Thursday, May 16, 2013

i came up short...and late


so i'm a little late to the party.
think anyone will notice?
nah.
i like to call it fashionably late.
and i am bound and determined to get these 10 on 10 photos sealed into history.
ready? ready.

let's just start off by saying that there is nothing fashionable about the first photo below.
me. in the garage. grinding coffee.
so i can have peace longer while the boys sleep.
also, i'm wondering why it's called beauty sleep?
because i don't wake up more beautiful.
i deteriorate at night.  it's true.


making necklaces and photographing them for the shoppe is my fave.


my happy little family(insert creepy music).
it's too bad they have no idea what's coming to them.  it's sad, really.
the caption below this photo on IG was, "shhhhh....don't tell them their mother is a murderer."
and if you read a few posts back, there's proof.
that might even make it premeditated.


this is my very first attempt at my new iphone app, OVER.
it made me ridiculously happy.
my honey got me an iphone for mothers day and i love it.
he got one too.  so that's for...fathers day?
*wink*
you know i love you, dear.
:)



hey!  we went to the thrift and i found a vintage dress for a dollar and these wooden beads.
wooden beads+mary=true love.
especially when they're only a $1.50!


i have turned into a crazy cat lady and i have no idea how.
this guy has me wrapped around his declawed paw and gets away with spilling way too much water.
i hate walking in wetness.  hate.


lessons.  maddie is the queen bee activity coordinator/teacher in da house.
here, she is instructing her daddy on 'old macdonald'.
he did well and was pretty happy with himself.  :)



so let's call this 7 on 10, mkay?
i have no idea what happened in between, i'm just glad i got these posted!

xoxo,
mary

ten on ten button

Monday, May 13, 2013

mothers day, a missions trip and a winner!



hello, friends!
first off, i just want to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so very much for your sweet and encouraging words about our new little shoppe
we are completely humbled and BLOWN.AWAY. by your kindness and love.  
super excited, too!  i'm not gonna lie!

taking the plunge to hang the open sign on the door was a scary one, but you have all made it SO fun and such a blessing!
i just keep saying, "to God be the glory!", because it is what it is and it's ALL HIM!


now that i said all that, i would like to give a little something back to YOU!  
it started like this...
this morning i was sitting at the dining room table(my work space) while the kids were (supposed to be)doing school, picking at each other, begging for breakfast(at 9:30am...YIKES!), emptying the pencil sharpener all over(loathe), and sprinkling eraser shavings to kingdom come.
i had ORDERS TO FILL!  i had INSTAGRAM to check!   gah!
basically i was getting a little stressed out and i started to grumble, but the Lord quickly reminded me
NOT TO MAKE MY BLESSINGS A BURDEN.  do you ever do that?
i mean, i am SO blessed in so many ways, but i always seem to find the negative! yuck!
i had to repent  for being so silly and selfish and the Lord is always so gracious to forgive.
 then HE gave me the thought to do something fun for you guys.
because you bless me so, so much, i am offering 15% off all items currently in the shoppe
with the code::::YOUBLESSME!
just enter it in at checkout and there ya go!
how fun!!!
(i also fed the kids hash and fried eggs, so they did actually eat)
shop til your little hearts content so that i can fill it right back up!
yay!




did you have a nice mothers day?
we sure did. 
my kiddos and honey spoiled me GOOD! 
i even survived the elmers glue-a-thon in my KINDERGARTEN sunday school class. 
 it was a close one for sure.  ;)
we also managed to squeeze in a few pictures of me and my brood.
there WERE tears from a certain little red headed person in the group whom will not be named.
even so, i'm so blessed to be their mama.





now, let's get onto the giveaway/missions trip/win-win situation all around! 
my friend, jami, from Call Me Blessed, is raising money to help send her husband to uganda on a missions trip happening VERY SOON!
when God calls, we have to answer, and they are taking that step of faith in a BIG WAY.
i'll let jami take it from here...

Uganda

today is the day! the day you get to see all the goodies up for grabs.
aaaand, i'm nervous. there i said it. i feel better already.

if you read my post from last week you know that hubby is part of a mission team going to uganda this summer.
we are thrilled to be able to participate and can not wait to see what the Lord does.
the team will be traveling with children of the nations spending time teaching and loving on children in group homes. they will also be visiting refugee camps, building a laundry facility and planting fruit trees.

the children they will be spending time with have been displaced by AIDS and war.

just the thought of it is heartbreaking to me. so many children with no parents and without a home. i long to look into their little faces. to tell them Jesus loves them. to tell them i love them.
for the time being, however,  i feel called to send my hubby off with as much support and prayer as possible.

will you pray for him and the entire team? pray that everyone they come in contact with will see and feel the love they have come to bring.

we are also in need of financial support. some wonderful friends have rallied behind me to make this fun giveaway possible. i am beyond grateful for and humbled by their support.

please give what you can. a little. a lot. every dollar is appreciated.

here are all the entry details:

*all of these items were donated by the shops and persons listed. this giveaway is open to US residents only. anyone of course, is free to give, however the gift sets will be shipped to US winners only. everyone can enter this giveaway once by leaving a comment with your name here and telling me that you shared this giveaway via twitter/facebook/instagram.
after that? $10 per comment/entry. click the "donate" button at the bottom of this post to donate through paypal. donate $20 leave 2 comments. donate $100 leave 10 comments. easy peasy right?
**please leave your email address with at least one of your donation comments so i can contact you if you win. the winners will be chosen using random.org and announced on monday, may 20th.


ok! let's get to the good good stuff.


there are 2 sets of prizes. so 2 winners! holla!

set #1

set1a aly4 set2d

set #1 includes:
- color pop necklace, feather necklace & aqua vintage inspired earrings from happy days
- gray and white polka dot infinity scarf form lovelylittlewhimsy
- 1 necklace from heathers happys, winner's choice
- 2 prints from blossom&vine, winner's choice
- 10" teal wreath with fabric flowers from small town joy
- $20 target gift card


set #2

maryuganda set2a set1c

set #2 includes:
-2 necklaces & 1 needlepoint from hope homemade, winner's choice 
- 1 print from blossom&vine, winner's choice
-1 7" twig & flower wreath from florero
-1 necklace from heathers happys, winner's choice
-1 print from katygirl designs, winner's choice
- key necklace from salvage517
-$20 target gift card

bonus set
ok, a little bonus for you. because we are so grateful for everyone's support there will also be a winner of these fabulous items!

-a custom designed blog header from danielle burkleo worth $35.
forjami

  - a custom made clutch from jenni carlisle{@ragamuffinbeauties on instagram}
jenni1

one more thing...
my dear friend carina has come up with another way you can support us.
for every arrow necklace purchased from her shop she will donate $10 to our uganda fund.
you can't really beat that.
carina3

well there you have it!

please visit all of these shops. these are some truly wonderful women.

and will you spread the word? tweet, facebook, instagram, blog about it? we would be super grateful.

thanks friends!

ok, it's mary again.  :)
we are thrilled to be a part of this, so if God is tugging at your heart to help in any way, head over to jami's and enter in.
our prayer is that the gospel will be shared in a big way and that lives are CHANGED by the transforming power of Christ!
amen.



and speaking of giveaways....the winner of the we walk by faith necklace is #16!
miss AMY!  i will be sending you an email VERY soon!
congrats!
now, remember, i didn't want the rest of you to feel left out, so head over and use the 15% off coupon
YOUBLESSME to snag your own 'frosting'.
hahaha...i had to say it.  sorry.
don't forget, we do customs orders, too, so bring on the ideas!  ;)



talk to ya soon.

xo
mary




Monday, May 6, 2013

we're still kickin' and a GIVEAWAY!


well, guess what?
i've hemmed and hawed about how to start this post, so here ya go.
i miss you.  there.  i said it.  :)
i miss your comments of encouragement and the love that you show to me so graciously.
i miss sending reply emails and getting to know you better.
i miss sharing our life, and documenting it for my children(the whole point!).



the krauses are still very alive and well! 
 life has simply gotten the best of me these days 
and i've decided that it's moving waaayyyyy too fast for my liking.
i have a daughter who is 14 going on 30(see above).
my boys are becoming little men.
and my sweet maddie, well, she keeps me busy with sleepovers and such!




but of course, in the middle of all of that, you can find me hiding in a pile of laundry a mile high, or trying to figure out what to make for lunch(again), maybe grading papers, killing succulent plants, scouring the toilet, perhaps? 
maybe photographing my sweet husband repairing a leak.  
#iamthatgirl





if you are on instagram, you may see the goings on of our life over there(mary_krause).
it's so easy for me to share photos and activities on there, but part of me misses the interaction over here, too.
it's like sending a text when i should be calling.
or an email when handwritten is best.
i have really gotten impersonal and while it is convenient for this 90MPH life that i feel like i am barely hanging on for some days, 
i know that i crave slow and simple and being more reflective. 
being more present is important to me!  #helpmeLord
i don't just want to hang on for the ride, i want to enjoy the journey.
and i have to come clean, these past few months i haven't been doing that very well.
i'm sure some of you understand.




the Lord has been teaching us so many things, and He has been so gracious and tender with me along the way.
i am SO glad that HE is the captain of this ship, because i would for sure steer us right into trouble.
He is my TRUE NORTH.
unfailing.  constant.  
me....not.so.much.

SO!  with that said, my friends, we have been up to some pretty fun stuff that we are really excited about!
my daughters have this constant desire to create and make(no idea where that comes from!?), and so, with the Lord's help, we decided to DO IT AFRAID and start up our very own etsy shoppe.


believe me, i.was.scared!
our prayer is that HOPE homemade inspires you in your faith and that our pieces will be a constant reminder of His love and faithfulness to and for you.
i mean, we can NEVER be reminded of that too much, right?

so, to kick off our new venture, we would like to have a giveaway!
here's a peek at some of our creations.


and..........we are giving this necklace away to one of YOU!
something that i need to be reminded of DAILY.  or MINUTELY, more like it!
>>>we walk by faith, not by sight<<<



to enter:::

just leave me a comment on this post!
#easypeasy  :)

additional entries(leave separate comment for each one):::

1) visit our shoppe and tell me what your favorite item is!
2) share this giveaway on facebook/instagram/your blog

giveaway ends 5/10 and is open to readers worldwide
a random winner will be picked(out of a hat!) by 5/11  :)
please leave your email addy so that i can connect with you if you are the winner!

head on over to :::sew mama sew::: for TONS more giveaway fun!

thank so much for stopping by!
we HOPE you love our creations and that they inspire you in your faith.

it feels good to be back.  :)




xoxo,
mary