Old Revival House Co.

Hi Friends. I just wanted to pop on here and give a little advertisement. After the craft sale fundraiser, a friend of mine asked me if she could try to sell some of my buntings at her space on the third floor of the Old Revival House Company. I am honoured and blessed by her support. If you are in Winnipeg you NEED to check out the Old Revival House! It's an Architectural Salvage & Antique Mall. I've been a couple of times and I could spend hours browsing through all the treasures. Rachel's store is called 77 Street and it can be found on the third floor in the middle. 

Here's the cute display Rachel did with my buntings

Bethlehem LIVE! 2014 Begins!

our Malachi as Jesus (photo credit)

Tonight Bethlehem LIVE! returns to Winnipeg. I'm not directly involved this year, but my David will be guiding tours through Bethlehem and praying with those who would like someone to pray with. I will tour Bethlehem with my older two littles (the babies are sick) tonight and with a new scene added, I'm particularly excited. I didn't get to attend last year (I had severe mis-alignment issues in the last month of my pregnancy) and I missed it! Bethlehem LIVE! is an interactive live nativity that our church hosts every year. There are hundreds of volunteers who gift the city of Winnipeg with a Christmas tradition that won't easily be forgotten.

Abigail's favourite scene: King Herrod's palace 

I've had the privilege of participating in BL four times. The first year I sang as an angel, heralding the good news from up high. The second year, I brought baby Abigail with me and we were in the town well scene and also sat in as Mary and baby Jesus for a few tours. Abby was 11 months old, so a little difficult to pass off as a newborn, but people especially love to see live babies play the special role.

David as a tour guide with Micah waiting to begin

The third year, our Malachi was weeks old and David played Joseph while I was Mary and Malachi was baby Jesus. What an especially memorable time that was! There was a tour that came through that I remember with extra fondness. The group had been ushered from our stable scene and on to see the shepherds and hear the angels, when a lady came walking back to the manger side. She had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face as she softly said two words... "Thank you". You could tell that she was so impacted at the reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. It snapped me into an attitude of awe and gratitude at this incredible gift that we've been given.

Baby Malachi plays baby Jesus

The fourth year, I brought baby Micah to the well scene. Once again we sat in at the stable scene for a few tours and I got to see the delight on everyone's faces as they witnessed the miracle of Christmas. That does not get old!

We try to tour BL every year as guests, too

Hannah hasn't been to BL, yet. Since my Christmas baby was born on Jesus' birthday, she has a different honour. Our hope is to someday journey to BL as a family and serve together. This year, we release David to serve and pray that this gift will be a blessing to many.

Every tour group gets to hear a mini sermon message from one of our great pastors

If you're in Winnipeg come to Gateway Church at 851 Panet Road
tours run every 8 minutes and last approximately 40 minutes
Thursday 6-9
Friday 6-9
Saturday 12-3, 6-9
Sunday 12-3
Come early and expect to wait, but know that it's worth the wait! Visit the BL website for details and more pictures.

Malachi as Jesus

Lingering Giveaway! ~ Winner, winner, chicken dinner!!!

Congratulations, Will Strickland! Comment with your address to claim your prize.

Sometimes there are some great perks to having this little blog. I never planned on using this little space for much other than an extension of my creative expression and for keeping in touch with loved ones afar. I don't mind; however, when other benefits come my way. Today, I get to share with you a new Christmas album that I've just been introduced to.

Lingering by Karla Adolphe is a haunting and melancholy album that has me snuggling in a blanket with a cup of hot tea and enjoying the warmth of the indoors on a cold winter day. You might wonder why you'd want to listen to a melancholy album at Christmas, but as Karla wrote on her blog

"Christmas is often the most wonderful time of the year, but as I learnt with Honeycomb Tombs, grief can cause even the treasury of Christmas to become challenging.  I really wanted to create an album that would extend grace and warmth to those of you who may be grieving this season and honour your kindness to me as a listener.

I hope you enjoy the songs I selected, some of these are my absolute favourite!  The songs express themes of pilgrimage, longing, hope, revelation, visitation and prophecy.  I hope in them you find rest; linger with me and thank you for joining me on this journey." 

Every year David and I look for new original Christmas songs to add to our extensive collection. We love Christmas music and could listen 64 hours straight and not hear the same tracks twice. We do have our favourites and on any given day (any time of year) you might hear specific Christmas albums playing in our home. I began listening exclusively to Christmas music mid October of this year. That's even a little late for me. I've had Lingering on repeat all morning. It's how I roll.

My first introduction to Karla's rich melodies and thoughtful lyrics was on her Honeycomb Tombs album. As my husband can attest, I listened to her album for days on end. It is still one of my favourites. I am looking forward to the same familiarity with Lingering.

Lingering was released to today and can be purchased for the low price of $6. That's only $1.20 per song - cheaper than most songs on iTunes, by the way.

I invite you to add to your favourites, Lingering by Karla Adolphe.

I'm happy to offer a FREE copy of Lingering! To enter, leave a comment sharing your favourite Christmas song/album/artist. If you'd like an extra entry, "like" Karla's Facebook page and leave a comment here saying you've done that. I will use a random number generator to choose a winner. Winner will be announced December 7th. 

*I received this album to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while listening to this album.*

A Tim Hortons Story

I borrowed this picture from a girl from our church - I didn't get an outside one. Doesn't it look inviting?

So friends of ours just opened their own Tim Hortons. We drove over to their Oakbank, MB location on opening day for a quick "hello" and of course some treats.

My David is drinking my favourite Tim's drink - steeped tea double double!

Our little princess discovered the restful quality of the booth bench

Our littles didn't have the capacity for a long visit at that time of day, but we said our congratulations, prayed a blessing for our friends and their business, took a few pictures and called it a day. Maybe my David and I can make it out there on a date night for a longer visit. Let me say this, it's beautiful! This location is a 24 hour spot with two drive through line-ups and it has a great fireplace surrounded by lounge chairs.

I'm sure Oakbank is excited to have their own Tim Hortons, but I'm excited for my friends. I just know that this is going to be a great adventure for them full of amazing blessings. Scott and Andrea, we are so happy for you and wish you all the best!

Owner, Andrea, talks with our pastor and his wife - who came in shortly after we did

Maggie's Walk

Friends of ours have a darling little girl who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. After several surgeries already (Maggie's not quite one yet), the surgeons still aren't finished. Fortunately, these surgeries are covered by health care here, but this is not the case in many countries. Deryk and Donna (Maggie's parents) have joined the Smile Train, a not for profit organization that teams up with and empowers local doctors in developing countries to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries at no cost. They are hosting a fundraising event they've name Maggie's Walk. Their goal is to raise as much as they can to see that as many children get a happy new smile and a bright future. The walk will be taking place on September 25 here in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend as a family. David's schedule at work currently includes every Sunday. This is disappointing for us as we really wanted to stand up and support Deryk and Donna in this venture. I decided, though, that I could write to you all about this great event and organization. Please visit the website for Maggie's Walk and Smile Train for more information. If you feel like you could contribute, you can send donations through this link and it goes under Maggie's name to the Smile Train. Donations will be accepted through this link until the end of September. Thanks for your consideration.

Checkin' In

{Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

 Ecclesiastes 4:12}

Hope you are all having a great summer so far. I can hardly believe how amazing the weather has been, not to mention the fact that there have hardly been any mosquitos!!! Surprised? Me too, especially considering this link I found. I am usually covered in bites by this time of the year and I think I've only had a couple bites the whole summer!

I have some random things that I wanted to share, so let's get to it.

• SEVEN YEARS! That's how many David and I have been married! I am so blessed and so glad to say that I would choose him all over again if I had the choice. We read the scripture verse above during our wedding ceremony and it has been a foundational theme for our marriage. Without God, our marriage would easily fall apart. With God, I have an AWESOME marriage!
• I recently started wearing eyeliner on a semi-regular basis. I've worn make-up since I turned 16 years old, but haven't worn much. I vaguely remember trying eyeliner in the early make-up years and found it such a hassle to take off that I never continued to wear it. Well, I still find it a pain to take off and I've noticed just how much eye make-up remover I go through. Well, when I saw this tutorial linked on Pinterest, I knew I'd have to try it. It works even better than the expensive brand name remover I was using and it's super cheap (I had all the ingredients on hand already).
• I have been trying my hand at some re-fashion projects (pics coming next week). I "needed" a new outfit to wear on my anniversary date and dug in my closet for inspiration. I think I like what I've come up with and I'll share soon.
• I've also made an anniversary gift for my David and I'm excited to show you that, too.
• David and I have been taking a parenting class, boy oh boy! My recommendation: take a class before you have children, then you'll be ahead of the game. Having said that, there has been such great lessons and things we've been working on with Abigail, especially. It's hard WORK, but we are slowly seeing some fruit of our labours.
• Heaping burning coals work! If you are struggling with someone, try doing kind things for them that they don't deserve (face it, we all need that) and wait and see what God does to change their hearts and attitudes toward you. I don't want to go into details here, just trust me and try it. Persevere!

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
   “I will take revenge;
      I will pay them back,”
      says the Lord.
  Instead,
   “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
      If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap
      burning coals of shame on their heads.”
 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:19-21

•  I don't think I've blogged about it, but this summer we tried a new product to help reduce the insane heat in our apartment. We have a huge picture window in our living room that gets direct sunlight for 9 hours of the day. Last summer, with an air conditioner, we hit 30 degrees daily! Gila  Window Film has reduced the heat so much that on the days that I don't make it outside, I don't even realize that it's hot outside. So amazing!

Well, that's my random bits for now. I'll be back early next week to show you my latest projects, do a summer list check-in and perhaps share a bit about our anniversary. Have a great weekend!

Things I Love

I've had a little bit of crafty time this week, but no pics yet... stay tuned for that. In the meantime, do you Pinterest? Aaak! So addictive. By that definition, it's time to exercise my spirit of self control... no more this week.

Seriously though, I get asked a lot about where I get ideas for parties, projects, sewing etc. Well, it all began when we first got our iMac in 2006. I'm not even sure of how I came across it, but I found my first sewing tutorial. Up until that point, I had never heard of a blog let alone the vast community of artists online. Well, thanks to Melissa (Tiny Happy), I have never looked back. In the comments from the post on her shoulder bag tutorial, I found links to other blogs and was happily introduced to blogdom. I have benefited from sooooo many free tutorials from lovely domestic bloggers. I have tried my hand at things that I never would have tried without the guidance of someone and I'm so glad that I did.

I constantly have ideas in my bookmarks and now on Pinterest that I'm itching to try or wishing for an occasion to try it. I've researched theme ideas for parties, dreamed of do-it-yourself projects just from seeing someone else's creativity. I think though, that I probably spend too much time "being inspired" and not enough time "doing inspired" things. So, I think that, unless researching for a specific event, I will probably limit my inspiration searches to once a week. This should help to insure that I spend more time working on my own projects and less time drooling over other people's.

If you do check out Pinterest... don't I say I didn't warn you. This is me warning you... highly addictive!!! There have been some questionable pins that I've come across also ones I disagree with, but that's the internet for you. I choose not to throw out the baby with the bath water. Also, you can browse without an account, but you need to be invited to join and post on your own boards. If you want to join, leave me a comment and I'll send you an invite.

(I cut the bars in half as soon as I get them)

Oh, and for real life things I love. You know, ones I've actually touched, bought and used... Pumpkin soap from Rocky Mountain Soap Company. Aaaak! Best soap ever! It's specifically designed for Eczema, which I don't have, but it's deep moisturizing qualities make it great for anyone. When I was pregnant with Abigail, I had such terribly itchy skin. I could barely stand it. Well, I remembered the recommendation for Pumpkin soap from someone and bought a bar. I haven't looked back. Our whole family uses it  and I won't use anything else. Love it.

I Lied in Pre-Marital Counseling!

One of the first things I 'warned' David about myself in pre-marital counseling was that I was not domestic. I truly believed that I was telling him the truth and that I was doing him a favour by warning him so far in advance. A keep-your-expectations-low kind of warning. Well, guess what... I am domestic! This was such a huge revelation to me. I'll tell you how I found this out and why I've changed my story.

My dear friend, Jenni, bought me a GREAT book for my birthday. The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket is a delightful book that I was sad to finish reading.

As I was reading this book, I felt like someone finally understood what I hadn't been able to put into words about how I feel about the domestic arts. I didn't even know that that's what they were called. Here, let Jane explain it to you:

There is a world of difference between domesticity and domestication. this book is about domesticity and the pleasures and joys of the gentle domestic arts of knitting, crochet, baking stitching, quilting, gardening and homemaking. It is emphatically not about the repetitive, endless rounds of cleaning, washing, ironing, shopping and house maintenance that come with domestication. Domesticity rises above the bossiness of cleaning products and media exhortations to keep our houses pristine and hygienic, and focuses instead on creativity within the domestic space.

Domesticity gives us the opportunity to express ourselves, and the gentle arts are the most satisfying and achievable means of doing so.

(practicing the domestic art of crochet)

Jane also shares that it took her years to discover that she was "thoroughly domestic, and only grudgingly domesticated". I found her insights liberating and exciting. I suddenly felt the freedom to quit apologizing for not putting top priority on housework and admit that I find other things more satisfying and important. Yes, housework, to some degree, must be done. No, I don't obsess over unswept floors, dusty furniture and fingerprinted windows and mirrors. These endless, repetitive tasks take so much valuable time away from living. I am blessed to have a husband who encourages my creativity and gives me the freedom to explore homemaking outside of the society measurements. If I spend an afternoon sewing instead of cleaning, David lovingly compliments my accomplishments and overlooks what didn't get done. How blessed am I?!?!

I don't think we ever put it into a philosophy or anything, but Jane Brocket explains how I feel about it:

Domesticity is not synonymous with housework. In fact, I think there is too much media bossiness about cleanliness and tidiness these days, and nowhere near enough celebration of the joys of homemaking.

... I would argue that many of us are far happier in a more fluid state of domesticity with a certain degree of mess and disorder, and a more realistic and welcoming environment that reflects the busyness and creativity of its occupants. We may aspire to magazine-perfect interior, but, deep down, we know that the price to be paid in mental anguish and impossible effort, not to mention the deterioration of relations within the household, is far too high.

(Thanks, Patty~Jean! I love working with this yarn!)

There is so much I could share from her book, but I could get charged with breech of copyright, so I'll just suggest that you read it yourself. The local library is a great place to check it out if you're not ready to commit. I must warn you, you might want to buy several copies of this book by the time you're done. Just ask my friend, Jenni. Thanks for knowing me so well that you knew I would love this book!

 You can also get a regular dose of domesticity on Jane's blog, Yarnstorm.

Twila Mae Photography

It all started with these photos!

These photos were taken at our Marriage Builders' Valentines day event, the King's Ball back in 2009. Abby was 3 weeks old here. David and I hadn't met Twila yet, but our planning partners suggested we ask Twila if she'd like to take portraits at our event. I am so glad that she said "yes", because that was just the beginning. Included with the digital copies of these pictures, was a letter and a coupon for a discounted session fee. David and I decided that we'd give her a try for a family photo session later in the year. We put aside the money and booked Twila for late summer. Here's a few from that session:

We were so impressed with her work that we decided that we would continue to hire Twila for all of our family photos. When you live far away from all of your family, it's especially nice to have great pictures to send to them. We were thinking we'd hire Twila yearly for family pictures. That idea hasn't changed, in fact I am constantly dreaming up ideas for future sessions. One session that we did was after I designed her business card in barter. This session was a challenge for me, because I was feeling so vulnerable and not at all photogenic. Twila quickly put me at ease and gave us some incredible pictures! Pregnancy was such challenge for me and I am so glad to have these pictures as a good memory of that time. Here's a few from the maternity session:

This past week we had another photo shoot with Twila. This one starring our Malachi. I asked Twila if I could snap some pictures of her in action and she graciously agreed. As you can see, she's very good with all of her clients. This session was a lot of fun for me and I am so excited to see how they all turn out. I did get to have a few peeks throughout the session and I know that they're going to be great.

One of the things that I really appreciate about Twila is her willingness to try things that you'd like. She's open to different ideas and has a ton of her own, too. We're already talking about sessions for the next few years. If you're looking for a great photographer in the Winnipeg area, I highly recommend Twila! Make sure you check out/like her facebook page.

I've Been Linked

Evelyn just posted a comment on my nesting post telling me that I was mentioned on the Sew Mama Sew! blog. I feel so honored to be linked. Check out the post here (scroll down). Thanks, Evelyn.

Heavenly Inspired Hair

This is my friend, Julie and she just opened her own salon. I had a quick visit today and her salon is beautiful! If you're in Winnipeg and in need of a great stylist, give her a call! 

Heavenly Inspired Hair

Julie Koppanyi

344 Ravelston Ave 779-2458

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday & Wednesday 1:30-7:30

Friday 10:00-3:00

Saturday 10:30-3:00 

Congratulations, Julie!