Not so busy...

I've taken it easy the last few days...  Something's going on with my abdomen, and we're not quite sure what it is.  It could be another kidney stone, but we're not quite sure.  I'm so thankful that Jim steps up and takes care of the house and the kids when I'm not feeling well.  I do have a back log of pictures of bows to show you, though. :)
I've also had some more time to keep up with my One Thousand Gifts list.  I would recommend this book to everyone.  It's SO good!
92. That my husband sees when I need a few minutes and takes control of the kids.
93. Dreams and ideas swimming around in my head and growing into something more
94. That all three of my kids are playing nicely together at the moment.
95. Status updates that make me smile
96. Listening to Jim teaching the kids about Sabbath.
97. The hum and whir and swish of the washing machine
98. A clean kitchen
99. The scent of blueberry muffins


Here's some pictures of some bows I made for the Mule Deer Association of Idaho:  I think they turned out pretty well.  I can just see little girls decked out in camo!

STOKED!

So, on top of the HUGE order that I just filled, I got another one today!  This is awesome.  It's been so long since I've had anything and then BAM!  Business!  SO good~!  God is good!  He knew we really needed this right now.  Keep praying for the job situation.  Lots of leads, but nothing definite quite yet.  We know it'll come, but the waiting is rough.

Here's a picture of my Haven in some of my clips.  I know it's more flowers than hair, but hey, it's cute.  She took her first couple of steps yesterday, so we're in trouble now!   She's into EVERYTHING, and keeps me on my toes.  (Well, more on my toes, since her brothers already had me that way.)

Here's some more of my list of things to be thankful for.  It's growing!

85. Convicting words that remind me once again to TRUST.  TRUST.  I cling desperately to that word right now…  But the thought occurs to me… I cannot TRY to trust.  Trust just IS.  It's a choice.  I choose to trust.
86. Friends who make me laugh when I'm having a hard time.
87. Antique silver tea spoons
88. The amazing feeling of work well done.
89. Watching my kids wrestle with their daddy. 
90. My daddy.  I'm so thankful that he set the example of the type of man I should look for to spend the rest of my life with.

91. Watching my boys fly a kite with their daddy.

Priceless moments.  Life is good!

Phew!

I've been working hard filling some bow orders that I had.  I'm finished!  They're all adorable, and I'm excited to be shipping them today.  Over 50 bows were made in the last 3 days.  WOW.  I wanted to show them off, but there was absolutely no way to get them all in one picture, so here's a few.

Needless to say, I've been working hard.  But, it's been fun.  Hopefully this'll help business pick up even more!

Monday...

My poor husband is really starting to get anxious.  He needs a job.  He needs to work.  We know that God is in control and that He has a plan, but the waiting is hard.  It's always hard to wait.  So, keep praying for us.  This is getting rough.

My bow making has really picked up over the last week...  I've got a bunch more to make, so I'll be busy with that.  I'm just praying that it continues this way because the extra bit of income is really nice.  Here's a couple pictures of some more than I did this weekend:

I'm still working on my list, although in the last few days, it's not growing quite as quickly as I would like but the last few days have been absolutely nuts.  The kids were sick, (they're better now) I've been making bows galore, and we've been having computer issues.  Good times, good times. :)

82.  For little messes in the boys room that saved the Asher-man from getting hurt badly.  He fell off the bunkbeds onto a tile floor.  His head landed on a stuffed kids' chair.  So thankful!  That could have been BAAAAD!

83.  The shadows of the clouds on the mountains

84.  Lots of bow making to keep me even busier than my 3 kiddos keep me.

85.  Healthy kids, once again.

More new bows!

I'm on a roll or something!  And these both have green for St. Patrick's Day.  I made these for a friend, so she'll get to see them before I ship them to her.  Enjoy!

New BOWS!!!

It's been a while, I know, but here a a few of my new creations:

These were really fun to make.  The purple ones aren't for sale unfortunately... The ribbon is from a club I'm in and I don't have enough to make more of them.  I'll try to take pictures of them on Haven later on.  They turned out really cute.  I think I'm going to have to make another of the "Paris" bow so she can wear them in pigtails.  They turned out SO cute!

I wonder...

if Jim will have a job soon.  I'm trying to be patient, but it's not working out so well.  I'm so thankful that we were prepared for this, but I'm hoping that he'll get a call any time.  I know that God is in control of it, so I'm not really worried, but at the same time I have to wonder how long it's going to take.  I refuse to stress...  I WILL trust.  "Trust is the antitheses of stress." (Ann Voskamp)  I keep saying that to myself.  That one hit me pretty hard.  I know that as I continue to attempt to be thankful for everything around me that it becomes more and more difficult to stress.  I love how that works.

I've been keeping a document open on my desktop so I can write things down as they come to me.  That's why all the little spurts of lists that you see here.  Here's some more:

69. In-laws that love our kids enough to take them for a few days and spend time with them.

70.  That my abs are SORE!  A flat tummy is coming again!

71.  For friends to give me mommy advice and prevent me from freaking out over little things

72.  Cheez-it's 

73.  Down blankets that are so perfectly fluffy

74.  Old pictures

75. Thought inducing words read from Write, Pray, Love.  (Thank you, Lisa!) http://writepraylove.blogspot.com/

76.  Haven feeling better

77. Toys strewn all over the house reminding me of the little ones that I love so much 

78  .My helpful little men

79.  How each of my kids are so amazingly unique

80.  How the dirt road across on the mountain across the river looks like someone laid a string on it.  I love how it curves and winds all the way to the top.

81. For peace.  Peace in my home, peace in my heart.

I'm hoping to get back to making some bows in the next couple of days, so I should have some new pictures of those up.  Stay tuned!

Spring at last?

We can hope, right?  We just got back from a trip to Idaho, and they had SNOW.  Ridiculous!  It's MARCH for goodness sake!  Today, though, it's absolutely gorgeous outside.  Pretty enough for strolls along the river.  I love that walking is something that we all enjoy together.

Here's more of my "thankful list."  I am blessed.

50. Ripples on the water

51. Sunny afternoons for playtime in the back yard

52. That my babies don't have breathing problems even though 2 of them started out with apnea and other lung issues.  THANK YOU GOD!

53. The way my dog barks at "Veggie Tales".  For some reason he and Larry the Cucumber don't get along.

54. Anticipating having tea with my mom.

55. Watching my boys play with "punch balloons"

56. Babies chasing bubbles

57. Baby bell cheese

58. My orchid

59. Love notes in dry-erase markers left for me on my bathroom mirror

60. Broken reflections of the mountains on the water

61. Paper chains made by little hands… on each link something written for which they are thankful.

62. New nieces and nephews

63. Trips to see friends and family

64. How gentle the Asher-man was with his new cousins.

65. Messes made by babies having fun.

66. Coming home after a few days away

67. Taking walks along the river

68. That my husband loves me enough to do things for me… Just because.

Just a side note...  the kids have been making a paper chain of things that they're thankful for.  Every link has something written on it.  It's growing every day.  I'm loving that this is becoming a family thing.

Broken...

I gotta say that this book is SO good.  If you have a chance, get it and read it.
Actually, it can't be read.  It has to be dissected, chewed up, and digested.  It has been SO thought provoking for me, SO convicting, and just downright amazing.  I have to read it in bits and pieces so that I can take everything in.
It is breaking me in ways that I didn't expect.  One statement from the book is "Stress is the antitheses of trust."  That really hit me.  Stress is something that we've been all too familiar with recently at our house.  With Jim's being out of work right now, it's been rough.  Being thankful for things, and learning to trust in ALL is helping me not to be so stressed.  To relax, and enjoy NOW.

This was taken while it was raining.  The scent of sagebrush was overwhelming.  It was all so fresh and beautiful.

36. Sleepy afternoons with time for me to nap and read
37. Haven playing with her daddy
38. Two out of three kids potty trained
39. Beauty all around
40. Rest~ Considering Lilyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZSNVifQvSs
41. The amazing big brothers that my boys are
42. Friends who count their blessings
43. Open doors letting in breezes
44. The scent of sagebrush after the rain
45. Asher’s laughter
46. The bald eagles that fly behind our house
47. Baby nephews that are healthy
48. Chubby baby thighs
49.  Breakfast cooked by my husband

First Dates...

Six years ago today, Jim took me on our first date.  We went to On the Border, and up to this year, have continued that tradition.  Unfortunately, there's not one close, so we found some On the Border margarita mix yesterday and we'll have some of that tonight.
#31.  I'm truly thankful for a man who ALWAYS remembers our little anniversaries.  He has a spreadsheet that he keeps that tells him exactly how many days we've been together, how many days we've been married, how old our kids are, and that sort of thing.  I really appreciate that he does that.
#32.  In-laws that are willing to take our kids for a couple of days...  They took the boys to the Imagination Movers concert in Portland.  The boys had such an awesome time, and I'm really anxious for them to get home so we can hear all about it.
#33.  Time spent together...  I know I've mentioned this before, but it really means a lot to me, so I don't think it's a bad thing to be continually thankful for it.  Jim and I always have such a good time together, and because my in-laws had the boys yesterday, we had ALL day.  It was wonderful.  We had Haven, but since she's not really talking yet, we really got a lot of "us" time in.
#34.  That my parents think so much of my husband.  Here's my dad's comment on my facebook status this morning:   He is an honorable man...and your dad is STILL proud to have him as a son.  
I LOVE THAT!  
#35.  The smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls coming from my kitchen.
#36.  Early mornings in a quiet house.
#37.  The reflection of the mountains on the water.