No Time To (Video) Weblog...

...not this week. You cannot know how much time and effort goes into one video weblog posting, unless you do it semi-regularly.  No time for that this week.  But there are beautiful and true-truths being pondered. That's my ponder-ful face (up there).

No, really.  Seriously.

I am pondering what love is, as defined by God in 1st Corinthians 13. I am pondering how that love is patient and kind and focuses on what is true and beautiful, etc etc.

I am pondering how that all those things imply boundaries. Love implies boundaries. God has already defined all that is true and beautiful. We too then, have to Biblically define what is true and beautiful, which, in turn, forces us to define what is untrue and ugly.

I am pondering how that "believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things" does not mean believing lies, or hoping for our own way. It doesn't mean enduring the arrogant unbelief of grace-haters who minimize the Finished Work of Christ...whether by flagrant sinning or by being so religious they could intimidate the Antichrist.

I am pondering how that the wisest thing I did (as well as one of the most profound lessons I've learned) was to place distance between myself and COMS...

Women who COMplain...
Women who COMpare...
Women who COMpete...

I am pondering how that real love isn't random sacrifice or giving my body to be burned in a fit of melodrama. The moment I begin to think I have the corner market on caring...and why don't others do as I do...I am, in reality, a noisy and needy sinner in need of being informed as to my boundaries. Love is not puffed up, you see. Stop right there. No more being puffed up. Boundaries.

Boundaries define all that is beautiful in our lives, from doctrine to property lines, from relationships to health, from choices to the lanes on the highway, boundaries make us safe, and inform us continually when we are tempted to think of ourselves as the Exception To The Rule.

The Psalmist David said it best, "...the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places..."

Grace

"The grace of God calls a man or woman to greatness..."

- Sheila Atchley

The Winner Is...

We printed out every single entry, bright and early this morning, before heading out to the hospital to see Aidyn...




Hannah, preparing to draw the winner's name...

And the winner is...




Kris Boisen!!!

(sorry the picture is sideways...)

Kris, please email me (sheilamatchley@gmail.com) and give us your address, and your choice of bag! We will get it out to you next week!

And for everyone else, Hannah is offering a 20 percent discount on any bag!

Thank you so very much for participating! We both have had so much fun with it. Please stay tuned, because I do have more giveaways planned...

...and now, back to Grandmother Bliss...

(posting this from the hospital, in fact!)



Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

She Is Here

It is after midnight, and I am finally home and settled. My heart is full, I feel so blessed. Aidyn Esther arrived this evening...all 9 pounds 5 ounces and 22 inches of her! It was love at first sight for PopPop and me both.

I didn't get to really hold her until after 10 PM! But I was patient and kind...unassuming, letting others feel like they were getting their special moment.

Because grandmothers do not have to assert who they are....they simply are. And Aidyn will get to know me well and early. And I am so rich I can afford to be gracious.

And grandmothers have impeccable manners.

Besides - she's mine. All mine...in that special way that only grandmothers (and great grandmothers) can say.

Are you ready to be dunked in adorableness???? Here you go:






I. Am. Solid. Gone.

We finally got to have our long talk together, Miss Princess and me. I told her I was wild about her. She told me it was mutual. I told her I would bring her some mousse for her hair first thing tomorrow morning. She said "Thank you, Mimi. You "get" me."

Oh, I get you, baby girl. You and me? We got our own thing going.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Checklist Before Becoming a Grandmother

(above oil painting by Gaye Lynne LeGuire...)

I've been going about the house, today, preparing to be a grandmother. My daughter Sarah and her Jonathan will become parents tomorrow.  Aidyn Esther comes tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow, a granddaughter is born, and so is a mother, a grandmother (yours truly), a great grandmother, and an auntie...


 How does one prepare to be a grandmother? How...how...how...


I know what to do to prepare the house. I still have to clear out the fridge, sweep the floors, and make sure my little bag of power bars, knitting needles, yarn, and Diet Coke is packed - I'll be there, at the hospital tomorrow, per Sarah's request.


 I know how to prepare a home, but how do I prepare a heart? How do I prepare my heart for the birth of a Sunflower baby...my Summertime granddaughter? How do I get ready again to step seamlessly into what I now know for sure to be the sweetest role I will play in all of life?


 I wear a lot of hats, have worn many in my history, but this hat of "grandmotherhood" is by far the most joyful and delightful. How do I prepare my heart to meet a small Someone who I will love till the day I leave earth for heaven...and then beyond? How do I prepare to look into her eyes...this sequel-daughter (grand daughter) who I have prayed for since before she was even conceived, and will cherish for all eternity? Relationships are eternal.


 How do I go about the mundane preparations for this sort of glory?


 Life really is all about maintenance. Even on the eve of weddings and births, even on the day after death, there must be clean clothes and warm meals and physical comfort given to the people I love. Such is the Life of Woman. Ask me how I know.


 Somehow, my heart assimilates. Somehow, my mind is slowly wrapping itself around the fact that God is the God of the New Thing. And New overlaps Old, always. One must always be cleaning up around the edges, where Old and New have collided. One must always be ready to tend to the business of tidying up in the place of transition, while simultaneously airing out the chambers of the heart...letting the breeze of newness freshen old routines and mindsets.


 I've heard it said that women wear lots of hats.  Well, this particular "hat" has been waiting for me, in its box, since the moment I gave birth to this daughter of mine and her sister.


Today I get the hat out. I admire its loveliness. Yes, this hat suits me. I think I will look just fine in this hat called "Aidyn's Mimi".


 Tomorrow, I put on the hat for the very first time.


 For the rest of my life, I will wear that hat with obnoxious pride.

IN THREE DAYS...

...my granddaughter, Miss Aidyn Esther, will make her appearance!

...this is a picture of her, when she was but little bigger than a lima bean...

...and this Thursday, I will get to hold her in my arms.

Sarah and Jonathan will be checking into the hospital THIS Thursday, at precisely 3 PM.  If Miss Aidyn does not make her appearance before Thursday on her own, she's coming no matter what on Thursday afternoon.

Pictures are guaranteed.

Bliss, wonder, joy, and crazy-grandmotherly-love.  That is what I am feeling this week.  Heaven help me, I am good for nothing.  I seriously got nearly nothing done today.

I'll say it again:  whatever you got going on in your life...whatever you are "about"...I'm happy for you, I truly am.  But please understand me (and try not to misunderstand me) when I say - I am rich in most ways money can by (comparatively)...

...but I am rich in all ways money could never buy.

So yeah.  You can have your estate, you can enjoy being your high profile "bad self", you can have your thriving business or your Lexus or your sheep and oxen and various farm animals, your acreage and assets, you can enjoy your diamonds or furs or exotic vacations...

....give me this.  Just this.  Give me "sequel motherhood", give me grandchildren, give me the generations, give me little souls to care for, give me old souls to care about, give me newborn-in-Christ souls to rejoice over...give me the local church, give me friends, and give me my Preacher to have and to hold.  Give me one man who is completely crazy about me, and me about him.  You can't write a check big enough to buy that.

Those are the "things" I am about...and you are right...they aren't "things" at all.  You can't drive them or use them or flaunt them (well...you can flaunt your grandbabies) or wear them or display them or design them or deposit them in your account or show them at a 4-H competition or fence them in.

You can only love them.

The crazy thing is?  They love you back, sometimes.

God's favorite "things" aren't things...not even mountains or flowers or "nature" or Nubian goats or gardens are His favorite...

God loves people.  People are God's favorite.  Oh, may I be found valuing what He values!

Another Friday Giveaway (This One's Going to be a Favorite!)

I am so excited, this gorgeous (and sunny and hot) Friday to offer you the best darn Giveaway YET...(and I am always looking for ways to make my Giveaways bigger and bigger)...

My daughter Hannah has been sewing bags and totes for about a year now.  I've waited and watched as her skills have increased exponentially (under the able tutelage of Miss Mary, in our church)  and I think she is ready to take her business to the next level.

I am proud to be offering your choice of one of three of her designs.  I almost feel sorry for everyone, because you do have to choose...and I am not sure I could choose!  I am pretty sure I love the Leslie bag the best...but then, there's Albany, and I very much want a bag in her rich, mustard yellow color, since that is one of the "it" fall colors, this upcoming season!  But then...I so love the structure of the Ashley bag...

Nevermind.  You go on ahead, and choose for yourself.  Then, be sure to follow the steps at the bottom, to be entered to win one of these very well made bags!

Good Morning Lovely People, 


 It’s so nice to “meet” some of you and to “chat” with you others of whom I’m so proud to know. My name is Hannah McConnell (for those of you I don’t know). I am a new mother, teacher’s wife, aspiring philanthropist/homemaker/designer--- you name it I haven’t decided yet--- and last but not least, daughter to Sheila Atchley of none other than Sheila Atchley Designs/A Season of Harvest. 


Thus,… the give-away on her blog! I have been slowly churning out different purses and such over the past year or so, trying to get my feet under me dreaming of starting my own business… in the near/distant future. 


“One small step at a time.” If I’ve heard that saying once I’ve heard it a hundred times… but, it’s so true for me. I take what I do no less seriously than the next person; however, I am a new mother and time doesn’t come easily to me. That being said, I LOVE what I do… and I love ROCKING at it. I am proud of the product I create and sell… if I weren’t you wouldn’t see it here!


I am so thrilled that I was asked by my mother (someone who never skimps on quality) to participate in a giveaway on her blog because that says something about how she views my work. She wouldn’t ask just anyone to participate. She has very high standards… and I am HONORED!


So, after a great deal of thought (and maybe even prayer) I have decided to give all readers and followers of Sheila Atchley Designs THEIR CHOICE of one of three of my designs, as follows:

Please meet the "Leslie" tote...she's feminine and beautiful and Bohemian, and comes with a detachable fabric flower (not this exact one, but one like it.  This one belongs to one of my mom's Jeanne Oliver bags...). 




She is lined on the inside with a striped ticking fabric...beautiful!

And Leslie has three...count 'em...three inside pockets!




Next design is this mustard yellow bag (huge, going into fall 2012!) ~

Her name is "Albany".  She wears a beautiful mustard yellow ruffle, and is lined at the top, and on the inside, with a slate gray chevron pattern - chevron is the "it" pattern this year.  She also comes with a detachable fabric flower...

...she also has THREE inside pockets...

...and Albany has a zipper closure!


Last, but not least, perhaps you'll choose this beauty ~

Meet "Ashley".  She too is lined on the inside.  She is structured and preppy, unlike her Bohemian sisters (who she loves, by the way).  She has one pocket on the inside, and a pocket on each outside panel, for a total of three pockets...

...and comes with a detachable bow.  You can keep the bow, remove the bow, or substitute the bow with a bow of your own...Ashley is flexible.  


So there you have it.  This Giveaway is for YOUR CHOICE of one of my bags, either the Leslie, the Albany, or the Ashley bag.  
  
 Anyway, moving on towards how you’re going to win your choice of one of my lovely bags (if-I-may-say-so-myself). 

1.  First, comment below on this blog posting- this will give you 1-one entry 


2.  Second, go to my blog: www.daughterbydesign.net and leave a brief comment on my blog re: this giveaway (if you really want to you can check out my shop while you’re at it) This will count as 2 (two) entries 


3.  Third, become a follower of Sheila Atchley Designs here (if you’re not one already). This will count as 3 (three) entries 


4.  Fourth, share this giveaway on your Facebook and/or Twitter account by including the information that there’s a giveaway and the www.sheilaatchleydesigns.com web address. This will count as 4 (four!) entries.


 Anytime you do any of the above steps…and you can do one step, just leave us a comment...or, to increase your chances of winning, you can do all steps...but when you do,  please come back and let us know in the comments section of this posting so that we can be sure to count that for you. 

The end.  You can do one or all of the above steps, depending on how many times you want to enter for the drawing!  You’ll find out who the grand prize winner is next Friday!  I hope it is YOU!


 Thank you, Hannah McConnell