To God Be the Glory!!

My prayer this last week was that the Lord would stir up the gifts that He has given me- I am not sure where I have heard that- if its a verse or just something I read in a book- but sure enough in a very visual way He has shown me what those gifts were. I believed that the desires I had for sewing and photography were there with a purpose- for the sewing it brough me to Jamaica to teach young ladies to sew for a skill in making money for their families- and this week I got a email response from a nurse from a local Hospital asking me to make scrubs for her and other Nurse friends. With photography I have taken pictures of my friends kids,their families and even 1 wedding - all for the joy of doing it. I absolutely love the idea that I am able to bless someone with a gift like that will bless them for the rest of their lives and something that they can also pass on to someone else. So with that... I have been asked to do a wedding and they even want to pay me :o .. I cant believe it- I am nervous and have no idea what I am doing, but I really believe that this is God's hand and I have no doubt that they wont turn out... I give God the glory for this and feel really unworthy to have such an opportunity as making someones most important day into a photographic display to share with their children and family. I have since then offered this opportunity with a friend who also shares the same passion for photography. so I pray that this will be something that will cause her little light to shine as well. These are such small things in all of peoples eyes- but God knows how incopmetant I am and these little things mean a BIG lot of sweet kinda lovn from my Big Daddy!!!
God has given me a peace to accept these things as the gifts that He has given me and they are the desires of my heart <3 and for that I am giving all the glory to God for ALL the things that he has done for me.... things so undeserved and the picture is Soo much bigger than the little things... He is a God who has plans for you Jer. 29
:11,12- to prosper you in all that you do, your parenting, your mentoring, your growing in His word and as a dear child to the King. I look forward to growing closer to Him and all the great things He has for me- I dont want to miss out on all His goodness!! To God Be The Glory- for the things He has done.. and will continue to do.

These Little Hands!!

 

These little hands so precious and so sweet
want to touch the things that I hold so dear
behind me in the kitchen I hear their little feet.
They look up to me and whisper in my ear,
"When I grow up I wanna be a Mommy just like you"
With which I reply ," Thank you for choosing me as your Mommy of the year!
Eliza made it clear that although Hannah wants to be a life guard for the Hermiston Aquatic Center- that she wants to be a Mommy just like me- no words added or taken away- thats the way she said it in her sweet little voice. It is such a lifted burden when I feel like such a failure that I must be pretty important to these little princess' Hannah told me that she wanted to be a Mommy too when she was in pre-school , but when she found out about the Ice cream truck - she soon changed her goals ;) This is just sweet that they have it in their hearts to be a Momma- and even sweeter that with all the wonderful Mommas they know they have chosen me ;) I dont think that they are too biased :) But God knows that I needed to hear that from them <3 They love to help me in the kitchen and I try to make every opportunity to let them- so today we made tortillas and how sweet to see them being such good little helpers- I love these little hands <3
1 Timothy 1:16
"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."

I am my beloveds and He is mine!!

 

Now that I have shared a piece of each of my children- I must share a little about my husband David Allen Purdy. He is a treasure - My beloved!! I really did get a great guy and he is truely a gift in my life. God knew EXACTLY what I needed in a husband- and I dont want to doubt His will!! Although I will say that I am not basing these words on how I feel - because how I feel and what I KNOW to be true are 2 completely differant things!
Romans 8:5
"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Without Christ as the center of our marriage Our marriage would be based on what we can get from eachother. We are two; drawn together by the Father to live in one accord- Not what can I get from him ?", but rather, "how can I serve my spouse"? There is no other being on this planet that could ever replace the role that Dave plays in my life, my comforter, my listening ear, my best friend!! and The Father to my children, which look up to their Daddy as a reflection of who Christ is as their Heavenly Father.I dont think that they will ever have a doubt that their Heavenly Father loves them <3 Marriage and raising a family has been the most challenging responsibilty I have ever faced. It really is a giant in my life- really a fear that I face everyday as to weither I will fail and disappoint those I love- My Father in Heaven mostly. I though that we would walk hand in hand in agreement on every issue. That is not the case- AT ALL!! Man I have never disagreed with anyone more than my husband. And it is in times like this when I need to rely on my Heavenly Father that we were not meant to do this on our own- we have the Holy Spirit as our Helper and guide.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." I am so greatful to God for helping us through our marriage to grow and be bonded together in Love.
I have grown so much through being a wife and a mother to our children, and I look forward to the rest of our lives together <3 I love you Davie!! You are my best friend and my beloved!!

Party at the Crib!

Braedy was not wanting to take a nap at his usual nap time today, and since the girls were still eating their lunch I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to play with him in his crib ;)
He loves to play peek a boo - and tried to get some shots of him in action- didnt quite go as I had pictured- but I think if I keep attempting to really capture the essence of his little character it will be one of those pictures that I can look at in 5 years and have that memory fresh im my mind.
Having a little boy is such a blessing~ Little girls are wonderful! and I love all the sweet princess stuff-There is just something so sweet about a little boy running around the house making vroom vroom and growling noises, high fives and tackles with Daddy <3  

 

 

 

 

Eliza

I always have a hard time getting pictures of Eliza- not because she isnt photogenic, but because she is just NOT interested- I usually have to get her into thinking that we are playing dress up and take her in to have someone else get the pictures, but she was into it!! She even had the idea of laying down on the chair like this and was Soo wonderful for me - I am still afraid of my camera and playing with it- but here it is- natural lighting and I have to say that these are some of the best pictures I have ever taken of my sweet Eliza <3

 

 

 

Photo happy!!

I have always wanted to be a photographer since my Aunt in NY gave me my first camera when I was 8( I remember feeling like I had a voice whenever I snapped the handle back and pressed the shiny red button:)It was never the wrong answer, or the incorrect meaning, I was understood and relieved that I had that freedom, I felt like I had found my place to "express myself" - I have always wanted to be known for what I LOVE- since having kids I make it a priority to capture what I can with my camera- and since my beloved got me every amateurs dream(a canon eos) I will be more photo happy in this new year- with that said- this is me with Hannah when she was just 3 standing next to none other than a photo display of her that I entered into the Benton Franklin County Fair- I plan on doing it again this year!! I many not be a "professional" which I wouldnt ever consider myself to be - but I will always love doing what I can to have these pictures of my kids for them to remember how stinkn cute they were growing up :)
 

Full of Grace!

"God hath made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 cor. 5:21

My friend asked me to write a paragraph about a time where I experienced the grace of God, I couldnt do it in a paragraph , but was excited to give this testimony to God and let Him be glorified in it.

What does this grace look like? When I hear the word grace I see God, the maker of heaven and earth, sending His only Son from a perfect place to descend into hell in the form of a cross, that we sinners( you and I) could be reconciled to God. We do not deserve this grace, nor is there anything that we alone can do to earn it."For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:15-22

I was once carnal minded- thinking of ways to get what I wanted in life- the easy way- the shortcut perhaps- but once I would get what I wanted I soon felt empty again - I wanted more - there was this void- Then I recieved an invitation to recieve the gift of God which is eternal life through His Son Jesus.

This was the open door where I would have a real touchable acknowledgement that God would be active in my life! So with that here is my story of grace: grace means "God’s love in action towards men who merited the opposite of love."
I got pregnant when I was 15. Without knowing there was support availalbe I went through with an abortion (I'm not saying that if there was support that my choices would have been differant, but that there is always support). I really didnt want to do this, but I didnt know what I would do otherwise. I felt alone and scared! And once again I followed through doing what I could to gain temperal relief from such a burden. 7 years would pass and I would find myself pregnant again, although this time I was married to a wonderful Christian man who loved me and the baby that we were blessed with, yet I was burdened with these same fears in my mind and thoughts that I would terminate the pregnancy. Romans 6:15 "What then shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means!!"
I was at a pregnancy center where I took the free test they provided and when I found out I cried in fear for what I would do. I experienced the Hand of God in that room that day when the counselor told me there was a class for women who have had an abortion and that I could get healing and that God could use it to bring hope and healing to someone else.It was a hard process, but I got through the 8 week class, met other women hurting, and my eyes were opened to the reality of an abortion.Through it all I experienced God's grace in the form of the perfect baby that he gave me. He knew I would make that choice and yet He chose to love me regardless of the fact that I did kill my baby, and that I alone was accountable to this choice I made and yet He gave me what I do not deserve, forgiveness. And when I though He had done so much for me already He gave me the honor in giving her a name. I named her Providence ( which means divince guidance and care)which is a whole other blog in itself.
Another eight weeks and I would have the priviledge of naming our Hannah, which you got it... means full of grace!
"Behold what manner the love of the Father has given unto us, that we would called the children of God."

" All the places youll go"

the inspiration for my Blog- all the Credit goes to my childhood friend- Dr Seuss <3 I love you man!!!
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

first baby Photoshoot!!

Goals!!

..So The girls went to a movie with my sweet Sissy <3 SO Im blogging and came up with a topic- GOALS!!! I have never accomplished anything in my life that I can recal except maybe natural child birth, but I though that it would be safe to share my New Years Resolution with this blogger world......


I havent been too excited to do a new years resolution, or to put it better- make it public, but I think that since it is something that I will have no problem commiting to( HA i say that now) I dont think it would hurt to share- or confess that YES , I do have a new years resolution :) ready? I have been keeping a photo journal of a day into my life- something completely random- it may be a picture of a foot , dinner that night- a kid caked in... well.... cake or a sunset etc. - but that is one of my personal resolutions, as well to do 1 craft a month!!! These are my two deepest passions- photography and the need for CrEaTivE Funk . I want to make it my goal to post weekly on my blog the pictures that I took for that week as well as monthly the craft that I have chosen for the Month :) I really feel like God is wanting me to focus on my gifts and not be so caught up into what I really want to be good at The Parable of the Talents( Mathew 25) has been something that the Lord has been laying on my heart!! SO i want to make my life simplistic and really focus on whats right in front of me- my children and my husband and what I can do to bring my Father delight through serving them. I have been called to teach and help and i think that is a good place to start...... I tend to get so overwhelmed by the big picture that it knocks me down and disables me from doing anything- So this verse pretty much sums it up-
mathew 25:21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"