a full harvest winner!

This month the theme for ten on ten was "a full harvest" and although I think it might have been a bit heady for some I truly loved how so many of you guys just went with it and dug in deep to find the things that after much faith and commitment the bounty was overwhelmingly beautiful at times!

The winning image comes from Beth at Hope and Coffee and it was one of the first I saw over on Instagram the morning of ten on ten - it literally stopped me in my tracks and brought tears to my eyes. If this picture doesn't exemplify the meaning behind a full harvest of blessing in the midst of daily work and faith then I don't know what does. Beth won this month and I am so honored to get to send her a little surprise gift - a Starbucks card and a few other holiday goodies for an amazing mama to two gorgeous daughters! Beth you're an incredible mother it's such a blessing to witness through your photography how you put your whole heart and soul into the things you have been given!

Thanks to all who played along there will be another chance to win next month and we're going light again for the theme - it's going to be Candy Canes so be ready!! xoxo

make something monday :: crocheted pom pom hair ties

These little guys are really fun and addicting to make! I love yarn crafts but I am seriously horrible at crochet. I love a little something easy to do with my hands though in the evening after everyone goes to bed so I figured out a way, with my limited knowledge and ability to work the crochet hook how to cover a simple rubber band with some brightly colored yarn. I am thinking these would be the perfect addition to many stockings this holiday season, they feel so festive! Josie and I have been wearing ours for the past few days and they just make me smile!

You don't need much just some rubber bands, yarn, scissors and a crochet hook - mine was a size 6. And seriously do not be intimidated if you have never worked a hook - if I can do this, anyone can do this trust me!

To make the hair tie portion:

1. Start by tying the yarn onto the hair tie just to hold it in place.

2. Bring the hook under the hair tie and pick up the yarn and bring it back through the band.

3. Now do a single crochet by yarning over and bringing it through the first stitch.

4. Repeat bringing the hook under the hair tie and picking up the yarn again - but this time you're going to do a double crochet by yarning over and then bringing the yarn through the two stitches that you have on your hook. Does that make sense?

5. Continue doing double crochets under and over the hair tie until the entire rubber band is covered then pull the yarn through the last loop.

6. Tie the two ends together and trim off the excess - that's it!

To make the pom poms I simply wrapped the yarn about 75 times around my four fingers and then slid the whole mess off and laid it onto a separate piece of yarn wrapping it around the center of the loops and pulling tight. Cut the loops and go to town giving it a nice little hair cut - you're going for round but mine are never quite even. Remember to keep the piece that you tied the pom pom with long so that after you're done with it you can tie it onto the finished hair tie. Tie it tight, snip the tails and boom you're done!

I've also made a few with some fabric covered buttons for a different and equally as easy twist. The skies the limit on possibilities here and like I said they are super addicting once you get started! Hope you have a wonderful Monday friends - lets make something good out of it! xoxo

thursday through my lens :: natalie and kaiden

my cousin in laws little darlings...they are pure sweetness!

the yummiest gluten free/vegan chocolate chip cookies!!

I love these cookies and make them so often it's kind of an addiction. The recipe originated from the Baby Cakes NYC cookbook but I have tweaked it here and there in order to get them just right. The ingredients are lovely, not to bad for you but somewhat finicky if you aren't really careful...they definitely require the science part of baking but are so worth it! If you have any sort of food allergies like I do then be excited because these cookies are probably something you can eat!! I have had many friends request the recipe so without further ado here is the recipe for my favorite chocolate chip cookies!

Vegan and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup of coconut oil (melted for measuring)
6 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce (measure scant do not get sloppy here)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup of evaporated cane juice crystals
2 cups of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all purpose baking flour
1/4 cup flax meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2  cups vegan chocolate chips

In a bowl mix together the oil, applesauce, salt, vanilla and evaporated cane juice. In a separate bowl combine the flour, flax meal, baking soda and xanthan gum. Combine with a spatula carefully until a grainy dough forms. Fold in the chocolate chips and then place in the refrigerator for at least an hour - I often leave it overnight and it's fine.

When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a melon baller to scoop the dough onto the prepared sheets about an inch apart. Bake the cookies on the center rack for seven minutes then open the oven and rotate the sheet 180 degrees and bake for an additional six minutes or until lightly golden. Remove the sheet and let the cookies stand for about ten minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Enjoy!!

DIY and a Giveaway with Furrow & Feather

Today I am so excited to share about the cutest new etsy shop, Furrow & Feather! Katie Egbert the incredible artist behind these adorable shadowbox framed vinyl hand lettered quotes is just the sweetest and she sent me two to DIY for my home! I had such fun deciding where to put them and what to use as the background for each. They come with a chip board background perfect for personalizing and so I used some vintage fabric and some spray adhesive to brighten up the wall in Josie and Zeb's nursery. I love how the Hello Sunshine one turned out!

For the Home Sweet Home frame I used a piece of the Orla Kiely wallpaper I had saved from our old home as a little memento and put it on a shelf in my kitchen. These frames are so fun and unique and are a perfect addition to any photo wall. They would also make a great gift idea for anyone special in your life!

Katie is so generously offering a Shadowbox frame to one lucky reader too and I couldn't be more excited! Thank you so much friend for sharing your beautiful work it's truly lovely and unique! Check out Furrow & Feather HERE and Katie's incredible website HERE enter below for a chance to win! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ten on Ten :: November 2013 :: A Full Harvest

We had such a fun day today - a full harvest indeed! This morning we accompanied Chris to a little Church out in Issaquah and listened to him speak about all that God is doing at the Union Gospel Mission. This afternoon was spent celebrating our Levi's sixth birthday and his cousin Wesley's fifth birthday too at a Harry Potter themed party with lots of family and friends...great grandma is modeling the fun witch hats Jenny made for the festivities in this last shot and it's definitely a favorite capture for me today!! I have already seen a few sets from the linky and on Instagram too and can tell you there are some amazing photos - a few of them made me teary eyed I can't wait to see what else you guys found. Thank you so much to all who played along with me today I will be looking through all of them and choosing a favorite from the full harvest prompt soon, the linky will be open for the rest of the week so feel free to add your set whenever you get a chance! xoxo

Ten on Ten :: November 2013 :: A Full Harvest

Happy tenth everyone I hope you have a wonderful day searching for beauty in the ordianry things. This month I am offering a special theme challenge for those of you who want to play along, use A Full Harvest as a prompt and let me know in your post that you are participating. I'll be on the lookout for my favorites and choose one for a special prize! We have a full day planned over here, church this morning and a double birthday party this afternoon and I will be back later with my set too and can't wait to see yours! If you have never joined us for Ten on Ten you simply take a photo an hour for ten hours and document a simple day in your life!! (Instagrammers use #tenontenfullharvest)

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november's ten on ten prompt

Last month for the first time on Ten on Ten I offered a prompt. I was especially thinking about those of you who have been at this project with me for the long haul (almost six years!) and wanting to take the challenge of finding beauty in the everyday a little deeper. We did Pumpkin Spice and it was a hit so I thought I would continue on with a new prompt for November for those of you interested and as promised I wanted to share it a few days in advance so you can be prepared!

Chris and I went around and around about what the theme should be - seeing as it's November, the month of Thanksgiving, it seemed that the spirit and theme of gratitude is on our hearts constantly but the theme of the harvest came up for us too. The idea that during the harvest we work relentlessly harvesting and celebrating the things we have been cultivating throughout the year. Now I don't mean to get to deep on you here but I have in mind the idea of capturing the things around you that make your heart so full because of the work and toil and faith you have put in. What bounty are you most grateful for because you have committed to the deep, for the long haul work?

There is NO pressure to take part in this theme I am only offering it as an added level of challenge! But there will be a prize involved (a special package from me) for the winner of my favorite set! And in a similar vein my sister in laws and I are taking part in our annual Capturing Our Blessings project by way of Instagram using the hashtag #capturingourblessings we would love it if you want to join us each day over there!

Looking forward to this Sunday and finding beauty with you through your lens! xoxo

updates and blessings

These past few weeks have been crazy for our family and I have been trying to write this post for a few days now, feeling like I want to share a tiny glimpse into our world because I love to share here with my readers but it's feeling difficult to know how to do so fully. So bear with me or skip over this post if you want I promise to have more creative fun stuff here in the near future!

I have fallen pretty behind on several exciting collaborations in the works and my inbox is a nightmare but we've had so many things vying for attention and so I have been working on being present with my family fully when I need to be and have let the to do list pile up a bit.

Our littlest guy had some routine surgery a little over a week ago and he has been recovering really well from that (praise Jesus) and our two middle children have celebrated birthdays - lots of full life happening...but nothing could have prepare me for the crazy day we had this past week when our 18 month old took a nasty spill early in the morning and ended up needing to be rushed to two different hospitals throughout the day. It was a day for the books full of tests and scans and worrying that stopped me in my tracks and has centered my heart more clearly on the most important things in this most fragile life.

Zeb is going to make a full recovery with only a dramatic concussion - a diagnosis I do not take lightly and a true blessing from above! But the events of this week really rocked me to my core seeing your child in danger is so very gut wrenching. But the most incredible gift through it all was the body of Christ rallying around our family during the time we were at the hospital. The text messages and phone calls and prayer chains, the warm meals that friends brought over that night, the tears of joy that baby Zeb is totally fine...those things "wrecked my heart for good" as I put on Instagram.

The night before the accident Chris and I sat at our kitchen table talking about prayer and spiritual warfare. About all that God is doing around us - the things God is calling us to. He read a few scriptures over me that a friend of his shared with him, specifically for my heart. For some personal things I have been battling through from my childhood over the past 3.5 years. We talked about the future and Chris's job at the Union Gospel Mission here in Seattle and his heart for joining all the hands of the local churches to come together and serve our city and the poorest of the poor in tangible ways.

And during the ordeal on Wednesday we talked more about how amazing it is that through trials and attacks love suddenly floods to the center of all relationships. The silly differences and quips, the things that really don't matter at all but keep us from being close to one another - they fly out the window and we cling to each other in hope. I have a new view on trauma, on inner trauma on the things we battle silently each day. How would we treat each other if we knew what was going on on the inside for our friends. Would we reach out differently? Would we love one another and listen more intentionally would we cast off our own need for acknowledgements and hurts in order to embrace one another in our humanity?

Oh Jesus thank you for protecting our family once again I know that so often hard things happen and a happy ending is not always the way, so for that I am so deeply grateful to God that he allowed us to smile again when Zeb made the "meow" noise at the silly stuffed animal the hospital brought him. And the "cheers" he gave grandma and grandpa with his bottle when we brought him home! But feeling deeply more and more that I want to lean into my fears and faith and go big - love big - dream big - for this is the only life we have, this is the only today we have and God is a big God so we need to stretch out and have big faith!

I am so hoping to be more present in this space in this coming holiday season. I have a new prompt for this months Ten on Ten to share and lots of fun collaborations too. But you know, life happens and I know for many of you you're battling through tough life right now too. I just want you to know that above all I care about that stuff. As much as I love creating DIY's to share and recipes and giveaways, I actually really care about you and want to be available as much as I can. As I wrote on Instagram I feel so compelled to pray for you if there is something specific on your heart that needs prayer. Don't hesitate to email me and let me know - now I can't promise a quick response but I will try - but know that I do pray to a big God who loves so wildly and deeply and has set us free. I hope you're having a great weekend...I will be back with more soon I promise! xoxo