Guess what! The real new member of the family I wanted to talk about has arrived!  I’m an auntie again!!!!  

New life is precious. Always. ~~~ New life is beautiful. Always.

New life is amazing. Always. ~~~ New life is awe’ing, mind blowing. Always.

Only by the grace of an amazing Creator God do we get to experience new life, are we allowed to value and appreciate new life.

Baby is a girl. A sweet, beautiful, amazingly cute newborn baby girl.

I now have 4 nieces (2 sharing a birthday) & 1 nephew. I am blessed.

For being a week overdue, it was a FAST process. Less than an hour from knowing something might be happening to baby being born. After we all saw baby & mom and knew all was well, we just kind of sat there stunned, comparing notes. Checking texts and phone call logs to even try to piece it all together.

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The thing I have found: when trying to clean up one mess, I make another. usually the cleaning up, organizing, re-evaluating mess is worse than when I started.

Have you ever noticed that? Have you noticed when there is something ugly inside needing to come out, it gets worse before it gets better. Ugh!  So glad God is in charge of the purifying process. I’d chicken out of the final firing, I’m sure of it.

So, here are my house messes I’m working on getting in order. Right now I can’t find the kitchen pictures. I will, but for now you get the living room, bedroom, old “office”, and new shelves. This office mess is the accumulation of an insane campaign summer, recoup time, then tearing it apart as we started school. My goal was to get our living room, 2 desk areas, and an office into our 1 living room. {Besides just the “a place for everything & everything in it’s place” idea.}

Please don’t judge me [seriously]. Yes, it is bad. Which is why it was so overwhelming to tear into. I knew it would get worse [way worse] before it would be better, and it would take hours. days. weeks. before it ‘felt’ right or comfortable. We are so tightly shoe-horn packed in I always have to measure first, but sometimes it’s just too tight to be feasible.

My desk/office {3’x4′ corner of my living room} at the end of the campaign….

The ‘new’ living room {14’x14′} with 2 desk areas and office space…. not done, but getting closer…. {example of measuring but too tight of space. See my desk chair on the far right? Yes, it fit. Yes, I could sit at the desk. Buuut, I couldn’t stand in front of the chair to reach and turn on the light (I’m 5’1″)….but to move the desk the 2″ further from the wall, I had to move the couch 2″ to the left. To move the couch, the rug had to slide over 2″. To slide the rug, the trunk had to be off it, there isn’t enough space over between the bookshelf, blue chair and end of couch for the trunk…. When the living room floor is only 5′ wide – can you imagine how much stuff had to move to be able to move the trunk? That is why it takes so long to get all the pieces of our home puzzle in the right place, facing the right direction, in a way all 3 of us like.}

What the living room re-do did to our bedroom {13’x14′}….See off to the left in the above picture? Ya, that would be a beautiful roll top desk under those stacked books….after a month the books never looked any different, so I realized it was going to have to go. It just couldn’t hold or organize enough in my space to make it work, no matter how much I love it….. {perspective: door on my left, closet behind me, daughter’s bed to my right, sewing to my right front of picture, my bed straight ahead behind pile/under stacks of books.} In case you are wondering – yes, apparently, I have a book addiction. so does my son. so does my daughter….. hmmm.

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To learn more about or link up with Five Minute Friday, go to Lisa-Jo’s blog.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

Oh and Ahem, if you would take pity and turn off comment verification, it would make leaving some love on your post that much easier for folks!

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:

Roots…

Go: My first thoughts on roots are heritage. I have a rich, rich heritage. I am blessed and I know that. I am so very thankful for my roots. I immediately thought of this picture of my Grandma smelling the roses Grandpa gave her for her 81st birthday. Her birthday was on Christmas Eve. My mom’s mom was born on October 31st.

Funny how both Grandma’s had unforgettable birthdays, and had amazing artistic talent, and both Grandpa’s were pastors. My roots are in a Christian heritage as far back as anyone has ever checked. My mom’s parents were married in Paris and missionaries in Africa when my mom was born. When mom was 1 they moved back to the states because my Grandpa got sick. My mom was the youngest of three. When they came back to the states he pastored in several places. My dad’s parents pastored in the same town in northern Wisconsin for over 40 years. :Stop

These are my dad’s parents in December 2003. {I got my extreme love of flowers from Grandma.} They were the last flowers he gave her while she was alive; she passed away less than a month later. My kids and I were there to help take care of Grandma & Grandpa while mom & dad were in session. A week after getting there my Grandma had a 2nd stroke (1st was year prior, while mom & dad were in session); two weeks later she passed away. My kids and I stayed with Grandpa to help him with starting kidney dialysis and adjustment to life without Grandma. They had been married 6 months short of 60 years – 59 1/2 years! We stayed with him a total of 7 1/2 months. It was amazing, my kids were 6 1/2 and 3 1/2, I’ve never regretted a day of that time. They are still fond memories and none of us will ever forget it. If you ever have the opportunity to take care your grandparents – take it, you won’t forget it. Ever.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Today I am giving thanks for: Family. Heritage. Roots.

Family: I have family I miss and love. As I’ve said before – I’m glad it hurts they are gone because it means we love each other.

Heritage: I have a rich heritage of family and togetherness. I realize this is not everyone’s norm and I don’t ever want to take it for granted.

Roots: I grew up not knowing anything but a Christian family with roots very, very deep. Most of my dad’s family is still in the midwest. There are other pastors, missionaries, and Christian college staff in my family. Even with all of these roots, I know I am only saved because of the Grace of God.

{I will work on getting my mom’s parents’ wedding pictures scanned and into the computer.[I have one of my dad’s parents, but I’m saving it for a post with both] It is so cool – with the Eiffel Tower in the background! I have other cool mementos of my grandparents – but they aren’t digital. I’ll have to work on remedying this.}

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Today I am Giving Thanks for: Children. Time. Childhood

Children: I am so thankful for my children. They are indeed a heritage from the Lord. As hard as being a single mom is, I’m glad I have them. Last night was just me. That doesn’t happen very often {maybe 5 or 6 times}; it was quiet. I didn’t watch a movie or even have music with words. But I’m ready to have them back today. I can’t imagine having split custody. I know my growth has happened because I am a mom and just had to keep going. No matter what I felt like.

Time: I have had lots of time with my daughter this week. Unexpectedly we had three days. at home. {sigh}  Not only did the non-moving pace do me wonders, we had time to just be. Vince had several opportunities come up, since Wednesday morning he has been here for 12 hours – 9:30pm to 9:30am on Thursday. But it’s been good. He got friend time and Christine & I had some good connect time. We needed that time after the brutal week last week – honestly, since she turned 12 it’s not been that great. The last several days felt normal – as in before she turned 12 – it was awesome! {See below for more about my thankfulness for time this week}

Childhood: I ache for children to get to have an innocent childhood. Our culture, society, is rushing them to grow up so fast. I often feel like a stick-in-the-mud for saying ‘no’ to so much of what today expects is normal. I don’t believe we need to be on the go constantly. I see so many kids who are just tired. and not able to appreciate whatever event they are because they’re focused on the next. No matter how much they forward to something, it’s all about the next event. plan. place they have to be.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Because we got to stay home {the time I mentioned above in Giving Thanks} the last 3 days I got to sew. Christine had asked me to make her a quilt for her bed. In 20 mins she picked out all the material – over 2 months ago. She has been waiting patiently. When she picked the material I really didn’t like it. I kept thinking ‘Ick! these don’t go together’, but it was all material she really wanted. So I got it. I don’t usually start with a pattern, only an idea. So there weren’t right or wrong quantities to get of each – just is there enough or not?

It started out as being a quilt for her bed. She wanted a disappearing 9 patch. then a quilt to curl up in. then just a “big blanket to cover everything, including my toes.” {I’ve made her two other quilts – one for her crib, one for the toddler bed. neither are quite big enough}.

But I love it! She did an amazing job with colors and patterns. She just grabbed and didn’t have a favorite — it takes me f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to pick material and then I’m tired of it before I finish.

My sets of 3 strips sewn together and cut to make the 9 patch. About here I decided I didn’t like 9 patch blocks after all. {I’ve mentioned loving flowers….never noticed all the flowers around the head of my bed. 3 in frames, on the lamp, and the wood box says ‘petite fleurs’. and yes, my iron has turquoise duct tape holding the handle together :-)}

At this point, I really didn’t like 9 patches. But my points were lining up — love my new machine! Also, I thought why on earth am I going to cut these apart to make the disappearing 9 patch?!  But I did for several. Until I was sick of trying to turn them the right way – what a pain! I sewed many together wrong. I did not pick them out & re-sew, I just kept going! Have to admit I’m appreciating shedding the perfectionist in me. I get things done quicker when I let go a bit… 

When I started this not-twin size disappearing 9 patch quilt…. I made the 9 patch blocks then started cutting them apart & re-sewing together. Decided I didn’t like doing that any more. so there are 9 patch blocks in the center, outlined in a tone-on-tone print brown {from material I had here at home – good thing I had it too! Even though I don’t remember what I actually bought it for.}, then the disappearing 9 patch blocks, with more of the brown to fill in the spaces….

The finished result of all my “mistakes”…My points don’t match, I didn’t measure – which is why there are brown chunks…also noticing I goofed the left corner spacing up. uh, duh.  oh well. Personally, I think the materials are a bit too busy for the disappearing 9 patch. around the edges they are fine, but I think the whole top would have been gaggy.

For the back I used one piece of material. Of course, I didn’t measure, it wasn’t wide enough, so I added 3″ strips on both sides. I did not do a binding. I sewed inside out and flipped it. then sewed around the edges. I stitched in the ditch around the center brown piece and did blanket ties for the rest.

This is a close up of the backside flipped over to the front. The curvy is what I stitched around the outside edge after flipping it right side out. The straight stitch in the ditch is what I did around the center brown square.

So what is it? it isn’t all quilted. it isn’t all tied. there is no outer binding. does that make it a quilt or a blanket? Who knows, but it covers all of her! It is mismatched and she loves it. She is 12 and wanted a blanket to wrap up in, made by mom. She wanted it in time for the lock-in she went to last night. Score – I had it tied, folded, and in the bag 3 hours before she left. Nailed it!

I’m linking up for the first time with Studio JRU for ‘in the studio…sneak peek friday‘. The intent is to share what we’ve created during the week and encourage others who are creating too.

**I sent my camera off last night. I’m hoping they are able to fix it to be the way so many talk about their D3100’s or deem it unfixable and give me the money so I can start all over with purchasing one. I really hope this is not a camera I can’t ever trust – or do anything about.**

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Okay – in reality it’s green somewhere else.  Lots of somewhere else’s, actually-but not here.  We are at 45* for the second day in a row, but we still have tons of snow needing to melt; the snow is pretty rotten and not worth much except to remind us we don’t have green or outdoor growth yet.  This tree is actually in Washington DC, and what it looked like the beginning of last October.

I used the above picture though because it kind of represents life — the single tree is like each of us, all the branches are representative of all the things we are involved in and the leaves are the activities or to-do list of all that has to be done for each part of our life.  For example:

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