I have several different categories of cards, these just happen to be the ones I worked on today since I am out of stock of this particular category.....which is a great thing! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek!
February 28, 2008
Take a Peek!
I have been busy working on replenishing my card inventory today. Below are examples of some of the cards I made for celebrating babies and kiddo birthdays- go on, take a peek!
I have several different categories of cards, these just happen to be the ones I worked on today since I am out of stock of this particular category.....which is a great thing! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek!
I have several different categories of cards, these just happen to be the ones I worked on today since I am out of stock of this particular category.....which is a great thing! I hope you enjoyed taking a peek!
February 20, 2008
Feeling Tender Today
Today, like most days, has not been without the typical busyness of life that finds me running around the neighborhood and doing this and that. And while normally I find myself on automatic pilot when I am running errands and not really thinking or feeling anything particular, I found myself feeling tender to the touch all day.
I repeatedly listened to the same song in the car and as the songs used to do when I would make the commute to and from Deerfield, this song became so personal and filled with meaning that I found myself being moved to tears by it. My mind was filled with racing thoughts of people, of all nations and creeds, praising and worshipping God and then seeing Him pour His blessings over earth. I had thoughts of people being freed from chains and living the life God has intended for us.
I stopped by our church office and was engaged in conversation with one of our pastors about our children's ministry when in the middle of his talking my eyes began to well up with tears. The faces of the children in our church danced across my mind and my heart felt a pang, not of sadness, but of joy. These sweet little babies and children are already becoming living temples for the Lord; you can see it in their eyes and hear it in their prayers. When Christ walked the earth, He had a special place in His heart for the children- I can see why.
When I walked into the grocery store there was a man asking me to buy a newspaper from him and I had no cash, so I couldn't buy a paper when normally I do. When I got inside, my eyes welled up with tears that I had to say no to him because I felt as if my saying no thank you to buying a paper from him was a greater rejection of him as a person trying to make a living. It was so important to me that he knew that I respected him and that I saw him, I mean truly saw him, that when I came out of the store I made sure to make eye contact with him, give him a smile, and wish him a good evening. I know what I said is no big deal, but I figure most people do not look him in the eye and choose to breeze by him without a word of acknowledgement and I would imagine that after a while, that begins to feel dehumanizing.
As I stumbled through the door of our place, made my way to the various rooms to put things down, and then turn on my computer, I began to cry again. But these were not tears of sadness, these were tears of thankfulness. I am thankful for this home and the things that are in it. I am thankful for the memories that I have of friends and family who have sat in our chairs and talked by the glow of candles. I am thankful for the man who walks through the door of our home each work night and has a hug and a kiss for me, as well as a signature way of singing hello.
All signs today are pointing to a prayer I have had for myself, which is for the Lord to make me more aware of His people and what He is doing in and through them and remind me to be grateful for what He has given me and spend less time thinking of what I do not have or wish I had.
I repeatedly listened to the same song in the car and as the songs used to do when I would make the commute to and from Deerfield, this song became so personal and filled with meaning that I found myself being moved to tears by it. My mind was filled with racing thoughts of people, of all nations and creeds, praising and worshipping God and then seeing Him pour His blessings over earth. I had thoughts of people being freed from chains and living the life God has intended for us.
I stopped by our church office and was engaged in conversation with one of our pastors about our children's ministry when in the middle of his talking my eyes began to well up with tears. The faces of the children in our church danced across my mind and my heart felt a pang, not of sadness, but of joy. These sweet little babies and children are already becoming living temples for the Lord; you can see it in their eyes and hear it in their prayers. When Christ walked the earth, He had a special place in His heart for the children- I can see why.
When I walked into the grocery store there was a man asking me to buy a newspaper from him and I had no cash, so I couldn't buy a paper when normally I do. When I got inside, my eyes welled up with tears that I had to say no to him because I felt as if my saying no thank you to buying a paper from him was a greater rejection of him as a person trying to make a living. It was so important to me that he knew that I respected him and that I saw him, I mean truly saw him, that when I came out of the store I made sure to make eye contact with him, give him a smile, and wish him a good evening. I know what I said is no big deal, but I figure most people do not look him in the eye and choose to breeze by him without a word of acknowledgement and I would imagine that after a while, that begins to feel dehumanizing.
As I stumbled through the door of our place, made my way to the various rooms to put things down, and then turn on my computer, I began to cry again. But these were not tears of sadness, these were tears of thankfulness. I am thankful for this home and the things that are in it. I am thankful for the memories that I have of friends and family who have sat in our chairs and talked by the glow of candles. I am thankful for the man who walks through the door of our home each work night and has a hug and a kiss for me, as well as a signature way of singing hello.
All signs today are pointing to a prayer I have had for myself, which is for the Lord to make me more aware of His people and what He is doing in and through them and remind me to be grateful for what He has given me and spend less time thinking of what I do not have or wish I had.
February 18, 2008
Wonderful Wellie Wevolution
There is a wonderful Wellie revolution happening; all across the country people are putting on these wonderfully colorful knee-high boots to brave the cold and wet that winter brings. A creative writer in Iowa has dazzling red Wellies- it's her Midwest version of Dorothy's red slippers. A lawyer in Chicago just got the robin's egg blue Wellies, which just so happens to be the color of her alma mater. And a few more ladies are contemplating what color to get; after all, there are so many colors to choose from!
Oh these Wellies, they are terrific! It's not very often a lady finds a boot that does the job of keeping your feet protected from winter elements all while delivering head-turning style. If I seem obsessed, I AM! And I love my new Wellie Warmers that just came in the mail- they are doing a good job of keeping my feet extra warm and comfy.
If you have been inspired to get your own pair of Wellies due to my constant mentioning of them on this blog, please do send me a picture of them once they arrive and I will post it for all to see and admire.
Oh these Wellies, they are terrific! It's not very often a lady finds a boot that does the job of keeping your feet protected from winter elements all while delivering head-turning style. If I seem obsessed, I AM! And I love my new Wellie Warmers that just came in the mail- they are doing a good job of keeping my feet extra warm and comfy.
If you have been inspired to get your own pair of Wellies due to my constant mentioning of them on this blog, please do send me a picture of them once they arrive and I will post it for all to see and admire.
Here are the ruby red "slippers" of Iowa where the wearer reports that they are turning heads indeed!
February 17, 2008
Business Update 3
Yippee! I got my cards into two more stores, so that makes a total of 7 out of my goal of 10! I feel pretty confident that I will get those last three stores before the snow is completely melted away and the buds are pushing their way up through the saturated ground. I cannot express enough how exciting this is to me. Several months ago this was all a dream and a crazy idea, but slowly things are becoming a reality and I have to say, real life is far more exciting that dream life!
I also have a few weddings coming up that I'll be doing invitations for and there may be some new clients in the future through recommendations from past clients. All in all, I am staying busy with the business and am looking for ways to get even busier.
I also have a few weddings coming up that I'll be doing invitations for and there may be some new clients in the future through recommendations from past clients. All in all, I am staying busy with the business and am looking for ways to get even busier.
February 15, 2008
Keeping it Boring
Okay, talk about keeping it boring- Jason and I, on a youthful Friday night, are doing laundry, running the dishwasher, and picking up the house for tomorrow's company (new clients coming over). I can remember when a Friday night with Jason was going out for dinner, seeing a concert, and stealing kisses. While I am a home-body by nature, I truly don't mind what we are doing tonight, as long as I still get to steal a kiss or two.
But seriously, you know you are a bit boring when a 70-something-year-old woman comes trapsing through the lobby in all her fur and lipstick glory while I am holding a laundry basket in sweats. Oh well, at least we are having dinner tomorrow night with friends- I won't wear fur, but I am certainly not going to wear sweats!
But seriously, you know you are a bit boring when a 70-something-year-old woman comes trapsing through the lobby in all her fur and lipstick glory while I am holding a laundry basket in sweats. Oh well, at least we are having dinner tomorrow night with friends- I won't wear fur, but I am certainly not going to wear sweats!
February 13, 2008
Safe and Sound
Jason and I just returned (only got off the plane 4 hours ago) from a few sunny days in San Diego and this post is to let our families know that we are safe and sound and tucked away in our little nest.
To our San Diego family: It's really not that cold here, but it sure as heck ain't 80!
To our Chicago/Wisconsin family: Um, should we all start discussing migrating out west for the winters?
This post is also to let those of you who have sent me e-mail since last Friday know that I will respond to your e-mails shortly and that I have not been ignoring you.
And of course, to all of you love birds out there, consider this your Happy Valentine's Day greeting!
To our San Diego family: It's really not that cold here, but it sure as heck ain't 80!
To our Chicago/Wisconsin family: Um, should we all start discussing migrating out west for the winters?
This post is also to let those of you who have sent me e-mail since last Friday know that I will respond to your e-mails shortly and that I have not been ignoring you.
And of course, to all of you love birds out there, consider this your Happy Valentine's Day greeting!
February 7, 2008
Shelter
I’ve been thinking about shelter. Having it. Giving it. Knowing it.
The other night, as the wind and sleet whipped against our windows, I was thankful for the shelter of our home. I could picture several faces of people that I “know” that likely did not have shelter that night. These are the men and women I see at the end of the Irving Park ramp coming off of 94 or that are stationed outside of Walgreen’s on Halsted. I don’t know where they were that night - I can only hope that they had shelter.
We know a couple that made room for a young man to stay in their one bedroom apartment with them for a month. When I heard this, I seriously had to think about if we would open our home to someone for that long- I still don’t know if we would or not. Either way, I thought it was really great that they gave someone shelter.
I feel very blessed by the shelter of the community that Jason and I have found in our church. We have found friendships with some wonderful people. There are two couples that we take turns with in hosting dinner or planning something fun every other month or so and that has been such a fun way for Jason and I to share in the friendship of others at the same time. There are friends that knew Jason before they knew me and then when I moved back home, they welcomed me into their circle. There are friends that have come out of serving in our children’s ministry together. Shelter sometimes comes in just seeing familiar faces. We have found shelter in these people.
But the shelter that I most prefer and live under is the shelter that the Lord gives me. The shelter of His infinite and unfailing love. The shelter of His sustaining comfort and wisdom. The shelter of His powerful might and perfect will. Oh, how I love His shelter.
The shelter of the Cross, the place where Christ died as a ransom for us all, this is life-giving shelter. His blood that was shed is my covering. His blood that was shed is your covering. I know this. I know this shelter. At times, it is the only shelter I find comfort in.
The other night, as the wind and sleet whipped against our windows, I was thankful for the shelter of our home. I could picture several faces of people that I “know” that likely did not have shelter that night. These are the men and women I see at the end of the Irving Park ramp coming off of 94 or that are stationed outside of Walgreen’s on Halsted. I don’t know where they were that night - I can only hope that they had shelter.
We know a couple that made room for a young man to stay in their one bedroom apartment with them for a month. When I heard this, I seriously had to think about if we would open our home to someone for that long- I still don’t know if we would or not. Either way, I thought it was really great that they gave someone shelter.
I feel very blessed by the shelter of the community that Jason and I have found in our church. We have found friendships with some wonderful people. There are two couples that we take turns with in hosting dinner or planning something fun every other month or so and that has been such a fun way for Jason and I to share in the friendship of others at the same time. There are friends that knew Jason before they knew me and then when I moved back home, they welcomed me into their circle. There are friends that have come out of serving in our children’s ministry together. Shelter sometimes comes in just seeing familiar faces. We have found shelter in these people.
But the shelter that I most prefer and live under is the shelter that the Lord gives me. The shelter of His infinite and unfailing love. The shelter of His sustaining comfort and wisdom. The shelter of His powerful might and perfect will. Oh, how I love His shelter.
The shelter of the Cross, the place where Christ died as a ransom for us all, this is life-giving shelter. His blood that was shed is my covering. His blood that was shed is your covering. I know this. I know this shelter. At times, it is the only shelter I find comfort in.
February 2, 2008
Under the Weather
Yuck....I have had a cold for the past four days and just can't seem to shake it. Jason asked me where I "got" if from, so now I am playing Sherlock Holmes. Where did I get my cold?
Did I maybe pick up a cold from one of the sweet babies in church when I was in the nursery on Sunday? There were some runny noses in the crowd.
Perhaps I forgot to wash my hands after I came home from running errands on Monday and then when I quickly gobbled up an orange someone's cold germs made it into my mouth.....ew, yuck!
Hannah, do you think you gave me your cold when we went for our walk this past Tuesday? If so, next time I'll take a rain check!
Well wherever I got it from, it came on Wednesday and as of tonight, it is still hanging out. But, I have a few things that have been helping me get back on the road to wellness.
Aren't these just lovely? Oh my, beautiful calla lillies in February- what a treat! These were given to me by Christina to help me feel better.....they're working! I take them to whatever room I am in while I am home- they are traveling flowers. Thank you, Christina!
Did I maybe pick up a cold from one of the sweet babies in church when I was in the nursery on Sunday? There were some runny noses in the crowd.
Perhaps I forgot to wash my hands after I came home from running errands on Monday and then when I quickly gobbled up an orange someone's cold germs made it into my mouth.....ew, yuck!
Hannah, do you think you gave me your cold when we went for our walk this past Tuesday? If so, next time I'll take a rain check!
Well wherever I got it from, it came on Wednesday and as of tonight, it is still hanging out. But, I have a few things that have been helping me get back on the road to wellness.
Aren't these just lovely? Oh my, beautiful calla lillies in February- what a treat! These were given to me by Christina to help me feel better.....they're working! I take them to whatever room I am in while I am home- they are traveling flowers. Thank you, Christina!
And this is my tray of goodies: cough drops and vitamin C drops in the front; tissues in the back; Ibuprofen; and the miracle worker, my Aveda oil- I put some on my nose to prevent it from chapping from those harsh tissues. Oh, and in the background do you see Jason's picture? That is especially nice to have when I am bed-ridden and cannot see him while he is working in the den!
Special thanks to Jason for making me fresh-squeezed o.j. the last two days. And thanks again to Christina for the tea and citrus fruit.....those have come in handy!
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