naptime diaries

meet jesse.

she and her husband, nick, and

their three little ones

have become an active part

of our church plant.

they are with us for a season

and then, Lord willing, they plan

to go do the same in boston.

plant a church that is.

"planting"

that is the language used

for beginning a church from scratch.

i once thought it strange but now i find

it appropriate.

everyone that tends a garden knows that

planting requires a great deal of

care, attention, watering, light, the right kind of soil,

the right kind of food,

pulling weeds so the plant doesn't get

choked out, patience, and so on.

that's how our plants grow.

and that's how the church (the people) grows.

we need to be fed and poured into.

we need a good foundation.

we need to be constantly pulling

"weeds" from our own life

that threaten to choke us spiritually.

we also need to be in community - doing

it all together. not just receiving encouragement

but offering encouragement.

jesse has a real desire to encourage.

to plant seeds of hope and truth into other

women and watch them grow.

just as she is growing and learning

and struggling and rejoicing herself.

it won't take you long to see that on her blog,

which you can find here.

 this week she is celebrating

women with a fun giveaway and i

thought i would let you know.

i threw in a couple of items for the giveaway. nothing

fancy - one of my chalkboard pots and a couple of

frames. they are leftover items from the stock

i had at the thomas company.

(i pulled that stock, btw, don't think i ever mentioned

that or changed the info here on the blog.

i'll get to that. soon, very soon.)

anyway, go check it out. you are sure to find

something you like.

i for one love the fabric necklace and may have

to drop a hint to pastor j about that one.

::on the quinby cottage project front::

the den planking is complete. on the next

bright sunny day i will get some pics.

i forgot how dark it is inside

during the summer with the

tree canopy around our house.

when it's cloudy outside you can forget about

taking any decent pictures. and let's face it,

my pics struggle enough as it is.



cottage love

if you haven't already picked up the

summer 2011 issue of cottage style

then you haven't seen this.



go to jerusalem's blog pronto

and check out the pics of her home

featured in the summer issue.

i think i'm in love.

life {in} grace

New Beginnings. Sometimes we choose them. Sometimes we wake up and find ourselves facing them, whether we want to or not.

Edie, from life{in}grace, has found herself facing a new beginning. The kind that you don't go looking for. The kind that shows up out of nowhere and redirects your life. A few days before Christmas her home burned to the ground. Her family escaped unharmed and, together, they are facing their new beginning. You can read her story here.

Today is Edie's birthday. Her friends in blogland, compelled by the impact Edie has had on them, are throwing a virtual "surprise party" for her. They have hijacked her blog and set up a linky party so that all of us can have an opportunity to express not only our well wishes but the impressions Edie has made on our lives.

I have never met Edie.

I started reading her blog somewhere around the time she painted her kitchen cabs turquoise.

There was a collective sigh among diy bloggers when she revealed her kitchen. It was fresh, inspiring, creative, beautiful, and full of personality.

Just like the woman behind the paintbrush.

I was hooked.

Every time I visited Edie's blog I was inspired; whether it be diy projects, amazing crafts/sewing skills,  cooking, or her obvious love for her family. 

And then there were posts like these.

For me, reading Edie's blog is like opening up a great devotional. She not only inspires me in my home but challenges me in my faith. Her intention in her home has everything to do with her faith.

And for me. . .  a Christian, wife, mom to three young boys staying home to be with them, desiring a creative and inspired home. . . Edie's blog is a daily destination.

Happy Birthday, Edie! I pray that as you purpose to rebuild your home this year you will experience the depth of God's mercy and love. That as you wait on so many things to fall into place you will, too, be waiting on the Lord.
"In waiting, I waited, for the Lord." Ps. 40:1

sneak peak and an honor

it's been busy around here

but i wanted to pop in and give you a

sneak peak of my current project.

it's an old dresser, that once lived

in our closet, and before that

spent time in my parent's home,

in our next home it is going to be in the

kitchen, working double duty

as some extra counter space

and drawer storage.

it's not exactly an "island" since it won't be floating in the middle

of the kitchen like a traditional island but we'll call it that

anyway.

here's a sneak peak.

so far i am really happy with how it's looking.

still have some work to do, including

installing the butcher block top.

it's ikea's numerar and i love it. the color is great

and you can't beat the price.

it should be finished up by monday!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

in other news i was excited to wake up today to learn

that holly from life in the fun lane

featured one of my nightstands today on her

fresh coat friday feature.

i have gained a lot of inspiration from holly and her whiteberry shop.

you should go check out her work, she's a talented lady!

miss mustard seed

if you are a diy blogger or just like to read diy blogs then you know all about

miss mustard seed. and you probably know that she has one

awesome giveaway going on right now, in celebration of reaching 2000

followers.

the giveaway includes items that represent her own style, like

ironstone, bakelite knives, and tea towels.

and grainsacks - oh, how i love grainsacks!

She is also including some vintage finds like this scale.

also love. i wonder what the story is behind this scale. wouldn't you love to know?

there's more included in her big giveaway but you probably already knew that. if you didn't, then you'll have to go check it out for yourself.

i'm warning you, though, you will get hooked on her blog. just like the 2000 followers she is celebrating today!