Domestic, But Not Martha

News

2011-12-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Hi All!!!! I promise I haven't fell of the face of the planet :) As usual life doesn't slow down :) Just wanted to share a few things! I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas full of family & friends and that you are looking forward to this approaching New Year! Make it the best year of your life full of paying it forward, thanking God for your blessings, and creating more!

Here's baby! :) Should be sure on the gender by Wednesday (the 4th) so far, the Dr is guessing boy. I'm 15 weeks along on Sunday and the HG is finally easing off some!! Thank you God <33

In not so awesome news, Hubby is deploying again in just a few months and will not be coming back for baby's birth. They will get to meet one another in the fall :) so if you would, please send up some prayers for all of our men & women and their families serving, and prayers for their protection and continued safety <3 God is good and I know that He'll work everything out for us.

I hope to come back to blogging soon now that little guy's leg cast will be removed and I'm getting somewhat caught up in life. I sure do miss you all!!! <3

Free Pampers Gifts to Grow Points.. and What's Growing Around Here

2011-11-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long and scattered but for those of you who don't yet know, I'm pregnant (about 8 weeks'ish) with baby #4. Another little pumpkin will be arriving sometime in late June/first days of July.

This pregnancy started off a bit rough, and a couple of weeks ago I was diagnosed with hyperemesis graviduram (HG) and it has had me under the weather for quite a bit now. When I'm feeling a little less exhausted/sick I will explain more but my plan of treatment may soon include a zofran pump which is the alternative to hospitalization until I can stop losing weight. So far I am at a loss of 12 pounds and trying my best not to lose an ounce more. The symptoms are horrible and if you've had HG, honey I feel your pain. I also enrolled in a study at UCLA because not much is known as to the cause/etc and trust me, something needs to be done to help it/ create a cure.

More on this later but for all the mommies who use Pampers Gifts to Grow, I wanted to stop in and share some free coupon codes I stumbled upon online (various sources, I'm sorry!) You can use these codes for reward points for contest entries, coupons, free photo prints and toys/books/etc. You can also donate them to charity which is a big thing here at DBNM blog so here goes.. if you don't have a Pampers Gifts to Grow account, head here to get one. You can find free codes online sometimes and inside of Pampers products as explained here.

Enter these codes one at a time, you can copy & paste: (code to the left, worth at right)

GTGWELCOME 10 PTS
GTGREWARDS4MOMS 10 PTS

JOINNOW4REWARDS 50 PTS

HOLIDAYGIFT2011 5 PTS

2BEGINEARNING10 10 PTS

CABRANDSVRNOV11 10 PTS

GTGCOUPONPOINTS 10 PTS

CAREFORNEWBORNS 10 PTS

10PTSFREECODE4U 10 PTS

PAMPERSGTG10PTS 10 PTS

WELCOME2VILLAGE 10 PTS

CONGRATS2NEWMOM 10 PTS

GIFTSTOGROW4MOM 50 PTS

2BEGINEARNING50 50 PTS

So there you are, 255 points to get you started. Don't forget that you can donate to charities like Toys for Tots if you'd like :) Check back in with you all soon, hope to post the 1 year birthday bash soon :)

Bloggy 1st Birthday Bash!

2011-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Domestic, But Not Martha is turning 1 in November!!! Wow what a year! I would love to host a big ol' yummy birthday bash giveaway for all of you and was wondering, would anyone be interested in sponsoring some prizes? Also, I would love to help promote any other blog loves who will be celebrating one year blogging in the next few months as well! The more the merrier!!! Lots of love and let me know! <3

Together - We can help Change the Outcome - by Amy Hillis

2011-10-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

When my two older children were little, spending time in the hospital was the furthest thing from our day-to-day life. I can count on 2 fingers the number of times I took either of them to the ER. Once when Veronica was about 18 months old - she had an ear infection and then again when she was about 7, she fell on a flight of stairs and cut open her lip, needing stitches.

I never gave any thought to children that spent the majority of their childhood confined to a hospital room.

And then the boys were born.

We had just moved down to the Cincinnati area from Chicago, when I realized I was pregnant with Jonathan. Even knowing prenatally that he was going to be born with a rare genetic disorder did nothing to prepare us for the magnitude of time we would end up spending in the hospital.

I look back at the last 6 years and realize more than half that time was spent in the hospital. While Jonathan never experienced any episodes of rejection post-transplant - if there was a weird bug that only an immuno-suppressed child could catch - he caught it. Seizures? He had them. Asthma? You bet.

And just as he was getting better and staying out of the hospital for longer periods of time - Zachary came along.

Another liver transplant, but this time we weren't so lucky in the rejection department. Alternating episodes of rejection with damaged bile ducts with kidney failure and you have the first 2 years of Zachary's post-transplant life.
And again, just as he was on the mend and seemed to be out of the woods, David was born. David spent the last 5 months of his life in the hospital, passing away in January after fighting hard against both a virus and graph vs host disease post-transplant.

Six years, 3 boys and almost 4 of those years spent living in a hospital. Fortunately, not just any hospital.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

A hospital ranked number 1 in gastroenterology - the clinic that oversees all the boy's care.

We were in the very best hands and I have a very strong desire to give back to the hospital that felt like a second home to us.

Cincinnati Walks is one way for me to give back to the hospital that has given us so much.

All the money I raise will be designated for the Liver Care Center - offering help to families who are in the hospital and need some the comforts of home.Maybe it's a meal or personal care items, or maybe it's clothes or gas money to go back home for a visit.

Whatever a family's need - the staff has the ability to help.

So I ask and I know in today's hard times, it's not easy to donate. But even if it's only $1.00 - it will add up and make a difference in a child's life. The slogan for CCHMC is Change the Outcome. And that's what I'm asking each and every one of you to do. Help me change the outcome for the families going through the rough times we've already seen.

Click on David's picture and it will take you to the donation page. It's safe and secure and I receive none of these funds - they all go directly to the hospital, designated for the Liver Care Center. And I'm serious when I say each and every $1.00 is appreciated. I believe that together we can do amazing things. A great big Thank you to Crystal for allowing me to share my fundraising efforts with you. I am thankful for everyone's support.

Narrow Avenue

2011-10-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

Stopping in this gorgeous Saturday (it still feels like Fall here! yay!) to introduce to you one of the sweetest people on Etsy, Wynter of Narrow Avenue. I found her shop a few months ago and just knew I had to get her into "I Heart! Handmade." She is truly such a gentle and wonderful woman of God and I'm so lucky to have crossed paths with her online. Wynter has a wonderful Etsy that completely appeals to my style and I'm so sure yours as well so I had to introduce you. Without further ado.... here she is! :D

Narrow Avenue Braided Peacock Headband

Emerald & Gray Crocheted Chain Scarf

Her heart is solid gold and she is great at communication and custom work. Did I mention she models her pictures? Isn't she gorgeous?! Her shop is full of the cutest accessories and I can pretty much guarantee you will find something you can't live without. I am definitely going to have to score her braided headbands because my big ol head may or may not be too big for most headbands. :\

Sapphire Blue Crocheted Headband

Green Vintage Headband

Her items include upcycled and ecofriendly components as often as possible and her listings always include such inspirational words. Perfect place to start thinking about the upcoming Holidays for gifting! (You know I *love* a Handmade Holiday!)

Knit headband and Cowl Set

Orange Vintage Bib Necklace

Don't forget to head over to find a little something for yourself as well to dress up your fall and holiday outfits! As the clothes generally seem to tone down in the fall or revert to jewel tones, I think that her bold and unique styling are perfect for still making you feel summer sunshine in the winter months. You can also use coupon code narrowbargain1 to get 10% off! Wynter LOVES custom work so if you are dreaming up something but can't quite accomplish getting it together, please write her!

Also, if you want a double dose of this talented family, stop by her sister's shop, AvonLea. Both are amazing and you will be Fave'ing everything in sight LOL!

Rotting food = Family fun?

2011-10-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! Just wanted to stop by and post a little. The days are getting busier and busier and life simplification is something I have been doing bible study & devotional on recently because sometimes I think it's super possible to get so busy that we actually forget to pursue who God wants us to be or to lose our time to speak with Him and meditate on His word. Speaking from experience ;)

So I will be sharing with you all (as time allows) my journey to making my family more self sustainable, ecofriendly and aware, more homemaking and less appointments, more economical (think less debt and more savings/investments in mission work and our futures) and of course a closer relationship to God. I do think that all of these things pressing down on me are faith related and that in doing this that I am going deeper into my relationship with Jesus Christ & God. Life simplification is something that has to happen over time so I'm just gonna

Well, my big girl panties. You know what I mean LOL. In all of this madness of the homeschooling year, appointments, and club meetings we're all still battling colds or allergies but I wanted to go ahead and start working on some things I've had on my mind a few years. One of which is going....

source

I'd been wanting to make a compost bin for like ever so I talked the hubby into it and we got going. (I had been saving items for our bin all week like coffee grounds, tea bags, produce that was getting past it's prime). Basically, I followed the instructions here and made it in a turquoise plastic storage tub that we had lying around. When getting ready to add things to compost remember NO MEAT OR DAIRY PRODUCTS. It results in some serious stinkiness. Also, crush your eggshells down and cut your items into tiny pieces or blend/chop them in a food processor before adding).

I marked holes all in the sides, lid, bottom about 2 inches apart with a sharpie and Hubby drilled them out. Then we added some beginning soil and the assortment of produce, some lawn clippings, and dug up worms from our flower beds to help break it down and for the bin to pull double duty as a worm farm as well. I have to take a moment to say that my husband is amazing at finding worms. Not only is he gorgeous, funny, and a great guy but he managed to find about fifty worms in varying sizes when I originally dug up five.. I feel like he needed a trophy or something. You can purchase worms for this, but be careful.

In a sad experience two years ago, we found out that bait shop worms are given chemicals that help them grow which can be poisonous. If you want to purchase them, search online for composting worms and you'll have a huge selection of vendors to choose from. (We found a baby starling bird that had fallen from its nest and was still bald and raised it in our home to almost adulthood only to have made the mistake of treating it to these worms and finding it deceased the next day :( wish I had known sooner!) I didn't want to have that put into our compost so we just went to digging. Score two points for self sustainability and another green method hehe!

ewwww right?! source

After covering this layer of up with a bit more dirt (note** dampen but do not drown your contents, worms can't swim ;) and it won't break down as well) we put the lid on it and let nature takes its course. I've read to leave your container in a sunny spot so that it will break down more quickly and leave something under the compost bin to catch the super rich "juice" that this all produces. It can be used to nourish plants or put back into the container again (I'm going to pour it back in until I get my kitchen garden going!) The kids loved adding everything and digging for worms. I never knew stinky rotting food would keep them occupied for so long. Be sure to help them scrub their little hands after this activity!

Also, the contents should be mixed once about every 24-48 hours (per my research). Don't be alarmed and scream like a little girl if you go out there the first mixing day and find it teeming with ants and tiny flies when you open it. ~~Not that I did that or anything.~~ Lots of composting sites say this is a good thing as ants move minerals around and flies just naturally appear. Do worry about pests though such as rodents who can climb in and out of your bin should your holes be too large (lay down mesh screening in the inside of the bin between the walls and contents if this happens). To keep these ickies off of your hands, I stir mine super carefully with a wooden spoon and you can put double sided tape on the handle to keep the critters from crawling up your arm as you stir (thank you Pinterest for this tip!)

So there we are! Waiting and watching and continuously adding things to the bin and hoping to have a lush reward for planting next year (I've been dreaming up raised square foot gardening beds and other planting projects for a few years as well!) For a quick disclaimer, I am no expert and am relying on others who are awesome in these areas for instructions and advice. I'm pretty sure I'll make some mistakes but the good and the bad, I'll be sure to put it out here for you to ~~laugh at and~~ learn from. How about you, anyone else starting the journey of self sustainability, going green, etc? Let me know and leave me links :)

Writer's Block, As Well As Roadblocks (And The Blessings After)

2011-09-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

It seems like forever now when I sit down to blog it hits me, total and complete writer's block. I have a million zillion things to say and then my fingers hit the keyboard and *crickets chirping*. I thought I would just start typing and see where it goes LOL. Homeschooling three babies is in full force and so is Awana and Girl Scouts. In addition, I've volunteered on a couple of new committees at church and am working on a major event for my Husband's lodge next month. Things are all over the place but yet God is still good! Every day it's like I'm learning so much more and it just proves how little I knew the day before.

That being said, recently while working on a project that I kept hitting roadblocks in (seriously. I've never felt so bad in my life. Seems like everything kept coming up!) God just used it in such a big way! I'm the impatient and guilty sort sometimes when I'm majorily behind on something, keep pushing forward and don't realize it might just be His timing. Next week I'm going to be evaluated for adult ADD/ADHD. Seriously lol. Through this project, an acquaintance turned into someone I just couldn't live without and what I was doing inspired her to pick back up something she loved doing and had neglected.

I will probably mention her a million times because I am so very thankful for her and so hungry for all she is teaching me. She visits me nearly daily and I just love to see her car pull in and her smiling face. I have considered writing regularly the things she is teaching/has taught me because in a way I think this is her way of leaving a legacy of wisdom, love, and patience which I believe strongly in. She is older (50s-60s) and is battling some health issues of her own (serious) but yet she is here every day without fail, to spend time and provide my family with so very much. Did I mention she also has my babies totally spoiled?! LOL. No seriously hehe.

Being a military family, my babies are growing up without the relationship of grandparents/aunts/etc in their lives unless it is over the phone, mail, webcam, etc. She takes them/us places that we didn't know about locally, brings them treats and is there continuously to lend a helping hand. It is like the mother relationship I've never had and so desperately wanted. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother, I truly do. But there is a wall there that I have tried to surpass and she's not ready to let me in and us to become close. Sometimes it moves me to tears to think God loves me enough to send me what I have so often prayed for. Someone to teach me the things I've thirsted to know, the motherly/ grandmotherly person who will drive 25 minutes at 2 am to come check on my sick child, and then later show up in the same morning on time for my daughter's parade. She often knows what we need before we even notice and is there with it and willing to do whatever it takes.

She is the straight out, honest to goodness walking/living/breathing Titus 2/Proverbs 31 Woman. Yes sir! And I am thankful every day for her loving my family this way. We want to do something to show our appreciation and love and we just don't know what. She's not materialistic and is super efficient, always prepared and provided for. She takes care of so many people and yet has the time for us. So I think, to partially thank her, I'll share with you bits and pieces of her story in time. I've promised her I will help her to write it out and pass it down. I will change her name but the details will be real. God has changed me, moved me, spoke straight to my heart through this dear woman and I just know that it's too amazing not to share. I never thought I would have this Titus 2/Proverbs 31 Woman in real life (I know quite a few of you ladies online!!) and I know I couldn't be the only one missing this from their life. So I want to share because I think she would love that, appreciate it. She has told me multiple times that she wants her story to live on. I want to make that happen for her :)

I'm playing video games for charity?

2011-09-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Yep!! AND it's *this weekend!* http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&eventID=506&teamID=6268 is the spot to hit up for details and how you can help my husband and I raise money for Children's Miracle Network/ Children's Hospital in Los Angeles OCTOBER 1st! Be there or be square! ;) *snorts* See what I did there? Xbox... square? No? Okay heheh. Please feel free to share this link online through social networking venues, hoping to raise a minimum of $50 for this beautiful organization!

Yarn bombing & Guerilla Gardening

2011-09-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

I've been watching these activities for a few months and I'm loving it more & more every day! Just wanted to share :D I have started pulling some of my favorites into Pinterest (Duh! Why didn't I think of sharing before?!). So what's yarn bombing? Basically it's crocheted or knit "graffiti" aiming at adding some surprise beauty, color, and artistic talent in random places creating one of those can't stop smiling experiences. Want to know more, go here.

For one of the most rad Yarn bombing Flickrs go here, many of these images I found there. (Others were Google Images and the occasional stumbling upon online.)

You're probably wondering what Guerrilla Gardening is, it's basically finding a neglected spot that's barren of greenery or plant life and having at it to create a spot of natural beauty. I'm not into trouble making and politics and all those wild antics ;) but I do love a good beautiful surprise like some of these! Images below

Which leads me to posting these neat DIYs for Moss Graffiti and Seed Bombs that I've had fave'd for a bit! Btw, they are NOT explosive and are not weapons :) so do not be alarmed :D These are part of our homeschool projects for the year.

So lately what have you been into? I love art in all forms and would love to hear yours!

Flawed Perfection = Beautiful!

2011-09-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to introduce you all to Megan of

Flawed Perfection Jewelry features handmade pretties in the form of necklaces, bracelets, and earrings and has many collections to pick from and most you can customize in your favorite colors (scroll through the item's pictures for choices!). There really is something for everyone and if you just aren't sure and can't decide between the pieces for a gift, she also offers gift certificates and if you want further customization, check out the add on & upgrade options. She actually has a page dedicated just to custom work and is accepting any requests for whatever your mind is dreaming up so please stop by :) (this is GREAT for gift giving and for bridal party gifts!!)

I wanted to share some eye candy with ya'll while I'm sharing our Q & A time because this is one girlie you'll want to know :)

Splash of White Necklace in Your Color Choice (this beauty's on sale!!)

Me: How did you get started in jewelry making?
Megan: I started making jewelry when I was 10 and it's been a passion of mine ever since. When I was 18, I officially started my business.

These Confetti Cluster Earrings in White makes me wish my ears weren't gauged!! Snag them on sale too ;)

Me: What inspires you?
Megan: I'm inspired by beautiful San Diego, florals, and the gorgeous colors of the sea. I also am inspired by girlie fashions!

Exotic Cluster Necklace in Amazonite (no chain) This is sooo pretty!! Would be perfect for a wedding or a family portrait piece?!! (Or anything else for that matter)

Me: What do you feel sets your work apart from others?
Megan: I think my designs are different because they are timeless and have a clean, sophisticated look. I don't worry about the trends either!

Summer In..Pendant, Your Color Choice :) (no chain)

Me: So what is the story behind the name Flawed Perfection Jewelry? I'm dying to know!
Megan: I chose Flawed Perfection Jewelry because, as my tag line says, natural gemstones have flaws. But, when you put the stones into a design, the flaws become a part of of the design and you get design perfection :) I love working with the imperfect gemstones and pearls because life in general is imperfect. When you string all you relationships and experiences together, you can have near perfection though. Non-round pearls are my favorite to work with because nature created each one in a unique way. I love the idea that my pieces are timeless and really form a collection. People can buy a piece every once in a while and they will always coordinate.

The awesome Molecule bracelet from the Molecule Collection

Some more amazing eye candy to savor! Sweet Megan wanted to offer DBNM readers a 15% OFF coupon code!! Just enter in CRYSTALROCKS (you guys always crack me up with your creative codes ;) In order to be kind to Megan for offering this, coupon code cannot be used on items already on sale, thanks for understanding!

The beautiful Clearly Colorful Bracelet

There is honestly so much more to see. Check them out!! My favorites are probably her Bubbly Personality Designs and the Bridal. Maybe. It's so hard to say with that many pretties!! Stop by and show her BigCartel and her Twitter some love. I know she'd love to hear from you!

GIVEAWAY! Printed goodies!

2011-09-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I know this blog looks pretty neglected but I've just been soo busy! As soon as things calm down it's back to the normal business around here ;) Anyways, I had to pop in and offer you all a giveaway!!! The sweet people at the UPrinting, one of the printing companies online, contacted me about offering you all a printed goodness giveaway and I had to agree. In a "past life" (doesn't every year seem like it was that long ago?) I was in the publishing and design business and worked with companies to do projects like this one and some just didn't seem as superior as to what UPrinting is offering right now.

Now, as a huge advocate for work at home and indie business I know how important imaging and branding can be. That being said, I know lots of my readers could use this because many of you are talented individuals with your own companies and shops! Soooo..

Who would like to score 250 flyers for yourself in either 4.25" x 5.5" or 4"x6" size? They can be used for charitable event or fundraiser, party invites, event announcements, calling cards, mini birth announcements, and even business promo cards. I'm using mine for handmade gift tags for Christmas gifts ;) oh yea! Keeping it crafty! Winner gets Front side printing only in 14 pt, cardstock gloss and they have the templates for downloading (check out the flyers and club flyers and tweak them to fit what you need) so you can get them just right before you send them in. It's a 3 business day turn around AND they're going to ship them to you free ;) yay!

The Low-down aka Rules:
To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me what you'd use your prize package for. I love creativity!!

For a bonus entry (I'm only offering one but feel free to drop in and thank them on any of these sites if you don't mind!) stop by and say hi and let them know I sent you on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up on Giveaway Blogs. Let me know if you do this (going on the honor system). Share the wealth, who do you know that needs some flyers for a charitable cause, etc? Send them this way and pay it forward! If are feeling extra sweet, feel free to follow me I'd love to get to know you! Facebook profile, fan page, or in my sidebar here on Blogger.

This contest will run from today (9/8/2011) to Monday, 9/12/2011 at 8pm PST. Winner will be chosen by random.org and I will write you shortly after contest end notifying winner.

Winner has to be 18 years old or older and reside in the US (I'm so sorry loves who are younger and not US residents :( I have to play by their rules, I'll make it up to ya'll later, promise!)

Support some of our handmade loves if you'd like by hiring them to create your perfect design. Visit Etsy, my sidebar, or even write me for suggestions, I know some pretty talented design peoples! ;) crystal at domesticbutnotmartha dot com and I'll send you some immediately. This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive a party flyer for hosting. For more information about flyers, please visit Uprinting.com.

Better Than a Hallelujah

2011-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my "Sister" sang the most beautiful song at church. It just made so much sense and I'm in awe of Amy Grant writing such a beautiful, pertinent song with words that just grip your heart. He does want to hear from us, all the time, whether it's thanks for blessings, prayers, us needing him, etc. He wants to hear our laughter and our tears. Thank you Lord for caring about us so much! (Can I just add that I cried my eyes out during this video? Might need to get together your tissues and some poker face before playing or wait til the babies nap)

Below I've included the lyrics for you! It just touched my heart so much I had to share with ya'll! Happy Monday and I hope that this week is off to a great start for you. (Lyrics found on E-Lyrics)
Better Than A Hallelujah lyrics
Songwriters: Hart, Sarah; Hartford, Chapin;

God loves a lullaby
In a mother's tears in the dead of night
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

God loves the drunkard's cry
The soldier's plea not to let him die
Better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

The woman holding on for life
The dying man giving up the fight
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

The tears of shame for what's been done
The silence when the words won't come
Are better than a Hallelujah sometimes

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

Better than a church bell ringing
Better than a choir singing out, singing out

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

We pour out our miseries
God just hears a melody
Beautiful, the mess we are
The honest cries of breaking hearts
Are better than a Hallelujah

(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)
Better than a Hallelujah
(Better than a Hallelujah sometimes)

God Uses Everything For a Greater Good =)

2011-08-19T22:12:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all remember the few times I may have sent this song to you, or blogged it in some form or fashion but WOW! It just blows me away with the validity of every lyric. Go Francesca for writing an amazing song! Anyways I just HAD to share this with you!! You know my mad hot blog designin' girlie Dana? She took some lemons from the past few days and made some lemonberry slushes with it! (Anyone else craving Sonic?! Anyone?)

Her purse and Ipad went missing a couple of days ago which is enough to totally stress anyone out but to make it worse, her sweet son Mason uses the Ipad not just for entertainment, but also for help with his Special Powers. (For more info on Mason & the fam check out her family blog <3) Luckily turned up safely (yippppeee!!!) and from it, came a beautiful thing. I'll just let her awesome words sum it up :)

This is Carter. A six year old little boy who also has Autism. Some of you may know his Mom, Elizabeth from Sew Chatty. Elizabeth owns an Etsy Shop that is filled with things for everyone. She owns this little shop so she can stay home with Carter, as most of you know from our story it’s hard to work when you have a child with Special Powers.

As most parents of Children with Autism know, going out is a really hard thing to do. Our children do not do well in social settings, the have quirks and they have meltdowns. Period end of story. The same goes for Carter, his parents really struggle with his day to day quirkiness and the ipad is a new answer that many parents are turning to.

There are many apps for Autism therapy, and therapists working with children are starting to recommend it. For some who have no words or ways of communication the ipad has given these children a voice. I can’t stress to you how important ipads can be and what a difference they are making for these children and their families

So Please forgive me for rushing to a conclusion that my purse and Mason’s ipad were stolen, but I feel God had a plan in all of this.

Carter was his plan, please help me in blessing this little boy and his family the way we have been blessed by so many.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

~1 Peter 4:10~

Please don’t feel bad if you have no money to give, prayers and support in the form of spreading the word is helping.

Thank you all so much for your support in the last two days, I feel foolish and yet I know that God had a greater plan.

Please feel free to spread the word on twitter, facebook and your blogs!

*Donations are going to straight to this family thru their own Paypal account.

Cheers,

The Sears Fam

So there you have it! The reason for everything! Help us spread the word? Happy Weekend ya'll!!

The Nitty Gritty

2011-08-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

I just read possibly one of the best blog posts I have read in the past year in regards to faith in God and the nitty gritty issues that can create alot of doubt, fear, mistrust in God. I've had this discussion with myself and so many loved ones and net connections, even complete strangers (Yep! I am one of those people who talk to people in McDonalds, at gas station pumps, checkouts, etc if God moves me too!)

I just wanted to post it because it is so so SO profound and I wanted you all to read it. It brought up that burning heart racing feeling I get sometimes super deep inside when I know that I've climbed somewhere new in my thinking, my feelings, my faith in Jesus Christ. Brant Hansen one of Air1's newest DJs is truly a remarkable and talented man of God and he is the writer of this post. Please check it out and check him out, God is really using him! Thank you Brant for writing this! ^^^^^

In conclusion, I know that I'm guilty of this and I've touched on it in previous blog posts. I've had this very message in Drafts, partially written, waiting for the last moment of God given (I hope!) inspiration to finish it off and press Publish. I think it's now =)

I'm guilty of sometimes idolizing my family. I can't help it. It's just to me, my husband and my babies are very easily the most treasured blessings I have received in life besides the obvious gift of life and Salvation. They are my everything and so many times I've been placed in the situation of fear, praying and pleading "God, PLEASE protect them from harm, please do not let anything hurt or sadden them, or separate us". They are my babies I mean geez! I love everything about those peanut butter and jelly smeared kisses and even the toenails that need to be clipped. I never knew love before having them. Being a military wife with a husband who deploys to very dangerous areas, sometimes I lay awake praying all night he's uninjured and safe.

My only fear in dying besides the obvious humanistic fear of severe pain or suffering is leaving behind babies who need me and a husband who needs me. It's OKAY to feel this way but we have to understand that sometimes the nitty gritty, down and "dirty" heartbreaking part of life is that sometimes we aren't meant to have them always, or them us. We absolutely have to make every moment of their and our lives count. Even on the worst days where we think they may drive us nuts with the constant bickering or screaming. The ballistic poop diapers and the projectile vomiting in awkward situations like grocery stores or at 3 am when you went to bed at 1 am, they're blessings because you are a mother, blessed to be given a child to love, raise, protect.

I've experienced alot of heartbreaking loss this year and watched some of those that I love experience even more so and so often it's said "God won't take us through anything we can't handle". It's true even though its hard medicine to swallow sometimes. Some days, it's the last thing you want to hear. I wish I could save each of you any drop of heartbreak you'd ever experience but I can't because I'm just human and I know with my own personal life, if I had been spared, I wouldn't be who I am right now writing this and where I am.

I used to wonder why, why I had to go through the pain of having a child raped by someone I trusted and loved dearly as a toddler. Why I nearly lost my 2 wk old son to a random medical situation and why I've been used and abused for years out of my life. The bottom line is, I don't know. But I do know it changed me. I'm not into a sadistic view of life by any means and I wish to God I could erase it for my baby's sake, for my own and how I can barely trust anyone in real life to be around my children, but I do know that I grew in it. It made me a better Christian, better mother, and a better person. I can use my struggles and overcoming them to reach out for someone who is drowning in similar ways and be there for them.

If I find myself again in a life or death situation I'm going to do the exact same thing I did before, plead to God to be with me, protect me/us, save us. I know that no matter what happens He will and does, even if it's not my idea of the "right way". I know He'll be there every day after for me to lean on and send me the right people to say the right things at the right times to soothe my tormented feelings and that afterwards, I'll pray that it will change me for the better so that I can be an example of His love to others and pay that forward. Just some heavy thoughts but I had to put them out there.

I'm Crushing On..

2011-08-08T12:52:00.000-07:00

Dreamy, dreamy dreamy!! Wanted to share some pretties with you! Just a few things and ideas I'm crushing on for my children's upcoming birthdays (will probably have just a small celebration as a family), decorating the new house and that I find generally inspiring or beautiful {in no particular order}! This may take a while hehe, grab your coffee/tea/water/general drink yumminess and get ready! I'll try to source all of the pictures but some have been collected over the past year or two and I may have lost the sources. None of them are my personal pictures, hit my Pinterest boards for alot of them!

Eye candy:

Can't remember where I got this :( I think it was here at this always outstanding blog

Lost source :( someone if you know this please let me know! (I'm dying to make them!)

Pinterest Again LOL (So much easier to keep them organized!)

Googled turquoise paper lanterns

Stenciled cookies

Been drooling over this for awhile!

Just to name a few!!! One of my hands down faves ;)

Gotta grab one of those FOR SURE! I found it online but there is no source :\ Regardless, it flows perfectly with my "goal" for my home & my life =) Show me some of your eye candy! Blog, make Pinterest boards/etc that you feel inspired by and leave me the link in comments! I'd love to see whats on your mind these days and throw some ideas around!!

2011-08-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

Just a little inspiration for the week ahead =)

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.

Proverbs 3:27

{We are all so capable of making that positive change even if we aren't financially rich. Use what you have and what you know and give someone something beautiful this week! Even if it is "just" a listening ear and a warm smile & hug}

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

Epictus

{Side note: I'm often thought strange for being content with what I've been blessed with and thats cool with me ;) Thank you God ;)}

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

William James

{It does}

Let's Fight Cancer With Music

2011-08-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Had to pop in again for a sec and let you know about something VERY touching and awesome I found early this morning.

It's a Project called "Let's Fight Cancer With Music" and is in memory of the beautiful Kerry Kelemen who lost her battle with leukemia last week. All profits from the album once it drops are being donated to AML research. Check out how you can donate to help get the album out and be a part of this memorial project for an amazing woman. Also, there is a Facebook page & a blog. I only wish I knew of the story sooner, God bless her family and her friends and I'll be praying for all of you!! Can my ever amazing and continuously generous loveys at least donate a few moments of time to Facebook/Tweet/blog about the cause? Her story is seriously touching and a very real sense of Kerry's personal strength and joy radiates from the comments and writings about her and I would love to see this project funded and put out there.

Thanks!

2011-08-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Oh how I missed my net besties!! After not having the internet for nearly a month I am glad to say that I am back!!!!! We moved just about 20 miles from our previous location and I am thoroughly in love with my new home and very much in love with the peace I have at the moment!! While moving and afterwards since, I've made it a point not to really make plans or have alot of things on the to-do list and wowza!!! It's liberating!!

For all of you lol

Basically, I just spent time with God, my hubs, my babies, and bonding with the house which I am unpacking and decorating slowly! I'm dying to show you pictures but still no digital camera lol! (Santa, if you're listening ;) mommy needs a new digital camera and I don't have expensive tastes lol).

Cutesy cams off of WeHeartIt

Anyways!!! I'm in such a dreamy and fabulous mood and wanted to take a sec to say hi again! I was pleasantly surprised by all of the Tweets, emails, FB comments, and love being left by all of you in my absence! I have been day dreaming up alot of ideas and things to make for my Etsy but not planning to set deadlines of pressure myself so that it stays all play and no "work" lol! Especially since I'm helping out in a small craft show/fundraiser locally and may want to send some creative energy that way.

Also, I have a whole new house aka blank canvas to decorate with super interesting angles & cut outs, etc. Not planning on painting any walls/etc in the house so it's all about the decor!! Because this isn't military housing, I feel very free to decorate, etc how I want and I hope to spend a great deal of time here. As usual, I prefer to have a mainly vintage/second hand/handmade approach so feel free to leave your favorite items/shops that cater to those in comments/tweets/etc! I also want to start up IHH (I Heart! Handmade) series again so always looking for more loveys to introduce you all too! Can't wait to catch up with you all!! Tell me how you've been and whats going on in your lives!

Can you believe it is AUGUST?! Omgosh! In a month I will have and 8 year old and will turn 26, in two months I will have a 5 year old and in just a couple more it will be the Holidays!! I would love to do another 25 Days of Handmade Holiday with handmade giveaways/ DIYs & guest bloggers/recipes etc beginning December 1st so if you're interested please let me know! It was a huge hit last year getting over THOUSANDS views in just a couple of weeks time which was a big deal to me since my blog was super brand new! In November, DBNM will be one year old! Where is time going?! SERIOUSLY!

Peach A La Mode

The Sol Full Size Warmer

Cupcake Mid-Size Warmer

Scentsy Sampler

If you're looking for some yummy smell good goodies for the Holidays or just because please stop by My Scentsy Page (A Virtuous Woman) and check it out! All of my commission (20%) goes to mission work so its a win-win! Not to mention for August, most items are 10% off and alot of the Spring/Summer items are being discontinued because Fall/Winter is back in business on September 1st! I'm so excited for the new items on their way and would LOVEEEEE to fund sponsoring more Compassion International children with my sales, my little heart would probably burst with happiness LOL. Really, these are the things that just tickle me to pieces. Talk to you soon!

2011-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive lol!! Just moving! Wanted to leave you all some love because I've been working day and night to get packed and moved in such a small time frame. Hope your hearts are full of sunshine!

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Mother Teresa

Highlights!

2011-06-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Nope =) Not my hair lol. It's still blue black except for those random two streaks near my ears that refuse to ever dye again (someone explain that one to me, I don't even have white/grey yet?) Anyways, wanted to let you in on a few highlights in my life at the moment.

Meet Leia =) the newest rescue/ member of the family, a baby red pit whose beautiful eyes (when they're opened, she sleeps 20 hours a day lol) perfectly match her fur and who is one of the sweetest pup's I've ever met. We've had her for a week and she's my husband's second daughter LOL. I adopted her from a homeless shelter who was adopting them out and using the funds for their outreach needs, my husband has always wanted one so she was a late Father's Day/ early Birthday gift.

I miss showing "I Heart! Handmade" love so here's some handmade yumminess sprinkled throughout the post ;) especially to break up the heavy stuff. Check em out! (yoyo bundle from the YoYo Cottage in my home state of Georgia)

Second, we're moving to a nearby town into a beyond beautiful home. God is so good and you know, He truly provides. We've narrowed it down to two main homes (with a 3rd as backup) and have applied and worked with our first choice. Things are looking good for us to get the home and I'm super excited! I've already began packing and repairing the wear that almost three years of my kids, babysitting countless others, and rescuing almost ten dogs has had. LOL. Wish me luck!!

No one buy this please LOL I want this for myself ;) heheh jk. Kinda. LOL <3 Warmnfuzzies has it going on! (Also from GA hehe!)

Also, this next thing is wayyy over due. I need to issue a true and sincere thank you to everyone who wrote me, texted me, and was there when I lost my Big Daddy on May 31st. I'm not close to much of my family but he had a special place in my heart only a Big Daddy can fill. He was my stepdad for nearly two decades and we've weathered all sorts of obstacles together, including his severely declining health and loss of both legs/ a couple of fingers to diabetes, high blood pressure, and dialysis dependency.

Love <3 CirclePrints in the close by town of Los Angeles =)

The event was sudden and though I've nursed his wounds for years (my gore tolerance is past horror film quality b/c of that) and I knew it would happen one day, you just never expect to wake to that call at 6 am and when you do, if it doesn't hit you suddenly the aftermath is what may temporarily tear you down.

Seriously mind blowing brooches by Yalipaz. This one is a Jenny Lee and there are pages and pages of these breathtaking handmade treasures available. Run and buy them up like gold bricks!

He never had babies of his own so my three siblings and I became his children and later my and my sister's babies became the pride and joy of his life, his spoiled rotten grand babies. He was on a very fixed income and honestly, I'm not sure how he made it but he was always sending the kids three pound bags of gummy bears (no joke), cards, and toys he took months to pick out and save up for just for them. God. Tears my heart out to know I will never get another card or call from him. Devastated me to get a new phone and not put his number in it though I've called his voice mail a few times just to hear his voice and leave him a message even though I know he's not there to listen to it. I don't even like going to the mailbox some days, because I know only junk mail and bills are hanging out in there. But all in all, I know time heals things and he has a new body that doesn't suffer or hurt anymore. Sometimes I feel guilty for missing him so much when I know how every day was a struggle for him.

Gorgeous DIY Magnet Kit by the wonderful Scrapecochick

Thank you guys for standing by me and loving me. I still don't feel totally okay and it hits me hard and heavy at random times. I think that's partly to blame for me wanting to give up blogging sometimes. Please NEVER take advantage of one moment you have with the ones you love. I know it's cliche to say, but trust me. Even if you are mad, or arguing, etc love them. Laugh with them. Hug them every time. Visiting our hometown will never be the same. Even watching him buried didn't make me realize it at first.. it was getting home and not getting another call. You guys are true friends. Everything showed me who all will stand with me in the storm and unfortunately I was shown who wouldn't risk getting wet. Thank you thank you thank you.

There is too much I love from PKStuff. Really.

And to move onto less heavy things.. THE FAIRY HOBMOTHER VISITED ME YESTERDAY!!! Who may you ask? hehehehehheeh I LOVE this question.. come in real close and scrunch up to the end of your seat and hold on tight. YOU could also be visited by this lovey dovey and get a wish granted. In a sec I'll tell you how and oh yes, it is worth the time <3 (which is like 30 seconds). I love paying it forward and I love making peoples days you know this ;) well the Appliances Online Fairy Hobmother (this is for real and DEFINITELY not spam!) loves the same and is doing just that. I got a super sweet message and a surprise Amazon gift card in my inbox on a particularly challenging day emotionally. It was a great pick me up! I haven't spent my card yet but I have a feeling it will be something I need for the new house which truly makes my heart do a little dance!

Homemaking <33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

So. How do you get a visit from the Fairy Hobmother? Leave a comment here. Seriously. It's that easy and genuine. Let's make it fun shall we? Leave me a CLEAN and funny joke, the cornier the better and maybe both the FH and myself will get a chuckle ;) =D Let's do this!! And btw, thank you Fairy Hobmother, you brought me sunshine on a really hard day missing my Big Daddy.

100 days, The Same Little Black Dress (For All of You Hot Mommy Fashionistas!)

2011-06-26T00:25:00.000-07:00

I only have a moment (I promised myself I'd be in bed before midnight LOL!) but I HAD to post about an amazing woman I just found in blog land. Let me say that there are farrrrr too many of your awesome loveys out there! =)

Elaini is a 22 year old blogger who has taken the vow to wear the same LBD (little black dress)for 100 days to raise money for orphanages in India. (I encourage you all to read all of her posts, she is a very inspirational Jesus loving woman!)

Day 55

India has always been a country that I loved and thought possessed a remarkable and indescribable beauty, as well as so much hunger and poverty, so many needs to fill. It's bittersweet; beautiful and sad. I wish I could just go feed every empty belly in the world. I know I can't financially but I do pray for every person in the world every night! I truly think that by praying for everyone (especially our enemies!) so much change can be made! We may not have the money but we have the time to utter words of love to Our Father! <3 Isn't that amazing?

Can I just mention, I always add pix after I type the post and the Day 22 post made me cry <3

Today (Sunday) makes Day 57. Every day, Elaini will wear the same LBD accessorized and used in different ways to raise the funds for her goal of $50,000, as I write this, she's at $6,888 even. She posts a picture daily (she has serious style talent. REALLY!) and also accepts donations of accessories to help make the outfits work so if you'd love to send her pretties to help her finish out the journey, her email & address are here.

Day 38

Please stop by her blog and show her some love and support and please pray for her cause and donate if you'd like =) I'll leave you with some more eye candy because she is sooooo talented at making it work! Oh and by the way, she has no idea who I am and I usually write someone before I post about them but this story was too great not to share LOL! <3 She also has a Twitter & Facebook.

Day 48

Day 33

Whew. Naps can fix everything.

2011-06-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to write today to say that I think I am done blogging. At least temporarily. There is just too much going on right now and I am not sure that I can handle things with adequate attention or care. I know that first and foremost, I was created to be God's child, my husband's wife, my children's mother. Nothing is seriously wrong, it's just that I feel like there are things I need to overhaul (like educating my children, etc) because they just aren't working out this way at the moment. I hope you all understand and now that it breaks my heart a little to write this. You all know how to reach me =) I may post perodically so that it doesn't lapse, but right now I feel very conflicted about where my time and energy is going. It's just been one wild couple of years (especially this past one). I hope you all understand and will keep in touch and maybe stay subscribed to my facebooks/twitters/blog etc so that when I do post you will know =)

Mommy needed a nap ;) I guess this goes to show you that I'm definitely not Super Woman lol and that I get overwhelmed with my life sometimes. Home schooling can get slightly frustrating, especially when you are majorily behind because of life happening LOL. Anyways, my bad! <3 I love you guys!

All My love,

♥ Compassion ♥

2011-06-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

One of the things that happened since I've been away from blogging is that our family has to sponsor a Compassion International Child! I am sooo very excited for this opportunity! I know I speak often of practicing compassion and love and this just seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so and to teach our children to do the same. Often we can speak and speak of something to them, but it really drives it home when they're given the opportunity to also participate. When I first ran across this, I will admit, my heart was immediately excited but sadly skeptical. I mean, haven't we all heard of things such as this where the money never is received by the families and the images are generic and info made up? I cannot imagine how hard it would be to find out one was a victim of this and I just had to do a little research.

I found this, that the Better Business Bureau praises them highly and that they are a BBB Accredited Charity. Also, all my Twitter loves gave 100% positive reviews (you know I had to consult Twitter ;) I was immediately relieved of being skeptic and we signed up right away. We chose a child off of the "Longest Waiting" list (you know I wanted to sponsor at least 100) and paid for our first month which was a super low $38. We spend just under this or right at it (sometimes more) eating out once. What a very small amount to provide a safe place for a child to receive individual attention at a care center that will teach them about Jesus, give them regular health screenings and medical care if needed, and stimulate their minds and give them love. Read more about Compassion here.

source

G (name shortened for privacy) an almost six year old (her birthday is August 5th) precious little girl and her photo is already hanging on my fridge proudly with the artwork my own children have made. They've already been asking 100 questions and begging to write her cards and letters, even to journey to meet her (which is possible and is something I will pray about). My heart is so very touched and I wanted to share this experience with you all. We've already written her and began planning on other things to write and send her. I'm also writing up a home school unit on India and her region so that my children know more about her life. I think that this experience will be invaluable to us all.

There are so many ways to get involved and help do mission work even from your home and Compassion is a great way to consider. By sponsoring a child, rescuing mothers and children, a student in the Leadership program, or meeting critical needs you can easily make a huge change. (Not to sound like an infomercial I promise, just the real deal). It's also just a really good way to show love and I'll be the first to tell you that it puts so much happiness and joy into your heart. I'll be sure to post when I get letters or learn more about our Compassion child <3!

2011-06-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

It is beyond time for me to get back into this and I apologize to all of you. My hubs has been off on leave and that made it harder to steal time for blogging as we're not often given the chance to be together while he's working. God has certainly continued to work and move in my life and is bringing on the blessings which we have been working as a family to turn out to others!! Can't wait to blog some of them very soon! How are you? What's been going on? Lots of love!

Christian isn't a cookie cutter.. Mend Mark

2011-06-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things I've learned in the past few years is that Christianity doesn't require you to look like anything in particular. I went years thinking I wasn't good enough because I didn't "look" Christian or didn't "dress" like a Christian. As you all know, the love of Jesus has many, many faces and mediums in which it's found.. most importantly among the different ways that His Agape love is shown.

Christian Isn't a Cookie Cutter is a new "series" of sorts where I introduce to you some incredible people working for God with awesome missions who are moving & shaking things up in huge ways! For the second one in this series (see the first: Brandt's story here), it's my pleasure to introduce you to Hunter of Mend Mark! I was blessed to have some Q & A time with him and definitely wanted to share his honest and inspirational answers.

1. I read the amazing bio of Mend Mark and was wondering if you could share a little more about MM's "birth story" for my readers?

Well, the Mend Mark idea started as a tattoo design I was drawing for myself… I know – so hipster of me right? The plan was to have 2 circles ‘inked’ on both sides of my wrist in order to simulate a hole. But not just any hole – the hole that was instrumental in killing a king. Predictably, I wimped out and decided to design a wristband around the idea instead.

The bracelet that started everything. (~~For only $6.99~~ On Sale for $5!! This is one powerful ministry tool!)

The purpose behind our brand is to creatively tell the story of Jesus and his sacrificial love. I figured: what better way to do that than with His scars… You know, every scar tells a story. Not just of wounds, but of healing. And to me, there is so much power in the scar stories of Christ and how he was wounded in love so that we could be healed. I wanted to somehow use my tattoo idea to develop a visual reminder of that story so that we’d never forget the sacrifice He made for us…

I also wanted to enable our supporters to have the opportunity to tell the story to others. The thing that makes us different from most religious products is the fact that we illustrate the message of Christ in a generic way. Our products will not talk for you… they’re not ‘in your face’ Christian. They’re designed more to spark curiosity. They’re inviting… If someone doesn’t know what your bracelet or shirt means, chances are – they’re going to ask you about it. And it will force you to be intentional about telling the story of Christ’s love and sacrifice.

The cool thing is that everybody’s different. And we all may tell the story in a different way. You may be super bold and just come out and say it loud and proud, or you may just casually mention it. That’s the beauty of it. Wear the marks, tell the story – however you’re comfortable telling it. And in the process you never know who will take that story to heart and join us as believers in the kingdom.

39 Lines tee

2. What is your strongest personal belief or the one scripture that truly calls out to you as your life's ministry?

Purpose… I believe there is a purpose for just about everything. There’s a reason that we’re all here on earth – and it’s not just to occupy existence or be a populational statistic.

I heard a story once where a young husband and wife were cooking dinner. Before the wife put the ham they were planning to eat in the oven, she cut the ends off. The husband was curious and decided to ask why this was, (or find out the purpose) to which the wife responded, I dunno, my mother always did it this way. They then decided to call the mother to find out her reasoning. She ironically replied, I dunno, my mom always did it that way. The mother decided to then call her mother to find out why she cut the ends off, after a little chuckle, the grandmother replied by saying “Because that was the only way I could get it to fit in the pan.”

I’ve always used that story as motivation, because it tells me that if I don’t understand my purpose… then I may be missing out on some of the meat in life.

Marked By Love tee

3. If you could ask Jesus or God ONE question what would it be & why?

Wow… This is really tough for me. To be honest – I’m not a real curious guy. At least not anymore. I kind of take things as they come. I’ve always heard people say that once they get to heaven they’re going to ask God why this/that happened. I have a hard time understanding that… I mean – really, if you’re in heaven – why does it even matter then? HAHA!

I used to be a lot more curious about the ways of God than I am now. It’s not that I’m not interested anymore (by any means), I just think I just came to the realization that I can’t comprehend Him. But I can serve him… It’s almost like I was spending more time trying to figure God out than I was trying to be like Him.

So… (with that said) my one question would probably be: ‘How can I be more like you?’

4. What is your favorite MendMark product & why?

The bracelet… hands down. The bracelet’s my baby! It was my first idea and I haven’t taken it off since I constructed my first prototype. It’s almost become a part of me. It may as well be a tattoo the way I ‘religiously’ wear it. Obviously I have a special place in my heart for all the products, but without the original mend mark – they wouldn’t exist…

I love it when people are passionate about God's work!!! Check Mend Mark out on their website and of course Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Vimeo, & YouTube and grab some Mend Mark for yourself & loved ones (think Father's Day!) I know that I have personally had sooo many positive ministry moments by wearing faith related tees, jewelry, etc and the ways it opens up conversations with total strangers. I truly consider my life and body as a billboard for Him and I LOVE the extra opportunity to share <3! Also check out the decals & tees ;)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16 NIV) (my favorite skateboard has this on it and soon I believe my right wrist will <3)

Can't Ignore The Poor

2011-05-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hello loves!! Today's post is incredible and I promise that if you stick with the length ;) your life might be changed forever, in all honesty, I'm not sure it couldn't be <3

"Please Help"- Brandt Russo

When you think of the homeless, what do you see in your mind? The common consensus is shopping carts, someone with dirty or tattered clothing. Some people automatically assume connotations with alcohol or drug dependencies or an assortment of negative imagery with the fault belonging to that individual. People sometimes don't see that it is women and children, grandparents, daughters, wives, brothers, and husbands out there with no place to "belong" too. These are YOUR people.

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

-Mother Teresa-

Those who used to "have it all together" and fell on hard times (like we all surely have or will at some point.) My husband, little ones, & I have bought and shared meals with the homeless (as a family, if you share a meal with us you are at home in our family) listened to their stories, & prayed with them. I have saw first hand how God can turn "loaves of bread & fish" into a meal that will feed many. (I know I've mentioned this story before, I *really* need to blog it, Ernest's Story <3)

Isaiah 58:7 - Brandt Russo (check out the verse here)

Homeless outreach has always been a part of my life, stemming from when I was small.. we were in & out of a battered women's shelters, random spots to live in temporarily, places where I felt mice moving around our beds, as I watched my birth father's drug addictions and abusive habits destroy anything my mother desperately tried to create for us. All in all, instead of hatred and hostility, that planted a seed of compassion that has never left. Even my children at the ages of 7 & younger, mirror that love.

A man digging for change from a wishing well in the freezing cold, Central Park, NYC- Brandt Russo

At the age of 4 or 5, I discovered Mother Teresa, Siddhartha Guatama (the Buddha), and Ghandi, those who walked and lived among the "undesirables" & even more so, I was ignited, knowing that even though I was young and small, just one person, their examples taught me I was very capable. Believe it or not.. finding them also helped lead me to Christ later on in my late teens/early 20s. I have worked all of my life since in outreach, specifically homeless and hunger outreach programs. Regrettably, it has taken a back seat in the past year to other things and I am definitely working to remedy that <3

The beautiful Mother Teresa

Ghandi

I am SOOOOOO excited today to introduce you someone who has TRULY made it his mission to break past the "conventional" ways of outreach and take to the streets to really understand the meaning of Agape Love and discipleship, Brandt Russo. Brandt is an ordained minister who found his calling in the streets instead of a church building, simply loving and providing shelter, physical & spiritual nourishment, and compassion to those who have nowhere to call home but the street they are walking on and inevitably sleeping on that night.

Brandt (Source)

I ran across Brandt's story unexpectedly awhile back and was immediately and thoroughly impacted by it all, it was the final confirmation for me that this blog would be heading in new directions and God really started moving on me.. turning everything inside out. I love how when the moment you think you know exactly what your purpose is, God shows you just how much more there is to learn, experience, and share and shakes it all up! What a rush <3!

Brandt's ministry hinges on Matthew 25:31-46 & the quote by Mother Teresa
mentioned on this picture <3

Something I admire about Brandt is that he prefers that the spotlight is on the work and not him, though he has created and works with many projects such as his t-shirt company Can't Ignore the Poor, films like the Adopt-a-Jesus project (based on Matthew 25:31-46), Out of The Woods- From Lakeland and Beyond, The Least of These (The original footage was stolen but the trailer remains beyond remarkable! Probably my fave), the PreTransitional Housing Project, working often with organizations like The Jonah Project (I'm hoping to feature them soon!), The Hunger Strike and more which help funding work with those in need. All by the age of 26.

Brandt's feet. He was selling these prints to help drill wells in Africa & a community house in WV.

Once again, God proves to me that though you might be young or just one person in billions, you can make a tremendous change in the world by being a vessel or willing hands & feet. Don't hesitate...just pray & do it!

Brandt is also a talented photographer who takes the most candid and beautiful photographs that I have ever saw (you can buy prints of them to support the mission, they are *breathtaking*-check out this exhibit he did.) I really encourage you to check out all of these links and spend some time learning about his ministries because this blog post is barely scratching the surface of what he is doing.

(Source)

Brandt's current mission is to come back to Cali this summer and live in the middle of Skid Row, Los Angeles out of his van (with no a/c) and do what he does best.. love and meet the homeless and tell them about God. He is selling many of his possessions, including his collection of vinyl records to help fund it all (check it out here! The prices and selection are amazing). God has laid Can't Ignore the Poor on my heart *hardcore* and I wanted to list some ways that you could help support the ministry if you feel led:

PRAYER: this is a biggie! It takes alot of mental, physical, and spiritual strength to enter any mission field as well as a lot of sacrifice, please help uplift our brothers and sisters in the mission fields up, including those working with Brandt & the organizations mentioned above. Pretty please pray for them daily & add them to your prayer lists =) Tweet, Facebook, blog this <3
Showing your support: Purchasing the DVDs, t-shirts, stickers and using your body/cars/etc as a billboard (you know this is one of my favorite ways to minister <3!)
Making monetary donations: (can do that here or through the button in my sidebar) These funds 100% provide transportation funds, food and hygiene products for the homeless and the missionaries working with them. Also, Brandt would love to become self-sufficient in production of his DVDs by being able to purchase a DVD replication system (This is a bigger cost initially but would actually make the ministry more economical and time efficient by eliminating having to go through third party sources.) There is the big need for a climate controlled, secure storage unit for the t-shirts and ministry items while he is living on Skid Row as these items cannot be brought into the streets.
PreTransitional Housing Project Donations: This project aims to provide the homeless with shelter in the means of tents, sleeping bags and blankets while they are waiting to be moved into shelters, etc. A $40 donation covers the cost of one tent & sleeping bag (They will also accept donations of the items themselves or gift cards to purchase these.)

The PreTransitional Housing Project

When I asked Brandt what the ministry's greatest needs were he replied:

"There will always be vulnerable men, women, and children on the streets that could use shelter while waiting for something permanent, and as long as thats a reality, we will supply tents and sleeping bags. My ministry's greatest needs is people who are willing to help support the projects that God gives me, whether in prayer or donations. The needs change with every person I meet, so I just need people with willing hearts that are wanting to give in ways that will restore the lives of the broken. Other than that, just people willing to love those around them is more than I could ever ask for :) "

That alone leaves so much room for all of us to make a difference, pay it forward, show Agape Love and participate in mission work. If you're like me and can't go out into the actual field at the moment (one word: babies lol), would you consider supporting Brandt? I would love you FOREVER & EVER lol. No really, it is sooooo worth it. Even $1 goes a long way in helping others, if each of my blog readers and fans gave that collectively, we could raise a thousand dollars easy..

I will try to post regularly on the mission's work and needs and be sure that you add him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, & keep up with his websites at: Adopt-a-Jesus, CantIgnore.Org, & The Hunger Strike.

Don't let what can be the overwhelming need for help keep you from knowing where to begin. If you're called into mission work or ministry, hop to it. I believe in you and I KNOW you can do it. If I can ever support you or pray for you, you know how to reach me <3: you can comment on the blog, email me (crystal at domesticbutnotmartha dot com), tweet, text me (many of you have the number) or facebook and I'll do all I can. It's a promise <3 God bless you guys.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:13-16, NIV

All My Love!

Ava Update!!!!

2011-05-27T13:23:00.000-07:00

***NEW FLIER!!!!!!!***** (Can be printed here)

Ava Riggle may have been sighted in NorCal (Northern California)/ Lake County area!!!! PLEASE keep sharing this information in the hopes that they are sighted again and she is brought home. For updates on Ava & other missing children (It's so important to remember that there are thousands missing :( please visit ChildQuest on Facebook or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Candid: Defeat brews victory.

2011-05-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was TOUGH. Okay, maybe the night before too. I was DEFEATED. What originated to fuel incentive to find a missing girl turned into a 16 negative response (emails, blog comments, msgs) attack on what I felt about my blog, myself, etc. I was labeled as a "false prophet", person of poor taste, that I was highly disappointed in, etc because a giveaway was created to help get the word out of Ava's abduction.

You guys know me, genuine and upfront with you all about who I am and what I'm doing.. many of you have written me that this is why you keep coming back, that it is a trait of me that you adore and love. First of all, thank you SOO much to those who have written me these things and encouraged and loved me, I really need it <3. Yesterday, I was ready to delete my blog, Twitter, Facebook etc because of the situation, the things people were accusing me of, etc. Honestly, the giveaway was loved & approved by members of the family and I viewed it in no way different than the method of offering rewards to those with information by Law enforcement, those who are missing people, possessions, pets, etc and wish to find them etc. As a mommy of three, if one of my babies were missing I'd have to be committed because I would lose it. My babies are my life in so many ways. In feeling that, I decided that I would do whatever it took so that in some way, somehow, perhaps we could all get the word out online, in our personal lives, etc to the person who might know where Ava is.

In saying all of that, I took down the giveaway and have been writing all of those who donated. Written some of those sending me negative messages. I'm really sorry about everything. Knowing what my intentions were it hurts to be accused but I know where I stand and what we were trying to accomplish. Which was definitely not a publicity stunt on the part of anyone on this blog or the giveaway.

Regardless, all of it taught me a really good lesson. Sometimes lessons hurt but I guess that's how they "stick". I know where my heart is.. I've never had any self esteem but this may have taught me to grow a little in regards to knowing that my intentions to help you all in the various ways that I do and have are pure. No grey areas, just white. While I'm human and super imperfect, I do make mistakes, the one thing I refuse to make a mistake in is missing the opportunity to show Agape Love, compassion, or to uplift or help one or all of you. I'm not a billionaire, I would never win a beauty pageant or popularity contest, but I am naturally resourceful, dedicated, compassionate, and have the ability to help rally people together to make a change. I thank God every day for all of you because you are such a vast, ongoing blessing to me.

Even as I type this I feel part of me whispering, "How can you say such things about yourself? Are you trying to put yourself on a pedestal?" and the answer to that is no. NOOOOOO. I could never put myself above anyone knowing where I have been in my past and what I have done. How I fell short of God's expectations for my life, but the amazing thing.. is that regardless of that He still finds me worthy of loving, worthy of USING in His plans. Plans for my life, for others, etc. So all in all, I'm out of the gutter I was in yesterday and I am armed up (Ephesians 6:10-18) and ready for this day, and every after. Hope you guys are as excited as I am for what's coming up in DBNM blog's future!

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again - my Savior and my God! Psalms 42:11, NLT

Decisions, Decisions. This one is a BIIIIIIIIGGIIIIIE

2011-05-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

Big Decisions and big choices have came up in my life recently. It has also felt like God has been REALLY teaching and molding me and in conclusion, parts of Domestic, But Not Martha are coming to a close and many new ones are beginning.

I love this blog, the people it has led me and connected me too and all of the amazing things it has taught me. I'm so glad that all of you have stuck with me on all of my spur of the moment projects, giveaways, etc because it has been LOADS of fun!

I feel like I've been slightly selfish with my blog, putting up the Top Mommy Blogs buttons etc, asking to be voted for in things. The reasons were pure (I want those I feature getting the best exposure possible) but I *really* don't want my blog making me feel like I'm in a popularity contest.. I'm just humble, slightly nerdy me trying to make a difference in the world <3 "I don't wanna gain the whole world, and lose my soul" ;) Toby Mac (Mark 8:36)

So that being said, the design layouts may be changing for functionality and for purpose, things may be moved, etc. I will be contacting some of you as well about other things <3! I feel like God is moving and this blog is gonna roll with it! <3

I'm sorta giddy and excited! W00t!

BABY ABDUCTED PLEASE PASS THIS ON!

2011-05-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATED FLIER!

Taken Easter 2011

Can get more details here on Facebook. Copied & Pasted from site:

UPDATE: AVA RIGGLE was seen last week in PENDLETON, OREGON w/her non-custodial father, Nick Riggle, & his wife, Marcy Riggle. May be traveling to IDAHO, UTAH, MONTANA, OR CANADA in a 1989 white motorhome, CA license plate 2PWF894. If seen or you have info on their whereabouts, call 911, San Bernardino County Sheriff Dept (Calif) 1-760-552-6800 or Child Quest toll-free at 888-818-HOPE.

** LETS GET THIS BABY HOME!**

Sharing =)

2011-05-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hi!!! Oh my how I miss all of you. It's hard not speaking to your loved ones regularly! I feel like I have missed out on a large amount of stuff in your lives!! I wanted to share some things with you briefly that touched my heart <3 The blog will go back to a more normal schedule after the 23rd now that finals have finished up and I'm taking this term off of schooling! w00t! This summer still might be potentially nutty though with my husband putting in for military cross-training in one of the hardest fields of his branch. If he is accepted he could be leaving this summer for training and we could be moving out of Cali. Phew! Some more news in bullet form:

I will be making a few formatting changes to the blog to make it more user friendly LOL. When I get time to make note of them all hehe.
Many more "I Heart! Handmades" on the way.
Mexico Mission Trip: all doors were closed for me. This was hard and has been keeping me up at night but I must understand that perhaps that calling is a preparation for something else in His plan for me <3 I appreciate all of your prayers and my church is still going, if any one is interested in helping sponsor someone else attending or helping me make little things to send (I will still be making love packages to send) please let me know <3
Homeschooling is going to stretch into this entire summer LOL. Boy, this past school year has been a whirlwind but thank God that He has made it possible to keep on keeping on ;)

Okay.. now to the sharing =)

Remember B. toys and their relationship with Free The Children? Each purchase of any B. toy provides a 10 cent donation to this amazing organization. Doesn't sound like much right? A dime is changing lives, one by one. We often take for granted the "small change" only focusing on the dollars, whether single, tens, hundreds, etc. I know because sometimes I do it too. Please take a moment to visit B's blog and watch a video from Marc the Co-Founder of Free The Children, especially if you'd love to know what Asante Sana means =) Keep up with the world changing work you two! <3 (Oh, and thank you for the reminder and confirmation in my life that even small actions result in huge change. I love you guys!)

Also.. please remember the Lyons family and their story as their due date is approaching (May 20th) and baby Corbett Josiah who has been diagnosed with a condition that has a 100% mortality rate. God love them. My heart is aching for them but they are truly faithful in God and they would really love your prayers. Though I do not know them personally, I would be eternally grateful for each of you to share their story in regards to sending up more prayer love.

Last, I just wanted to ask you all to consider making the commitment..

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on

their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1

If you are interested in making the commitment let me know and I will add you to the list! I would LOVE and appreciate any help in getting the word out as well.

2011-05-09T12:28:00.001-07:00

I'm finishing up this final paper so I thought I'd just throw out the last few songs that cycled through my Ipod lol (put that baby on random & here goes!)

Coffee Shop Soundtrack (Acoustic)- All Time Low
Hummingbird- Nevershoutnever
I Caught Myself- Paramore
The Reason- Hoobastank
I Like It- Enrique Iglesias
On the WIng- Owl City
Your Biggest Fan- Nevershoutnever

Happy Monday loves! (Wish me luck!)

Mixtape... Friday?

2011-05-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

In honor of our 5 year wedding anniversary this week's Mixtape ~~Monday~~ Friday is a mix of songs that were either used at our small wedding or have become a sort of collection of "our songs" <~~this term always makes me giggle. Some of them don't directly pertain to us, just songs we wore out together in our cd & mp3 players or ones that always make me think of him when he's deployed and I'm all lovesick for his company lol.

I wish I had wedding photos to share with you but honestly, the only pictures we have were ones taken by family & friends with disposable or low end cams.. So, I'll just use some ones taken over the past five years. (don't laugh at me heheh, I look pretty dorky in most of them!) but first the mix ;) you might recall a few from earlier MM's, they mean alot to me <3. Oh and yes, we're huge Beatles fans.. we even started a sidewalk chalk mural on our backyard stone walls (I NEED a digital camera lol!)

All My Loving- The Beatles (ATU Version)
Jamie All Over- Mayday Parade
Such Great Heights- The Postal Service
Curse of Curves- Cute Is What We Aim For
Baby, I Love You- The Ramones
Hold Me Tight- The Beatles
Brown Eyed Girl- Van Morrison (This was my ringtone on his phone when we first got together, you might be able to guess why ;)
Your Guardian Angel- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
I Wanna Hold Your Hand- The Beatles
Mr. Postman- The Marvelettes (I think my postman thought I was nuts when he was deployed.. I checked it 3-4 times =) Living through those letters)
I Love you 5 - Nevershoutnever
Eight Days a Week- The Beatles

Now some pix =) since i could literally make you a ten tape collection of songs <3

Our Wedding Day <3 My PolkaDot & her Daddy

Welcoming baby #2 aka Sonic

Getting to see him after the separation from his basic military training

Moving to Cali while expecting baby #3..

Baby #3 aka Little Boss ;) Can you tell why we call him that?

Goofing off on Halloween

Beach trips before he deployed

Him coming back aka one of the happiest days of my life

This kiss was full of tears, from me..

Avila beach trip in February 2011 <3

Can you see why I am completely in love with this man?!

Some reasons why I love him:

He brought me out of one of the darkest times in my life
His super long eyelashes and those incredible eyes and his corny jokes that match mine (wait..that kinda rhymes.. unintentionally lol)
His random dancing
The way he works so very hard and such long hours protecting our country and giving our family a stable life
The way he male prisses in the mirror and checks out his muscles LOL (yes honey, I've caught you doing it ;)
Okay, I'm failing. All I know is that I love so much of him that I can't put into words. I'm just really thankful that we've made it through all the struggles and that we are still madly in love even with how much we can drive one another nuts sometimes. Yea, I can't win at trying to explain this LOL.

Today <3

And always I hope =) <3

"Home is wherever I'm with you <3" -E.S.&.T.M.Z-

Watching waves crash on the shore..

2011-05-05T12:10:00.000-07:00

I can't help but feel like God is continuously working on me and that I am continuously growing or moving.. I guess that is why I love the ocean so much, a constant swelling and ebbing, transformation. It makes my heart at so much peace when I am near it. When I am very stressed or upset, I often visit mentally to the places on the shore we've discovered on our trips. I've been blessed that some of my last trip's photos were GORGEOUS and I wanted to share them through this post in case it would also share some serenity =)

Nature's glittery evening gown =)

I wanted to write briefly because I know that Mother's Day is coming up and it will be a struggle for many. Some of you have angel babies, some of you have lost your mothers, some of you maybe have lost your wives/mothers to your babies.

Those "rocks" near the bottom aren't rocks! They're seals playing joyfully!

Baby Hunter was born and passed away on February 17th of this year and being there for everything, I can somewhat share in your pain. My bff and I talked and cried together the other night about this very thing. This is her first Mother's Day without him, just six weeks from what was her actual due date. Her husband is also out of town so on Mother's Day it's just me and her <3 and our little ones.
It's not our guys' faults, we just have to rely on one another as they are serving our country. I would give anything to bring him back to her. Or Lia. Or David or any of the other little ones who were taken too early from their moma's loving arms. This is a hard and bittersweet thought because I know somehow, regardless of how hard it is for me to understand, it's part of God's plan.

We talked about his name. In all of the emotion and heartache of being with him as he slipped away into the Kingdom, the nurses asked his full name and I couldn't recall it (I was thinking of a slight variation of his name). I asked her about it and she mentioned he shared his big brother's middle name then I swear to you, God spoke directly to my heart (yes I thought I was nuts!) and "it doesn't matter what he was named, I call him my beloved" burned inside my heart and my mind. Okay. I know people often say "God spoke to my heart" about something but I can promise you this, my entire body was covered in chills when it happened and every moment after I thought of it. It caused a hurricane of emotion inside of me that only God speaking to you can cause.

Ironically, I have this bible verse tattooed on my left wrist in Hebrew, source

I started thinking (as I sobbed with her while driving), aren't we all called His beloved? His blessed ones? Names are beautiful and important but it is nice to think that no matter what our given name is are, that we are the Beloved.

Unexpected chair I found with hubby while beach mountain hiking. Idk how they got it there. But isn't it nutty how sometimes something random can create something intriguing?

We often recall that day and each moment. The crazy peace that was there at that time and the "aftershocks" now. I know that this is the same for so many of you. I'm gently offering this suggestion that we are doing as well.. PLEASE try to make Sunday a celebration of your angel baby's life. Do something beautiful and spectacular in their honor and memory. I know that this is essential to "healing" (I know that hole will never close) and it's important to trying to stay sane. My mind takes me back to a blog post I read a bit ago here which lead me to this one. WOW. I wanted to list some amazing things that some of my angel baby mommies are/have been doing: Lia's Kibbies, David's Blood Drive, the creation of The Rowan Tree Foundation <3, March of Dimes walks and so much more.

It's hard to find them all to share with you on here and gauge the heroic behavior of all of this. I love you guys so much! It is also hard for me to write this, because I know that I haven't walked in your shoes. All I know is that baby Hunter was my child of heart and losing him has tore me apart in many ways. I hurt for my bff and I love her. I hurt for all of you online loveys and your losses. I will be thinking of you all non-stop on Sunday and pray for you as I do every day. ((hugs))

My husband & I's small tribute to your beautiful lives <3 Hunter, David, Lia made with ocean rocks on the shore of Avila Beach, CA

Talk to Me Tuesday & I Pray For My Enemies

2011-05-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment and share a prayer request that my sweet Christina messaged me. Christina wrote about the Lyons family who she loves dearly and their baby Corbett who is still growing in his mommy, being due this month. The Lyons family lost their first baby and baby Corbett is not as developed as he should be by this point and the doctors haven't provided much hope but as we all know, prayer works miracles! You can read their blog here but please remember this and send some love, prayers of healing & God's will their way! They truly love the Lord and are such strong, inspirational people.

Let's also remember the families who are trying to pull their lives back together and those who have lost all of their possessions and some even their lives after all of the natural disasters recently. And....

I'd like to take a second to introduce a "campaign" to you all that I tried starting a couple of years ago before I had a blog and such because I think that it could potentially impact SOOOOOO many lives.

Matthew 5:44 says "But I tell you, LOVE your enemies and pray for those who persecute you". This is one of those teachings in the Bible that really get most people (me included). There will always be one or more people that you just canNOT stand and they may continuously do you wrong or hurt you in some way. I have them too. But the death of Osama Bin Laden the other night moved my heart to really thinking this is the perfect time to once again start this movement and try to spread it like the stomach virus or the flu during flu season (without the negative connotations).

He was a terrible, terrible man who destroyed so many lives including those of his own people and will go down in history with other mass murderers and is essentially hated by many. With reason of course. But we cannot lose sight of the fact that this will not help any of us. Death always sets off a tornado of emotion, anger, infuriation, sadness, and sometimes pure hatred. There very well could be a chain of retaliation from this death and the best thing we can do is pray.

Let's begin a movement! I have been telling people for years that praying for our enemies (the terrorists included) is essential to our lives. I in NO WAY support anything they have done and it's very hard for me to do the things I am about to suggest to you but it is like I mentioned, of the most importance. When we accept God into our lives, we "die" in our old ways and are "born" anew into a new lifestyle of pursuing agape love and Christ's teachings. Everyone needs someone praying for them as we all have been wandering sheep before. None of us are perfect and it's easy to fall. We all *need* one another.

I propose this in a nutshell: Make the commitment DAILY to pray for our enemies. Pray your little heart out for their hearts and their lives. Nothing is bigger than God and He can change anything and anyone. LOVE changes everything. You can grab the HTML button code in my sidebar if you want to share the movement <3! Why "enemies?" Because the only true enemy we have is the enemy himself because everyone else is capable of making the change in their hearts to love instead of harm one another..

Deep in my heart and in the most sincere way I ask, PLEASE remember our enemies in your prayers. Nothing can change if we just hate and do not pray and in that prayer, love them. If you would like to join me and take the pledge, let me know and I will list you all here so that you all can connect with one another. In this, I know that we will all grow in so many ways and that the results will be both life altering and world changing.

I Pray For My Enemies Loveys:

Me of course! Domestic, But Not Martha
Cathy of Cathy's Voice
Tabetha of A Mom's Joy
Megan of The Remodeled Life
Jenn of JennHeffer
Kate aka The Verb Vixen

May Mom Blog!!

2011-05-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

What a week already!! Today I'm honored to be doing another guest post!! The lovely Christine & Nadia put together a month long tribute to "Mommying!" in honor of Mother's Day/May and I was invited to post! I met Christine through Twitter and am very blessed to know this woman who is compassionate and kind! She's definitely follow worthy as are many people on the list to take part in this series and I encourage you to check it out! You can snag the full listing at her blog linked earlier in this post <3

Yep, this one never gets old. I LOVE it.

I've seriously re-wrote this post four or five times lol! Motherhood is such a blessing. Such an honor and big thing hard to squeeze it all into a little blog post. I want to give my babies the world so that they can grow to love and appreciate everything in it from tiny to huge and love all of these amazing blessings put before us.(You can read more about that here.

Whether your baby grew in your womb, your heart, or became one of God's precious angels changes your life forever, it is a growing and a learning. You learn magnitudes about yourself, your faith, God's love for us as His children, and the world in general. We strive to be more than what we initially had planned for ourselves. We work to change our bad habits and create new ones for the bettering of our little ones.

"For the hand that rocks the cradle

Is the hand that rules the world."

- William Ross Wallace

Becoming a mother is a HUGE gift. Mothering means compassion, an understanding love, the one who catches everything our kids throw up. LOL okay, seriously on the last one. How much love does it take to clean up the various messes children (and sometimes adults) create?

Mother & Child by Gustav Klimt found here (beautiful! oh btw, kept it modest for the under 18 crowd)

I often reflect on all the different types of mothers out there; birth mothers, surrogates, adopted mothers, grandmothers, step-mothers, mothers of heart, mothers of special needs children, mothers of angel babies, pet mommies, teachers who take the extra time to help a child grow, and single mothers (this also includes the wives of military men who are often in the position of being the sole care provider the majority of the time). Raising children is dirty business.. one that takes the all out skills of an expert team of top notch service industries, elbow grease, & the support of every Starbucks in the surrounding area (jk.. maybe..) Motherhood is full of happiness, tons of frustration and anger, sometimes bittersweet sacrifice, and creativity.

So from little old me.. Happy Mother's Day to every woman reading this blog because even if you are not a mother by birth, you have been (or will be) that woman who has made a difference in someone's life and you deserve a special day! Special love & hugs out to all the single momas (been there myself!) and the mommies who will be spending Mother's Day with deployed husbands, know that you are appreciated and what you do is amazing. I wish I could take you all out for a great relaxing day of pampering!

Be sure to check out tomorrow's post in this series by my lovey (and one of the most incredible mommies I know! True story!) Dana Sears and thanks for stopping by!

It's Happy dance time!!! May is the month for Mommies Ya'll!!

2011-04-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

Oh wow!! Is it SERIOUSLY May already? If it weren't for my upcoming anniversary (hubby keeps asking if I've ordered his game already hehehehe!) I wouldn't really believe it otherwise. May is the month Mother's Day makes it's appearance in as well as Armed Forces Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day (btw my military spouse loveys, whether reserve, active duty, or retired, I appreciate you all so much. I know EXACTLY what you've went through and I admire you. It takes a darned good person to handle military members and all of the "awesomeness" the Government can dish out.) This is my super appreciative hug to you (((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))). May is also host to a whole myriad of interesting holidays like Love a Tree Day (w00t!), Cinco de Mayo, and a whole wild list of them here if you want to entertain the kids with some purely random celebrations!

Recently I was approached by some fellow Mommy Blogger sweethearts (aren't bloggers the best? Really?!) to join a month long celebration for Moms! Don't we deserve a month? ;) There is one blogger a day for the entire month of May putting it all out there.. the good, the bad, the ugly.. the "omgosh what were they thinking?!" as well as the "my kids may be genetically altered super ninjas of some kind" moments. My day to share is May 3rd and I hope that you all will please join me for that and check out everyone involved. There may also be some prizes involved!

Additionally, for those who haven't heard, I was honored to be asked again by the amazing Alissa to appear on her rocking blog once more! Not only that but to speak in her " Be Ready, Be Prepared, Be Molded" series! <<FANGIRL SQUEAL!! EEPPPP!>> *deep breath* Okay.. so I make my appearance on May 2nd and it's going to be a vlog so you all can experience my nerdiness on a much closer level!! LOL.

Oh! And my moms are coming out to visit my home in Cali for the first time ever.. since my mom & I aren't especially close, help me pray that this is a time of bonding and an opportunity for me to share God's Agape Love? I still have two weeks of school left, a ton of homeschooling to catch up on, and spring cleaning to finish before they arrive LOL! This should be interesting! Well, gtg, housework is calling!! Stay tuned and make this day (Sunday) a WONDERFUL day!! Put sunshine in your heart and a smile on those lips!

Our Anniversary is coming up!! Reflecting on Marriage..

2011-04-30T01:17:00.000-07:00

Hihi!! It's me taking a minute from homework time and writing my loveys who I miss big time! In just about a week my husband & I will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary and I started thinking back on everything we've endured and experienced during those 5 years, the good, bad, the hilarious and the heartbreaking. All in all, I would've never dreamed that I would end up with him. It was one of those you just never know what God's plans are type things. **Note: I also just realized today was the Royal Wedding, this has *nothing* to do with that LOL! crazy timing I guess**

LOVE this picture I found on Etsy here!

You know those lists suggesting what was traditionally given as gifts within the couple per year of anniversary? They've always held some type of charm for me though I've never observed the suggested item..I had to look and the traditional wedding gift for the 5th year is wood while the "modern" gift suggestion is silverware (want to see "the list"? Try here or here). In reality, my husband is getting a video game he's dying for that's released 4 days after our anniversary lol. And I might be playing it with him on a ~~regular~~ rare basis. In celebrating the awesomeness of making it through the first five years together (everyone says that the first five are the hardest and the rest are cake right?) I was also reflecting on all of our struggles and we've had our share. Maybe a tad more than fair even.. but doesn't everyone?

It was unconventional from the start, a tragedy that God turned into something beautiful, something that has taught me so much and led me to a much stronger relationship with Him. I literally fell undeniably and irresistibly in love with my mister over a Chick-fil-a brownie ala mode

Imagine this hunka burning love in a black Chick-fil-a bowl with their awesome vanilla ice cream beside a guy with the prettiest brown eyes you've ever saw.. Who couldn't fall in love? (no really, God just made me lovesick within the time it took to eat this!)

I even made an Etsy treasury in honor of the "event!" Wanna peek? Check it here up close or get the gist of it below ;)

Anyways, like any marriage we've been pushed to the limit, ran through the ringer, and had our share of smiles and laughter and tears and broken hearts. No person is perfect and because of that there will be problems in every marriage. When combining two imperfect people you can get the craziest mix of awesomeness and also a whole new set of problems no one ever foresaw. It's sooooo important that we keep God first and foremost in our lives and in our marriages, because we are not perfect, we will fail, both God & one another. It's inevitable. Sometimes we marry thinking that it will be a fairy tale, no bumps along the road. Sometimes marriages are mostly perfect. There will be issues and I think that they only make you stronger and closer, even if at the time it seems they will tear us apart.

I know this sounds heavy on a very lovey dovey post but please stick with me, I feel like God put this on my <3. I know that there are a few of you out there reading this who may be struggling right at this moment. You may have had a big blow up with your spouse earlier or you may be separating/divorcing. No matter what it is, know that it's gonna be okay. Know that every night, when I go to bed, I pray for every single person in the world that no matter what they are facing that they would receive God's blessings & comforts according to His will and I send you all love. I know that sounds super silly but I know that somewhere, there is someone, no one has thought to pray for (maybe no one knows they are struggling?) and I want to be that one who does, regardless of where they are or the situation, who they are or what they've done. We belong to one another, united under the same loving Father.

Marriages can fail. It's true. But there are SOOO many resources available and yes, I've turned to some of them during my marriage. It will never hurt a marriage to do bible study and pray for or seek resources aimed at bettering your relationship. Each of us have our vices, our issues, problems, pet peeves. Sometimes spouses are abusive (if you are reading this & you are being abused get help immediately and get out of it. This means physical, emotional, sexually, or a mix. PLEASE. As a child who watched her mother be repeatedly beat & belittled by my birth father and a previous victim of domestic violence {not Mr. Gorgeous btw for all those wondering} I cannot tell you how this affects your children and your self-esteem, etc. Please pray and get out.) Sometimes there are addictions in the relationship like gambling, sex/porn addiction, drug or alcohol abuse, compulsive spending, etc etc. Just know that it's okay to get that help if you need it and some of it can be gotten anonymously.

Recently I found out about a GREAT website for marriage called Start Marriage Right which I've added to my list of amazing resources for this type of thing, both for myself and for helping others. They have an awesome blog, Facebook, & Twitter that is really a blessing (I'm LOVING their newest post, Game Over right now!) and I wanted to share it with you. They are a wealth of positive support and encouragement, articles on marriage, and I LOVE this tool for discovering your Love Language. There is literally enough to keep you reading for HOURS and leaving the site very uplifted. No joke!

Also know that if you need some spiritual counseling, someone to talk to Groundwire has people online at all hours & days to be there to pray with you and its free and private and nothing to be ashamed of. You can also always write me (Crystal at domesticbutnotmartha.com) and I will NOT repeat your dilemma to anyone and I can assure you that I will at the very least pray for you). I love you all and no one needs to feel like they can't speak or voice their concerns and get love and support back.

What I've learned is that even if there are no issues in your marriage, it's super important to pray for your marriage daily and never forget that your spouse is a living, breathing person with a heart who needs you and your compassion, your love, your laughter in their lives. It's soooo easy to get busy and forget that, to get acclimated to your positions as bread winners, parents, etc. Keep the love life hot, remember every day why you fell in love with this person and remind them often what they mean to you. Respect one another (even in anger, talking to me too here) and spend time together just hanging out (not just chores or yard projects, etc). Hold hands, smile at one another, and know you are so blessed to have them! Do not let issues crush your spirit, take it to God and trust (talking to me again too! I know its hard but I promise it helps!). Don't ignore important issues if the person refuses to compromise or work on them for you but don't be so quick to leave instead of trying to trust God, stay, and make your love stronger (so much easier to walk then stay isn't it?!).

Omgosh! It's like 1 am so ending this here but there will be more on this later.. if you want, I'd LOVE to hear you favorite thing about your spouse/partner, I'd love to include some in a post on my Anniversary where I'll be posting some of my favorite things about Mr. Gorgeous.. you can leave it in comments, Tweet me, email me, etc. I LOVE love and the blessing of it all! Happy Saturday sweeties!

Mixtape Monday got me thinking!

2011-04-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

I was both writing posts and prepping Mixtape Monday (are you shocked I remembered this week? LOL) and this song came on Air1 and it's so perfect! Instead of doing a mix.. I thought I'd just share this one with you. The lyrics really say it all and it's so wild how something unfortunate or annoying (like a speeding ticket) can turn out to be something profound (like the instances of being pulled over saved you from being the car that wrecked 2 minutes ahead of you after you got pulled over). We really do have to praise Him through the storm because we just never know! And as the song says, "I just gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing" because He definitely does!! HAPPY MONDAY!

A super quick Talk To Me Tuesday

2011-04-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

I think I'm schooling the White Rabbit in being late lately in posting!! I just got notified tonight that my decluttering, etc will kick into overdrive in the next few days in preparation for some things (all good nothing bad) and I will give you the det's later!! But I just wanted to tell you please don't forget me if I don't post as much the next few days. I have some new posts to finish & schedule super soon. I'm thinking 2-3 days of quiet here heheh. In saying that.. I wanted to quickly post a super special prayer request by the sweet Megan of The Remodeled Life (also, check out her breathtaking Etsy, Day Dream Design, its dangerously awesome!!-As in dangerous to my bank account. Serious.) I can't help but think of her family and all those in the areas impacted by the recent tornadoes, including the beautiful Katy of Kayteedids Couture who was also in the NC area. Here is Megan's request..

This past Saturday, NC and many other surrounding states suffered tragedy and devastation from a storm that produced multiple tornadoes -25 tornadoes in NC alone that afternoon. There are thousands of people who have lost their homes and businesses. I know of one family from our church who has totally lost everything. The news has reported of 24 who have lost their lives due to the storms, 4 of them being children. There have also been many amazing stories of people who have saved lives and rescued others out of the rubble. I just humbly ask that you remember our little state in your prayers this week as there are so many people who are suffering here right now and are trying to figure out how to pick up their lives after losing everything. Thank you so much for thinking of us.

Also please remember the prayers about my Mexico mission trip and all of the previous Talk To Me Tuesday prayers as many are ongoing situations. I love you all!

This song

2011-04-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

Was on my mind this morning when I woke up and it is sooooo pertinent to the big news I just announced in the post before this one.. had to share it.. it's sang at my church and I couldn't find an awesome YouTube with it.. just sounds better at church? Kinda short & simple but has touched me super deep since the first day I heard it..

I Am A Friend Of God

Who am I that you are mindful of me

That you hear me, when I call

Is it true that you are thinking of me

How you love me, it's amazing (Who am I Lord)[ Lyrics from: http://am_a_friend_of_god.html ]

CHORUS:

I am a friend of God

He calls me friend

Verse

BRIDGE:

God Almighty

Lord of Glory

You have called me friend

{Chorus}

To think that He thinks I'm so much even after all I've done and who I've been. Thank goodness God recycles!! <3 This is especially pertinent now <3

The BIG announcement..I'm going where?!

2011-04-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

This morning something was confirmed to me that I knew was years in the making.. one of those things that stir in the back of your mind & in your heart and roams in and out of your dreams and consciousness as you carry on your days. God has called me to Mexico for missionary work this summer.

Enter you saying WHAT?! Trust me. I feel the same. I'm thinking PHEW! Crystal you have went nuts. The thought stirs tons of emotions in me. Fear, doubt in myself thinking "Crystal, do you seriously think you are meant to do this? That you would be special enough for God to send?", crazy excitement, compassion, pride, joy all mixed in together.

My church does this trip yearly and in my heart, I know I'm supposed to be there this time, almost as sure as I know I'm breathing right now. So, I'm going to be obedient and do my best to go. The trip is in July and is just under $400 a person for everything like accommodations, food, ministry materials, etc. I would LOVE for my husband to be at my side (I wish the babies could also go!) so what I'm asking is for your prayers. Prayers about the trip & for those going (whether it works out for me or not), for those whose lives may be touched by them going and sharing God's love, and for God to lead me and provide the finances and the reliable & safe, happy care for my babies while I'd be gone. I NEVER leave them and this thought makes me a little frantic. But who am I to question God? I'm also asking that God will touch the hearts of my husbands command chain so that he could have the time off to go without being screamed at. (<~~~ This is a big one please pray!)

I'm hoping to make up some handmade goodies & gather them up to bless these families where we are going. It's remote and they do not have much. I want to bring joy to their hearts, share the Word, and give them something special to treasure. I know that this would be a tremendous blessing in my life, my first mission trip. The first of many that I hope to be on and to make it a normal part of my family's lives as my children grow up. I would LOVE for them to visit with us & learn and how to share Agape Love through mission work. Please pray for me loveys! I'm trusting God's providence with all my heart~! I have my Scentsy sales to help provide funds but my commission is 20% of sales so I'd need to sell a substantial amount to fund my trip on that but hey! God put the plan in me and I know if it's meant He'll take me there!!

Wind-up Robots w00t!

2011-04-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a super cute event at Toys R Us, a 3D Easter Adventure/Egghunt and they gave us a sheet of three clues with sticker stations around the store for each clue and they got a little gift bag at the end for turning in a completed sheet. Of course afterwards we had to cruise the store and see what was there. We walked out with another Jenga set (the first got ate, lost, etc when our older two were younger.) and this....

I scanned the box in because I have no digital cam LOL!

a neat Wind-up Robot Workshop by Creativity for Kids. I'd never heard of this brand before but it looked promising and they would be handmade ;) so we grabbed em up. My babies especially LOVE robots (retro ones at that ;) ~~don't know where~~ they got that love (me!! ;) and have been asking for some like this from RetroPlanet's awesome line. Really.. I must share

Sparking Space Wind-up

Venus Wind-up.. isn't she awesome?!

Mechanical Walking Spaceman Wind-up

Not to mention this page from the 2011 Ikea magazine I've been hoarding forever..

Forgive the poor quality it was also scanned and I couldn't bear to tear it out to do so LOL

This is the beloved magazine as you can tell, it gets lots of love and carrying around.

Seriously. It was perfect!! So after coming in, I cleaned while the babies played outside and decorated our bricked "gate" that encloses the yard with sidewalk chalk art (my hubs put in his two cents with a huge RED SOX in neon pink LOL that covers a good part of the inner wall). Then we got down the "serious" business of making these little fellas. The kit was pretty awesome but I would definitely suggested having more two sided tape on hand, someone of our "bodies" kept bursting open at first. All in all, Little Boss licked some markers and Sonic had dark blue hands (only natural right?). Polka dot was the only one who wasn't covered in marker. And a bit later we got this parade of "mechanical" awesomeness..

this is the part where I remind myself that I need a camera really badly LOL

And they actually wind up and walk! LOVE it! Creativity For Kids has a ton of kits & project packs out there and seriously, I'm gonna have to snatch more up. Especially for homeschooling, crafting with my littles and maybe even for my Awana class sometime. It's some neato stuff!! <~~~~ yes, I said neato ;) And in case you're wondering, I wasn't paid/received products, am not an affiliate for Creativity For Kids, just wanted to share the wealth of an awesome way to spend time with the babies. It was not only affordable (I got this kit for $7.49 at Toys R Us!) but it included all supplies, markers, etc and it was a fast cleanup and a great way to create handmade sweetness with the littles. Two thumbs up guys!! Thanks for helping make our Saturday awesome! (Now! Time to figure out how to save up for some awesome retro tin robot wind-ups since Little Boss has already ate the eyes off two of our creations LOL!!)

Tomorrow I'm thinking we might break out the B. toys Pop-Arty and make some awesome & colorful spring/summer toned jewelry (best believe I'll wear it out lol!!) Haven't heard about B. toys?! Omgosh you are missing out!! Check out my blog posts here & here as well as their website and no doubt you'll love em as much as I do. Some serious untoppable greatness in creative play & a mission minded company! I can't find anything to beat them. So...what are you making with the littles? I would LOVEEE to see your blog posts, ideas, etc! Crafting is learning!

Random but Intentional Acts of Kindness & How They Change the World

2011-04-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Phew~!! What a whirlwind my life has been lately!! I feel like my poor blog has been so neglected. It's also proving to be a lot more difficult to blog when I don't have a camera. I keep finding amazing things to share with you and BOOM! I remember the fate of the two we had.. I've even been doing some baking and tweaking recipes to share with you and that's just not as fun without real life pictures!! LOL..

found on Google.. I'm sure we all can guess what happened..

Anyways.. do you remember on December 31st when the gorgeous Alissa asked me to guest post? (that was a huge honor!) Anyways, you can check it out here (please do!! I like this post alot! You could also leave her some love if you're feeling awesome ;) You all know that one of the main goals of my life is to show people Christ's Agape Love & to make a positive change in this world. That post included a few "painless" or quick & easy ways that we all can do to make a positive change. It's very possible for each of us to change the world, given a few moments to make the point to intentionally show Agape Love.

Lately, I've felt kinda......

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Really. Like so sleepy, kinda emotional, and very, very, hard & down on myself. I've never been blessed with the ability to be confident in myself, appearance, etc. This is the most confidence I've ever had and it's still an embarrassingly low amount. I'm working on it though!! I had let some things that people had said about me crush what small amount I had and I started questioning whether or not others see/saw me as I saw myself. I guess it was yesterday when I woke up and decided not to be defeated anymore. There is alot going on, plenty of stressers in my life but they will NOT rule me. I pray often to Our Awesome Daddy that He will help me become the woman I aspire to be. To be driven, dedicated, loving, compassionate, and productive. He REALLY came through for me.

My house was driving me nuts. I'm one of those people who want their home to reflect them.. I live in military housing so I can only do so much but I just felt like I could do better. Clutter leads to chaos in my life and I got up yesterday driven & committed to getting it out of my life. I got soooo much done yesterday that I amazed myself. Not only that but when I sat down last night I nearly fell asleep instantly. This is what I got done yesterday and I am in no means bragging.. just trying to share because I have NO idea where this energy came from..

Our bedroom was almost impossible to walk through (I don't get to spend much time in there) with out of season clothing of the kids & ours, documents, books, etc I began sorting through for donating, organizing, etc and it's seriously 98% done!
The playroom was went through yesterday and completely purged & organized, Polka Dot & Sonic's room is spotless!
I hoe'd all of the weeds and grass out of the beds (they have to be immaculate with no weeds or grass in them) and got all the clippings out for the greens bin and swept the walks (I have 4 "flower" beds that are rather large) I also did the neighbor's half of the biggest bed.
I also did some laundry and organized a little in my studio.
I baked three angel food cakes with fresh and ripe sliced strawberries, nummy whipped cream and I hand shaved semi sweet chocolate on the top (one for my fam, one for my friend who had & lost the baby in Feb and one for the lady behind my house who runs a volunteer organization on base as a surprise and made them handmade cards & notes to go with them, telling them how much they mean to me & how they touch lives- it's true!). I dropped them off with clothes & toys for both of the other family's children.
I still managed to make all 3 meals & 2 snacks that were healthy and take care of the babies and feed the dogs and took out garbage and recycling before my hubby came home from work.

And yes, when I sat down last night, I was instantly so sleepy I could barely move LOL. I slept goooooood (which is unusual for me!). This morning I got up early, went to an appointment in another town, hit up the thrift shop, ran some other errands and now I'm blogging (yay!!) but this isn't just a recap of my day.. what made these two days amazing is that I didn't feel like a deflated balloon. I took my determination for change and let it rule! Btw.. while thrifting I got my boys these!!

Stock photo from Little Tikes- Got for Little Boss

Found on Google Images- This is Sonic's new bed

Okay.. I know this might seem corny to some, but you should SEE their faces!! I got one for $20 (blue toddler sized one) then called my friend to see if I had just bought her son's bed at thrift and she was like omgosh! You did! I would've gave it to you had I known! Then told me she had the big red twin size at home and it was mine for the taking for Sonic for freeeee!! I was sooo there! Perfect when you are re-do'ing the house!! These are beds they WANT to sleep in. We've been trying to get Little Boss to sleep in his own bed for months (he's slept with me since birth) and he crawled right up in his car and passed out for 2 and a half hours. Fingers crossed this repeats tonight and is a new habit! Also scored something that will make an appearance after I diy it up!

source

I have been going through everything, every room, establishing whether it's clutter, something that is broken/can't be fixed, if things are outgrown, etc and bagging things up for donating, trash, recycling, or re-purposing. It's not a great feeling when your home seems more like a stress than a joy, not a great way to love such an awesome blessing! I've also decided to give up my studio in order for each rugrat to have their own bedroom again. This makes me a little sad but it's also a challenge to see how & where I will make my creative space, and having my own room was a luxury I never had. I love the fact that they would have a space to create their own world.. while still be able to play together.

I REALLY love domesticity. It sickens people. But I'm happy in this role. I've had my big corporate lifestyle and I made good money, but it sure was empty for me. Notice I said me because SAHM/D is not everyone's diet coke (I was gonna say cup of tea but I'm craving a d/c so I thought I'd just throw that up there ;) but it sure is mine.

And this for good measure..

I've also decided that I'm definitely taking this next term off college. I've been in school for the same degree since 2004 because of moving and losing all of my credits due to accredation issues & conflicts between quarter/semester schools. One term won't hurt and I really do want more time to commit to God & ministry, my babies and hubby, crafting, and just exploring. Life is so awesome. Those babies won't be little forever.

In the past few days I made sure to include more random but intentional acts of kindness. Like I mentioned, they can add up to big change, just like saving pennies. (Oooo. That was clever! Maybe I should typography that ;) In case you didn't read my guest post linked earlier in this blog, I LOVE these acts of love and how they affect others and the world. It's not out of anyone's reach to show love.

Source

Love is so universal, so pure and amazing it can be understood in any culture, any person, among animals, spanning across tons of languages, even without words. Love is so powerful. It all began with God's love. With Christ. How much love does it take to give your life up for MILLIONS, no BILLIONS of people? An unmeasurable amount. It wasn't even a quick death.. it spanned for days, hours of pain. He was 100% God but 100% human. How many of us could hang on that long for billions of people that would come after we passed? Most of us can't even be bothered to stop our lives to notice the opportunities that God puts before us to make this positive change. I know because I get there too. And when I do, I feel so empty and miserable. Like the past bit.

I don't want this to be taken as bragging but I wanted to list some of these acts that I have done in the past bit, just for examples.. it really can be something tiny or really big. And it makes all the difference in MY day and those it effects. Even if I never see the fruitation of my act, it grows in my heart and I hope to make my Father proud. Acts of love are given without intent to receive, but honestly, the joy I get inside is better than any amount of money. TRULY. Here goes..

Baked those random angel food cakes with handmade/ handwritten notes along with very nice condition gifts of clothes & toys.
Left enough money at the Starbucks register to pay for the next person's coffee and walked out just in time to hear the barista say "no charge" to that customer. (My babies loved this, they walked out giggling)
Went to vacuum my van out and the change machine was broke.. had extra quarters for once (this is rare, I NEVER carry cash but I had quarters just to vacuum)& a guy had his two babies in the car and had asked another guy washing his car for change so I ran over and gave him all of my extra quarters. He insisted on giving me the dollar but instead I just told him to take the dollar bill and try to do the most good for someone with it possible. He loved this idea. I later taped a sign on my vacuum warning people that it ate coins without turning on b/c it did as I later found out..)
Helped someone carry items out of a store who had her hands full (enlisted my rugrats to help).
Ding dong ditched a gift bag for a lady who just lost a loved one with delicious chocolates, a bible, pampering house shoes, etc (I try to keep a few things on hand for gift emergencies), coffee, teabags and a beautiful mug)
Called a few people up I knew were struggling just to say I love you. No other intention.
Told someone trying something on that they looked amazing (it was true) in the top they had. Then gave them coupons to reduce the price since I wouldn't be using them.
Gave several children in waiting rooms extra snacks I had packed to help make the wait more tolerable for their parents. (Trust me. This one is a BIGGIE)

I have also been known to hug and hold strangers who are crying (I even gave one my favorite cross necklace after she told me that she had too many problems to go on, btw this was in an ER where I had been transported for abnormal EKG & heart distress) and tell them about where I've been and about Christ's love for HER. She stared at me in disbelief, why when I was sick, I'd wrap my hospital blanket around her and take the time, but took my necklace saying she'd wear it every day and never forget me.

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Our family has shared meals in restaurants with homeless people begging outside of them, we sat together like a family, like old friends. They were amazed that we were not ashamed to sit with them as they were dirty from the streets. I've paid for the person's meals in the drive-thru behind me. We're not rich and honestly, are considered poverty level in most areas but God has blessed us tremendously and I try to make it count. The summer here gets SUPER HOT and last summer, I'd bring a cooler of bottled waters and give them to people walking in the heat. I made gift bags of non perishable but easily edible items like crackers, granola bars, crystal light packets with bottled waters, and cards telling them that I made them with that person in mind & they would be in my prayers to give to people who I knew were homeless and hungry downtown. There are so many more, but those would make great blog posts for later.

Giving brings joy because you just never know what your kindness is giving someone. Small things to us are sometimes mountains to others. Things that could change their entire perspective. What can you do, that may be small or may be big, to change someone's day or life? See, kindness and love they ripple out and they touch others. Sometimes, that act moves others, it's like a chain reaction. It brightens moods, lessens stress, puts sunshine in hearts. Even one "random" but intentional act is all it takes.. Who's willing to try at least one a day with me? If they ask you why, just say because God loved us first and in turn, you also love them <3 I'd also LOVE to hear your thoughts, some of your acts, even your stories about those you've done or been given in your life. You can email me (Crystal@domesticbutnormartha.com) or comment here. Want to do some good? I'm working on another post with TONS of ways and ideas. ;) Stay tuned!

Sometimes you just feel...

2011-04-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Like THIS!!! He's one of my heroes for this ;) So c'mon.. let's do a dancey dance! Happy Thursday!

Talk to Me Tuesday!

2011-04-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

Hi hi! This week's TTMT has some serious prayer requests that I would like to put first & foremost because I know how amazing you all are at praying and these need some prayer love!

Cathy of Cathy's Voice texted me earlier because her sweet mama (Sue) will be having surgery tomorrow morning at 9am as they've found something wrong with her heart. Please remember both her mama and her as I know this is hard on her <3 I love you Cathy!

Please remember Christina who was supposed to have emergency surgery earlier this week for Endometriosis but at the last moment surgery got canceled. She is seeking a new doctor who can do this for her and is in a considerable amount of pain. Please pray for her comfort & healing!
I hope everyone will join me in prayer for a certain blogger's situation as a result of a breakup where the other person stepped wayyy out of line and did some terrible things. I just want her to know that I am praying for you & your family <3. You have alot of love being sent up for you and you are very very loved, don't ever forget that.
Please don't forget the previous week's TTMT which can be found here and those requests.
I have a lovely blog friend who has just really had her share of stress lately and I just pray that God will be with her, uplift her, and provide her solutions to everything that is going on. I love you girlie, stay strong.
Sweet Pattie posted this on her Facebook today and it was a must share. This family is in great need of prayer and items as they lost everything in a tornado. Please remember them in prayer & if you feel led to help please do! <3 ((Hugs))

There are a few bloggy friends who are having birthdays this week so I wanted to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! One of which is Megan Wetzel of the Suspended Sparrow who is very beautiful & very talented!

That's all for now (unless I'm having a brain fart & forgetting something-which could be happening but I hope not!!) but let me know if you have anything you'd like to get out the DBNM loveys and I will update or put it in the works for next Tuesday! <3 Also, don't forget to check out Annette's story in the newest "My Readers Are Heroes"! It's a can't miss ;)

Annette's story

2011-04-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday!! Guess what that means? It's Talk to Me Tuesday! But first... I needed to post a VERY SPECIAL "My Readers Are Heroes". I found this story the other day on Twitter and my heart was immediately touched and moved to do anything & everything that I could. Please watch this video, read her story, and SHARE IT. Please spread this allll over the web so that we can help this woman whose bravery brings tears to my eyes every time I think of her.

As someone who has never felt comfortable in my own skin and in the past used to harm myself (not anymore Praise God!) I am overwhelmed by her efforts to step forward and not accept defeat, but work to get comfortable in the beautiful body she has. She is truly a hero not only for me, but for many people out there. So glad that God brought her into my life! Without further ado.. here's Annette =)

Biggest Loser Audition - Annette Benavides from Annette Benavides on Vimeo.

My name is Annette Benavides. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. My entire life, I have struggled (sometime successfully, mostly unsuccessfully) with weight. I use food at first as something to ease my boredom. Around age 17, I began to realize that I did not value myself. I was cute, popular enough, but a little larger than the average girl. I started self harming myself around the same time and sought counseling. I mostly "got better."

By the time I went to college in Houston, I decided I needed to be a new person. I got immersed in the goth scene and started a pattern of self-destructive behaviors- cutting, starving, binging, poor sexual choices. Around the same time, my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I ended up leaving school to be with my mom (and to perhaps save myself). I went through months of frequent therapies and doctors and medications that made me fall asleep in class. By the time she passed away in 2002, I was so messed up that my weight had ballooned and I was in extremely unhealthy relationships.

After I graduated from college, I decided to make some changes. I dieted (Atkins) and lost a lot of weight. I became a runner- running became my therapy. But the old patterns slowly resumed- too much exercise, late nights at the club, too much alcohol and not enough food. And VERY poor decisions about men. I was self-destructing again and didn't even know it. I was using my new body, my new "cool" self as a way to validate myself, as a way to boost my self-esteem. Because of it, I suffered through many painful and emotionally abusive relationships. And I was no saint myself.

At the end of 2004, I met my future husband. His dedication to music and his independence inspired me. We became fast friends, then lovers. I moved to Austin to be close to him. In the course of our relationship, my weight ballooned even more- I was too happy and content to worry about myself. Finally, in January of 2009, I decided I was ready for a change. I wanted to get healthy, and mostly, I wanted to be attractive again. Despite being married, I craved attention. I became a runner again... I personal trained 3x a week. I ate better, I counted calories. By the time August rolled around, I was my lowest weight since 2002. And I felt fantastic- like a whole new person. Not a person who relied on attention to validate myself, but a person who felt accomplished and confident with myself.

My husband I decided to have a baby- and got immediately pregnant. I immediately began to gain weight, despite nightly 2 mile walks. I just indulged in my cravings with no regard to what was healthy. My weight once again ballooned. I had a relatively easy pregnancy, no complications other than severe pelvic girdle pain- exacerbated by my weight. At 37 weeks of pregnant, I was tired and just waiting to go into labor.

One evening, at 38.5 weeks, I realized I hadn't felt the baby move in several hours. I did all the things they tell you to do- drank cold water, lay on left side, ate food... nothing. We were renting a doppler... I pulled it out with dread. Sure enough, there was no sound. We went into Labor and Delivery where they confirmed that our daughter Valentina had died. I went through 22 hours of labor to deliver a 7lb 9oz beautiful baby girl. And then I went through hell for the next year.

My husband and I tried for seven months to get pregnant and it finally took at the end of February 2011. On March 18th, at 7 weeks, I had a miscarriage. Our second loss in less than a year. I immediately went through alternating periods of both crushing depression and feverish attempts to fix my life.

At this point, I have decided I need a firm kick in the pants to keep going... I am auditioning for the Biggest Loser, as well as the show Heavy. My hope is that someone will see my story, or watch my video, and they will help me to achieve my goals: I want to get healthy. I want to regain confidence. I want to feel like my body is ready for another pregnancy- a viable one. And more than anything, I want to motivate people- I want to be the cheerleader I used to be. I want to give courage to women who suffer from pregnancy loss in silence. I want to show people its possible to go to hell and back- and live your best life.

Please- I strongly encourage you all to watch and share my video- share my story- I want to honor Valentina's life by showing her than her mom is not someone who is crushed by grief, but someone who has risen from the ashes.

Vimeo:

http://www.vimeo.com/annettebiggestloser/audition

This video was created for my audition to be on the Biggest Loser show... I want to lose weight and regain my confident self after gaining weight and suffering two pregnancy losses in under a year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wACNrKj-KEk

Thanks Annette! She has my full support and I would LOVE for us to help get her there!! Thanks darlings! Also.. if you are a super special lovey and you share this story, please let me know via

this GoogleForm and you just might score some goodies! (Ending Tuesday, April 19th at 8PM PST) I hate to "bribe" people into sharing something as wonderful for this so let's just say its a chance to win as repayment for being amazing, shall we? I really believe in Annette & this journey. If you would like to share Annette's video, please use these links to embed & share.

Embed code:

Thank you so much!! <3

DIY Tutorial: Yo-Yo Flowers!!!! (Guest post by the gorgeous Stephanie!)

2011-04-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

Hi! I'm Stephanie [also known as fal00la] from Crafty Addiction :D

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is upon us. For you who might be reading this, and you happen to reside in the southern half of the world... No worries! This post is involves a project you can do year-round, regardless of what part of the world you may live

Yo-Yo Fabric Flowers

.
In this post, I'll be showing you how to make yo-yo fabric flowers.
I am a big fan of flowers.
I love getting real ones, but I always get sad when they die.
Also, I'm not the biggest fan of the fake, plastic flowers. That's probably why this DIY project
spoke to me. Also, it gave me the oppertunity to use the glue gun I've owned for the last 5 years, but
had never used...until now!

Let's get started!

Gather up all the stuff you will need!

- Fabric

- Scissors
- Buttons
- Card stock or a cereal box
- Maker/Pen
- Floral Wire *straight or in a spool -Whatever you can find
- Circle template you can download by clicking HERE *or you can do what
I did and outline a small plate & a large cup :)
- Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
- Felt *color of your choosing. I went with a leafy green
- Sewing Needle & Thread

Step 2

Cut circles out of card stock (or cereal boxes) using your template, or anything round.

Trace the circles on your fabric.


Step 3

Snip! Snip! Snip!

Cut the circles out of the fabric.

Step 4

Sew around the edges of the circle

Step5

Gather the fabric by pulling on the thread.

Tie a knot to keep it bunched.

Trim the excess thread.

Don't worry! Your thread blobby will be hidden by a...


Step 6

...Button! :)

Whip out your glue gun and glue a button to cover up the bunched middle of the flower.


Step 7

Cut out a piece of felt that looks like a leaf

Step 8

Take a length of floral wire and bend it in half.

Next, bend the open side of the wire

( I used the tip of my finger to my knuckle as measurement)

I found cloth covered, 18 inch, straight floral wire @ Hobby Lobby.

If you find those, great. If not, the wire that comes in spools will work just the same.


Step 9

Glue along both sides of the bent piece of wire.

Making sure the stem is below, glue the felt leaf on the

underside of the bent piece of wire.


Step 10

Glue the flower to the top of the leaf and wire.

Repeat steps 2-10 until you have as many flowers as your heart desires!


I put my little lovelies in a terracotta pot

Have fun, and Happy Crafting!

♥

- Stephanie -

"fal00la"

* I want to extend a big THANK YOU to Crystal [of Domestic But Not Martha] for giving me the opportunity to be a guest blogger.

You rock, Lady!

More Relief.. God is so good ;)

2011-04-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

If it were Wednesday this would totally be Wordless Wednesday.. just saw this on Facebook and had to share!!! Look at this relief God provided!!

And my heart ran over with love, laughter, and joy!! God is sooo good to me. This little fellow belongs to the Busy Bullocks. Thank you sooo much for posting this on FB. It made my entire day! (pshhh.. this wasn't staged either.. how AWESOME is that?)

Rebecca St. James CD Giveaway!

2011-04-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

I was offered the chance to review Rebecca St. James new CD, "I Will Praise You". I LOVE anything having to do with my faith and I couldn't pass up the opportunity also as an avid music lover, so I said "okay!" As soon as I got it in the mail, I popped it in and checked it out. The album art is gorgeous and the photography was excellently done!

I Will Praise You track listing:

I Will Praise You
You Never Let Go
Shine Your Glory Down
You Still Amaze Me
In a Moment
The Kindness of Our God
When The Stars Burn Down (Blessings & Honor)
Almighty God
You Hold Me Now
You Make Everything Beautiful

Also, several of the songs on the album are songs that ones sang at my church during Worship (You Never Let Go & I Will Praise You). Most notably though, my babies recognized her voice as the Angel in the Veggie Tales Easter movie (they have worn that film out!) and were pretty enchanted by the fact that I was playing her CD. (I have to say, she was incredible in that movie!) This was probably the second time in my life I had heard her non-Veggie Tales recordings and so I listened with an open mind (did I mention I LOVE music??) I can't say that the musical genre is my absolute favorite{Praise} (I typically listen to Christian alternative rock & r&b, etc) but was nice and upbeat. I couldn't wait to get this article written because I KNOW that a few of my readers are definite fans!!

The CD was released on April 5th and I have a special copy to giveaway to one of my lucky duckies!!!!!!!! Want it? Hit up this GoogleForm to enter by Sunday, April 10th, by 10pm PST. I'll notify the winner shortly after! Want to catch her on tour? You can also Love her on Facebook, attend the listening party, or if you can't wait for giveaway results, grab your own copy on Amazon or Itunes.

Happy day!

Legalities:

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a products or
services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it
on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally
and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance
with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the
Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Where to begin?

2011-04-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Phew!!! I know I keep saying that things will become more scheduled around here on Domestic, But Not Martha but I keep failing at it! LOL. As I tweeted earlier, I keep getting lost in the world and all there is to learn, experience, feel, see, give and receive. God made this place just so full of wonder!!

This break while my hubby was off we cleared the front lawn of dead grass, prepped for seeding & fertilized {I had a ditzy moment and was touching sulfur bare-handed with cuts & blisters OUCHIES!}, got our beds cleared out and sprayed preventative weed stuff (grass keeps growing in them!), fenced off a little section for a wild flower/sunflower/spearmint garden and started prepping that, mowed, etc. I'm not much of an outdoorsy, pioneer lady but I think there is a tiny drop of that in everyone somewhere so I just tried it last year out of necessity (hubby was deployed and I kept getting written up for not tending to the lawn). On my defense, I had never been taught and never had the chance.. but something amazing happened. In about a week, my lawn started looking AWESOME!! It was bright green, soft, thick, beautiful grass started coming in and it made the days I spent in 100+ degree weather doing it all by hand so worth it! {Egh! I need another digital camera so I could take pictures!!)

Here's a pretty picture of grass just to provide a nice visual

We also took an impromptu hike through the Poppy Reserve (which hasn't really bloomed yet) which was pretty laborious since we brought the double stroller instead of a hike pack. It gets pretty steep and rough in some places but I really love hiking overall and last summer took a big hike with five kids that were 5 & under and that was TRULY an experience! LOL.

More pictures & information on the reserve found here

I've been taking time to try to not be AS scheduled and time to do something crafty or artsy each day on my own or with the kids (or both hehehe). There is just something about it that makes me so joyful! Still taking time to meditate a few moments on the Word and all of it's wonderful promises, secrets, and wisdom.

As my blog name dictates, still taking time to be still and be quiet, and see what God's putting forward for me to learn. I can't say that I don't miss blogging daily but it's crazy how awesome His lessons are!! Speaking of that..

It's time to register again for next term for college and I'm REALLY unsure as to whether I should enroll.. Education is a GREAT thing but so is making sure I leave plenty of time in my life for time with God, my husband, my babies, ministry, and creativity (and of course this blog!!!). So I'm super up in the air about it and not much time to decide. I've gotten quite a few blog posts began and a few new series I'm putting together so please stick with me while I make it happen!

2011-04-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

Oh wow! This post may be a long one!! I'm combining MixTape Monday & Talk to Me Tuesday! First order of business?

Here we go.. short but sweet!

Rocky Loves Emily- Clueless (I can't resist this band. Ever.)
NeverShoutNever- She's Got Style (Yes, he's a MM fixture!)
KJ-52- Swagged Out with My Tags Out (Christian Rap)
The Beatles- Eight Days a Week (Sing this all the time with my Hubs)
Manafest- No Plan B (More Christian rock/rap love! He's becoming a fixture in MM I think!)
The Maine- I Must Be Dreaming
Stephen Jerzack- I'm In Love

Now...

Prayer Requests:

Please remember the following prayer request "My mom, is diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is cancerous. She is being prepared for her bone marrow transplant via medication to get her healthier... If she doesn't receive the transplant, she only has 5 years to live. If her transplant is successful, they will continue with chemotherapy... She is 66 yrs old, and the transplant has a 65% success rate for her age bracket. **This reader wished to remain anonymous but we know God knows who they are so please join me in prayer for healing, comfort, & strength for mom & the family!**" Please continue to remember the reader's family and the mother as she begins chemotherapy in a week or two.
Please pray for my dear blog friend's hubby who is a veteran and is struggling with severe PTSD and pain on an ongoing basis and her daughter just had a minor surgery. Prayers for healing, comfort, & strength their way please!
Please pray for my dear friend who is wanting to adopt. It is a process and I know God will provide but I know how hard it is to wait. Sending love your way <3
Please remember baby Elias born early and is doing okay at the moment but being so preemie could use some prayer love!

I think I will post my other stuff in a second post later!! Going to see what shenanigans I can get into with my babies this gorgeous sunny afternoon!