goodbye 2010

I am sitting writing this at our friend's house... we stayed back to watch over the house while kids sleep so that they could go party (this is also her birthday and this is her present... happy birthday my friend!) I have been thinking about 2010 and what an awesome year it has been for us...


* We planted a church and found a family of believers to call home 
* We have found friends who we love and who love us... community :)
* Piper started walking, talking, and her little personality emerges more everyday
* Trevor had the opportunity to work with the conflict defender and at the PD's office this summer... he decided he wants to be a public defender 
* He made is first A in law school this summer
* He is halfway finished with law school 
* I started my business and did my first craft fairs
* I started taking pictures, doing graphic design, and blogging


Our family grew so much this year. God has been so abundantly good to give us these gifts!! He really is shaping our path and directing our steps. It is wild to think about how much our life has changed since we left Oregon, and how good it is. I knew when we left that we would be on an adventure... because knowing God is an adventure. He brought us to places that have been so difficult but INCREDIBLY beautiful, and the whole way his hands have been directing us. 


So. Looking into 2011, I think I want to...


* Immerse myself in God, his book, and good resources that point me to him
* Move to the farm, but you knew that already.
* Continue to grow in my sewing
* Improve as a photographer
* Build a bed for Piper myself
* Wear more of my own handmade clothing 
* Grow my hair long again
* Grow some of our food
* Develop my aesthetic further 
* Love my husband and support him
* Raise my girl the way I have a vision to... to remember that vision and remain true to it
* Think about having more babies :)
* Be known, and fight the urge to hide


Sometimes when I read a list of ideals like this they sound like platitudes... but these are native hopes, born of the journey God has us on, and I am so expectant to see where we go this new year.


Readers: I hope you dig deep into him this year. Love to you. 
xoxo
paige

our family's Christmas

Hi friends :)

Here are a couple of pictures of Christmas at my parent's house. We surprised my mom by coming on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas morning... my dad was in on it, and we pulled it off perfectly :)  We spent the other half of the day with Trevor's side of the family. It has been a good visit all around.

 My mom always goes all-out with decorating, as you can see. The light was so pretty in the morning... I so much enjoyed having my camera in hand, recording the visual moments of Christmas. I was looking through some of the images from when I got my first camera for Christmas last year, and it's crazy how much I just enjoyed capturing things that looked attractive to my eye. It was so simple. I wasn't worried about taking perfect pictures (not that I ever come close to that...). I am glad that I have grown (technically speaking) as a photographer; I just want to make a way that includes both.

If you were looking for a Maitland Christmas card in the mail, it never came. I missed every opportunity to take a family picture, and honestly, there weren't many. I didn't decorate, I didn't sew Piper a single thing (yet). I just didn't have time (which is also why the blog has been so quiet). Those things... the decorating, making things for each other, the excitement of preparation... are huge for me in celebrating Jesus' birth. But even though we didn't get to do those things, we did get to do some really meaningful things together. We participated in a re-enactment of the nativity story with our friends, we baked a turkey for a family in our church (which was DEFINITELY a family endeavor... it was my first turkey), we gathered with our church family on Christmas Eve, and Piper spent some quality time with her grandparents.

I really miss being in Bible college because I studied the Bible all. the. time. My life now is very different... so much more busy. It is beautiful in a different way. It's full of mothering, work, and activity.  Carving out time to be with God is the most worthy but difficult challenge in my life today. Sometimes that struggle can lead to despair. Yet-- God ALWAYS reminds me that he holds my life in his hands... that he will bless and sustain me. And I think this struggle is a gift because of how much I sense my need for him now. I didn't have that deep sense of need and dependence. I thought I was more self-sufficient in my knowledge... in some ways, I thought I had it all figured out. On Christmas day, I read this passage in Luke 1. Luke is writing about how Zechariah prophesied after the birth of his son, John the Baptist. 

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise will visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

This is such incredible good news to me, every day. Christmas was beautiful this year, not because of things I made or bought, but because of my sense that this was the day that God met my deepest need in such an abundant, perfect way.


In other news... you can now purchase my bags in person at Community, a boutique in downtown Athens that carries work by local folks. I am totally stoked about this. Community is located above Espresso Royale on Broad and Jackson... enter on Jackson street, just before you get to Dynamite Vintage.


It has been SO nice to have my husband around and be together all the time as a family during his break. Law school is halfway over. I will be sad when school starts back. He's doing mock trial this semester... which means alot more time spent at school... like 8 extra hours (minimum) every week, including four hours on Sunday. However-- it is a major opportunity for him to gain experience and I am glad he was chosen for it. Things are going well with our move to the farm! I am not disclosing anything at this point. Stay tuned.


AND... I am totally looking forward to New Year's Eve! An awesome family from our church is having a party. Can't wait.


Be back soon kids :)
xo
paige

Hambeltons are here, and a visit to the farm (with pictures)!

So... the Hambeltons are here!!

We have been having so much fun together. It is SO GOOD to see them. I love this family :) I have still had to do some work, and so has Trevor, but it has been such a warm visit... reminiscing, kids playing, Tom Waits, cozy fire, and good beer.

We went to see Conviction on Thursday night... oh my gosh, I cried so hard. It was the best movie I have seen in a long time. I highly recommend it.


We went to church today and it was so great to be able to introduce them to people and show them more about what our life is like here... they read about it, but it is different for them to be able to experience it with us. Tomorrow night we will go eat with the Boggs-- I can't wait! 


And finally-- some pictures of the farm :)
We went at dusk, so I wasn't able to get all the pictures I wanted to, but it is so beautiful. I love the house. I can't believe how well they built it. A number of people have mentioned to me that they thought we were living in the cob house (the one with straw floors). We aren't (but it wouldn't be beyond us). You can see some images of the house above. The floors are tile and the walls are a wide-plank wood. Josh and Clare did a great job of building the interior... and I love the way they've painted it... lots of white and some grass green accents. The floors are wood and tile, and there is so much light during the day. it's beautiful. The pictures show the chicken coop, the sheep, and some of the garden. I was only able to get a good shot of Piper with her head turned. She loved being there today :)


I don't want to post about the plans until they come to be. I am so excited for this Christmas. Piper is doing a re-enactment of the Christmas story with her friends, we are going caroling, and we will celebrate the advent of the Messiah on Christmas Eve with our church family. I have been kinda absent lately... just spending time with these special folks and tying up loose ends before Christmas. I have alot I want to write about and share... I guess it will have to wait for a bit. 


My biggest hope for me, for my family and friends, and for you readers this Christmas is that you know Jesus Christ-- the immensity of who He is and what He came to do...the depth of our need for Him but the abundance of His love and care for us. He is so beautiful and came to bring us life. I hope you meet him again this year. I'll be back soon.


love to you
xoxo
paige

recently

Just wanted to share some moments of my day and an update. Trevor has a final today and after his work for the semester is completed, he will be halfway through with law school! I am so proud of him!

I have had the privilege of working with some amazing clients lately... I shot a family who is expecting their second child, a couple expecting their first child, a family who just had their second, and an AWESOME birthday party put on by the lovely and talented Ginny Wilson. I'll post some of those images soon.

The shots above were taken around our house... I love how it is filled with light during the day. It really is a lovely place and I will miss so many things about it. (BTW, it's for rent). The picture of me is totally unnecessary but I know a monologue becomes far more interesting when you can see the person who is talking (or writing) at you. It just makes things more personal.

Today is a typical day... Trevor was at school late studying for his final, and Piper and I woke up and had breakfast at 7:30 (she sleeps kinda late these days... it's great). After breakfast, I check emails and start editing pictures while she plays. Daddy gets up and we send him off for school, Piper and I have some play time, and then I go back to working. The picture of my dress form shows what is to my left... my work space is a desk in front of a bay window (which basically is like sitting in front of a lightbox). It is so engaging to be surrounded by things that I have made... it reminds me to remain true to my aesthetic and let the rest fall into place. This is helpful because there is so much room for doubt sometimes about the things I make and how they will be received. I think the most important thing is to remember my vision for (whatever it is)... if it is pictures, keep learning how to take the kind of pictures I want to look at. If it is clothing, make the kind of blouse or bag that I would want to wear... and make it wearable. Anyway, after lunch, Piper goes down for a nap. Ideally, if I have sewing to do, I would do that while she is awake because I can give her more of my attention and wouldn't be staring at a computer screen. Sewing involves alot more moving around. Then I would try to save the computer stuff until after she is asleep. It doesn't always work out that way because sometimes I have a pressing deadline and have to just divert my attention to her frequently. But as I have mentioned before, she really like to play independently. After she wakes up, she has a snack (and I have coffee) and we do something together. I try to tidy the house and do other chores until Daddy gets home. At that point, he takes Piper to play (inside or outside or they run an errand) and I make dinner. We eat as a family. Piper gets a bath or we read stories and then she goes to bed. Trevor does the dishes while I tidy everything else. He usually goes to school again (although next semester we are going to have evenings together... no more studying at the library). I work some more if I have to, which I usually have to... if I have a little leeway, I watch a movie and get ready for the next day. 

So tomorrow I am selling at a craft market-- the Railroad Arts District Holiday Market. It will be outside (mostly) at 160 TRacy St. from 3 to 9 pm. I say mostly because some of the booths are inside Athica. It will be super fun-- bonfire, live bluegrass, local artists and craftspeople. Good times. If you live in or near Athens, come out and support your local handmade community! Hope to see you there. After this market is over, I am going to take a break from making and selling my bags at least until after the holidays are over (and maybe longer, if we do indeed move). I want to focus on being present with my family and celebrating the gospel during this advent season. I can't wait to make decorations and gifts for Christmas (I have so many plans!!)

In other news, the Hambletons are coming from Portland to see us!! We love them so much. They are dear friends and it will be so good to spend some time with them. Our plans include, among other things, going out to the farm to find a Christmas tree for us (and so they can see it), hanging out with friends, seeing Conviction, and probably a trip to Trappeze. This is the second year they have flown from Portland with their little one to visit us. They are dedicated friends.

I am genuinely interested (meaning not just wanting to generate comments) in knowing what your day looks like... are you busy? Do you feel like you work all the time? I know lots of moms have kids who need all their attention all the time. Maybe our next child will be like that (if we have a next child.. we want to, just later). I don't know what that is like. I just want to gain some perspective on what is normal for other people (moms or not).

Hope you have a wonderful day :)

xo

paige

a mind toward January

I took these pictures of Piper across the culdesac in a small grove of crepe myrtles. This was the day we were going out to look at the farm. This was my best shot for giving her play time outside... Piper loves to be outside, and our efforts to give her time to play usually involved driving her to a park or just letting her play in the front of the house while I sat with her.


I remember being pregnant with her, thinking about my childhood and the things that I loved most, and trying to figure out how I could give her those things... I remember my hopes for her childhood, the ones I had when I first found out that she was going to be with us. Sometimes it is easy to forget those hopes when I get lost in the day in, day out rhythm of our life. Thinking about my life now, I feel like my life is crowded. The work that I do has been a sort of burden lately because I have to do it... I don't have a choice, and it doesn't matter if I feel passionate about what I am doing or making. The need to work keeps me from being able to take Piper places and show her things the way that I want to. The presence of media in my life is something that I love at times because it is human interaction and creatively valuable... but more often, it is so unsatisfying because it is surface-level and one-sided. 


I have native blood that is crying out for home-- my soul cries out for its Maker. I was meant for home. My home is with God. This dissatisfaction is all part of the reality that I was not meant for broken relationships, unsatisfying work, idols that leave me empty, and frustration with my inability to make my life the way I want it to be. I was meant for God whose love makes me noble and free. I want my life to be about re-telling his goodness in the things that I make and do. I want to be joyfully present with my husband and join him on this adventure God has given us... remembering our love and how crazy I was about him when we first met. I want my relationship with my daughter to be about honoring his image in her and giving her every opportunity to grow. I want to be intentional about my life... to be intentional about being with people, giving them my love and time, because they are/their life is so valuable. It's valuable because they were made for home too.


And I want to move onto a farm, where my girl can run free and turn brown in the summer. Where we can build things as a family and grow our own food. Where we can save money, live frugally, and I wouldn't need to work all the time... I could have time to sew dresses for Piper. Where Trevor can have freedom and space to grow despite the stress of law school. Where I can be intentional about living. Where maybe one day broken people can come to heal and be made whole... a whole community of sinners saved by God's mercy and grace. It won't be a quick fix. Nothing will be completely fixed until we are home. But it is a start. I look forward with anticipation to the end of December, celebrating the advent of our Maker who will come again to bring us home and hopefully finding out news about a move to a farm.