Sparrow- A series, Part II

Sparrow has lived a vibrant 23 weeks on Earth. Almost six months. A 46th of her father's life. {We did the math last night, after much numerical debate.}

Yes, she's got eyes of the bluest skies. Also, of the greenest forest. And...of the most bountiful lavender field.

I never thought I'd be that mom who boasts about her child, or puts her before nearly everything. I confess, I am that mother. {Prayerfully, I ne'er place her before the Creator and my husband.} If I ever agitate any of my dear friends with all the talk of my sweet child, I am not sorry. I do not regret gushing over the miracle God bestowed in our life. Ergo, I have another sprinkling of raving to do.

She is perfectly healthy, 'premature' and all. I have prayed for the past five years for children, and for them to be perfectly healthy children. Not for my sake, but for their own; to the Glory of God. Coincidence that Sparrow has not a single health issue? I profess not.

She is amazingly smart, 'premature' and all. This is where I probably perturb a certain few. She is smart. Spend 5 minutes with her, and you will more than likely catch a tiny glimpse of her concentration, motor skills, physical strength, focused eyes, and sense of humor. Coincidence that she is above-average smart? Most definitely not. Why?

I hope not to offend anyone in this next statement. I chose not to use prenatal vitamins while pregnant with my sweet babe. God was in complete control through the whole pregnancy, more than I can fathom. He still is, and always will be. Did I test God? Not since it was a direct call for me to trust Him. I did, and my Savior has blessed us abundantly. My words are not enough.

My heart has been overflowing with joy in the growing awareness of her health and beautiful life. To God be all Glory, forever and ever.

Sweet child of mine.

Sparrow

Surreal, like a dream.

These are the only words I can write about life with Sparrow. She is sixteen weeks old today. How have these past sixteen weeks been?

Surreal, like a dream.

Is it because I haven't slept a full night in said time? By no means. Well, maybe. Is it because I am so young and still a newlywed? Not so much.

It's because I've never felt this in my heart before. Not with family, not with Wesley. It's a different form of love. Most people say that love is a choice. With her, I don't believe it is. My story may not match every mother's story. {wow, I am a 'mother'}

When did I fall in love with her? I didn't know her when she was in my womb, like some do. I have never been a baby person, or even a kid kinda girl. So in my womb, I felt movement and dancing and life. In a sense of course I loved her. But not in the way I do now.

Did I fall in love with her when they laid her on me after birthing her? I will never forget the way she looked at me. One of shock and wonder. She could have smiled if she wasn't so cold at that moment. Of course I loved her then, but I was feeling other distracting pains and before I could smell her, they wisped her out of my sight. Not IN love yet.

Was it when I woke up the last morning in the hospital, with her by my side? I was more excited with taking her out on our first trip, to show the world how beautiful she is. We did bond that day, when it was just me and her. Still, not quite there.

She was eight days young when I fell in love. I was home alone with my bebe; she was dreaming. I was writing thank you notes {because we had a baby shower, with her as the guest of honor, much to everyone's surprise}. The song you hear on my blog was the song I was listening to as I wrote. I looked up at her, and God placed the indescribable love for her in my soul. To this day my heart drops to my stomach at the thought of her being my first, beautiful, healthy daughter. My baby girl.

I am so in love. It's so real, it's surreal. And it's like a dream.

the lost.

Today is one of those days where I have so much love for others around me that I can do nothing but smile. The unconditional love that Christ calls us to have. You may say, "one of those days?". Well, yes. I'm being honest... I am hardly able to go very long without judging someone. But today is different, and I am so thankful. I prayed this morning that I would die to my flesh, as I do every day. And the Word this morning was teaching me to love, and that is the greatest commandment. Why is it so hard, then? We each have our own struggles. It's easy for me to love Africa. It's easy for me to love the orphan. But what about the visitor in church who straggles in late with wet hair, doesn't bow her head during prayer, and falls asleep before the pastor even gets a Verse read? No, it is not natural for me to love that person. But today, I did. I love her. And I prayed for her with a clean heart. Did I do this by my own good works? Lord knows...no way. I could never. If I can't do this on my own, simply loving my neighbor, then how could I have come to Christ on my own? I did not. Christ chose me before the foundations of the earth. He chose me, and sought me. He found me, because the Father gave me to Him. And Christ will hold me till the end. He is the Good Shepherd..I was His lost sheep..He found me where I was..He saved me. Nothing that I do will make Him let go of me. Glory be to God that my salvation is not dependent of my doings. Nor is your salvation. 

Glassy Style

Jams, syrups, honey, spices... most of these come in glass jars. I'm sure you normally just toss these to the garbage or recycle them. But why not give them a new meaning in life? I've decided to do just that.

All you need to do is soak off the labelings and scrub out the insides. Here are a few ideas that I have started for our little cottage...

One: Save your tea leaves and let them dry in the sun. Add them to a glass jar of any size and shape. When it is about half- full, add some cinnamon sticks. Leave the lid off and stick it on a window sill. If you use flavored tea, it will give off a fresh scent!

Two: If you have a larger glass jar, you can use this idea as a dining room centerpiece. Get a few stems of your favorite silk flower, and cut off the blooms. Place the blooms inside the jar, and give your table an elegant look!

Three: Use smaller jars for fresh spices from your own garden. Keep the lids and label the spices with cute & crafty fabrics and fonts.

Four: Add bath salts or even handsoap to give a vintage look to your bathroom. You can sometimes find a dispenser that will screw right on to mason jars.

Five: To add a cute touch to any shelf, add buttons or your yarn collection to glass jars. This is an adorable way to stay organized and clutter-free.

And remember kids... reduce, reuse, recycle. :}

-Bon Voyages.

My Mane Love

I am not against going to a hair salon. In fact I love being pampered for 35 minutes by a professional hair stylist. I am, however, against paying over $50 to get a fresh trim and a colour that will fade in three weeks. That to say, this is my first hair blog. I am not a pro-stylist but I have, what I believe, a form of the most difficult hair to cut/style/tame. Therefore, I feel a bit like a pro when it comes to my mane. I might also add that I have been to the salon maybe 4 times in the past 3 years, and I only look slightly insane.

I don't have any styling tips, sadly. I mean, I don't even have any for myself. But I will suggest that you buy a box of hair colour from your local grocer. You can easily do it yourself, or have a friend help with the hard-to-reach areas.

I also have an idea for a lady who might want to jazz things up. But the following is not for the light-hearted:

Bangs.


I cut my own bangs. Why? Because I can control the length and fullness of them. I can do them to the side or full in the front. The method I use works for swoop bangs or for thick, straight-across bangs.

For full and intense bangs {bangs that don't separate and show random spots of your forehead}, you will want to go nearly to the crown of your head and make a part in the shape of a half-moon, stopping at your temples. Brush the hair that you are not cutting and pull back in a ponytail. Brush forward the hair you will be cutting. Comb and wet the bang section. Start with small snips; you can always cut more. Generally, you will want to cut them right at the brow so that when you dry & style them, they will raise up just above the brow. This gives for a clean look, and it also ensures keeping them out of your eyes. If you choose to do the swoop bang, cut from one side at an angle. If doing the straight bang, simply cut straight across and when you reach your temples, cut a smidge at an angle. {This keeps  it from looking like you stuck a bowl on your head.} Then, dry & style. If they are too long, cut the strays away until it is more of what you want. But I repeat, start small. Especially if it is your first time at cutting bangs.

Voila!

If you are at all like me, you don't want the same look every single day. If so, simply push the bangs to the side and bobby-pin them to the rest of your hair. Point the bobby-pin in a downward position and cover it with the long hair. This will make it look more natural.

I hope one of my readers is brave enough to try this... let me know!

Keep it simple & fun, loves. :}

-Bon Voyages.

Organic Living {essentially}

Months before Wesley and I began dating back in 2008, I started my new year off with a change in my diet. I was a healthy weight and exercised regularly, but still suffered headaches and a general feeling of blah. I decided to take two main items out of my daily/weekly meals: fast food and sodas.

I am pleased to tell you that eliminating sodas and fast food has changed me forever. It's crazy how 1} you save a bum load of money, 2} you feel so much lighter, and 3} you are healthier.

All that to say, we are taking the step to go organic. - "What is organic food? Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations.  Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.  Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation." - USDA


We haven't taken the drastic leap to go to "organic only" stores..but we have started off right, I believe. 


First, we are growing our own vegetables. In the spring/summer we grew squash, green beans, sugar snap peas, and we are still waiting on our tomatoes to fully mature {due to the drought and heat}. For the fall crop we will have said tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and basil. Are these the only vegetables we eat? No. But for now we are okay with buying onions and garlic at the store of our choice.


Second, no soda is allowed in our house. Is this considered organic? It is in my book. Have you ever read the ingredients in a typical can/bottle of soda? Can you pronounce those words? Exactly. And notice almost every soda's first ingredients are high fructose syrup. Supposedly it isn't that bad for you, because your body just registers it as a sugar. But is it a natural sugar? Ehh, not so much. But I won't go off on that soap box now. So we do juices without those syrups, water, hormone-free milk, and coffee. We even make our own creamer. {more on that in next paragraph}


Finally, we have subscribed to a great chef's organic menu. Carrie Vitt is the creator of the blog Deliciously Organic, and thank God we found it. We signed up for her "What's For Dinner" organic dinner menus, at a reasonable price! I recommend you check it out. We did away with our Netflix account to make up for the cost of this great menu. It's going organic, but not in a psychotic-kind of way. She also has great recipes for fresh creams of your choice. No more buying expensive, small bottles of "cream" with "natural & artificial flavors". Just visit her at deliciouslyorganic.net. 


Another great reason to switch to healthier, more organic living is our daughter. We want her to be as healthy as she possibly can. And I am a firm believer that fast food restaurants are just one of this nation's demises. Going to fast food drive-thrus will be something completely foreign to her, for as long as we have control over her eating habits. We want her to eat fresh, natural foods and learn to love them for what they are, and to not be fooled into enjoying the tastes of synthetic food items.


I hope I have inspired you to choose healthier foods and maybe you will do some research of your own on organic living. 


-Bon Voyages.

Hello, loveys.

Yet again, I go after another blog. But this time I will not be venting wild stories and emotions. Much to this laptop's surprise, I will be posting my journeys with different projects and ideas, from DIY to buying trinkets at Target; from eats and treats, to the gardening world. I will even be discussing my trips and tricks with cloth diapering.

So, my lovely friends, hang tight and see the productive side of my life.

-Bon Voyages.