Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Dear Lord...

...Things have been crazy lately, Lord. I've felt lost and helpless in many situations. There are points when I want to give up and then high moments when I want to conquer the world. I know that I am only one person and I can only do what you give me the strength to accomplish. Please forgive me of the sins I've failed you daily... help me to be a better wife, mother, daughter, friend and mentor. I long to live out the plan you have for my life. I know you are teaching me through each step I take and each situation and opportunity you place before me. Help me to live for you and only you... to yearn to please you and not others. In the areas I have to work on please guide me and give me strength to glorify you!

So much hurt is going on in the world right now... family and friends going through health issues and hard times. Please be with the Rajala family and precious little Lily... we know you have your hand on this situation and you have a divine plan for her life. Please heal her and allow your light to shine through out their situation. Be with the doctors and give them wisdom as to the best methods to take! Please be with the families of the lives lost in all of the tornadoes last week. We can never understand why these things happen but we know that you have it all under control.

I love you so much Lord and I thank you for never giving up on me... thank you for all of the many blessings you've given us and please continue to teach and grow us in our ministry. In your precious name. Amen!

“You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.” Psalm 18:35

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Busy busy!

Well we've got lots going on this week at the Carmichael household!

I've been busy working on orders and watching Avery grow up right before my eyes! She's been absolutely cracking me up this week. Everything I say she repeats and she is just so inquisitive! Yesterday before church I was playing with her in the living room... I got super tired so I laid on the floor and rested my head on a pillow. She was running around and all of the sudden she squatted down in front of my face and says, "wha youuu doiiiiing?" I've never heard her say this one before but I just died laughing!

I've been missing Texas and my family very badly this week... there's a lot going on and I hate being so far away during all of it! Especially with all of the new things Avery's doing, I hate that they're missing out on a lot of it... Skype is definitely an answered prayer because it makes enduring the distance a little easier! Avery very often kisses and high fives the screen to my mom and sister! She loves them and always talks about her Taw Taw when she gets up from her naps!

I had started another blog for my weight loss journey but I think I'd like to keep the info on here so I have more to blog about! :)

I started weight watchers in November courtesy of my dear mother who was more than willing to help me out so that I could get started! I've done many diets but have never been successful or had the willpower and self control to keep up with before weight watchers. So far it has been amazing... yes I fail often but I am still losing weight and it's been 4 months! This last week I lost 6lbs after being stagnant for a month, which brings my total weight loss to 31lbs! Very exciting! I'm beginning to look forward to the future and how much more I will be able to do at a healthier weight! I've never been able to analyze myself and figure out why I've had weight issues but I do know that I am a very emotional person... things don't easily brush off my shoulders I truly FEEL things and it easily overwhelms me and takes over and I believe it slowly lead to emotional eating plus I just love food! With weight watchers I have been able to eat healthy but also not deprive myself of some of the foods I love! :) Lately I've been trying to work harder on the exercising aspect of it all... Monday I walked 3 miles and hopefully plan to do another 3 miles tonight! :)

For the self control- 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Springfield Photography!

While we were in Springfield for Carrie's wedding, one of her dear friends from high school (her wedding photographer) suggested we do pictures for Avery! I was ECSTATIC! We don't have the luxury of professional photos very often because of a lack of funds so this was a great opportunity to catch her at this silly age! Amanda was very patient with Avery and caught some of my FAVORITE faces that she makes daily! So happy we have pictures to remember how goofy our baby girl is! It was truly a blessing!

Make sure you go and check out Amanda's website and if you're in the Springfield, MO area... I definitely recommend her!!!












Monday, April 4, 2011

Carrie Beth's wedding! (Cont.)

I wanted to add some more pictures that another friend took of the wedding so you could see a tad more! :) Here they are!
Avery is such a nutcase and loves giving crazy faces when people take pictures!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Carrie Beth's wedding!







This is their sign in table... it's a canvas with a bare tree on it and you "Leaf your thumb print" and sign it! It was seriously the cutest idea ever! :)


The doors that you enter into the barn at!




This is their picture table... I made the Carrie hearts Josh banner for them! :) Loved how it all came together!


The bride homemade all of the desserts and they were seriously to die for!!! Cake balls in two flavors... Strawberry cream cheese with white chocolate icing and Red Velvet cream cheese with chocolate icing, Texas sheet cake, lemon poppy seed muffins, lemon cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, and cheesecake!!!

This was their cutie cake!




White chocolate covered pretzel sticks, cookies, I didn't try those things on the tray but I believe they were little pecan pies, and then pumpkin whoopie pies and OMG those were insanely yummy!!!

Carrie is seriously sooo stinking talented and she just did a fabulous job on her wedding... If I could do mine over again I'd do it just like hers! That is if she didn't mind me copying it! :) I didn't grab pictures of the stage or the bridesmaids dresses but she made the dresses and refinished a dresser in robins egg blue for the stage in front of 3 or 4 old wooden doors! EEK I wish I could attend her wedding again! So stinking precious! I will try to snag some more pictures and post for ya'll later! :)

Recent Orders!

Here are some of my recent orders that I've been wanting to share with ya'll! Enjoy!
The above two were gifts to two very precious couples in my life! The first was for my Brother in law and future Sister in law! There establishment sign also involved a cute inside joke! The second was for one of my very best friends Carrie Beth... she got married this last weekend and it was AMAZING! I will post pictures in a later post, you'll just LOVE IT!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wedding Shower and trip to the zoo!

Our weekend was EXTREMELY eventful! It was quite insane actually... Decorating for the shower on Friday till 2am... then waking up at 5:30am for the teen yard sale at church... leaving the yard sale early to get ready for the shower... wedding shower...then clean up! Sunday took a forever long nap in between church and then Monday we took Avery for her first trip to the zoo! She absolutely loved it! Her favorites were the monkeys and chickens! She kept yelling at the deer though, "HEY DEER"... we had a blast, it was a great family day! I cherish them! Here are some pictures from the weekend!
My very first towel cake ^ yay!


The gorgeous engaged couple! It's my brother in law Brandon and his fiance Hannah! Very excited to have her in our family VERY SOON! :)


I gave a short devotional for the shower! I'm really liking this whole speaking thing! It's fun!


Avery and Mommy riding the safari ride!


Daddy and Avery checking out the wart hogs!


Ave's favorites, the monkeys!



Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Diaper Cake!

So a few weeks ago we held a baby shower for a girl in our church. She's super sweet and has been through a lot of hard times but seems to really be trying to get her life back on track! My mother in law, Tiffany and I worked really hard to make it perfect for her!

Sometimes I feel like there's no better way to show someone Christ's love than to spoil them rotten! he he! YES I know that this is not always the best option but sometimes it works! :)

Here are a few pictures from the shower... Baby Tayla Faye was born 2 weeks prior to the shower so she's also included! :)Dawn from Kiki La Ru sent this precious cake bunting to us as the sweetest gesture to show her support for this young mother as well! Not the greatest pictures BUT it looked precious!!! And as you'll see below I put the cake bunting on top of the diaper cake after I finished it at home just to add some height and if I had two of the buntings I totally would have left it! So ladies not only can you use Dawn's buntings for your edible cakes they are super presh on diaper cakes! :)


Here is the name banner I made for the shower and Tayla now has it in her bedroom at home for decoration! I sell these on my Etsy! Check them out!


My fellow crafter and dear friend Tiffany made 4 precious diaper cupcakes to go on cake stands in the center of each table! LOVE!


My very first diaper cake completed! ^

We had so much fun putting this all together and our next project is a wedding shower for my Brother in law and his fiance'! It's this Saturday so my goal will be to put up pictures sometime next week! Maybe sooner if ya'll get lucky! :) Woo hoo! I'm enjoying blogging again!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Great day!

Today started the first day of our mission's month! We had a church wide prayer breakfast to pray for all of our missionaries! :)

Afterwards Avery and I went with Sheldon's Mom and dad to Tampa for a consignment sale! Granny found out I was going to she snuck a few bucks into our account so I could get some Summer clothes for Ave :) she's precious! Really missing my family in Texas this past week... It's hard when you don't have plans for the next time you'll see each other. Airline prices sky rocketed for us over their spring break which is preventing us from neon able to plan something! Working on a few Orders this next week, trying to get some things done before Avery and I leave for Springfield for my dear friend Carrie's wedding :) hopefully I can post some pictures in the next few days of what I'm accomplishing! :) happy Sunday y'all! Hope each of you have a good church home you attend and are being fed regularly! If you need a good boost check out the Proverbs 31 Women's blog... I love love love their daily devotions! :)

Friday, March 4, 2011

Working hard!

 Well last time I posted I claimed that I was back to blogging and I apparently was lying lol :) 

I got pretty busy getting things accomplished for the Christmas Markets I was apart of and slacked off yet again... More recently I was preparing for a girl's conference I was asked to speak at in Louisville, Ohio! I had such a great time and it was truly an amazing experience to speak to that many girls! I am extremely passionate about total purity in girls lives so that session came naturally for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it! :) Here are a few pictures from the weekend!

In the coming weeks I will be posting pictures of some recent orders I've had!