eden's baby girl nursery.

its one year later, but i'm sharing the nursery we decorated for eden.  happily, one year later, i still like it and i think eden does, too.  part of my vision for the nursery was something that would still look good when she is no longer a baby.  i also wanted something not-too-girly, but i'm not sure that was accomplished.  its pretty girly, glitzy, and a little glam.

i guess i really love pennant/banners because i have them everywhere in her room!  i got a big block of scrapbooking paper from Michael's and made a template for a pennant shape i liked out of cardboard.  then i traced the shape onto all different patterns of paper.  i cut them out with a pinking scissors, punched little holes and just used yarn from wal-mart to string them together.  adding some little ribbons on the end is a cute little detail.

above eden's ikea crib {which we have really loved}, i hung her glitter letters from rose mille from another banner with more pennants.  we hung some knobs from anthropologie to tie the yarn onto.  then i did a big bunch of ribbons from each.  pretty.  

i took a thrift store frame and spray painted it and added chicken wire.  we can hang cards or hair clips.  i made the canvases by covering some old art with fabric and cutting out paper, then glueing it to the fabric in the shape of a peacock and the eiffel tower.  classy, right?  easy.  the biggest project {one of them} were the pom poms.  they took forever.  and ever.  

lucky for me, i have awesome friends who helped me complete these.  my sister found the tutorial and i knew i wanted to make them for eden's room, but i didn't think through how {totally} huge they were going to be!  i found paper lanterns for cheap that were bigger than i wanted, but i thought that would be ok.  then i bought some cotton broadcloth from a textiles outlet, cut {about a million} circles out of it, hot glued them to the lanterns - voila!  giant poms.  i like them and they look good in her room, but i would opt for small styrofoam balls next time.

one of my favorite parts of her room are her little ikea shelves that hang behind her door.  they are full of special things: art by her brothers, photos, special keepsakes - even a card of "wishes for baby" that i framed from her baby shower {baby shower post with photos coming sometime soon!}.

eden's room is fun and special.  the boys have a fun and special room, too {which has been a loooong work-in-progress} and i will share that soon.  its fun to make the nursery a place that both you and your child will love {mamas spend a lot of time in there!}.

to see more about how we created this nursery, visit our family blog.

for a more details list of sources for items in this room, email me :

jilleiselt@gmail.com

*photo credits: mollybaileyphotography.com

the story of this blog.

this blog started with a couple good intentions {to encourage moms: you don't have to be perfect; to be an outlet for me: creative; and to share some easy projects: un-crafty, if you will}.  it hasn't always stayed true to it purpose.  when we went through something hard, it felt like a place to share some of our trials and tears and joy.  this blog is about the everyday for a mom and i've sometimes maybe shared too much about my everyday.  i'm coming back to this blog after a long break and a lot of thought.  its going to be a place of encouragement, moving forward, fun, and joy - the way i try to live each day.  of course bit about life will be sprinkled in, too.

i have projects to share and you don't have to have skill to do them.  i have no skill.  just an urge to be crafty every-now-and-then.

i have three awesome kids so i'm sporadic at posting, crafting, {and showering}.  but, i will do my best to keep things updated.

who knows where life {or this silly blog} may take us...if there is one thing i've learned in the last couple years, its that God has us on a journey {and i'm happy to follow}.

my {super fun and silly} family.

Our girl turned ONE!

We had a little party at my parents house.  Here's a peek at the fun.  And the cutest one year old ever. 

We had fun that day and its been such a great year with our little Eden.  She is so much fun and we're just looking forward to more!

On another note, I've been away from this blog forever, but I'm just feeling like getting back into it...stay tuned.   

Plans can change...

One year ago, I planned to take my husband here for the first week of March...just the two of us.

But actually, we were here...at home, loving our new baby girl.

You could say our plans changed...just a little.  We were happy to welcome Eden Olivia to our family on March 6th.  She was 22 inches long and 10 lbs 4 oz (no surprise there - just another big strong baby for this family!).  We are blessed beyond belief and loving life as a family of five.

Cabo can wait.

Blog Break

Even with a lot of fun projects to share, this blog has to take a break.  I'm not sure when I'll get back to blogging here, but with baby arriving so soon, I'm anticipating no time to keep up around here.  I'll be back when life feel a little more under control!

I've got a feeling...

about 2012.

I've got a feeling that 2012 is going to be a great year.  The year we've been waiting for.

I think we were happy to put 2011 and all the roller coaster of events behind us.  A new year gives us the chance to start clean, start fresh, start over.  We started over fresh with a new life last March-April, but putting those numbers: 2-0-1-1 behind us feels good.

I've felt this way before...

I felt this way when I turned 30.  That year ended up being the toughest year yet.  But it wasn't all bad because it brought us to this place where we are now.  A good place.  A healthy place.  A place where we are supported and loved for who we are.  That terrible year made the rest of our life better.

So I'm thinking 2012 is going to be great.  We have a new ministry, a new life, new jobs, a new house, a new little baby girl who will join our family in just 8 short weeks.  But I'm prepared for this "great year" ahead to make us better again, to improve our character, to deepen our relationships, to grow us in ways that might not be easy.  But, I can still see that as great.  And, for that, I am thankful.

Happy 2012 to all you mamas and your loves.  I hope its a great year for you, too!

Thankfully.

When I think back to this time last year, we were entering a storm.  But, we thought we could fix it, figure out what needed to be done, and get back to normal.

Well, thankfully, that didn't happen.

I never thought I would say that.  If you would have told me one year ago that we would have a whole new life, be a whole new family, and be so much better because of the pain, I would never have listened.

In the end of the saga, before the hiatus, God opened a door for us to begin a new life.  It was unexpected and scary, but we felt strongly that God was asking us to trust Him.


Thankfully, we set off on a new path for our life and our family.  We had to leave behind our vision for our life and accept God's vision for our life.

Thankfully, we listened.

One year ago, I still had hope about where our old life would take us.  But today, I can see that the storm we entered made us stronger in character, in our marriage, in our family, in our conviction as parents, and as followers of Christ.


Thankfully, that storm came through our lives and raged like crazy to teach us so much.

Our life today is completely different...
thankfully. 

We have a life.  We can dream.
We have time for our growing family.
We have emotional capacity for each other.
We are supported.  We are loved. 


We discovered all of this because God had us on a journey, and it involved pain and hurt.  We take responsibility for our share of the conflict and we have found peace in forgiveness where needed.  We graciously - thankfully - accept our new life and know that there may be more storms ahead, but that we will weather them knowing that God will never stop teaching us.

Updates

Since moving in early October, we've been slowly working on making this house ours.  Unfortunately, most of the work we've done can't be seen: shelves in closets, cleaning out storage spaces, etc.  Last weekend, with a forecast for one more warm(ish) weekend in Wisconsin, we painted the front door and shutters black (to forego the faded maroon from the previous owner).  We are loving the crisp, stately look of our new front door color and feel like its one of the first things that makes our mark on this house as ours.  Also gone are the overgrown window boxes which we chose to skip altogether.  Landscaping will be an ongoing project that won't begin until next summer...the work is just beginning!

The Bump

Along with everything else that has been happening...moving etc, we are also awaiting our third baby - due in March!  My blog has taken a serious hit this summer and fall as the fatigue and morning sickness set in.  Not to mention, chasing my two little guys (who seem more like men than boys these days), packing a house, and now trying to unpack a house.  This baby has been a trooper and now, at 20+ weeks, I can feel the baby wiggling at all hours of the day.  With so much change this year: new job (for Hubby), new house, new baby...this is a new beginning for us.  We are excited for the journey of our family becoming FIVE.

Photo credit: Brisham Photography

(for more of the family photo session, view Brisham Photography Blog)

We moved!

Life has been so crazy that the blog has taken a back seat, to say the least.  We moved into "the yellow house", as my boys like to call it on October 7th and have been unpacking ever since.  Moving is no small feat, my friends!  Luckily, we had so many friends who graciously helped, brought meals, and took care of our kids while the chaos ensued!  Soon we'll be back to land of the living...until then...

Did I do enough?

As I take my oldest son to preschool today (one of three mornings per week), I reflect on this post, "Did I do enough", written by Emily at her blog, The Anderson Family Crew.

As a mom (stay-at-home or not) we all have these feelings about whether we're doing enough for our children.

It makes me question all the times I am/was too tired to play along,

too busy to read the book right then,

too preoccupied to really listen to my small child.

Have I missed too much?  Have I been too selfish?  Given all the change (and some of the pain) we've experienced in the past year, I know I have not been the mom I wanted to be.  Feeling too sad, too tired, too emotionally drained to have the energy my kids need me to have.

But I don't think its irreversible.  I think every moment is a chance to recoup by living in the moment with our kids.  We are so lucky that kids have hearts so big, so forgiving, so resilient.  We can learn from that.  So, rather than thinking of the times I have missed, I will think of the times ahead and how to make them the very best.

Open House!

The time has come: this house is for sale!  Donnellan Real Estate is hosting an open house here tonight and we hope you will come!  Even if you are not in the market for a new home in Eau Claire, I hope you can stop by to see our lovely home and recommend it to friends who may be searching for the perfect house in a great neighborhood in Eau Claire.

The Hiatus

We had a lovely hiatus at the end of March.  We spent two weeks unplugged from the world.  We focused on being the family we have never been, on loving like we have never loved, on listening to God in the quiet.  It was amazing...it was totally necessary.

We went through something hard.

It was painful and sad.


The last 6 months have been our most challenging ever.  But through it all we became stronger and learned about ourselves.  We feel blessed because our kids are healthy, we are healthy, and we all love each other more than ever.  We love Jesus and have a deeper understanding of His love for us.

I took on a lot of the pain and didn't talk about it.  I had many days when I didn't want to get out of bed.  I had days I didn't get out of my pajamas.  There were tears - lots of them.  Tears when I woke up, tears at preschool pickup, tears when I was grocery shopping, tears all the time.  I withdrew from many activities, not able to "put on a happy face" when I was so sad.

Why did this happen?

What did we do wrong?

Will we ever heal?

Getting past the pain will take some time.  My heart will have to heal, forgive, and accept my own shortcomings.  I want to move on, I want to forget, but I need to allow myself some time to grieve.  At the same time, we have been gracefully given a new beginning, and I want to be able to move on and live in the excitement.

We have a fresh start.

Life is better now than it has been in many years.

One change and we have new life.

The hiatus was the break between my hubby's old and new jobs.  It was so needed.  We were able to do some of the healing, processing, and grieving in private.  Finally, some quiet and peace to let our hearts feel what they needed to feel.

Something amazing also happened.

We became the family we always wanted to be.

We have God in the center of our marriage and so much love for each other - making this time of trial bring us closer and make us stronger.  But on this hiatus, I saw my hubby get to know and love our children like he has never been able to before.  The understanding and respect built between he and the kids made the six long months of pain worth just this two week vacation.

We finally put our family first.

We finally accepted that we are called to be a family, to be parents, as much as we are called to ministry.

What a relief.

Now today our new life begins.  Its the calm after the storm.  Its the cake after dinner.  Its the support, the love, the encouragement we've known we need.

And here it is.

Given to us by God.

Amazing.

Hello, New Hubby.  Hello, New Us.  Hello, New Me.

Hello to The Life We're Truly Meant To Live.

Vacation in the Sun

Images from Dream Art Photography

We got to spend last week in Mexico (aka "paradise").  My whole family was there and it was glorious.  We slept, laughed, played, read, sunned, etc.  It was a much needed vacation for our family.  Last October, my kids and I went to Mexico with my parents.  This time, everyone came along!  My oldest boy kept saying "Daddy, we didn't forget you this time!".  It was glorious for many reasons:

1. beautiful sunshine and warmth everyday without fail
2. time with my family (we are close)
3. a chance to splash, play, and rest with our kids
4. a needed break for my hard working and resilient husband
5. finding joy again.

Yes, glorious is the right word for all of those things.  The not-so-glorious part is returning to the valley to majorly-sub-zero temps.  EEK!

We had a chance to get some spectacular photos taken on the beach one evening.  Thanks to Ana at Dream Art for spending time with us to capture some special moments.

Our boys being boys on the shore.

This is us.  It took a couple days of vacation before we really became "US" again.  We've been through a lot recently, but this JOY, this childlike playfulness...that is the REAL "us".  Thank goodness we had a chance to find US again.

Admission

Sometimes we wear underwear.  On our heads.  Whatever.  You can admit that you do crazy things at your house, too, right?  Its totally part of being a mom.  There.  I admitted it.  

The best part about this photo is that you can see in the little boy's eyes how much he admires the big boy - even with a pair of undies on his head.

Ah...the bliss of being a child.
Of being loved.
Of loving another.

That is pure joy and it surrounds us everyday.  We are blessed.

Some days are like that...

Today was just one of those days.

You know what I mean, right, mamas?

We all have them.  For some reason, sometimes its hard to admit that we have them.

Let me explain:

My youngest woke up super early which means its going to be a tough morning from the start.  My oldest woke up wanting his Daddy (who was already at an early breakfast meeting).
We tried to run errands and get to storytime at the library in the chilly early morning weather.  We accomplished both but only with both kids crying: sometimes at the same time, sometimes at different times.  I was getting those looks.  You know, the ones like: "What is wrong with those children"?
Luckily both kiddos napped well but I accomplished almost nothing while I tried to clean up our disaster of a house: laundry, dishes, toys, art projects, Halloween treats, you-get-the-picture.
Then I ran around town with my screaming one-year-old to print photos and buy poster board for a project.  The big boy was with my hubby for a quick visit to the hockey team's captain practice.
When we got home, hubby left for work and big boy had an accident in his pants (and on the floor).  Oops.  Then I stepped in little boy's dirty diaper (in the bathroom, thank goodness) while I was giving the boys an early bath.
While getting their picnic dinners ready, I spilled yogurt all over the kitchen (yep: cabinets, appliances and floor).  I'll be scrubbing up after the kids are in bed.  Yay.
Hubby is gone tonight until who-knows-when.  Oh well.
Let's hope bedtime is a breeze (yeah, right).

It was just one of those days.

But I'm okay with that because I know we all have them.  Sometimes I feel like I have failed when I have a day like that.  But what do we tell our kids when something doesn't turn out just right??  We smile and say, "Sometimes that happens".

I'm giving myself the same grace.

I'm telling myself, "Some days are like that".  I've had them before and I'm sure to have them again (LOTS!).

A day like that doesn't mean I am a failure, it means I am human.  I am a mama.  And happy to be a mama....

even with days like that.

Our picnic dinners happen sometimes when hubby is working late and consist of: deli meat, cheese, crackers, fruit and yogurt prepared by Mom.  They get to eat at the kids' table downstairs and watch a kids' show while I get a moment of detox!  Win, win!

Last week...

This was last week.

In Mexico.

Hmmm...seems like a lifetime ago already.  Funny how vacations far away quickly feel like a distant past.  Vacation was so great.  

Tomorrow will be great, too.

I'll just keep telling myself that.

I'm Proud.

Last week my husband ran the Twin Cities Marathon.  

Fast.  

He was awesome and he made us all so proud.

Family Photos

After a crazy summer of being gone all except about 3 weeks (or less!) we are home and had a chance to do family photos last week.  As I've said before, I really value photos of our family that capture special moments and expressions that we'll have forever.  I could go on and on...

My friend, Rachel, took our photos and because I'm moved by their beauty, I thought I would share what she posted on her blog.

Rachel is in Eau Claire for one month...you could book her for your own family photos, if you want.  :)

Thirty

I turned thirty.  It happened.  A few days ago.  Now what?

I'm not sure how I feel about thirty.

The feeling from my friends over thirty: "the thirties are the best years"
The feeling from my friends under thirty: "yikes! the big 3-0"

Regardless of my age, I have a feeling this is going to be my best year ever.  My family is growing and healthy, my marriage is stronger than ever, and I am feeling comfortable with who I am.

When I have a "yikes" moment about being thirty, I ask myself: "What age would I rather be?".

I can't think of any better age. 

I don't want to be 16 and have the stresses and worries of high school, driving, and popularity.
I don't want to be 20 and writing papers, taking tests, wondering what I will do with my life.
I don't want to be 25 and struggling through my first job, remodeling my first house, feeling like life as a "grown-up" is a let-down.

I want to be 30 and living in Eau Claire with my lovely little family, caring for my two adorable boys, doing ministry with my wonderful husband.  I want to be 30 and growing in my faith, creating new friendships, and spending time rejoicing in each new day.

Yes.  I turned thirty.  Let the fun begin.