hello, rhett!

last week, you might have noticed that i was quite silent. it was a busy week full of normal and extraordinary things. in addition to the usual, ya know laundry, work, being sick (ugh), i had the huge honor of helping welcome rhett steven cash into the world. alright so i did nothing to help other than keep a seat warm in the waiting room, but i was there to cheer! tuesday morning, ash & charlie headed to the hospital and within a few hours, charlie was calling us from behind the l&d doors to tell us that their family was no longer two, but three! so exciting! in the days that followed, nathan and i have enjoyed celebrating with the cash family. ash's pregnancy wasn't exactly textbook, but that was ok because we got lots of extra pre-birth shots. i tell ya, not that i felt differently before, but even more so now, it is impossible for me to look at these pictures of rhett in ash's womb and not view him as a person, a life, created with a purpose, so carefully knit together in his mother's womb.  he is a miracle, a blessing, and a word of our Father. 

we are so excited for the cash family, and can't wait to watch little Rhett grow up!

quilts for ashley & rhett

so i have been SO excited and longing to write this post- its been in the works since june!!!!!

ever since i found out that ash was expecting sweet little rhett, i had decided that i wanted to make her a quilt for her. now i should say, i had only attempted one quilt before and lets just say its neatly folded, half done, in the top of my closet. but i wanted to do something super special, and i couldnt think of anything much better than a homemade quilt- something that says cozy, time, friendship, thought, planning, effort, excitement, and home. i decided that i couldn't wait until she found out the gender, so i found some beautiful grey fabrics. i love them- and with a cute pattern i found, i laid out a perfect quilt. my friend jamie (who is thebomb.com by the way, the most patient and helpful teacher there ever could be), spent hours with me, teaching me techinques, picking out the right type of fabrics, helping me plan and cut and order batting. we went with a super thick batting and a minky fabric backing, making this the perfect quilt to lay out on ashley's hardwood floors for rhett to play on, or take on the road for a picnic, or throw in the bag to go to a friend's house- whatever, but perfectly suited to serve as a play mat. it turned out fantastic, soft, thick, and simple. i loved it.

i was thrilled by how it was all coming together. then, we found out she was going to have a boy! and that day i decided that little rhett needed not only a grey quilt, but something to match his room. so i went to shops looking for navys and whites and little bursts of lime green. i picked out another pattern and was excited to learn even more technique from jamie.

let me just say, to all you fearful readers out there thinking "a quilt?! i could never do that!" you could. easy peasy. with some time (ok a lot of time) and some willingness to learn and mess up and try again, you could do this. especially with the aid of an awesome friend like jamie. quilting is competely within the reach of anyone who wants to try. in fact, i liked quilting so much, i ended up making both mine and nathan's moms quilts for christmas! (more on that later!!). so, reader, check out my favorite quilting blog, www.modabakeshop.com, pick out a pattern, and get to work. i'd love to see what you make!!!

happy birthday ash!

so this weekend, i had the joy of celebrating ashley turning a quarter of a century- and attend a shower for little rhett! it was a great time celebrating and recognizing the sweet friendship we share. because of her current situation (strict bed rest) we took both parties to her and had a great time watching the uga/auburn game at her folks house along with our husbands, her parents and inlaws, and her cousin and her best friend and their kids. no football party would be complete with out chili and dips, so i brought along my white chicken chili, my avocado relish, and some homemade salsa- one of charlie's favs. add to that her chili, some yummy buffalo chicken dip, a veggie tray, and more and you've got a party! but to really make the celebration complete, i surprised ash with a birthday cake that i worked extra hard on. check it out- it was a giant homemade cookie cake with icing, and vanilla cake pops decorated in uga and auburn colors along with some cake ball footballs. it was quite a hit :)

i must brag on the vendor i ordered the sprinkles from- i wanted blue sprinkles for the auburn pops, and i stumbled upon this awesome bakery supply store. i highly recommend them! check out sweetbakingsupply.com

here's a few pics of the work in progress- i didnt get any of the pops process because i was the only one home and lets just say i made the most epic mess ever. oops.

happy birthday ash! so glad you are my friend and you were born 25 years ago!

cupcake crawl: hospital edition

so my friend ash has been having some complications with her pregnancy that has landed her in bed rest in the hospital for a while. without sharing too much of her personal business, suffice it to say, her, charlie, and baby rhett could use your prayers. she is stable and so is rhett, but they will continue to monitor her and rhett until he makes his appearance.

so, what does a good best friend take to her friend in the hospital? well, when that friend is me, CUPCAKES! i texted ash and let her know that i was coming and needed her help for the blog, and she said she would be happy to! so i stopped by southern poundcakes, this great bakery near my office and the hospital, and grabbed a half dozen little cups of happiness and headed on over. our friend lauren was there too, so the three of us chatted and rated and ate some sugary goodness. 

here's what we thought:

altogether, we gave southern poundcakes an average rating of 80.33. not bad! i think their mini poundcakes are my favorite, but the cupcakes were fun & happy.

for an update, you should know that ash got discharged from the hospital tonight- hurray! big answer to prayer, although we continue to pray for ashley and rhett as they continue the journey towards full term. pray that God would keep rhett nestled inside of ashley until His perfect timing.

hang in their rhett, and stay well ash!!

what i know for sure...

for today's post, i wanted to share with you an email i sent to ash today. i know that we serve a mighty big God who promises us mighty great things, and loves us in a mighty strong way. join me in praying for ashley and charlie and baby rhett today, asking that our Father would just overwhelm them with His presence and His love.

ashley told me that she might do a blog or at least a journal, and she loved how oprah uses the phrase "what i know for sure." what i know for sure, is that God is in control.

ash,

girl, i just want to start by saying that i have been so impressed, so challenged, and so convicted by the amount of faith i have seen in you these last few days. i cannot even imagine what you are feeling, thinking, and living through. your peace, your faith, and your confidence i know is a blessing from the Lord and a result of your clinging to Him. 

while i don't know what to say, i know these things:

God is all powerful- "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. "- 2 cor. 4:7-10

God wants to root you in His love even now- "and i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - eph. 3:17-19

God is in control- "therefore i tell you, do not worry about life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. are you not much more valuable than they?"-matt. 6:25

God can be your joy even now- "though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy."-1 peter 1:8

God is your hope even now- "To them God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is CHrist in you, the hope of glory" - col. 1:27

"we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."- 1 timothy 4:10

"set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed." -1 peter 1:13

God is good and wants the BEST for you- "and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." - romans 8:28

God is your foundation & firm ground- "therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 cor. 15:58

God has already prepared you for this- "for we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us."-eph. 2:10

"being confident in this, that he who bega a good work in you will carry it on to completion until teh day of Christ jesus"-phil. 1:6

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godlieness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness."-2 peter 1:3

God has a plan for you, for Rhett, and for your family- "for i know the plans i have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."-jeremiah 29:11

God is your confidence- "but blessed is the man who trusts in the lord, whose confidence is in Him. he will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. it does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. it has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." - jeremiah 17:7-8

God is going before you to prepare the way- "i will go before you and will level the mountains; i will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. i will give you the treasure of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." -isaiah 45:2-3

God is with you- "yet i am always with you; you hold my by my right hand. you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory."- ps 63:23-24

This is happening in God's time- "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of me, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end" -Ecc. 3:11

God is your peace- "therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand."-romans 5:1-2

"do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your equests to God. and the peace of God, whcih transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"-phil. 4:6-7

God has made you a conqueror of all of this- "what shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? as it is written, 'for your sake we face death all dong; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." - romans 8:35-37

God cares about you- "cast all your anxiety on Him, because he cares for you" -1 peter 5:7

God is your strength even now- "my flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" - ps. 73:26

God is your refuge- "bus as for me, it is good to be near God. i have made the sovereign Lord my refuge; i will tell of all your deeds." -ps. 73:28

"it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man" - ps. 118:8

God is knitting Rhett together in your womb- "for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, i know that full well." -ps. 139:13-14

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born i set you apart; i appointed you as a prophet to the nations" -jeremiah 1:5

God loves you, deeply- "may your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant." - ps 119:76

God wants to be the answer for all your fears- "but now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you o jacob, he who formed you, o israel: fear not, for i have redeemed you; i have summoned you by name; you are mine" -isaiah 43:1

God can do more than we can dream- "Now to him who is able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church in in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen!"- eph. 3:20-21

praying for you even now,

whit

britt's shower

last sunday, we had brittany's baby shower! it was such a sweet celebration of anticipation for little ella. we can't wait to meet her. 

we had the shower at ashley's house, and enjoyed an array of appetizer type foods and our cupcakes- which were quite a hit!

chillin' in the fridge

ash and i team-efforted the corsage- ash made the roses out of baby washcloths, then i arranged them together in this. and we taped it, yes, like scotch tape, together. ha!

ash and jamie made these awesome cookies, which we topped with our leftover candy ellas. beautiful!

the awesome cupcakes!!

our little girl punch- complete with teething rings :)

our food table- yummy, huh?

little lincoln- he was the last one we celebrated!!

the glowing mom and i- congrates britt!

me and ash with our creation

yes, we matched :)

it was a great shower and we can't wait to meet little ella!