Shell Box - Vacation Memento

 Summer is just around the corner and chances are you may find yourselves on a beach somewhere on your next vacation. So I thought it might be nice to throw out something fun to do while on the beach. 

 If you are anything like me, once every one is moved in and settled you will want to go for a walk on the beach. I have been doing this since I was a small child. Some of my best memories are walking the beach picking up shells with my, Mom and Grand mom. All of us loved to go shelling. Shelling is relaxing and educational all at the same time. It is a wonderful way to share your knowledge of sea creatures with your children or learn about them together.

  Once you have gathered all of your treasures from the sea, what do you do with them? Why not make a Shell Box? It could be your vacation souvenir. Some call these boxes sailor's valentines.

  It has been said that sailors would make beautiful boxes for their Valentine's while they were out to sea. When the sailors would return home they would present these lovely valentines to their sweethearts. You could make a shell box and take it home as a  reminder of your wonderful vacation.
 This activity is wide ranging anyone from toddler to adult can do this craft. Its a fun way to relax by yourself or bod with your children or vacation buddies. (your not going to want young children to use the E600 but they can help with the finding and placing of the shells as will as helping with the inside of the box.) 

  

 To start all you will need is a box (it can be any box, any size or shape) that you can lift the top off of. I used a small cheese box, a candy box would work well too. Use what you have. You will also need painters tape, E600, a glue stick, small scissors and shells. You may want to bring the tape, E600, glue stick and scissors with you on your trip. That way you will not have the stress of finding supplies while trying to have a relaxing vacation. The good thing is, these supplies are small and will not take up much room in your travel bag.

 Are you ready to make your vacation souvenir?
 Start by gluing your shells onto the outside rim of your box lid. 

 Tear off several pieces of painter's tape and stick them to the edge of your table. This way they will be handy for you to grab when needed. Once you placed a shell on your box put a piece of tape around it so that it will not move while it is drying. 

 Do this all the way around the box.

 Back to why this could be a great vacation idea. So, you want to take home a souvenir. 

While the shells are drying on the sides of your box lid start gathering up the brochures or a real estate ad book of your vacation spot.

 Grab the kids and start cutting pictures and words out of the material that remind you of your trip. This project does not have to be done in a day. Maybe it's raining and the kids need something to do or you just want to work on this alone while kids are playing outside or napping. Maybe you don't even have children but you would like a project for a rainy or hot day.  

 Once you have all your pictures cut out start gluing your collection of pictures and words onto the inside of your box top.  

 You will also want to do the same thing on the inside of your box lid. 

 Now that you have the insides of your box finished, its time to start working on the outside of your box. Anything goes here. Do what makes you happy. I started with the center shell on the top of my box and then started working out.

 I glued more shells around my sharks eye shell (the center shell).

 Filling in spaces I continued working on the top of the box. 

                                      

 If you ever feel like your shells will not stay in place just use your painters tape to secure your shells. I used the same small pieces of tape over and over again.

 Once you have the top of your box looking the way you want it to, start working on the sides of your box again.

 Remember the tape is your friend and you can always stop and take a brake.

Time for ice cream maybe?

 This little box was so much fun to make and I will always have a small remembrance of a wonderful trip with my sweet husband.

 I hope that you to will find a little joy in creating a special little memento of your vacation.

Psalm 40

People think so commonly that children teach you patience as they grow, and as true as that is, your child can teach you patience even before they are born. On average, it takes a healthy couple seven months to conceive a baby. What no one talks about is the very second you have that desire as a women to carry a child, that is also the instant you love fall in love with that baby.

My husband and I wanted a baby. After more time than expected, after tracking cycles, scheduling and testing finally we found ourselves elated to see a positive test result. We were in love and just wanted to shout it from the roof top. We excitedly told our parents, our bosses and some of our closest friends. However, that happiness only lasted a few weeks. After a blood test and a confirmation ultrasound, it was clear we had lost the baby that we had so quickly fallen in love with. There is no way to describe the feeling perfectly. You just feel hopeless; like you failed at being a mom before you even got the chance to try.

We still desperately wanted to become parents. My husband and I let the appropriate amount of time to pass as we let my body heal and our hearts as best that we could. Hope was still missing as almost a full year passed. I will never forget the desperate prayers, the begging and deals I would make with God. I had heard that a sign of a healthy pregnancy was morning sickness, so naturally I even prayed to be nauseous.

My husband had left for work. I rolled out of bed to get ready to head off to work myself. However, that morning was different, as I started to brush my teeth, I quickly found myself on my knees bowing in front of the toilet. I didn't even need to take a pregnancy test, I just burst into tears. I shouted praise and just wanted to thank God as much as I had begged Him, as much as I bartered with Him. He answered our prayers and maybe a little too perfectly as I spent almost the full nine months sick to my stomach. Even though I wasn't feeling well, I was grateful for the reminder that I had a healthy baby. But, this time wasn't the same as the first. We didn't want to shout it from the roof tops and there was a little fear with every cramp, twinge and ultrasound.

I can honestly say that the plunge into dying to myself, to my selfishness and fully relying on Christ started in the fear that I found in pregnancy. It was completely out of my control. It was completely in His control. I had no other option than to start trusting that He was knitting that baby together in my belly. I had no other option than to believe that He was fulfilling my dreams. I am so grateful for the lessons that He had laced into all of the heartbreak. I am thankful to the whispers of hope and healing along the way.

One of my many prayers, as I was begging God for a healthy baby was to carry it full term. Well, again be careful of what you pray. I carried our baby boy almost a full two weeks past full term. On May 21st, 2012 I was induced to give birth to a healthy baby boy.

There were so many alarms, so many monitors, so many nurses, so many doctors, but all I could manage to do was stare at one particular monitor. I couldn't focus on much else, just one screen, one line of zig-zags that kept turning into a straight line. All of the fear from early in the pregnancy came rushing back. I wasn't very aware of what was happening in the room. My epidural was placed wrong more than once, my blood pressure was dangerously low and I didn't have much iron left in my body. My sweet baby's heart was slow and kept stopping, that was all that I cared about and almost all of what I can remember. My mom and husband have filled in the blanks for me since. I was being prepped for a C-section, I had signed papers wanting my son to have a full life if it came down to a choice between him or me. That choice came to a forefront as my baby and I were both fighting to survive. There was a point where I was not of sound mind, the times that I could gain focus, it was on that one monitor, on that one line.

Shortly before they would wheel me off to surgery, a new doctor ran into the room. He asked the doctor and nurses that had been with me for hours to step out and speak with him. He made it clear to them that I would not survive a C-section. He walked back into the hospital room with confidence and what he hoped to be a solution. The next thing I remember is having nurses and my mom yelling "PUSH!". I remember smelling salts and pain. I remember fear, tears, then overwhelming joy and happiness as I held my healthy baby boy on May 22nd, 2012.

Today, May 22nd, 2019 that healthy baby boy is now a seven year old full of adventure, energy and dreams for his own future. Today, I am no longer desperately praying, begging and bartering for a healthy baby. Today, I am praying and prophesying for a spiritually healthy man of God. New fears have tried to grip me, fear of addiction, fear of adultery, fear of unbelief. And, again I find myself, crucified to self and relying on God. As much as I want to be in control, my little boy has free will, he has dreams that he will chase and a purpose to fulfill that I have no say over. I have to trust God, I rely on Him to guide me as I raise my little man the best that I can, while I have so much influence over him. I can not let fear keep me from letting him live. This generation can be scary to raise a child in, but our children can also be the ones to change it.

Happy Birthday Jude MacLean
(Jude - Give thanks, praise; MacLean- Servant)

Psalm 40

My Help and My Deliverer

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.40 

I ^uwaited patiently for the LORD;

he inclined to me and ^vheard my cry.

2  He drew me up from ^wthe pit of destruction,

out of ^xthe miry bog,

and ^yset my feet upon a rock,

^zmaking my steps secure.

3  He put ^aa new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will ^bsee and fear,

and put their trust in the LORD.

4  Blessed is the man who ^cmakes

the LORD his trust,

who does not turn to the proud,

to those who ^dgo astray after a lie!

5  You have multiplied, O LORD my God,

your ^ewondrous deeds and your ^fthoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are ^gmore than can be told.

6  ^hIn sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,

but you have given me an open ⁱear.¹

Burnt offering and sin offering

you have not required.

7  Then I said, “Behold, I have come;

in the scroll of the book it is written ^jof me:

8  ^kI delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is ^lwithin my heart.”

9  I have told the glad news of deliverance²

in ^mthe great congregation;

behold, I have not ⁿrestrained my lips,

^oas you know, O LORD.

10  I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;

I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;

I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness

from the great congregation.

11  As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain

your mercy from me;

your ^psteadfast love and your faithfulness will

ever preserve me!

12  For evils have ^qencompassed me

beyond number;

my ^riniquities have overtaken me,

and I cannot ^ssee;

they are ^tmore than the hairs of my head;

my heart ^ufails me.

13  ^vBe pleased, O LORD, to ^wdeliver me!

O LORD, ^xmake haste to help me!

14  ^yLet those be put to shame and disappointed altogether

who seek to snatch away my life;

let those be ^zturned back and brought to dishonor

who delight in my hurt!

15  Let those be appalled because of their shame

who ^asay to me, “Aha, Aha!”

16  But may all who seek you

rejoice and be glad in you;

may those who love your salvation

^bsay continually, “Great is the LORD!”

17  As for me, I am ^cpoor and needy,

but ^dthe Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not delay, O my God!

The "Evil Stepmother"

When I was a little girl I played wedding day with my friends, dressed up in thrift store clothes, old hats and antique gloves. I played house with a Ken doll as the husband, lots of baby dolls and tea times. I never played stepmom. A stepmother was just the evil lady in Cinderella.

I grew up in one home, my parents owned and we lived in the same house from the time I was three months old and they owned it until after my wedding day. When my friends and I would play "wedding", we would walk out my front door and down the aisle out toward a crowd of teddy bears and baby dolls. My grown up wedding day came and actually looked a lot like the dream wedding from my childhood, down the steps to my father, out the front door and toward a crowd of family and friends. But, that day was not just the day I became a wife, I also became a mother.

I am one of the lucky ones, I believe. I am fortunate enough to have known my stepdaughter since she was under two years old. We were married when she was only three. She does not know what life is like without me. She doesn't remember her birth mom and dad together. It truly is the best case scenario. That does not make it easy. It was not how I planned it when I played house with my Ken doll and plastic babies. It wasn't my dream, until the day I met her.

I was at my, now husbands, apartment. We had been dating a few months at this point. He had explained that he wanted to be sure about our relationship before he introduced his daughter to me. One night, he just took my hand and asked me if I wanted to see her. She was in her room, fast asleep in her crib. He walked me hand in hand across her bedroom, we both leaned slightly over the edge of her white crib and he simply said, "this is Avery." She was so tiny to me, so innocent and sweet. Curled up in a green blanket with elephants on it, her wild blonde curls and her tan skin. That moment is as imprinted on me as much as the first moment I held any of the babies I have given birth to.

I started the mom thing at potty training and picky eating. I started the wife thing at school night routines and kid friendly restaurants. We started the family thing together and created new dreams.

It is hard to break the childhood mold of the "evil step mother'. It is typically the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word. But, I wanted to encourage all the other stepmom's out there. I understand this probably wasn't your childhood dream. Being a stepmom is being a mom in almost every way with added challenges. Stepmom's require balancing relationships that aren't quite natural. It involves hearing things that can hurt while feeling powerless to help. We are called to love in an extraordinary selfless way. My family may be one of the lucky ones, but it is not without challenges. At times it seems like my step-daughter is torn between two different worlds. But, I am confident that the "evil stepmother" stereotype is fading and that there are stepmoms out there breaking that mold every day.

To the mom's out there who are sharing your children with us; we love them, we are not trying to steal them from you or replace you. We are called in 1 Corinthians to love your children more than ourselves, not to be selfish with love, but to give it freely without being jealous of who we share that same love with. Your child, our stepchild, has plenty of love for every kind of parent they have. Thank you to those moms, I know it wasn't your childhood dream, I understand that it is not easy.

Thank you to all stepmoms out there, you are making a difference, you are important, you are impacting a precious gift that you were entrusted with by God, your husband, and a mom.  Thank you for all the balancing, kindness and respect. Thank you for walking along side of all the other stepmoms breaking the mold and the stereotypes. Thank you for saying "I do" to not one, but two.

Happy Mother's Day,
Rachel Batey

One-of-a-kind

To the women who fell in love, the ones who found themselves become a mother through it. To the women who weren't quite ready, but found a great love in their baby's eyes. To the women who ache to hold a baby, to call one their own. No matter how you became a mother, whether in marriage or out, whether the overwhelming desire in your heart, whether birth, adoption or foster care; you are one-of-a-kind!

 

You are creating the memories of your children's tomorrow! Those memories we are creating today so that tomorrow, we can look at yesterday and be grateful for the lessons hidden in those memories.

We can get so wrapped up in the process, in the routine of it all, we fail to remember these are our children's first memories, their first lessons, their foundation. As hard as it gets, mothers get to pour life, love and memories into their precious babies even when they aren't exactly babies anymore.

When we as Moms are feeling overwhelmed and insufficient, all at the same time. When we have trouble motivating ourselves to do things we would normally enjoy. When everyday seems like an annoying process of routine, hassle and frustration. When our prospective turns into an unhealthy pity party. Pray. Read Scripture. Worship. Then pray some more. 

You are one-of-a-kind, there is not another mom, mama, mommy or mother out there like you! You are the perfect mother for your child. God does not make mistakes and He chose you! Yes, this is hard; there are good days and bad, ups and downs. But, in Christ you are sufficient, you are enough, you are exactly who your babies need. 

So, Happy Mother's Day! Happy Mother's Day, to the Moms celebrating for the first time. Happy Mother's day to the Moms in the thick of it all. Happy Mother's Day, to the Moms who have watched their own daughters become Mothers. And Happy Mother's day, to my Mom. I often talk about how I feel as a Mother. I talk about lessons I have learned and been taught on this mommy adventure. I have been watching someone pretty incredible model it along the way. What I want her to know and to share with you is that the life, love and memories my Mother poured into me, her precious baby girl; I would never be able to write or communicate with enough emphasis. She is in my first memories, she taught me my first lessons, she guided me to my firm foundation in Christ. When I was the child who caused the frustration and hassle, she would pray, read scripture, worship and pray some more. I wish there were the words or that I would be able to find them. But, I can't. She is one-of-a-kind! She is the perfect Mom for me, hand picked by God Himself and in my favorite memories. 

Thank you to all the Moms, for the routines you create, the meals to make, the car rides, all the cleaning, each boo-boo kiss and priceless hug. This world would not work without you! You are one-of-a-kind!

With lots of love and gratitude for all you do,

Rachel Batey