ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

you have one more day to be my baby... tomorrow morning we'll wake up, we'll get in the car and we'll drive to the hospital, and you'll become a big sister. technically, you won't be my baby anymore. you'll be my big girl... God has equipped you in so many ways to be a big sister. you are kind and thoughtful and compassionate, always looking after others and making sure they're happy and comfortable. you love to help me around the house, and you love little babies. your family is so important to you. i believe you will be Tessa's favorite and best friend, almost by default, and i hope that each day you choose her to be yours too i pray that you grow to be the kind of girl, teenager, woman that she can look up to. you love to do right, and you love positive reinforcement. i pray i can nurture that desire into a love for goodness and mercy and mostly just Jesus. Tessa will need you. you will identify w...

lots of pretty things for you today :) how much do you LOVE this new hoop i got? no, i didn't make this one.  i haven't mastered real embroidery yet, though it is a long-term-eventual goal of mine. this is from natalie at "take the cannoli" who blogs here and sells her amazing stuff here . i love the sunlight in this photo. i had a few minutes of peace while reese ate breakfast and watched mickey in her high chair. orders being filled.  i get such a sense of satisfaction when i look at these all packaged up  and labeled and ready to go to their new homes! we finally moved all the crafts and furniture out of the 3rd bedroom. it was my "craft room" [junk yard, since it was a disaster of a mess most of the time] but now it needs to be set up for Tessa who comes in 5 days! so here are all my craft supplies neatly organized and put away in this armoire in the garage. it makes me happy to look at. finished up this ...

when i find a blog or a specific post that speaks to me, i like to share it with all of you. see that little tab at the top called "suggested reading" you can find all the blogs/posts i've ever suggested for you, right there :) okay, so i have a lot to share this week... i hope you find some time to read at least a few of these. they're really really good. have you heard of "momastery" ?  Glennon Melton is witty, which is what first sucks you in.  but also she's real and honest and  grace-filled and compassionate.  i like the combo :) anyway, the first three posts here are hers: 1) this post was about working vs stay-at-home moms.  and how we should just all get along! and i totally agree.  you have to read "friendly fire" . 2) here, she really opens up about her life. and how opening up can help others to open up too, and realize they're not alone. and how that's sort of how she found her ministry- lite...

i was contacted a few months ago by a wonderful young woman named sarah, who had seen my etsy shop and wondered if i'd like to advertise [for free] on her soon-to-be-launched blog ? um, free ad space? of course i said yes.  well, her blog launched yesterday [that's a little screen shot up there. it's pretty, huh?] it's called "speaking of truth" and i had no idea i would love it so much. this girl has a way with words, for sure. you've got to head over and start reading, and subscribe, and go back and read everyday :) just to entice you, here's an excerpt i loved: Within chaos (tension…uncertainty…fear…failure), the weary and mixed up heart of a woman needs to know that she’s held and that she’s okay. She craves the assurance of a compass, something to be trusted, because if she knew she was heading in the right direction—and if she was secure in her destination—she would push through anything. The more that sinks in, the more it hits h...

most of you know that i'm having a baby in 9 days, right? okay, just making sure. so i'm definitely in that last-minute-get-everything-done nesting phase. the furniture still needs to be swapped from my 2 year old's room into the baby's room. we still have to put together a dresser and storage cubby-thing. i have a million and ten things that i want to hang on the walls, in both rooms but my husband doesn't love when i hang things myself... but he also doesn't want to do it. [i'll probably just take the reins on this one and just do it myself] anyway, the nursery is just being recycled since i'm having another girl. it's the " brooke " line from pottery barn, and i still love it: owls, birds, trees, lots of color! i found this stamp at michael's yesterday and fell in love. i'd been wanting to do some hoop art for her room, and thought this would be perfect. well, i also needed to make a few things...

a little peek into our week :) on our way out the door to my doctor's appointment, i locked the keys in the house. luckily i had my phone. luckily my hubby's job is pretty flexible (though 35 minutes away). he drove all the way home and unlocked the door :/ but while we waited, we made the most of it. played in the car, recorded videos on the phone, walked over to the park. just a nice morning we wouldn't have otherwise enjoyed. practicing on her own "baby Tessa" (every doll in our house is named Tessa which i think is sweet) we have 12 days until we all get to meet the real Tessa. i'm hoping Reese loves her as much as she's anticipated her. last friday night i got to go to Target all by myself. of course i grabbed some starbucks and of course i spent way too much time in there. not too much money though, so that's a plus. how cute are these cupcake liners? 75 for $1.50 at michaels. they had lots of other darling designs too. yo...

last night we attended a "celebration of life" service for one of my husband's assistant coaches who passed away. he was 23 and he actually took his own life. you would've never known a guy like him was struggling. incredibly happy with an infectious personality, he touched a lot of lives. many of the boys on my husband's football team attended the service. he's not at a christian school, so it's anyone's guess how much these boys have been exposed to real gospel Truth... that is, until this service. the gospel was presented clearly and powerfully and the mood of the entire night was that of joy and celebration for this young man's life. sure, he cut it short, but i can only think of how God placed him on the campus of that school, for just about 8 months, to impact these kids, and then become the reason that they would hear the gospel last night. i imagine satan probably figured he'd won this battle. he'd defeated this young man and co...