Little Man

Braxton (almost 2) has become a part of our family ever since Kali started watching him, over a year ago. He is the sunshine in our day and the icing on our cake! :) We usually have these contests of, "Braxton, are you MY boy?!"

He first started calling me 'Gaggie', then when it finally progressed to 'Maggie' it was good, but sad. My boy is growing up! He is now starting to put sentences together and its getting easier for him to tell us what he wants with his words. No more sign language needed!

Oh, and did I mention he is SO cute?! Mabye I'm just biased :)


Here is an assortment of pictures of MY boy :)

Favorite things to do include:

Helping around the house

(Braxy's beloved vacuum)

"Paying" (praying) before meals

Helping "Jeffy" build a fire

Chatting with his online friends :)

Playing with baby "Zizzie"

I know it's a lot of pictures, but how could I pick?! :)

Free fabric anyone?!

Rebecca, the friend I just went to go visit, is having a giveaway over on her blog!

If you like to sew (or have someone make something for you), then this is perfect! She is giving away 3 yards of fabric from her shop!! The fabric she has is sooo adorable! If you win, you get to pick which ones you would like.

Soooo, hop on over to  Cotton+Wood  to enter the giveway!!

Coming soon...

Busy, busy, BUSY...working on some new and exciting things to come here soon.

A lot of work

A lot of patience

A lot of planning

A lot of inspiration

A LOT of excitement

If everything goes according to the plan, I will be able to let you all know the new things ahead in the beginning of next month!!! YAY!!

Is the anticipation too much for you?! :)

Today I.....

......enjoyed pineapple/chamomile tea in my lovely cup, bought in Chicago......

......finished a great page-turner of a book.....

......swooned over some delicious Apple Crumb Pie, made by yours truly......

~Old and New Year~

2011 is over after passing by so quickly and a new year has begun. Wow, where did the time go?

Looking back over 2011, it was probably one of the most hard, or the hardest year I have ever had. 

Have you ever heard of your life being described as a snow globe? 

This year, my life was a snow globe. 

Before I knew it, the globe was shaken up and left all scattered around. All the pieces felt as if they were everywhere. 

Here is the thing....

God was there. 

He is here. 

Whether or not I emotionally 'felt' He was there, He was. He was there to strengthen, comfort, and guide me during the difficult time. He was my shoulder to cry on and someone to laugh with. He was there to pick up the pieces and begin anew. 

He can use hard situations to work in our lives, in ways He may not have been able to do before. God is able to give joy, peace, and hope during those rough times. I know, because that's what He did for me :)

~Philippians 4:7~

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

 No, it hasn't been a walk in the park, and no, it hasn't been easy. Yet, God can strengthen you during your difficult times, give you peace in those deep valleys in life.

God.is.good!

With the 2012 upon us, I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions, but this year I resolve to....

--Trust Him more

~Psalms 56:3~

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee."

~Psalms 62:8~

"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah." 

--Pray more

~Psalms 55:17~

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice."

~I Thessalonians 5:17~

"Pray without ceasing."

--Lean on Him, more

~Proverbs 3:5~

"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

~Psalms 119:28~

"My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word." 

I can so easily get side-tracked from what is truly important. This year I strive to trust that no matter what comes my way, good or bad, God has a plan. He wants to work in my life through it, to strengthen and purify me according to His good pleasure. 

~Philippians 2:13~

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

So, no matter what we face this year, let's strive to trust God that He has a plan, far far better than what we can imagine!

~Visiting New Friends~

Kali and I made a trip over to Indiana this month, to visit a friend that we met through blogging! (Rebecca) We had such a great time with Becca and her family. They were all so sweet and friendly! Even before we all met, us ladies felt we had a special connection, once meeting it was the same feeling but also with the rest of the family. It was as if we had all known each other for so long!

We went to Chicago and spent the day shopping/eating some delicious deep-dish pizza!

New Buffalo, MI

Thanks so much for having us, we had a wonderful time!

DIY: Purse Organizer

Josh got me a purse this Christmas and that I absolutely LOVE! Its really cute and homemade from a little shop downtown. I like the feel and look of homemade purses, bags, ect...

The only problem with this purse is that it had absolutely no pockets, zilch. I tried it for a couple of days and my purse was just in chaos. Things were everywhere with no home for my phone or anything else. Digging, digging, digging.

Mom mentioned that she saw something on Pinterest for a purse organizer you can make, then insert into your purse. Desperately in need of some organization, I decided to give it a shot.

PURSE ORGANIZER PATTERN

We went to Walmart picked up some matching fabric and interfacing. Then went to work!

Finished product

So, SO much better

The best part about this is it only cost about $3! Score!