New jewelry...

I'm nearly caught up on all my orders and it was bitter cold out today so I plopped my kids in front of the tv like a good mom does and I got to create!

Starry night necklace

Starry Night earrings

Have Faith earrings

Bronze sticks earrings

Tropicana earrings

and finally, Coral sticks earrings

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Fur Realz.

Turn off the music on the right and then watch this.


I swear I've been hit on by this guy 132 times or more.
This is EXACTLY the type of person I attract.
This video made me laugh hysterically because I have been in this position more times than I care to count.

Can I ha yo numbah? Can I ha yo numbah? Can I ha yo numbah?
Can I get yo digits?

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants!
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Mr. Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please only sign in if you're participating and sharing pics. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
---------------------

We had the chance the other day to go for a family walk at sunset and I just can't tell you how perfect it was. 2 dogs, 3 kids, a husband, unbelievable February weather, everyone behaving.... It was such a simple blessing but I was so grateful for it. And I was even more grateful that God allowed me to stop and notice the moment, soak it in, rather than letting my mind drift in 38 different directions and being distracted from the moment. Each week I'm freshly amazed at how God opens my eyes to more and more of His fingerprints.

Nice people rock.

Pardon me while I gloat for a moment. There's a point to this, I promise.

The other day I received this email from a complete stranger.

Hi there,
I stumbled over the link to your blog. Anyway blah blah blah, this is one of the best blogs I've come across anywhere. You actually - surprise of surprises - have something to say. I mean not a surprise that YOU have something to say, but, well, you know what I mean. I've never been a big fan of blogs, and only made a feeble attempt to start one as a devious marketing ploy, all part of my overall plan for world domination. It's a darn good read, all of it! It's like a wonderful scrapbook of random thoughts and ideas.
It's not just the rantings and ravings of a lunatic (your blog), but highly entertaining ones. And I do appreciate the impeccable grammar and spelling.



First this made me giggle because I always feel like the Seinfeld of blogging - A blog about nothing. I write daily about nothing!



Second, it completely made my day. I smiled from ear to ear and flitted around all giddy because not only did someone recognize this passion of mine (blogging) but they took time out of their life to sit down and write a kind email about it.

And third, I laughed hysterically about the impeccable grammar and spelling comment. I'm sure my high school Enlish teacher would cringe if she read my blog. But that's okay, I never liked her anyway. (Hmmm, maybe that's why I didn't learn anything... Wait, getting off topic here.)



So, today I'm challenging you to do the same for someone.
Give someone a gushing glowing compliment.
In real life or online.
Find someone who often goes unnoticed (a janitor or secretary, perhaps?) and tell them what a good job they do and how you're grateful for it.

Make someone's day today.



On a totally different note, I've been swimming in orders lately and have had no time for just "creating". And I miss it!
So I'm hoping to carve out a little time today to just create some new pieces.
For those of you who are wonderful regular repeat buyers, I apologize for not providing new things for you.
Soon, I promise. Soon.

I hope you get to curl up with a ratty blanket in the sun and take a nap today. Happy Thursday everyone!

**Ha! Someone pointed out that I misspelled English. I absolutely did not do that on purpose but I'm leaving it because I love irony.

I'm "hooked on" nice people. Click here to see what other people are hooked on. It's a great series!

< insert funny title here >

So we're driving around yesterday after our Sonic Happy Hour trip (which is sooooo happy hour, in case you didn't know - it's awesome!) and I hear obscene noises coming from the back seat.

EEERP
BELLLLCH
BUUUUUURP

I tried to ignore it because you know that laughing at bodily noises only encourages a 7 year old boy to continue.

Then I heard him start giggling.

"I have burparreah! I can't stop burping!"


Haha!! Isn't that the funniest word?
That's right, some blogs offer you ways to improve your vocabulary.
Some like Nic's toss big words into everyday posts that constantly send me to dictionary.com to figure out what she's saying. That dang public schoolin' just didn't do it for me.

But me? I'm a simple girl. I give you burparreah.
We're a classy family like that.
Enjoy your new word.

"Be a shining light!"

That's what I tell my kids every day as I rush them out of the car and shoo them into school at the last minute.


Every morning, no matter how frantic, we talk about what they can do to be a shining light that day.

They are reminded to be friends to kids who others don't want to be friends with.

Give at least one person a compliment each day.

They can be a gentle spirit even when other kids are picking on them.

They can choose to not judge someone else who may be having a grumpy, bad, temper tantrum kind of day.



I hope these lessons are sinking in and making them better people. Life is not always fair and not always kind. The only thing we can control is our reaction to situations we're handed.

So what can you do to be a "shining light" today?
(The pictures are from our family Valentine's dinner with pink soda in pretty glasses, candle light, and one half naked toddler.)

What is it?

that you'd like to know?

I've seen several blogs do this recently and being the original thinker that I am, I'm following suit.

So, what would you like to know? Ask me anything! Anything you'd like to see more or less of on this blog? Anything you want to know about my business, my family, my puppy, my toes? ... (I get a lot of hits because of a picture I posted of my feet.)

I'm an open book.

And just for fun, these are some pictures I snapped of my little niece recently when she was over visiting. I was happy because they weren't at all posed, no planning was put into it, and I got decent shots inside my house! I've mentioned before that I fight with our indoor lighting in photos. The originals are crystal clear, but when I put them on my blog they get pixelated.

Isn't she a sweetie?!


Drool smiles rock.

I just wet myself.

Okay, not really but almost!

I had the opportunity the other day to write a story for Etsy's blog, The Storque, about the Cora Playground Project.

And I just found out that they ran it! The hits that blog gets runs in the millions per month. It's serious traffic.
Have I told you before that God knows what He's doing?
Because He does.

Click here to see the article.

And here's a little glimpse of the sea of Cora flowers, I'm swimming in. Orders are going out as fast as I can make them. Thank you all!!


Can I get an Amen?

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants!
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Mr. Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please only sign in if you're participating and sharing pics. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
---------------------
What is this I see? Is it green?! Yep, little sprouts of green grass are starting to poke through It's interesting that God makes the season change a slow, drawn out process. He could just go "boom" one day and turn it into Spring. But the slow change builds anticipation, creates patience in us, and helps us stop and appreciate the tiny little fingerprints like a few blades of green grass.

The adventures of a bad baby...

who's really a bad toddler, not a baby anymore but that's his blog name and it's stuck.

Honestly the bad things happen so often that I've sort of become oblivious to many of them. I just clean it up and move on with my day.

I really should keep a list though, because I'm sure people would be amazed at how much trouble a 2 year old can get into.

He recently climed on top of the washer, got a bottle of ammonia from the shelves above, then took it to the dishwasher and dumped the entire thing in and started the dishwasher. Holy burning eyes!! I had to open all the windows and leave the house for several hours.

And there was the time he dumped a box of thumb tacks in my purse in The Wal Marts. For the next month every time I reached in to grab my wallet, I'd yelp.

The other day he took me and showed me a pile of poo the new puppy had made on the floor. I said, "Okay, I'll be right back! I'm going to get paper towels!" I ran off and when I came back the poo was gone. Ack!!! Where's the poo?! I found The Baby carrying it around in his hands.

Yesterday when I was working on jewelry orders, I thought he was happily watching Noggin. But when I went out to check on him, this is what I found.

He'd stripped and decorated himself and the walls with the most beautiful shade of orange he could find. Thank you Mr. Clean for Magic Erasers.

I pulled a new white hair from my head this morning. I can't imagine why it was there. 31 has been a rough year for aging me.

I'm adding this to the "hooked on" series. Because I'm hooked on Magic Erasers. ;-) Click here to see what others are hooked on.

11 Random things you KNOW you want to know about me

(alternate title: Beki Has Nothing To Post About Today But Wants To Waste Time)

1. I crave color. If I had my way, the world would look like a crayola box melted all over. I love color so much.

2. My sister and I are going to Vegas soon.

3. My Top 5 tips for blogging is my most popular post ever.

4. In high school, I played drums. And now I play drums in our church praise band. And every single time I play, someone comments on how unusual it is to have a female drummer.

5. I need to lose about 15-20 pounds. The goal is to have 10 of those bad boys gone before Vegas.

6. I don't like facebook. I don't get it. Does that mean I'm old? I do love Twitter though.

7. I try to listen to Kidd Kraddick in the morning every day. It makes me laugh.

8. The Academy Awards are this Sunday. YAY! I kick everyone out of the house, put on my oldest comfy pj's, and plop myself on the couch with soda, popcorn, chocolate, and watch the entire thing.

9. My brother makes me laugh hysterically every time we talk. And what's funny is that he thinks I'm funny. And I'm not. And that makes us both laugh.

10. I'm a middle child. Does that tell you anything about my personality?

11. I need a picture here so let me go grab one... We went for a nature walk recently with some friends and The Baby holding hands with his friend was just too sweet.

New Cora flowers

I couldn't get any more of the hot pink I made initially, but I found these sunshine yellow ones that I loved.

All proceeds will go to help build the Cora Playground.

Click here for more of Cora's Story.

Cora Paige Sunshine hair flower (or brooch)

Thank you for loving and praying for my friends. I'm so overwhelmed by the support for this family. It's amazing to watch.

test

can you see this?

Update:
Well this was just supposed to be a test post because all of my posts were missing.
But it seems to be back to working now, and a post should never be without photos in my not-so-expert opinion, so I'm throwing a few pictures of The Boy in here. :) Happy Sunday!







Sorry, bad blogger that I am, I forgot to tell you how to make these!

Click here to make some of your own. Super easy and fun. :)

Don't you hate it when...

you make your coffee and then discover you have no cream?

you pour your cereal and then find out you have no milk?

you load the dishwasher and then find you're out of detergent?
(ya think maybe it's time for me to go to the store?!)

you get your second string of fever blisters in less than a week?
(I'm about to just cut my lips off and call it good.)

you visit someone's blog only to see them whining? ;-)



Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm working on getting more Cora flowers. Thank you all for the willingness to help!

CLICK HERE to get a pink Cora Playground button for your blog!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants!
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Mr. Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please only sign in if you're participating and sharing pics. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
---------------------

This week's fingerprint just has to be Cora. Who knew that a tiny baby could be such a witness to people worldwide?
If you're not familiar with her story, you can click here to see it. I think about how God had Joel and Jess meet, and marry. They picked just the right time to start having children. God was there all along molding this family for this moment in time. His fingerprints are all over this situation and while it's horribly tragic, it's so inspiring as well.

A flower for Cora.

I know Cora's mommy and grandma were always fans of the flowers The Girl wore in her hair so when I learned that there was a way to help, I knew what to make.

Cora Paige hair flower (or brooch)

Thank you for continuing to pray for this family and helping raise funds for Cora's Playground. To find more etsy listings search Cora Paige or click here.

Update: I've sold out at the moment! Thank you all for your willingness to help! I'll let you know when they're back in stock.

Valentine's Love.

I had grand ideas of a beautiful photo shoot with a Valentine's theme.


The beauty lasted about 48 seconds. Then we had a screaming kicking fit on the pavement.




The Boy and The Girl just laughed about it and carried on.

The Baby was a bit surprised by the lack of reaction from us.


If you can't get a date night with your sweetie this week, you can do a sweet dinner even with the kids around!

Last year I did a Valentine's meal for the whole family and the kids were so excited to be included. I made spaghetti (red), several pink or red side dishes, something chocolate for dessert, served them sparkly pink soda out of champagne flutes, turned the lights out and had candles lit everywhere.

They thought it was so special to have a "fancy" meal!
Then we put the kids to bed early and had a date night in, with peace and quiet.
So if you're like us and have a severe babysitter shortage, this is an option.

I'm "hooked on" my kids and photography. Click here to see what other people are hooked on.

He just couldn't resist.

Guess what The Man brought home the other day?
He's such a softie.


She has puppy breath.
She is having fun leaving piles all over the house for me to clean.
Because, you know, I didn't have enough housework to do already.
Thank goodness for hardwood floors.


I don't mention him much, but this is Stitch, our other dog.
He kinda looks like Stitch the alien from the movie.
Not the prettiest face I've ever seen, that's for sure!


So our new puppy's name? Lilo. That's right.
Lilo and Stitch.
They've had their proper butt sniffing greetings and now they're getting along great!


She sleeps a lot, which I like.



She trips over her ears when she runs.
And they fall into her water bowl every time she gets a drink.
Then she drags wet ears all over the floor leaving streaks everywhere.
But she's cute so we let her get away with it.
I know someone, besides The Man, who's completely smitten with her.
He calls her "Leeeeeeeelooooooooh".


Where's Donny Osmond? "And they called it, puppy looooooove".

I learned this week that puppies are cute until they keep you up at night and mess on your floor all day. Click here to see what others have learned this week!

Breaking the rules.

I'm breaking all the bloggy rules today.
2 posts in one day, just a short time apart.
I have no picture for this post.
I really have nothing to say. I just need to ramble.
This is not upbeat and fluffy and happy and helpful and everything I think a blog post should be. It's the opposite.

I'm nervous about Cora's memorial today. There are so many emotions.
Such a beautiful child, a beautiful life, a beautiful family.

I'm so moved and inspired by the way this story has touched lives around the globe.
But at this cost? That crushes me.
People should never have to feel this amount of pain.

I swing back and forth from tears for The Macs, to smiling when I see their gorgeous pictures together. I smile when I read their blog and see their faith throughout this ordeal. If it had been me in that situation, would I have been able to compose posts like that daily? No way. It just blows me away that they could be so eloquent and inspiring in such a difficult time.

I want to take my camera to the service this afternoon to get shots of the parking lot.
I know it will be crazy crowded. I just want to document that love that our community is surrounding them with.
But is it tacky of me?
Who takes a camera to a funeral?

My dad called late last night and said he's nearby on business and wants to get together for dinner tonight. (He lives in another state.) So I'm excited about that. I love seeing him and I could use the distraction.

My thoughts and emotions are just bouncing all around today.
I'm nervous, sad, happy, anxious, scared all at the same time.

And if I'm having all these emotions as an outsider, I can't begin to imagine what The Macs are going through.
Please pray for them today and in the days ahead. This must be the darkest hour of their lives and they need strength and love.

Update: Well, it was about what I thought it would be - beautiful and heartbreaking.
Nearly all the women in the family wore hot pink which was so perfect!
I had the hardest time with the song "Blessed be the name of the Lord" and the line "you give and take away, you give and take away. But our hearts will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name."
There were lots of people there and lots of beautiful pictures. It reminded me of the power of photography. To capture a moment in time can be priceless.
The pastor talked a lot about blogging!
He was amazed by the way this story has connected people around the globe, and read quite a few of the comments left on The Macs blog.
God has used this sweet baby girl Cora in ways no one ever could have imagined.
She's touched more people in 3-4 weeks than most of us have in a lifetime.
I did take my camera and snapped a few pictures.
I only got one "look" that I know of, and that could've just been my perception.
I didn't put it to my eye a single time, just held it in front of me and snapped and hoped that some of them would come out.
Thank you all for the prayers for this family today. I know they could feel it!

Instant Spring.

I'm a simple girl.
I'm easily pleased, I laugh easily, I don't like things too fussed up and frou frou.
And I like simple projects.

So a simple way to add Spring to your home?
Find your favorite bright colorful fabric and frame it.
Ta-Da!


This just happened to be a scrap I had on hand and I liked the turquoise color but some of the designer quilting fabrics like Sandi Henderson, Patty Young, or Anna Maria Horner would be fabulous framed. A whole collection of them on the wall would just scream Spring!

So, grab a fame, grab some fabric, frame it.
And when your done, toss your hands out to the sides and say "Ta Da!"

Everything looks different today.

The sky looks bluer.
The clouds look darker.
My home seems cozier.
My kids look more beautiful and precious than they ever have.



The time we have is a gift.



If you have kids, take some extra time today to play with them.
Hug them.
Read to them.
Remind them that they're priceless.


See the yellow dot on the table in this picture? It's left over from a game of sticker tag, which is a great activity.


If they insist on wearing Frog Bunny socks, let them.


Thank you all for sticking with me through the ups and downs!
Thank you for supporting my friends in their time of grief.
I hope you have a beautiful and meaningful Monday.

Baby Cora

went to be with Jesus today.
It hurts to my core to say that.



Please pray for The Macs.
You can visit their blog here.

I love weekends.

Especially those with sunshine!
And friends.
And kid that are behaving.
And caffeine.
And a date with The Man.
I hope your weekend is as lovely as mine!

And just because he's goofy, The Boy wanted me to show you these pics.




For being such a cute kid, I have a heck of a time getting a flattering picture of him. He's always making silly faces.

Enjoy your family and laugh with someone today! It's fun.

Oh! And because I'm always so prompt and on top of things (ahem) -
I finally drew the winner of the necklace giveaway!
And according to the Custom Random Number Generator, the winner is Nikki of Project: Domestic Bliss! YAY! I love giving things away, but it's even more fun when it's someone I know.
Congrats Nikki!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants!
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Mr. Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please only sign in if you're participating and sharing pics. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
-----------------------
Flowers are so stunning and the varieties seem endless. There are so many shapes and sizes and colors. There are thousands of different types. Even stinky ones! Humans can put them together in pretty clusters and gardens, but God's hands made them perfect to begin with. I can't wait to see colors like this again!



Please continue to pray for Cora. She's having ups and downs, but we want the ups to increase and the downs to go away altogether! Click here to see more.