May 2010

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Modern Homemaking REdefined: Reflections of an Ordinary Girl

05.31.10 in Mommyhood, My Crazy Life | No comments

Last time I posted, I mentioned writing a guest post for a writer friend of mine. Remember? I’m sure you do. Anyway, the article went live today, and I thought I’d give you a sneak peak at the guest post I wrote for Annie over at Sister Wisdom on Modern Homemaking:

Last Thursday night, I was sitting at my desk in the office, singing along with Martina McBride on iTunes, packaging several sets of custom stationery from my etsy shop, glancing over my shoulder at my 8-month-old daughter rolling around on the floor, listening to my husband talk about his day at work, and thinking about starting to cook supper when Dennis, the aforementioned husband, let out an alarmed yelp…

To read the rest of the post, click on over to the Modern Homemaking REdefined series at Sister Wisdom.

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Adventures in Babyland

05.29.10 in Mommyhood, My Crazy Life | 4 comments

I have been meaning to sit down and write all week long, but every time I logged in to begin writing, something else popped up, and I was unable to get my thoughts down in written form.

Ah well, such is the life of a modern homemaker. Speaking of which, my friend Annie over at Sister Wisdom is running a series of posts on Modern Homemaking over the next few weeks, and I was happy to contribute a post for the series. Look for my entry on Monday. It was nice to spend a few minutes reflecting on this crazy life that we live, and I very much enjoyed writing the post.

In other news, Micah has gotten very adventurous lately. It’s as if someone wound up the key stuck in her back, and she came to life. Her voice box has been turned over, and she babbles incessantly. She’s in full-on creeping/crawling mode, and she’s started pulling up to her knees. She’s mastered the art of sitting back up after she’s been rolling around on the floor, and she picks up finger food all by herself.

She’s a cute little booger, and she doesn’t stay still long enough for the camera to focus on her sweet face most of the time, but I managed to capture a few good ones for her monthly date with the sock monkey.


She’s cute, but she’s stubborn like her mama and daddy. And a picky eater. Like her mama used to be. Like her daddy still is.

Starting solid food with her has not been the most fun thing in the world. I’ve given up on baby food and have started giving her table food. At 8 and a half months, the child eats bananas, bread, grits, mashed potatoes, applesauce, and puffs. She despises apple juice, but she’ll sip water. She occasionally tolerates peas, but they’re not her favorite. She refuses to eat any form of vegetables. When she decides she doesn’t like something I’ve given her, she refuses to close her mouth and swallow the food. She doesn’t spit it out, she just sits there with her mouth hanging open until enough saliva drips out of her mouth to carry the food with it. It’s just as disgusting as it sounds. But kind of funny at the same time.

She’s a trip, that’s for sure.

She’s changed so much in the past few weeks, it’s unreal. We’re hitting some major milestones, and I’m watching my baby become a little toddler, which is exciting and scary at the same time.

Look out, world. Micah’s on the move, and she’s coming to get you!

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Special Offer from Senojal Designs

05.24.10 in Senojal Designs | 2 comments

Hi! Remember me? I used to blog here, but over the past couple of weeks, life got busy and crazy, and it became easier to pretend this site didn’t exist than it did to actually write a post.

Over the weekend, Senojal Designs blew past the 50-sales mark on etsy, and to celebrate the milestone, I’m offering a 15 percent discount to all blog readers from today, May 24, until the end of the month. Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. May 31. To take advantage of this offer, enter ETSY50 in the message to seller section during checkout on etsy, and I’ll issue you a refund for the difference!

Because life has been busy, my thoughts have been fragmented and disjointed, and I don’t have that much to say.

But, I do want to share some of the fruits of the busy-ness with you. Last week, I had the privilege of designing some super fun birthday party invitations for a sweet friend’s children. I like designing custom stationery for kids because it allows me to be more playful and fun than I get to be in my other designs.

Know anyone having a pool party?

What about a space-themed rocket party?

I had a lot of fun with these designs, and I was pleasantly surprised when my sister-in-law contacted me to request some rocket invitations for my rambunctious little nephew. I love being able to create something special for my friends and family. Selling custom stationery on etsy has been very rewarding, but there’s something incredibly validating and special about making stationery for people who actually know me.

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Baby Dedication

05.11.10 in Faith, Mommyhood | 8 comments

Two days ago, Dennis and I stood in front of our church and “committed ourselves to the Christian nurture” of our daughter. It was a precious moment, celebrated with family and friends. Micah won’t remember the day. She won’t remember the prayer. She won’t remember the way she wriggled in my arms and tried to eat her shoes.

But we will remember.

I’ve always been amazed that God would give me a job so important…that he would entrust me with the task of raising one of his sweet little children. I try to be a good mother not just because I love my daughter. Not just because I’m a perfectionist. But because for some crazy reason, God gave me this task. I want to do well because I want God to be pleased with the job I’ve done.

Micah is a sweet little girl. We rarely have days when I want to call a do-over. She’s got an infectious grin and a laugh that bubbles out of her. Every day, she shows me a new facet of her personality, and I’m quite surprised that so much life can fit into such a tiny package. She’s a sweet and precious gift from God. She’s cute as a button too; that doesn’t hurt.

It is my prayer that she will grow into a beautiful young woman who loves the Lord and chases after him with abandon. I know that I can’t shelter her from pain, but I pray that the hard times she faces will help her appreciate the good even more. I pray that God will transform us into the kind of parents that he created us to be. That he will grant us patience, and kindness, and grace and mercy as we raise his baby girl. I pray that God will help her forgive us when we make mistakes, that he will cultivate a gentle spirit, a contrite heart and a sweet disposition in her. I thank God for Micah every time she falls asleep in my arms. I pray that she will make her heavenly father proud. I pray that she will love him. I pray that she knows how much we love her, how much we care for her, how often we pray for her. I pray that God gets ahold of her in the same way he got ahold of me – in a way that will leave her forever changed – for the better.

These are the things I pray.

Some of them, anyway.

Will you pray with me?

The thing I love about baby dedications is that I get to pray for a tiny little person and his parents. That I get to call that child by name and ask God to protect and nurture, to guide and bless him. It’s a privilege that I love to be a part of.

I love it, because I feel like we’re really being the church when we commit to help raise a child. Will you be the church for us and pray for our family as we raise this precious little girl?

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Can I Have a Do-Over?

05.06.10 in Mommyhood, My Crazy Life | 5 comments

I call a do-over. Today has been a bear of a day, and it’s only 1:45 in the afternoon. It started out way too early, but that’s only because I stayed up way too late doing random things that I should have done when normal people are awake, but since Micah’s awake when normal people are awake, I have a hard time completing all the tasks that I think I ought to do.

Like balance the checkbook.

And pay the mortgage.

And wash dishes.

And put away the four dozen pairs of shoes that have collected in the den.

Stuff like that.

So anyway, I crawled into bed at 1:48 a.m., Dennis rolled out of bed to go to work sometime around 5 a.m., and Micah woke me up at 7:36 a.m.

I’m not exactly sure how long she’d been awake. She was cooing and talking to herself, and since I had been dreaming about my sweet daughter talking to me, I’m pretty sure that she had been awake for quite some time.

I pried one eyelid open to look at the clock.

Then I did what all good mothers do.

I rolled over and pretended that I didn’t hear her.

Don’t act shocked.

You know you do it too.

But then she became more vocal, so I dragged myself out of bed and tried not to fall asleep while I fed her.

Then I counted down the minutes until it was time for her morning nap.

Because then I could go back to sleep.

In case you haven’t noticed, Sleep and I are good friends. I like to hang out with Sleep for an obscene amount of time. When I don’t see enough of Sleep, I make life miserable for everyone around me. Trust me, you want me to spend time with Sleep.

So when the hands on the clock inched past 9 a.m., I decided it was time for Micah to close her eyes, because that’s what I wanted to do.

She had a different idea about that.

Apparently, she decided that she didn’t need her customary two-hour-long morning nap.

Today, about 30 minutes was enough.

Thirty minutes.

Let that sink in.

Do you know how difficult it is to get a good nap in 30 minutes?

Do you know how impossible it is to take a nap and get something else accomplished during that time?

Eventually I gave in and rescued Micah from her cage crib.

A couple of hours later, and she finally gave it up. I hope she stays asleep for a good long time.

Doesn’t she know that I have about 153 things to do today?

Now I can actually start working on getting some of them done. Like writing on here. Only 152 left.

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Telling Nashville’s Story

05.05.10 in Hodgepodge, My Crazy Life | 4 comments

I never know what to say when people ask me where I’m from. A part of me wants to answer, “I’m a Mississippi girl,” because the truth is that I’ve spent the vast majority of my life in the Magnolia State. But another part of me wants to answer, “Nashville,” because that’s where my parents live. It’s where I learned to drive. Where I went to high school. Where I spent a summer working. Where I was baptized {again}. Where I accepted a call to ministry. Where I spend holidays.

It’s the place I go when I go home.

So you can imagine how absolutely horrifying it is to see pictures of a submerged Music City in facebook pictures and on youtube. It breaks my heart to see the city that I love so much under water.


photo courtesy of Rachael Moore

It’s shocking to view pictures of the Opryland Hotel literally filled with water.

I never took Micah there.

Just a week and a half ago, we spent the weekend in Nashville visiting with the fam, and we spent a day at Opry Mills. Stacy {my sister} mentioned going to the Hotel so we could take a few pictures. But by the time we finished shopping, Micah was cranky, we were all tired, and we piled into the van and went home.

It’s something I regret now.

Because the Hotel’s gorgeous atrium is now a swamp.


Photo courtesy of Stephen Lee

And what fan of country music wouldn’t be dismayed to see this image from the Opry house?


Photo courtesy of The Grand Ole Opry

Billions of dollars worth of damage. Dozens of lives lost. Thousands of lives changed. An entire city devastated by the monumental amount of rain that deluged the city over the weekend.

Let’s not forget all the people who are going to need help recovering from this disaster. Let’s not ignore the devastation of a 1,000-year flood. Let’s not pretend that nothing happened.

Let’s remember.

And let’s do something about it.

Let’s tell Nashville’s story.

Let’s give our money.

Let’s give our time.

Let’s give our attention.

Let’s give our love.

Let’s give our prayers.

Clickable

Telling the Story
Nashvillest | Helping Nashville
Concord Grandview | Flood Relief Project
Middle Tennessee Red Cross
Samaritan’s Purse
Second Harvest Food Bank
Graceworks Ministries
Salvation Army | Nashville
Hands On Nashville
The Tennessean
Nashville Landmarks Flooded | The Tennessean
The Big Picture | The Boston Globe
Facts & Trends | LifeWay
We Are Nashville

Until next time, grace and peace.

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Free Printable :: Mother’s Day Card

05.04.10 in Senojal Designs | No comments

Becoming a mother has made me appreciate all the little things my mom did for me when I was Micah’s age. I may have taken those things for granted for the past 27 years, but now that I know how difficult it is to take care of an infant, I’ll never take it for granted again. Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and it will be a special day in our household. Not only is it my very first time to celebrate the day as a mother, but we will also have Micah’s baby dedication at church, and we’ll get to spend the weekend with our moms. I’m looking forward to it.

Has Mother’s Day crept up on you this year?

It’s OK. You can confess.

Admit it, some of you haven’t given much thought to the fact that Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Don’t worry, I’m here to save you from mama drama. How so? By giving you another freebie, courtesy of Senojal Designs.

This free printable card features a mama and baby bird on a whimsical tree branch. Feel free to print the card as many times as you like and give it to all the special mothers in your life.

The nitty gritty details about downloading this file: You may not accept credit for the design of this card or sell it to anyone. Senojal Designs retains the copyright. If you wish to share the digital file with others, please direct them to this post. Do not e-mail the file all over the world. Please don’t link directly to the download file – link to this post instead. Instructions for printing and cutting the card are included in the digital file. Click here to download the free printable Mother’s Day card!

Enjoy! If you download the card and like it, leave me a comment to let me know. Thanks!

Until next time, grace and peace.

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How High’s the Water, Mama?

05.03.10 in Hodgepodge, My Crazy Life | No comments

How high’s the water, mama?
Five feet high and risin’
How high’s the water, papa?
Five feet high and risin’

Well, the rails are washed out north of town
We gotta head for higher ground
We can’t come back till the water comes down,
Five feet high and risin’

Well, it’s five feet high and risin’

{Johnny Cash: Five Feet High and Risin’}

Unless you’ve been stuck under a rock for the past few days, you know that it’s a little…soggy…down here in the southeast. It’s not so bad here in North Mississippi, although we did get stuck in Corinth yesterday when we were trying to get home from Starkville. Water flooded the main thoroughfare, and we were hardpressed to get through. We finally made it home, but only after we backtracked out of Corinth, drove south to Rienzi and turned east again.

I don’t guess I’ll be going to Kroger to do my grocery shopping this week. Or anytime soon.

It’s wet down here. And at home. Home is Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.

Don’t worry, my parents haven’t floated away yet.

But that’s only because they live at the top of a hill.

Seriously, though. Downtown Nashville is a mess. It’s strange to see images of home flash across the news. It’s going to be a long time before life is back to normal up there.

The buckets of rain that God poured on us over the weekend washed away most of our plans to watch Mississippi State play baseball, but we were able to get in some good eating at some of our favorite Starkville restaurants. We played with our niece and nephew and visited with the family. It was nice.

But I’m glad to be home. And I’m thankful that our house is nice, and safe and dry. No more travels for a while. Next time, people are coming to us.

That means that I should probably clean the bathrooms this week.

Just wanted to let you know that we’re high and dry here in Iuka.

Until next time, grace and peace.

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