Tales of a Crafty Mama

a quilt for Ella

I want to thank you all for your kind words and prayers for Miss Ella. I can't even begin to tell you how encouraging it is to hear about everyone who is praying for her. I have been in awe by many people have passed on her blog address on facebook alone; how many people's status' ask for prayers for her and her sweet family. I have been blown away. Hearing about all the prayers going out fills me with so much hope.  Thank you. Please, please keep them coming!

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About a month or so before Ella's birth, I invited Christa to come to a Bible study that me and another dear group of friends were starting. Our old group had disbanded, so she decided to join us and we were all so happy to have her.

We have spent the last month or so studying Crazy Love (a great + challenging book), as well as having as many craft nights as we can!

When Ella was born last week, I missed Bible study because I was helping Christa with her sweet boys. I had no idea at the time, but our little group still ended up meeting.

And they just didn't meet.

They prayed prayers and sewed love into each and every stitch of a quilt for Ella. Anyone who knows these women is probably not the least bit surprised that they poured their hearts out for Christa in something they created with their hands. These women are not just generous + kind to the core, they are so talented, so creative. 

They stitched late into the night. All through the day.For two days.

And finally, on Saturday morning, they called me to come pick it up to deliver to the hospital.

And oh, friends. I was so so overwhelmed. Maybe they couldn't tell because I tried to pretend like everything was okay. That's what I do. But inside? Oh, I was crying grateful tears.

I love Christa. Of course, I do. We have a friendship that has been built on three years of sharing each other's lives. But these women, they had just met her. And they gave her such an incredible gift. Such a thoughtful gift. I cannot put into words what it meant to Christa + her family.

Thank you, my dear friends. I love you so much.

Brown paper package tied up with string

The perfect fabric

Her name embroidered

All the beautiful details

And one sweet banner, by this lovely lady with her name on it to hang by her bed.

sweet Ella Louise

{lovely photo from here}

The last month has been strange. I have been in a weird place. You know how you will just be floating along, living life, then all of a sudden the Lord decides that now would be a good time to start dealing with some things in your heart? That is what has happened to me. And frankly, I don't really like how my heart looks.

But God is gentle and full of grace. And He has slowly, oh so patiently, been chipping away at little corners of my heart that have needed His touch, His love to penetrate.  But the last month was hard. Really hard. I felt really down emotionally and so unmotivated. I found myself clinging to things like reading blogs + facebook obsessively just because I didn't want to deal with the things God was bringing up. Of course, the Lord didn't stand for that. He has a beautiful way of pursuing us, even when we don't want to be pursued.

I feel like He has a long way to go on my heart. There will always be something within it that needs to become more beautiful, more like Christ. But finally, last Wednesday, I had a little breakthrough.

I was tired of being tired and feeling down. So I got up earlier that morning. Wrote some verses I am currently memorizing on index cards to look at throughout the day. Made the kids an awesome breakfast and then spent time reading my Bible while they were happily dancing around to the "Backyardigans" station on Pandora. Started the laundry and did the dishes. I was feeling so so good about our day. I felt alive and joyful and productive for the first time in forever.

Then I got the phone call that changed everything. My dear friend Christa was at the hospital, heading into an emergency c-section at 31 weeks. No, no, no. I have been here before.

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Three autumns ago, I hesitantly showed up at a new women's Bible study that was starting at my church. We had moved to town only about a month before with sweet almost two year old Audrey and newborn little Elliot. I was desperate to make some friends and a  Bible study for moms sounded promising.

I remember walking on the sidewalk toward the church and noticing a beautiful pregnant woman in front of me, a small blond boy about Audrey's age clutching her hand. I remember feeling so grateful to see another mom with kids close in age to mine. It was my soon-to-be friend Christa.

Over the past three years we have read at least six books together in Bible study + shared muffins, prayer requests + praises, coffee, and sweet conversation. We have witnessed our little ones grow from babies and toddlers to preschoolers learning how to read, with lots of birthday parties + play dates in between. Christa's dear boys, Elijah + Ayden, are two of my kids' closest friends. We have looked forward to Friday school at Jenny's, where our kids are loved on + taught, and where we always receive encouragement and support from other mama friends. We have traded date nights, taking turns watching each other's kids so that we can have much needed time out with our spouses. 

Christa is beautiful inside and out. She loves her boys (her husband Erik + her babies) fiercely. She is creative + musical. She is so caring and thoughtful. She is quiet with a secret goofy side. I love her and am so so grateful for her + her friendship.

When Christa + Erik announced to us this last spring that she was pregnant with their third baby, I immediately thought girl. I kept on shrugging it off as wishful thinking, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. At their 20 week ultrasound, they decided not to find out the baby's gender, so it was going to be a surprise. Christa glowed when she was pregnant. She was so beautiful. And I couldn't wait to do some maternity photos for her and her sweet little family.

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"Christa is being rushed to have an emergency c-section!", my sister-in-law told me, her voice frantic.

I felt my heart sinking. I couldn't breathe.

My peaceful morning came crashing down. I was on the phone for hours, making sure that everyone who knew Christa were aware of what was going on and were praying. I couldn't sit still. I was pacing the house, waiting for news, praying as hard as I could that everything would be okay.

Emergency c-section.

Fluid in the baby's organs.

A heart defect that did not show up on the 20 week ultrasound.

What? How could this be happening?

At 12:58pm, I got the text: "Did you hear the news? Ella has been born and is hooked up to tubes and is receiving tests...please keep praying."

A girl.

Ella Louise.

Oh, is she not so beautiful?

Friends, Ella needs your prayers so so desperately. You can read the whole story here on the blog that Erik + Christa started, but basically Ella's heart is really, really sick. Her left ventricle is very weak and is not functioning. Tomorrow morning (Tuesday), a team of cardiologists are meeting to discuss her case and what her options are.

I have been overwhelmed by the peace and grace of God that have been covering this sweet family since Wednesday morning. By all the little miracles that the Lord has already performed in each precious day that Ella has been here with us. I read this verse on a friend's facebook status this morning, and have been praying it all day long:

"Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples."
Psalm 77:13-14

Will you please join me in praying for beautiful Ella and her family?

Here is a video that Erik + Christa shared on their blog:

photoshoot :: sweet baby Gage

One month and one day ago, my dear friend Chantel gave birth to her little boy,  Gage. I visited her and her little family in the hospital on that special day and of course, took some pictures...

We love you baby Gage and are so glad that you are here!

photoshoot :: Vale + sweet baby Aven

Hello friends!

First of all, I just want to thank you for all your sweet comments on my post about change. Your kind words meant so much to me! I am trying to embrace all the little changes God has been bringing about in my life and things are going really well. I was definitely having a more nostaligic sort of day when I wrote that post, and a little bit of time and perspective have really helped. Oh, and having a little break didn't hurt either! Epecially when it included getting to see two of my dearest friends! (more on that soon...)

I have so much to blog about! And I have seriously a bazillion photos to edit. So please bear with me while I do a little catching up over the next week or two.

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While visiting the westside early last month, I had the joy of taking some pictures of my dear friend Vale with her sweet three month old baby, Aven Lily. Vale and I have been friends since Bible college days, but really became close when we all moved to Bellingham, WA. It was really hard to live so far away from them this last year as they were expecting Aven- she is their first baby and I really wished that I could be there to share in all the firsts with them! 

But it was so special to be able to capture some moments between Vale and her sweet girl in their beautiful home. And I love seeing my friend as a mama now!