Can Anybody Hear Me?

Lately I have really been struggling more with depression and anxiety. I feel burdened and overwhelmed by all the little things and the big things going on in my life.

During this time, my spiritual life has felt dry and routine. Have you heard that song by Meredith Andrews called, Can Anybody Hear Me? I heard it several weeks ago driving and her lyrics hit me as exactly where I was. Here are a few of those:

Can anybody hear me?

The silence is deafening

Why do you feel so far away...

I know that you can hear me...

Even though you seem far away.

And I know you're here with me...

nothing can separate me from your love...

A great song that has spoken to where I am at right now. There is a lot more to this story, but I originally started writing this post um...on 7/14 (yikes!) so I am just going to post it now. If you are dying to know the "rest of the story", you will just have to call me because after my next post, I am going unplugged for a week - no Facebook, no blogs, no emails, no TV.

BFF Scrapbook

So my BFF, Amber, just turned 30. (No jokes about me robbing the friend cradle people!) I had been planning to make her a scrapbook for over a year now. I'm glad I waited until the last week before her birthday to make it because I ended up switching directions for themes and loved the final choice I made.

I looked up all sorts of different songs about friendship and used the lyrics as my journaling. It was fun to find the songs and she ended up with a bonus soundtrack to listen to as well.

Love you Amber! Thanks for the great memories!

Here are a couple of my favorite layouts:

Sewing 101: Drew & The Bible Cover

Drew made this CUTE Bible cover for her mom's birthday. She continues to amaze me with her creativity and sewing skills.

Ella Bella

It is hard to believe that this picture was taken 2 years ago. It seems like yesterday when we were welcoming Ella Bella into our family.

Now she is a busy, vibrant 2 year old with a mind of her own! I miss you Elizabeth. Sending sweet Happy Birthday kisses your way...

***

ella bella

sweet

flirt

mischievious

beautiful

will we ever find a fella

good enough for our ella bella?

Sewing 101

I have the pleasure of teaching my best friend's two daughters, Drewanne & Lilly, some basic sewing skills. They are homeschooled by their mom and I get to be part of the curriculum! What an honor.

We started in January and have done a few projects. I am so impressed by how quickly they are learning things. It has been exciting for me since I have to figure out new things before I show them, and just simply understand the process more in order to teach it. So I feel like I have learned more than they have.

They are learning how to plan projects, pick out fabric, measure & cut, iron, and finally sew their projects. In some cases, they are learning to create their own patterns.

Here are the projects they have made thus far:

Drewanne

Look out for this one! She is a natural and with her independence and brave fashion choices, may be a future designer. I can't wait to see what she will come up with as she grows!

Lilly

So far, she enjoys ironing the most! And since she is good at it, you may want to consider hiring her for future ironing jobs. The thing I have enjoyed the most with Lilly is she is wanting to plan projects to make for others - matching skirts for Evie and Kate or presents for her friends.

Stay tuned to see what else these two create.

Labels

I discovered this post that I wrote a couple of months ago that I never published. So here it is...

I had the privilege of sharing my story at our annual Women's Retreat a couple of weeks ago. Many of the women there knew portions of it - my infertility, my father's illness, some of my struggles with depression, anxiety, and perfectionism. But I was much more vulnerable about the inner me than I have ever been in front of an audience.

I focused on the labels that I wear. Labels that either I have put on myself or adopted from others. It was quite the ordeal to prepare to speak and then to share.

I felt so blessed by the experience. It brought me back to working on my junk, listening to my heart, and reflecting on how far God has brought me and where I need to go next. It was an incredible experience to share with my friends - to connect on a deeper level and speak into each others' lives. I felt blessed to have touched others with my story - for them to hear bits of their stories within mine.

I am always amazed by how God weaves our stories into each others', providing us with meaningful fellowship and community, to learn from each other, to grow together, to challenge each other, and to love and laugh together.

The week after the retreat, I went through a downward spiral again - emotional and physical exhaustion from the retreat coupled with yet more labels I was placing on myself. It is so tiresome to be me sometimes - can I get a U2Me2 anyone?! But through that, God revealed yet another area of my life that I need to closely examine His truth instead of listening to myself.

I feel honored to be on this journey. I feel that the travel conditions right now are extreme - going from dry, dusty deserts to humid, suffocating jungles. But I know that the final destination will be worth it and I will appreciate my Savior's oasis so much more.

Thank you Lord for loving us. For loving us so much that you bother to refine us.

Cluttered

Cluttered.

A cluttered house.

A cluttered heart.

A cluttered mind.

Cluttered.