Create.

I have come to realize that over the past 6 months I have tried making SO many more things for the first time than I think I ever collectively have in my life. From crafts, to recipes, to mothering.. It's wonderful. I mean, I have always been "crafty" so to speak, and I have always loved cooking, and I suppose you could say I have always had a knack for mothering but I can honestly say I feel like my creative side has found more ways to shine in these past 6 months of my life than I can ever remember... And I thought it might be time to share.

This by no means is a start to a crafting blog or something you can look to for new recipes on a regular basis, I mean, I can almost guarantee you that I will never be capable of making a regular post on any one subject. BUT for now- this will be a first, among probably many more, where I share the different sorts of things I've been up to. Not cause I feel you need advice on how to do stuff.. but mostly cause I'm pretty stoked on the fact that I have done all of this. It's just pretty exciting stuff. And besides, this is my blog, I can do with it what I want ;)

I suppose I'll start with the crafty type things.. I must give credit where it is due- and let me just say- none of these ideas are mine. I tend to see things, get inspired and make something very similar and just have my own personal touch to it. For one, the wreath making thing? My dear friend Ronnin converted our usual Wednesday night ladies Bible Study into a craft night a couple months ago and we all did our best to make some. Using yarn, or twine in my case, and hot glue to make felt flowers. I fell in love with it and decided I needed to expound on that and keep trying to perfect the process..

So- I think for a first attempt it turned out quite nicely! The felt flowers all were nice and easy to figure out, and I just so happened to have a stellar collection of different vintagey looking buttons from my Grandma Button's tin that sat around my parents house for as long as I can remember (not unused of course, I am sure my mom dove into it from time to time). I snagged a good handful when I moved out when I was 18 "just in case." And I am so very glad I did so.. However-- I am afraid I didn't get quite enough for my new found obsession with crafting. So mom, if you're reading this.. I'm comin for ya. I need more buttons ;)

So after realizing a wreath is a fairly easy thing to accomplish I decided to venture a little further into this world of creativity and thought an "H" to hang on our front door would be quite fitting. Rather than felt flowers I thought I'd give lace a try. Plus, it gave me another awesome excuse to go to my favorite store, Hobby Lobby, (for all future references to my "favorite store," please know I am speaking of this glorious establishment) and rummage through their piles and piles of supplies for any possible craft my heart could possibly determine to create. And this is what I came up with..

Not too shabby, right? I'm quite happy with it. I am looking forward to the day I have a house and can actually hang it on my front door.. This day will come sooner than I realize, I am sure. :)

After realizing I could in fact, create things when I put my mind to it, I decided I would hand-make a Valentine's day card for my beloved husband. And something beyond my usual little cut-out of brown paper and some tracing of a silly picture to coincide with whatever occasion might call for a card. (in this household it could be something as simple as "Hooray, You're home from work!") I was gonna get "serious" in this card making business and use top of the line card stock from my favorite store. And by top of the line, I mean their $3.99 bag of "Card stock scraps." That is literally what it is called.. It's a collection of scrap size pieces of different colors of card stock and a few other types of paper. I never quite know what I am wanting when I set out to make things so I figured I would cover all of my bases and get an assortment of colors, types, etc. And once again, I am SO glad I did. Little did I know, this would open the door to making many more cards in the future. I am not even close to running out.

This is the Valentine's day card I made for Nic. I took a picture before I did the writing on the outside, but once again, wow! I made that! Too, too, fun. Oh and if you're wondering what it said.. Well.. It very eloquently had something to do with him getting "nailed." Har har ;P

When I first moved out to KC, my ever artistic roomies, Allyson and Kelly, introduced me into the world of canvas painting, and let me just say, I am NOT an artist. Especially in the light that they are. These girls are amazing while I paint things that would compare to a cartoon. Nothing sophisticated. Just simple. And while I've dabbled here and there with various painting projects (I even wound up painting all of my family members gifts for Christmas the first year I moved out here, bible school kids are broke, k?!... Erm.. sorry again, guys. Haha.) I finally realized the potential for my "simple" style and made some pieces for our home. Once again, thanks to my favorite store and their awesome rotating sales on supplies, these babies were nice and affordable.

See what I mean, they're not professional by any means, but they work and I like them. And as far as what Nic says, he likes them too and that is very important to me :)

And the last thing is something I worked on just this last week.... And will likely tear up and try again. I am not the biggest fan of how these turned out but now that I know how to do it I will be better prepared for the next round :) Super simple. 3 key components.. Tile, paper, and modge podge. A few light coats later and voila! Easy coasters!

I think for now I will cut this off and post recipes and delicious and easy foods to try and such another time.

Cheers, loves!

Long Over-Due

I have been making mental notes over the past 6 weeks about all of the things I wanted to write about, and at this point it would be similar to typing out a doctoral dissertation. Not exactly all on the same topic but the length would certainly be comparable. I just have not found the time to sit down and type any of them out! I'm just gonna see what all I can get out before my sidekick wakes from his nap.

For one, I feel incredibly blessed. I know I say this a lot but it is ever more true with each passing day. I have a wonderful life. My husband takes such good care of me and our son, my son is becoming more and more dear to my heart with every little smirk and sound, and I have a Heavenly Father who is always leading, never forsaking, and loves us so well. And on top of all of that- we have amazing friends and family to share all of this with.

I've kept everyone up with all of our musings about whether we would be moving, or staying, or just remaining in a state of uncertainty and let me just tell you- I am so very pleased to say we have found our answer. We.. are.. STAYING in Kansas City! For now at least, and likely the next couple of years. We truly believe the Lord is calling us to really hunker down (is that a real expression? It just came out so easily.. I feel like its gotta be..) and lock in with our church as they are preparing to move forward. We knew when the Boehne's introduced us last spring that there was something special about the church and it was the first time we had really felt "home" in a church in a while. Their hearts for this city are so genuine and so very passionate about Jesus. The leadership our pastor's have already had in our lives is astounding and we are loving forming bonds with all of the people there. We just can't hardly wait to see what the Lord has in store. CreativeCommunity.tv is where our hearts are and we are so grateful to finally have a sense of peace regarding our whereabouts.. I can finally start planning for our future here. Look for houses.. decorate rather than just set up as though in preparation to just be packing it all up or selling it in the next few months. It feels great.

Along with that decision came a bit of a surprise, our little sister, Natasha, has decided she wants to get out of Cali and have a change of pace. Nic is going to get her a job at one of the hotels he is at and she is going to live with us! Which means-- we may be staying in KC but we gotta get a bigger place. So hopefully that means we an find a nice lil' house to move into this Summer. I can't hardly wait to get her out here. I am so looking forward to getting to know her better :)

Have you ever sat down and written a heartfelt letter, possibly even an angry letter, sealed it up, went as far as putting a stamp on it and just left if on the counter top? Unsent. So many words that needed to get out... and yet, no one, not even the one intended may ever read it? I have one brewing in my heart and in my mind that I feel needs to be hashed out. I know I will never send it.. Simply because I don't think any good would come of it. But I think writing is theraputic. Or at least it is for me. There's something so very freeing about finally getting all the words out that you wish you could say, or would have said, or even what you are feeling- no matter how rational those feelings may be. Yep. I'm gonna do it. If I can find the time. I really am in need of getting some thoughts out. FAR too personal to hammer out on a blog, of course. I was just curious to know if anyone else in the world ever sets out writing letters knowing they more than likely won't even get it past the envelope licking stage.

It has been quite a LONG time since I posted anything... I went from 4 in a month to NONE in Feb and now we're nearly half way through with March and I am just getting to my first one. And I feel like I am rambling. I had SO much I wanted to say and now I am forgetting it all. I guess it's true what they say... Breastfeeding brain is 10x worse than pregnant brain. (Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. Anything to get me through the day, right?)

Among other crazy happenings in our lives, the one that stands out the most as of late is the most recent "drama" to unfold. And I say "drama" simply because I am sure that if our lives were ever made into a movie, this would be one of the really intense scenes that get people really wrapped into the story... And it goes a little something like this; Nic spent an entire 5 day period in the hospital last week for a throat condition that he has had for years (5 ish if you're interested in the nitty gritty details.) Since I have known him I had never seen it this bad. He has a really tough time with eating, not the chewing or swallowing, its once that has taken place that the problem begins to rear its ugly head. Food and beverage alike get, for lack of better word, stuck, right before it makes it to his stomach. And then to top it off he gets intense spasms in his esophagus and chest, comparable to a heart attack in terms of pain and location. And then because of this he usually winds up having to throw up. Sometimes the pressure will release itself and he will be able to continue eating at a very slow pace and sometimes it will lock up for days not allowing anything to pass. Anyways, we went in to the ER on Friday in hopes of them providing some sort of quick fix because it had come to day 8 of him not being able to eat or drink anything and we had never reached that point before. 4 days was about as long as his throat "lockdowns" had ever lasted. Well after some poking, prodding, questioning, and puzzled looks from everyone, the medical team decided to admit him for the weekend. They ran a range of tests from simple chest x-rays to a barium swallow test and a CT scan. All non-conclusive as to what the real problem was. However, the barium swallow test did indicate some motility issues with the muscles in his esophagus. Rather than working like a wave to push the food down it sporadically pushes up and down, which they're thinking has a lot to do with his problem but doesn't necessarily mean it is the root of the issue. SO on Monday they took him in for an EGD. What could be considered a "minor" surgery, but STILL, my heart was weary. They were able to dilate his throat to 12mm which is not to it's full potential but definitely a step up from the 1-2mm it was prior to the dilation. He has been able to eat since Monday night and we are beyond grateful for that. We still walked away from the hospital with more questions than we had answers, but we know that his team of doctors are motivated to find a solution. He is scheduled for a follow-up procedure in April to rule out any auto-immune diseases and things of that nature. Until then they have him on a double dosage of medicine for acid reflux. Prayers are always appreciated.. I would love for Nic to have a miraculous healing and for his throat and esophagus to be completely healthy and to function to their full potential! I know we serve a God strong enough to heal my husband of this ailment. We are far too young to already be in and out of a hospital like this.

While on the topic- Hudson did GREAT while I took him back and forth between home and hospital. And we even had some help from wonderful friends of ours- the Bailey's took him while we were at the ER and Ms. Amy G took him for us the day Nic had his surgery. He was a great sport and I am ever thankful that we have been blessed with good days to outweigh the bad :)