ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

source actual conversation with my two year old: "mommy, percy doesn't go anymore" "you're right, maybe he needs a new battery" "i can get batteries" runs to the drawer where we keep the batteries. brings me two. "thanks sweetie, but see this little silver screw? that means we need daddy to use a screwdriver to open it, before we can change the battery" "but... i can get a screwdriver" runs to the drawer where we keep batteries... and apparently screwdrivers. "reese, you are so smart. how did you know that was in there?" big smile. i change the battery and look up at her; her eyes beaming. "you know what Reese?" ... "i'm a genius!" yes, she literally said that to me. and i laughed out loud. and she did too. and it's days like these that make all the bad days worth it.  and you know what i realized? she will not take "no" for an answer. and i think that's a g

my niece [and nephew] started kindergarten last week. i can't believe how quickly they grew up, and it only makes me cherish the moments i have left before my little one goes off to school! anyway, i made some headbands for her to match their little uniforms. so, naturally, i decided to sell some of the same designs. so far, i just have them listed as hair clips, but they can all be attached to a headband too. there's a new section called "back to school/uniforms" where you can find everything, and there will be more designs coming soon: and just because i'm feeling extra generous, use coupon code BACK2SCHOOL for free shipping for the next two weeks.

did you know my hubby is a high school football coach? have i talked about that before? well he is... and not just any high school football coach. coach of the year 2010 [as bestowed by Nike and other organizations] , led his team through an undefeated season [14-0], ending with a state championship victory. in his second year as head coach. at 26 years old. am i a proud wife? oh, i don't know... YES! and he would never tell you any of this, much less give himself any of the credit [it's all about the kids, which i love about him] , so it has to come from me :) [you can read a little bit about the season, if you're the tiniest bit interested, in that link above... and scroll down for a photo of him, coaching in the rain, at the state championship game. headset and all. gotta love it!] and did you know that high school football is really intense? like, really serious and really important. please don't detect any sarcasm, because i'm being dead serious. my husban

first, have you entered t his giveaway yet? you have a chance to win your choice of one of my yarn wreaths! [except the gray/pink one... someone won that from another giveaway just yesterday. i'm bummed b/c it was my favorite. i guess i can make another one?] anyway, it's a giveaway for my friend Kim who is adopting TWO girls from Ethiopia. they're selling cute t-shirts that you can buy or you can just donate a dollar amount. and then you put your entries toward any item you want! go here to enter . second, i thought i would point out something super fun [for me, anyway] on the House of Smith's blog . you do read her blog right? awesome DIY and decor ideas? she's great. well anyway, she was in San Diego for the BlogHer conference, which coincided with the last Queen Bee Market. no i didn't meet her, BUT if you scroll down in this post , you can see my prints [" lavished " and " oaks of righteousness "] on the very top right of

i've been scouring etsy and pinterest for lovely things to add to my big girl's new room... there's too much! remember, here's the bedding i'm seriously considering: Source: bedbathandbeyond.com via Aly on Pinterest and here's some artwork that i'm loving to go with that, on the wall opposite the bed: Source: etsy.com via Aly on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Aly on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Aly on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Aly on Pinterest Source: etsy.com via Aly on Pinterest last but not least: new print, from my shop, blossom & vine can you even imagine all that beauty and color in one place? put all that together in a collage, add some hoop art or a yarn wreath and it's done! i will definitely want to live in her room when i'm done with it. oh, and just in case you're in the market... look at this cute bed for only $180: Source: furniture2go.com via Aly on Pi

please check out this giveaway for my friend Kim who's raising money to adopt two girls from Ethiopia. you can win your choice of one of my yarn wreaths !! i sort of always thought i would have to stick with my signature "style". you know, the white text with the plain colored backgrounds? well i've deviated just a little bit. now i have lots of fun "color-block" combinations to choose from too :) so far, i've only done the "come thou fount" print in this style. i have lots of work ahead of me... what do you think? :: lilac grove :: :: autumn whisper :: :: candy :: :: cranberry limeade :: :: grassy :: there are lots more color-block combos where that came from. and i'm thinking for like $3 more you can choose your own customized colors. sounds fun, huh? head here to buy :) oh, and really soon i'll be offering everything as a finished print [as opposed to "print-it-yourself" printables]. just figurin

i'll let it speak for itself: here at the altar of the broken things i'm finally throwing down this mirror of me when i've done all i can do and there's nothing left to prove and i just need You i'm totally completely dependent upon You i'm totally completely dependent upon You here at the place of empty vessels i'm pouring out this heart of selfish ambition when there's no more options left and i'm nothing but a mess that's when You're best i'm totally completely dependent upon You i'm totally completely dependent upon You when there's no words left to say when there's nothing left to pray i just wait i'll wait on You Lord i'm trusting in Your Word 'cause You're totally completely faithful to me You're totally completely faithful to me and her voice, and the music, is almost haunting. so beautiful : sarah reeves new CD [called broken things]

we were supposed to find out on sept. 15. but i'm impatient. so we didn't tell anyone, and went this saturday to find out what we're having. it was fun to surprise everyone, a month earlier than they were expecting. i was pretty well convinced it was a boy, since i've been sick this pregnancy [not one minute of sickness last time around] and maybe just because i already have a girl? not really sure why... so, it was a fun surprise when she announced: we couldn't have been more surprised, but equally excited. [i have ten bins of clothes that i'll get to use again]. we'll get to re-use the nursery bedding and decor that i still LOVE... but now i have to make a big girl room for the "big sister". just for fun, i'll show you what i am drooling over so far. i'll admit, i'm a little too excited that i get to do/re-do TWO rooms right now, even if one of them is hand-me-down bedding, i'll still get to personalize it for Tessa :) my

do you keep a journal? when i was in high school i wrote almost every day in a "diary" type journal, where i talked about what happened that day, which boy i liked, what was going on with my friends. i stopped writing in it soon after i met joel [my husband] sophomore year. and then i only wrote every few months. but it's fun [and sometimes embarrassing] to go back and read, and to remember. as i've become an adult my journaling and has turned to God. i know a lot of people who keep a prayer journal. i used to scold myself that i didn't, because i thought it had to a bullet point list of prayer requests, which didn't seem very exciting to me. mine isn't that way. it's dialog. just spilling out my heart to Him in prayer, in written form. it is sacred to me, so intimate. some of the greatest revelations come from this time. i don't do it every day, and lately it's been very intermittent. today i picked up my journal and started reading. a

i love the lyrics to this song so  much. it renews my hope. and my strength when waiting gets hard. i want to write songs like this when i grow up. and her voice is so soothing i can't stand it. [listen below] Voice of mercy, breath of God Life from life sustaining us Earth below and skies above Beautiful redemption’s song Melodies like morning rise Darkness leaning toward the dawn  Into our sorrow sings the light Beautiful redemption song Chorus Hallelujah, love is come Hallelujah, God with us Hope restored and death undone Beautiful redemption song Beautiful redemption song Weeping will not last the night Nor will sadness be for long Joy was born of sacrifice Beautiful redemption song Let the wounded come and see Empty grave and lifted stone  Sinners saved and captives, free Beautiful redemption song Beautiful redemption song

[public service announcement: make sure to check out this awesome giveaway , which includes $30 to blossom & vine ] i went to a Beth Moore conference [surprising, huh?] a few years ago in Vegas. actually, it was a "Deeper Still" event that included Kay Arthur and Priscilla Shirer, along with Beth Moore. i remember so vividly a point that she made, about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. it wasn't even the purpose of her talk, but it was a side note that stuck with me more than the actual message. we tend to think of this tree as the one that held the forbidden fruit that eventually introduced original sin into the world. God commanded Adam and Eve never to eat of that tree. anything else in the Garden of Eden was free for their enjoyment, but not that tree. the tree of the knowledge of good and evil . how often do we eat of that tree ourselves, today? anytime we share a juicy bit of gossip, we're inviting our friends to eat of it, aren't we

because all the cool kids are doing it... 1) i'm 5'2". pretty short. 2) up until about a year ago, i considered myself "dark blond". you guys, my hair is definitely brown. not sure what i was thinking. 3) i have a history degree 4) i taught fifth grade for one year 5) my husband and i are trying (for the tenth time) a cash-only budget. going okay so far. 6) besides the etsy shop, i do have a part-time (from home) "real job", working for my parents' software company. i do tech support and customer service-type stuff. 7) i am so slooooow. when it comes to projects, crafting, cleaning, really anything. i move at a snail's pace. it doesn't help that i'm a perfectionist [at the crafty stuff, not the homemaking, unfortunately] 8) when i was younger, i'm pretty sure i had a mild form of tourette's syndrome, or something similar. it sort of just faded out in my adult-hood. 9) the only surgery or hospital stay i've ever had was my c-

since you aren't really reading anything on my blog [seriously, if you scroll down, the posts range from july 18 through today, all on one page. i'm such a slacker!] , i figured i may as well direct you to what i've been reading lately? stuff i've found quite lovely: my hope in doing this, is always to bring you some blogs that maybe you don't already read. not sure if that's going to happen today, but even if you already read these gals, maybe you missed these posts? 1. this one was absolutely breathtaking to me: kyle posted about her 4 year anniversary in a way that just struck a beautiful chord in my heart. 2. jessi at naptime diaries challenges us to think about what we post online, whether it be blogs, facebook, twitter, etc. she calls it "out of the overflow"  and it's part of her 1% change series that's super awesome! 3. i suggest her writing a lot. because it's always that good. like, blow-you-away, good.   "sufferi

you may have read my last post about forgiveness . i thought that was the extent of it. it didn't get any clearer or any deeper than that. i'm learning there are so many more layers. sometimes you have to forgive the same person, again, for committing the same offense against you, for the second [or third or fourth] time. you wonder why they didn't learn their lesson and you wonder what is causing them to fall into the same trap. but none-the-less, forgiveness is still commanded. seventy times seven. i was faced with this opportunity not too long ago: to forgive a repeat offender for a very similar offense. in my weakness and in the first moments, i cried out to God. why did this happen again? doesn't God see the sin that is being committed? does it not grieve Him? isn't there anything He can do about this person, to make sure that it doesn't keep happening? i was pointing fingers, casting blame, accusing this person before the throne of God. accusing b

i wanted to share this story i saw on the news this morning. maybe you've heard of a little girl named Rachel Beckwith? well, she was a remarkable little girl who, for her 9th birthday this past June, wanted her friends and family to give to her "charity:water" fund instead of getting her any gifts. her goal was to raise $300, to help about 15 people.  if you don't know anything about charity:water , it is an organization that raises money to build wells in the poorest countries where people don't have access to clean water. to date, they've raised almost 10 million dollars and have provided water to almost 500,000 people. truly amazing. and it works by people like you and me setting up a little campaign on their website where others can donate to the project.  Rachel raised about $220 for her birthday. that's inspiring for a nine year old girl.  just a few weeks ago, she was in a car accident and sustained fatal injuries. while she was in the hospita