q & a and easter delight

question: what do you do when one of your favorite cardigans gets a hole in it?



answer: stick it in your scrap fabric pile until inspiration strikes. and when inspiration strikes, cut it up and make a flower for your daughter's easter ensemble.



well she's obviously very excited about it!

this project was super easy. just cut a pile of rough circles (i just eyeballed them) and then pinch each one, sew up the end, and stitch together until you end up with a flower. you can't go wrong. (if you need better instructions, i kind of used these, but i kind of didn't.)








but there was more to easter than silly flowers! we spent the morning worshiping our risen, death-conquering King Jesus at church and then headed over to the family gathering with ben's side.














the Lord is risen! the Lord is risen, indeed!

amish friendship bread and things that happen in the middle of the night

i don't know much about the amish but their friendship bread is going to do me in. have you ever been given an amish friendship bread starter? it's kind of like those chain letters we did in middle school. except infinitely more delicious.



here's the short version: someone passes you a starter bag with ten days of instructions. most days are just squishing the bag, some days you add things (flour, milk, sugar). on day ten, you add more ingredients and split it into four parts in bags. adding more ingredients (baking powder, salt, etc.) you bake two loaves from what is left and give the four bags to four friends (or keep one for yourself if you want to do it again).



it isn't gluten free, so i gave one loaf to our neighbors and ate the entire second loaf myself (over a period of days, guys. i do have a little self control.). it is SO GOOD. i am on day six of my second batch and my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

i must change the subject. and that is my transition into things that happen in the middle of the night. back in october, i wrote about being up with jane at 4am. then, i figured it wouldn't be too long before she slept through the night. she still doesn't, but i don't want to talk about that.

instead i want to share a small middle-of-the night moment that meant the world to me——three small words from my husband. jane had been crying so hard that ben came up to check on us. i think it was around 1am? ben went back to bed, but i rocked and sang to jane to settle her down. i fed her and put her down to sleep. when i found my way back to bed, ben sleepily thanked me for loving our girl. then he said, "i trust you."

i fell asleep pondering and cherishing those words from my husband. for a wife to have her husband's trust is no small thing (proverbs 31:11) and trust can be lost so quickly. i am not tooting my own horn here. all is grace. but i am gratefully and publicly thanking my husband for his affirming words that spur me on to work hard in my domain at home to demonstrate my love and respect for him. staying at home with our girl is a great honor and his hard work to provide for our family makes it possible. i don't take that lightly.

OH! and in other news, jane is officially a daddy's girl. she says "dad" and "dada" from morning 'til night. not sure she has any idea what it means but i like to think she does.

we love you, ben!

our little easter tree

have you been to the dollar store lately? that place is a gold mine!

i picked up a few goodies there the other day and saw a lot of easter decorations. i've never done much to decorate for holidays other than Christmas, but i think starting our family has made me want to do more seasonal decorating to start traditions and memories. and easter is an incredible celebration. Jesus rose from the dead! i saw these easter egg ornaments at the dollar store and was inspired to make a little easter tree.

 

i already had a white planter, and i trudged through the knee-deep snow to cut a branch from a tree in our front yard (this was by far the hardest part!). i scrounged for some styrofoam and used that as a base to stick the branch through and keep it upright.

 

i covered the styrofoam with some shredded paper i had saved from a gift (i knew right where to get it since i organized my wrapping supplies!). then i just had to hang my sparkly eggs.



yes, the branches are bare outside, but inside they carry glittery eggs! for one dollar this little tree sure brings some brightness into our home.





have you found anything awesome at the dollar store recently? do tell! and are you putting up any decorations in your home to celebrate easter?

jane: seven months

this month brought two little white teeth!

the gift to be simple

our plans this morning were cancelled because of this mini snowstorm we're having. jane was playing and we were listening to jewel's lullaby. after the song "simple gifts" finished i put jane down for her nap, but the lyrics came back to me as i poured a cup of coffee and sat down with my bible study.

"'tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free." i remember reading about the shakers in elementary school. there was a picture in our music book showing shaker chairs that could be hung on the wall after use. they were attractive, but functional and practical. they were simple.

i cannot even put into words what God has been teaching me through the study of genesis in bsf this year. (this is the part where i start shaking my hands in the air as i talk because i am so excited.) truly. i am learning trust. obedience. waiting! and like the shaker song, i am learning that there is great freedom in living a simple life free from stuff!

ben and i are really watching our finances. i told myself that this season is so good for us. and then i realized that it is so silly to consider it a season. don't i want to watch my finances my whole life? don't i want to be a faithful steward of the talents (both literal money and intangible giftings) that God has given me? this is not easy. we live in a time when even a seemingly innocuous trip to target for groceries can become a battle against the temptation to bring home this cute little kitchen item or that great pillow that happens to be on clearance but wasn't a necessity until i saw it.



true story: at home goods last week, i bought some baker's twine that i had been wanting for a long time. it was only ten dollars after all! the cashier rung up my purchase, and i looked down at it. i knew i didn't need it. i asked her right then and there to refund my purchase and i walked away without it. i don't miss it. dare i say i feel free?

proverbs 24 says: "by wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches."

ben does not decorate. i do. i want to have wisdom to fill our home with precious and pleasant riches and i want ben to trust that i am spending our money wisely. that doesn't mean i get to buy everything i want when i want it, even if i consider it a need. yes, we could use some more seating in our living room. i especially notice this when we have our small group over. but i can learn to wait and experience the sweetness of saving up for something. our bsf lesson this week emphasized the goodness of waiting. oh how it hit home with me!



i know this is a random sampling of thoughts. they are connected in my head, but my head is a muddled place. i am thankful for our home. i am thankful for my family. i am so thankful for a patient God who has a tender heart toward His child who must be taught again and again to trust Him even in the simplest things (and that child would be me). thank you for being here with me this morning while i pour out my scrambled thoughts. i appreciate you and all your kind comments and support!

jane's nursery nook featured on brooklyn limestone!

today brings exciting news: part of jane's nursery is featured over at brooklyn limestone! i've been a longtime reader of stefanie's blog, and i am truly honored to be part of her favorite nook series. mrs. limestone's home is lovely, and make sure to check out her travel photography!





if you are new to my blog, welcome! i'm happy you decided to visit.

yesterday was a special one

at church yesterday morning, we dedicated our dear jane before the Lord. a tear escaped my eye as ben, jane, and i stood with other couples and children to acknowledge our little ones as gifts from God. it was a sober moment. a heavy moment. one i won't forget.




God is big. God is good. our pastor put his hand on little jane and said, "jane, together with your parents who love you dearly and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, i dedicate you to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claim upon your life in the hope that you will belong wholly to Jesus Christ, forever."

we said a hearty A-MEN!

afterward, we hosted a lunch for our families. it was cozy, but it worked. in true baby fashion, the guest of honor napped for a good portion of it. :)









later, the three of us had a quiet evening together. the sky was getting darker. ben was making jane laugh. and david crowder band was singing, "oh, happiness! there's grace enough for us and the whole human race." i closed my eyes and gave heartfelt thanks for God's blessings in our lives.

it was a very special day.

it is that day

i'm taking advantage of some solid jane naps to do some long-overdue house cleaning. but i'm also eating chocolate while doing that so HEY! everybody wins.

enjoy your day!

in the kitchen: poor man's mocha

ben and i are pretty lowbrow when it comes to food. this post will prove decisively that i am no foodie. my sister has all the culinary prowess (seriously) and i'm rather a hack in the kitchen. but sometimes a hack in the kitchen stumbles across a gem!

even if i had an unlimited coffee budget, i would have a hard time regularly spending $4+ on a latte, mocha, or other coffee treat. enter the poor man's mocha.



mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

i learned this trick at my old summer job at a golf course. i pass it along in the hopes that it will help you save your pennies when you feel the urge to indulge in a "fancy" coffee but don't want to spend an arm and a leg.






it really is that simple. add your hot chocolate packet to the coffee, stir in some cream, and top with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. of course you could get really fancy with flavored creamers and maybe some crushed candy cane. take that, starbucks!*

*okay not really. i like starbucks too much to send any ill feeling their way. but do yourself a favor and give this a try. your taste buds and wallet will thank you.

jane: six months

this is from last week, even though now she is just a few days away from seven months. better late then never. i spy a tummy!

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we've made it through the week, and my what a cold one it was! when highs are in the negatives i don't want to leave the house. i am grateful for the new down coat i just bought with a fancy faux-fur hood. because as much as i want to be a hermit, life still goes on during a frigid minnesota winter.

jane is sitting up. and eating some rice cereal. tasting rice cereal? i'm not quite sure how much actually gets to her tummy. but we're taking it slowly around here. she's growing well and we are grateful for that.



things are quietly busy. we play. a lot. and go to bsf and small group and church and the grocery store. oh! and i have a freelance writing project to keep me busy. ben's business is steadily growing (did i tell you he started a business?) and we have much to thank God for.






since it might hit twenty degrees tomorrow (hip hip hoorah!) we are planning to head to the zoo. do you have big plans for the weekend? stay warm and bundled, my friends! unless you happen to be on sanibel island like my parents-in-law. in that case, wiggle your toes in the sand for me!

handmade holiday: dolls for the girls!

along with the hot cocoa jars, i made some other gifts this Christmas. the project started back in september with an impromptu trip to the fabric store. after spotting a few great fabric combinations, i decided to sew dolls for jane and her girl cousins as Christmas gifts.



i used the black apple doll instructions via martha stewart crafts that i had saved a long time ago in evernote (another plug for evernote! i find i use it much more than pinterest). the pattern was pretty easy to follow, but the thin doll limbs were a little tricky to turn inside out and stuff.

i squeezed in a little work during naps and such.



and the dolls were finished in time for Christmas! i made a fourth but gave it away to one of my nieces before i got a chance to photograph all the dolls together. jane's is the one on the right. my dad says jane has a "mona lisa smile," so her dolly does, too.

woohoo for sewing projects!

happy six months, little girl!

it was just six months ago that i was walking like jack sparrow trying to get through my contractions. but they brought you, and we are so happy!





praising God for your life. love you, little one!

adorable hat made by my adorable sister-in-law, lauren.

fall photo shoot

this past fall, our small group friends brad and lorna beth asked if i would meet them at minnehaha falls to take some pictures. it was a lovely october day and the trees still had some beautiful colors left on them. these are some of my favorite shots from the day.






























brad and lorna beth have become very sweet friends of ours and i can't say enough good things about them. we are blessed to have them in our lives.