Under Construction

Wow.
We survived the craziness that was 2012 and I can not wait to process it with you as well as share my new vision for 2013.
I have many goals for this little space and have missed all of you so badly!
Stay tuned and be looking for me!
I will resurface with some exciting things by the end of this week! Working hard to relaunch asap!

Breaking Silence: Transition

If you asked me, I'd tell you that I have missed this little space so badly.
That I know I have been silent and have written so many posts in my head each and every day.
That there is so much to tell you guys about... so much to process... so much that it seems impossible.

If you asked me, I would tell you that saying yes to God no matter what, is the most exciting, adrenalin pumping, challenging, difficult, stretching and beautiful thing I have ever done.
That this season He has asked a lot of our little family.
That we have chosen to say yes.
And that we look forward to the radical changes in our lives as a result.

If you asked me, I would tell you that adopting, selling your house, living with family, moving into a new house, planting a church and having a baby feels like too much.
That there are days that my heart is so overwhelmed I can hardly breath.
But that it is in these days... these moments... that I have come to know my Savior so much more intimately.

If you asked me, I would tell you that He does indeed give you the grace you need for each day.
That He truly does only give you what you can handle, and that I have seen him protect me from things that would have broken me.
That living in complete dependence on God opens up such beauty in relationships.

If you asked me, I would tell you that in this season I have been overwhelmed with gratefulness for the friends and family God has brought along side of us.
That it is in them, that I tangibly see Christ each and every day.
Friends who have become much more like family...
and family who have become so much more than that.

If you asked me, I would tell you that Christ is worth it.
Every single bit of the crazy that He might be calling you to.

I know that many of you have been praying for us in this season of transition, and I can not thank you enough.
I'm working hard to break my silence this week.
I have many things to update you on, and many stories to share.
Please ask me your questions.
It helps me go from thoughts swirling around in my head, to published on this blog.

I look forward to my online sample sale tomorrow night for Noonday!
And almost even more, I look forward to sharing pictures of our new house, telling you what God has been doing in my heart lately, and showing you pictures of the progress we are making in sweet Della's nursery.

If you asked me, I would tell you that I love this little space.
That I look forward to sharing this adventure we are on with you.
And that your comments mean the world to me.

Sample Sale: Date Change and Rules!!!

Due to us moving into a new house this weekend, I am moving my Sample Sale from tonight to Monday Night at 7pm! Don't forget!

Summer Sample Sale Rules:

Welcome to my Summer Noonday Collection online sample sale!  Many of these items are top sellers and I love them dearly, but because each item is handmade, we only have a limited quantity and these have sold out or will soon.

I have about 30 items set to be published at 7pm CST on Monday, August 27th.  Here is how it will work:

• Each item will be posted separately.  
• Each item will be tagged as "necklace", "bracelet", etc.  So if you are looking for a specific item, please click on the appropriate tag on the right. 
• If you want to purchase an item, please leave a comment with your email address.  If you want multiple items, leave a comment on each item.
• FIRST COMMENT "WINS"!
• If you see an item up that you want but it has an email address in the comments, go ahead and leave a comment with your email address as that will serve as a "waiting list" if the first person doesn't make their payment in the allotted time.
• After commenting I will email you a paypal receipt that you can pay for the item via credit card or paypal.
• You MUST pay for the item within 24 hours of receiving the invoice, or I will re-post the item for sale.
• I will leave all items up until payment has been received.  I will remove an item once payment has been received.
• Let me know in your comment if you want to pick it up, meet up, or have me mail it.  I will add $6.00 shipping to your invoice if you request to mail it.
• Email me at kristajbox@gmail.com if you have any questions or specific directions for me.

Thanks so much!! 

Fall Line launch and Summer Sample Sale!!!

Ok, so our Noonday Fall Line is about to release and I am in love. I know you will be too! It launches Sept. 4th on the website, but here are a few sneak peek pictures just for you! 

To make room for all the new fall goodies headed my way, I will be having a sample sale this Sunday night at 7pm. More details on that below.

I am in LOVE with these items and there are many, many more just as beautiful in the full catalog launching Sept. 4th!

As always, each artisan group we work with is a group we have committed to for the long-term and there are some amazing stories of change effected because of YOUR purchases. This fall, you can be assured that not only are you buying a spot-on trend accessory, you are enabling many others around the world to live a life of dignity and worth.  Be an advocate for these incredible artisans today by hosting a show!

{SAMPLE SALE!}
To make room for all the fabulous pieces for fall, I am having to say goodbye to some favorites at my Summer Sample Sale.  If you want to snag a treasure for a serious bargain, please check out my ONLINE ONLY sample sale beginning at 7pm, Sunday, August 26th.  I will have more info soon (and sneak peeks of what will be offered) but mark your calendar now as it will be first come first serve!!

You won't want to miss it!

{Fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. You, too, can be a voice for the oppressed!}

superheros and noonday

This is the conversation I had with Camp the other day...

Camp: "Mommy, where are you?"
Me: "I'm in here. Mommy is getting ready for a Trunk Show tonight."
Camp: "A Trunk Show?"
Me: "Yes, there are other mommies and daddies all over the world who do not have food or money. Mommy sells things for them at Trunk Shows so they can take care of their kids."
Camp: "Oh... (long pensive pause)... Mommy? Are you a Superhero?"

How precious is that? He took the time to think about what I said, and in his 3 year old mind he understood that people needed help and in a way I was coming to their rescue. I love that.

The obvious answer to his question is no, I'm not a Superhero. (Although, I do like the sound of it. ) I'm no hero at all, but I am created in the image of the ultimate Superhero, am I not?

It is fascinating to me the things I see in my boys hearts that reflect their Creator. Something about being a rescuer, helper and protector is desirable to them. And I love that. They play games over and over where one is rescuing the other from a dinosaur/meteor/Zurg or just their dad or Golden Retriever who are chasing them around the house. Lately, they have even been praying before each rescue.... praying a sweet, 3 year old prayer that God will give them the strength to complete the task at hand. Love that.

We have a family mission.

About 2 years ago Jake and I spent a lot of time praying, dreaming, thinking and praying much more about what we wanted our family story to be about. What we wanted to live for. This is what we came up with...

"The Box family exists to partner with God in rescuing people from this broken world. "

We want to be a family that reflects God's heart to help the hurting, mend the broken and speaks the gospel to those who desperately need to know their Savior. We want to point people to the one who can really save.

So back to my conversation with Camp...

I love that when I explain my "job" to him, he sees our family mission. Every time I drive to a Trunk Show I pray that God would use me to speak for our artisans. He has given me the job to be their ambassador and I take that seriously. They work tirelessly to created a product... incredible product, that in their own country would not give them a sustainable living. But here... here in the US... as you buy their product, they not only make a living, but they have the opportunity to rise out of poverty and provide for their children what was never dreamed possible... health care, education, and a future.

Our artisans worked so hard on our Spring/Summer Collection this year. If you get a second, check out this look book that highlights them and their fashionable products. Also, if you too would like to be a voice for the voiceless with Noonday Collection, contact me. It's well worth your time.

Well, I have a full day of playing with my two precious superhero's! If you have kids, write a comment and let me know what they are playing these days. I hope you have a great Wednesday!

instafriday: catching up

I figured today would be a great day to get back to my instafridays!
I apologize for the lack of posting I have done the past couple of months.
Morning sickness, and unexplained exhaustion have totally taken the life out of me the last several weeks.
Thankfully, I am 11 weeks now, almost out of my first trimester and starting to feel much better!

So, here are some things we've been up to lately...

We finalized our adoption of E in San Antonio, Tx!
It was such a special day. Everyone in the court, including the judge were so excited for us. There was a great feeling in the room. We were officially able to change his name to Enock Austin Box and he repeatedly said his full name all day. : )

Jake, went on a Men's Retreat so we decided to have friends over for pizza and movie night.
I love that the boys have such good friends.
Sweet Harper was in heaven with all of the boys that night!

Keeping with the movie theme, there was rainy Friday that my sweet husband came home and declared Family Date Night. I love this man. We hoped in the car, took the boys to see The Lorax and grabbed dinner. Camp and E both typically like movies, but they LOVED this one. They were mesmerized the entire time. Love good time with our little family.

We have been meeting with our Core Team for our Church Plant every Tuesday night. We eat dinner together, do some training, dream and pray... we pray a lot. This particular Tuesday we were going to take our first communion together. Unfortunately, no one remembered the bread. So I rummaged through my pantry and our choices were graham crackers or goldfish. We went with the goldfish. Let's just say that we will always remember our first communion together.

I got the opportunity to attend the Tx Style Council conference last weekend. It was a chance to meet 250+ style bloggers and introduce them to Noonday. I have to say that I was so intimidated going into it. Totally felt out of my league, but met some of the best girls. I had a great time getting to know so many different people and got to learn a lot about fashion and blogging while at it.

So... Camp drew his first real picture the other day. He usually only scribbles and you might find a few circles, but this was different. He was drawing with chalk in the backyard while I was cooking. I heard him say "Mommy, come look at the picture I drew you for your birthday!" (Sidenote: My birthday is in October. He is just obsessed with bday's right now.) He told me it was a "moo cow" and I immediately started to tear up when I realized it actually did look like a moo cow (ok, it also kind of resembles a tick, but you know what I mean). This boy has to stop growing up. It's just happening way too fast.

There is a new park near by called "The All Abilities Park". It is amazing. Seriously. Amazing. The park was designed so children with and without disabilities can all play together. I love that. If you know much about me, you know that this hits my heart. I long to intentionally place my kids in environments where they grow up along side special needs children. It is so good and so healthy for all kids involved. Love this park.

Ok, so this is random, but I was walking through Anthropology the other day and loved this. Seriously, just nails in the wall with string wrapped around them. I think I can do this. In our next house, this may show up in our decor.

Well, that's all I've got for today! I look forward to slowly getting out of my blogging slump. I have so many posts running through my head to share with you. I hope you have a wonderful weekend with your families! It will be rainy here, so I am hoping for a lot of cuddle time with my boys. Thanks for stopping by!

a new adventure

I love my husband. I love that we dream big together and that we share a heart to live lives that make a difference. We have a huge heart for the city that we live in. The church association we are apart of has a vision/mission that every man, woman and child in greater Austin would get the chance to hear the gospel. That really resonates with us. When we think about what we want to give our lives to, we think of that.

So... this summer, we will be moving into the heart of our city to plant a church. This is not on a whim, but actually something God began working on 14 years ago and we are thrilled to get to be a part of it.

So, why plant a church? Why not just stay on staff at the church we are at?

Well, studies show that church planting is one of the most effective ways to get the gospel out and reach a city. Starting new churches that want to be in the community to serve and reach the lost, is effective.

Then why the city?

Research shows that if you want to reach a city, you have to reach the heart of that city. Currently, 76% of central Austin does not believe that Jesus is their savior. Because we want to give our lives to see that change, we are moving to where that 76% lives to become friends with them, serve them, love them and share the gospel with them. What greater thing could we possibly give our lives to?


We are so excited to see what God does with this. Please be praying for us as we get ready to sell our house, have a baby and gather a core team of like minded believers that want to live this adventure with us!

and then there were 5...

That's right!

Baby Box is due to arrive October 3rd!
We are all very excited!
{Camp and Enock keep asking when
the baby can come out of my tummy and play. : )}

I wanted to have a fun picture for you guys but
with morning sickness and all 4 of us having colds,
a cute picture just hasn't been in the cards.
I am sure that many pictures are to come.

Have a great Monday!



.

what we've been up to...

It's been so long since I've posted.
It feels so good to be writing right now.
Let me catch you up on what we've been up to.
Then... I will let you know what's coming this week!

First of all, I had much to write about this week, but both boys and I were under the weather. We spend our days cuddling, watching movies, and taking naps together.

Although I felt very unproductive, and I hate feeling unproductive, I cherished how close we were. I loved that we spent days within arms reach of each other. Someday my boys will not want to cuddle with me when they feel bad. So I will absorb each and every one of these moments and not regret it one bit.


Last weekend Jake and I spend a couple of nights in a hotel downtown. We have getaways like this often, but specifically at the beginning of each year we set aside time to get away and reflect on the past year and set goals on the next. We LOVE this time together. I always tell young couples that this is one of the best things we do for our marriage. We both look forward to it and feel much more encouraged and on the same page as we walk through the next year.

This year, we planned our time away around A Future and A Hope Adoption Conference. Our best friends the Hengsts and the Hunts went to the conference with us and stayed downtown that last night so we could debrief the conference together.

It was a great conference. Especially for those beginning to think about adoption or foster care. Jake and I have been to conferences like this alone before, and it was a dream to have two of our closest friends sitting there with us. I love seeing their hearts grow for the orphan!

It's been cold and rainy here the past few days. I am loving my new print. I haven't found the perfect place for it just yet, but even still it makes me smile.



We are all still a bit under the weather over here, but I am hoping for a healthier week next week. I have some BIG blog plans people! I have TWO big announcements and have been inspired by a couple of good friends to do my very first vlog (video blog). I'm looking forward to sharing it all with you guys very soon!

p.s. I've had many comments on how badly I need a new banner at the top of my blog. I mean, the chair should be filled by now. Hang in there. We are working on getting a date set with our photographer and will have the new blog layout/chair photo coming soon. I haven't forgotten!

Enock's Birthday

First of all...
It feels so good to be writing once again!
Life in the Box house has been slightly out of control.
Good things, hard things and just those things that never go as planned.
I am sure I will write about some of these things soon, but not today.

Today... I get to tell you about one of the most memorable times in my life.

Enock's 3rd Birthday

Every mom gets sentimental around their children's birthdays.
It's one day a year that everything slows down and you get a chance to reflect on this little person that is growing up way too fast right before your eyes.
I love that we get one day a year to celebrate the people who mean the most to us.

This birthday was different though.
It had a whole new meaning to us.

This was the day that Enock turned 3 and had his very first birthday.

Words can not describe just how excited he was.
He ate up the fact that the day was about him.
Since his birthday was on a Thursday, we spent the day celebrating as a family.
We had family breakfast at Chick Fil A.
(Seriously, the boy loves chicken. If this was all we did he would have been thrilled.)
Once Jake went to work I took the boys to pick out a birthday balloon for E and a "good brother" balloon for Camp.
That day we played hard, sang Happy Birthday more times than I can count and ended the day giving him his very own Buzz Lightyear and eating birthday cake.

I know it doesn't sound like much. But it was priceless.

Birthday party details became a bit disastrous.
The one thing he really wanted to do was ride the train at our local park.
His party was rained out on Saturday so we moved it to Monday.
Monday when we got there the train was not running.
As soon as we sat down to eat and open presents about 10,000 school kids came running off their buses and filled the area we were sitting in.
This caused us to pack up and walk about .5 a mile to another picnic table.



Let's just say it wasn't how this mamma had pictured his perfect birthday party.

BUT... he enjoyed every minute of it.
The party was for him.
His friends were there for him.
The presents were picked out just for him.
And we sang Happy Birthday, which at this point he had declared his favorite song. ; )




As I reflected on the past year
I didn't get to reminisce a years worth of memories with E.
Or think about how much he has grown up since his last birthday.
But I did get to think about this adoption process.
About all of the waiting.
All of the paperwork.
All of the longing for days like today.
I thought about when we first got to see his face.
That precious little face in the picture sent to us from his orphanage.
I thought about when we finally got to hold him in our arms.
All of the times we told him that we were his family and that we would love him forever.
The hard transition times, language barrier, first I love yous and hugs.
Even though I do not have 3 years worth of memories with E
I can still say he has grown up so much, and we have come so far.
I LOVE that these days are ours now.
We get to be the ones to celebrate him for the rest of his life.

This was a special birthday.
And I look forward to all of the ones ahead.

Enock,

I love you sweet boy. I am so thankful that God gave us you. You are a precious blessing to us. You are a Box. I am so proud of you. You have been so brave with the many changes God has brought you through. You have been so open to let us love you and teach you what family means. You have been a good friend to your brother. I love your sensitive heart, your infectious laugh, and your big bright eyes. You give the best hugs and you give them often. We love you E and we will love you forever.

Love,
Mommy

much to catch up on

This past week has left me in a whirlwind.
I feel as if my to-do list is growing faster than I can check things off.
Does that ever happen to you?
I think it hates me.

Anyway- there is much to catch up on, so here we go....

Have I told you about Enock's good friend Suma?
While E lived in Uganda, he had two best friends... Suma and Job.
It was so entertaining to watch them "rule" the baby home.
One of the hard things about adopting internationally, is taking your child away from his/her close friends when you bring them home.
I think of friends that I have.... friends that are more like family.
I can't imagine.
Even though E gained a mom, dad and brother... he still had to move away from close friends.

Well, God in is graciousness decided to place Suma in a loving family..... in Katy, Tx!
How fun is that?
Suma not only lives only 3 hours away, but we will get to see her anytime we go visit family in Houston.

We took our first trip last Thursday and met up at Chick-fil-a.
E was SO excited to see his sweet friend.



Ahhh.... I just love it.
I keep thinking about how they will get to grow up knowing each other.
We love this sweet girl and her amazing family.
I'm sure there will be many more posts about them in the future.

On Friday, I woke up at a very ugly hour to catch a plane to Atlanta, GA to attend the Created for Care Retreat!
I told Jake that if all I did was fly to Atlanta, drive my rental car to the resort, turn around and fly back, it would feel like a vacation. (And all the mom's take a deep sigh of agreement.)
But lucky me, I got to stay.
Created for Care is a retreat designed for adoptive mom's.
It is a time for rest,
A time to connect with other mom's of adopted children,
A time to be equipped,
And a time to be encouraged.

I can not tell you enough how amazing it was to be there.
I will blog more about that later, but here are the highlights....

This was my view every morning when I woke up.

These are two other Uganda mamma's that blessed my heart!

Our kids actually come from the same orphanage! Be praying for them...
they are both still waiting to bring their little ones home.

And this is Jessica, Wynne and I having way too much fun at our Noonday table!

I love all of these girls!

Ok, a quick note on Wynne (on the right).
She worked at a summer camp growing up.
Has two golden retrievers.
Is adopting a little boy.
And naming him CAMP!

Crazy right?!

They are the featured family over at Give1 Save1 this week.
Make sure and take a second to watch their video and donate $1 towards their adoption. Literally, every dollar counts.
Please take time to show them some love!

I drove back to Austin Monday night and that is when my to do list began to hate me.
Although I feel weeks behind right now, I know that time will stand still tomorrow.
You see, tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to and dreaming about for a long time now.

Tomorrow Enock turns 3 and we get to spend his very first birthday with him.

I am tearing up just writing that.
I can. not. wait.