So we are having a baby tomorrow,

Wow! We are having a baby tomorrow!! Yikes!! And like any seasoned mom, I've waited till the last possible moment to get things ready. You know like the hospital bags for us and rereading the manual for the car seat I haven't used in a year and a half when it was Miss Ms. But there seems to be anti interest in what people bring in their bags. Thought I would share what's in mine! 

I also forgot to picture our toothbrushes and deodorant (since we are still using them) and the small throw blanket and pillow I'll be bringing for Daddy. (Those are being used by Miss M) 

I'm nervous about having two and the effect it will have on Miss M but I'm blessed to have such an amazing support system and that should help to make the transition easier. 

We go in at 6am tomorrow for Miss C!! 

Quilting: Why People Should Do It and Slow Down a Bit

Life is going too fast. Like woah there kinda fast. My daughter just turned two. I just turned 26. My husband and I are hurtling towards three year anniversary. The days are flying by with such speeds sometimes I forget to blink.

Then I sit down to quilt. I can't go fast...well, not if I want it to look good.

There's time in measuring and double time in measuring twice.

It takes time to decide on a theme and to pick out all the right colors.

It takes time to plan out the pattern.

It takes time to cut....every....single....little....piece!

It takes so much time to lovingly piece it all together in a way that is beautiful and pleasing.

All this before you even begin the actual quilting process. When you start that, YOU MUST SLOW DOWN! You can't quilt quickly. Even the best of the best take their time and though it seems they're going fast, they're not. They are slowly and sometimes painstakingly (if you're me) working their way around the fabric doing the straightest lines they can or the most perfectly placed stipples. Unless of course you're doing modern quilting then you're just going which ever way willy-nilly style. Which if that's you, rock on!

This is why I quilt. It gives me time to focus on something. I can't multitask and quilt. I can only sew and pray. I use my quilting time to pray for my family, my husband, my kids, and just to be thankful that I can be sitting in my comfy chair in my comfy house and do something I love.

Honestly, when's the last time you just stopped and thanked Him for what you have? Or even for what you don't have! Sometimes that too can be just as big a blessing as what you do have.

This week, I encourage you to pick up a hobby that forces you to slow down. Knitting maybe? Paper crafting perhaps? Beading? I heard that's one that requires a lot of attention!

Just remember to breathe a little more often. Stop and squidge your toes in the grass/sand/mud/whatever you have. Thank God more often. I heard He likes that! ;-)

You are loved more than you will ever know by someone who died to know you!
Romans 5:8

Sara Lambert

Children's Birthday Party Expectations...for goodness sake!

Madeleine is turning two next month. Yikes! Well, yikes for two reasons I guess...that my baby is going to be TWO next month and that my baby is going to be two NEXT MONTH! I started thinking about parties in January and my mom told me I was jumpin the gun so I put it out of my mind for a while...then hullo! May pops up and I've nothing done.

So, I start brainstorming and getting excited and there's nothing like Pinterest to make you feel totally and utterly defeated inspired. :-/

I've wanted to do a tutu theme since I had her because she's turning 2 and I like plays on words. However, her 1st party was Pink...that's it just pink everything was pink. Tutus aren't much further from that and then I started getting anxious over my TWO YEAR OLDS BIRTHDAY PARTY!

No one comes to see what theme I have...and if you do, kindly head back out. They come to see my daughter and celebrate another year with her. Themes are fun but I can't let it consume me.

However...the kid loves Blue's Clue's so I may just go with that. I'll keep you updated (as if you're all waiting with bated breath on the theme of her second birthday party but humor me).

Anyone else at odds with childrens birthday expectations? Do you put them on yourself? Your kids put it on you? Your husband? Your mother/in-law? I'd love to hear how you deal with things like this!








Picture from Birthday Express so don't be surprised if you see these come June 8th. :-)

5 Ways to Not Be Like Chickens & How to Thank God You're Not One

blah blah blah that's a mouthful I know. One of my favorite things is gardening with my husband after dark. Its mysterious, the weather is cool and lovely, and the heat lamp in the chicken coop creates a rather romantic glow on everything...

well, that last bit is reaching but the lamp does allow for some EXCELLENT chicken TV. I was watching them suddenly feeling very grateful I wasn't a chicken.

Now, I know most of you (despite your camo wearing) are city folk and haven't seen a chicken outside of shrink wrap but I highly encourage you to find someone outside city limits and take a peek at their chickens. You can learn a lot from them.

Here are 5 things I noticed they were doing that I have a tendency of doing and how I plan to stop being chickenesque.

1. They don't stop to savor their food.
They peck at their food source like they are going to lose it at any second. Its abrupt and harsh and how I often eat for fear of being interrupted by something. I don't want to eat like chickens, I want to savor the food that I work so hard to grow and prepare for my family.

2. They step all over their "friends"
They literally walk all over people without regard to what their doing. Some of my hens step right on other hens heads! Their heads! Now, I don't walk on people but I do tend to talk over them. I interrupt them or sometimes I don't even listen to what they're saying because I'm thinking about what I'm going to say next. That's not being a good friend and just as bad as stepping on them.

3. Chickens have no regard for their living quarters.
It could be because they're still young "teenager" chickens and not laying yet but chickens do not seem to care about their abode. Which, 6 weeks into this second pregnancy, is about how I feel about my house at this time. That's not exactly honoring to my husband who works so lovingly hard to make sure I can stay home with our children. So I plan to have a detailed plan for my day that includes a lot less media time, cleaning time, and nap/rest times. I can't do more than I can do right now but I can do a lot less of what I dont need to be doing...that made sense in my head.

4. Chickens don't play with their kids.
Neither do I. And that confession makes me very sad. Well, I dont play with her as much as I should/used to. I promise to schedule in playing time with my daughter as it arises. In 8 short months there will be a second Lambert baby and my time will be again cut short. Madeleine does not need to suffer for that.

5. Chickens don't whine about being chickens.
I whine. A lot! It's something God and I are working on. I'm trying very hard this pregnancy to be thankful to God that he's including me in the making of this miracle. I have made the commitment to God to stop whining about my husband. Sure, he irritates me sometimes. I irritate him too. It's what happens when you live with someone in close quarters. My husband is a wonderful wonderful man that I can't seem to get enough of. So, enough whining about my husband...ever! My home is secure, just the right size, and getting homey-er every day. So many chickens don't have homes. Or they have homes without a door...like mine. I could be living in a lean to like my chickens so no more whining about my house.

Dearest Heavenly Father, I ask you, when I start behaving like a chicken to remind me that I am SO NOT A CHICKEN. You have instilled within me your wonderful heavenly spirit which I'm pretty sure you don't do and that in itself is enough to make me thank You that I am not a chicken. Help me to take the time to eat all food and thank you for it, to be a better friend, to take care of this home you've provided for us, to play and remember this time with Madeleine for she won't be this age ever again, and to stop whining about anything. I will need your strength to do all these things and it is through your Son Jesus Christ that I can come ask you for this. It's in His name I pray to you, Amen!

Kitchen Remodel

Today was fun. I went to Home Depot to get the Minwax to seal the cabinets as I paint them (which is coming soon!). Whilst I was there, I found the backsplash and the cabinet hardware to complete our look. I put together a little collage. Hope you like it!

Sources:
Cabinets: whimsicalperspective.com
Backsplash: home depot
Flooring: Lowe's

"You are loved more than you will ever know, by someone who died to know you." -Romans 5:8
Sara

God's Grand Design

The tragedy that hit today in Connecticut hit home with me also. My daughter is 18 months and we had decided to homeschool her probably before her first birthday. Today joust solidified my choice to keep her home. In fact it even made me more solid in homeschooling her full time instead of the university style.

Today's tragedy reminded me that time with my daughter is so fleeting. It reminded me that I am borrowing her from God, she is not my possession. I have been charged with her well being and safety but if He decides to call her home there is not a thing I can do about it.

However, my heart has been in knots since noon when I found out about the school. I cried a little bit all day. I was mad at God and blamed Him for letting this happen. They weren't even my kids but I love all kids as though they were mine as I always have. I just imagine my child being there and my heart literally aches. I discussed with my husband my concerns about the devil being allowed to do this and at the time it didn't feel like he was really listening. Later that night he told me "we are too small to understand the reasoning behind why things happen. We cannot begin to understand the good that will come out of this. We don't know how many people will find Jesus because of this. The tragedy always hurts right away as with any hardship but the long run, even the eternity long run, is what you have to keep in mind."

Does that help a mother who's five year old was taken much too early right before Christmas? Not right away and she will never be the same woman. But I pray that somewhere down the line when the mourning is done, she feels comfort that the best person in the universe is looking over her child. Jesus loves the children and today He wanted some of them back with him.

I will continue to pray for the families of those children. Please do so also.

"You are loved more than you will ever know, by someone who died to know you." -Romans 5:8
Sara

Finances in 2013: The Independence Initiative

Good evening everyone. I stumbled upon an interesting experiment a bloggy friend is doing over at biblicalhomemaking.blogspot.com where she uses Matthew 25 (the parable of the talents) as her basis for using $10.00 and investing it into a business. The rule is you can't use anything other than that $10.00. If she goes bust the experiment is over and she has to keep a detailed record of every cash transaction she does. Genius if I do say so myself.

So when I mentioned it to my husband he goes "you have 10.00 worth of stuff all over the place." Meaning why use a new 10.00 when we have profit literally collecting dust in our shed and waiting in my craft area to be turned into something lovely.

However, my hands are incapacitated at the moment due to severe carpal tunnel and de quarvains tendinitis. Tomorrow I have tests and then next week (the 21st) I'll have the surgery on both hands. Which still sounds really intense but I'll have both my hands fully functioning by the new year.

Which brings me to my conclusion...I will be on a major overhaul of my house due cluttering and turning everything I can make into something else and investing it into a business that I will be able to maintain even with chickens and rabbits and perhaps from anywhere we move in the future (even Montana or Nova Scotia) which will also be my bargaining tool to keep our wifi!

So she's calling it the $10 business or something like that. I think I'll call it Independence Initiative. I am fond of alliteration.

So please pray for my surgery next week and I'll keep you updated and informed.

"You are loved more than you will ever know, by someone who died to know you." -Romans 5:8
Sara

Day 4: Fit Challenge

Hey friends, I hope you're all doing well. I hope you're doing better than I am! I got a tummy bug and have been out of commission for the last couple of days. It started yesterday morning and so far has not improved much.

However, I do have some body updates! (The only good thing about tummy bugs is the weight you lose)

Weight: 165.8lbs from 172.0lbs:

 -7lbs

Measurements! (YIKES)

 

Breasts: 43" from 45":

 -2"

Waist:39" from 41":

 -2"

Hips: 44" from 46":

 -2"

Arms: 11" from 12": -1"

 

Thighs: 24" from  25": -1"

 

Neck: 14" from 14": No change

So, unfortunately I'll be very behind on my workouts but my body is making changes! 

xoxo,

Sara

Day 1 Week 1: Fit Test

Okay. 

Day 1 down- i'm severely out of shape! But I did it and I will not apologize for my numbers but I will be working to improve them. I used this Timer for the first day FIT TEST. I used this vid

eo: Day 1 of 30 Day Challenge. Good luck! 

My numbers for this test were: 

Squat Jumps: 19 

Push ups: 15 

Burpees: 10 

High Knees: 0 

Switch Lunges: 0 

Tuck Jumps: 0 

Straight Abs: 30.

Weight: 172lbs

Measurements! (YIKES)

Breasts: 45"

Waist:41"

Hips: 46"

Arms: 12"

Thighs: 25"

Neck: 14"

Here is my horrid before picture. Yikes I have lots to lose!

My goal weight is 140. Here's to 5 lbs gone by months end! CHEERS!

xoxo,

Sara

Fall is here!! Crayon art!

Fall is here!! Cooler weather!! Rainy days!! Beautiful sunshine with slight breezes! This is my favorite time of year in Texas. The few months when it's not just simply blistering heat. It makes the summers worth it!

But, since we've been having a lot of rain (and we don't really get that cold) everything is now a lovely shade of GREEN!!! WHAT?? It's October...it's Fall now! And everything is GREEN!!! I just can't take it.

So I made this!!!

Here's how I did it!

What you'll need:
Canvas (whatever size)
Adhesive Backed Vinyl (any color or scraps if you have it)
crayons in fall colors
fall embellishments
heat tool or hair dryer

 <---start here

Here are my crayon colors but I only ended up using four and I added goldenrod in the mix as well

<---heat tool! Taa-daa!

 Cut out your letters in whatever font you like (I used Baskerville) with the cutter of your choice. I used my Silhouette Cameo but you can use any cutter. You can also use an exacto knife if you dont have a digital cutter its just going to take you a bit longer.

 Take a crayon and peel off the paper. Place it just  on the canvas and hold your heat tool over it. It will start to melt immediately. You can pull your crayon over and watch how it melts in the way you pull it. You can also swish the melted crayon around with the heat tool or your hair dryer once its on the canvas.

Add more colors and watch how the wax starts to look like a water color. Do this all over the canvas. It's okay to go over the vinyl. When you pull it up, it will remain white underneath.

Don't forget to do the edges of the canvas so you don't have the white lines all around. Use a hook tool or tweezers to remove the vinyl from under the wax after it's dried.  

 Stand back and admire your beautiful fall art work. Hang it somewhere lovely. 

Have fun! Happy fall!!

xoxo,

Sara