Where Thousands of Cranes can be seen at Sunset.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! 

I hope each of you was able to spend a few days with your loved ones, whether your actual biological family or adopted family =) 
We had a great time with a mixture of both and traveled to a neighboring state where we were able to spend time together enjoying each other's company after not seeing each other for quite a while. Then in the afternoon we all went on a hike to see about 10,000 cranes as they came into a marshy wetland for the night. 
It was pretty spectacular, and such a beautiful sunset. 
We arrived home yesterday to celebrate again today with my hubby's extended family.
Hoping you have all had a wonderful opportunity to sit and be still for a few days cultivating an attitude of thankfulness before we dive headfirst into the Christmas season. 
There are so many things to be thankful for, even when life is in a tough season.

My beautiful sister and her hubby. They are such a riot. So silly.
We had a blast with so many siblings and family. 

As much fun as we had together, it was pretty cold. But in my opinion the mile hike to see all the cranes making their beds in the marshy wetlands was so worth it. I have never seen anything like it.

It was similar to being at an airport watching planes come in at night in their arrow formations. From every single direction you look. I won't forget the noise thousands of cranes make in a hurry. 

We also found that almost all the girls wore the same kind of shoes totally without meaning to. 

Who doesn't choose fur-lined Uggs when you know its going to be cold. Or at least Ugg style, since most of ours were imitation. 

Setting out to see the cranes & the gorgeous sunset, we saw the sun peeking through the trees.

So pretty.

Praying that whatever is going on in this season of your life friend, you know there is always hope.

And you are so very loved. 

Little Busy Secret.

In case you think I have fallen off the face of the planet lately....I am busy working on some top secret new designs for the shop. The Lord has just opened door after door for me to be attending Hope Spoken in March 2014. I am so excited to be going! And so close to being fully funded to be able to go, but I'm hoping to raise the rest in the next few months.


So....unless you are super crazy organised, I'm guessing you haven't finished your Christmas shopping yet. Well, I have a ton of crazy fun new products all made and ready to be added to the store. They will all be available for an up and coming Christmas fair......all helping me fund the rest of this trip. But also just because I can't not create things.....I go crazy if I don't use my hot glue gun every once in a while ;)


More details soon. Guess I spilled the beans on why I've been so crazy busy, and why my trash can is overflowing with felt, fabric and other loose ends. And why my sewing machine needed a new needle....oops. 

Thankful Thursdays Part 2.

Once again I am linking up with Erin & Amy to share things we are thankful for. No matter what season life it in, thankfulness is so healing to the soul. 

This man. 

For all that this week has held, I have no words to describe the feelings behind it.

Except I am thankful.

&

For the precious words of some very beautiful souls in a dark world. They have touched my heart this week in ways they will never realise. 

'The One Piece of Advice I wish People Told Me Before I Got Married' - Jennifer Smith

'The Mythical They' - Jen Hatmaker

'Well Spent' - Nicole Neesby 

'The Sweetest Revenge' - Michelle Lazurek 

'Marriage isn't for you' - Seth Adam Smith

'Its ok to not be ok' - Erin James

'The World isn't about You and Love Still Wins' - Hannah Brencher

Thankful Thursdays.

I decided to linkup with Erin & Amy this Thursday and practice Thankfulness. 
As I have been working to practice this attitude, it has really changed my heart towards how I see things. Being able to see beauty in the small things, and really enjoy the little moments. 
To really enjoy the everyday, even when my first response could use a little work.

Learning to enjoy walking through crunchy leaves and not rush onto the next thing.
To explore with two cuties who want to see the little things in the world and see everything through their eyes. How their perspective is beautiful.

So first of all. I am thankful to this man.

For loving me for who I am, flaws and everything. For choosing me 3 1/2 yrs ago to stand by his side and continuing to choose me everyday since. This is the closest living example I have seen to understanding the way God loves me. 

I am thankful for family. For the way they love unconditionally through all of lifes up and downs. For their support through lots of difficult decisions at times.   

For beautiful friendships the Lord has brought into my life this past year. He answered my prayers for accountable, genuine sweet ladies who I could do life with. This sweet lady is just one of so many. SO blessed.

And for two sweet babies who continue to show me how to love littles, show me what I need to work on in my own life, teach me patience and how to enjoy every single day of life.

They really remind me that every day is such a gift. (No picture of them for obvious reasons, but oh goodness they are too stinking cute!) 

For my precious Father who has continued to floor me on His timing in providing little gifts like books I wanted, truth when I needed to hear it, the gift of His word & just a love far better than anything I could ever hope for.

//Be Brave//

I apologize that these posts never made it into the 31 day series time frame  they are the last of the final week digesting truth. So since I feel they are still appropriate, I'm going to finish sharing them =) 

Isn't it so funny how sometimes after we figure out what passion or dream to pursue, we still feel we aren't cut out for it? 

We still question when things get a little bumpy, when it doesn't go smoothly. 

And we find ourselves asking so many questions, was this really the right thing to do? Is this trouble a result of making the wrong choice? Is it simply because this is a good thing and I am being attacked? 

There's fear involved with chasing dreams.

Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of Change. Fear of it not meeting expectations. 

Feeling as we see others doing what we are trying to do better than we can.

Feeling as though are talents are less than those of others.

I don't know about you friends, but sometimes I even wish for another's calling. I wish to be able to do things like someone else does. Wish that I could be more like them. 

Then I was reminded of some truth.

'There is no new truth, all belongs to God. 

But sometimes we simply need to hear someone else say it.'

(Emily Freeman, A Million Little Ways)

It's true. Someone else may have the same dream, talents or abilities as you. But sometimes in order to hear things, they need to be said or communicated in a different way. By writing your stories, or making your artwork or taking your pictures or whatever dream you have, you may have the ability to share with someone something that allows them to finally hear a message. 

Even if its been said before, when you say it. They may finally hear it! 

How encouraging is that? We may not be the most talented or best, but we can still be used by God.

We just need to be brave! There are so many things in each of us that are not in anyone else. We have all been made different from each other with a different mix of abilities. 

(Via)

  

Be Brave friends! Lets pursue those dreams and talents we know we should chase!

This post is still part of my 31 day series for the month of October, 
fighting through the fears and sharing the confusing passions I have. 
Hoping to figure out the bigger picture of all these interests.

(I added several extra days to finish sharing truth I found along the way!)

October Fun. //Halloween//

We were invited to a Halloween party this year, so I thought we could totally have fun dressing up in costumes this year. 
Our first Halloween we weren't in the same country, so we didn't dress up. 
Our 2nd Halloween we had a blast dressing up as Thing 1 and Thing 2. (We had tickets to an event that required costumes....they were kinda last minute)

Last year was also last minute and involved driving around to about 4 different thrift stores to find things we needed. We were minions as you can see in the back of the group picture.

So this year.....I decided I didn't want to end up spending more than $20 as I don't think costumes should be expensive. So I found an amazing blog who made her kids costumes, but they were made from a template of their clothes......and figured we could totally do that and just make them to fit us. I knew what we should be this year, I just didn't want to pay the $100+ for actual costumes. I even checked eBay but they were still that price. So I went to Joanns with my coupon and spent about $20 on supplies and pulled out my sewing machine. So last weekend, all my waking moments were spent working on these:

Link to Rapunzel Costume (I only made the top section, the skirt was an old Prom dress)

Link to Flynn Rider Costume 

If you guys dressed up or your kids did, leave a link in the comments. 

I want to see =)