Summer In Pictures

I love summer. Despite the fact that summer in South Carolina guarantees nearly four months of hot, sticky, mosquito plagued miserableness, it is still my favorite season. In April, as we start nearing the end of our school work, the kids and I usually start dreaming aloud about everything we want to happen when summer finally arrives. A lot of it involves the beach. Oddly enough, a lot of it involves local produce too. We get really excited about being able to get an entire box of peaches for $15 and survive off of sliced peaches and garden tomatoes.

Sadly, summer always seems to pass more quickly than other seasons. Before we know it summer days are quickly disappearing, we're buying school supplies and settling in to a schedule, and the only reminders of summer are the extra freckles and the snow cone stain in my car from a kiddie cup of Shark Attack that lost its top on the drive home one afternoon. 

And the pictures. Thank goodness for all the pictures of all my babies turned brown by mornings and afternoons spent in the sun. 

Here's a glimpse of our summer.

Do Small Things With Great Love

This afternoon I packed my kids up in the car, ran a couple errands, picked up a few groceries, had a picnic in the backyard, and talked about child slave labor. 

Yes, we did all of those things. 

I have a little chalkboard sitting on my kitchen windowsill right now that simply reads "Do small things with great love". 

Over the past couple of years, as our children have gotten a little older and we've been able to carry on longer conversations with them about things aside from superheroes, we've intentionally started having harder conversations with them. This year our homeschool curriculum centers around other countries and cultures. We've learned about a whole handful of other countries- their languages, religions, customs, and even the specific struggles of the people there. We've also read some great biographies about the missionaries who've spent their lives working in those countries and many times we've had to talk through some really hard things. We've discussed the struggles happening in countries like India and how the caste system leaves men and women in very desperate situations without much hope for change. We've read about missionaries in Africa who fought to educate the impoverished and others who fought to end slavery in some of the most untouched areas of the countryside. We've talked through the issues of suffering and death and discussed why some countries allow people, even children, to be bought and sold.

Some days it has been difficult to get through a whole day of school work without a few tears. Many days after we finish reading my Jackson will ask if we can stop and pray for the people or the country we've just read about. 

As we've taught our kids the Gospel and taught them about the wonderful love of Jesus, we've had to have hard conversations with them about the realities of living in a broken world plagued by sin. They can see the effects of this brokenness daily when they smash their finger in the bathroom door or when they get upset with each other and say things that are hurtful, but as we're learning more and more about the world we live in they're seeing the brokenness in bigger and harder ways.

My biggest prayer for our children - the thing I want for them above all else - is that they would know the Lord. There are also the things every mama wants for her children- that they would be happy, and healthy, smart, and fulfilled, but aside from those things I am so burdened to raise our children in a way that will give them a worldview that extends to the nations. I pray that even as they are little that they will consider the needs of others as greater than their own and that they will live in a way that is very different from what our American culture dictates for them. 

A few weeks ago as I started thinking about buying Easter candy soon and feeling this tug at my heart to make ethical choices when doing it I brought the topic up to Daniel. I told him a little about what I had learned about the part that slave labor and child labor play in the chocolate industry and discussed my struggle with not being able to avert my eyes from the truth that I now know. So many times we are simply unaware of the injustices that happen around us, but once we learn the truth I believe we have a responsibility to act in a way that is in line with that truth as best as we can. 

One of the stops we made today was to run in Aldi. We grabbed a couple things for dinner and a few handfuls of their Choceur brand candy. If you look closely, many of their chocolates carry a little emblem letting you know they are UTZ certified. UTZ certification comes with a whole host of great assurances, but among those is the promise that slave labor and child labor were not a part of making the product. 

I have never before bought candy at Aldi and the kids were obviously excited but wanted to know what I was up to. On the way home and as we ate lunch we talked about slave labor and child labor and about how many times the chocolate candy we love so much is actually hurting children around the world. It was definitely a heavy conversation to have, but as I watched my kids grasp this hard subject and react with such concern I was so thankful we had decided to take the time to make this issue a big deal and  taken the opportunity to foster a little more compassion and understanding in our kids hearts. 

Chocolate bunnies may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but over 2 billion dollars is spent every year on Easter candy alone with 70% of that being chocolate. Many small actions done in love and out of a responsibility to choose better and to do what is right add up to a greater sum. Many years ago as the organic food industry was just gaining popularity many people talked about our buying choices as our opportunity to "vote with our dollars". We can see the effects of this overwhelming vote for more organic options all around us. Organic foods used to only be available at specialty grocery stores and were priced very high. Today it's so easy to run in almost any grocery store and find a whole range of organic options at competitive prices. (I actually buy most of our organic staples at Aldi for less that I would pay for conventional brands at any other grocery store!) As we vote with our dollars we let corporations know what we will and will not choose to spend our money on and they will listen. 

As we work diligently to teach our kids to "do small things with great love" I pray that their hearts will be burdened to seek the good of others in small things - things like chocolate and deciding whether to choose the biggest cookie or pass to let a sibling have it and in the big things - things like what they'll spend their lives doing and how they'll choose to love and serve the Lord.

How A Necklace Broke My Heart

Several years ago, after just having my third baby, I spent a few hours on a Saturday morning walking around the flea market with my Mom and Dad. I was happy to get a quick few hours out of the house and on a mission to find some antique Ball mason jars. I love canning jam and pickles in the summer and love scoping out different mason jars to collect. After finding a few great old aqua jars (with the zinc lids!) I spent $2 at a table on two chunky little wooden bead necklaces. In my mind, is was $2 well spent- I love big chunky eclectic necklaces and what a deal it was to find these new necklaces for a little pocket chance. Almost four years later, I feel very differently about those two necklaces. They're still around and I still think they're super cute, but when I think about paying only a dollar for each of them, I feel a little sick to my stomach.

Fast forward to this summer. I've been following Jen Hatmaker on Facebook and Instagram for several years after reading her book "7". Jen has posted several times in the past about Noonday Collection, a fun line of fair trade jewelry hailing from Austin, Texas. Though I've seen and drooled a little over a few pieces of their jewelry, I honestly just hadn't given it more than a passing glance. In June I started reading a little more about what Noonday actually stood for and what their mission was. And just like that, I fell in love.

 I began college as a Music major. I quickly changed to a Christian Ministry major and within a few semesters made my final change and graduated as a Psychology major with a Christian Ministry minor. Through the changes in classes, the one thing that remained constant was that I somehow, in some way, wanted to help people. During an internship with a local crisis pregnancy center, my heart was completely broken and changed by the opportunities to help women as they faced an unplanned pregnancy. After graduation and getting married, while my husband was in seminary, I worked as Director of Counseling in a pregnancy center educating girls about their roles and responsibilities as moms and teaching them to care for and love their babies, and many times supporting them through unplanned teen pregnancies. 

When we started having our own kiddos (three kids in four and a half years!), my full-time job title quickly became "Mom". It is, and always certainly will be, my most important job, but as I plod through days filled with spelling tests, soccer practices, baking bread, menu planning, and mountains of laundry, it has been all too easy to forget that there are moms who have to put their children to bed hungry and face the reality that the dreams and hopes they have for their children may never ever come to pass. 

 As I took the time to look past the fun jewelry Noonday showcases (particularly the Sonrisa and Shine necklaces ❤️) and read more about the beginnings of this company, their heart and purpose, I was so totally compelled to join in. 

Noonday Collection uses fashion to create meaningful opportunities around the world. Noonday creates a marketplace for artisans in vulnerable communities, giving them dignified jobs and creating a growing marketplace for their goods.  In addition, Noonday is a huge supporter of adoption, raising over $100,000 for more than 1600 adoptive families in just the last few years. The mission of Noonday rang deep in my heart and after just a couple days of thinking and talking it over with my husband, I signed on as a Noonday Collection Ambassador. 

As I read more and listen more and connect more with other Ambassador ladies on this journey, my heart is softening more and my eyes are being opened wide to a cause that is so beautiful. What began weeks ago as an opportunity to support these artisans and help them make a living wage, while getting to dress up in some fantastic jewelry, has quickly become so much more to me. 

As I read the stories of mothers in Ethiopia separated from their children because of the stigma that comes with an HIV+ diagnosis my heart hurts. As I think about mamas in Uganda having to face the thought of placing their children in an orphanage because there isn't enough money to keep them fed, my heart breaks. I'm a mama too, and I'm daily more aware of the fact that it is only by God's grace that I have not had to face similar circumstances in my own life.  

Without question there is a great amount of priveledge that comes with being born into a middle class American family. Life always comes with difficulties, but few of us have ever had to struggle to see that our basic needs were met. Our children are growing up in a world that puts such a strong emphasis on having "things" and seeking our own comfort and entertainment above all else, and it's too easy for us to forget the desperation others are facing daily.

As God is beginning to work in my heart, fill me with compassion, and allow me to see the others through His eyes, I am daily growing more and more excited about the opportunity I have to support vulnerable families and cherish children through Noonday. 

Two weeks ago I hosted my Noonday Collection launch show. Some of my favorite ladies gathered in my living room, ate cupcakes and drank coffee, and listened while I shared my heart and the heart of Noonday.

 I cried a good bit. We laughed and tried on some beautiful jewelry and enjoyed each other's company. I hope that each of their hearts was pricked by the stories I shared and that our hearts will continue to break so that we can learn to cherish and love those in need in bold ways. I am looking forward to what God will do through Noonday Collection and I am so excited to be a part of it. 

As I look at my two chunky $1 flea market necklaces today, all I can think of is the little girls I imagine made those necklaces in some scary, filthy factory half a world away and how little (if at all) they were paid for their work. Little girls like the two I have who ask for me to put their hair in pigtails and love watching Little House On the Prairie and whose greatest concern most days is which one will get the beloved "pink bowl" at breakfast. 

I look forward to sharing more about Noonday Collection and pray that God will give me many opportunities to platform the women and children who are so greatly benefiting from the purchases made through Noonday. 

For now, if you'd like to find out more, browse the beautiful work of our artisan partners, or read the stories of how Noonday's partnership is changing lives visit http://rebeccageddings.noondaycollection.com

❤️

Take Two!

And just like that, I jumped on the wagon and fell right off!

I had every intention of making this a habit, but life gets in the way and my good intentions are easily forgotten.

Over the last year our kiddos have finished second grade and kindergarten... We've grown a new summer garden and planted fruit trees... We briefly considered putting our house on the market to shop for something with a little more space... I've read a few good books... I became an Aunt for the first time and my kids got their very first FIRST cousin... We celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary!... I learned how to make soap from leftover hamburger grease (yep, you can totally do that!)... And we thoroughly established our weekly "Taco Tuesday" tradition. Other things happened, but those are a few of my favorite highlights. 

As we begin August, we are thankful for a chance to finally settle down from a summer that went by too quickly and gear up for another year of school. With a husband who is a student pastor, summer always goes by too quickly and honestly with very few opportunities for family time. Even with school starting and soccer gearing back up, fall is a bit more relaxing for us and gives us a chance to vacation as a family and re-charge for the next season.

I'm excited to have an opportunity to chronicle some of our family adventures on this little blog, as well as share some things that are new and on my heart lately. ❤️

Jumping on the blog wagon!

For a couple years now I have toyed with the idea of starting a blog. Not because I feel like I have anything awesome and amazing to share with the world, but because I want a fun way to keep a record of memories for my kiddos.

I have always loved to journal and keep a diary. Last fall we cleaned out our attic to make extra storage space (for the mountains of things you accumulate after almost a decade of marriage and nearly seven years raising babes) and I found boxes of diaries I had kept through the years beginning way back in middle school. It was amusing and embarrassing to read some of the entries, but there were several awesome bits I had to text to my dear friends so they could laugh with me (and at me). In all the sentimental attic goodies were several shoe boxes with things I had kept from big life events or just things I loved and wanted to hold on to and cherish. I safely tucked away things like my prom corsage, notes from friends in college, a couple Amy Grant cassette tapes (don't hate), and a IBC root beer bottle from my second first date with my hubby. 

Back in my pre-baby days I used to love to scrapbook. I quickly gave that up after our first was born and it took me a whole year to scrapbook pictures from the first two weeks of her life.

Although I do try to preserve and box up important little mementos for each of my kids, these days, I've traded in my scrapbooks and diaries for things like my Instagram account and the camera roll on my iPhone. The constant feed of family updates and daily pictures of whatever randomness happens in a day has become the best way to look back and see what our family has been up to. So, for years I've thought about blogging just for the sake of keeping a fun visual reminder of life that my kids can look back on as they grow up. I hope that it will serve as a reminder of some of the things we did as they grew up and help them understand some of the heart behind our family as they get older.

So, here it goes. Feel free to check up on our craziness anytime you feel so inclined!

Here's the most recent picture I have of all three of my wild things. It was taken about a week and a half ago when we went blackberry picking.