Desperate times call for desperate costumes

I felt a bit uninspired in the costume department this year.  It felt hard to figure out what to do with a growing pregnant belly.

So naturally, my mind went to morning TV shows.  Actually it didn't.  I scoured Pinterest for ideas and totally ripped off the idea from someone else.  Because again, that's what Pinterest is there for people.

I'm the next contestant on The Price is Right!

I had my work make me a sign that looks like I just guessed the right price to win a spot on the show.  And my shirt says "I love Drew and PLINKO."  If you've ever seen the show, almost everyone makes some kind of outlandish, flashy shirt to get noticed in the crowd.  And if I did ever make it on the show, I would want the chance to win cash from the epic game of Plinko, rather than a hot tub or some lame car (sorry Price is Right, but they're lame these days).

So there you have it.  My super creative, totally stolen, costume idea. I doubt I'll win the contest at work today, but it's fun to play along with everyone anyway!

Happy Halloween everyone!

he (or the time I refer to my boobs and his butt in the same post)

He always kisses me good morning and good night and often times in between.

He will stay awake with me when I'm commiserating about my awful cough and allergy mess and suffers through it instead of making me be alone and awake at 5:00am.  And he doesn't think I'm ridiculous or dumb for crying about the fact that I can't breathe through my right nostril.

He always, always holds my hand.  Any chance he can get.

He always gives Tommy a bath for me and takes out the trash and washes the cars and kills the bugs because he knows I don't really like to do any of those things.

He usually puts gas in my car so I don't have to do it and it makes me feel like a princess.

He doesn't freak out when I spend a little too much money at Hobby Lobby to do silly things like make yarn wreaths.

He only flinches a little when I tell him I want to change a paint color in the laundry room because I don't like it anymore.  And then he'll paint it and give me his beaming smile when it's a new color because he knows how happy he's made me.

He never makes me worry that he's being unfaithful or dishonest.  He is trustworthy - and he's trustworthy even in the places that I'm still trying to trust him in.

He gives me permission to talk about my feelings and doesn't condemn me when I have to own up to something that I've done.

He calms me when I get worried.

He tells me how much he loves my boobs even though they're giant and pregnant and I kind of hate them very much.  He makes me feel good about myself and doesn't let me heap contempt all over my body.

He has the very best smile and the very best butt and he is so very good-looking and how did I score such a hottie?

He cares and he loves and he does and he is - all of the things that I never knew I would need.

And though he's not perfect, after all, he rarely picks up his socks.  But he's all mine.  And today I am very grateful for the man that I get to share my life with.  

(Even if it is at 5:00am and I only have one working nostril and we would both rather be sleeping.)

Ramping Up

The calendar is extra-full and somehow, busyness doesn't feel overwhelming or dreadful, but exciting instead.  It's almost as if it is the season for ramping up.  You can almost feel that the holidays are in the air and there is so much to look forward to.  Coziness and all of it's warmth and deliciousness seem to abound in forms of cocoa and slow-cooked meals and freshly baked-from-scratch goodies. The weather is cool and inviting.  Summer is clearly over.

Maybe it's because we just found out we're expecting our second son and my heart is still bursting with joy - especially now that I can plan and organize and make up a darling nursery for our little Jacob.  And maybe it's because it's simply the time of year where I feel the most like me.  Where planning and parties and holidays and gatherings and making things are part of the every-day and all of that brings me to a brighter life somehow.  I just have this energy and life that I always do this time of year.

Our week ahead promises to be full and busy.  But in the good kind of way.  In the way that I don't mind that there is little free time or me time for the next several days.

Costume finishing.  Youth group.  Picking out some worship songs to sing with my dad at an event a week from today - something he and I haven't done together in a very long, long time.  Halloween and taking our son trick-or-treating for the very first time while grilling hot dogs with friends from church.  Being reunited with a  much missed friend for her short visit here.  Getting a nursery underway.

And it's nearly November.  The season of gratitude and thanksgiving and taking the time to remember what is truly important in our lives.

I love the bustle of activity.  Probably more so this year because I know that most of winter will be spent in my third trimester when I'll need to slow down and take it easy and rest and prepare for the new life that spring will bring to me.  It's as if I want to do as much as I can before a new season of life and motherhood arrives and changes everything all over again. 

Until then though, I'm enjoying the energy my body has at 21 weeks pregnant.  And I'm loving the fun kind of busy this time of year holds. 

Halloween teaser:  I'm just a little bit in love with a very precious Captain America....

It's A.....

It's hard to pray for God's best sometimes.  Because God's best can often look like something else than we would like or imagine for ourselves.  And then you're afraid that His best is really His way of holding out on you.  Or that was how I used to think.  Earlier this year though that was the desire of my heart - His best.  His timing and His baby just for us. 

It's no secret that I've wanted a daughter from the very first day I found out I was pregnant.  I've been dreaming of frilly dresses and a nursery done in yellow and gray and sharing tea parties and playing Barbies.  I wanted a girl so much that I felt afraid of what my response might be if I found out that I was having another little boy instead.  I was convinced that I would be so disappointed that it would take me weeks to move through that.  And that my son would somehow know this and never feel wanted or loved because his mommy really wanted a girl.

But Wednesday morning as I caught the first glimpses of our sweet baby on the TV screen, I had an overwhelming sense of calming peace.  He was wiggling around so much that it was obvious from the very beginning, that it was no little girl in there.  It was most definitely a boy!  We had planned to have the screened turned off so we could reveal the gender together in private, but when I saw what I saw, both Todd and I knew right away that we were looking at our second son.

There was a bit of disappointment there for sure.  I would have loved to see a girl "us."  Yet, my heart felt and feels so overwhelmingly full.  I've had a joy and gladness in my heart that I didn't quite expect to be there and it feels sweet that my God, the Maker and Lover of my heart, gave me such joy even though His best looks different than what I had been imagining.

Maybe this sounds a little presumptuous, but I've decided that God has something special in store for my heart.  There are some longings and aches that He is entrusting me to hold and to live fully with.  Parts of my story and heart will continue to await the redemption that having a daughter would have touched.  I can only imagine that the waiting and hoping and living with those longings will have some kind of glorious ending whether I experience a taste of that here or in eternity.

The name we have chosen for our son is rich with meaning.  Jacob Paul.

Jacob - a strong and serious name, much like his older brother Thomas.  (Thomas - the disciple who is known for doubting, but really, he had such a heart for Jesus and desperately wanted to know and be known by his Savior.  Also, the name of my father).  And now Jacob - the man who wrestled with God in the Bible.  I've always loved that story - it tells me that it's okay to wrestle with Him and it's part of being in a relationship.  I feel like I know what it means to wrestle like that and I have throughout the years - sometimes even on a daily basis.  And however Jacob's story unfolds, I would hope that as He comes to know God, He will wrestle too - I think that's the only way of really knowing Him maybe.  Struggling, wrestling, and being real in His presence.

Paul is my Grandfather's name.  The man who has left a legacy and heritage for our family.  Because of him and his heart for Jesus, and the traditions we value and carry on because He started them - our son will bear his name as part of his own identity. 

So, God's best for us and for our family is boys - two beautiful, healthy sons.  I am so grateful and excited to welcome our sweet Jacob in to our hearts and our home.  Tommy gets to have a little brother and I get to continue living a splendidly adventurous, active life with my handsome boys around me.

Thank you for sharing in our joy!  It's a boy!

Who?

When I woke up on the morning of July 7th, I had a dream that I was pregnant and it felt so real that I had to check and see if I was.  Sure enough, two pink lines appeared and I was almost in disbelief that this was going to be happening all over again.

Since that day I've been waiting anxiously for two specific moments.  The first - the day we find out WHO it is that we're going to be welcoming into our family.  And the second - the day that I get to hold them in my arms for the very first time.  Though the second is far more exciting than the first I think.

But the first of those days has arrived. We get to find out "who" it is today.  Who has been making me crave chips and salsa?  Who is quietly moving within me and only gives me a flutter-a-day?  Who is this - the last baby that I will carry and, will for now, complete our family?

Because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis and many other auto-immune disease related concerns, we've decided not to have any more biological children.  Adoption has always been on my heart though and perhaps one day, we will add another little one to our family should God open that door for us.

It's a big day and I have so much emotion in my heart as we await the news.  It's no secret that my heart deeply longs for a daughter.  Yet, I feel at peace knowing that even if we do have another son, that God's best is always better than what I could have planned for myself.  I do have peace as I wait - that there will be joy and gladness and celebration, because He is gifting us and entrusting us with another precious child.

Today will change things though.  Today we'll finally be in on the secret that God let us in on July 7th.  Today we get to start specifically planning and dreaming for either our daughter or for another son.  Today we will get to put a name to who we are waiting for - Jacob Paul or Ruby Lynn.  The names we've held and cherished for a long, long time.

For now, I'll keep you in suspense.  And by Friday, you'll get to know who too.

DIY: Yarn Wreaths

I'm not sure who invented these fun, crafty, yarn-loving wreaths, but I've been in love with them since I found them on Pinterest.  And after making my first one, I simply can't stop.

I love them so much that I've been giving some serious consideration in making them as a very small side business.  After seeing how everyone and their mom sells yarn wreaths on Etsy, I think I'm going to make them on a more local level.  And the whole, "Hey I make wreaths - if you want to buy one, let me know and I'll hook you up" thing might work too.  So that goes for you blogland, if you want one, hit me up and I'll see what I can do for you.

But I'm not yarn wreath-making hog.  Besides, these weren't even my original idea.  Several people have asked how to make them, so I've decided to share my own yarn wreath-making secrets with the world.  I'm sure there are a dozen different ways to do them, but this is what works for me now that I totally consider myself a yarn wreath pro.

#1) - Start with a super organized crafty space.  Or, just clear some space and do what you can.

#2) Don't buy foam wreaths.  Seriously.  Where I shop, foam wreaths cost anywhere from $8 to $15, and that just seems crazy to me. I found these awesome straw wreaths for half the price.  A good medium sized wreath is only $3.99.  Score!

 #3) This is where you'll get different instructions.  Some people unwrap an entire spool of yarn so that they can just continually wrap a wreath.  I don't know how people do this.  I never tried.  It seemed laborous to me.  So I invented another hard way.  I cut a very long strip of yarn off of the spool and glue one end to the wreath.  Starting with the price-tag is great as hot glue sticks way better to paper than saran wrap-type plastic!

 #4) The very long process of yarn wrapping commences.  Since I cut my yarn into long strips, once I reach the end of the strip, I glue it down to whatever side I deem as the back the of the wreath.

#5) If there is excess yarn that might fold over into the top or front of the wreath, I trim it, that way all of the pieces that get glued down are all in the back.  When you get good at this step, you will be able to use the glue to not only glue down the last piece of yarn from that strand, but when starting a new strand - uses less glue and the back will stay neater.  (This part feels hard to explain - if you need clarification, let me know!)

#6) Almost every time I get to about this point, I need to either take a nap or get something to eat or change a load of laundry.  I should warn you - the first time I ever made a yarn wreath it took me about 17 hours to wrap it.  Not really, but it was quite a long time.  Just know, if you get this far, you can keep on going.  You'll get there, I promise.

#7)  Not everyone does this, but I do.  I make a little loop - it works better for when you actually go to hang a yarn wreath on your door - whether you use a nail or wreath hanger. 

#8) To do this, I make a loop and run the yarn through itself to create a little knot.

#9) I do this a few times until the loop is three or four strands thick to support the wreath when it hangs.  Honestly, I don't know how I get this to work every time.  It just does.  Keep in mind, this loopy thing might take some practice.

#10 - Once you get to this point, you'll get super excited because you're almost done and you can see the light at the end of your yarn-wrapping tunnel.

 #11) And before you know it, wa-la!  A fully wrapped yarn wreath!

 #12) This is where it gets fun - the embellishing part.  Whatever you decide to add to your yarn wreaths, make sure you are sure.  Once you start hot gluing things on, there is no taking it back off neatly.

 #13) I almost always add felt flowers to my wreaths.  These are some of my favorites to make.

 #14) These are the easiest and I put these fun rosettes on almost everything.

 #15) After everything is glued down the way you want, admire your work.  Because look!  It's so pretty!

So, that's it folks.  All of my awesome DIY instructions on how to make what you've seen on Pinterest.  And seriously, if you don't want to do one yourself, send me an e-mail and I'd be happy to do one for you.

Happy yarn-wrapping everyone!

Pumpkin Carving Party 2012

It's officially become a fall tradition for us.  The party was our third annual and this year especially, I was aware of how much has changed in our lives since the start of our little autumn gathering three years ago.  The faces of friends and the people we are in community with has changed quite a bit in the last year.  And though maybe part of my heart will always miss what once was, I find myself full of gratitude for what is and what God has restored to our lives.

Last night as our home filled with friends, some old and many that are mostly new, my heart felt full and blessed.  Initially I was a bit overwhelmed with the response of how many people would be coming.  It's hard not to feel self-conscious when your house is only so big and you want everyone that is coming to feel comfortable and welcome.  But somehow it worked.  Somehow 29 adults and 14 kids all fit into 1700 square feet.  Though the back yard helped of course.

I'm getting good at this.  Gutting a pumpkin, creating a design and carving into them.  Though it still feels nasty inside.

The veterans were there - the only couple who has attended all three parties.  

 And the newlyweds were present - my recently married cousin and her wonderful husband.

 New friends.

 And more new friends.

 A whole back yard full of new friends really.

 And little boys who kept sneaking treats. 

 As always, everyone came up with some super creative designs. 

I couldn't fit them all into one picture - there were 16 entries total and the winning pumpkin was an awesome spider web design. 

We'll do it again next year I'm sure.  When I'll be carrying a baby on my hip and when newer friends are not so new.