earrings. {we did it mom}

sunshine girl got her ears pierced tonight.
by her daddy!

it was her reward for finishing her reading lessons.
this is her numbing her lobes.
(ie: before reality)

here is daddy sticking the needle through.
(and this is also where i needed to put down the camera...)
ok, so sam is in nursing school, so anything
remotely related to a surgery is right up his sleeve.

and, here are the tears.
he expected them.
i for some reason did NOT.
to see her toes curl in pain and yet be soooo brave just broke my heart.

a friend had told us that way may end up with just one pierced ear & sure enough, after the first ear she screamed,
"I DON'T LIKE PIERCED EARS! DON'T DO THE OTHER ONE!"

but, alas, she trusts him completely & it was faster
& hey, a little ice cream fixes everything.

she's one happy camper.
(& i hope she will be in the morning!)

ok, she looks SO much older now.
ugh.

and, grandma (mom) please don't kill us.
i mean, how many dads pierce their own kids ears?
{he did not want the teenager at claire's doing it!}

so, if your kid needs a piercing or a mohawk, send them our way :)

grace & peace,
julie

it has begun.

school started wednesday.
i now have a 2nd grader, a kindergartner, and a wanna-be-school-kid.

ok, i must say that i love, love, love the above photo of my 3 treasures.

they were all up by 6:15 & ready by 7:00!
(my favorite little mister & pumpkin-poos have been up this week btwn 5 & 5:30 a.m. - oh joy!)

my favorite little mister got a fresh hawk from daddy the night before.

he is somewhat ho-hum about school this year,
as it will cut into his lego time you know.

here is sunshine girl (the big kindergartner!)
with the backpack i kind of talked her into.

it is very practical, with a million pockets & zippers that she loves, and it is mainly black, which means it should last her through elementary school (i hope) & then we accessorized with a name bracelet and monkey hanging from a zipper tag.

she told me as we were waiting, "mom, do NOT walk me into school. i don't know where my classroom is, but i will find it myself!" (oh my. funny & sad at the same time... my independent girl with no sense of direction would have been aimlessly wandering the halls without mommy to guide her!)

and this is the book that she almost has memorized. she has decided we will read it every day before she goes to school. (i almost have it memorized already also).

i love the author & illustrations!
all of karma's books we've read so far are GREAT!

and, here is the point when my eyes suddenly
& unexpectedly welled up with tears.
wow. just look at her. my baby. so old.
so ready for life without me. i just suddenly looked at her in a whole new light & will treasure that moment forever.

she's been looking forward to kindergarten since last spring, when preschool ended & so we've talked about it a lot all summer & i was just so happy for her. and then, all of the sudden my heart kind of broke.

when i told sam that night, he said, "well, yeah, you cried because you will never have this much time with her again in our lives. now, she will be in school so much of the time, without us."

(ugh. thanks babe for helping me feel better... not.)

and, finally, our little pumpkin-poos, who thinks she is going to school with the big kids (& may be going when she turns 3 next month!) as she waits for big brother to come out of school.

if anyone needs any great teacher art to get on your teacher's good side from the get-go, here you have it :)

hope everyone & their kids had a great first week of school!

grace & peace,
julie

FREE: inspirational wallpaper for your iphone or itouch

want to win a FREE psalms wallpaper set for your iphone or itouch?

good. if i had an iphone, i would want one too.

just become a fan (or "like" me) on my NEW
life verse design facebook page,
and write on my wall
that you would like to have an entry to the contest.

i will pick one lucky winner august 27!

ok, go. tell your friends.
tell your entire church.
have them tell their friends &
let's see if this whole social networking thing really works!

it's been fun to see these sell as far as singapore & switzerland (dreamy!)

OH! and, if you don't win it's a mere 99 cents to buy
the whole 15 piece collection!

grace & peace,
julie

p.s. i hope you like the new buttons i have added to the page for my BibleiArt & facebook page!

behind the scenes: rooted

{photo taken at rocky mountain national park}

so, if you have been following my blog for long (which is maybe 2 people :) you know i am reading through the One Year Chronological Bible by Tyndale House Publishers. a friend and i meet for accountability so that we press through, and it turns out for me that the book of jeremiah has been a hard, long book to read through.

it makes me want to SCREAM!
or cry.
or roll my eyes.

i mean, seriously people of israel, how many more times does God need to give the warning of destruction due to the penalty of sin, and how many times does He say He will relent if ONLY His people would turn toward Him and repent! (oh, the answer to that would be EVERY CHAPTER i think!)

so, yes, the book is sad because the people have hardened their hearts and refuse to listen to the warnings, which is why jeremiah is known as the crying prophet.

but, then, there are these glimmer-of-hope verses that i'll come across like a breath of fresh air and keep me going:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.

He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

such a rich verse amidst the desert like conditions of emptiness in a barren land full of corruption.

and, here is the final art, available here.

Lord, may i keep my heart soft to Your ways, hear Your voice, and obey so that i will be firmly rooted in You and bear much fruit for Your Kingdom!

grace & peace,
julie

behind the scenes: thankful heart

i created this art about a month ago due to a little inner struggle i've had in my own heart. you see, i have soooooo much to be thankful for, and yet sometimes, i honestly just want more. the problem starts when i begin in my head "the comparison game"... i will spend time looking at other artists i admire, DEMDACO artists and others i just love, and start thinking, "wow, i do not sell as much as them..." or "how on earth do they run this huge successful business with 3 kids about the ages of mine?!" ... and on and on it goes...

then the guilt settles in and basically, it's a no win situation.

now, don't get me wrong: dreaming big is a good thing. it's a matter of your heart's motive & the road along the way.

one of my favorite singers, karin bergquist of over the rhine, has a tattoo on her arm of a hummingbird and below it you read, ‎"Comparison is the thief of joy"

wow. how true that is.

there will always be someone smarter, richer, cuter, more successful, more popular . . . you name it! so, i need to learn to not compare!

i have this friend whom decided along with his wife to try to not complain about anything, but rather see the good in things and have a thankful heart, giving praise to his Lord. that was really challenging to me.

i cannot say i've been successful in this, but i can say that it is on my heart. to be thankful in the little things and not just the big dreams. to recognize the awesome life God has given me and give the glory back to Him.

(sidenote on photography: i shot this image in my neighbor's beautiful yard, though he does not even know it... i love his green thumb ability & the fact that i can enjoy his beautiful landscaping without having to slave over it :) (i felt like the hydrangeas were just bursting and they give me so much joy to look at)

so, here is my new art.

thankful hearts bring much joy.

tis true my friends!

grace & peace,
julie
OH, 2 quick things before you go:
1. for the month of august i am giving away a free 4x6 matted Scripture print with any purchase in the shop!
2. check out my post on doing craft shows over here at Oh My!Handmade goodness