Prayin' for Verve

****Update****
Verve's building certificate has arrived!  WOOHOO!  Thanks so much for your prayers.  I can't wait to hear how there launch goes!
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At first this may feel a bit out of place since my posts have been so sparse lately, but I just HAVE to let you know about something!

For well over a year Brian and I have been following the journey of Vince and Jen Antonucci via blog stalking.  Last year they packed up their family and moved to Las Vegas.  Their mission was to plant a church ON THE STRIP!  That's right, a church ON the strip FOR people ON the strip!  Their vision is so crazy, big, scary and AWESOME that I can't help but get excited everytime I read the latest update.

They have now been in LV for a year and are launching their church, Verve,  this Sunday!  They've been doing amazing thiings over the past year and I believe their church is going to successfully reach a group of people that need Jesus the most.

A few things need to happen, however,  in order for their launch to be pulled off.  They are wrapping up a big remodel project on their warehouse space and are STILL waiting for the city's occupancy approval.  Yep, 5 days 'til launch and a pretty big hurtle still needs to be jumped.  This is where you come in.  Will you pray with me for this church plant?  Will you pray that everything will go through in time and that they have an incredible launch day?  Jesus longs for us to invade darkness with His light and that's exactly what this team is doing.  Isn't awesome that we can be a part of this great invasion through prayer?!

Feel free to pass this info along, the more prayer the better!

Confession Time...

I have to confess something.  I am a stalker.  Nearly each day I open my google reader and get a tiny touch of the butterflies when one of my favorite bloggers has a new post.  I devour it quickly, drooling over their great creativity,  wishing that I would win one of their giveaways so that we could email each other personally and (most embarassing of all) feeling certain yet again that if I met any of these ladies in person we would hit it off like old chums...maybe even be best friends.

BUT...they.don't. know.I.exist.

(insert huge pathetic sigh here)

When I started my own blog I had great visions of not only sharing my life with a few friends and family, but of being "discovered" and my humble little blog "going viral" (don't really know if that even means what I think it means).  I'm not really sure what I'd be discovered for since this blog has zero specific focus whatsoever, but that's beside the point (have you seen how cute my baby is!?). 

After a while I realized how much I truly love to blog, but how inconsistant I am, unlike my best friends all of the wonderful people I read.  If only I knew what I was doing, then I could go to great events (like Blissdom or Relevant) and then I would meet my peeps  these people that bring a bit of joy and inspiration to my life.

Ah well...I may never be a famous blogger but I will continue to cyber stalk, try getting in as much writing time as a busy ONE YEAR OLD (what?!) allows and hope that my humble little blog will bring a bit of its own joy and inspiration into your life.

What are you reading?

I love books.  Have I mentioned that before?  Or maybe a thousand times?  I have had a love affair with books since turquoise and mustard shag and heavy polyester turqoise damask were semi-acceptable choices for a bedroom.  I think I was around 6 or 7 then and reading the Grandma's Attic series by flashlight, wishing I had lived in the era of baked potato hand warmers, shoe button rag dolls and pump faucets you had to prime (what was I thinking?!).

My love of books continues, but most of my reading time now consists of the great writings of Sandra Boynton rather than Jane Austin.  So, now instead of plowing through pages I write wish lists of books I'd like to read.  Some of them I've started but left abandoned next to my bed in hopes that I'd eventually get back to them.  Others are in the "I really should read this" category.  Still others are books I long to get into, to savor page by wonderful page.  All of these are on my list. 

Wonder what they are?  Here's a few of my latest (and not so latest) additions:

So Long Insecurity (Who doesn't love Beth Moore?)


Simplify your Life (I've had this forever, but my desperate need for organization has brought it back up)

If Jesus were a Parent (I've already started this and after just the first chapter think EVERY parent should read it)
Redeeming Love (the only reason I haven't started this one is because I know I won't be able to put it down)

Guerilla Lovers (Vince Antonucci is funny, real and challenging.)

I became a Christian and all I got was this Lousy T shirt (started this, loved it, had a baby, didn't finish it)

Forgotten God (I really liked Crazy Love, so I thought I might like Francis Chan's second book)

Boundaries (explaining why I need to read this would require a whole other blog post x 1,000)

Deep unto Deep (started this morning and I will never be the same, but I'll write more about that tomorrow)

My Sister’s Keeper  (I know, I know, a year too late, but I still want to read it)

Toddlerwise (the first two in the On Becoming series were great, looking forward to this reference)

As I look at this list, the saddest part of all is that I own ALL except one!  I'm beginning to think the best present I could ask for is a whole day to snuggle with a quilt and read with no interuptions.  Isn't that every reading mama's dream?
 
What are you reading?  What do you think I should add to my list?

First Birthday Madness

I promised I'd share pics of Elli's first birthday/my "craftiness" once I finally got a hold of them. Well...du du du dah...here they are!  Since Elli was born day after Valentine's and her middle name is Valentine I chose to include V-Day into her birthday and had a "Lovebug" theme.

One giant love bug  (made from foam board covered in tissue paper, spraypainted chipboard letters and glittery cardstock) and lovebug invitations (I got the ideas for these from here and here)

I think the invitations were my favorite thing from the party (and the easiest to make)

My lovely friend Chrissy stapled hundreds of coffee filters so that we could make these

I loved the way these pom poms/flowers turned out. SO SO SO easy!

Coffee filter flowers, lots of ribbon (clearance valentine ribbon) and glittery foil hearts (it looked a bit more dramatic in person)

Cake area-more ribbon, handmade lovebug streamer and paper accordian hearts that I found in the wedding section of the party store, coffee filter pom poms in the windows and a handsome man trying to get my skype account to work so that Auntie Katie could see the birthday girl

Old fashioned candy, Nana-made cookies, dipped strawberries, dipped pretzels and handmade nutella balls (I used this pb ball recipe substituting nutella, hazelnuts and subtracting some sugar)  I made the cake too (inspired by one here).

Elli became a bit shy during the Happy Birthday song

She had more fun playing with the cake than eating it

Her first strawberry (and her favorite food at the party...my little health nut)

He Know What He's Doing

Wow, we have had quite the few fun-filled days!  In a matter of three days we had our little lovebug's birthday party with family, celebrated Valentine's day and the enjoyed Elliana Valentine's actual birthday on Monday!  I can hardly believe it...somehow between what feels like just last week and this week she went from a tiny snuggly mushball that I couldn't stop staring at to a sweet, goofy, ultra-genius (at least according to me), chatty, mobile toddler that I still can't stop staring at....can you blame me?

[Besides enjoying the most wonderful daughter a mama could ask for, I also had a BLAST getting ready for her lovebug themed party.  I can't wait to share with you about it...but due to a camera malfunction (or perhaps daddy malfunction) my camera was downloaded onto hubby's computer instead of mine and that will have to wait for another day.]

Elli is living proof that God hears our cries.  Her name, Elliana, actually means "The Lord has heard me".  He doesn't often answer in the fashion or timing we would like Him to, but He DOES answer.  His answers are so much more perfect than ours.  It feels obvious, but we so rarely act as if we believe these five words...HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING! 

I now have new cries that I'm placing before God.  Heart's desires, hopes and dreams have been spilling out with each breath.  This time, however, it's different.  I know in my heart that everything is working out in the palm of His hand, the same hand that formed my precious Elliana.