Waiting and Such and While-I'm-At-It...

So, we're in a sort of wait-mode...

Ready to go to South America but for a few things to fall in place. Hoping to see our friends and family soon. Hoping to celebrate with them. Ready to share with them. Prepared to tell them what God has been doing in our hearts since we last saw them.

But while we're here, we'll relish in our situation. Prepared to go. Prepared to stay. There's work to be done. There's showers to prepare for and GrandBoys to visit and gifts to plan and new business to obtain and pups to tend to and His will to be done.

And there's my little shop to create for and talk about, so that's what I think I'll do here. Maybe I'll talk about Baby Black Dog (Babyblackdog.etsy.com) and maybe you'll listen...

I actually opened the online shop several years ago with a couple of my mini-journals. They sat there for a few months and I sat with my fingers crossed...and when nothing sold, I chickened out and didn't renew any of my items. Since then I've learned a teeny bit about the Etsy site and marketing and creating and photographing and you name it. I've always enjoyed the creative process but now I'm beginning to kinda like the promoting and marketing part. But mostly, I'm really liking the project as a whole. I like what I'm selling. And I like that other people like it, too.

I'm currently working on a Christmas-in-a-Box and some greeting card designs. I just added a "Boy, oh, boy! It's a boy!" celebration card and it's one of my favorite things ever...you should go look at it! I think I'm about to add some of my lovingly-collected, mismatched, vintage china place settings, too. And get the shop name out there a little bit. And blog about it more often. Or sumpin like that...

Waiting? I'm good with that. But doing? I'd much rather...

Part Two...

So, we're planning this trip.

...And by planning I mean desiring. And hoping. And wanting.

We've gone to a few areas in South America a few times. Really, between the two of us, close to twenty times. We got invitations, and they seemed right, so, we went. Until this past February...

February was an on-purpose, what-is-it-about-us-and-this-part-of-the-world sort of trip. And the kind of thing that Larry and Kim Marshall just don't do! It was out of our usual. It was bold. It was daring. Oh. And it was a really good trip...

We don't really have specialties. There are some things we're both really, really good at doing. Larry is a really great teacher. I'm really creative. But, there's a lot that we can do well. In past trips, Larry painted a classroom and led Children's Ministry workshops and taught Staff Leader meetings. I've planned parties and made friends and taught some, too. We aren't really "no, we don't do that" kind of people...

But lately, God is telling us something different. He's led us to be a bit more selective about our activities. He's asked us to step out of our comfort-zones a bit with relationships. We feel it's time to reconnect, to re-energize and even to rest differently...

Our trip in February was just that. We reconnected. We stayed in the nicest hotels and in the homes of old friends. We drove. We shared. We prayed. 

And it felt right.

In a couple of weeks, our desire is to take the next step (cause really, isn't that what we should all be doing?), and we're planning Part Two of this New Phase of Marshall Life.

We'll be exploring a couple of areas, scouting out things for Part Three, and beyond.

One of the out-of-our-comfort-zone things is paying for it all. No letters to family and friends. No pleas for donations. No requests for pulpit-time. No credit card. Just a desire and a trust and a willingness to go. 

We want more accountability. We want to be sent out. We want people here involved with what we're doing, have done, and will be doing. We want to live life together... To hurt when we miss people we love. To be happy to tell you what we think when you ask. To cry with people. To laugh with people. To rejoice when people rejoice. To give. To share. More than we ever have before.

It's a good time to be a Marshall. And probably a good time to be whatever you are. Let's share that together. Let's get this thing called life going. 

And we can, you know...

PS, contact me if you want more information on our trip. I mean, trips. I mean, our lives. I mean, if you need us...

...Just a Girl...

I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her...

It's the age old story. Boy meets girl, girl turns out to be a famous American actress, they break up, they fall in love, they live happy ever after. Or sumpin like that...

We're all making our way through this life. Doing the best we can with all we've got. Hoping that people love us along the way...

My blog has been sitting a bit dormant as I navigate (yet more!) uncharted waters. As I nurse hurts and contemplate next steps. As I say goodbye and I say hello. As things change at record speed. As things crawl to a seemingly stop. As the sun rises and the sun sets. And with every new day, with every wanted and unwanted change, one choice remains with me and with you:

Will we quit?

I hope that your answer, like mine, when it all boils down to that simple, yet complex bottom line, is this...

Absolutely not.

I'm older than some, but younger than others. I know a few things, but not very much. I've done a lot of dumb things, but I've done some good as well. Some days suck, but more are filled with magic. I've known discontentment and discouragement, but I've also known grace and fulfillment. And basically, I've learned that the best thing I can do is to keep going...

Press on. Look back as little as possible. Try new things. Don't be afraid to hurt some. Don't be afraid to be uncomfortable. In fact, don't let "being anything" stop you. Ever. 

Some of the people I admire most are people who seem unscathed when I know their knees are buckling... My husband with prolific faith, who never allows himself to "sweat". My grown sons who undertake challenges with abandon, amaze me everyday with what they continue to accomplish, create and conquer. My missionary friends who obey God no matter the cost, yet always make the time to make sure I'm encouraged and on track (often no easy task!). My young friends who are moving across the country to pursue their next steps who smile and politely say "oh, yes!" when people (sometimes carelessly) ask if they're excited, when they probably want to yell "you mean to leave everyone we love and everything we've ever known behind?!", or sumpin like that. And on and on...

Everyone struggles. Everyone hurts. At times. It's part of life. But let those struggles stop us? Let those hurts keep us from experiencing more joy? 

Nope. 

So. Today I blog very personally. Today I sit on my perch and share. Today I decide to not quit. Again. And tomorrow I'll decide the same.

And along the way, maybe some people will love me...

Gift Wraps and Gifts

I think there's not much like a nicely-wrapped gift.

It's sort of my thing. 

I think the outside of a present is almost as important as what's inside. Certainly the presentation can make the recipient feel like you went to a bit of trouble...but, really, I'm almost incapable of wrapping a present without making a scene.

I thought I'd use today's post to give away a few of my "secrets", which, by the way, there's a couple of instant-gift-wraps available for purchasing in my shop, babyblackdog.Etsy.com just in case you're needing more than just "secrets"...

This was a gift for my Baby Boy. It's just fun paper, pretty ribbon and I hot-glued some plastic Cowboys and Indians to the top of the box. Just for fun.

This was a wedding gift for a sweet friend. I used brown kraft paper, satin ribbon, a Scrabble tile in their last name's initial, some bits and pieces of flowers and half of a Martha Stewart cardboard bird box. And lots of hot glue.

This isn't actually gift wrap but more of a gift-thought. I made this for a dear friend. Stamped each letter of her name on a muslin bag and put an item "beginning" with that letter in each bag. D was a tiny deck of cards. N was a teeny jotter notebook that I made. You get the idea. I glued each bag on a piece of cardstock and stacked them in a sturdy bow. Then I tied a pretty ribbon around the box, of course. It's one of my favorite accomplishments.

This was a happy birthday medallion that I made of paper, ribbon, oh, and a ballerina. This could be attached to the top of a gift, or, as was the case with this, pinned to the birthday girl's collar.

I have a well-stocked stash of letters, ballerinas, and etc., to use for gift-wrapping, so inspiration is never too far from me. Plus, I keep as many as I can in pretty, glass jars so I can see them, and, cause they look purty...

Those little things that catch your eye, or make you smile, or that you've just got a lot of, can be stored like this, too. And just add to the top of a pretty ribbon with some hot glue.

It's an easy way to be creative. Creative with a purpose. One of my favorite ways...

Oh yeah, have I mentioned that I have an etsy shop?! Babyblackdog.etsy.com

Just in case.

The Clearing

We have a huge front yard. It's nestled in the woods and we (in the past) refer to it as a "natural" area, meaning, basically that we don't bother with it. But really, we didn't even look at it and we certainly didn't spend time enjoying it.

Until recently.

We've (my Main Man and Me) been spending a lot of time in some of the lovelier areas of the South. Places where oak leaf hydrangeas (my favorite) are shrubs and things are neat and peaceful-feeling. We were inspired. So we decided to reclaim our front yard from the forest. We lawn-mowed and clipped and dug and hatchet-ed. We sweated and pulled thorns from our fingers and legs. We fought critters and creepy crawlers. Then we stepped back and liked what we saw.

However, a couple of weeks or so later, we began to notice weeds growing in the areas where we had so carefully cleaned! New weeds!

They stood there daringly, taunting us with their swift rise to the surface. They waved at us in the breezes. They had some nerve! Didn't they realize how hard we worked? I mean, you know, that one, brief period in our lives? Those FEW days that we toiled and cleaned and felt so proud? Then we remembered, oh yeah, there's this little thing called maintenance.

Shudder. I don't like that word. I'm no good at it. I want progress by leaps. And I wanna see it. Quickly.

But this morning, I took my trusty lawn mower and went over the fresh and unwanted weeds. I turned a few fallen twigs into mulch. I sweated. Again. I'm dirty. Again. But I did it.

Then I stepped back and looked at the yard and felt the same "aahh" as the first time we cleaned.

Our lives are like bush-hogging my front yard. Letting things go untended feels like the easy thing to do. We say, "I'm just me. This is my natural". And, when we do attempt a bit of tidying, things seem to get messy again so quickly. And we get discouraged. So we too often stop and just let things be. We don't spend too much time looking at that area of our lives and we sure aren't enjoying them.

But, just like us and our yard, when you decide that you've had enough of the "forest". When you decide that you want to be able to step back, look at an area of you or your life and say "aahh, I like it!", grab your lawn mower (you know I don't mean actual lawn mower, right? You get what I'm poetically saying here, right?) and get to it. Grab the shovel and dig those stubborn scrub oaks out from the roots. Put on your toughest gardening gloves and don't be afraid to prick your finger on a thorn. Then, step back and look at what you've done. Go drink a glass of iced tea (you're still with me and this analogy, right?) and enjoy the new view. But...

Don't stop there for good. Watch for the weeds that will spring up in that nice clean spot. Watch for that spider who likes that pretty flower you've planted. And when you see them begin to encroach on what you've cleared, go pull up that weed. Go knock down that spider web. One intruder at a time. And be prepared to do that until your yard is full of only the mature trees and shrubs that you want to be there. Only those of your choosing. 

Larry and I will have a lovely yard, probably soon. And you'll have a lovely life, probably soon. 

Go grab your shovel and be careful not to step in the dog poop.

Cause, if I can do this, you can, too...

A Tale of Baby Black Dog

My Etsy shop is new and I've yet to discover the intricacies of the selling site. But I've ALSO yet to discover everything Baby Black Dog is capable of...

Since we've got a few minutes to chat, I thought I'd tell the story of a certain custom order...

Once upon a time, Baby Black Dog was approached by a damsel in distress, as she had been looking and looking for a special gift to welcome someone to her workplace, I mean Kingdom, and nothing had captured the fair damsel's eye, as she had very fine taste... One day, she thought "Eureka!" and contacted Baby Black Dog, as the damsel was very bright and knew that Baby Black Dog was the best gift-maker in all the land. She said, "Brilliant Baby Black Dog, can you create one of your lovely journals and make a notebook to coordinate? This would help my friend stay organized and stylish all at the same time." So Baby Black Dog lovingly fashioned an office set

and the fair damsel and her friend rejoiced together over the joy they felt at their gift. Word spread throughout the Kingdom of the fine and creative work that Baby Black Dog could produce and orders came from around the globe for more of her wares, so much so, that Baby Black Dog had to hire additional staff to assist her, thereby helping not only Baby Black Dog and her family, but also the Kingdom around her with many dollars spent as well as providing the people of the Kingdom with gifts, supplies and inspiration for themselves and their friends. And they all lived happily and beautifully together... 

Or sumpin like that.

Life with Baby Black Dog can be like a dream AND I can create custom orders... 

Babyblackdog. Etsy.com

Let's Do This...

Basically, it all boils down to this one thing: It's what we DO with what we HAVE that makes the difference...

It's the 4 D's...

Diligence, Determination, Drive, Discipline

These are the keys to success in just about anything (I'm quoting my brilliant husband here)...

It's why world-class athletes are world-class. It's how we know the name of a particular designer and why we buy his or her wares (cough, cough, Kate Spade purses, cough). It's why some businesses suceed and some fail.

Do we want it bad enough? Are we willing to look or sound foolish for it? Will we believe in ourselves long enough to give it a chance?

Enough with status quo. Enough with ruts and burn-out. Let's dig in and discover what it is that we bring to the table. Then, let's dish it up like no one else can... 

Let's be set apart. Let's not shy away from the opportunity to be different. Or, to MAKE a difference!

And let's have the patience to be in it for as long as it takes. Sometimes, it's just a matter of giving up too soon.

And with that, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to work on my etsy shop...

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; (Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV)