busy and boring...

So today was busy but I wasn't doing much to interest really. I mailed a box full of microwave popcorn to my beloved because the kind they have on the ship is "nasty". I cleaned the bathrooms, played with the kids, did dishes, put some random, sitting around the house needing to be put away, stuff away. We went to Lowes and used our rebate card to purchase paint for the living room. So hopefully by Monday I'll be posting pics over on everyday home of my new gray living room!
ya, so that's about it for the interesting blogability of my day. however so this post isn't completely dry I thought I'd share some of how my weekend will be. One of my beautiful sisters, Emily, is coming down in the morning to spend the weekend with me. Hopefully we'll get some painting done but honestly, if we sit and talk the whole time and don't get a thing done that's fine too. :D The only down side to the whole thing is we've been wanting to do a sister weekend and it hasn't worked out yet. so I'll miss having my other girls there as well. :(
So, why the Sephora picture you ask? well our friend Jessica is getting married in a month! So we're going with her tomorrow to Sephora to get some wedding day bridal make up! I'll get some great girly time in and be kid free for a few hours!

Busy little bee with a heavy heart...

So my beloved had to leave as I said before. Thankfully my parents were coming to visit over the weekend so I had just enough time to clean my house top to bottom and welcome their arrival and no time to sit around missing him. The kids are still adjusting a.k.a. not sleeping well, it's 8:30 right now and I can hear them up there playing and making a huge mess of their room. But I'm tired so I'm ignoring them for the moment.
I was reading Proverbs 31 yesterday evening before bed and was pondering the first couple verses about the woman who fears the Lord...

Proverbs 31: 10)An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11)The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12)She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.

I've been going through an entire study about being a help meet to my husband, what that looks like, how to truly become the woman that fears the Lord...and I've enjoyed practicing in the past months. striving to be a better wife and mother. But last night I was struck. In what ways can I specifically serve my husband, maintain his trust, and do him good while he is far from me physically?
Here are just a few of my ideas for the moment:
-Continuing in our plan of parenting and working hard to raise our little ones up in the Lord.
-Maintaining an orderly home and myself in a pattern of discipline so as not to fall into lazy habits or pity parties
-Pray for him daily
-affirm him from a distance, telling him of my pride in him and my love for him
-sending regular pages and letters from me and the children for moral
-keep a God honoring attitude and spirit
-maintain the cars, washing them and other small maintenance upkeep that is important.
-staying faithful to him always. (this seemed obvious to me at first, but I realized just now that many navy wives aren't faithful to their husbands when they are away and that mine appreciates that I do)
-Leaning on God for my strength and needs and never allowing myself to grow bitter or resentful towards my husband over his absence from the home.
-taking care of myself, spiritually, emotionally and physically, in other words not "letting myself go"

well that's all I can come up with right now but it's a good list I think. And one I will practice and work on in order to honor God and my husband while he is away. That I may continue to strive after becoming a woman who fears the Lord and who is far more precious that jewels.

wondering what else I'll be doing while he is away?

I have a bridal shower for a friend that my sister and I are hosting, then Gwendolyn's 2nd Birthday this June.
July brings my birthday, said friend's wedding, a visit from my mother in law, and most likely my youngest sister's bridal shower as well.
August will likely be my sister's wedding and a baby shower
during all those months as well as the ones to follow I will also be working on my house. Be sure to check in on my home blog if you're interested. I have some sewing projects I've been wanting to work on. And I'll be planning out the coming school year for Gabriel as we venture into the world of homeschooling!
And that's just the big stuff! I'm sure there will be plenty of trips to the park, pool and zoo as well as trips to see family and friends and hopefully visits from them as well.

So, just a few thoughts and some things to look forward to in my life.

My beloved deploys in the morning...I don't like that he has to go away. It makes me sad that he will miss so much, Gwendolyn's 2nd Birthday, trips to the zoo, the beach and to see friends and family. All the funny things the kids say, watching them grow and change...you get the idea. However I am thankful he is alive and well. And I am proud of him for serving our country and keeping us safe. And in our day and age technology is a blessed life line.

Here's a song by Thrice which is somewhat fitting...it's about a whaler rather than a sailor but same point. I identify with it.


The Whaler

My lover's arms,
they beg me to stay.
But I know the storms,
they will sweep me away.

My daughter's eyes,
they are two tiny seas,
whose water will rise
and then run down her cheeks.

"Father where do you go,
so far out upon the sea,
when are you coming home to me?"
"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

The boat and the blade,
they are all that I know;
the sea calls my name,
and so I must go.

And while they still sleep,
I slip out through the door;
but how can I leave,
with my anchors ashore?

"Father where do you go?
It's farther than I can see,
when are you coming home to me?"
"Darling why do you leave,
as the north wind begins to blow?
Will you be coming home to me?"

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.


I have not blogged about this till now, mainly because I just wasn't ready. I've tried to write a post about it several times and always end up deleting it. But I think today's the day...
On March 23 I was at my parents home with all my siblings, we had just finished a weekend of many emotions, tears, hugs and general family bonding due to things I won't go into at the moment. We woke up to the news that my cousin Michael Haynes had been in a car crash and was in the hospital. the other driver was killed on the scene. as hours and then days passed we learned that he had been hit by a drunk driver going well over 100 MPH who was driving on the wrong side of the road. Michael was in a coma but fighting for life and things were starting to feel hopeful. On March 27 he passed away suddenly. He leaves behind his dear wife Tawny and their two precious children, Taryn (3) and Elias (17 months); parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, cousins and countless friends and co-workers as well who are deeply touched by his passing and share in the grief with his family.
Through this, my biggest comfort has been knowing he is in heaven with our Lord Jesus Christ, and witnessing the strength God has blessed Tawny with. In the weeks following her husband's passing she has not been idle, she is making a stand against drunk driving and all involved in the choices made when such things happen.
Here is a recent radio interview she did to make her voice heard...
It's a beautiful life
I hope you'll take a minute and listen, I personally bawled through the first half, but tears are no stranger to me the past couple months.
Michael, we miss you.
Tawny, I love you, you and your children are in my prayers daily. I am so proud of you and amazed at your strength. You are truly glorifying the Lord in these difficult circumstances and I know He will bless your faithfulness and efforts to affect a change.


Psalm 55:22
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you;he will never let the righteous fall.

The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
-Psalm 24:1-3




That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
-Colossians 2:2-3

Definition of the word MYSTERY:
"Something hidden from human knowledge and fitted to inspire a sense of awe; especially something incomprehensible through being above human intelligence. An enigma; anything artfully made difficult."

God is good, even when life is hard, even when he chooses to be mysterious or maybe more so because of it.

God's blessings...

This last Saturday my beloved took me out on a date. It's such a joy being married to you best friend! One of the things I love most about my husband is his sense of humor, he's almost always goofing around joking or teasing. It makes me smile and laugh, both of which are wonderful things!

these are the kinds of things he does on a regular basis, you take the pic and see this instead of what you'd expect...the one below. (by the way, he calls this his "deer caught in the headlights" look )but I love him for it and would probably make him take a silly one if he didn't just do it on his own.

however if we planned it then I'd have to make a silly face as well and I don't do them as well as he does so I'll stick with smiling for now :D
point being, I'm so thankful that God has blessed my life so richly with this man.
That we can afford to go out because there have been times when we couldn't.
And I'm thankful that God created individuality and laughter, how dull our world would be without them.
And for those of your who are nosy and curious we went to the movies and watched "The International" which was quite good.

...He is faithful

I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1


I don't have a lot to say today, only because my mind is full and I haven't been able to think on it all long enough for it to come out yet.
However, I am overwhelmed by the peace Christ gives us in all situations, so long as we ask for it. I'm just feeling thankful today for God's love and faithfulness to those he loves. For all that he has blessed my life with through family and friends.
And right now especially, for my dear beloved husband.

Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
Psalm 95:1-3

What's the big deal?

So, I'm a stay at home mom. Like many stay at home mothers, and women in general, I get a little tired of the monotony of cleaning. However for the most part I don't mind doing things. for instance, Laundry doesn't take much effort and folding it allows me to sit down for a couple minutes. or I do it for the end result...who doesn't love it when their bathroom is sparkly clean? I might fall into the weird category for how much I enjoy sweeping though. haha!
anyway, this post is about dishes! Truth be told I don't like anything about doing dishes, I don't like scrubbing them, loading them into the machine or pulling them out and putting them away! even the site of my cupboards full of clean dishes isn't enough for me to do it without complaint. Oh, and no matter how many soaps I try I don't like the smell of dishwasher detergent, not sure why.
I've tried several things to keep me motivated enough to regularly keep my sink empty and shining as pictured above. I run the machine at night and unload in the morning and strive to put the dishes straight into the machine but....
somewhere along the line I don't follow through. Most likely just pure laziness and my loathing of this chore are behind it but whatever the reason I don't like doing my dishes! I even put up a little poem about doing dishes right in my line of sight at the sink to encourage me to be thankful, and willing with this chore of chores:

"Thank God for dirty dishes
they have a tale to tell.
for while other folks go hungry
we're eating very well.
with a wealth of happiness
it's very hard to fuss.
by this stack of evidence
God's very good to us."

It only works some of the time... :D
And so, I will continue to strive after a clean and empty sink but I don't know that I'll ever come to enjoy it. However, two days ago I was cooking a pizza in the oven, the sink was full and the machine needed to be unloaded. I glanced at the timer and it showed I had 7minutes and 36 seconds till the food was ready. And so I started to unload, and then I reloaded, and then I scrubbed down the sink. Not to mention that I had to get Gwennie out of the cupboards several times and I also stopped and parented Gabriel. So it wasn't even like I was rushing! Do you know that I finished the entire process in LESS than those 7 minutes and 36 seconds! and thus the purpose of this post, I began to wonder to myself, what's the big deal about doing the dishes? The answer? I may never truly know.

What to wear on Halloween....

Or rather what i might be wearing if I had the time and money to make any of them. :)

First off we have my favorite gown from "Tristan and Isolde" which I actually have a pattern that's fairly close to so this one might be in production in the near future.



Next we have the "Gladiator" costume, I've always loved the whole wrapped up in ribbon thing. :) and who wouldn't want to finish it off by draping yourself in gorgeous luxurious fabrics? I mean really!



This one is from "Kingdom of Heaven", it doesn't get much screen time but I love it's construction and the color is divine!



Next is one of the many gorgeous costumes from "The Other Boleyn Girl". I have always like this style though which is called Cranach I believe.



Now we enter into the regency era. There are too many costume films here to show you all my favorites to I limited myself to only absolute favorites.
is it possible to fall in love with a time period because of their hats? well I love love love this one from "Sense and Sensability".



And again, Marianne's hat is just yummy! (she's on the left in case you didn't know)



Marianne's purple/brown gown has always been a favorite.



And I also love the color and print of this gown from "Becoming Jane".



here comes the true eye candy! this section could have gotten way too long as there are just way too many 18th century gowns i'm in love with but again, I show restraint, lol :)

this lovely concoction is from "The Duchess", isn't the hat just amazing!!! I read somewhere that Keira Knightly kept it she liked it so much, I knew I always liked her for a reason! haha :P



The following three are from "Marie Antoinette". This one is made stunning by the red velvet belt contrasted against the pale blue.



I love the trimming on this one and the bow around her neck is too fun! I wish I could get away with that on a daily basis. :) And the shirring and buttons down the front....ahh the detail!



This one might just be my favorite of all hers...maybe. I think I love it because it has a similar shape to bustle gowns which I love but it still maintains the conical shape of the 18th century something I also love. best of both I guess.



This one is another where the hat is what pulls me. It was one of the first promotional pictures to come out and had me drooling for more. I also love the salmon pink dress on the far right with the lacy sleeves!



Here we have my favorite gown from "Vanity Fair". I love the collar and her hair is a piece of art!



This is the Daun Jaun costume from "Phantom of the Opera". I have always liked it for multiple reasons. interestingly this costume has two corsets. a flesh colored over bust worn under the lacy chemise and the darker under bust which you see.



And from "Moulin Rouge" we have another one I seriously mean to make one day!



This one is from the movie "Silk", And I just love the lace inset, it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland for some reason, which happens to be a favorite of mine. :)



I have always thought this dress from "Cold Mountain" was so feminine and sweet looking.



I have been in love with this dress for a long time... the saddest part is that in the film, "Dracula" you see the bodice only for maybe 2 min.! it's truly a tragedy in the costumers world! lol, but really



the amount of work and detail in the train is just stunning!!!



The bustle cage itself is a beautiful piece of art!



This one is from "Van Helsing" and I actually like the one which looks just like this, but with a blue jacket, better however I couldn't find a good picture of it, so you get to see it's red twin!



There are many lovely gowns in "The Lord Of the Rings" but I have always loved this green one worn by Eoywn.



And finally there is the bedspread dress from "Enchanted" which I have a pattern for but still haven't found the right fabric...



so, there you have it, some of my favorite costumes in film and what i'd dress up as today if I could.

come back tomorrow for pictures of pumpkins and my little folk dressed up in their costumes! :D

Bunny

This is Bunny, Gabriel's pal and constant companion. When he was little his comfort object was a small cow, but last year we left him at a friends house and he ended up staying there for about 3 weeks. which is apparently long enough for a three year old to detach from said toy. Last Easter his grandma P. gave Gwendolyn a soft bunny which Gabriel took a liking to immediately! And so began the friendship of Gabriel and Bunny.



They do everything together and Gabriel is very much a big brother and/or parent to Bunny. Characteristics I hope he'll come to implement upon his sister soon. :)
He reads books to Bunny, tucks him into bed, dresses him some times, sings to him, and makes sure he's well taken care of if the need arises to do something that doesn't include Bunny. Making brownies this morning for instance.



I recently felt the need to document this because I know that too soon he'll grow up and grow out of this kind of play, which is normal and right in it's place. But I do want to cherish and keep as much of it as I can. Childhood is a magical time, full of learning and imaginary realities. I love that as a parent we are able to nurture creativity and a love for learning, by stepping back in time to be a child again ourselves.



for instance, did you know that I am a wonderful train track engineer? Well I am, I have been building train track configurations for at least 2 years now and my creativity is always much needed. "I want this piece mommy, I want this piece!"...How do you use every single piece of train track you own and make it all work? wouldn't you like to know?! lol
Thankfully, as my little man is growing up he's becoming a very brilliant engineer himself and only needs my help here and there these days.
And when not building trains he's learning how to care for Bunny, share with Bunny, love Bunny and all the things he'll need in order to be a loving father one day, Lord willing. :)

bored

Wishing my bed looked somewhat more like this one...
only with some more colors thrown in. Wishing my whole house could be "springy"! alas it takes time which I really don't have right now. at least not for home shopping...
well, just thought I'd share.

musings

I am wondering lately why I don't just dress like this. It's what I love, I spend way too much time thinking about how gorgeous these gowns are, thinking about how much fun it would be to dress this way. Wondering why on earth we decided it was better to wear shorts and tank tops. (ok, yes i understand it's much cooler in hot weather etc... but bear with me)
Everything in me at times wishes that I could dress that way and not have people question my sanity. I know in the reality of my life it is a foolish use of my time and money to be making such things, and that i wouldn't wear them all that often due to heat and comfortability but I still wonder, still want to try it.
I wonder why God gave me such a love of history and clothing.....?

my blessings

Earlier today I was sending quite a few pictures to my husband.
I try to do this fairly often while he is away so he can enjoy watching his children grow and change as much as possible despite the distance.
I was looking at picture after picture of these two adorable, beautiful children that God has blessed us with and was overwhelmed by the responsibility!

This is Gabriel,

Gabriel is full of laughter and smiles, he has a wonderful imagination;
only yesterday as we were driving i asked him what he saw out the window and he replied that he saw, "sleeping lions".
like any child he has his moments of disobedience, although lately they have been more frequent.

His current difficulty is staying in bed. I find that underneath it all there is an incredibly strong will. One that I must confess he has inherited from myself.
So I guess it's only right that I must contend with my child on this issue, as I am sure I did to my own wonderful parents.
The challenge lies in shaping that will into something that loves and glorifies the Lord!

This is Gwendolyn,

At 8 months old she is all smiles and giggles, and loves to eat!
I find myself wondering, as I watch and learn more about Gabriel each day,
"What is Gwendolyn going to be like?"

I would venture to say that she, like her brother will be full of life and laughter.
but what will she really be like?
What things will capture her interest? Will she be into "girly" things?
Will she love the Lord with all her heart, soul and mind?

I certainly hope so, with all my heart! And that is just what I meant when I mentioned being overwhelmed by the responsibility as a parent!

It is my calling to teach God's word to my children, talking of it when I am sitting in my house, and when I am walking, when I lie down and when I rise!
All to the hope and prayer that they may one day know him personally as Lord of their lives, and serve him faithfully throughout.

And so, I am thankful that God has blessed me so richly with precious human lives, I am humbled and honored that he finds me trustworthy of the task.

And I am eternally greatful that He has promised to be with me every step of the way, always just a prayer away. So thankful that he gives us our own parents as well as others to pass on their wisdom and insight, so that whoever seeks may find, and that in finding we may grow.

I end with this,
My deepest responsibility to my children is to live my life loving and honoring God.
For there is nothing greater I can give than to live by example,
therefore I must truly follow and worship and serve my heavenly father every day, every waking moment. That is my true calling, that is all that really matters,
that I love him with all my heart, and all my soul and all my mind!

He is teaching me so much about himself and my relationship with him through this miracle of being a mom.

It's a long one....

Well, it's been some time since I have posted so i have a bit of catching up on life to do.

To start, my husband is still away and I miss him a lot!
(isn't he cute! this pic. is old but I love it!)

Shortly after he left we headed up to our beloved Hume Lake.
The day we arrived it began to snow and dropped quite a lot, I should have taken a picture of it then , however, it was rather cold outside and i chose to stay by the fire in the comfort of my home. :) But Gabriel and his papa braved the elements in order to keep the porch free enough to walk on. We could hardly bring him inside despite the Blue lips. :) Perhaps kids don't get cold like we do. lol! As you can see, it was quite a bit of snow.
While there we celebrated Gabriel's 3rd birthday with the family, cousins etc...He loved having everyone sing to him! We hadn't done anything big party wise yet.

Here they are, the elder of the cousins,
Avery Bay the oldest by about a month, Isaac who's only 10 days older than Gabe, and Gabriel.
After the party we went sledding!
What else happened while we were gone? well, my little sister Erin turned 18! She is on the left, on the right is my other sister Emily, aren't they both beautiful! :)
ok, maybe a little goofy too but they make life fun!
We took pictures with great grandpa! This is only half of his brood of great grand babies!
Here is Gwendolyn with her great grandpa and cousin Zachariah

She figured out how to get up on her knees!

And had her first taste of baby food... hmmm, maybe not so great?
Gabriel practiced his piano...
or at least enjoyed banging away:)

And we discovered he has a gift for imitations....lol!
Now we are home and have been busy with daily life.
but hey, Gwen decided that baby food wasn't so bad after all!