I hope you all have a FUN New Year's and get to celebrate all the way into 2011! I can't believe it's 2011 already. I remember ringing in the New Year back in 1999 getting ready for the year 2000 to come. Everyone on TV said the computers would crash. Remember that? I also remember I was still in my early 20's and all of my college friends and I threw a big party that New Year's Eve at our apartment. Those were the days! Now I'm in my early 30's and life has changed so much, we have blogs and facebook, and instead of calling everyone to invite then to a party you just create a facebook event. HA! I am thankful for all the new technology we have but I still love getting a card in the mail and a phone call just to say hi , i miss you.
I'm really loving this Kate Spade inspired shoot. Perfect party decor for New Year's!
Christmas was so fun and so relaxing this year. I loved it! I've been wanting new Uggs for so long and this Christmas was my lucky time to get them. Thanks to Uggs, my feet are nice and warm this winter. My Sis, Katie new just what to get me. New Eye makeup from Sephora, my fav! I have never had a eye shadow palette with so many colors to choose from, so i am excited. My mom got me some Philosophy foaming bubble bath and shower gel in Candy Cane. PERFECT!
i love christmas villages too!
here's some of my collection.
some vintage santa mugs that i just love too!
perfect for eggnog.
she turned to 2 and she looked cute
if you ask her how old she is, she'll tell you she's 3 & then she'll say that she's 3 1/2. she thinks she's her big brothers age.
i'm thinking, i'd like her to stay 2 a little longer
Daisy is still doing her chemo. It's been a rough road for the Merrick's and Daisy. See below.
Wife & I both have flu. Bad. Both ends. Daisy (6) CAN NOT get this while going thru chemo. Please pray for her ~Britt
I am trying to stay hopeful and not cry. I will remember that so many people are praying for her. I will remember that God is watching over her. I will remember that nothing is impossible, especially when I choose to believe in the impossible and exercise my faith. If I keep writing I will cry so I will go for now but I will leave you with HOPE, hope that the Lord has given to all of us.
"When is the time to trust? Is it when hopes beat high, When sunshine gilds the sky, And joy and ecstasy Fill all the heart? No! For the time to trust Is when our joy has fled, When sorrow bows the head, And all is cold and dead, All else but God. selected from Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. (2 Cor. 6:10) By faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. (Gal. 5:5)
Daisy was addmitted back to the hospital for chemo for 5 days.
pretty sure she is in the 4th day or so. she needed prayer a day or 2 ago but is doing better today.
i am so happy!
daisy right before her date with dad
via pray for daisy dot com
at the hospital
doing better
keep praying for her
cristi & jessica
& everyone else praying for daisy,
i loved your sweet notes on my last blog entry regarding your care for daisy.
cristi, please look into that. not sure what they are doing but it would be worth it to research. thank you!
jessica, i know, can't we all just get into a big van together and drive to see her. i am down for anything that would cheer daisy up.
if any of you have any ideas i would love for you to plan it. i was thinking of sending her a gift package with lots of stuff that would make her smile!
if i had more time i would get it organized. i am barely able to blog so if anyone wants to take the lead let me know. i could always help organize anything you have in mind.
this time of year you can find me spending time with my family
glued to the hallmark channel...
w/my mom
trying not to cry at every hallmark moment
styling
styling some more
having a blast doing it
shopping (although i barely have time for that anymore)
probably a good thing
unless it's for others
hey guys, i have a prayer request for daisy. she's doing ok but not great. she's been in the hospital doing chemo treatments and such. keep her in your prayers if you could today and tomorrow especially. i apologize for not keeping you updated as much and as often as i would like to. you can always go to her prayer page and check out britt's updates about her at prayfordaisy.com
favorite daisy quote that made me laugh-
Just got out of a long day in the hospital with Daisy (6) and she asked Kate to go to the store and buy "steak, rootbeer and peanuts." ha! ~britt
luv her!
for those of you lovlies who are new to praying for daisy here is a bit about her (thank you kylie and others for praying).
she was diagnosed with a wilm's tumor 2 years ago and has relapsed once since then. she is currently under going chemo therapy treatments so she can beat the cancer.
has it been 3 weeks since i last blogged? i almost didn't blog tonight because i am tired and i want to blog about a few things but the days keep passing and i feel bad for not giving a update about daisy. i think about her all the time but have had a lot of other things taking up my time so blogging hasn't been a priority. i traveled unexpectedly and spent time with 2 of my favorite people in the whole world. it was beyond a blessing to have time with 2 of my best friends and spend time with another college friend too. i had been needing girl time and just quality time with best friends. you know? sometimes life just gets heavier than usual and in those times i cherish moments with dear friends who know me and love on me. i will do a whole post about my trip and tell you all about our time together and who those dear friends are. just for tonight i will share with you a very cute daisy photo and a quote from her dad today that really blessed me. oh and a photo of my little niece :) cause she's a blessing in my life too!
I'm traveling and missing Daisy and the quirky outfits she puts together. ~britt
i'd say she put together a perfect fall outfit!
i really needed to hear this today:God doesn’t promise us understanding. He promises us peace beyond understanding. ~britt
banooners (aka annie) at the avila valley barn
she and i had a nail painting party. she wanted to paint with the dark pink polish but auntie let her use the clear instead on my toes. boy oh boy did i have nail polish thickly painted on my toes and other places too. an annie manicure is at least 6 coats and it mainly covers your 2 big toes. i loved it cause annie did it!
ps- i am adding to yet another post of mine. i wanted to tell you, whimsy quilts has a blog too so check it out. it too is cuteeee! whimsy quilts also does custom orders. i think that is fabulous.
she's my friend erin's sister and she and her friend have a sweet etsy shop for those shopping for vintage style baby quilts and vintage style fabric finds for your home.
who they are-
two mommas who are good friends and love to quilt!
let me get this straight about myself. my blog and my facebook statuses paint a very happy, pretty, little picture of my life. i'm a disneyland, fairy tale, happy go lucky kind of girl but my life is far from perfection. my days are just like yours and every other american. there are good ones and there are bad ones. i have the lord so my bad ones are bearable but none the less HARD. i just know that people can read my blog and my facebook and think one thing about me but believe me it's just a small slice of my life and it's the slice i get to choose to talk about. everything i say is true but everything i say is filtered by me. my blog doesn't paint a clear picture of my life. by that i mean this- i don't always blog about things i treasure the most. i have a friend who is dear to me but i'm pretty sure i've never blogged about her. doesn't mean she isn't just as important as any one else who has gotten blog time. i tend not to complain on my blog or my facebook but that doesn't mean i don't in real life. in real life you'd hear when i was having a tough day or moment. you'd know i'm happy but have days that aren't ideal and that i am imperfect. VERY imperfect. if there's anything i'm trying to say here it's this-
i love having a blog and i love all of you who comment and are my friends and i love having those who are my not so close friends follow too. BUT just know my life is not rosy, jolly gumdrops, happy happy moments always. i think most of the time i am so beyond blessed. i just choose to share the really good moments with you all. i hope i don't make anyone think oh wow what a great life based on my blog. i mean yes, i think my life is great but not in comparison to yours. yours is great and mine is great and we are all blessed. i admit sometimes i look at a friends blog and swoon over their outfits they are wearing and can become discontent with my own wardrobe. it's completely silly to do but it's completely true that i do it. so hopefully you guys know my life is totally normal. good normal but still normal.
ok that's all of my tangent, xoxo
ps. as far as i know daisy is doing good.
i am adding to this post because daisy needs more face time-
Daisy is ready to go outside for the first time in a long time! Hooray!!! ~britt
i know i'm posting a lot for me but i mean business when it comes to daisy. so are you ready for some good, gloriously good news? i know you are right. this pretty little girl
is doing better, her brain swelling has gone down and she is home for 21 days, then back to the hospital for more chemo. look in her eyes. because do you see jesus? i do. i see him in her precious eyes. i also see her thanking everyone who is praying for her. i can just see her thankfulness in her sweet face. yesterday marked one year of her fight with cancer.
i'll spare you the picture of my face on here but if you saw my face you'd see my thankfulness for all of you faithful people/friends/blogging friends/lovers of jesus who are praying for daisy. thank you for telling others too. every time you take the time to tell me that your praying for her, i am so reminded of the BIG, VAST, GREAT GOD we serve. your prayers are being heard and answered. so keep sharing.
can i leave you with 2 pretty photos and some blog news?
kate spade's assistant's home
do you love the globes like i do? do you love even more that they are displayed on vintage suitcases? pick one up for yourself at this lovely shop- lovies old charm globe
old charm globe
btw kirra of lovies is hosting a giveaway here, stop by her blog to enter.
i am officially going to make my blog private. so i am pretty sure i need to ask all of you readers that i love to send me your emails so i can add you to my blog list. so if you want to keep following comment and leave me your email and don't worry, there's no need to be shy if you follow privately. i won't mind if you're a nice person and you want to follow. or you can email me or facebook me your email, you can find my email on my blog profile.
i'm amazed, thankful, happy and blessed by how many of you are praying for daisy!!!!
here's a bit of an update i'm sure you already know about but just in case you don't-
Daisy just started the first of 3 days of intravenous chemotherapy treatment drips . Please pray for maximal efficacy and no side effects. ~britt merrick
Daisy is doing great her 1st day of chemo! Praying for no bad side effects. Daddy got her a treat. Mom's gonna kill me! ~britt merrick
i really just love daisy and my heart has a huge place in it for her. i can't help but be reminded of my niece and nephew when i look at her face. i'm thankful for their health and their years here on earth. i pray daisy, judah and annie have many more to come............................
and at night when they close their eyes they will dream they are surfing in waves of yummy sprinkles....
Daisy is doing awesome! Epidural works. No morphine. No NG tube. She’s happy and watching Sesame Street. Moving her to her room when there’s a bed ready. Amazing! She’s starving and they hear a few bowel sounds so they might let her start clear liquids later. God is super good! -britt merrick
she is so snuggly and cute in her pj's with her sock monkey by her side.
the LORD your GOD is with you
HE is mighty to save
HE will take great delight in you
HE will quiet you with HIS love
HE will rejoice over you with singing
zeph. 3:17
thank you friends for praying for daisy.
on another note, i am thinking about making my blog private at least for a little while. i think it's a good decision, i just need to figure out how to do it???? and have no idea how to do that.
onto fall and all it's whimsies-
even though this is considered our summer months still here on the coast we are getting what feels like fall weather. even though i love the sun and warm days i have been loving it. probably because it's still sunny just a little crisper and colder out. it makes me think of all the great things about fall like-
pumpkin spice candles
buying pumpkins at avila valley barn
my niece and nephew all dressed up for trick or treating
sipping warm drinks with friends
those are just some of the things i am looking forward to.
i think i will decorate in a black and white theme this year for fall with silhouettes touches and glittery pumpkins. or maybe metallic pumpkins or maybe both.....
like pretty beach scenes
i always love beach scenes and beachy ANYthing. beachy houses make my heart go pitter patter. for labor day weekend i went to a really pretty beach house in shell beach where my friend hilary and her family were visiting for the holiday weekend. i love when i get to spend time with hilary. the beach house was so pretty. i felt like i was in the beach house from the movie "something's gotta give" with jack nicholson and dianne keaton (one of my favorite movies). i didn't get any pictures but it had a similiar feel as the beach house below, with mostly white hues and beachy accents everywhere. the view was breathtaking.
pretty pinks
i am so into ruffles, flower pins, flower earrings flower anything, and outfits in peachy-pink. i just bought handmade flower earrings from aunties t's boutique and i bought a peachy-pink tee from forever 21 with a sparkly pocket for $11. i can't get enough of the romantic look that's so in right now.
i'm drooling over these pretty shoes
pretty grey walls
i have been into grey for a long time now. i constantly look at my walls and want them to be coated with a fresh coat of pretty grey paint. it's on my to-do-list and i really need to get going on it. i need to get my booty in gear and get to it.
pretty display walls
another project on my-to-list is to create a photo display wall with my pottery barn frames. i bought them forever ago but don't want to hang them until i paint my walls. so for now there just lying on the floor in my room waiting to be hung. ugg.
i love photo diplays. pretty in pink
i love shoes too and pink guitars. but that's second to how much i love my family.
pretty people
they're sure cute. pretty projects
my friend has an old dresser and 2 old beds that she wants to repaint (for a little girls bedroom) and she suggested painting the dresser a creamy white and the drawers a different color like aqua blue. i think it would look so cute just like this little nighstand. with the twin beds painted aqua blue to corrdinate with the drawers.
pretty daisy
her tumor has shrunk incredibly and she has surgery monday morning (9/13) at 11:30 am to remove it completely. it's a serious surgery so she needs our prayers. pray for sweet, precious daisy.
pics via- pink wallpaper, sweet as candy, pray for daisy dot com
Daisy's tumor shrank from the size of a large grapefruit to the size of a slice of a small tangerine! Praise the Lord!!! - britt merrick (9/3/10)
just thought i'd share daisy's prayer link and some words from her mom (kate) that are gonna make you run straight for the kleenex box.
Good morning friends…
Kate here. I’ve been thinking about thankfulness. Some wonder how I can be thankful for anything during this horrific trial. I didn’t ask for Daisy to get cancer, but I also don’t deserve to have 2 gorgeous children. I didn’t ask for the cancer to come back, but I also didn’t ask for an amazing family unit, selfless husband, and friends who lay down their lives for me. I don’t ask for affliction, but I also didn’t ask to be born in a hospital overlooking the Pacific while others are born in garbage dumps in Egypt. I have much to be thankful for, starting with my next breath. I am an extremely blessed woman.
There is so much to be thankful for today, starting with Daisy’s appetite. She’s eating really well! She’s also got her spunk back, and that’s my favorite part.
I’ve been thinking a lot over the last couple of days as the whiplash (from the bad news) wears off, and I feel like God’s really helping us as a family process our situation, and take each day as it comes. A wise woman told me “all we have is today. it’s all anyone has”, and that’s a really sweet thing. Learning to enjoy each day for what it is really makes life more fun. And since this week she is not puking all day long or connected to an IV pole, and since we happened to be quarantined, we decided to have some fun.
I had been promising Daisy for several months that we would make her room all crazy, like a jungle. Two days ago I thought, why not today? But instead of a jungle we made it “underwater”… I mean, why not? Daisy has made the most of today also, and since today her hair is coming out in clumps, she’s keeping it in a bag so we can give it to birds to make nests out of! I mean, why not?? She is seriously the coolest little girl I know. And, she has a newfound love for classical music. Preferably Mozart. It really gets the creative juices flowing. I mean, why not???
So, for the bummer part of the post: her bones are killing her. Her daily shot stimulates white blood cell growth which is made in the bone marrow. And we really like white blood cells. It makes her feel like she has the achy flu. Tylenol helps some, but my little girl hates medicine. She won’t take it. Just like zofran helps nausea, but twice she barfed when we gave it to her. She won’t take that either. So, please pray the bone pain lets up.
As I write this, I think of so many other children suffering right now. Some are new hospital friends, some are cyber friends, and some are grown up children. If you’re reading this and your child is hurting, we’re praying for you too. I am confident that God will “turn our mourning into dancing again, He will loose our sackcloth and clothe us with joy”… Psalm 30:11
Love
(from daisy's prayer journal @prayfordaisy.com)
"I’ve discovered Christ in a deeper way through suffering than I ever did through blessing." -Britt Merrick
years back before daisy was born and when her brother was just a baby i used to drive down to reality santa barbra, britt's then college ministry, with my friends just to hear him preach. it was after a dark time in my life and i was breaking free from my past and all the hurts that came with it. i remember vividly during one of his sermons how GOD spoke right to my heart about forgiveness. it was from that point on much restoration was made in my life. when britt ended his time at reality i was really sad but i will always remember that time in my life and those car rides down with friends as the best and deepest of times with GOD.
i'm a california girl who lives by the beach & loves to soak up the sun and sand. i like to visit my local coffee shop with my closest friends. the little things in life make me happy & i still get just as excited to go to disneyland as i did when i was 5. i am who i am because of jesus.
Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress (Psalm 4:1 kjv) It is a statment of thanksgiving for having been set free not from suffering but rather through suffering. In stating, "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress," the psalmist is declaring that the sorrows of life have themselves been the source of life's enlargement......for it is in the shadows of your life that you will find the actuall fulfillment of your dreams of glory. ~George Matheson
