little treasure

Aaron is talking up a storm. He is an amazingly verbal child (please, no snide remarks about how he comes by it honestly...) and has a vocabulary of easily 100 words. Some of these, he doesn't get quite right. I am loving it. He is after all, just 18 months old. We've got plenty of time for diction practice.

And this is my favorite:

Aaron can say "mom"
and he can say "me"
but when you ask him to say "mommy" it comes out "monnya"

So, I wonder how long I will get to hear this little treasure? I'm actually kind of dreading the day that he gets it right. One more indication that he is growing up TOO quickly!!

somebody's calling my name

Do you like winning stuff? I certainly do, and when I hear the word "FREE" it is as if a light from heaven shines down and I can hear the angel choirs begin to sing.

OK, maybe that was a little over the top...but I do like free.

So if you're like me, (or if you're unlike me, but still love free stuff) might I suggest that you head on over to the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival? There is a veritable plethora of items being given away. And if you are feeling particularly generous, you might consider giving something away yourself. I wish I'd been more on the ball myself and had something all ready to give away. Oh, well - maybe next time!

VVVVVery Cute homemade Valentine Cards

OK, so I'm not much for celebrating Valentine's Day. But you really should check out these cute little cards you can make yourself. Or that your kids can make, if they are old enough. Cute, cute, cute! So much cuteness - maybe that is why I don't particularly heart V-day...But I sure do like these little cards!!

being content in Mid-Michigan...

I'm trying not to let it bother me that we don't have CVS. But when I see posts like this, my jaw drops to the floor in disbelief. Seriously, can you even believe it?

why buy toys? (and the big boy hair cut)

As I expected when I saved those spools for Aaron in the midst of Christmas sewing, he loves them. More than some of his other toys, which we've relegated to the top shelf of his closet until age makes them more appreciated. For now, I'm more than happy that empty spools of thread provide 40 minutes of entertainment.

This weekend, we are Michael-less. He's heading up to Snow Camp with the youth group, and Aaron and I are staying home. This year's camp is being held almost 3 hours from us! Usually, the camp we rent is a mere 40 minutes. If this were the case, I'd be leaving Aaron with my parents and heading up myself on Friday...but the distance prohibits that this year. Oh well! I'm sure there will be plenty of Snow Camps in my future. We sure are going to miss Michael, though. He'll be gone for 2 nights - the longest we have been apart since our marriage!! As we were saying goodbye, Aaron looked out the door and said, "Daddy? Home?" and that about broke my heart. I'm going to try to distract myself with random fun things. Mom and Dad have school off tomorrow, so we will probably get together too!

Please pray for our teens this weekend - and for the sponsors!!

clippers

Aaron and Michael both got haircuts last night. It was not Aaron's first haircut, but it was the first time I'd attempted to use the clippers on his little head. The back and sides were too much for scissors this time!! He watched me cut Michael's hair, with great interest. He kept saying "Hay-ow" (hair) and when it came time for his turn, he did so great - no yelling or screaming. He was vvvvery curious to see the hair come off the clippers, though, and was constantly turning his head to see. That makes life a little interesting. Praise the Lord for blade guards. Pictures to come!

Thirsty

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.

My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

Psalm 63:1-8

Almost completed and free to you!

Hey everyone! I have a strange offer. :-) I was going through my fabric stores and found a skirt that I began sewing in college. I do not have the time to finish it now, and want to send it to anyone who is interested in finishing it up and someone who could use it. The waistband is pinned but not sewn, and it would need a zipper and hem.

It is a sable brown color, medium weight suiting fabric, gradual a-line style with a 3" wide dropped waistband. It has a center seam which has been double stitched to add interest. Approximate measurements are 30" waist, 42" hip, 36" unfinished length. Please send me an email if you are interested. (twomuthsatgmaildotcom) Free shipping :-) Hope someone can use this!

Quotable Luther

I'm reading Passionate Housewives Desperate for God, a Christmas gift from my parents. This morning, chapter 3 began with this from Martin Luther:

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow."

Anyone else need that reminder? It is so easy to get caught up in the daily routine, to be weighed down with guilt over what is not accomplished and what schedule is not kept, rather than rejoicing in God's calling and His view of my work.

Whatever I can accomplish in one day, may I do it "as unto the Lord."

he knows too much

Yesterday, Aaron found Michael's insoles, wet from the wintery day, drying out on the mudroom floor. We found him putting them in Michael's dress shoes. I think the child has more understanding then we could fathom.

In the words of my friend Julie who has tons of mommy experience, "When in doubt, assume that they DO understand!"

Julie? I haven't forgotten!!

Got a broken "want to?"

I read this article this morning over at Frugal Hacks, and boy did it hit the spot. Ever feel this way? I certainly do. Janel's advice starts out much like our NBBC professors' in regard to spiritual and physical discouragement. It's just the kick in the pants (er, skirt?) that I needed this morning.

Happy Thursday!

dealing with it

Early last week, we noticed something rather disturbing: our bathroom floor was making squishy noises. Squishy like a very wet sponge. We decided we'd better take up the laminate floor and determine the source of our interesting sound effects. We suspected that the toilet was the culprit.

When we installed the laminate throughout the main area of the house, we READ the box, choosing to ignore the warning against installing the stuff in the bathroom. We wanted a nice looking floor, we clean up our water spills quickly anyway, and, we reasoned, the worst that can happen is that it won't work and we will have to install tile before we resell in the next few years.

Or, you know, before February.

So, on Saturday, Michael started to remove the laminate. The stench was overpowering, and I quickly packed up Aaron and set out to knock out some errands. Two and a half hours later, we returned to find the bathroom floor completely removed, the cement slab bleached, and the hallway floor & underlayment propped up about 3" and our fans blowing air underneath.

The floor has been propped up since then, and we think the underlayment is finally dry. Hopefully we can re-install the few pieces of laminate that we removed from the hallway without much trouble. Oh, and the bathroom will need to be tiled soon.

Apparently, we needed a double-thick wax seal for that toilet.

And yesterday? Yesterday, I was scouring the tub and a few of Aaron's foam letters fell into the cleaning area, so I set them in the sink to rinse. The sink overflowed, causing water to spill over the counter edge, down the vanity, across the floor, and under the wall into the office. (we still don't have baseboards to keep the water contained in one room) I have to say, that little incident made me wish I'd stayed in bed.

Why is it that we can "handle" the big things life throws at us, but these little problems just cause frustration? Why is it that I run to God when my heart is broken, when I'm hurting or scared, but these daily small things make me crazy?

If God knows how many hairs are on my head, he certainly knows when I forget to turn the water off and make a river out of my house! And he certainly cares about my yucky floors! I definitely need His help in every second of every day. I definitely need to lean MORE on my God. I need HIM to help me deal with every little thing.

What I made for Christmas, Vol. 2

I got so addicted to making cloth grocery bags, that I decided to try a smaller version - just for kicks. I found this stripey remnant at a local church sale this summer, and knew I had to have it for stuffing into the last possible corner of my $2 bag. This calico is one of my favorite prints, no matter how Little House it may look. I love the brown with the sweet little pink flowers.

I had several yards of happy green stripe fabric left from Aaron's room, so I made a set of 4 napkins out of part of it, added a homemade bread mix and a big bag of coffee beans, and had a gift for a friend out west. Napkins are a great starter sewing project for any of you who want something easy to learn with.

I actually made two of these bags - the other was similarly stuffed for another CO friend. They turned out to be about 7 x 9, the right size for a handbag, a toiletry bag for a weekend trip, or an older child's diaper bag (it would fit a sippy cup and snack plus a couple diapers and wipes, but not multiple clothing changes).

I also made 4 or 5 heat therapy bags using rice as a filler, but unfortunately I did not get any photos of those! The bags were about 5" wide and about 20 " long, and I made them sectioned by sewing up the sides and one end, flipping it inside out, and pouring in 1 1/2 cups of rice, then squishing all the rice together, pinning it tight, and sewing a seam so that each pocket was about 4". I really liked how the pockets turned out and how the seams keep the rice in place.

I had great plans for more homemade gifts (like these, especially) but I guess those will just have to wait for next year!

just 2 more days to be "undecided"

Tuesday is Michigan's primary election. I've really been mulling over things as I try to narrow down the candidates, trying to figure out what to do.

I've always been so terrible at decision making!

My dad has an interesting perspective on the issue for us who live in MI. Unconventional thinking, but that is what I love about you, dad! ;-)

Whatever you do, get out and VOTE! Don't let the day get away from you!!

hurray for mean moms

I think this mom has the right idea. (Thanks, dad, for sharing that story!)

glad

Today, I am glad.

Glad to be living in this land of the free, home of the brave. Glad that my true citizenship is in Heaven. Glad to be a believer, to be guided by God's sovereign hand and plan. Glad He directs and leads, and provides.

I'm glad to have a whining little 17 month old, cutting two molars the week after two others have come through, crabby, and striking naps. I'm grateful for the gift of Aaron.

Do you ever feel like you wish you had a checklist for your life? There's really nothing more helpful when you're going on a trip to the store or packing for a vacation than your checklist. If it's on the list, you remember to get it done. As a teacher, a checklist was vital for me.

Since Aaron was born, I've had this nagging sensation - like I'm missing something major. I have that feeling that I'm forgetting something. Oh, I've got the obvious ones, like food, clothing, hygiene, etc. But sometimes, I honestly wrack my brain, trying to come up with that elusive "something" that I've forgotten to teach him, some major truth or skill or character building block that I'm going to forget. I know, you're rolling your eyes and saying "He's only 17 months for Pete's sake" but it's there. So a checklist would be really handy, don't you think?

I know, I know - I'm going to make mistakes. I'm going to forget something. With God's grace, Aaron (and any future Muth children) will turn out just fine. And I'm pretty sure there's a really great reason God did not include checklists for childrearing. I'm pretty sure it has to do with trusting Him, resting in His Sovereignty, and obeying what He's already told us to do. With all my sniveling, I really am glad to not have a checklist. That way, any success in childrearing will be totally of God, and not because I followed my checklist of "Vital Truths To Impart To Children - Guaranteed Success"

what to do, what to do?

So I've been keeping half an eye on the political race, and I have to admit, I am still one of the "undecided voters" spoken of so frequently in the news. Although, no one has contacted me on that, so I guess I'm technically one of the unknown undecideds rather than one who is frequently spoken of.

After seeing the results of the Iowa caucuses, I realized for the first time that this is going to be interesting. Really interesting. I'm so glad that God is the one who puts leaders into position. I'm so glad He allows us to play a part in our government.

So, any thoughts on voting? What are the major issues for you? (you don't have to state your position - we don't want a war here) but is there a deal breaker issue for you? Or do you just weigh the candidates on their overall appeal, on how many issues you agree with? Or, do you wait it out and see who looks like they have a chance at winning and then throw your vote in with the one whose views line up the most with yours?

Please tell me you will be voting.

curls

You would think the child would have more hair at 17 months. I can't believe he's that old already. Here he is, fresh out of the shower. He sees daddy coming home after work and says:

"Daddee"
"Hi! Hi! Hi!" (number of "hi's" varies)
"Pesha" (pencil - Michael works with one behind his ear, and Aaron likes to help him put it away)
"Hat" (helps Michael put his work hat away)
"Showa"

And in they go.

Incidentally, don't you love the polka dots in Aaron's room? You don't have to - I love them. *grin* I still have 2 walls to finish, because things happen and interrupt the projects. Then all of the dots need a second coat.

What I made for Christmas - Volume 1

This year's Christmas gifts were about 50% homemade. Featured here are two of the gifts I made, plus our new Christmas/winter wreath. This was an old wreath that has been twice made over. It was first given to me at my bridal shower, decorated with jingle bells and bright red berries. Julia made it over the next year, just repurposing the jingle bells and adding other small touches. This year, 4 years later, the jingle bells were not so shiny and so I looked around for a few things and found an arrangement that I was constantly moving from Aaron's reach. It now has new life in our door ornamentation. I have a fall wreath that is on a grapevine base, so now all I must do is come up with a spring/summer wreath and my front door decor will have full seasonal rotation.


This was our generic gift of the year - bread in a bag mixes. I have tons of fabric scraps lying around, and for these, it took about 2 minutes to whip up 4 cloth bags, unfinished at the top. It would have looked much nicer if I had pinking shears, but I just pretended. Chances are that no one will be re-using the gift packaging. She recommended brown paper sacks, but I wanted it to look a little different than that. I used half unbleached white and half whole wheat flour. I was going to do dessert in a jar mixes, but then I got this great deal on flour and decided to do this instead. I ended up making about 20 mixes and clothing them in various colors.


This was my favorite gift to make this year - reusable shopping totes. I made 16 of them, using this pattern as my inspiration. (I lengthened the straps and widened the bag just a tad) I used fabric I had on hand, some of which was home decorator fabric, some of which was plain sturdy cotton. The checkered one is an old navy bedsheet with some heavy poly/cotton blend I almost made a skirt out of in my early college years. Thankfully I did NOT. It makes a much better shopping bag, don't you agree? This set went to grandma in OH. All the bags I made are fully reversible. The other photo shows the general structure. The pink/red set went to my mom. I apparently didn't get as many photos as I thought - like of my favorite color combinations - but you get the idea.

Stay tuned for volume 2!