welcome summer-time! how i've missed you...

It's pretty hot here today.

So we have put the packing and the chores on hold.

In the meantime, the kiddos and I are refreshing ourselves by the kiddie-pool

while letting the sun kiss our skin,

wetting our throats with iced sweet tea,

and filling our bellies to the brim with watermelon.

Summer. is. here.

So if you'll excuse me,
I want to get back to eatin' some more of that vitamin D!
Stay cool, yo.

But just before I go,

here's a few of my favorite pictures with a few of my favorite people:

Have I mentioned how much I love my life with this little family!?!

10 random facts friday

1. We are going strawberry picking tomorrow!  Can't. even. wait.

2. We will be visiting Northridge Church -and the city of Rochester- {our internship site} next weekend.

3. We have two separate sets of close friends coming to visit us this weekend.  Both families we have not seen in f o r e v e r.  We LOVE them so much and it's rare to find couples that both the GUYS and the GIRLS get along with equally.  It'll be a good time catching up and having our souls refreshed right before internship.

4. Homemade pepperoni pizza is what's for dinner tonight.

5. Mike bought me two new running outfits yesterday.

6. I let Annaleigh run around the back yard barefoot today.  And I've been thinking, if you aren't living life dangerously, then you aren't living life.

7. I signed up to get coupons, freebies and giveaways via this site.  Not only is it a great resource for the mamas out there, but they are constantly sending me promo codes {via email} for various things.  One of them has been for FREE Shutterfly photo books.  I got one in May for Mother's day, and they just sent me one this month for Father's day.  In. my. glory.

8. I hate packing.  It overwhelms me.  Big time.

9. I found The College Book of Verse hiding on one of our {many} bookshelves.  Complied by Robert M. Gay {professor of English, Simmons College, Boston}.  Copyright 1927.  It was a end-of-the-year gift from one of my former student's parents.  It contains poetry from 1250-1925.  Here's one of my favorites:

Sleep

by Thomas Sackville

1563

The body's rest, the quiet of the heart,

The travail's ease, the still night's fere was he,

And of our life in earth the better part;

Reaver of sight, and yet in whom we see

Things oft that tide, and oft that never be.

Without respect, esteeming equally

King Croesus' pomp, and Irus' poverty.

10. Pony-tails have become my hair-style of choice.  A far-cry from my high-maintenanced days {before kids}.  But I'm thinking I'm OK with that.

a map i can actually understand

another regular, normal, beautiful day; a second chance

It's 1:26pm.

I have yet to take a shower.

I threw on jeans and a tshirt this morning so I could make it through the day not feeling like a complete (smelly) loser.

The three of us have been busy running around in the sunshine.

And, as I learned a few years back,

this just falls into the category of "suffering to lack".

What the heck does that mean?

Well...

...it means that whenever you do something,

ANYTHING,

something else will suffer.

It will lack by not having it's needs met.

Which gives this perfectionist a ticket to fail.

Because it's a guarantee that something is NOT getting done

whenever you are getting something done.

It helps me relax a bit more

and I become [a little] less uptight.

So what's been suffering?

What's been lacking?

My house.

My to-do list is longer than my weekly grocery receipt

(due to 64 jars of baby food I receive through WIC).

Man, is that receipt L-O-N-G!

I still have to clean/scrub the bathroom

(it's been neglected far too long...I won't share with you how I know this).

There's all this stuff (I don't know what else to call it)

parked in my bedroom waiting to be transported into the attic.

The inside of my fridge needs a bath.

My cat is apparently afraid of getting lost...

...she's leaving far too many tufts of her hair behind.

Maybe she has a Hansel and Gretel complex??

Which means my wall-to-wall carpeted apartment has a serious date with the vacuum cleaner.

The laundry needs to be washed, 

dried,

and put away (that's the part I hate most).

And then there's the office...

...don't even get me started on the office...

...that will probably take an entire weekend to organize and clean...

...I'm dead serious.

It's g.r.o.s.s.

But, whatever.

Because the most important thing right now is that

I need a shower.

A second cup of coffee.

And an emotional recharge

that I can only obtain from lots and lots and lots of 

hugging and kissing on my babies.

Because it's been told to me,

that if my kids lack their mother,

they'll suffer.

The proof was in yesterday's pudding:  bad day.

And suffer we did.

But the sun came up again this morning

laying new beams of golden light across my floor.

And it reminds me

that today

God's new mercy shines upon my heart again.

That today

I am given a second chance.

It's 1:48pm.

And I have yet to take a shower.

70° Warm in the sun and cool in the shade.

Kiddos are wearing shorts and tshirts.

All my windows are open and we've already visited the crocuses in the front yard.

Today...

...is March 1st.

I'm writing this to you from our computer room (apropos...don't you think? and using that fancy new word I just learned...you like?).  The door is currently shut.  This is so my children don't hear me breathing or the sound of the light taps of my finger-tips on this-here keyboard.  They were born with stealth-spy ears.  (Not sure who they inherited that from...)  They hear anything that resembles a human (specifically, their Mommy) and instantly scream for rescuing from their crib cages.

This is the 3rd day of Annaleigh's potty training. I had it all planned out perfectly.  Then my daughter messed it up.  Because, for some reason, a 2YO can't understand the adult plans of her Mommy (which would have had her trained yesterday).  So....I've had to modify the plan.  And I'm happy to say it's more toddler friendly (specifically, Annaleigh friendly...which means MnMs have to be included in the equation on a regular basis...). She's doing much better today.  So there is hope.  Hope for Mommy to not go insane.  Which creates a win/win for all involved.

This is also they day of our March SWF monthly meeting.  I get to go hear Joanna Arp speak on how to be my husband's cheerleader.  The title says it all, "Get Behind Him!  Cheer Him On!!!"...Joanna is so cute.  So animated.  So lively.  So passionate about the things of God.  It's hard not to have it rub off on you.  I really enjoy these meetings.  A chance to get out.  Without my beloved babies.  Eat dessert.  Drink soda.  Spend time catching up with friends.  But most importantly, have my heart gripped by God.  A.maz.ing.  Doesn't it make you want to be a seminary wife?

Today, I also started the herb supplement called Fenugreek.  For all your nursing mamas (past and present)...you just may be familiar with such a concept.  Let's just say JD is always hungry and this little mama of his is having trouble keeping up...we'll leave it at that.

March 1st is also the first day of Ann Vonskamp's March Joy Dare list.  (So apropos that it begins on the 1st...hmmm?  Man, I just LOVE that word, don't you?  I even got to use it TWICE in one post.)  It goes along with her book (and philosophy) One Thousand Gifts.  I read the book in 3 days.  It has literally changed my entire. life.  And so now I can't help but participate in it.  Today's gifts?  3 gifts at 3PM:  a 2YO happily sitting on a potty, a baby boy's smile, the start of some alone time.

And today was the day I realized that it's not selfish of me to crave, desire, and yearn for relationships with others.  It says in Genesis 1:27, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created him; male and female he created them."  That not only means the obvious...but it means that because God is a triune figure...they experience relational intimacy with each other.  So if I am created in that image, I would have a God-given desire to want relationships.  To want to be loved.  And accepted.  And gushed all over with affection.  Maybe that's a reason I blog.  Because I crave the friendships I have out here in the blogosphere.  I love my readers.  Some of you I know personally.  Others, only through thoughts which have become realized.  Either way...the yearning is there.  I'm really glad you stopped by to see me.  Thanks for reading.

Today's weather:  38°.  Rainy.  Cloudy.  (surprise, surprise...welcome to NEPA)

my new mother/child necklace

photo credit

When Annaleigh was around 10 months old {give or take a lot, my memory is momentarily failing me} I got a mother's necklace.  And not just any mother's necklace.  It was the exact kind I had created in my mind.  I thought it very fitting {and talented} for a company to pre-design my dream necklace directly from inside my head without me saying so much as one word.  {I had seen Katherine Heigl wearing a necklace, in her movie 27 dresses, that I just had. to. have...so I figured when I bought a mother's necklace, it would have a similar look.}

Me wearing
'the necklace'
July 2011

When I came across the website lifetimemothers.com, I was ecstatic.  It had a mother's necklace that captured the perfect essence of Katherine's necklace!  I purchased it with a December birthstone (only the charm...I already owned a 16" gold chain) and about a week later, it hung proudly around my neck.  {click HERE for a closer look} And I l.o.v.e.d it.

So naturally, when JD was born, I wanted to add to it.  Only to discover that the charms {JUST the charm} more than doubled in cost over the course of about 1 year.  more than DOUBLED!?  I got mad.  I got angry.  I got frustrated.  And then I was terribly sad.  To find perfection.  To own perfection.  And then to "lose" perfection.  {Because, there is NO WAY I'm paying what they charge...RI-DIC-U-LOUS.  They aren't worth that much.  Apparently, perfection isn't that important to me....}

So I swallowed my disappointment....hard.  And decided I should find something else just as meaningful and yet, would fit our budget.  {And future budget, if the Lord so wills our family to grow.}

I read the NieNie dialogues.  Love her.  Love her blog.  Love her writing.  Love her strength.  And she has given a shout out to the Vintage Pearl, now and again.  She owns a few pieces and swears by them.  I've always thought their items were delicate and beautiful.  So I checked out their product and prices with honest-to-goodness-intent {rather than saying, sure, they're pretty, but I won't ever own one of their pieces}.  

The result is obvious.

I ended up choosing a hammered circle charm with the letter "j" on a 16" chain, and I added a hammered flower charm with the letter "a".

And the total cost?  $45 {for the necklace, pearl, and 2 charms}

To me?  That's not that bad in a comparative sense.  And it's a special memento.  Things that matter are more than just things.  And those things are worth the $45 {but apparently NOT worth $179...haha}.

It's not my original necklace.  But it's still strikingly beautiful.  I love wearing it.  I love knowing my children's initials are strung around my neck.  I love "feeling" them with me wherever I go.  And it makes me smile.  And isn't that the point of great jewelry, anyway? 

As for 'the necklace'...I will wear it from time to time.  But it feels incomplete.  Like I'm denying the existence of my son.  Yet, it will still hold the special memory of the budding love for my children which began with Annaleigh.  Who knew a mother's love could grow so big inside a heart that it easily pours into those two small hearts I call my "babies"?  And that makes me smile all the more.  

i'm not feeling very profound today

I have no new revelations to reveal.
Nor do I feel a sense of direction at the moment.
But I have an urge to write.
To write unedited {mostly}.
To let the words simply flow from my mind to my fingers.
So that's what this-here girl is gonna do.

It's 9:37 PM.
I'm sitting on a bed.  A bed that was suppose to be king-sized.  But I think it's really a queen. 
I'm in a hotel in Chicago.  One that is across the street from a McDonald's that holds the world record for most expensive dollar menu.  One that is mostly occupied by people attending Founder's Week at the Moody Bible Institute, us included.
I hear the traffic on the street fiercly whirring by, outside my window.
My two babies are sleeping across the room.  I can hear their silent breathing and the occasional dreamy sigh.

We began our trip on {superbowl} Sunday right after our ABF (adult bible fellowship).  We had packed up the car on Saturday night (for the most part, excluding tolietries, our umbrella, and my gray boots I forgot to put in the suitcase) and bathed the babies so that we could get up and go.

We drove for 5 plus hours and arrived in Toledo, OH.  We stayed in the missionary house on the property of Emmanuel Baptist Church.  What a blessing it was to take advantage of such wonderful hospitality....for free!

Another blessing was to spend some time having sweet fellowship with our friends (and recent graduates from our seminary), Dave and Krista.  They currently are on staff at Emmanuel and the church will be voting soon to see if they will stay or go.  Please pray that they will be voted to stay!

Dave came over the missionary house Sunday night to watch the superbowl game with us (we were suppose to hang out at their house for the game, but their oldest got a stomach bug...plans changed a little, but that was ok!). 

The next morning, Krista and I had a coffee date at Panera.  What a blessing that was!  (and not just because of the great coffee served in a ceramic mug along with the toasted asiago cheese bagel...although that was a big part of it!) If you don't know Krista, you should!  She is an optimistic breath of fresh air combined with wise counsel and a sweet spirit.  I'm sad we didn't get extra time, but thankful for what was had.  Such great conversation.  My heart was put at ease with realistic expectations, encouraged with reminders of God's sovereignty and was given helpful advice from a former intern wife!  I now look forward to my future with that much more joy!  Praise the Lord!

Afterwards, we soon hit the road (well, first, Mike ate his cinnamon crunch bagel and coffee, Annaleigh her chocolate chip muffie, and JD enjoyed some gold liquid...) and headed to Indiana.  Where we had some more sweet fellowship with another set of friends (and recent graduates as well), Chris and Heather.  And we met at Culver's: home of the butter burger and #2 on the list of best frozen custard (#1 being Andy's)!  So. much. fun. 

It reminds me how much I miss our friends.
How much I'll miss our friends.

A few hours later we arrive at our final destination.
Here.
It's cold.
It's windy.
It's wonderful.

Mike said to me, as we briskly pushed our babies and walked our way to the closest Starbucks, "You want to live in the city..."
"No. I don't."
"Yes, you do."
"Yes, I do."
To casually think about it, I'd say I'd never want to live in the city.
Too noisy.
Too fast.
Too inconvenient (as a young family...strollers don't do well in small spaces and frigid air...)
But as my mind begins to ponder the places I love the most:
Boston
NYC
Philly
Charleston, SC
Chicago
...they are all cities.
Life on the move.
But most importantly...life.
I love feeling as if I'm a part of it.
A part of something big.
Something bright.
Something fun.

Maybe it's an outward expression of what I feel inside.
Excitment and possibility!

I love it here.
And I'm with the people I love the most.
And tomorrow's a new day.

I'll wake up.
It'll be Wednesday.
I'll eat a complimentary free breakfast.
I'll live.
I'll love.
I'll be happy.
And I'll pray that it never ends.

i love Adele

She's my new-found love.

I just became aware of her existence a few months ago.

{I know.  I know.

 I'm probably the last to know about her...

but give me a break, mkay? 

We don't have cable.}

Her voice:  amazing.

Her music:  relaxing and chill and oh-so-cool.

Her talent:  beyond words.

The cupid of the music-world has used my heart as target practice again.

And now I can't help but be smitten.

5 {cleaning} sins I commit

Or maybe the title should say:

5 non-cleaning sins I commit.

Because I'm about to give you a list of things I do to take the "easy-way-out" of washing certain dishes.  {Read HERE to be reminded of how much I detest dish-washing.}  I don't wanna if I don't hafta.  You dig?

Here we go.  {and please...try not to gag...}

1.  Ice cream scoop.  Once I'm done using it to scoop out some {glorious} ice cream, I simply rinse it off with hot water and put it back in the drawer.  I mean, with what else am I going to use it to scoop?? {I also commit this sin with similar objects, such as:  my apple corer/slicer, wire whisk, garlic press, and measuring cups/spoons (given I've only used them to measure dry ingredients that don't stick...)}.

2.  Pizza stone.  It's not suppose to be "washed."  Only running it under hot water and scraping it down.  Not hard, right?  Apparently, for me, it is.  When it's cooled, I slide it back into the cabinet to be taken care of on another day {usually, on the day I need to use it again...}.

3.  Cookie sheets.  Almost the same story as my pizza stone.  Except, these should be washed with soap. But, when cooled, they get shoved put away until next time.  And the next time.  And...the next.  {These bad boys only get a good scrub down every 10 uses or so.}

4.  Colander. After it's finished straining and draining my pasta, fruits or veggies, I run it under hot water and stick it on top of the other {clean} drying dishes.  I plunge it into a soapy bath whenever I notice a noticeable "build-up" of pasta residue.  {Gross?  depends upon your definition...}

5.  Square frying pan. Now, I will say, I do wash this item.  However, if all I've used it for is to make my daughter a half-of-a-grilled-cheese-sandwich...it goes nuh-nite without its shower as soon as it's cooled. Or if I've made quesadillas {and only a little bit of cheese has spilled out} I rub it off and put it away.  I figure...all that really touched the pan was butter...I'm just pre-greasing the pan...

I know.

You're totally judging me right now.

But just remember, whenever you point a finger...there's always three pointing back.

Just sayin'.

So give this gal a break, mmkay?

Oh.

And if you plan to come over to my house to eat dinner...then I totally don't do any of the things listed...like, at all.

Happy Friday's Eve, everyone!

Linked up today with Abbie over at:

CIA watching world online

**An interesting article I read in our local Sunday newspaper**

McLean, Va. - In an anonymous industrial park, CIA analysts who jokingly call themselves the "ninja librarians" are mining the mass of information people publish about themselves overseas, tracking everything from common public opinion to revolutions.

The group's effort gives the White House a daily snapshot of the world built from tweets, newspaper articles and Facebook updates.

The agency's Open Source Center sometimes looks at 5 million tweets a day.  The analysts are also checking out TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms - anything overseas that people can access and contribute to openly.

The Associated Press got an apparently unprecedented view of the center's operations, including a tour of the main facility.  The AP agreed not to reveal its exact location and to withhold the identities of some who work there because much of the center's work is secret.

From Arabic to Mandarin, from an angry tweet to a thoughtful blog, the analysts gather the information, often in native tongue.  They cross-reference it with a local newspaper or a clandestinely intercepted phone conversation.  From there, they build a picture sought by the highest levels at the White House.  There might be a real-time peek, for example, at the mood of a region after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden, or perhaps a prediction of which Mideast nation seems ripe for revolt.

Yes, they saw the uprising in Egypt coming; they just didn't know exactly when revolution might hit, say the center's director, Doug Naquin.

The center already had "predicted that social media in places like Egypt could be a game-changer and a threat to the regime," he said in an interview.

The CIA facility was set up in response to a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission, its first priority to focus on counterterrorism and counterproliferation.  Its predecessor organization had its staff heavily cut in the 1990s - something the CIA's management has vowed to keep from happening again, with budget cuts looming across the national security spectrum.

The center's several hundred analysts - the actual number is classified - track a broad range of subjects, including Chinese Internet access and the mood on the street in Pakistan.

While most analysts are based in Virginia, they also are scattered throughout the U.S. embassies worldwide to get a step closer to their subjects.

The center's analysis ends up in President Barack Obama's daily intelligence briefing almost every day.  The material is often used to answer questions he poses to his inner circle of intelligence advisers when they give him the morning rundown of threats and trouble spots.

"The OSC's focus is overseas, collecting against foreign intelligence issues,"  said CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood.  "Looking at social media outlets overseas is just a small part of what this skilled organization does," she said.  "There is no effort to collect on Americans."

The most successful open source analysts, Mr. Naquin said, are something like the heroine of the crime novel "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a quirky, irreverent computer hacker who "knows how to find stuff other people don't  know exists."

An analyst with a degree in library science and multiple languages, especially one who grew up speaking another language, makes "a powerful open source officer" Mr. Naquin said.

The center had started focusing on social media after watching the Twitter-sphere rock the Iranian regime during the Green Revolution of 2009, when thousands protested the results of the elections that kept Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in power.  "Farsi was the third-largest presence in social media blogs at the time on the Web," Mr. Naquin said.

After bin Laden was killed in Pakistan in May, the CIA followed Twitter to give the White House a snapshot of world public opinion.  Since tweets can't necessarily be pegged to a geographic location, the analysts broke down reaction by language.  The result:  The majority of Urdu tweets, the language of Pakistan, and Chinese tweets, were negative.  China is a close ally of Pakistan.

**Article taken from The Times Tribune**

 Scranton, PA

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Written by Kimberly Dozier

Nation and World section, page B1

on the road again

A sweet lil' collection of rejected nap-time socks.

Except this time, all of us get to go.

Sorta.

You see, Mike is traveling to San Diego on Sunday.

And seeing as I want to bless my family with a few more mouths to feed,

we are heading to Massachusetts today.

This way,

I'll spend time with my family and friends

while Mike soaks up the Cali sun.

Oh!

To add to our trip,

a bonus:

my friend Vanessa is getting married this Saturday to the love of her life, David.

That's a pretty spectacular bonus if you ask me...

Congrats, girl!

staying alive?

Mike is away on a business trip this week.

And JD has caught the cold Annaleigh just got rid of.

And I'm doing my best to keep my head above water,

as I attempt to tag-team without my tag-team partner.

So any activity that doesn't have to do with staying alive, I'm not participating in...

...this blog being one of them {and showers}.

Stay tuned.

I should be back soon.

If I don't throw myself off of a cliff first, in search of a little sanity, that is....

embrace the camera: sept. 29

This is the three of us...

on a normal weekday morning...

We are all still in our PJs.

We just finished eating freshly made banana bread topped with peanut butter.

JD has spit up all over the side of his shirt.

The living room is covered with toys.

The sink is full of dishes.

A load of laundry sits next to the washer, waiting for me to do something, anything, with it.

Ants have, yet once again, started taking over my kitchen.

The cat has, thoughtfully, left tufts of her long, thick, white hair on every carpet in every room.

I haven't showered since Tuesday.

My cup of coffee sits alone, cold and half-finished.

Our office floor is strewn and covered with my craft supplies.

My bed isn't made.

And the reason for the pouty face below is....  

..."Finding Nemo" is playing on our TV

and Annaleigh would rather be watching that than taking a picture.

And probably nothing much will be accomplished today other than
full bellies
clean diapers
and a whole lot of kissing.

All that to say:

I'm not perfect.

I'm not superwoman.

 I don't have it all together.

But...

...I'm happy.

I am blessed.
And I think my life is pretty much spectacular.

a family update

John David

He's a smiley little guy these days.

And the smiles extend beyond his gas.

They are usually in direct response to touch, rocking, 

and as soon as he has a nice, warm, fully tummy.

I brought down the play-mat from storage.

His hands are always waving around.  Which means he unknowingly hits the lion, monkey, or tiger that dangles down.  It causes him to coo and make all sorts of excited noises.  The thing is, I can't tell if he's completely freaked out by the whole process or if he feels complete joy.  At this stage of his expressions, one can't be sure.  It makes me laugh, regardless.

Speaking of noises, his nick-name around our house is

"Mr. Squeaky."

He's the loudest baby I know when in a state of rest.

He makes squeaky noises that could potentially be categorized as "non-human."

And the best part about my little man
{other than him being the cutest baby on the planet, making him irresistibly kissable...}

is that he is starting to sleep at night!  

We got a good 6 hour stretch out of him Saturday night!

I can see/feel the healing powers of sleep, again, on the horizon....

...but for now, I'll resort to my {ever-flowing} cups-o-joe...

Annaleigh

She is only a few months away from her 2nd birthday!

Where has the time gone, I ask you?!?

Her vocabulary is HUGE and she's learning new words everyday 

{and repeats almost everything you say to her}.

My favorite is when she says, "It's OK" {and pats the closest body-part} whenever her brother {or I} cry.

She has the sweetest, most empathetic, and loving heart!

She climbs the stairs, standing upright, holding the railing, BY HERSELF now.

Who am I kidding?  She climbs EVERYTHING now!

She loves, LOVES, to draw with crayons, markers, or pens {but not always in/on the proper places - Mike has had a few of his prized resources highlighted in a few unconventional places...}.

She holds the writing utensil properly {which BLOWS my mind, as a former teacher}and draws and endless amount of tiny circles {I can't get over her fine-motor skills as a 21-month-old!}.  

She is constantly asking me to draw "a meow" {a kitty cat} for her.  It's close to 100 times a day!!

Annaleigh is too big for size 12 month clothes and too small for 18 month clothes.

Same goes for her shoes.  Size 4, too small.  Size 5, too big.

She will just have to live with being "Raggedy-Ann" for a few more months.

But I LOVE the excuse of having to buy her all new clothes!

Potty training is not that far away for my big girl.

She is waking up from most of her naps, bone dry!

And she is VERY aware when she is wet/dirty.

We plan to buy her a potty-seat, soon.

Here we go!

Michael

He's back to school {seminary}.

The first day was about a month ago.

It's his LAST 1st-semester {of his Master's degree} ever!  WAHOO!  

He's back to writing and reading and studying like a {oh so handsome!} maniac.

But thankfully, he doesn't have many credits left to take, so that has freed up some of his time.

His job, as an usher for the Yankee's Farm Team has ended{I know!  I can't believe it myself!  I never dreamed of the day I'd allow the "Y-word" on my blog!  Please be assured, I'm throwing up a little in my mouth right at this moment....bleck}.  It's bittersweet.  He had SO MUCH FUN doing that job and it brought in an extra paycheck {ka-ching!}.  But, I'll be happy to have him home at night, now that their season is over {and I'll be happy that he's no longer working for that team...}

His traveling season begins.

{He's an admissions representative for the seminary, remember?}

Most of the places he's going this year are on the West Coast 

{California, Oregon & Washington State, to name a few}.  

I'm excited for the adventures, opportunities and resources he'll get to have while out there!

He is currently teaching through the book of Ecclesiastes in our ABF
{adult bible fellowship aka. Sunday School}.
I've learned SO much from him.
Like, that even though the book of Ecclesiastes appears to be a sad and depressing book,
it's not!  It's packed full of optimism!
SERVE GOD and ENJOY LIFE is it's basic message!
His teaching confirms in my heart, each Sunday, of God's calling in our lives.
The Lord has blessed him, greatly!

Internship begins for us in less than one year.

I'm excited and nervous, all at once.

And, no, we do not have any ideas about our placement...

but we are placing our trust in our Lord that He will set us in the right spot!

Michelle

I'm currently reading four books:

New Parent Power!

The Excellent Wife

Being a Minister's Wife and Being Yourself

It's a Wonderful {Imperfect} Life

It makes me giggle to see what I'm reading.

Three of the books are to show me how to get better in particular areas of life,

while the fourth is teaching me not to expect perfection!  ha!

I recently bought orange, yellow, and white fabric to try to make this.

 I think it's wonderfully adorable and perfect for the Fall season!

Annaleigh's scheduled to get one {and me, too!}.

I'm doing my best to get back into a routine.

Seeing that written in black and white makes me laugh out loud!

Routine-shmoutine...

Tonight we have a free hot date, the hubs and I!

BBC&S throws a yearly Trustee Dinner for all it's employees and their spouses.

Dinner, dressing up, no kiddos, and a handsome date....HERE I COME!

We had our first SWF {seminary-wives-fellowship} meeting on September 15th.
Not only the ladies who attend {who are my dearest and closest friends},
but the teaching of God's Word encourages and challenges me in my walk with the Lord.

What a blessing it was to my heart!  I'm glad to be a part of something so wonderful!

Along with the {hundreds} of other crafts I'm pursuing,
I've been a crocheting machine, lately.

I just completed this, for Annaleigh.

And this, for John David.

We're ready for the cooler weather!

Well...maybe not....

Happy Monday!

do you feel neglected?

Our family of FOUR!

I know I've neglected my blog {and you}.

I promise that I'm doing my best to get back into the swing of things. 

Hopefully, it will be soon!

Until then, hang in there...

five minute friday: whole

GO.

I don't have a whole lot of time.  Not because of the timer I have sitting next to me.  But because my daughter just went down for her nap.  And I've been dreaming of a nap for the past week.  You see, I'm a whole 38 weeks preggers and this nesting thing has got a hold of me big time.  So I haven't had a whole lot of time to "rest" like they tell me to.

And I'm not patient with this whole pregnant-thing anymore.  I want to have my baby.  And it seems I've been doing a whole lot of complaining, too.  I'm pretty sure it's annoying to whole lot of people.  To hear me complain.  Again.  And again.  And....again.

But it is what it is.

Oh, and one more thing.  I want my whole body back to myself.  I'm tired of sharing it.  Please and thank you very much.

STOP.

Linked up (for my first time!) to:

What is 5 minute Friday?Let your words and your story breathe today. Take five minutes and just write without criticizing your words, yourself or your story. Just write without worrying if it’s just right or not.

1. Write your words without editing them.
2. Tell your readers you’re linking up here and invite them to come and share their unedited stories too.
3. And most importantly, go visit, read, and compliment the person who shared right before you.

Easy peasy. OK, are you ready?  It's your turn now.  Show us what you've got!

i don't blog about her much

because honestly?

If you know one cat,

you pretty much know them all.

The only thing special about Sadie-cat is that

she's ours.
And that she's so darn pretty.

In other unrelated news,

I'll be spending the day with my cousin Sharon.

We'll be sewing curtains.

For a baby's room.

Her daughter-in-law is due around the same time as me.

And she's having a boy, too.

So my nesting-skills of sewing should come in handy.

Her grand-baby doesn't have a clue that he's going to have
the. best. curtains. ever.
hanging in his room.

*** ***

At 37 weeks,

I'm getting a good amount of Braxton Hicks.

They are a terrible tease.

Because I want to have this baby.

Like. right. now.

*** ***

And I totally want to make this for Annaleigh.

Wouldn't it be the perfect gift to give to her at the hospital once John David's born?
I think so, anyway.

*** ***
Happy Friday!

it didn't survive the cut

Not that you care.

About my toes.

Or how I decorate them.

But you're gonna hear about it anyway.

Today is a desperately sad day for me.

Well, maybe only 2/3rds sad.

Since the age of 12, my family had vacationed for 2 weeks, every July, every year (2005 was our last year) in the same basic spot, in a rented beach house (with direct beach access - meaning:  you step out the back door and onto beach sand) in Salisbury, MA.

Conveniently, one of the best boardwalks in New England existed only a short (or long, depending on traffic) 5 minute drive across the border into New Hampshire.  Hampton Beach, to be exact.

At age 18, I discovered a new little shop where they provided fitted toe rings.  That's right, fitted.  You'd pick out your toe ring of choice and then they'd use soapy water to squeeze the gorgeous-little thing onto one of your cute little toes.  After a few moments of squinting your eyes through the mildly uncomfortable procedure, you were adorned with a toe ring completely customized to the exact size of your toe.  Making it completely comfortable.  Don't you just HATE how the ones from Walmart pinch the back of your toe when in a shoe...or walking, for that matter?!  I couldn't even feel it when I wore my figure skates - which, by the way, were ROCK solid and FORMED to my feet.  (I was a former competitive figure skater for 9 years...but that's another story.)

Over the years, I accumulated 4 of those toe rings, one at a time.  I've only taken them off {with difficulty} a few times in my life.  Mostly, to switch them around from toe to toe, or to stack them so they look like one thick toe ring.  The other time was when I was preggers with Annaleigh.  My toes began to swell up.  Although, the rings remained comfortable, I knew that if, God forbid, I'd need a c-section (which most of us know I did) they'd cut them off prior to surgery.  And {gasp} what horror that would be!  The cutting of the toe rings, that is.

Being preggers with #2, my toes are swelling up again.  So, to again avoid such possible horror, I attempted to lube them up and yank them off.  With difficulty...and more difficulty...and pulling, tugging, begging, pleading, waiting until the morning to see if they'd come off, running my toes under iced cold water...more lube, more difficulty and then?  Realizing that I must do the unthinkable.  The unimaginable.  The horror!!  {cue: a girl screaming in the background...wait, that's me...}

They need to be cut.  off.

Why do it?  You ask?  Why not just keep them on since you may not need a c-section this time?  Because, if I do (and we know that it's a high possibility) then I want to control the when, the where.  These are small treasures of memories here, people!  I'm not going to lend their fate to some stranger!  And honestly, if I can't get them off now...will I ever?  And if my feet continue to grow in water-size, that just may be bad news for my toe.  And I think I prefer the cutting of a ring rather than the cutting of my toe.  Just a thought.

GOOD NEWS, though!  I did manage to save ONE of the toe rings.  It was just large enough to squeeze off.  wahoo!  Meaning?  That bad boy is headed right back on after John David makes his debut!  It also means that I can currently feel my heartbeat in my toe....

Plus, it's a good excuse to head on back to one of my favorite beaches, someday, to see if the little shop still exists.  And get MORE!  If not, then for the fried dough, french fries, soft-serve ice cream, photo-booths, skee-ball, arcade games, shopping for shell-covered vases, sand, sun, ocean breeze.....because, really....

"Any reason is a good reason to go to the beach." 

(quoted from yours truly, a natural born beach-bum)

before

after

My poor toe feels so naked now....