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. 

 

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

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!

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???

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!" 

A "Blessings" Update

I've been spending a lot of time weeding my garden and pricing things for my upcoming garage sale lately, which has given me quite a bit of time to think.  I've been overwhelmed by how many things I have to be nothing but grateful for! 

The number one "blessing", of course, is my salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is astounding to me how God would love me so much that He would condemn His only son to a cross, to suffer in my place for the punishment that I deserve!  If I had only this promise - that I have been saved from my selfish sin - I would have everything.  I would need no more.  And yet, because God loves me so much, He chooses to give me tangible, earthly things as well.  So when I list these blessings, please keep in mind to whom it is that I am grateful. 

James 1:17 - "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Family
1. My wonderful husband David, who loves and cherishes me far beyond what I had ever hoped for.   Just this past weekend, he saw that I was down and he arranged for me to go out with several girlfriends for a night without children, just to enjoy conversation and food.  David works hard to provide for us all and is a great dad, a godly example, and a good friend to many.

2. Samuel, my sweet little boy who calls himself  "Mommy's 'nugglebug".  I am forever being showered with kisses and hugs, which I never turn down!  Samuel is learning to be courteous to others because he tends to be shy in public.  He's doing a great job answering when adults ask him questions, opening doors for others, and helping me to clear the table after we eat.  Samuel seems to have my personality but is all boy to the core, following his daddy everywhere and always telling us he has "lots of work to do."
I am so happy to report that Samuel has not had an asthma-type attack in a few months now - we will be seeing our allergist to check on his progress from the past year very soon. We have also been working with a dermatologist who understands us and we feel is on our side, and his eczema is almost completely under control at this point!

3. Julia, our little princess with a big personality.  She's opposite of her brother and doesn't know a stranger!  Julia has her own ideas about everything, and keeps us laughing with all of her antics.  I love to watch her with her baby dolls as she takes care of them, feeding them bottles, changing diapers, and rocking them to sleep.  Julia is 100% proof to me that God has created boys to be boys and girls to be girls!  She is all about her clothes and hair, keeping her nails trimmed and painted, princesses, babies, etc.  Julia is a Mommy's girl . . . and I am okay with that!  She is also what I would call the "picture of health", which is huge for us after we've struggled with Samuel's health for the past year.

4. Baby L3 has been growing as well - I am now feeling lots of kicks and wiggles, and we're looking forward to having an ultrasound on August 6th!  As I had mentioned previously, I felt far more sick with this pregnancy than with the other two.  It did last about 2 weeks longer than the others, but I am now feeling great!  We are so looking forward to Christmas season this year, with a new niece and our own new baby coming in just a few short months!  Here is a picture of Baby a few days ago, at 18 weeks.

5. My parents and in-laws.  What blessings they are in our lives!  All four are awesome at the grandparent thing, and our kids beg to see them all the time, which we try to do as often as possible!  We got to take a vacation with the Larsons in June, and are really looking forward to going with my parents on a trip to Dubuqe in a few days.  I am grateful to have both my mom and my mother-in-law, as they are always up for a nice chat, meeting to shop, or coming to help out with the kids.  Along with this part I also must include my awesome sister, as well as the 3 sisters and 4 brothers that I have been given as a bonus for marrying into the Larson family!  They're all great aunts and uncles, and are always there for us as friends and helpers when we need them!

Friends
1. What a neat group of friends we have at Harvest, our church!  We are so thankful to have people we know we can count on of all ages to get together just for fun, or for serious conversation.  We have everything from a young marrieds Bible study, to friends our parents' age to act as surrogate "grandparents" when we need them, to friends our grandparents' age with whom we can just enjoy a great visit!

2. David and I both keep in touch with a few of our college friends.  We get together often with David's best friend Rick, and are thrilled that he and his wife are expecting their first baby in February!  Though I don't see my college girlfriends as often, when I do, we can always just pick up where we left off.  I recently got to spend a whole week visiting with them - Sarah, who lives just an hour from me, came to visit one day.  The next day, the kids and I went to Illinois to see Heidi, who returned on the 6th of July from two years in Peru.  Then we drove down to St. Louis to see Becky and Joe, dear friends of ours who just had their second baby.  How wonderful to have friends we've known for years and who know who we are and who we used to be, and they still love us.

3. I recently received forgiveness from an old friend that could only have been given through the grace of God.  I am so grateful that He restores relationships, and am so humbled by His working in my life as well as friends' so that we can live for God and be at peace with each other!

4.  David and I both have co-workers (mine are former, from pre-SAHM days) with whom we enjoy spending time.  It is so nice to have friends from all walks of life, and we both enjoy all the opportunities we can get to see them.

Finances
1. God's provision of jobs for both of us when we needed them.  Though it was miserable on our family life, we felt that God provided a second job for David at McDonald's last year that we used to get out of the "hole" we'd been in since shortly after our wedding.  When that job was too much, He provided a job for me with just enough to help us get ahead and earn some savings.  Both of these jobs were brief, as they should have been, but during that time we discovered how much we needed each other and for our family to be whole! 

2. Shortly after we quit doing everything but David's full-time job, God provided for us in so many different ways, that it more than made up for that extra income we had been receiving!  God sure does work in mysterious ways.

3. Though I cannot yet share many details (I don't know them all, to be honest!), our great God has provided once again for something that David and I most definitely did not bring upon ourselves.  I can just say that David has been asked to help out an older gentleman in our church for a while this fall.  He will be doing one of his favorite things while earning extra income, and I believe there will be other perks to go along.  More information to come on this one . . . let's just say we are in awe and we are thrilled!

I think this will do for my listings as of now, though the great things God has done just keep on rolling into my head!  Something that I did last fall was to keep a daily "thankful" journal, where I wrote five things each morning that I had to be grateful for.  I would love to start that up again - I truly saw a difference in my attitude when focusing on the good rather than the bad! 

Love Overflowing and a Heavy Heart

Though I am healthy, as are my husband and children, and as I write, we are happily preparing our home to hold yet another family member, my heart is heavy.

There is a family I know of who just 2 weeks ago was in a similar situation as our family, happily preparing for the birth of a new baby.  I don't know all the details of their life.  I don't even personally know the family.  I do recognize them as having attended the same college as David and I did at some point.  A mutual college friend of ours recently posted pictures that she had taken of this family, the Halls.  I looked through the photos and thought, "what a beautiful family!" as four small children gathered around their daddy and quite-pregnant mommy.

Then, early this week, I saw another facebook posting regarding the Hall family.  They took their youngest, Taylor, in for a routine 18-month check at the doctor.  The doctor found some sort of mass and sent them on to find out what was going on.  What they originally thought was a non-cancerous mass on the liver turned out to be a cancerous, growing tumor in Taylor's abdomen, very near her spine. 

The family, of course, is shocked.  How could this all happen in just the course of maybe a week?  I think of the Hall family often and pray for them, and cry many, many tears for them.  The mom, Julie, is due with their 5th baby in about 6 weeks. 

I know this family is questioning how this could happen so quickly, but I also know their foundation is in Jesus Christ. While they are sincerely suffering, they trust an all-knowing God.  What a testimony.

My children are downstairs right now, running like crazy around their dad.  They are healthy.  They are rambunctious.  And lately, I've gotten terribly annoyed with them.  But hearing a story such as the Halls' makes me take a step back and sincerely thank God for every moment that I have to hold the babies He has given to me, and even to chase them around and clean up their messes. 

Won't you take time today to do the same?  Will you thank God that He has given you this day to love your child or another family member that you often take for granted?  And will you join with me in prayer for the Hall family - Randy, Julie, little Taylor, her 3 older siblings, and this baby on the way? 

If you are interested in following prayer updates for this family, click here to follow them on facebook. 

My Baby Girl Turns 2!!

We're home!  I am just now logging on to the internet for the first time since late Friday night, and (this is a real shocker) I haven't even checked facebook yet!  I know once I get on that and Pinterest, all of my time will be spent "catching up".  So I figured I'd better post this first.

Yesterday, my baby Julia turned two.  When I got old enough to have a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and a baby on the way, I have no idea!  Last I checked I was living on my own in an apartment, barely out of college, and dating the neighbor boy. (Yes, that neighbor boy was David . . . the only person I ever dated!)

Since I shared Samuel's birth story, I thought I'd go ahead and do so for Julia, too.  For whatever reason (I imagine it has to do with him being my first), I have to think a little harder to remember all the details of Julia's birth than I did for Samuel's! 

I was due on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010.  It had been a rough couple of years, having gotten married and gone through several trials, then having Samuel, and unexpectedly finding out we would be having another baby when Samuel was only 6 months old. 

On Saturday evening, the 19th, I started having fairly regular and sometimes intense contractions.  David and I were both quite nervous about the whole labor process, since I was only in the hospital for little over an hour before delivering Samuel.  We live 45 minutes from the hospital, so we were not willing to take any chances with this baby!  We decided around 9:00 that night that we should go in and see if I could be admitted since we were pretty sure it was the beginning of labor.

One thing I remember being very sad about was that my main OB was still on vacation.  She would not be back until Monday, and since I just adore her, and she had also delivered Samuel, I was really wanting her to be the one to deliver Julia as well.  I was very thankful, though, to find that my second choice was on call for Saturday night into early Sunday.

When we got to the hospital around 10:30, my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart and I was dilated to 4 cm.  They put monitors on me and let me lay in a waiting area and chew on ice.  I know the ice seems to be a very small part of this story . . . but ice is one of my favorite things during pregnancy.  Especially the incredibly crunchy crushed ice they have in the delivery area.

I was monitored all night, and though our nurse insisted David and I get some sleep, we were both uncomfortable and just ready to have a baby.  We stayed awake watching old TV shows and visiting, and all the while, my contractions seemed to be slowing.  By 4:00 a.m. they were 30-40 minutes apart, and I had not dilated any further.  The on-call doctor said she could come in and break my water to try and speed up labor, or that we could go ahead and leave and come back when the contractions were closer again.  She said, though, that we should not go home since I was definitely in beginning labor and we live so far away.

What in the world do you do at 4 in the morning on a Sunday, though??  Walk around Wal-Mart.  We actually kind of enjoyed ourselves, picking out a little outfit for David to get after I delivered, if the baby happened to be a girl.  At 5 we went to IHOP where we wasted about another hour eating stuffed French toast.  Finally, around 7:00 when we had walked around the mall with the older people for an hour and realized we truly had exhausted all of our options, we decided we would go home. 

We called Labor and Delivery and told them our decision.  I was scheduled to be induced the next day, Monday, by my regular OB, Dr. Wenzel. 

We picked up Samuel from our friends' house Sunday morning and then went home and took turns sleeping on and off all day.  Monday morning we called in at 6:30 as we had been instructed, assuming that we would be able to leave shortly thereafter and have our baby.  Since Dr. Wenzel had been on vacation, she had scheduled about 10 inductions for that Monday the 21st.  They told me that not only did they have a full induction schedule, but several ladies were in labor and all of their beds were full.  I would have to wait to call until 10:30.  How disappointing.

Between that time, my contractions started picking up again.  They went from 40 minutes, to 30, to 20 . . . I called in at 10:30.  "We're still really full.  We'll call you when we're ready - probably in an hour or so," they told me.  Great. 

I had a really terrible stomachache in addition to the contractions, and all I could stand to eat was ice cream, so that was what I ate all morning.  I have to say, David and I did really enjoy every moment with Samuel that day.  We knew it would be his last day as an only child, so we played with him and read to him. 

By 1:00, my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart, and I knew I was going to be having the baby soon.  We had not yet received a phone call from the hospital, so I called in and told them what was going on.  I was surprised at their non-chalance.  They told me to take a bath, and take my time, and to come within the next 2 hours.  Maybe they would have a bed ready.

It was actually pretty nice (aside from the whole labor/contraction/pain thing).  Instead of going to emergency, since we were technically being induced, we parked in the regular parking lot and took our time getting up to labor and delivery.  My parents met us in the lobby, where they had been waiting since 7:00 that morning.  They didn't want to miss the birth.  We were able to hand Samuel over to them, and go straight back to be admitted.

By the time I was admitted, it was around 3:30.  My contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and I was dilated to 6 cm.  I don't remember a whole lot from that time - it really seemed to fly by.  I do remember asking David repeatedly to tickle my arm, and then yelling at hime to stop touching me.  I felt kind of bad about that . . .

Julia Lucile was born at 6:24 p.m. on Monday the 21st - exactly 14 months, 14 days after her big brother.  She was a "mommy's girl" from the beginning, crying if anyone else was holding her but me.  That was wearing on me, and I have to admit that it took a few months of getting used to. 

Once again, God answered our prayers and I did not have an epidural, we made it to the hospital, and my own doctor was there to deliver.  We are so thankful for how the events took place as we brought Julia into the world that day.

Here she is this morning, two years later, sporting her new big girl backpack that we gave her to replace her diaper bag.  Julia is independent and has an opinion on everything.  She loves the color pink, babies, purses, having her hair and nails done, and doing things she's told not to do.  Seriously, who couldn't love this girl??  Happy 2nd birthday, Sweet Baby Julia!!

This Week's Menu

Have you ever heard of Money Saving Mom?  If not, I'd encourage everyone to stop over at her blog, http://www.moneysavingmom.com/.  Crystal has been a huge encouragement to me in so many areas - finances, family, loving God, and so much more. 

One of the things she always does is to make a meal plan for each week.  This is something I too have done for quite some time.  I have been pretty proud of myself for the small amount of money we've been able to spend every two weeks . . . and yet, I've been too proud to admit that we never have enough food.  "It's not possible," I'd argue with David everytime he mentioned it, "I plan every single week, every single ingredient." 

And then it dawned on me.  I make a bi-weekly supper plan.  I did finally get into the habit of buying a few things for David's lunches, but I completely neglected to plan for this pregnant lady and her two toddlers that are home all day eating a whole lot more than just suppers! 

So last week, I changed my habit.  I added to the list a daily plan for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.  I was surprised at how much more time it took - though I really enjoy menu planning and since the morning sickness is significantly less, I can actually look at most foods without gagging now.  I don't think it'll take as much time from here on out, now that I have a basis.  I'd like to start sharing the menus I've planned here on our blog as both a way for others to possibly find suggestions for their own meals, as well as for a way to keep track myself of what we have from week to week.

Last week's menu worked out pretty well . . . so here is the one we'll be following this week:

Breakfast: Cereal and toast x2
                Baked Oatmeal x2
                Banana muffins
                Cinnamon Rolls and sausage links

Lunch: Egg salad sandwiches
           BBQ pork, leftover veggies
           lettuce salads
           Leftovers x2

Supper: Pork roast, potatoes & carrots, Rhodes rolls
             Crispy SW Chicken Wraps
             Fried potatoes, eggs, pancakes or waffles
             Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
             Dinner w/my parents

Snacks: Banana muffins
             Fruit cups (more on these in a later post!)
             Pretzels         
             Popcorn
             Steel Cut Oat Cups

I'm pretty excited about what we have on the menu this week.  If you have any suggestions for meals you think we'd enjoy, please let me know.  I'm always searching for new things to try!

A Savory Pie and Other News

Obviously, I have not posted in a couple of weeks.  So here's the deal.  Shortly after my last post, the whole "morning sickness" thing really got a hold of me, and I haven't even climbed the steps to the office more than maybe twice since then.  I had all these awesome recipes I'd been working on, with pictures and directions and everything . . . and suddenly, even the mention of most of them makes me start to gag.  My apologies for being unable to share them at this time.

Here's one that I just can't get enough of, though.  I have no problem making it and thinking and writing about it!  Behold, the Tomato Cheese Pie.

My grandma used to make one similar to this when I was growing up.  I ran across a recipe in an old cookbook the other day and couldn't seem to get the memory of it out of my head, so I had to make it!

Here's the recipe:

1 pie crust
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1 c. ricotta cheese

2 T. chopped onion

1 tsp. crumbled basil (I like more than that)
Parmesan cheese
3-4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced thin
salt and pepper

Line a pan with pie crust.  Prick with fork, bake 10 min. at 425.  Combine cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, and onion.  Spoon into slightly cooled pie crust.  Topping: arrange tomatoes in a tightly overlapping circular pattern over the filling.  Sprinkle with basil, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.  Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes.  Cool slightly before serving.

This is utterly delicious.  I wasn't sure how David would react but I didn't mention the ricotta, and he said he loved the pie!  I'm usually big on making quiche, so the family assumed it was a fancy version of that.  This is so easy to make - but you might want to do two because it goes fast.

In other news, we had our first OB appointment today.  It is always a relief to have that done and know that everything is okay.  In my case, I need that confirmation that I am indeed pregnant and I don't have some weird disease that makes me nauseated and turns the test positive (yes, I am crazy.  I realize this). 

We even got a few pictures, which I may post at a later date.  I am waiting to make sure our family gets a first peek. 

Yesterday we had a fabulous day for Mother's Day!  We had been running nonstop all week leading up to Sunday. David worked overtime and the kids and I visited family, ran errands, and attended graduations which meant very little rest for any of us. 

When I woke up yesterday morning, this is what I found:

I was so excited I screamed.  And I don't scream.  So far the past three days I have been feeling much better, so hopefully I will be able to use them all in the next week and have some great new recipes I can share!

We let the kids sleep late, then went to church, ordered a pizza for lunch, and watched movies all afternoon.  aaahhhh, happy Mother's Day to me!!

Hopefully that catches me up for a bit and I will be able to blog much more frequently from here on out!

ch-ch-ch-changes!

We are experiencing several changes at our house right now.  For one, yesterday we started the process of refinancing.  That's some fun stuff, let me tell you!  Actually, I am very thankful for a husband who is willing to figure all of that out and get the ball rolling.  I wouldn't get past the "thinking about it" stage!  Can you believe, though, by refinancing, we will be paying less per month for 15 years than we are right now for 30??  That's crazy!  I'd like to keep all that extra money, thank you!

David has also been working really hard to get the outside of our home looking decent.  We decided after 5 years of being here, we should probably repaint the windows, mulch the landscaping, trim the bushes, etc.  He's doing a great job!

Here's another change: my children are learning to be more self-sufficient.  Not necessarily because they want to, but because lately if they want something, they either have to be very patient or to get it themselves.  I simply have been too sick.  With "morning sickness", that is :-)

Sweet baby Julia helping her sick mommy with cleaning

A bit of a story goes with this one.

David's brother Jeff and his wife Courtney, along with David and myself, came up with this awesome plan.  We would hold off on any babies for about a year, so that we could take a trip to Florida next April and Courtney and I would be pregnant at the time.  We were pretty excited about it.

But God started placing all these "circumstances" in my path as He showed me that my plan (as usual) is not His.  I kept on hearing radio program after radio program that talked about babies.  Sanctity of life.  Women who wanted to be pregnant and couldn't do so.  And the list goes on.  It seemed like everytime I turned on my radio for at least a month's time, another of these programs would be on.

I was really struggling with this, wondering if it wasn't all part of God's plan for me to hear those programs.  Finally, at the end of March, I was really down about it and David could tell.  I finally explained to him what was going on, and he said he'd been having the same conviction that maybe our "baby plan" wasn't perfect.  We decided to see how God would work.

I got sick about a week later. 

I must have already been pregnant!  With Samuel, we were so new at everything - married less than a year when we found out we were expecting him.  With Julia, I was so full of resentment that I couldn't enjoy my pregnancy or even her as a baby for way too long.  With this one, I have peace. 

Here's the funny part.  The day after we got a positive test, Jeff and Courtney called.  They had the same story as us - becoming convicted about their plan and then getting pregnant right away after deciding to surrender to God's best for them!  We didn't tell them for 2 more weeks - that was pure torture!  I wanted to share with Courtney so badly my excitement for both of us, but we wanted to wait until we could tell them in person.  It was worth the wait!  And to think, we were both a bit nervous that the other would be upset for ruining the "plan"!

So here's the official announcement.  Baby #3 is due on or around December 11th, just about a week after my sister-in-law is due.  We couldn't be happier!

Which brings me to another change . . . adding a bedroom so we have a place for Baby to sleep!  I'm sure there will be plenty more posts on that subject!

Meat Bundling

Here is the newest addition to my freezer: Meat Bundle #5 from Fareway. 

David and I have tossed around the idea of purchasing a 1/4 beef or 1/2 hog for quite some time, because when I go to the store, the bulk of my cost is in meats.  One of the best things I've been able to do is look at online ads for each store that I'm going to in order to find which one has sales on what.  This has been espcially helpful with the cost of produce, simply because though couponing is nice, there is a lot of junk to be bought just with coupons. 

I've been amazed to find cabbage for 17c./lb, celery at 88c/pkg., broccoli at 99c/lb, etc.  I am enjoying the preparation of meals using fresh produce that I've found at a great price!  But still, the meat is so hard to find without getting the cheap stuff - bologna and hot dogs.  Overall, I have found better deals on higher quality meats at Fareway than any other place I've found.

After checking pricing and availability with several places, we decided that this time we would go with Fareway for our large meat purchase.  I am really excited because by getting the "bundle" rather than just beef or pork, I can make a variety of things using all different meats.

Here is what it included:

5# boneless chuck roast

5# ground beef

5# chicken hind quarters

5# boneless pork roast

5# boneless pork steak

3# bacon

2# ham

Ideally, our goal is to one day be able to have a self-sustaining farm.  David loves cattle, and we'd like to have a couple of pigs and chickens.  I'd like to have a larger space for a garden (this year, though, it will be my biggest yet so stay tuned for how it turns out!)  But for now, we'll take what we can.  I think overall we saved money, provided I don't start planning super meaty meals just because we have the meat! 

How about anyone else?  Do you buy meat bundles, parts of cows or pigs, etc? 

Debt vs. Family

I put in a two-week notice at my evening job last  night.  It was bittersweet telling my supervisor that I would be leaving, knowing that it will leave a gap that they will have to fill, but today I am filled with joy as I watch my children and know that after next Thursday, we can finally be a "normal" family (and normal may be relative!).

Since having children, we really have not been what I would call "normal" because we've been on such a mission to earn income.  Now, I have to say, we have no high hopes of becoming rich by any means . . . we just made a few un-wise decisions early in our marriage that we had to live with and learn from for the past few years.  As I mentioned in a previous post, we are committed to getting out of debt, which means paying off all of our student loans.  After that our only debt will be the mortgage, and we can live with that!

So why would I quit my job?  Normal to us would be where Daddy goes to work, and when he comes home, the family is together - eating, conversing, working on a project - just together.

After making our "bad" decisions (though we've come to realize they were necessary and God used them to teach us to follow Him better), we spent several years playing catch-up.   We had more bills than income, and were constantly trying to fill those gaps.  So David started a demolition business.  I started selling Discovery Toys.  David got a job at McDonald's.  I got jobs at the mall and as a janitor at a local manufacturing plant. 

None of these were bad things to do.  There is no problem with starting a business or selling something out of your home, but we didn't have the capital to be able to make them turn a profit.  There is no problem with getting a second job, but we let those jobs take time from our family.  When David was at McDonald's, he was working about 16-20 hours a day, leaving me at home alone with the kids. While I've been working, David and I meet at the door and he comes in while I'm going out.  Our only time at home together is Wednesdays and weekends.  We're usually busy on Fridays and Saturdays, so we've started using time that we would usually attend church to stay at home and have that family time we've been missing.

We started talking about it and questioning how we could possibly get out of debt, and one of us working a second job seemed like the only way.  Then we met with our CPA to do our taxes.  She is an awesome, godly lady who is familiar with what we are trying to do and has also been through Financial Peace University.  She worked with us and helped us to find a way David can prevent the govenment from taking so much out of his paycheck (yes, it's totally legal!).  And that amount is equal to what I have been making the past few months at my job!

We doubted, we didn't trust that God would take care of our desire and honor our commitment to be debt-free.  Yet, He still provided a way when we didn't expect it!  How awesome! And so, last night my job began to end.  I have 5 more nights of working, and I am so looking forward not only to having evenings at home being a mommy to my children and a wife to my husband, but to going back to church for more than just the morning service. 

I am so thankful for a God who does care about us, who wants us to follow Him and to train our children to do the same.  He provided for us in spite of our best efforts to do so ourselves. 

Eph. 3:20-21 has long been one of my favorite passages: "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever"!!