The Thoughts of Scott's Fair Maiden

Life

2012-01-21T18:05:00.002-05:00

Well, if you're reading this, then I'm impressed... I still have readers. Incredible considering that I have not been good about writing on here over the past year. Why? Well, put simply... Life. Just life happening and blogging not being a part of that. I still check up on all my followers, not that anyone knows it because I never comment, but I want to. Sometimes I do go to comment and my computer or internet "hick-ups" and then before I can fix it and actually leave the comment I was going to, something happens (life) and my computer is put back away for another time. I do get online to check my email at least once a day, and usually more than once a day, but getting on long enough to do more than check my email (even reply to emails or comments of facebook) is more of a rare occasion. With the baby coming soon I wonder if I might get more of an opportunity to blog (while nursing) or if I'll be too busy keeping up with Andrew while nursing. But either way, that's okay. It's life, and life for me right now means spending time with Andrew, keeping my apartment in good order, and doing whatever else comes up (crocheting, visiting with a friend, reading, making tinctures and lotions (inspiration from Shoshanna Easling's Making Babies series which I highly recommend), eating (being pregnant means frequent small meals for me every 2 hours or I start feeling sick), napping (being pregnant with a 16 month old means I nap when he does, especially in the third trimester), etc.).

Andrew is growing, growing, growing! A year ago I remember remarking on how neat it was to see his personality coming out more and more. But now? Now, we are even more amazed by his personality and we are loving learning about him and learning how to communicate with him. He says lots of "b" words (ball, book, buzz) and anything that starts with "m" (mamma, more) and even though his first words included "da" for Dad, he refuses to say it now. Once in awhile we'll catch him saying "daddy" but whenever he looks at pictures (we have lots of pictures from our wedding, and few family pictures around our house) he always points out "mamma" and laughs when we say "and Daddy..." He seems to be connecting pictures of babies and babies we see with my tummy. But he calls babies and my tummy "muh". He will see a baby and start pointing and saying "muh, muh" and then come over to me and pat my tummy saying "muh, muh". It will be neat to see what he thinks of the baby once it is here.

Speaking of Andrew.... we went outside for a short bit this afternoon as it's been snowing all day and I figured it was time he got to out instead of standing at the window watching all his aunts and uncles playing in the snow. He was more interested in watching the four wheeler plowing the driveway than he was in the snow, but once we came in he got very interested in the snow that was coming off his boots. So I got a bowl of snow for him to "check out" and captured a few pictures.

Here he is pausing in his enjoyment of the snow to "pose" for me. It was so funny.

And then he got very interested in testing the snow....

I am now 38 weeks along which means that I could have the baby anytime in the next 4 weeks I figure. I'm not counting on going close to my due date since Andrew was 12 days late, and of course if the baby isn't ready yet, I don't want to rush it along. However, I am super, super excited about meeting the baby and being a family of 4. I can't wait to see how Andrew interracts with the baby. The pregnancy has been going well. I've discovered that cutting out wheat from my diet means much less heartburn and acid reflux which I do have a hard time with. I'm also doing much better this time exercising and will probably end up gaining only half as much weight as I did with Andrew. Exercising all the way through pregnancy is SO much better than waiting until the third trimester to start thinking about it. My flexibility is so much better and of course, I'm sure it helps with keeping up with Andrew.

Update---Via Friends

2011-12-21T10:26:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers! We've been pretty busy around here getting ready for Christmas and getting ready for the Baby coming (only 6 1/2 weeks until my due date!!!). Seeing as at the moment I don't have time for a real post, never mind posting some pictures, I thought I'd be nice and direct your attention to this post at the Seven Sisters' blog, where you can see lots of fun pictures of Andrew from our recent trip to Indiana.

May you all have a blessed Christmas!

Long time

2011-11-22T13:11:00.003-05:00

I know I'm doing a horrible job keeping up with this blog. I've been very busy. I've finally gotten into a good routine with Andrew that includes doing Laundry, cleaning our apartment, and staying on top of it all. For the longest time everything was just once in awhile, when I'd get the chance... :)

Andrew is growing and growing. He's calls my "mom" and that's the only word he seems to say regularly. I think it's because he has so many aunts and uncles to talk for him. :)

I'm now 29 1/2 weeks along. This baby is so different from Andrew. It is more active, and definitely has a stronger personality. I'm so curious to meet this Little One and see if it's a boy or a girl. I had a dream it was a beautiful little girl we named Bethany (which is one of our top 2 girl names) and so I'm thinking that somewhere in my future is a little Bethany. :) I really don't care whether we have a boy or a girl. I'll be excited either way. I want a girl mostly for Scott because he really wants a girl, but either way, we'll be super excited!!!!

Thanksgiving is in two days and last Friday we decorated for Christmas. Before you go judging me, we are leaving in 10 days for a 2 week book tour getting home 1 week before Christmas, so we decided that we wanted to enjoy our place decorated for Christmas, especially since I won't be leaving everything up until the end of January like last year because once New Year comes, I'll be kicking into high "Baby Prep" mode. :) Less than 11 weeks until my due date, I'm so excited!!!!

Just a little "tid bit" for you....

I've been studyin Proverbs 31 and this verse just keeps popping out at me.

"She seeketh wool, and flax and worketh willingly with her hands." Proverbs 31:13
A virtuous woman works willingly with her hands. How often do we do what we need to do because we need to do it without a willing heart? I've noticed that the more I look at what I need to do with a willing, cheerful, eager attitude, the easier it is to do it. It also usually turns out to be more rewarding as well.

I know this wasn't long, but it's something. :) Now I need to get off the computer and go work on Christmas gifts. I'm trying to finish everything (as much as possible) before we leave for our trip.

Photo Card

2011-11-16T00:36:00.001-05:00

Faith Love Family Religious

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The Shortest Post Ever

2011-09-06T14:23:00.004-04:00

I love hearing the "pitter-patter" of little feet on the kitchen floor as my little guy walks by me!

In other news, I can now officially feel the baby moving (18 weeks and counting) and we were out of power for 6 days last week thanks to (what was then) Tropical Storm Irene which was actually a lot of fun!

I know this is a short post, but hey, it's better than nothing right? :)

News

2011-08-15T14:32:00.003-04:00

No, I have not forgotten about my blog. I have been just living life, and not taking time to document it (I know, shame on me!). There is so much to share, and as always, so little time (it's only a matter of minutes before Andrew realizes he needs a nap). So, I'll just do a list of updates...

Andrew:

is now walking, and really walking. He's been taking multiple steps very frequently for a couple weeks now, but in the past few days he's gotten to the point of just walking (although he still has his cute little "toddle")
has peed on the potty twice in the last 2 days. I bought him a potty chair just to have on hand, and then decided that I'd try to put him on it every time I change his diaper. The third time he went on it Saturday, he went (I didn't even check at first, just closed the lid and then thought, I should probably just get in a habit of checking, and low and behold, he had gone pee!). Then he did the same thing yesterday. So now I'm thinking that it's possible he could be potty trained at least during the day by February (I'll let you know why February in a moment).
cut his first tooth at 9 months and at the same time decided that he was finally interested in solid foods. (Praise God!) He is now 11 months and prefers only table food, and especially whatever any of the rest of us are eating! I can't give him enough food!
loves music and any time anyone starts singing or playing music, Andrew gets all happy, nods his head, and then just gets this big grin on his face!

Me:

I am pregnant, again!
I'm due February 4th, which makes me 15 weeks, 2 days.
I know, by this point with Andrew's pregnancy, I had several baby bump pictures for you, and even though now, I have quite the baby bump compared to Andrew's pregnancy at 15 weeks, I haven't taken any pictures.
Andrew and the baby will be 18 months apart, which I think is perfect! I'm so excited!!!! One year from now I'll have 2 adorable little kids to keep track of, and I can't wait!
One thing is for sure, this pregnancy seems to be going much faster than the last. However, I'm sure that the fact that I have a little guy running all over the place that I must keep track of, is the "culprit". :)
The first trimester, I seemed to be more sick compared to the last pregnancy, and thankfully it mostly died out about 11-12 weeks instead of 14 weeks like with Andrew.
Apparently, it's going to be tradition, but just like with Andrew, at 9 1/2 weeks I woke up with a terrible migraine and was vomiting by mid morning. Of course it happened to be the day before we were leaving for the International Christian Retail Show in Georgia. I somehow managed (with lots of help from my sisters and mother) to get us all packed up and get everything ready to leave at 4am the next morning. I knew I was only sick from the pregnancy, and it wasn't a virus, so I determined that as long as I was not vomiting when we were getting ready to go, I was still going to go. By about 7 or 8 hours into our drive I was feeling much better and even ate some Mexican food for dinner. Only, pregnancy! :)
Since that lovely day of being sick, I've been dealing (joyfully) with headaches that usually turn into mini to full blown migraines every day.

So, there's an update, and now you all know that I haven't fully disappeared from cyber-space! :)

I will leave you with a picture from the ICRS we went to a month ago. Andrew was sleeping for this picture, but we were pretty excited to meet Roma Downey (mostly known for being in Touched By An Angel). And yes, I was already showing at 10 weeks.

WIFE

2011-05-16T09:40:00.002-04:00

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted! But then, I have not spent much time in the last 2 months on the computer. If you would like to see some new pictures of Andrew, we have been at the Seven Sisters' house twice in the past month and they've been to our house just 2 weeks before that. You may have to read the last 2 months worth of posts on their blog, but they have a LOT of pictures of Andrew on there, like in this post (at just 7 months). :)

I am currently going through Elizabeth George's book A Wife After God's Own Heart (and gleaning lots of good things that I'm working on putting into practice) and I wanted to share an acronym with you that I intend to put on my bedroom mirror!

"Four biblical elements to help us apply God's teaching:"

Warm up his life with your love

Improve his life as a helper

Follow his leadership with a willing heart

Esteem him highly with utmost respect

Still alive

2011-03-05T21:48:00.004-05:00

I'm still here, in case anyone was wondering. :) My laptop is not working right now and so I don't have any "new" pictures, but here's an "old" picture on Andrew and my Mom within the first week he was born, and he has changed SO much! In one week he'll be 6 months old, and I just can't believe it! I can't imagine life without him, but he is growing so fast, I just pray I won't take any moment for granted.

We are finally all moved in (and organized!!!) into our new "apartment" at my parents' house. It is beautiful, and hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon! We are so thankful for both of our families, and we are just loving being so close to everyone. A year ago we were in Georgia, and while we greatly enjoyed the book tour (and are greatly looking forward to future book events), we just really have learned how valuable family is. Andrew loves seeing all of his aunts and uncles as well as his grandparents every day! He is getting close to crawling and does all he can to get to things he wants. He weighs about 16 pounds and is over 26 inches long. I think it was 26 3/4", but I can't remember for certain.

I have been trying to get back into T-tapping consistently as the last few weeks things have been rather hectic. I am very excited because in just 25 days (almost 24) some dear friends are coming for a visit, and I just can't wait.

There hasn't been too much else going on. I'm a mom, my time is filled with Andrew and my wonderful, loving husband!

Giveaway

2011-02-22T14:44:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I promised pictures "soon" but we are still in the process of moving and things are just crazy right now.

On another note, the seven sisters at www.homeschoolblogger.com/sevensisters are having a giveaway. Go check it out!!!!!! On second thought, don't, cause I want to win! :) Haha!!!!

Absent

2011-02-03T13:19:00.005-05:00

I know you, my readers (if you are still reading my blog after such a long absence) have probably been wondering where I have been. Well, I took an unofficial, blogging hiatus. I have not been spending much time on the computer over the past month and have been focusing my time and energy on my adorable little boy (who is almost 5 months old), my husband, and my home. It has been very good for me, and although I do intend on writing a little more frequently than every 6 weeks, I am also going to continue spending less time on the computer (or at least not more than I have over the past month).

In the way of news, Scott's book Swords of the Six is being released in just a couple weeks (you can pre-order for $9.97 from amazon.com right now). The cover is beautiful!

With Scott's book coming out, we are moving (again.. :) ) in with my parents. There are very few people in the world who we would feel comfortable moving in with for and undefinite length of time, and we are blessed that my family happens to be such people. We are very excited and can't wait to be all moved out of our trailer and settled in there.

Andrew is rolling all over the place now. I am most certain that he'll be crawling before 7 months. We go to the doctor's next week, and I am very curious as to how much he's grown since his last visit. In contradiction to my last posts, Andrew is still in some 3-6 month clothes. He is NOT in 3-6 month sleepers (those are 6-9 month), but when it comes to onesies, shirts, and pants, they are all 3-6 month. He also actually plays with toys now, and it is SO much fun watching him. He loves to be upright and so the Bumbo seat and Saucer seats/Walkers are our best friends. :) I have lots of pictures to post, but alas, I'm not writing from my laptop and don't have access to them at the moment. But hopefully soon!

And in case anyone was wondering, where I live, we have about 2 feet of snow right now. :)

Christmas

2010-12-27T12:02:00.006-05:00

Christmas has come and gone to some, although I still don't feel like Christmas is quite over. We had the best Christmas ever! I will start with the beginning of the week. On Monday I had a few friends over for a a couple hours just to chat. Three of them are in College and so we don't see each other very often. My "best friend" from 1st grade just loves Andrew and so I had to get a picture of her holding him.
I love Andrew's outfit in the above picture! It was sent to him from his friend Leah and has Pooh Bear on the bottom of his overalls. So cute! :)

We had a good week leading up to Christmas. We were so excited because being near family is SO much nicer than being 20 hours away. On Tuesday Andrew and I went shopping with my Dad and stopped at our favorite little restaurant that has the best milkshakes and onion rings. My Dad used to with his parents when he was little and then when he and I would go Christmas shopping, we'd stop there for lunch. We had lots of fun and had a successful trip. :)

On Wednesday Andrew and I went over my parents house while Scott was at work as my Uncle and his family had driven here from California for Christmas and was coming over to visit.

On Thursday Andrew and I went with my family to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader (the new Narnia movie) for the second time (went with Scott on Sunday). It is a very good movie, and we all had lots of fun! :)

As you can see, I'm REALLY enjoying being near my family for the Holidays! We made lots of cookies last week and watched some Christmas movies in between working on gifts and wrapping them.

On Friday I made my Mom's Cinnamon Rolls to bake on Christmas morning (they were DELICIOUS!), cleaned the kitchen, worked on gifts, and finished wrapping everything. We then went over to my parents' for a light dinner before going to the Christmas Eve service at our church. Since we were all dressed up, we took some pictures. I just LOVE how this picture of Mom and I turned out.

Mom's "Christmas shirt" has glitter on it and so needless to say, we all end up with glitter on us by the end of the day. :)

Rebekah is very patient in letting everyone else hold Andrew even though she herself is dying to hold him, so I make sure I try and get a picture of the two of them on the rare occasions that she is holding him (without anyone trying to "steal" him).

Christmas morning, I got up at 6am. The earliest I've gotten up and stayed up in a very long time! Well over 6 months, I'd say. But we did go to bed early (at 11:30) and we were very excited about Christmas! Here are our filled stockings. My Mom made the bear in Andrew's stocking. It has a little sheep's suit and is just adorable!!!! Scott is working on getting Christmas music playing.

And our tree, with gifts underneath it.

Before we opened our stockings, Scott read the Christmas story from Matthew. It was so nice. Andrew slept through everything, but he won't get away with missing it all next year! :)

I managed to snatch a picture of Scott starting to open his stocking, and that was all I got from all of our gift opening. Oh well, hopefully I'll do better next year! I'd better!

Here is Andrew, sleeping peacefully, with his stocking beside him. :)

We were at my parents' by 8 and had such a LOVELY time!!! We took our time opening the gazillion presents that were under the tree (okay, there weren't really that many, but there definitely was more than I've ever seen there). All seven of us "kids" had gifts for everyone, and those alone overflowed the tree, nevermind when Mom and Dad added their gifts for us! :) It was SO much fun and we just had the best time!!!!

Daddy and Andrew are "buddies". :) After seeing each other quite a bit over the past week, Andrew gets excited when he sees Grandpa!

There were several "large gifts" like the one pictured below. Colleen is helping Joe "unwrap" his gift from her and Will.

They made him a castle, and it is just the coolest thing!!!! I have no idea how they did such an incredible job with it. Joe loves it and has been having lots of fun with it!

My parents got me some new clothes (which I very much needed) and we got some really neat gifts from my siblings. Hopefully I can take some pictures of them and post them soon.

My parents and I surprised Scott with a Wacom Bamboo tablet for his laptop. I successfully sneaked his laptop into our car without him even getting suspicious. He had lots of fun "playing" with it and did his first full illustration.

About mid-afternoon we went over to Scott's parents' house and had a lovely afternoon and evening!

On Sunday we went back to my parents house (my cousins wanted to visit one last time before they left).

Here is Scott playing with his tablet and Andrew "hanging out".

Well, Andrew is ready to eat, so I must go. I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Pictures

2010-12-16T18:25:00.004-05:00

Here are several pictures (mostly of Andrew).....

Earlier this month we celebrated Scott's birthday! We got both of our families together (at my parents' house since their's is the largest) and had a party.

My sleeping boy:

And then he moved....

"Just Hanging"

Oh, and being "curious"

That's it for now.

3 Months and Other Happenings

2010-12-15T13:36:00.003-05:00

I have many pictures to post, but I'm not writing from my laptop, and since I have time, I figured I better blog, picures or not since I am way past due!

Andrew is now 3 months old and can only fit into 6-9 month sleepers. He is still wearing 3-6 month clothes that don't have feet on them, and onesies. He had a cold for over a week, but it's finally gone now. We are very blessed because even though the cold lasted so long, it came in stages and was spread out so we didn't have any REALLY miserable times. You knew he wasn't feeling himself, but he wasn't extremely fussy. Andrew is such a mellow baby, I know we're getting spoiled. He never really "screams", just complains and "fusses". I'm sure we're in for a big surprise with the next baby (or not, who knows?). Andrew is also very close to figuring out how to roll over. He's almost got it, but not quite. It's hysterical watching him as he gets up on his side but can't figure out how to complete it and end up on his back. Sometimes he'll just give up, and it's funny to see his expressions.

I am doing good. I am trying to get back into a consistent exercise routine as ever since my cousins wedding (which I was doing good for), I lost my main motivation. So my new motivation is to get back into tip top shape so I can get all out of maternity clothes without lookin "buldgy" and so I can be in better shape when I get pregnant again than when I got pregnant with Andrew.

I've been doing much better at keeping on top of cleaning, laundry, and cooking. I'm sure that Andrew's willingness to play on the floor for more than 5 minutes is helping, but ultimately, I know it's because I'm working harder (with the Lord's help) to keep my focus on HIM! I'm re-reading Anne Ortlund's Disciplines on a Beautiful Woman from The Gentle Ways of the Beautiful Woman. SOOOOO good!!!! I read it sometime before I got married, possibly just before Scott "came along." It was so good then, and I knew it would be even better to read when I was married. Anne Ortlund's books are the kind that you should always be reading and should always be on your nightstand. Disciplines of The Beautiful Woman is my favorite at the moment. You can find her books at Amazon at a decent price. I'd post a link, but for some reason it's not working right now. As a disclaimer, these are just my own opinions of her books. I only encourage you to buy them because they have been SO encouraging to me, and especially now, with a baby added to my everyday life (and all that comes with that), reading snippets here and there, has been so helpful and encouraging. Her heart for the Lord is so eminent.

I'm out of time. Hopefully I'll be able to share more soon (and post all the pictures I keep meaning to post).

Cousins

2010-12-01T23:48:00.003-05:00

On Thanksgiving I took this pictureof my newest cousin Jason (who is 6 1/2 weeks younger than Andrew) and Andrew. It is so cute, and I just know they'll have lots of fun together as they get older.

Thankfulness Part 8 (and other happenings)

2010-11-30T23:06:00.003-05:00

Here, we are, the last day of November (although I'm doubting that anyone will read this before December comes seeing as that is 50 minutes away) and I'm sorry to say that I didn't do very good with my original intention of writing at least every day, adding to my "Thankfulness List." But 8 posts in four weeks isn't too bad, I think, considering that a 2 month old boy is keeping my hands quite busy.

Speaking of that 2 month old boy (11 weeks and 3 days to be exact), he is certainly growing. I just pulled out all the 6-9 month clothes (which is what he has on right now) as we are completely out of anything that resembles 0-3 month, and the 3-6 month are just barely fitting him. I'm really glad I haven't bought the onesies and outfit I plan on buying for his stocking yet! I would have bought the wrong size. Andrew was first born, I didn't know what to think of all the winter clothes we were getting that were size 6-9 month because I thought "he's not going to be 6 months old until March," and now I'm laughing at myself!

The last part of my Thankfulness list... I'm thankful:

That I don't have to work a "9-5 job" and leave my cute little bundle of joy
That God has given me an opportunity to earn enough money each week to pay for our groceries and a little left over (perfect timing with Christmas in a few weeks)
For the lovely ladies I got to visit with this evening at my parents house while their girls were in Bright Lights
That we had such a lovely, relaxing Thanksgiving!
That even though Andrew has a bit of a cold, it hasn't been bad enough that he's been overly fussy (he's certainly not himself, but he still smiles on occasion). I know we will have very bad times in the future (all-nighters and everything), but for now, I'm thankful that the first cold isn't as bad as it could be.
That I am already using cloth diapers because I didn't get stressed out today when I realized that I only have 7 disposable diapers left and no chance to get any before Friday :) It's great how God provides!
For my time with the Lord this morning
For two hands (it is so much easier typing with two rather than one) :)
For eyes, to see and read
For ears, to listen
For all that God continues to bless me with

This past weekend we went to a Christmas party at Scott's aunt and uncle's house. They do this party every year, and every year Scott's uncle dresses up and Santa and hands out gifts to everyone. Now, just so you don't get me wrong, we don't believe in Santa and we are not going to make our kids believe in Santa. But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy Scott's family's traditions. We had a great time at the party (we missed last year's because of our trip), seeing and visiting with all the family and here is a picture of Andrew with Santa (a.k.a. Uncle R.).

Aside from Andrew's cold (which he caught from his Daddy and I caught a touch of as well), we are doing very well! We had a great Thanksgiving and got to see both families, and compare Andrew to my two new cousins (who are 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 weeks younger than him), as well as letting him "play" with his two cousins (Scott's nephews). We also learned that my Mom's brother and his family is coming for a visit over Christmas, and we are all SOOOO excited!!!!!

Speaking of Christmas, now that we are passed Thanksgiving, has anyone else started decorating for Christmas? I love the Christmas season (as I'm sure all my readers have figured out by now), the decorations, lights, music, movies (especially the old ones like Christmas in Connecticut and Holiday Inn), cookies, my Mom's cinnamon rolls, and most importantly, what Christmas is about -- the celebration of Christ's birth. I know Andrew can't fully understand yet, but many times already, I have taken him over to where our manger scene is set up and told him the story of Christ's birth and why Christ came.

Here are a couple pictures from my cousin's wedding a couple weeks ago. As you can see in the above picture, I did dress Andrew up and he looked so darling, but we did change him after a short while as it was a little uncomfortable for him with his shirt and vest rolling up under his arms.

Here is my cute little boy with my very handsome Man!

And one of my family and I. I'm so thankful for each person in my family and love them all so much!

Last but not least, a verse the Lord brought to my mind this morning, and I just had to look it up!

"Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8

Thankfulness Part 7 - Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T23:34:00.004-05:00

So, it would appear that I have not been doing very good keeping up with my thankfulness list. But I'm not done yet. I still have 6 days left before December hits. We've been rather busy lately. Last weekend my dear friend and cousin married the Love of her life, and it was such a lovely wedding. I did dress Andrew up, and he looked so cute in his sweater vest and dress clothes (I did get a couple pictures, but they're on my camera still so perhaps in the next post...), but I'm glad I don't do that often because even though he looked so adorable, his shirt and vest kept riding up under his arms, and I doubt it was comfortable. Of course he had to wear the little booties that my Mom made him (see previous post).

In 19 minutes it will officially be Thanksgiving. I love the holidays, but as I think back to past Thanksgivings (and "Christmases"), my eyes begin to water as I recall all the great memories I have of family dinners/get togethers with loved ones who no longer walk on this earth. Growing up we always had both sets of grandparents and my Dad's grandmother over on the holidays and in the past few years that has extended into my Aunt's family too. That's what I remember most about the holidays, not what we ate that year or what we got as gifts, but the togetherness of family.

Thanksgiving last year, we were finishing loading up the trailer, changing the oil in the car, trying to fit as many boxes of books as possible into the trailer, and saying our goodbyes to our families as we would be heading out early the next morning for Scott's book tour. In a lot of ways we feel like we missed Thanksgiving (we had a lot of other things on our minds), and while we had a decent Christmas, it was very different not being with family. Praise God for Skype! So, needless to say, we are very much looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of the holiday season.

On to my thankful list. I'm thankful:

For all that God has done in the past year (I can't believe it's been a year since we started our trip)
That we get to spend the holidays with our families this year as well as start our own family traditions now that we are a family.
That God allowed me to miscarry last summer as He has brought me so far since then (although it still brings tears to my eyes every time I think of it)
For the 9 garbage bags full of boy clothes that I just went through that were given to us. It took me 2 weeks to go through them (it was so daunting), but I am so thankful for all the clothes as they mean I won't have to buy that much, and there's such an abundance, I am passing some along.
That he Lord has impressed on me the importance of seeing what ways I can decrease our spending. I use whatever coupons I can find, but I realized that making our bread (which I've known how to do since I was 8), making our cereal, and making other breakfast foods like baked oatmeal, cuts $15-$20 off of my weekly grocery bill. That's a lot considering how little it takes for the "substitutes". I can make enough bread, cereal, and baked oatmeal for a month for $15-$20 tops!!!! That's a savings of $45-$60 a month. Pretty good, if I do say so myself.
For Andrew's smiles every time I talk to him (he just wins my heart every time I look at him).
That I have such a caring husband with a listening ear. He likes to listen to me talk, whether it's serious things, or just ramblings, and that means a lot to me.
For the friendship that I share with my Mom. She considers me one of her best friends (next to my Daddy, of course) and I greatly treasure that!!! She's definitely one of mine!
That even though my kitchen is still a mess from cooking dinner today, I am not stressed about it, because God has been teaching me to make the most of every minute I have, and I did get lots done today.

This past week I was reading some of Laine's Letters and in one of them, she talked about how she likes to keep a list of all that she does throughout the day so as she starts thinking of all her "to do's" instead of becoming overwhelmed thinking "how will I ever get them done" she can see all that she has accomplished. I know that as I've done that this week (although it's been mental lists, not written ones), it has encouraged me to add to my list of "accomplishments." Laine's Letters are very encouraging, and I encourage you to check them out!

It is time for me to head to bed. We're getting up early tomorrow so we can help in the preparations for dinner.

May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Thankfulness - Part 6

2010-11-18T00:28:00.003-05:00

I'm terribly sorry that this is so late. I should probably schedule posts (as in write them ahead of time), but that would take away from the discipline of taking time every couple days at least, to think about what I'm thankful for.

So, today I'm thankful:

That I gave in to Scott and we now have our Christmas tree up "with all the trimmings" (see picture below)
That I have continued to stay consistent in exercising daily as it is starting to pay off
That I have also been consistent in eating healthier (less bread, more salad and veggies, and choosing healthier snacks like Almonds and Cranberries instead of chips or cake)
For the adorable "booties" that my Mom made Andrew (see pictures). I was just thinking yesterday how sad it was that we didn't have any knitted booties (I've always thought they were so neat), and now we do! :)
That Andrew and I can accompany Scott for some of his work as it makes for more time "together"
That tomorrow we will celebrate 31 months of "togetherness." I just love my husband! :)
That I have so many sisters. I love each of them and love when I get to spend time with one or all of them.
That even though our second car died (see previous post) I don't have to stay at home every day as my family just loves (it would seem) have a visit from Andrew and I, even when it means they have to pick me up and bring me back home. I'm so blessed!
For Water! I drink lots and lots of it, and don't what I'd do without it.

Yes, here's another picture of Andrew. I couldn't decide which one I liked better (the above or below), so I posted them both.

Yes, I know, it's still a week until Thanksgiving. But as you may recall we started listening to Christmas music last week (waking up one morning to snow is what started it) and we kept talking about how we couldn't wait to start decorating for Christmas and Scott kept trying to convince me to get out tree this past weekend. I didn't want to get it now and then have it be dead by Christmas, so we compromised and decided to see how much an artificial one would cost. Well, it's the same price, so we went with an artificial tree (for this year at least, as we do prefer a real tree, particularly going and picking out our real tree). We also found a little village set for a very reasonable price and set that up around the tree. Here is our first Christmas tree, and I must assure you, it looks 100 times more pretty and beautiful in person!

I must run. Someone is ready for bed!

Thankulness - Part 5

2010-11-13T21:12:00.003-05:00

Here's Andrew "hanging out with Grandpa". He looks so serious! :)

Andrew and I had an interesting day yesterday. Not long after Scott left for work he called me and said that the car (our old car that we took on our trip and just spent quite a bit of money on getting it in good working order so Jacob could use it while he was here) had died on him. Immediately I got up and started putting Andrew in his carseat because I new exactly what that meant. I had to go meet him so we could drop him off at work, hopefully before he was very late. The car did start up again and I was able to meet Scott at our local garage (which was a blessing since we didn't have to pay a towing fee or anything) and now we wait to see what they say about the car.

But the day wasn't over yet. After we left Scott at work, Andrew and I did a little grocery shopping on our way home, and then we ate and changed diapers before heading out to Walmart for the bulk of this week's grocery shopping. Now, I had made sure I burped Andrew before we left and all, but sitting in the carseat, on the shopping cart (since I needed quite a few items, there was no way he was going to fit "in" the cart and I had forgotten the sling) must not have agreed with him. He slept most of the time I was shopping, but then he woke up and started fussing, and I mean, really fussing so I picked him up (I was really wishing I had remembered to bring the sling as it's not easy pushing a full cart while consoling a fussy baby) and then he had a big burp and I said "oh, that's why you've been fussing." Then I thought to myself how glad I was that he didn't spit up. Of course, what happened, but I immediately realized he had spit up, all over my neck, my jacket and the straps of my handmade purse. YUCK! I grabbed the receiving blanket that was in the carseat and started wiping off Andrew (oh yes it got all over him too) and prayed "Lord, what do I do?" as I knew the carseat was not a good place for him at that moment and I couldn't reposition the carseat because my hands were full and let's not forget the spit up that was all over me. I glanced down the aisle in front of me and saw a lady from our church (whom I've known my whole life) and thanked the Lord right there. I walked up to her and said, "would you please be a lifesaver and hold Andrew so I can clean myself up?" She was thrilled to hold him (I don't think she had even met him yet) as she loves babies and I felt so blessed that God would time that all so perfectly! Yes, God cares about even the smallest things like having your son spit up on you in the middle of a store (on the opposite end of the bathrooms, no less) and providing some help for you.

Now after that long (perhaps boring), drawn out, story, on to my thankful list (and pretty much a rundown of my day). Today I'm thankful:

That I was able to get laundry and dinner done for Scott before he left for work today
That Andrew took a 2 hour nap this afternoon
That I was able to get clothes folded and put away, my bedroom straightened, and the house vacuumed (it was in dire need of that)
That as a result of all the above, most of the house in in very nice order now
That Andrew was happy to play (after eating and a diaper change) so I could exercise, finish folding and putting away the last load of laundry for the day organize his clothes (he's constantly outgrowing stuff), and even get over half of the dishes from the last 3 days done. Yes, I have not had a chance to do dishes since my sisters helped me a couple days ago.
That Christmas is coming! (I've been listening to Christmas music all this past week.)
For Swagbucks as thanks to them I have extra "Christmas money" to spend at Amazon on Scott

I have gotten a lot done today and it's not even over yet (for me, anyway). I hope all my blog readers are having a lovely weekend!

2 Months

2010-11-10T20:20:00.005-05:00

In 3 hours, Andrew will be 2 months old. He has grown so much and is constantly changing. He's started wearing bibs as he drools quite a bit and I'd rather change his bib 4 times a day rather than his clothes. I am very blessed because he hardly spits up (usually only once a day, if at all). He is very smiley and loves it when we sit (well, I sit, and he "reclines" or lays on his tummy) on the floor and play. He weighs 13 pounds and is over 24 inches long. Yep, I'd say he's growing! :)

I love watching him as he "talks" and just enjoying every moment with him. I know "babyhood" won't last very long (I have my two nephews to prove it) and so I am just enjoying being a mommy, Andrew's Mommy not taking a single moment for granted. Especially as we move closer and closer to Thanksgiving, I am constantly reminded of how very, very grateful, thankful, I am for my sweet, loving Husband, and my adorable, loveable, little boy! I love how when Andrew is not happy all I have to do is pick him up and he stops fussing (unless I don't figure out what it is he wants within a few minutes, cause in those cases he starts right up again). It might sound funny, I mean I know he can't talk or anything, but I know that he loves me. The way he looks into my eyes, I can see the trust and love there. I am just so amazed at how incredibly awesome God is. I mean, I've always known He's awesome, incredible, indescribable, but he is always showing me that no matter how awesome and amazing I think He is, He is always more so. Does that make sense? I look at the little boy who is laying on my lap (taking a nap before we head to bed in a few minutes) and I am in total and complete awe of God's creation.

I'm sorry this isn't a longer post/update, but it's 1:40 (am) and it will take at least 20 minutes before I'm in bed (once diaper is changed, hands are washed, contacts are out, humidifier is refilled, and whatever else pops up) and I'm ready for bed now, so I'm thinking I should get started.

Thankful List - Part 4

2010-11-10T19:01:00.003-05:00

I'm thankful:

For sisters who so lovingy come over to keep an eye on Andrew and help me get lots of work done

For soft, fuzzy, blankets (perfect for cool days)

That I decided to make myself a salad instead of a sandwich (bread does not help those inches melt, you know?)

For Teresa Tapp (yes, I'm working on getting myself back in shape)

That I had a boy! :)

Mystic Seaport

2010-11-07T13:24:00.006-05:00

On October 30th we took Jacob to see Mystic Seaport. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we had lots fun! It was extremely windy since we were so close to the water (hence our messy, windblown hair). It was rather "handy" having Jacob with us as for the first half of the day Andrew was in the stroller and so we took turns staying with Andrew and touring the ships. I took this picture (below) at one such time. You can see Scott and Jacob having fun taking pictures and such on the deck of this ship (I don't remember all the names).

And I had to take a picture of "Andrew". not that you can see him or anything. It was less windy at the end of the day but at the time this was taken, it was so windy I made sure Andrew was nice and protected from the cold wind in his little "bubble". As you can see, my sling as many uses. It is very versatile! :)

Here is my sweet, darling Hubby enjoying all the opportunities for picture taking with his oh, so very nice, camera. :)

For fun we did this "quest" thing (it was free... :) ) that the Nautical Instrument building gave us. They gave us a bag that had a compass and spyglass in it (we didn't get to keep them though) and we also got a GPS devise and instructions on things we had to do as we found different boxes throughout the "village". It was lots of fun and we learned a lot about ships, and how they did different things (like the codes they used with flags to send messages to other ships). This is me in front of the gazebo (it was a land mark for finding one of the boxes for the quest).

As you can see, when Andrew got tired of the stroller, I had to keep him warm in the sling. So, he was in a "fleecy" bunting, in the sling, with a receiving blanket tucked in around him and I kept my nursing cover on to give an extra shield against the wind. He was "toasty warm". :)

We went down the road a ways to a restaurant for a late Lunch half-way through the day, and I snapped this photo of Andrew. He's so interactive and smiley now. We've been having lots of fun playing.
The other day Scott was playing with Andrew and sat him up on his shoulders. It was so cute because Andrew grabbed a hold of Scott's hair and thought it was very interesting. Since then Scott has put Andrew on his shoulders again, and he is all smiles. :) It's so much fun watching Andrew interacting with Scott.

Andrew's first Shoulder Ride:

Andrew has a new buddy, Jacob. They have had lots of fun together, although, I'm sure the next time we see Jacob, Andrew will be even more interactive, running all over the place. :)

Just "hanging out"

Today is Jacob's last day here, and I can't say we're doing anything interesting other than just hanging out and taking it easy. Of course, we did forget to turn the clocks back last night so I guess we all could have slept in an extra hour, but that's okay. :)

Today also marks 8 weeks since Andrew was born. I can't believe how big he's getting, and even though he is about twice the size of his 2 cousins who were born in the last 2 weeks, I told him, he's still "my little baby". :) As of Friday he weighed 12 lbs, 13 oz, and is just over 24 inches long. He is just SOOOO cute. I say that all the time, but I just can't help it, he IS! :) I love him so!!!!

I hope all my readers are having a relaxing, restful Sunday. Don't forget to think of something to be thankful for today. I'm thankful that God made me a mother and gave me the ability to serve those I come in contact with.

Thankful List Part 3

2010-11-06T13:15:00.002-04:00

Okay so I'm a day late, but here I am, once again with more things that I'm thankful for:

Coupons
The ability to capture all the wonderful moments that are continuously happening on camera and print them off
Music - Growing up I only ever listened to Christian music and I'm so thankful that that was the way it was, because whenever I'm feeling "down" or need my spirits lifted, I just put in a CD, and seeing as the only CDs I own are Christian, within minutes, my heart is soaring
Beautiful, Sunny days like today
Women like Sally Clarkson and Elizabeth George who write encouraging books specifically for women (if I have a few moments, then I have gotten into a habit of grabbing a book that is encouraging in relation to my walk with God and my roles as woman, wife, mother, and homemaker.
Blankets to keep my Little One warm :)
Two new, warm coats (that fit nicely) that I didn't pay a penny for since my Mom had them sitting in her closet (she's such a nice Mom!)
The fact that I need to go because my hubby has the day off! :)

I will hopefully get pictures up over the next few days. Our house guest is leaving tomorrow night.... :( :( :( We will surely miss him. He's become Andrew's "buddy" and it has been nice to have company while Scott's at work, not to mention all the fun the three of us (Scott, Jacob and I) have had playing Frisbee Golf and Wakeboarding on the Wii, but we wouldn't keep him from all the signings he has over the next month.

Thankful List part 2

2010-11-03T17:40:00.003-04:00

I just remembered that I had challenged myself to post on here at least every other day things that I'm thankful for, thankfully, the last post was day before yesterday! :)

I'm thankful:

That I'm able to go with my Husband on his new part time job
For my smiling baby (even though he pees, poops, and spits up on me)
For CLOTH diapers (they absorb better than disposables)
For sisters and brothers who are always eager to see me
For parents who are so supportive and loving
For in-laws that I not only get along with, but love almost as much as my own parents
For a large enough "small" house that we can host guests (like Jacob Parker)
For Candles
For all the beautiful old hymns
For BOOKS!!!!!

I have pictures and a fun post in mind from our visit to Mystic Seaport last weekend, hopefully I'll get that on here before this weekend! :)

November

2010-11-01T22:26:00.002-04:00

Seeing as it is now November and Thanksgiving is just over 3 weeks away, I am going to try posting at least every other day, if not daily with a few things that I'm thankful for to help me to focus more on a Thankful Attitude, and I'd encourage each of my readers to do something similar, even just writing down a list every day!

I'm thankful for:

My Saviour, I'd be lost without Him!
My wonderful, adoring, Husband
My sweet son, Andrew
My Mom
A warm house as the weather has gotten much cooler over the last couple weeks
Encouraging Friends
New Friends
Time to make dinner
For a washer and dryer

There's the start to my list....

Giveaway

2010-11-01T22:19:00.002-04:00

Check out the giveaway that From The Little Pink House is doing for Moody Sisters Organic Skincare. At least check out Moody Sisters at the etsy shop.

PICTURES!

2010-10-25T21:27:00.005-04:00

Well, it took me a little longer to do this post than I planned, but it's finally here. :) So, pictures... Here is Andy sporting his cute little outfit from Aunt Lori! My sister says the colors look really good on him. :)

This picture was from about a week and a half ago when I gave Andrew his first bath with the [baby] bathtub in the big tub instead of in the kitchen sink (our kitchen sink is too shallow). He looked so cute!

A week or two ago, Andy and I went and visited Scott's parents while he was at work.

Here is the first picture I've gotten of him smiling! I had to post both pictures, so you can see the progression of what he was thinking. He's just so adorable!!!!!

And just for the record, we have since gotten some BOY hats (instead of the green that makes people ask "is it a boy or a girl?") but they weren't done drying at the time of these pictures.

We were delighted last weekend to get a visit from my Dad's cousins and their daughter Amy!

Amy and Andrew:

This past Thursday, we picked up Author J.R. Parker as he will be staying with us for another 2 weeks! We're really enjoying his visit (even though he's really here to promote his book Kestrel's Midnight Song) and frequently this is what I see:

On Friday we had a get together at our house and realized that we didn't have any pictures of Mom A. with Andrew, so of course, we had to get the camera out! :) I loved how Andrew wouldn't look at the camera because he was looking Grandma!

And one more of Andrew and I! The first couple weeks I only have 2 pictures of the two of us, so I've been trying to make sure I periodically take one.

Andrew is growing and growing. I'm having to get out the few 3-6mo outfits we have (and we picked up a couple at Walmart last night, as his 0-3mo outfits that have feet are too short for him. He is so incredibly adorable!!!! We just love "playing" with him!

I am finally starting to figure out how to balance everything, Wife, Mother, and Homemaker. Jacob's visit is definitely "helping" me stay consistent (God's timing is so perfect). Of course, this post has been sitting on my computer screen for about 8 hours now. :)

Well, Andy is ready for bed and so am I, so I guess that's all for now.

1 Month

2010-10-11T22:52:00.005-04:00

Note: I wrote this almost a week ago, and was waiting to post it until I uploaded pictures from my camera. But I have yet to do so, and I don't want to wait any longer until I post this. So, here's the post, and I'll have to do a picture post, once I upload all the pictures I have! :) I've been trying to catch him when he's smiling...

One month. An entire month has gone by since I gave birth to my precious baby boy. I can hardly believe that it has been that long and yet already it seems like such a long time ago since I was pregnant. Andrew now weighs approximately 10 1/2 pounds and is over 23 inches long. He is spending more time each day gazing around, taking in everything he sees and tries copying his Daddy when Daddy tries helping him practice his words. I am slowly getting used to life with a newborn, although I am constantly refocusing on the Lord as it is so easy to start focusing on how hard it is to get things done because Andrew isn't old enough yet for us to have any sort of routine. My dad preached on Sunday night and his sermon was about Faith, the choices we face, and the decisions we must constantly make. It was another reminder to me of how important it is for me to keep my focus WHOLLY on God! I must daily, sometimes minutely make the decision not to be bothered by the clothes I've been trying to get folded and put away for a week or the dishes that sometimes pile up for 5 days before any get washed, or the fact that my room has never been in such a disarray since we've been living here. Having a little one who needs me constantly is so very different. Good, great, but different.

I have learned the blessing and value of a shower, no matter how short it has to be.

I have become very good at typing with one hand.

I have come to take full advantage of any few minutes I can type with two hands. :)

I have learned how to balance a plate or bowl on a pillow or with two fingers so I can eat while I'm nursing.

I have discovered that after such a labor and delivery as I had with Andrew, I have to still take things very slowly. I would love to be exercising full blast, but my body is not yet there. I've taken 3 walks over the last week and they were slow, short walks. The longest one was just barely over half a mile. (I know that sounds pitiful, I think it is too, but my body thinks it's quite the workout!)

I have learned (yes, learned) that I love cloth diapers. At least, I love the cloth diapers I have. The first two times I tried them on him, I wasn't too impressed (he leaked both times) but then I learned how to put them on correctly, and boom, I love cloth diapers!!!! :) I'm only using them when we're at home, and not at night time yet, but so far I've had more leaks with disposable diapers than I have with the cloth diapers.

I also have learned that homemade cloth wipes (cut from an old receiving blanket and clothes that that were ripped) work a whole lot better than disposable wipes. Now I just need to get over to my Mom's so I can sew the edges before the unravel from being in the wash.

I didn't know just how much I would love holding my baby! I keep reminding myself that we need to start doing "tummy time" even if it's just for a few minutes. I know he'll love it because he loves being on his tummy and I'm looking forward to watching him as he grows and becomes interested in his toys.

I have learned that it is useless for me to get attatched to any outfit I put on him as I never know when I'll have to change it.

Andrew

2010-10-05T01:09:00.003-04:00

Andrew is 3 weeks old and growing and changing daily. I'm too tired to do a real post as Andy hasn't slept more than 90 minutes straight in 30 hours, so you know what that means for me. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the last 3 weeks.

My Mom is such a natural! :)

I love this picture! My dad started bouncing Andrew on his knee while singing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt and Andrew sat straight up. It was so cute! He's holding his head up much more frequently now and he never stops gazing all around him, taking in as much as he can!

Seven Sisters' Visit

2010-10-01T17:23:00.006-04:00

This week we were so very happy to host our favorite family!!!!!!! You may remember the dear, new friends we gained back in December last year who quickly became like family! Well, they are on a trip along the east coast and of course, they had to come visit us!!!! :)

(Susannah and I)

We had so much fun! They arrived at my house just before 5pm on Monday. Andrew started getting passed around right away and he didn't mind it at all. At 7 we headed over to my parents house (where most of them would be staying) and had fun eating pizza, and my family got to get to know the family that I had been talking and talking about for the past 10 months! Trisch and my Mom knew each other, but the kids all got to get to know each other! :)

(Trisch and I)

Jessica and Leah came back to my house Monday night, although we didn't stay up extra late as it is very different having a baby. I didn't realize just how different it is, having a Little One that needs me constantly! But it is worth it! Of course, I had lots of eager arms willing to hold Andrew whenever they could, and it was so much fun watching everyone holding him.

I tried to capture the sweetness of Trisch holding Andrew. It's not easy capturing such things on camera, but I tried. :)

Me and dear Jessica! The first thing I thought when they had left was "we didn't get enough time!" But then, I don't know if we could ever get enough time!

My family came back from vacation the same day our company came and so they hadn't seen Andrew in a week which meant that Andrew had to spend time with everyone. :)

Here is Cassia and Andrew

Bekah greatly enjoyed holding Andrew as well, and Susannah was ALWAYS on the lookout for when she could hold him next! :)

Now we are back to no company (although only for 3 weeks as we will soon be hosting J.R. Parker) and I am trying to catch up on laundry (I have 3 loads of laundry to fold from this past week and just put another load in the washer) and cleaning (have only washed dishes once since Monday, and even though we weren't home much this week, dishes still piled up, not to mention the kitchen floor desperately needs to be washed) without pushing myself too much. I also had to go through a bunch of baby boy clothes as a sweet friend gave me a TON of clothes for Andrew which was awesome seeing as we had 2 outfits and 5 onesies that fit him and only a few outfits and onesies in larger sizes. Now we are set for the next year! :)

Tomorrow I am hoping to go for a short walk with Andrew, weather permitting (it has rained the past week except for Wednesday) and then we have a baby shower to go to for my Aunt. I have 2 new little cousins who will be 2 months younger than my son, which seems funny, but I'm sure that the 3 of them will have lots of fun together as they get older.

I am ready to start exercising in earnest now, but I still have to take things slow and easy for a few more weeks, so whenever I can, I am going to try and take short walks until my Midwife gives me the green light to really start exercising. It's not that I want to be obsessed with my weight, I just want my body to be in good condition. I know that if I stay consistent with taking care of myself now, then it will be much more beneficial in the long run.

On a completely different note, Swords of the Six is now available for pre-order on Amazon for only $10.19 This is being re-released through AMG Publishers and has some new material in it. If you go on over to Scott's Blog http://www.flamingpen.blogspot.com/ you can check out the different rewards/prizes for pre-ordering Swords of the Six!

Have a great weekend!

2 Weeks

2010-09-26T18:47:00.003-04:00

Today marks 2 weeks since our Son's birth and he has certainly changed our lives! Scott remarked on that fact this morning and he mentioned how one of those changes is that we're less lazy. And it's true, we don't have time for laziness, we have to take advantage of any extra moments we get. I am finally starting to do more. I'm still being careful about lifting anything that weighs more than Andrew and I still have to be extra careful when going up or down stairs, but it is nice to be able to move around more and do more! This morning I made us breakfast with Andrew in the sling. I am already discovering just how much I love my sling, it's awesome!

I am so in love with my little family! God is so good! When I was in labor, God met me out in our driveway. I had been just trying to endure labor, and I was trying to do it on my own. But when it got to the point of things really needing to get moving, all I could do was turn to God, and He met me and carried me further than I knew I could go. God is good!

Here is Scott and Andrew earlier this week (I must admit, I've never taken my camera out so frequently in 2 weeks as I have, these last 2 weeks).

Let's see, what are some of our achievements over the last 2 weeks? Well, I tried a cloth diaper yesterday. Of course, not long after was when Andrew decided to "mess" and seeing as I haven't quite gotten the hang of just how to properly put the cloth diapers on yet, let's just say, it was pretty disgusting as not only did I have to clean off the diaper in the toilet, but his blanket as well. Needless to say, I decided to do a load of wash right then! I am not giving up on Cloth diapers yet, but I am going to be a little more careful about how I put them on. Also, Andrew is finally wearing clothes. As you can see in the pictures in this post, he has only been wearing receiving blankets since he's been born. Mostly due to the fact that he got a rash 2 days after he was born, and the more air (less coverage) he got, the better it got. His rash is not completely gone yet, but it is so much better now.

Here he is, trying out his swing! He seemed to be entranced by the fact that as he moved, the back leg stayed. :)

Saturday, after breakfast, Andrew and I went out on the deck to get some fresh air.

Until today I had not been anywhere in 2 1/2 weeks since I was sick before I went into labor and then I wasn't allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks. So, today, in honor of Andrew being 2 weeks old, we took a ride to my parents' house and watched a couple episodes of Chopped (a cooking show that we enjoy). Oh, how I love fall! Driving along, with the windows open, was so refreshing!

Andrew's first car ride. He did very well. :)

I am working on straightening my house and getting things back in order seeing as I've been sort of "out of commition" for the past 2 weeks. So now I'm taking every few moments I get to do something. Tomorrow, some very special friends (from the Seven Sisters blog) are coming and I am so excited about their visit!!!!! You may remember when we visited them on our book tour, we had so much fun, and hopefully they'll have as much fun visiting us. :)

Well, *someone* is trying to get my attention, I think he wants to eat (again!). This little boy eats more than I thought possible. I mean, I knew he'd eat this frequently, but I just didn't fully understand what that meant. :)

Our Little One's Story (and some pictures)

2010-09-18T15:57:00.006-04:00

I enjoyed getting everyone's comments with their guesses. Everyone who didn't already know the weight were pretty off. Keep reading for the details...

On Friday September 10th I was having strong contractions throughout the day and by 3pm they seemed to be getting closer together. Scott had gone to work and I called my Mom and asked her to come at 3:30 as the contractions were becoming 7-10 minutes apart. I kept myself distracted by doing laundry, straightening the house, cleaning the kitchen, making Taco Salad, and then cleaning the kitchen again. All that in an hour. I called Scott at 5 and told him this was it and I needed him. By then the contractions were 5 minutes apart. Mom and I started to fill the birthing pool as I was planning a water birth. We let the midwives know what was happening and by 7:30/8:00, they were here. By that time I was finding some relaxation (but no relief) in the pool. To make a really long story/post, just long, I spent about 7 hours laboring in the pool. I did get out for a while and walk around, but then I was back in the water.

However, the water, although it felt nice, didn't seem to be helping move things along so I got out and didn't ever end up back in it. Saturday morning came in went and right about the 24 hour mark my Dad and siblings brought us over some dinner. My sister came over to me and asked me how I was doing and at that moment I said "I don't know why I ever wanted to have a baby!" Now, I can't even fathom how I could have said that (and that was not the first time I had voiced something similar) but that's the stage I was at. The contractions were still raging strong, but they didn't seem to be doing anything and it seemed like they were just going to go on forever.

Again, to keep this semi-long (instead of really long)... Around 9:30ish, my midwife told me she had a prescription for me that I was not going to like. She wanted me to put my shoes on and go stomp up and down our driveway for 30-45 minutes. Now up to this point any "walking" (if you could call it that) I did was very small steps as I was in so much pain and so uncomfortable. I asked her "can't I stomp around inside?" She told me that if we didn't really get things moving we were going to have to seriously consider going to the hospital. That thought scared me so much (I'm not afraid of doctors or hospitals, I just didn't want to have my baby in a hospital), that I immediately became a changed, determined woman. No more trying to make it through each contraction so I could rest for a few minutes, I was going to work as hard as I could to get this baby moving. So Mom, Scott and I went outside (after a prayer) and started STOMPING. Not only were we stomping, but we were praying and praising God and with every contraction, as I hung on my Mom, I prayed "Lord, move this baby dddoooowwwnnnnn." After a good 30-40 minutes of that we came back inside and I tried to rest between a couple contractions as I was way past tired and exhausted. During which time I was praying and asking God to just fill me with His strength to birth this baby. After about 20 minutes the midwives turned all the lights back on and said, "come on, you don't want to stop now." (The contractions were finally changing and things were moving.)

God gave me the strength I needed and the endurance to keep going and to make every contraction count. I don't remember when I started pushing other than that it felt like I was pushing for hours (although I wasn't really, at least not for more than 2), but at 4:46am (making it 37 hours of labor) on Sunday September 12th, my Little One was born. Throughout the entire pregnancy I kept thinking the baby was a girl, but trying not to focus on that in case it was a boy. Even Friday, the day I went into labor, I was convinced the baby was a girl, but when the baby was born and I saw that it was a boy I said "it's a boy! Oh, I love him, I love him!!!" Scott was thrilled to peices as he desperately (I hadn't realized just how desperately) wanted a first-born son.

Now remember, we still didn't have any boy names picked out. There were names I liked, names he liked, but not a single name we both liked! After he was born and I was sitting on the couch with him, Scott said, "you can name him" he was just so thrilled it was a boy. My first thought was "what?" and then I knew, "Andrew?" I asked. He said "yes!" I asked him "are you sure?" and he said, "yes, I like Andrew. How about Stephen for the middle name?" (After my Dad) and I said, "Perfect! Andrew Stephen, our little Andrew!!!" Just as I had hoped and prayed, God gave us the perfect name when he was born!

So Andrew Stephen was born on September 12th, and he weighed (are you ready???) 9 pounds and 10 ounces! He was also 21 3/8 inches long! He is the darlingest little boy and I love him to peices!!! I am so thankful for him and so thankful that God would choose to entrust him to our care. I know that he is just a gift for a time as faster than I know I'd like, he will grow into a man and have to go his own way (hopefully, prayerfully) following after God's Will. So I am trying to make the most of every moment I have with him now (hence why it has taken me a week to do this post) especially as I know he is constantly growing and every day brings little changes that I don't want to miss! Here is a picture of our little Andrew (or Andy, as Scott nicknamed him) in one of his favorite sleeping positions (doesn't it look like he's thinking, or something?).

And here is the first nice picture of Andrew and I!

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures so far. This was when Andrew was only a few hours old. Look at that happy, happy look on Scott's face!!! He is such a proud Daddy!

My Mom finished making me a sling (by Elizabeth Lee Designs) this week and so today I tried it out for the first time (I didn't go anywhere, I just tried it out). I love it and I love the brown material with little hearts all over it!!!

My Mom was invaluable to us over the past week and a half! She came on Friday and stayed all the way until Wednesday morning only going home once for 3 hours on Monday. She was so helpful with everything and we are so grateful to her! I am not allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks and must continue to take things slow and easy (which is harder than I thought!).

I must say, it is nice not being so pregnant anymore! I can now lay on my back for more than 2 minutes, and it doesn't hurt at all anymore! :) YAY!!!!! I have already lost 28 pounds and am beginning to wonder what non-maternity clothes I will be able to fit into soon. In the meantime however, my maternity clothes are nice and comfy and I think look nicer on me now than they did before! :)

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I will stop here for now and give all my readers a break! :)

NOTE: I started out this post typing one-handed while Andrew was nursing, and now this is where he is, sleeping peacefully on my lap! He is just so adorable!!!! :)

Baby is HERE!!!!!!!!

2010-09-14T19:40:00.002-04:00

Baby is here!!!! We are so delighted with our new, precious, little gift from heaven! God is so good!!!!!

September 12, 2010 at 4:46am I gave birth to a beautiful little BOY!!!!! There is a long story behind his birth as I'm sure you must guess, and I will keep you in suspence until I have a few more minutes to write it out.

So, in the meantime, let's play a guessing game! :)

Let's see who can guess the closest to how many hours I was in labor, how much did the baby weigh, and what did we name him!

Leave a comment with your guesses and I'll be updating the blog with a long story and lots of photos very soon!!!!!

41 Weeks, 1 Day

2010-09-08T11:02:00.002-04:00

I wanted to update all my readers real quick. There is still no baby. However, I am thankful the baby hasn't come yet because Monday night I started getting a sore throat and by yesterday, it had turned into a full blown cold! So, now I'm taking herbal tinctures around the clock and eating lots of homemade Chicken Noodle soup (that my sweet sister made for me) and trying to get as much rest as possible (which isn't easy when the only comfortable position to sleep is sitting up on the couch)! I would appreciate any and all prayers that God will heal this cold quickly and that Baby will come shortly after! Thank you!!!

40 Weeks, 4 Days, and counting!

2010-09-04T00:09:00.004-04:00

As you can see by the title of this post, I am still pregnant. Earlier this week I was on an emotional roller coaster ride, it seemed as I just so badly wanted this baby to in my arms. But over the last two days, I have been the opposite and am fully determined not to have this baby until late Saturday night, or anytime thereafter! You see Scott is photographing a wedding this weekend and obviously I don't want to go through labor and have the baby without him here, so baby and I are content to wait until after he's done with the wedding! In the meantime, we've gotten much accomplished over the last couple days.

We finally got a bed frame for our bed! If you recall this post you may have noticed that our mattress and boxspring was on the floor. They have been like that every time we've used them (as there were 4 months that we didn't use them/during our trip) since November of last year when we left our apartment. You see we somehow decided to throw out the old frame (why, we can't really remember) when we left our apartment and so have been living without ever since. As you can imagine, it is not easy for a 7, 8, or 9 month woman to get out of a bed that is lower than her knees, especially when said woman has to get up 3-6 times a night! I had finally let go of the thought of getting a frame for our bed, but then Thursday morning I was sitting in bed reflecting on the near future and all of a sudden I realized that once this baby is born, I will be spending most of the first 2 weeks in my bed! And seeing as that puts the cradle so high up, I'd have to get out of bed just to put down or pick up the baby, and let's remember, that that will be just after giving birth, which means my body will be doing some serious recovery! So after mentioning my thoughts to Scott, my darling husband and I decided to go out in search of a frame. Just a metal frame as our room isn't big enough for (and we're not ready to invest in) a real bed frame.

However, as a result of the new bed frame (which is AWESOME! We finally are sleeping in a "real" bed!) my Kleenex, water, crackers, etc. (a.k.a. anything else I need) could not be reached if left on the floor as they had been before. So temporarily we put a chair beside the bed for my "nightstand". See picture below:

As you can see, we also have a LOT of pillows! Eight, to be exact (one of which is a full length, body pillow). I generally use between 4 and 5 to sleep and then Scott uses what's left to prop himself up to write when I go to sleep at night!

So, back to what we've been up to... Friday night Scott and I went on a mission to Walmart. We needed: some produce, Rice Dream, water crackers (my favorite), batteries, a travel case for wipes (you know, the flat cases that go in the diaper bag) - as we didn't have one and I hadn't even thought of it until a few days ago - diapers (I've been stocking up whenever I get hold of a $3.00 off coupon), and an end table! We found all that we needed (including a table for under $50) and Scott started putting the table together as soon as we got home! Here he is getting down to the end of putting it together:

Then something was wrong with the drawer, so he had to do some more work on it... I just love watching him!!!!

Not to interrupt, my story here, but you may notice our Pack 'N Play all set up behind Scott with the Winnie the Pooh mobile! It's so cute, we just love it (and can't wait to put it to use)!

Here is the table all done and in it's "rightful" place! I'm sure I'll find more things to put on it, but the drawer and shelf will help keep everything organized! :)

I'm signing off for now. Must get some much needed rest!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

2010-08-29T18:44:00.005-04:00

Right now we are playing the waiting game. My due date is on Tuesday and we are so ready for this baby. Not to mention, I'm looking forward to not having a big hard belly again. I mean, I know it will take time to get back to "normal" (that is, whatever my new normal is) but when I'm doing dishes or cooking and I need to get something from the upper cabinets, I am constantly reminded of the fact that I'm 39+ weeks pregnant! As you can see in the pictures I've gotten quite large and baby is ALL in front now (and a little lower). I am praying and praying that if it is in accordance with God's will He will allow the baby to be born sometime in the next few days. But, for all I know, I may not have the baby until September 10th, or sometime around there! (Oh, what a dreadful thought that is!)

Thanks to the shirts my Mom gave me (they came at JUST the perfect time) I still have 3 shirts that I can alternate with, two of my new ones and a size XL maternity shirt that I had bought just before my shower. I don't know where expectant mothers of twins find shirts to wear when they get close to the end of their pregnancy! As it is, I never thought that I'd fit into a size XL, never mind an XL maternity shirt! Anyway, enough about me and my clothes!!!! :)

I've had a nice, relaxing weekend. Yesterday I got some cleaning done (I'm hoping the next time I need to do the vacuuming, will be after the baby is born!) and started on a new baby blanket for my Etsy shop.

Today I took a short nap after Church and then later this afternoon, we went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant. It was very good and close by so we were back home before 6. Now I'm writing a blog post and Scott is working on writing and the likes. :) Check out his blog post about his short stories here.

I don't have many plans this week. Actually, I don't have any plans this week other than my weekly prenatal appointment (which I'm hoping will be something different...). I don't know if that's a good thing because the baby will come, or if that's a bad thing because I'm going to end up finding myself rather bored. :)

It is so strange to think that Summer is practically over. I have many friends who have already gone back to college and I know that even the high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools are starting as well. I am very thankful though that we are at the end of summer because that means the baby will be here very soon as well as the fall weather! I love fall, the leaves changing and cooler weather! Of course, I have other reasons for wanting fall too. September marks the first month that I'll be a Mommy and we have company coming at the end of the month that we are greatly looking forward too!!! I'm also looking forward to after I have the baby and getting things a little more settled and organized as right now we have all we need for the birth and everything taking up a lot of space in this (while larger than our apartment was) small, house!

So, what are you looking forward to in Fall?

Stuff... Update

2010-08-21T23:06:00.004-04:00

As I sit here starring at this blank page I am trying to decide how to start off my new post. I am posting because it's been awhile since my last post, baby could come at any time (which would most likely mean some more time would pass before another post), and I have some time on my hands.

I was very pleased with myself for finally clearing off my kitchen table (it's needed it for, oh about 3 weeks now) and then moving the table lengthwise along the wall to give us more room for the impending water birth. I also swept and mopped the kitchen floor and did some laundry. I must say, it always feels so good to get my house in good order!

This week we also moved Scott's desk from our bedroom to the baby's room to make room for the Cradle in our room. Everything fit just perfectly, and now we really feel "ready" for the baby. That is, as ready as we'll ever be. It is only by God's grace that we will be good, godly parents.

Now for an update on the pregnancy....

The day of my prenatal appointment this past week, my feet were more swollen then they'd ever been and I had gained 7 pounds in 1 week. (Yes, that freaked me out!) So as a result of that (and other things) I went and got some blood work done to check my iron, blood cell counts, etc. Everything was right where they should be which was very nice and since my appointment I went down a pound, and have stayed just below that initial amount the past 5 days instead of climbing over the course of the week. Of course, I have also been doing more exercising this week (as in daily) compared to last week (which was once or twice).

Now on to the baby... :) Baby seems to be posterior, which means it's facing toward the front instead of toward my back. However, it is also very active and a lot of the times feels like it lying on my side more then anything. So, we will just wait and see. When a baby is posterior that means that you have a lot more back labor (which is more uncomfortable than normal labor).

On Thursday night I had a good 3 1/2 hours of contractions that were more than the normal braxton hicks, but as you can see (due to lack of pictures, etc.) although they were close together, they weren't very consistent and eventually died off. Even though I was very disappointed that they didn't get more intense I know my body is prepping itself for labor (which is coming since I am 38 weeks, 4 days along now) and as my midwife encouraged me, I am enjoying my last days of just me and my Hubby. :)

Another exciting thing for me this week was that my Mom found me a three maternity shirts (sizes M, L, and XL) on clearance that she surprised me with! Everywhere I've gone I haven't found anything, and I was refusing to spend more than $15 on a shirt that I'd only wear for a few short weeks. The size M shirt is a little short (although longer than all my other maternity shirts) and so I will no doubt get more wear out of it over the first couple months after the baby is born and then save it for the next pregnancy. The other two shirts are nice and long and look nice (of course the fact that they don't have any stains on them... yet.... is very nice) and it just totally made my week to be able to have 2 new shirts in particular that are comfortably loose, and don't look so "drab". :) My Mom is so great!!!!

Head on over to my Etsy shop: HandMaidGifts and check out the new baby blanket that I added here.

Okay, I think that's about all for now. Don't forget to do something special for your spouse (or a family member) today, "just because" and enjoy your weekend. :)

Pictures!

2010-08-11T17:22:00.002-04:00

As promised (for once) I am back with new pictures. I am now 37 weeks, 1 day along in this pregnancy...

And for a close up:

The baby has been moving a lot and still having those lovely braxton hicks contractions! :)

We picked up the bouncy seat and the Pack 'N' Play today and so now, I must go put them together while my darling Husband gets some writing done. Why isn't he putting everything together? Because he's writing and I find great enjoyment in putting them together. :)

Update

2010-08-09T22:57:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I know it's been too long since my last post! I really didn't mean for so much time to go by! But I will try to make it up to you and fill you in on all that's been happening (which isn't too much) over the past 2 weeks!

For starters:

I am 37 WEEKS!!!!! That's right, only 3 weeks left until my due date! 37 Weeks also means that I am "Full Term". I am getting more and more excited as each day passes to meet this precious Little One!
I have gained over 40 pounds, I am sorry to admit and I'm just praying that with T-Tapping and Nursing, those 40+ pounds will roll away faster than they came! (Along with all stretch marks.)
My headaches/migraines from the first half of the second trimester have been threatening to return over the past 2 weeks, but as long as I keep my stomach full of food (and lots of protein), they seem to be staying at bay.
My feet and ankles have had some swelling over the past month and even when we have "cooler" days, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. So, I have been trying to be strict with myself and take frequent breaks throughout the day, but... um... well... that hasn't exactly been working out that well.... It's a little hard to take a break when I have so much I need/want to get done!
My clothes seem to be shrinking as almost every day it seems I find something else that doesn't fit anymore. I have had to console myself to the fact that no matter how hard I try, the 3 maternity shirts that are still wearable (even though 2 are getting a bit short) are not going to change. Oh, and as for finding something "different" to add to my wardrobe, not happening! The only shirts that would fit and look nice are just way too expensive considering that I only have 3-5 weeks left, and I was blessed enough to find the 2 skirts that I have now! But, that's okay, pretty soon, there will be a beautiful little baby in my arms and practically immediately after that, my wardrobe will start growing (without having to put out any extra money)! Isn't that lovely? :) I think God arranged everything just the way it is, on purpose! :) Over the past week in particular, God has been re-teaching me that lesson of contentment, and reminding me that yes, although it may seem like I don't have much to wear now, very soon I will be able to wear all the other things in my closet and in the bags in storage again, so don't get caught up in the worlds way of thinking "I need more clothes" because really, I don't! Back to update:
I have been having more Braxton Hicks. Which is a "fancy" name for feeling the contractions that have been going on for the past 9 months but that still aren't intense enough for me to be in labor. But, as you can see, the explanation is longer than "Braxton Hicks" so that's what has stuck, I guess. :) Anyway, the other night (careful, I might go off on several "rabbit trails" as I haven't posted in so long) my darling husband went grocery shopping with me and I had about 5 "more intense" contractions over the space of about an hour. Even though I knew it wasn't (hopefully) the start of labor, it did get me thinking. That particular night I was in NO WAY ready to have this baby! I mean, I am just itching to meet this Little One, but I was not ready for it to actually be here yet (and I'm still not quite ready). Little by little we have been working on getting ready for the baby. I mean, we have everything (including the birthing pool) we need for the labor and delivery part of this baby's entrance into the world, but the baby's room isn't ready (as in the baby's things aren't quite fully organized yet) and we have yet to move stuff in our bedroom to make room for the cradle to go in there. I am the kind of person that likes to be prepared. I'm flexible, but I like to be as prepared as I possibly can be and those contractions the other night gave me a little bit of a scare. :) I told my Mom the other day that I am going to have to get my house into perfect order and then keep it that way, because I am not ready for this baby, just yet, but I really want to be. :) Of course, God may have other plans, but in the meantime, I am (little by little) working on putting the house in good order (finishing organizing things and finding homes for several items) and particularly making sure our room is ready for Baby. :) Okay, back to update....
The crib is all set up in the baby's room and we bought a swing and bouncer seat (swing is all set up, and the bouncer seat is on it's way). The only thing we really need to get still is the Pack 'N' Play. I've decided that I'm going to set the pack 'n' play up in the Living Room for the first few weeks at least so that way when the baby takes it's naps, it can be close by instead of being all the way down the hall.
I have also been working on stocking our freezer. I have frozen Ravioli (and sauce in the cupboard) and this week I put 3 containers of Chicken Pot Pie filling (just need to be thawed and get some biscuits on top) and 1 Apple Pie in there as well. I know people will be bringing us meals, but I figure even if we don't touch this food until 3-4 weeks after the baby is born, it will no doubt come in handy to have something that doesn't need too much work after a tiring day or when I don't have anything for Hubby's lunch and I don't have enough time to make a full meal. If anyone has any other suggestions of meals to freeze, please pass them on!
The past week I've been working harder on exercising more as for a couple weeks I wasn't doing too good. Thankfully my parents have a pool, so I can do lots of exercising in there (which is so nice because it takes all the weight off of my feet for the time I'm in it) and I've been trying to take more walks and do more T-Tapping! The past week I exercised 5 out of 7 days, which is a big difference from 2 days the week before, and 1 day the week before that!

So how's that for a longer update? I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but I will try and take one over the next day or so and post it immediately. :)

Baby Shower

2010-07-25T22:37:00.005-04:00

Today my Mom and Scott's Mom threw me the loveliest baby shower! :) Here is a picture of the cake, made by my sweet Sister-in-law. She did a lovely job on it and it looked just lovely! From the what was left, it looked pretty good too, but I was so hot and exhausted that I didn't think it would be very wise to have that much sugar. So I have some sitting in my fridge for tomorrow. :)

The shower was at my Mom's house and it was so nice to be able to do it in an air conditioned house! I'm so glad that we've had to add on to their house so many times. :) Yes, it was a little crowded with some 60+ people, but it would have been so hot to do it outside. And they set it up so nice that there was plenty of room for everyone (of course some of the younger girls did take advantage of the pool....)

Here are a couple pictures of my Mom and I as I was opening gifts. She very lovingly was my "lap" as mine is so quickly disappearing!

Here is a picture of everything sitting in my living room, waiting for me to go through again, but this time with Scott. We received such wonderful gifts, and we are very grateful!!!!! :) God has richly blessed us!

As you can see, we got a car seat and stroller set (from my parents). I particularly love the stroller because the handle can switch sides so that I'm facing the baby. It is very versatile and I can't wait to use it!!! Behind the stroller, on the floor is a very nice high chair that Scott's parents surprised us with! You see, the high chair I put on our registry, I didn't care much for, but it was not as big and bulky as all the other ones I saw. One day my Mom and I were at another store and I saw this high chair there, and loved it. But I didn't think of it again. However, since my Mom and my Mother-in-law are such good friends, when my MIL told my Mom that she wanted to get us a high chair but didn't care for the one on our registry, my Mom told her about the one we had seen. It is just perfect, and still takes up much less space than the big bulky ones, and I'm so excited to use it!

In case anyone was wondering, I'll be 35 weeks on Tuesday!!! That means I only have 1 more week to get everything ready for the birth as it is recommended to be prepared by 36 weeks. YAY!!!! :)

To Think About...

2010-07-25T01:02:00.003-04:00

"He left His Father's throne above,

So free, so infinite His grace:

Emptied Himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam's helpless race;

'Tis mercy all, immense and free;

For, O my God, it found out me.

"Amazing love! how can it be

That Thou, my God, should'st die for me?"

Help

2010-07-24T18:13:00.003-04:00

Does anyone know how to get rid of the "blue sky" look at the top of the blog page? Thanks!

Blog "Look"

2010-07-24T17:29:00.002-04:00

You may have noticed that things aren't "looking" the same here. Please bear with me as I find the perfect new design for "The Thoughts of Scott's Fair Maiden".

Thanks!

Wedding

2010-07-17T23:23:00.004-04:00

I love weddings and today we attended my cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, my camera does not take very good indoor pictures and so I didn't get any of the lovely bride and groom. I just love seeing two people so in love and with every wedding I attend I also offer a prayer to the Lord on their behalf. Marriage is not easy, but it wasn't meant to be easy. Our culture is such that it not only looks at divorce lightly but applauds it. No one is encouraged to work for their marriage, especially if it has gone down a rocky road. The truth is (if only people would see it!) that marriage is well worth the work! Marriage is not about what *I* get, how it effects *me*, how happy *I* am, it's about the other person. What can I do for *him*, how can I serve *her*. When we are putting ourselves first and are only happy if everything is going "my way" then we are not trully happy. Just like we can only be fully satisfied if we are putting Christ first in our lives, we can only be "happy" when we are looking at our marriage with a Servant's heart.

On a different note, here is a new "pregnancy picture". I am now 33 1/2 weeks along! That means less than 7 weeks until my due date! I'm so excited! I have come to love this Little One so much, and every time I feel it move it just fills my heart with joy and I can't wait to hold it in my arms!

And here is a picture of my wonderful husband! The most amazing man in the world!!!! :) (No, I don't care if anyone disagrees with me... (-; ) While we were waiting for the Bride and Groom we had passed the time taking pictures!

32 weeks, 1 day

2010-07-14T19:51:00.004-04:00

I just realized that a good amount of my posts are done on Wednesdays, very strange, it seems. :)

Anyway, I have 6 weeks and 6 days left until my due date!!!! It is coming up so fast now!!!! We are still "more excited than ever"! :) We can't wait to have this baby be a part of our every day life. Although technically it already is. :) Of course it will be nice to hold the baby, watching it move and grow instead of feeling the baby trying to stretch me more than I knew my body could handle. During my appointment yesterday the baby kept moving away while the midwife was trying to figure out where it's lying and listen to it's heartbeat. This baby seems to be very active!

Today I went shopping and found a navy blue skirt that fits me seeing as I only have one other skirt (which is getting worn out very quickly) and one dress that I wear CONSTANTLY because they are cooler than everything else I own! Now I have two skirts to choose from, and that is SO nice!!!! :)

The summer seems to be going by so quickly. We're already half way through July!!!! So crazy!!! Although we are having a very HOT summer it has been a good one too! Next summer we'll have an almost 1 year old toddling around. I am praying that I will take advantage of every moment I have as I know that time will only feel like it is speeding up.

I guess that's about it for now. Keep an eye on my etsy shop: www.handmaidgifts.etsy.com as I'll be adding new items within the next couple days!

It's Official

2010-07-08T21:46:00.003-04:00

It is official! All but one box of Scott's is unpacked and out of my house!!!!! I am definitely in a nesting mood. Today I took care of all the stuff that was still in the Baby's room (in the middle of the floor, no less), took care of the boxes still in our room, brought all the boxes and such that was in the kitchen (waiting to go to the garage) to the garage, cleaned my kitchen counters (and re-arranged them), did dishes, washed my floor (even though I did it 48 hours earlier), did 2 loads of laundry, went through my boxes of candles and the like (re-organizing as I went), and now I'm wishing that it was after the baby shower that my two sweet mothers are throwing for me just so I could go through and organize all that stuff! Yep, definitely in a nesting mood! By the way, just to clarify, I've only been up for 10 1/2 hours (slept in this morning) and I spent 4 hours at my parents house swimming! (and visiting too)

Well, that's about all for now. I'm 32 weeks, 2 days and counting! I love how all I have to do is touch my belly and I can figure out where the baby is! I can't wait to be able to hold this Little One!!!!

Giveaway

2010-07-03T00:10:00.002-04:00

Hey, check out this awesome giveaway going on at Fashionable Modest Patterns: here

Announcement!

2010-06-30T18:56:00.004-04:00

Okay, so finally, after months of planning to do, but never actually doing it, I have started an etsy shop. What is etsy? Well, go head over to:

http://www.handmaidgifts.etsy.com/

and check out my new etsy shop: HandMaid Gifts by Fair Maiden

I only have a couple things up so far, but more is on the way. I just started a pink and purple baby blanket that will go up there along with many more dishcloths (a variety of colors) and a few other ideas that I have.

NOTE: If you tried the link above and it showed up nothing, I had it wrong, sorry. I just fixed it!

Warning: Long Post

2010-06-30T17:13:00.007-04:00

Well, I'm a little late seeing as I planned to do this post 5 days ago, but oh well, that's life. :)
I am now 31 weeks, 1 day along. KallyLyn was correct last week when she guessed that I had 9 weeks, 6 days until my due date. Of course, today it's only 8 weeks, 6 days until my due date. But who's counting, right? :)

The baby's movement has certainly stepped up! I think I talk about the baby's movement every time I do a post. :) But every time I'm updating, everything is more than it was before, and I just have to take notice! I have been able to feel arms, legs, it's back, it's bottom, (not so much it's head anymore as that seems to be staying down more, which is a good thing....) all with just the thin layer of skin between us. It is so neat! Today the baby's knee was poking right out and when I touched it, it moved over a couple inches before pulling back in. Baby's are just so neat! God's design is just incredible!!!!!!! I can't wait to meet this precious, Little One!

As you can see, I am definitely "popping out". I can not see my feet anymore, and it is getting a bit hard to pick things up off the floor. If it is just one item, and I have nothing else in my hand, then I can usually do it, but if I'm holding something else or I need to spend more than 2 seconds down near the floor, it's hard! :)

And now, for a tour of our new home. However, please keep in mind that even though we've been here for 3 1/2 weeks now, we are still in the process of figuring out where things should go and getting everything set up just how we want it. But, if I waited until we were completely done and I had enough time to do it, then I'm sure I would have no readers left because everyone would have given up on me. :)

Here is our bedroom. As you can see there are still some boxes to be unpacked. The towel over our window is because this room has 3 windows and as soon as the sun starts coming up, it is streaming into our room while we are trying to finish off our night's sleep. Here is a full view of our bed (and Teddy) and the lovely quilt that we received as a wedding gift.

Moving down the hall..... Here is our bathroom.

And a view of our hallway:

And now we enter the beloved, Baby's Room. However, as you can see it is not fully the "Baby's Room" just yet. :) Just the other day I finished the curtains in their. If you click on the picture you can see that they are Winnie the Pooh themed. You can also see here what we have left to take care of and get out of the bedroom before my shower which is in 2 1/2 weeks. We've also been "throwing" stuff on the shelves and I plan on reorganizing them (and the books on them) once we finish emptying our last boxes.

This is the one area in the baby's room that is obviously "baby" at the moment. I have diaper and wipes samples from when we set up our gift registries, along with the diaper bag (and some little girl outfits and a Winnie the Pooh "blankie" (as in, Pooh-head attached to a mini blanket) that are inside) and our first cloth diapers which came in today! I was so excited to get them!

Here is the wall right next to the door with more things to be organized. :)

Here is our Kitchen table and you can see my first curtain that I made.

A full view of our kitchen. I also made the valance curtain for this window as well.

Here is Scott in our Living Room writing on his day off! :) From what he's told me, he's gotten a lot of writing done on his third book! The purple yarn on the side of the couch is the beginning of my second baby blanket. (Come back later to find out what happened to my first baby blanket.)

And here is where I've been sitting today, working away on my computer as Scott has worked on his.

Big announcement coming soon!!!

But first, I must go finish dinner so my darling Husband and I can eat. Oh, how I love Crockpots!!!!

Missing my Hubby (and a challenge)

2010-06-23T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been over a month now since my dear, sweet, wonderful, loving, kind, amazing, incredible, serving, caring, giving, hardworking husband went back to work at the factory. Oh, how spoiled I am!!!! I knew before that I was spoiled but didn't realize just how spoiled I was until the past month. I mean, I figured that since we only needed one cell phone because we were practically ALWAYS together and because we only needed one car because we were always together then I was no doubt getting to spend a whole lot more time with him than other wives get with their husbands. I knew I had much to be grateful for, but still, I didn't realize just how much! Having him gone for 9 hours a day definitely brought that realization full circle! (Please note, I'm not complaining, just sharing from my heart....) I mean, I have been greatly enjoying my time at home, at OUR home, but it's not so much because I'm by myself as it is because it's "our home". Oh, I am cherishing and treasuring my time with him more than ever these days! (Hence my lack of posts and pictures.) I love my husband so much and my heart just thrills at the sound of closing doors as he heads for the front door when he gets home from work. I know it seems so silly because he was working at the same factory the first 3 months of our marriage. But remember, we've been married for 12 1/2 months now and that means that for the past 9 1/2 months I've had my Hubby all to myself. I mean, when he's home he's always working on something book related, but when he's home I can get a kiss in much more frequently throughout the day than when he's gone for most of the day. :) Besides, just his presence in the house makes me so happy. I love knowing he's working on the couch while I'm doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, organizing, going through boxes (the baby's room is still 1/3 full of boxes). It's nice just to see him as I pass through the room. '

Over the past few weeks in our own place, especially since Scott is working 2 jobs (writing/being an author is always a full-time job) God has been reminding me of all the sweet aspects of being a housewife. I mean, I was still a wife for the 7 months before now but we didn't have a place of our own. It was challenging because I had to work hard and be creative to make wherever we were feel relaxing and restful but nothing beats having a home of our own that I can make a "haven of rest" for my Man (and soon to be, family). It is nice to have pictures up (even if they are mostly of *us*) and to have my candles and all the familiar things that were in our first place of residence as "husband and wife". I know Scott would say (and I agree), "it's nice to have our books out again!" :)

I love being married. I love having my own place to cook and clean in. I love learning all that God is continuously teaching me. I love planning snacks to surprise my Hubby with when he gets home. I love being pregnant and thinking that one day very soon I will have a little baby keeping me very occupied while "Daddy" is at work. :)

I don't know if any of this mumble-jumble has made much sense. But to change the subject I now have a challenge for all of my blog-readers:

I know I have not posted in almost 2 weeks and am planing a post with lots of pictures within the next week. But how about a little trivia in the meantime?

Can anyone guess how far along I am in my pregnancy and how many weeks and days are left till my due date? Rate how far along I am (weeks+days if not exact) as of today, June 23rd. If you can guess that correctly, than you'll have no problem figuring out how many weeks and days it is until my due date (that is of course, if you remember how many weeks a full-term pregnancy is). Sometime in the next few days (as long as someone has guessed correctly) I will do a Pregnancy update post as well as a "new home" post with lots of pictures.

2010-06-09T11:42:00.003-04:00

I have been reading The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson and I would like to share a couple quotes with you.

"I realized that one of the roles God wants me to play in my children's lives is a conductor of joy, happiness, and celebration. After all, God designed our need for these things into our hearts. We were made to enjoy life and our Creator, and we were meant to choose to live in His beauty and provision.
"This doesn't mean I won't have difficulties or times of depression. But I do have choices I can make as a mom that will determine the environment in my home." (Sally Clarkson)

This does not only apply to the role of mother, but also of wife. When I am joyful and cheerful, looking for opportunities to praise God, the whole atmosphere in my house changes. We don't have children in the house just yet (although Little One is frequently reminding me that it is on it's way :) ) and I can only imagine how much my attitude will effect the environment of our home, because I know that it does now, and once the children are coming along it will only be even more important and vital that I am not always downcast, focused on all my "duties and responsibilities" instead of focusing on the gift of my children and all that the Lord is doing. Now is the time to be practicing this because it is just as important and vital that we look at our responsibilities with delight, especially for the sake of our Husbands (or families if you aren't married yet).

I will end this post with one more quote:

"To neglect enjoying God and His own wonderful ways in my life is to not really know Him or grow in Him. For at the very basis of His character are love, life, beauty, and joy. To know Him is to know goodness. To walk with Him is to walk in lovingkindness, pleasure, and delight." (Sally Clarkson)

Home

2010-06-07T15:06:00.005-04:00

We celebrated the end of our first year of marriage on Saturday by moving into our new place. No, I don't have pictures yet because there are still boxes everywhere, and I haven't taken any pictures yet. :) But soon, I promise to post some soon. :) Thanks to the help of family and friends we not only moved everything to our new place, but we also got our clothes put away, the kitchen completely unpacked and our Living Room well on its way all within about 6 hours! God is so good! It was so nice to be able to celebrate our 1-year anniversary, the beginning of our second year of marriage yesterday by relaxing and enjoying puttering around, organizing books, cooking in my kitchen and just enjoying the quietness of being together alone. It has been amost 7 1/2 months since we left our apartment and since then we've been living with different couples and families for different lengths of time as the Lord led us halfway across the country in a big circle, bringing us back to CT. It is so nice to have "our home" again and the timing was so perfect as our anniversary made it extra special. We still have much settling down to do but not only are we enjoying our new home but so is Scott's dog (who, I have to be honest, I like to bring in the house more often then leave her outside).

Contrary to the above, I did some searching and found a few pictures for you all.

Last night we enjoyed some of our Wedding Cake. It was very good and the rest of it is sitting in the fridge, just waiting for us to finish it. :)

And here is our dog. Not a very good picture, but you can also see that I do have cupboards in our new place. :)

I snapped this picture last night as well. It was the first (and is still the only) section in my Living Room that isn't furniture and is all set up. :)

And here is *us* at the wedding that Scott was in a couple weeks ago. We managed to take these pictures before the wedding started, and just before a thick fog rolled in.

Here is a close-up of my Beloved and I. I love him so much!!!

I am adjusting to having my own place again. One thing I love about our house is that it has a real-size Fridge! We've done a lot of grocery shopping already and I still have empty shelves! YAY! Our apartment had a full Freezer/Refrigerator, but the whole thing came up to my nose and there was one rack in the fridge, and no shelves on the drawer. I'm also working on keeping on top of my dishes! I used to let them pile up and wash them once a day, but I don't think I could stand for that much time in one spot now, so I just wash as I dirty. :)

I bought some adorable Winnie The Pooh themed material to make curtains for the baby's room and I can't wait to get them made and hang them. However, first I must empty the baby's room of all the boxes that are in there for me to "go through". It's piled pretty high right now, but thankfully it's a small room, so there can't be too much stuff in there. :)

Well, that's about all for now. Have a blessed week and I'll do my best to update frequently whenever I get internet access.

Update - 27 Weeks

2010-06-01T17:17:00.004-04:00

I am sure all of my readers have been wondering where I have gone. The worst thing is that in another week, I won't even have daily internet access. But, for now I thought I'd give you all an update.

The past four days have been filled with lots of painting (only a little done by me) and cleaning as we prepare to move into a place of our own once again. To say we are excited would be an understatement considering the fact that we have not been in our own place in over 7 months! The best part about God's timing for everything is that we should be in our new place for our 1-year Anniversary which is this Sunday! We are renting a lovely old trailer (that we are painting inside to look nice and new, to the best of it's ability) that has a nice yard, a deck, and my favorite, a spot for a garden!!!! I plan on planting some Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Yellow Squash next week once we're in there! I also bought seeds for Basil, Parsley and Scallions! We're even going to be able to bring Scott's dog over which will be nice for me as she will need exercising and seeing as I'm supposed to be walking every day, we can go for a walk together. :)

The pregnancy is going very well. I am 27 weeks today which means that the baby weighs 2 lbs. and is at least 15 inches long. This Little One has been moving around a LOT lately. I just love feeling it move!

Well, that's about all for now. I am getting hungry. :)

2 Corinthians 11:3

2010-05-30T11:51:00.003-04:00

"But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."

25 Weeks

2010-05-18T16:30:00.003-04:00

(24 weeks, 4 days)

As of today I am 25 weeks along. That means that the baby weighs approximately 1 1/2 pounds and is approximately 13 inches long. Being 25 weeks along also means that if for some reason the baby was born now, it has a very good chance of survival. Although I don't think I'll be having a preemie, it is just amazing to think that that is how fully developed this baby is! As you can see in the above picture, I am really poking out now. You may remember the post I did at 20 weeks. I have not been able to wear that shirt for 2 weeks now! Even when I try on maternity clothes, some of them just barely fit me or I can tell that I'd only get about 2 weeks out of them, if I'm lucky. So when I do go shopping I have to take LOTS into consideration. :)

Scott has started working at a chip factory for the summer as we won't have any other source of income from now until AMG publishers re-release his first book (should be November 1st). I admit that I am VERY spoiled! I miss just knowing my Hubby's in the other room all day. But it means I also get to get creative and think of special snacks to have ready for him when he comes home. We will be moving into a place of our own in June, and we are so excited!!!!! :)

Scott and I discovered while we were on our trip that we enjoy watching cooking shows. So, while Scott is at work, and I'm waiting for him to come home, I have decided that for now, while we have access to television (we won't have cable/satellite at our place) I will watch cooking shows for inspiration instead of one of our movies or the other shows that we own. It has been lots of fun and very educational! Last night I learned a new recipe for Egg Salad (it's not your traditional egg salad, and it looks really good!). I plan on trying it within the next couple days and I will try to remember to take pictures so then I can share it with all of you.

One more week to go and I'll be entering the third and final trimester. I'm so excited to meet this Little One. Yesterday it was moving around a LOT all day long!!!!!! That is to say, I could feel it moving all day long yesterday!

I think that's about it for now.

Life

2010-05-12T13:47:00.010-04:00

Although there have not been many frequent posts on my blog lately, life is still going on. As always the Lord is teaching me much and one of those things is living life productively and joyfully. I have not been making good use of my time lately and thanks to the Little One growing inside me, my emotions have been on a roller-coaster over the past month which makes me happy one moment and then "down" the next, for no specific reason at all (that is to say, that my reasons usually don't merit such an emotional response). But God is at work! As of late, I have been very happy indeed! Why? Mainly because I am working on turning my entire focus onto the Lord! What a difference it makes when we are wholly focused on God and living for Him.

Since my last blog post I have been to Harkness two more times with my darling Hubby! A week ago we went for a picnic and here are a couple pictures....

It was a beautiful, warm day and we had so much fun walking and taking pictures. Scott took a lot more than I did though as he's practicing with a new camera he got for a wedding he's doing later this year.

God's creation is so beautiful! When I look at the ocean, I am amazed at how big it is, especially as I think about how what I'm seeing is such a tiny, tiny, part of it!

My birthday was last week and I had a great day! My wonderful, sweet, loving husband bought me the nicest locket! I tried to take a picture of it, but this is the best I got (see below). It has a pink flower on it with the words "I Love You" beside it. It is so pretty, I just love it!

My wonderful Husband also bought me some slippers which I was hoping for as I wear my slippers ALL the time! Last year my Mom found some pretty white slippers that said "Just Married" on them, and by the end of the Fall I had completely worn them out! About a month before our wedding I had bought (didn't know about the other slippers) myself some pink slippers similar to the ones below because I knew I would wear them frequently. Well, after a year of wear, those also have gotten pretty worn out and DIRTY! I wore them a LOT on our trip and by the time we got back they were pretty worn out. So I got new slippers for my birthday! I love them and they are very comfortable!

This week I have been trying to finish a baby blanket that I started crocheting back in February! I could have had it done before March, but did I? No! I am nearing the end, so I am trying to actually finish it and start (and finish) another as well before another month is up!

The pregnancy is going well. I am now 24 weeks, 1 day! I'm measuring perfectly and am very much enjoying all the movement that I am feeling! I know I've been saying it for close to 20 weeks now, but it still amazes me how intricate God's design is and that there is a little human being growing inside of me. It can hear me, it can see the difference if I were to shine a flashlight on my tummy, it's lungs are growing, and it is moving it's little legs and arms and I can feel it! It is just so amazing, it brings me to tears!

I will end here for today, but if you'd like some more great encouragement, go check out my friend Shayna's blog and the great post she shared here.

Harkness - 22 Weeks, 3 Days

2010-04-30T16:20:00.004-04:00

I apologize for my long absence but I have been keeping very busy. Today I took all of my siblings to Harkness Memorial State Park and we had such a GREAT time! The weather was perfect and everyone (including me) got lots of fresh air and exercise! It was absolutely beautiful!!!!! God's creation is just so incredible!!!!

The pregnancy is continuing to go well. This week I have been feeling the baby move (and kick) a LOT! It seems like every evening as I start settling down in the last couple hours before going to bed, the baby has lots of energy. But I love feeling it! Now this Little One just needs to kick hard enough so Scott can feel it! :)

I know this is so short but I wanted to be sure and post something before May. My birthday is in 1 week and since I didn't think about my birthday until the day before last year ("something" was going on.... something with bells.... perhaps... :)) I am actually thinking about it this year and anticipating it. Hopefully we'll get to go on a double date with my parents since my Mom and I share the same birthday! This is my last birthday before I'm a Mom! :)

Have a great weekend!

20 weeks, 2 days

2010-04-15T11:10:00.005-04:00

Wow, you must all be in shock since I am doing a post for the 3rd day in a row! :) I finally have a picture! Even though I don't have much else to write about today, I thought I shouldn't wait to share the picture! :) As you can see, my belly seems to be ever growing. Actually, it really isn't my belly so much as the baby! :) We love our baby!

I am off to do some shopping for the weekend. Much going on around here. Although yesterday was a nice relaxing day and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon with my Hubby while we watched Meet Me In St. Louis with Judy Garland! Such a great classic.

Movement

2010-04-14T13:01:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I still don't have a picture yet (I'll work on it... :) .... ) but I just had to post because I was so excited today! As I was putting dinner together in the Crock-Pot (Lemon Chicken) I felt the baby moving a LOT! I have felt it a few times, but not when I was "trying" to feel it. :) In other words, concentrating and just waiting to hopefully feel something. So I am very excited. 20 weeks, 1 day! :) Haha, can you tell I'm counting????

20 Weeks

2010-04-13T13:37:00.004-04:00

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant!!!! Woohoo!!! [Approximately] half-way there! Hopefully this baby comes on time (or even a little early would be nice! :) ).

The baby weighs between 9 and 10 ounces and is over 6 inches long (head to rump). Including it's legs, the baby is approximately 10 inches long! So, all in all, the baby is somewhere around the length of a banana. Which seems very strange when I think that I have a baby that is that long in my belly! :) Unfortunately I have not taken any profile shots lately so I don't have a picture today. :( I will however try very hard to make sure there is one for my next post.

I know I haven't written in over a week, and I am sorry to say that it is because my mind seems to have shut down a bit. What I mean is that every time I think of writing a post, I can't think of a whole lot to write about. We are greatly enjoying being home and back with family. It seemed like we were gone for so long.

I am enjoying being home so much that I have been neglecting my computer. I have 100+ new emails and sometimes it gets a little too close to 200. I go through and delete the ones I can every few days, and tackle a handful of the emails that need responses and so on, and so forth. I think I got backed up when we first got back to CT and I didn't touch my computer for over a week!

Scott and I have been married for 10 months and 1 week. The day we got back (after driving 12 1/2 hours from NC) my husband ended up driving 12 1/2 hours back to NC that very night because of an emergency in his family. I stayed up here because mentally and physically I was not prepared for the trip so shortly after arriving home. The next day felt like torture. I started off the day trying to be cheerful and get the errands done that needed to be done (mind you I cried myself to sleep the night before). But it was not easy. In the entire time that we had been married, we had never spent more than 9 hours apart and knowing he was so far away did not help. He decided to fly back the following morning which meant so much to both of us, but I was very glad to learn (as a result of our short seperation) that I loved him so much I couldn't bear being apart for even 36 hours! It gave me a greater understanding of what it must be like for all the wives of our men overseas and made me value my time with my husband even more. I know that in the future there will be nights when we will not be able to be together because of book stuff and what not, but I am determined to keep the number of those nights as low as possible! The baby and I will go wherever he goes, no matter what it means. I am so thankful and grateful for my husband. God continues to amaze me in how His blessings continue to overflow.

This month is a very special month as it is my parents' 25th wedding anniversary and my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. I am so thankful that God has given me such a great example of what it means to stick things out and be willing to walk together through the thick and thin.

Well, I guess I did find something to write about. I hope it wasn't too confusing! :)

Update - Long Overdue

2010-04-02T18:38:00.005-04:00

I am sorry that it has been so long since my last post. We have been rather busy and I must admit I have enjoyed my little "sabbatical" from my computer. For the past week I haven't even touched my computer except to charge our ipod and have used my Hubby's to check my email real quick when I have gotten a chance.

We are finally home. Not in our own place yet, but home! We have been home for 1 week now after spending several days with our dear friends Tony and Shayna and visiting with Shayna's family. We had so much fun there and you can see a couple pictures here. We played lots of Uno Attack and had some yummy cheesecake with strawberries our last night. Sadly, I forgot to take out my camera during our stay there :( and so wish I had taken some pictures! I had intended too, but the only time it crossed my mind was when it was inaccessible.

It is strange to think that it has been over 4 months since we started out on our first Book Tour, but it is also so exciting to be done and wonder what God has in store for us now! :)

The prenancy is going well. Here is a picture of me at 15 weeks and my friend at 25 weeks...

I am now 18 1/2 weeks along and had my first prenatal visit today. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat which the midwife had no trouble finding (she didn't have to try at all) and it was so cool! I am starting to feel some slight movement and know it will only get more intense as time goes on. :) I am sure I am feeling the baby more than I realize too, because since it is my first, I don't necessarily figure out right away that what I'm feeling is the baby.

My siblings love just looking at my belly which seems to be growing little by little every day. :) They are almost as excited as I am... :)

We are starting to adjust to being home and knowing that we're not driving off to some other state in 2 weeks. :) We aren't completely settled in yet, but we're getting there. I am enjoying catching up with our families. Even though we all talked on the phone and skyped several times while we were gone, it's not the same as being in person.

There's an update for you all. :) I will try to make sure I don't let 2 weeks go by before posting again. There is just so much other stuff going on to keep me busy right now that I'm hardly getting a chance to go online at all never mind write a blog post. :)

SMILE

2010-03-19T18:03:00.003-04:00

Smile. Lately my darling husband has had to remind me to smile more often than I realized was necessary. What I mean is that I hadn't realized that I hadn't been smiling as much. During the first trimester I was feeling pretty miserable every day and so I know that I must not have been smiling as much. Sad to say, I think it started becoming a habit. When I'm looking at things in a store or just sitting around relaxing, I have not been smiling. The thing is, I have so many reasons to smile. My Husband, the Baby, family, how God is continuously showing Himself to me, good friends, and so many, many other things. So I asked myself, "why aren't I smiling?" Do you know what my answer was? "I don't know." I try to make some lame excuse only to realize that it isn't even valid.

I think that sometimes we get so caught up in all that is going on around us and where we are, thinking about what's going on now, what has happened in the past, the future, or whatever that we forget to smile and think about all that God is doing and be thankful. It takes such few muscles to smile and we never know how our smile may be blessing someone else.

So, just smile. Think of one thing you can smile about and let it radiate through you! :)

No, I'm Not Dead :)

2010-03-14T19:42:00.002-04:00

I know, I know, there has not been a new post in over week! I am still alive, I just don't have wireless internet access and am not getting much computer access either. Sad to say, you may not get much of a real post for the next week or two.

Everything is going well. We are in North Carolina and enjoying visiting some of Scott's family in between book events. I am finally completely out of the first trimester sickness stuff and am just waiting to get home and go to my eye doctor to see about helping my headaches/migraines become less of an issue as currently they are a daily occurrence! :) (No, it is NOT fun!)

Baby seems to be doing well and I can't wait to here the heartbeat when I have my first prenatal visit! I must say, I am TOTALLY siked about this baby!!!!!!

That's about it for now. My eyes can't take much time on the computer without giving me a headache and my head is reminding me that I've been on here too long already.

9 Month Anniversary

2010-03-06T10:00:00.003-05:00

9 months since I said "I do!" 9 months since my new husband carried me over the threshold into our first home. 9 months since my entire life changed. 9 months since my life became centered completely around my husband. 9 months.

As I look back over the past 9 months, I am just in awe as I see all that the Lord has done (knowing that there are things He's done that I can't see and may never see). I also feel strange thinking about how much I've grown in such a short time. I feel so much older and yet I find it hard to think that I'm old enough and mature enough to be a parent this year. That alone scares me. But God wouldn't give us this baby if He didn't think we were ready, and I rest in that knowledge.
So much has happened over the past 9 months and through it all I've grown in the Lord, grown in my relationship with my husband, grown in my relationships with my family, and grown in my roles as wife and homemaker. God is doing so much and sometimes I think I take too much of all that He's doing for granted.

It is so amazing to me how He has used the past 3+ months to teach and grow me in little things along the way. My routine is so different from what it would be if we were more stationary. It's more like I don't have a routine right now. :) One thing that I think has become part of my routine is that when we arrive at our next destination I "let things go" in a way. I know that once I need to start preparing for our next trip, I'll be packing things totally different, and I stress less over things by not worrying about keeping it all neat and organized for a week or two. Now that is NOT me! I am always so organized and keep everything so neat. But right now, until we get back to Connecticut, I am much more relaxed letting things just go until I need to prepare for the next trip. And, because of our consistent travelling and being on the go pretty much every day, that is what I need. When I was trying to keep it all together every day, I was stressing myself out and not getting much of a chance to relax. I've always been a perfectionist and although I thought I had been growing out of it, God has been working particularly on that area in my life. As I think about it, this is probably a good thing for me to be learning right at this time, because as our family starts growing, I am not going to be able to keep everything perfect every day. Now mind you, I'm not learning that it is okay to just leave everything here or there and not pick up after myself, I'm learning that everything doesn't have to be absolutely perfect all the time.

One thing is for sure, I'm always learning. There is always something new that the Lord is teaching me, and when it comes to marriage, that seems to be more true than ever! I know I will always be learning and growing in my marriage and I am just so thankful to have a Husband who is just as eager to learn and grow and is determined to keep our marriage focused on God. Marriage is not always easy because you have to communicate with someone else and you have to be willing to give up your selfish ways to include your spouse, but it is definitely the most wonderful thing in the world!

I am so excited to see all that the Lord has done just in the past 9 months and can't imagine all that he has in store for us in the next 9 months!

The above pictures were taken while we were waiting for some lunch after a signing last weekend.

14 Weeks and an Update

2010-03-02T14:40:00.003-05:00

Today I am 14 weeks along in my pregnancy. The baby weighs approximately 1 ounce (depending on which source you are referring to) and is between 3 1/4 to 4 inches long. I wasn't planning on posting another "baby bump" picture so soon, but then I realized that because of Internet connections, if I can even post for the next 4 weeks, it most likely will not be with pictures. So, I figured "why not?" :)

Everything is going well. I seem to be poking out even more (I know, I shouldn't be surprised) and am just so excited about this little being part of our little family. Now, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not, but we are NOT finding out what we're having. However, I'm really hoping it's a girl and actually bought a couple cute "girl" outfits last week for the baby. They were 80-90% off and I just couldn't resist! I saved $56! At the very least, I figure if we don't have a girl, I could always give them away as baby gifts. But that would have to mean that the first few aren't girls because I just LOVE these outfits! Okay, so maybe I love almost ALL outfits! :)

I am just about completely through being nauseous all the time and only feel sick when I've gone too long without eating. Praise the LORD! :) That is truly a blessing! I'm starting to feel more "funny" feelings in my lower abdomen although nothing I can attribute to the baby just yet. :) A few more weeks for that.

We are greatly enjoying our stay in Georgia! We have so much fun with our hosts and I must admit I'm sad that our time is almost over. Next Monday we head for North Carolina! 4 weeks there and then HOME!!!!! So, we are trying to take advantage of what time we do have left here. :)

Yesterday it was around 60 degrees here and just beautiful out! I got a good walk in and was hoping to walk today, but alas, Georgia thinks it's a part of New England. I woke up to a light covering of snow on the ground and now it is raining. Apparently by March Georgia is done with all this kind of weather so this is very abnormal for everyone in Georgia (what was that about global warming?????? Don't get me going on that.). Even though it is less out of the ordinary for us, I must admit that I was hoping for warmer weather by the time we left. Normally the flowers are coming out by now, but they're a little late this year. Hopefully Spring will at least be showing itself more by the time we get to CT. :)

I snapped this picture (below) of my darling Husband to check the lighting in the room and it came out so perfectly, I just had to keep it! :) Scott has been doing lots of writing the past few days on his 3rd novel as well as applying small edits here and there to Offspring. I can't wait to see Offspring printed and read it again in printed format!!!!

I think that's about it for updates. My sister turned 18 recently (which made me feel old for some reason, really weird!), and I am just so thankful for the technology that we have! I got to watch her open her gift from me and see her reaction and everything and it was just so much fun! Although the world we live in today is crazy and scary, there are definately some advantages!!!! :)

I know it's been awhile since I updated, so I hope this makes up for it! :) Stay tuned though for another post later this week......

Week 13

2010-02-23T11:48:00.003-05:00

Today I am 13 weeks along in the pregnancy! I am just SOOOO excited! I'm really hoping that the baby is a girl (although I'll be happy either way). I have had 3 dreams so far about the baby being a girl or holding a newborn girl (didn't figure out who's baby it was before waking up). So, we'll see.... :) I am doing well. The past few days have been pretty rough with feeling very nauseous after eating anything. It is beautiful weather here in Georgia. Yesterday it was raining and it was still fifty degrees out. I just love when the sun is shining and I go outside and it actually feels like the sun is shining because it is so warm. :) Of course, have I taken advantage of this nice weather and gone for a walk? Not yet, but I'm planning to. :)

Here is my first "baby bump" picture. Not much yet, but I wanted to start when I am barely showing so I (and anyone else) can see the progression each week.

On Saturday Scott was doing a signing at a mall and I decided to walk through some stores (imagine my delight when I found a Motherhood Maternity store there). I found this jacket (I'm always wearing one of these, and 2 of mine don't fit anymore because they are too tight if I zip them up) and Scott said I could get it. I was so excited!!! :)

Then Scott was looking around at all their sale items (the jacket was on sale too, I was so happy) and found this outfit and told me to try it on because he really liked it. So I did, and he said we should get it. It's so nice when my husband is looking for things for me. :) I don't remember even seeing this outfit when I was looking around before.

So, it's official, I have bought my first maternity clothes. :) They are SOOOO comfortable! You can't see much of the pants in the above picture, but they are cotton and are so comfy! My husband has GREAT taste! :)

As you may notice in all of these pictures, I am now wearing only my glasses. I have a lovely tendency to get headaches that turn into migraines almost every day and my contacts do NOT help in that area. So for now I am just sticking to my glasses. I just hope I can wear my contacts again by the time the baby's born. I miss my contacts!!!! I forgot how quickly one's glasses get dirty! :)

I haven't been up to too much lately other than accompanying Scott on his book signings (which we had every day last week). We are enjoying a few days rest before it starts again. :) We can't wait to get home (to CT) and stay in the same place for more than 3 weeks! :)

Valentine's Day (a day late)

2010-02-15T16:24:00.004-05:00

So, I meant to do this post yesterday, but my computer was acting up and had to settle for reading more of Scott's second book (which I'm loving, by the way). In past years, (once I was old enough to realize what Valentine's day was) my Valentine's day was spent corralling my siblings into planning surprises for Mom and Dad to make the day special, for them! :) It usually included serving them dinner (that we cooked) in another room of the house so they could eat by themselves. Last year was a little different. For the first time I had my very own Valentine, my Fiance! However, my Valentine was going to be working on V-day so we celebrated on February 11th which was his day off. He surprised me with a small red bear, flowers in a mug (with hearts on it, of course), Chocolates, and a very nice lunch! He had the whole day planned out for us! We decided that from that day on we should always celebrate Valentine's day on the 11th. (As you can tell, I will take any opportunity to show my husband he means the world to me, so even though Valentine's day is a "worldly thing" we can still take advantage of it!)

So this year, I made plans for us. I made sure I had the ingredients for a Chocolate cake (that ended up with a pink heart on the frosting thanks to sprinkles) and also bought the ingredients to make us a nice meal. I couldn't find a nice card, so I wrote him a love letter, which I knew he'd prefer anyway. Knowing my husband, as I looked at all the valentine candy (and the ridiculous prices) I finally decided to get him some ordinary Reeses Cups! They're his favorite and since I don't prefer them (although I don't mind them, but that means I always go for something else if we're deciding to get a little treat) I knew he'd love to have them!
Now, I will admit that I did constantly remind Scott that since he got me a bear (that was maybe 6 inches tall) last year, he had to get me one this year. I told him it could be really small, I didn't care, but he had started a tradition, and he should keep it! So, on February 10th, he went shopping and I made our cake (which he didn't know about). We ended up deciding to start our little celebration that night because we were going to get the house to ourselves. After he got back I had asked him to go get me something from the car and to just put it on our bed in the bedroom. Well, then he kept telling me that he had done that and that I should go make sure he got the right thing (or something like that). So I went into the bedroom and found this (see below) sitting on my pillow with a single Red Rose sticking out of the heart! It was so sweet (although a bit bigger than I had expected!!!! :) )

Scott wanted me to see it right away so the Rose could get into some water, and apparently the large bear (instead of a smaller one) was because he didn't like any of the smaller ones! That's okay, I love my bear! I especially like that it has the year right on it!!! :) I have the most wonderful husband!

So, what did you all do for Valentine's day?

As a side note, here is a picture from our stay with Bryan Davis and his family:

Clothes

2010-02-11T13:11:00.002-05:00

So today I started going through my clothes and making 3 piles. Pile 1: "try on" Pile 2: "doesn't fit" Pile 3: "fits".

Pile 1 is very small, consisting of about 4 items that were getting tight the last time I wore them and I'm guessing will not make it into the "fits" pile. Piles 2 and 3 are about the same size except pile 3 has a decent number of shirts in it and pile 2 has all but 1 pair of my pants in it! Oh, and pile 2 also has all but 2 skirts in it (one of which is bordering on the edge of "not fitting") and I only have 2 dresses which thankfully fit right now, but one is a narrower dress and I don't think it will last too long. It is very interesting not fitting into half of my clothes. I have enough shirts to choose from still, but when it comes to what I'm going to wear with them, that has proven more difficult. Of course, I know that this is only the beginning and it won't be long until I don't fit into ANY of my current wardrobe, but I wasn't expecting it to start so soon. :)

I am doing better the last couple days eating well and trying to get more hoe-downs in. It is all due to a new pregnancy website that I joined (new to me, anyway) and it helps me keep track of what I'm eating and what I need for nutrition and fitness.

Anyway, there's another little update. :)

Update

2010-02-10T22:35:00.002-05:00

Well, I think it's time for a little update. We arrived safe and sound (and without too much sickness on my part) in Atlanta, GA on Monday afternoon about 1:30. We are greatly enjoying spending time with our hosts and it is nice to be staying with another couple who likes to stay up as late as we do! :) We have had lots of fun learning new games (Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne) that they have been kind enough to teach us, and I have a feeling that the next time we play, there will be much more of a "competitive" attitude in everyone. :)

I was very happy to get a bunch of yarn in the yesterday for a secret project and can't wait to get started on it!

The next 3 weeks are pretty full for Scott as far as booksignings and school events go and so I know we will be pretty busy. :) Although busy is good, I can honestly say that we're both looking forward to when we get back to CT and aren't having to always keep in mind that we have to "pack up and go" in a couple weeks!

The pregnancy is going well. I am now into my 11th week and hopefully heading towards the end of the intense sickness. The baby is approximately 2 inches long and I am just constantly in awe as I read about the baby's growth at the awesome creation of our incredible God.

Well, I think that about wraps it up for now. I hope all my readers are having a nice week and not getting burried in too much snow as that is what seems to be happening in so many states right now.

I Know Why The Angels Dance - A Review

2010-02-08T17:31:00.004-05:00

The below was written on Saturday February 6, 2010

How do I write a review about a book I so thoroughly enjoyed without giving away anything in the story? That is the question I've been asking myself all day as I have pondered what to write in my review of 'I Know Why The Angels Dance' by Bryan Davis. This book is not what I expected when I first started reading it. From the first time I saw the cover several months ago, I knew that I wanted to read this book! I love all of Bryan Davis's books and I highly recommend any and all of them!

As I was saying, the reason that I don't know what I expected from this story is because I never read or heard a single line about it before I started reading it. All I knew was that it was the first book Bryan Davis wrote 13 years ago. Last night I stayed up until after 12:30am (keep in mind that my bedtime of late has been 10:30/11:00) as I was so caught up in my reading. I closed the book with just 13 pages left. I know, "why didn't I just finish it?" :) But as I'm sure you know, staying up so late is not good for a pregnant woman.
Bryan Davis has a great gift. I have never read a book with such well-written scenes that didn't just "sum things up." No, Bryan Davis put lots of detail in his book and did not handle anything "lightly" or with a "just imagine it" feel. It was a blessing to me to read this book, and I encourage each and every one of you to read it as well!

This is a good read for young and old. Be prepared to cry, because I guarantee you will! :)

I know that that does not tell you anything about the story itself, but I honestly believe that to tell the smallest bit of it would be a disservice to you. You'll just have to read it for yourself!

Giveaway going on.....

2010-02-03T14:24:00.002-05:00

Well, we made it safely to TN on Monday afternoon and yesterday I had a terrible migraine which led to vomiting. Through much prayer from lots of people, I managed to keep liquids down again after 6 hours, and sometime during the night my migrain disappeared. God is good! By the way, in case anyone was wondering, as of yesterday, I am 10 weeks along! That means that if I went to the doctors' I could hear the heart beating.

Anyway, the reason I am writing today is to share with you a great giveaway that Seven Sisters is having! They are giving away a beautiful Stationary set that any girl or woman would be envious of! So go on over and take a look! And while you're at it, check out their new etsy shop!

Just Stuff ~ Part 4

2010-01-31T18:47:00.003-05:00

Hello to all my blogreaders! Well, our time in Missouri is just about over. I have re-packed all of our suitcases and all that is left is devotional stuff and the usual toiletries (oh, and food) which I will pack tomorrow morning before we leave. Our goal is to head out between 9 and 9:30am. We shall see how well we do with it. Our destination: Tennessee, where we will be staying with author Bryan Davis and his family. Scott stayed with them for a short time almost 2 years ago and I am greatly looking forward to meeting them!

We have greatly enjoyed out stay in Missouri. Although we didn't have any official events, Scott got to meet author, L. B. Graham and I got to get some lots needed rest. We also have greatly enjoyed getting to know our hosts and I've enjoyed playing games with their 2 daughters. At first we were a little afraid that even when it's my first time playing a game, I am unbeatable. But yesterday one of their daughter beat me twice at Uno! Very impressive! I was glad because I was starting to feel bad because I was winning every single game we played. But it was lots of fun!

The past couple days my pregnancy sickness hasn't been quite as bad which I think is due to getting lots of rest. It's either that or the fact that I'm getting a little more used to it. :) I have been experiencing lots of "twinges" as the baby is growing.

On another note, I am just about done with studying A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George. It has been a great study and will go into my special stack of books that go everywhere with me because I should always be reading them. I am greatly looking forward to doing a study on 1 Peter (using Putting On a Gentle & Quiet Spirit by Elizabeth George).

I want to leave you with an interesting and encouraging quote from A Woman After God's Own Heart that I came across in my reading yesterday:
"Very few things in life call for an instantaneous decision on your part. Keep your cool. Make delay your first strategy for avoiding chaos and crisis. A good rule of thumb to remember is that most things seem more important in the present than they actually are. Wisdom waits. Will you?"

Week 9 (and an update)

2010-01-26T14:35:00.004-05:00

Hello to all my blog readers! This past Saturday we left Sunman, IN to go to a booksigning before making our way to Missouri. We spent Saturday night in a hotel and stayed up watching movies (which wasn't a good idea considering that we had a LOT of driving ahead of us on Sunday) and just having fun being together. Of course, staying up late meant that I was VERY hungry at 12:15 am. So, I decided to go downstairs and see if there was anything interesting in the vending machines. I know, I know, what I found there was not healthy, but nothing would have been open, and I just needed some food. :)

Sunday morning I typed our destination into the gps while Scott finished putting our luggage back in the car. We were delighted to see that it was 11:15 and we were supposed to arrive there at 3:08. That meant only 4 hours of driving (of course we knew that with stops it would take us a little longer to get there. We were driving along and when we were less than an hour from our destination, I started getting suspicious. The gps said we still had approximately a total of 100 miles to go, but it was after 3 o'clock and our arrival time was 3:50 (remember... all those stops? :) ). I wondered if the clock had gotten messed up on the gps so took it down to examine it. Sure enough, instead of saying 3:15 (like the clock on the dashboard said), it said "2:15". At first I couldn't figure it out. Then I realized that we must have changed time zones, which meant we had close to 2 hours to go still. But we finally made it just after 4pm, delighted to meet our new hosts (who are very nice, by the way). :)

So, on to the title of this post. :) I am now 9 weeks along in my pregnancy and the baby is growing a lot! And, in case anyone was wondering, it is certainly taking all it can get from Mama. :) I have not been feeling well pretty much all the time, with lots of headaches and my stomach is always uncomfortable. I am having to be very careful about making sure that I'm eating all that I need (which I haven't been too good at so far).

The Baby's ears are fully developed now as well as it's arms and legs and it's fingers and toes. It is just incredible to me, how much the baby grows in 1 week. Our God is so awesome! I feel so honored that God would bless us with this Little One and that there is a miracle happening inside of me. It makes me want to take care of myself all the more! I am so excited!

Go check out my Hubby's blog to see a couple pictures from the past week.

Just Stuff ~ Part 3

2010-01-21T20:03:00.006-05:00

Here we are with another "just stuff" post. :) Where do I begin? Well, if any of you were still wondering where we've been since Sunday, we were at one of our favorite places! Can you guess where????? We were visiting our good friends over at Seven Sisters. We had lots of fun and took lots of pictures.

But before I get to the pictures, a quick update on the pregnancy: I am still experiencing LOTS of "morning" (a.k.a. - ALL DAY) sickness, but I know that it is a blessing in disguise. Other than that, not much more to report. :)

We played lots of games including Phase 10, Apples to Apples, Skip-Bo and Monopoly (for those pictures go here)

Originally we had planned to only stay 1 or 2 nights, but then decided to stay until Wednesday or Thursday. So, we decided that that was plenty of time to make a pregnancy/nursing jumper for me. So Tuesday morning, we began:

First we had to trace my size onto tracing paper and cut out the pattern peices. Then we cut out the bodice, and here is Jessica, getting ready to sew it:

Here Jessica is sewing the peices together:

What? You don't think the fleecy brown is pretty? Won't that be so nice and cool in the summer? Okay, so, the above pictures is the mock-up for the bodice. :) Now we had to cut out the REAL bodice and skirt! :) Everyone helped and it took us 4 1/2 hours from start to finish. However, we took a break for lunch, and we also playes a couple games of Skip-Bo in the middle too.

Here we discussing "something" (I can't remember what :) ):

I believe that Anna was working on the skirt there, and Jessica is working on the bodice. We didn't get any pictures, but yes, I did help with some of the sewing. :)

We we all are, that evening (and me in my new dress!) :) It is so comfortable! I am so thankful that girls were so willing to teach me and help me make this jumper. (THANK YOU! :) )

And what did Scott do for fun while we were there? He played Zoo Tycoon on the computer (making absurd situations, of course! :) ) and the younger children just loved watching him. Or rather, they all loved watching each other when anyone was playing it. :)

We had such a lovely visit. It started out because we were going to look at some apartments (which we never did) and then we were going to stay longer because there was a possibility that Scott could do a signing at a Library. When that didn't work out, we didn't mind at all because it was still worth the trip just for the visit. The on Tuesday Scott called a school to see if there was any possibility they might be interested in having him come. They said they'd love to have him the next day and he stayed all day and had to go back today (Thursday), so we had to stay 4 nights! We didn't mind at all! :) We were so grateful for the gracious hospitality we received from our good friends! I ended up not going with Scott either day because of my pregnancy sickness, but he did very well regardless.

We are back in southern Indiana for 2 more days. Time to pack everything up and head to our next destination in Missouri. We are greatly looking forward to the next couple months and the places where we'll be staying. :)

8 Weeks

2010-01-19T10:51:00.003-05:00

Today I am 8 weeks along in the pregnancy. It was about this point when I miscarried last time, and I am very happy to say that everything is very different this time. As some of you may have noticed, I have not posted in a week. Most of that is due to the fact that last week I came to know the real meaning of "Morning Sickness". Headaches and a "yucky" stomach have been my companions for over a week now. However, I know that being sick means that the baby is healthy, so I am NOT complaining! :)

The baby measures approximately three fourths of an inch and is about the size of a pinto bean. The eye lids are forming as well as the ears (inside and out) and the fingers and toes. The elbows and wrists are developed (and growing) and the legs are just about long enough so that it's feet can touch in front. It is so amazing to me how quickly a baby grows and how everything is developing and growing. Babies truly are miracles from heaven!

Stay tuned for pictures and details of where we've been since Sunday. Can anyone guess???

Just Stuff ~ 2

2010-01-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

So, I've decided to do another "just stuff" post. These posts might become more common in the days and months to come.... who knows??? :) For more clarification, a "Just Stuff" post is a post on what my days have been filled with....

Let's see, on Friday evening Scott, my friend Kelsie, myself, and a couple of K's friends, drove to Cincinnati to go Ice Skating on their square. It was lots of fun. However, the women's skates weren't regular figure skates, and made it more difficult for me to "get the hang of" so after about 10 minutes, I along with a friend got off the ice and put our boots back on (it was VERY cold out!). The ice was not very smooth and the skates were very dull, and I think I was just nervous about falling or getting hurt, with the baby. I think if it would have been regular figure skates, I might have been more comfortable, but I was NOT used to the skates we had. Scott had a blast though! He and everyone else skated for another hour and a half and my friend and I walked around the rink for about half that time, then we went and stood in the heated tent that was there, watching everyone skating. It was lots of fun.

On Saturday we left to go look at an apartment and just as we were about to get on the highway, our car died. We ended up replacing the battery and the car worked fine. Then yesterday, we were on our way to church and just after got off the highway, our car died again, right in the middle of the road (we were about a mile from church). Praise the Lord, no cars were coming and we were right across from a gas station. We got the car parked in the gas station (Scott had to push it, and he did it! :) ) and then decided to walk to church because we knew someone there would be able to help us or know of someone who could look at the car. God worked everything out. Our new friends jumped the car for us and we got it to a garage and they gave us a ride back to where we're staying. They were so nice. The car needed a new alternator and it will be done this afternoon. Thankfully that's all that is wrong with it. God is so good!

Between Thursday and Sunday we got a good amount of snow. It is just beautiful! Snow is so white! It reminds me of the song "Nothing But The Blood"

".....O, precious is the flow,

That makes me white as snow;

No other fount I know;

Nothing but the blood of Jesus...."

You can listen to the song and read the words here. Snow is so white and pure. When the sun comes out just after a snow storm, it can be blinding because of the sun reflecting off of the snow. To think that Jesus' blood makes me white as snow, is quite the thought! It is overwhelming!

Just Stuff

2010-01-06T15:23:00.002-05:00

Since it has been 4 days since my last post, I figured I should post again, to give everyone something to read. However, for the last 2 days I've been trying to come up with a good topic to post about. Since I'm here, that must mean I came up with one, right? Wrong!!!! I haven't come up with anything so far, so I thought I'd just write about what I've been up to this week.

I have had some issues over the past year with a Wisdom tooth coming in. But nothing I couldn't handle. However last week it was bothering me again and I discovered I had a large swollen "abscess" or some such thing on the side of my gums. I immediately made Garlic oil and started applying it directly as well as drinking lots Lemon water. That combined with T-Tapping, I managed to keep all pain at bay. Nothing was hurting, I just had this "bump." On Sunday we visited a church and went out for lunch afterwards, with 3 of the couples (and their families) that we had met there. Wouldn't you know, one of the guys is a dentist! So, naturally I told him about my tooth and asked for some advice. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, his answer was: Root Canal or get the tooth pulled. Now, I do NOT like dentists (no offence to any dentists), I just don't like people playing around in my mouth! So I was not too pleased with the answer... The "problem" is that because I'm pregnant, I can't do anything about the tooth now. So Scott and I agreed that with proper eating and giving my body what it needs, I could reverse the tooth problem. That means, I am not allowed to have any sweets and NO junk food!!!!!
On Monday we went out and bought a juicer (and a bunch of carrots) so I can be juicing every day. As of Tuesday morning, the bump was gone, with my gum still slightly swollen. Today, it is completely back to normal! Praise the Lord!!!! :) I will be continuing to eat well (good for the baby, too! :) ) and juicing!

This afternoon I have been going through and re-organizing everything (it seems like I do that every week now), and making lots of head-way. I have also gotten rid of 3 grocery bags full of clothes within the last 4 weeks! I've realized how few of all my clothes I actually wear, and although I can't bring myself to get rid of more yet, I got rid of all the things that I don't wear because I don't like them. (I know, why then, did I even bother to bring them with me???)

I've also been doing very well, exercising daily! Scott is noticing more of a difference than I am, but regardless of losing inches, exercising just gives me more energy for the day! It "get's me going" and is very healthy! :)

Come What May

2010-01-02T12:30:00.004-05:00

For Christmas, Scott bought me this movie, Come What May which I had been wanting to see for some time!
I was very eager to watch it, and finally last night, Scott and I set up our computer, on our bed and watched it before going to sleep! It was an excellent movie, and very well done, considering that none of the actors are "professionals". You know what I love? Movies like Come What May, done by a group of Christians (such as Flywheel and Facing the Giants) are all better than all the movies that come out in every single movie theater across the nation! The hilarious thing, is that the better movies aren't done by "professionals". Why is it that all the movies done by "professionals" are never as good as the movies done by "non-professionals"? I am so glad that people don't stop when they realize that they aren't professionals, but keep going, because I honestly believe that our poor country is worse off because of the focus on "professionals". They lost sight of what's good and right and it is so sad to see what is considered a "good movie" now. I highly recommend Come What May! Both Scott and I really enjoyed it!

Happy New Year

2010-01-02T12:15:00.003-05:00

2010

Happy New Year to all my Blog-readers! :) I meant to do this post yesterday, but as a result of probably too much "bad-for-me" food, late at night on New Year's Eve, and other things, I was not feeling well yesterday. So here I am, doing the post, a day late. However, since it is only January 2nd of 2010, I think, I hope, I will be forgiven. :)

We had a small gathering on New Year's Eve, and about 45 minutes before the new year rolled in, we decided to go around the room and share our favorite things about 2009. Of course, that got me thinking, and so I'd like to share some of my favorite things from 2009 here, with you all. :)

Marrying my Husband!
Finding out twice, that I was/am pregnant.
How my family did all that they could to make my dreams (my Wedding) come true
Getting to spend 2 weeks with both of our families before leaving for the tour.
Making new friends!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Thank you Lord, that Scott set up booksignings in northern Indiana!)

There are so many things that I am thankful for about 2009, but there are just a few. Now it's your turn. What is one (or a few :) ) of your favorite things about 2009?????

I am greatly excited to see what the Lord has in store for me, for us, in 2010. I would greatly appreciate all your prayers with this new pregnancy. Prayers, for me as well as the baby. I am not worried about miscarrying. I know that everything is in God's hands, and no matter what happens, I trust Him completely and I am so happy to have another life inside of me again!

Faith

2009-12-31T13:00:00.000-05:00

Faith. Such a soft word with such a stron meaning. To the ear, "Faith" has a soft, gentle tone to it, but to my heart, "Faith" holds so much meaning and depth. To me, Faith means the truest and deepest trust and belief.

The meaning/definition of faith includes: Confidence, Trust, Belief which is not based on proof. Belief in Something, someone, anything, and loyalty.

It is my Faith, my trust, my belief in God that has carried my these last 19 years, through every trial and joy that has come my way. It is that same faith that I know will carry me through all the trials and joys to come.

Without God, I'm nothing. But with Him, I can withstand the most horrible of trials. God is faithful. I know He will always stand by me, no matter what.

~Written July 21, 2009, the day before I miscarried~

The Creation Museum

2009-12-30T14:02:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we had the exciting opportunity to go to the Creation Museum. The exhibits were very well done and lots of fun to see! :) I didn't get too many pictures on my camera (and I don't know how to get Scott's from his camera to my computer) but I did manage a few! :) Below is a poor picture of an exhibit right in the main entry:

The birds in the next to pictures are all Finches! They were so much fun to watch!

Here is a Chameleon that I could not seem to get a picture of without his tail glowing! :)

Oh, and did I mention that we got to go to the Grand Canyon?

Here is a SCARY dinosaur! :) No, it's not alive although it looked real enough to be. If you stood to his side and looked at his eye, it looked like he was watching you!

It was pretty cold out, but it didn't keep us from walking the garden, and going to the petting zoo. Here we are on our way back to the Museum (we were getting pretty cold by then!) :)

It was a great day! We ate lunch at "Noah's Cafe" (sorry, I didn't get a picture). Scott had a sandwich, and I had a wrap (all very good). After eating we went and spent quite a bit of time in the Bookstore (see Scott's Blog for a picture) and spent $110 on books, including Creation Evangelism for the New Millennium by Ken Ham, After the Flood by Bill Cooper, and Taking Back Astronomy by Jason Lisle. We got a couple more books and a DVD titled: State of the Nation with Ken Ham. It was done in July '09, and we are greatly looking forward to watching it! When our children are old enough to read, we want to have lots of good books available, and in the mean time it's always great to brush up on and learn new things! :)

One thing is for sure, we serve an Awesome, Incredible, Creator!

Christmas Day (Better Late, Than Never :) )

2009-12-28T21:30:00.005-05:00

Here is the promised post about Christmas day! :) I'm sorry that it is later than I had hoped, but I was not around much on Saturday and Sunday, and the one time that I did have time to do it, my computer was acting up. Oh well, here it is now. :)

I woke up around 7am (a rare thing) and kept trying to go back to sleep until when I looked at the clock at 7:40. It just so happened that Scott stirred at that moment, so I said "are you ready to get up?" He said he was, but of course it takes him much longer to actually wake up. I rubbed his back vigorously trying to get his blood flowing so he would get up faster (can you tell that I was "a little excited"? :) ). At 7:51 I came downstairs and got the Cinnamon Rolls out of the Fridge so they could "come to room temperature".

By 8:00 we were sitting down, getting ready to open our stockings together. :) After that we got out Scott's Bible and took turns reading the Christmas Story from Luke. Here is a picture of the tree (with our gifts under it) before we started unwrapping. :)

Here is a picture from just after we finished reading the Bible:

After opening our gifts:

Here is Scott unwrapping one of his Soundtrack

Here is me with my "loot" :)

Here is all of Scott's gifts:

Notice the book "Relic Quest"

The day we were leaving our good friends at www.homeschoolblogger.com/sevensisters Scott discovered this book on one of the shelves and picked it up. In the short time that was left before we had to leave, he was really enjoying the book, so I thought it would be a good Christmas gift for him. I was so delighted that I totally stumped as to what the "package" was. :) And he was even more surprised to open it and see that it was the book that he had been telling everyone about since he had first looked at it! :)

Here is the rest of my gifts:

I also got 2 books (not shown in picture): "Only Angels Have Wings" and "In The President's Secret Service". I have started both (what can I say, when I get more than one new book I want to read them all so badly, I just start them all at the same time! :) ), and am so far enjoying both very much! :)

Here is Scott enjoying one of his new gifts

Can anyone guess what "gift" this is?

Here is the breakfast table, after most of us had already sampled the Cinnamon Rolls (which came out PERFECT!). The Hashbrown casserole took longer to cook than I had anticipated, but it still came out perfect! Scott and I ate leftovers throughout the rest of the day!

One of the best parts of the entire day was that we got to talk to my family (and Scott's brother) "face-to-face" on Skype. For some reason it took us forever to set up Skype (should have done it a month ago), but we are so glad we finally did it! It made our Christmas! My sister and I got it figured out the night before, and my eyes welled up with tears when I first got to see them.

Although some aspects of todays technology, I don't believe are that great for us, I am very thankful that even though we are thousands of miles apart, we can still see and talk to our families. It's not as good as being in person, but it's better than nothing! :)

I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas as well!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas

2009-12-23T15:23:00.003-05:00

Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I am delighted to say that all my gifts are wrapped (some even under the tree as pictured above), I've helped frost LOTS of cookies, and I can't wait for tomorrow. The family we are staying with open their gifts on Christmas Eve, so we're doing that tomorrow night, and then Scott and I are exchanging gifts (and opening gifts from my family) and doing Stockings on Christmas morning. So, we get 2 days of Christmas! :) I am very excited for Scott to open his gifts, and after Christmas I'll have to do a post about our gifts! :) (As well as pictures! :) )

I know this is a short post, but I need to go do a little grocery shopping. In addition to the Cinnamon Rolls I'm making for Christmas morning, I'm going to make my own version of a Hashrown Casserole. :) I'm sure it will at least be eatable! :) I'll let you know how it turns out!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Presents

2009-12-21T17:26:00.002-05:00

There are only 4 days left till Christmas!!!! Here is a picture as a result of my wrapping the other day. It's not all that I wrapped that day, and there are more done now, but it gives you an idea. :)

How is everyone else doing with there gifts? Any baking yet? I got my Mom's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls today which I will take up her tradition and be making them on Christmas Eve, for Christmas morning! Perhaps, if I remember to take a picture, I can post about them! :)

New Look

2009-12-18T17:15:00.003-05:00

So, I just took a break in my wrapping and everything else I've been doing today, and gave my blog a makeover. How do you like it???? :)

7 DAYS

2009-12-18T11:07:00.002-05:00

Can you believe it? Christmas is only 7 days away! I can't wait! The Lord is teaching me much, as always (see previous post here). Along with not eating from the bread of idleness God has been working in my heart on not just thinking about not being idle, but also on looking to see how I can put that into action, and specific ways. Yesterday morning I exercised for the first time in probably 6-8 weeks. It felt great to exercise (when has anyone ever been sorry that they exercised?) and it started me off on the right track for the rest of the day. You see, I started the morning with a great time with the Lord, and during that time, the Lord laid on my heart that I should exercise. So I did. Then, in the afternoon I had some time before we had to leave for a book signing, so I decided that instead of wasting my time on the computer or reading a book (reading is not a waste of time, but when you have other things that need to be done, you should do them), I would go up to our room and work on some organizing and straightening, which was much needed. I got the entire room in very good order just in time for us to leave! It always so rewarding when I do something worthwhile, get it done, and know that I used my time much better than I originally was going to! :)

So, this morning, I had my quiet time, exercised, am writing this post, and today's plans are to wrap Christmas gifts, possibly make some cookies, and watch a Christmas movie tonight. Oh, and if there's time, practice my guitar! :)

Note: The above picture is from Christmas morning, last year (2008)

Christmas is Coming

2009-12-14T20:13:00.002-05:00

Christmas is in 11 DAYS! Can you believe it? I can't wait! I love Christmas so much! Christmas trully is my favorite time of the year! I love the music, the baking, the movies, the attitude of giving that although is not present in everyone, is in most! I love thinking of good gifts to give to my family. I love the decorations! I could probably go on and on..... :) But I won't.

I thought I would try something. I'm going to share one of my favorite Christmas traditions, and then I'd love to hear all of your favorite traditions. How many of my blog visitors love Christmas as much as I do? Why? Or if you don't care for Christmas so much, why?

Okay, so me first: Two of my favorite Christmas traditions.....
1 ~ My Mom's Cinnamon Rolls (which I will unfortunately not get this year :( )
2 ~ Getting up in the morning, opening stockings, and presents, and just spending the day hanging out with family!
Okay, so maybe I'll do a third one ~ Singing Christmas carols/songs with my sisters!

Now it's your turn! Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite Christmas traditions are. Or just what your favorite thing about Christmas is.... :)

The Bread of Idleness

2009-12-10T10:26:00.003-05:00

I know it's been a while since I shared something with you from my study on A Woman After God's Own Heart, but the truth is, over the last couple weeks, I haven't been doing that study much, as I was just doing some great reading in God's word and a lot of writing in my Prayer Journal. But today I went back to my study. Of course, not even a full minute went by before the Lord was taking me deep inside my heart to take take an honest look at myself.

The chapter I am on is A Heart That Watches Over The Home. Proverbs 14:23 says, "In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." (Penury = Extreme poverty or destitution)

There is profit in labour.

Proverbs 31:27 says, "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

The Proverbs 31 woman, does not eat the bread of idleness.

From these two verses, we gather 2 very important pieces of wisdom, that go together. If there is profit in labour, than what is there in idleness? Nothing. Nothing at all. Think about it, what does our attitude become when we are idle? I know for me, I get a little miserable, and I have a pretty bad attitude toward everything and everyone around me. Sometimes it only shows itself in the most subtle of ways, but at other times, it is not so subtle.

In the chapter of Elizabeth George's book that I was studying today, she talks about how she applied this to her life, and is always busy, doing something, all day long. Yes, she would give herself time for a break, but she always knew what she was doing thereafter. One thing that really spoke to me, was how she said that when her girls were young, she worked hard to instill that principle in them. For example, they didn't watch TV unless they were doing something productive at the same time.

As I reflected on all the thoughts that came rushing to my mind, I remembered a time when I was always doing knitting or crocheting when I was watching something (I would even take it to the movie theater with me), because I could not justify spending a couple hours or so just sitting doing nothing, when I knew I could find something to do. I'm sorry to say that I've lost that principle, and I intend to get it back!

Elizabeth mentioned that as a result of the above, none of them derived much pleasure from watching TV. They could take it or leave it. That is how it should be. The TV is just an entertainment "gimmick" to keep us lazy, eating from the bread of idleness. As Christians, there is so much more to our lives. We have so much to live for, in Christ. We should not be able to be entertained by the TV for hours, doing nothing, without feeling very guilty. There is NO profit in idleness!!!!! This post is not all about the TV, that is just an example, and one that is very dominant in our culture. How many people do you know who have their TV on all day, and whenever their kids start to get in their way, they tell them to go watch a show or something? I know more than I should.

In addition to focusing on the fact that there is profit in labour (even if we don't always see it), we need to be working on eliminating idleness. I would like to share with you a list of "time robbers" that Elizabeth shared in her book:

Procrastination

Inadequate personal planning and scheduling

Interruptions by people without appointment (This includes interruptions by way of the telephone. And please note, your children are not interruptions - they are your greatest work and the best investment of your time)

Failure to delegate

Poor use of the telephone

Reading junk mail

Lack of concern for good time management

Unclear priorities

I encourage you, along with myself, to take a few minutes and examine areas in your daily life where there is idleness. Then, work on eliminating them. And remember, to trully eliminate something, even just to begin working on it, we must first take it to the Lord.

Our Trip So Far - In Pictures

2009-12-07T11:53:00.006-05:00

We arrived safely in Sunman, IN at 7:30 last night after doing 2 book signings en route. We so enjoyed our stay at the Richardson's house! I've made new, dear, friends, and we can't wait to go back. I have taken lots of pictures since we left New Jersey, and so I thought I would do a post about our trip so far, in pictures! :) So, here we go:

We left New Jersey Wednesday morning at 9:00. As we were driving through Pennsylvania, we drove through several tunnels. Here is our view as we headed into the first or second one (I can't remember which one)

Here is our view, driving through the tunnel. Scott loves to drive through tunnels, but I have yet to experience it myself, so I just take his word for it, for now at least. :)

We arrived safely in Pennsylvania, however it was raining constantly. Here are a couple pictures from the concert.

Shane Barnard (Bethany Dillon's Husband)

Bethany Dillon, singing and playing. She and her Husband are very talented on the Guitar!

This was during the Intermission

After taking a nap when we first arrived at the Richardson's on Thursday, I taught the younger girls how to play Parcheesi and from that point on, when anyone had a free moment, Parcheesi was brought out. :)

On Saturday, I stayed "home" while Scott went back to the book signing he was at the night before. We played Apples to Apples (Bible Edition) and took lots of pictures :)

All my new, dear, friends!

I didn't get any pictures :( but, Susannah, Jessica, and I played Monopoly, and the game lasted a total of 6-8 hours. We had a blast playing!

Sitting around the dinner table, our last night there.

On our way to the second book signing on Sunday, waiting for a train to go by... :)

At Kelsie's!!!

Sunday was Scott's birthday, and Kelsie (and her family) helped me surprise him with a celebration after we got to their house. Scott had no idea. The poor guy, thought he wasn't getting a cake or anything other than birthday greetings, but "little, did he know." :)

That's all for now. I hope you enjoyed the pictures!!!!

Drive from NJ to PA to IN

2009-12-04T22:44:00.003-05:00

After a total of 14 hours on the road (including stops for fuel and a 1 hour stop for a nap), we arrived in Mentone, IN around 7:30 this morning. We drove the 6 ½ hours from New Jersey to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania for the Shane & Shane “Glory in the Highest” concert Wednesday night. Just before we arrived in Beaver Falls, we started toying with the idea of not staying the night in a hotel and driving straight through instead. I told Scott I was game to do whatever he was up to, and so after a few more quiet moments of thinking, he said “I think we’ll drive through the night.” So after the Concert, just before 11 o’clock (PM!) we headed back onto the highway.

The drive through Pennsylvania was uneventful for the most part, except for around 11 in the morning when after staying very close on our tail for quite some time, a very large 18-wheeler decided to pass us (we were in left-lane going at a decent speed). We had no problem with the truck passing us, but then, knowing that he was still beside us (he knew we had a trailer, and his cab had just passed the front of the car), at a high speed he started moving back into our lane, and he wasn’t even halfway past us yet. We hit the brakes, and the back end of the truck just barely missed us. I will admit that I had to work very hard, the rest of the trip to keep myself from getting nervous every time an 18-wheeler was passing us.

Scott's favorite part about driving through PA was that we got to drive through 5 tunnels (through mountains!). I have not yet gotten a chance to drive through a tunnel, but Scott says it's lots of fun! :)

We are very blessed to be staying with our new friends from the Seven Sisters blog. We are greatly enjoying our stay! Tomorrow I am looking forward to spending the entire day visiting while Scott goes back to the bookstore we were at tonight. We are going to try to not go to bed so late tonight as we did last night, but we plan on staying up late again tomorrow night! I so enjoy making new friends and getting to know other lovely Christian young ladies! I have been thanking the Lord this week for all the people that He has brought into my life and for new friends!!!!!!

(Above picture taken by my Husband at Harkness park in 2007)

New Jersey

2009-12-01T21:03:00.003-05:00

Wow, does time get away from me! I can't believe we're already about to leave New Jersey! It has been 5 days since we left our beloved Connecticut. I am pleased to announce that there were no tears. They came very close to breaking through, but I held them back and made it out the door without allowing them to fall. Albeit, the last 2 minutes of saying "goodbye" to my family was a bit "rushed" as my Sister put it, but I did not want to start crying when we were so close to the door. I hugged my parents one last time and almost broke down, but I smiled and said "see you soon." :) God definately knew what I was going to need, because as it turned out, at the time that we were ready to say goodbye to my family on Thanksgiving night, my 11 cousins, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, and Grandparents were all there and half of the family were watching a funny movie and everyone else was playing games, playing with toys, or whatever. It definately helped that everyone was a little distracted. 5 months isn't that long, and with the technology that we have, it is very easy to stay in touch with our loved ones. Besides, it is always better leaving everyone with cheerful attitudes than being emotional and all sad when there really is no need for it.

4:oo Friday morning came very quickly for me, but I was up and in the shower by 4:05. Scott was up and ready for the day by the time I was done and we got what little stuff was left all gathered up before taking a few minutes to eat breakfast and chat with his family before we left. However, being SO early in the morning and the fact that although my body was functioning, it wasn't fully awake, I was not able to eat more than a few bites of oatmeal before feeling a little sick. Scott went outside to hook up the trailer while I finished getting things ready, and we discovered that it was POURING outside! We said goodbye and made it to the book signing in Waterford safely, and by 2:45 we SOLD THEM OUT! We did take a long break mid-morning for some breakfast. :)

We arrived safely in New Jersey around 6:15, quite tired! :) The past 5 days have been great! Our Hostesses have been terrific, and we are so blessed to have been able to stay with them.

Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to Beaver Falls, PA and then on to IN on Thursday!

Over the past week I have been thinking about how blessed I am to have my Husband. I love him with my whole heart and can't thank the Lord enough for putting him in my life. I love watching and listening to Scott as he talks to different people about his book and I am so proud of him for following his dream. Back in the begining of our relationship we were researching the possibility of starting our own Publishing House and what that would mean for us. I am SO glad that I encouraged him to follow his dream and not to let anything deter him from doing what he needed to do even if it was a risk. To all you married women, I encourage you to take a moment and thank God for your Husband. And be specific! Don't just say "thank you Lord, for my Husband." Think about the things you appreciate about your husband and be specific in your prayer.

The Journey has begun!

2009-11-28T14:22:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone, just a quick update today.

We arrived safely in New Jersey at 6:15 last night. Scott just updated on his blog, so go check it out here : Book Tour Begins.

I'll update with my own post soon! :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T14:37:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Blog-readers! Yes, I know I'm a day early, but I won't get on tomorrow. My week is flying by, but I've gotten everything done so far that I need to get done. Tomorrow morning we'll finish up our packing and get the trailer all set up to go, so we can hook it up when we get home from my parents tomorrow night.

In all the bustle of cooking and visiting this weekend, remember to give thanks to God for the little things too. I challenge you to think of something you can be thankful for about every person you come in contact with tomorrow. God placed that person in your life, and although we are thankful for the people in our life, I know that I don't often take a moment to thank God for something specific about that person. So there is my challenge!

Many blessings to you all this holiday weekend, and just think, Christmas is in 1 month! :) I love the Holiday season!

Stay tuned for a post about our departure on our 5-month journey!

2009-11-22T22:10:00.004-05:00

Once again I must apologize for letting so much time pass without a post. This past week has been crazy. However, this next week looks even crazier. Let me give you an idea:

Monday: Get up, throw my favorite Sweet Potato Stew recipe in the Crock-Pot,

Then off to a book signing at the East Hartford Library for several hours,

Get home in time to make Biscuits to go with Dinner as we have a get-together with some friends (last one before we leave).

Tuesday: Last cleaning job in the morning,

Have lunch with a friend (last time to see her),

Then on to visiting my Sister-in-Law (when you keep mentioning "we should get together sometime" and then 5 months go by and one of you is going to be out of state for 5 months, then you know you need to stop "putting off till tomorrow, what you can do today."),

Then a quick visit at other friends' house before heading home.

Wednesday: Packing,

Organizing,

Packing the Trailer,

Helping with Thanksgiving preparations,

Then dinner with both of our families

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day, Dinner at Scott's Parents with good friends, then Dessert and the evening at my Parents', before we say all of our "Goodbyes" :(

Friday: Up and at the Crystal Mall for a book signing at the CRAZY hour of 6am

After BS, onto New Jersey for 5 book signings from Saturday to Monday (heading to PA for a night on Wednesday, and then to IN on Thursday).

So there is a picture of the next week. If you could see our calender for the next 3 weeks, you be shocked! It is SO full! The amount of signings we have within short periods of time, I am certain will make us very thankful for a rest come Christmas day! :)

It has been a comfortable temperature here in CT during the day, the past several days, and we are very thankful for this beautiful weather! :) Of course, I know that if I were still 11, I'd be praying night and day for snow, but it is quite a different story now. :) I do like snow, it is very pretty, and it makes for some picturesque scenery. However, I personally prefer warmer weather. :)

Here is one of my favorite hymns:
I Need Thee Every Hour by Annie Hawks

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;Every hour I need Thee; O bless me now, my Savior,I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby; Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain; Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will; And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee every hour, most Holy One; O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

(The above picture is from our trip to Niagara Falls in October)

Attitude and Challenges

2009-11-11T14:02:00.003-05:00

I apologize to all my blog readers that it has been so long since I last posted. The past week and a half have been quite full and I have not spent a lot of time on the computer (which, contrary to what some believe, is not necessarily a bad thing).

Last Friday (November 6th) I took my sister Ice Skating to celebrate her 13th birthday (which isn't until December, but since I won't be here, we had to celebrate it early). We had a blast! There were a couple people on the rink when we got there, but they left while we were putting our skates on, and we had the whole rink to ourselves, the entire time we were there! We had such a great time!

Yesterday Scott spoke to over a hundred students (4-8th grade) at a school. As always, I was amazed at how good my husband is with kids and how well he spoke. I wasn't surprised, but once again, I thanked the Lord for giving me such a good man, for my Husband. I am truly blessed.

If anyone is interested in a 30-day challenge, I encourage you to go to the Revive Our Hearts website and consider taking 1, or maybe even 2 of the challenges there. I have taken the Husband Encouragement Challenge, and the Choosing Gratitude Challenge. Every day I get an email from both challenges with encouragement and goals/challenges for the day.

The Lord has been working in my heart on having an "Attitude of Gratitude." I have no idea how this all started, or even when. All I know is that the Lord has slowly been laying on my heart different things to think about or to work on, and it's brought me to where my goal is to have a thankful heart.

Here are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself to see where your attitude is at:

When something unexpected (or unplanned) happens, how do I respond? Am I able to switch gears, be flexible, and eagerly "go with the flow"? Or do I feel resentment or bitterness that my plans now have to be changed?

When a child breaks something (just by accident), that perhaps was even very dear to you, do you scold them and send them to their room after insisting they clean it up by themselves? Or do you bend over to help them, letting them know that it's okay, you understand it was just an accident, and it's not that important?

Our heart attitude effects how we respond. Look at how you respond to "big" things, and then you'll know how you're responding to little things. I've written more on attitudes here. I have found that it is very easy to let little things bother me, or to let my attitude be effected by the attitudes around me. So I have worked very hard on not being bothered by little things and not letting others determine what my attitude is going to be.

Therefore, one of the things the Lord has been teaching me, is that keeping my focus on Him and on being thankful, taking every situation (even the smallest ones) and finding something I can be thankful for, keeps my attitude, and my heart where it needs to be, with God on the throne!

Blog Giveaway

2009-11-04T10:59:00.002-05:00

There is a great giveaway going on over at Never A Dull Moment. Not only is it a great giveaway, but she has a great challenge also. I encourage you to go check it out! I know I'm going to accept her challenge.

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/neveradullmoment/

Niagara Falls, NY

2009-11-01T15:05:00.010-05:00

Finally, here is the long-awaited post...

Niagara Falls was BEAUTIFUL! We drove up to New York on Friday. The scenery on our way there was beautiful as well, even though it started raining at some point and rained the rest of the day. What a perfect time for travelling, this last month has been. As we've been travelling through Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York (which included parts of Pennsylvania as we crossed the border for awhile) we've travelled over many mountains and the trees are changing their colors. The bright Red, Yellow, Gold, Orange, Brick red/brown, and still Green leaves have made for very pleasant travelling. It is impossible to describe the beauty in all the scenery we've seen. We serve an AWESOME Creator!

(Notice the Falls directly to the left of the Rainbow, in the background)

Our original plan was to visit the Falls Friday evening when we got up there, but we got a later start in the morning than we had planned, and by the time we got to the area, it was almost dark and it was pouring. We spent the night in an "interesting" motel. :) It was pretty dingy but it was cheap, we were tired and we figured we'd stay at a nice hotel on Saturday night (which we did, and it had a heated pool and jacuzzi! :) ). So we decided that we'd go to bed early and get up to go to the falls for 8am. We didn't have to be at the book signing in Buffalo (20 minutes away) until Noon, so we had 4 hours!

On our way to the Falls we ate the rest of the fruit I had brought from the day before, and we figured we'd stop for breakfast after we had gotten our fill of the Falls. :) I brought my little "Point & Shoot" and Scott brought his nice Camera with all his nice lenses! Scott took a couple hundred pictures and they all are beautiful, but I haven't put any of those on my computer yet, so you'll have to be satisfied with the ones from my camera for now. Scott did post a few pic's on his blog though.

There was a constant rainbow the entire time we were there. And, you could see both ends of the Rainbow! It was breathtaking! :)

When we woke up in the morning, it was cloudy out and looked like it might start raining any minute, but nothing was going to stop us from going, so we headed out. As we started driving, the sun started breaking through the clouds, and by the time we parked our car, the sun was shining brightly and the clouds we starting to completely disappear. By the time we left it was cloudy again, but we felt so blessed that the Lord gave us bright blue skies, and let us see the Falls in all its splendor!

In this picture (below) you can see the mist rising up from the Falls behind me. When you walked down the "steps" in the second picture below, it was as if you were walking into the rain (but there were ZERO clouds in the sky), because of the mist.

We had to do a lot of walking to get to the "observation walks" (below) but I LOVED it! Because it had rained during the night, the Sun was shining through the trees, and you could smell the freshly fallen, damp leaves. I love that smell! Fall is my favorite season, and walking through the park that morning, I was reminded of all the reasons why I love it! :) We know our God is an awesome God and His creation is incredible, but we couldn't stop talking about it as we were walking to the Falls and then again on our way back to the car.

This was another "Fall" (or whatever you would call it) that you can see from where all the above pictures were taken.

Here's my handsome Husband doing one of his favorite things.... taking good pictures! (He's really good at doing it too! :) )

As for other news, we are completely out of the apartment. We gave the keys back yesterday. Our storage unit that seemed so big when we got it, is now completely stuffed! I still have some stuff to organize, here at my parents. Some of the things that I brought over here are stuff that I didn't have time to organize and consolodate before we left the apartment, so I will be working on that this week, as well as going through the stuff of mine that is still here from when I got married. It's great to be spending more time with my Family right now. I'm really going to miss them while we're gone, but I know it will go by quickly. :)

We are enjoying a quiet weekend, the only weekend for some time that we have had no book signings. We left it open because of the moving, and we're so glad we did! Not having the apartment now, is a relief because we're another big step closer to leaving for the tour. We're so excited! We can't wait! We leave in less than 4 weeks now.

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Now here's a question for all my blog readers: What is the most beautiful place you've been to, or the most beautiful day you remember?

Thorns & Roses

2009-10-28T16:12:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend in New York, and I promise, an update on the weekend (even if it is mostly pictures - which I have a lot of) is coming, but due to all that is going on this weekend (refer to my last post) I do not have the time yet to upload them all.

In the meantime, I came across this story on a blog that I am a frequent visitor of. It is well worth the read. Although there is still pain in my heart at times, from the moment my little one went to be with the Lord, I have been thankful for the thorns. And yes, although this story brought tears to my eyes at first, it also brought a smile at the end, because it's true.

********

Sandra felt as low as the heels of her shoes when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss.

Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location. Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"

"Good afternoon, can I help you?"

Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk. "I . . . I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.

"For Thanksgiving? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," the clerk told her. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"

"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."

Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer,

"Hi, Barbara, let me get your order." She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.

"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk.

Sandra watched - was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed.

"Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again," she said, as she gently tapped her chest.

Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with . . . uh . . . she left with no flowers!"

"That's right," said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet. Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery. That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."

"So what did you do?" asked Sandra."I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I never questioned Him why those good things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, 'Why? Why me?!' It took time for me to learn that the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."

Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about what her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."

Just then someone else walked in the shop.

"Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement . . twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.

"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"

"Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced," Phil replied. "After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem, the Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny there (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us."

As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"

"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life" Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too . . . fresh."

"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crown of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."

Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment."I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out."

I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."

"Thank you. What do I owe you?"

"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me."

The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."

It read:

"My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns.I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."

Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns.

"Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God."

Things and Recent Happenings

2009-10-21T15:22:00.006-04:00

Well, I don't know exactly just yet, what it is I'm going to write about, but since it has been a whole week since my last post, I figured I shouldn't put it off any longer. So, I guess I'll just write about "things and recent happenings."

Last Friday evening, one of my dear friends and I went to the "mini" Iron Sharpens Iron conference which featured speakers: Shaunti Feldhahn, Elisa Morgan, Rick Johnson, and Elizabeth George. The main conference was on Saturday, but because of the overwhelming response to it, they decided to have a "mini" conference the night before for those unable to attend the full conference. We were so blessed that night and wished that it had lasted longer than 2 1/2 hours. But they certainly packed some GREAT things in those 2 1/2 hours! All 4 speakers were excellent! My friend and I both, took lots of notes!

I ended up purchasing Shaunti Feldhahn's book For Women Only and Elizabeth George's book Putting on a Gentle and Quiet Spirit, a study of 1st Peter. I also wanted to buy Rick Johnson's book The Man Whisperer, but I am not made of money and I restrained myself. However, my Mom went to his session during the full conference on Saturday and bought the book, so I will be reading it and taking lots of notes while Scott and I are staying there for 2 weeks. I can't wait to read it!

On Saturday we drove up to New Hampshire for a book signing in North Conway. The weather was beautiful and the Mountains were gorgeous! The picture above is no where close to some of what we saw, but we couldn't seem to capture the beauty on my point and shoot camera, and we forgot to bring Scott's nice one.

After the booksigning on Saturday, we drove back down to Rochester where our booksigning on Sunday was. We spent the night at a nice Holiday Inn Express. They had an indoor pool and hot tub, and we remembered our bathing suits!!!!

It was overcast and raining Sunday morning, but we had a good booksigning. I found a couple more great deals to finish off some gifts! (YAY!!!! :)) I was going to take a turn driving on our way home, but because it was raining and we knew it was supposed to turn to snow (which it did!) I didn't feel comfortable driving (I haven't had a whole lot of experience driving on the highway in such conditions), so Scott drove (and did an expertise job, as always! :)).

As for this week..... it has been full of packing, and working. Oh, and we found a 4 x 6 trailer for our book tour! It is the perfect size and will give us the extra room we need for books, promo. material, and luggage! :)

With all that said, I hope you all have a great rest of the week, and a great weekend! On Friday we'll be heading up toward Buffalo, NY for booksignings in NY over the weekend. So expect another update next week!

Roasted Butternut Squash

2009-10-14T15:02:00.010-04:00

Okay, so my friend Shayna posted a recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash on her blog last week. It looked really yummy, and since the recipe looked so easy and I had just bought some Butternut Squash, I decided that when I was ready to cook it, I'd try the recipe.

So last night, after spending a productive afternoon with my Mom, packing up everything in my Kitchen that I'm not using and packing up more books, I started dinner. I had told Scott that I'd make the Roasted Butternut Squash for dinner, earlier, so I started preparing it and took out some thin "sandwich steaks" to have with the squash.

The squash recipe was very easy and since I didn't have all the ingredients, I just added a couple extras, and it was really yummy!

I cooked the steaks on the stove in a covered pan with White Balsamic Vinaigrette and a couple

tablespoons of water. When the steaks were cooked through (flipped them half-way), I took them out of the pan and put in some sliced Baby Bella Mushrooms for 5 minutes on low. I then put the steak back on top of the mushrooms for a couple more minutes and served it!

Here's another picture of the plate because I think it's really cool how you can see the steam rising up from the food.

So there's my "tidbit" for today. Hopefully I can get some Laundry done tonight and do more organizing/packing tomorrow morning before I babysit. We will see...... :)

Busy

2009-10-12T13:19:00.011-04:00

I know, I know. I haven't posted in 6 days, "where have I been?" Well, if you follow my Husband's blog then you know that we have had book signings and are very pleased to announce that Flaming Pen Press will be publishing another author Jacob Parker.

Most of the above I don't have much part in, but I have been very busy too. Along with babysitting and working, I have been getting serious about going through things in our apartment and starting to pack. In exactly 2 weeks we will no loner be at our apartment. I'll still have a few more days left to clean (2 weeks from now) but we will no longer be sleeping there and most everything should be packed up and moved out of there.

Over the last several months I have been collecting Christmas gifts here and there, mostly as we've been at different malls doing book signings. While Scott has been signing books, I've been walking the malls for exercise (anything is better than nothing :) ) and going through clearance racks/shelves at different stores. Some stores don't have much of anything nice, but I have found some really good "steals" in my shopping. I didn't intentionally set out to do that. In June I had done some shopping and got a bunch of nice stuff that I decided to save for Christmas gifts. But then I didn't think a whole lot more about Christmas until July or the beginning of August when I was just strolling through a store and found 2 gifts that were perfect for 2 of my sisters. The best part was that they were on clearance. I bought them and then later that week I was thinking about it, and I thought..... "hmm, I should keep my eyes open for anything else I might come across." Since we're at bookstores every weekend and at least one or all of those bookstores are in malls, I have doing lots of browsing. I am so thankful how the Lord has worked everything out. Getting ready to head out on national book tour means that I don't have a whole lot of money to spare. But by being strategic and setting myself a goal of NOT paying full-price for ANYTHING I have just about finished up my Christmas shopping and although I haven't (and probably won't) tallied everything up, I know I've spent a fraction of what I spent last year (I did sort of go over the top last year, but it was fun! :) I love giving gifts!).

When it comes to Christmas some people get stuck on making sure they spend the same amount of money on everyone in their family, or all of their friends, or co-workers, and the majority of people end up with LOTS of extra credit debt on their hands once Christmas is over. But that is NOT what Christmas is about. It wasn't until the last 2 years that I have had more than $20-$50 to spend on Christmas gifts (and that $20-$50 I had saved up over the course of SEVERAL months!). But even that was only the couple years before that. When giving or receiving a gift, it doesn't matter how much it cost or how much trouble you had to go through to get it. All that matters is what's in the heart. Sometimes the best gifts are the "messy" colored pictures from your kids or little brothers and sisters. Yes, they may have even "drawn" you this picture on a piece of scrap paper that they found in the garbage, but when they come up to you and say "I made this for you," your heart just melts, and you can't help but feel special.

In giving gifts, whether it's a birthday, Christmas, or some other special occasion (or maybe "just because"), it doesn't matter how much we spend, or if we even spend anything at all. What matters, is that it comes from our hearts.

On another note, if you're wondering what to do about stocking "stuffers" this year, check out what this mom had to say about it here.

So I have been working on going through my Christmas gifts, wrapping, labeling, organizing them, along with trying to go through things to ELIMINATE!!!!!! Just about every time that I see my Mom, I'm giving her a bag or two of items that I don't need/don't want anymore, or that I just don't know why I still have it since I haven't touched it in at least 3 years (I know, can you believe that I found stuff even after moving when I got married? :)). I hope she doesn't mind me passing things on to her. :) Of course there are some things that my other siblings could use, so she probably doesn't mind those things. :)

May you all have a blessed day!