A friend and I were talking this morning about going back to work, school start times, etc...and she said "it's truly going to take a village"

That simple little phrase stuck with me all afternoon.  I kept thinking...what if this had happened 8 or so years ago.  I didn't know the meaning of village at all...at least not how my friend intended it.  I was not one to ask for help, at all.  I'd try to fix it all myself.  There were plenty of kind people around me that would offer help, but I wouldn't take it, or dare reach out and ask for it!

Thankfully with time, I've learned to let people in.  I mean, God kinda forced me into it when Ellie got sick and we had to move 700 miles away, but I did learn the lesson!  And for the next however long I've got my village helping out with my girls!

I'm sure so many people are faced with decisions they never thought they'd be making!  Choices to stay home, to go to work, to keep their kids home, send them to school, figure out whose going to watch them when they aren't at school...and I'm sure there are so many more. Choices that probably involve spending more money or not having as much income.  Choices that carry a burden.  

May I suggest a village?

If you don't need a village, maybe you could be a village for someone else.  I'm sure there are many more like the me from years ago, who are so scared to ask for help, or just don't know how.  

Life just feels crazy, a tad out of control, but this weakness and loss of control is when we can shine brightest, when we can let Jesus shine through us!

As many teachers start heading back to work and soon kids start entering school buildings, pray for them.  No one truly knows how this will play out, so give grace to those who have a different opinion than you.  Listen to the overwhelmed momma who can't figure out where her kids are going two days a week.  Reach out to your people, your village, see if they need help, need prayers, just need a break.  Let someone help you.  Be patient with changes as everyone is figuring out how to do life.  Smile, even if you have your mask on! And above all else, trust Him!

P.S.Tomorrow is my first day of work at my new school...I'm like a kid of Christmas Eve!  

Prayers, Praise and Pink

~Carly

More that crocheting

It's been so long, I'm not even going to attempt to catch up! 

I'm now teaching an Awana class at church on Wednesday nights, a class full of middle school girls :)  They have taught me so much this year and I wanted to find a way to show them how much I love them, but also something that would help them remember our class and something that would help them share their faith with others.  A wonderfully crafty friend helped me come up with the idea of a necklace made from a washer....of course I went straight to the source of all things good...Pinterest....and found a number of great ideas!  So here's my first ever "tutorial"  of these sweet necklaces!

Materials needed - Washers (I got a bag of 20...lots of room for error)!  There are a million different sizes of washers out there (who knew) I got ones that I felt were big enough for my word to fit on.

A letter punch kit, I got mine (or my mom - she's my in town shopper) from Hobby Lobby, it was the most expensive part of this project, I'm sure if you had the time to look around you could find one cheaper.

A hammer, I'm pretty sure you know what one of those looks like, all though I think I ended up using a mallet, the little hammer didn't work as well, (that's where those 20 washers come in handy, trial and error)

A spool of leather, you could use any material you'd like, I just really enjoyed the look of the leather.

Some sparkle...they are teenagers after all...

And something to glue your sparkle down, I tried my BFF hot glue, but it didn't work very well, I ended up using a craft glue, and the excess came off with no problem after it had dried.

Take your washers, hammer/mallet, and punch set outside to a hard surface, I ended up using the sidewalk.  I strongly recommend having a tester washer.  It took me a few tries to get the hang of hammering (since that isn't an activity I usually participate it).  It's also helpful to count how many times you hammer one letter, that way they will all look the same.  For example I hit each of my letters 10 times, if you are stronger than me, (which you most likely are) it might not take as many hits for your letters to look right. 

please excuse the poor phone picture :)

I then glued all my little gems on and waited for them to dry.  I then cut the leather and threaded it through each washer.  I played with the idea of adding a bead to the leather, but decided against it. 

To package them up for them up for the girls, I got little tulle wedding favor bags, and added a verse to the outside.

"Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Ta-Dah....they loved them!  What meant even more to them was the fact that they came up with the word for their necklaces, they just didn't know what I was doing with the word!  Our class this year has focused on the Israelites journey out of Egypt.  The girls had to come up with a word that they felt summarized what we had learned all year, and they came up with "Faith".  I hope that these necklaces will open up doors for my girls when they are asked about them, I hope they can share their faith, their testimonies and God's love with those around them.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God"

Ephseians 2:8

Meet the Crew

Our "ark" is small but we love it. I am affectionately calling it the ark, because this is definitely Noah's house. Speaking of Noah, he's currently napping, which is the only time it's quiet around here.

My husband Richard (who I usually call Richie, and get constantly reminded that I am the only adult who is allowed to call him that) have been together for seven years, married for 3. He works as a retail manager and I'm a school counselor at an elementary school. Richard is the down to earth, practical one, and I'm the one that usually needs to be pulled back down to earth...makes life more interesting!

Our first child is Mandy. No she doesn't normally wear clothes, it was a Christmas present. Mandy is the true definition of a female dog. She doesn't like a whole lot of people or other animals...she barks too much, growls at people, but I love her, she's just misunderstood! After a few years (and in true ark fashion - gotta have two of everything) we had to get another dog...I think Richie just wanted a "real" dog. We then welcomed our second child into the home, Kapone. Kapone came into our lives this cute, cuddly, non-shedding puppy.

Two years later we now have a 80 lb., drooling, shedding, but still cuddly, thinks he's puppy, dog! Love him to death, and he's the best toy Noah could have. Mandy has learned to love him, but its definitely a sibling relationship!

Now to our human child! Noah entered this world June 8th, 2008, 2 in the morning. He arrived two weeks early because he was tired of waiting...and he's been ready to go ever since. After 38 weeks of swollen feet, gestational diabetes, two trips to the hospital for high heart rates, being breach, Noah decided he was choosing his own birthday, not the one the doctors had chosen for him. We were so happy to have him out and with us. At 8lb 12oz, and an amazingly large head, he was a big guy, but we loved every piece of him. Having Noah has taught me what life is all about, loving each other no matter what...life is too short to worry about the stupid fights, enjoy every moment, no matter how exciting or boring and be thankful you have that moment.

Noah just celebrated his first birthday. This has probably been the fastest year ever! Noah now walks, says "Hi", gives kisses, and thinks he's the funniest kid ever...I'd have to agree with him. When we first choose to name him Noah, it was because I looked at his ultrasound picture and decided he looked like a Noah...don't ask. But as Richard and I became more involved in church and became closer with God, I read a lot more about Noah, and why God chose Noah to build the ark. My hope for my child is that he has that same kind of love and faith in God.