thirTEEN

some of you may know that i have officially been the mother of a teenager for a good nine months now.

you know your life is coming full circle when your daughters pinterest boards are cooler than your own.  :)

i mean, do i really look old enough to have a teenager?  ------------------------------------------------->

#dontanswerthat

this darling girl has been the recipient of all of my worst mothering mistakes.  she was my guinea pig. 

my heart's desire as a teenager(GASP! that's what she is!), was only to get married and have children.

seven was my 'magic' number.

after i had a few kiddos the number decreased, but by God's grace, i think it may just still be our number.
 but that's for a whole different post.  ;)

i got married to my love when i was 18, and one year and one month later, miss elly was born.

baby in arms...we were in LOVE.

now she's growing up on us.  *sigh*

as i look back at all of my naiveness as a young mother, and my millions trillions of mistakes, i see a story that is grace laced in every way. 

i was not always a great mother.  i was a very strict, demanding mama who required nothing less than perfection for a long time. 

of course, i know this is impossible, but it didn't stop me from trying.

i didn't give grace, and so that put a barrier between my very own daughter and myself.

as weird as it may seem, and as harsh as it feels to me, my daughter and i have not always connected in the way i thought we would.

it would take 13 years for me to fully grasp the gift that my daughter is to me and that she was specifically chosen for me.

what an honor and a blessing!

here are a few pictures of her birthday party this past february. 

it was a very bitter cold day, and her brother had a bad ear infection, but we had a great time just the same.

i know it seems late to post this, but i so badly want to document this vapor of a life.  :)

we chose a crafty theme for the maturing girl.

she requested fish tacos and individual nutella cheesecakes.  

#todiefor!

certainly the ONLY way we ended up where we are today is by the grace of God.

and a whole lotta caulk.  because Lord knows, He had to fill in a multitude of gaps that i left along the way.

and He still is.

elly is so much like me it hurts sometimes.

i think that contributed to our clashing.  ok.  for surely it did.

she is a beautiful girl, inside and out, and she is just bursting with talent!

i'd like to say that she is a lot like me in her love of creating. ;)

we both come alive when we are able to 'make'.

she also has a very tender heart, the best kind.

can you even stand the wisconsin sweater?  i am SO making that but with the united states on it!

she did that all by herself, and the sewing is amazing!

also, she has been able to bless a few of my bloggy friends(and others) with these baby moccasins. 

aren't they the CUTEST?

she is a wonderful knitter, a gifted pianist, loving sister, daughter and friend.

family singspiration just would NOT be the same without her.

this season of my life with her has {by far} been the best ever.

we totally 'get' each other, we love to create together, and yes, we share favorite TOMS and certain clothes.

i can break out in, "i just called......to say....i love youuuuuuu!" with fake mike in hand at target and she only gets mildly embarrassed.  :)

hey, that's my job!

so today, and every day, i'm so thankful that God chose ME to be her mother.

watching her grow up has been my privilege and i am keenly aware of how quickly time is fleeting.

we may only have her for a few more years, and i plan on enjoying every little bit.

eye rolls and all.

i hope she never forgets Who she truly belongs to.

she was bought with a price, a very high One, and my prayer is that she will radiate that Life to all those she meets.

Lord, i thank you so much for blessing me with this rare and precious jewel of a daughter.

may YOU shine brightly through her and continue to fill in all of my gaps!

mama loves you, elly grace.

xo, 

mary

go

i'm not gonna sugar coat this, dears.

this has been a hard week for me.

the results from tuesday were exposing my faithlessness in all sorts of ways.

one minute, i'd be walking on water{trusting!} and the next, i'd be in sackcloth and ashes{faithless!}...crying out to God.

as i was curled up in His lap late tuesday night, He calmed my fears, brushed away the tears, and i realized that THIS is what He wants from me all the time.

my complete attention and dependence.  

eyes fixed Above.

of course, all of this uncertainty and crazy turn of events is happening in the midst of the season of thankfulness, and there's nothing better to turn a frown upside down than a mile long list of blessings that are completely undeniable.

so here are a few of my #capturingourblessings from this week.
i have been playing along with rebekah on instagram and i am loving it!

first off, my privilege to vote.  i was able to give the kids a lesson in this as we went into our tiny town voters booth tucked in the basement of independent living apartments.  

there's plenty of old ladies with candy, and the cutest little americana curtains that i'm pretty sure one of them sewed to hide the old school write in voters stations.

i didn't get a sticker, but i felt a deep sense of pride knowing that i exercised my right to choose whom i feel would best represent this country with the morals and standards that are closest to those that God would be pleased with.

america is truly an amazing country.  we are blessed.

i captured this sweetness in the kitchen.  having a loving, Godly father for my children is an absolute joy and blessing.  He loves his children fiercely and always points them to Him.  always.

seeing the daughter/daddy love just about puts me into a puddle.

 

in typical God fashion, He had this package of blessings delivered right to my door step on wednesday.

wednesday would have to be the peak of my faithlessness this week.  

i mourned certain losses, and was melancholy at best.

a few weeks ago, i had seen a giveaway via one of my favorite blogs, Dreamy Whites, so i hopped over here to enter.

as it would turn out, i was the winner among many people who entered, and the timing was so appropriate.

His always is, you know?  He loves in the details.  and i love details.

maria is such a sweetie, and to say she has impeccable taste and incredible gifts would be an understatement.

in my package, i received a beautiful moroccan market tote, a monogrammed antique french linen sheet, two antique french linen pillow cases, soap, a lavender stuffed french grainsack pillow and a sweet sachet of lavender.

all of these treasures are my fave.  

head over to her shop to see more.

having a Bible believing, Gospel preaching, family of brothers and sisters in Christ is an absolute blessing.

we always go to prayer meeting on wednesday nights, 

but this night in particular i craved fellowship with my friends more than ever.

i needed love.

i needed encouragement.

i needed comfort and solace.

and that's exactly what i got.

if there is ever a time to seek God's face, it is now.  

Christians must band together and fight the good fight NOW.

this one may have been stretching it, but as i FINALLY sifted through ginormous piles of laundry, i couldn't help but be thankful for the bodies that fill these clothes that i so carefully fold into neat little piles.

you do not even want to see the mountains that remain, but i made a dent and that is always a good thing!

as i shake the dust off of my feet from this disappointing and rather difficult week, 

One thing remains the same throughout the crashing waves and uncertainty that lie ahead.

yesterday, today, forever, Jesus is the same.

all may change, but Jesus, NEVER.

glory! to His name!

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100

we, as a country, may have changed and forfeited His blessings by choosing 

sin and self indulgence over obedience to Him and His Word, 

but those who have put their faith and trust in Him have no need to fear.

the events of the week have been a call to action, friends!

a catalyst to GO and BE the hands and feet of Jesus, fearlessly proclaiming His name 

BOLDLY.

God cannot use those who sit, paralyzed in fear and complacency.

i do not want to live in fear and with constant worry.

so i will trust, as well as i know how.

i will spread His hope and the Gospel to the unreached that need to know.

we are SO ready to

  GO.

who do you know that needs to know?

are you with me?

xo,

mary

vintage marquee 'GO' letters found at this fun shop!