Newest Project

Here is my latest sewing project. I just don't have the time to create my own original ideas and designs right now, so a copying I will go!

Here is a great top I found on Modcloth. Ok...I just tried finding it on their site, but it is already sold out. Here is my version that I made by sewing strips of different textured fabrics I had together.

I know it is white and sleeveless and I made it the last weekend in August...oh well. Better late than never!

Modcloth's version

My version

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First Hair Cut!

The red curls...I saved some for his baby book of course

The back mange is gone.  He looks so old now...

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First day of Mother's Day Out

My little guy is growing up! Here he is ready for his first big day away. We signed him up for a one-day a week Mother's Day Out program (which was hard to find on my side of town, most only offer 2-day a week min) at Clay Road Baptist School. It is a super sweet little school where a lot of people from our church work. His class only has 4 little guys in it, so he gets lots of attention. I teared up just a bit when I drove off this week, but he seemed super happy and the teacher said he did great. This week I was watching my friend's son, so we ran errands, but nothing crazy during my "time off". Next week, I think I see a visit to the Guild Shop and get tons of sewing done. I'm giddy just thinking about it!

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2 kids for the week

This week, from Sunday-Wednesday, I watched my friends' 4 year-old son while they went on a much needed vacation. It was quite the adventure playing "mommy" to two kids, but it was also really fun.

Here are the boys after a lunch at Chipotle. They were nice enough to let me walk (more like run) through Anthropologie.

The sprinkler was a HUGE hit with all the guys.

And legos were a close second...

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Garage Sale

We had a garage sale two weekends ago, but I never got around to blogging about it. It took a lot more work than I thought, but we also made way more money than I thought as well. The old baby clothes were really the cash cow of the whole operation. Best of all it made me go through all my closets and drawers...money is always a great motivator for me. Too bad I still have clutter to deal with...

After the sale, everything (except a few nice items) went straight into the car and was dropped off at MAMS. It was a long Saturday, but totally worth it.

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First ER Visit

Well, this post is a bit more serious than my usual updates.  Yesterday we had our first visit to the ER, well, now it is called the Emergency Center (EC)...it doesn't matter.

The day started off with Dexter and I meeting a mom to ride together to the Children's Museum.  Our MOPS group was having a summer outing and the fellow mom friend lived in the neighborhood so we figured we'd ride together.  Off we went and had a fabulous time.  Dexter ran from thing to thing in the toddler area and acted like he felt great.  When we went to put his shoes on and leave I noticed he felt warm and seemed to sit a little more calmly than usual.  The fellow moms and I thought, well, maybe he is just tired since he played so hard without a nap and is probably warm from climbing everything.  We headed out and decided to go to lunch afterward.  I put Dexter in the last row of the suburban and we were off to Barnaby's.  As we were driving, we decided to go eat at a place off of I-10 thinking it would be easier to get seats and all the high chairs we needed.  All of this had to be God looking out for us as you will quickly see.

As I got Dexter out of the back I said, "wow, it sure is warm back here - I guess the air didn't reach back here as fast as I thought."  Dexter felt warm and now I was pretty much convinced he had a fever.  But here I am with two other moms and tons of kids and no car of my own.  Dexter seemed like he felt great just 30 min before, so I figured we would eat quickly (Dexter was making the "more" sign, so I knew he was hungry) and then get him home for Tylenol and a nap.

As we got in and were waiting for the table I asked the moms to feel his head and tell me what they thought.  That is when it happened.

Dexter had a seizure.

At the hospital we found out it was just a febrile seizure (a fever-induced seizure.  You can read more about it with this link)...but, that doesn't make it better in the moment.  It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life.  I am so thankful for the friends I was with.  One friend held Dexter through the majority of the seizure and made sure he had wet cloths wrapped around him to cool him off.  She had just spoken to a neighbor who had helped a friend through the same thing.  She said later she wanted to cry and freak out, but just knew that she had learned what she had a few days before for this reason.  A man, also waiting for a table, had a son who had done the same thing, so he helped as well.  The EMTs showed up just as the seizure ended, they were there so fast.  They immediately said they thought it was a fever-induced seizure but that I should go to the hospital to be checked out.  They said an ambulance was on the way, but it would be a few minutes.  Since there was nothing the ambulance could do but give him ibuprofen, I asked my other friend to please just drive me to the hospital, literally a few streets away.  (Remember how we decided to change restaurants at the last minute?  Praise God we were so close to the hospital, Sander's work, and our house).

Off we raced to the hospital where my friend joined me while I waited to be seen and for Sander to show up.  She shared a blanket and some toys for when Dexter was more alert and waiting who-knows how long.  I was so glad to have her there as I cried and waited...and we really needed that blanket in the freezing hospital!

Dexter was so out of it and not his normal self for about 2-3 hours afterwards.  It was so scary.  The scariest part of it all was something from my past.  My senior year in college I was mentored by a woman who had a son who was epileptic.  He was totally normal until 18 months when he had his first seizure, but his never stopped.  I had witnessed him as a 9 year-old having a seizure, and knew what type of long-term damage it could cause.  Sander and I got engaged while I was being mentored, and I remember us talking about what it would be like to have a son like that.  We knew it could be so hard.

As I waited in the EC, all the memories from my hospitalization and bed-rest flooded back.  I thought back to the passage from Psalms we clung to.  In Psalm 139 it says that God knows everything about us, even before we know it ourselves.  No matter where we go, or what we do - He is with us and protecting us.  When God created Dexter, the Lord knew every single day that he would live. 

If I believed it before Dexter was born, I had to believe it now.

So, we got back and were taken car of fairly quickly and had a fabulous male nurse.  He had little kids of his own and was so helpful with everything we needed to make the process go a little more smoothly -he even found us a pacifier and a tv for cartoons.  By the time the doctor saw him Dexter started to cry during the exam and was more responsive.  The dr. said that is just what he wanted to see.  We did a few tests which were all negative and off we went.

Well, we didn't get to go straight home.

Remember I drove with my friend to the museum?  Well, turns out while we were gone and my car was parked outside her house, her neighbor backed out and hit our Honda.  It was so badly damaged the door won't stay closed.  And the neighbor didn't have insurance, so went inside and bought some online and wants us to wait a few days to claim it.  Ummm...insurance fraud? 

Ohhh, and as we drove to pick up the car, or I guess, asses the damage, a police helicopter started circling directly overhead.  I thought that would really complete our day - a shoot out as we pick up our damaged car with our son still in his hospital bands.

But, there is so much to be thankful from this day - friends with me when it happened who knew what to do and stayed so calm that it made me believe it would be ok, closeness to the hospital, a great report from the dr., and dear friends who brought food for dinner or offered.

Today Dexter is running around and dancing, playing, and talking like normal.  YEA!  I spoke to our pediatrician and they asked a lot of questions and felt confident he was fine as well.  We will see them Tuesday for his 15 month check up, but no need to come in before.  I am so thankful that this is what we are dealing with today, and not more tests or more unknowns.

Thank you all for praying - and please keep praying as we have the quote and details on how insurance will or won't cover the damage on the Honda still to come.

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What's for Dinner

Tonight we are having bow-tie pasta with broccoli and potatoes from the Food Netwrok Magazine:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/bow-tie-pasta-with-broccoli-and-potatoes-recipe/index.html

Bow-Tie Pasta With Broccoli and Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine



.Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:20 minLevel:

EasyServes:

4 servings.

Ingredients

•Kosher salt

•2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

•1 large bunch broccoli, florets and some chopped stems

•12 ounces bow-tie pasta

•4 tablespoons unsalted butter

•2 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into half-moons

•Freshly ground pepper

•1 head Boston lettuce, torn

•1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese (about 4 ounces)

•1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for topping

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook 10 minutes, then add the broccoli and pasta and cook as the pasta label directs.





Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until soft, about 7 minutes.





Put the lettuce in a colander. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta, broccoli and potatoes over the lettuce to wilt it. Return the pasta and vegetables to the pot.





Add the leeks to the pot and stir in enough of the reserved cooking water to moisten. Stir in the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Top with more parmesan.





Per serving: Calories 735; Fat 27 g (Saturated 17 g); Cholesterol 83 mg; Sodium 1,451 mg; Carbohydrate 96 g; Fiber 9 g; Protein 29 g

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For the Young Mother: Ministry, Guilt, and Seasons of Life

I found this on my dear friends blog.  The first part about guilt is so freeing and almost made me cry.  I guess I have to admit I have some serious guilt issues tucked away in my heart.

The second part on keeping your focus totally at home is something I want to ponder a bit more.  I agree that your family is the most important thing you have, but I also think choosing to stay primarily at home with your family is a conviction and not a "must do" in our walk of faith.  So, if you are a new mom, read the below, feel a bit of freedom, and ponder the rest with me.

For the Young Mother: Ministry, Guilt, and Seasons of Life

By Jani Ortlund
Guilt is a young mother’s habitual shadow. It has a nasty way of soaking through many of her efforts at nurturing, serving and loving others. “Am I doing enough for my children? For others? What do they think of me? What does God think of me?”

As a young mother everyone wants something from you—your family, your church, your boss, your neighbor. And most likely, you give way more than you ever thought you could. But along the way guilt nibbles at your soul, eating away your inner peace and joy. And it often lingers through the years, even after your children are grown and gone.

Dear young mother, don’t waste your guilt!

DON’T WASTE YOUR GUILT

Don’t waste your guilt, but instead listen to it and evaluate it. Take it out of the shadows and examine it in the light of Scripture. Lay out your feelings before Christ. Is this guilt legitimate conviction of sin? Then confess your sin, receive his forgiveness and ask him where and how he wants you to change.

But maybe your guilt is a nagging, self-focused fear that if you were just a bit better or worked just a little harder, then you would be noticed and admired enough to feel okay about yourself. That is false guilt, rooted in pride. It will hurt your family and hinder your relationship with your grace-giving Father. If this describes your guilt, then remind yourself that through Christ’s death and resurrection, you’re accepted by God. The solution to false guilt, as to true guilt, is the gospel.

Paul speaks of these two kinds of guilt in 2 Corinthians 7:10. There is a godly grief that produces repentance, and a worldly grief that produces death. Ask yourself this question: is what I give my time and energies to driven by life-giving repentance or life-depleting pride?

A YOUNG MOTHER’S PRIMARY MISSION FIELD

One reason a young mother can feel wrongly guilty is that she forgets that her first and primary mission field must be her children.

God values children. He places great importance on our teaching our children to love and serve him (Deut. 6:7-9). Jesus became indignant when the disciples didn’t value the worth of children in God’s expanding kingdom (Mark 10:13-16). And God tells us that children are his blessing to us (Psalm 127:3).

Mothering calls for the best in us as women. As mothers, we shape the souls of our children and ultimately influence the world. Children are our gift to the future. So accept your calling from God to serve your family. It is not godly guilt that would call you away from a wholehearted investment in your little ones for his sake. Don’t feel guilty over making your children your primary ministry investment when they are young. You are teaching the younger generation to form intimate emotional bonds with others. Your sensitivity, availability, devotion, affection, and unhurried attention are irreplaceable.

MOTHERING: PLAIN HARD WORK

On the other hand, Paul’s word to me as an older woman is to “train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled” (Tit. 2:4-5).

Why does the apostle have to tell us older women to teach these things to the younger women? Because it can be hard to love your husband and children. In fact, it can be easier to minister outside the home. Why is it more rewarding for us to plan a ladies’ retreat for two hundred women than it is to plan an indoor picnic with our preschoolers on a rainy afternoon? I think it’s because the rewards are more immediate and the demands are not so steady.

Being a young mother is plain hard work. At times it feels like slave labor! Young moms can identify with the cartoon of a toddler looking at a wedding album with his daddy and saying, “So that’s the day Mommy came to work for us!”

But God has called you to this ministry. He knows there are no neutral moments in a young child’s life, whose experience is one of continuous need and development. Your children will bear the imprint of your mothering throughout their lives because much of human behavior springs from imitation.

You are the only mother your children have. Your ministry to them is the deepest expression of your love for them. Raising your children has to be done right the first time around. It is one of the few places in life where you can not say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

You have received this commission from God. As a mother your privilege is to teach them how to respect their daddy and be kind to their siblings, how to choose good nutrition and wholesome entertainment, why they should value courtesy and orderliness, and which causes are worthy of their efforts, their reputations, and even their very blood.

Are you discouraged as you spend day after day immersed in the mundane tasks of mothering? Then think of the honor of guiding the spiritual and intellectual and social development of young minds and hearts. Think of the thrill of teaching them eternal truths from God’s Word. Think of the importance of teaching your young children how to live under authority, and of preparing them for future relationships by teaching them about love and trust. Think of the delight of sending one more godly, vibrant, strong, secure, loving young person into this needy world with the courage to live well for Christ’s sake. What a worthy investment!

WHAT YOUNG MOTHERS NEED: A HEART FOR THE HOME

Another challenge for a young mother is cultivating a love for the home.

God has called us to love our children from home base (Tit. 2:4-5). We can’t improve upon God’s design! This means more than staying at home. It means fixing your heart on your home. Women can leave their homes through more avenues than work or outside ministry. Cell phones, emails, and chat rooms can take a mother away from her primary ministry, too.

Ministry means being “all there.” It means rejoicing that you get to show your children how to peddle a tricycle, make their bed, build good memories, and share their toys with others. You serve your family, and ultimately your heavenly Father, by helping your child do that puzzle for the seventeenth time, by washing those sticky fingers, by planting a little garden, by acting out Bible stories and praying together, and by preparing for their daddy’s return as the highlight of your day!

What is the alternative? “A child left to himself disgraces his mother” (Prov. 29:15).

Remember this: you have the privilege of passing on to young hearts a sense of God! Should you feel guilty for that? As you let your children experience intimacy, nearness, and availability in their earliest years with you, you can point them to find those soul-necessities in Christ, their Savior, as they mature. And then you have the delight of sending them out with a light in their souls to bless this darkened world.

Someoneis going to be influencing your children, inculcating values and imprinting standards on their impressionable young minds. Let it be you!

THIS SEASON IS JUST A SEASON

Does this mean you will never invest in others outside your family? Goodness, no. But if you are a young mother, use your primary ministry of mothering to guide your choices about where to serve Christ now. Don’t let anything woo you away from your unique role as a wife and mother.

This season in your life is just that—a season. And each season is a divine calling from our Creator and King. Organizing a new church event is important. Teaching your little boy to be kind to his sister is also important. But which one can best be done by you during this season? Serve God well by ministering to your children first. Very soon they will be grown and gone and all those uniquely teachable moments will be gone. And you will have ample opportunity to serve Christ outside your home in the seasons ahead.

“But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).

Jani Ortlund is a former schoolteacher and holds a master’s degree in education. She is the author two books, Fearlessly Feminineand His Loving Law, Our Lasting Legacy. Jani is the wife of Dr. Raymond Ortlund, Jr.

July/August 2010
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New blog

How did I not know about this blog before now!?!  Young House Love is fabulous, Fabulous, FABULOUS!  It is a blog by a young couple who have fixed up/are fixing up a 1950's house (sounds familiar) with style.  They have tons of "how-tos" and now, witha  new baby, lots on living the natural life. 

Their latest post is about cloth diapers which may bore some of you, but if you're into DIY or style, check this blog out!

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Current Favorites

So, the current favorite toys are....Legos

A toy truck that makes noise and even beeps when it backs up. The back doors open so you can put matchbox cars (or legos) in the back. Thanks to my dear friend for passing this toy along!

It probably isn't great to sit on, but it has been hard to discourage it. He kept sitting down then standing right up to grin and wave at me.

And of course he loves to climb in boxes and baskets! He climbed into a box I set out for garage sale items and somehow managed to stick his head through to the other side (the bottom was made up of the flaps folded into each other. He got stuck and it looked hilarious. Too bad I didn't have my camera handy for that one.

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Hard at work

Dexter is a hard working baby!

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