proverbs 31:30   September 29, 2008

charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
LOVE this scripture verse. so need to remember this, daily!!!

prayers for tanner   September 8, 2008

i’ve shared about my friend’s son, tanner during the summer. what i didn’t do was divulge his last name. it isn’t bartonico, it isn’t angel’s son. it is my friend since kindergartens son, tanner. he is 3 years old, and can use all the prayers he can get. daily.
thank you.

sunday shares…   

how did i leave out these two from lake tahoe? we are quite a blended extended family! gotta love that! i miss the ease of summer already:)
today, after early service and bible study/sunday school sessions, we took a break and came home. we all pitched in, to get the laundry folded and put away [mari's contribution came in the form of playing by herself in her playard], had some light snacks, and then headed back to church for a fun bbq! the food was just delicious, and we sat with some of the founding members of our church. we are blessed to have such a diverse community there.

miss mari and i got naps in this afternoon! thanks daddy and emi for letting us catch up on some rest! i think the sun really got to me, after our pool and bbq time saturday.

after dinner, i worked on my september projects! some i can share once the scans are finished…some others will have to wait.

in bible study, today, the focus was on adiophora. it is until it isn’t was the message. and it totally makes sense, from all perspectives. after my dh got into discussions surrounding 1st and 2nd service, he comes over to watch me create. and during our convo, he says, *you don’t do like yearbook type things. you don’t do 2008 albums. you do what matters to you in telling our family stories.* i was working on some layouts about my bil’s wedding. and he says, *your layouts aren’t about him getting married and all of their details. your layouts are about what we as a family did at his wedding.* he SOOOOOOOO gets why i do what i do and i just LOVE him even more for getting that, w/o me having to explain it! i asked him if he thinks our girls will ever want like a complete book of an event the traditional way, and he quickly said NO! they are happy with whatever you are happy with! LOVE you dh.

i’ll share once the scans are in:)

happy sunday!

sahm.- con’t.   August 29, 2008

one more thing i neglected to mention. the other night, my dh and i are talking, and he pauses, then says to me, “you know honey, when you do go back to work, that will be the equivalent of adding a 3rd job to our house. in other words, it takes alot to just run the day to day upkeep around here. we’re going to have to take evenings and 1/2 days on the weekends to get it all done. that’s when the girls stay up later, since we’ve not seen them all day.”
so so thankful he GETS it.
love you, dh.

sahm.   

my role. my life. my love.
this was a big week for our family. the sisters have been much more appreciative and understanding and loving towards eachother, now that big sister has started school again. my heart literally sank when i dropped her off on monday. she walked in, so tall, so proud, so confident. sure, there have been moments of insecurity, doubt, and frustration, and i’m so happy i am HERE at home to help her work out any and all of those feelings she has! rather, than having her be at some daycare where they truly wouldn’t have the capacity to try and spend the 10 minutes one my child and help her the way either myself or my dh could. and there have been signs all week that we’ve made the right decision, to choose the school she is at and keep her there. signs i will share, some i will not. some come in the form of hearing from experienced parents at our school, at back to school night last night, some come in the form of knowing at the end of the day, when i say my prayers, i thank God for giving me the peace of mind that my child is loved, cared for, and appreciated at her school. a place that she LOVES and is so excited to go to, even after a horrific incident last spring.
we’ve had back to school walks, lunches, parents’ night, and a playdate. for some, it seems like alot in one week. when you’re at a school that is built on strengthening its community, and giving back to it, it really isn’t. thank you to those who reminded me to lead by example in giving back, you show your kids what it is all about, in helping eachother out. after filling out a pile of paperwork, ironing uniforms, getting settled into our routine again, i am fatigued, but so happy all at the same time. fatigue comes from adjusting to a new routine. happiness comes from being able to let her go, in a place that isn’t perfect, but offers what we have at home, in an enriching, supportive, and structured environment. and i couldn’t be happier with the reinforcement of the strong set of values and morals that are present each and every day at school, on and off campus.

we have families from literally all walks of life. and i can truly appreciate us all coming together, to make a difference in all of our children’s lives.

and i’m very very happy to NOT be room mom this year, and simply a MOM. this frees me up to simply help when it comes from a good place, not forced.

school in session also allows me to give extra time for miss mari. she has grown tremendously and i couldn’t be prouder of that lil girl! she keeps me grounded, focused, and not so lonely with emi being in school all day. she has gotten so much more independent, and will allow me to clean or start the laundry for up to 20 minute stretches, and then we will simply play whatever she wishes. i LOVE being able to just drop everything i’m doing at that moment for her, since she is that independent most of the time. she is a constant reminder, it truly is all about life’s little moments that matter!

on that note, she is screaming for me now…

off to enjoy some moments with her, before we start one of our chores. and tonight, i’ll be kitting for the garage sale…coming up tomorrow, overhere. hope to see you there!

is God’s word enough?   August 12, 2008

Is God’s Word Enough?

Small is the service that is divine
Empty is the pew that is next to mine
Sinners hear of a Cross hewn rough
Wondering, “Is God’s Word enough?”

Drums and bands, they’ll bring the crowd
On their feet they’ll all sing loud
The dancers spin, soloist hot stuff

Does anyone notice; Is God’s Word enough?
The preacher has 5 tips for life
She certainly knows how to deal with strife
And when she asks if I want my stuff

Will I still ask, “Is God’s Word enough?”
Back to the service that is small yet true
Hearing of the sin that I still do
The answer was always on the Cross hewn rough

Who could still ask, “Is God’s Word enough?”

written by my amazing dh. just found this on his blog. and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
love you, dh.

today!   July 29, 2008

we’ve got a day to pick what we want to do- since the girls have nothing on their calendars!
i’m teaching tonight at PMP, and helen chu, from MLS will be there! She is sponsoring my class. I believe there are still a few spots left, so go here, if you would like to join us!
still asking for prayers for my friend’s son, tanner.

here’s one of the layouts we’re going to create tonight!
picture me perfect
7-9pm
creative layouts class
we’re creating 5 layouts from the beautiful lines from MLS.
hope to see you there!

weekend review . . .   July 27, 2008

friday night it was all about kristal:) at least that was what the cake said. actually, we were celebrating her birthday. and she rocked her 4 creations in like nothin’ flat that were due that night for gg assignments. i so wanna be like her when i grow up.
we missed janice:)
i started kitting for my class. note to self: do not teach the same month you are on vaca twice:) after hand cutting 80 butterflies and tiny flowers, my hand was numb.
saturday- my dad, bro and dh got to work on our front yard. we’ve been meaning to add curb appeal for oh, the last 2 years, but then our beautiful mari happened, and that somehow was shelved?!? they were working for 6 hours, tearing out all of our weeds, old plants, and flowers on the 3 beds of land between the driveway and the lawn area. i was given tasks running errands like getting food, replacing tools that broke, etc. i did get to have one on one time with emi for a few hours, and that was awesome! that girl just cracks me up these days! miss emi then got to have an impromptu weekend with my parents. she will be home tomorrow in time for lunch and her playdate:) daddy and mari had an evening together, since mommy went to see, him in concert! and can he R.O.C.K. omgosh, i cannot wait to go see him again! given i wasn’t sure who he was when i agreed to go, when PO set it up, i am so so happy i did! i LOVE two of his songs, the one SYTYCD with twitch and kherington, and the one that david archuleta sang with one republic. it was *couples night*, be careful of the num nuts around you, and if they’re tall, well, they’re just prickery! those are some of the best lines from the night, and some were directly from jm. suzy, rocio, janice and i laughed so much, omgosh!!! today, after church [and surprise surprise, guess who lasted until just after communion w/o having a meltdown...YEP, our now 20 month old did!], janice joined me in prepping for my class. with everything going on this week, it has been challenging to say the least to concentrate. cannot say thank you enough nanice!!! and, suzy for cutting butterflies with me friday, and offering to come down today:) we jammed, and got it all prepped in 8 hours! oh, and the BAGS. that is another story!!! when buying ziploc bags, make sure you read the dimensions. so i thought i was all good- i bought 117 bags- 3×39 gallon bags DOES NOT = 117 bags - 3 gallon x 39. ugh! so, i ran to target in search of those 2.5 gal. ones. no luck. big lots. nope. dollar store. zero. back to the drawing board. called my mom, she is going to target tomorrow to hunt some down. how come i come back home, search some more thinking- for the last garage sale i had another box stashed somewhere with them. YES- found them about 10 minutes after janice left tonight. my dh and i just cracked UP.
i was so relieved/excited, thought i would just finish them tonight. and then sweep and mop the kitchen up. [MOPPING- story for another day LOL] NO. watched SATC reruns and now of course am on here. totally played hard and then worked hard this weekend. just totally missed my mari time and my dh time. and then, i realized, we’re yet on another vaca coming up in 1 1/2 weeks. seriously, where does the time go?
i LOVE my family. i LOVE God. i LOVE and admire my dh. i LOVE and adore my sweet/sassy girls. i LOVE my friends. i LOVE my life- inside my bubble.
i LOVE having a true network i can call my friends. i LOVE that they do not tally. do NOT keep score. that they are simply there to be my friend, love, and support me.
you know who you are!
go ahead and say it.
SAY what you need to say!!!

blessings,
erin

bubbles.   July 24, 2008

they come in many shapes and sizes. i first think of blowing bubbles with the girls and being mezmorized just watching them track and pop and play with them.
there are other kinds of bubbles, too. for instance, i live in one. it is filled with my amazing family and friends, a network that i can truly know i can count on, for a lifetime. it has taken me almost 37 yrs to find this level of trust, unconditional love, and support, and i couldn’t be more thankful. i’ve had to cut out many toxic people in my life, and finally. . . i truly feel at peace with it.
just in that moment, that i find peace, within my bubble, one of my oldest friends’ bubble has just burst. or life as she knew it. her middle son, tanner, who is just now 3 years old has been diagnosed with a very rare [i'm talking his case is the 5th reported in the entire WORLD] and potentially fatal disease, called Juvenile Xanthrogranuloma (JXG). it’s a skin disease that manifests itself as lesions and can occur on various areas of the body. it is a rare condition, in and of itself, however, tanner’s condition is critical because his granulomas are in his airways, causing his lungs to partially collapse. normally, this condition where the lesions are found on the skin, goes away in 3-5 years on its own. this is day 17 he has been airlifted to stanford, and all we can do is pray.

please, join me in saying a special prayer for tanner.

blessings,
erin

random things that make me happy.   July 11, 2008

1. all the [little- and i say this in quotes, cause u know those are the ones that matter most] things that my dh does for me, and our girls. the readjusting his schedule so he leaves the house super early to get his workouts in, so he can spell me and we can have family time before the dinner/baths rush towards the evening. the [tips] he gives me to help my stress. LOL.
2. the fact that SHE finally updated her blog.
3. super cold iced tea on hot summer days like we’re enduring.
4. miss emi helping to show mari how to drink her miso soup with a big girl spoon during dinner, and the nonstop giggles that followed.
5. NOT cleaning and getting dinner started the moment my dh walks into the door. playing with the girls FIRST instead.
6. extra hugs.
7. my bro making his 60 day mark.
8. HER heart and HER spirit.
9. HAMBLY’s new blue.
10. the baby crawling her way into one of the suitcases tonight, as we’re unpacking and repacking. photo to arrive soon…

happy thursday! or friday:)