Favorite Things Friday

So...you know I've been following this blog? Yes. I know. The last two posts have been about her. This makes three. I simply can't help it. My thoughts and prayers are consumed with this sweet girl and what her parents are going through right now. I can't imagine that kind of pain.

(what does this have to do with my favorite thing? Keep reading...I'm getting there...)

I have to admit that I have wrestled with the thought of childhood cancer, children suffering, dying...and where God is in all of it. I mean...maybe not so much with the cancer part...we do, after all live in in broken world. Bad things happen. The part I just couldn't seem to wrap my brain around is the inevitable part where she actually dies. It appears that it will be happening very soon.

WELL...(hang in there...this is where it gets good). I read on their Twitter update the other day that after being completely lethargic and sleeping constantly all day, all of the sudden Layla looked up at the ceiling and started smiling. Her daddy posted that they are pretty sure "Layla is seeing her angels".

Then it HIT me like a ton of bricks. Of course He would do that! Of course he is holding her. Of course he is with her. Of course he has never left her side for even a moment. Of course he loves her more than anything in this world and will stop at nothing until she is fully taken care of. Of course he has rolled out the red carpet for her. Of course it's going to be a time of wonderment and joy, rather than pain and suffering!

 Of course! 

Why? Because that's WHO he IS. 

God is LOVE.

And while our earthly eyes can only see it from a tangible perspective, there's so much going on in a world very real, but unseen. A world so much more real than the one we can see. 

She's going to be more than fine. She's going to be with Him. 

She is loved.

And that's my favorite thing. 

Moved

I cannot tell you how one baby girl's fight for her life has affected me. My mind cannot even fathom what this family has gone through. Tonight they tweeted that the two older girls were called in to say their final good-bye's, and then they were shipped off to their grandma's house for a few days so that Mommy and Daddy could spend the last few precious hours with Layla. As a mother, I can't imagine what that must be like. Trying to hold it together for your kids, but inside in huge part of who you are is dying too. I imagine it being a lot like trying to take a breath...but there's no oxygen.

Please pray for this sweet family. Layla doesn't have much longer. They need your prayers. They need God's peace to surround them.

She's so tiny, but her story has had an enormous impact on my life. 

God bless you, Sweet Layla Grace. May you fall softly into the hands of the Most Loving Father. 

Please Pray for Layla Grace

I found out about Layla through one of the blogs I regularly visit. Please pray for her...and her family.

My heart is just broken for her mommy. Here's the latest excerpt from her blog:

Sleep, Valentines Day and Regrets

February16

Towards the end of a pregnancy, a mother will wake up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I think this is the body’s way of preparing you for a newborn and the sleepless nights that come along with it. Layla now spends most of her days sleeping. 30-45 minutes after she wakes up, she is ready to lay down and sleep again. Is this God’s way of preparing me for all the quiet time that is coming soon? The house is quiet. I am able to go through the motions of laundry, dishes, cooking and picking up without interruptions. But I WANT interruptions. I WANT Layla to be under my feet asking for cookies. I WANT to hear her playing with her toys. I WANT to take 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because she keeps trying to help. For every time I uttered the words “I just can’t get anything done with these kids under my feet all day” I am eternally regretful. The days that I looked forward to naptime so I could get a grocery list made, or finally fold all the piles of laundry…I regret those days too. If I could do it all again, I’d enjoy EVERY SINGLE WAKING MOMENT I had with her. I would never wish for her to sit still or take a nap or go to bed early. I would never look forward to the days when she could sit through an entire episode of Dora silently. I would treasure every second with her.

So I’ve spent the last few days in a quiet house, able to do whatever my heart desires. But all I want to do is wake her up and hold her. She doesn’t really want to be held much anymore. She prefers to be rocked in her dark bedroom for a little while, then laid down in her bed. She gets easily overstimulated by the noise of the other children downstairs. She wants dark, silence, peace and sleep. So we give those things to her. As much as it breaks my heart to not be able to hold her all day, I know her little body needs peace and sleep.

We have tried to put her in our bed with us but she screams. I’ve tried to rock her in my room, but she just cries. She wants familiarity. Her own bed. Hospice told us that when the time comes that we shouldn’t leave her side (i.e, she only has a few hours or days), she won’t know where she is and won’t put up a fight about sleeping with us. She’ll only open her eyes for a few minutes at a time.

We had plans to visit family in Oklahoma this week, to go to the zoo, the beach, the rodeo…outside to play. That will not happen. We had family pictures taken last week and I’m so happy we did. We can hardly get Layla to say a word, let alone give us a smile or lift her head up long enough for pictures. Family has come over to visit her the past few days without success. She doesn’t want to leave her room and they have come and gone without being able to hold her, talk to her, and some instances even see her. Our Pastor came by yesterday and we started making some funeral arrangements. At the end of his visit, he asked if we would like to have her baptized. We said YES and he baptized her right there in our kitchen. She was very peaceful and didn’t cry or make any noise during it. I truly feel like God was holding her in his hands and comforting her.
She is hooked up to a morphine pump and had a dose of Dexamethasone on Saturday. Sunday morning she ate 4 bowls of cereal and was in a fairly good mood. She sat up in my lap long enough to open her Valentine’s present and watch some tv. Since then, it has been a steady decline.

Please pray for her comfort; both physically and spiritually. Please pray that she knows how much God loves her and she isn’t scared about what she is feeling and what is happening. Please pray for minimal pain and suffering. Please pray for Claire and Jenna. They are so confused and uncertain about what is happening. They cannot fully grasp the finality of her impending death. I can hardly grasp the finality of what is happening.
Here are a few pictures of her FIRST bubble bath since May of last year (these were taken February the 12th), and Valentine’s morning.

Favorite Things Friday

Ladies and Gentlemen...this is my 100th post! It's hard to think of doing anything 100 times, let alone coming up with 100 different topics to write about! Sometimes I surprise myself! hehe!

So, in honor of my 100th post, I have great news. Remember when I told you that we were in the market for a new sectional? I was terrified that we were going to

end up with something like this:

Well...we have come to a mutual agreement and it's gooo-oooood!

My man had to give up having a recliner, Ladies! Now, that's a good man! =) 

Drumroll please...

(it's not THIS one, but it's very similar to it. The sofa we chose must be incripted on the website or something, because it wouldn't let me steal the pic!)

Isn't it great?! 

The guy who helped us with it is a designer at Macy's Home Store. He gave us suggestions on fabric types and colors. So...we ended up going with something like this:

it's hard to see, but it's a chenille 
type fabric.


And

I'm DREAMING of pillows like this:

from Pottery Barn

or this

from anthropologie

BUT, I'd rather not spend as much on the

dang pillows as we did the couch! 

So, I'm considering

several others (whose pictures must

also be incripted because I cannot get

a darn picture of any of them to 

save my life!)

So, to be continued! 

(again)

Happy Friday!

Favorite Things Friday

Tomorrow is Carson's third birthday. Oh, my goodness. That boy. He has filled my life with so much joy. He is hysterical! Even as a three year old there are so many things I admire about him. Where I'm timid to jump off the cliff, he jumps head first. He's strong-willed  but has a soft heart. He is going to be a little world changer, that boy.

The loves of his life:

airplanes

garbage trucks

coloring

cereal bars

yogurt

vacuums

electrical outlets

helping

kitchens

pots and pans

books

Diego

shaking his booty

balls

the color pink

lawn mowers

{we could go on for some time now, but you get the idea}

 

 He's 110% boy...with a...very domestic side, shall we say? Vacuums are his favorite thing in. this. world. Last night I took him to pick out his birthday cake, and since it was just the two of us, I decided to swing by the vacuums as a special treat for him. Normally we'll zoom past them, allowing him to take a little peek, but last  night I stayed much longer than usual. I let him touch every single one. I let him pull on the hoses, turn the knobs and push the buttons. Heaven on earth for that boy!

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Happy Birthday, my Big Boy! 

You're my favorite thing!

The Ledge

Oh, my word. I like totally just had a huuuuuuuge  epiphany! So, do you remember when I told you about my gorgeous (roll eyes) ledge in our bedroom that I have had absolutely no idea what to do with?! Well....today the clouds parted, the harp started mysteriously playing on its own, and God took me to this website:
     -------------------------------------

I’ve had this on my WANT “to-do” list since I first saw it done at It’s The Little Things That Make A House A Home.  There is fantastic info on how they did it, plus links to other sites for more info.

Just to flashback… here’s what the bathroom looked like last Friday… just a boring, builder bathroom.

I gave you guys some hints on this project last week.  Last  Friday I painted the upper portion Warm Caramel by Glidden, with my free quart of paint from their giveaway last year.

Over the weekend I picked up my Dad’s nailer and saw to make this project much quicker (2 items that I would love to own).

I started by putting 1x8 pieces of MDF across the top.  I cut it into sections to go around this protrusion. 

Then I nailed the 1.5” slats in vertically every 12 inches.

The Lettered Cottage helped me plan the ledge shelf.  I put a 1x4 on top of my 1x8.  It was LOTS of fun trimming out the center to fit around my wall extension… I’m glad my hubby helped on that.  It would have helped to have a jigsaw (I think that’s what they are called).

Don’t you love my mold skills… got to love play-doh!

One of those nifty “L” shaped pieces of molding finished off the ledge shelf.

A good caulking at all seams and putty in the nail holes.  I have to tell you I love DAP products… great caulking and their putty that is pink till it dries is brilliant.

A coat of glossy white made everything look just lovely.

Isn't it absolutely positively perfect? 

Hope the hubby agrees!

....

Absent but not gone...

I've totally been neglecting my peeps. I've been on a new quest. A long-awaited, much needed quest of getting in shape and getting healthy.

Come on over and check out my other blog, where I've been sharing about this daunting journey.

www.transformingtraci.blogspot.com

Favorite Things Friday!

Friends, I'm pretty excited about today's Favorite! Well...you know how I love etsy, right?! I mean, you can find just about anything you're looking for on there. Some of the stuff is way overpriced but other things are ridiculously cheap.

So, my middle guy has a birthday coming up. I knew I wanted to get him a personalized shirt to help celebrate the day. So. many. to. choose. from. It took me a long time, but I finally did it. I found the perfect shirt for my Carson Luke.

 

  

  

  

I could not be happier. 

The quality is amazing. A.maz.ing. I've tried to do this stuff, people. 

It ain't easy. 

She did a perfect job and I am in love with this shirt. 

You can visit her adorable shop @

http://www.etsy.com/shop/planetpudge 

OH...and I forgot one of the most important parts. Since his birthday was coming up, she rushed to make it at no extra charge. I ordered it on Monday and got it today (Friday)! Can you believe it?! I still have an entire week before his birthday, and I already have it. Certainly something you won't experience if you're shopping retail. That handmade personal touch...definitely a favorite thing!

Shake what your Momma gave ya!

We like to shake it at our house. Dance parties are

the ultimate stress reliever and mood shifter.

Especially after we've had a rough day. 

 

  

  

And then Cade has to get in on the action. 

 

Anytime we get hip hop music going, the 

hat has to come on. 

It's a prerequisite. 

When hip hop dancing, one must wear an uber cool hip hop-ish hat. 

Didn't you know?

 

Little man has some moves too. 

Check this one out!

 

 Little guy has some moves too.

 

Well...really just the one. I think he didn't like the 

blaring loud music, so he stayed close to mommy.

How do you break it down? 

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Closet Doors!

 

  

  

Sweet.