The Claassens

Becoming a Minimalist

2012-02-23T19:10:00.000-06:00

I'm becoming a Minimalist. Words I never thought I would say. But it's true. After having a child, it has become increasingly hard to keep up the house and I realized the more things I had to clean, well the more things I had to clean. I started reading books and blogs and I was inspired to start applying my new found philosophy to our household. I can honestly say that I have had some really good fruit. I owe it all to a couple of books and blogs that are featured here:

1. "Organized Simplicity" by Tsh Oxenreider - this book reminded me about the simple living I experienced overseas and how Americans are overloaded with stuff and all that stuff is really a distraction to our creativity and our peace of mind.

2. "The Joy of Less" by Francine Jay and her blog www.missminimalist.com

3. "Simplify" by Joshua Becker and his blog www.becomingminimalist.com

Steve and I like to think of ourselves as givers. But in order to give more, one of two things have to happen. Either our income has to increase or our expenses have to decrease. One of the things that I have noticed as I have adopted the minimalistic attitude is that I don't have as much stuff coming into the house. Which means less to clean, keep up with, money saved and money earned to give more. When we start looking at life with the eternal perspective suddenly those new dishes from the department store aren't as enticing when for the same amount of money you can help provide clean drinking water for a small village in Africa. These are the things that have been going through my mind as I work to change our philosophy on material things.

I've mentioned that we have already tried to implement this philosophy in our wardrobes and hopefully in our kitchen as well. I used to lust after all those wonderful gadgets, tools, dishes etc. at Williams- Sonoma. But at some point lately I realized that I had become content with my kitchen utensils. I even packed more stuff of my kitchen away because I felt that I really needed to simplify it and clear out the clutter. The stuff that is boxed up in my storage - I haven't even thought about so I'm planning to donate those things to the Thrift store. I'm tired of stuff, of stuff in storage and of holding onto things just in case I might need them in 3 years.

Another area that Steve and I have tried to simplify is in the area of toys. Samuel has two canvas toy bins from 3 sprouts that we love and you can purchase them at Swaddle or here online. These bins regulate the amount of toys he has. If all of Samuel's toys can't fit into the bins then some have to be given away or sold to make room for new ones. I don't want our small living quarters to become overrun with toys and I also want Samuel to learn how to use his imagination and play and be content with what he has because it is way more than other children have living around the world. Only Americans have this much stuff.

Are you thinking of becoming a minimalist too? Here are a few tips to get you on your way:
1. Pair down your closets and wardrobes. I did a post about how to do this here.
2. Keep all flat surfaces clear. I'm in the midst of implementing this one myself. I removed a coffee table from our living room that was really only serving as a clutter catch all and I have cleared off my end tables so that only lamps are their occupants. I'm working on my kitchen and it is a daily battle to keep it clutter free. I have read that you should only leave out appliances/things on your kitchen counter that are used every day. For us that is our toaster, knife block and bowl of fruit.
3. Create toy boundaries. Determine the physical space of how many toys you are going to have in your household and once you reach the boundary encourage your kids to give away some of their old toys. And then take them with you to donate to needy children. It's important for us to teach our children how to give and the joy that comes from blessing others.

Poulet au Porto (that's French for chicken)

2011-11-08T17:48:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite movies is "Julie & Julia" about Julia Child and Julie Powell who blogged her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". I loved the movie so much that I immediately ordered the book from the library (We pretty much check everything out at the library first to read it. Then if it is something that we really love and want to keep - we will order it. We have saved a ton of money by doing it this way not to mention space for shelving all those books).

Well take my word for it and do not read this book. It is so offensive, littered with the F word and so many gross analogies to sex. How in the world someone could take french cooking recipes and relate them to sex so many times and in so many different ways is beyond me. I didn't read the entire book and rather skimmed it looking to see if it would get better, it didn't. I don't have high regard for Julie Powell but I do love the movie and I was so thankful that lovely Nora Ephron saw through all that trash and produced a wonderful movie.

So here is my point. Remember the scene where Julie cooks chicken in cream sauce with mushrooms? Were you salivating like me? I've been thinking about that dish ever since I first saw the movie and since I own it, well I've salivated multiple times now. So for my birthday, my Mom made this meal for me and I helped out some in the preparation. I was too scared to attempt it by myself the first time because you have to light the dish on fire. Sophisticated people call that flambe. :)

Here is a link to the best chicken dish I have ever had. http://angelninascottage.com/2009/11/18/julia-childs-poulet-au-porto-roast-chicken-steeped-with-port-wine-cream-and-mushrooms/ And here's another link with how to roast the chicken: http://kitchenbliss.blogspot.com/2009/02/poulet-au-porto.html. I will go ahead and suggest that you just buy a little brandy instead of the cognac which is the same thing but only cheaper. If you can find an inexpensive medium-dry port wine let me know. Ours cost $15 but it's an integral part of the dish. You can't substitute red wine or Merlot or you will completely change the dish. Port wine is a dessert wine and is very sweet.

We served the chicken with sliced potatoes sauteed in butter. A word to the wise: don't overcook them too much or the starches will break down and make them incredibly sweet. We also served simple roasted asparagus which we found at Whole Foods because it looked terrible at Publix. It was about $4/ lb which was a little pricey so we only bought a pound. Julia Child suggests serving peas with it and I agree because the dish was rich between the chicken and the potatoes that the asparagus was almost a little heavy. I wish I had taken a picture of it to show you because it looked heavenly. I will say this recipe calls for a ton of pans. So be prepared to wash up a lot of dishes. But in the end it was totally worth it. If you haven't ever made this dish, you must conquer it. It is life changing.

Back to the Basics

2011-11-02T19:52:00.000-05:00

In Tim Gunn's (from Project Runway) book, "Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style," he lists the basics we should have in our wardrobes.

Here's the list:

Basic Black Dress
Trench Coat
Classic Dress Pants
Classic White Shirt
Jeans
Cashmere Sweater
Skirt
Day Dress
Blazer
Sweat Suit Alternative

After surveying my closet, I only have 4 items from this list. Uh-oh. No wonder I have so many random things in my closet that don't go with anything else. The basics are the foundation of a good wardrobe. How can you build a house without a foundation? How can we purchase tops, bottoms, scarves.... without anything to pair them with? I'm quickly learning how many more outfits I could style out of my closet if I just had the basics. My problem was that they were always too boring to me. I didn't want to wear just a white button down. But a white button down with dark denim, a beautiful scarf and some lovely heels is a statement. It's classy, elegant and chic. Not to mention, timeless. Women have been wearing white button downs for decades. That's the wonderful thing about basics. They don't really go out of style. You can keep them fresh and updated by switching out your accessories like a scarf or some cheetah print flats.

I would love to know if I'm the only one who has a basic deficit in her closet. How many basics do you have from this list?

10 item wardrobe

2011-10-11T19:06:00.000-05:00

Last spring I cleaned out my closet and followed the 10 item wardrobe challenge here at Daily Connoisseur. That experience had such a profound impact on me. Never have I known every item that was in my closet. When you go shopping and you find a fabulous blouse, do you ever have to stand there and think about what you have that would possibly go with it? When you follow this experiment that never happens again. When I cleaned out my closet I realized that I had an obsession with cream colored blouses. I had so many. And I didn't realize it. I had been buying the same thing over and over again with only slight variations between them. But because my closet was so jam packed, I never knew it. Now I can walk in my closet and see everything I have and where it is located. It's like when you sink into a pedicure chair and you put your feet into that bowl of hot water and you silently say ahhhh or maybe you are like me and say it out loud. :) Well that is how I feel when I walk into my closet now: ahhhhh. It just feels good. Like therapy. :)

When I went through my clothes I asked myself two questions: Do I love it and does it fit? I divided my clothes into 5 piles: spring/summer, fall/winter, maternity, donate and sell. I packed away my fall/winter and maternity clothes away in a plastic box from Wal-Mart. A lot of people recommend you store your clothing in canvas bags which is supposedly better for it. I've been storing my clothing like this for years and it hasn't bothered me any and at $5/container, I say it's the more economical choice. Then I take all my clothing to sell (stuff without stains and holes) to Zoe's Consignment shop in Forest Park. I love them. Last spring I made over $400 selling my stuff there. They are so nice and polite and they aren't label snobs. Then whatever they don't take from me to sell (which is usually just a couple of pieces), I add that to my donate pile and I drop that off at Vapor Thrift Store which is near our home (if you have formals try donating to My Sister's Closet at YWCA where they give them to girls to wear to Prom).

Now a lot of people may say but you are having babies and your weight keeps fluctuating. Well a lot of my friends returned to their pre-pregnancy size pretty quickly but that has not been my experience. And since I am going on 2+ years of not being able to wear anything in my closet, that is just depressing to me. So I decided instead of hanging on to all those size 2 dresses that I'm not sure if or when I will ever be able to get into, I would sell them and buy clothing that fits me now. There is no use in hanging on to all that stuff in the hopes that one day it will fit me. It's just clothing. It's replaceable.

And honestly something spiritual happened as well. I got rid of cocktail dresses that I had worn to events with other guys before Steve came along. And it was like I was purging our house of soul ties in a way. I know that may sound kind of nuts but I bet some of you who are reading this also know exactly what I mean.

After my closet purge, I came home to an organized, neat and clean closet. Later on, I would periodically check back with Zoe's to pick up my proceeds from my sold items which I used to purchase new items for the next clothing season.

I'm challenging all of you to go through this purge and write back here and tell me about it. I think you will be amazed at how good it makes you feel when you walk into your closet.

3 Part Financial Series: Part Three

2011-10-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

It took me a while to get this post up because we had a baby that went on a nap strike. He's still protesting them but I finally got a 3rd wind after putting him to bed tonight and was able to finish this post.

I'm giving you the insider track on how Steve and I walk out this thing called living within our means. It's not easy but it can be done. And we aren't perfect at it either. There are plenty of times we mess up so don't go thinking that we have got it all together or figured out for that matter because we don't. But I truly believe that all this takes practice. And with every mistake that you make, you figure out a better way to do what you've been doing.

Many times I will get questions from friends on how we coupon or save money. There isn't always one strategy that we use but several. And sometimes they work and sometimes they don't work. Like this past week I went way over on my food budget because Publix had chicken breasts and ground sirloin on sale. So I stocked up for the month. In my head it made sense because why buy it when it isn't on sale? But the problem was after I got all that meat jam packed in my freezer, I realized that I didn't buy enough veggies and fruits for the rest of the week. Instead of making another run to the store to spend even more money, we are just making it work until our grocery day on Wednesday. Those things happen and you have to give yourself grace - which I'm not particularly good at. I'm very goal oriented so if the budget says $50 and I spend $64 then chances are I will beat myself up for it pretty good.

So I'm going to give you some ideas about what we do and what we think works for us. And if you have any secrets or tips to share, then please do so. I'm currently trying to find more inexpensive clothing for myself seeing that my size seems to change on a daily basis. :( So Steve says we are not buying any nice clothes given the fact that a month later, I might not be able to wear them at all. So I want some classic, elegant and stylish pieces that are affordable. Right now I'm looking at places like Old Navy, Forever 21, JC Penny's for some affordable, stylish pieces to mix and match with what I have. If you have any places or online resources to recommend to me on this category please do so.

Diapers - Can be a real budget buster. But you know you are going to need them. This is one category that must be funded. A box of Pampers costs roughly $20 at Wal-Mart. So we generally figure out how many we go through in a month and then put that total in our budget. Because we have figured out a way to get them so much cheaper, we spend much less $20 a box. We have $20 as our diaper fund each month. We shop at CVS for the majority of our diapers unless Publix is running a sale with a bunch of coupons. We use our CVS extra care bucks to buy diapers, toilet paper, soap, Listerine, toothpaste, paper towels and wipes. We just go to Southern Savers and click on the CVS tab and she has it all worked out for us. She tells you which inserts to pull your coupons from and everything. I also have gotten on Huggies and Pampers mailing lists and they often mail us coupons as well. You can just go to their websites and sign up. I will say that Pampers are my favorite but when we get a big box of Huggies for $8 instead of $20 then I'm not going to be a diaper snob at that savings.

Couponing - I used to be the coupon queen. But now that I have a little one, I don't have time to clip every single coupon and file it away. Instead I use a much quicker system of labeling and filing my inserts from the paper. We subscribe to the Wednesday and Sunday papers. I take the coupon inserts, label them with the dates and then put them in files labeled Smart Source, P&G, Red Plum or publix yellow flier. Then when salsa is BOGO at Publix, Southern Savers will tell you there is a coupon from SS (Smart Source) 10/14 (October 14 insert) and you just flip it open and cut it out. Every Sunday I flip through the inserts and cut out coupons for very specific items that I would buy even if they weren't on sale like diapers, my Olay facial cleanser (which there is always a coupon for and when it goes on sale at Publix then I get it for $2). It's only a couple of coupons that I cut so it takes no time to file those away. Even though we buy our diapers on sale and use Southern Savers, I still like to have all my diaper coupons in one place for some reason.This system has saved me so much time and because of it, I'm now stockpiling more because I'm only buying the stuff when it's on sale and has coupons with it. Click this to learn more about how to coupon with Southern Savers.

Meal planning - Right now I'm using a meal service called e-mealz and it's fantastic. They plan everything out for you and the recipes are great. We are using the two person - portion control plan for any store. We are shopping at Aldi for mostly frozen veggies, fresh produce, milk, eggs, canned goods, dairy products and so forth. Then we go to Publix and buy all our meat that is on sale and any other items that are BOGO like pasta, salsa, chicken nuggets and so forth. Right now, this system is working well for us. Aldi is cheaper than Wal Mart and the store is so small that it makes getting in and out a cinch.

Cosmetics - If you haven't read,"Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter With Out Me" then you must get it. I checked it out from the library. It will help you save so much money on skincare and cosmetics. I can't tell you how much we are saving on skincare now. And my routine is so much simpler now which makes life easier in the mornings when I'm getting ready. I've simplified my make up which you can read in my post, What I use. I ask for gift cards to Sephora and Aveda for Christmas and birthdays and that allows me to buy some nice extras to use.

Haircuts - I love my getting my hair done. It feels so good. But I don't have the time or the means anymore to color my hair. Unfortunately, I've got a gray streak coming down like Stacy London so I'm not sure how much longer I can last without coloring my hair. But I have started going to the Aveda Institute to get haircuts. They have a really nice salon by the Galleria and the haircuts are only $18. However, last week I really wanted just a trim so I went up to the Aveda store at the Summit and got a free trim. On Wednesdays, they do free trims with stylists from Richard Joseph salons.

Dining out - Steve and I don't eat out a whole lot. Restaurant dining can be a major budget buster. I told Steve the other day that I am just so much more aware of how much it costs for us to eat out. It's expensive. Even just grabbing Moe's costs us $15. So most of the time we use Groupon, Living Social, or Daily Deal for 50% off coupons to eat at nice restaurants. These coupon services allow us the opportunity to eat at some expensive restaurants that would normally not be in our budget.

Other money saving tips:
- We almost never purchase books. We get them from the library first to read them and find out whether it is something that we would really want to own. Books take up room and have to be dusted. Since we have limited room, we only want to invest in books that really inspire us.
- Price shop your auto, homeowners and renters insurance. When we switched to Geico for our auto insurance it saved us around $500 a year. That is an incredible savings! We are always comparing rates on insurance to make sure we get the best deal.
- Clean out your closet and sell your items at a consignment store. I take my proceeds and use that to buy clothing for each season. I recommend Zoe's Consignment in Forest Park.
- ** Be content with what you have. You will save so much money by not buying the latest and greatest gadgets. I think I'm actually the last person on earth to get Internet on my phone. But I will have it around Christmas time since hubby upgraded us because he has to have it for his work. It's amazing what happens when we get to that place of contentment. Williams Sonoma used to be my happy place and while I still enjoy the store, I don't need all that stuff anymore. I have the necessities in my kitchen and that's enough.

Thanks so much for tuning in to my financial series. Hope you feel inspired to live within your means and on a budget. Let's all be good stewards of what God has given us.

3 Part Financial Series: Part Two

2011-09-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

In my last post, I discussed why having a budget is so important. If you are reading this, then I hope you followed through with my suggestion to set up a paper budget for your family. In this post, we will be talking about Dave Ramsey's Baby Steps and how to get started on your path to financial freedom. As I've mentioned, nothing can substitute for the FPU class. Reading a copy of Dave's "Total Money Makeover" can help you get started, but I really believe in the accountability that comes with a small group setting and having people to lean on and encourage you as you navigate financial freedom together.

So here are the Baby Steps per Dave Ramsey:

Baby Step 1: $1,000 in an Emergency Fund. Usually the best way to reach this step is have a garage sale and list some things on eBay. We sold Steve's 70" high definition t.v. from his grad school days to fund this baby step. We listed it on Craig's list and they gave us the asking price.

Baby Step 2: Start the debt snowball. List all your debts (excluding your house) like your car payments, school loans, credit cards etc. from smallest to greatest. Then while you are making minimum payments on all your debts attack that smallest one first. Find every extra bit of money in your budget and then bludgeon that debt with it. Once it's paid off, roll the minimum payment that you were paying on the first one and combine it with your minimum payment on the second debt and then keep doing that all the way down your list until you have paid them all paid off. I recommend making a list of the debts like a barometer so you can see how much you have paid off each month to keep you encouraged. Of all the baby steps this one is by far the hardest because as Dave says, "you can wander into debt but you can't wander out."

Baby Step 3: A fully funded emergency fund of 3-6 months worth of expenses. If you or your spouse were to lose your job, no need to panic, you have enough to live on for 6 months while looking for another job. Your roof needs replacing? No need to sweat - you've got money in the bank for that.

Baby Step 4: Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and Pre-tax retirement. Most companies have a matching plan so it's a good idea to take advantage of the free money once you're debt free. I know a lot of people who are contributing a good bit to 401Ks but have a ton of debt. If you are older it makes sense for you to do so, but if you are still young then get yourself out from underneath that huge burden first.

Baby Step 5: College funding for children - We aren't here yet but we definitely plan to put aside savings for college. We also want to make sure our children qualify for either academic or other types of scholarships to aide in paying for college. After spending so many years paying off college loans it has significantly changed our perspective about the importance of where one attends college.

Baby Step 6: Pay off your house. Dave recommends a 15-year mortgage at a fixed rate.

Baby Step 7: Build wealth and give. As Christians we believe this principle is actually the first you follow by giving 10% to your church and wherever else the Lord leads you.

Click here to learn more about these baby steps on Dave's website.

No greater love...

2011-09-26T22:54:00.000-05:00

* I'm interrupting my financial series to post this thought the Lord gave me tonight.

Tonight I found myself telling a good friend of mine who no longer lives in Birmingham that I think I miss her more than she actually misses me. It was a reminder to me that a year had passed since I had seen this friend and we only live an hour away from each other. But with babies and new jobs, time just passed us by and neither one of us made it a top priority to visit the other one.

So it has me thinking about my group of friends. My core group is often how I refer to them when speaking to other people. I think some people were getting their feelings hurt when I would say I had dinner last night with my girlfriends as if the young lady that I was telling that to wasn't my girlfriend (which was def. not the case). So I had to come up with another way to refer to them to make it clear that this is a special group. One that I have been associated with almost from the beginning of when I started going to Church of the Highlands. It's a group of friends that I went through some intense small groups where we laughed, cried and learned together in the Lord. We were in each other's weddings, there for each other when babies were born and prayed for each other when we walked through hard times.

But the interesting thing about these friends which makes them my core is that they are always here when I need them. We don't talk, email or text on a daily basis. Some of them, I don't even see for months. But when someone has a baby, gets married or is sick - there they are with Zoe's roll ups for four in hand and a child in the other knocking at your door. I think tonight reminded me how much I miss seeing them. With busy schedules, we can't stay up till 1 in the morning talking about life and then ordering pizza at midnight. Those days are past. I can't long for them. But what we have is so much sweeter now - it's the unmovable faithfulness of a true friend. It never stops. It's always there for you when you need it. That is something worth holding onto.

To my core group: you know who you are. Where would I be without you? Life has changed so much since we started walking together but I'm thankful that even though we are in different places, we still have the same destination. Love you girls!

3 Part Financial Series: Part One

2011-09-20T13:25:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm pretty passionate about Dave Ramsey and his teachings. It's pretty easy to get me started on the baby steps or why a budget is so important or what you can do with your money once you're debt-free. I love to give. I like to bless people financially so that they can take mission trips or do things for the kingdom of God or just go buy a pair of crazy expensive sunglasses. The problem is that I feel my giving is somewhat limited because we are trying to get out of debt. You see we have school loans that have been around so long you would think they were pets. And I for one, do not want any more pets. I have enough people to take care of around here.

This fall Steve and I wanted to lead Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University but were unable to work out the logistics of hosting it. So I decided to write a small series here that would give you a snapshot of what you would learn in FPU. I highly recommend this class to everyone! On our 1 year wedding anniversary, Steve and I decided that instead of spending a bunch of money on a fancy dinner we would instead join FPU. This was and still is the greatest decision we ever made for our marriage (and cutting up our credit cards).

If I had to sum up all Dave Ramsey's teachings into one this is what I think it would be: Make a budget and follow it. It sounds so simple but yet so many don't do it. The truth is everything that you will do financially for your family starts here. Making a budget and sticking to it allowed me to breathe again. I didn't have to worry about enough money at the end of the month to buy food or to pay the light bill - it was all accounted for in the budget. Money to buy birthday gifts - it's in the budget. There is safety in a budget. There is better sleep and rest and less stress when you know there is enough money to pay for the necessities and hopefully some luxuries. A budget gives you a road map to where you want to go in life. Without it, it's like driving to Arizona from Alabama without a GPS - it's going to take forever and who knows if you will actually ever get there.

We need to get back to a simpler time. That's my new thing: keep it simple. Your budget doesn't have to be on a spreadsheet unless you have a love affair with Excel. You don't have to manage it on some pricey app or use some expensive financial software. If you own a pen and have paper - then you have a budget. Steve and I don't use any software or special tracking device for our money. We don't need it. We use Dave Ramsey's budget forms every month - they're free and you can download them here .

Probably the hardest part is sitting down the first time with your spouse and writing down all your income, expenses and all your debt on a piece of paper. But at the same time there will also be a sense of relief that will wash over you. Because the thing you have been dreading, coming face to face with the actual amount of debt you have versus income, will force you to start acting differently. You can no longer just bury it under the rug. You have to do something about it. You will start with an emergency fund of $1,000 and then get your debt snowball rolling. In my next post, I will talk about the Baby Steps process. But for now, the most important thing you can do for yourself, your marriage, your children and your future generations is to get a written budget and stick to it.

Click here to input your zip code and find the nearest FPU class to your home, school or work.

What I use...

2011-09-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is my post on what I use skincare and make-up wise. I have to let you all in on a little secret that has totally changed the way I view both. My wonderful friend, Jamie at http://www.familysavvy.com/ recommended I check out Paula Begoun's www.beautypedia.com and her book, "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me". This book totally transformed the way I think about purchasing skin care products. She opened my eyes to the outrageous claims that cosmetic companies make regarding their products thus saving me and my DH a ton of money.

It is true that I have taken very good care of my skin for a long time now. I feel like I am reaping the rewards of that right now. But this is no time to stop in my quest for youthful skin. After reading Paula's book and searching her site for the best products, here is my simple and current routine (always subject to change):

Nighttime Regimen:
1. Cleanse - Olay Foaming Face Wash for sensitive skin. This removes everything and is so gentle and non-irritating. Paula believes there is no reason to have a medicated cleanser because it is being washed off and is only used to remove make-up. This cleanser was also a Paula's pick on her website. The best part of this cleanser is the $4 price tag and it lasts for months! I'm not even going to tell you how much I have spent on pricey cleansers in the past. I believe I have finally been delivered. :)
2. Tone - Paula's Choice RESIST Advanced Replenishing Toner (only used at night to make sure that I removed all my make up).
3. AHA - Paula's Choice Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% Alpha Hydroxy Acid. Once a week at night I use, Paula's Choice Weekly Resurfacing Treatment with 10% Alpha Hydroxy Acid instead and sleep with it on instead of washing it off.
4. Moisturize- Paula's Choice Barrier Repair Moisturizer, which also doubles as an eye creme. Paula says that eye cremes are the biggest waste of money and that whatever you use on your face should be used on your eyes provided that it is non-irritating of course. Once I run out of this, I'm planning to switch to something a little heavier for the winter. This is a nice light weight moisturizer for the summer though.

Morning Regimen:
1. Wash my face with water only.
2. Use my tinted moisturizer all over my face including my eyelids and under the eyes for the SPF protection in that area.
3. Continue with 5 minute face

Make-Up Products:
Foundation: Aveda Inner Light tinted moisturizer SPF15 (02/beechwood). This is a Paula's pick (received her highest rating) because of their shades, it is non-irritating and the SPF is great in it. According to Paula it isn't the number but what actually comprises the SPF that matters.

Concealer: MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 (NC15). I like this because it lasts a long time, small container and has a great SPF.

Powder: Aveda Dual Foundation Powder which I apply only in the Tzone. However, I purchased the powder without having read Paula's review of it and that wasn't so wise and I may return the powder. While I love the way it looks and feels it is very irritating and I have been breaking out right in my T zone which is the only place I apply it and that lines up with Paula's review.

Blush: Aveda Petal Essence Face Accents (Plum Touch). I absolutely love this blush. I love the way it goes on and the way it looks. I highly recommend it.

Eyeliner: Urban Decay 24/7 (Rockstar) - I've been using this eyeliner for a while and I love the color but I do feel that it smudges and doesn't stay put on me. It may be because I have very oily eyelids that cause it to budge however Paula's review said the same thing so I'm not the only one. But I'm going to use up all the plum/purple eyeliners I have right now before purchasing something new (trying not to be wasteful and use what I already have - better for the environment and the pocketbook).

Eye Shadow: Lorac Starry-Eyed Baked Eye Shadow Trio (Star Struck Ebloui). I don't wear eye shadow every day but only on occasion and at night. I just bought this because the girl at Sephora recommended it to me and so far I love it.

Mascara: NYC Sky Rise Lengthening Mascara (Extreme black). I don't know why but I just love cheap mascara. It's pretty much the only product that I refuse to buy in a department store or some place like Sephora. But at $2 a pop, I would rather have the money saved to buy an expensive lip gloss.

Eye brow color: MAC Matte Eye shadow (Omega) is just a matte eyeshadow that I use to fill in my brows. It literally lasts me like years. I just threw away my old one and I had at least 5 years (sorry if that grosses you out).

Lip gloss: Aveda Lip Glaze (Cucumber Melon)

I really appreciate Paula's reviews on products. But with anything you have to try it out for yourself to be sure. She doesn't give Aveda's lip gloss a super great review but I like the lip gloss and the color on me, so I'm fine with that. By using some of her products and some drug store products, I was able to shave a bundle off my skincare budget. I also ask for gift cards to places like Aveda, Sephora... at Christmas or Birthday time and that allows me to make any extra splurges on items that I wouldn't normally make.

Do you have any products that you absolutely love? I would love to hear your recommendations below...

The 5 minute face

2011-09-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

Carmindy from TLC's What Not To Wear is an amazing makeup artist. I've read both her books and I love her natural approach to makeup - less is more. She truly believes in enhancing beauty not creating a work of art on your face.

I've always been a bit of a makeup fanatic insisting that I have new colors to go with each season. Well times have changed a bit for me. Now that I'm a Mom, I don't have the time or thought process to come up with a new make up look every time the weather changes. I also don't have the room in my budget for monthly runs to Sephora either. So I adopted Carmindy's 5 minute face routine and tweaked it a little to create my everyday look.

Here's how I do my 5 minute face in the mornings:

Step 1: Splash warm water on your face and then pat dry. I'm currently not using soap in the morning to see if it changes the oiliness of my skin.

Step 2: I apply a tinted moisturizer with a great SPF. I apply with a cosmetic latex wedge on one side and then save the other side for powder. A tinted moisturizer cuts out extra steps by giving coverage, moisture and protection in one application.

Step 3: Take your concealer, it should match your skin tone, and lightly tap it under your eyes and cover any red spots, discoloration or blemishes.

Step 4: Use the other side of cosmetic wedge and blot your powder only in your T-zone.

Step 5: Apply Blush with blush brush.

Step 6: I apply a plum/purple eyeliner on the top eyelids so it makes my green eyes pop. And then apply a coat of mascara to the top lids as well. * I don't fool with curling my eyelashes. Those things scare me.

Step 7: Brush my eyebrows with an old toothbrush and fill them in with some powder eyeshadow that I got at MAC. I recently replaced it after having my old one about 5 years.

Step 8: Apply lip gloss and you are done.

Even if I'm not able to get a shower, I will still do the 5 minute face and throw my hair back in a ponytail and spritz some perfume. Which means even if my baby is sick, not napping, and we have to run to CVS for medicine, I can still make time to do my face so I don't scare the public.

It's amazing how good it can make you feel even if you don't plan to leave the house that day.

In my next post, I will show you my skin care regimen and my current make up choices.

I would love to hear about your make up routines in the morning...

It's time for y'all to meet...

2011-08-29T15:23:00.000-05:00

Please take a moment and allow me to introduce you to the two ladies who have changed my life. These two women don't know each other and will not meet till they are on the other side of heaven together but they have both had a profound impact on my faith walk with our Lord.

Lydia Prince

The first is Lydia Prince, and although she died several years before I was born, she and I have a lot in common. For one, God called her to Jerusalem to serve Him as He did me. Then she married a man that was younger than her (by 26 years to be exact) and I married a man younger than me (by only 6 years). But it is the book about Lydia's life that has impacted me in such a powerful way. The book, "Appointment in Jerusalem" is the story of how Lydia got saved in her living room, filled with the spirit and then sold and gave away everything she had to move to a land once known as Palestine. Every year I pick up this book again to read it and it's like being re-united with an old friend. In some ways I feel like I know Lydia so well and can understand what she was walking through. But mostly, the Lord always speaks to me through that book in giving me "rhema" (a word revealed) or revelations through it. I'm amazed that in this book that I have read so many times, I continually learn something new from it every year. One of the resounding themes from this book is how important the scripture is and how every answer to life can be found in it.

If you haven't read "Appointment in Jerusalem", please find it at The Carpenter Shop or on Amazon and possibly even Lifeway may have it.

Julie and Samuel

And here's the other love of my life, Julie Collier. A woman who has no idea of the profound impact that she has made in my marriage. Here is the most generous, warm, friendly, inspiring, loving encourager that I have ever met. It would take too long to list everything that she has ever done for me - but she knows. Every time I leave her presence after we've met for a latte or omelet at Edgar's, I feel refreshed. It's like she breathes life into me. And as I was mentioning this to Steve he said, she's like your Onesiphorus. Exactly! This past month, Pastor Chris has been preaching on this verse that Paul wrote in a letter to Timothy his mentoree:

"May the Lord bless Onesiphorus and all his family because he visited me and encouraged me often. His visits revived me like a breath of fresh air." 2 Timothy 1:16

So here are the two women who have loved me (one without even knowing me), encouraged me, challenged me to go further in my faith and in my belief that God would come through for me in every situation and circumstance.

So I want to know who is the woman in your life whose visits revive you like a breath of fresh air?

Dedicated to my Mother

2011-02-15T21:30:00.000-06:00

This post is dedicated to my faithful Mother. It was only 7:30 AM today when I called to tell her that I had the stomach bug and before I said anything else she said, "I'm on my way." She stayed with me, took care of my baby, took care of me, went to the grocery store for gatorade and to CVS for my prescription. She stayed from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. I asked her when she was leaving, "how do I pay you back for today?" She said, "it's part of being a mom. You will do the same someday." But it wasn't just today that she came through for me. This history stretches way back into the past. And even in college, I would call her in the middle of the night upset about some boyfriend and she would stay on the phone with me for hours calming me down. Many times, she would get in her car and drive to Tuscaloosa to soothe me. And so my precious husband has learned over our years together that when the stomach flu hits and my head is hanging in the toilet, all I want is a scalding hot washcloth - like the one my mom used to get for me growing up. And as much as I adore and love my husband, it's always my mom that I want when I'm sick. She was the one who stayed up all night long while I was in labor feeding me ice chips while everyone else had gone to bed. She has never left me, never forsaken me, has and will be faithful to the end: like our Lord. Mom - I wouldn't have survived motherhood without you. Thank you for your sacrifice! I love you.

First Fruits

2011-01-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

You may recognize the title of this message as it was the title of today's message given by Pastor Chris. But before it was the title of today's Sunday sermon, it was the title of a phone conversation I had with my mentor earlier this week. You see "my Julie" set me straight. There has been some great fruit lately in my life especially regarding keeping home and hearth. And while the SHE (Sidetracked Home Executives) have set me on the path to a clean home and less stress, somehow I lost track of some other very important priorities like my quiet time. Before the baby came, getting up for a quiet time was no problem, but if I am up early in the morning now it's because I'm nursing, then changing diaper, then feeding again and then changing outfit and so on as you mothers know. But the book challenged me to get up 30 minutes before the rest of the household and get fully dressed and made up. So I started this and quickly realized how much better I felt about myself and how much more productive I was and that if someone wanted to drop by it wasn't an issue because I wasn't still wearing my pajamas at 3 in the afternoon. However, I left out a very important detail: where was my time with the Lord? This is what Julie wanted to know. I said, "well I pray throughout the day and we have worship music playing a lot." That's when she let me have it. I had forgotten my first love. And He was beckoning me to return to him. How could I be so dense to think I could accomplish everything in one day without starting first with him and letting Him recharge my batteries and give me supernatural energy? So I started getting up just 30 minutes earlier to spend that time with Him. And the funny thing is, I never hear my alarm go off because the Lord wakes me up about 5 - 10 minutes before hand. I guess it isn't really funny, it's just Him knowing what is best for me. So my question to you is, what are your first fruits? Is the Lord first of your day and do you have a mentor or accountability partner to keep you in check? I can't imagine where I would be without my mentor touching base with me and making sure that my priorities are in the right place. I once asked Steve, "who made me a good wife?" And his response was, "Julie Collier."

It's not from Kohl's, it's from God.

2010-12-16T17:43:00.000-06:00

I started this post as a way to capture what God has done for us this Christmas season. And while I would normally write this in my journal (see previous post :) ) I decided that this example of God's faithfulness was too good to keep all to myself and in hopes that it would encourage my 5 fellow blog followers. :) Are you out there people?

Anyway, I have mentioned before that as a stay at home mom, our lifestyle has changed dramatically. And that while there won't be lots of pricey presents under the tree, what we are most thankful for is our little family. But I would be remiss in saying that I wasn't disappointed in the fact that we might not be able to do a lot for Christmas for others. And while I've tried to coupon and pinch every penny this month, it was the Lord who was looking out for us. So far this Christmas I have bought $50 worth of merchandise from Kohls for FREE. You heard me. I have gotten frames, towels, albums.... all gifts for loved ones and all because Kohls keeps sending me these free gift cards. I don't have an account with them because we don't use credit cards (big Dave Ramsey followers) but yet I'm like the top person on all their mailing lists. But in my heart I know it isn't Kohls that is providing these gifts but the Lord. Because every good and perfect give comes from heaven above. And just when I thought the blessings couldn't get any better - I found a gift card that I had to Best Buy which enabled me to buy another gift for a loved one and I only had to put $5 with it. Then this afternoon, I was looking for something for my sister-in-law and I found the perfect gift that I wanted to give her however the price was not perfect for me. So I decided I would wait and see if I found something else later on. When I got home there was a gift certificate waiting for me in my email to the very store where I had located this gift for my sister-in-law. I only had to again put $5 with the certificate and the gift was purchased. God strikes again. His provision is unending for us and I don't know why I continue to be shocked or surprised. Because His word promises that he delights in us and that if our earthly father can give us great gifts than how much more can our heavenly father do for us. So take it from me, one very blessed little lady, that God can and will do more than you can think or imagine. That is just who He is.

The Word of the Lord

2010-12-16T17:27:00.000-06:00

Proverbs 29:18

"Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction."

I try to always write down any revelations that I get from the word or over a circumstance that the Lord reveals to me. That way I can continue to learn from them and keep them fresh on my mind. I like to peruse my journal from time to time to be reminded that I do hear from the Lord. He is speaking and he is here. So many of my days run together now and sometimes I feel like I'm doing it on my own and out of my own physical strength. But those words that he gave me in the past hold true for today. Because He never changes and his word never returns void - it always accomplishes the purpose for which it was sent. Are you journeling? I encourage you to always have one handy so that you can write down what the Lord is speaking to your heart. I confess that I don't write in it every day like I used to - but it's still there - waiting for me to pick it up again. Taste and see that the Lord IS good.

A Christmas Blessing

2010-12-08T22:17:00.000-06:00

There's a running joke amongst my friends about how much I have changed in the past few years. I like to tell people that I used to shop at Saks and eat at Bottega's and now I shop at Kohls and eat at Moe's. :) As a stay-at-home mom my lifestyle has changed dramatically. There won't be a lot of fancy gifts or expensive dinners or even visions of smocked outfits with reindeers this Christmas. But that is okay. There was a time when I was able to give out expensive gifts but this is a different season I am in. My dear Mother-in-law recently gave me a "Mother's journal" that records all my favorite memories, vacations, foods, experiences and so forth. But one of the entries had me stumped for a while. It wanted me to list my favorite bible verse. What kind of a question is that?! How do you pick just one when really there is a lot of good stuff in the Bible. But I told Steve the other day that I think I finally figured it out. It's the verse in Esther 4:14, "for such a time as this." And while Taylor Innes (who lived with me in Jerusalem) and I used to have a joke about this verse, I really believe that it holds true for me. This season is for such a time as this. I will only be at home with my doodlebug for such a time as this and I only have a few of those moments left. So I better treasure them while I can. And while the gifts may be simple this year bought with free gift cards that Kohls sends me in the mail :), while there may not be fancy dinners or holiday outfits and lots of Christmas decorations on display at our house, there will be a huge celebration on the inside - in my heart. As a mother of a precious son, the sacrifice that our Lord gave with his only son Jesus touches my heart in a way that I never knew existed. To think of Mary as she watched her first born son crucified on the cross - I couldn't bear it. Samuel is my first born too and he IS my only begotten son. So this Christmas I am thankful that the price was already paid and that the sacrifice was already given, and it won't be my Samuel paying that debt. I now know what true love is.

Give Thanks

2010-11-24T10:14:00.000-06:00

As Thanksgiving is upon us I have been reminded lately how blessed I am. As my little one wakes at 4 and 5 a.m. the past few mornings and my exhausted body somehow manages to get up and feed him, change him and put him back to bed, I am tempted to silently complain about my lack of sleep and frustration that Samuel is still not quite sleeping through the night. But as I sit there with him hungrily nursing away at 4 a.m., instead of being grouchy about it, I've just been thankful. Thankful that he is here safe in my arms and not missing. Thankful that he is a very healthy little boy and not diabetic or on dialysis or with cancer. Thankful that God chose me to be mother to this sweet doodlebug with the most beautiful smile you have ever seen. So in several moments over the past few days I have been reminded of Thanksgiving and what the day truly means. Recognizing that it isn't about Black Friday or all the good deals to be had but that it's about the simple things in life that matter. Family, God's provision for us and our faith. What are you thankful for this holiday?

Balance

2010-10-17T16:48:00.000-05:00

Samuel, just being cute.

I was super encouraged last week at my small group regarding balance. Every Wednesday, I get the treat of leaving my baby at home with his Daddy and attending Cindy Acton's Moms' mentoring small group. I can't tell you how encouraging and much needed this group is in my life as a new mother. One thing that I asked the girls about last week was how do I achieve balance in my life between being a mother, wife, housekeeper, cook, laundress.... you get the picture. And these girls really gave me some great advice. Most said that I'm going to have to let some things go at home and become okay with that. And really Steve has said that as long as the baby is still alive and fed when he gets home from work then that is all that matters to him. Well that isn't all that matters to me. I thrive in a clean, organized environment. I don't like messes and I can even handle if things aren't that clean as long as they are neat and organized. But here lately our place looks like it has been hit by a tornado and I just can't handle that. So the ladies in my group suggested that I do one load of laundry every morning and do one cleaning item that day like either ironing, dusting, cleaning the toilets and so on. So I made a schedule on my Apple iCal for cleaning (it's color coded pink :) ) and have been using this method since last Thursday and I can't tell you how much better I feel about our place and myself. I have actually gotten more done in the past week than in a long time. Because I let go of that endless to do list that just looked so overwhelming and just kept it simple with one task a day. Pastor Chris preached on chaos and being frantic this morning, and that sermon rang true in my spirit. Just by having my new found plan, I have found more rest each day. P.C. stated that rest is a state of mind and that is so true for me now. While I'm more active than I have been in a long time (I was a couch potato during my pregnancy) I feel that I have accomplished my goals each day and feel good about our place and my role as housekeeper and stay at home mom. And that my friends equals more peace in our household, which is a very good thing. :)

What is your God assignment?

2010-10-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

my beautiful mentor, Julie and my precious doodlebug

Just finished a wonderful weekend at Church of the Highland's for the annual Women's Retreat, ReCreate. Holly Wagner spoke and Shane & Shane led us in some awesome worship. But Holly's theme of encouraging us to find and stick with our God assignment surely has me thinking. Where am I in life and what has God placed in my path? Obviously my assignment right now is to be wife and mother and that truly does fill up my days. And though I thought it was what I always wanted in life, I realize that it isn't enough. God created me personally for more than that. It's not that I'm discontent with my life, on the contrary. It's just that I know the Lord meant me for ministry. And at this time in my life, when my thoughts and days are so consumed with caring for a little one, I have to wonder, where and how can I minister to others in the midst of this. Which honestly is why I started this blog. I'm not much of a scrapbooker which is why you probably won't always see updates on my baby. Not that he isn't worthy of them but really this blog is more of an outlet for me. It's a way for me to communicate a word from the Lord and hope that it inspires or encourages my few followers on this blog. And that honestly is my "God assignment". Not the blog itself, but the act of inspiring and sharing with others a word from the Lord or my experiences. As I was at the conference praying and thinking about how I could live this out in a more substantial way the Lord answered me. A friend at the conference asked me to mentor her on a weekly basis pouring into her what my precious mentor, Julie Collier, has poured into me for the past four years or so. And really that is exactly what my heart was desiring. Someone who wanted to hear what the Lord had taught me over the years about life, marriage, motherhood (that's a new one for me) and ministry. And it was just a reminder to me of something my friend, Michelle Allen said to me at the conference. "God knows the desires of your heart Laura Gail," she said. It sounds so simple but really it is profound. Because when you stop and consider your life at times, you see how he has answered those desires in miraculous and marvelous ways. My question to you is, what is your "God assignment"? It could be for a season or what you knew you were created to do and be. Consider what God is calling you to do and do it. Don't be scared. He equips those he calls and will always enable you to conquer what ever mountain stands in your way.

Strength

2010-09-30T22:56:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been meditating on strength. In yesterday's one year bible reading the Proverb was, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." As a new mother there have been some days of adversity. To be honest there have been days when I thought surely God picked the wrong person to be mother to Samuel. Days where I thought I wasn't going to make it because of sleep deprivation or days when the crying seemed to be ear piercing and my son was challenging me to a cry-off competition which I would surely win. But no matter the tears on my part, the bad attitude or the complaining of lost sleep, the days end and start all over again. And what have I gained by feeling hopeless during those moments: nothing. And so I am reminded this week several times, that I have a lot more strength than even I realize. Ruthie Simmons spoke at our Moms' mentoring group this week and spoke on strength. She reminded me that I was created to be Samuel's mother for such a time as this. This is no surprise to God that I'm a mother. And even my sweet husband whom God consistently uses to refine me, reminded me that I can do this. On the days when I doubt myself and my abilities, I pray that I remember as a Proverbs 31 woman, strength and honor are my clothing. To my fellow mommies, I pray that you remember that too.

time

2010-09-23T23:16:00.000-05:00

Samuel's first trip to the Zoo

It's amazing how my day is divided up into chunks of time now. Every three hours I feed my baby, burp my baby, keep my baby awake for just a little while and then try to get my baby to nap until I feed my baby, burp my baby.... and well you get the picture. Then it's a race against time to eat a meal, put a load of laundry in, fold the laundry and return emails and calls while he is sleeping and swinging. And let's be honest, we all know that I haven't mastered it yet because there are plenty of people I have yet to call back these days. Life as I knew it, has changed. But it has changed for the better as I now possess a sweet little doodlebug named Samuel. This little doodlebug smiles at me now and it just melts my heart. And even though it feels like I just had a baby, I don't feel like he is a baby anymore because he is growing so fast and I find myself looking longingly at newborns and wishing to have another baby. Am I crazy or what?! I think my hormones are still re-settling because after the labor experience I had, I need to wait at least a year before I think about getting pregnant again. And even then I don't really want to be pregnant again (because we all know how I difficult I was to deal with), I just want a little baby brother to appear out of thin air for Samuel. Oh if only it was that easy. But Steve and I have promised next go around it will all be easier. I will definitely not make so many trips to Dunkin Donuts and to the Publix Bakery because this last 30 pounds has not been easy to get off. But it's amazing how much more productive I am now that I don't have cankles and have healed relatively well from my surgery.

In case you are wondering about how Samuel is doing, well... he loves milk! We are convinced that is all he dreams about. Because when he is hungry, he attacks his bottle or my breast like a bear tearing a piece of meat. He does this side to side bob thing with his head and then aggressively latches onto whatever nipple he can find at the present time. It's actually kind of funny to watch unless you are the one that he is so aggressively latching onto - then it's pretty painful. But he is sleeping pretty well. It's a little inconsistent and we are really hoping to get him sleeping through the night on a more regular basis. We have had several nights where he did, so all the indicators are there that he can be a good sleeper. But there are also nights where he wakes up twice in the middle of the night and we can't figure out what we did differently for that to happen. So last night we gave him a real good pep talk on sleeping till at least 6:30 a.m. or later and this morning he woke up at 7 a.m. So our words do have power. :)

Samuel is extremely long, like his daddy, and is growing quickly out of his footed pajamas and long daygowns. Our bubbles fit great because it doesn't matter how long his legs get to wear those. He is smiling a lot now which is super cute and thankfully he doesn't scream anymore when we change his diaper. A lot of times when I'm changing him on the changing table he just looks up at me and smiles. I keep trying to teach him to say milk but it may be a while before all that clicks. He loves his swing and takes most naps in it because he refuses to sleep in his bed during the day which I'm working on but you have to pick your battles. A screaming child all day or a few peaceful moments here and there so you don't go insane. You would do the same believe me. :) Blueberry seems pretty unattached right now to Samuel. He pretty much just ignores him and does his own thing and I can't remember the last time I even paid attention to Blueberry poor thing. I'm just so focused on the baby and getting things done around here that I just don't have the energy to hold another big baby. And this one weights 20 pounds too where as my other one only weighs around 11 lbs and 3 oz.

I'm happy to announce that I'm actually cooking again, menu planning and couponing. We were so tired of eating out but until I was feeling better it was just easier to grab something. But this time around I'm learning how to cook very simple meals because there isn't time or energy for the complicated and elaborate recipes that I used to make. And honestly, this way it's probably healthier and cheaper since I'm not using as many ingredients. The other night I baked Lemon Pepper Chicken with some bone in chicken breasts that were in my freezer and some Lawry's Lemon Pepper seasoning and it was delicious. It doesn't get any simpler than throwing some seasoning on chicken and then putting it in the oven. We had some yummy brown rice and fresh green beans from Publix (they have been really good and cheap lately) that I sprinkled some Parmesan on and it was a yummy meal. Probably my favorite one that I have made lately.

Anyway, this chunk of time is about to expire so Au Revoir until next time - whenever that is. :)

Baby, Baby, Baby

2010-08-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

The fact that I'm even writing this instead of sleeping should show you all what a dedicated blogger I am. Ha! I'm finally in my own bed with my own sheets and my own things. But I can tell you this much, we are already missing that around the clock nursing care that we got at Brookwood Hospital. I was totally not prepared for the amazing care we would receive there. These women were like second mothers to me and one even told me that I had not had enough rest and that she was making me take a nap and sticking a "no visitors" sign on my door. And she was right, a nap was exactly what I needed.

Needless to say this whole labor and delivery process did not go anywhere close to the way I thought it would. For one, I actually went into labor on my own on the same day they were going to insert a balloon catheter to dilate my cervix. Steve and I think that I really started labor at church on Wednesday night because all night long I was having contractions and they weren't letting up. On Thursday morning we started timing them and they were about 12 minutes apart. But then they transitioned to 3 minutes apart and I knew this was really going to happen. We were scheduled to arrive at the hospital on Thursday for my planned procedure at 4pm but found ourselves in labor and delivery at about 2pm and in much pain. As they admitted me and started all the regular procedures the pain became increasingly intense so I begged the nurse to give me something. At one centimeter dilated, a epidural wasn't an option but pain killer called Nubain was. And thus the most glorious few moments began pain free and I laid there in my nonsense bliss. I called several friends and wasn't making any sense so finally Steve took my phone away from me. One of my funnier moments was when I became convinced that a hospital worker was trying to scam us by upcharging us for a suite when they don't offer suites only just private rooms. My parents and Steve and I'm sure my nurse were well entertained by antics until the Nubain wore off. And I found myself in worse pain with contratctions only a minute apart but still not dilated beyond 1 centimeter. They gave me a second dose but it didn't do anything. And thus I found myself in natural labor. Let me just go on record and say that I think anyone who goes through that voluntarily is crazy. I couldn't say it before having never actually experienced it and there was a time when I was open to doing it, but I was literally climbing the walls during labor. I was screaming so loud that they could hear me down at the nurses station and could hear every word coming out of my mouth (which was quite embarassing and I'm sure not christian like at all). The problem was that I wasn't dilating so they couldn't give me the epidural. I'm not sure at what point they caved on this or it was probably my nurse who was about to quit on the spot but finally around 9pm they gave me the epidural and started pitocin to speed up the process. I have to say that I had been so scared of the epidural but it was nothing. The only hard part was that I was going through contractions while they were doing it and I had to stay still so my sweet young nurse just held me tight and I sobbed into her shoulder. Also, I was worried about the IV too and that was nothing as well. God really blessed me in taking care of those things for me.

Around 6 in the morning, I had dilated to 6 centimeters but had stayed there for several hours and not made any progress. On top of that, my cervix was swollen and they had discovered that I had some sort of an infection. I also had a high temperature, high blood pressure at that point and then the nurse discovered that Samuel had a bowel movement while in utero. This is dangerous because there is a high possibility that the baby can swallow the meconium and of course that isn't good. The doctor on call said that she was giving me 30 minutes to dilate more by speeding up the pitocin. After 30 more minutes, there was no change in my condition and in 5 minutes they were wisking me away for a C-section. This was incredibly emotional for me for one because I obviously wanted a vaginal delivery but on top of this they had called the NICU department in because they obviously were worried about my baby. I have to say the surgery was very quick and not nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. I was in and out of there in 30 minutes. But unfortunately my baby went straight to NICU and I only saw him right after surgery and then again at 8 pm that night. I had planned this whole bonding time to happen with my baby right when he came out of the womb but that didn't happen. But Samuel ended up being perfectly healthy weighing in at 8lbs and 5oz. We were at the hospital for about 6 days so we were really ready to come home. Samuel is really the sweetest, cutest thing we have seen. And Steve has been amazing with him and me and I don't know how I would have made it through this without him.

We are now on our third week with our precious doodlebug. We are convinced that he is the cutest baby boy we have ever seen but I guess every parent says that about their child. While I have had some complications with my recovery in addition to taking care of a newborn, I have been blessed with so much help from family and friends. The meals that we have received have blessed us beyond belief and the time and care that family members have offered us has made all the difference in the world.

Many of you have read the prophecy that we received two months before I became pregnant with Samuel but in case you haven't, here is the word we received from traveling minister, Prophet Max Navarro from Huntsville:

"The Lord is saying the spirit of the Lord has been moving upon your lives and this is the season to rejoice even more so and watch the spirit of God bring total change and it’s going to be good change into your home.

The Lord has told me to tell you this is also a time where you will see increase rise up in your home. The Lord says many people talk about addition. But there is a multiplication that will take place in your life. Do you guys have any children? Have you been trying to have a child? How long have you been married? A year and a half.

There is a reason why I ask that question. I’m very careful when I deal with babies and marriages.

First of all, because when I was praying and saw the multiplication, I saw a child coming into your lives. Now don’t worry about the economics of the system. Why? Because this child is first God’s and he will take care of his child. And it will be his child before it is yours. And when this child is released to you upon this earth then the Lord will make means for this child.

I see God making provision for this child and I see him meeting the needs for this child. This child is not going to be lacking. You will see supernatural things take place for this child. The Lord has told me to tell you that even He has heard your heart even when you ask God for timing. The Lord says my time is now – what is your time? The Lord says right now is a time when miracles will flow. The Lord says watch and see. It’s not going to be a burden but this child is going to be a joy. The Lord says, he will bring much joy into your lives like never before.

It’s almost like having a new experience every day when you look into the child’s face. You are going to have an experience basically that you will never be able to have when you look at this child – you will see God. You will see the working hand of God in this child.

The Lord has told me to tell you, this is a time and season as you draw near to God, both of you; the spirit of the Lord is going to bring peace into this area.

Most people are never ever going to feel this way. But you are never totally 100% ready for a child. They just come. Why? Because they are ordained from heaven. As the child comes forth – guess what happens? We have the joy to raise this child and bring it forth. The Lord has told me to tell you really sometimes we think this child will nail us down. This child is nothing that will nail you down. It’s going to get you off the floor. But that has been something in your heart but the Lord has told me to tell you to get ready, even your husband, you will have two kids (meaning the child and your husband). You will look at your child and then you will look at your husband. When raising the child, your husband will be able to deal with the child at every level. Not every parent can really do this but there is so much of a child like heart in your husband. That God is going to use your husband in that way.

Don’t worry economically – God has ordained of this in your lives. Watch and see it’s going to be good, it’s going to be fine and it’s going to be great. It’s going to be a blessing more than anything else."

"It's not hot!"

2010-07-25T23:10:00.000-05:00

This is Steve bundled up like a burrito. Every night as we climb into bed and go to sleep, I fuss about how hot it is. Meanwhile Steve is bundled up under all the covers and responds every night with, "it's not hot!" Obviously this is now one area where we are not in unity. :) But that is only because I have my own personal heater kind of like having my own personal pan pizza. It's a heater just for me and what is so ironic is that I'm such a cold natured person that I'm the girl who always has a cardigan with her in the summer time. Not anymore!

In less than a week I will be holding my precious little one. Who knows? He could come tomorrow but we know for sure that it won't be any later than Friday because I will be induced that morning. My little one is measuring 8 lbs and 6 oz on the ultrasound they did last Wednesday. Whew! It must have been all those doughnuts. :) Oh well - there isn't too much I can do about it. My doctor is starting a balloon cath on Thursday afternoon to get my cervix to dilate in hopes that we don't have to do a C section. We are praying that my cervix will go ahead and dilate more before then. But no matter what, there will be this tiny little bundle in my arms that I have waited for so long to hold. His nursery is ready for him and it looks really cute now that we have added a few other touches. He has tons of adorable clothes and accessories including a car seat cover that is called "Ritzy Baby" from his Aunt Julie. Now we just need him to put in it.

This has been a long process this pregnancy. I honestly don't understand how that Michelle Duggar lady has been able to do this 18 times or maybe it's 19 now. Good grief - I can't keep up with how many kids she keeps having. And while Samuel has been worth every bit of it - this pregnancy has not been for the faint of heart. I don't think I was prepared for how hard it was going to be and I'm pretty sure Steve wasn't prepared for how much he was going to hear about how hard it is. :) But my sweet hubby has been a grand trouper through it all catering to just about every whim I have had. I only remember him saying no to me one time during this pregnancy when I thought I had to have a Quizno's or I was just going to die and instead he made me a glass of chocolate milk and an egg and cheese sandwich. He had enough of my constant cravings that day.

But our bags are packed, Samuel's nursery is organized and Blueberry is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his baby brother. I just saw Steve in Samuel's room playing the guitar and singing worship songs to the Lord. It gave me the sweetest feeling and I just love knowing that his Daddy and his "Abba" (God the Father) are preparing a place for him together.

The grass isn't always greener.

2010-07-13T22:40:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how God can reveal some of life's lessons in the simplest forms to us. For example, one of our favorite restaurants, Surin of Thailand in Crestline has started serving whole bowls of their yummy coconut soup instead of the usual cups that come with their lunch entrees. You know that wonderful, delicious just spicy enough soup that I'm talking about. And for years that was my favorite part of the meal. I would tell the server, just go ahead and bring me my soup before I order so I can just take longer to savor every last drop of it. And of course by the time you finish the cup, there is always the comment of, "I could eat 4 more cups of that stuff." It's addictive. But by the time you are finished and before you seriously give thought to ordering another cup, your piping hot entree arrives and you abandon the feeling of ecstasy that you had when your soup first arrived and you move onto your Thai Noodle. But now we find ourselves in a very awkward and strange predicament. Because what we had hoped for all this time, more soup, has actually now come true and the cup itself has turned into a huge bowl but with less tofu and less mushrooms, and now it's just mostly broth. And the sheer excitement that ensued when it was first issued to us has now died down as we realize that we don't really want that much soup and we don't even finish the entire bowl when once we thought it would be an easy feat. And so now we realize that the thing that we always wanted is not what we really want. We want our small cup back. And really isn't it always that way in life? So many times the things that I thought I wanted, the dreams and visions for my future were not only not God's best for me, but sometimes the package they arrived in was a huge disappointment. It's all about expectations now and keeping an open mind. People keep asking me are you going to have a natural birth or get the epidural? Are you planning for a c section? And my resounding statement is always, "I'm keeping an open mind." I'm not going to set myself up to expect this labor and delivery process to go a certain way and then only to be disappointed by my own unrealistic expectations. But this doesn't only apply to labor and delivery but to everything else in life remembering that God is our true provider, our Jehovah Jireh. The Lord gently reminds me of this when I start to place too much emphasis on Steve meeting my needs and not the Lord. The Lord has been showing me over and over again that if I need something to come to Him. Steve may be the vehicle or vessel that he funnels his provision through but ultimately, it comes from the hand of God. Every good and perfect gift comes from heaven above (James 1:17). And so if I need some new make up or I'm out of my favorite cleanser, then I go to God with it. Yes, I let Steve know but he just replies, you need to believe God for it, and so I do. In fact two of the things that I was believing God for this month, a breast pump and new skincare, he has answered. That is just how faithful our God is. He cares about me having my skincare products and provides a way for me to get them. Let's not put Him in a box. He is bigger and better than we can earthly imagine and he has plans to prosper us in ways that we can't even fathom if only we will believe him for it. But if we have no faith, we are like a wave of the sea being tossed about back and forth in the wind (James 1:6). So ask God. What is it that you need or simply you want? If your earthly father who loves you is willing to give you good gifts and take care of you, how much more is your heavenly father willing to do this (Matthew 7:11).

Waiting

2010-07-09T22:09:00.003-05:00

This song has been in my spirit today as I wait on Samuel to come. I'm 37 weeks now and very uncomfortable and very large - I can't believe what my digital scale is telling me each day. But this song encouraged me so I thought I would share it.

"While I'm Waiting" By John Waller

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

Pretzel M&Ms - are amazing!

2010-07-06T21:03:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to lie and try to cover up the fact that I play favorites. It's probably a well known fact among my friends that I am more attached to one of their children than the other. I don't know why this is and I don't try to intentionally do it. I love all my friends' kids but there are some that I just become obsessed with (not in a weird way) but in a I can't stop looking at how cute they are way. I certainly hope this does not carry over into parenthood for me though. We are planning to have more than one child and I would never want any of my children to ever feel slighted even for a second. I mean I even worry about Blueberry if he will get enough attention after Samuel gets here. I asked Steve to make sure that he continues to love on Blueberry even when Samuel comes because I feel sorry for him. I already don't dote on him the way I used to because mostly I'm preoccupied with my big belly and he is so darn heavy these days (21 lbs and counting) to pick up that I just don't fool with it.

A dear friend of mine gave me the cutest little lovey that is a hippo with Samuel's name monogrammed on it. When I showed it to Steve, he thought it was cute, but he didn't really get it. He wanted to know what a lovey was. Well, I said, it's Samuel's little lovey that he will carry around with him and hold sort of like a little security blanket. The next morning Steve walked into the room, holding Blueberry in his arms like a baby and announced that Blueberry was his lovey. That was the day I knew that he was going to be a great Daddy. It may sound silly to you but it meant something to me and it just sparked this instinct in me that honed in on how sensitive and gentle Steve was going to be with our little Samuel. But I also know that he is going to be a great leader in our home for Samuel teaching him integrity, honesty and hard work. One thing that I really admire about Steve is his integrity. If a coupon is expired, he doesn't try to pass it off to the cashier at Publix like nothing is wrong. He holds himself to higher standards and really what that means is that he has the fear of the Lord. The cashier probably doesn't care and Publix probably isn't that strict about expired coupons but the Lord sees our every move and judges the intent of the heart. I'm so thankful for this partner in life that sets a daily example of Godly leadership in our home. I'm so proud of who he has become since the day we met and I will never forget that after the Lord told me that Steve was to be my husband that the second thing he said to me was that Steve had a quiet and gentle spirit. Of course he followed it up with a little rebuke to me by saying much like the one you should have. Ouch. But the Lord was right and I have tried to become a much more softer, gentler, hold my tongue kind of person. But those of you who know me, know that can be a challenge as well. God knew what he was doing when he matched Steve and I up. Two polar opposites as personality go but perfect for the refining work that we will do for the Kingdom. Steve is my rock. He is a steady constant in my life especially when my pregnancy hormones have me all over the place. He is so faithful and in him, I see our Father. I see our marriage as that picture of Christ and his church, the way he meant it to be. Steve loves me like the church and I honor and submit to him. Do we get it perfect every time? No. But we have an ebb and flow much like the tides of the sea and we work together in unison. Recently, both of our cars broke down in the same week with almost identical problems. My Daddy was really scratching his head on this one and said it was just unbelievable that it would happen to us both in the same week. I just laughed about it and thought, well it's because we are in unity. :) Thinking about it that way sure took a lot of the pain out of the hefty check we had to write for all the repairs. But seriously I am so thankful for our unity. It just makes life easier. We are on the same page about money, church, family, children just about everything. And while we have disagreements from time to time, they are getting fewer and fewer. I can't remember the last time we disagreed or even argued about something.

I didn't intend for this post to be dedicated to Steve but obviously that is where the Holy Spirit was leading me as I wrote this. It's a little late for Father's Day and a little early for his Birthday but I just want to say to you Steve, that you are my rock. You are faithful to me just like the Lord is, and I'm so thankful that you are the one God chose for me to journey with. I'm not sure what all is ahead of us, but I'm thankful for my steady man that is holding my hand as we experience it together.

"Move It On Over"

2010-07-01T23:59:00.000-05:00

"Move over little dog cause the big dogs moving in." From one of my favorite old Hank Williams Sr. songs that my father used to make me listen to over and over again on road trips. That's what I want to say to Blueberry every time I find him sitting in my new chair which is quite often these days. It's supposed to be for me, but he thinks it was ordered for him and thinks it is the perfect place to rest and nap the day away. I don't know who is lazier lately, me or him.

Recently returned from my doctor's appointment where we found out that I'm not dilated not even a hair. So it doesn't sound like Samuel will be coming anytime soon and I guess that means it gives me more time to work on his nursery. And as nice as that is, I'm just so anxious to meet him it is hard to have patience and wait it out in this last month. So I'm praying that the Lord will give me the extra dose of it while I endure the wet stickiness of being pregnant in July. Happy 4th to me! LOL.

Over the past few days, I just keep hearing more in my spirit about fulfilling our calling. The calling that each of us has on our lives from the Lord. The Bible says that even before we were formed in our mother's womb, that the Lord knew us and shaped us and predestined us for a great purpose. That is each one of us. It is so important to connect with whatever calling God has given Steve and I for our lives. I've been praying for clarity, discernment, a clear word, let your yes be yes and your no be no and every other christian adage that I can come up with in my prayers to let God know that I'm serious about hearing from him on this. But Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is a discerner of our hearts and thoughts and since He is the Word then He already knows before I ask him.

I have been so inspired over the past few days from reading the autobiography of Reinhard Bonnke, a famous evangelist in Africa known for raising people from the dead, seeing thousands be healed and for preaching the gospel to millions by now. He will be speaking the first night of the Feast of Tabernacles in Ein Gedi in Israel, which is the very event that I worked on while there. I wish I could go hear him in person. What an inspiration he is because at age 10, he heard his calling from God telling him he would preach in Africa. He knew it was a true word from the Lord and he clung to it even when opposition came from his church, his friends, his parents and family. Even his father who was a Pentecostal preacher doubted that he had truly heard the voice of God. But Reinhard was faithful to God's voice, vision and calling for his life and didn't give up till he saw it being fulfilled with him leading evangelistic crusades in the middle of the African plains where more than 360,000 people attended at one time. It takes great courage to heed the call on your life. Many people won't understand, they will question or doubt, and most will try to discourage you from pursuing it. It takes great courage to stand with a deaf ear to those voices and stay focused on the one inside leading and directing you. I love the verse in Galatians 1:10 where Paul says, obviously I'm not trying to win the approval of men or to please man. If pleasing others was my goal then I wouldn't be a servant of Christ. Everyone has their own ideas about what you should do, where you should go or who you should be. But ultimately there is only one voice that counts and that is the one that is heard in the wilderness. In the quiet of the night, barely above a whisper, not intruding but lightly knocking on the door of your heart whispering his plans for you. Listen to that one - it will never lead you astray!

Sleepless in Alabama

2010-06-28T04:36:00.000-05:00

It's about 4:30 a.m. right now and I've been up since 4. This happened yesterday morning as well. For whatever reason there comes a certain point in the middle of the night where I can't sleep and thus I relegate myself to the sofa where I play on Facebook a while and watch sermons. I was thinking as I made my way down the hall yesterday morning back to bed, while dragging a pillow with me, that I reminded myself of Linus from Charlie Brown. You know how he always had that blanket with him? Well that's me in the morning time except that it's a pillow and I'm wandering around in here looking for a place to get comfortable and get some sleep. Steve is happily snoozing away right now thankful not to be woken up by the toilet flushing or my heavy sighs as I toss back and forth unable to cool down. He is wrapped up in four layers of bedding like a burrito and I'm laying there with nothing on me still remarking on how hot it is. And Blueberry seems to be sleeping fine as well. He is looking extra fluffy right now because Steve bought a new brush for him (we lost our last one) and spent a while last night grooming him. Which is really funny to me because he used to not let anyone touch him with a brush but now he just lays there and let's Steve do whatever he wants. Steve has trained him well.

I've been battling some allergy issues since last week and that may be a part of why I'm still not sleeping well. It's hard to sleep when you can't breathe. :) But hopefully it is getting better and I have my next doctor's appointment this Wednesday. I keep praying that Samuel will get into a downward position soon so we don't end up with a breach baby. It has been so much fun being a pregnant with a group of girls from my small group. There was something in the food they fed us last Fall because 5 of us got pregnant at the same time. I have loved seeing all these little babies lately and getting to practice on them. But it just makes me want to see my little one even more and see what he looks like and what his cry sounds like and that kind of stuff.

If you are reading this because you can't sleep or because you are feeding a baby, take time to check out the past three Wednesday night sermons at Church of the Highlands of Joe McGee speaking. They are really hysterical but always full of wisdom. You can now watch them from the Highlands website by going to the media tab, click on archive messages and then click on midweek messages. I always get encouraged when I listen to him.

I've started a new smocking project for Samuel. It's these little monkeys hanging from a vine with bananas in their hands. It's pretty cute but so far my first monkey isn't looking too hot. I may have to rip it out and start over but surely this project will not be as tedious as my "burger buddies" that I finished a month or so ago. I really enjoy smocking but wish that my new hobby wasn't so pricey. It's too bad that I didn't pick something that is free like running or hiking. LOL. No, I don't think those kind of activities are in the cards for me hobby wise as they have never been something that I particularly enjoyed. If you could call meeting friends at Starbucks a hobby then that would be a perfect one for me. But I love creating the little outfits for Samuel and hopefully one day soon, I will be able to sew them all together myself.

Well I guess I will try to back to sleep. Sorry this isn't much of an interesting post. It's hard to think of scintillating things to say this early in the morning. And as my friend Kristen can attest to this, I had a very bad case of pregnancy brain last night so I'm still recovering from it. Nothing I said was making sense and I kept using the wrong words to describe things and then forgetting to do things like call our other friend Jenny to meet us when I told her I would. Hopefully some more sleep will rectify the situation.

Hope you all have a blessed Monday!

Cankles!

2010-06-22T23:04:00.001-05:00

One of my all time favorite Saturday Night Live skits was from our last Presidential election where they did a parody of Sarah Palin and Hillery Clinton. In the skit, Hillery Clinton is asking people to stop saying that she has cankles. Ha ha ha. Well I can empathize, not that anyone has personally said it to me, but just that I have seen it with my own eyes as my once 5 1/2 sized petite feet have now expanded and shoes that were once too big are now too tight. If you have never seen this skit then here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdDqSvJ6aHc. And obviously I have a lot of sympathy for Steve right now because he has to listen to me complain about how bad my feet hurt these days. He said earlier that in some ways this baby will be a lot easier to take care of once it comes out of utero. Ha! I think he meant because he is tired of his baby mama's aches and pains. But that is what happens when you have gained 40 pounds that your body has never carried before. I once thought that I was going to be like one of those skinny girls that looks like she is just smuggling a basketball. Well things didn't work out that way for me. Whether it was all the donuts or mother nature, I feel like a bus. But Steve says that I'm not like a bus because a bus will take you where you want to go and I on the other hand would just stop and tell people to get off and get over it. :)
Here's a question for my fellow mothers. Why are the cashiers at Babies R Us so mean? Every time I leave that place I feel like a scolded child. I guess it may be because I have them ring up every single purchase I make in a separate transaction so that I can use a 20% off coupon on it. But if they are going to get so hot about it then why do they give us all these coupons and then expect us to just throw them out because you can only use one per item and per transaction. I don't think so! I'm in the business of saving money not wasting it, and eventually I think I will be able to change the system over there with just my annoying purchase habit. They probably have some kind of code name for customers like me.

I included a picture of my latest find at The Lovelady Thrift store which also happens to be my favorite find there of all time. Where else can you find a Church of the Highlands binder which happens to be free at the church but at the thrift store will cost you $0.45. I laughed so hard when I saw that. Also there are several other random things there like a used kiddie cup with lid from Moe's. I mean who donates their used cups from fast food restaurants? That's the kind of stuff that I would just throw out. But I do enjoy going on treasure hunts there especially since they play Kari Jobe a lot over the speakers and other christian artists.
Samuel's nursery is just about done. My cute glider and ottoman arrived last week and now we just need to decorate the walls, get a lamp and a few other small odds and ends. But it is perfectly functional in case he shows up before I have the other done. Of course my type A personality would prefer for everything to be perfect before he gets here but my body temperature gage says he can come whenever he's ready because man it's gettin hot in here. I went to our pool last night to try and cool off but the water was so luke warm that it felt like my bath water. Plus, me trying to slide into my prego tankinis isn't really working anymore. Even those are too small for me. And it seems that way with a lot of the clothes and accessories I have right now. Don't be shocked if you see me out and about in a moo moo. I'm pretty sure that is about the only thing that will fit me these days besides a tent. I'm 34 weeks now almost 35 I think. So I'm about ready for my little one to start making his descent toward the southern end of my body. He is still so active in there that you would think he was planning a party and was going to stay a while. Steve says he's just packing up boxes and stuff. I said what stuff? He doesn't have anything to pack in there. Steve said, "sure he does. His toys and books." Well something is certainly keeping him occupied in there.
I'm just excited to meet Samuel and see what he looks like. I'm planning to spend a lot of time just staring at him.

Israel

2010-06-15T19:44:00.000-05:00

Not all my posts need to be ridiculous stories or comments. I need to post something heartfelt or from the Lord here every once in a while. That was my habit with my Jerusalem updates. A few bits of relevant news, cultural idiosyncrasies and then anything serious that the Lord was doing or revealing in my life. Well lately my heart has been really heavy for Israel. Oh how I miss it. And how I miss being with my husband (who was my fiance back then) in that magical, romantic place we call "the middle east." For some it might be the last place on your itinerary to visit but to those who have been there, you know it can captivate you with its sights, smells and culture.

Israel isn't a place, it's a destiny. A land that awakens your senses to the Holy Spirit and the voice inside you. For us Christians, it's the Holy Spirit that leads us, convicts us, corrects us and is the one waking us up in the middle of night to pray for someone. And it was in this land that I first truly learned how to discern the voice of our Lord. I will always be grateful to the tranquility and the silence of the desert where I so clearly heard the voice of the great I AM. It was in the desert that I heard the Lord whispering his future plans for me. Plans to bring me to a new land on a new adventure. Visions and words he gave me for my future mate and what we would be doing together. And while many of them have come to fruition some of them have not YET. And that is the way of our Lord, ever so patiently revealing our future to us layer by layer by layer. Never giving us too much at one time because he knows we would run away with it and not live in the present moment. And while I believe, I may have heard a word from the Lord recently regarding our next season and where we will be stationed, he reminded me that in this season of my life, I am to relish every bit of it. I love my home - Birmingham, Alabama. I love my roots here, my friends, my family, the trees, the hills, and that intersection on 280 where Meadowbrook and Brook Highland meet and you can see Highland Lakes way off in the distance - I love that too because it is just the majestic beauty of our great city. And for as long as we are here, I want to soak up every bit of it. As comfortable as I am here and as happy as I am here, more than anything our family wants to live for the Lord and to fulfill his destinies in our lives. We don't want to get to heaven one day and say well sorry we were comfortable where we were. As my sweet husband reminded me of this tonight, "God did not bring you and I together just to lead an ordinary life." And those words ring loudly in my head as I write this. It isn't about us. It's about Him and what He has called us to do. It may take us a while to get there or we may never get there and just journey along with Jesus taking each step that he directs. But one thing is for sure, we are intent on being led by the Lord and obeying his command to us. If we do this, how can we fail?

Hormones!

2010-06-04T22:23:00.000-05:00

There seem to be an overabundance of hormones in the air here. And hormones have become my new scapegoat as well. I mean how else do I explain why I am reduced to tears when we run out of Multi-Grain Cheerios or when my face breaks out. What about when I just start sobbing literally over nothing and I honestly can't come up with a reasonable explanation to give my husband as to this crazy behavior. Hormones! That's the reason. And you know he is wondering when the day is going to come that he gets his wife back. Well all I have to say about that is I hope this isn't a permanent thing that sticks with you after you have the baby like stretchmarks or wetting your pants every time you sneeze. Anyway, this may be kind of a girly post and I hope it doesn't offend my male readers but then again, what male readers? It seems to be that only women blog, read blogs and stalk others' blogs.

Here is a list of things that I'm obsessed with lately:

- multi-grain cheerios (obviously)

- all the Babywise books. I'm almost positive that I could teach a class on them even though I have not personally tried out any of the techniques. :) But I have read Babywise five times now. I think that qualifies as obsessed.

- Icees. enough said.

- Donuts. ditto.

- Publix brand of cocoa butter. This stuff is awesome!

- Who's the Boss? Plays back to back episodes during the lunch hour so I watch it while I'm making and eating my lunch each day. I'm waiting for the episode where Tony and Angela profess their love for one another to come on. I know I sound really pathetic right now.

- Kissy Kissy Daygowns and other daygowns. My husband has put me on restriction from purchasing any more daygowns for Samuel. I'm convinced that Samuel is going to be the best dressed baby around. But if Gina is reading this then I probably need to state he will come in second on that category behind Luke. Oh and I have to give a shout out to Henry McKenzie too because he does have the cutest clothes.

- and finally the Lovelady Thrift Store in Irondale. I have to give credit to Michelle Allen for this one. I'm obsessed with that store. Where else can you go and find a custom made night light in the exact Humpty Dumpty fabric that is in your nursery, for $0.75? When I saw it, there was a light shining down from heaven on it like God had planted it there himself. And there was also an Amish lady standing next to me watching me freak out over my newfound treasure.

I'm 32 weeks along so far and had a very healthy report from the doctor this week. My blood pressure is great (which is quite remarkable considering my steady diet of cereal, donuts and honeybuns) and Samuel seems to be perfectly perfect. He is extremely active in the womb right now so I am speaking forth that is a sign that he is going to be active in the Lord's work or being about his father's business.

Still hoping to get some pictures posted soon for those of you who have requested them but we are currently sans camera. Hopefully that will change soon. So in the meantime, I am posting this lovely picture of our cat, Blueberry. Maybe this will tide you over for a little while.

First Post

2010-06-03T07:19:00.000-05:00

This is my first official post as a blogger. I am not committing to this thing but only trying it out first. I'm not sure that I will have anything of importance or anything humorous to say but if my friends enjoy my updates then that is enough for me.

I've been up since around 6 a.m. No my baby hasn't come yet but for whatever reason I can't sleep worth a darn these days. My poor husband doesn't sleep well either with all my tossing and turning and what with 5 trips to the bathroom every night. I am looking forward to July getting here when hopefully my bladder returns to its normal condition and I get to hold my sweet Samuel.

Steve was just remarking last night that we have been in Birmingham for exactly one year ago yesterday. We can't believe what all has happened in one year. It seemed like when I was in my 20s time stood still and nothing happened. Then I hit 30 and I'm engaged, living overseas, getting married, moving to Tulsa, moving to Birmingham and now with child. It's a lot to take in for just two years. But if I had to sum up God in just one word I would say "Faithful." Over and over again in the past two years he has shown himself more faithful in my life than I ever hoped, dreamed or imagined. So I guess what I'm saying is I am thankful to be sitting here early in the morning in our own cute little living room with one roly poly cat and one very fat belly.