Beauty Beyond Sight

We were suppose to be giving birth to our sweet baby Brea this month.

We will never forget seeing our sweet baby's heartbeat.  And I will never forget seeing the miracle of life in the palm of my hand.

We just started the adoption process last month. Something we have been wanting to do for a while. 

I feel such a deep sadness...yet I have such joy in my heart.

Praying through my fears, processing pain again.  So weird cause it hurts yet it feels good at the same time.  Blessings I can't explain except for the fact that God is such a good God...in every way.

 

Brea: Beauty beyond sight. 

Oh My!

How do I even start this hilarious story...for those who don't know we have two doggies, one horny little cockapoo and a girly wheaten terrier who could care less about the horny cockapoo.  Constantly our little horny guy, boo, is trying to come behind Kiya and um, cough cough, well what else can I say...hump her. Sooo Neal and I are always saying "BOO, stop, stop humping Kiya!"  Now even our kids say, "Boo stop humping Kiya!"...as if they know what they are saying?? The other day Olivia yelled out to Boo, "Boo, stop humping!" and then she turns to me and asks...

mommy, why does boo always hump Kiya?
because he has a wiener,
Oh, well does daddy hump?
ummmm ahhhhh ummmm
and if he does hump, what does he hump?
(dying inside!!!) honey that's a great question, why don't you ask daddy
OK....

DINNER TIME

Daddy, mommy says that boo humps Kiya cause he has a wiener...do you hump?
(daddy nearly spitting his food across the table, laughing so hard he is wheezing)
what do you hump?
(daddy is still wheezing)
you probably hump the toilet.
yes, honey. that's it. the toilet.

skip to the next day.... daddy is in the bathroom and when daddy goes potty he is in there for at least 20+ minutes

Olivia yells across the house..."moooooom, daddy's in the bathroom humping the toilet again"

I cant wait to tell this story to her at her bridal shower!!!

Please Read!!

Please take the time to read this and please please consider praying over this.


http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2012/12/from-my-heart.html

Black Shabby Chic Dresser

More DIY dresser fun.
A mid century, cheap, sad dresser for $30

 The legs on the dresser were so unstable

 The fake wood was chipping away. 

 

There are some dressers you HAVE to paint.  This dresser was sad!  But after much wood filler, paint, new (old) legs (which I already had and some new handles...

 

 I decided to accent the drawers with brass handles which I found for smokin deal.  I thought it would add some detail with the birds. I love good knobs/handles...it's like jewelry on a dresser. 

 

 

When I purchased the brass handles they were completely brown but I sanded them a bit to bring out the gold which I thought complemented the distressed dresser.

Before

After

Turned out to be a great dresser.  I was really pleased.

 

 

Purchased dresser for $30

handles $40

left over paint 0

 

Sold dresser to a really cute newly wed couple on CL for $180

 

 





Oily Skin??

A little trick I learned a while back...

If you have oily skin you'll appreciate this...I think?  You know those little blotting sheets for oily skin,

 

 

Well guess what else works like a charm!  I know it sounds totally gross but think about it, it is completely sanitary.  My skin tends to be on the oily side and when I don't have my handy blotting sheets on me this is what I do.  My girls are like "mom, what the heck are you doing????" lol

 

"Captivated" Official Trailer from Media Talk 101 on Vimeo.

This One's for you, Friend

I can't imagine a lot of people would want to live in LA, and now after several visits I see that not a lot of people would actually "fit in" in LA.
 
When Dawn mentioned they were pretty sure they were moving back to LA, honestly, I thought they were crazy.  What?? I thought Dawn had discernment and strong convictions???  For sure she was off her rocker, hit her head, mild brain damage???  No way this was from the Lord.  I didn't understand why they would want to raise their kids there?? Why the heck they would want to move away from their home, parents who lived minutes away, and close friends???  Clearly, I was not discerning well.

Fortunately I have had many opportunities to visit with Dawn thanks to hubby's job that requires trips to LA.  I remember my first visit, getting to go with her to her woman's bible study.  Not at all what I, SBC raised, was use to!  All of a sudden it was like we were in a different world and she not only understood their language but she spoke it too. I felt so out of place, kind of a twilight zonish feeling.  Not bad, just different.  It wasn't her Scottsdale group of girls anymore which felt odd...but at the same time, comforting because we had all prayed for her.  I sat there and began to cry because I realized my friend would not be coming back anytime soon.  She was where she was suppose to be and even though she didn't feel it at the time, I could see that she was going to be okay.  It was sad but so good.  And I can tell you every visit there after God has confirmed how fitting LA is for the Gregg's.  You know the saying "it was like the mother ship calling them home"... that phrase comes to mind every time I am out there. No doubt in my mind they are where they're suppose to be.  It's amazing now to see how God was preparing them for this sooooooooo many years ago, before they even knew the Lord.

If you've known Dawn for 5 minutes you know she is gifted with the ability to articulate well.  And I say 5 minutes cause you won't get much fluff out of her, she likes to get to the heart of things quickly...love that!  I'm not sure how she does it but when she speaks, it all makes sense, common sense, logical I guess.  And she does it so quickly.  She's prepared no doubt, cause she's a thinker.    Most likely she has thought this conversation out long before OR she has experienced something similar.  Not to mention, her gift of discernment...which is a bit freakish if you ask me.  It's like she's in your brain sometimes lol.  It's great hearing about her conversations/ challenging conversations she has had with people God has placed in her path.  The way she is able to talk with them, in such a loving yet truthful way, AMAZES me to no end!!  It's crazy to me how she gets peoples wheels turning.  And LA is a place that needs to slooowww dooowwwn and think!  I guarantee when someone walks away from having a convo with Dawn they are still thinking and thinking and thinking...I know it for sure, cause that is the affect she has on people and they love and respect that about her...well, not all love it...actually some hate it, but deep down, they love it.  They're just being prideful cause now they have to re-think something they really don't want to lol. 

Another great thing about Dawn in LA...she does not have a judgemental bone in her body!  Truly, not one.  Watching her interact with friends, neighbors, strangers etc. is so great.  It's such a beautiful picture of love.  If you don't think you are a judgemental person, spend some time in LA interacting with people and you will soon realize how easy it is to judge.  Like Dawns pastor said, people come to LA to find themselves...there are a lot of lost people there.  I know I know, lost people are everywhere, it just seems like a different kind of a lost to me, one I am not that familiar with?  I can tell you though, it's a lost that Brad and Dawn identify well with.  A kind of lost their souls are drawn to and grieve over.  When you hear them speak you hear their deep deep love for the people of LA.   It is so obvious their souls are deeply burdened and it is clear they are severing a purpose their hearts have longed for. 

So I can't really end this post without mentioning something I actually can't speak a whole about lol...does that make sense??  It's something I don't really get or understand.... modeling, acting, TV, film etc.  In fact I know Dawn thinks I am a total dork because I am clueless.  That's okay cause here's what I think...I don't need to get it.  For the Gregg's modeling, acting, t.v, movies, and filming are simply vehicles into peoples lives.  Vehicles God has gifted them with.  And its so fun to see them use their gifts.  It's the intriguing part of her family I enjoy getting to know and all the more reason they are there and I am not! Trust me, if you are not a model, aspiring actor, director, filmer OR, don't have knowledge of who won the emmy's, golden globes or know the latest gossip on whats going on in Tom Cruses life then conversations are just not go very far there lol.  No but serious, you can't live in LA and not know this stuff.  Which is another great thing, her kids know this stuff too but it's with a biblical understanding.  She is so great in pointing out the culture to her children.  She is helping them discern. They talk A LOT about this stuff and she challenges their thinking and informs them so that they too will be prepared when conversations come up. 

Really, I feel like I can go on and on.  Every time I leave LA I tell my husband, "wow, I just can't picture the Gregg's anywhere else!"  If they were fish, this would be their water.  Seriously, if only my brain could explain what my heart sees every time I'm there. 

Gregg's we all miss you dearly oh so dearly... but we would never wish you back on account of us.  You are exactly were you are suppose be and I am praying BIG things happen in LA!!

all my love, prayers, kim crawford, tears, dorkiness, and confidence

lucy