Well, it’s certainly been quite some time since I’ve shown up here. The fall is busy. Life is busy. Forgive me for my absence and this random reemergence into the blog world.
I wanted to announce that I’m blogging over at The Tethered Crate today. Have you heard about this fantastic way to check out the handmade world?
What’s The Tethered Crate?
The Tethered Crate offers its members monthly shipments of goods from respected contributors within the handmade community. Each crate will include 3-5 items, and every month will be different. For only $19.95 subscribers receive double that value in items like jewelry, headbands, prints, stationery, and other products. It’s a way to experience the latest and greatest from your favorite designers every month for a great price.
Well, that’s pretty great. What’s the heart behind it?
[The Tethered Crate] wants to expand the handmade market, giving handmade artists an outlet to reach new customers. We also want to give loyal supporters as well as new customers a way to experience the best of the handmade market. The Tethered Crate also desires to connect hand and heart by joining the handmade community to significant causes. We will highlight different charities benefiting humanity, and a portion of all our proceeds will go to funding their causes.
So, why are you blogging over there?
That’s the exciting part. I am honored to be a November contributor! 50 subscribers to The Tethered Crate will receive a little goody from my Etsy shop, pipe|up. And readers of The Tethered Crate will have access to a discount, too!
I love how the Lord works. I met The Tethered Crate’s co-creator, Jessi, through a college friend way back in 2003. Last year when I was scouring the masses of Etsy shops for baby headbands, I came across hers. She has an insane sense of fashion and her words on her blog, Suzie Studios, cut to the soul. Seriously, just read it. You’ll be glad you did.
Come visit me over at The Tethered Crate!
We have some big news to share. We’re moving, and I am changing jobs! While we could have shared this with a simple tweet or short Facebook message, we figured that this news would trigger a lot of questions. Below are some of what we think may be the most frequently asked questions with brief responses. If you have more questions, please post a comment and we’ll either reply there or do a follow up post.
Where are you moving to? Out of state? Out of country?
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America. New city, new state, same country. Even though we’ll be farther north, we’ll also be farther from Canada.
What’s the new job?
I’ll be joining Desiring God as a Product Manager.
What is Desiring God?
It is a non-profit Christian organization that was founded by John Piper in 1994. (Who is John Piper?) Desiring God’s mission is to “spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.”
What’s the product that you’ll be managing?
All the resources from Desiring God are distributed for free, so there isn’t a traditional product for sale that I’ll be managing. Over the years, the web has become a core communication and distribution channel for Desiring God, so while I’m still learning more about the details, I’ll have responsibility for managing the desiringgod.org site and a few mobile apps.
When is all of this happening?
I’ll be wrapping up my time with Ford at the end of the year and starting at Desiring God in January 2014. The timing of the move is still TBD. I’ll work remotely for a bit while we sell our home in Michigan and look for a place to live in Minneapolis.
Why?
This could be a long answer but I’ll try to stick with the promised brief responses. Essentially, it came down to the right time and the right opportunity. Some might call the circumstances coincidence, others divine providence. Nevertheless, it’s been a fun journey, and we’re excited for what lies ahead.
You don’t like Michigan?
Not true. We’ve lived in Michigan for over 7 years. It’s the birthplace of our daughters and has been a good home. We’ll miss a lot of Michiganders.
So, you weren’t happy at Ford?
False. Ford was my first “real” job coming out of college, and they’ve treated me well over the last 7 years. Thanks to all my colleagues at Ford.
Won’t you be farther away from your family?
This was the most difficult part of the decision. We have loving parents and siblings in Indiana and Ohio. It’ll be tough to have more miles between us, but thankfully, they have been supportive and committed to our relationships.
Last question, how important was it for you to get farther away from Canada?
Not important at all. It never crossed my mind until I answered the first question on this post ;)
Hello friends, it’s been a long time since Heather blogged (Hayden Kate: 12 Months in July) and even longer for me (Reading List 2013 in February). If you’re reading this, thanks for your patience. I can’t guarantee that this is a comeback, but stay tuned as we’ll try to keep posting some content for you all.
Last weekend Analiese and I had to take care of some leaf raking. She continually called the piles of leaves puddles of leaves. I think after some explaining and first hand experience jumping in the piles, she understood the difference. Nevertheless, every once in awhile she still slips up or intentionally says puddles just to be cute. And speaking of cute, here are some videos of her running and jumping into the puddles, I mean piles, of leaves.
Finally, in case you were curious, puddle is defined as “a small pool of liquid, especially of rainwater on the ground” whereas pile is defined as “a heap of things laid or laying on top of one another.”
Dear Hayden Kate,
You’re first birthday has come and gone and so now I have a chance to look back on the last year as a whole. It’s quite amazing to me all of the growing and developing that little ones do within their first year of life. We’ve gone from sleepless nights, around-the-clock nursing, and a barely-there schedule to almost walking, constant babbling, and lots of falling in love with you.
You are a JOY. You give the sweetest kisses when you hear keywords like “night night” and “bye bye”. Rather than the traditional puckered lips, you’ve gone with a different approach where you pull your bottom lip over your top one and give a little smirk. It’s hilarious and so cute.
You do everything with extreme authority. Your sounds, your movements, your play…everything is done all the way. You’re an all or nothing kind of girl. This might be a challenge for you as you grow up. You’ll need to learn how this stubborn personality God has given you can be used for His glory.
You are messy. You’re helping me learn that it’s ok if our house isn’t always put back together before company comes over. Life is messy and the people who matter most are the ones who love and embrace our mess. But if you ever decide to keep all of your food off the floor, I won’t argue with you. The folks at Target and other stores we frequent during snack time won’t argue either, I’m sure. (Sorry, Target.)
You are smart. Earlier this month, I observed you play with your shape sorter. You were so quiet, content, and focused on placing each shape into the right spot. In general, you love to place objects in baskets or containers. Somehow, this clean up skill should be combined with the mess problem noted above. All in good time.
You are on the move. You really want to be able to walk on your own, but aren’t quite there yet. You’ve taken a few steps here and there, but still prefer to crawl. While in Ohio to celebrate your birthday, you spent most of your waking hours holding someone’s hand so you could do laps around the house. You are quite proud of your ability to stand on your own, too!
You are loud! Along with saying “hi” and “bye” really well, you make all sorts of other noises. You grunt and yell all day long! We couldn’t imagine life without you and your crazy sounds!
You love to eat all day long. You have ten teeth and you love to use them to eat whatever everyone else is eating–the bigger, the better.
You are tenderhearted. As you embrace this phase of almost walking, you’re exploring ways to pull yourself up to balance. One of my favorites (although usually not well-timed or convenient) is when you hold onto our legs with both arms. We melt when you rest your head on our shoulder before nap time. We love these sweet moments with you.
You are a gift to us in many ways. You are teaching us how to love more deeply and extend grace more willingly. In your own little ways you’ve challenged and changed us over this past year.
We love you more than you know!
Love, Mama (& Daddy)
While It’s a few days late, happy Flag Day! I know that this is a random post, but I randomly came across this poster today. Check out the text, pretty neat.
