Returns

Sitting in the airport in Santiago, Chile, with a VERY long layover, waiting for our flight back to the United States. It seemed to me a good time to reflect on this latest trip...

We touched base with many of our loved ones. Hugged some former students. Spoke words of encouragement when we could. Spent time with Dear Friends. Traveled to beautiful spots where we've never been. Dreamed of things to do and ways to do them. Saw some of the most beautiful things, and some disturbing things. We find that each trip here has a different flavor. Maybe purpose. Perhaps design. There's something special to us about this part of the world. It's a connection.

But as I type, my thoughts aren't so much of what just happened, of what we just experienced, but more of what is about to happen...

I'll see my Grands. I'll hug my Little Boys. I'll visit my GrandGirl (who is already many ounces heavier than when we left!). And visit my New Sweet Nephew. I'll snuggle my puppies. I'll decorate for Christmas. I'll watch my Auburn Tigers on a big screen tv!

And I'm sure I'll begin dreaming of the next visit to the vineyards of Chile and the next time I hear worship songs sung in Argentine Spanish...

It's a good time to be us.

News and Such!

Time passes. Things happen. Blogs go untouched. Or sumpin like that...

What HAS happened is that Baby Black Dog (my Etsy shop) has had its first stranger-sale! Someone who isn't on my list of Facebook friends and who is someone I don't personally know, has made a purchase from my shop! Whether it was through an Etsy ad, or a pin on Pinterest or a friend of a friend is unknown at this time, but it's a good thing and I'm pretty excited...

It was a bit of encouragement at just the right time and I wanted to share it with you. Cause I know you love me. And I know that lots of you "get" me. And I'm so thankful for that.

So, if you'll excuse me, I've got some creating to do.

Cause...

I'm out there and LOVIN' every minute of it!

Babyblackdog.etsy.com

Ideas and The Sharing of Said-Ideas...

For my Momma's birthday and Christmas gifts, I usually get her a collection of birthday cards for her to use for family members and friends throughout the year, as I am an excellent shopper. I even pick one out for her to give to me and it usually reads "you're the most wonderful", or sumpin like that...

I tell you this cause I think it'd be a good gift idea for you to give your Momma, as well, and also to illustrate this point:

My creativity works best by demand.

The latest couple of cards in my online shop, Baby Black Dog, have been the result of a need and a determination to not buy store-bought cards. My "Boy, Oh Boy" card

was created for 2 special someone's Little Boy showers.  It's kinda my favorites... But my newest creation, "A Thrilling Birthday",

was created for my Momma's stash, and therefore created for a much-loved member of my family. I think they both fit-the-bill (and I'm very picky!) and I love the way they look in my shop. Babyblackdog.etsy.com

...And, in case I haven't mentioned it lately, you should go take a look...

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.