grace upon grace

i'm thankful for a whole lot of things.

but most of all, i'm thankful that i serve a gracious God.

He sent His son to die, in my place, and rise again three days later.

and because of this, i can know God. --through Jesus. 

through Jesus my sins are forgiven and i'm made clean.

if everything in this world were to pass away, i'd still have more than i deserve.

because i deserve nothing good.

but i have everything.

all because of Jesus.

i'm indebted to Him, but it's a debt i could never repay.

it's already been settled.

all because of Jesus.

i'm so thankful.

and then there's more glimpses of His grace around me...

creation

a loving husband

a son

a daughter

all of this is evidence of His grace upon grace.

i'm linking up with sweet Rachel ~

miscellany monday

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

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1. ocean waves.

john frieda used to make an ocean waves product that was perfect for my curly hair.  it tamed the curls, turned them to waves without the frizz.  and then they stopped making it.  oh the tragedy!  or they at least stopped carrying it where i shop.  it was overpriced anyway.  regardless, i have good news.  here's the recipe to make your very own:  mix 2 tsp sea salt (not table salt) into 1 cup boiling water until the salt dissolves.  once the mixture cools, pour into spray bottle.  spray your hair, comb it, scrunch it and air dry!

{via}

2. cash: a friend to your budget.

we use cash for most everything, minus gas and our bills (as long as i can remember to go to the atm).  when you feel/see twenty dollars slip through your fingers rather than just sliding a debit or charge card, it starts to feel like a whole lot more.  you double think every purchase you make to make sure you really want to spend the money.  it saves money in the long run.  and once the cash is gone, it's gone...  no more spending for the month.  if you want to stay in your budget, do this.  i'm preaching to myself, here, too.  : )

3.  a boy and his trucks.  and tigers.

hunter spent three hours outside playing in the rocks with his trucks at grandma's house.  it's so cute that little boys know how to be boys.  

and the tiger/leopard part...

i found hunter feeding his tigers and leopard "cereal" (handy manny's tools) in "bowls" (upside down blocks):

(oh, their little imaginations are CUTE!)

4. sagey poo too!

(can't leave sage out of a post!) this is her favorite place to be... waiting for food.  : )  she can eat gobs of sliced strawberries and bananas.  and crackers.  my baby eats more than baby food already.  can't believe it.

5. thinking Biblically.

i love this blog, everyday mommy.  it's full of good, encouraging, compelling, and convicting Truth.  there are so many things vying for our attention; we must fight to fill our minds with Biblical Truth rather than anything this world has to offer.  i can so quickly and easily lose focus... instead of thinking eternal i start to gripe and moan about wanting new clothes or wanting a day to do nothing but anything for myself, etc, etc.  my mind wanders into meaningless territory that brings forth no good fruit.  it's a battle. i have to fill my mind with Truth.  "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2 ESV)  

pretty party papers.

over a year ago, i schemed over starting a party paper shop and calling it pretty party papers.  (i know, the name is a little too obvious and slightly boring, but i have special affections for alliterations).  my shop never grew, in fact, i didn't get to even plant seeds.  i did a baby shower, a party for my friend's daughter's 1st birthday and that was that.  life got busy (i.e., i was pregnant and had a 7 month old) and anything that wasn't a necessity got thrown out the window!  i'm fine with that though... babies are cuter than pretty party papers any day.  : )  i still have fun looking for party ideas and creations, so i thought i'd share these gorgeous ideas that i've come across:

{one} cupcake liner garland at a cookies and milk party.

this is one of the cutest parties i've ever seen. with a bakery theme, the girls created their own cookies with mix-in's and enjoyed them with milk.  visit cookie monday's to see the rest!

{two} a bunting banner for anything.

+

=

visit oh sweetlee me for step-by-step instruction.  it's something you can do without having to buy anything.  this is my kind of craft!

{three}  cupcake on a cupcake.

this doesn't qualify as paper but it's sure pretty cute and all party! 

this:

can turn into this!

this is beyond adorable!  what a fantastic idea from kristan at confessions of a cookbook queen!  i told kristan when i saw her idea it was love at first sight!  i mean, seriously.  what's cuter than a mini cupcake that's an incognito reese's?  

{four} amy atlas anything.

if you need any idea for anything party related, go visit amy atlas.  she's a walking wealth of party ideas that we all wish we could have come up with on our own.  look at these flower baking hats...

{five}  the best for last.

ha ha!  just kidding.  this may not be the best, but it's my own idea, so i have a special appreciation for it. : )  

we did this as a favor for Hunter's 1st birthday(they were less than $1/favor).  since our party was made up of family, i figured all the guests wouldn't mind taking home a picture of our little boy. i got pictures printed from our smash the cake session (thanks amy prikazsky photography!), and then bought acrylic frames to frame them. on the back of each picture it said:  


dear: "family member's name"

i enjoyed the cake, and gifts too, but my favorite part was seeing you! thank you!

love, hunter


~~~


now it's your turn.  if you have an awesome idea, tell me.  and then i'll tell everyone else!  happy pretty party papers creating to you!  

miscellany monday + giveaway winner.

write random and link-up below.

<a href="http://www.carissagraham.com/search/label/miscellany%20monday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/MMbutton3.png" /></a>

1. shabby apple giveaway winner:

lucky laura, you are the winner of a pretty new dress.  congrats!  so happy for you!  as for the rest of you, don’t fret… here’s a coupon code to get 10% off at the shabby apple: lowercaseletters10off.

#144: 

2.  what did i do all weekend?

blew my nose.  since december, someone in our family has been ill every other week.  and sometimes every week.  we eat healthy.  take vitamins.  what’s the deal?!  it’s starting to get to me.   i’m convinced that our house has a disease and is giving it to us in rations.  argh.  in the grand scheme of life, it’s no big deal at all.  i’m just a bit exhausted and this flu is kicking my tail.  

3. heads nor tails.

taco bell and shrimp tacos.  no offense if you like them {does that really keep you from being offended?!} but the very very last place i’d ever want to eat shrimp is at taco bell.  

4.  a new generation.

facebook is taking over the world.  have you noticed that companies are using their facebook address instead of their website?  isn’t that so weird?!  i haven’t looked up a company on facebook;  i usually just google it.  i guess i’m behind the times. 

5. holes. 

maybe i just always buy cheap clothes, or maybe i’m weird  and get random holes near my belt on every shirt i own.  does this happen to you?!  i need to invest in a decent shirt and then it may last longer than a few months.


6. thankful for a new season.

the joy of homemaking.

two years ago i traded in the desk job...

went from this chair

to these chairs

and lots of these

these too

and piles of this, which i'm learning, unfortunately, does not fold itself.

and i'd never trade it for anything.  

no job, no fancy title, no paycheck, but never so much joy.  

toys, bottles, clothes, and highchairs are all some of my favorite things because it means i'm a mom!

the little hineys that sit in those chairs, the chubby knuckles that grasp those toys, the mouths that those bottles nourish, the bodies that those clothes dress... all are worth far more than gold.

and although the world might say otherwise, that this isn't enough, that women have to do more... i know that worshipping God and making disciples of Jesus are the greatest calling in life.  so i'm more than thankful to be making disciples out of my littles right here in my home.  : )

i'm linking up with rachel ~

ps. click to enter the shabby apple dress giveaway!  ends sun, mar. 20th @ 9pm est.

makeover for miscellany monday + shabby apple.

miscellany monday got a makeover (thank you hannah)!  grab the n-e-w button, write random and link-up below.

<a href="http://www.carissagraham.com/search/label/miscellany%20monday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/MMbutton3.png" /></a>

1. hope amid the hopeless.
the images from Japan are haunting and heart-wrenching.  i'm praying that the hope of Christ will be realized in the lives of many through all this devastation, for the glory of God.



"to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified."
 (Isaiah 61:3 ESV)

2.  garage sale success.

it's always satisfying when you set out garage saling on a mission for something specific, hoping you'll find exactly what you have in mind.  hunter needs to move to a big-boy bed and in an attempt to spend less, we are by-passing the toddler bed and going straight to a twin.  this is what i found (except in green) for only $80 (at the least, i saved $519):  

3. font snob.
i either love a font or i hate a font.  there are no in-betweens.  these are my current font obsessions from the awesome, always free, fontsquirrel:

4.  spring is arriving.
i hope it's showing it's face where you live too (or soon, at least!).  and if you're like me, you want to capture it on camera.  here are some amazing tutorials i've found on photo editing and picture taking to help improve your skills ~

::Hannah's simple edit vs. vintage (for photoshop... i don't have photoshop but still learned a lot!)
::Becky's thrive project (she has all sorts of tips - as i've mentioned before! - to help get you started)
::photography with jessica post on shabby blogs

i don't know if this photo is "accurate," but i like it!  : )

5. spring makes me think of dresses.

and we all love new dresses, don't we?!
although, i'm supposed to be done with giveaways, i had to say yes for you... because i know how much girl's love their dresses.   : ) 

click {to visit my review blog} and enter to win a dress. 

this one's for you.

baby girl, you are nine months old.  i have yet to do a monthly update on you.  forgive me, please?!  i'm guessing you'll be thirty when you read this or maybe you won't read this until after i'm dead and gone (and then you'll probably feel some sort of odd obligation to read my shenanigans).  i know you must be dying to know what you were up to over twenty nine years ago.  riiight?!  well, you're in luck.  

at nine months you are close to twenty-one pounds, and in the 97th percentile for your height and head circumference (you can thank daddy for the head).  i guess i make some mean milk!  : )  to put it simply, you have dimples on both sets of cheeks.  you are not crawling.  you roll over once in a while.  you scoot backwards everywhere.  you are prone to extremes, (i have no idea where that comes from! ha!), i.e. when you're mad you are a-n-g-r-y.   but you make up for it because when you're happy you're overjoyed.  your favorite thing to do is to take baths with your big brother (sounds gross, but don't fret, it's totally allowable for a few years at least).  you enjoy eating your spinach puffs way too much, but since it's spinach, don't feel too guilty.  your favorite fleece blanket brings you more comfort than i ever could (good thing i don't hold grudges).  your daddy is smitten by you.  just plain smitten.  i'm guessing you'll twist his arm a time or two.  

we love you... from the birthmark on your belly to your two teeth and toes, it's a beautiful gift to watch you grow.  

p.s. - on another note, please visit julie's blog.  pray for them and be encouraged by their unwavering faith in Christ.  my hubby and julie grew up in the same church and believe me, they are such a precious family!

miscellany monday:

write random and link-up below.

<a href="http://www.carissagraham.com/search/label/miscellany%20monday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/MMbutton3.png" /></a>

1.  gastronomical.  

can anyone afford gas anymore?!.  geesh.  it's about $3.30/gallon for unleaded in our neck of the woods.  the whole supply-and-demand mumbo jumbo is annoying.... the supply hasn't altered, but they're anticipating an alteration because of the unrest in the middle east.  and so, the price goes up.  and we pay the price.  we are cutting back big time.

2. quotable:

3. toys-r-not-us. 

 i was looking through the recent toys-r-us circular and was seriously consumed with want for my kids.  it's so easy to want the "best" for your kids.  but feeding my want to give them things feeds their want.  i want our kids to grow up without a love for things.  and that has to be fostered.  so i abruptly threw my wantings out with that toys-r-us circular.  

4. home clothes.  

(part two.  part one is more expansive.)  over eleven years ago, i received a pair of black polar fleece 2000 comfy pants for christmas.  i am wearing them as i type and the years have not taken away any of their comfort.  i think they're like a good wine (so i'm told, since i don't like wine)... they just get better with age.  i do feel good about being the same size as i was in high school.  however, i wouldn't dare wear them outside of the house (they are aptly named... home clothes, remember).  how old is your oldest clothing article that you still wear?  can you beat my 11 yr old fleece?  

5. a crafty critter...  

i am not.  i want to make things.  pretty things.  the only problem?  i don't know what.  and i don't have money to spend to buy things in order to make things.  i think i could learn to sew.  but i'd need a sewing machine.  i could probably learn to paint, but if painting is like drawing then my paintings would be epic failures.  i want to have an epiphany and come up with something that no one else has and then have a really awesome etsy.  don't we all?!?!  : )  regardless, i am determined to make something pretty this week.  i am going to use fabrics from a few old things (not my polar fleece!) and a picture frame.  we'll see what i come up with.  i'll keep you posted.  literally.  ; )

{image via this adorable blog}

6. oh happy day,

grandpa!  although he refers to computers as "machines" with a negative growl and i doubt he will ever read this, i must wish my grandpa a happy birthday.  he is battling his second bout of stage four cancer which makes this birthday all the more special.  we love you, gramps!

sage with her great-grandpa, last november, on our visit to california.