He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

I loved that song as a child.

And now I love the "grown-up" version of it by the Christian band Fee.
I've been listening to "Arms That Hold the Universe" on repeat for days now.

And the arms that hold the universe
Are holding you tonight
You can rest inside
It's gonna be alright
And the voice that calmed the raging sea
Is calling you His child
So be still and know He's in control
He will never let you go

No matter how old you get there is comfort in knowing that Someone greater than you is in control. Despite how chaotic this world often seems, I have to hold onto my belief that God has a plan - and that His plans are always for good.

When I'm in the middle of "the darkness"- whether it's a migraine or the death of a loved one - it's nice to become childlike and simply "rest" in those arms that are big enough to hold the whole world. Most of the time this seemingly blind faith is enough to get me through.

For the times when I start to question, though, my faith requires a bit more information from this all-powerful God. But that is for another post.

Today, I feel safe and content just singing along with Fee.

I didn't forget about you...

I've just been busy chasing after a very mobile baby.

Henry started crawling the day before he turned 11 months -
and he hasn't stopped since!

Happy Birthday, Sister!

I love my sister.

She was born on this day 26 years ago. I was 4. And while I'm certain I was a great big sister back then (my mom may beg to differ) I am confident that our relationship has improved with time. As we have gotten older we have grown closer. She is not just my sister, she is my friend.

This is us playing together when she was probably 2-years-old and I was about 6. I choose to believe that is a look of joy on her face, not fear.

My sister is smart. And I'm not just saying that because she's my sister. There is a lot of evidence to prove this: she graduated with above a 4.0 from high school, she won the most prestigious scholarship offered in our town (a full-ride to any college she wanted), she attended Duke University and graduated at the top of her class, she learned Italian and studied abroad in Italy, she went to one of the best law schools in the country (UT Austin) and earned her JD - scoring at the top of her class, and she has recently passed both the Texas and New Mexico bar exams. Yes, I think you will agree, my sister is smart.

Here we are in 2005 when I went to visit her at Duke.

When I went to visit her in Venice...

My sister is fun. Now, I may not have physical evidence to prove this one, but everyone that knows her will agree. She studies hard, and plays hard. Growing up she tended to spend more time with my brother than me because she liked sports and outdoor activities more than my Barbies and dolls. She was one of the star players on her high school basketball team - taking them to State her Senior Year! Now that she's out of school she is leading a church softball league. And our nephews will attest that she is a super fun aunt. She loves to play and be silly.

Here we are "being silly" with our favorite books from childhood. She LOVED Amelia Bedelia.

Here she is with my babe in the "balla" onesie she made for him - he has one super cool Aunt!

My sister is beautiful. All you have to do is look at her pictures to grasp this truth. She is tall, slim (with athlete's muscles), has shiny natural red hair, big greenish-blue eyes, and a contagious smile. Though as a child she preferred basketball shorts and tennis shoes (which she still probably prefers, but only wears at home), she can now be found in crisp, tailored business suits and perfectly matched heels. Her simple, yet classic taste in jewelry accentuates her beauty but doesn't overwhelm it. And I know I'm not the only one who thinks my sister is beautiful - she has a handsome, loving husband who looks at her every day with eyes that reflect the beauty he sees in her. Her beauty starts within and radiates out. She loves the Lord and His Word, and she strives to live a holy life.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my sister and me with our handsome Uncle Jerry. We were bridesmaids at our brother's wedding in 2007.

And here's my sister as a gorgeous bride on her wedding day in 2010...

This is more recent pic of her - showcasing her beauty as an Aunt.

I could go on and on about my little sister, but I hope she already knows how awesome she is and how much I love her. I just wanted to dedicate my blog to her today and show the world a little bit more about her.

I love you, sister. Happy Birthday.

Make Something Monday : Birthday Banner

With the babe's first birthday coming next month I have been spending most of his nap times working on all the DIY decor I can. Since he loves his Sophie the Giraffe so much we decided to make his party giraffe themed. I have been scouring eBay and craft stores for cute giraffe things - and I'm pleased to say that I've found a lot! I don't want to spoil the party early, but I do want to share a few simple projects I've been working on.

I found this adorable giraffe image, which I'm using throughout the party.

Today I finished the Birthday Banner!

I may have made it a bit too big, so I'm not sure where it will hang for the party, but I did some "test" hanging today just to show you. You'll have to come back in a month to see the final outcome! :)

I just used brightly colored cardstock and cut circles using a paper plate as the template. My sister-in-law informed later that they make these handy tools called "circle cutters" that would have made my job MUCH easier. Oh well. I'll be sure to get one for next time, though.

For the letters, I already had a supply of cardstock letters that I just glued onto the circles. You could also cut out your own letters, using any type of paper you want.

Then, I punched 2 holes at the top of each circle. I didn't measure them, but I guess if you are more OCD than me, you could. :)

Finally, I strung ribbon through each letter. I decided to do each word separately so I could have more flexibility when I eventually hang them.

I was too lazy to take all the crosses off the wall for today's photo shoot, but if that is where I hang the banner for his party, I will take all the crosses down.

I like how his name looks so much that I may hang just this part in his room after the party!

Thrifty Mess Mat, Placemat and Matching Bib

Now that the babe likes to feed himself he also thinks it's fun to throw his leftovers on the floor. And since I don't feel like adding a dog to our family just yet, I needed a simpler (cheaper!) solution.

I spent hours online searching for a cute "mess mat" to put under his chair - only to find that they are OUTRAGEOUSLY priced! Thirty bucks for a piece of plastic!?!? I think not.

Thus, I decided to make my own...

Luckily for me it's summer - time for picnics and cheap plastic gear. I headed to my local Big Lots and was PLEASANTLY surprised to find a TON of super cute, super cheap (i.e. $3.50) vinyl covered tablecloths!! The only hard part was choosing colors that wouldn't look too tacky in my dining room. I ended on a simple, tasteful blue and white design by Waverly.

When I got home and unfolded it I realized that it was big enough for me to cut up and make matching "accessories". Which was convenient since I really wanted a "wipeable" placemat to leave near Henry's chair so that I can set his half-eaten bananas and messy spoons on it without making a total mess of my table.

Here's the placemat and mess mat. It's one of my very first sewing projects and all I did was play around with different stitches for the edges - nothing fancy, just functional.

Today, I finally tackled the matching bib.

I found several great tutorials online (I'm kinda addicted to reading craft blogs lately), but the one I mainly followed is at My Own Road. Except I decided not to attempt a pocket this go round.

First, I traced one of the babe's bibs (I used 2 pieces of the table cloth so it'd be "wipeable" on both sides).

Then I pinned white bias tape around the edges. This is my first time using bias tape and it's so neat how simple and effective it is at making neat edges! I think I may be addicted.

And then I sewed it all together. Let's just say this took a bit longer than I had hoped because the curves gave me some trouble- I had to rip out a few seams, but eventually got it (good enough, anyway :)

I used some adhesive velcro that I had laying around to attach the neck straps. Luckily it was big enough for the babe's neck!

It's not perfect, but for a beginner such as myself I think it all looks pretty good :)

My usually happy model was tired of pictures today, but I still think he's cute!

The Praying Wife

I love Stormie Omartian's book The Power of a Praying Wife. I try to pray for Warren on a regular basis, and her book gives great Biblically based outlines for how to pray for him. I thought I'd share the prayer I pray the most (from pages 44-46 of the book).

"Lord, help me to be a good wife. I fully realize that I don't have what it takes to be one without Your help. Take my selfishness, impatience, and irritability and turn them into kindness, long-suffering, and the willingness to bear all things. Take my old emotional habits, mindsets, automatic reactions, rude assumptions, and self-protective stance, and make me patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. Take the hardness of my heart and break down the walls with Your battering ram of revelation. Give me a new heart and work in me Your love, peace, and joy (Galatians 5:22,23). I am not able to rise above who I am at this moment. Only You can transform me...

I lay all my expectations at Your cross. I release my husband from the burdens of fulfilling me in areas where I should be looking to You. Help me to accept him the way he is and not try to change him. I realize that in some ways he may never change, but at the same time, I release him to change in ways I never thought he could. I leave any changing that needs to be done in Your hands, fully accepting that neither of us is perfect and never will be. Only you, Lord, are perfect and I look to You to perfect us...

I pray that our commitment to You and to one another will grow stronger and more passionate every day. Enable him to be the head of the home as You made him to be, and show me how to support and respect him as he rises to that place of leadership. Help me to understand his dreams and see things from his perspective. Reveal to me what he wants and needs and show me potential problems before they arise. Breathe Your life into this marriage."

Make Something Monday : Convert onesie into t-shirt

Since the babe's first birthday is quickly approaching I've been busy planning his party!! I may be going overboard but I sure am having fun! :) I decided that since I'm making most of the decorations and favors for the party I would share them on our blog. So, every Monday for the next few weeks you can look forward to a Birthday Project!

Here's what I did today...

Warren's mom got this cute birthday onesie for Henry several months ago, but since it's a bit too short and tight (the babe's a big kid!), she suggested that I convert it into a t-shirt. Plus, it had long sleeves and since we live in Texas and it will be August there is no way I'd make the birthday boy suffer in long sleeves. I found some great tips from The Year of Sewing.

So, first I busted out my super sharp scissors and cut off the long sleeves (luckily, Carter's made it easy with the separate hem!). I'm thinking the extra sleeves would make super cool leggings or fun arm bands for the babe - his dad might not like that, though! :)

Then, I cut off the onesie part (the bottom) - and I did NOT do a good job with getting it straight, but oh well.

If I had been more prepared for this project I would have bought some navy blue bias tape for the hem, but instead I'm lazy and thrifty so I found the most "boyish" ribbon I had just laying around and decided to use it for the hem. I couldn't just hem the original shirt because then it would have been way to short for Henry- and although I love his chubby belly, it might not be so attractive.

I just folded the ribbon in half over the cut hem of the shirt and pinned it.
Then I used a regular stitch with white thread to attach it.
I thought about using blue or green thread and a criss-cross stitch, but decided to keep it simple.

The final stitches were a bit ugly and challenging for me, but I figure no one will really see them and as long as it stays together long enough for a few pictures it will be fine.

And ta-da...

I even managed to squeeze the babe into it for a quick pic.

He's gonna make a handsome birthday boy if I do say so myself!

Ten on Ten

I did my very first Ten on Ten Photo Challenge today! Inspired by A Bit of Sunshine. Basically you take a photo an hour for ten hours on the tenth of the month to capture what an ordinary day is like in your life.

My day began...

And I had my favorite breakfast - Fage Greek yogurt with blueberries and honey

This is how the babe starts his day. I sit him by the backdoor with his toys and he enjoys watching the backyard (sometimes a neighborhood cat even stops by and stares at him).

After church and lunch (during which I forgot my camera), we came home and sat outside to read for awhile and enjoy the gorgeous, albeit humid, day.

Until recently, our orange tree was blooming, but it still provides great shade and the knowledge that some juicy fruit will be coming our way again soon.

Now, time for some chores. Line drying the babe's laundry in the garage...

Going on our daily (well, almost daily) walk with Sassy, our neighbor's dog. She loves us almost as much as we love her!

Cleaning the babe's room and reminiscing over how small he was just a few months ago- I can't believe his first birthday is so quickly approaching.

I love bags! This is my new purse/diaper bag that my mom bought me a few months ago. I feel happy just looking at it!

Ending our day with more blueberries...

Things I might blog about...

Fourth of July in New Mexico

We love spending the July 4th holiday with my family in New Mexico - it's one of my favorite traditions, and Henry got to experience it for the first time!

There is always a ton of great food, swimming, fireworks, and extended family.

Here is Henry with both of his great-grandmas.

Henry's cousin is only 6 weeks older than him so it's always fun to see them together. This time, Aunt S wanted pictures of the boys in those jean diapers. This shot was too cute to resist!

Giving in...

I figured that since I've been spending EVERY minute of Henry's naptime reading other people's blogs it was about time I start one myself.

My main hesitation in the past has been a fear of seeming too self-centered or posting things that no one will care about. Then I realized- that's what blogs are for! :) So, here it goes ya'll - a blog about the Yehl Family, just for the Yehl of it!