old school blocks

So we put the word out that this Christmas is gonna be a simple handmade toy Christmas for the little girl. We have plenty of years where she actually asks for things with a million plastic parts. For now we will blissfuly try to keep it simple. With that, I had been in love with the decopauged blocks I was seeing on Etsy. But could not afford the cost of them. So, here was my first attempt at handmade letter blocks for Bridget. There will definetly be more made in the future.

So, first go to your local craft shop and get the blocks you want. I got ours from Woodworker's Depot but I noticed today at Michael's they have them as well. I started out trying to make my own decopage glue but in the end bought the bottle of collage pague from the store and got the best results. Cut squares of paper just 1/8 inch smaller than the side of the cube. Paste on the back of the paper and the side of the cube. Stick it on and then coat the front of the paper too. Use your finger to smooth out any bubbles in there.Then I put my rotary tool to good use and sanded down the edges and corners. Added a couple more coats of the sealer and here we have the cutest blocks in town.

Happy 8 months!!

She's such a little. Remember the Littles? teeny lil mouselike people. Her smiles in the morning get me through the day at work. She's working so hard to figure it all out. You can already see the stubborn streak and the determination. She army crawls her little self everywhere around the house. Put her in the walker and she's off like a rocket. The poor dog doesn't know what to do.... on the one hand, the walker provides lots of opportunities for stealing her snacks on the sly. But on the other hand, it allows Bridge to move faster and catch Libby on the heels. Either way, Bridge loves it. So happy 8 month birthday beautiful one! So many possibilities lie ahead for you!!

thankful....

today I am thankful for every moment I get to show my little family how much they mean to me..... I am thankful for the after work dances that Bridget and I share... and I am thankful for the random text message during the day where Rob just sends his love.

Miss Accomplishment

It is such a nice morning. Rob is still off at the youth gathering. Bridget is sleeping away in her room. I am sipping my thai coffee(i can be more daring with the spiced coffees when Rob is away) and anxiously waiting to try Bridget's new patchwork pants on her. Her little life seems to progress at light speed lately. Where crawling seemed so far away.... suddenly she's getting up on them hands and knees with determination. Where once she could barely get that cheerio to her lips, now she shovels in handfulls of squash and steals the spoon away if I am not doing it right. But she's still my baby..... all baby. Trusting, daring, teasing little baby of mine. She is figuring out what makes us laugh and then works hard to get it right. Last night I watched her try to make the dog laugh. Libby is a hard audience. She would stick out her tongue, wag that head, and bark but Libby would only look at us with this look like "um, I think the kid is having some sort of fit. would you do something please?" Finally Bridge turned to us completely baffled at why the dog wouldn't talk back to her.

~fall is coming

Fall is coming. And so is Bridget's 6 month birthday. Is it possible? Last night, Rob mentioned that the first of the National Youth Workers' gatherings were beginning. I thought about our last convention in our beloved Nashville. And then it dawned on me...... holy shit! Its been a year!!! A year since "IT" all went down. A year since I felt like my whole life was getting ripped apart. A year since my beloved Grandma slipped from this earth. A year since we lost Uncle John. A year since God spoke those words of encouragement to me. A year. Unbelievable. I always had faith that we would make it through. But I am still in amazement over where we find ourselves today... and the level of joy I feel about where we are.

~by the fire's light

We had a beautiful evening last night. To many people, it was just a warm friday evening. But for us, it was the eve of something special that we would sadly not get to participate in. 40 years ago this weekend, thousands of people, young and old, gathered in Bethel, NY. And this weekend, out behind Max Yasgur's barn, 2 beautiful friends got married. 5 years ago this weekend, Rob and I also tied the knot out there on Max's farm. So we took last night as an opportunity to just sit back and reflect on our adopted family out east. We told Bridget stories of these crazy beautiful characters that we adore. As I sipped my sangria, I sang John Prine into Bridget's soft little head. And Bridget let me. This was her first campfire. She was fascinated by it. The whole thing seemed very serious to her. She's become such an active little one now a days. These rare moments of snuggles catch me off gaurd. It's hard to imagine that one day, not too far off, our little Birdy girl will be toddling around. So for now, I cherish these instances where she rests her chin on my chest and watches me sing as though I had invented song itself. As I sang, she would stretch her skinny little legs out towards the fire. Her little toes would wiggle and spread. You could almost hear her say "awwww yeah. that feels good." I looked over at Rob as I finished a song. He was leaned back in his rocking chair, eyes closed. I asked where he was, though I didn't have to ask. All we needed was the hum of a not so distant drum circle and bursts of laughter, and he could transport himself into the Vernville camp. Eventually, Bridget drifted off to sleep and I took a moment to really be thankful for the blessing that I was

given. I had dreamed and prayed for many years to be right where I was.... next to a phenomenal best friend and rocking our beautiful and healthy child. And I reflected on God's promise that carried me through those rough monthes not so long ago. "Just wait and see what I have planned for you." And I had to smile.... never would I have imagined at that moment that I would have a husband that has blossomed into a wonderful stay at home parent. And I certainly would never have imagined that I would be starting back to school to become an RN. But God is great, all the time. And I am thankful. So, congratulations to Bob and Marcy!!!! Getting to know you and love you was one of the greatest parts of 2008!

~its been a long time coming

It's been far too long. Mostly because I kept trying to figure out how to explain this last year. But I realize, that I don't need to. Besides, only 2 people prob'ly read this and one of those was there by my side through the whole crazy rollercoaster. But the fog has lifted and a life of new possibilities has begun and it is time to begin again. To put it simply, this last year has been full of death and birth.... endings and the beginnings of new callings.... but best of all, the answer to our greatest prayers.