how I live my life. They are teaching me to live more intentionally. To be more mindful about everything from how I spend my time, to how I decorate my house, to what kind of family traditions I want to have. I will blog more about this later...

Audrey and I got to spend this morning with a dear friend of mine and her darling son. Heather is not only an awesome friend, but she was also my doula during my labor with Audrey. I could not have picked a better person to be Erik and my support during that time. Saying she was incredible does not do her justice. Even though she only lives about five minutes away, we do not get to see her or her sweet family very often. It was so nice to be able to spend time with them today!

LOST  Season 2 is finally out on DVD!

Audrey is obessed with giving her friends and cousins hugs. I really love how affectionate she is, how open she is with showing love to those she cares about.

MOPS starts in about a week and a half. I am going to be leading a table of mamas this year and I am so excited! One of the things I love the most about MOPS is the way that it connects mothers with each other; I feel blessed to be able to be a part of that. I am really looking forward to finding fun ways that I can make the women at my table feel treasured and loved.

Erik and I get to go on a date tomorrow night! We have not had a date since our anniversary and we so need one. We will be having many more in the future though because a few friends and I just started a baby-sitting co-op. All of our kids are close in age and in exchange for watching five toddlers for three hours one Saturday a month, each of us gets three date nights a month! It sounds heavenly.

Well, I could go on and on. But Erik is threatening to watch LOST without me...

Happy Weekend everyone!

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