My Version Of "Better Homes & Gardens"

Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn, HGTV & Martha Stewart have NOTHING on the design in my upstairs hallway today! It has been redesigned by the world's greatest designers: Marshall & Shaylen. Their creative imaginations have been at work on this rainy day and there is a Lego city now relocated to my main walkway.

One day this space will house an overstuffed chair & ottoman, a bookshelf with all of my books & Bibles. Maybe there will even be a small side table with a cup of hot coffee, but for now, I'm content to carefully step over their clever creations. The time for fancy-schmancy will wait.

Second Annual Twinsday

The twins had been looking forward to this year's Twinsday. Do you remember the story behind "Twinsday?" Last year they had said, "How come there is a Mother's Day & a Father's Day, but no "Kids' Day?" They thought it would be fun to have a day for them when they could choose what they could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know, I know, it could have the tendancy to lean toward a selfish day, but we're going to head that off at the pass. So, we created "Twinsday." We allow it to fall on their half-birthday and celebrate (very) quietly...similar to Father's & Mother's Day.

We ended up getting them each a book which they devoured quickly, and some candy...which was also devoured by the end of the week. Their have-to-have request was molasses cookies, so we were sure to get those done for dessert!

It was a wonderful day to let them know we are so thankful for them.

Cutey Patutey Cards

If you have looked at the blog for any extended period of time, you know that I love to make cards. There's a little rectangle on the right sidebar that "advertises" the cards I make and list for sale in my Etsy shop. Etsy has proven to be a wonderful vehicle for earning a little bit of extra cash. I mostly sell my handmade, handstamped cards, but one thing has brought in some business that I didn't expect.

Many of you know that my step-mom works for Leanin' Tree greeting cards. She is the manager of the sales department. Let me just tell you that she is very good at what she does. She is a hard worker, a wonderful manager, and a very valuable employee. She is able to purchase cards right there at her company so she doesn't typically need cards from me. She has expressed an interest in me making cards for her so that she could give gift cards as thank you's or encouragements. She needed gift card holders. So this was my inspiration, but how could I do it?

I had gotten a gift card from a company for my birthday last year. It had come in a gift card holder that was so nice, but simple. I carefully tore it apart to see how they had assembled it.

"I bet I could do something like this." I said.

I took a scrap piece of paper, and an old gift card, and played with it. I figured out where to score the paper, how to fold it and place my adhesive, and how to get it to stay closed. It was easy. So, I made a couple and put them in my shop. They weren't expensive and weren't fancy-schmancy, but they were a big hit.

So far, I've been able to sell custom-made gift card holders to many individual customers, three salons, a photographer, and most recently Judith Bright, a jewelry designer who has locations in Tennessee and Georgia (with another location preparing to open up in LA). It was quite an honor to prepare her gift card holders and I had a lot of fun. Her work is amazing. To be honest, it's somewhat intimidating to be working with someone on this scale. I want to make sure that even these little gift card holders match her quality of product!

I'm currently working on her second of three batches. She's a gem to work with and I appreciate the business.

Judith Bright's first batch, ready to have her logo attached.

I LOVE her colors: dark brown & a pretty pale aqua.

 



 

All packaged up and ready to ship!

Making cards is proving to be a wonderful hobby and I'm thankful for the opportunities it brings and the wonderful people I get to "meet."

A Run-In With the Driver

You all probably know that Taigen is a golfer. It's a wonderful & relaxing pasttime for him when he can get out on the golf course. The kids have also taken a liking to it. They have a set of clubs that they got eons ago from our dear friends Mike & Brenda. Every once in a while, Marshall and Shaylen pull out Taigen's practice matt and practice balls and launch a few into the yard. They typically remember to draw a nice, big square around the practice area so that no one gets whacked in the head. The key word in that phrase was "typically."  They typically remember. This weekend, they did not.

I was at the church working on secretarial stuff. I had been particularly busy and didn't wrap things up until close to four o'clock. I got in the van and was on my way home when I got a call from Taigen.

"Can you stop by the store and pick up some Band-Aids?"
"Yes. We needed to get some anyway."
"Make sure you get some big ones. All we have are those little dot ones. Those aren't big enough."
"Okay." Pause. "Why? Who got hurt?"
"Shaylen. I don't think it's bad though." I can hear the reassuring tone in his voice. Don't panic, Crystal. Don't panic. "We just need big Band-Aids."
"What happened?" I ask.
"Shaylen got hit in the head by a golf club. Marshall's driver. She got in the way of Marshall's upswing. I don't think it's too bad, but it's a head injury and so it is bleeding pretty badly."
"Do you think she needs stitches?"
"I don't think so, but I'll let you make that judgment call when you get home."

I blitzed to Wal-Mart and was in and out fairly quickly. When I came home, Shaylen was sitting on a non-cloth chair and Taigen was rinsing out a cloth to re-apply to her head. There was blood on her shirt, and her pants had already been changed. I took a look. Thankfully the big mess was already gone, or I might not have been able to take a good look. Blood makes me squeamish. Blood makes me faint. The cut was not large. Maybe the size of big blueberry. It was still bleeding, so we covered it back up. I didn't think she needed stitches, but she definitely did need cleaning up. There was blood all in her hair, on her face, on her clothes and arm. I put a Hello Kitty band-aid on it and went upstairs to start her bath.

After getting her all cleaned up, the moisture had loosened the Band-Aid. Blood was still trickling. I rinsed it off one last time, dabbed it dry, got her out of the tub and took another look. The wound was deep. It was deeper than I liked and I thought, "They [the doctors and nurses at the ER] are going to think I'm a bubble-wrap parent, but I think they need to take a look at it."

Taigen had been mowing the lawn when all of this happened. Now before you pass judgment on him that he wasn't watching the children, I want you to know that he was. He would mow, look up, mow, and look up. It was during one of those "mow" times that the swing happened because when he looked up, Shaylen was holding her head and crying. It all happened in a split second! Upon closer inspection, there was blood dripping down her arms. Uh oh.

So while Shaylen had been in the bath, Taigen was finishing up his mowing job. I called to him from the upstairs bathroom window and told him that I thought I ought to take her in. It was deeper than I had originally thought and it was still bleeding pretty badly. He agreed, Marshall started worrying, I got Shaylen dressed. My Peanut and I headed in.

Of course, something like this would have to happen on a Saturday when the doctor's office isn't open. Of course, it would happen on a Saturday when we're trying to prepare for Sunday. But of course, the Lord knew. Thankfully the ER wasn't packed with people and we were seen immediately. The doctor was super-child-friendly with Shaylen and informed us of the three options: butterfly bandage (probably wouldn't do it's job), glue (would probably not hold it properly), or stitches (his personal recommendation if it was his daughter). Shaylen started tearing up, but not crying or bawling, for which I was thankful. She's always been the braver of the two (Shhh, don't tell Marshall). The doctor started by numbing & cleaning it. Food Network was on the little television in the room so Shaylen was fascinated (distracted?) with the (muted) cooking competition. She had to get four shots. The numbing had helped, but she could still feel some of the pain. She didn't cry, but her eyes overflowed a few times. I think I teared up too! My poor baby! Shaylen got an inside stitch and three exterior stitches. We got done around 8:15. The hospital staff was impressed with Shaylen and proud of her bravery. I was proud of her too.

This picture was taken the following morning. Sorry it's blurry. You get the idea though. There was really no bruising or swelling. She's my toughy.

2012 HBC Ladies' Banquet - Light of Life

Every year we hold a banquet for our ladies & their guests. It's our biggest ladies' function of the year and a lot of planning goes into this special day. This year, we decided to hold it in the evening. Two dear ladies from our church approached me, asking if I would like for them to undertake the decoration part of the banquet. Since this is not my forte, I promptly agreed. I cannot tell you how much of a help this was to me.

What they produced was absolutely stunning. The fellowship hall was transformed! I loved their colors of yellow and white and how they incorporated jars, lemons, and candles. Didn't they do a fantastic job?

Dale & his crew of men created a feast for the ladies. He always plans the menu on their trek down to Florida in February. By the time they drive down and back, it's finished. The result is always scrumptious.

This year we had Sarah Beals as our speaker. She is a pastor's wife down in Brockton, Massachusetts. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. She has a blog Joy-Filled Days that you would love to read and no doubt, benefit from.

The HBC girls sang "Jesus Bids Us Shine" tonight. The song fit nicely in with our Light of Life theme, stating that Jesus is the Light of the world, the salvation for all mankind. We were challenged to go and tell others in both word and deed about the gospel.

It was a memorable evening.

Luna Moth

When we came home from church tonight the kids blitzed upstairs to get ready for bed. My ever-observant husband noticed something on the window of our front door & called the kids to come down quickly and see. It was a huge bug. Upon further inspection, I realized it was a luna moth! How neat to get to see one of these up close and personal and be able to show the twins too.

I'm sorry that the flash interfered with your seeing his beautiful colors, but it was nighttime and he was on the other side of the glass.

Shaylen's Music Ministry

Piano lessons are continuing to go very well. It's hard to believe that the kids will be wrapping up their second "year" this June. Judy Endean has proven time and time again to be a fantastic piano teacher for the kids. I've said it before, I appreciate her emphasis on ministry, not self-promotion. The kids usually have 2 or 3 sacred arrangements on their list of things to practice. Recently she has started working with them on playing four-part hymns. I am amazed at what they can already do after only 18 months of lessons.

Tonight, Shaylen was able to play "Holy, Holy, Holy" for our Wednesday evening service. She did a fantastic job and we are so thankful for her willingness to do this.

I also want to post a picture of her. This is her new outfit from Grandma Sherry. Shaylen loves it and looks so pretty in it!

I am constantly brought almost to tears when I think of the great blessing Shaylen is to me. I love how she frequently comes up to me and asks, "Need help with anything?" She's my snuggler, my fellow book lover, and it certainly doesn't hurt that she gives me whispers every night and tells me she loves me and that I am her best friend. She is growing into such a godly girl and I am thankful that she is on loan to me from the Lord.

Handstitched With Love

Today we received a wonderful package from Colorado! Inside were the remaining kid-projects that Cathy had been working on. Two pairs of lounge pants with matching t-shirts for Marshall, a matching t-shirt for Shaylen's culottes with the puzzles on the bottom, some NEW culottes for Shaylen with matching t-shirt, and a handmade jumper for both Shaylen and her doll. These are priceless treasures! Cathy took leftover fabric and cut out the airplane symbols and carefully sewed them on Marshall's t-shirts. (Look at his sleeves and on the left of his chest.) It looks so awesome!

Cathy is working on a jumper so that I can match Shaylen. When that comes, I will be sure to post a picture of all three of us.

Last Staycation Day: Chucksters

We've passed it a gazillion times in our treks to and from Concord. Each time, we looked longingly at it saying that we "would love to take the kids there someday." Well, "someday" finally arrived and we took the kids to Chucksters. Chucksters is a family fun place that has go-carts, batting cages, putt putt golf (or miniature golf...however you say it in your neck of the woods), climbing walls, bouncy thingys (I don't know what else to call it), and water-spraying basketball games. It's a lot of fun. We saved and were able to take the kids on Monday.

 

We started off with a round of golf. The course was really fantastic and the kids did very well.  Taigen beat us (he usually does), but we didn't hold it against him. The kids then tried their hand at the bouncy thingy. They got all strapped in and took off. It was hilarious to watch them bounce in this contraption!

The go-carts proved to be a hilarious option. Because you sit low to the ground and are out in the open, it seems like you're going super fast. I think this planted The Driving Bug into Marshall because he's been talking & asking about driving ever since. He cannot wait now to get his driver's license. (Eeeek!) I couldn't get any pictures of the go-carts because we all went together, racing furiously around the track. (Let the record show that the cart I was driving always won. Ha ha!)

We came back and got something to drink and then headed over to the batting cages. I stayed out and took pictures since baseball has never been my thing. I remember a church picnic up in Portland, ME where I couldn't even hit the wiffle ball.  Sad, I know. The kids obviously get their father's genes when it comes to baseball, because they did pretty well!

After the batting cages, the kids did the jump thing again and we finished with another race on the go-cart track. We enjoyed making memories this day.

Time With Ministry Friends

Sunday proved to be a very encouraging day. We have so many dear friends serving in the ministry all around the world, but also here in New England. Taigen and I pray for them every Saturday night before going to sleep. Sunday is the most important day of the week and a pastor's "game day." I don't mean that to sound disrespectful of the position. I've heard another pastor's wife term it this way and it just made sense. Hours and hours of preparation go into this very special Lord's Day (as well it should!). So, a long time ago when Taigen and I broke up the things we pray for together into categories, it just made sense to pray for our pastor friends on Saturday night...the night before their big day.

For the first time on Sunday, we were able to go and visit our friends Tim & Andee Lewis over at New England Shores Baptist Church. They have started this church in Hamptom and are doing a wonderful job. We were able to be with them for both Sunday School and the morning worship service.

On Sunday night, we were able to wind our way over to Kittery to Faith Baptist Church where Justin and Allison Kauffman serve. Justin & Allison are fairly new to New England and we have enjoyed getting to know them.

New England is not the easiest of places to minister. Gone are the pilgrims and their whole-hearted devotion to God & a burden to freely impart this same devotion to their children. Gone are the days of the Great Awakening. New England IS a mission field. We're just so thankful to serve here! It's great to see friends face to face, shake their hands or give hugs and encourage them to keep on keeping on.

It's rare that we have opportunities to go and visit our friends' churches, but having a staycation affords us this wonderful pleasure. We're so thankful to serve with these dear folks!

The Maine Jump & A Fun Photo Shoot

It was a rainy day on Friday, so we weren't able to really do anything outside like mini-golf, or hiking or anything. At breakfast (which was a plethora of options at the Hampton Inn in Ellsworth), we decided to ask the very friendly staff member who was attending to the breakfast feast. She was a grandma, we found out, and knew of several options for us in the area. One of the places she recommended was The Maine Jump in Bangor. This proved to be an excellent option that Marshall and Shaylen loved. They ended up hot and sweaty! It was basically a warehouse-sized room full of bouncy houses, bouncy slides, and air-filled mazes.

We had to make our way back to home. I was speaking at a ladies' banquet in Scarborough that night and I wanted time to be able to fix my hair (again), and collect my thoughts. I was taking Shaylen with me and I would need to spruce her up too.

Shaylen and I had a great time with the ladies of Cornerstone Baptist Church. They had a packed house. One thing I loved about their theme "Renewing Your Focus" was their photo booth set-up (hats, moustaches, funky glasses, etc.). I wish we had done this when this had been our theme. It was so clever. The teens, girls, and even some of the ladies' had a blast with this. I always enjoy the opportunity to come back and spend time with these dear ladies and this banquet was no exception.

Staycation 2012 - Bah Habaah

It seems odd to take a vacation just shortly after our wonderful vacation out to Colorado, but it just worked out for us in our calendar to take a family time in early May. Plus, Taigen was in need of a vacation more than anyone else, so we just did it. We decided to take the kids up to Bar Harbor & up Cadillac mountain. They always love it when we get to the top of a hill and can see for miles. We knew they would enjoy this trip. Taigen and I decided to use some of our credit card points (leftover from my CO trip) to get a night at a hotel up in Ellsworth. It's not technically "Tourist Season" here in New England, so we got a really good deal. The hotel also had a pool. This was a huge bonus.

On the trip up, we listened to some audiobooks (Farmer Boy & Little House in the Big Woods) and we let the kids watch a Winnie the Pooh movie. This was a special treat for them, and thankfully, the library had it. It got more and more exciting the higher we got and we all loved the cool, fresh air once we got to the top of Cadillac Mountain. It was just lovely to walk around and enjoy the view.

When we got back down, we drove around the coast and slowly made our way to Ellsworth. We got checked in and then walked to dinner. We don't eat out often and when we gave the kids a choice of where to eat, they chose McDonald's. They have expensive tastes, eh?

Like I said, it wasn't tourist season yet, so it seemed like we had the hotel to ourselves. We threw on our swimsuits and headed down the hall to the pool. We played for a few hours. I think this was our favorite part of the vacation. We got so many good laughs from this night.