Sneak Peak

Here are a few fun pictures from my photoshoot with the Franks boys.

Miracles

It occured to my slow mind today that when I've asked myself a million times, "How could my heart ever be like God's?" I was totally not believing that it was literally possible. I mean really. I'm a tiny human and he's...well...God. So, as much as I would love to LOVE just like him, I always doubted that I was possible of such perfect and complete love.

After all, how in this huge world could my heart ever love PERFECTLY like his? Well...what I failed to realize was that all of this time he's been waiting in my heart. Waiting for me to let him help. Why this is just now occurring to me? I'm not sure. I think I've always known that he "lived in my heart" but not that he consumed my heart completely, my attitude, and my strength with his own if I would but let him have it all. I always tried to be in control and love "like God." See, I had it all wrong. I need to love with God.

In days when you feel like you can't do it, you don't have the attitude, you don't have the love to give, you don't have the patience, you don't have the desire or the hope--then please check yourself. You can, because God did.

It's not your strength that will get you through, it's Jesus, who lives in you and helps you. He is with us every single moment and sees every single tear, every single act of kindness, and hears your prayers in your deepest darkest moments or your most joyful hours. Whenever I doubt this, I immediately think of Jesus carrying his cross, being tortured and spit on by the very people he was dying to save, and it all becomes so clear. Oh how he loves us.

We serve a God of love. A God of mercy.

He's attracted to your heart. How did we get so lucky to have a God that cares about our tiny lives? It really is a miracle, isn't it?

If it's a figment of your imagination and it will never be real, then let it go. If you read too many romance novels and your relationship is tanking because of it, stop reading. If your feet are falling off from walking around all day, sit down. If you are unhappy with your life, change it. If you can't change it, pray. If you feel hopeless, find something to hope in. If you are tired, sleep. If you need love, love others. If you need God, wait patiently. If you need a hug, call me.

Goodnight.

Michelle

Noise

Sometimes noises make me smile. I am thoroughly happy listening to the clink of the glass plate in the dishwasher every 2 seconds, the background noise of the TV too low to distinguish, and the low hum of the lights in the hallway. I hear the neighbors shouting about a tire, Mini's tiny toenails running down the hallway followed by Bella's larger ones just behind. I hear the heater kick on and a slight warm breeze hits my legs. I hear the dogs playing in the living room with low throat growls, and then I hear my breath, coming slowly out of my nose. Quiet. It all goes still and somehow I put it out of my head again, only noticing it when I want to, when I least expect it.

Baby Scarflets

I am now making baby scarflets! If you'd like a scarflet like this let me know and I'd be glad to make you one for $10. I can make them in custom toddler sizes too for $14. These are made with Super Bulky yarn and baby sizes are 15 inches long.

If you are interested in adult sizes, they are available in: lime green, pink, black, brown, light blue, jungle green, sunshine, fushia, and orange. They are $18. Please allow one week's notice for custom orders.

Baby Shower!

My sister's baby shower was too cute. Lets start with the beautiful mom.

She's too gorgeous to be pregnant!

They are decorating in jungle and love monkeys, hence the cute theme you might notice :)

The girlies

This is her "it's too cute" face

Showing sonogram pictures

My mom made this adorable diaper cake!

We had monkey, elephant, zebra, and giraffe cookies! They were all so precious.

Ha! And how do you love my creativity? Monkey cupcakes :)

What a wonderful day!

My best kept secrets that WORK!

If you need to clean your microwave, put 1/2 c. lemon juice in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and wipe clean. Seriously. It comes right off.

If you need to clean your coffeepot out, run plain white vinegar through it instead of water, followed by running two cycles of water through afterwards.

If you need to clean the seriously stuck on junk off of your pots and pans, you know, like the black or discolored-looking spots? Get a damp cloth and run the inside of the pan, then sprinkle some baking soda in there and scrub away! It works like absolute magic without scratching your expensive pans! *Favorite

Let's talk about tile grout, you know, that stuff I wish I didn't have any of in my house? Ajax works like a charm, but it has bleach in it, so don't get it on any fabric! I use a little Ajax, a toothbrush, and some elbow grease. Let it sit a second and rinse.

Ink Stains (no matter HOW severe!) Our dog chewed an ENTIRE BLACK ink pen in the center of the new living room carpet which made a 3 inch circle of mess! I was nervous that it wouldn't come out, but I tried a solution that I found online and was absolutely shocked when it worked! Mix a 1/2 scoop of dry oxyclean with isopropyl alcohol. Apply with a Q-tip and dab it for about 5 minutes. When you have most of it up you can start rubbing it. It will take about 20 minutes to get out a large stain like mine, but minor stains will come out quickly. You would never be able to find the ink spot in our living room!

If you get a run in your pantyhose, apply clear nail polish on the run to stop it from creeping any further until you get home.

Umbrella

I keep reminding myself that the sun always comes out after the rain. This captures my day.

photo by Rayani Melo

It's a boy!

People! Only three days until Roxanne's baby shower! I cannot express to you my excitement! This is a serious first! I know that Roxanne doesn't really read my blog (or I'm not aware of it) so I feel okay about saying what we're doing and getting some feedback. I just want to make sure I got everything, and why shouldn't I with all of you girls (and guys) out there?

We have:

people

a diaper cake

amazing animal shaped sugar cookies from a bakery

scones and lemon sauce from a tearoom

fresh flowers!!! (that was my MUST!)

classic baby cupcakes with cute little blue monkeys on the top (going with the animal theme)

fruit kabobs

a banner made of diapers (genius idea from my mother)

Punch (any suggestions??---would it be appropriate to just have hot/cold tea?)

cute vintage glass plates, teacups, and saucers

party favors

any cute game ideas?

And oh yes, it's a boy!!

The cake below is one I've attempted to make this week, and I learned that fondant is not as easy as you might imagine (my culinary flaw). If any of you know how, I'd like a class please. I went another route, but I really am a little depressed that I can't make this for my sister and was so in love with this cake! Maybe I'll learn how to do this fondant masterpiece (or will purchase it) in time for baby shower number two, whenever that may be. I can say that I tried (and failed), but TRIED!!!

(www.marthastewart.com)

5 Valentine's Day Ideas!!

Ever get stuck trying to be creative? Here are 5 great ideas that will make your day a little easier!

1. Absolutely yes. You can make cookies! If you want to make these, you can visit Cake on the Brain for these and more yummy recipes! The time and effort of the homemade gift is sure to be appreciated.

2. For those of you that wait to buy a card until the last day. This year, don't. Buy your card early and send your sealed and fully pre-addressed pre-stamped card to your sweetie INSIDE of another envelope to: Postmaster, Attn: Valentines, Loveland CO 80537. Your card will be postmarked LOVEland, Colorado and it will also be hand-stamped with a unique four line poem. The Loveland Chamber of Commerce heads up this yearly romance project with cards going to all 50 states and over 100 foreign countries annually.

You can also send it to postmasters of these cities too:

Valentine, Texas 79854

Valentine, Nebraska 69201

Kissimmee, Florida 32741

Loving, New Mexico 88256

Bridal Veil, Oregon 97010

Romance, Arkansas 72136

3. Make a cute glass jar for your sweetie filled with sweet notes. You can decorate it up for valentine's day or even cut out pink, white, and red paper hearts and put a special note on each heart or offer a free service such as "I'll do the dishes for a week", "take a nap and let me take out the trash", "back rub", "night out while I watch the baby" and other sweet things. Perhaps she would even like an encouraging bible verse or "a night looking at wedding pictures". Who wouldn't love a gift that keeps on giving?

4. For those of you that enjoy cooking, you can definitely create a color themed meal. I read about a girl who cooked a meal complete with pink mashed potatoes, a red jello salad, and pink bread! You may not want to go that extreme, but I loved the creative thought!

photo found on flickr

5. Some of you may have more of a disposable income and just want a super-creative idea. Here you go! I read online about a lady who had a husband who was always so appreciative of everything she did for him, but she truly wanted to surprise him, so she rented a hot tub from a company in town and they came, set it up, and filled it for her--in the living room! She called to see when her honey was coming home and put a note on the front door that said to that his gift was waiting inside. She lit some candles, played some jazzy music, and when he came in, she was waiting for him in the hot tub. She swears it was the best valentine's day of her life. I imagine so!

I hung out with a girlfriend last night that sees the beauty in life. And, although we've both changed so much, it's always nice to know that she is there for me. I never question her loyalty or wonder what she thinks about me. I never feel the need to impress her or convince her of my real motives behind anything that I say or do. She's nonjudgemental and easily picks out the fun in life. I don't have to explain anything, preface anything I say with "please don't share this with other people" because the level of trust is always understood, and being together is easier than relaxing in my favorite sweats. She never overreacts, says anything rude, mean, or prejudice about anyone. She's always caring, kind, and patient. She loves completely. We just pick up talking about yesterday and go from there. It's not very often that I find friends like that in this big world--they really are just one in a million. We have the same moral compass. I'm so lucky.

Narwhals

Now I realize that this isn't your typical post, but it's learn a new fact day. Just in case you didn't know, a narwhal, such as "Mr. Narwhal" from the movie Elf, is a real animal. It's actually a toothed whale that lives in the Arctic. And so what is it you ask? I always say it's a cross between a unicorn and a whale, but technically I'm wrong. That long skinny thing on it's head isn't a unicorn horn after all (imagine that), it's a helical tusk! And now ya know.

Choices

"You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice."

~Steven D. Woodhull

Bella D'inverno

This video's title means "beautiful winter" in Italian. It was made my truly talented husband Jonathan, and is one of my favorites that's he's made so far. It could be because it's full of beautiful snow or just because he made it and Coldplay is singing. Whatever the reason, I don't really care. Sometimes it's okay not to know exactly everything about everything and my feelings speak loud enough. It's awesome. Check it.

If you'd like to see this video much bigger, or any more of Jonathan's fun little pieces like this, you can look here.

Shoes Rule

Fat ones.

Red ones.

Tall ones.

Blue ones.

Shiny ones.

Green ones.

Cheap ones.

Lovely ones.

Skinny ones.

Yellow ones.

Favorite ones.

Expensive ones.

Mariah Carey knows shoes. Her closet is clutch.

Sweetiepie Restaurant

Sweetiepie Restaurant in New York City is a loveable friendly place. A single dad may not wholeheartedly request to visit here in his free time, but I'm sure he would endure if it meant taking his little princess to tea on a Saturday afternoon. Cute!!

Doggies

You know when you're not finished getting ready and the doorbell rings? And if you're anything like me, you're kicking yourself for not hurrying--although, how would you have known?! And then you have mascara smeared all over your eyes and look like a raccoon. Well, these dogs didn't have a choice in the matter. They got caught in their best moments.

All images are from www.fropki.com