morning sun

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,

shining ever brighter until the full light of day.

Proverbs 4:18

*acrylic on cardboard... yup... I'm fancy...

generations of beauty

I think I have finally found a blog background that I will keep! Sorry for the design whiplash some of you may be suffering from. This one here totally fits me! I love quilts. They make me smile. They make me think about generations. I know, quite a jump. Think about it though.
So many women (do men quilt? I think not.) have handed down their lovely quilts from generation to generation. I can remember the quilt my own mother has in her house that was made by several women, all in community with one another. Each one stitched their signature in a piece of white fabric with the date "1932" underneath and then artfully joined them all together amidst happy scraps of fabric to form this beautiful heirloom. From one generation to another, the art, whether the artwork itself and/or the artisan skill, is passed on. Ah, quilting... It's just a beautiful tradition.

through the fire

Here's what we've been up to:

Michael is waiting on an interview with the City of Charlotte for a job that would help our family A TON. And it would be doing what he enjoys and is good at (well, he's good at pretty much anything he does... besides putting up his clothes in his closet.. :) .. besides that... )  But he seems to be enjoying his new and improved "steady" job batching together chemicals to make creams and lotions at a lab close-by. I say "steady" because he gets 40+ hours a week which is GOOD, a vast improvement from the other contractor type job. But he's been pulling 12 hour days a lot lately. It's a good job... but it would be really nice to get that job in Charlotte. Pray that he'll hear something this week.


 I have been hanging out with John-John and I've also been reading Lord of the Rings in my spare time. And yes, with just one child, I still have some time to spare :) I was always daunted by the size of the LOTR, but I'm totally hooked now.  It's a reeeaallllyy good read! Puts Twilight to shame, even though I have to admit that I really enjoyed reading those books too. It was like Teenie-bopper soap opera in book form. But LOTR is infinitely better written. I'm kinda at a good pausing point in the book though. I think this week I will spend more time going over "The Healing Path" by Robin Pasley. Isn't that a grand idea?? Inner healing vs. leisure reading... I know, it's a no-brainer.

Lastly, John burnt his hand on Saturday!! We built a fire. (photos below)  I was making breakfast when we heard a scream that I would rather not hear again. He had climbed up on the hearth and placed his hand on the glass. Thankfully, we had only just closed the doors so the glass wasn't hot enough to cause more than a minor burn, probably less than the heat of an iron. He only has a couple red spots on his hand. I freaked out though (in a not good way, at Michael, who said he would watch him... we have two slightly different parenting styles, we are finding out.... this whole parenting thing is a hard learning process. It has definitely put our marriage through the fire) So anyway, John is fine. He took a nap later that morning and he woke up and seemed to not even remember anything.

So that's the scoop! Later Taters!

and the journey began

I'm up and at 'em before 6am and I don't care. John has been sleeping like a champ the last few nights and I have finally had time for myself. It's a wondrous thing. I even got to see Michael off to work this morning. It's always nice to have a few minutes alone together (contradiction in terms? eh.) in the morning. Somethin' about it really rejuvenates our marriage... It's the little things, I guess.
My coffee this morning is half.caf with pumpkin pie spices added to the brew basket. It's pretty yummy.
Since last week, God has really started me on a journey of self-discovery and inner healing.

mercy triumphs!

I've got the afternoon off!
My wonderful mother-in-law has whisked away my child for a few hours and I am loving it!
I had a Melaleuca party and now I'm just sitting at the computer, the windows are open (it's a BEAUTIFUL Fall day!) and my heart is humming with excitement and gratitude of what the Lord is doing in my life.

Firstly, any time I am getting ready for my parties, I get so excited about Melaleuca products! I know it sounds totally lame, but this stuff is seriously awesome. [ notice the new page for my business partners! ] And then the actual party comes and I get to talk about how this stuff totally rocks... It's not a bad part-time gig. :)

Secondly, I am really grateful that God is working in me and changing me.

abide.

Just a quick word today:

I've been really trying lately to remind myself of God's love for me and others. This morning I had to run a quick errand for my wonderful hubby and I was praising the Lord (My spirit told my flesh to praise). I was finishing my errand and this lady totally offended me over something super tiny. I got irritated and said a few of my favorite choice words. Not to her. I did tell her to "Chill" though :-/ Anyway, I got back in the car and was stewing over it all. Then I realized how ridiculous it all was. That's what happens a lot to me when I'm trying to kill the flesh to let my spirit live (lose your life to find it...) the old man who loves sin and darkness and offense stands up and says, "Not so fast!" So what did I do? I laughed at myself. And repented for being willing to worship God but unwilling to humble myself and truly remain in a place of gratitude for what Jesus has done for me (and for that lady, though she might not know it!)

welcome Fall! (I think...)

Happy Saturday!

Michael is working so I'm flyin' it solo today. I miss him. But it's good money when he has to work on Saturday so at least there's ONE good thing coming out of it! :) He's my bud, though, so I'll be super glad when he's home. :)

It's getting fall-ish outside and I'm not sure if I'm totally thrilled. Yes, it means hot tea, warm sweaters, fuzzy-slippers, fires in the fireplace, holidays right around the corner, pumpkin pie... BUT it also means that John and I will be couped up inside. I didn't realize how much I rely on our outdoor adventures for those trying moments when John is totally bored and yelling at me to do something about it! I'm going to have to buy him socks (we only have one pair that fits him) and maybe even some warm baby-boots. That means... shopping... which means.... going out... in the cold.... wearing... SHOES! Like... real shoes. No more sandals... :( Oh well. We will deal.

Birthday fun!!

Here's the scoop:

Our beloved "Afro-bushes" are getting a MUCH needed trim/hacking! One down, one to go! :) Thanks Michael!!

John turned 8 months old on the 18th! I can't believe how fast time flies by!! He's graduated to climbing the stairs and feeding himself (not altogether successfully... but he wields the spoon like a champion spoon-fighter, often lifting it up in determination and triumph)

Tomorrow is a big day!

Pickles!

Mine and Michael's first attempt at making pickles! John spent most of the time asleep on my back in our Boba carrier. So! It was a family effort!

Don't cook me! I'm too cute to eat!!

Movin' on up!

Well, the time has come for our little John to have his own room. We rearranged our rooms yesterday and last night wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I still had to get up and check on him a few times but from 3-6 there were a few times I heard him fuss and I just waited a few minutes and he was quiet again. So all in all... I think it was a good call. He had gotten to the point where he would wake up and see us laying there, he'd stand up and wait for us (me) to come "play" with him. :) It was very cute... but we all need some sleep! So now, he's got his own room and Michael and I are upstairs in our loft. I didn't take pictures of THAT because it's not very cute right now. :)