thirTEEN

some of you may know that i have officially been the mother of a teenager for a good nine months now.

you know your life is coming full circle when your daughters pinterest boards are cooler than your own.  :)

i mean, do i really look old enough to have a teenager?  ------------------------------------------------->

#dontanswerthat

this darling girl has been the recipient of all of my worst mothering mistakes.  she was my guinea pig. 

my heart's desire as a teenager(GASP! that's what she is!), was only to get married and have children.

seven was my 'magic' number.

after i had a few kiddos the number decreased, but by God's grace, i think it may just still be our number.
 but that's for a whole different post.  ;)

i got married to my love when i was 18, and one year and one month later, miss elly was born.

baby in arms...we were in LOVE.

now she's growing up on us.  *sigh*

as i look back at all of my naiveness as a young mother, and my millions trillions of mistakes, i see a story that is grace laced in every way. 

i was not always a great mother.  i was a very strict, demanding mama who required nothing less than perfection for a long time. 

of course, i know this is impossible, but it didn't stop me from trying.

i didn't give grace, and so that put a barrier between my very own daughter and myself.

as weird as it may seem, and as harsh as it feels to me, my daughter and i have not always connected in the way i thought we would.

it would take 13 years for me to fully grasp the gift that my daughter is to me and that she was specifically chosen for me.

what an honor and a blessing!

here are a few pictures of her birthday party this past february. 

it was a very bitter cold day, and her brother had a bad ear infection, but we had a great time just the same.

i know it seems late to post this, but i so badly want to document this vapor of a life.  :)

we chose a crafty theme for the maturing girl.

she requested fish tacos and individual nutella cheesecakes.  

#todiefor!

certainly the ONLY way we ended up where we are today is by the grace of God.

and a whole lotta caulk.  because Lord knows, He had to fill in a multitude of gaps that i left along the way.

and He still is.

elly is so much like me it hurts sometimes.

i think that contributed to our clashing.  ok.  for surely it did.

she is a beautiful girl, inside and out, and she is just bursting with talent!

i'd like to say that she is a lot like me in her love of creating. ;)

we both come alive when we are able to 'make'.

she also has a very tender heart, the best kind.

can you even stand the wisconsin sweater?  i am SO making that but with the united states on it!

she did that all by herself, and the sewing is amazing!

also, she has been able to bless a few of my bloggy friends(and others) with these baby moccasins. 

aren't they the CUTEST?

she is a wonderful knitter, a gifted pianist, loving sister, daughter and friend.

family singspiration just would NOT be the same without her.

this season of my life with her has {by far} been the best ever.

we totally 'get' each other, we love to create together, and yes, we share favorite TOMS and certain clothes.

i can break out in, "i just called......to say....i love youuuuuuu!" with fake mike in hand at target and she only gets mildly embarrassed.  :)

hey, that's my job!

so today, and every day, i'm so thankful that God chose ME to be her mother.

watching her grow up has been my privilege and i am keenly aware of how quickly time is fleeting.

we may only have her for a few more years, and i plan on enjoying every little bit.

eye rolls and all.

i hope she never forgets Who she truly belongs to.

she was bought with a price, a very high One, and my prayer is that she will radiate that Life to all those she meets.

Lord, i thank you so much for blessing me with this rare and precious jewel of a daughter.

may YOU shine brightly through her and continue to fill in all of my gaps!

mama loves you, elly grace.

xo, 

mary

the girls debut

good mornin', afternoon or night, friends!  

how was your weekend? 

are you LOVING this fall weather?

i suppose that depends on where you live, but where we are, it is just breathtaking!

the picture above is the entrance to our driveway.

i think it's just beautiful!

last week was quite a crazy week over here!

besides school and volleyball, church, etc...

the girls were getting ready for their big knitting debut.

they had been asked to come to a show at a local park 

where vendors could come and sell their 

handmade treasures.

needless to say, the girls were super excited!

{and i almost lost my mind}

;) 

elly 

maddie

the lady that invited them also owns a shop, called pomegranate, in a nearby town. 

she happened to break her wrist and pinky the week before last.  poor thing!

that meant no park showing, but they were still able to bring their creations to her shop on consignment.

here is what we came up with.

elly's best friend, sophie, gave her the name, 'mademoiselly',  and we liked it so much that the girls wanted to use it for their 'shop' name.

we are sooo grateful for wonderful, creative, encouraging friends, who make our lives so much more wonderful just by  being in it!  we love you, sebby's.

what do you think?

here are a few of their projects so far.

baby booties with owls by elly.

                       

 this is a belt elly made out of felt.  it's not for sale, but i just thought i'd show you anyway. :)

she got the idea from a friend who found it on pinterest.

owl banners by elly.

these are missing the sticks that we put through them to make them look like they are sitting on branches.

i told you it was a craaazay week!

maddie makes these flower pins.

you can pin them on headbands, purses, or coats, so they are really versatile.

the shop owner asked the girls to write a little something about themselves.

i forgot to take a picture of elly's. oops!

i am really excited about this opportunity that the Lord has given them. 

it is such a good learning experience!

they have deadlines to meet, 

responsibilities to keep up with, 

and there is a lot of  time management being learned.

they have to make sure that their school, house, and volleyball commitments 

are all fulfilled before they can knit, and it is a challenge for them.

they are also learning how to work with people{never a problem!} and interact with business owners. 

there are consignment percentages and it challenges them to do their absolute best!

i love that angie is willing to allow them in her sweet shop. 

she is very honest with them and has given them very wonderful advice so far!

what you see on etsy is a very small sampling of what she has in her shop.

she has a really hard time keeping her shop stocked!

of course, God always wants us to do our very best, and i have been encouraging them with the verse,

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,"

Colossians 3:23

that is a really good challenge for me, too!

thank you so much for stopping by today.

i will keep you updated on what's going on with this new adventure.

i hope you enjoyed seeing their creations.

have a lovely day!

xo,