be a fruit loop!

I love it! 

life on the farm.

We visited the petting farm a few sunny Sundays ago and J had the time of his life! Free to roam around with all of the sweet animals, enjoying the sun, the sounds and...maybe not the smells.

Although there are chickens right in our backyard & my family's even mentioned getting a goat, little J did end up falling in love with a new breed of furry-friend...

...not the sheep (mama's favourite animals).

...not the chickens. He knew he had to keep his eye on those guys!

Could it be the baby calf that he got to feed during their snack-time? (We have the best video of this with the calf making all kinds of crazy noises - even nursing on my fingers! .....So sweet.)

....They were SO much fun...but, not Jake's true favourite.

It was a great day, we made lots of new friends - baby chicks, a crazy looking llama, a sweet horse, and some crazy butt-in-the-air mallards (a highlight for J)....but there were some quiet, floppy-eared little furry friends that Jake loved the very most...

.....the bunnies!!

Despite all the action around him, new animals, other kids, even pony rides (which he refused), Jake was enamored by these gentle little bundles and spent most of his time in their little pen.

Just going through these pictures makes me want to go back! Yay for sunny-days on the farm. 

What's your favourite animal?

my may favourites

links: 1 // 2 // 3 // 5 // 6 

May has been so warm & beautiful, espescially lately; and these are the things I've been into this month so far!

1. My girl Kayla introduced me to this lip balm by Maybelline. I always see her reaching for it & finally, saw it on sale at the drugstore and decided to try it. The pink shade is SO pink, but so fun and really moisturizing! I'm not much of a lipstick person, so, this light balm with a medium tint is perfect for me.

2. Coral nail polish! 'Nuff said! It's just so pretty and cheery to welcome the sun :)

3. OLD NAAAVY! We finally have an Old Navy in our town and, I don't know about everyone else but I am psyched! It's nice to have that fun, all-in-one for the family kind of store around. A one stop shop where I can get a novelty t-shirt for my hubby, a dress for myself and a swimsuit for the little guy, while not breaking the bank. It's nice to have it so close!

4. Dresses! I live in dresses 85% of the time, but when the sun hits that number just about tops out at 100%. I've picked up some really cute ones from Old Navy since they opened, but it's also nice to pull out some of those "will-I-ever-see-you-again?" dresses that have been in the back of the closet since November. 

5. I'm into reading right now. That's fairly out of the norm' for me, and I think it's because (if you choose the right book!) it's a peaceful, enriching activity that you can do, virtually anywhere. Home, coffee shop, the park, doctor's office... >> Right now I'm reading "God is Closer Than You Think" by John Ortberg & I'm loving it.

6. Another "unlike-me" thing that I'm really into now is tea! I've always felt like a little less of a lady because I never liked tea; but I have officially joined the club now and am trying all sorts of new teas!  (Look at me all grown up - reading books & drinking tea!) My favourite right now is the TAZO Refresh Tea, it's like chewing 5 different pieces of mint gum. DeLISH!

7. Paper bags. (what?) We are having fun with paper bags at the 'stead! Not only do I love how cute & nostalgic it feels packing lunches in them - but they are great for crafts! Puppets, treasure bags - I even made Jake's birthday pinata out of a big grocery store paper bag!

8. Paints. I find I am always wanting to paint when the sun comes out! We are painting driftwood, rocks, drumsticks & just good old white paper! My mom & I bought some big canvases at the beginning of the month and are going to have a painting day and create some new art for our walls!

What are you enjoying this month? 

Being "mom".

I was talking to my sweet sister-in-law, Lulu, yesterday over lunch about being a mom, and how everything will change when she becomes a mom one day...but how everything you'll sacrifice or lose is so worth it.

For me, being mommy means:

- playing cars
- thinking of boy-crafts (we are painting drumsticks today!)
- learning the ABC's & 1, 2, 3's (not as easy as little MJ thought!)
- scooping, digging & burying things in the garden
- taking silly pictures together
- wiping many a boogie.
- weekly trips to the bookstore to play with the choo-choo trains (doesn't hurt that there's a Starbucks right beside!)
- explaining daily why he can't come steal the microphone from me & use them as really loud drumsticks while I'm singing
- jumping in puddles
- baking blueberry-bran-chocolate-pudding-and-sprinkles muffins together
- going to the library
- playdates with our sweet friends
- consistently seeking out clothes that combine my bohemian, girly style with the ability to chase & move around with a nearly-three-year-old boy
- trying hard not to laugh at all the hilarious three-year-old-isms he comes up with as he tries to learn about the world around him
- loving harder & stronger than I ever thought I could love.

What does being a mommy mean for you?

(ps. enjoy this adorable song (& music video) from one of my favourite new singers, JJ Heller ---------> )

Like a Marionette.

That's what I feel like. 

I feel like I'm just floating through this experience; like a marionette on strings. 

How did I get here? How am I recording my own album? Nashville? What?!

What started out as an email to a favourite musician has blossomed (blossomed, the perfect word) into a dream. 

I keep going back to that verse: "He is able to do exceedingly more than we could ever hope or imagine."( He = God, FYI.) That verse...wow, the guy who wrote it knew what he was talking about. God is able...so much more than able…which takes me back to my original point: I feel like a marionette.

As I was walking through the Seattle airport this morning, I just all of a sudden felt like it wasn't me. And then I thought about it more...it isn't me. I'm not the one going through this airport, I'm not the one making this dream come true...cause beLIEVE me, on my own I am a mess. I feel like I've laid back, taken the load off my shoulders and let God just carry me through this. It was a real realization for me this morning. I felt, even as I lifted my leg to take each step, it wasn't me. It wasn't me. I just felt like God was lifting me everywhere I went - just bringing me to every destination.

This whole trip I've felt it.

Even now, as I am some 37,000 feet up in the air and I can hear Jakob & my mom making friends with a lady behind us, I just feel God carrying us; and I am realizing that it wasn't me who ushered us on the ferry as the very last car on a full boat yesterday - and it wasn't me who brought us through an intense snow storm on the drive to Seattle as cars did donuts all around us. Nope…I could never have done that. It wasn't me who made sure we met our tight connecting flight even though our first plane was an hour late leaving. I could never have done all that. None of us could.

Typing this almost chokes me up (I’ll hold it back though, because  I hardly want to become the hysterical woman crying on a plane). And I don’t want to preach. (man, I really don’t want to preach). I just want to give God the recognition He deserves for all this. (Whatever “all this” may become.) But, God's grace, provision and protection have swept me off my feet. I am just in awe of what my God can do.

I've been working on a bio for my album and for the concerts I'll be doing once it comes out - and I'm always a little tied for words as I  try to write it. It's hard to get it all down, I have so much to say. I feel like my bio could be a book - a book about God and what He can do. What He can do with a mess like me. What He can do with someone if they’ll just let Him.

I can hear my mom now telling the lady behind us about my “story” of Nashville and all this…and she just said "it's a miracle".

People…friends, I sometimes wonder why I keep a blog – but it’s things like this that revive my heart. I wanted to encourage friends, to share God’s love and the things that make me happy…and let me tell you this is something I really want to share. If you are hopeful for something in your life, if you have dreams that you wonder will come true …..go for it! Shoot for the stars! - But, beyond that, and first…ask for God’s help. Ask for His guidance. Open your heart, your mind…listen to what He’s done in my life, what He’s done in so many other lives… and take the hint. God can do it. But – a word to the wise: be careful what you wish for. If you ask God to take you somewhere, have your bags packed and be ready to fly!

(Now off I go to land this flight. J ).

my new year goals.

There they are. Sitting all pretty, just waiting to be worked on. My twelve goals for 2012.... 

It took me about a week into this new year to really think about what I wanted to accomplish this year. I've been seeing people around  the blog world coming up with a word for the year. I've seen "cherish", "embrace" and a few others... I think that's a neat way to go about it, but there wasn't really one word to sum up the things I'm dreaming of for this year. So this is what I came up with. I love the visual of the Lululemon manifesto, so I knew I wanted to make something that looked like that - something to keep my attention rather than the same ol', same ol' list (because a mama can only handle so. many. lists...!).  So I made my own manifesto! I love to be inspired, so I think this will be great to come back to throughout the year! (It's currently my desktop picture).

Did you set any goals this new year?

thoughts for the climb.

I'm enjoying a cup of tea & some deliciously minty gum (thanks Kayla!) while Jakob sleeps. It's so quiet and peaceful in the house right now that I knew I wanted to spend some time reading my Bible & talking to God.

I opened my little mini devotional called "40 Days With Jesus" and it stems from the book I wrote about before that I love, called "Jesus Calling". The author, Sarah Young, compiles a few verses and writes it as if Jesus is saying them directly to you. It's all scripture, but becomes so much more relate-able when written this way, as a letter

Here's what I read today.

Follow Me one step at a time. That is all I require of you. In fact, that is the only way to move through this space/time world. You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you're going to scale those heights. Meanwhile, because you're not looking where you're going, you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell Me how worried you are about the cliffs up ahead. But you don't know what will happen today, much less tomorrow. Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from these mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb. I will even give My angels charge over you, to preserve you in all your ways. 

Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.

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I believe that with my whole heart. I believe that His way & timing are perfect, and if we just hold on to His hand we will be right where we are meant to be.

One of the songs on my upcoming album is called "Still" - it's new and soo beautiful. One of the lyrics goes: "Oh calm my anxious heart. There is no reason to fear. He's given perfect love, why would I waste my time with worry? I need to be still, quiet, until Your peace comes and drowns out the noise."

If you have a mountain ahead (we've all got them) and you're feeling anxious about the climb, just stop, look down, focus on your next step and trust that God will lead you safely on.

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"For He will give His angels charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways." Psalm 91:11