pinterest recreates

I just love the inspiration I have found on pinterest.

here are a few of the things I made in the last couple weeks

chevron outdoor mobile

this adds such a fun little touch outside!

paper feather gift tags

stump family tree

I did this super quick (10 min) for a fathers day cadr for Andy. I couldn't find a good green marker so I ended up using a highlighter which smeared with the stamps, oh well! fun nonetheless!

New to pinterest? I did little how to post on it here where you can find out a little bit of what it's about!

none without purpose

My body is stressed. I can feel it and I can see it (my thumb was shaking uncontrollably while trying to scroll through my iphone today) Isn't it crazy how our thoughts and feelings manifest themselves in physical ways?! There is so much going on in my little world right now. Some happy, Some sad, but none without purpose.

I have always been a woman of great faith. Never doubting the reasoning behind the happenings in my life. Today I doubted though. My mind began spinning as I ran through all that I am facing... doubt is such an ugly ugly thing. 

James says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." Today I have fully been riding a wave. A crazy, loud, out of control wave... As my head was spinning and thumb shaking I kept thinking "what on earth is happening to me!?!" this went on most of the day. It was not until this evening when the house was quiet and I was doing the dishes that I heard that still small voice "do you not trust me? have I ever let you down? do you believe in my love? I am in control.  have peace" And just as quickly as the stress came on, it disappeared to an overwhelming peace. 

The pit in my stomach is gone. 

I am no longer dizzy.

My thumb is still. 

Why do we ever doubt? It's such a waste of time. 

Tonight when Andy took Alomae on a little date to get frozen yogurt I even meant to ask him to stop by new seasons for me and pick me up some Rescue Remedy to help calm me down. I forgot to. Little did I know that God had his own rescue remedy in mind. 

His healing power far surpasses that of any herb, tincture, or medication.

Friends, are you doubting? Are you afraid? I was! Times are hard. I know we want to know the reasoning of why everything happens all the time, but the truth is, we are not meant to. Some things are meant to stay a secret to protect us and to increase our faith. Relinquish control and let go of fear. It is then that we can fully hear and fully see. And remember, none of this is without purpose, even if it's the hardest thing for you to believe...

9 years

today is 9 years since I married Andy, my best friend. 

I fell hard for Andy when we were both 18 and working at Starbucks together. Sometimes I still cannot believe I married that cute little skater boy!

These past 9 years have been filled with great LOVE, LAUGHTER, JOY, tears, ups & downs, TWO DAUGHTERS, and really I could go on and on...

Andy, 9 years later and I love you so much more. It is no longer just the butterfly love of being young. The love I have for you now comes from deep within me. It comes from watching you work hard to love me, support me, from watching you cherish our girls. The love I have for you today is powerful. It has the foundation of 10+ years of memories of doing this life with you!

I love you so much babe. cheers to 70 more!

6.21.2003

learning

It's no secret that Poppy was not the easiest baby in the world. for the first 5-6 months or so I would say I struggled with the fact that my baby was just not as happy as I dreamt she would be (or compared to her big sister). 

but just like in life, the seasons change, there are mountains and valleys, and brighter days are always ahead. 

Poppy is so happy now! she is full of smiles and giggles and is such a JOY. 

I feel like my relationship with this baby is such a picture of life. That we must believe the best in the ones we love and wait patiently for them to come around. I could not force Poppy to be joyful, just like I cannot tell her to "roll over" or do anything else for that matter (and yes, she still does not roll.) 

Poppy is her own person. She deserves the space to work through things, grow, mature, and learn at her own pace. I am here to love her, guide her, protect her, and to pray! 

From the moment God placed her in my womb, I have had very little control. Sure, I had environmental control over what I ate, drank, and was around, but it was not my power or control that formed her into the beautiful little being she is today. She is her own person, and she let me know that from day one. She is a sensitive girl and sometimes she just needs her mama more then most. The more I accept that and appreciate it, the more I fall for her little crooked smile. 

I will be faithful and pray for my girls to find Jesus and Walk with Him. For them to learn to hear His voice and listen to it so that they can avoid some of the heartaches life has to offer. 

Friends, we cannot control the people in our lives. We can tell them what we want for them until we are blue in the face but it only hurts us in the end. Sometimes you have to just let go and relinquish the people you love to make their own choices and trust that Jesus is going to protect them. I walk with a mighty savior who knows the people I love so much more intimate then I. He created them, knows their thoughts, and has a creative life mapped out ahead. 

Love the people in your life. Do not give up on them. This does not mean enable them to do destructive things though. Sometimes the brightest Love is letting them lean on Jesus alone. Pray without ceasing and when they come back to you, welcome them back with big open arms. 

little details

We have lived in our house 5 months now. The house is a rental so we are really just trying to make it feel like "ours" until the doors open for us to buy the right home. God has protected us time and time again from purchasing the wrong place in the wrong location at the wrong time. I feel really blessed to have a safe and comfortable roof over my families head.

I am a details girl. I like the little things that make the big picture look good! Today I was walking through my home, cleaning up messes and unpacking from our weekend trip to the beach when I kept noticing little things I love throughout our home.

here are a few of the things that make my house feel like home...

my homemade chalk/cork board filled with upcoming wedding invites!



coat rack I made

a little chalkboard Love

frame holding special notes from friends



sweet print representing Andy & I and antlers from my brothers deer



I love crates and have them throughout my entire home...

here are my crate shelves filled with books and treasures.

crate turned into side table

vintage berry crate "headboard"

bed frame to raise the bed a couple inches coming soon...

some succulent love

sweet words made by my love



I am thankful for our space and all the little details really do make me smile.

I love that my house is mostly filled with things you cannot just go and pick up at the store!

a home really is what you make it 

it does not matter if you have a little room or an entire house, fill it with the special things you love!

all things

eat fresh

We have always been healthy eaters in our home. Lately though, we have began to eat a more plant based diet and it has really made me excited to come up with new ways to to feed my family.

We bought a Vitamix (i'll do a whole other post on it later!) and we have been enjoying morning smoothies filled with fresh fruit, vegetables,wheat grass, flax and chia seeds. It really has put a whole new meaning to Starting your day off right! (best part: alomae loves them)

I am not a vegetarian. I do not like being locked into any label and I have always been a believer of everything in moderation. But after much thought, research, and conversations with friends I have chosen to have the majority (we will still enjoy eating at Portland's finest and at friends houses) of my food be plant based with the occasional organic, kindly raised meat.

Poppy's dairy allergy has made this a really easy transition since I have been cutting out dairy for awhile now!

My refrigerator is filled with the color of the rainbow right now and i love it. It really is fun to open it up and see so much fresh foods available. 

Some of my recent meals have been:

 toast



daves killer bread, lentils, avocado, sprouts, fresh ground pepper

wrap

sprouted tortilla, sundried tomato or black bean hummus, cucumber, carrot, lentils, sprouts

Stir Fry

purple kale, bok choy, carrots, onion, mushrooms, broccoli, red bell pepper, organic tofu, and udon noodles

doesn't it all look so yummy?

I know many people think that eating this was is not filling and totally boring.

I promise you it's not!

If you have any good recipes to share with me, please do!

and if you want to know more about eating this way watching the documentary

forks over knives

is a great place to start!

8 months: Poppy Grey

cannot believe my baby is 8 months old!

 love you so much baby girl!

time to play a little catch up

man! I really need to get with it. I have been so busy taking care of two little girls, that documenting their lives (and mine) on this blog has kind of been pushed aside to second string. So it is time to play a little catch up. The house is quiet and I have actually sat down with my computer open instead of just having my iphone handy. If you are a mom, you know that the invention of the iphone is every nursing moms best friend! It can be a curse too though if you are like me and end up never opening up your computer anymore. I feel like I am missing out on so many of my friends lives via their blogs but in return I have gotten to spend a lot more time with them in real life. So overall I would say that is a big win!

Life is crazy fun and crazy busy right now. Since moving to our house, we have been hosting so many friends and really working on building a strong community to do life with. I said going into 2012 that this was going to be the year of hospitality and hospitable I am learning to be!

Poppy has become such a fun-loving and happy baby girl. I still avoid dairy because when I do eat it, it shows up in her diaper a couple days later showing that it still upsets her insides, but now at least her outside is typically wearing a smile.

Alomae is 3.5 going on 16. That girl is just the smartest and sassiest little thing I have ever seen. A true delight!

Andy is working so hard. He is such a man of integrity and loyalty. June is upon us now and thus begins the craziness of summer youth trips. He is starting it off with a bang by taking a group of high school students to Haiti at the end of this month. I am so proud of him. My experience in Haiti was so wonderful and life changing and I am so thrilled that he gets to venture to that part of the world and experience the beautiful people of Haiti for himself. I just wish I could go too... someday, Lord willing, we will return together.

And as for me, I am doing good. To say the last 8 months have been a challenge for me may be an understatement. Nothing has been really bad, just hard. Transitioning from 1 to 2 kids is a lot of change and I do not feel that people really warn you or prepare you for the feelings that you may feel. Why is it that we as women are so quick to put a smile on our face and say "things are so good!" instead of saying how we really feel? I wonder how much more comforted, poured into, and prayed for we would feel if we actually were honest with ourselves and others so they knew there was a need? I have always been a very honest and open girl (never very good at the sugar coating thing) and I have been feeling called to pour into women in this same season of life. To be candid with them and share in the ups and downs so that they know, and I know, that what we are feeling is normal and we are not alone! I want to be real, approachable, and I want to love well. I hope to use this blog as a platform to do so from time to time. To share what I am learning as I go through the daily grind of being a woman, a friend, a wife, and a mom.

I am so thankful for this life and the experiences I get.

That's it for now, I have to put miss sassafras to bed and Andy just walked in the door from church so I am going to make him something healthy to eat. Looking forward to sharing more soon.