Since it’s almost 2012, I thought it might be a good time to evaluate where we are and take a little poll to see what you might be interested in reading here.

Please answer the following…

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Can’t wait to find out what you’re interested in reading more about.

First go to the app store on your device, and download the pinterest app and login with your pinterest account!

Once you do this you can begin with these instructions.

PLEASE READ THIS LINE: The below instructions only need to be done ONCE, after that you can pin from the bookmark on your iPhone in Safari just like on your computer. 

Open the pinterest app, it will look something like this (pay no attention to the lack of battery life on my phone!)

tap “Account” at the top

then tap “Install Bookmarklet” from the bottom menu:

it will look like this, then tap the bookmark/share icon at the bottom of the screen:

It will add a pin it bookmark that looks like this, tap done.

tap inside the box and tap select all, then tap copy. Then tap done.

Pull up that same bookmarks/share icon from earlier:

Then tap edit at the bottom, then tap pin it:

It will look like this, you are going to edit the section with the pink circle with your copied text from earlier.

Tap the x to clear out the text in the box with the pink circle, tap in the box again, then tap paste, then tap done.

Open safari and go to your favorite website (warning: shameless plug)

Then tap the bookmark/share icon at the bottom of the screen

then tap pin it!

and it will pull up a screen with all of the images on the page, just like on the computer, choose your image…

and pin…

all done!

Congratulations, you just pinned from your iphone, ipod, or ipad! Enjoy!

I so appreciate the pace of life on this Sunday.

It’s still, cozy, and life-giving. Full of family, and faith, and fresh air. Pancakes and grits.

Snuggles with the little one, football, and Christmas lights.

Not busy with errands, not scurrying about.

This is my Sunday. So perfect. So full of joy.

my home on this Sunday…

It has long plagued pinners everywhere that they there are so many good ideas and so little time to actually execute them. But, I do believe that a good idea encourages other good ideas. And even if my laundry room never looks like any of these, at least I have an idea of what it would be nice for it to look like.

And even if I never make a single one of these crafts, at least its encouraging me to think outside of the box.

But today, in a flash, I made something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. Our packing list for when we go out of town, a very long list now that we’re a family of three. And since we’ve been out of town quite a bit with our little one (5 times in less than 4 months) we make up our packing list. So today, I printed it out, and framed it, with check boxes beside each item. Why I’ve never done this before is beyond me. It was so easy, and will be so helpful to have (and really easy to update as our family grows).

You can download a blank packing list here for your purposes. Customize it with your very own list!

Can’t wait for the week after Christmas (Jer has the week off) I’m going to be making many more pinterest items!

I’m pinning this right now! See you on pinterest.

ps Coming soon, a tutorial on how to pin on iphone & ipad using pin it! get excited.

I like it when people are vulnerable, when they are real, when they take friendship to the next level. These are the friendships that I treasure and cherish, those that even though we haven’t spoken in weeks, months, years, we can pick up right where we left off. Is it just me, or does this get more and more rare as life rolls on?

I’m so inclined to think it does. Let’s be friends. Stop acting like you have it all together, stop wanting me to have it altogether, because I just won’t. I don’t. That’s plain ol truth.

Today, like many days, I sit here, thinking, reading, journaling, and realizing that at the end of the day all of my disappointments come crashing in, and usually they have to do with relationships. The things that consume me day in and out, don’t have to do with if I have the latest iPad or i-whatever (even though I might act otherwise). The things that I think about most have to do with my friends. Some that I’ve lost, some that I hope for deeper relationships with.

I long, and crave for these friendships, somewhere, out there. In this life stage, where I am now. Because the truth is, I’m just not where I used to be. Life is different now, life is great now as it was then. I’m praying for deeper friendships in 2012, I know they don’t come easy, and I know I have to put work in for them, but man, do I miss them.

This isn’t directed at anyone specifically, just a generic thought process of reality.

Marking moments is such an important thing to do (and Biblical, too!). I believe that it’s important to mark moments in our spiritual lives, financial, family, and beyond.

This morning I was reading out of Jesus Calling, a devotional book that Jeremy and I have decided to read through together. I’ve always had a hard time finding a devotional that would really leap off the page and dig deep into my heart. This morning though, that very thing was accomplished…. but I’m getting ahead of myself, back to marking moments… 

A year ago, I was feeling very needy…

In fact I had a few much needed conversations with friends at that point, letting them in on that very fact. I struggled, deeply, with the fact that “needy” was the best description of my emotions at that moment in time. I don’t know what it is, but that word, and that feeling, and knowing others that you would describe as such – is not an attractive feature. But, I’ve come to realize that spiritual neediness is exactly where the Lord wants us to be. He wants us to come to him broken. He wants our hearts, not our self-sufficiency. Realizing this fact has helped me to move on from it and embrace it.

Today’s devotion, almost a year later… (read this as if Jesus is speaking to your heart.)

Your needs and My Riches are a perfect fit. I never meant for you to be self-sufficient. Instead I designed you to need me not only for daily bread but also for fulfillment of deep yearning. I carefully crafted your longings and feelings of incompleteness, to point you to Me. Therefore, do not try to bury or deny these feelings. Beware also of trying to pacify these longings with lesser gods: people, possessions, power.

Come to Me in all your neediness, with defenses down and with desire to be blessed. As you spend time in My Presence, your deepest longings are fulfilled. Rejoice in your neediness, which enables you to find intimate completion in Me. 

-Jesus Calling, December 8th

and then these two references: Phil 4:19, Col 2:2-3, which both just encouraged my heart so deeply.

I hope you as well, will be encouraged and Rejoice in your neediness, what a wonderful sentiment and reminder! I’m so thankful that the Lord allowed me to mark this moment with him. I’m so thankful.

You, my friend, rejoice in your neediness today!

That’s what a trip to Memphis is like from Wilmington, add in a 3 month old, and it feels like twice that. Liam did great, but that’s just a dang long time to be in a carseat, so I was very sympathetic and onto his needs to take a nap that didn’t take place in a car seat.

Some highlights of that looooooong trip were:

A stop in at Dave Ramsey’s office, how wonderful!

The Peabody Ducks

Lunch and a Christmas parade in downtown Franklin

A double tour of the Opryland Hotel (I say double, because my sweet husband insisted on driving through it twice)

and time with my precious family, absolutely priceless!

I’m in the process of editing photos from the rebel and will get those online soon, instagrams & iphone pictures are just super easy to post here, so, more will be posted on my flickr soon!

last day in Memphis (Taken with Instagram at World Famous Beale Street)

the debt free mecca (Taken with instagram)

dear liam,

my sweet sweet smiling baby. there is so much to say, and so many things i want you to know about that happened in this 3rd month, but this is just a letter and not a novel, so i’ll try to keep it brief. you are such a sweet baby, you smile at the sound of our voices, and it just warms my heart. this month was the month that things seemed to click with you and i. from the moment you were born i knew that i loved you, but it was in this month that i really felt it.

i can’t get enough of you in fact. your daddy, can’t really either. there are times, in fact, where he’ll say, “don’t you want to just go wake up our son and watch him do tummy time?” to which i say, “no.” but in my heart i really want to see you, and cuddle with you, and watch you smile.

you dressed up as a glow worm for your first halloween, to be honest, i’ve never seen such a cute glow worm in my life.

today is thanksgiving and i must say that you dear liam have brought my heart to a whole new level of thanksgiving. i can’t even imagine loving you more than i do right now, but i am sure that you will show me how.

around 8 weeks was when we crossed our threshold with you. you are now starting to sleep longer at night, which is giving both of us better sleep, and for that we thank you. your on a little schedule now and for the most part you take fabulous naps now. we also starting swaddling you with one arm out, then both, and that’s how you are sleeping right now as i type this. you’ve started talking to us and laughing so sweetly as we tickle your belly. you are much more aware of things around you, and i think this helped calm your crying. although, don’t get me wrong, you still have your cry fits but, you seem to redeem those quickly by your smiles and little laughter.

you also hugged me for the first time this month, or what i translated into a hug with your little arms around my neck.

i love having you in my life, i’ve loved getting to know every ounce of you. thank you for coming into our lives and warming them up, and for bringing us so much joy, laughter and love. my heart is full.

i love you sweet baby liam, i can’t wait for you to read these letters, one day.

love,

your momma