miscellany monday.

write random and link-up below.

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1. don't waste your cancer.

i think we're all captivated by stories of heartbreak because we get to see how people cope, where they find their strength and how they make it through.  it's beautiful to see Christ becoming someone's all... and it seems like this usually happens in the midst of the toughest trials.  and then it's also a good reminder that as Christians, we are called to carry our cross - we are called to suffer as Christ did.  and this looks like different things for different people.  i came across libby's blog a few weeks back.  i was instantly intrigued.  she was diagnosed with cancer in june of 2010, shortly after their first child was born.  after intensive chemo, she was recently declared cancer free.  read her story, be encouraged, praise Jesus for her healing, and help if you can {see her sidebar for details on the nashville half marathon}.

2. i love my church.
this weekend our church had a missions conference {and i'm so thankful that our church puts a major, huge, ginormous emphasis on missions - you know like THE GREAT COMMISSION... the thing Jesus told His disciples (us Christians) to do}.  there is nothing more compelling than hearing missionary's share their stories of people coming to Christ.  it's amazing and heart-wrenching to hear about what is happening globally... there are several hundred thousands of Christians being persecuted for their belief in Jesus, right now, all around the world.  persecution exists; read their stories at voice of the martyrs {and pray!}. you may think twice when you complain - i know i do.

3. lighthearted.
this miscellany is a bit intense.  i know.  i couldn't help but share certain important things on my heart.  however, i should also say that my favorite choice for lunch lately is pineapple peach salsa... an entire jar eaten with a fork.  and maybe some flax seed chips.    

4. you're invited

to lynette's blog party ~

she's a dear, has a beautiful story of loss while finding hope in Jesus, and serves as an inspiration to many.  hop on over, read her story, and join in.


5. a lil' dirt won't hurt.
if you read my last post, you could have been fooled.. hunter is all boy and does like to get dirty.  his favorite thing is to be outside running everywhere.  although he's been sick for almost eleven days now {bummer!} all his germs seem so far away when he's out in the sunshine.  

i have to include sagey poo for good measure!

dirteeeee!

i don't know why i don't mind embarrassing myself.  i'm quite good at it actually.  i guess i enjoy a good laugh, whether it's at my own expense or not.  {it's usually always at my own expense.  just ask my husband.} getting on with it... 

i keep a clean house.  i go crazy if i don't.  clutter makes me cringe and messes make me mad.  with all that said, i tend to neglect my bathroom floor.  i know what you're thinking... disgusting {how embarrassing}.  it's not that bad - it's not like we wear shoes in our bathroom {and in my defense, it's cheap linoleum that doesn't look good in the first place}.  well yesterday, i was brushing my teeth and had Hunter with me.  he wouldn't come into the bathroom because the floor was "dirteeeeee."  he repeatedly said "euwwww.  gross.  dirteeee."  finally he worked up the courage to cross the trenches and freaked out the whole time.  he reached the floor mat in front of the shower and parked it.  then i told him i was done - you should have seen the disgust on his face... he realized he'd have to walk through the dirteee again to get out.  

okay.  time for mommy to scrub that floor to make it worthy for Hunter's little feet. 

and now i'm inspired to do some serious end-of-winter-almost-spring cleaning.  if you're ready to do the same and want to save some bucks while you're at it, then here you go ~

1. instead of using toilet cleaner, try a cup of white vinegar.  let it sit for 10 minutes then brush and flush.

2. instead of microfiber cloths on glass surfaces, try coffee-filters.  after all, they're lint free.

3.  instead of eraser pads, try whitening toothpaste on a toothbrush to scrub away crayon and scuff marks.

 4. instead of glass cleaner, try a mixture of equal parts rubbing alcohol and water to clean mirrors.  spray onto a cloth and wipe away.

5. instead of baking soda, try a charcoal briquette to absorb odors in your fridge and freezer.

{these tips are courtesy of all you magazine.  and they did not pay me for this.  : )  by the way, if you coupon, you should be getting this mag. it's like the coupon ferry waves her wand and throws her dust all over your mailbox each month... i got a two year subscription for $16 through southern savers.  i've been getting it since 2009 and have saved a ton.}

if you have a cleaning tip or trick, pass it on!  i want to hear about it.  : )  help me keep Hunter happy.

{via}

miscellany monday.

write random and link it on up.

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1. a funny.

i've mentioned when parents text before, but i must do so again... it's so full of good fun.  example:

2. the taste of spring.

salads just can't but help scream spring.  spring also makes me think of bathing suits.  which therefore encourages me to eat lots of vegetables, i.e. salads. my favorite salad pairing is spinach, strawberries, strawberry vinaigrette, and slivered toasted almonds.  a raspberry version of this variety is also just as tempting.  only, i don't think it can be quantified as tempting because it's good for you.  since i know that we are all antsy for spring, just whip yourself up a healthy greens mix and you'll soon feel like april has sprung.  well, almost.  

3. tricks for treats.

our son is crazy obsessed with our little boston terrier, Banjo.  we give Banjo treats when she does her tricks.  Hunter has quickly caught on... if he wants a cookie he holds out his hand and says "shake," or lays on the floor, or rolls over... and then says "treat."  **chuckles**  hmm.  i need to enlist Banjo's help with potty training.

4.  pass the omega 3's please.

Dr. Sears, the author of the Zone diet, says that the best way to help ward off obesity is to take an omega 3 vitamin everyday (think fish oil).  Sears also said it helps boost brain power.  and, it's even good to give them to your children for the same benefits.  

5. carissa and her camera.

someone recently asked me what lens i use (thank you sweet Jennifer).  i sort of laughed because the camera i have is an eight year old Canon 10D (eight years isn't that old, but this IS technology we're talking about) with a 300 mm Sigma lens that was the cheapest on the market back then.  i should also say that this is really my honey's camera that he purchased before there was me (back when he had money, as he likes to say... ha ha).  i have just sort of adopted it.  : ) (sidenote: i do have a good point and shoot, too, but i find myself using it less and less.) and i don't know what i'm doing.  i'll take hundreds of pictures and maybe get two good ones.  it's all trial and error.  i read the manual, but then when i'm actually taking pictures i go blank and can't remember anything.  aperture what?!?  anyways, i guess it's my newest obsession.  it's a good hobby for me to have - it's completely free and is kid friendly since they're my main subjects.  

sage and her ribbons and bows.

6. happy presidents day.

my favorite president was George Washington.  he wasn't eager for fame or recognition. he didn't even really want to be president.  but the people admired his leadership and lovingly demanded his presidency.  he simply rose to the occasion like the honorable man he was.  okay, enough of a history lesson... the political science girl in me couldn't resist.  : )

sagebird, sing your song.

my hubby is a musician and a worship leader.  he's been writing songs a whole lot.  and has ventured into a new realm of story type songs.  i love it.  i've never been more proud of him.  : )  and then he wrote me a song.  and one for our Hunter.  and one for our Sage.  i mean seriously, peel me off the floor because i'm melting...

sweet Sage, here's a glimpse of just how much your daddy loves you ~

"The wind will sometimes bring about events most unforeseen

The darkness of a tempest or provision for our need

One day in June the wind allowed a blessing in surprise

This happenstance was purposed when a songbird flew our sky

Such joy has filled our hearts to watch you soar into the day

We know we cannot keep you long for seasons soon will change

Your purpose isn't hard to see for those who know their God

Do not forget, for God has said the world, its charms, can rob

So, Sweet little sagebird, sing your song

Sing it as you wing o'er the world beyond

From the coast to the mountains, and countries far 

Oh, sweet little sagebird, sing your song

God has given you a voice so sweet the angels give their ear 

To a sound so fair and yet so bold the fearful dry their tears

They turn and see the voice has come not from this youthful girl

But from the hand of God Himself bestowed to be unfurled

Your song will be a light, will be delight

to the weak and weary,

sing it out, the song of Christ,

He's the Hope of every nation

The resurrected King 

Oh, how else will they know unless you lift your voice and sing

© 2011 Kelly Graham / Sagebird Music

i'm linking-up this picture of my Sage(bird) in pink with Becky ~ 

this week's project is all about color.  visit Becky to learn more!

miscellany loveday.

grab the button, write random and link-up below.

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1. happy valentine's day.

(of course my love picture had to include one of my little loves!  and would you look at those chubby knuckles!)  

“Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all we can, at whatever cost to ourselves, to help people be enthralled with the glory of God. When they are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving people and glorifying God are one." - John Piper

2. smittens.

in case you live in Antarctica and want to go on a date with your sweetie, then these are heaven-sent...

3. if only...

my man and i gave each other gifts on valentine's.  i know what i'd want ~

4. simplicity.  

no busy backgrounds or distraction.  a simple picture that tells a story.   it's harder than it sounds.  just like life... it should be easy to live simpler, erasing the commotion, but, if you're like me... it's hard not to be busy all the time, isn't it?  this picture tells the story of my baby girl, she's carefree and reminds me that life is all about little moments and simple things.

for more on simplicity in photographs, visit becky ~

5. my loves.

since it's Valentine's day, indulge me for a minute... i just can't help but be giddy when i see my sweet kids and my honey.  oh how i love them.  and to think that the love we have for each other doesn't even compare to the love God has for us.  wow.

my little man... (he wasn't thrilled about the picture)

my honey man...

okay, this makes me want summer.

 

yep, i want summer again.

but then, this cute hat makes me glad it's still winter...

hmmm.

to write this post or not?  it could be controversial.  it could be annoying.  but i have to get something that's floating around my brain into words.  oh and i'm not trying to condemn anyone.  let me make that clear from the get go.

so i watched a bit of the bachelor for the first time ever last night... i was folding laundry (a whole lotta loads); i wasn't being completely unproductive.  my grandma is a die hard bachelor fan and has said that i must watch.  well, as i watched, i was so curiously confused and sad.  let me explain.

sad:

the fact is, lust has turned into love.  women prance around the show vying for the attention of one man while talking about nothing other than what he said or didn't say to who.  it turns men and women into objects rather than something to be treasured and respected.  it turns the gift of a relationship into a cheap experiment.  would you really want your husband to be someone that went from kissing one girl after the other, all in the name of a tv show that has a premise of finding your soul mate?!  

curiously confused:

i think most women would likely agree with me.  but yet, so many still watch the show.  is it sort of like reading a romance novel?  is the idea of galavanting around from a beautiful exotic island to another with romance in the air intriguing?  i'm curious.  if you watch it, why? (i'm not trying to make you feel bad if you do.  please don't.  i'm honestly curious.  remember, this isn't meant to condemn.)

the whole time the guy talked about how difficult it was to have to make decisions regarding the women.  well buddy, you do realize that most men would never go on a date with six women at once?!  i think we are complicated enough, one is plenty.  

the women talked about falling in love with him.  how?  how could they fall in love with him after a few dates of divulging small bits of information hoping that maybe there will be a spark that is brighter than any other girl's somewhere in the midst of it all?  

~::~::~

it's all sad to me.  does anyone else agree? 

~miscellany monday~

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1. put a poncho on please.

the few times that i actually watched the super bowl was during the commercials.  isn't it a family show?!  i saw way too many scantily clad women... i guess that's the usual case.  but it never ceases to annoy me.  modesty is a virtue, ladies.  

2. shame on me.

due to a birthday party and a super bowl party, my children went to bed after 10pm the last two nights.  their bedtime is normally 7pm.  it could be an interesting day week.  

3. almost Ansel.

 the thrive project this week is about lines and contrast.  these are ways to make your photographs visually interesting, they draw the eye in and keep it there.  Ansel Adams was especially good with contrast.  here are my almost Ansel (in my dreams) skills:

this is contrast... the bright orange sky over the dark ocean waters.  this is off of Venice.  as in Italy.  we went there in the fall of '09... it was a business trip of sorts.  ; )  a beautiful couple from our church flew us there to sing in their venetian castle wedding.

as if one glimpse of Italy wasn't enough, here's another...

this is an example of lines... the waterway draws your eye up the picture.  there really are NO streets in Venice.  no cars.  all boats and waterways.  it's remarkably stunning.

for more on lines and contrast, visit becky ~

4. trails of tears.

Sage is 8 months old and still consistently cries in the nursery every week.  once in a while they page me, but most of the time they are so very patient and try to soothe her.  i feel bad for them and her.  tell me your child did this too, so i don't feel awful.  please.  my Hunter rarely ever cried over the nursery.  but then again, Sage is all girl and full of drama.  : )

two on 2/2

now if that isn't a golden birthday, i don't know what is!

my first born is two as of yesterday.  does it get easier as they get older or is it just as hard to watch them grow? - it happens too fast.  i have to remind myself that every new stage has its new joys.

i remember the night my water broke like it happened last night.  there were two minutes left in the super bowl and honey told me to hang on as i was calling for him from upstairs.  he thought i only needed toilet paper and that i could wait.  ; )  we got to the hospital, things progressed quickly, i was 8 cm and then boom... hunter's heart rate dropped.  a bajillion medical people rushed in and said an emergency c-section was necessary to save my boy.  i cried.  i was nervous.  i was also excited to meet him.  within fifteen minutes i was staring into his crying eyes.  i've never been so thankful for c-sections.  

and now, a little combination of me and my man walks runs among us.  what a gift!  

we spent his birthday saying the abc's...

playing with his barn...  i never want to forget how he plays... 

eating his first ever homemade (egg-free) chocolate chip cookie...

it actually tasted like a normal cookie.  i've made several batches before with different recipes and they all were awful.  these were keepers.  hunter loved them.  and so did we.  the recipe called for cream cheese instead of eggs.  here it is, for all you anti-egg eaters out there ~ 

Ultimate Egg Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

 adapted from food.com

Ingredients

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup butter at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop heaping tablespoons (I use a 18/8 cookie scoop) onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375ºF for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown.

 back to the birthday day~

my mom and siblings stopped by to bring hunter balloons and meanwhile they loved on sagey poo, too.

sage and grandma

sage and aunt melanie

it was a laid back birthday of cherishing the little moments.  it's the tiny blessings of life's everyday's that mean the most.  

hunter babe, your dad and mom cherish you!  we praise God for the gift of your life.  you were fearfully and wonderfully made.  it is our desire that one day you will be able to proclaim this Psalm ~

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

 (Psalm 139:14 ESV)

confessions of a carissa.

it's easy to put your best foot forward on the internet.  i think we're all pretty good at that.  in an attempt to be sure that you don't think i have myself all put together, i introduce you to the confessions of carissa:

:: i like chocolate.  way too much chocolate.  it's close to an addiction.

:: i like exercise.  it helps with the chocolate problem.

:: i think too much about myself.  my weight especially.

:: i used to be proficient in multi-tasking.  until i had children.

:: i'd rather stay in my jammies all day and play with my kids than do chores.  i do this too often.

:: i'm frazzled.  i'm clumsy.  i'm nervous.

:: i enjoy politics.  now you think i'm a freak, huh?!

:: i get especially nervous at the check-out line when i'm getting ready to pay.  i feel like i'm being watched.

:: i like to play pretend.  i do school (almost) everyday with hunter just so i can play teacher.

:: i like to pretend that our dog, banjo, is a monkey.

:: did i mention i'm weird?

:: i over-analyze.  everything.  my mind often feels like exploding.

:: i worry.

:: i want long hair just so i can pull it up in a pony tail.  

:: i don't mind being alone.  although alone right now means being with two kids.

:: i've only visited my dad's gravesite once.  he died when i was nine.  i'm 25.  isn't that strange?  i just can't bring myself to do it.  (and, i live 3,000 miles away from it. so that might have something to do with it.)

:: i'm insecure.  

:: my daughter is 8 months old and doesn't like to take naps.  she is crazy.  i've tried everything.  she'd rather jibber jabber in her crib or cry for hours.  but i love her.

:: i worry too much about the nap situation.

:: i don't like taking showers.  but, i tell myself to be a big girl and that proper hygiene is a good idea.

:: cancer breaks my heart.  my greatest fear in life is cancer.  my dad died of cancer.

:: i stay up way too late.  

:: i miss my nose ring.

:: i'm gullible.  my husband convinced me once that goldfish chirp like birds.

:: i have a new obsession with photography.  now if only my skills would follow suit.

:: i don't share Christ enough.

:: i have a weak bladder.  i peed my pants on my honeymoon.  and many other times in my life that i'd rather not remember.  

:: i have had four surgeries on my stomach (not plastic surgery, real surgery, just to be clear).  geesh.  maybe that explains the weak bladder.

:: i've had seizures and couldn't drive for six months.  that was a bummer.  if you have experience with seizures, aren't they the weirdest things?!  oh wait, i have a funny (kind-of) story... in the midst of not being able to drive for six months, i did drive one time.  and it was only like two blocks.  during that not even five minute drive, i was stopped at a police checkpoint.  i've never been so nervous in my life.  i thought they'd hall me away and put me in the slammer for life.  the good news is that the police officer didn't have my doctor's chart in front of him.  whew.  see, i told you it was only kind-of funny... i promise, you had to be there.

:: i don't like talking on the phone.  unless it's my man on the other end.  : )

:: i love my husband, but i don't tell him enough.

:: i'm afraid that my kids are behind in everything.  it's probably because hunter didn't crawl until after 12 mos.  but, guess what?  he's catching up just fine.  

:: i don't have a computer or a printer.  the good news is, i get to use my honey's work laptop when he's home.  i throw myself pity-parties because i want a computer.

:: i'm pathetic.

:: i'm a mess.

:: i'm a sinner.

:: i'm saved by grace.  through the work of Christ's death on the cross and his raising on the 3rd day, God has reconciled man to Himself.  i can know God through Jesus.  my sin's are and will forever be forgiven because of the blood Christ shed.  

:: i rejoice, because of Jesus.

~::~::~

on another note of rejoicing... 

today is my hunter's 2nd birthday.  we are going to do whatever he wants!  well, almost.  otherwise he would starve (he hates eating) and i would not be able to walk by this evening (horsey rides are his favorite).  can't wait to report tomorrow on how our day created by a two year old went!  i cannot believe this picture is already a year old ~