Hope Farm Housewife

my patchwork life

Random: This and That

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BEWARE: This is RANDOM.

A. It’s friday night, and I sit on the couch listening to the new Christa Wells Album.

It’s a unique collection of music from a neat girl. The C.D. is in my hands for review and can I just say these songs are a balm to my soul. More on this girl and her music later.

 

 

B. Next week, we are opening for David Walker on the debut of his new album in Greenville, South Carolina. This guy has some great tunes, he has been friends with hubby for about a year now and I am finally getting to meet he and his wife.

C.Today was the last day of Pre- K for my oldest. My, how time flies. The tear- jerker slide-show was enough for this mama. the whole deal complete with singing, pot-  luck lunch and good- bye presents. My baby boy hamming it up on the stage.

D.We have a pretty busy May, Crazy busy June, and had a healthily busy March and April in reference to Hope Farm Ministries. it’s a wild and crazy ride, one that has you holding on  for dear life at times.

This last week my husband had an out of town gig and came home with more “provision” than he had planned. He happily announced that I was getting a real good mothers day gift. folks, there is something I have really been wanting. I dare to say it was a want and not a need. My husband had told me in many a conversation that I would not get an iphone, since it was time for a new phone I would need to get the almost free one, you know the ones we always get.

On Monday morning we drive to the Verizon store and hubby announces that he is going to buy me an iphone. I attempted to talk him out of it, he told me that he had been significantly blessed and he, in turn wanted to bless me. Hallelujah.

I LOVE MY IPHONE.

E. I have an accountability partner for a few things in my life right now, just trying to find some discipline. Summer schedule for my kids is officially upon us right and any possible ” me” time is out the door without a little planning.

In an effort to seek more accountability in my life, I have the joined the Maximize Mornings  Challenge at Inspired to action. I am stoked about this, but might have a different tune come Monday morning. Getting up and having quiet time before the kiddos get up is something I had practically given up on. When I saw this challenge I just knew I had to dive in and join the 800 women around the world.

Random and a bit of this and a bit of that.

G’ night.

Like a lion: Daniel Bashta.

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It may have been the mad dashes between collecting documents for kindergarten registration and calling insurance companies and getting my teaching certificate renewed and registering for swimming lessons and doing the best I could do.

It may have been that week that I decided a change was dire.

Or it may have been a conversation with a friend and the light bulb moment I realized that I am not the only one.

I am not the only one who struggles with not measuring up to their own expectations.

Dead- locked in demeaning conversations of expectant failure with yours truly and I’m over it.

I think in some ways I have quit things I love without really trying, why? The fear of failure of course. Fear can simply stop you from even starting.

Or maybe it was the moment I walked in my five year olds room, lured by the sound of sweet singing and a familiar tune. The tune rang through our house, in true name -that- tune fashion I attempted to decipher the notes but couldn’t, I walked in his room to find him playing with a toy lion.

He was waving it in the air and singing loudly:

” My God is not dead he’s surely alive and he’s living on the inside roaring like a lion”

“My God is not dead he’s surely alive and he’s living on the inside roaring like a lion”

My God is not dead he’s surely alive and he’s living on the inside roaring like a lion”

Words from Like a Lion by: Daniel Bashta

It was then that I realized I wanted to become like a child in my faith.

Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children , you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18: 2-4




 

 

Writing and Styling: One Love Organics

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Like I said earlier, this writing thing seemed to come out of nowhere. I wrote my first Article several months back and then immediately began to work on another for Wayne County Magazine.

A little backstory:

In January, I read an article in a local magazine about a woman who had created her own organic skin care line. Unlike other skincare lines this one was waterless. Water is added to our cosmetics and is  considered a contaminant so therefore if you take out the water you take out the need for preservatives.

Aha. I was totally enthralled.

Being the information gatherer that I am, I sought to know all I could about this endeavor: I stayed up late reading her entire website and blog. I was so excited that I began to think it strange that this stuff excited me so.

You will never believe what happened next: the next day I received a phone call from a publication company asking me to write another article.

I listened for the details of the assignment in anticipation. I could not believe that he was asking me to write an article about the women I had just learned everything about, Suzanne Leroux: President and founder of one love organics Wanna read it? One love organics LOW-RES

I learned so much about the cosmetic industry and how less is more when it comes to the countless products, Suzanne is a big believer in the simple life and the need for less “stuff”.  I am totally on board with her ideas since the minimalist and natural lifestyle has always intrigued me.

The ability to incorporate creativity in this assignment was present as well. I have been dabbling in photo styling over the last year, working with my photographer friend Sarah Deshaw.

The more I learned aobut one love organics the more I realized this concept of waterless cosmetics was a new idea that was washing ashore in the land of cosmetics. This picture idea was born, I was honored that it was included in the article in a full page spread.

Also visit her website for more information!

Disclaimer: This is not an ad or paid advertisement, these are truly my opinions: I love these products and so do my husband and children. They can be used on babies, grandmas and everybody in between!

Motherhood is…

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This nest necklace………. no, not really.

Truth be told I had a whole post already written for today.

The MUSE was not there. You know how important Mr. Muse is, right? if he goes away, this creative stuff starts to feel like work.

I suddenly had no interest in posting the planned one.

Instead I opted for a few ponderous thoughts.

You see,  last night I was making things. Hand-made gifts for birthdays, mothers day, baby showers and wedding gifts. I made this necklace for a mom friend, the pearls in the middle represent the eggs in her nest, a.k.a. as the babes in her care.

Constructing this necklace caused my wheels to turn about my own nest.

The boys that came as babies are now growing.The  letting go beast is starting to rear it’s ugly head as of recent.

I had that terrifying feeling today when I took the oldest to Kindergarten Round-up.

I felt sad when the three year old announces that I can’t see him in the bathroom anymore.

Say What?

I have cleaned many a mess from your hiney, little one.  Still I opted to respect his three year old highness.

The oldest says precious things to me almost daily that call for a tear or two. He is  growing and I understand that everything I teach him is in turn preparing him to take flight.

I twisted the last piece of wire on this gift while my mind wandered to a coversation with the husband earlier in the day.

I began to express my anxiety as we drove to the elementary school, He reminded me that every day after giving birth is in some way “ letting go”

letting go of every stage just as you were gettting used to it,

letting go of the dependence that makes us feel so needed,

Letting go and embracing, this is the essence of motherhood.

For now, I will treasure the nest and close this post so I can cuddle with the three year old, who is climbing over the office chair and saying ” snuggle, mama, snuggle”.

He might not let me see him on the toilet but he is still my cuddle bug… for now.

Happy mothers day!

Repurpose: junk items made new

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I have caught the bug, the re-purposing bug that is going around blog land.

Maybe it’s the lack of funds to buy new stuff?

maybe it’s the need to create? Maybe it’s simply the hand-made, do-it-yourself epidemic thats sweeping our nation.

I enjoy finding inspiration, ideas and project in so many places that it makes my head spin. a good kind of spin.

I gathered a bag of donate items from my closet and put it by the door. During mad dashes around the house the bag seemed to call my name and beckon to me ” keep me” they seemed to say,  “I could be something else“, “you could use my fabric for cloth flowers“, “you could make a pillow out of me“, “you could spray paint me” -Item by item I selected a few gems to re- purpose. I stuffed the bag in the closet for a later project.

Here is a story of an old pair of shoes that convinced me to keep them.

First, I made some fun flowers with satin. Step by step tutorial here

I pulled out these shoes that were to-be-donated and decided to put the homeade flowers on them and then broke apart a bracelet from the I don’t like or broken jewelry bag. If you like to craft always keep your broken jewelry, you never know when the pieces will be useful for another project. I also  pick up beaded things at yard sales. If the beads are pretty I grab them and store in a ziploc bag for later.

I was so close to tossing these shoes and now they’ve reached the fave list, right up there with the chacos. By the way my first idea was to spray paint the shoes turquoise.  I know, I know sometimes the first idea is the worst one. I am so grateful I didn’t act on it.

The new shoes definitely got the juices flowing and I wanted to repurpose something else.

Here is the story of an old hat that convinced me to keep her.

I was packing the beach bag for summer and realized I needed to find a good hat- one with a brim, not too long,  cute, maybe a flower on the side … I become a tad more concerned about skin damage with each birthday… go figure, anyway I pulled this hat out of the goodwill bag wondering if I could make it become the hat I wanted. The brim was too long and floppy , I always felt I could’nt see very well

Armed with scissors I cut that hat right down to the length I wanted it, Why didn’t I do that last year?Next, I dressed it with a flower on the side. The flower also had a bead sewn in the center from the torn apart bracelet.

I have already worn this hat to swim lessons and the beach. Just think last week I was planning to go shopping and buy a new hat. All along the perfect hat was waiting among the goodwill bag and the crafting closet!

Repurposing stories anyone?