attn: ladies. we're on the same team.

after paying too much to see a sad movie in the theater, my friend and i sat in the warm car on a cold night and cried for a good ten ish minutes letting all of life out. we laughed in between cry snorts and thought we were ridiculous. but at least we were in it together; there was barely any shame. we confessed to each other our ugly failures and even our loathsome jealousies. we let go of our insecurities like we were getting paid for it. thoughts from our swirly minds turned into words. 

it's amazing what connection honesty can bring. you realize you're on the same team. you realize life is about working together, prodding each one onward. there's a certain beautiful camaraderie shared in this common depravity of life.

the grass isn't greener on the other side, everyone else does not have their life together like you think they do. my laundry room is messy. and my baseboards have not been cleaned in years. along with our blinds. my three year old does not eat veggies. all these little, meaningless things, all piled up, make me feel like a big failure. until my friend tells me that her baseboards are dirty too. those words sound almost as sweet as Scripture. they are?! phew. thought i was the only not-so-put together mom around town.

it's right here, in this common depravity, for both of us girl's with our dirty baseboards, that we relate, breeding compassion.

i'd say it's time, whether we stay at home or go to work, whether we like cooking or not, whether we are list makers or list forgetters, whether we vaccinate our kids or do home births, it's time to be on the same team. instead of comparing and being jealous and not feeling as good as mrs. cleaver, how about we cheer one another on?

what would happen if we support each other? let go of judgments? be free, and live out the Gospel, the true Story that our hearts cling to, in a tangible way by being real live compassion and love through honest, heart-felt relationships. you with me, girls??

ps. my little sister accomplished her dream of trying out for the cheerleading team. she made it and finished her season strong. this is her very first extra-curricular and i'm really proud she let go of the nerves to embrace this new adventure. go sis! : )

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miscellany monday

write your randoms and join in below.


1. turns out my greasy, slick backed hair from my sloppy, messy weekend would have fit in just fine at the Academy Awards. thank you, Natalie Portman for making me feel better about myself.

2. our weekend was meh. and i even just typed meekend at first. i missed one of the biggest events in the life of our church - our annual Missions Conference. but really, my Hunter was sick so being able to care for him more than made up for it. the meh part is mostly because i have not slept much since last tuesday night. between my sick boy and my daughter who sometimes thinks she is a newborn, i have reached a whole new level of sleep deprivation. i totally hope tonight turns a corner.

3. teach a boy to shave and he will be a bearded-less man. although, i have a bearded man and i don't mind at all. there's something manly about a mountain man.

4. don't hate me, but i won all this completely awesome stuff from Sasha, mostly known as the Lemonade Makin' Mama. what a way to brighten my whole entire month!!!

i'm a goober for nice packaging, and Sasha's love language just happens to be that. i mean, look at how pretty:

i stared at it all, thinking about how it was all touched by Sasha and once in her house. then it was in my house and i was touching it. i was giddy. hello, my name is Carissa and i am weird and creepy.

 i almost hated to unwrap it all. but then i did.

going in my dining room:

my new farmer's market tote:

the sweetest milk bottle in history:

Sasha doesn't lie. this chocolate is the best ever:

 AND, the best of two worlds, Lemonade Makin Mama plus Farmgirl Paints! (both, of which i have major crushes on.) part of Sasha's giveaway was this lovely necklace created by Becky of Farmgirl Paints.

 plus, Becky, just so happened to send me the necklace below because she thought it was made just for me.  how sweet can she be?!!!

um, can't wait to put on clothes that don't look like the housebound kind and wear these beautiful pieces.  i will officially adorn my neck with one of the two or both every day from now on. : ) thank you ladies for making my heart love you all the more! there is just so much dang kindness in you both! love ya two!

5. brocolli is not supposed to be good for my tummy these days, but i made this for my hubby and he enjoyed it for the both of us. i hear it's even addicting.

Broccoli Salad, adapted from the Joy of Clean Eating:

1 head broccoli, stems removed (mostly) and florets cut into pieces

4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled 

1/2 cup craisins 

3/4 cup mayonnaise 

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp raw honey 

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seed kernels

sea salt and black pepper, according to your liking

Preparation:

1. In a small bowl combine mayo, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.  Mix well.
2. In another large bowl combine broccoli, bacon, and craisins.  Gently stir in the mayo dressing.
3. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve.

6. my mom commissioned me to make my brother a birthday gift that included pictures i took of he and his girl. i spray painted a canvas with chalkboard paint, strung some jute across it, attached it to the back, and hung pictures. add some stickers (i uesd the mailbox kind) and chalk words and boom. a cute, inexpensive, gift. (it really/honestly looks way better in person. take my word for it.)

<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>

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life is good.

i ate a bowl of cheerios last night for dinner, the honey nut variety, and felt all kinds of guilty. oh wait, i didn't tell you, did i?? sometimes i get my social media worlds confused, because i announced to my twitter crew last week that there are now 800 foods i cannot eat per my doctor's orders, dairy and wheat included amongst even broccoli and beans! sometimes (really, every day this past week of my new diet) i think it would totally be better to die of possible bowel problems rather than starvation. because then at least chocolate could be enjoyed in the meantime. or even cheerios.

back to yesterday. it was the day that my Hunter boy gave me a sheer fright when his fever read 105.8. so i think: he must have a rare disease and is going to die in my arms in the next twenty-ish minutes. by the grace of God and some motrin, he lived! after bats of throw up, i think he is prayerfully on the mend. i am hoping sister girl stays well. it is seriously hilarious to note that she (being well) was 90 times more crabby than Hunter with a 105.8 fever. go figure. #girlsaremoody

being particularly moody and prone to loving comfort, Sage is the princess of pacis. she broke all her old ones, so this was to be the week we said goodbye to those teeth killing, chin rash brewing things. except for the fact that i found a paci pack for 18-36 month olds and fell victim to it. you should have seen her smile when she saw them. all day yesterday i cherished my paci purchase decision... i comforted my boy and the pacis mostly comforted my girl. good decision? yes.

as sad as it is when my babes are sick, it does feel like more initiation into motherhood. and that is sweet to me. life is good. raising kids is work. but it is mostly a joy. just like marriage. and life. so many joys, pointing back to our Giver at the very root of it all.


did you notice that my watermarks are having an identity crisis?? i did too and i'm not sure what to do about it. i don't know what i like, that's what the problem is.

one more thing. as cool as blogging is, i don't want to lose sight of tangible memories, like printing pictures or saving notes. i like scrapbooking, but it takes money and time, both of which are pricey. instead, i am creating a monthly collage of our happenings and then will print them all out for a simple, 12 page album highlighting our 2012. genius? completely. thank rebecca. she thought of it all. here's our january (this was done in picnik and isn't my favorite...eek... because i can't for the life of me figure out collages with more than three photos in photoshop elements. if you know, tell me. i'll give you a very polite thank you.):

notables (not in order):sage babe: my most favorite photo yet my half marathon dreams come true our tea collection photoshootdate night with my love
linking with my pal, rachel, who is at Blissdom. right.now. lucky girl. Pin It

it makes the world smaller

blogging, that is. sometimes around my real life friends i feel like a nerdy school girl all over again that is embarrassed because i have that awful boy haircut. i'll admit, when i talk about my online friends to my real life friends i feel like a loser. i do have more real life friends than internet friends so that ought to count for something?

it is really a big deal when a blog friend becomes a real life friend. two worlds collide more than just through words on a computer screen. it can be kind of scary, someone meeting you for the first time who knows so much about you already. i must say though, so far so good. i met Rachel from Finding Joy last summer, the Rachel from Minnesota who i thought i'd never get a chance to meet. then we end up in the same city having lunch together and on the same flight out of town?? i mean, get out of town. it was God inspired that's certain.

take two, kinda. i got an email from Elena, saying she moved close by and thought we would hit it off. turns out, she was totally right on. we've hung out a few times and always dream of seeing each other more.

plus, we both have the same camera and lens so it is truly destiny. also? she takes pictures of everything like i do and neither of us have to feel weird about it around each other. score!

Elena moved a few months ago, so i had to take pictures of her new digs. i love her eclectic, vintage style. it's so pretty to me. she is also the queen of thrifting. the girl that tells you she bought a chair for $5 or a dresser for $15 and they're entirely fantastic? that's her.

her clothing style is super cool. when i'm around her i feel like a frumpy old lady. she wears things that are in style.  i don't really. so i take a lot of tips from her just by staring at her jewelry and peeking into her closet. she's totally cool with. : )

the $15 dresser that i am so jealous over: 

Elena is the mama to two boys.  she created simple spaces for them that are cute but still all boy. 

the best part is that Elena actually makes the stuff she pins from pinterest! ((unlike me))

the branch with hanging canvasses... gorgeous. she mod podged the pictures on the canvases and used a sponge with black paint to make it look like it was actually printed on canvas. genius!

the chalkboard desk made out of a crib. my favorite thing evah!

she also got this vintage kid's table for just dollars. jealous again.

the cool part? our boys are all friends, too. 

and her boys are melt-worthy!

her Luca, my Hunter. buds.

more pretties!

the moral of this blogging turned real life friendship story? blogging makes the world smaller. and brings you new friends. a definite win-win. Pin It