Birth Blessings

One of the things that helps me during labor (or any trial of life) is praying scripture.  I am amazed at the peace it gives me and it truly strengthens me during difficult times.  I thought I'd share my "Birth Scriptures" with y'all.  I plan on printing these out on cardstock and laminating them so I can read them or have them read to me during my labor.  If you've got any that you could add to my list let me know!

Know that the LORD is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139:13-16

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

John 16:21

The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40: 28b-41

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 32:7

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:39

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves.  He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:17

Mastering the Master Bedroom

You may (or may not) remember when I redid our bedroom a couple years back. I totally thought I was doing something really innovative with a Colonial blue accent wall and while it was different, I didn't love it. We were also making do with a lot of furniture that we had inherited or purchased when we were in college. Needless to say, our bedroom wasn't the haven we wanted it to be. Now, by all means, it isn't done yet but it feels a lot more "us" now. This whole nesting business has me needing to get every room in the house just right before baby comes. The possibility of actually delivering a baby in my bedroom definitely lit a fire under us and made us want to get down to business. Now, we need to get started on the nursery!

Nearly everything you see is from IKEA... curtains, rods (just realized you can't see those but they're great anyway), lamps, nightstands, bedding. You know I love that place! The paint is Gravity from Valspar (at Lowes). It's a very soft gray and sometimes reads light blue depending on the time of day and lighting. I think we'll probably paint it a shade or two darker sometime down the road. It's really soothing and I love it but Jason's not sold.

Just another angle of the bed. We've yet to find the right artwork to go on either side of the window.

The dresser is from IKEA (duh). It's actually the exact same dresser Jack and Caroline have in their room and we'll be purchasing a third for the nursery when we get around to it. Also, you can see how the paint looks blue in this picture. This wall is directly across from the bed.

So, we're really pleased with the way it's turned out but we still have a ways to go. It's so much more relaxing now though. Ahhhhh...

Our Un-fearful Feelings

So, Jason and I were discussing the other night how much more enjoyable this pregnancy has been for us that previous pregnancies.

With my first pregnancy, I was 17 and terrified. Since we were placing the baby for adoption the entire pregnancy, though free of complications, was emotionally draining on us and our families.

When I was pregnant with Jack my pregnancy was wonderful physically. I'm one of those girls that actually enjoys being pregnant and giving birth (not to mention that it wasn't new to me) so that part was great and we were SO EXCITED to be having our first baby. However, as a first time mom I was terrified of the actual "mothering" aspect. Lots of "what-ifs" and "how-tos" are involved with your first child.

When we were expecting Caroline we were a bit more laid back having "been there, done that" before. However, I felt so much anxiety about sharing myself with another little person. How could I possibly have enough love for another child like I did for my son?! When she was born it was, of course, evident that there was plenty of me and my love to go around!

This time we're like, "we've got this!" Pregnancy is old hat to us and we feel confident in our parenting skills (usually). Our love for our little bean has already grown and grown and he/she is not even here yet. We're nothing but EXCITED this time. No fear! What a blessing to be able to celebrate this baby and our growing family!

The Big Kids Room

In preparation for our little Jingle Bell (or Jingle Belly, whatever) to make his or her appearance in December, we've redesigned Caroline's room to be "the green room" as we now call it. Jack and Caroline are now bunking together and LOVE it. And I love the room. Really, really love the room.
The view from the door

The book and toy corner

The shared dresser. We've had it since before Caroline was born (used it as a changing table when she was a baby) and we couldn't love it more. It has SO MUCH storage and looks just as lovely (almost) as it did when we purchased it (from IKEA) four years ago. We'll be getting another one for the nursery and one for our room as well. We love it that much.

We've got a couple of white floating shelves to hang on this wall. The plan is for each kiddo to have a place to display some of their special things. Also, we'll be getting a couple of less girly lamps to "man up" the room a bit. Probably something like this from IKEA. Have I mentioned that I love IKEA?

Another shot of the beds. We purchased them online from a local company (didn't know they were local till we bought them). Their customer service was amazing and we had them within THREE days of purchase! They were pretty straightforward as far as assembly goes and I love that they can be taken apart and used as twin beds later on. The bedding is the Bright Stripes collection from Pottery Barn Kids. Love it and LOVE the deal we got! We outfitted both beds for well under $200 TOTAL which is a feat when buying from PBK. So happy about that.

A different angle of the dresser and the view outside. I just hung these curtains yesterday and they are exactly what I wanted for this room. I was sure to hang them high (had to since they're 95 inches long) and wide. They really add drama and interest to the room and trick your eye into thinking the window is huge. I also just love how airy they are. So pretty. But not too pretty for my big guy. I'll probably replace the lamp here too. Which will be so difficult for me because I *heart* this lamp.

There's plenty of space to play in here and I'm amazed at just how much time the kids spend in their room.

Jack's bunk with his beloved train picture and a great little reading lamp, from IKEA of course. He loves it up here.

The shared closet. This is something that was stressing me out. I just wasn't sure how it was all going to fit but it did. I just added another rod and moved Jack's stuff in. It also helped that I cleaned out all the non-clothing stuff (like Christmas paper and a wooden Rudloph who was wrapped in twinkle lights). Caroline's dress up drawers even made the cut.

All in all, I'm really pleased with how the entire thing worked out. It took us a good day and a half to paint the room (over dark chocolate brown walls... we used two coats of Martha Stewart's Lemongrass, color matched to Valspar's signature series paint + primer from Lowes) and several hours to assemble the beds. I've been working a bit in the room each day for the last week to complete little projects (moving Jack's clothes and toys in, organizing the closet, hanging curtains, etc) and it's coming together nicely. I've still got a few things to do (hanging shelves, assembling the "frame wall" over the toy shelf, finding lamps and a lower pile rug) but it's already the most "done" room in the house. In fact, this room is definitely pushing me forward to tackle some more projects. I've got quite a list, as you've seen several posts back, and I want to accomplish as much as I can before the Littlest Maurice arrives around Christmas.

Checking in...

I've got quite a few posts I've got to bang out since my last in FEBRUARY! Sheesh. Here's a quick recap...

Jack turned 5 (which is so much bigger than 4) and we had such a fun birthday weekend. Jason finished busy season and is home a lot more which is fantastic! Jason's mom came home from the hospital at the end of March (after being there for two months) and is so glad to be back home. We had a fun Easter celebrating the resurrection of our Savior with our family.

Oh yeah...

I'm pregnant. PREGNANT!

We just found out last Tuesday and I can say we haven't been more surprised or more thrilled about a pregnancy. Seriously we're crazy excited! So are the kids. Jack literally jumped up and down when we told them. Priceless. Caroline keeps asking to see the baby in my belly and I've got to explain just how small the baby is and that my tummy won't grow for a while. She can't wait to "change the diapers and rub it's back". Sweet girl.

I'm "due" on Christmas Day so it looks like we'll have a very busy holiday season. We're also really excited about planning our first homebirth. We're in the process of selecting our homebirth midwife, which is proving to be a little more difficult than I expected. Since I'm so involved in the local birth community I happen to know and love a lot of midwives which makes choosing just one hard. We know that God will lead us to the right one, though.

So, that's what's been going on the past couple of months. Exciting times are ahead!

A long long list...

So, when we purchased this house back in 2006, we had lots of big plans for it. Lots of things we wanted to do to make it ours. Well, life happens and things get delayed. You discover the house you loved when you bought it doesn't give you the same warm fuzzy feeling it did when you signed on the dotted line (five hundred or so times!)

Why not?

When we saw this house we didn't just see a place to live. We saw a huge yard where our kids could run and play, a playroom where they could be creative and enjoy themselves, a family room where we'd spend evenings together. We saw a fantastic school down the street, a well established neighborhood, and the short five-minute drive to our church. We saw our home.

Now, I see a constantly growing list of things that annoy me... this is old, this is broken, this bothers me... Well, I'm DONE with that. Time to DO something about it.

So, I actually sat down and made a list. A very long, almost exhaustive, list of things I want to do to the house. Will I ever actually DO all of these things? Who knows? We're only limited by time and money, right? In the spirit of being transparent, I thought I'd share my list with you.

Ready? It's a doozie!

House-wide

• Test for asbestos
• Paint trim
• Possibly scrape and re-texture ceilings
• Organize closets and laundry area
• Screens on windows

Master Bath

• Shower door seal
• Cabinet/étagère over toilet
• Purchase Aneboda dresser from IKEA
• Paint cabinets white
• New countertops
• New sink
• New faucet
• Sand texture?
• Paint walls
• New lighting (vanity and watercloset)
• Paint pocket doors
• New rugs and towels
• Replace caddy
• Replace or frame out mirror
• Showerhead

Master Bedroom

• Repaint walls
• Crown molding
• Purchase new door (with window)
• Upholstered headboard
• Night stands
• Dresser
• New TV
• Chairs?
• Different arrangement – move bed to opposite wall?
• Rug
• Lamps
• Bedding

Jack’s Room

• Purchase nightstand
• Possibly loft bed with desk underneath
• Wall art

Hallway

• Have lights repaired
• New photos in frames

Caroline’s Room

• Have light in closet repaired

Hall Bath

• Paint cabinets
• New countertops
• New sink
• New mirror/reframe mirror
• Replace tile with vinyl
• Paint walls
• Paint trim and ceiling
• Have electrical above tub checked
• Replace over-tub fixture
• Extra long shower curtain (white)
• New rug/towels
• Lamp
• Storage over toilet – rack and caddy system from IKEA
• Hooks for robes

Office/Sewing/Craft Room

• Move pecan furniture to mom’s (couch, desk, dictionary stand, side table, bench)
• Recover or slipcover chair and ottoman
• Paint walls and possibly brick wall
• Window treatments
• Move desk/computer/printer/filing cabinet – reconfigure
• Purchase IKEA workstation for sewing – vika ammon/vika annefors
• Chairs – jules (2) from IKEA
• Storage over sewing area – spool storage, rack and caddy system from IKEA
• Bookcases for fabric and notion storage
• Rug
• Ironing station
• Cutting table

Kitchen

• Paint cabinets
• Paint walls (again!)
• New countertops
• New sink
• Backsplash
• Mirror?
• Chalkboard
• Paint or remove pocket door
• New dishes
• New pantry doors
• New faucet

Dining Area

• Refinish/paint table
• New dining chairs
• Rug
• Build shelves on either side of window for cookbooks
• Paint paneling

Living Room

• Paint paneling a warm color
• Paint fireplace white
• Ottoman
• Writing desk
• Lamp
• Art/pictures for walls
• Rug
• Window treatments
• New slider door
• Remove fireplace screen/replace with glass enclosure
• New fireplace rack

Playroom

• Paint
• Purge baby toys
• Create workstations/learning area
• Clothesline art display
• Get rid of big chair and ottoman
• Re-work “mud room” – possibly foot lockers
• Replace door(s)

Outside

• Toy storage
• Clean sandbox and purchase cover
• Clean water table
• New sand
• New tarp for fort
• Rock wall on fort
• Rocker swing
• Replace rope ladder and swing
• Remove rocks and sod side yard
• Build wood storage near house
• Plant shrubs in flowerbeds
• Paint front door red/gray
• Purchase storm door
• Paint trim
• Repaint shutters
• Chain link fence around yard
• Prep and plant raised bed
• Purchase new waterstick for watering
• Picnic table

I promise, this house is already our home. The more I think about the more I can see that. I could not accomplish a darn thing on the list and I'd still feel that way! This is where Jack took his first steps, where he had his first birthday party. I'll never forget telling Jason I was pregnant with Caroline while he was mowing the backyard. We brought Caroline home to this house. It's the only one she's ever known. We've made so very many memories here and I'm not going to be so quick to be ready to "trade up" so to speak. I've decided that I love my little place in this world. It's not perfect but it's filled with the people I care for most in this world and it's bursting with love!

Note: If I do accomplish anything on that list I'll be sure to let you in on it! Feel free to give me your inspired ideas about my list too!

Early Morning Engineering

Jack got a really fun hot wheels track set for Christmas. We play with it all. the. time. Lately, he's gotten so creative in making his racetracks. Even Caroline loves to play with them.

This particular track spans the width of his room. From the dresser to the opposite wall. ZOOM!

And yes, that's 7:29 AM. Morning. YAWN!

Concentration

The Latest

This is what I did during naptime today.

I CANNOT wait to see this on Sweet Caroline!

Park Playtime!

Wordless Wednesday

Crazy crafty!

I've been sewing like a mad woman lately. Frankly, I've become a little obsessed. Here are a few pics from my iPhone of creations I've put together in the last week.

Caroline's appliqued Valentine's Day shirt

peasant dress
St. Patrick's Day twirly skirt

DSLR camera strap covers

-- Posted from my iPhone

All you need is...

LOVE! And maybe cupcakes! Happy Valentine's Day!

Faces

Valentine's - Turtle Style!

Jack's class had their Valentine's Day party last Thursday. I'm not surprised by how much the kids love having parties at school. I am surprised at how much Jack wants me there. Not sure why it surprises me but he is over the moon when I get to come spend time with him at school. I love it!

Being silly! This was right after he'd put away NINE Chik-fil-a chicken nuggets. Woah.Valentine's BINGO!Cheese face!
Pin the nose on the heart!

Showing off his "love bug" headband. He apparently puts his hands on his head when he's making a funny face. Crazy.