Happy Homemaker Monday!

The weather in my neck of the woods: The sun is out...that's all that matters! Love opening the shades and letting it stream in!

Things that make me happy: Finding a "new" verse in Proverbs that just strikes the right chord.

Book(s) I'm reading: "Dug Down Deep" by Joshua Harris, "One Thousands Gifts" by Ann Voskamp and "A womans high calling" by Elisabeth George

What's on my TV today: Today, since I'm scurrying around doing laundry, etc. Ava is watching Sesame Street!

On the menu for dinner: Tortellini and Ham :)

On my To Do List: Laundry, tidy the downstairs, paint more of the big girl room, organize pans and tupperware cupboards.

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon: Pierogi Beef Skillet was YUM this weekend! I love everything Taste Of Home does!

In the craft basket: Painting Ava's new room... spray painting some vases for the dining room... and, trying my hand at making some canvases. We'll see.

Looking forward to this week: Playgroup on Wednesday at church!

Tips and Tricks: DO NOT under any circumstance paint in your favorite maternity shirt. YOU WILL get paint on it...no matter how meticulous you paint.

My favorite blog post this week: Well, from Feb. 16th...but, I love this post by Ann Voskamp on "The way a mother can make peace with time." It really is something... and tear jerking.

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers): No exploring done this week...sorry :/

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

But don't I ALWAYS add words....
Took this pic from our hotel room during the Thrive Marriage conference with our church. This is our "home" town :)

Lesson learned the past few days: The Lord mends and heals broken hearts...in His own time and way. He draws near to us and sends people and words into our lives... to cover the pain. And I'm grateful.

On my mind: I'm having a baby in just over 10 weeks!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses: This morning I was reading Prov. 28 and came across vs. 16. "He who trusts in his own heart is a FOOL, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered." WOW.

.:Thoughts on Grace:.

I finished reading the chapter amidst the chatter of a little girl talking my ear off. "Mommy, I'm praising God with a marker". Random. She's very random these days. But I can't help but giggle when I hear those kinds of sayings. I wonder where she picks up these quips and of course I already know that answer... however, have I praised God with a marker this week? ;)

I've been trying to be consistent with my reading of this "One Thousand Gifts" because I really do want to learn Eucharisteo... Thanksgiving in ALL things. I've wanted to savor every chapter and just exactly how Ann words things. She says average things in beautiful ways. Inspiring.

This chapter was about Grace. She tells the story of her son, Levi's, farm accident which left him with a badly injured (tho spared) finger. I loved and connected with her "mom thoughts" about the what-ifs? and could've beens. Whew. While I won't type out the entire chapter - I did want to share a few spots that stuck out for me - in hopes to encourage some of you, and, continue to challenge myself personally with THANKS at all times... even the hard ones.

"Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand."

Isaiah 14:24

"All God makes is good. Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God? That which seems evil only seems so because of perspective, the way the eyes see the shadows. Above the clouds, light never stops shining."

"Who would ever know the greater graces of comfort and perseverance, mercy and forgiveness, patience and courage, if no shadows fell over a life?"

"And emptiness itself can birth the fullness of grace because in the emptiness we have the opportunity to turn to God, the only begetter of grace, and there find all the fullness of joy."

Of course those are out of order... pages in between each one - but, I love how the Lord linked them together just for me. As my mind swirls around different things going on in my own life - questions I'm asking, situations I'm working through, etc. Grace. Do I really understand it?

Commence Painting

Yesterday, out of nowhere, I got this massive burst of energy. I popped open the can of April Blush paint and went to town while the little one slept. Then I had the idea to turn on a podcast since I was in the "computer room" and had access to it. It was wonderful - just painting away listening to Erwin McManus. What a lovely afternoon!

Here's some of the progress...

The entry door and closet door (on the left) - and the location I chose to start painting. Seems like the safest for now with a little girl running around. I made that wooden "A" months ago and still never managed to get it up on the wall. We'll for sure use it in her new room. This is the BEFORE of the walls.

Ta-da! And AFTER some of the pink up ~! It matches the quilt perfectly! And, I'm so thankful to have girls to be able to do cutesy stuff like this for. :) God knew I needed a girl!

My paint inspector approved the color and the idea that this was, indeed, her big girl room! It was also a great teaching opportunity about what color it was, if she liked it or not, and why she is moving into a new room. What a fun project! More pics to come in the weeks ahead!

Tuesday Tips & Tricks {on Wednesday}

Today we'll look at ways to put to use all those paper and plastic bags you have around the house. Most of the ideas are using the GLAD plastic sandwich bags, when it refers to plastic bag.

- A damp, musty garage can be helped with this simple remedy: Add 1/2 inch baking soda to the bottom of a paper grocery bag with handles; hang bag from the rafters. Change every 3 months.

- Get every ounce of use from this tiny slivers of leftover bars of soap. Collect them in a sandwich sized plastic bag. When the bag is about half full, place it in a pot of warm water - but not boiling. Remove when the soap melts. When it cools, you'll have a new bar of soap.

- Really smelly stuffed animals can be deodorized by placing them in paper bag, adding baking soda, and shaking vigorously. Store in bag overnight. Shake off the baking soda in the morning.

- Like the idea and smell of scent sachets for your dresser but hate the price? Make your own! Fill a snack or sandwich size food storage bag with potpourri. Seal it and poke several small holes to make an effective yet inexpensive sachet for your dresser drawers.

- Compost heaps (as well as earth worms) welcome brown paper bags. Shred and dampen the bags, then mix in well so the pieces won't blow away when dry.

There you have it! Simple tips & tricks to use up those bags lurking around our houses. :)

Upcoming DIY projects...aka: crazy prego lady thinks she has spare time!

I have ten tra-zillion things on my to-do list. Including some majors like: paint and set up an entire toddlers bedroom, birth a child, etc. I'm also a part of the decorating committee for an upcoming womens event at our church. Never mind the fact that other normal life committments are thrown in there, too. It all balances, really, it does. I've so enjoyed learning a few new crafty type ideas from lovely crafty-type ladies recently...so, I'm taking the plunge and attempting some at home, for our home. {commence nail biting}

Today I stopped by Salvation Army to look for some vases for a project we are working on for that committee I mentioned. While there I came across a few "tasty" pieces. Well, they aren't yet, but they will be!

Item #1 - assorted hideous vases:

The goal for these bad boys is to turn from random, ugly, unwanted vases to... beautiful, spray painted, matching centerpiece. Throw in some misc pretty sticks or flowers - who knows?! So that's project #1.

Item #2 - Trio of galvanized mini pails:

I've seen these used a ton of different ways in Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn, etc. I even found this idea in the newest PB catalog just this afternoon...

But what I'm thinking is (after I get that weird purple stripe thing off) stuffing it with some silk eucalyptus - looking plants and use it in our bathroom on the counter. OR, maybe even for St. Pat's decoration with some other greenery. Maybe on a nice table runner on the dining room table. Or, maybe bunched on my old-looking tray. Endless ideas on this one. We shall see.

I also found a neat basket, some other mini vases, and little odds and ends that I hope I can beautify somehow. Am I nuts?!

I did finally frame and put out some family pictures - now that they are a whopping 5 months old! I love my built in... it's such a nice display area. I think it turned out ok for now. :)

The little "Blessings" sign was a TJ Maxx find a few weeks ago - I think $3 or something. Score!

So, yea... maybe keep your eyes peeled and who knows - maybe one or two of these DIY ideas will pop up here soon!

Little Foot

We had a family first lastnight - hopefully, the first of many... We took Ava bowling with the youthgroup! She loved it! Even before we got there she just kept talking about it and was bubbling over with joy - without a clue as to what she was excited about. :) That may be my favorite thing about my daughter lately - her pure bliss about things even when she doesn't understand them. Childhood is beautiful.

The picture above is my Ava girl with one of our teens - wearing the same shoes! Did you know bowling alley's have toddler sizes? I sure didn't! What a fun thing - if you can get past those germy ideas floating around in your momma heads. :) Besides the cute shoes I love that you can see her fru-fru gray dress and chubby little fingers in that picture. She is precious. Brad and I loved watching her "bowl" and dance to the music that was playing. She had the time of her life! This morning she woke up telling me "next time I go bowling..." and then a string of a story to go with it. :)


And, as always... this picture reminds me of something.
How fast life goes. Because I know that just a few short years ago that teen in the picture was wearing that small size shoe - was a little foot, like my little peanut is now. Am I working as hard as I can to mold that little brain NOW? Teaching her life skills and biblical character qualities? Are we having FUN in this life God has given? What is she learning from me?


The Lord brings this to mind constantly. Praise Him for that. With every event and circumstance in life I'm drawn back to 1) how I'm living my life and 2) how my life impacts my children. My Little Foot.

High Calling: LOVE your family

"No one has more potential for godly influence on a child

then that child's God-fearing mother.

We, therefore, are to take up the cause,

answer God's call, muster up our courage,

and set out to be the best, most faithful teacher of God's word

and God's ways we can be to our precious children."

-E. George

"...Admonish the young women to love their...children."

Titus 2:4

Some days I'm so good at taking this "mothering" thing as seriously as I need to. I will rise early to pray and prepare. I schedule play times and meals, make sure my daughter's clothes fit and shoes aren't too tight. It's a BIG deal to me...raising this little one.

But then other days - I forget. I forget the impact I'm having on this little life. And the impact I will have on the life to come here in a few months. IMPACT. So I dawdle on the phone or computer, asking her to "shhh" or "just a minute" repeatedly. I ignore the teachable moments because I'm so tired. So this. So that. Sometimes I just flat out fail.

Chapter 11 in "A Woman's High Calling" deals with mothers loving their families. It was such a great reminder to me about just what God has set out for me to do. I chose to be home - be near - so now what will I do with it?!

"Love is the highest blessing in an earthly home, and of this the wife and mother is the natural center."

How true! How many days has my attitude - whether good or bad - set the tone of my home? My reactions demonstrate to my child what is really important. The longer I'm a mother the more plain to me this truth is. Not that daddy is exempt...but, I'm the one at home. I set the tone.

When I clean up another mess...

am I joyful?

When my child is disobedient...

am I consistent and loving in my correction?

When I have the choice between one-on-one time or flipping on another HGTV show...

do I choose the good and right option?

And, I'm not pulling down false guilt on myself or anyone. It's obviously always between my heart and the Lord how I'm doing at home loving my family. But, oh, the work that needs to be done - in my heart. :) What a challenge today! In this book - the author says over and over again how we need to watch the modeling of older Christian mothers as examples... and I've been doing that. I watch mom's of teens - the stress lines on foreheads as they pray for wayward children or the pure joy of watching one make a great decision. Consistent. I watch mom's of older, married children - how they now love on grandkids, pull them close - while encouraging the resting momma. I watch mom's of elementary kids - busy, bustling, going with the flow. Involved in every detail. We have so much to learn from watching our older sisters in the Lord.

I've been so thankful, too, for the sisters that God has placed around me right now. Sisters with babes the same age as my own - teaching me what it looks like to be patient, loving, open. They take their high calling seriously - and never claim to be perfect - but, are always working on it. What a challenge to me. Who is watching me? Am I living out my high calling today? Yesterday? Am I fully depending on the strength of the Lord to raise this little life? Or am I making it too much about myself? Good thoughts for today.

High Calling - LOVE our children. LOVE our family.

Third Trimester?

Say what?
Third trimester?
How did that happen and just where exactly did the time go?

I always love the drawings of womens bodies during pregancy. Ok, I'm being totally sarcastic. Are any of them realistic? But, after looking at this one today - it makes sense. So THAT'S what's poking me below the rib!

I am still not doing a great job at taking pics of the progressing belly - but, rest assured, it IS progressing. Tonight I reminded myself... "do not wear horizontal stripes anymore". hehehe.

Even though this is pregnancy #3 - I am still madly in love with every squirm, wiggle, jab and full out body flip. I love being the keeper of this tiny one for now :)

Time

Happy Valentines Day!

Would it be wrong for my post to not be Valentiney today? {gulp} Well... maybe I can tie it together at the the end...

Yesterday I was given the gift of TIME. It was one of those Sunday afternoons where we had nothing going on, no where to be until evening, and our daughter slept for almost 4 hours! It was blessed. Add in the amazing sunshine that was streaming in our bedroom window and this momma was living high on life :)

I've mentioned several times now that I'm reading through, "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp - and I'm just bubbling over from my reading yesterday. It's strangely ironic to me that while I was laying in my sun filled bed room reading, that the chapter title should be "a sanctuary of time" about Time. When, here I was already feeling so greatful for these "free" hours in my day! I just wanted to share some of Ann's thoughts from this chapter - and encourage all of us to slow down and treasure life a little bit more. I know I needed the reminder, even on my slowest day.

"We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing."

Psalm 39:6

Towards the middle of the chapter - Ann has already shared how her house is a mess, dishes and laundry and childrens toys seem to have taken over her home. Yet, here she stands, over the sink - taking the time to enjoy and be thankful for the beauty she sees in the sun patterns of a soap bubble. You know... when the sun hits soap it turns all sorts of bright oily colors. It is pretty and I admit - I 've done this before myself. Then she has this revelation...

"I speak it to God: I don't really want more time; I just want enough time. Time to breathe deep and time to see real and time to laugh long, time to give You glory and rest deep and sing joy and just enough time in a day not to feel hounded, pressed, driven, or wild to get it all done - yesterday."

I was so challenged by that thought. I feel like so often that IS my prayer, too. It's not that I want longer days or more weekend time... I just want to somehow learn to make the MOST of the time I have been given. So then this one liner hit me hard, too...

"Life is so urgent it necessitates living slow."

What a blessing this life truly is, even in the hard days. God's gift of love to us is TIME and LIFE. So maybe this is Valentiney afterall? Ann closes the chapter with this short sentence - "I want to savor long whatever time holds." And, that's my prayer today, too. I want to enjoy every minute.

I want to savor the look on my little ones face as she opened her Valentine gift this morning.

I want to soak in the warmth of my husbands morning hugs.

I want to fall in Love so deeply with God that I'm mindful of every minute I have here on earth to love and serve Him.

Time. And like J.R.R. Tolkien once said,

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

Happy Valentines Day! Savor it. Savor every sweet moment. And, take 2 minutes to check out Ann's blog post today for this special holiday - I am really so much enjoying her depth lately.

Our every "need"?

This morning as I chatted with my mother on Skype - I was reminded of how thankful I am to live in a country and in a day when such communication is possible. She is in Ohio, I am in Iowa - so, not exactly a "stones throw" away - and I value our conversations, I miss her...and my dad. I even miss their dog.

I always imagined that when I "grew up", got married and had babies that I would be raising them near my family. I always thought thats just what you do when you had kids. Imagine my surprise to find out that, actually, not many people are blessed with that at all. Sometimes, especially at church on Sunday, I feel my heart tug a little when I see friends who DO have their parents around them... to hold their babies, chase their toddlers and just be there for support. Not that that's all parents are good for - but, they sure are good at it ;) I always wonder what it would be like to have parents over for Sunday lunch or...something like that? But, after saying all that - I am so thankful to be where we are and in this stage of life. God allows me to build my "family" with so many brothers, sisters and even mothers in this family of God. I am thankful.

My personal God knows my personal needs and He fills them in His time.

Recently I've been working on the beginning stages of planning Ava's room. I've mentioned that before. I really want to make it special. I want it to be a place of love and a room where she can grow into that little girl-ness that she's already started. I want to teach her to read in there, show her how to dress herself, how to organize hair things and shoes... stack books, play baby dolls and mate socks. I love having a girl. We don't have loads of extra $ for all the frills and cutesy things I'd love to buy her - and, that's probably a good thing. We want her to grow up to be a thankful child. But, you know how when you have your heart set on something... and you just can't get past it? That's how I've been with bedding. Silly, I know. There are so many other important things in life. I know that. But I so love the Hannah bedding at PB Kids. I say love lightly - though, it is a strong affection. I love it's simple classy look. I love that its reversible. I love the quality of it... knowing it could be passed down from daughter to daughter and still look great. I hate the price.

My mother... is a giver. She's always been a giver. Generosity is in her blood. And I'm not even joking around with you when I tell you - that much admired bedding is now on its way to my sweet 2 year old, compliments of Grammy. And I'm not even kidding when I tell you... that my eyes misted over when I read the text, "the quilt is on its way". Wow.

Today I feel like my mom is living next door. Like we had coffee together this morning and chatted about that quilt. I'm so thankful. Another "need" done. Another "something" cared for...

And, I have to share a pic of this quilt that I'm going ga-ga over.

I know Ava's room won't mirror this one...
but, she will have a special quilt - just from Grammy - to keep her warm at night. :) That's enough for me!

Valentines Day...for the less-then-crafty momma

Valentines Day. Another one of those awesome opportunities to be a blessing to your family through little celebrations, gifts or home baked goodies! I love it! Not to mention all the pink, hearts and fluffy stuff! :) I'm a girlie-girl through and through. :)

Brad's gift from Ava was created, purchased and wrapped at least for 2 weeks now. I'm SOOO excited for him to open it - maybe more excited then he is. Ah well. I'll share what it is after it's been given, just in case he's reading this... hey, you never know!

As I wandered the aisles of Michaels the other day with my little one, trying to think of creative ideas for a 2 year old to do for Valentines... I was slightly overwhelmed. I WANT to be the kind of momma that provides creative opportunities. I WANT to teach Ave's how to make holidays special and at least semi-homemade. I DON'T, however, have buckets of extra energy at this point... or extra creativity on reserve. So - I put the glitter paints back on the shelf. {sigh} Another day, or, year, I thought. We also put back several scrap pages, fancy this n' that, etc.

As we turned the cart to head down another aisle - THERE was the answer to my question. A simple pack of plain, white, heart cut out cards and white envelopes! Genius! We quick grabbed a few packs of clearance stickers, a pack of washable markers and home we went. This is the best idea I've had in a few days. :) Ava loved decorating her valentines, loved using markers like a big girl, and I loved watching! A win-win! I helped her put some "Valentiney" words on the hearts with our fun letter stickers and then she just went to town. I know Grandma's and Grandpa's are going to love these home-made love letters from a very special little girl.

The night before Valentines day I'm planning to attempt for the very-first-time some homemade, from scratch, cinnamon rolls. I love the idea of waking up early and putting those things in the oven so the scent drifts up to wake my sleeping family. We'll see. However, I'm pretty sure Pillsbury makes a good Cinnabon roll out kind, too. ;P

Book Review: The Dragon and the Turtle

"Roger loves adventure. Today he's playing pirate, sailing the high seas, dancing to the hornpipe, and catching fish. But the wind's blown him of course and he's...well...lost.

When Padraig, a kitten-sized, bug-eating dragon, encounters the lost turtle, he offers to help Roger find his way home. Roger's directions take some time to follow - his house looks brown, sounds like singing, smells like baking, feels like sand, and tastes like strawberries - and along the way, Roger and Padraig become friends. And friendship always yields unexpected rewards - like cookies."

Written by Donita K. Paul and her daughter Evangeline Denmark
Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen

My Review:

I wanted to try my hand at reviewing a childrens book, obviously, as my own children (child) are just getting into books and reading. I was super impressed by Donita and Evangeline's childrens books! The story is precious as it follows these two loveable characters as they go through their normal days.

The authors use of cute phrases like, "crunchy, squishy, nutty bug" to describe Dragon Padraigs snack were perfect for my preschooler. She also loved following the story line to finding Rogers house. Using the 5 senses was a great teaching tool and a great way to gain more interaction as we read. For example - I was able to ask, "How do we smell? What do we use to smell the cookies?"

My favorite parts of this book were actually after the story was over. At the end of the book there are two pages for parents. Page one gives a bible verse to correlate with the lesson this book offered - in this case - friendship (Proverbs 17:17). I loved the idea of ending a childrens book with a quick bible lesson to plug in. Especially with my very young, wiggly child. After the verse there are several discussion questions that would be beneficial for older children, too.
And at its closing, this adorable book offers a recipe for the cookie Roger and Padraig enjoyed together once they found Roger's house. Precious! The authors make a note that encourages children to celebrate their friends and gives them ideas on how to send a letter, make a phone call, etc.

An adorable book with a wonderful, biblical message on how to love our friends. I'd recommend this to anyone with smaller children. The illustrations were incredible, too. Nguyen created two characters that are fun to look at and have beautiful details.

If you are interested in purchasing this book click here.
To preview an excerpt click here.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Psalm 145

"Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Psalm 145 {portions}

This morning I woke up eager to meet with God.

I say that not in a braggy-haughty way, but, in a PRAISE THE LORD way...

because so many mornings I choose the bed over the bible.

I choose the sleep over sustanance that I so need.

And...

it felt good.

He truly does "satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Have you met with God today?

He does not slumber

Wow... an entire night of nightmereish agony.
I woke up so many times crying and scared. The hours wouldn't move on... awful.

I dreamt that my dad was in a horrible car wreck and barely hanging on.
I dreamt that I had to tell our daughter that "daddy wasn't coming home" in another one.
I was covered in "what if" crying and I only wanted to touch Brad's face.

What would happen to me if God should choose to take my husband?
Could I even do this life alone?

As "irony" has it - I finally got out of bed and moved to my computer to shake off the images...
only to read a post from a newly widowed gal my age. Oh how my heart just ached all the more.

"He who keeps you will not slumber..."

{sigh}

Here I sit this morning in the presence of my God - who knows all about my weirdo dreams and hidden insecurities - and He doesn't doze off or leave me in my dreams. He KEEPS me! He HOLDS me! I don't, still, fully understand this - though I do need it. I cling to it. I have to.

What 5 days can do...

{sigh}

It's Friday! I've taken 5 full days to focus on some important things in my life, and it felt amazing. This week my little one and I have...







...hung up some decorations for VALENTINES DAY! Next week we'll work hard on a paper banner, some valentine cards for cousins and grandparents and the much anticipated... Valentines cookies! :) Ava loves these snowflakes and it adds a lovely touch to our home!





I also picked up (and hung up) several of our new curtains! It's been almost 2 years living here and we still have no curtains up. But all that is changing!!! I love how it's pulling the room together and causing it to feel like a "real" home :)

I've had lots of one-on-one play time with this goob...



She currently thinks she is Angenina Ballenina, aka: Angelina Ballerina. :) I love watching her twirl and sway with blankets and anything she can make look "ballerina-ish". She is my very precious two year old. We've also spent a TON of time reading. We took her to the public libraray last week and brought home 5 kids books with us for the next two weeks. Every night she's asked to read them before bed - and she's even memorizing some of the parts of the books. Exciting for this former-teacher momma! We can't wait to go back and get some new ones!





Last, but def not least, and at the most MY HIGHLIGHT of the week...

I have used my "time off" for some nourishing time of reading, journaling and just plain ol' thinking. I'm working my through a few books and they all seem to be crossing over at some points related to the SAME THING - being a wife and momma. Weird how that happens, huh? God has been gracious this week and allowed for long naps where I could just sit and soak in His word. It's been heavenly, literally! :)

It's been a good week. Now I'm eager for a weekend with my love at our marriage conference. Perfect timing!

Before I close,

I recieved my copy of "One Thousands Gifts" by Ann Voskamp this week. Let me just say right now... don't try to wait and read it. I did. I made it half a morning before tearing in and getting through 2 chapters before I could stop. Incredible. This book is so challenging - maybe the best thing I've read in awhile. I'm eager to jump on board with the book club discussion. (see the book link for details on that) If you've never heard of it... or, if you need just a tad bit more encouragement to buy it. Watch this video below. Beautiful. Eucharisteo is on my mind constantly!