I'm visiting today

 at Delicate Construction's Homemade in December!

Come see my ornament tutorial!

a time for everything.

So there's been something on my heart that I journaled about a long time ago, that I feel led to share here.  I'm hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone, somewhere needs to read this.

In May 2006, I had a miscarriage.  It was very early on and I didn't even know that I was pregnant for sure until I miscarried.  We weren't trying to get pregnant and I was on some medication that probably caused it, but I had the strongest ache in my heart for a while.  And this loss made us realize that we were ready to start trying for a baby {you can read a little more about it in Layne's Birth Story}. 

When I delivered Layne, I had such a spiritual revelation.  I cannot imagine how anyone can not believe in God after having a child. There's no words to explain it...it's amazing.  And it made me think that had I stayed pregnant the first time, or even conceived in the other four months that we were trying to get pregnant, I would not have had that exact baby.  That she was destined by God to be our daughter. 

Fast forward one year almost to the day.  We had just finished Layne's first birthday party when I took a pregnancy test.  Positive.  We were shocked.  And weren't exactly happy at the time.  I had been having headaches that I was able to link back to my birth control pills.  I stopped taking the pills and we were going to try the Rhythm Method.  You know...take your basal temperature, chart it, avoid ovultaion time, etc.  Except the first month was obviously not successful. 

It took me almost two year to realize that every. single. thing. about Gray's conception happened for a reason.  Obviously, it was God's plan for us to have Gray and He was the one who caused the headaches.  And caused me to make the decision to go off the pills.  I thank God every day for that little boy. And for the headaches.  And the Rhythm Method, LOL.  Isn't that amazing!?!

Psalm 139:13-17  is such an amazing passage that speaks about this.

Reading this passage, I'm comforted to know that God planned this life of mine out.  He knew that I'd marry Matt.  And have those two babies.  And He knows already of any more kids that we will have.  And the day that I will go to meet Him. 

It's comforting to know that my fate isn't in the hands of luck.  Or kharma.  Or my own hands.  My fate is determined by God.

And one day, we'd like to have another baby.  It has been such a blessing to keep this verse in mind.  I'm not anxious or disappointed when I'm not pregnant each month.  But comforted that when it happens, it will be the baby that was meant for me.

And if you are dealing with a loss, or are having trouble trying to conceive, or maybe even a surprise pregnancy...know that He is in control. 

Shabby Apple Winner!

Shabby Apple contacted me to giveaway an awesome piece of their jewelry! And I picked the beautiful Key to Wonderland necklace that retails for $52!

 

And the winner is......

Sarah @ Simply Sarah Style!

{Crazy Blessed Love} Scarves!

Oops!  I'm two days late for this post...I thought I scheduled it, but didn't....oh well!

Kids are FINALLY starting to feel better!

Okay...on to the features!  I love scarves.  I have three or four different ones, but I've never actually made one.  It's been on my list to do for months...but we all know how that goes!

I love the look and color of this one!  It has ruffles...and it looks so easy to do!

{Mandi Being Crafty}

Beverly dyed this scarf...genius!  How easy would it be to find white fabric or t-shirts and dye it whatever color you want?!?

 {Flamingo Toes}

I love the color and texture of this one!  But you all didn't know that I liked yellow, did you? :)

{Wayward Girls Crafts}

I N.E.E.D. an infinity scarf.  Love the color of this one too!

 {vixenMade}

And how cute is this flower on this scarf!?!?

{Creative Endeavors}

If you were featured...grab a button!

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{Giveaway} Shabby Apple

I am so excited to share this awesome giveaway with you!!  When I was contacted by Shabby Apple to give away a necklace, I may have squealed a little bit.

Shabby Apple is an online store specializing in vintage jewelry and dresses.  And they have an adorable line of children's dresses at Shabby Baby.  What's not to love!?!

Here are a few of my favorites!

And who isn't always looking for the perfect little black dress?

You have the chance to win this beautiful Key to Wonderland necklace {retails $52}.

To win, simply leave a comment telling me your favorite item from Shabby Apple.

**Only US Residents can win.**

{Bonus Entries}

Leave a sepearate comment for each entry.

Like Shabby Apple on Facebook.

Follow This Crazy Blessed Life on Google Friend Connect or Facebook.

Giveaway ends Saturday, November 26th @ 9 pm!


Oh - and just for you...10% off your Shabby Apple order!
Use Code: Crazyblessedlife10off

Thankful Frame {with Printable!}

Last week I had the opportunity to guest post over at The CSI Project.  In case you missed it, I'll share it again. And there's a free printable at the end!

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we have been trying to help our kids understand what it means to be thankful.  Being "thankful" is so hard to explain to a 2 year old!  {appreciative and grateful aren't really words that they understand...}

A tradition that we just started this year is going around at dinner time and saying one thing that we were thankful for that day.  To share our thanks, I decided to make a cute little printable that we could write on and change each day!

{And no, my husband and I aren't the ones that said Tattoos!}

This is super simple project that anyone can make!

Start out with an old {or new} picture frame.  I couldn't find one at home that I could repurpose, so I bought one at Walmart for $4.

In your art studio {aka kitchen counter covered with newspaper}, sand the frame lightly with a piece of sandpaper, wipe away the dust, and paint the desired color.  I have a million bottles of little $0.50 Acrylic Paint, so that's what I used.  Spray paint would work lovely too, if you have any laying around.

{I was going for a mustard color, so I added a bit of brown to my yellow-orange paint}

Next step...click on this image below or the link right here.  It will take you right to Photobucket to download the image to your computer.  To download, hover your mouse over the image and a little toolbar should show up.  Click File  >  Download (original size).   It is sized to print off as 8 x 10.

Stick the print in your frame once it is dried.

Last step?  Find a dry erase marker and tell everyone what you are thankful for!

And change it up every day!

My past 10 days.

The things below and I have become best friends lately.

Both kids have had a stomach virus the past week and a half.  Layne started on a Sunday and was back to normal by Friday.  Grayson has been at it since last Thursday...on day 6.

We have washed so many towels, sheets, blankets, and clothes that have been vomited or pooped on.  I went through an entire 32 load bottle in 4 days.  I am not even kidding.

A little story...stop reading if you are eating or have a light stomach.  If you are a mom, then you are probably just fine to read on.

We were soooo careful for Layne not to pass anything on to Grayson.  We Clorox wiped the toilet every time she went.  We have washed our hands until they are dry and cracking.  One night after dinner, Layne said she was feeling sick.  She went to head to the bathroom and threw up on the floor in the kitchen.  I told Grayson to stay put in the bathroom so that he didn't step in it and I carried Layne to the tub. 

Here's the conversation that I heard while I was cleaning up the mess...

Grayson - "Sissy, what's that?"

Layne - "A piece of an orange." {that apparently fell out of the vomit in her hair}

Grayson - "I eat it?"

And before I could yell for him to stop it was too late.  After all of the effort to keep him well and not get sick, he ate vomit.  And here we are...eight days later with a sick kid still...

On the positive note, they are happy and almost acting normal, even with the virus. 

{Crazy Blessed Love} Brilliant Blogs

Today, I'm roasting a turkey.  My second one ever.  And this time I didn't even have to call my grandma once for help!  I think I called about 6 times last year.



I started {Crazy Blessed Love} to feature things I love.  So far, I've featured crafty projects.  But today, I'm going to feature some of my favorite non-crafty blogs.  I'd say that the majority of the blogs that I follow are craft blogs, but there's a whole other category of blogs that I love to read. {By the way, these bloggers have no idea that I'm featuring them...and I was not compensated to do so...I just love them!}

These bloggers have a gift with words.  I love to read what they have to say!  Some have thousands of followers and some are much smaller, like me.

First up is Sarah Kate @ Nothing But Blue Skies.  This girl is just a cutie!  She followed her dreams and moved from the hustle and bustle of every day life to her sweet farm.

Next is one of the first blogs that I ever started reading.  Kelle has a gift with words and her pictures are beautiful.  She blogs about her life as a mom of two sweet girls.  She has a Lainey too and I swear our girls are sooo alike!

Another one of my favorites has been mentioned quite a bit around here.  I love Laura's style of photography and writing.  She has such wisdom & a certain grace about her.  

This is one of the newer blogs that I follow.  Once I read Bridget's love story, I was totally hooked.  It was like reading a novel.  Plus, she's got a really cute little guy :)

And last, I just found this new blog and I love it.  It's a blog written by a group of friends to encourage others in their walk with God.  To be fearless, because God's got your back.

If you were featured...grab a button!

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Free Photo Cards or Photo Book!

So I don't usually share deals on here, but I was so excited about this that I had to share :)

Have you ever heard of My Publisher?

I just ordered free photo cards through them and wanted to share this awesome deal with you!

What do I love about My Publisher?

The quality.

The cards are nice and thick and the envelopes come lined...for free.

Plus, they can pull pictures from Facebook.

Free Shipping!

They have two awesome deals that you can take advantage of...just click below!

Ends 11/23

 

They are also one of our new sponsors, so I'll keep you updated on their deals on my sidebar!

WIWW - Love my Boots

I have this little problem with boots.  Well, knee-high boots anyway.  My calves are just too fat for most of them.

It usually goes like this.

"Oh, look at these.  Exactly what I was looking for!"

"And they have my size!  Yes!"

Try them on...

And they won't fit over my calves.

I had been "looking" for brown riding boots for a year when I found these at a Rack Room Shoes in Florida.  When they fit, I. Had. To. Have. Them.

And I may or may not plan my outfit around my boots now...there's nothing wrong with that, right?

On Saturday, we had a date night!  We went to Smash Burger and the Casting Crowns {with The Afters and Sanctus Real} Concert.  We had an amazing time!  If you are a fan of Chrisitian music at all, you have to go to a Casting Crowns concert.  The lead singer is hilarious and the experience is out of this world...literally.

{Top - American Eagle, Skirt - Old Navy, Boots - Rack Room Shoes, Jewelry - Premier Designs}

{Jewelry is Premier Designs...I sell it :) Necklace - Fashion Sense & Earrings - Laura}

And this is what I wore to work today.  Sorry for the p'd off look :)  You have to snap quick when your kids keep jumping in front of you.  {And about the hand prints on the mirror...don't judge}

{Top - Forever 21, Jeans - Mossimo @ Target, Necklace - Elemental (Premier)}

I'm at The CSI Project today!

I'm guest posting for Thanksgiving Week over at The CSI project today!

Come over and leave me some love :)

Pajama Tea Party

Mondays are my favorite day of the week...with the exception of the weekends. On Mondays, I get to be at home with my babies.   I'm so blessed to have recently been able to move to a 32 hr/wk schedule! Sure, I'd rather be at home every day. But this is one step closer...and right now, I'm satisfied.

Today, we had a tea party...while still in our pajamas! We pulled out the real glass tea set and made some real tea. With real sugar and real milk {aka cream}.

With tea sandwiches as requested by the princess. {Cheese and Miracle Whip Sandwiches...don't ask.}

As I was making the sandwiches and the kids were making their own cups of tea, they were pretending.  This is definitely one of my favorite parts of being a mom.  Their imagination amazes me and I could listen to them pretend together all day.

Layne:  "Hello Sir.  I'm Princess Roxanne.  What is your name?"
Gray:  "Hi Sir.  Pinocchio."
Layne: "Well, I love your name, Pinocchio."

{All in their fanciest voices.}

Some other things overheard during our tea party...

"It's not polite to put your elbows on the table."

"Can we have a chocolate milk party instead?"

"I can't do it!" {In response to Layne telling Gray to put his pinkie up.}

"Bonjour, Mom.  That means thank you, you know." {To which I gave up arguing over.}

And yes, after our first pot of tea, we had a chocolate milk party.  With milk in the tea pot and chocolate syrup in the creamer pot.



Can you tell Gray liked the Chocolate Milk party better than the tea party?