Thankful Thursday Top Ten #17

1) I am thankful for three(ish) weeks left of pregnancy!  WoOHOO!

2) I am thankful that my little girl is able to "help" more around the house with simple things and answer basic questions and do simple commands.  We are working on "listen and obey"...I'll keep you posted.

3) I am thankful for my amazing husband and date nights.  We were able to go out last night and just enjoy some time together.  It is always the highlight of my week.

4) I am thankful for Miss Candra's week of Breastfeeding Posts to prepare me for new baby!

5) I am thankful for work to be done (more so when I have the energy to do it) and things to keep me occupied.

6) I am thankful for the library's storytime!  We only missed one week during this group of sessions due to the power outage.  It was a fun way to get out of the house, stay in air conditioning and learn some "sit still" and "quiet" rules.

7) I am thankful for having my sis-in-law with me this past week.  I wasn't sure how a teen camped on my couch would go when I'm THIS hormonal pregnant but it went really well.  She was a help with Grace and we had a lot of fun together...at least I did, I hope she feels the same way.  She went home last night so now I am getting my house back to "normal".

8) I am thankful for friends to call on when I need to be talked off my ledge, or when I need to borrow some kids clothes, or when I need help lugging some boxes around my house, or when I need a day without my two year old to think, clean and rest!

9) I am thankful for my parents who watch Grace every Wednesday so I can date my husband!  My dad is also going to watch Grace tonight so my mom and I can go see Sleeping Beauty!

10) I am thankful that despite all my "complaints" I've got it pretty darn good! :D

What are YOU thankful for?  Leave me a comment or link up here:

How Not To Stay Rested

I am three weeks away from my due date - well, officially three weeks tomorrow.  For the past week I have had my sister-in-law living on my couch.  Ladies, if you are three weeks from your due date JUST SAY NO!  They MAKE you stay up late, play card games, each junk food and not rest!  :)  She has been a blast to have here and I've really enjoyed the time with her.  We've also had a few friends over which helps her not go crazy and is fun for me too!  Last night Morgan brought us all Blizzards from Dairy Queen because she is amazing!

Another tip for not resting is to make absolutely sure you stay busy with work stuff.  I don't know why but it seems like this has been a busier than usual week.  I have gotten a ton done and planned but it has been crazy!

And finally, in order to not stay rested make sure you have a huge selection of library books.  I currently have seven checked out now that I'm excited to read (and no, nothing that will increase my brain knowledge, they are all Christian chick-lit) so I've stayed up late reading those too.  Ah well, my theory is I need something on hand in the hospital because I know I'll have a bit of down time.

Doc says baby is sounding good.  She also thinks the baby is head down so I'm super excited about that!  I really hope she is face down too but I guess we'll find that out soon enough.  Three more weeks and I don't have to keep her name a secret anymore!!!


Elizabeth

Simple Sundays: Conversations

I have been thinking a lot about conversations lately.  I was going to do a post about how to keep them edifying and glorifying to the Lord...but I think it's been done...

Psalm 19:14
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think [and speak] about such things.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Luke 6:45
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaksheart is full of.

Psalm 141:3
Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Proverbs 21:23
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

Psalm 34:13
keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.

Job 16:5
But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.

Titus 2:3
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

Do you have any more?  I think the Lord is clear that FIRST we need to watch what we are putting into our minds and hearts.  Then we need to use our knowledge and time to lift each other up instead of tearing each other down.  Does it need to be shared?  Does it need to be discussed?  Who is being glorified?  Who is being hurt?

Anytime at our teen Bible study one of the girls starts talking about someone we always say: Now wait, she is not here to defend herself so unless this is praising her now is not the time to discuss it.

I have a friend who prays everytime we are going to eat together that our conversation would be edifying and pleasing to the Lord. 

My favorite is "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."

May I take my own advice and keep my tougue from evil! 

Elizabeth

Funny Friday...Insert amusing title here

Can it be Thankful Friday?  I have more of those than I do funny things!

Yesterday Morgan and Jackie came over and played Phase 10 with Jordan and I.  Well, after they came over they were shocked and appalled at my lack of cards so they went to the store then came back with cards, dominoes and sugar.  It was fun :)  We stayed up way too late...but other than the crazy runner that has been sleeping on my couch we slept in till about 9am so it wasn't too bad.  (Above said crazy runner got up at 6:30 and went for a 35minute run before it got too hot.)

Speaking of hot, can I just say NOT enjoying this?  My poor house has had the AC on continuously but it still gets up over 80 degrees inside.  The bill is going to be a killer.  Fortunately some well placed fans have seemed to tame it.

Back to thankfuls, I went to Once Upon A Child this morning to pick up a hat for my newbie photo shoot and a bow that matched Grace's birthday dress.  (And a pair of PJs for Grace...and a puzzle that will be for Grace from the baby...)  There was a lady selling some stuff back while we were there but they didn't take it all.  So, she decided to gift it to me:  4 pairs of sandals that Grace will grow into, some toys that will work with Grace and some for the baby!  I love generous people. 

I will try to come up with some funnies and add them to the post later today :)

Elizabeth

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #16

What a week!

1) I am thankful to have 4 weeks left of pregnancy but equally thankful for the 36 weeks of healthy pregnancy that are completed.

2) I'm thankful that my 15 year old little sister (in law) is staying with us this week...and next...and maybe the one after that.  She's a good kid and loves Grace. She also has been super polite and even did my dishes!  (I told her my one "rule" was NO dishes in the sink, they make me crazy.)  She's been fun to have around and I am thankful she gets to see the "relationship" and "family" side of me and Aaron and not just the visiting bro/sis relationship that she often sees.

3) I'm thankful for friends that text and say "Hey, was just thinking about you!"...love it!

4) I'm thankful for making dates with friends and keeping them!  We're going to see Amanda tonight, hopefully Morgan soon and hopefully Joie this weekend!

5) I'm thankful for kiss attacks.  Yesterday I was on the phone with my mom and Grace climbed up on my lap and showered me with kisses...to the point I had to get off the phone because I couldn't talk.  She'd put her little kisser up on mine and hold it there for 10 seconds going mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmAH!  So sweet! 

6) I'm thankful that sickness is rare in our house and usually passes quickly.  Grace had a fever yesterday that fluctuated from pretty calm to 103s...lots of Tylenol, hugs and cuddles later she went to bed still not feeling great.  Most of the time when I went in to look on her she'd just look miserable.  Then when I went in and she sat up and said "Hi Mommy!" I figured she was on her way to recovery :)

7) I'm thankful for being almost done with my PAUL study by Beth Moore.  I'm going to do "Knowing and Loving the Bible" next but don't remember who it is by.

8) I'm thankful for the library.  I LOVE story time there and I've had a great time reading some books that I almost talked myself into buying before I remembered I could get them for free!  (Now, if anyone knows how to get a free copy of the new Duggar book you just let me know!  I think I'm going to end up buying that one)

9) I'm thankful for my husband and the amazing crew we have at our teen center.  We had a TON of kids in there on Tuesday for Scream the Prayer which is an metal-Christian band show that we do every year...I think this was our fourth year.  Facebook comments like "My life is changed" and "I love how a metal show turned into a praise and worship event" make me happy!

10) I'm thankful for the reminder every week to take a few minutes to be thankful.  It is easy to get caught up in the day to day and not pause to remember.

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11) I'm thankful for the time to take things slow and "let" my two year old help.  She is quite capable of putting away her own cups, bowls and the baking utensils! 

12) I'm thankful for baby sticking her little butt/head/arm/leg/etc out as far as my tummy will expand so I can see her and feel her so clearly.  It's amazing.

13) Comments!  I love comments! :)

Got thankfuls?  Link up here:

The Pace of Summer

I was going to complain that some of my favorite blogs haven't been updated in DAAAAYS!  Torture I tell you - then I realized that I haven't written anything meaningful in quite awhile so maybe I shouldn't complain :)

This summer is going by VERY quickly.  May was a busy month in the ministry, June was a busy month personally, July is going by very quick and before we know it we'll be in our family's birthday season including the birth of our daughter!  I can't believe how fast it is coming!

At the same time, this summer has been relaxing and slow.  The days go fast but the moments of Train Dominoes on the back porch, library reading time, pool dates and park adventures have been savored and enjoyed.  Time with friends has been appreciated and unrushed.  It has been quite lovely.  I was worried about how this summer would go with Grace being old enough to go do things but always feeling the need to be at my desk.  I feel like we've reached a great compromise and have enjoyed each other and the days as they pass.

For the next week and a half to two and a half weeks my sister-in-law is going to be living on our couch.  I'm sure she'll be bored to tears since Grace naps in the morning and she has volleyball in the afternoon/evening so we pretty much can't do anything...but it'll be fun to have her around and hopefully we'll get to sneak in some fun here and there.

Hubs is in the kitchen cooking - basil is drifting through my house...gotta love it.  Here's to summer!

Baby Update: 31 Days

I am officially due one month from today (August 18th!).  I saw my Doctor today - she said to plan on the baby sticking it out for a bit longer which I anticipted anyway.  The good news is the heartbeat sounded great, I only gained one pound since my last appointment (which averages out to 6 pounds in the last 6 weeks which is "on track") and everything is looking good!  I'm super excited!

Things I Am Looking Forward To

1) Meeting this little girl in the next month or so:

2) Family Pictures
We are getting family pictures done by Ash Marie Photography because her pictures are great and her prices are amazing!  (I'd rather have Miss Candra take them but sadly Georgia is quite a ways away)

3) Settling In
I am one of those people that just wants to know what it's going to be like.  I want to have both my girls here, home and see what my "new" life looks like. 

4) Birthday Parties!
Ok, only one real birthday party coming up on September 18 for Grace!  But my birthday is in 2 weeks, baby in 5 weeks, Aaron in 7 weeks and Grace in 9 weeks!  Going to be nutty!

5) Ministry Update Letter
I am working diligently on our family's ministry update letter.  I struggle with it because we need support from family, friends and strangers to be able to do this ministry thing full time...but I always hate the ask.  I'm looking forward to having it written and mailed so I can just pray about it but not "worry" about it anymore.

6) Baking
A couple of my Attic girls get cheesecakes for their birthdays every year.  One of them has a birthday on August 16th so to avoid potentially missing it we made her fake birthday July 16!  So tonight I get to make her a pineapple upside down cheesecake (her choice) for her fake b-day tomorrow!  So fun :)

I'm sure there is more!  I'm having a hard time focusing today so figured a list might get me going! :)

Elizabeth

Thankful Thursday Top Ten #15 (a Day early)

We are currently without power so while I have access to the internet I thought I'd go ahead and write my Thankfuls for the week!  We're hoping it will be back on tomorrow night...but who knows for sure!

1) I am thankful that during the crazy storm nothing hurt our home!  We had trees down all over the neighborhood including one that went down two houses down that took out the power line.  We also had one fall out front that missed Aaron's truck by about 5 feet.  Our home was not hurt in any way (that we've found yet anyway) so we are grateful for protection!  And Grace slept RIGHT through all the craziness!

2) 5 weeks left of pregnancy!  I have my next Dr appointment on Monday then I think I'm at every week appointments.  It is coming soon!!!  So excited to be able to share pictures of our little girl with you all!

3) Grace has adapted well to our crazy no-power house.  We spent Monday night at home of course since the storm hit late.  Tuesday after nap we went to a friend's house to hang out for a bit, then to a coffee shop, then to my parents house where we camped out.  She has done great and is playing really well!

4) I'm thankful that my parents live just about 5 minutes from us and still have power!  It was much cooler sleeping here last night then it would have been at home.

5) I'm thankful for my awesome husband and the hard work he puts into making sure we are safe in situations like this.  I am paranoid about tornadoes so I'm grateful that he is the calm one!  :)

6) I'm thankful for the quiet time we had on Monday to watch the aftermath of the storm, chat with a few neighbors and just enjoy each others company.  It was VERY quiet Monday night after all the thunder died down and just peaceful.

7) I'm thankful for pool dates and play dates and all the wonderful things that I get to do as a mom.  It is a blast hanging out with friends who love me and my kiddo.  We've hung out with a lot of awesome people this week and are thankful for every one of them!

8) Date night!  I'm thankful that today is Wednesday and that means it is date night!  We also spent some family time at Ceaser's Creek on Sunday.  Aaron was fishing and Grace thought it was the greatest thing ever.  She just followed him around like it was the greatest thing she has ever seen.  She was ok with petting the fish but had no interest in kissing it.  Probably a good call :)

9) I am thankful for how verbal my little girl is.  She is doing such a great job communicating with us these days and I'm grateful  for that before the baby is here!  Also makes her super fun to play with.

10) I'm grateful my kid loves me even when it means she is climbing in the chair and I need to stop typing now :)


Elizabeth

Simple Sundays 3: Spending Time With Friends

I wrote in an earlier post...

Today I was reminded that if I don't make the time to spend with friends it will never happen. That casual "lets get together" is usually a nice way of saying "I intend to invest in our relationship if you'd be so good as to remind me." I need to make sure that I make definite plans...even if they need to be changed at least it is more tangible. 

So how do I simply spend time with friends?

1) Make a date!  None of this "yeah, we should hang out stuff"...nonsense, it will never happen!  I am NOT a huge fan of planning in advance but found that if I say - "Hey, I'm free Monday afternoon lets get together!"  I am MUCH more likely to actually see my friend!

2) Make it easy! I think too many times we get caught up in the "my house isn't perfect" or "the super-cool new water park that ALL the kids are going to is too expensive" so we don't do anything.  I've decided I no longer care.  (Ok, I care about the expensive part but not about if all the other kids are doing it).  If my house is presentable you're welcome to come over!  The only time it isn't presentable is usually when I neglect cleaning for a week...but a quick run of the sweeper (and yes, I say sweeper because I cannot get close enough to the vac word that spellcheck knows what I mean) before someone stops by usually fixes that!  Or parks - even friends without kids are usually agreeable to a park so that your kiddo is occupied while you chat!

3) Make it fit your time schedule!  I am one of those people that need to be alone to recharge - being around people wears me out.  People I know well I could spend an entire day with and have no problem.  People I don't know so well I cannot spend that long with.  I need to keep in mind how much time I can invest in this particular relationship on that particular day.

4) Reschedule as needed.  Occasionally something comes up for work that causes me to miss time with friends.  Sometimes my kid (or me) didn't get enough sleep and just aren't pleasant to be around.  Again, just be flexible.  Maybe nap ran a little long so you just need to move back half an hour...maybe nap didn't happen so you need to move back a day.  I think people are more likely to want to hang out with you again if you didn't make them miserable the first time so feel free to let them know that you're very sorry but today just isn't going to work.

5) Enjoy the time together.  Focus on the relationship at hand.  Listen to what the other person is saying and value them.  Again, I tend to stress about not working when it's normal people work time and I occasionally let it show.  Yes, I need to have my cell phone with me and be able to check it and yes, if my daughter comes over saying mommy mommy mommy she gets my attention first, but just be invested in who you are with!

6) When you need to get out of the house - post something on Facebook...a lot of times SOMEONE will answer the call!  I've had awesome play dates for my kiddo me and some fantastic friend time because of this!

Elizabeth

Funny Friday: Defining Funny

Funny is...

...my kid after a nap, getting up, wandering her room, talking to herself and giggling...oh, the giggling.  That is funny!

...my husband wrapped up in a pink blanket because it makes my kid (and me) crack up.

...my dad sitting in the baby pool, alone, because although he thought Grace would get in with him - she didn't.

...my mom freaking out when Grace poured water all over the back porch and no one else seemed to care.

...my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, sister, brother in law and a few others discussing me and my husband...why we won't share the baby's name before she is here and how many kids are we really going to have.

...going to clean a Dr office with my husband...him sneaking out the back door and banging on the front windows while I sweep...yeah, he should have known that was going to scare me!

...sending a face book message as a reply all when it was really only intended for one person - fortunately it worked out ok.

...my best friend calling me three times in one night because I didn't answer the phone and she wanted to make sure I was ok!  (Sweet too!)

...walking into church and my little girl getting SO excited to go find her daddy!

...explaining the church lesson to a 7 year old (the only one old enough to get it that Sunday)...and then saying, so WHY are we making fish?  "Ummm....I don't know?"  This is why they don't let me teach :)

...getting super excited that I only have two emails in my inbox, I got to switch calendars this week and thinking in terms of "what color day it is" on my pregnancy sticker chart.

...wanting to post this early so Morgan doesn't yell at me because I know tomorrow is going to be busy ;)

What is funny in your life?

Elizabeth

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #14

Be thankful, for what He has done,
Be thankful, from the bottom of your heart
Be thankful, come on everyone
'Cuz Jesus is good to you!

1) Thankful for 6 weeks-ish left of pregnancy.  Feeling prepared and excited to meet this little girl!
2) Thankful for time with my family last weekend and the 4th of July!
3) Thankful for my husband and our date nights! :)
4) Thankful for my friends who encourage me!
5) Thankful for the Lord who answers prayer!
6) Thankful for sticker charts and silliness.
7) Thankful for the people who donated for the Bibles I am going to order today!
8) Thankful for teeny tiny newbie and size 1 diapers...I forgot how small they were!
9) Thankful for cuddle time with my beautiful Grace this morning (and most mornings).
10) Thankful that the Lord will provide!

What are YOU thankful for?


Elizabeth

Wednesday Rambles

Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Today is just one of those days.  One of those days where I KNOW I need to trust the Lord and lean on Him but my heart and will say NO, do it YOUR way!  I even did my quiet time about

Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

So now I feel like that rebellious kid who knows what they are supposed to do but just won't do it.  Why is turning things over to God so hard?  What is it that makes me want to keep taking them back?  I feel like I should be able to solve my own problems but know that it isn't always my responsibility - sure I am supposed to be faithful but I'm supposed to trust right?  After all the Lord says over and over and over again that He is my Rock and my Provider, my Strength and my Shield.

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On a mostly separate note I finally had my first pregnancy breakdown last night.  With Grace my two memorable ones were:

- I'm going to have a kid.  I'm going to be a mom.  Who thought THIS was a good idea?

- You do realize that now this kid is going to have to come out of me right?!?

This time it has more to do with anxiety over splitting my time.  At fireworks on Monday I was thinking about how next year maybe I can't hold both my girls and spend that amazing time with them.  What if Baby wants to cuddle in the mornings too and how is that going to interrupt Grace's routine and our silly mornings with Sesame Street, toast and blankets?  What happens when they don't want to do the same things at the same times (or heaven forbid don't sleep EVER at the same times)?  What happens when Grace wants to go to story time but Baby is too young still?  Catch my drift?  I'm having second time mom anxiety.  Which my mother says is normal.  As a second child I'm glad my parents decided to fight these battles.  I know it will all work out - logically I know that I can give them both what they need.  It's just one of those things.

On a positive note, I was laying in bed last night and felt (could actually make out) an elbow inside of me.  I rubbed Baby's arm for a moment through my tummy and thought what a miracle it is that God allows us to be a part of this process.

Ok, ramblings over, back to work.

Elizabeth

Why I Love the 4th of July

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the community feeling, the getting together of friends and hanging out.  It also hold some special significance for my relationship with Aaron...

7 (or 8) years ago: Aaron was invited to his first family event with my parents.  Although once people found out he was coming over and going to fireworks with us it turned into my parents, Becki (sister) and her boyfriend and my grandparents.  I failed to mention the additional people until the day of...he called about an hour before he was supposed to come over and told me he was dying so he could not make it :)  He came, we went, it was fun and of course everyone loved him!

5 years ago: Aaron and my father sat in the cool evening air on the deck of my parent's house.  Aaron had an important question - if he could marry my dad's baby girl.  Of course my dad said yes.  (My mom had planned to go to the mall but forgot they closed early because it was a holiday...she sat in a parking lot for a couple hours).

4 years ago: Aaron and I were married and I got to kiss him after fireworks for the first time!  (We didn't kiss at all while we were dating)

2 years ago: I got to kiss my husband, and rub my giant belly thinking that only one short year later we'd be able to take our daughter to see fireworks!

1 year ago: I got to take our first baby to see fireworks for the first time and had a great time with friends!

This year: Our daughter was finally able to enjoy running around, eating junk food and hanging out with mommy, daddy and their friends.  She got to sit with the "big kids" (some teens that came with us) on their blanket for awhile, gave daddy and Christian pats on the back and hung out with Miss Morgan!  I also got to rub my giant belly once again and think about how next year we'd have two kids doing this with us.  (It also made me laugh to think that this was one of the only socially acceptable days to keep small children out till almost midnight)

 

And can I take a moment to talk about my good friend Morgan who hung out with us yesterday?  Although she has babysat for MANY of my brothers and sisters in law I don't know many other people who do not have kids of their own that are thoughtful enough to offer to carry my kiddo through the crowd for me, play with her and help keep her contained, help clean up the trash and pack up what we were doing, share treats with my kid (and me!) and just be generally thoughtful and helpful.  When she gets married, her husband will be one of the luckiest men EVER and if she has kiddos they will have an awesome mama.  I think she is an amazing young lady!

Funny Friday: A Day Late

I am completely blanking on Funny things this week.  Here is what I've come up with...

- I was talking to Grace about the baby. 
  Me: Mommy is going to have a baby.
  Grace: HUH?
  Me: Mommy is going to have a baby, remember the baby in mommy's tummy?
  Grace: <blank stare>
  Me: Do you think the baby should live in Grace's house with mommy and daddy?
  Grace: NO!
  Me: Should the baby live with Grandma and Grandpa?
  Grace: <thinks about it> Yes.
  Me: You don't want the baby to live here?
  Grace: mmmmm, No.

Yesterday I gave Grace a marshmallow.  She ate it VERY slowly...until she realized that I had a whole bag of them, then she shoved the rest in her mouth and came over asking for more.  She also had her first Rice Krispie treat.  Remind me NOT to have sugar in the house when this kid is getting food out for herself - she does not handle it well.  Makes me laugh.  She spent the rest of the night giving me kisses...but every time she would get close she'd stick her tongue out and lick my face.  Strange one that kid.

That is all I've got for now.  I'm off to make baked goods for the family picnic tomorrow!

Elizabeth