New Business Venture - Artistic Ripples is coming soon!

I have been working hard getting ready to launch Artistic Ripples!  I am so excited  about a new product that is NOT vinyl but is safer and better.  This material is PVC free and repositionable up to 50 times! It will stick on walls, refrigerators, mirrors, brick, wood, textured walls, lockers, phones, computers, and more!

I am now able to put your favorite pictures on this amazing fabric so you can stick it anywhere without it leaving any residue.  As soon as I started working with this material, I fell in love!  I am building up a library of iPhone skins that can be personalized, customized photos, and my new project, the "Modesty Mirror" decal set!

I promise I will have more information soon!  Along with using this product for indoor use, I am also providing indoor/outdoor vinyl designs for your home and office!  Check out some of my pictures!  If there is something that you are interested in, or would like more information, please message me at allison@lifeintheripples.com.

Vinyl Mailbox Decals (for a similar design- $15, $25 includes application)

 iPhone Skins (Customizable) - $10 

*Some designs are pending approval.

Modesty Mirror Decal Set + Discussion/Devotional Pages - $20

Tablet/iPad Photo Skin - $18

 iPhone Photo Skin - $12

You will love that these can go on any of your electronics, furniture, or walls without leaving any kind of sticky residue.  If you get tired of having it on your tablet, you can move it to your refrigerator or anywhere else you choose!  Have I mentioned I LOVE this new PVC free "un-vinyl" fabric?  I promise...you will too!

There is more coming soon!  

We Do Happy...Because We Choose To

It's true...we do happy.  But we also do sad, angry, and hurt.  We have our moments like all families.  We also know that being happy is a choice.  We choose when to be happy, how to be happy, where to be happy, why to be happy, and who to be happy with. 

I saw this several times over our Labor Day weekend with the kids.  Our weekend began with a rough start.  One of the hardships of having a blended family is the every other weekend visits that can invade on activities our children would get to participate in otherwise.  Emma was invited to a birthday party on Saturday in Murray and wanted to go.  Adam and I had many discussions on how to approach this dilemma...not because we aren't willing to work with Emma and her mother when these things come up, but because we had planned our weekend out over a month ago.  We were so excited that we would get a three day weekend with the kids. 

Our compromise was to stay in the area on Friday night and take her to the party.  We would have to adjust our weekend plans significantly, but felt it was worth it.  That is until Emma chose not to ask Adam about getting to go but instead abruptly said, "I want to go to the party!" on the phone with no willingness to talk about it. 

As parents, Adam and I have to juggle many aspects of raising Emma and Caleb.  We know our choices have made life more difficult on them.  They have to travel to spend time at their home in Arkansas...they have "Mommy Days" and "Daddy Days"...they have to miss out on things at both of their homes.  Grace has to be extended so many times because of this reality and its affects on them.  Then there is the other side of the coin that still finds it important to teach them to honor their mom, dad, and Alli.  The importance of asking in a respectful way...of talking about their feelings...of understanding that we love them and are doing our best in difficult circustances.

This brings me back to Friday night, when Emma melted down because she had wanted to go to the party and didn't want to come to her Arkansas home for the weekend.  She was so upset...Adam got her calmed down and I was so proud of how he talked her through what happened and what should have happened.

At that point, Emma had a choice to make.  To be upset the entire weekend over something she couldn't change, or to be happy spending time with her daddy, step-mom, and brothers.  She chose to be happy...genuinely happy.  It wasn't long before the party was forgotten (or at least the acceptance of not getting to go set in) and she was laughing and having fun. 

Another time at the zoo, she didn't get to do something she wanted to do.  I could visibly see the expression on her face change dramatically.  What started out as the "I'm about to throw a tantrum" face quickly melted into a smile and skip in our direction as we headed the opposite direction she had been heading. 

And then Caleb...at three he is learning so much!  Several times, he was given an opportunity to pout or change his attitude.  He doesn't always make the wise choice here, but do we ever get to an age we grow out of this?  Many times, I would watch Caleb choose to wear a smile instead of a frown.  To choose to laugh instead of whine.   To choose to be happy instead of being upset over not getting his way. 

We have a long way to go in our family...but I find that when we make a choice to be happy, our feelings become contagious.  What starts out as a little giggle quickly erupts into an uncontrollable laughter from all of us.  Even Bryson laughs along with us whether he understands what is so funny or not. 

Nobody wants to choose sadness over happiness.  But we all need the reminder that it is our choice to make.  People cannot make us lose our happiness.  People cannot steal our joy.  People cannot control the feelings we choose to feel.  What an incredible lesson for us all to learn!  It is part of training our children and helping them to see their choices as a heart matter. 

On a different note, as a wife, I must be careful about my choices too.  There are times that I mope around the house and try to make life more difficult on Adam because I want him to share in my unhappiness.  I am not talking about the Bible's teaching on sharing in each other's sadness.  I am talking about an all out pity party.  I have found that my silent treatments, passive comments, and irrational moods make me a whole lot more miserable than it does him.  Granted, he doesn't enjoy this quirk of mine.  And hopefully, it happens a whole lot less the older I get.  But it never goes as planned...and there is nothing about this behavior that is good for our marriage.  Even if I am rightfully upset over something that Adam has done.  Communication is the only way we are going to move forward in a healthy way. 

I adore Adam.  He is a wonderful husband.  It is important for me to keep my feelings in check because it has a direct affect on him and our children.  It has a direct affect on how I interact with them.  If I choose to be happy, even on a bad day, my family will likely follow suit. 

It reminds me of what it says in 1 Corinthians 15:33:   Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

I do not want to corrupt the good character in my family.  I want to be good company that encourages good character.  That is how God can be honored in our home.  My prayer is that I would be that kind of wife, mother, and step-mother.  We do happy...because we choose to. 

We Do Second Chances...And Many More!

Why can't they just get it?  Have you ever found yourself asking that question when reading about the Israelites, who time and time again complained about being in the wilderness and taking God's guidance and protection for granted?  Or even when the disciples would question Jesus and His ability to do all things after witnessing so many miracles?

We sit on this side of the cross and are astounded at how many chances God gave His people after messing up.  Peter denying Jesus three times?  Really?  Thomas asking for proof that it was really Him when Jesus rose from the grave.  We can read so many people in God's Word that just didn't seem to get it....and we wonder, how is that possible?

Then when we take a look in the mirror, we see that we are just like them.  We fail time and time again, and by the grace of God, can find forgiveness and another chance.

At the Haynes' home, I have mentioned we make mistakes and say I'm sorry often.  As a parent, giving second chances is part of the gig.  It is part of the training process of raising children.  Who am I kidding?...it is part of the training process for people of all ages.  Emma is well aware that this is part of our family theme.  Just a couple weeks ago, Adam had told them they were all done with doing an activity because he had given them warnings several times to not bang on the front door.  Inevitably, in their excitement, they did it again.  When told to sit down on the sofa, Emma said, "But Daddy, we do second chances!".  It made me smile.  (He had actually given them several chances before making them sit down.)

Part of giving second chances is talking with our kids about their mistakes and what they should have done, and can do, differently.  Sometimes, we press the rewind button, and we get to pretend to do it all over again as if the initial error was never made.  It sometimes brings on more tears, but most of the time brings on laughter and reconciliation.

I love second chances.  It speaks of acknowledging that, while there is nothing we can do to undo what has been done, there is still hope our actions can prove that we are sorry and have learned our lesson.

None of us ever outgrow the need to receive second chances.  So why do we grow tired of extending them to our kids?  If we are always going to be in need of them, these precious little lives God has entrusted us with certainly do as well.  If we are called to "love others as we love ourselves", we must extend the grace to others that we desire to receive from others.

There is, of course, value in balancing second chances with discipline.  For us, second chances do not always mean there is not consequences involved.  Sometimes, that second chance is not granted for a day or two.  Sometimes, time needs to pass in order for a lesson to be learned.  For instance, if one of our children decide to not share a toy, they may have to go without it for awhile to realize it is far better to share what they have with others than to live without it altogether.  What a painful lesson for all ages!  We are not wired to wait.

Our family does second chances...and yes, it usually doesn't stop there.  We love each other and will never give up on any member of this family.  I am so thankful God loves us and does not give up on us.  He extends us grace, He gives us second chances, He can strengthen us through our mistakes and we end up never being the same again.  We see it back in Bible times...and some things never change. My prayer for this home is that we purposefully strive to reflect God's love through good times and bad.  God is not through working on any of us...so while He chooses to mold us into what He wants us to be, we choose to spur each other on amidst the process.  In this home...we do second chances.

We Do Hugs...Through the Good, Bad & Ugly

It's true...we are huggers!  We love giving and receiving hugs.  Good morning hugs, bedtime hugs, playtime hugs, spontaneous hugs, and even "I disciplined you because I love you" hugs.

I get it...life happens.  It is so easy to get so caught up in the day that we forget to pause for a moment to show someone we love them.  It is always heartwarming when my son or stepchildren take a moment in the midst of intense play time to give me a ginormous hug.  It has challenged me to do the same.  I may be cleaning, cooking, having some "me time", or spending some time at the computer...but I should never be too busy to stop and give a heartfelt hug.

Out of all of us, Adam is the best at giving purposeful hugs.  He may randomly hug me just to show appreciation for taking care of our home or hug our children after disciplining them.  There are even times the kids get annoyed because their "agenda" has been interrupted by a Daddy hug.  But all the while, I see them wearing the biggest smile on their face.  They love their Daddy!

Just yesterday, I sat watching Adam lecturing the kids about their attitudes.  They had been so wrapped up in having fun playing that when Adam told them to pause for a minute, annoyed attitudes surfaced.  He sat there explaining why their actions were unacceptable, told them their consequence for the day, and ended with a big hug with an "I Love You" attached.  They were bummed that their mistakes cost them, but had no question that their Daddy loved them no matter what.

I wholeheartedly believe they will carry the sweet memories of their Daddy's hugs throughout their lifetime more than any other activity he has interrupted in order to do so.  Our hugs are real, purposeful, and are an outflow of our love for each other. 

Adam and I love hugging each other, we love hugging our children, and our hearts melt when hugs are initiated from them.  I am so thankful we are a hugging family!  In this family, we do hugs...and what a blessing they are!

Water Fun!

We had water fun on Saturday over at Aunt Chelle's new place.  We had so much fun!  Although I am not sure Bryson cared for the initial coolness of the water (he gets it VERY honestly), everyone else had a blast.  The pictures say it all :-)

I think it is safe to say that July is our favorite month of the whole year!

We Do Fun...and Then Some!

Our family loves to laugh...we love to smile...we love to have fun!  Some of my favorite moments are when the kids start laughing uncontrollably.  Their laughter is contagious.  It doesn't take long for a small little giggle to turn into a rupture of laughter from the whole family!

We do fun.  We love to spend time together doing familiar things as well as new things.  These days it is so easy to sit your children down in front of a television or computer and allow hours of entertainment to pass.  Don't get me wrong...we do watch 'shows' in our home; but it doesn't dominate our time together.

This summer, our bucket list has helped keep us on track.  Adam and I both are committed to making memories with each of the activities we have planned.  It's true...sometimes fun just happens.  Other times, fun needs a little nudge in the right direction.

Our fun times happen in the big and small things.  Whether playing a game, coloring, enjoying a special snack, or taking a trip to somewhere special, there are memories are in the making.  We want our children to enjoy life.  To embrace our time together and invest in our family.  That doesn't just happen on its own.  They say if you don't have a target, you will miss the mark every time.  There is so much truth to that in life.  As we live life on purpose, we choose to enjoy fun times together.  We may have to get silly, crazy, and act like a kid...but it is always worth it.

Our children do love electronics, but those things don't put the sparkle in their little eyes like time spent with the people they love.  Seeing those sparkling eyes is worth more than all the diamonds money can buy...it's priceless!

We love to act crazy...here is a video we took a few days ago.  Believe me, all pride was left at the door (and usually is when it comes to dancing with the kids), but our love for fun remains intact!  :-)

We actually ate lunch afterwards and guess what we had?  That's right...Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches!

Fun in the Sun (and Shade)

Our home is complete for the next few weeks and we are so excited!  We spent a lot of time together over the weekend and completed one thing on our Summer Bucket List...Make a Crazy Hopscotch!  There are a few activities that are listed for us to do while Daddy is at work, but he wanted in on this one.  We started all at the same spot and then each made our own to branch off of start.  There is a tree in our neighbors yard that provided shade for us the entire morning (which always helps when you have kids who are warm-natured).  Here are a few shots of our hopscotch design:

And then, of course, there is the video we took of Bryson getting to take part in the fun!