Lucy Turns 3

Saturday we celebrated Lucy's third birthday.  Well, we actually had a party for her the week before (with her cousin), which means we've totally confused her.  She has another party on May 12th.  Poor girl thinks birthdays happen at least three days a year.  

I can't even explain how much pink she has brought into our lives.

And in case you were dieing to know...no, I did not make the cake.  

Ha.

Three short years.  From this:

To This:

She is so much fun.  Happy Birthday Baby Girl.  Now it's unofficially, officially time to start potty training.  For real.  Tomorrow...

Pin It

Hemorrhaging

Day 27, 28, 29, 30 & 31 of 31 Days of Happy


It's hard to believe that October is almost done, along with 31 Days of Happy.  Maybe I'll spend the month of November posting on all the things that do not make me happy.  HA.  Kidding, only kidding.  


It's a little tempting though.  


Back to happy...


One of the major things that has been on my happy list this month is the Bible study that our ladies are doing.


This one:

This is our third Beth Moore study.  They're all amazingly good...but this one...extra extra good.  

I keep going back through it to re-read what I've underlined, to rehearse what I've learned again and again.  (we're only on week 4 of 10) 

There's something Beth Moore says, in particular, that I just can't get out of my head.  


"Without God's intervention, we can offer only a small bandage to someone hemorrhaging from uncontrolled emotions.  We may bring calm for a moment, but our efforts will have little lasting effect."


It's a word picture that I can't get out of my head.  It's so very, very true.


Maybe it's because I'm in ministry...or maybe it's just because I'm an average person like everyone else, but so many around me are very literally hemorrhaging with problems.  With issues.  With emotions.  With life.  


Can you picture someone hemorrhaging?  I've heard stories.  It's not pretty. It's not a slow bleed.  It's fast, and furious, and messy.  If not stopped quickly, it means death.  The doctor doesn't have a patient hemorrhage, and decide the best course of action is a band-aid.


My words may be able to calm...for a moment.  Which is good.  But they do not fix the problem.  They are not meant to fix the problem.  


Only God's intervention brings healing.  He's the only thing strong enough to stop a hemorrhage.  So many times we want someone to give us the answer. Give us the 5 step plan, or better yet 3 steps...shorter is always better, right?  And when the person we go to, lets us down or doesn't have an answer, or can't even help, we lose hope or worse yet...give up.  We continue to hemorrhage.


Only God brings the healing.  And before the healing can start, He has to stop the hemorrhage.  The way He chooses to stop it, well...that's up to Him.   What's up to us, is whether we will let Him or not.


In my experience, there's a vast number of people that would rather die hemorrhaging than surrender and let Him intervene.  


And I don't get it.  I just don't.


But that little quote of hers...it's gotten to me.  And God's using it to remind me of who I am...which is just someone He uses to send encouragement and truth.  And who He is...which is the Healer.  He is a great-big God.    

Pin It

White Slip Covers

 
Day 25and 26 of 31 Days of Happy


White Slip Cover Happy


I like white.  It's not practical, but sometimes...practical is over-rated, or in the very least not cute.


I blame Pinterest for pushing me over the edge into white-slip-cover heaven.

Source: theshowandtellblog.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: thepursuitaesthetic.tumblr.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Jenn on Pinterest

We are terribly hard on furniture.  I have proof...

I came across this blog, and was elated to find out she had a messy family like myself, and STILL loved her white slip covers.  She makes her own covers.  I debated about whether or not I thought I could make my own.  I ended up  deciding that my patience and skill level was not quite adequate to tackle a sofa cover (yet), but I thought I could probably pull off a chair/ottoman one.


After some internet searching I came across the website Ugly Sofa.  They sell high-end slip covers for a deeply discounted price.  Perfect. 


And when the covers came, guess what the tags said?  Pottery Barn.  I may have skipped around my living room for several minutes just from sheer elation.  

They even sent me this little monogrammed (Pottery Barn) makeup bag thingy as a surprise free gift.  Bonus!  

Before:  

After:

This is right out of the package...I am NOT ironing a couch.  For Realz.

Loose-fit cover

I ended up making my own ottoman cover *pat on back* 


And for the wing back chair, I ordered a loose cover, and am planning on making a fitted cover out of that.  But first I'm gonna have to practice with old bedsheets or something.  


The couch cover has been on for a week.  I thought I'd give it some time before I  blogged about it...so I could let you know how it's really going.  It  stayed cleaner than I thought it would.  I did learn that I need to put a blanket over the seat on the weekends though, because the boys go in and out of the house and then sit on it and it was looking a little grubby.


I washed it yesterday for the first time.  Easy peasy to wash, bleach, dry,  and get back on.  It makes me kind of grossed out to think of whats on my couch and never been washed off.  *shudder*  I really do love it.  It's casual, yet clean looking and it just makes me happy.  


I need to get crackin' on the chair slipcover, because the loose fitting one is driving me a little crazy.  I only paid $30 for it, and it is enough material for me to make the fitted cover.  It was far cheaper to go this route than it was to purchase the material at the fabric store.  ( all covers are 100% White Cotton Duck)


I also made some envelope pillow slip covers as well.  Because as you know...makeovers just keep spreading from one thing to the next.  Like the common cold.


I've made some other stuff too...I'm a sewing fool.

Pin It

Nothing Like a New Baby...

Day 21, 22, 23 & 24 of 31 Days of Happy


New baby nephew/cousin = Happy!




The Boys and Lucy were pretty excited to meet their newest baby cousin, Logan.  Can you tell?  (Ben and I totally ditched them when we went to see him in the hospital, because we're nice like that)

Lucy likes to give baby Logan love smacks pats on the head.  She was quite annoyed that we wouldn't let her.  It seems all we do lately is ruin her fun. Don't worry Logan, it's a good thing you joined the world at a whopping 10 lbs, because you're already 1/2 her weight...

We love you bunches already, Logan.  It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming your big brother Jack to the family!

Happy Big Brotherhood Jack!  Speaking from experience, the oldest kids certainly have it the toughest.  *cough*

Pin It

One and a Half

Day 18, 19 & 20 of 31 Days of Happy


Is combining three days of happiness in one post cheating?  I think not...I prefer the term "efficient."


Today Lucy is officially 1 1/2 years old.  


She talks non-stop.  Most of it we do not understand.  Her brother Jake (6yrs wise) informed me it's because she's speaking in Chinese.  Alrighty then.  


She has gotten quite good at saying animal sounds, uh oh, and sit.  And if you saw her cute little Miss America wave, you'd die.  She has the wrist-flick down to perfection.  


She also screeches.  A lot.  When happy, mad, excited, angry...you get the idea.  


We'd like the screeching to stop.  Like immediately.


The screeching aside, she's a hoot.  And so stinkin' adorable we can hardly stand it.  


She makes us all happy.  

Pin It

Happy Monday

Day 17 of 31 Days of Happy

Sitting here on the couch, next to my husband, while he watches his football team makes me happy.

If his football team, chose different colors for their uniforms, I'd be even happier.  Seriously Miami Dolphins, you're a football team...choose some manly-er colors already. 

The end.

Pin It

Happy to be Imperfect

Day 16 if 31 Days of Happy

Happy Imperfection.


I am definitely not a perfectionist.  I'm completely, unabashedly aware that I am not perfect...so how can an imperfect person contemplate doing something with perfection?  I can't fathom it.


Although, as a side note, I do expect perfection from my surgeon that I or someone I love may need someday...I'm just saying...


Anyways, I've been sewing like a crazy woman this week.  I've managed to make an ottoman cover, two pillow covers, fabric letters of the alphabet for Lucy for Christmas, and repaired my favorite chambray shirt.


I'll share my pillows and ottoman pics with you later this week...along with another little thing that makes me happy.


Everything I made displays mistakes.  It's a far cry from professional looking, but it's good enough for me.  And good enough is better than perfection.  Because good enough = done and perfection= never starting.


I say...embrace your imperfection.  Shout it from the roof top.  God shows Himself when we do...He can actually use us then.  

Pin It

Happy Scentsy

Day 15 of 31 Days of Happy

I have a lovely friend who sells Scentsy.  Heard of it?  I love it.  LOVE.


And tonight, I decided that Lucy is going to get THIS for Christmas.  With the Newborn Nursery scent pack...because it smells like baby powder and seriously, I can't get enough of that smell.


Don't tell Lucy about her present.  She hates when people spoil surprises.


Yummy smells = Happy


The End.

Pin It

Fresh Air

Day 14 of 31 Days of Happy

Fresh-Air Happy


The boys didn't have school today, so we made our annual trek through the outdoors.  It was a little chilly, the perfect kind of chilly.


Boys conquered trails...steep trails.  Us girls admired (and prayed for safety) from down below.  We played.  And soaked it all in...because the farmer's fields are quickly emptying of beans and corn...and every Iowan knows that empty fields mean:  Winter is coming.  *shudder*

Do you see the cloud shaped like a duck through the nasty dirty windshield?  That was our happy ending to the trip.

Pin It

Happy Bedtime

Day 13 of 31 Days of Happy

Bedtime for my children makes. me. HAPPY!


I love them.  Like crazy.  But by 8:00 Mama is done.  Really, really done.


I need the time between when they go to bed, and when we go to bed to just wind down...in quiet.  And by quiet, I mostly mean catching up with the DVR or Netflix, with my husband.  It's what we do.  Happy.

Pin It

Happy Pictures

Day 12 of 31 Days of Happy

So the other day, on my Big Earrings post, Leah asked what the thingy in the background was.  Kudos to Leah for paying attention to details...or maybe she was just trying to look at anything other than the weird expression on my face...I don't blame you Leah.


Here's the picture.  Again.  Because I have no shame.

See it back there?  I took a better picture of it for you...without my face in front of it.

It's a metal thing with little clips on it.  I've had it a few years. I bought it at a store in a town fairly close to me.  If you're local and you think you need one, email me and I'll give you the location...they still carry it. ;) It makes me happy.  At Christmas time I stick everybody's Christmas pictures on it.  Fun stuff.


Leah had mentioned that she was thinking of making something similar from the metal thing from a crib...you know, that thing the mattress lays on.  And I think that's an awesome idea!  So now, when the time comes to move Lucy to a big girl bed, I won't be so sad...because I'll secretly be glad to get my hands on the metal thingamajig.  Thanks Leah!  


So, this also brings me to another thought...if anyone else has any questions for me, I'd be happy to answer.  Just leave me a comment.  

Pin It

Day 10 - Happy Tracking

Day 10 of 31 Days of Happy

Happy Tracking.


Back in April, I was introduced to My Fitness Pal.  It's a FREE website that you can use to track your food intake for the day, exercise, and set weight loss goals.  You also set up a profile, so you can sort of social network with friends (or strangers) along the journey.  It's SUPER easy to use.  It even lets you know when they haven't logged on for awhile because they need "encouragement" which is code for "they've fallen off the wagon"  I know this, personally.  


It does not show them what you weigh.  I know you're all thinking it.   Only how much you want to lose (if you choose to share.)  It's been completely eye opening for me.  I've lost 15 pounds since April, and have four more to go...how on earth it can be SO HARD to lose four pounds, I will never understand.   


Also, just so you know some more useless information about me, I was eating more than twice the recommended calories for myself every. single. day.  And the sugar...about 4-5 times the amount I needed.  Yep, that bad.


I love myfitnesspal.  


And, if you decide to join it, and want a friend, I'd be happy to stalk have you.  Just email me and I'll give you my profile name.  


lifeintheparsonage@gmail.com  It's my blog name, all smashed together with  gmail at the end...in case you didn't notice.

Pin It