Simple enough and cheap enough for sure! We also put the finishing touches on the "nursery". Baby girl get here and fill this space soon! It feels empty without you.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Around the House
There have been little changes made around here lately. Baby swings popping up, furniture being rearranged... But I also made time for a tiny fall project. I just love fall colors: oranges, yellows, browns, reds and needed a change for the little ledge shelf that sits in our bathroom. (You know this preg-lady is in and out of that room all-day-long noticing these, right!) So with a little bit of fabric I had sitting around and some pins, I bought small pieces or cork board and simply pinned the different fabrics and whatever else to them. Take a look!
Simple enough and cheap enough for sure! We also put the finishing touches on the "nursery". Baby girl get here and fill this space soon! It feels empty without you.
Simple enough and cheap enough for sure! We also put the finishing touches on the "nursery". Baby girl get here and fill this space soon! It feels empty without you.
Monday, October 25, 2010
He Provides
What is one word you would use to describe God? It's kind of a loaded question. Maybe you have many words you might use. Maybe you do have one word but it's not a very friendly or flattering adjective. Maybe it changes from day to day, from season to season. For me, in the past several months, I have personally rejoiced in naming him Provider. It's easy for me to say that when every day I have food in the cabinets, gas in my car, a computer in my lap. It's not so easy when I'm out of my comfort zone or when things are not easily in my grasp, my control.
Ben and I are involved with a great organization called Global Connections. GC puts on these wonderful events (among other things) for international students at BGSU to help them become more familiar with our culture, customs and traditions all the while making friendships so these students can have a family of sorts away from home. For each of these events different churches or ministries bring different food items or provide volunteers for various roles. Being the GC representative for Brookside, it is my responsibility to make sure we get the volunteers that we are expected to provide as a church. While there are a handful of people who always seem to arise to the occasion, there's also always an uncertainty that lingers in the back of my mind. Are we really going to be able to provide these 10 salads, or should I just make them all myself to be sure... For one instance we really didn't have enough people bringing food and showed up at the event with less than we were hoping for (quite a bit less, actually). But you know what, there were leftovers. He provides.
The last time our church was responsible for providing drivers for a shopping trip, it was looking like we weren't going to pull it off. Then the day before, I was contacted by just the amount of people that were needed. He provides.
Yesterday I was helping to organize a Friends and Family Fun Night for Brookside. I was in a bit of a tizzy that afternoon making sure I had all the things we needed. At one point I realized that I was going to need another person to help me carry and load some things from the church office, but kept running into dead ends when looking for help. I really didn't know what I was going to do other than induce labor lugging coffee pots up and down those dreaded stairs, but just when I needed it, I got help. It wasn't the planned-out-knew-for-sure-and-in-advance help that I would have liked to have, but He provides.
Then there was the food. How many hot dogs does one buy for an event that requires no RSVPing but has been announced to a church in which there's about 300 people there on any given Sunday? I went with 100 dogs, second guessing myself the whole time. At the end of the night there were 6 hot dogs left. I don't consider myself a good estimator, I consider my God a GREAT PROVIDER.
Praise the LORD.
I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
-Psalm 111
Ben and I are involved with a great organization called Global Connections. GC puts on these wonderful events (among other things) for international students at BGSU to help them become more familiar with our culture, customs and traditions all the while making friendships so these students can have a family of sorts away from home. For each of these events different churches or ministries bring different food items or provide volunteers for various roles. Being the GC representative for Brookside, it is my responsibility to make sure we get the volunteers that we are expected to provide as a church. While there are a handful of people who always seem to arise to the occasion, there's also always an uncertainty that lingers in the back of my mind. Are we really going to be able to provide these 10 salads, or should I just make them all myself to be sure... For one instance we really didn't have enough people bringing food and showed up at the event with less than we were hoping for (quite a bit less, actually). But you know what, there were leftovers. He provides.
The last time our church was responsible for providing drivers for a shopping trip, it was looking like we weren't going to pull it off. Then the day before, I was contacted by just the amount of people that were needed. He provides.
Yesterday I was helping to organize a Friends and Family Fun Night for Brookside. I was in a bit of a tizzy that afternoon making sure I had all the things we needed. At one point I realized that I was going to need another person to help me carry and load some things from the church office, but kept running into dead ends when looking for help. I really didn't know what I was going to do other than induce labor lugging coffee pots up and down those dreaded stairs, but just when I needed it, I got help. It wasn't the planned-out-knew-for-sure-and-in-advance help that I would have liked to have, but He provides.
Then there was the food. How many hot dogs does one buy for an event that requires no RSVPing but has been announced to a church in which there's about 300 people there on any given Sunday? I went with 100 dogs, second guessing myself the whole time. At the end of the night there were 6 hot dogs left. I don't consider myself a good estimator, I consider my God a GREAT PROVIDER.
Praise the LORD.
I will extol the LORD with all my heart
in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the LORD;
they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the lands of other nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy.
They are steadfast for ever and ever,
done in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his covenant forever—
holy and awesome is his name.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
-Psalm 111
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Now and Then
Some of my most loyal blog readers may remember last year when two friends and I took our new babies to the apple orchard. See that post here. Well, almost exactly one year later, we headed back. Mary Beth could not come, but Laura and little Joshua came along with Ali and myself. It's so amazing to see how the boys have grown. And who would have guessed that Ali would have her second and third babies already and my second would be almost here!
Here's Asher and Grant on our way to the orchard last year.
Now check our guys out! (L to R- Asher, Joshua, Grant)
Grant's new sisters: Riley and Madison.
Mama and Asher last year
Mama and Asher (and sissy) this year
Waiting in line for some apple dumplings. YUM.
Here's Asher and Grant on our way to the orchard last year.
Now check our guys out! (L to R- Asher, Joshua, Grant)
Grant's new sisters: Riley and Madison.
Mama and Asher last year
Mama and Asher (and sissy) this year
Waiting in line for some apple dumplings. YUM.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Girlfriends and the Pumpkin Patch
There are few things that are more special than the bond that women share just by simply being women. Mothers, daughters, sisters, friends. While our fathers, sons, husbands, brothers and male companions provide rich and irreplaceable relationships as well, there's just something about being with the girls. A few of my closest girlfriends decided to honor and celebrate our little girl-to-be this weekend. How sweet it was to sit around some steaming soup and my favorite treats just talking about motherhood, birth stories, whatever the topic, all unfiltered. I am already praying for our sweet girl to be as richly blessed as I have been with the women in my life. What a precious, precious gift. These women love well.
The second half of our Saturday was spent at a nearby pumpkin patch. Just had to grab the opportunity to snap some sweet fall pics. Hope you enjoy!
Our little pumpkin has been standing on his own and taking more and more steps each day.
Looks like Mama is hiding her own pumpkin under her shirt. Asher's favorite seat!
The second half of our Saturday was spent at a nearby pumpkin patch. Just had to grab the opportunity to snap some sweet fall pics. Hope you enjoy!
Our little pumpkin has been standing on his own and taking more and more steps each day.
Looks like Mama is hiding her own pumpkin under her shirt. Asher's favorite seat! 
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Moment
I was reading a blog post today about living in the moment. The author was expressing how so often, we as adults, are living in the future or the past, oftentimes focused on worry or regret. Very true in itself, and then she contrasted that to our little ones who experience intense joy or deep pain in all of these little moments, little things. A flower. A big truck. Ice cream. Bubbles. Here's a quote from the post: "...the more we live outside of The Moment, the less we connect with our children. We hurry them. We ignore them. We put them off." I guess my heart was pierced because I so deeply desire to share in these moments with my kiddos. They are already slipping away so fast. Lord, would you help me to enjoy, to savor, to pay attention to these moments with my child and soon to be children...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Making the Most Out of Small Spaces
As I've been getting things ready around the house for baby girl, I've been challenged to find a place for this and that. To me, it's not simply enough to just find a place to shove everything, but also for these places to be functional, easily accessible and even clutter-free if possible. It's really been a fun challenge for me actually and I find myself amazed and thankful for the space that I didn't even know was there!
For instance, at first glance our bedroom looks like it is filled to capacity. But with the removal of one simple table that displayed a picture frame and the scrapbook, plenty of space appears for a bassinet. The next step is to take Ben's tall dresser and place it at the end of our hallway so we can sneak a glider into the room for around-the-clock nursings. Sure his old-school dresser isn't as cute as the Pier 1 drawers that are currently at the end of the hall, but it's functional nonetheless. I also scored a changing table pad from a neighbor who was getting rid of it. I thought it'd be nice to have something set up when we can't get to the changing table in Asher's room. (Lord knows I am NOT messing with his naps or night time sleep.) I keep a sparce (nearly bare, really) dresser-top anyway so there was plenty of room for the changing pad and a small diaper caddy. Check it out:
In one of the drawers just below I cleared out some tee-shirts that I rarely wear and replaced them with newborn clothes and sleepers. Plenty of room for a wardobe of teeny-tiny clothes! Now we just need that little girl to put inside of them :)
For instance, at first glance our bedroom looks like it is filled to capacity. But with the removal of one simple table that displayed a picture frame and the scrapbook, plenty of space appears for a bassinet. The next step is to take Ben's tall dresser and place it at the end of our hallway so we can sneak a glider into the room for around-the-clock nursings. Sure his old-school dresser isn't as cute as the Pier 1 drawers that are currently at the end of the hall, but it's functional nonetheless. I also scored a changing table pad from a neighbor who was getting rid of it. I thought it'd be nice to have something set up when we can't get to the changing table in Asher's room. (Lord knows I am NOT messing with his naps or night time sleep.) I keep a sparce (nearly bare, really) dresser-top anyway so there was plenty of room for the changing pad and a small diaper caddy. Check it out:
In one of the drawers just below I cleared out some tee-shirts that I rarely wear and replaced them with newborn clothes and sleepers. Plenty of room for a wardobe of teeny-tiny clothes! Now we just need that little girl to put inside of them :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
BGSU Homecoming
Hi dear readers and blog followers! So sorry for my fickleness in blogging these days. I've been hitting the hay around 9pm pretty much on the daily (which used to be prime blogging time) so there you go. The fall and changing seasons (particularly the change in temperature!) has been lovely and we get closer to meeting our little girl every day! I've been feeling and sleeping great, have a good amount of energy for Asher during the day and am enjoying giving him my full attention while I can. My sweet little buddy... He's been taking about 5 or 6 steps back and forth between Ben and I, but other than that, seems content with crawling or cruising to get to a fro.
This past weekend Asher attended his first football game. Too bad it was cold, rainy and windy, but he was a toasty muffin in his "bubble" or rain shield that protected him from the elements. Nonetheless, we had a fun time mingling with Ben's colleagues at the College of Ed. tent before the game and caught the first 1/2 hour of the football game before Asher and I headed home leaving Papa to enjoy the rest on his own, die hard football fan that he is. Here's the fam. in orange and brown.
This past weekend Asher attended his first football game. Too bad it was cold, rainy and windy, but he was a toasty muffin in his "bubble" or rain shield that protected him from the elements. Nonetheless, we had a fun time mingling with Ben's colleagues at the College of Ed. tent before the game and caught the first 1/2 hour of the football game before Asher and I headed home leaving Papa to enjoy the rest on his own, die hard football fan that he is. Here's the fam. in orange and brown.
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