etsy window shopping

i could spend hours browsing the items on etsy
(and i often do...)
quite honestly, money has been very tight for us lately
the lack of rain, and the intense heat was loved by some
but not by us
the grass didn't grow
therefore, our customers didn't have to pay
(plus i hate being sweaty!)
another reason to love this grey rainy weather :)

also, with the cooler weather i was thinking that christmas is basically just around the corner
so why not start browsing for things to go on my wish list!
also, i'm not having kids yet, but to help get the bug out of my system, why not window shop for cute baby things (so, if anyone in my etsy circles has noticed the abundance of kid things.. i'm not pregnant, just itching!)

here are my current favorites, you will note an OWL theme
because, lets face it, everyone loves owls!
in real life, totally freaky
but in whimsical cartoon form
the best!

if any of you are feeling like spending some money, i would graciously accept any of these items as gifts ;) no pressure!

daileedose

it's no secret that the bluejay has a very special meaning to our family. i thought this necklace was perfectly dainty and sweet. 

gingiber

i love calendars. i could have multiple calendars up in my office, my house, at any given time i have 2-3 agendar books going. it's kind of a problem. 

knitterbag

 a bag to hide your yarn is a must when you have 2 cats just dying to play with it!

olula

suhweetieshop

not sure that i could pull off this dress, but i'd have fun trying! 

parkersflourpatch

 everyone also knows i love to bake, and in my alternate universe i'm a baker! these owls were just to sweet!

redmarionette

nothing says "helloooo autumn" like an owl wreath. but don't actually buy me this one, it's $75!!

happy window shopping :)

a safe day

is anyone else loving this weather?
as i type, rain is pounding down on my window
i have the window open so that i can hear it coming down
and i can smell the fresh air

i just love rainy days

it's nice to have a day like today, where i feel like i can curl up with a book and a mug of tea, and no one can say anything bad about it.
it's good timing because i feel like i need a day to curl up
a safe day
lately i've been taking things very personally
comments from a lady lacking tact
well meaning jokes misinterpreted
and other things that i have just simply taken personally when i likely shouldn't

my brother said something to me, that these things were not a reflection of me
and that was encouraging

i think i just needed today though
a perfectly rainy day
my favorite kind of day
to curl up
read
rest
sip a hot drink
pray
and maybe even nap a little

a safe day

snapshots of summer

today i was walking home from starbucks, listening to my iPod, and enjoying the breeze, and it made me miss the lake. since september has hit, we haven't been back to the lake. it's been nice to get some stuff done around the house on the weekends, but i am not done with the lake yet! since i couldn't get out there this weekend, i decided to post some of my favourite pictures from the summer. you'll notice there are a lot of pictures of everett, and honestly.. it's because he's my favourite thing!!

enjoy the pictures!

 canada day at the farm! this was a very sweet kitten

 the pensive look on ev's face just kills me! he was not so sure about this goat.

 poppa & ev, best buds

 i love watching everett & leah together, such a sweet pair

 my bff & i

 taking ev out on the water

 lots of fun!

 a full boat! even ruth was there that weekend :)

 i love watching ev's face when he sees Josh

 my dad discovered this nest of baby birds right by the cabin!

 when we are away.. the cats will play. came home to this mess of yarn one day.

 a gift from my friend lisa - russian dolls that are measuring cups!

 the next shots are pictures of the perennials that i planted this year!

 doing some organizing one afternoon.. my cat, chips, decided to give me a hand..

 this year i reorganized our bedroom furniture and finally put up pictures from our wedding, i love it.

 PUMPED about his play structure

 this tattoo makes me miss my grandma, in a wonderfully loving, thankful way.

 my mom & her bestie, auntie josie

 my man, showing off his moves!

 i love this one, where he's doing a "yes!" pose for landing a jump!

 we went across the sand bar one day, and i couldn't get over how still the lake was!

 my man and his summer hair! it's all gone now!

 mom & me

 dad & mike checking out the lake

and finally.. the help i get from chandler when i am doing laundry!

happy summer! and this week, happy autumn!!

women refreshed at the well

So, 3 blogs was apparently not enough for me to play around with.. even thought I quite obviously neglect 2 of them...

anyway, I decided to play around with the Women Refreshed at the Well site, and decided to create a new one that I knew how to manage and tweak easier. I'm so excited about this vision that God gave to my mom, and I love watching the building come to life infront of our eyes. It is a place of excitement, and a place that God will use, and I think our whole family is just excited about the future of this ministry.

please take a look and follow the site, my mom has been doing a good job of keeping it up to date, and we will continue to try and do that. also, please feel welcome to stop by the house and take a look for yourself. Something this exciting is meant to be shared!!

Here is the new website: www.womenrefreshed.com

for strength to trust Him more.

today my head and heart feel a bit conflicted
this evening we are having supper together as a family and josh & leah will tell our family the gender of their baby. i have seen one picture of the baby so far, and everett very sweetly points at it and says "baby" in his voice that melts my heart. i can't believe that i get to have everett in my life and now another baby to be an auntie to! i'm triply blessed by the babies that have made me "auntie ash".

today though, my heart and head are full of thoughts of a very dear friend of mine whose little boy would be another year older today if he hadn't been taken from their family MUCH TOO SOON. i believe that God put this friend into my life so that I had someone who "gets it" that the grief of losing Jay is ongoing. that having Ev in my life doesn't make my auntie heart ache that I don't get to know Jay! I'm so thankful for my friend, that we can sit and chat for hours, email on a regular basis, and be a listening ear for one another. that type of friendship is rare and i'm thankful. but i wish i could have known her little guy. the pictures i've seen of him... he is a beautiful boy, with eyes that remind me of his younger sister! I know he is so loved, and i just will never understand why some people go through so much hurt in life.

this morning I decided to type out all of the words for the worship service on Sunday rather than just copy & paste them from their files like I normally do each week. Sometimes I like to type them out so that I can sing along in my head, and today one of them was "'tis so sweet to trust in Jesus". This song took on a deeper meaning for me when my grandpa klassen became very sick. i remember sitting at my piano in my dining room on mulvey, singing this song over and over, sometimes just playing through the verses because i was just quietly sobbing. when my grandma became very sick last year this was one of the songs that i sang many times at her bedside with my guitar. my favorite part.. and the part that still gives me a catch in my throat, was watching her listen. jesus jesus.. how i trust Him.. how i've proved him over and over... jesus jesus, precious jesus.. oh for strength to trust him more... grandma would often listen along with her eyes closed, and she would smile and nod, or in her not so silent "whispering" fashion she would say "yes". that last line of the chorus is the truest part in the song for me. i do my best to trust Him, but i will admit.. deep deep grief.. rocks my faith at times. i don't want to trust God conditionally.. i want to trust him unconditionally, that is the only way to have hope. "oh for strength to trust Him more".. that could be my life motto. i decided to sing this song at grandma's funeral, as a tribute to her, her life, her faith, her humble spirit and her ability to CONSTANTLY trust Jesus.

on a day like today, when my heart aches for a little boy who should be celebrating a birthday, and my heart rejoices that i'm going to be an auntie again, there is tension. and trust is the one thing that keeps me together.

happy birthday cameron. you are loved!