Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thoughts. Show all posts

October 20, 2014

thoughts and a playground

I frequently hear comments about wanting to freeze time from parents. Especially parents who have small children. Now having a emerging toddler, I wholly agree.
This past weekend we were in Little Rock, meeting with friends in the area to share about our ministry with them. The house where we were staying was conveniently located across the street from a playground. Holding RK’s fifteen month old hand as we crossed the street to the playground, I too wanted to freeze time. 

Each time we would walk out the door, RK would anxiously point to the playground in hopes that we would be making another trip there. Even though she was too small for the playground, she had the time of her life climbing up the stairs and leaping to the slides. What a fun job it is, to be her Mom and watch her as she discovers new things each day.

April 12, 2014

leaving apartment seven

with a huge move on our horizon, i decided to take a few pictures of our little apartment. we have almost lived here for three years, and this apartment will always be special to me. it's where we first settled our belongings and made a home, where we came home after working long days, where we brought our sweet little girl home to, and where we made the decision to join staff with cru! we will be moving around for the next 6ish months, so that means almost everything we have will go into storage at the end of this month.

this apartment started out so big. i remember sleeping our first few nights on air mattresses, and thinking that we would never have enough stuff to fill a 2 bedroom apartment. over time we have collected so many fun things that our 'massive' apartment now seems teeny tiny. the thing i love most about apartment #7, is that it has taught me to be content with what we have. everything in our apartment has a story- and it's bittersweet to see this chapter close...
walking in, you can see the bunk bed ladder i painted and distressed to hold our quilts. all our quilts have either been made by ben's grandma and mom, or me. you also can see my grandparents tall bookshelf that my grandpa painted white, and has become distressed over the years. my collection of milkglass has grown over the years too. the milk bottle on the top of the shelf are from my great uncle's dairy farm.
the small, white table was purchased at a garage sale in anticipation of our move to the apartment. i painted and distressed it with a good friend in Branson (remember, Lauren?). the wire basket was purchased on our first sisters trip to Tulsa and began my love for wire baskets. the blue painted pot was my first auction win from a trip to Iowa to see my Mom.
this little nook separates the two bedrooms. this lamp was purchased at a goodwill in colorado before we moved to AR. the books were gifted from my sister, and the coral cabinet was a garage sale find that I painted and distressed.
just to the right, is this bookshelf ben made me in college. i love blue mason jars, and have collected a few over the years. our coffee table was a garage sale find, and the side chair was found and at a flea market outside of branson. the mirror was found a little boutique here in fayetteville, and has the best blue chippy paint. i'm not sure how much longer having a white couch will practically be, but for now we have enjoyed it.
next to our couch holds ruby kay's toys on a bookshelf painted and made from crates. toys seem to be overtaking our apartment! some of our favorite toys are from ikea (stacking blocks, car, and hammer/peg toy).
before we upgraded to a bigger tv, our old one fit in this cabinet, which was my favorite. i love hidden tvs. inside it now, is all of my sewing supplies. above it houses my little collection of globes, and my favorite rooster lamp that i won at an auction.
the plate wall above our dining table, has plates that our guests signed at our wedding, and also a few milk glass plates i won at an auction. we don't have a "highchair" for ruby kay, but this booster chair has worked out perfectly for our small kitchen space.
our plant shelves hold a lot of our wedding decorations, bushel baskets and crates.
i am so excited for our future, but have loved living at our little apartment. i know this photos will be appreciated in the years to come. i'll probably laugh at what i loved, but also feel sentimental for the "good ol' days"... 

September 24, 2013

comparison & encouragement

since becoming a mama, i have read a few blog posts about the struggles of being a new mom. there are so many great blogs that highlight the pressures and struggles new moms face- especially regarding comparison. it's no secret that women struggle with comparison, and i love reading about women who put forth effort to not compare themselves with others. they always say that the first step in overcoming sin is recognizing it. us new mamas already have enough on our plate, why add worrying about how soon your baby is walking, how fast you are loosing the baby weight, or how clean your house is. and yet most of us fall prey to comparing ourselves daily with each other.

yesterday i took my weekly trip to get groceries and was shuffling around the store trying to get everything on my list while making sure ruby kay was content. a sweet lady working at the store interrupted me to tell me the two kindest things you can tell a new mom. first, she told me that ruby kay was an adorable baby, and the she told me that i didn't look like i just had a baby. for the rest of my trip i couldn't get our interaction off my mind. in the midst of her busy day, she took 10 seconds to encourage an overwhelmed stranger. how hard is that? her random act of encouragement was the highlight of my day and caused me to think about how i want to spend more time encouraging and less time comparing myself to others.

yes, i can't fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. yes, i sometimes forget to shower some days. yes, my baby is almost three months old and still not on a consistent schedule. but rather than focusing on how i am "failing", i should think: did i spend time in the word today? did i spend time loving my husband and daughter today? did i find ways to encourage others today?

i have always loved the quote by theodore roosevelt, "comparison is the thief of joy". it is such a good reminder to not waste time comparing. here's to encouraging over comparing!
gold foil print found {here}.