This is what I've been up to lately...

...making jewelry. I've made it since 7th grade as a hobby. I love making things with my hands and jewelry and sewing come easily to me. I don't follow patterns, however. I've never been one to fit in a box. I make things up in my head or see something at a store and go home and try to recreate it. Well, as the economy has tanked and Jason and I are working to be good stewards, him wanting me to work from home so I can be available to Emily and active in her school, I've been searching the Internet and looking into at-home jobs. Finally, a dear friend called me on the rug and said, "Ade, why are you trying to re-create yourself?! God has given you many gifts! Why don't you do what you already do, but stop giving it away?!"

And so, with others cheering me on as well, my mom and I recently launched "bebe&boo", a design and jewelry outreach where a portion of our proceeds go toward sponsoring "The Well Radio Show" and Bevy, my non-profit organization that helps women and their families in need and other non-profits that help women in need. We've already made some great sales in less than a week in addition to some commissioned pieces...and, November 1st when a local salon and boutique, "Panache" opens their doors to the customers, "bebe&boo" will be featured there.

My mom is an amazing seamstress...she made my sister's their prom dresses and has worked with interior designers making some really fabulous works. (I was always to 'flow/fly by the seat of my pants' to have my mom make me a dress in advance so I just had really ugly poofy 80's dresses...). She also makes jewelry too, but together we'll be turning out some fun pieces inspired by my Grandma's closet and jewelry box, recycled pieces and nature, and eventually, the cute little European kids you see at big parks running around in outfits that don't match at all, but somehow they look fantastic! We're excited for what is in store!

Making things with my hands has always been therapeutic, but to make things since losing Noah brings me a lot of joy. I can't even begin to explain how fun it is to sit and design things that women will enjoy wearing. As I sit there, creating pieces I think are beautiful to look at, I am reminded of all the beautiful women I have met or see out and about, their hearts designed by God, their smiles or frowns reflections of how beautiful or ugly they believe themselves to be. And so I pray as I make these pieces. I pray for whoever purchases them that they would know that true beauty is an internal display regardless of what society may tell us and it can only be measured by the heart.

So, then, why do I make jewelry if beauty is a reflection of the heart? Because jewelry is fun, it's pretty, and I know where my beauty lies, so when we wear it ladies, it's just icing on the cake!

Smarter than her mom...

I love our morning routine...minus trying to put on socks and shoes, but other than that, Jason and I usually tag team jumping in bed with Em for a few minutes and nuggling, as we call it, as we convince her it's time to leave the comfort of her warm bed to get up and get going for school. Then, I head downstairs to start breakfast and the packing of her lunch while Jason patiently puts the pressure on for her to get dressed and brush her teeth. He comes down a little before her usually and helps tag team the rest of the food preparations. Then, her royal hiney, her majesty Em, Princess of Graves-ovia, bellies up to the counter next to her daddy, looks at him and points incessantly at "The Picture Bible" and says, "Read, Read, Read!". Then, Jason commences to read chapters on end because every time he stops he hears, "More, More, More!" (Her favorite story is God's faithfulness to the Israelites, beginning with Joseph and his brothers, his time of slavery and then favor in Egypt, and then on into the story of Moses and God leading His people to the promised land)

And, because the three of us have never been known for our speed, one of us drives her to school since our morning bus attendance record is approximately 1:100...it's alright. We have other strengths! Besides, we use the car time to finish getting "dressed".

Notice my sweet girl lost one of her top teeth!

So, on this particular morning...

...as Em sat down to breakfast, she looked at her cup of orange juice...the cup that I stirred Nordic Naturals Children's DHA Natural Triglyceride Form Omega-3 Supplement Made From 100% Arctic Cod Livers *Supporting memory, learning, and visual development with a "Great Strawberry Taste!" into.

Em: Why is there oil floating all over the top of my orange juice?
Me: (Innocently...) Huh? What?!
Em: Did you really think you could just slip that greasy fish oil into my orange juice without me noticing, Mom?
Jason: (Smiling at me, trying not to crack up altogether...) Don't knock it until you try it.
Me: Em, will you please just drink it? Let's not waste this cup, but if you don't like it hidden in your "Magic Orange Juice" (calcium enriched) then you can go back to taking it directly from a spoon...
Em: Oh, alright, I'll try it!

And miraculously she got it down without any complaints. We'll be switching to tablets once this bottle is gone. Apparently I'm not as savvy as Seinfeld's wife...and neither is the "Great Strawberry Taste!"

Smarter than the Government...

Are you smarter than a 2nd grader?



Emily, my 7 year old, is not only smarter than those that pass laws in our country, but her wisdom runs even deeper. Today on the way to school I told her that across the nation, at schools everywhere, students, teachers and parents were gathering to pray at their flagpoles.

Me: A long time ago, Em, the Bible used to be a text book in school and teachers and students prayed together to start each day. But, there are many people that hate God and the Bible so they worked hard to pass laws that took those two things out of the classroom.

Em: That's ridiculous, mom! God lives in my heart. HE comes to school with me everyday. No one can take HIM or HIS WORD out of my heart. That law doesn't even make sense.

(I heard about SYATP on the way to school on the radio, so by the time Em and I got there, we missed it. instead, she and I stopped for a minute with her little best friend's dad and the three of us thanked God that no matter how hard others try, NO ONE CAN TAKE GOD'S LOVE FROM OUR HEARTS!)

For new readers

So, for a few years I've needed to do this. I get around to things when I have time. Today I had a little...I have wanted to do a quick summary post for people who have never read Noah's story so they can be up to speed. Here it is...



Whenever I meet new people they ask me if I have children. My answer is usually dependent upon the vibe I feel from that person, and, quite frankly, how much time I have to answer. But, let’s pretend you and I have just met, or maybe we have known each other for years but are just reconnecting and that we have a substantial amount of time to get to know one another’s stories. I’ll go first, since you asked, and then I’d love to hear your story, because we all have one and yours is important to tell.

You asked if I had any children. I do. I could stare at my daughter, Emily, for the rest of time and never tire of the beauty and life she brings to the world. I am in awe that my husband, Jason and I have been entrusted with her life here on earth. We also have a son named Noah, but he passed away. It’s a long story, but the short of it is Noah was born healthy and beautiful but quickly showed signs of illness at about four weeks. He was breast fed but had chronic diarrhea, was increasingly weak, had a rash and had something called hypotonia, or floppiness. We took him to the doctor who said he just had a virus but that we needed to get his eyes checked by a neurologist at some point because they noticed he had nystagmus, a condition where your eyes ‘click’ or get stuck in the corners of your eyes. On August 2nd, 2006, just 7 and a half weeks after Noah was born, we took him to an outpatient neurology appointment. A lot happened during the next 5.5 months, which is the content of this blog from August 2006 to January 2007. You can click here to read from the beginning. We didn’t leave the hospital again until January 13th, 2007, the day after we took Noah off life support.

This blog started as a place to update family and friends about Noah’s medical status from his stay at Children’s Hospital. Since then it has served many other purposes, including my place to grieve, scream, shout, and learn to live and laugh again. I had said that if Noah ever died, I would surely die. That cold day in January I did, indeed, die. But I died to a way of living that was completely self-serving and me-focused. The impact my life had made on the world in 35 years paled in comparison to the one Noah had made in his short 7 months. I died, but I was also born that day to live a life here on earth worth living.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Noah. I wear a bracelet with his beautiful face on it every day and each night our daughter asks for a story that always begins, “Once upon a time, Emily and Noah went on a great adventure…” Just because I am able to share my story, wear a smile on my face and keep pressing forward does not mean I am ‘over it’ or that it has been easy. I’m not going to candy coat that the loss of a child absolutely sucks. There are no words to describe the daily reality of milestones he’ll never reach. January 12th, 2007 was the last time I tucked Noah into bed. I will never straighten his tie for the prom. I will never know what it is like to hear him say my name. These are heart wrenching realities for anyone who has lost a child, but the heartache pales in comparison to all that Noah’s short life continues to teach me and the many others who have fallen in love with him.

I have found hope that in sharing our story we can encourage others, knowing we aren’t the only ones on this earth to suffer loss, heartache or disappointment…especially in the way we think God is supposed to work. Even though our son died, I have hope and assurance that God is good and can see a bigger picture, one more beautiful than I can comprehend…and I have found peace. How about you? What is your story?

Nice Segway...

When I chose to wear a skirt and flip flops to our friend's house for dinner on Friday night, I hadn't gotten the memo that there just happened to be 4 Segways in their garage...

Here's our early family Christmas photo...

After a little practice, I was soaring along, enjoying the summer night. And, yes, I got over confident...It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt...

Things I learned from this experience: Never wear a skirt while operating a Segway. Never go barefoot while operating a Segway. Never get cocky while operating a Segway...

This is the inside of my left knee. It's bruised, swollen, and as I learned two and a half days later, infected. I went to a local walk in clinic and the nurse scrubbed the hell (no kidding) out of my wounds. Then, she proceeded to stick a Tetanus shot in my arm and the doctor prescribed me an antibiotic. No exaggeration: I would have rather birthed a third child than experience the pain of a nurse "cleaning" my raw wound. Truly, I learned my lesson. I obviously will wear jeans, shoes, and full body armor next time I mount a Segway. I am so grateful I wasn't hurt worse!

I also have been thinking a lot about the pain I have been experiencing since Friday night and am blown by the reality that Jesus' body was beaten within an inch of His life and then He was hung on a cross...for me, for you...for the whole wide world. I was bawling like a baby while sweet nurse Jean scrubbed the infection out of my wound, getting it down to the new skin. Many times I had to beg her to stop so I could catch my breath.

Jesus didn't have that luxury. He couldn't pause for a break and He didn't ask His floggers to ease up a bit. He didn't have a prescription for pain medicine. He got the crap beaten out of Him so that the devil's plan to destroy our lives would hold no weight in eternity.

He is the toughest Guy in the whole wide world! He's my Hero!