Supper Prep

 

Two years ago I was a dewy eyed bride with visions of perfect housekeeping dancing in my head. I figured that my time spent cooking and cleaning would be forever fueled by my love for Paul. I had been waiting for (what felt like) so long to be his wife and I just knew that I could run a perfect household for him!

Boy was I in for a surprise! It turns out that you don't automatically become a great cook overnight just because you're in love. And your kitchen doesn't stay clean effortlessly just because you're a brand new wife. Nope. Like most good things, these joys of the home take practice and work. But in the first few weeks and months, I was frustrated, embarrassed and had many failed attempts. There were (are) days I thought that maybe I'm just not cut out for this. I still don't get it right all the time. But this week I've been thinking about just how far the Lord has brought me in the last two years as far as keeping our home and especially in making our daily meals. Here's what I've learned and what I try to put into practice:

Planning:

Plan out our suppers for the week. Sometimes I write it out with recipes and everything, sometimes it's as simple as laying it out in my mind, "Soup on Monday, Lasagna on Tuesday, Leftovers on Wednesday, Chicken on Thursday..." Either way, I find that if I know the plan for the next 5-7 nights, I feel a lot more ready to take on the week.

Thinking through the next 24 hours. If I know we'll have Mexican food for dinner tomorrow night, then I know I'll need to soak my rice and beans the night before.

Reusing ingredients. Sometimes, I can double my prep work to prepare for a future meal. For instance, last week I made Southwest salad for supper one night. I over estimated how many beans to cook. We made salads a few more meals, but started to grow tired of the same thing over and over. This week I still had quite a few beans left, so instead of making more salads, I refried them and used them for quesadillas. 

Leftovers. Paul and I are pretty good about eating leftovers, but after a few meals, we grow tired of them. I found that we were wasting a lot of food when we would toss the end of our leftovers because we didn't eat them before they went bad. So now I like to pack and freeze half of a meal - especially if it has made a large portion. This way, we don't have an overwhelming amount left in the fridge, and I can prepare it again simply by defrosting it a while later.

Shopping:

Stick to the list. When I have my weekly meals all planned, then my trips to the grocery store are much more simple. I make a list to pick up any of the ingredients we don't yet have, and I try to stick to the list only.

Snacks and treats. I find that I prefer to snack throughout the day instead of eating distinct meals. I make it a point to buy lots of fresh fruit and veggies, cottage cheese, yogurt, nuts in addition to making bread, granola and cookies/sweets at home. These healthy options are often times much cheaper than whats in the chips/crackers/snack aisles at the store. As far as treats go, our main splurge is ice-cream. Still, I try to keep it as a "once-in-a-while purchase" as opposed to keeping our freezer stocked all the time.

Stocking up. One of my favorite things I've been doing is stocking up on staples at Costco. I like to buy my meat there and keep it in the freezer in small quantities. I also stock up on flour, rice, olive oil and peanut butter. It feels so good to not have to worry about running out of the things I use the most!

Buying in budget. This one is important to Paul and me, as we plan to live within our means. Sometimes this means I can't buy fancy treats, organic produce or specialty foods. And I'm okay with that. While I believe God calls us to take care of our bodies and make wise, nutritional choices, I don't believe it is honoring to Him if I disrespect my husband or go into debt to do it.

Cleaning Up:

Tidy up as I go. This has been one of the harder habits for me to learn. I would get so disappointed after preparing a meal and then looking around to find the kitchen had turned into a disaster zone. In addition to the cooking, I am responsible for doing the dishes in our home, and I'm embarrassed to say that I would sometimes leave dirty dishes in and around the sink for days – just piling up! This summer though, I've been making a conscious effort to clean as I go and it has revolutionized my kitchen time! Because of my new method, I now usually have 10-15 minutes of dishes at the end of the night, as opposed to 30-60 minutes (probably 2 days later).

Re-using pots and pans. I used to think I needed a new pot or pan for each task. Sometimes things are cooking at the same time and so I will need to use multiple cookware. But now I'm learning to space out my prep work so I can make the whole meal in just one (or maybe 2) pans. Depending on what was prepped before it, I'll give it a little rinse or wipe down and move on. This, of course also helps with clean-up!

Attitude:

Where's my heart at? I could use all the tips and tricks in the book, but if I have a bad attitude about cooking, then it isn't going to be a good experience no matter what. I'll be honest, some of my heart struggles in this area have been:

• Jealousy that I do most of the cooking and clean-up at our house, and Paul gets to come home and relax. 
• Hopelessness that this is a never ending job and that someday when we have children it will be an even harder job! 
• Discouragement about our budget and what foods I can and cannot buy on a regular basis.
• Frustration when I don't keep up with the expectations for food and cleanliness that I have set for myself (and I know that Paul appreciates).

When I let these sinful attitudes and thoughts reign in my heart, it produces a pattern of bitterness and resentment. But when I turn my eyes to Jesus, and see that this job that I've been given is for His glory, and when I choose to live and work with a cheerful heart and joy in Christ, I am blessed with a heart full of:

• Thankfulness that I get to be the one who prepares a place of rest and a meal for a husband who goes out and works so hard for me and for our future. What a gift it is to work alongside him and be his helpmate in this way!
• Hope that I have lots of time to improve and grow.
• Gratefulness that we are abundantly blessed! Look at all the good food we are able to buy. I have clean water, I send my husband to work every day with a full lunch and he comes home to a house full of food. We are extravagantly blessed beyond my comprehension.
• Praise that His mercy is new every morning. I will never live up to my standards of perfection. Jesus gave his life up and now I have new life that has nothing to do with living perfectly and everything to do with the grace He pours out on me. All glory to God!

I love my role as Paul's wife. I love being the woman in our home alongside my husband. Sometimes my daily tasks feel mundane or even overwhelming, but I am so thankful that this is where God has placed me to learn and to grow and to be humbled. He is making me new.

Making Plans

We've had so much fun this week Skyping with Pia and Johannes as we nail down some of the details for our upcoming trip to Europe. The thing about traveling overseas, is that we know this isn't something we'll get to do very often, so it can be tempting to try and cram in as many places as possible. But the reality is, we won't be able to see everything we want, so we just have to pick and choose what makes sense! So, after much discussion, the four of us decided that the best use of our time and resources will be to take a road trip! Woo hoo! After spending some time in Vienna, we'll head through Salzburg to Germany and pass through the towns where Oma was born and where Paul's family is from. So special! Then we'll head up over to France and spend a few days in Paris. After that we'll start heading back through Zurich and perhaps dip down to spend some time in Milan depending on how we're feeling and our timing. We'll round out our days back in Vienna and perhaps take a day trip to Budapest or Prague. Is this a dream?

Home Tour Part 2

Yesterday I did the first part of our home tour and showed you what it would look like as you walk into our house. Today I'm excited to welcome you back into the main living area – really the heart of our home!

As you'd walk through the foyer, you'd come into the great room! I would tell you how much we love having all this open space and suggest that you sit on one of our kitchen stools while I pour you a beverage and finish up our meal. I absolutely love having friends sit and chat while I buzz around the kitchen. It's one of my favorite feelings! 

As we catch up I might point out that pretty blue stand mixer. The one I got for my birthday from my sweet sister-in-law and father-in-law. Aren't they generous? I've been using it all the time. In fact, I would probably be pulling a loaf of my favorite rosemary bread out of the oven as our conversation flows. It smells awesome. We might start moving past our surface conversation and getting into some real heart chats right about now. I find that friends like to get real around the kitchen island. There's just something safe about gathering here. After a while, I might set the table and suggest that we sit down to eat.

Just off the kitchen we'd settle at our little table. Paul will say a pray and thank God for our meal and for you, our guest. We'd pass the plates and laugh and tell stories. It's not a big table, but it's round, and it cultivates good conversations. Round tables have a way of doing that. After dinner I might glance around the room and ask you what you think I should do about all the blank walls. I'll explain that the wall on the right is actually painted gray, and Paul will tease me because he says he can't even tell the difference between that wall and the white walls. I'll sigh and genuinely ask you what you would suggest? Shelves? A mirror? A gallery wall? A chalkboard?

As I clear the table I'll urge you to please make yourself comfortable in the family room! I'll turn on the coffee (if that's your drink of choice) and make sure we have something sweet to serve soon. We might chat about plans for this room. We're still in the brainstorming stage, but for now I like how it feels collected and cozy. I'll tell you that my mom has generously offered to have slipcovers made for our wingback chairs, and how I used to snuggle up in those same chairs with a good book as a little girl. What fabric do you think I should choose? Would you paint the TV cabinet? What would you put on the walls? These are the questions I'd ask you. Because you just have the best taste!

I hope we'd settle in here the rest of the evening, and that you'd stay as long as you like. Maybe we'd play a game, or talk about the issues that interest us. As our time comes to a close I'll feel so full in my heart. I just loved having you over and it was so good to connect. Before you leave I'll already be asking when you can come again, or making plans to meet for coffee this weekend. Paul and I would walk you to the door and give you another big hug. We'd probably linger out to the car and wave from the driveway. Because we love our friends, so that's just how we do things around here.

Thanks for viewing my home tour! Hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

Easter Weekend – He is Risen!

Our Easter was worshipful and sweet and beautiful and delicious and fun. We started the morning at church. It was my very first Sunday in the newly constructed big room (since last week I was teaching Sunday School). We are so thankful for a space that can comfortably hold more people! What a blessing. We celebrated Jesus' resurrection with two baptisms, a gospel message and lots of singing. I love witnessing baptisms. Watching someone express their faith in Jesus and the amazing stories of people passing from death to life abundant. How wonderful it is that Jesus is alive! It means everything to me!

I'm still getting used to the completely different climate here in Arizona. Easter used to mean the start of spring and would often times usher in warmer weather (and other times bring more snow!). But now, Easter is in the height of our lovely season. Just around the corner we know the hot sweltering days of summer are coming. But for now, we bask in the gentle sunshine and the cool breezes and enjoy our outside Easter. My mom made a delicious lunch and we joined them and some friends from their small group for a wonderful afternoon of porch sitting and neighborhood walks.

He is risen indeed!

Getting Settled

We are so overjoyed to be officially moved in to our new home. What a gift! We're still trying to get the hang of the new space. And I think with time, it'll feel more comfortable, and things will start to make sense. But for now I'm still in the stage of figuring out where things should go, what will work well with our natural living habits, and how to start making this place cozy.

It isn't really ready for a proper room tour yet, but I did want to capture a few moments so I can always remember these first few days. Above you can see:

1. I was so super super giddy as we began bringing in our bags and boxes from our car. It was so surreal!
2. I'm still getting used to the tile floors all over. It makes the ground super chilly, which I am sure we will love come July. But for now I'm wearing slippers all the time.
3. Deciding if I like the lamp base and shade combo. The bases I got from the Habitat Re-store, and the shades are from Home Goods and I added the black trim last week. What do you think?
4. Our little dining nook. This is probably the most "put together" spot in our house right now. I love the fixture and rug Mom got us for Christmas! (both from Overstock.com)
5. Putting together the shelves in my office space! They recently had a makeover and I find myself glancing over at them while I work throughout the day, just to take a peak. That's when you know you really like something.
6. Paul, Brent and our first out of town visitor, Ben, were working hard to put up the pendant lights over our kitchen island. They did an awesome job. I'm so thankful.
7. Our first minutes in the house together!
8. Sampling a few paint colors. For some reason choosing colors is really stressing me out. I wish I was more decisive.
9. Just a little glimpse of the many piles of boxes still scattered throughout our home!

Part of me wants everything to already be unpacked and settled, but then I try to remind myself how precious these beginning days are, even with all their chaos and confusion. I hope we will always look back and remember how very sweet it was these first moments in our first home together. And someday soon this place will feel so familiar – I'll know the little spots on the walls, and all the little nooks and corners and quirks like the back of my hand. And that will be so nice and comfortable. But for now, it's still new, and we're still getting to know each other, this house and I. So for now I may not know which drawer I stuck the scissors in, or where my favorite sweater is, or what's the best spot for the dinner plates, but I think we're going to get along just fine. This house feels like just the right fit for my Paul and me (and hopefully a few more someday too!).

Today's the Day!

Today is the day Paul and I have been dreaming about for over 7 months now! In a few minutes we will be heading over to our new house to pick up our keys and start moving in!!! We can hardly believe the day has come!!!

Last weekend, we packed up our apartment and moved out of our first Arizona home. We needed to be out by the end of December which left us with a tricky 5 day gap with no place to live. Thankfully, our dear friends here offered their home to us since they would be out of town this week anyways. We are so thankful for all the little ways the Lord has provided for us during this transition time. Speaking of which, we were so blessed to have this crew come help us pack our truck on Sunday.

What a difference it was to a year ago when we moved in. At that time our only moving help was my parents. It was a big job last January for 4 people. But now we have the most precious community at our church, Valley Life, and we are so humbled that we were completely moved out in just 2 hours!

On Monday morning we had our final walk through with our project manager. Then on Wednesday morning, we signed our closing documents and forked over the big bucks!

This process has gone so fast and so slow all at the same time :) And there were definitely many moments when I was unsure if I even wanted to stay in Arizona, let alone purchase a house here. But as the story unfolded, I'm so thankful that I can see how God has guided our steps all along the way through my husband's leadership and through the revealing of His plans for our family. And I know there is so much more I don't even know or understand. So for this gift, we give Jesus the glory, honor and praise!

I promise I'll be back soon with a little tour of our new pad ;)

Merry Christmas!

How was your celebration?! Maybe you are still celebrating? We had a lovely couple of days...

serving at church on Christmas Eve,
a late night drive up into the mountains after the service,
waking up Christmas morning with my parents and brother to english muffin bread & cinnamon butter,
passing and opening so many thoughtful gifts,
a brisk walk with my dad and our family dog,
a few rounds of a new card game,
some delicious meals and treats,
a little online decorating and house planning with mom,
a steady fire burning in the fireplace,
and another late night drive down the mountain at the end of the day.

And now we're outta here in just 5 little days! Can't believe the adventures that are ahead! And I definitely can't believe how much packing I have left to do... Things are wild around here. But we are thankful and blessed :)

A New Kind of Winter Wonderland

Hello there! Is it a Winter Wonderland where you live? Snow has been a hot topic on Facebook and Instagram this past weekend and I must say, I'm a bit jealous! Although I'll never see snowflakes fall outside my window in our new desert town, it's the most wonderful time of year here too. With highs in the 60's and 70's and the sun shining bright, it's my ideal weather for sure. The nights are quite crisp and chilly and we've added extra blankets to our bed. The best! This morning I even got dressed under the covers because it was so cold in our room. Does anyone else do this in the wintertime? You must try it. My mom taught me to do this on the dark cold winter mornings when I was a little girl and it makes a world of a difference.

So you can see, we're enjoying our own kind of Christmas season around here. And although I love to watch the white stuff fall, I can be thankful that I'm not scraping off car windows, slipping on the ice, or  shivering as I run my Christmas errands. And that I can just take a quick trip up north any time I need a snowfall fix. In all things, give thanks :)

Well, how was your weekend? We had a really sweet couple of days off. Since Friday, I've gotten to:

Sip coffee with a dear new friend.
Watch Miracle on 34th Street. Paul saw it for the first time! It's so charming.
Take a drive up the mountains to visit my parents.
Enjoy the lights in the town square, and the carols at Acker Night.
Paint my new resale finds for my future office.
Nap under my favorite quilt.
Visit our house. It's so very much almost finished. Just a few weeks now!
Finish up our Christmas stockings. I used this tutorial for the cuffs.

And what's on my to-do list for this week?

Get going on our packing. I'm actually looking forward to this! Gives me a chance to go through our things and get rid of whatever we don't use/need. Nothing like a fresh start!
Address and mail out our Christmas cards.
Finish my Christmas shopping.
Drink lots of mint hot chocolate.
Watch The Nativity Story.
Keep the Christmas music playing.
Pray for a thankful heart and a humble spirit.

This Designer Cares

This past week, I've had another opportunity to "give" and I am so proud to tell you about this new project.

I've often written on the blog about my involvement with Minted and how much I've grown from their challenges. But I'm afraid I've failed to mention that through Minted, I have come to know the most incredible network and community of designers. They all feel like real friends to me and although I have not even met a single one of them in person (yet!), I have been so blessed by their wisdom, critiques, advice and friendships.

This past weekend, my designer friend, Jackie from Believe Notes, initiated a movement from our little community to do our part in raising funds for Sandy relief. She organized a collaboration of designers to donate our designs which will be stamped and embossed on cards for sale in the Etsy shop. She has really given her heart and soul the past 5 days towards this effort, and more than 40 well established designers have generously given to the cause. All of the proceeds go straight to the Red Cross, and our design community has even raised funds to help cover overhead costs. Our hope is that we can selflessly use our gifts to bless those in need.

Here are a few of my favorite designs posted, but there are sooo many great cards in the shop! I hope you'll check them out.

Visit the shop and spread the word!

November 2012 Desktop Calendar

I've been thinking a lot lately about giving, and how the act of giving is so good for my soul. I want to develop the gifts God has given me not so I can hoard them for myself, but so that I can be used to  bless those around me. I feel as though I'm entering into a season of growing in intentional giving, and one way I can practice this discipline is through little gifts on this blog. Giving reminds me that life's not all about me and that my life can count for so much more than myself. It is so easy for me to get wrapped up in my own tiny world, scared of what others will think of me or if I'm measuring up to everyone else. But when I give, it isn't about me, it's about you, and ultimately about Him. So over the next few weeks I hope to give thanks to God by giving of myself; what the Lord is teaching me, what I'm learning and what I'm making. So to start, here is my little offering. I hope it brings you cheer and reminds you to give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess. 5:18).

Happy November to you! Click on the image below to enlarge and then right click to use as your desktop background.

A Full Weekend

Our weekends since we moved to Arizona, have not always been full. So last night, as Paul and I were driving home from a newcomers reception at church, we both indulged in a little whine session with comments like this weekend went too fast! and I wish we had another day off and Mondays are the worst! I'm gonna go ahead and bet my bottom dollar that these little conversations go on in a lot of homes on Sunday nights. But as we discussed all the fun things we got to do in the past 3 days, I couldn't help but let my heart fill up with thankfulness. God has been so kind to us to begin filling our lives again with a great church and meeting new friends.

So my weekend was filled with: a trip up north visiting and catching up with Mom, soaking up sewing tips from her, getting a good start on my quilt*, chatting with Kirstie on my drive, a hot Carmel Macchiato for the cool mountain air, dinner with new friends, two rounds of Ticket to Ride, trip to the library, a challenging and encouraging church service, visiting our new house, afternoon naps, a newcomers dessert, and lots of great conversations! We feel so blessed.

*Here's a peak at the 6 blocks I did over the weekend for my granny square quilt. Only 14 to go!

When The Austrians Were Here

Last week I had the sweet blessing of reuniting with my dear friend, Pia. She and I met almost 5 years ago when we were both in China, and I hadn't seen her since we left 4 years ago. Since then, she has completed 4 years of medical school, I've changed career paths a few times, and we've both gotten married. Despite all these changes and the thousands of miles and oceans and continents that separate Phoenix (or Palatine, or Wheaton...) and Vienna, the moment she and Johannes hopped in our car at the airport, it felt like no time had passed at all. How precious to have a friend like this! And an added bonus that our sweet husbands liked each other as well. It was a refreshing week of laughs, adventures, conversations, lessons and fun. So much joy! So thankful.

365 Days as Mrs. Schmitt

Yesterday was our 1st Wedding Anniversary! What a blessing it has been to be married to Paul Schmitt. I've loved every single day that I have gotten to be his wife!  Last night we were able to go out to dinner and we had a really sweet time reflecting on our favorite memories of the past year. We talked about moments from our wedding weekend, holidays together, our first apartment, our big move to the west, never having to say "goodbye," and just the joys of living and sharing life together! I told Paul that even though I love to remember back on all those sweet first days as husband and wife, I am so happy about where we are one year into marriage. We have learned so much about each other...how to love each other better, how to "fight" well, how to serve one another selflessly...what a gift.  Today is the first day of year two and I am so excited for the next 365 days ahead.

Happy Father's Day!

(T & S Hughes Photography)

I have such a great dad and I'm so thankful the Lord blessed me with two wonderful parents. In fact, I love my dad so much, that I chose a husband who is just like him in so many ways (I am finding that out more and more every day...)

Dad, I love you so much! Thanks for always supporting me, guiding me, loving me, and most importantly teaching me about the love of Jesus Christ. Some of my favorite memories with you are:

• Grocery shopping and filling the cart with treats including "Daddy Cookies" (you were so much more fun to go to the store with than Mom!)
• When you took me out to lunch and to buy a TV for my dorm room before I left for college
• Driving to MN together and listening to a book on CD the whole way
• Ordering "Virgin Strawberry Daiquiris" with you at the beach in Lake Geneva
• "Coach K" cheering me on for my marathon (both during the training and when you rode your bike the entire race)
• You sitting up awake in the dark waiting for Paul and I to come home the night we got engaged
• Walking down the aisle with you!

Love always,

Your Button

Lindsay Came To Town

Last week we got to see Molliann and this weekend my dear friend Lindsay was in Phoenix as well! We sure are getting spoiled. Lindsay's a really talented musician and she was here for a few concerts throughout the area (if you've never heard her sing, go here now! Seriously. You'll be blessed). Paul and I went and saw her perform on Sunday night, and then we got to hang out and catch up with her afterwards. It was such a sweet and encouraging evening. I sure do miss my friends!

Don't I look classy with a 7up in hand? Nice. It was so good to see an old friend though :)

A couple of years ago, we were in a really precious bible study together, and being with her made me miss all the NBA girls. (Yes we named our Bible Study "NBA" and I'm not even going to tell you what it stands for because it's embarrassing. Ok fine, it stands for no boys allowed. Not even kidding.)

Here we are! Being totally cool and pretending we're reindeer. You know you have true friends when you can take a picture like this together. My favorite part might be Merry Chrstmas. But I think it's our only picture all together so it will just have to do! We're all scattered all over the country (and soon the world, Mandy!) now, but oh how I cherished those sweet times in the Word with them at the Fernandez house. Miss you sweet friends!!

There's No Place Like Home

As promised, today I have a really fun and exciting announcement. This past weekend, Paul and I bought a house! But this isn't just any house. It's a house that doesn't exist yet. That's right, we are building a new house!

{doesn't he look so good standing there on our lot!?}

We are so excited for this new adventure and it was just amazing to see how the Lord led us to this decision. We'd been casually house hunting for about a month or maybe a little more, with a realtor we really like. The market here in Phoenix is picking back up, and so homes were moving pretty quickly – especially in our price range. Our realtor suggested new builds to us, and actually we hadn't really even considered it because we didn't realize something like that could be in our price range.

{here I am in our backyard. we love those mountain views!}

So she took us about 15 minutes north of where Paul works to a developing community and we fell in love :) (ok so I had more of the "fall in love" feelings and Paul had more of the "this could realistically work well for us" mindset). We were so thrilled to find that we could get a larger yard, and a little more square feet than the resales we had been touring. After we saw the model and the lot on Saturday, we went up to Prescott to see what my parents would advise. They helped us brainstorm a lot of questions and concerns we should address before moving forward, and then they came back down to Phoenix with us Monday morning. We sat and had all our questions answered, and my parents both thought this would be a good choice for us. It was important to Paul and me that we have both of our parents' support, since we trust their judgement and they have much more homebuying experience than us! It finally came down to, "why wouldn't we move forward with this?" I'll admit, I was the enthusiastic one, and Paul was the cautious one, but we did come to an agreement that we would put down our deposit and sign the contract. Yay!

{we're so excited!}

The home is in a stunning location with beautiful mountains on 3 sides. It's really close to a large lake here in AZ and a huge recreational attraction. Even though the neighborhood feels "out in the country" it's actually just about 7 minutes to the closest shopping area. We have a large yard and our neighbors aren't right on top of us, which was one of our disappointments with Phoenix real estate we'd seen so far. Something that both Paul and I feel excited for is that the home just feels like it will cultivate a "slower" pace of life. It's quiet and surrounded by such beautiful creation, we both are praying that this will be a home where we will draw nearer to the Lord individually and as a family, without a lot of distractions. The sales lady pointed out to me a couple neighbors on our street and around the block who are also newlyweds, and there is a mix between young families and older retirees.

{our cute little street}

We feel so incredibly blessed and peaceful that God has lead us to this home. I am looking forward to "putting down roots" here and investing in our community and our church. It'll be a while before we actually get to move into our new home, but I'll keep you all updated. Our next step is to head to the "design center" in a couple weeks to choose some of the finishings for the home. You know I'm looking forward to that ;)

minted.com

A couple of my designs are now for sale on minted.com! This has been a dream of mine for a long time and this year I finally worked up the courage to start submitting designs for their challenges. I am so thrilled that a couple have been chosen, and so you can imagine my excitement when I went to their website today and saw this:

Whoa!  I can't even believe it! So fun :)

Most recently, I submitted 3 designs for the Thank You card Challenge.

There are soooo many good designs! I think over 800 were submitted this challenge. Go take a look and vote here.

And if you want to go to see and vote for my submissions directly, you can click...
Hipster Plaid
How Sweet
Made My Day

Thanks for all your encouragement and support throughout this new journey :) It is such a learning and growing experience and I am so very very thankful.

P.S. If you like that cute arrow brush I used in the above image, you can download the brush set for free over at Creature Comforts blog. They're all super duper cute!

Pharisees, Mercy & Midnight Reflections

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep for a while. My mind started running and I couldn't shut it off. Finally I just decided to process some of the things I was thinking about, and used it as a time of prayer, reflection and listening.

It started the other day, when I was doing a little online cruising and came across an Etsy stationery and invitations shop that was blatantly stealing designs from Minted designers. I was shocked to see the obvious copies (sometimes not even changing the names on the samples) and disheartened to find that this seller had over 1000 sales. I contacted one of the Minted designers whom I had a connection with and whose designs were being ripped off, letting her know of the shop and asking what to do about it. I also spent some time reading designers forums only to find that this happens all too often, and it can be difficult to control.

So as I lay in bed last night, I started to get really mad about this. Why do people think it's okay to STEAL other peoples designs? I thought about how I would never do this, how shameful it is that others make a living off of it, and brainstormed how I could get these types of people "in trouble."

And then it hit me. It was the sermon I had heard on Sunday at church. It was a simple story, a simple message, but a powerful truth that really shook my heart in the wee hours of the morning.

We had read Luke 18:9-14 which is the parable of The Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

In that moment, laying in the silence, I finally saw myself as the Pharisee. I know that it's the right answer to put ourselves in the place of the Pharisee, that our "good works" don't mean squat if we don't humble ourselves before a holy God and see our position and need for him. But last night I felt like I was praying that Pharisee prayer "Oh God, thank you so much much that I'm not like these other people. Wouldn't that be terrible if I was like them? They're so bad. Look at me though! I'm good!"

Gulp.

My mind flooded with sinful things I had done, said, and thought yesterday. Pretty quick, I was like "Oh Lord! Have mercy on me, a sinner!" And you know what? He does. He has mercy on me, because I deserve to be separated from Him. That was the fate that I chose in my sinning. But Jesus said to the crowd "this man went to his house justified...For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." This sure is good news for me today!

Today my attitude has changed about the "copy-cat" designers. I still find it completely offensive and disheartening, but I no longer want to be the first to cast a stone at them. Instead saying a simple prayer that they would be humbled in their sin as they find mercy from a holy, loving God, and turn from their ways. And for myself? For myself I pray the exact same thing. Because my heart is so prone to wander and my sins are also many.

Celebrate!

We're celebrating over here in the Schmitt household! The Lord has been so very faithful and true throughout our whole moving across the country experience. We have seen His hand in so many of the details the last few months. And once again He has provided for us with not one, but TWO job offers for Paul! I am so proud of my hard working husband who spent the past couple months pouring himself into this job search, but also trusting that God would reveal in His timing the paths He lay before us. He never worried or was afraid – such a strong example to me of integrity and faith. I love that Paul :)

So we've been happily expressing our excitement with mexican food, dairy queen, Chick-fil-A, and a baseball game – all in the name of celebrating! (You really can't too much, can you?)

Here we are at the Angels and Rangers spring training game over the weekend. It was such a beautiful day, even I enjoyed it ;)

so bright! go team! I was confused for about 4 innings which team we were cheering for.

hottie with the new job!

we get pretty pumped about our Chick-fil-A around here.

And so, another chapter in our journey begins! Yay!

Friends In Town!

Yesterday was such a blessing for my heart :)  My dear friend, Janell, is in town for a family vacation with her husband's side, and I got to spend the whole day with her! I shuffled my work schedule around and had the day off so we made brilliant plans of lounging by the pool and catching up all day. Unfortunately, we've had quite a chilly couple of days here, so it wasn't exactly pool weather, but we did manage to have a lovely day together and do lots of catching up. Then later we met up with our husbands (and my dad!) for dinner and milkshakes. A dream!

Paul and I have just started getting involved in our church, and we really haven't made any friends here yet. It's been a little lonely, for me especially, and so it was just incredibly refreshing to sit across from a friend who knows me well and just talk. And did I mention that John and Janell have the most adorable, happy little boy? They do. Just look at him!