A New Years Wish ... and a Printable :)

I'm a control freak (to be completely honest with you)... but not in the way where I have to take charge, boss people around, and do things my way...  different from that.

It's more about having things under control.  ... mainly my home, my kids, my stuff...  I like to be one step ahead, not behind.  I like to be proactive, not reactive.

Lately life has been out of control.  I'm ten steps behind, hanging on by a thread, and just hoping my world stays together and life doesn't completely fall apart.   I've slacked on training with my girls, let up on reading/studying God's word,  I've put off going to the Lord in prayer, I push down the clothes in the hamper a little farther instead of starting a load of laundry, my kitchen floor is filthy, my desk is super unorganized, I haven't unpacked our suitcase from last week... and I've allowed these things to get under my skin.  I feel out of control.  I feel behind.  I feel like a failure.  What a great way to start the new year! :)

I went to church yesterday morning...  and listened to a New Years sermon.  I was in and out of the service, because of my loud youngest child, but God did speak to me.

These days when I utter a prayer in the midst of the chaos, it usually is a feeble cry for God to help me handle my load, my responsibilities.  As I started to breath that prayer in church yesterday, I felt God ask me... if I would trust him.  If I would trust him instead of trusting in my ability to conquer my life.  Could I be okay with chaos raging around me, just holding on to my Savior?  Maybe I don't need to get my life under control... maybe I just need to allow myself to be under God's control.

So my prayer has changed...

My New Years prayer is this:

Oh God, help me to trust in  you and not in myself and my ability to control all the pieces of my life.  Bring me under your control... hide me under the shelter of  your wing and comfort me.  Help me to be okay with the chaos raging around me if it makes me more dependent on you.  Grant me joy and peace in this year ahead...that can only come from you, not from crossing off things on a to-do list.  Thank you for  your promise to never leave me no matter what life brings.

 My New Years  prayer for you:

You can print your own copy of this art print, as a reminder to trust in the Lord this new year...  it's a 5x7... frame it, pin it up, or pass it on to a friend!

DOWNLOAD it here :)

Blessing in Christ and Happy New Year!

Today is our Christmas... take a peek.... :)

Today our family is celebrating Christmas!  My brain is too fried to write something cohesive... so...
here are my thoughts in bullet form :)

-To help you understand the context of this day and these photos... JJ and I didn't go to bed last night.  We have been so busy this December, all Christmas gift prep was left till this week.  I've had just a couple nights that ended before 3 am in the last several weeks.  Today I am full of joy, but in a complete fog!

-Jeremy COMPLETELY surprised me with a gift that I've been asking for since our first year of marriage... so absolutely amazingly sweet.

-We painted our living room two weeks ago... I've been wanting to show you, but haven't had time.

-My house is anything but clean today, and I need to do laundry, pack for trip to KS, finish family's gifts, wrap presents for trip, and be festive!

-Jeremy is currently dead to the world.

-It's sunny today...YEA... and it makes the girls' room look lovely.

-JJ and I made the girls cardboard box cages for their animals, pretend mail, and LOTS of little notebooks to draw and write stories in.

-I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice God made to come to earth as a child... to keep his promise and send a Savior...  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Thank you, Lord.

Blessing to you this Christmas... and may you know the true joy of the season that comes from a relationship with Christ, the Savior of the world...

Love,
:)

Sticker, Seals, or Washi Tape! ... just in time for Gift Wrapping

Awhile back, I did a post about how to make your own mini washi tape.... Well, today I have some more free printable patterns for you to use with that tutorial... some Christmas patterns!

I also wanted to show you some other ways you can use the patterns ...by printing on labels to make stickers, seals, and some medium sized Washi tape. 

First off...
Print on round labels to make envelope seals or gift wrapping stickers:

Or...
Print on 1" x 2 5/8" return address labels to make medium sized Washi tape.  Great for cheering up a simple wrapping job.   To make these, you can refer to my other tutorial on Mini Washi Tape.  The only  difference is that after you've printed and cut the edges with pinking shears, then you cut the labels in half length-wise.  Easy enough... and super cute!

Here are your Free Printable Christmas Patterns:
To Save, just click on the pattern and save the full-sized version.  It will be a .jpeg... Open in an word processing program/or design program/or even a simple preview window and print onto label paper!
I'd love to hear your plans for these patterns... leave a comment and let me know!

Just please remember... Patterns are for personal use only and may not be sold, distributed, or used for profit of any kind.


Blessings,

Sadie Pie Small Fry is 3

Today is my Sadie's birthday :) .... 
She is a joy.
She is a blessing.
She is our little miracle. 

I sat down with the girls after I put V to bed, and looked at pictures of Sadie from the day she was born.  Sometimes I forget, that she was that itty bitty baby that God protected... our little miracle.

Today I am overwhelmed once again, as I think about what the Lord has done.  There is always a twinge of pain, when I look back... But the God has taken that pain and drown it out with joy and thankfulness. Today I praise the Lord not only for my little Sadie, but for his amazing faithfulness. 

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD;  yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.  I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12

You can read Sadie's Story (The Twins Story) here...  :)

Blessings,

oh, my... missing patterns!

I realized this morning that the file I linked for you to download yesterday was missing some of the patterns!  ...so I fixed it :)  Just wanted to let you know! 

And because I can't post without a picture of some sort... here are a couple more photos from the Kansas photo shoot last week :)  Enjoy!

Blessings,

PRINTABLE Doodle-Style Christmas Tags

Hello Lovely Friends!

Well, I'm back in my own home... back at my own desk... and back to work!
My attitude is better now... most of the time :)

Virgil is sick with a fever though... which bums me out.  But at least he cuddles with me now :)  ...that's kinda nice.

I made you some Christmas tags.  I was trying to decide what type to make, and I had all kinds of ideas swirling around in my head.  I wanted to design something that you all would like... Problem is, when I go at designing from that angle, I'm bound to fail.  So I scratched those ideas, and went back to true Amy J. style.  If I were going to make tags for my gifts... these are what I would make!  So... this is what you get... Amy J. style... take it or leave it :)   (I'll keep fiddling with my other ideas... and when the time is right, and they aren't forced... they will come together.  And then I will share them with you!  oohh... and I also have some Christmas Washi tape patterns for you sometime, as well! )

But for now...

Download, print, cut, ... and enjoy!

And if you're the type that doesn't mind... please let me know if you're going to take these doodles home!  It just brightens my day :)

DOWNLOAD HERE

*As always...File and finished product for personal use only... not for resale or profit of any kind.

Blessings,

This week in Kansas...

 

This week in Kansas has not been what I was hoping for.  I was hoping for a break...some rest... but it's been anything but that.   I feel guilty even saying that.  But you see I'm notoriously negative...  I seem to have trouble focusing on the positive aspects of my circumstances. I tend to have a "poor me" complex.  (big sigh.)

But still,  the fact of the matter is I'm a mother to 4 young children.  Children who, by their very nature, require a huge amount of work during a normal day at home, and even more work away from home.  Away from home there are taxing new variables like new environments, late nights, heightened expectations to behave/perform, busy schedules, and extra sugar :)  And I am The Mother... yes, with capital letters... I am the only one who is completely capable of caring for them (especially since I still nurse V).  There is no escape, there is no break,  there is... no vacation.

(I'm going to pause here to say... perhaps in defense of my doom and gloom post... that I signed up for this.  I walked into this place in life with my eyes open.  And I want to be here.  I am thankful to be here.  This is exactly what I always wanted.  ... it's just hard sometimes.  I knew it would be hard... I just didn't know being a mom would be this hard... and this exhausting :)

So here in Kansas, JJ hunted for most of the first two days... and then today he has been sick and slept most of the day.  I feel like I haven't seen my husband in days...  I thought I was supposed to see him more.  I feel like I have more time alone watching the kiddos... I thought I was supposed to have extra help and a break.  I thought I would get some time to do purely frivolous design projects...  I've just responded to Etsy conversations and sent emails.  Bummer.

Yesterday, I claimed my husband for a couple hours to help me take pictures of the kiddos for our Christmas card.  Instead of being fun, the whole experience included lots and lots and screaming from Virgil,  a bad attitude from Alice, harsh words from me, a very frustrated father, crying because of stickers in boots, weird and frustrating facial expressions, defiance, and a dog fight (literally 2 dogs got into a big fight that JJ had to break up in the middle of our shoot!)...  It was just one more thing for me to add to my list of things that weren't going right.  It was just one more thing to suck my energy and joy out of me.

But it's okay...   It's all okay.

See actually that, right there, is the exact problem.  It's more than okay.  Nothing is wrong... I'm with the people I love the most... we are blessed beyond measure... and  yet I find a way to focus on my selfish expectations.  I find a way to feel cheated and to focus on the negative.  Shame on me.

Today on Thanksgiving,  I have no trouble saying "Thank You" to God.  But what I do have trouble with is living thankful to God.  Thankfulness is not something you say.  It's not something that you mentally acknowledge...making a list in your head of the "good things" that you have.   Rather it's an outlook... a way of living... a state of the heart.  Today on Thanksgiving I am not thankful.... at least that's what my attitude and my actions are saying.  After all, how can someone be thankful and have a bad attitude?  They are completely incompatible.

So I've got a lot of work to do.  I need to turn my focus back around....back around to the Father.  I need to stop looking at what is or isn't perfect or difficult in my life and start living a life of gratitude.  A life of gratitude that flows out of seeking after and learning to really know the God of the universe and his son Jesus Christ.  When I gaze upon his face, his glory...  I see that I am a selfish pessimistic mom who is amazingly saved by grace.... and for that I can't help but be truly thankful.

So there it is... me and my bad attitude in need of a heart change...  HA!
How's your heart?
How's your attitude? 
Are you living thankful to God?

Blessings,