And the winner is...

Hicaboo!!!




Thanks to all you loverly people for participating!

The countdown has already begun till the next giveaway... you could be the next winner!

~ christa jean

Open for business!

UPDATE! The contest will be open until Thursday at midnight just to let a few more people join in. (I know you want to!) The winner will be announced Friday morning!

Hookable Designs is here! In this sweet shop you will find accessories that are whimsical and daring, sweet and dainty, romantic and vintage.

Here we are! My sis and I and we're having fun creating beautiful things!

Take a little peek at some of the items...

This necklace was hard for me to part with... it reminds me of spring in the tropics.

Lovely and feminine, this hair comb will make you feel pretty!

Super sweet bobbi pin with sparkle!

Check out this tiara! And doesn't my sis look like an elven princess?!

Now for the fun part! To celebrate our Grand Opening, let's do a giveaway!!!

The prize: "I'll Fly Away" earrings made from vintage rhinestone posts, silver tone birdies and dazzling cubic zirconia drops.

How to win it: Pop on over to our shop and come back to tell us which one is your favourite item. You know, stroke our ego a bit! Leave a comment about your fave and you are entered to win! Don't forget, you don't need to have a Google account to comment, just be Anonymous... but be sure to leave your name!

We will announce the winner Monday evening.

{Just had to show off our cute business cards!}

"I'll Fly Away"

Here is a close-up of the cz's, they are super sparkly in person!

Thank you for supporting this mini two-mom shop!

~christa jean

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

This little girl is made of those things!

She has the sunshiniest dimples. She craves lollipops. She gets super excited about pretty things like rainbows and tutus and PINK!

She also has a super stubborn side. I decided long ago that I would be more stubborn, and often that causes conflict for this little one. But it's all apart of the learning. I do not want her to grow up to be an out-of-control, self-serving adult, so we work diligently to train up this child in the way she should go. God help us!

I wonder at what God has in store for her.

Often I will find her just sitting by the cd player engrossed in some Jesus music. Often I hear her singing herself to sleep, words that are sweet and full of life. Often I see her standing in front of a mirror speaking to "everybody" like she's in front of an audience.

She dances will full abandon, arms raised to the sky.

She cares deeply when someone has gotten hurt and she will nurse them and pray for them. Funny, just as I typed that, I recalled that her absolute favourite book used to be "Nurse Nancy".

And so I pray for her daily. That she would truly become the woman God planned for her to be. That rebellion and self-centeredness would not be her master. That I would be the mother I need to be. That she would know how deeply she is loved.

Happy 4th Birthday to my Joy Joy!

~christajean

On the lookout...

I recently went down to the storage area where my dresser is kept, to get a swimsuit out. To my surprise, I couldn't open any of the drawers! The large television that was resting on top had warped the drawers in such a way that it was impossible to even squeeze my hand in to snatch something out.

With a little hubby help, we got the drawers working, but the dresser needs to be dumped.

I wasn't too sad. If you will remember back with me, I got this dresser for free!

Do you remember that I said I had BIG plans for it? I did.

I was going to paint a really cool design on the front of it and then dress it up with glass knobs. Or do something like this...




Or this:

{click here to see this whole room...

super cute!}

Oh well, I guess I'll just have to hunt for a new dresser! Aww, shucks!

I love the thrill of the hunt! And I've been inspired by two sweet decorators whom I just happen to know in person, Rachel and Leah! Check out their dresser re-dos!


I had my own dresser redo that was so very rewarding, although the dresser could use some drawer liners that smell loverly! And it's still in storage. Sniff.

There's one thing I must do before the dresser hunt commences...

Get a house.

;-D

~christa jean

Boys will be boys!

Whoever said that baby boys and girls are really just the same, that it's all in how we treat them as they grow up, must've been smokin' somethin'.
Their premise was this: if we pamper and pretty our little girls, of course, they will grow up to be dainty and feminine. If we rough and tumble with our little boys, of course, they will grow up to be tough and manly.
Now, if we would just treat them each exactly the same, little girls wouldn't grow up thinking that they have to be mommies and little boys won't feel badly if they have to be the "stay-at-home Mr. Mom".

Can I just laugh out loud right now?! Puhleeeeze!

I'm laughing, but really sad at the degradation, the gradual wearing down of our God-given identities by the feminist-sexist agenda. My job, as a stay-at-home-loving-wife-and-homeschooling-mommy is looked upon as a degrading position, something that is beneath me and my rights as a woman. Do I dare to ask the question... ? What grown-up child would really, truly say he/she was thankful that their mother put them in day care and went off to flourish in her career? Not many, I think. This is not to put down those mothers who feel they must work full-time (Are you really sure? Pray about it hard! There may be another way! Trust me, I know!) or single mothers who indeed must work. I'm talking about those who choose to drop their babies and toddlers off at some daycare because they need to feel fulfilled and validated in the work force. "I am Woman, hear me roar!" As their babies are crying.

Okay, hopping off my soap box now.
Was that my first rant? Cool! I must be feeling feisty today! I'm usually such an agreeable gal! ;-D

I would like to prove a point, that intrinsic in each male or female's nature are attributes that the other does not possess.

Take this scenario for example: two of my girls were working hard at tickling me and as soon as I said, "No! Stop!" through my tears, baby boy comes scooting over quickly and gets in between them and me. Something forcible came out of his mouth that sounded kinda like, "Don ta!" (probably translated "Don't touch!") and he tried to push them away. Sound like a protective instinct to you? Sure does to me!

Here is the next scenario to prove my point:
I was working on a project when I heard baby boy awaken from his nap. I brought him down and sat him next to where I was working. The following pictures demonstrate what I witnessed said baby boy do, without any prompting from me.

He acted as if he knew how to use tools all along!


He's so thrilled with himself!



He is verrrrry meticulous.



And he has the cutest cheeks EVER!

Give it the good ol' taste test, of course.

This baby boy will carry around a small pencil and a silly lid for an hour and be perfectly content. When given the choice between a cool car or a Q-tip, he will pick up the Q-tip first and then try to figure out a way to get it into the car. I love watching his mental capacities expand as he becomes who he was made to be.

Intrinsic in each child is a gift of skill and talent as well; a love for something so unique only they could love doing it. It is one of our jobs as parents to see it and encourage them to flourish in it. When your eyes are opened and you finally catch a tiny glimpse of this glorious blueprint created in each child, you can't help but marvel at the Glorious Creator. No primordial soup could have designed this. It is indeed marvelous!

I am beginning to see...

This is one of the many reasons I love my job.

My two absolute favourite men!


Sweetness personified!

I pray for every mother today that:

"the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling..."

{Ephesians 1:17-18a}

May we know the hope of our calling as we guide each child entrusted into our care into their callings. Let us lead them to spread their wings and fly into that bright horizon.

Even if that bright horizon means being a lovey, stay-at-homey, type of mommy.

~christa jean