Connected

What a great weekend. I love connecting with friends and family and I love it even more when it's a surprise.

The weekend didn't start off so hot. On Friday on Ryan's way to work his car died.... Merry Christmas! Ok-- so that wasn't the best start to the weekend. It poses some challenges until we can find a good used car that meeds the criteria desired. But my mom and dad were on their way to visit for Christmas- unfortunately our time would be spent car searching- but it was good to see them. The car search continues.

On Saturday after they left we went and checked out a few more car places. Then I got a surprise. One of my friends from high school was in the next town over and wanted to do coffee!! I was so excited. It had been 4 years since we had run into each other. But a good 10 yrs since we had caught up on life. It was great to see you Chris and catch up. We will be doing it again for sure.

Sunday morning Ry and I went out to breakfast with our friend Maria and then on to church. Although our time was short (she had to head back to Colorado)- it was great to see her.


We both have to work this week-- I'm glad it's not a full week. But all these odd days off makes it harder to go back. Once all the normal routine kicks back in it will be fine.

Today after church I took a stab at my own attempt at making removable camera strap covers. Ya know-- jazz it up a little. So this is what I pulled off. I am pleased with how it turned out. I'm hoping to make some more. I like this one cause it's the colors of my web site (although they are much truer in person).

Hope you all had a great Christmas.
What fun New years traditions do you have?? I need some ideas.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I can't believe it's Christmas eve. I'm feeling more in the spirit since I'm done working for the day. I have to clean up the house after all the hustle and bustle of this week... but other than that I'm ready.

Since we have over 3 feet of snow... UGH. I've been feeling crafty and rather in the spirit to make and give. So here are a few things I have whipped up this week.

Some delicious fudge was made. MMMM. So good. It was handed out to bosses and friends.
These cute little bottles. I love how these turned out. They are starbucks frapacinno bottles that I saved and converted into these cute gift bottles.

Then yesterday I was at Michael's and picked up a plain green wreath for 1.25!! I then bought these bundles of berries (which I took apart) for .24 each bundle! So for a total of about 2.50 I made this wreath. I love how it turned out.

Last but not least-- not something I made- but a reminder of the reason for Christmas.

It was Christmas eve that we celebrate Mary and Joseph being faithful enough to follow a star, which in turn was following God. I can't say that I wouldn't be struck with pride and doubt if I found myself in their same situation. Their families and community didn't support them but they knew this was God's plan to be carried out. It's because of their faithfulness to God's plan that we are able to celebrate this season the blessing that Christ came to earth to live life like one of us. No he didn't have a cell phone, or fear being laid off from his job, he didn't deal with infertility, or even wondering what was next. But he faced the same stuggles in different situations... no less valuable than ours. He's felt our pain. He's given us Hope. Tonight we celebrate the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Come and let us adore HIM!

Merry Christmas.

Go vote- photo contest

Please go vote on ck photography photo contest.
10 entries..... first round top 5 will go on.

www.ckphotography.blogspot.com

Tell your friends and family if there is someone you know! They are all super cute kiddos.

preparing

I don't know where time has gone this year. It's been quick to come to Christmas and with me being sick after Thanksgiving with bronchitis I was feeling behind so I took Thursday and Friday off of work this week in hopes of finishing up decorating, baking and shopping. All that to say that on Wednesday night I got the stomach flu (that i wouldn't wish on ANYONE) and it is just now subsiding (it's Saturday afternoon). If you have kids-- I pray they don't get this. I was vomiting every 20-30 min and my body aches as a result-- I can't imagine a child going through this. So after getting anti nausea meds from the Dr yesterday (who seemed to know this bug all too well) I am feeling better.

But apart from the hustle and bustle I don't feel like I have prepared my heart. I came across these thoughts on Advent on another blog.

Isaiah 64:1-9
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!

Advent becomes a time when our longing merges with the longing of God. It’s a time of watching in anticipation for the coming of God’s promised reign. It’s a time of waiting for God to set things right.

Walter Brueggemann has written that Advent is a community of hurt. Advent “is the voice of those who know profound grief, who articulate it and do not cover it over. ... And because the hurt is expressed to the One whose rule is not in doubt, this community of hurt is profoundly a community of hope.”

The people who celebrate Advent are those who are not afraid to name the hurt that engulfs them. Advent is for those who refuse to numb themselves with placid thoughts of a better day. It is for those for whom all hell is breaking loose and who have turned their life in every direction imaginable, looking for some help to come, only to find themselves shouting with Isaiah: “God, you do something about this! Tear open the heavens and come down here and do something. God, just do something to end the hurt.”
“Do something, God, to bring peace.”
“Do something, God, to heal my family’s brokenness.”
“God, do something to let me keep my job.”
“Do something to take away the anger that is consuming me.”
“Do something to break the hold grief has on me.”
Whenever we discover that the world isn’t what we or God imagined it would be, when we recognize the hurt, we call out to God in hope that God will do something to set things right.

(John P. Leggett)

Sadly this person lost her husband suddenly at the far too young age of 32 this fall. So her pain is much different than what I think when I read this. I think that's the amazing thing about God. His hope meets us right were we are! But isn't it true that we need hope no matter what our life is-- what our pain is? I think that's what it is to await Christ in Advent. It's not about having the decorations just so or the fudge just right-- it's about your heart. It's about community being real- living in that moment. Living in the joy and sorry and the moments of anticipation and the unknown. There are lots of unknowns in our world right now. But the good new is that as we celebrate the birth of Christ we celebrate the comfort and hope that comes with His grace and peace.

I pray that the grace and peace of Christ's coming- wipes away all fear, anxiety, and hustle and bustle and you allow yourself and your family to sit in that moments of hope that He brings.

Christmas Card Tree

My mom used to always cut some fresh greenery from the back yard and some branches from the crabapple bush in the front and make a pretty arrangement that went on our fireplace. I have always loved berry branches. So when I saw this the idea sparked in my head. So I grabbed an old vase that was under the sink and pulled the rocks out (that get put away at Christmas time anyway) and poured them in combined with my berry branches and we have a great Christmas card tree.

I'm excited to receive Christmas cards this year. Ryan and I have greatly enjoyed catching up and re-connecting with old friends through facebook over the past few months. And Christmas cards always get me excited to see through other peoples eyes the ways they feel blessed and are celebrating this past year. I love to come home to new letters and cards in the mailbox-- it's one of my favorite parts of Christmas.

We did it!!

It worked. I am sure if we were out longer (it was really cold though) we would have gotten many more--- but we got a couple that we both like. And to many peoples shock and amazement even one with more than just our faces. :)

A tricky attempt

Ry and I are headed out to take some pictures of ourselves for Christmas cards. Ya, I'm a little behind. But since I have been sick and or out of town all the times we had planned on doing it- it didn't happen. So off we go today. Tripod and camera in tow. It will be interesting since most of my favorite pictures of others come when Im snapping away & they are being themselves. The whole timer- run- pose isn't really me.... but we shall see the results. Hopefully it will be better than the "self portrait" taken at arms length (although those are our favorites). We need some updated pictures-- so hopefully we will get some cute ones.

Stay tuned for the results. :)

Plain Spoken

I don't know that I classify as plain spoken. But that's the official name for the quilt I am starting on. All the pieces are cut. It's ready to go. Here are my colors. And here is what I am planning on it looking like
It's kind of Technicolored-- but I love it! It's a perfect curl up on the couch quilt or have a picnic quilt.

I am excited to start laying it out-- but for now I'm off to clean up the mess I made cutting fabric.

Oh and by the way-- if anyone has any tips on maching quilting (not the piecing part)- but the quilting part. Let me know. The other quilts I have made I have quilted by hand-- this one-- has much more intricate quilting. So that's the goal by quilting time (which to me quilting takes the longest anyway).

I'm off to clean!

Just being a kid

People often tell me that they love the way I capture kids. I have to say that is because when I do sessions with kids-- I let them be kids. They play- they laugh- they show me all their "cool" stuff. If you think about it part of what is so cute about kids is the little things that make them unique- innocent, priceless-- their expressions, their smiles, the way they squish their noses when they laugh. It's not when they are sitting perfectly with their head tilted slightly right. It's when they are being themselves.

This little guy I was able to capture having fun- licking a sucker, showing me his Thomas the Train and John Deer Combines. All things little boy-- then of course some fun in the snow with mom and dad!