Before and After: Main Bathroom

I'm a little late in posting pictures of our bathroom, but here it is, nearly a year after we started the project! We went from July to February without a working sink. Never again will I take washing my hands in a bathroom for granted! The bathroom was the biggest project of the whole house to date, and I love the outcome.

I didn't get great shots of the bathroom when we moved in, but I think you can at least tell it was in disrepair. I think I probably was afraid to step in far enough to get pictures, haha. The walls were weird blue and as you can see, they were filled with holes and general yuckiness.

I had been pinning away on Pinterest while we were thinking of how to remodel the house, and I really loved the scheme of black/grey/white with happy yellow accents. We settled on grey walls and then found tile at the ReStore for the floors. We installed a new white toilet and all new plumbing, as well. I took the picture of the flowers at a park near our house.

 

 

 

The tub was absolutely the most disgusting part of the bathroom. I adore a nice bubble bath, and I wasn't about to put the kids in this one either, so keeping the tub was just not an option. It was beyond clean-able!! It was a good thing we made the decision we did, because not surprisingly, David ran into lots of mold issues lurking behind the old tub, and he was able to get rid of it before installing the new one.

 

 

 

I had never bought a bathtub before, but I realized that they have all different depths. We found one that is 18" from the bottom to the top drain. We all really love the new, deep tub!

 



 

The vanity (you can kind of see it in one of the top before photos) was actually quite nice, but it was just too big for our small bathroom, and the top didn't go with my black and white scheme. David found both the top and bottom of our new one at the ReStore. Unfortunately, they did not fit together as well as we had hoped, so part of the delay in having a working sink was that it took him a long time to figure out how to get them to mesh without breaking the top. Those things are not cheap! He finally got it all working together, though, and I think it was worth the time we spent brushing our teeth in the kitchen for this.

We also added a ceiling vent fan and light, and painted the trim around the door white and the trim along the floor black. I looked and looked, but never did find a window covering I liked, so last weekend, we bought some custom frost and applied that to the bottom half of the window, as well.

I am so happy with this bathroom ... it's just what I pictured back in June 2013 when we first looked at our fixer-upper!

Because of Christ

I had the weekend of March 14-16 planned for months.  My family was going to leave Thursday night and drive over to Illinois to visit the Robbins family, as we try to do at least once a year.  We would relax and visit, and attend their church's missions conference each evening. Everything was going to be perfect.

But then, plans changed, and the trip was going to be cut a day short.  Then plans changed again ... and again, and again.  What was going to be my idea of a perfect weekend just kept falling through.  I was hoping that by now I would understand that God's plans are better than mine, but I have to admit, I was sulking by the time Thursday rolled around.  My family was going to stay home, and I was to drive to Illinois by myself.  I was more than a little nervous.

The weekend was crazy-busy, a total whirlwind, and yet, one of the best few days I have had in my life.  God used so many people and circumstances to show me His power, I am just awed.  I don't think that I can accurately describe in a blog post what I experienced, but I just wanted to try and share briefly what God has done in my heart. I believe He revealed a small taste of what heaven will be like, and I am certainly ready for Him to come back for us anytime!

The weekend was filled with friends - no, family. And it didn't matter how long I knew them, or if I knew them at all.  They are family because of Christ. 

There was Jay and Hannah, whom I had never met before, but who left as my friends.  There was Heidi, my close friend and former roommate, a confidante and a support who I've known for years.  Her parents, who think of and treat me as their own.  Willi and Heidi, who were friends of mine in college, but have moved to Germany and I've not seen for five years. Kelly, who I've known a long time and who ended up marrying a childhood friend of mine. There was Terry, a distant relative with whom I've recently reconnected, and her family.  I even went to her father-in-law's funeral - a man that I did not know - and I left thinking, "I can't wait to meet him in heaven!" And there was the church congregation, who has made it their goal to get to know me and my family, and to pray for us and to welcome us with open arms every time we visit.

There were two very distinct moments this weekend that moved me to tears, and I can't get them out of my mind.  The first was when I was sitting at the funeral of Norm, a man that I did not know but who was dear to my friend. For that reason, he was dear to me, in a way. While waiting for the service to begin, I had a brief thought of, "Why am I here?" But then, God answered.  The piano began to play, and I knew.

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks eternal, bright and fair
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there!

It doesn't matter that I never personally knew Norm.  He's a child of God, and he is in heaven right now, looking into Jesus' face. And because of Christ, I will be there too. And I'm sure we'll be friends then. 

The second came in the morning service yesterday, during another song.

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be

Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

It was a special music, and I saw my college friends Willi and Heidi, with their three-year-old daughter Sophia, singing with pure hearts to their Savior.  Sophia knew every single word, because her parents have taught her the mercies of God.  I reflected on my life - the formative years and those I remember much better, the years from college on. I thought about when I first met Heidi S. ten years ago, when I was in college and she was in high school.  Willi, I met in Germany the summer after, and Heidi and I met that fall.

What fun we all had in college, and yet, how different we all are now. Through it all - good, bad, easy, hard - God has been faithful.  He has been our Father.  He has provided all that we've needed, every day. It's okay that we hadn't all been together in five years, because God has knitted our hearts in Him. Though time passes, we are still following Him, and that makes us family. It allows us to pick up where we left off, or to meet people we've never seen before, and to bond instantly.  

I am so thankful for each twist and turn of my life, and I'm thankful for the faithful friends who have been there all the way.  I am thankful that this weekend was not my plan, but was so much better because it was God's plan.  I pray that I am able to recall the lessons I have learned in the past few days and to love others more, knowing that everything that happens, every relationship that is made, is only because of Christ.

Knowledge, Wisdom, and the Heart

We were invited to a party.  I was so excited to go! I thought about it, planned my food, and played how it would go in my mind for weeks. 

Then I found out who else had been invited. What originally was going to be a fun evening with friends turned into a dreaded event, simply because of one person who was going to attend. It was a man who takes every opportunity to share with others just how smart he really is, to the point that I don't like being around him because, well, I just get tired of hearing it!

I went, and I really tried to enjoy myself, because it was a great party, but the guy was relentless.  Every time we played a game, he interjected with facts and quotes. Every time one person talked, he had to rebut.

In all honesty, after only an hour I was seething with anger and was ready to leave.  I was also ready to jump in this guy's face and give him a piece of my mind, telling him just how much I don't care about what he read, or heard, or surmised based on who-knows-what.

But then it hit me.  I do that.  Oh, I may not do it on such a large scale. I may not interrupt conversations with my "knowledge". But I definitely like to get a word in more often than not.

How many times do I give unsolicited advice about parenting? Or share with other ladies the "correct" way to make cookies? How many people do I tell for no particular reason all the places I've visited and all the people I've met? 

This has me thinking, and has been a huge area of concern and study since that party.  I do believe God created us (some, more than others, maybe) to desire to learn, study, travel, etc.  So, if knowledge itself isn't wrong, then what is?  What about it is making me cringe?

It is the attitude behind it.  It's the heart, the motivation. 

Why do I seek knowledge?  Is it so I can show off when a subject comes up?  So I can move up the ladder in a social circle or at work?  Or is it because God has created me to love learning, and because I desire to seek truth?

We've been studying from 1 Corinthians in Sunday School, and I am struck by how relevant so much of what Paul says in this letter is to my conviction on this subject.

1 Corinthians 1:20b says, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" and verse 25 says, "...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." I know he's not necessarily referring to knowledge, and the sharing of knowledge.  But can't anything that is gained out of a wrong motive be foolishness? 

1 Corinthians 1:27 goes on to say, "but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the strong ..." meaning that to those of us who think we are wise (i.e. sharing knowledge to make myself look good, or to appear strong) are put to shame by the ones we think look foolish.  (A good example is my very humble husband, who knows a whole lot more than he lets on but is so moldable and usable by God because of it).

And Proverbs 18:2 says, "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind." How very convicting!

When is it okay to share knowledge?  There are plenty of times - if my heart is right.
1 Corinthians 1:31 "... just as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

It is my prayer that everything that I say and do would be pleasing to God, to edify others, and to bring others to a saving (HEART!) knowledge of Christ. 

If it's to make me look good, I pray that I think twice before it's said ... and may I treat others with grace who have not yet understood the importance of humility in this circumstance, praying that they learn to boast only in God!

Before and After: Bedrooms

I know, I know.  I've taken my sweet time posting any before-and-afters of our new house.  I finally decided to take some pictures today so I can share the blessing we have in our home!  When we first got into it, it had been foreclosed upon and some friends of ours had taken out all the "garbage."  It was quite the job for them, I'm sure!  And once we got it, it was basically a blank slate, minus the bathroom, which we (and by "we" I refer to my husband and father-in-law!) gutted.  Pictures of that to come soon.

Samuel's Room

Here is Samuel's room now.  I got a lighter blue for the walls, and the ceiling was cleaned and painted.  David and his dad also re-textured the whole upstairs (which contains the hallway, bathroom, and the three bedrooms), which fixed a ton of holes and other imperfections!  We carpeted both of the kids' rooms.  I still have work do to finish the windows - they all need paint on the trim, and I'm still looking for the perfect curtains for this room.

Both of the kids' room floors looked like this.  It's a wonder what carpet will do!

 

Our Room

 

 

So actually, our room wasn't too bad.  And I know this is a different angle, but you'd probably rather see this than a shot of our messy dresser!  I got a medium tan for this color, which I just love!  We also installed a ceiling fan and light.  I'm still looking for curtains for this room, too.

 

Girls Room

 

 

 

I think the girls room has the most noticeable difference.  The wall color was my choice, and it came out a little more bold than I thought.  But the more decorated the room gets, the more toned-down the paint seems.  I think it's going to be just fine when all is said and done.

 

We figured out pretty quickly that someone "closet smoked" in there ... the walls in the closet were yellow and stinky!  We did the same in the girls' room as in Samuel's room - new paint on the walls and ceiling and new carpet.  I'll get another set of curtains eventually, and we have some cute decorations for the walls in both kids' rooms.  Hey, I'm not doing so bad! We lived in our North English house for five years and I didn't even buy any decorations for their room in that time!  I have to feel inspired before I know for sure where I want to hang things.  We're getting there. 

 

Rachel Baby

I know it's been a long time, when here I was, all excited to get back in to blogging regularly.  Anybody else have that "Busiest Time of Year" feeling, though?  I mean, I'm having fun! But I am certainly lacking in the "time" department. 

One thing that I've done with the other two kids, and that I've been wanting to do with Rachel, is to share the story of their birth days.  We celebrated Rachel's first birthday this past weekend, and it was incredible to reminisce about how she came in to the world, and how much has happened since then!

When we accepted the position that David now has in October, we did so on one condition: we would not be moving until after I had delivered Rachel.  I was 7 months along, and after having the best-doctor-ever deliver my other two, I just couldn't fathom finding a new OB just weeks before delivery. So all along, David and I knew that once the baby was born, our lives would become very, very hectic.

I had never been induced before, but given the circumstances - we would be moving on December 28th, plus my doctor was not going to be on call much around my due date (Dec. 17)- we decided at the last minute that induction was going to be the best route this time. Dr. Wenzel gave us the info sheets and said to call in around 6:30 on Friday morning, December 14th, and that we could be admitted as early as 8:00. We got to work finding a friend to watch the older kids and preparing ourselves for delivering a baby just three days after we decided to go ahead and induce. Friday morning came and we called as planned.

 They said that I was going to have to wait, as others were in line before me, and a few ladies had gone into labor in the night. This had happened before, when I was wanting to be induced with Julia and actually ended up going into labor on my own. They put me off for hours and by the time they let me in, she came very quickly. But this time, there was no sign of labor ... I just wanted to have the baby before life got too crazy! Labor and Delivery told me, essentially, "Don't call us; we'll call you." Excellent. Dr. Wenzel was very understanding of my apprehension and actually called me personally twice throughout the day to discuss the situation.

  And what do you think David and I did all day? We packed. And packed, and packed, and packed! It was mentally and emotionally and physically exhausting. Finally, around 4:00 that afternoon, I received a phone call saying to make my way in around 5:30. I was so thankful - I felt terrible for the fact that my friend had had Samuel and Julia all day long, and our parents were just on hold, waiting to hear that we were going in. I got to the hospital around 5:30 and the ladies told me to sit in the waiting room. I couldn't believe it! She said they had gotten several more ladies in labor and that I would just have to wait for a bed.

  I think we sat in the waiting room for at least a half an hour, and it was very sad because we watched the news all day. The Sandy Hook shooting had taken place earlier in the day, so of course, that was all over the networks. I eventually decided that they had forgotten about me, and went to the front desk. Dr. Wenzel was miraculously the one sitting at the desk, and I explained to her that our parents would be arriving and I would appreciate at least being in a prep room rather than sitting in the waiting room when they got there. She led me back immediately and broke my water. With my other two, once she broke my water, I immediately dilated to a six, and then to a ten, and was pushing within a very short amount of time.

This time, that didn't happen. I was at a four when I got there, and after pitocin and a couple of hours of pain, I was still at a four. How frustrating! I asked for my "usual" - a half dose of Nubain. They told me it had been recalled. I remember asking, "so you mean, it's all or nothing??" and they said that was precisely what they meant. I really didn't want an epidural, and though Dr. Wenzel wasn't pushy, she recommended it. I held out until around 10:00 that night. We were struggling some with the baby having an irregular and often very low heartbeat, and my blood pressure dipped into the low 40s several times.

 I was still very hopeful to deliver soon, and really believed that I had dilated enough that it would be anytime. But when Dr. Wenzel checked, I was still only at four. She said that I was likely unable to relax enough to be able to dilate, and once again recommended the epidural. Even though I'd given birth twice before, they were completely natural (minus that half dose!), and I had never felt the intensity of pain I had that night. They had to dial back my Pitocin because of it.  My parents and my mother-in-law came to visit, and I so badly wanted to have some time to talk with them, but the pain was so bad that I couldn't even breathe through contractions. I decided that the time had come for an epidural.

I remember really shaking terribly through that epidural and being so nervous that I wasn't being still enough. I don't know how the poor anesthesiologist got the needle in the right spot! But he did, and he was excellent. They were right ... the epidural really helped me to relax. I mean, REALLY! I was on cloud nine! And I was dilating at last.

But then, Dr. Wenzel changed her mode. Before, she had been in and out of our room, chit-chatting about life and food and babies, and suddenly there was an urgency about her. She only allowed my visitors to come in for about a minute at a time, and she constantly monitored me. The baby's heart rate was apparently very close to being dangerously low, as was my blood pressure.

 I realized that they were at least somewhat preparing to do an emergency c-section. They were doing one on the lady next door, and made it very apparent that they were considering coming into my room first. It made me a little nervous, but probably not as much as it should have. I believe God gave me the peace, though, that everything would be fine. I was worried about my baby, and wanted to lay on my right side so that I could watch her heart monitor on the screen. But every time I went to my right side, we reached the dangerous numbers much more quickly. Time ticked on, and I fully felt the effects of my epidural. So nice!

 I had no idea what to look for as far as when to push, but a felt a tiny bit of pressure once, then a second time, and I pushed the call button. When Dr. Wenzel came in, the baby was already crowning. (oops!) I actually had to wake David up for the birth, which I thought was hilarious since the other two times I was yelling at him so much about who knows what, there was no chance of him napping!

  Rachel Elizabeth was delivered at 1:35 am on Saturday, December 15th.  She was just beautiful, and my smallest baby by over a pound, weighing just 7 lb 4 oz.  I was enamored instantly.  Dr. Wenzel had to do a shot of adrenaline in order for my blood pressure to normalize, and recovery from an epidural is a bit harder I thought, but otherwise, I felt great the whole time we were in the hospital.

Our hospital experience was awesome, and we saw it almost as our little retreat before the big move.  We didn't have many visitors, but that was definitely ordained by God.  We needed the time, the peace and quiet, and the stability of the hospital routine for those three days.

I am so thankful once again as I look back at the third labor and delivery experience.  Though there were scary points, and it definitely didn't go according to my personal plan, I can see how God's hand was so obviously controlling each moment.  I have nothing but wonderful memories of the entire time, and I think I will always hold it as a special time in my heart, because it was the last bit of time we had in our "old" life.  We moved when Rachel was exactly two weeks old.  I cherish that time we had in our familiar hospital, with familiar doctors and nurses who are dear to our hearts. 

And now, a full year later, I thank God for my sweet, energetic, LOUD little Rachel Baby!

A Classic Julia Story

I was going to come back to blogging with a bang.  I wanted to share how God has worked in our family, how He has provided, some huge lessons we've learned. Something life-changing.
 
But when I tried to type yesterday, the keyboard and the website weren't working together.  I gave it a valiant effort, but gave up thinking that God must not have wanted me to share right that moment.  I don't know - sometimes my thoughts and words don't match up the way I think they do, and I come cross wrongly.  Who knows. 

So, I will wait on those "big" blog posts.  Maybe next time.  Instead, I have a classic Julia story.  If you know her at all, you will surely be able to picture her saying this!

This morning, Julia brought me her little pink Bible, as she often does.  "Read me John 19:26," she said.

Well, okay.  I don't even know if there is a John 19:26.  I took the Bible and said I would look for it.
For future reference ... the book of John has 21 chapters, and there are 42 verses in chapter 19 alone. I proceeded to read a bit about Jesus on the cross. 

I got to verse 30.  "Jesus tasted the vinegar.  Then He said, 'It is finished.'  He bowed His head and died."

Oh, dear, I thought, here we go.  Julia has a fascination with death lately, which has generated some great discussions on salvation, but I wasn't sure I was up for that at an early hour this morning. 

She looked at me.  "Hmm," she said, shrugging her shoulders, "I guess He ate too much."

Yep.  Classic Julia.  Theology to follow ... another day. 

This is it . . . we've found "the house"!

God is always at work - always moving, always showing us His ways.  And His ways are so much higher than ours!

Last time I posted that we had reneged on the house we had been planning to buy.  That was a Wednesday. Two days later, we were signing a lease for a home.

On the Sunday before we backed out of the house, David was looking through craigslist to see what was available since we hadn't kept our eye on the market as much recently.  He came across a home that was listed to be sold "as is" or to be fixed up and sold for a higher price.  He called the owner, and it turned out to be a relative of our sister-in-law, who buys homes like that as a business.

We are going to buy the house but it needs some major (cosmetic, not structural) renovations before we will be approved for a loan.  Fortunately, a lease to own program was available, and David and I decided to go that route.

So, we are knee-deep in our home renovation project.  David has done similar things many times, but never on his own home; I have never been a part of such a huge undertaking.  We are so excited to be able to make this home our own, and it even has room to grow in if we stay for several years.

I can't wait to post lots of before and after pictures and will start doing so as soon as we get some rooms finished!  We are working on the bedrooms and a bathroom right now and plan to move in as soon as those are done.

Thank you all for your continued prayers!  It has been a very exciting several months and we expect nothing less for the future

A Big Decision

Ohhh, the mysterious ways of our all-knowing God!

Last weekend was long and emotional as David and I felt we were wrestling with God's will for our future.  It's kind of a long story, but all in all, we prayed and sought counsel and came to the conclusion that our God is not a God of confusion.  As I alluded to in my last update, we seemed to be met with nothing but confusion throughout our buying process.   We also feel we've had a real wake-up call in regards to taking care of our family's needs and being very wise in our spending, as we've had two friends unexpectedly die, leaving a wife and children, within the past four months.  It has made us take a second look at making the most of what we have - time, money, and resources.

On Monday we signed a rescission form releasing us from all responsibilities and obligatins we had made to the house we had been planning to buy for the last two months.  We thought we'd be heartbroken, but instead we both have complete peace with it, and our parents agree that it was the best decision.

We covet your prayers, friends, as we contemplate our next steps.  Thank you to all of  you who've followed our progress through our move, for all of the prayers and encouraging words thus far.  I will continue to update as we seek God's wisdom for the placement of our family!

Housing Update and Patience Lesson

Did I pray for patience?  I don't remember doing so, but God certainly is teaching it to me! 

An update on our housing situation:

We are still waiting on the house that we signed papers to buy clear back in mid-April.  We didn't realize, first of all, how much work a realtor does to make the buying/selling process go so smoothly.  David and I have been on the phone countless hours working out details, and have spent lots of time e-mailing, scanning, signing, faxing, and the works. 

It seems like the theme for this process of buying a home could be described by one word: delays.

Everywhere we turn, we are waiting on someone or something!  We had multiple misunderstandings from the start, from attorneys to bankers. 

As of now, everything has gone through.  Our loan is approved, all the paperwork is finished.  We were supposed to close last Friday the 31st of May.  On Thursday, we received a long list of fixes that needed to be completed before closing.  Obviously we were thrilled with that timing (note the sarcasm). 

We were quite nervous, because we had already decided that we could not invest any money up front on these fixes, and so the conclusion was that if the sellers would not take care of them, we would have to back out.  We were struggling to be content with that decision, but just trusted that God would lead us through that as He has during this whole moving process.  David visited with the homeowners as soon as we got the list and they said it seemed quite "nit-picky", but we didn't even have to ask them to fix anything; they offered to do it all but the electric work.

I had a great time on Saturday while David and his dad worked to fix the electrical issues - I got to go through the house and take measurements and pictures of everything! 

Right now we are waiting on the appraiser to finish his paperwork (par for the course to wait again!) because he has the final say on what actually has to be fixed.  As soon as he submits it, we think the sellers will only take a few days at most and then we are praying that we can close and move in quickly!

We are so thankful that we're in the situation that we are, so that we aren't in limbo somewhere else while we wait on all of this to go through.  I am glad not to be alone with the kids in North English, without David, or that we aren't renting something. 

We are hoping to be able to spend most of the summer in our new home, which has plenty of space for guests and barbecues!  For now, we just keep praying during the process and appreciate friends who are joining us in prayer.

Sneak preview:

Dining Room view from the Living Room - yep, that's a breakfast bar coming from the kitchen!!

Living Room view from the Dining Room

Other Half of the Living Room, looking out to the deck and yard

Samuel's Allergies According to our New Doctor

I've shared before about our ongoing struggles with Samuel and his allergies.  Last week, we went to meet our new allergist now that we've moved, and we weren't really sure what to expect.

Even though it is always good to get a second opinion on things, sometimes it's hard to know who is right! 

We like our new allergist (who happened to be the asthma/allergy doctor David's sister had when she was young).  He is very kind and clearly knowledgeable on things, but between doctor to doctor, everyone just does things a little differently.

Since Samuel tested positive for 13 of his 18 "scratch" tests two years ago, the doctor thought it would be good to re-evaluate and do many of those same tests again.  I think it's safe to say the news wasn't "good" or "bad", but basically confirmed a lot of things we already knew.
Peanuts still registered positive, though Samuel has yet to show any sign of a direct reaction to eating peanuts.  It seems weird, but we're not taking any chances.

I had pinpointed the pesto reaction he had a few weeks ago not to pine nuts but to cashews, and sure enough, that was his most violent reaction when we tested him.

Dogs, grasses, and trees no longer registered as severe reactions, if at all, but dust mites were right up there with cashews. 

Samuel is not old enough or severe enough right now to be classified as having asthma.  We will likely test for that at some point in the future but for now are supposed to use the words, "bronchiolitis" and "rhinitis" (which I guess are fancy terms indicating that he sometimes has trouble breathing and something to do with his nose??).

The conclusion from the doctor was that Samuel is a "highly allergic child" who may grow out of some but will likely develop new allergies as he grows older.  That means we'll always carry epi pens, inhalers, Benadryl, and prednisone with us and must monitor him carefully for a reaction.

But then again, we know two things.  First, God not only already knows our allergy struggles, but He created Samuel to be this way.  We will continue to trust that He has a plan for us all through it.  And second, Samuel just gets older and more aware of his situation with each day.  It is comforting to know that he is finally able to vocalize an oncoming attack and he keeps track of his backpack that contains all his rescue meds.

We are thankful to have a doctor in the area and for modern medicine!

Everyone Has a Mom

I've been really challenged lately to take a second look at the meaning of today, "Mother's Day". As I sit on the couch eating ice cream and watching Bob the Builder, celebrating the day by enjoying my three children to the max, I feel completely, humbly blessed.

It seems like God has just brought all sorts of reminders across my path recently that have begged for this second look, this extra thought, regarding a day that many people see as joyous.  I never realized how many don't. 

So, to all of you . . .

To the moms with toddlers who make you want to pull out your hair,
To the moms with high schoolers who make you want to pull out your hair,
To the moms whose children have left the nest, recently or long ago,
To the single moms who are barely making it through each day,
To the single dads who are in the role of both parents,
To the girls who desire to be married and have children one day but have not yet been given the opportunity,
To the men and women who have recently lost their moms,
To the moms who have tried and tried, but are unable to have a baby,
To the moms who are celebrating a first mother's day with a baby or who are expecting,
To the moms who are waiting on a phone call for an adoption,
and to everyone who has a mom,

Happy Mother's Day!

While We Waited . . .

Remember last week's post? 

I am utterly amazed at God's goodness and His perfection.  I wrote that post in the early afternoon last Wednesday.  Shortly after, I checked craigslist just to see what was out there, and I saw that there was an acreage for sale by owner. 

We called the homeowner at 4:00 that afternoon and went to see it at about 5:30.  The moment we walked in the door, everything became clear - this was without a doubt where God has had us all along.  Not only is the house everything we need, but God has provided us with many of our "wants" as well.  All new appliances, a master bathroom, a heated garage, 2 acres in a very ideal location . . . and the list goes on.

We signed an agreement on Friday, and are currently in the process of buying this house.  What's also neat is that the homeowners were unexpectedly called by their church to move to New Mexico and are en route even as I write, so having the house sold was a huge blessing to them.  We actually felt as though if they were to stick around the area, we might have become friends.

I'm sure there will be many pictures and further explanation to follow as we begin moving and settling in to this beautiful home.  For now, I just wanted to update everyone on the perfect timing of God and His provision while we were waiting!

Throughout this whole process of moving, we have clung to Proverbs 16:9 - "The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."  How thankful we are!

While We're Waiting

Do you ever ask God what He's doing?  Or why He's doing it? 

What a roller coaster we have been on lately, all while wondering, "God, what are you doing??"  As most of you probably know, we felt God's leading of our family away from our home of 5 years and back to David's hometown in late September last year.  And boy, has it been a roller coaster of emotions and experiences ever since!

We moved over here December 30 - Rachel's 2-week birthday - and have been living with David's parents ever since.  We've been keeping our eyes open for places to live all along; since our ultimate goal is to move to a family farm, we've also been hoping to rent for cheap or to find a home that we could purchase for very little so we could continue to build a savings.

Last weekend, we made the big decision to go ahead and buy a home, so we contacted or agent and she showed us several places in our price range.  To make a long story short, by Saturday noon we had found a home in town that we loved . . . and we found a rental house in the country that would be well under our budget.

 For the past several days, it has really seemed like all signs were pointing toward us getting the rental.  We started preparing for that particular house, and making plans to paint and move within the next month.  We kind of convinced ourselves that we shouldn't buy the house in town, and that God has had this rental for us all along.  The timing and events were just too perfectly aligned.

Today David got a shocking phone call.  The rental has gone to someone else. 

So, God, what are you up to?  We're just not sure.

I am reminded of a song by John Waller -

While I'm Waiting

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you, Lord,

And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on you, Lord

Though it is painful, but patiently, I will wait.

I will move ahead bold and confident

I'll be taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting, I will serve you

While I'm waiting, I will worship

While I'm waiting, I will not faint

I'll be running the race even while I wait 

 I'm waiting, I'm waiting on you, Lord

And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on you, Lord

Though it's not easy, but faithfully, I will wait

I will serve you while I'm waiting,

I will worship while I'm waiting on you, Lord

It is easy to feel discouraged, like we had built ourselves up for nothing. My tendency is to sit and stew about why my own plans didn't work out, and worry about whether we'll ever have our own house again.

But instead, we see this as a reminder (and we had forgotten) that God is truly working in His timing.  He will provide how and when He sees fit, just as He always has.

Until then, we will wait, and pray, and just keep running the race!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My (unwanted) Self Appointed Award

I'm (finally) back!  We got a new computer so I can finally use all my fingers to type - it's a lot easier than trying to write anything from the Kindle Fire. 

I'm super excited to start blogging again, but for now, I just have an announcement.

I've officially earned the not-so-prestigious award of Bad Mom of the Month.

I totally wasn't thinking while preparing lunch today.  I know Samuel's peanut allergy means we have to be wary of all nuts, because he's susceptible to developing allergies to them as well.

But I still decided to serve pesto. 

Even when Samuel told me his tongue was hurting, I made him eat his lunch, and after that when he said his tummy hurt, I thought he might have had a slight reaction to the pine nuts.  But that was it.

Three hours later, after dragging him to the store and back (we left early because I thought he was going to throw up from an upset stomach), I finally put my thinking cap back on and checked under his clothes.

I should have caught on much sooner.  But I didn't.

He was covered from his feet all the way up to his neck and behind his ears in hives.  Poor, sweet boy. 

Bad Mom of the Month it is.

I'm bribing him with ice cream and tv during naptime and really hoping the Benadryl kicks in soon so the hives go away.  I'm so thankful that this time his asthmatic symptoms didn't follow his itchies!

A Crafty Post

A few days ago I entered that final two weeks of pregnancy that always keeps me guessing which pain is an indication that the "big event" will happen.  I have to say, some days I feel like this baby will arrive any second and other days are filled with panic that I'm not ready. 

We've been spending lots of our time lately packing, getting all our Christmas shopping done, and preparing to move.  Some days I haven't honestly had much time even to think about going into labor!
But I'm feeling really ready today. 

Here's a picture of my sister-in-law and myself that was taken on Thanksgiving Day.  "Best" arrived about 12 hours after the picture . . . now we're waiting on "Friends".

I admit, I've been watching my fair share of Christmas movies to pass some of the time before Baby arrives, but I wanted to share something else that kept me busy for a few days.

Here is a very rare craft - Julia's Christmas present!

Julia has TONS of dolls, doll clothes, and doll supplies - and we're pretty sure she's going to get more for Christmas.  So David had a genius idea.  We would make over a storage container that we already had into a special set of drawers to keep Julia's supplies contained.

I started with this "blah" set of Rubbermaid drawers that have been bouncing around our house for way too long.  I believe they're about $20 or so new from the store.  Then I went to Hobby Lobby and found three coordinating patterns of fabric that also happen to coordinate with a striped fabric I had already purchased for another Julia project.  (that one has yet to be done)

I had an almost-full bottle of Mod Podge as well as brushes, so that didn't cost anything either.  The only other supplies I needed were scissors, a tape measure, a straight edge ruler, and a pencil.

I measured the inside of the drawers and cut fabric to size.  This just shows the front of the drawer, but I ended up doing the sides as well.  Then I spread the Mod Podge on the drawer, smoothed on the fabric with some little scraper thingies David found (see how high tech I am!  very crafty! wink, wink).  Then I covered the outside with a generous coat of Mod Podge as well.

I continued this for all three drawers, and finally for the top. 

All I had to do then was let it dry, which took about 24 hours.  I'm pretty excited about these.  I hope Julia is, too!  Maybe this winter I'll get around to another craft???

Am I Really Thankful?

This morning I woke up before the kids, which hasn't happened for me in over a week (and I do much better when I don't wake up to them yelling for me to come get them up!).  I was so glad to have time to drink coffee and do my Bible study for a few minutes.  Along with my Bible study, most days I also try to list 5 things for which I'm thankful. 

But today when I sat down, I literally thought to myself, "I just don't feel thankful today."  I don't know why.  I just didn't.  But then I took a look around at my cute little home, with my husband curled up in his blanket with his Bible, and picked up my coffee.  What is there that I don't have to be thankful for? 

It's the week of Thanksgiving, for heaven's sake!  I asked God to make me thankful.  And He did.  So in the tradition of many of my facebook friends who are listing one thing each day, here is my list of 30 things all in one day!

I AM THANKFUL:

1. For the incredible, perfect timing of God in each moment of every day - because it's certainly not what I would plan but it always works out for the best.

2. That we sold our house before the baby comes, so I don't have to worry about keeping it clean afterward.

3. That after we're moved out of our house, I get to take a "break" by living between my in-laws' and my parents' for a while, rather than having to worry about setting up a new house while getting used to the baby.

4. For my husband, who is sweet and sensitive, yet very much a man.  He loves me, he loves our children, and he is daily growing to be more like Christ as he leads our home.

5. For my beautiful children, who teach me more than I ever thought each day.  They are completely opposite of each other, yet equally lovable.

6. For my third child, who should be here in less than a month (I HOPE!!).  She is healthy and strong, and reminds me of that at least every few minutes. (kick . . . turn . . . hiccup . . . kick)

7. That God brought us to Williamsburg when He did so that we could learn and grow as a family and as Christians for the past 5 years.

8. For the two Bible studies I've been in - Ladies Bible study each Wednesday and Young Marrieds Bible study every third weekend.  What an encouragement each has been to me!

9. Plain and simple . . . for coffee of all sorts, at any time of the day but especially in the mornings.

10. That this is the week of Thanksgiving, which means 4 days with David home, a wonderful feast with the Larsons on Thursday, Christmas decorating at home on Friday, and goodie making day on Saturday!

11. To have my 3-year-old sitting in the office with me "reading" silently because his sister is still asleep.  So precious.

12. That my #1 craving during pregnancy has been ice and not ice cream!

13. That so far, we have had gorgeous weather this fall.  What a beautiful season to enjoy with my family!

14. For my two best friends from college, Sarah and Heidi, who are always there for me.

15. For my washing machine - a gift from dear friends at church that makes it much more enjoyable to do laundry during the week.

16. For God's Word and the promises He gives in it.

17. That I live in a modern day where we have electricity, running water, etc. because I'm kind of wimpy and doubt that I'd survive well without lights or a bathroom inside.

18. That David is the "nerd" of the family and is willing to crunch numbers each month so we actually have a budget.

19. For my church family, who just keeps blessing us even though they know we will not be here much longer.  No one has said "good riddance" or anything; they keep on loving us!

20. That no matter what happens - who is president, where I am physically, what may be going on in the world - I can trust that nothing happens outside of God's knowledge.  He has a perfect ultimate plan for each of us and He definitely wins in the end!

21. That both of my kids are at an age where they say really, really funny things.  I'll be even more thankful when I remember to write them down!

22. That after I have the baby I get to be in the hospital for a couple of days.  I know some people don't like it but, really?  I quite enjoy sitting in that hospital bed where they bring me food and take the baby when I'm tired. 

23. For meat.  Yup, I said meat.  Some friends gave us a bunch of burgers, roasts, and chickens, and I am very thankful for each bite.

24. For pens and notebooks.  I am that crazy one that loves to write anything and everything, and make tons of lists.  I'm glad to have something that makes it happen.

25. That no matter what my physical blessings - and I've listed many - my spiritual blessings are far more and far greater.

26. For evenings spent lately with David, a cup of hot tea, and great conversation.

27. For my crockpot and my bread machine.  They certainly make life a lot easier!

28. For our SUV that God arranged for us to buy with cash.  It has been a huge blessing in our lives to be able to give rides, haul some things, etc.  We always wanted one but never thought we'd be able to afford one!

29. For personal ministry meetings we've been able to have with our pastor. 

30. As I finish my list, I'll end with the most important.  I am so thankful that God sent His Son Jesus to be born as a man, to live as a human, and to give the ultimate sacrifice so that we might each be saved from our sins.  I am thankful that this sacrifice was a gift I only needed to accept, and that Jesus is alive today!  I sure can't wait to see Him face to face someday!

Hello, facebook . . . with limits!

Well, I'm at the end of my official facebook sabbatical.  I have to admit, I did log on about 4 times, for maybe 5 minutes each, during the month I took off.  But in my defense . . . a few of my friends from college were having babies and I just had to check on them!!

To describe the break from facebook, I think I can sum it up in one word: "refreshing". 

I knew that facebook had become an idol of sorts to me, but I really didn't have any idea of the extent until I stopped logging on altogether.  I still can't believe the amount of time I was spending on the computer and on the Kindle Fire in contrast to the time with my children as well as doing other, more constructive, activities!

Here are a few of the things I got done in the past month that I truly believe wouldn't have happened if I'd spent my normal amount of time on facebook.

*I read books to the kids.  And read, and read, and read.  Literature has been such a huge part of my life, and I have so enjoyed sharing that with Samuel and Julia.  I even set aside a half hour each day after laying Julia down to read more informative, "older" books to Samuel.  He absolutely ate them up - all the knowledge, entertainment, imagination, and ideas in each book.  It has also been absolutely precious time spent just sitting together on the couch with my quickly-growing 3-year-old that I never would have had because I was always itching to put him to bed and check on everyone else's kids via facebook.

*I spent more time in God's Word.  Oh, sure, I did okay before.  But once again, I'd rush through any quiet time with God that I may have had so that I could log on to facebook for as much time as possible.  But this past month, I was able to truly spend and enjoy that time that I need reading my Bible, studying, and praying.

*The kids and I spent more time outside on walks, playing in the yard, and enjoying parks nearby.

*The house stayed cleaner.  I didn't think it'd make a difference, but it certainly did!  I wasn't rushing to get one thing done and doing it half-heartedly, but rather spent all the time I needed really cleaning.

*I read a whole bunch of books!  As I mentioned earlier, literature has been a huge part of my life, but I just wasn't finding the time to read over the past several months.  I think I read about 6 books during the past month, and it was great!

Those things alone made it worth it to take a break from facebook.  And now that I'm back on, I've found that if I'm on for 15 minutes, I quickly log off and feel at least somewhat guilty, wondering all the things I may have rather done during those past minutes. 

What is fun is being able to continue to see progress with friends as facebook is the primary means for keeping up with people in other towns.  So these past few days (and I haven't been on every single day, just a couple), I've just quickly scrolled through the news feed and checked on a few friends specifically who I knew may have changes or may have posted pictures recently. 

It is definitely refreshing not to feel so attached.  I can see how that could easily become a habit once again, so we've moved our computer back upstairs to the office and out of our living room.  I also put up the Kindle Fire and am considering sending it to work with David to prevent me from picking it up on a whim and getting "stuck". 

I hope that anyone else who feels he or she might be spending too much time on facebook would consider taking a break.  Even after a week, I felt so much less dependent - a month just solidified it for me! 

A quick update on other events in our life:

David will be starting his new job working for his dad December 31st.  We will be moving in with my in-laws for the time being until we put more of a dent in our student loans and find a place to live.

We are negotiating the sale of our home here, so if our praying friends would oblige, please pray that we could sell it for enough to pay off the mortgage and have a little extra!

The baby is due in 6 weeks.  She has finally moved out of my ribs and is sitting much lower, so I am not experiencing so much pain from that at least!

We are continuing to trust God for each step and though it is bittersweet right now, thinking of leaving here after 5 years, we are very excited to see what He has for our family in the future!

Blessed :-)

I had a really rough start to the morning.  I couldn't get out of bed.  I woke up tired. 

Tried to reschedule a dentist appointment and they told me they were going to charge me more than double what I paid to actually go to the appointment.

 I had planned to get groceries and was ready to walk out the door when I found out the dentist rescheduling was not an option.

 I called a friend to ask her to babysit and could barely get out the words because I was crying so hard.

 And so it went.

 I called David (crying once again, of course . . . that's how I roll these days).  He told me exactly what I didn't want to hear: "It's not that big of a deal.  God is good.  You are blessed."

Are you kidding me??  I wanted to wallow in self-pity all day!

Then I prayed and asked God to help me see things in perspective. 

I got a really good night of sleep last night.  I only woke up tired because, well, it's Monday.

I was forced to go to the dentist instead of rescheduling all the time.  I hadn't been there in three years.  My teeth are sparkly again, and I don't have to worry about going again now for awhile.

It's okay that we didn't get groceries today.  We're going to eat supper with friends tonight anyway, so I don't have to scrounge around to find something to feed my family.

My friend was gracious and told me she'd be over to babysit.  She even came half an hour early so we got time to chat, and she gave me a couple of much-needed hugs. She told me it was okay that I called crying, and even thanked me for trusting her enough to cry to her.  After she left, I realized, she'd folded my laundry.

What's more . . . since I didn't grocery shop today, my house is clean.  My kitchen is shiny and the living room is vacuumed.  The kids have clean sheets on their beds.  I finally arranged the pumpkins on our front steps to display instead of keeping them in a heap inside.  I had time to talk to my mom, to do my Bible study, and to visit with David - and the kids are still sleeping. 

It is a beautiful fall day today.  I am truly blessed.

Happy Monday, everyone!

A Short Clarification

A couple of days ago, I posted a very lengthy announcement.  Within minutes, I had so much feedback, I began to rethink how many details and how much emotion had been shared - I retracted the entire post, but only after some 90 people read it.

Obviously, then, word has gotten around that our family has some big changes coming in the future.  I didn't feel like I should leave it at that and no longer have a post at all, so here is the long and short of it for now.

*David has accepted a job working for his dad
*He is planning as of now to start at the beginning of January

And to answer questions that many have asked and I am not always prepared to answer without tears:

*Yes, in fact, we do realize that our baby is due shortly before Christmas and will only be a couple of weeks old when it is time for David to start the new job. 
*No, we are not planning to sell our home, or even to attempt to put it on the market, before January.  I am not packing or preparing to move in any way right now.
*No, we don't know where we will live yet, or how God is working exactly, but we are convinced that we must take one step at a time - one moment at a time - and that He is leading us in that direction.
*We are very excited because in the months leading up to this, David had really been convicted about spending time with his family.  This job will allow him hours at home that he has only dreamed about for the past 5 years. 

Thank you all for your prayers as I know many of you have figured "something" was going on these past couple of weeks and I feel as if we withdrew for a while to focus on God and on our family.  We are looking forward (with some fear and confusion at times, yet with confidence and trust) to seeing how and where God leads us from here.

See ya later, facebook!

I wish I had been more faithful in this blog.  Maybe someday I will be.  But obviously the past couple of months have not been the time for it. 

Things could not have been crazier around here!  We've been so busy chasing around 2 toddlers. David spent a little over a month doing chores for a friend which meant he was gone about 14 hours a day, and we spent a lot of time out on the farm with him enjoying the land and the animals.  We have an exchange student from Serbia living with us who's been here since August.  We are starting to prepare for the addition of our baby in about 2 months or so.

I thought I had it all under control; that I was able to be super mom.  But last week, I found out I'm not.  Not even close.  All of the sudden, all the busyness of life came crashing down around me.  In addition to the things I already listed, David and I are suddenly facing several pretty big decisions regarding our future.  And my small, futile mind could not handle it. 

On Thursday I started feeling really overwhelmed, but I thought I could still live with it and get by.  David called a friend to help out for a couple of hours so I could spend time with him, without the kids, and I really enjoyed riding in the semi while he delivered beans to a local co-op.  I thought maybe things would be okay.

By Friday, though, it was too much.  That was when I realized (and I'm so thankful that I did) that I'm not the super mom I thought I was.  I needed some time off.  I am incredibly grateful to so many - first of all, that God prompted me and gave me the grace and humility to be able to make a phone call to David I never thought I'd have to make.  Then, to my sweet husband David, who made several arrangements throughout the day on Friday so that I could have a weekend off.  I was so relieved that no one laughed, or made any rude remarks, but just said, "I understand", and took the children for the weekend.

I spent all of Saturday relaxing and reading the promises of God through Scripture, and praying that He would make my mind clear and my paths straight.    David suggested I meditate on Psalm 86, which was a huge blessing. 

I was greatly encouraged by Psalm 86:4-5 which says, "Make glad the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.  For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You." 

I was convicted that it is not my job to try and figure out my future path, or to worry about all the things around me, but rather that I need to focus on each step.  God has promised to be a "lamp unto my feet", which to me is very clear . . . He's not planning to light the whole way, but He will always shine a lamp bright enough that I can see the very next step I must take, each and every moment of every day.

Here is where I come to the explanation of my title.  After much prayer and reflection on the past couple of months, and after talking to David, I have decided that I am going to take a break from facebook.

On Saturday night at our Bible study, I heard a great definition of worry; the speaker said that worry is "assuming a responsibility that God never intended for me to assume".  And that's a lot of what I've been doing. 

Oh, I do so enjoy and appreciate keeping up with so many college friends and people from my hometown via facebook.  And I care so very much about each one.  But I've noticed that a lot of days, things will start off great and I'll get a lot done . . . until I sit down to look at facebook.  I become consumed with others' lives, and before I know it, I've been scrolling through profiles for an hour or two while my children beg me to play with them or while they just watch tv.

My hope is that by taking a break, I will really be able to focus on the things that God has placed before me, such as my children, taking care of my home, and enjoying His creation.  I really want to be able to get things done organizationally, spend more time reading my Bible, take my kids for walks more or to the park, and even taking naps in the last few weeks of this pregnancy.

To all of my friends with whom I communicate often via facebook, please don't think I don't care if you don't hear from me for awhile!  If you would like to share something, I would appreciate a phone call, a text, or an e-mail (though I'm hoping to limit e-mail use as well; I will still probably check at least a few times per week). 

My goal is to be able to use facebook responsibly beginning in November.  Until then, starting tomorrow morning, I'm saying, "See ya later, facebook!"