The Best Day of the Year

 "It's just awesome. I just love that day." 

That's what Tim said after we got home from Nature Bin's Customer Appreciation Day. Nature's Bin is a small, independent grocery store around the corner from our house. They sell lots of organic, healthy food/products so they're a bit pricey but occasionally we shop there for specialty stuff. And on Customer Appreciation Day, they hand out a ton of free samples.

This is a day that we look forward to all year. Literally. We even write it on our calendar. It's all because of the free swag. And it's quality products - the kind of stuff we usually wouldn't buy because they're expensive. Sure the samples are in doll-size bottles, but again, free. Not to mention the fact that they have little bowls set up throughout the store of food products you can taste. Here's a visual of everything we picked up this year:

Ok, so looking at it now, not all that impressive. But when you write it out, it's pretty great, right?:

We got free samples of:

chapstick

dishwashing liquid

chips

popcorn

toothpaste

tea

kitchen utensils

burts bees lotion

vitamins

nail files

energy drinks

dog treats (we left those)

chocolate covered peanuts

sesame sticks

protein bars

granola bars

energy snacks

vanilla chai green tea raisins

cooking utensils (!) 

cookies

cider

apples

laundry detergent

Ugh, this post is making feel really ridiculous for getting so excited about a bunch of tiny samples. It's like getting excited over the free shampoo/conditioner in hotels. Well anyways, we like it ok. 

We're a simple folk, what can I say.

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

I can't remember where I found this print (I saved it to my computer without taking note) but I love it.

Part of our nightly routine with Jack is to sing some songs before he falls asleep. He usually requests "Hallelujah" or "This Little Light of Mine" but a few nights ago I thought I'd add "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" to our repertoire. It's always had such a nice lilt to it, and for the first time I actually took note of the lyrics. Children's hymns (like Jesus Loves Me, for example) are always so simple and yet so profound. Singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" was such a powerful reminder for me that He does.

And once I started replacing "the whole world" with the names of people Jack and I love, and those in need of prayer, and then more quietly to myself the personal struggles we face, it became even more personal and powerful in that moment. I was so comforted by the knowledge that the Lord has all these things in His hands. That He is looking after and tending to all people and things with much more care than I could ever give. He's got the whole world in His hands, and that includes you and me and all our pain and trials.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  

Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows"

Matthew 10:29-31

Stay the Course or Take a HUGE Risk?

The title of this post makes it sound like I'm about to expound on a serious life issue in need of direction and wisdom. Like moving to a new country. Or taking on a new career. Or .....

False. This post is completely the opposite and is all about what color I should dye my hair, if at all. It should really be titled "The Story of My Hair" but I didn't know if anyone would want to read that. So instead I tricked you. Here's the deal: My friend Ellie gave me a little card about a year ago for $20 off any service at this nice salon she goes to. Being that we're poor and Tim's aunt cuts my hair for free, I held off using it because nothing's cheaper than a free hair cut.

But lately my hair has been wanting. I used to be able to go to bed with it wet and in the morning I'd wake up with perfect, beautiful waves (I know, so amazing). Here's an example from when Tim and I first started dating when my hair was in it's prime - great color, great shape, great volume:

It stayed like this until I decided to grow my bangs out for our wedding so that it would be easier to style. I'm pretty sure that's where things started to go downhill. Of course, day of it looked gorg. But as soon as the wedding was over, my hair totally went on strike (see below):

So what do you do when your hair goes on strike? 

And on your honeymoon, nonetheless? 

Wear lots of hats.

But that got old pretty fast. Not to mention "hat hair." So I did something drastic - I cut my hair and brought back the bangs. But just like when you microwave a day old piece of pizza, it just didn't turn out the same. Don't let this "good hair" image mislead you - I'd cut my bangs crooked and way too short. As you can see, Tim also got a hair cut (understatement).

The photo above marks the beginning of the end of a good relationship with my hair. About five months later, I got pregnant with Jack and decided to stop coloring it (for "safety" reasons). This is what it looked like for the majority of my pregnancy (photo on left) and then about four months after giving birth (photo on the right). As you can see, this is my natural hair color:

Now most people see my natural color and they implore me not to change it because "People pay good money to try and dye their hair your color." Well, I don't know what to say except it doesn't give me any thrills. It always looks kind of blah to me. Oh, and don't forget I've now had two babies - and those pregnancy hormones are not kind to a woman's hair. They take the life out of it.

So here we are, present day, and I finally decide to use that $20 coupon because every now and then a girl and her hair need a trip to the salon (and since I got a dry cut they only charged me $20 which meant it was free, aside from the $4 tip!). My hairstylist, Emily, seemed to relate to my hair woes (apparently we have the same hair type) and also did a great job of up-selling me to come back this Thursday to get my hair colored. Ok, so maybe I made it a little too easy by talking about how much I loved her hair color (vibrant copper) and how bored I was with mine. The dilemma is - which way do I go? Originally, I was just going to go back to old faithful - chestnut brown. It's tried and true, I know I like it. But then there's the adventurous side of me that wants to do the complete opposite and go that great copper route. Maybe not all over copper - I think that might be a little too adventurous. Not to mention, if I pay salon prices to dye it and then I hate it, I'll kick myself. So maybe just copper highlights? Let's look at some pictures to aid in this decision:

My current hair color:

What it looks like dark brown:

Variations of copper:

 

The hair color on the left - extreme. Beautiful on this girl, but probably won't translate well on me. At least, I'm not confident. I love the color, but I think I'd end up looking like Ronald McDonald. The hair color in the middle is pretty similar to what my hairstylists was. Again, this would be a pretty extreme color for me to jump to - but maybe just get highlights of this color? The hair on the right is actually my favorite - it's soft and warm and I love that she has brown low lights on the bottom. However if I copied this it would probably be expensive (I'd be using two different colors) plus it might not be enough of a change that you'd really notice a difference (not worth the money). As you can see, this is such a serious, serious thing for me to consider!

Actually, it's so not. And despite the length of this post, I actually don't spend too much mental energy trying to decide what to do with my hair. However, my appointment is this Thursday, and since I'm going to a wedding on Friday I really don't want to mess this up.

So now is your opportunity weigh in and give me your votes on what you think I should do!
Since first posting this, Tim has said this was the color he had in mind. Thoughts?

Our Dream House

There was a time when I said I would never buy a house. I love to travel and renting just always seemed to lend itself better to getting up and going, whereas a mortgage tied you down.

And then I had kids. And those kids were boys. And boys need the outdoors. The city we live in doesn't offer much to renters in the way of outdoor space - and we have almost nothing. Our backyard is a postage stamp of weeds and dirt and spider-filled ivy.  There's also an old box of spices (?) that someone left back there and some rotting wood palettes. Not exactly the ideal - unless your a little boy and then it sounds great. But as a mother, no.

All that to say, I dream of the day I can send the boys outside into a safe, fenced in backyard where they can play for hours in the fresh air. I mean, don't get me wrong - we love our current apartment and are so grateful for it and our landlord (my brother-in-law!) but I think like most families, we now see the benefit of being home owners (as well as the expense, womp womp). Oh, and we're also mega House Hunters fans, so we've been plotting our appearance on the show with our "must haves" list at the ready which, I might add, does not include a kitchen with granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances or double sinks in the bathroom. In fact, we wrote down a list of what we'd look for after watching a House Hunters marathon. It'll be years (years) before we'll be able to even consider buying a home, but here's what we came up with:

We're definitely Craftsman style home kind of people. 

Here's an example of what we like when it comes to curb appeal:

We love smaller homes with big porches and lots of unique detail. Nothing over the top, but something that looks and feels classic but homey. I love when exteriors incorporate natural elements like stone and wood. And I do love a house with a red front door. In short form, here's what else we would look for:

Must haves:

Good neighborhood (location, location location!)

Lots of character
3-4 bedrooms

1.5-2 bathrooms

Nice backyard (with fence, or possibility of fence)

Lots of storage

Garage (preferably attached)

Central air + newer furnace

Newer roof

Decent counter/cupboard space in kitchen

Fairly move in ready (no major renovations needed)

Nice to haves:

En suite bathroom in master (with large tub! I love spa tubs)

Close to park or water

Laundry room

Space for playroom

Dishwasher

Wood burning fireplace

Larger family space

Eat-in kitchen

Hardwood floors 

Newer appliances

Attractive landscaping

Don't want:

Wood paneling

Fixer upper

Hideous carpet

Wasted space (i.e. formal sitting room)

Massive backyard (too much work!)

Ugly flooring or counter tops

On busy street

I feel like we're pretty down to earth when it comes to what we look for - we're not super picky. But then again, I really do base decisions on the "feel" of something, so maybe we would turn out to be really annoying House Hunters. You know, the ones on the show whose real estate agent looks into the camera and says "I've shown them over 50 homes. They just aren't being realistic about what's available in their price range." In any case, I can't wait to meet our first house - a long time from now!

What about you? What do you look for in a home?
If you already own a home, what's your favorite feature(s)?

New Illustration : Pea in a Pod

My friend Jennine asked me to draw a picture for her friend's baby shower. Ok!

Do you have a baby shower coming up?

Buy this print and personalize it for only $10!

Also! Visit my friend Cherish's new blog. She let me design the header for her :)

Resolutions in Review

Back in January, I made a list of resolutions I wanted to achieve in 2012. With just under three months left in the year, it's time to see if I'm going to reach my goals by December 31.

The Goals:

{1} Intentionally build into someone else's life (outside of family) on a practical as well as spiritual level  - i.e. invest time, thought and care into the relationship through communication and acts of kindness.

{2} Get back in shape after having baby (i.e. dust off the elliptical).

{3} Read one book of the Bible I have never read in completion.

{4} Make time for creative projects (photography, drawing, painting... something) 

at least once a month, if not more.

{5} Continue to work towards having "nothing in my house that I do not know to be useful, 

or believe to be beautiful" (as inspired by this).

The Progress:

{1} In May we began attending a new church and ever since, this goal has become almost effortless (though still intentional).  The dear friends we have found there already feel like family. Our journey to this place of joy has been a long one, and I can't wait to expound on it at the end of the year when I do a full report on my resolutions. I will say that I feel as though I'm glimpsing what the early church experienced in Acts 2:42 and I couldn't be more thankful!

{2} I don't want to focus too much on this one because no one needs to hear another woman worrying over body image. Not to mention it's something I've struggled with for years and not always dealt with in the healthiest ways. But for the first time in a long time, I did manage to reach my goal (by switching to a plant based diet) without even really making it my goal. I pursued the vegan diet purely for health & wellness reasons and the weight loss was simply a by product.  Anyways, I still need to stay on exercising regularly and drinking water (which I'm terrible at) but for the first time in a long time, I can honestly say that I am comfortable with the skin I'm in.

{3} Um - this is my biggest struggle. To be in the Word on a regular basis without it feeling like a "duty" is a challenge. I have yet to read an  unread book of the Bible in completion, however I did join the local BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) chapter and have found it immensely helpful in keeping me in the Word. The key is for me to be in it every day, even for just 5 minutes. I need to recommit myself to this. TODAY.

{4} I am totally rocking this one guys. And just like 1 & 2, it's happening naturally alongside my life without really needing a whole lot of mental energy. I have had a number of commissioned art projects - one of which is due Saturday! - and have been on a photo shoot craze the past several weeks (it is autumn, after all). Here are some pictures I took today:

{5} Well, we all know I failed to do this for every day in the month of October. But I have done my best to keep things minimalist and I'm quick to purge and donate. I've also added some things to my home, but always with much thought and intention. So far so good. 

Alright, enough about me and my goals. The Presidential debate is on. And even though I'm not a citizen (proud Canadian, folks) I still want to watch this showdown. 

The Body Pillow

Here's a quick tip for anyone out there with a baby whose either learning to sit up on his or her own, or still has the occasional tendency to tip over (like Moses) : invest in a body pillow!

I know the Boppy is another "sitting aid" but I never found it all that helpful - there wasn't enough all around support to keep the baby from falling backwards. The body pillow, on the other hand, offers high support on all sides if you shape it in a sort of semi-circle around the baby. The length also provides protection for a foot or two either side. While the pillow won't necessarily prevent the baby from tipping over, so long as they tip to the side or backwards they'll hit a soft pillow instead of the floor. Here, allow Moses to demonstrate:

We keep it propped in our papasan chair and it also is a great neck/back support for sitting in there. 

I bought mine for an entirely different purpose (floor seating for when friend's are over) but I love that it now serves three purposes (I've also heard its a good side-sleeping aid for when you're pregnant). Considering it only cost me $16 ($10 for the pillow, $6 for the cover) I'd say it was well worth the money. And that makes me and Mose happy.