Three Weeks?! Holy Moly!

So my younger brother keeps telling me "Three Weeks Maddie, three weeks." I'd much rather say 25 days, it makes me feel like I have more time to get things done. And while I have most things done, and it's exciting, and I'm excited, there is still much to get done, as you can see from this list I made yesterday morning.

And in case you don't notice, I have crossed off a lot of things (and used a lot of different colors!). I'm slowly but surely getting things done, and it's truly an amazing thing. I even gathered a bag full of things to send to the woman who is arranging my fake flowers for all my bridesmaids. She needs those pins and that raffia for the boutineers and corsages!

I'm making head way. And feeling more and more the crunch of time to get things done. There are a few things that I've had done for months, like the head bands that I plan on giving my bridesmaids, flower girls, and my Beloved's younger sisters.

I love that those were done, when my Big Sisters surprised me at my Wedding Shower, I got to put my little niece Ada Bug in her head band. She loved it. She's very excited to be a flower girl, and I must say, I'm excited to have her in it. For the rest of her life I can show her pictures and say, "See, see how cure you were in Aunt Maddie Poo's wedding?" She might hate me for it, but it's still gonna happen.

Today was dedicated to painting my Sign In tree. Instead of going with the traditional book, I decided to make a tree, where people can put their thumb prints at and make leaves for our tree. If I can opt for artwork to make for my future house you'd better believe that I'm doing it! I did this tree once already, and hated it so much that I decided to do it again. This time, I started with the words I knew I wanted on it, and then worked around it. 

I've never been very good with calligraphy (shocking, I know) but I decided to give it a whirl for this project, and even though it took me almost an HOUR to just paint words, I powered through. And in the end, the Sign In Tree looks awesome, and I can't wait for people to add their thumbprints to fill our tree.

As I've been going through this wedding planning process, I've been trying to blog/write about it. Mainly because everyone keeps telling me that you don't really remember everything about your wedding, all the small details. My mom wants me to write about it more than I already do! (Don't tell her, but as much as I love her, she's more Bridezilla than me...and I decided that that's a good thing, because then, I get things done!) But here I have this wonderful blog to look back on read about the wedding planning (and a few things that happened in between) and how much I kinda really enjoyed it. My wedding is very much a reflection of who I am, and hopefully who my Beloved is. (Men really just don't care I'm finding out) I want people to feel the love that we have for one another, for our Lord, and for our families.

And really, this is the most amazing God Art of it all, that we can know love, that we can share love, that He loves us.

"So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;
but the greatest of these is love."

-1 Corinthians 13:13

30 Days!

It is exactly 30 days until my wedding. And I am so stupidly excited that I can't even begin to tell you how happy my heart is...but...I'm starting to feel the sting of separation. I've been reading the Bible (well, ok that's weird to say, because I always do...but...lately this has been on my heart...) and I've started to read the Proverbs. This book of the Bible has so much to say about Wisdom, how to use it, where to use it, who to gain wisdom from. Much of it goes back to parents.

When I read the above passage all I could think was that the garlands for my head and the pendants for my neck must be heavy and beautiful, because my parents tried to give me so much wisdom and advice and sound judgment that this must be true for me.

As I try to transition from daughter to wife, I find myself having trouble sometimes. I don't always like people, I get jealous (especially of my Beloved's time) and I am still ruled by emotions at least once a month. But I do try to remember all the things that my mother and father have taught me. Because they are the best people I think I will ever know, and they have given me so much information. And you know? Even though I'll be down the road, I'm gonna miss them a whole bunch.

I keep studying the Word though, to see what info it can give me, to take into my heart all the wisdom that the Lord could have to offer me. Because as we all know, those who walk with the wise becomes wise. :)

Also, this is just a side note, but I love coffee, and I think that whenever you open your bible, you should have coffee. No morning is complete without it.

Other side not, I really am getting married in 30 days! 30 DAYS! :) To THIS guy,

Isn't he handsome? ;)

A Lady Day

Had the opportunity today to go talk about some things with some wonderful woman! It is amazing to me the things that they do not teach you in school, and all the things that are lacking in our education, especially as woman.

My mother, younger sisters and I headed to a Seminar this weekend called Maidens By His Design. We learned about menstruation  hormones, cramps, herbs, alternates to feminine products, and we talked about taking your thoughts captive. If you aren't a girl, and you don't want to know about these things, well, I feel for you. God has designed our bodies for a specific reason, and with woman to have you boys, you wouldn't be here. I am blessed with a man who loves every aspect of who God has created me to be, including the parts that people think are "gross". I have ovaries  And a uterus. And that is where a baby is grown and protective. My Beloved, he knows this, and loves that God would do such an amazing thing. You can get even more information going to this site on facebook.

I think the thing that struck me most was "being hormonal is not an excuse to sin." The woman who wrote the curriculum for the girls is actually a midwife, who I've seen her in action (October 1st, 2012, the first time I saw a home birth and photographed it!). She was talking at one point about how she tells pregnant woman that very thing that being in labor is no reason to sin. As I am not pregnant (yet, Lord-Willing!) I applied this to my own life. The week before I start, I get crazy. I cry for no reason, I get angry for no reason, I sometimes get super hyper. It's insanity. Recently, I've noticed more and more how those violent moods affect others, and how they make others feel.

What I took from this seminar, along with a lot of vocabulary that I didn't know that I didn't know, I learned and took to heart to take my thoughts captive. I used to tell my Beloved that ADHD was an explanation  not an excuse. Well the same goes for me and hormones. It is an explanation, not an excuse to be mean to him or others. I need to focus MORE on the Lord when it's "that time of month" or as I like to say when I'm "being a girl".

It was a lot to think about. But this is what I think I need to work on the most.

A Quick Love Note

Sometimes, Blair doesn't feel like putting things up in our house.

And sometimes, I'm sick, and can't do it myself/me and power tools is NOT a wise idea. 

But Blair loves me so much, that even when he doesn't want to do things for me, he still does. 

So then, I get things like beautiful lights put up in my guest bedroom. 

He really loves me.

And shh, don't tell him, but I really love him too! 

Shower Pictures

I wanted to share a few pictures I've taken since my Wedding Shower, hope you enjoy!

That's my crazy Grandma and my second to youngest niece Miss Molly. My sisters in law drove all the way up from Tennessee with all they crazy children (minus one Katy) just to be here for my shower. The only person missing was my sister in law from South Carolina! I know that some people have these weird relationships with their in laws, but, I don't have that. In fact I frequently refer to them as my "sisters". It makes me happy. It also makes me happy that Blair's family is like that. I'm getting another brother and two more little sisters! I can't wait! By the end of my life, I'm gonna have the big sister thing down! But hey, I learned from three of the best, so I can't complain.

My Aunt and I kinda have this squirrel thing going on. It stared YEARS ago when I was in high school, she told my mom and I some crazy day dream about drumming squirrels and dancing shrimp. So I painted her a picture of what I thought that would look like. Ever since, we've been exchanging squirrel gifts! These are the slat and pepper shakers that you will see when you come one over for dinner. :)

  Have you ever had a friend who was just amazing? Enter Andi. This girl and I go way back to Daisy Girl Scouts. We learned to knit together, bake, sold cookies, and compared books like you wouldn't believe. She shares my love of coffee, and while I didn't think any one would get this for me, she did! I couldn't have been happier. Now I have my own little machine to help me get going in the morning. She and her wonderful mother drove a ways just to come to my wedding shower and meet my Beloved. There are people in this world who just make you feel whole and happy, she is and always be one of them.

Here you see proof that people read my blog! My big sisters made me that crafty picture on the left, and gave me a HUGE basket full of things (which has become a sort of tradition in my family!) that included those M and B coffee mugs. (The J there was made by another friend, Kim, who is also a wonderful human being!) 

This is exciting to both Blair and I! Spices! Loads and loads of cooking and experimentation fun! I love seeing that cabinet so full of spices and things that I know I will use for cooking!

This is our "bedroom oasis"! It will take some getting used to for Blair and I, but we are both excited about the way this makes our room together look. It's whimsical. It just makes our bedroom more special than the rest of the house, and one day, when we have crazy things going on and a house full of kids, I think having a special place that is "ours" will help a whole lot.

This is a verse that I believe should be plastered around every house that claims to be one of Believers! The woman who gave us this is amazing. She's kind and compassionate, and sticks to what she believes (even if we don't always see eye to eye!) and I love people like that. It was amazing to me the amount of support that was generated for Blair and I. I think you can tell when people are genuinely happy for you, and on this day, that's how it felt for me. That people were just...happy for me.

Blair and I often talk about how blessed we are, because Lord forbid that we should ever forget! The more we talk about it, the more we realize that we have nothing really to worry about (I need to remember this more than he does I think!). Think about it, if God is who He says He is, then we need to Trust that.

I think the best thing my Dad has said about my wedding and what's happening right now is, "You two are making good choices and I'm proud of you." When he says this, it makes my heart more than just a little happy. Making the right choices, doing things the way I've always wanted to do them, has been hard for me at times. I didn't always make the right choices. But God has taken that and made it something so amazing. He has made me who I am today! I can't complain about that. I can only marvel. :)

And at the end of the weekend, after I've gotten things put away (yeah right, who I am kidding!? There is stuff all over my house!) THIS is how I felt!

Winter Play

Before I post some pictures from my Wedding shower, I'd like to share a few from the other day when I was out playing with my best friend. I find it funny that adults don't use that term, out playing. Remember when you were a kid, and you used to ask if you could "go play with your friends?" I still do that. I think I might always do that.

This time we didn't go to the park, but we went to the rail road tracks. I know it's like, illegal or whatever, but if you're smart about it, then, well, it's your life. :) And it makes for some fantastic pictures. We even let my Beloved come along with us! She snapped a few pictures of the two us that just...just take my breath away.

I have this issue with people taking pictures of me, because, I just don't think that they do it well, or capture what I want to capture. There are very few people that I like to let take pictures of me. She is one of those friends. So there were, playing at the train tracks...me, my best friend, and my fiancee. What a fantastic afternoon.

In case you can't tell, my favorite from this play session, were the black and whites. :)

Blessed Is a Weak Word

This is just a reminder to myself to blog about the Wedding Shower I got on Sunday! It was amazing, and even more amazing that two of my three older sisters were able to drive up for it! I got to see my nieces and nephews, I got blessed with some amazing things for my house, and I had a blast!

I have decided that integrating myself with my Beloveds family might not be as easy as I want it to be. Some times you just meet people you might not like. :) It's a process, and it might take a while for his family to get to truly know me, just as it might take a while for my family to truly know Blair. I'm just waiting for the day they all try to surprise him with something and he completely flips out on them. My Beloved is not the biggest big surprise person. He likes plans. He likes to know things. :)

I would also like to take a second to talk about some of the gifts I received. There were a few good ones that I know I will never forget. A yellow Keaurig that I did NOT think any one would buy for me, I love it! And I am already making good use of it. Those same sisters in law (who are probably the only two that really read what I write) made me a picture for my marital bedroom. Remember that time I went on and on about bible verses in my bed room? They remembered that, and crafted for me a sing that says "I am my Beloved's and his desire is for me." I might have teared up at that. That people read these little words means so much to me. Love in action. :)  My Aunt gave me tiny squirrel salt and pepper shakers, the weight of this goes back to when I was probably 14. I got a cross stitch from the sister of the young man I work with, and their mother was there, even though I knew she was hurting. It is a testament to how much they love me.

You might also recall a post about butterflies. And the song that goes along with those thoughts and feelings. I had a friend give me a photo album with those lyrics written in the front cover (once again proof that someone reads this). I had yet another friend give me a candle holder that says (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." I'm a sucker for the sentiment. If it makes me cry, I'll never forget it.

A beautiful young woman also gave me pictures. Pictures of me, of my Beloved. We played together on the train tracks, and she caught a couple of amazing photographs of me and my Beloved. I love those pictures. I love her more. She was there, and that was the best thing since sliced bread.

Blessed is not strong enough word to describe how I felt this weekend.It's a weak word. It doesn't even begin to cover it. Even now I want to drop to my knees and thank the Lord that He provides me with such amazing wonderful loving people.

To those of you who came out, thank you, you are treasured, and may God bless you for the influence you were in my life. 

I'm including in this post a song that has been stuck in my head for the past three weeks. It just touches my heart, and makes my heart happy. I hope it does the same for you. :)

Momma's Birthday

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but my Mommy turned 50 years old last weekend! Almost a week ago we celebrated the life of one of the best woman I will ever and have ever known. My dad planned a surprise party for her, because well, my family loves to surprise one another, it's a thing we like to do. We're famous for it.

It was an amazing gathering, and my mom cried like a baby, because she likes to cry. We're criers to, me and my Mommy. You tell us something nice, we will cry. You give either one of us a surprise party we'll cry. There are many reasons why we cry, usually its because we're so overwhelmed that's the only way we can express ourselves. She cried when she saw videos of her other kids and her grand kids  She cried when she got gifts. And she kissed my father, and it was adorable.

I love my Mommy, and if I grow up to be even a little bit like her, I'll be on a good route. As Proverbs 31 says, her children do indeed call her blessed.

²⁹ 

DIY Paint Sample Craft, Ok Sure!

Hello People, I'm not dead yet. But look, it was Christmas time, we all know how that is! Granted I had some down time, but I used a whole bunch of that for Crafting! So today, I bring you your very own Craft DIY yourself blog post from yours truly! You should also know that this is not the only one that you will be seeing here!

So today's project was done on the first Snow Day, and it was all done with things I just happened to have laying around my room. The first thing I had laying around? Paint Samples.

So after searching the internet for forever, I decided to use them to make a picture for my house that said "Ok Sure" because when a certain someone asked me to be his Bride, that's what I said (articulate, right?!). My 15 year old little sister thinks this is hilarious, therefor, I needed to have it somewhere in my house. So I grabbed a cup of coffee and went to town. 

Great coffee cup, right?! Ha!

What I did was cut out circles. Big circles and then smaller ones. And then I started to combine colors. I'm not a really good craft planner, so most of these were just hap-hazard, and I wasn't really going for a color scheme. If you are more OCD (like my Beloved) I'm sure you could spend hours getting just the right color combo! Me however? I just threw them together. I did place them together BEFORE gluing them down (this was a big deal for me ok people!) It started to look a little something like this:

I used clear glue just because it was there. In hindsight, using a sturdier paper would have made for less wrinkles. After I got the circles glued together, I started placing them on the paper where I wanted them.

After I did that I used several green paint sample chips to make the letter Ok Sure. I glued those onto OTHER paint chips and THEN I glued them down to the paper. The final product looked a little something like this:

I had a lot of fun with this project, and the glue and frame and paint samples are all FREE! And if you really needed a frame, the Dollar store has some good ones! 

I'm excited to get to hang this somewhere in my house. I like the idea of making things to make my Beloved and I's house look like our home. I'm learning the difference. He likes the idea of me making things for OUR little house. I can't help but smile at all these wedding pictures I see where the bride is holding a sign that said, "I said yes" or the groom is holding a sign that says "she said yes". 

Me, I said, "Ok, Sure." :)

And I'm so glad that I did. 

The aftermath!