Blessed Little Nest

2011-11-27T21:52:00.002-07:00

I've moved to a lovely new nest.

I'd love for you to join me.

I hope you'll come over for a visit

and update your subscription with

my new address while you're there.

See you soon!

-xo

Heather

2011-09-13T15:10:00.002-07:00

I've moved to a lovely new nest.

I'd love for you to join me.

I hope you'll come over for a visit

and update your subscription with

my new address while you're there.

See you soon!

-xo

Heather

Sweet

2011-07-20T14:11:00.001-07:00

Want to see more of my girl's sweet new space?

Come on over here to visit me.

{Psst}

2011-04-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

Hey you.

Ya, you.

Come on over here.

I've got something to tell you.

{Outside}

2011-03-30T10:00:00.006-07:00

My husband cleaned out the camper for me, just as he had promised. When all the scrubbing was done though, we realized we had a much bigger project on our hands then we initially expected. The thin birch veneer that covers the walls of our 1967 Kitt Camper, all original, had become so dry from the Arizona heat that it is literally falling right off of the walls with even the slightest touch. It's not a deal breaker, it just means it's going to take a bit more time to make her look purty. I'm thinking Modge Podge and vintage book pages! Until I can tackle that project we've been keeping busy sprucing up the outside space to reflect her sweet vintage charm. I took a few photos last night, just as dusk was settling in. Come have a look...

We have a dog that likes to eat vegetables, so we have a fence around our garden.

The hand points you to the direction of the gate.

This is the view from the camper out into the garden.

What our home lacks for in square footage, it more than makes up for in yard size,
and since we live in the middle of a bustling city, our outdoor space is a treasure to us.
My husband is an avid gardener and so the size of our garden has slowly grown
over the years to the point of small farm.

To keep the garden looking pretty he uses industrial elements to create the trellises
and tomato cages. All the rocks that line the beds were found in ally ways and in debris
piles on construction sites. Same goes for the few bits of wood he has used.

I once saw in a magazine, a home that filled their entire yard with lavender plants.

For me that would be like heaven.

Yes, even my man is crafty.

This year he's growing about 7 different varieties of tomatoes

and this is how he keeps track of each one.

Hello ladies.

This is my favorite part so far.
We find ourselves sneaking out here after the kids
go to bed so we can chat under the lights.

So, that's our space so far.
I promise to keep you updated as I get more done,
but for now I think I'm just going to enjoy being outside.

P.S. If you're interested in advertising your blog or shop, there's still time.
You can learn more about this new adventure I'm taking on here.

{Eyes Wide Open, Part 4}

2011-03-28T23:33:00.017-07:00

If you're new to this series you'll want to start with Eyes Wide Open Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

I remember it as though it was yesterday. I was lying on the bench in front of the sliding glass door talking on the phone to my mom. In those early days after Samuel died, talking on the phone became our nightly ritual. Some days were filled with talk of how we each managed to get through the hours, while other days my mother sat patiently listening to me cry into the phone because it was all I could muster. In this particular conversation, I remember telling her that I felt as though I had once been filled with light and now it was as if all of the candles had been blown out. I feared it would be like that forever. Never to laugh, smile, find joy or hope in this world again. When I look back on that conversation now, I can clearly see Jesus sitting next to me. Listening to the words I was telling my momma. I can hear Him softly whispering to me..."I will bring you Light."

I don't think in all my wildest dreams could I have anticipated how He would bring the light back.

If left to my own devices, I know I would have become bitter and angry. I would have disappeared.

God wouldn't let me. He reminded me of all that He had opened my eyes to during those weeks in the hospital and hospice. He wouldn't let me forget everything that I had let them in. All the people that I had closed my eyes to were now deep in my heart. They changed me. Through the deepest levels of pain and sadness came the most honest and pure joy. I felt gratitude for all that I was given. I was grateful that I got to hold my son while he had breath in his lungs, because not all mothers do. I was grateful that I got to sleep in that tiny old foldout chair in his room, because not all mothers can. I was grateful that we were able to take him to hospice so that he could live in peace for his last few days on Earth, because not families have the choice. Through all my pain and grief I finally let God do the thing He'd been trying to do all along...open my heart. Life was certainly less complicated when I lived closed up, but it wasn't an option anymore. I tried for a moment to pretend that the pain and anguish that I felt over the loss of my son was unique to me, but I knew better. I finally understood that pain is pain. We all feel it and we can all help bring comfort to it. That's why the Joyful Life Library project is so important to me. It's a way to bring a bit of comfort to families that are thrust into a child's critical illness, and it's so important. It's important to the mom that feels like she can't care for her child amongst all the doctors and nurses. It's important for the grandparent that wants to visit their grandchild and lift their spirits. It's important for the siblings that miss their brother or sister and are afraid of the tubes and beeping machines.

Giving the gift of normality to a family in this situation, if even just for 20 pages of a favorite story, is something that can't be underestimated. I know that. I've lived that. I've seen other families that could have benefit from that. That's why I need to take our little project to the next level. I want nothing more then to fill every PICU on the planet with kids books, but for the time being I'll start with two hospitals; Cardon Children's Medical Center in Arizona and Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach in California. I want to keep their shelves filled with books, and because of the high volume of patients that circulate through the PICU, that means we'll need a lot of them. That's why, as of April 1st, I will begin hosting sponsors on my blog. Instead of being paid in cash though, I'll take my payment in the form of new children's books please. I have created Amazon.com wish lists for each hospital so that all book orders will be sent directly to each location. It's books for buttons. You send books to the PICU and I'll put your button up on my blog. And because I want this to be successful for everyone involved, I'll screen all sponsor inquiries to be sure they are a good fit for my readers.

250 x 75px size ad

$25 (or more) of books for one month

$40 (or more) of books for two months

*I designed the pricing options to take

advantage of Amazon's free shipping.

If you are a shop or blog owner I hope you'll consider advertising on this

little blog of mine. You'll not only be advertising your goods, but you'll be helping

me to spread comfort and hope in a very real and lovely way. If you're

interested in learning more please email with Books for Buttons in the subject.

Thanks friends!!

I can't wait to see what God will create through us.

{Life Made Lovely Monday}

2011-03-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Life Made Lovely Monday, a place to share the lovely in your life.

Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life your living right now.

It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and

turning it into something special. I believe life can be made lovely through a

project, a recipe, a moment, or even just an image that's inspiring to you.

..................................

We've only been back to school for one week and we're already ready for another
vacation. We need a day with no chores or appointments. Preferably one that's
away from home. We need a day like the one that Mandy from Bella's Little Rose

shared in last week's links. A whole entire day spent moving at their own pace,
enjoying being together. I think that sounds lovely! Thanks for linking up Mandy!

Now it's your turn to share how you make your life more lovely.

* Link up your post, not your blog.

* Be sure to include a link back to Life Made Lovely Monday in your post.

* Visit the other links and leave a little comment love. Everybody likes comments!

* Be sure to add your link any time today!

{Happy Weekend}

2011-03-26T21:42:00.001-07:00

I hope your weekend is full of smiles!

{Bribe Schmibe}

2011-03-25T09:35:00.004-07:00

I know I promised to post some house and camper photos this week,

but...well...I've got nothing. I'm in the midst of working on two

big projects, and they have to be completed this week so that I can

introduce you to them next week. Needless to say, they haven't left me

with any time for snapping photos, or for doing laundry for that matter.

So, I wonder if you would ~~settle~~ accept a little free art instead.

I was thinking of my family when I created this cutie.

I want them to know, above all else, they are my choice.
It's my way of screaming from the rooftops, "Dear family, I choose you!!"

*click the image to enlarge it to it's full 6x8 size, then save to your desktop and print it.*
*remember the colors may vary depending on your printer and paper.*

While some may call this a bribe, I prefer to think of it as creative art placement.

And I almost forgot, the winner of the Dayspring $30 shop credit is....

Christy!

Have a happy weekend friends!!

{Her Day}

2011-03-23T00:02:00.000-07:00

{I Just Can't Decide- A Giveaway}

2011-03-21T22:05:00.005-07:00

Remember when I mentioned the happy mail I received? Well,

after my sweet friend Danielle sent me that lovely mug from Dayspring,
I knew I was destined to own more. Problem is, I just can't decide which

ones to order. I seriously love them all. Makes me wish that Dayspring was
giving me a $35 credit to go shopping with, but they're giving it away to
one of you lovelies instead! Good thing I like ya'll so much. Just in
case you were wondering, these are a few of my favorites.

Wait a minute. That's not a mug. How'd that get on here?

Boy, it sure would look pretty in my kitchen though.

Not again! How'd that beautiful necklace end up on this list of mugs?

It really would look good around my neck though. Just sayin'.

To enter to win a $35 credit with Dayspring, that you'll get to use to purchase

whatever you see fit, leave a comment letting me know how you take your coffee,

or tea if that's how you roll. The giveaway will remain open through Thursday,

with the winner announced on Friday. Happy Tuesday friends!

{Life Made Lovely Monday}

2011-03-20T21:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Life Made Lovely Monday, a place to share the lovely in your life.

Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life your living right now.

It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and

turning it into something special. I believe life can be made lovely through a

project, a recipe, a moment, or even just an image that's inspiring to you.

..................................

I was already in girlie party mode on account of my girl turning two on
Saturday, but this post that Heather from Cookie Mondays shared
in last week's link up set my heart racing. What can I say? She had me
at paper cupcake liner garland! Or was it the cookie sheet placemats?
Either way, I think every last crumb of this sweet party is lovely!
Thanks for linking up Heather!

Now it's your turn to share how you make your life more lovely.

* Link up your post, not your blog.

* Be sure to include a link back to Life Made Lovely Monday in your post.

* Visit the other links and leave a little comment love. Everybody likes comments!

* Be sure to add your link any time today!

{Nesting}

2011-03-15T08:46:00.002-07:00

We're on Spring Break this week and plan on spending lots of time hanging around

our little nest. I'll be back next week with house photos, a post about my girl's simple

and sweet 2nd birthday celebration, and (fingers crossed) some camper shots, too.
Have a happy week friends!!

{Life Made Lovely Monday}

2011-03-13T21:43:00.004-07:00

Welcome to Life Made Lovely Monday, a place to share the lovely in your life.

Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life your living right now.

It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and

turning it into something special. I believe life can be made lovely through a

project, a recipe, a moment, or even just an image that's inspiring to you.

..................................

Shut-the-front-door! I'm pretty sure that's what I yelled at the computer screen when

I happened upon the link that Erin at The Little Apartment shared last week. Besides the fact

that I'd like to live in this photo and I'd like to have my morning cup of coffee in one of those

fab chairs, I'm totally blown away by how she's bringing lovely to the life she's living right

now. She's not letting the little fact that she lives in a rental stop her from creating the home

she wants for her family. With a few bucks, and a bunch of hours spent with a paint brush in

hand while her toddler slept, she created this amazing wall treatment that they can enjoy every

single day they reside in this sweet space. That's so very lovely! Thanks for linking up Erin!

Now it's your turn to share how you make your life more lovely.

Link up your post, not your blog.
Be sure to include a link back to Life Made Lovely Monday in your post.
Visit the other links and leave a little comment love. Everybody likes comments!
Be sure to add your link any time today!

{Ten on Ten}

2011-03-10T23:37:00.003-07:00

Ten snapshots of the day, on the tenth day of the month.

Stop by the Rebekah's lovely blog, A Bit of Sunshine, for more ten on ten projects.

Follow my blog with bloglovin

{Bounty Hunter}

2011-03-10T09:44:00.005-07:00

Last week Henry's school had their 30th annual Kindergarten Rodeo and all

the kids came dressed as cowboys and cowgirls, complete with homemade cowboy

hats and stick horses. It was, without a doubt, one of the cutest things ever.

When Henry told me that we'd be making his stick horse ourselves, I was excited to get

busy creating a special horse just for him, but as it turns out, he had other plans. He was

eager to get crafty with that horse himself and had it all planned out. He picked out every

last button, cut each piece of felt, and knew exactly where every piece should be applied.

All I needed to do was attach it all with the hot glue gun for him. Watching him get

creative with the stick horse that he named Bounty Hunter was more fun than I ever

expected. Maybe this business of him growing up isn't so bad after all.

Maybe.

{Captured}

2011-03-08T23:12:00.002-07:00

Thank you Lauren for capturing this moment for us.

You are divine!!!

P.S. Henry wants to know when we can do it again.

{It's Here!}

2011-03-08T09:08:00.005-07:00

My friend Rachel has done this twice before and both times I wished I could have gone.

This time around she's creating a whole new experience, a faith centered blogging event who's foundational purposes is to inspire bloggers to create the best blog they can. Rachel and her team,
which includes Andrea and Jen, are striving to help bloggers grow, think outside the box and inspire others through the unique passions and talents the Lord has gifted them. I love that!! They've also gathered a group of speakers for the event that feels like something straight out a blogging dream.

Did you see that lineup? Did you know that Meg is the keynote speaker?
Did you see that I'm part of it, too? If you're saying, "What the what!", you're not alone.
I've been saying the same thing to myself for a while now. I have no idea how it happened,
that I get to be among so many of my favorite bloggers, but I'm so glad it did. And since
they've already taught me the secret handshake they totally can't change their minds.
I'm gonna be there and I hope you will be, too. I want to meet YOU!! Visit the
Blog Sugar '11 blog to stay in the know on all the plans that the girls have in store
for this event, and while you're over there be sure to register for the event, too.

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good."

Happy Tuesday!!

{Life Made Lovely Monday}

2011-03-06T22:17:00.005-07:00

Welcome to Life Made Lovely Monday, a place to share the lovely in your life.
Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life your living right now.

It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and

turning it into something special. I believe life can be made lovely through a

project, a recipe, a moment, or even just an image that's inspiring to you.

..................................

Yes please! That's the first thing I thought when my eyes came upon the
wreath that Amy from The Little Bean Sprout linked up last week. I love every
last thread of this scrappy wreath goodness and need to make one for myself
very, very soon. It's so lovely! Thanks for linking up Amy!!

Now it's your turn to share how you make your life more lovely.

Link up your post, not your blog.
Be sure to include a link back to Life Made Lovely Monday in your post.
Visit the other links and leave a little comment love. Everybody likes comments!
Be sure to add your link any time today!

Today I get to be in two places at once.

I'm also over at Life Rearranged today sharing part 3 of my series,

along with something that's very near and dear to my heart.

I hope you'll come by for a visit.
Happy Monday!

{Eyes Wide Open, Part 2}

2011-03-04T05:00:00.008-07:00

(Eyes Wide Open, Part 1)

Part of living with your eyes tightly shut is that it makes it easier to convince yourself that bad things can only happen to other people. I told myself that since I followed the rules, always did the things I was supposed to do, things like that won't affect us. Believe it or not, but I'm a pretty smart girl, so I always knew that this reality I'd created for myself wasn't reality at all, but I chose to keep the charade going because it made me feel safe in a world full of uncertainty. It helped me to feel in control. It wasn't until my eyes were wide open that I realized exactly how wrong I was.

We were feeling optimistic and hopeful because Samuel had survived the exploratory surgery he had to undergo in order to find out where his bacterial infection was coming from. We felt like we were finally, for the first time in weeks, on the right track. He was still incredibly sick from the infection, but his numbers were beginning to come up, and even in his int-abated state he was able to scrunch up his forehead each time I rubbed it, letting me know that he knew I was there. I would sit and talk to him for hours and he would move his head back and forth as he followed the sound of my voice pacing around the room. When I would run out of things to talk about I would read to him from the IKEA catalog that I still had in my purse from the day I went into preterm labor. Reading to him, even if it was from a furniture catalog where most of the words were foreign to me and difficult to pronounce, made me feel like I was participating in his care. It helped me to not feel in-the-way, because when you're in a tiny room with well over 20 different doctors and nurses coming and going, all trying to make your child better, you feel in-the-way.

Samuel and I kept this routine up for weeks. We'd switch it up and read from a magazine Scott had picked up for me in the gift shop or the prayer book I bought before his surgery. Reading to him helped me to feel optimistic. Feeling optimistic helped me to keep my wits about me when they would come in and tell us the results of test after test. It helped me stay focused on him when at times it felt like all he was to some staff members was a chart and a rare condition. It kept me by his side which is how I noticed the first twitch of his hand. And then his foot. And how he stopped scrunching his forehead when I rubbed it. And how he stopped following my voice.

I knew in my gut that something wasn't right, but I ignored it. Just like I had chosen to live with blinders on, I chose to ignore that voice that God gives us to use as our guide. I told myself that because he'd beaten the odds so many times over the past four and half weeks that he could easily do it again.

The moment when multiple doctors, nurses, specialists, and social workers all descended upon his room to give us the results of his MRI, explaining that they were shocked that it had come back showing complete devastation of his brain, the likes of which they'd never seen before, I very quickly realized that we were now among those other people. When I was grasping for straws and asked if they were absolutely sure since the cranial ultrasound that had been done on his tiny little head just two weeks prior had shown healthy normal activity and they answered yes, I began to feel the weight of those other people I'd so carefully avoided. But, it wasn't until I left the room so I could go outside and catch my breath that I finally understood. As I stood outside with the reality of their words crashing down around me I knew. There is no such thing as other people. There is only people.

To be continued...

I hope you'll join me on Monday over at Life Rearranged for Part 3.

{Hoop Art Swap}

2011-03-03T09:54:00.006-07:00

Ashley Ann via Pinterest

Allison's hoop art got me thinking, and getting an email from one of

my favorite bloggers on that very topic confirmed it.

We could all use a little more hoop art in our lives, so lets do a swap!

If you'd like to participate then send me an email with Hoop Art Swap in the title.

I'll wait a week and then partner everyone up.

Here are the deets:

You'll swap addy's directly with your partner.
All projects will need to be mailed out by March 31.
You don't need to spend a lot of money, or any for that matter.
Instead, visit your craft stash or the thrift store to find supplies for your design.
Add photos of your designs to the BLN Hoop Art Swap Group on Flickr

P.S. This swap is open to everyone, so international friends be sure to enter, too!
I can't wait to see all the hoop art loveliness.

{This swap is now closed.}

{Words To Live By)

2011-03-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

source

{Finding the Fun}

2011-03-01T09:30:00.008-07:00

I've been nursing a migraine for the past two days. Not fun.

What is fun though is checking your email and finding out that you were

picked as one of the top 25 creative mom bloggers by Circle of Moms.

Will you vote for me? Pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top?

The voting remains open until March 11.

Another thing that's fun is finding out in a different email that you were
chosen to be included in something that you think is inspiring and awesome.
I feel blessed and honored to be part of this community of bloggers!

And guess what? The fun didn't stop there. Even a nasty migraine couldn't

take the fun out of learning that I'm going to be speaking at Blog Sugar!

Talk about feeling honored! Are you going? I hope so! Rachel and Andrea

are creating a fresh and unique gathering that you won't want to miss.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to figure out how I can

strap an ice pack to my head and make it look lovely.

I hope your day is a happy one and completely headache free.

Happy Tuesday!

{Life Made Lovely Monday}

2011-02-27T21:16:00.006-07:00

Welcome to Life Made Lovely Monday, a place to share the lovely in your life.
Creating a life made lovely means embracing the life your living right now.

It means choosing to celebrate your everyday life by taking something simple and

turning it into something special. I believe life can be made lovely through a

project, a recipe, a moment, or even just an image that's inspiring to you.

..................................

Hoop art is something I don't think I'll ever grow tired of seeing.
There's just something about the little moments that are created inside
those thin wood rings that makes me happy. The one that Allison from
Paisley Sprouts linked up last week definitely does. It had me smiling
from first glance. I love that she created it with fabric that was handed
down to her from her grandmother, that was originally her great
grandmother's. So lovely!! Thanks for linking up Allison.

Now it's your turn to share how you make your life more lovely.

Link up your post, not your blog.
Be sure to include a link back to Life Made Lovely Monday in your post.
Visit the other links and leave a little comment love. Everybody likes comments!
Be sure to add your link today! Beginning this week the link up will be open for Mondays only.

{Eyes Wide Open, Part 1}

2011-02-24T10:20:00.003-07:00

I used to live my life by a very strict rule- close your eyes to all that frightens you.

It worked really well for me for a really long time. I knew that it was selfish and that

I couldn't actually avoid bad things happening to myself or my family just because

I pretended that said scary things didn't exist, but I did it all the same. Then one day,

in September of 2007, that all change. God ripped off the blinders I had placed on my
eyes and gave me another chance to see what was happening around me.

I didn't want to see the other parents hurting. Or the children that were seriously ill.
Or the families holding vigil outside the rooms. I didn't want to know about the
pain or the aching of their hearts, even though their hearts were just like mine;
thrown quickly and unexpectedly into this state by their child's health crisis.
I thought about squeezing my eyes shut, not letting in anything He was trying to
show me, but I knew I couldn't do that. I shouldn't do that. So instead I stood there,
in the doorway of that cold little PICU room, holding onto His hand more tightly than
I knew was possible, and I looked at all of it with my eyes wide open.

to be continued...