Saturdays at Our House

First, my apologies for my lengthy hiatus from the blogosphere. I had to pinch myself this morning before I could admit that it was already November! Time flies when your toddler is having fun!

Speaking of, Olivia is watching Elmo's World at the moment. She likes Saturdays because she gets to watch a little more TV, run around in her comfy pajamas all day, and stay at home instead of behaving quietly at the store, other people's homes, etc.

On Saturdays I try to keep things low key. Sunday is anything but a day of rest for us, so it is important not to wear ourselves out the day before!

It took me awhile to figure out why we were always exhausted by the time Sunday rolled around. I had been spending Saturdays catching up on all the things I didn't get done during the week, running errands, and cleaning the house. Bob would have to deal with a tired toddler, a stressed out wife, as well as his final sermon preparation for the next day. It just wasn't right.

While things still may not always be ideal on Saturdays, my focus is different now. Sunday should be the highlight of our week - our opportunity to fellowship and encourage each other spiritually.

So our Saturdays are now spent resting, reading, playing, and preparing our hearts for Sunday. Bob is able to finish preparing for his sermons in peace and quiet. I also lay out our clothes for the next day and make sure the diaper bag is packed.

We don't plan big get-togethers; we don't tackle big projects. I don't cook big meals, run tons of errands, or try to do 4 loads of laundry. After all, I wouldn't want to be bored on Monday, would I?

Thank You!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. I am feeling much better.
This week I have had the opportunity to rest, read, and think. Thank you, Bob, for allowing me some much needed down time! I love you!
Thank you, also, to the dear sweet lady in our church who brought us a delicious meal yesterday. Even though just last week you got a rather serious diagnosis from the doctor regarding your own health, you did not hesitate to encourage us with your words and actions in our time of sorrow. What a testimony to the grace of God in your life!

And on a totally unrelated note, it’s been a while since I’ve posted any pictures, so….

My God is Sovereign

Psalm 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD

is the death of his saints.

Lamentations 3:21-23

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

These past few days have brought great sorrow for us. On Sunday I suffered my second miscarriage. I praise God that I was able to see a very kind and understanding doctor who was a great encouragement to me.


Then yesterday my grandfather, my mom’s dad, passed away. He had a wonderful testimony and will be greatly missed. I thank the Lord for the godly heritage He has given our family.

The battle for joy is real; it is desperate. We find our comfort and strength in Who God is and His Word to us. I think it was Rutherford who once said, “Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea.”


The evil one would love to see us discouraged, bitter, and most of all hopeless. But God has not left us without hope. Our prayer is that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which He has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:17-19)


1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. 15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

July in 24 Words

- 4th of July picnic in the living room.

- Swimming pool.

- Baby shower for our new friend Leanne.

- Mountain biking at the park.

- Homemade guacamole.

New Links

I've added a few new links!
Bible Gateway - This is an easy-to-use study tool. My favorite is the Audio Bible tool.
Joshua Project - This missions website highlights one unreached people group a day.
How to help your grieving friend - This is actually a series of posts on Molly Piper's blog. She recently had a stillborn daughter. Her insight and Christ-centeredness are a true testimony to the grace of God.
Real Age - This is Dr. Oz (you know, from the Oprah show). My "real age" is 23.7. What's yours?

Pao De Queijo

My mom is visiting us, and tonight she made a special Brazilian cheese bread - pao de queijo.

The box mix we found at a specialty store.

The dough was very sticky.

Golden brown and delicious.

We also had Guarana, a popular Brazilian soda.

The Gospel for Little Ones

One of the challenges of parenting a baby and toddler is how to communicate the gospel on his or her level. The other day I came across this short (6 minute) Q and A with CJ and Carolyn Mahaney and found it insightful and encouraging.

I Hit A Deer With My Car...

*Sigh* Thankfully no one was hurt, the car was still drivable, and we had just paid our insurance premium not 12 hours earlier. We always pray for God's protection when we travel. Praise the Lord that He hears our prayers and keeps us safe!
The deer was standing on the yellow line in the middle of the road and didn't flinch. (The proverbial "deer in headlights.") I on the other hand flinched, screamed, and swerved. If I had not swerved, Bob thinks we might have totalled the car. Eek! Anyways, at this very moment our poor car is at the repair shop, and Bob is getting a rental.
But enough of the bad news. I'll end my post with some very cute pictures of our quick trip to see Dan and Sara and Sara's parents.

We got to meet our newest nephew, Andrew.

Peter and Olivia enjoyed the hammock.

Taste of Home

If you've never been to the Taste of Home website, you should really check it out. Their recipes are pretty simple and use easy-to-find ingredients. And speaking of ingredients, if you click on "Recipes" and then "Advanced Search," you can search for recipes that use specific ingredients you have on hand and need to use up. This has saved me time and money!

You can also search by number of ingredients, cook time, special occasions, and nutritional needs (diabetic, low carb, low sodium, etc.).

A few of my favorite recipes are:

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Dipped Sandwich Cookies

Cranberry Sweet and Sour Pork

*Photo from freedigitalphotos.net

Happy Father's Day!

Olivia with her Dadadadada.

May

May was a quick month for us! Bob stayed (and is staying) very busy with work and church. We are having fun house hunting. Sometime I will have to blog about some of the houses we've seen. (Run far, far away from anything labeled a "handyman's special.")

Olivia and I made a quick trip to Denver to see my Grandpa, her Great Grandpa. We enjoyed spending time with him as well as our extended family. Please pray for my Grandpa as he has cancer.

Here is a picture of Olivia with her best friend in the whole wide world.

Olivia's 1st Birthday Party

We had Olivia's party yesterday. She didn't really know what to think of it all, but she had a good time. We were so glad that Becky, Jeff, Luke, and Daniel were able to come for a few days and stay with us. Then my parents arrived yesterday and are spending some quality grandparent time with Olivia. Also, my cousin, JD, and his family came for the party.

Becky taught me how to make and use marshmallow fondant for Olivia's cake.

We like frosting!

Presents!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

I have a new nephew! Check out the pictures on Dan and Sara's blog!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

The Month of April

April was a busy month for us. We spent the first couple of weeks settling into our new place and getting to know our new church family.
Then I was able to spend two weeks helping out Dan, Sara, and Peter. Sara is doing well and is scheduled for a C-section on Friday! (Happy Aunt Janelle!!) You can see some pictures of Olivia and Peter on Sara's blog. We had a great time, although we were disappointed that we missed my cousin, Tina's wedding.

While Olivia and I were gone, Bob held down the fort back at home. He flexed some culinary muscle and made himself some gourmet salads and shrimp scampi. He also got a pie in the face at Awana. Too bad I missed that! At least they took pictures. :-)

Books I've Read in 2008

January

Faithful Women & Their Extraordinary God, by Noel Piper. 2005.

February

Art and History of Washington D.C. , by Bruce R. Smith. 2007.
Humility , by C.J. Mahaney. 2005.
Shopping for Time , by Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters. 2007.

March

Organizing for Life: Declutter Your Mind to Declutter Your World, by Sandra Felton. 2007.

11 Months Old

Here is Olivia's 11 month picture (along with her newborn one). It was tough getting a good picture because she has been pretty sick yesterday and today. She spiked a fever yesterday around lunch, and in spite of giving her medication, her fever continued to go up. Thankfully after a very long night, she seems to be feeling a little better today.

We're Here

We made it! And all of our stuff made it! We are pretty worn out and a little overwhelmed, but we are also excited. The people from church have given us a warm welcome and have been very helpful and hospitable.

Bob's first Sunday went really well. He spoke on 1 Peter 1:3-5. He also started his other job this week. We are praying that the church will grow quickly so he won't have to work on the side for very long.

I am trying to get settled so we don't have to live out of boxes and suitcases forever. Our apartment here is very nice.

Olivia is doing well. She's been a little fussier than usual, but part of that is due to teething. She misses her Aunt Sara, Uncle Dan and cousin Peter very much and can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. :-)

Here is Olivia in her Easter dress. She is sitting in Daddy's new office.

Moving Day

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is moving day. I still have a few more things to do tonight, but for the most part we are ready to go. Olivia isn't sure what to make of all the boxes and hustle and bustle. Between that, and finally getting her two bottom teeth, she's had a rough week. Hopefully we will get settled and back to our routines quickly.
Bob and I are very excited to begin this new chapter in our life. Please keep us in your prayers.
I am not sure when we'll have our computer up and running again, but when we do, I'll try to post some pictures.

Check out pictures of our mini-vacation on Sara's website.

10 Months Old

10 Months

5 Months

Newborn