Good Words ...

From a friend on facebook ...

"I notice that our culture is very fascinated with blood and love that is eternal ... I am too. The blood I am fascinated with is alive and comes from the only One who completely captivated me with a love that is endless. This Man's blood connects me to a life with the God who designed and created me. Ancient, limitless and timeless."

Precious Quilt

Sweet Lydia made this blanket for Benjamin and I cannot believe I have not posted about it sooner. I actually found a post in my drafts but I never had a picture to put with it, so it was forgotten.


My mother-in-law sent us the most wonderful fleece blanket for Benjamin that we love and he buries his face in it every night ;) but I was still in search for something that was big enough and not fleece for the months when things got warmer. A lightweight quilt was ideal but all the ones I found were too bulky, especially the one that came with his bedding.

The girls and I fell in love with rag quilt purses a few months ago and at the same time I fell in love with the rag quilts too! (My friend Sophia can make these purses! I'll post some pics of ours later)

I started perusing the web and in the meantime Lydia just so happened to post about making her first. I chatted with her about what I was looking for and she made my quilt!

I absolutely love it and my girls want their own :) Lydia has considered taking orders and so if you guys love them too, please make a visit to her blog, Seasons, and tell her! You can use pieces that are special or sentimental and mix out colors to match your bedding. My friend, Tiff, has these quilts for her kids and they hold up wonderfully.

Lydia, I am so glad to have gotten to know you here in the blog world and since we don't live too far from one another, I know it won't be long until we meet face-to-face!

Kozypal

Kozypal is having a great sale right now! They are moving to a new design studio and their in-stock cart covers are up to 40% off.

The sale ends 2/9/09. I just ordered one as a gift for a little momma I know ;)

If you click on the link on my sidebar before shopping, it would contribute to my baby gift fund!

Then I can buy MORE cart covers for the ENTIRE WORLD!!!!

Or some pregnant people I know.

I love ...

I wanted to share some love and even though I started this post well over a month ago, I figured that since I still love all these things just as much now, I would go ahead and post it! I have added a couple of things that have found a special place in my heart.

I ordered this from KozyPal Cart Covers before Christmas. I absolutely love it and it is made to fit inside both the standard buggy and the bigger carts too (Costco, Sam's) as well as the wooden high chairs at restaurants. That little front pouch is where I stick my phone and lists and there is another pouch inside for a juice cup. It also comes with a place to attach links for toys. I compared it to others and it is so full and padded that I have laid Benjamin down cross-ways and he has napped in it quite comfortably! The fabric choices are about endless but I settled for the one you see in the picture.


The Playmobil Nativity is my favorite Christmas decoration for 2008. I wanted it the previous year but couldn't find it. When I saw it at Toys-R-Us after Thanksgiving I was sure to grab it. Samuel loved that his Playmobil pirates could exchange secret spy weapons gifts from afar and hairdo's with Joseph and the wise men.

I love this Johnson's Soothing Naturals Balm for my baby and his sweet cheeks! My friend, Kelly (super-chick & with-it mom who always has the matching shoes) told me about it and ever since, I have stalked Target waiting for them to get more in. I keep a small stash so I can give it to new momma's. I will tell you that if you have a baby with ultra-sensitive skin, it does have a fragrance (that smells heavenly!) just in case that might irritate them.
I don't love running in below freezing temps. 40 degrees is near perfection, but I'd take 30+ any ol' day.

BUT.

If I must.

I will run in my beloved Under Armour tights. It is not ever often that you will find me using the words "beloved" and "tights" in the same sentence. They are truly very comfortable and very warm.

I made this with Samuel before Christmas using a piece of flat canvas and ribbon. I had all sorts of good plans to write more about Christmas and then all of a sudden! Christmas was over! It was January!

Since it passed so quickly, I decided to leave our tree up into January, so we could bask in the sentiment of our heartfelt decor just a bit longer.

Or. I have procrastinated the chore and now I am thinking of moving out.

We loved making our Jesse Tree and reading the daily devotions leading up to Christmas Day. Because I came by this idea a little late into the season, we really just threw together a daily craft to complete the ornament. This fall, I would love to participate in a group effort where we make a wide assortment of ornaments and everyone goes home with a completed set.

Here are links with more information: Rocks In My Dryer wrote about it here & here and linked to it, here.

Ann Voskamp from Holy Experience has this book and I find her words to be some of the most soothing yet convicting I have ever read apart from bible. Her blog is on my sidebar.

Oh, how I love my pencil. I have wanted it from the first time I saw it two years ago. It was entirely too expensive and really not practical at the time because we did not have a room dedicated to school.

Then. Pottery Barn offered free shipping on every. single. thing. they carry (except furniture) and ... AND my beloved pencil was on sale, to boot!

Can anyone spot the camera-shy child?

I love watching my boy do new things. In Upwards basketball, the kids run out of the "tunnel" through a cloud of smoke with the music blaring and the announcer calling their name, just like the NBA! Since Sam was at the back of the line, he had plenty of time to get his nerves worked up real good.

Later, he told his daddy that it was fun but his legs were kind of shaking together.

He's the one in the doorway

I love my Christmas present from The Vintage Pearl.

LOVE.

IT.



One more thing I love? That makes me laugh and cry on the inside?

My boy and his precious voice saying the words, "Mary and Joe-Fuss".
Ya'll, it leaves me undone.

My favorite calendar for mapping out our schedule is Amy Knapp's Big Grid Family Organizer. I should have bought it last year since it is always hard to find. It's not available on her website, but I found it at Calendar's.Com and with free shipping! The code I used is EM3X9.

I am not all about the stickers and lists but I absolutely love the gigantic size and space for appointments and menu planning. I can't tell from the picture, but all of the previous calendars have lines on each individual date box that I use for keeping up with our schedule and then a shaded box on the bottom for the menu.
I have tried so many different organizational/datebook/calendar doo-mah-flichee's but this is the one that has stuck every year. I have also used the MomAgenda to keep with me and loved it too, but it's kind of pricey. The first year I received it as a gift and the following year I found it clearanced during early spring. I'll be on the lookout for a deal because full-price is just no fun.

Benjamin seems to have turned the corner, with only one bad episode last night. Without a nebulizer here I did feel a little panicked but it subsided after spending time outside in the cold air. He still sounds like he just smoked a pack of camels but he is behaving quite ornery ... and that's a good thing ;)

I hope to post more later about our wonderful Christmas and some thoughts about the New Year.

Blessings!