My Weekend...

Baked a birthday cake for my father in law.
Ate too much of it, along with the cake he brought over.
Woke up too early Saturday morning.
Computer got a virus.
Locked up completely.
I panicked.
Bickered with The Man.
Shed a few tears.
Made iced coffee.
Called my dad, the computer genius.
Did everything he said.
It worked.
He rocks.
Met with my friend Jennie at the mall.
She moved away from me.
I probably cried a few tears then too.
But she was back today.
Hung out all afternoon with her.
Ate Subway for lunch.
Felt good about that smart decision.
Watched the cute skinny moms at the mall.
Wished I looked like that.
Later we had Dairy Queen.
Felt guilty about that decision.
Finally hugged and said our goodbyes.
Got home and had another piece of leftover birthday cake.
Felt my butt spreading wider by the moment.
Packed some more boxes.
Cleaned.
Cleaned.
Cleaned some more.
Wondered how in the world things get so dirty when I clean fairly often.
Someone on twitter said the Dirt Fairy arrives right before you move.
I think that's true.
Edited some pictures.
Listed two new items for sale.

Custom Word Pearl Bracelet

Smitten Necklace


Yawned.
Went to bed.
The end.

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
You're 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 MckLinky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
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Matthew 11:28-29
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Stuff.

Complete randomness today. You've been warned.

~ I cried when the Canadian ice skater performed last night just days after her mother passed away. Amazing!

~ I want Spring so bad it hurts. I do this every year, but I think this is the worst.

~ There was a comment left about The Baby's toes that said it looked like he had some sort of disease. Haha! That cracked me up. But it was a spam comment with weird links so I deleted it.

~ I'm moving my shop. I hate change. Really, I do. But my etsy bills have been between $400-$500 the past few months, so I'm switching over to BigCartel.
(Wow, I'm just putting it all out there and being honest today! How unprofessional of me to discuss money like this...)
Anyway, BigCartel is much less. I've heard great things about it.
And you don't have to register to purchase. Super easy as a buyer AND as a seller.
I just didn't want you to be confused if you clicked and landed there.

~ My tummy looks chubbier today, but I'm fitting into a size ___ jeans. My skinny jeans. How weird! Bloat? Whoa, there goes that honesty thing again.

~ The winner of the Chick necklace giveaway is Sara. Don't look at her blog on an empty stomach. I'm warnin' ya.

~ I really should have a picture in this post.

~ Anyone want to come pack up my house for me? I'll let ya. We'll chat and laugh the whole time.

~ The Man keeps telling me we aren't really moving to a "farm." He says there must be crops or livestock to be considered a farm. Ummm, it's a big piece of land with wild animals and barns, a creek, and no pavement in sight. I'd say that's a farm.

~ The Baby drinks my coffee every morning. He's 3. He loves it.

~ My baby sister and I are going back to Vegas soon and I can't wait!

~ It's bugging me that there are no pictures here.

~ What's your random thought for the day?

New Baby.

It's been a while since I got to shoot photos of a brand new baby.

So I was very excited to get to work with Baby Clair!
12 days old.
She's the 6th baby girl to be born into this family!
(They show up a bit pixelated on my blog, but not in full size.)
I loved her little fuzzy back and shoulders.












Flaky fingers and toes...








Isn't she precious?! Thank you C for letting me hang out with your sweet baby girl.

If you're in Central Kansas and would like photos, please email me for details.

Happy Monday!

That's all.

Just a happy happy happy Monday to you.

Sneak Peek...

at our new house.

I had the wrong lens on my camera so I didn't get any wide angle pictures.
The kitchen is going to be gutted and replaced with new everything.




What do you think? Should I keep the wallpaper border? Ha!




I'm not sure I can live with pink roses on the light fixtures and sparkly popcorn ceilings. Ugh.




Moving is one of my least favorite things in the world.
I'd rather give birth again with no drugs than pack up and move.
But that isn't an option. So we move.
Anyone have a magic wand they can wave and just make it all be done?
That would be fab!

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
You're 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 MckLinky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
-------------------

(Sorry for the late start today!)
When I decided to sell the Blessed necklaces for Haiti, it was a split second decision. (I'm good at those...)
I hadn't even thought about cost of the product involved in making the orders.

The orders began pouring in.
I contacted a few companies hoping someone would match our donation. No one did.
Our story was submitted to local tv stations, but they didn't pick up on it.
We were a bit disappointed by the lack of support from local people and big bloggers who had no interest in helping the cause grow.
But obviously God knows what he's doing.
There was huge support overseas, particularly Australia, and across the US. Just not locally.

And out of the blue one day I got a note on twitter from Beth that said, "Can I donate pearls?"
Oh my goodness! YES! What a huge blessing that was!!
She donated hundreds of gorgeous pearls and didn't expect anything in return.

So thank you Beth for listening to God's little whisper to you!
It allowed us to donate over $3,000 to help Haiti and we wouldn't have been able to do it without you.

Giveaway time.

***This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for the entries!***

I have a confession.
I've been in a funk this week.

People haven't been very nice to me, and I haven't taken it gracefully.
As much as I would love to write a blog that's happy and perky all the time, I just can't.
As much as I love sunshine and rainbows, my life isn't always filled with them.
As much as I've tried to be tough, I don't do well with rejection.

So you know what? The best way to cheer myself up is to do something nice for someone else.

I want to give one of you a necklace.
This one. Just a Chick.


What kind of Chick are you?
Beach chick. Country chick. Blogging chick. Sewing chick. Marathon chick. Photo chick. Flea Market Chick. Happy Chick.

What's your thing?
You tell us and we'll stamp it on your necklace.
(And seriously, how cool is the chick who gets to wear the "Gun Chick" necklace?! She's a competitive shooter. It wasn't an order for Sarah Palin.)

To enter:
1. Leave a comment and tell me one thing that's made you smile today.
2. If you want, tweet, blog, or facebook about it for additional entries. Please leave a seperate comment for each.
3. That's it! Easy peasy, right?

Now let me get out of my funk and start being a Happy Chick again.

10 Dirty Pigs.

Well, piggies actually.

That's what I had printed on my new canvas I received from CanvasPeople.com.
Their service was fabulous and my canvas actually arrived early, ahead of the expected delivery date!



Who wants dirty toes on their wall?
I do!
For now, I just popped it up on a nail that was already holding something else.

I could've picked something normal like my kid's faces or flowers or something, but I just loved the look and feel of this one.

I can't wait to live in our new farm house and have these cute little feet on my wall!

I have a feeling these feet will look a lot like this all summer long.
I'm so ready!

Date night.

The Man and I don't get dates very often.
We have no sitter.
Not because our kids are terrible, just because ... well, I don't know.
We just can never find a sitter.
So our Valentine's Date often turns into a dinner for the entire family.

We make it a "fancy" meal.
You know, store bought ravioli.
But the red sauce makes it work for Valentine's day.


They get to drink sparkling grape juice out of nice glasses.
And have candles on the table.



We talked about the kind of people they should marry when they grow up.
We prayed for their future spouses.
We used our manners.

Then The Girl put her chin in her hand and headed off to fairytale land in her head, dreaming about her Prince Charming.
The Baby talked about trains along with loud "Choo Chooo!!!" noises.
The Boy started break dancing on the floor next to the table.

The Man and I just shook our heads and laughed.
Pure romance.

My poor deprived children have never had an ice cream cake.
Can you imagine?
So that was their gift from me.
They were so excited they screamed.
(We all had some for breakfast this morning too. Right about now, I'm the coolest mom in the universe.)


Only one glass of grape juice got spilled.
Not too shabby.
No broken dishes.
But those dishes are still on the table.
I suppose I should go load them into the dishwasher, huh?



How was your Valentine's Day?

Top 5 things to do this weekend.

1. Get Crafty.


2. Wear something hot pink. I promise it'll perk you right up.


3. Have chocolate chip cookies. (or dough. Or cereal. or just a handful of chocolate chips.)


4. Get out of the cold.


5. Buy yourself something new. This could be an option.
Before the holidays I was doing an Item of The Week and it went really well until we got slammed with Christmas orders.
But for now it's back.
This necklace purchased here on the blog will be $21 with free shipping.
Just put the desired names (or words) in when you checkout.

Desired words/names

We have a house to pack up for our big move. Yikes!
Happy Weekend!!

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
You're 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 MckLinky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week!
-------------------
The other morning in the heavy frost, I couldn't help but notice the beauty.
Such distinct shapes.
So much sparkle, that can't even be captured on camera.
Each lacy delicate piece, created by the hands of God.

Big on color.

I've mentioned before that I'm big on color.
I love it. I crave it.
I'm a color person.

Unfortunately today I'm short on words.
Distracted brain.
Need more coffee.
Slightly stressed.
Middle of the week.
Whatever.

So here is a quick activity the kids and I did to add to their Valentine's cards.
"You color my world."
Peeled broken crayons.
350 degree oven for about 8 minutes.



The ones with the bright green were my favorite.

Holy cow, what have we done?!

That's what The Man and I said to each other last night.

What have we done?!
We bought the farm.
Literally.
Yesterday we placed an offer on a farm and it was accepted.

We start the paperwork today.


If you knew how much I am not a farm girl, you'd laugh hysterically.
Seriously, I was like, "Okay now what's a silo again? And what's the difference in a tractor and a combine?"



This house isn't for us to flip.
It's to live in.


I am in so far over my head.
This is going to be an adventure!
The kids are super excited about it.


There's a creek on the property.
Lots of deer and wild turkey.
Probably lots of snakes and critters too.
Great.
I will scream like a little girl, the first time I see a rodent.
What did I get myself into?!


If all goes right, we'll move in less than a month.
The house itself is pretty similar to our current one.
An old farm house. 5 bedroom.
Beautiful hard wood floors throughout.
Original glass knobs on every door.
French doors into the parlor.

I'll have pictures of the inside soon.

Wish me luck!
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On a totally different note, please keep The McClenahans in your prayers today.
It's been one year since Baby Cora went to be with Jesus.
If you have a moment, and feel led to, please stop over and leave them a note of encouragement.

Swimming.

What do you do when it's stupid cold outside and you're expecting the next snow storm to hit?

Head to the local indoor pool.
Big pool for daddy and kids, long soak in the hot tub for mommy.
(No pictures of that... You're welcome.)









It's funny to see the steam roll off your body when you leave to get in the car.
It's like the football players on tv when they steam.

Such a nice break for the entire family!
And then the kids come home zonked out from playing so hard.
Love that.