The Moral of the Story...

Not long ago on Facebook, I posted a picture of this in my status:

It could be titled:  I Had Three Boys First and I Don't Know What to do With These Things


Or maybe a shorter title would be better.



But my friend Cortney hooked me up.  Big time.  As in,  she made me the ribbon holder and hand delivered it to my front door.  Is that not fantastic?!?

Seriously people, I don't want you to miss the moral of this story.  Which is, in desperate circumstance, throw that problem out on the internet and someone somewhere will take pity on you and help you and soon you'll go from that terrible picture above, to  this:

I got this idea from a friend too.  It's full of all the headband thingys.


Lucy's head still looks like this:

Now I just have to remember to actually put them in her hair. 

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A Letter...

Dear Sarah@Life in the Parsonage,

Remember when you said on your blog that you were doing a 30 for 30 remix and that on MONDAYS you would post pictures of the outfits you'd put together?  Well, it's Monday and there are no pictures.  I hear it's because you went most of the week forgetting to even take a picture of yourself.  I also hear that it's actually extremely weird and awkward-feeling to take a picture of you and your whole outfit.  Apparently, your husband offered his picture taking skills, but you turned him down because posing also felt, well...ridiculous.  

Get over yourself.  Remember to take pictures, because the people don't care if you look self conscious and insecure...frankly, they like them better if you do look awkward...much more entertaining that way.   (They're laughing with you , not at you) *cough*

And yes, you're right, some of your outfits were boring.  Really boring.  That's ok.  It's the process, remember?

Now get your butt in gear.

Thank you kindly,

Sarah@Life in the Parsonage

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The Moment

It feels like yesterday...that she was so tiny.

In two days she'll be 10 months old.  Last night, she started crawling on all fours.  And like always, I felt the surge of mixed emotions....excited for the next step and a nagging sadness over saying goodbye to yet another baby stage.

I have breathed in every moment of the last 10 months.  I can't say that about my first three babies...back then I didn't understand how fleeting the time was.  How I'd look at a baby one day, and a 3rd grader the next.  Wondering how their feet got so huge, without me even noticing.  How does that happen? I see him everyday.

I'm learning to breathe-in the moment.  No rushing it.  No trying to slow it.  Just living it.   The 3rd grader, the 2nd grader, the 5 year old, the baby.  Trying to embrace it, yet not hold on too tightly...because it's a moment.  They're meant to grow...I'm meant enjoy the moment and trust that God holds the future.  

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The 30 Items

In case you're wondering why I'm posting pictures of articles of clothing, you'd better go back and read the past few posts.


Or just think I'm weird.  Because I sorta am.


Anyways, I'm in a hurry.  It's warm outside, like 50 and heading upward...warm enough for the pasty Iowans to break out shorts...I'm not, but I'll plan on keeping my sunglasses on so that their  bright white legs don't blind me.  And, if you're lucky, I'll take pictures with my sly camera phone.


Ok, so here they are...with the exception of what I'm wearing today, which is in the remix, but I put it on before taking the pics...

Brown cardigan (target), Cream rosette tshirt JCrew) Jeans (american eagle) 

Striped short sleeve (thrifted) Blue/Orange shirt (thrifted, but it's Anthropologie with TAGS STILL ON!) and blush shell (Jcrew)

Striped t (Target), Grey/Mustard dot T shirt (thrifted), Gray short sleeve t (Jcrew), Cream v-neck (VonMaur)

Yellow shirt (Target), White Pheasant shirt (OldNavy), Blue Check (Old Navy) Striped Boatneck (Jcrew)

Jeggings (Express), Skinny jeans (Express), Trouser Jeans (Gap), White Jeans (Old Navy) 

Dress (Old Navy) Skirt (Target)

Cardigans:  Grey boyfriend (Old Navy), Charcoal (Jcrew), Green (Old Navy) Cream (old navy)

Navy Blazer (Gap), Mustard sweater (Old Navy)

Shoes all from Target, including boots below.  Go figure ;)

Ok, so that's it.  


And I only put what brand the stuff was, because all the other remixers do and I'm a total copy cat.  Plus, I kinda like knowing where they got the stuff, even if it's super old...which some of mine is.   


As you can see...it's a hodge podge.  Just like my life.  Just like my blog.

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Preview to the Preview

Yesterday I mentioned the 30 day remix I'm doing. Tomorrow I'm planning on posting the 30 items I've chosen, and then hopefully post pictures once a week of the outfits...let's say, on Mondays maybe?  Yeah, that will do.  I know you're all on the edge of your seats for this, I can tell from all 5 commenters yesterday.


If anyone's interested in joining me, that would be fun too.  You know you want to.   Let's inspire each other.  *tap, tap, tap*...I'm not sure anyone's even out there anymore...aw well, I'm pretty good at talking to myself anyways.

 I didn't wear this outfit today...it's from last week.  I'm just preparing you.  



You know what you will be seeing me wear a lot of?  These:

Why, you ask?  BECAUSE I MADE THEM MYSELF!  I found the idea through a blog that sells them.  I wanted to order one....very badly.  But remember I'm on Dave Ramsey's budget plan...meaning no cute necklace and bracelet for me.  Unless...I could figure out how to make it myself on the cheap.  I did.  A few hours and hot-glue-gun-burns later, I was done! It's not as perfect as the one I saw online.  But it's good enough.


And, in case you're the kind that doesn't budget, then I give you the glorious website, Allora Handmade, where you can buy it, in all it's glorious perfection.  And if you can't, just go look and adore, because seriously, that girl has some skill to make all those rosettes...my fingers hurt just thinking about it.

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30 Day Style Remix

I've been all over the place in blogland lately.  Quietly creeping around, without making my presence known...mostly to new blogs.  Trying to step out of my little box and try something new.  It started with sewing/crafting blogs and somehow lead to style blogs.  


I love style.  


Everyone has one.  Be it good, or bad....or really bad...everyone has one.


Last week I glanced in the mirror about 3:30 in the afternoon, just before the boys got home from school and thought to myself, 

Wow...you look like someone who just doesn't care.  When did that happen?  This winter has beaten the style right out of me.  

I had plenty of good reasons for my pajama-like clothing and dirty hair, none of which helped me to feel better.  So I'm re-entering the world of showering and getting myself ready for the day, even if I have no where to go and nothing to do but take care of kiddos.


It's nice to be back.


I just feel better.  Funny how that works.


Which brings me to my point (finally):  I'm doing a little 30 for 30 challenge that I found on this blog called Kendi Everyday.  She's adorable, by the way. It's about remixing the clothes I already have.   It means 30 items, 30 outfits, in 30 days. 


3 Rules:  1) Pick out 30 items to wear (shoes included, but not accessories or                               outwear)
              2) Remix the 30 items into 30 (or more) different outfits
              3) no shopping for 30 days


There's lots more info about it on her blog.  But the idea of it is that you learn to shop your closet and love what you already have, and it forces creativity.  And I work best under pressure...


It took me 2 days to commit to what was going in my 30 items pile.  I poured over her suggestions and past remixes and stared at my closet dumbfounded that I could have that many clothes and think there's nothing to wear.  


Ridiculous.


It's time to get creative with it.  


So....that's what I'm up to.  


I  may post pictures.  I may whine and cry.  I may come up with some cute outfits that bring me back into the land of the living. ;)


But the challenge is on.

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I Get Excited...

I get excited about stuff.  


I do.  It's who I am.  How I'm wired.

Unless you're new to me, this doesn't come as a surprise to you.  


There's an ebb and flow to life, and there's an ebb and flow to what I'm currently excited (and by excited I mean obsessed) about.  Kinda like seasons, I guess.


I give you my top 7 as of late:


7.  My Menu Board

6.  The Packers.  I love them, and though I've only been a fan for a few short years, I've invested myself fully :)  and my Noah couldn't have been happier on Sunday.

5.  Sewing.  This one sort of came out of nowhere.  But I'm having fun with it.

4.  Cityville.  It's a dumb facebook application that really should not be all that fun, but lately I find it completely entertaining.  I blame it on February in Iowa.


3.  New Tupperware.  Sounds ridiculous, but when did Tupperware get so cute?!?  A friend had a party and I got this stuff and I can't quit looking at it and smiling.

2.  Reading.  I've rekindled my love of reading.  I don't really get into fiction all that much, but anything else will pretty much do.  My husband (the pastor) also shares the same love so there are piles of books every.where.  One of the last books I finished, I actually read the last page and immediately started at the beginning again.  I love a book that grabs me by the shoulders and gives me a good *shake* to wake me up, make me think.  Crazy Love did that.  And it's ringing in my ears and heart daily that status quo is not good enough...it's garbage, actually.




1.  Spending time with my God.


I recently watched a friend walk through a really tough life situation.  Suddenly everyone who vaguely knew her wanted to be her friend in order to help...in reality, if they had really known her, they would have realized that some of the very things they were doing to "help" were actually causing her more grief.  Their intentions were good, but it irritated me no less.  And it got me thinking...


Do I do that with God?  Do I say I know Him, yet fail to spend time with Him daily, hourly...regularly.  


Relationships never grow without communication.  Ever.  And the closest of the relationships in my life are with the people I rub shoulders with on a daily or regular basis.  Sure, there's some long lost friends that I can go without seeing and then pick up where we left off...but it's picking up where we left off...not from a place of deep understanding of one another in the current.


And there is a difference.  


I realized I was doing this with God.  And I grieved.  


I want to know Him daily.  Because that is really the only way that He is able to transform me.  


Which leads me to this little book:

I notoriously dislike devotional books.  I'll spare you  my list of reasons, but mostly...they annoy me.  


It never fails that God works greatly in  my life through things I find annoying.


Over Christmas, I picked up a flyer that had the above book, Jesus Calling pictured in it.  And, because I judge books by their covers, and thought this would look super cute on my pile of books, I grabbed my cell and asked my mom to pick me up a copy at the store by her house.  It was very random...so I thought.


As soon as I picked the book up, I was hooked.  I read through the whole thing like a novel.  It's written as if Jesus is speaking right at you.  The "I," "Me," "My," etc always mean Jesus, while the "you" and "your" mean me, the reader.  


I fell in love with it.  The kicker:  It's a devotional FOR KIDS.  Crack me up.  


Oh it gets better.


About the same time I was searching for out next Ladies Bible Study material. We were wrapping up Forgotten God (amazing, by the way) and everything I thought was gonna be a great idea, just never quite felt right.


And then He hit me with it.  I wasn't the only one who needed to be spending time with Him on a daily basis.  I sat on the idea of it for awhile, hoping I hadn't quite understood Him right.  After all, the lovely ladies in our Bible study more than graciously put up with my craziness, however presenting them with the idea that our "study" is actually going to be a devotional book for kids was not really what I wanted to share with them.  Because who comes up with that?!?  


God does.


Without a doubt.


And because it's His deal, and not mine, they were totally game for it.


Tonight, we meet together for the first time after starting this "study" and I'm so excited to see what God's doing.  


I'll leave you with this little nugget from the book, that I've been chewing on since January 30th:

... whatever you think about the most becomes your god, your idol, the thing you worship.  From Jesus Calling for Kids

I can't get past it.  How many things do I think about more than Him?  He's changing me though.  Through this time with Him, daily, hourly...He's rising to the top.

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