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Pregnancy update: 30 weeks
Woohoo! I finally made it to the 30 week marker a few days ago. Along with this mile marker came a fairly significant change in our birthing plans - we switched from the free-standing birth center we were planning to use to opt instead for a midwife and either a home birth or laboring at home and going to the hospital right before "popping the baby out" as the midwife says. I never expected to consider a home birth this time around (call me a scaredy-cat!), but after various complications with the birth center, I started looking elsewhere for other possible alternatives. The first certified nurse midwife I found happens to be very competent, take our insurance (even for home births!), and have delivery rights at a nearby hospital. I am thankful to the Lord for working out what appears to be a much-better-suited situation for us. I had my first real appointment with the new midwife today (She came over last week for a "meet and greet" with Jesse and I but we didn't have an appointment then because we wanted to get to know her before we decided whether or not to change care providers.) and I feel much better about everything. As many of you know, I've not been feeling well at all in recent weeks - lack of energy, nausea, reflux, and so on. The midwife gave me all sorts of help and ideas with my various complaints today and I am hopeful that things may improve with some diet changes and adding some new supplements. We also discovered, to my surprise, that my protein levels were really low and I'm also quite dehydrated. I guess I wasn't eating and drinking as well as I thought! I'm going in tomorrow to get my hemoglobin checked - I'm suspicious that is also low inspite of trying to eat as many iron-rich foods as possible. We're headed to the grocery store and health food store to pick up some Blackstrap molasses, lots of high protein foods, and some additional supplements to help me get back to feeling more "normal" - er, I guess as "normal" as one can feel when they are in their third trimester! And I'm supposed to start eating at least 80 grams of protein per day, preferably more like 100 grams. I realized I've been woefully lacking in getting enough protein in. Any great ideas for accomplishing that? In other news, baby is well and healthy and I'm actually measuring on track - as opposed to about 4 weeks behind like last time. I guess that definitely means I'm bigger this time around, which I don't doubt. I haven't weighed in almost eight weeks (we don't own scales), so I have no clue whether or not I've gained more or less this time. Maybe I should just stay off the scales until about six months after the baby is born! Oh and one last quick thing: You know you are 30 weeks pregnant when you turn your air conditioner on before the calendar reads May. It's not even that hot outside (high of 80s) and I've been burning up! I think the rest of the family is going to be wearing Winter coats and hats inside soon. How are the rest of you preggo mommies doing?
The easier thing?
HT to Amy for this article by the author of Crunchy Cons (a book I've had sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read for entirely too long!): Writing on today's NYT op-ed page, Linda Hirshman says it's just awful that more women are dropping out of the work force to become stay-at-home moms:
New mothers with husbands in the top 20 percent of earnings work least, the report notes. As Ernest Hemingway said, the rich do have more money. So they also have more freedom to leave their jobs. But why do they take the option? It's easier in the short term, sure, but it's easier to forgo lots of things, like going to college or having children at all. People don't - nor should they - always do the easier thing. What an insulting, ignorant remark. The easier thing? When I get home at the end of most days, no matter how difficult a time I've had at the office, it's not been as demanding as my wife has had raising three small children and taking care of the house. In what sense do stay-at-home moms take the "easier" route? They, and their families, give up the extra income, as well as the personal satisfaction obtainable through office work. They also give up the security of having built a career to fall back on if something were to happen to their husbands, leaving them the sole breadwinner. They invite the scorn of many in their generation who, like Linda Hirshman, denigrate homemaking.
Read the whole article. I don't necessarily agree with all the conclusions or statements in the article by Rod Dreher, but found it interesting and worth the read. I applaud anyone who stands up against Linda Hirshman's ridiculous statements about the worthlessness of parenting your own child. Like this one: Should we care if women leave the work force? Yes, because participation in public life allows women to use their talents and to powerfully affect society. And once they leave, they usually cannot regain the income or status they had.
Yeah, all you moms out there, I'm sure you'd agree that as a wife and mom you have no influence over anybody, right? And you most certainly are in no way using your talents. Give me a break! Before you go around spouting off how incredibly easy being a full-time mother is and what a brainless job it is, perhaps you should try it out for a bit? Well, maybe not, though, because I'd feel sorry for any child birthed to a mom who thinks that mothering is the least intelligent thing you can do with your life.
Frugal Fridays: Having a successful garage sale
 A few weeks back, I mentioned that we had held a garage sale on a bitterly cold day and, despite the cold, rain, and even some snow, we had made over $350. I normally wouldn't consider that to be a wildly successful sale, but considering the dirth of customers due to the unseasonably cold weather, I was happily surprised with the results. A few of you had asked for some tips on having a more successful garage sale and while I don't consider myself the Garage Sale Queen by any means, here are a few of my recommendations for holding a successful garage sale. And hey, isn't making money on your "junk" considered fitting for the theme of frugality? 1. Collect stuff. Now I know this is a no-brainer, but a successful garage sale often begins months in advance by saving stuff to sell. Before you think I'm advocating the pack-rat mentality, let me tell you what I do: I keep a box in the garage or in an out-of-the-way place to toss things into as I come across them in the months leading up to a garage sale. As one box fills, I seal it, and start another. I've been amazed at how much stuff I can collect by doing this! In addition, it gives me a set place to put said "junk" instead of having to walk by it repeatedly for months thinking "I'll sell that in our next garage sale." It also gives me an incentive to constantly be on the lookout for items which we are no longer using or loving and to free myself from this clutter. 2. Plan ahead. I know this should also be a no-brainer, but I learned the hard way with our last garage sale that you can never plan ahead too much. At the last minute, I had so many loose ends left to tie up and ended up overdoing it as a result. So, at least a few weeks before you have your sale, start pulling things out of boxes and organizing them, start pricing things, and start thinking about how you will set everything up. This is especially good to do if you are in a new location or have never done a garage sale by yourself before. A few days before the sale, make sure you have everything priced and organized in tubs and bins and boxes. The day before the sale, set up as much stuff in your garage as you can. Figure out what you will be using for signs, where you will put them, make sure you have plenty of cash on hand, and so on. The more organized you can be, the easier it will be when you actually have your sale, and it will mean that you are not scrambling around on morning of your garage sale. Plus, it will make it easier for your customers to buy things if you are organized and ready to go when you open your sale. 3. Price things to sell. When I go to a garage sale, I expect to pay garage sale prices. I always try to price things at what I feel would be a good bargain if I were buying the item at someone else's garage sale. I'd rather that someone pay me and actually buy my item, then 25 people pick up the item and put it back down because it is too expensive. Also, be sure to price everything. Not only will those coming to your sale appreciate it, it will keep things more simple for you. As an added bonus, it will increase sales because people will know how much (or little) something costs! I try to have variety in pricing with plenty of $0.25 or less items. By the way, one of my best sellers is always my extra stockpile stuff from freebies I get at CVS, Walgreens, or other store sales. These items usually sell like hotcakes for me and I've rarely had any of it leftover in any sale I've done. I'm often asked what to price these items at. I usually do $0.75 for most things - this seems to be considered more of a bargain to most than $1 and thus, things fly off the table. More expensive things (which usually retail for $4-5), I put $1 on. Also, if you have a whole lot of something like toothpaste or another item which you bought many of in a humdinger deal, don't put it all out at once. I usually put five or less of each item out and then replenish my stock throughout the day until it is all gone. This helps keep things fresh, takes up less room, and allows me to not have to worry about people trying to buy all my 30 tubes of toothpaste for $0.25 each when I know I will sell them over the course of the day for $0.75. 4. Pick a good location. Make sure that wherever you hold your sale has a sizeable amount of traffic throughout the day. If it doesn't, consider holding your sale at a friend or relative's home. There's no point in having everything organized and lots of great stuff to sell if you don't have any traffic! 5. Pair up with a friend. This is one of the best ways to have a successful garage sale - join ranks with a friend or two! Not only will you have more stuff and more variety, but you'll also have lots of fun and fellowship in the process. Plus, you'll have more help in pulling it off. 6. Advertise well. Make sure you put up plenty of nice signs in conspicuous places which easily lead to your home. Also, consider advertising in your paper or a free local newspaper. In different areas, advertising in the paper is very helpful. Other times, it is not necessary if you have good traffic and good signage. Experiment and see what works best. Above all, have very presentable and attractive signs - a sloppily-thrown together sign is not real inviting! 7. Don't forget the cookie and lemonade stand! What better way to teach your children entreprenurial skills and let them earn a little money in the process than to have them set up their own little cookie and lemonade stands at the sale? And you don't just have to stop at cookies and lemonade. Get creative! When we were little, we sold all kinds of different food items and also other homemade items like bookmarks and cards. Sometimes, we'd have two or three different stands between us children with various items at each stand. Who can't resist a little child eagerly selling their wares? There's more I could say, but I'm off for a family night. Feel free to add your own tips and thoughts! ---------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Input requested: Moms and prayer/devotional life
 I was wondering if you would consider bringing up the topic of prayer/devotional life for mothers of young children? I only have one child so far, and manage to spend some time in reading God's word and in prayer every day. However, I am wondering how those with larger families organize their time so that this is still a priority. Do you or any of your readers have suggestions on how to maintain these disciplines with the demands of a growing young family. For instance, if your normal morning prayer time is frequently interrupted by an early waking toddler or new baby, and you are struggling to keep your eyes open in the evening (and maybe your children don't nap), how can you ensure that your spiritual life does not suffer from lack of prayer or spending time in God's word. I'm sure there's not an easy solution to fit all situations, but I would love to hear about any experiences that others have in this area. -Chris What a great question, Chris, and something I would really love to hear from moms of littles on. I'm no expert in this area, but I've found that just being a wife and mother to one with one on the way has meant I must be much more creative in my devotional life! I remember back to the days when I was in my teens and would usually get up by 5 or 5:30 every morning. I would shower and dress and then spend at least 30 minutes to an hour reading my Bible, praying, and meditating on God's Word. What a rich and sweet time that was and how many Scriptures were engrafted in my mind which have never left me to this day! These days, as a busy and tired pregnant mama, I require a lot more sleep (probably due to the fact that I'm also up multiple times most nights!) and once my feet hit the floor in the morning, there isn't much of a thing called "uninterrupted quietness" for the rest of the day! Every once in a blue moon, I'll get to spend a long time reading and praying, but most days five to fifteen minutes of time devoted to Bible reading and prayer is what I'm able to carve out in between potty-training, phone calls, making dinner, helping my husband, child-training, and well, just all those normal day-to-day things which come up everyday as a wife and mom! I do try to spend my first waking moments every morning dedicating my day to the Lord and asking Him to bless the day. Then, as soon as I'm able, I will sit down for a few minutes in the morning and read a chapter or two from Scripture. Some days I don't make it that far before I'm interrupted, but I do make a point to sit and read at least a short passage every morning and then spend a few moments in prayer. If Kathrynne is up, she is usually at my side and I'll read aloud to her and have her join me in praying. Instead of fretting over the lack of quality time to devote to Bible reading and prayer like I once had, I've tried to just incorporate devotions into daily life. Much of the time I am able to spend praying is while I'm washing dishes, folding laundry, and so forth. If I receive an email or phone call with a prayer need, I try to stop right then and lift that up to the Lord. I also try to stop and thank the Lord for the little and big things as they come up throughout the day - little victories in child training, answers to prayer, and so on. Usually Kathrynne is at my side and we'll take just a moment to stop and thank the Lord for His goodness in this area. Another thing which has been helpful for me is to have uplifting music playing throughout the day. I especially love old hymns and am amazed at how encouraging it is to have our home filled with the strains of "His Eye is On the Sparrow" or "Jesus, I am Resting, Resting." Without even thinking about it, I will often find myself singing along as I'm working and Kathrynne loves to join in, too. What a great way to focus our hearts heavenward as we go about our daily lives! Having Scripture verses posted on your walls or on various places throughout your home is another great way to meditate on the promises of the Lord as you go about your homemaking and mothering tasks. I have my memory verse cards propped up on the kitchen sink windowsill and often will review and meditate on a verse or two as I'm washing dishes. I also have a few devotional books which I have lying about in handy places to pick up here and there throughout the day and read a snippet of. If I'm especially feeling down, this has worked well to encourage and uplift my spirits in the Lord. Those are just a few things which have helped me. I would love to hear from more experienced mamas if you have a moment to share! Graphic from AllPosters.com
If at first you don't succeed, buy bagels at Panera
Okay, I admit it. I gave in to peer pressure. First it was Bethany, then Tammy, then Catherine. How could I not resist trying my hand at bagel-making, too? Well, um, my bagels flopped. Miserably so. I mean, they were edible, but that was about it. I tried making the dough in the bread machine and then left it in there too long as I was busy finishing up some other baking. As far as what went wrong from there, your guess is as good as mine, but the finished result was quite pathetic. I'm not sure if it was the bread machine, leaving the dough too long, adding in cinnamon to the batter, topping the bagels with brown sugar before baking, or a combination of all the above. After these poor creatures came out of the oven, I called Jesse down from his office and we got a good laugh over them:  Maybe I should just stick with buying bagels at Panera? At any rate, at least my other baking project - Brown Sugar Biscuit Twists for Jesse's administrative assistant brunch today - turned out.  These are always a hit and are quite easy to make. I just make up a batch of biscuit dough, divide it in half. Roll out each half into a rectangle and brush with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar (you can also do cinnamon/sugar). Fold rectangle in half and slice in strips. Twist and bake at 425 degrees for around 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Drizzle with powdered sugar and milk mixture after pulling from the oven. I just don't recommend trying to whip up a double batch of these biscuit twists late at night when you are already quite exhausted from being 29 weeks pregnant while you are also trying to make bagels for the first time.
"God is my strength..."
 I so appreciated this post by Mama Russell on life with three littles. Here's a snippet: If anything, I have learned the awesomeness of having to trust the Lord fully as I work so hard every day. Before I had three children, I was super-mom (not really, but visions of capes and pink tights with an adoring crowd of fans and a super huge trophy may have flitted through my dreams at some point). I could do quite a bit. I got things done. Laundry was worn without wrinkles, the kitchen floor could have been eaten off of, and I was able to talk to my husband every night with no interruption. I was able to do a lot more, oftentimes thinking I could do these things of my own volition. But now, wowee! I am smack-dab in the middle of an extremely wide river without even a boat to use those oft-remarked about missing paddles. I have learned to cling to His Word like never before. Instead of just "getting through" my days, I am learning to experience joy in them. I have learned that yes, the Lord does supply the strength that I need despite my human fraility. And let me tell you, that realization is one of the greatest moments in my life.
I am but a creature, made by a perfect Creator. I can do nothing without Him. I must lean on Him or I will falter.
I find that His strength gives me the physical energy to go about my days. This strength is more perfect than any exercise, any vitamin, or any amount of night's sleep (though those things are very important.)
I am able to sing praises to God, knowing fully that if I fall, He will pick me up. Despite being buried under a mountain of unfolded laundry, He will give me the strength to get done what He has me to do that day, even if it means the house is not immaculate. I am raising young children for Him. Lord willing, these children will bring glory to Him. And yet, I must remember, I cannot go it alone. It must be by His strength. Praise God!
"God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect." -2 Samuel 22:33
Read the whole post.
The toilet paper proposal
 I got such a kick out of reading this post by Shannon. I'm all about being responsible with our environment and think we should be good stewards of the resources God has given us. However, leglislating toilet paper usage seems to be taking the conservationism thing a bit too far. Has this lady ever had a two-year-old before? I don't know about you, but I think we can come up with a lot of better ways to conserve before we start limiting toilet paper to one square each.
By the way, you just never know what you'll read on this blog, do you? :)
This girl likes her peanut butter
You know how I mentioned a few weeks ago that Kathrynne was addicted to chicken? Well, she has a new craze now... "Peanut butter on a spoon." Everytime she comes up and says, "Please have sumping to eat?" she always adds in, "Peanut butter on a spoon?" Don't ask me where she came up with it as I don't usually just go around digging a spoon into the peanut butter jar and having at it, but this girl likes the peanut butter. At least it's peanut butter and chicken, though. It could be some chemical-laden, food-coloring laced item of choice. Then, we might have a problem on our hands. As it is, I usually give in to the peanut butter snack requests. Afterall, who can resist those big blue eyes looking up at me and her very polite tone of voice?
Beauty on a budget - Part 2: Clothing
 Last time we talked about inner beauty - the most important and least expensive way to be beautiful on a tight budget. Today, we're going to move on to another subject which makes a big difference in appearance, at least according to me: Clothes. How do you have a great wardrobe on an miniscule budget? I'm not some fashion queen, but I do try to dress well and I do it on very little. Here are my personal "secrets": Keep it simple. Like my mom used to say, "How many outfits can you wear at once?" Think about it, the more clothes you have, the more time it takes. You have to spend time picking out what to wear from all those different clothes. You have to spend more time keeping them organized. You have to spend more time keeping them laundered, ironed, dry cleaned, and so forth. Streamline your wardrobe and it will not only save you time but it will save you money as well. Buy versatile clothes. Unless it's for a special occasion, don't buy something which can only be worn one way, with one thing. Buy things which can be mixed and matched. This allows you to have a simple wardrobe with lots of possibility. Don't buy trendy clothes. Not only are most trendy clothes just plain ugly and often immodest, they go out of style in nothing flat and then you have to buy more clothes to keep up with the latest trend. Stick with classic styles and you'll get a lot more mileage out of your clothes. Pick things suitable for your figure. It goes without saying, but just because something looks nice on someone else does not mean it will look nice on you. Find out what works best on your body shape and don't deviate. Wear your colors. This simple little thing has revolutionized my shopping and my wardrobe. It streamlines everything about clothes and guarantees that when you wear something it will make you look your best. If you are unfamiliar with what your colors are, read the book Color Me Beautiful. Those are just a few tips which help keep my wardrobe costs and time to a minimum. I'd love to hear what helps you. We'll talk more about where to buy clothes inexpensively in Part 3.
Ah! I love the smell of freshly-baked bread!
 Just pulled a fresh loaf of Tammy's Wheat Bread out of the oven. Perfect with butter and honey and some just-brewed iced tea (even if that iced tea happens to be pregnancy tea!). This is the second time in a week I've made her bread recipe - both times "cheating" by making the dough in the bread machine. It is delicious and the best recipe I've found for making the dough in the bread machine and then baking the loaf in the oven. Now I want to make her homemade bagels. Hopefully soon! And ever since I saw her Whole-Wheat Strawberry Shortcake, I have been craving that stuff so badly. I think Jesse's going to have to stop and get some strawberries and whipping cream on his way home from work tonight.
Ruthless feminism
My husband sent me this must-read analysis of Ruth Bader Ginsberg's dissent in the partial-birth abortion decision last week: The dissent of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Supreme Court's Gonzales v. Carhart decision on Wednesday rests upon the sheer ruthlessness of modern feminism. Not a word of concern is spoken in her dissent of the barbaric dismembering of the unborn child that partial-birth abortion entails. The child's "health" is simply not to be mentioned. Cut through all the pretentious padding and legal mumbo-jumbo and Ginsburg's dissent amounts to this: abortion is the sacred foundation of feminism, and Americans must never touch it; if this means permitting the skulls of unborn children to be crushed, oh well. "Women it is now acknowledged have the talent, capacity and right 'to participate equally in the economic and social life of the nation,'" she writes, invoking the earlier Casey decision. "Their ability to realize this full potential, the Court recognized, is ultimately connected to 'their ability to control their reproductive lives.'" In other words, abortion is essential to obliterating differences between the sexes by emancipating women from nature so that they are the same as men ("equality," under liberalism, means making men and women the same not in dignity, but the same in all respects, no matter how irrational the results this understanding of equality produces). And access to abortion is essential to eliminating children as hindrances to careers -- or as Ginsburg says, "equal citzenship stature." Read the full article.
Frugal Fridays: Ask around before paying full price
 Today's Frugal Friday tip comes from my husband: When you are in the market for a bigger ticketed item, ask around before buying new.This might seem like something simple, but it saved us around $350 this past week. You see, since we moved to a real house, with a real yard, we needed to buy a lawn mower for said yard. However, has anyone tried buying a lawn mower in April? At least in these parts, it's not a good time. Not only do stores not have any decent sales on them right now since it's probably their top buying season, garage sales are still few and far between. But that didn't deter my husband from deciding he could do better than the $169 price we were looking at paying for the bare minimum mower from a local store. Instead, he started asking around. And I don't mean he just mentioned it once or twice, he asked almost everyone we know or came in contact with if they knew of anyone who had a mower they were looking to get rid of. What do you know? His persistence paid off big time. A woman from our church (whom, by the way, I would have never guessed knew anything about mowers and would therefore have never thought to ask - good thing Jesse doesn't think like me!) has a neighbor who has a friend who fixes up mowers. She put us in touch with this man and Jesse got his mower alright. Only he didn't get some inexpensive $169 mower. He got a Craftman self-propelled mower worth around $400 which is in excellent condition and only a few years old and not hardly used at all (a belt had come off and the owner - obviously not a very frugal man - decided to replace it rather than bother with changing the belt!). And get this, he paid $50 for the mower. Needless to say, I was very impressed. We had already set aside money to pay for what we were thinking was going to be a $200 mower so the extra money went straight into our savings. Woohoo! So the moral of the story: Never underestimate the savings you could reap by asking around before you go pay full price for something. As an aside, we were also planning to buy a weed-eater and had priced these at around $50-$70 new in the store. It looks like this man is going to be able to get one for us for $10! More money to put into savings! God is good. -------------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
Tragedy or a "right to choose"?
From The Washington Post: WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court's new conservative majority gave anti-abortion forces a landmark victory Wednesday in a 5-4 decision that bans a controversial abortion procedure nationwide and sets the stage for further restrictions. It was a long-awaited and resounding win that abortion opponents had hoped to gain from a court pushed to the right by President Bush's appointees.
For the first time since the court established a woman's right to an abortion in 1973, the justices said the Constitution permits a nationwide prohibition on a specific abortion method. The court's liberal justices, in dissent, said the ruling chipped away at abortion rights.
Read the full article.
Abortion rights? What? What about the right to life which is clearly spelled out in the Constitution? Did anyone remember about that? Honestly, though I'm of course very happy that the Supreme Court upheld the partial birth abortion ban, I think the fact that it was a 5-4 decision is pathetic. Four Supreme Court Justices think the "right" to the brutal killing of an innocent child's life should be upheld? For those who read my blog and think abortion is not "brutal", the article goes on to say: The procedure at issue involves partially removing the fetus intact from a woman's uterus, then crushing or cutting its skull to complete the abortion. Abortion opponents say the law will not reduce the number of abortions performed because an alternate method - dismembering the fetus in the uterus - is available and, indeed, much more common.
As if the alternate method is any more humane. What is wrong with our society today that people cannot see such gruesome acts as heinous crime? We all mourn the loss of the 32 shot dead at VA Tech this past Monday. We call it a "tragedy" and it is a tragedy. Yet, why is it alright for millions of children to be killed and cut up in pieces. Why is this act considered a "mother's right to choose" and a man going in and shooting people at gunpoint considered a "tragedy"? I don't get the logic here. I know this is a hot subject and I know that in even mentioning it, I will get raked over the coals. It's not a pretty subject and I don't broach it lightly. However, until Christians will stand up and speak the truth on this issue, until Pastors will have the courage to preach against it from their pulpits, until those who claim the Name of Christ will rise up and take a stand against this horrific violence against the unborn, we can't expect anything to change. Don't stand idly by. "Evil prevails when good men [and women] do nothing."
Conquering stuff-itis
 Maryann posted about God's provision and answered prayer through a $2 table and chairs. I love it when God answers those little, simple prayers - small and minor though they may seem - and shows us how much He really loves and cares for us. And this part of her post is such a great reminder:
There are obvious reasons to learn to save money for today. Paying off our house is my family's greatest, most immediate goal. Yet, there are reasons to learn restraint for the future as well. The way I figure it, if we can learn to make do with less now, our family will always be better equipped to face what lies ahead. Sort of like pioneering ways- save, salt, preserve now and we'll eat better through long winters and lean seasons. My children have everything they could ever want, in the material. EVERYTHING. We are not lavish with them. But they certainly lack nothing. In a sense, I feel that our life here in Atlanta is grounded in surface security. It's credit-card driven, must-have-now, I want therefore I need. Everyone is living on borrowed money, borrowed time. All determined to live as easily as possible. And that is where my fear lies: that in seeking to live easily, just enjoying life because it is here for the taking, any unsettlement to this veil of security will eat Atlantans (Americans in general) alive. One way to combat the insatiable need for things, stuff, extravagance is to simply stop needing it. Stop needing and the wanting will likely lessen too. Taper out wanting and contentment will blossom. Contentment will grow happiness in families and homes. And somehow through happiness evolving, real money-saving begins. What seemed like a need so strong it would kill, becomes almost forgettable. What was wanted NOW gradually joins a category of "can wait". It's an amazing process.
Graphic from Art.com
I'm a nut case!
I feel like such a dork. (And no, for the unpublished commentor who just called me that because they said I was stupid for getting pregnant in the first place, that's not the kind of dork I'm talking about. I wouldn't be honest if I made it sound like pregnancy is easy for me, but that doesn't mean I stop having children. Sometimes the best things in life are the hardest things. It is worth every ache and pain and day of exhaustion, I know that for a fact.)After many calls to Dell, replacing my laptop keyboard, more calls to Dell, and a technician finally coming out yesterday and replacing the motherboard in my computer (whatever that is!), I thought everything was good to go and I was doing a happy dance about it. Then I couldn't get the internet to work. Kind of a major crisis when so much of the business work - that I was dreadfully behind on due to all the computer issues - depends upon a working internet connection. Jesse kindly came home from work and figured out the issue (See? I told you he's the greatest. When I called him to get his advice on how to get the internet working, he just dropped everything and said he was coming home to fix it himself! I couldn't convince him otherwise either.) We finally got the internet working and Jesse left to go back to work. I settled down to try and tackle the huge stack of orders which had piled up over the last week. And then I hit the next problem: I couldn't log in to Stamps.com. This meant I couldn't process any order or print out any shipping label. I tried and tried to log in multiple times over the afternoon and kept getting an error message saying it couldn't log in to the Stamps.com server. I thought they must be having server issues so decided to wait and try again today. This morning, the same problem was happening so I resorted to calling the very friendly customer service line at Stamps.com. (I'm not kidding on that, they are about the nicest people in customer service I've ever come across.) After explaining the problem, the guy put me on hold to investigate. When he came back on the line, he asked me a strange question, "What time zone are you in?" After I answered, he told me to look at the clock on my computer and see what time it read. Oops, I didn't think about that. Since printing out shipping labels is a time-sensitive matter (if you print after 5 p.m. on any given day, it automatically stamps it with the next day's date), of course it would matter what time my computer was set up on. And, of course, since replacing the motherboard, the time was completely wrong. When I went to change the time on my computer while the customer service guy patiently waited on the line, I realized not only was my computer like four hours off, it was also on the completely wrong date of the completely wrong month! No wonder I couldn't log in. Needless to say, fixing that fixed the problem and I'm finally back in service again. But not without feeling like a real fruitcake. I'm sure it wasn't the most stupidest problem ever that someone has called in with, but it probably bordered on being so!
Pregnant mama ramblings... Help me out here
For those of you who have been pregnant before, can you remember what your third trimester was like? I can't seem to recall much of my third trimester with Kathrynne besides the fact that it seemed really l-o-n-g. I wish I could remember it more so I could know that how I am feeling now is similar to last time. (I kept a journal, but I didn't write much about how I was feeling physically in it - just how I was doing spiritually and emotionally and my excitement about being a first-time mom.) As I've alluded to, my energy level has dropped tremendously in the last two weeks and I am almost constantly tired. I seem to be able to accomplish about a third or less of what I usually would in a given day. My get-up-and-go has gotten up and left. Since I'm usually a person who likes to stay quite productive, not feeling like doing much more than the basics on most days is really out-of-character. But, I'm guessing this is normal and I just need to take it easy and slow down for the next 11 weeks (or 13 weeks, probably, as I'm assuming this baby will be like Kathrynne and decide that he or she needs to bake longer!)? Please tell me you all slowed down at this point, too, and I'm not just a wimp or something! I'm hopeful maybe this won't last the rest of the pregnancy and that I'll get a burst of nesting energy sometime soon. But I'm beginning to wonder... How are the rest of you pregnancy mamas doing? By the way, as a matter of fair warning, this blog will undoubtedly contain quite a bit of pregnancy-related posts in the next few months. I've hit the stage where I'm rather obsessed with all things pregnancy, so for my readers who are used to more eclectic fare and could care less about pregnancy posts, it might be slim-pickins for awhile. Consider yourself warned. Oh, and I've been in the mood to read pregnancy journals and blogs of late - thanks to my third trimester all-things-pregnancy obsession. Since reading is something which doesn't require a lot of energy I've been doing quite a bit of it so if you are pregnant and blogging about it, leave me your link or email it to me so I can add you to my list of reads.
Peace in the face of tragedy
 Death, dying, suffering... these subjects have especially been on my mind the last few days. The young daughter of some dear friends of ours from church is currently undergoing a desperate fight against the neuroblastoma that is ravaging her fragile body. A dear friend of mine's mother just found out her breast cancer has returned. Another woman I know of was diagnosed with a brain tumor last week. Then I read Zeke's story over the weekend. All this was heavy on my heart and then Monday came along, which as you all know, was the tragic shooting at VA Tech. One of the students killed in the massacre was 20-year-old Lauren McCain - a local Christian, homeschool graduate attending a German class at VA Tech on that horrific Monday morning. Only four people made it out of that German class alive. One thing my husband and I did find interesting was that, in times like these, there is much talk of spiritual things. Such subjects are usually taboo in the modern media. However, when a crisis occurs, talking of God, candlelight prayer vigils, or saying "Our prayers are with the families" and so forth all of a sudden become politically correct. God is not only a God for times of crisis. He is a God to be looked to everyday of our lives. We never know what tomorrow holds. We never know what even today or this hour holds. The only thing we can know for sure in this life is Who holds the future - God Almighty. In repenting of our sins and placing our full faith and trust in Him, we find not only Everlasting Life, but we find comfort in the midst of difficulty, peace in the face of tragedy, and hope instead of fear. I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Psalm 18:1-6
For more encouragement, visit GirlTalk for some excellent links and audios.Graphic from Art.com
Podcast #2: Organization, Debunking the Doormat Myth, and much more!
 Podcast #2 is recorded and uploaded with thanks again to the help of my much-more techinically-savvy husband! So brew a cup of tea and sit down for a chat with me! Click here to download the MP3This podcast includes the following segments:Pregnancy update, Kathrynne's antics Organization and scheduling: What to do when interruptions come (Our weekly household plan mentioned can be viewed here.) I'm no doormat: Submission and the Word of God Applauding stay-at-home-wives and moms (Article mentioned is here.) A special poem just for you moms I'm trying to keep these to under 15 minutes, but I was a little long-winded on this one, so it's more closer to 18 minutes. I'll watch the clock better next time around! If you have any trouble downloading the podcast, feel free to email me. If you are unable to download files this large due to your internet connection, you are more than welcome to request a transcript.By next podcast, I'm hoping to actually have figured out how to the podcasts set up on Feedburner so those of you who asked to be able to download it to your iPod can do so. My apologies that there is such a learning curve here for me and thanks for your patience! Thanks for listening. I welcome all feedback - comments, criticisms, and suggestions. Send 'em my way!This podcast was sponsored in part by: JoyfullyModest.comImage: Georgia Tea Time by Heather Warfield
Beauty on a Budget - Part 1: Inner Beauty
 I have a feeling that starting a series like "Beauty on a Budget" is going to be a rather lengthy endeavor. There's so much to say on the subject. I'm no expert, so this will just be sharing what I've learned thus far.
I want to start out today with the least expensive beauty treatment. In fact, it doesn't cost you a dime. What is that? Inner beauty! There is no point in beautifying our outward body, if our inner self is rotting. True beauty starts in the heart.
Cultivate a meek and quiet spirit. Instead of being a harried, rushed, stressed out woman, live a life of peace - no matter what your surrounding circumstances - by keeping your eyes on the Lord. Commit each day to the Lord when you wake up. Accept each interruption, each difficulty, from His hand. Keep your eyes on Him. And experience true peace. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:3-4 Be content where God has placed you. Bloom where God plants you - no matter where that is. Find your contentment in Christ. A contented spirit will not only beautify you, but it will bring blessing to those around you. Chuck the negativity and focus on the positive. And remember, true contentment can only be found in an abiding trust in the sovereignty and goodness of the Lord. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
Be cheerful! A smile is one of the most beautiful things you can wear. It is not only good for your health, it is contagious! Give the gift of a smile to all those around you and you will immediately become a more beautiful woman. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22 These simple three things might seem so inconsequential, but practicing them could change your life and bless everyone you come in contact with in the process, too! So, start right now and do a "beauty check" by evaluating your attitude and outlook on life:
Are you easily frustrated and stressed by things? Do you spend a lot of time worrying?
Would others describe you as a contented person? Or are you constantly complaining about things - little or big?
How often do you smile? Ask your husband and/or family for their input on this, too. It might surprise you!
"And let the beauty of our God be upon us..."
So much to be grateful for
I spent most of the last two days in bed. I guess I overdid it last week. I keep forgetting that I'm seven months pregnant. You'd think my ever-expanding figure would serve as a constant reminder, but somehow I forget that I just can't keep going at my normal pace at this season in my pregnancy. I was up almost all of Friday night miserable and all-day Saturday and Saturday night were not much better. Jesse was so kind to "confine" me to my bed, take Kathrynne and run our Saturday errands, plus make at least four trips to secure various food items I was craving. It was almost like I was back in my first trimester again for the nausea and cravings I've had all bundled up together the last few days. While in bed, I had a chance to read this touching article. I was quite surprised that it made the front page of our Sunday paper. In our pro-death society where saving animals is more important than saving baby humans, very rarely do you see life so beautifully promoted. The article is long, but if you have a chance, it is well worth your time. There was a followup article done today which is here. And there is a very touching audio photo gallery here.Reading through this story and looking at the pictures made me realize again just how much I have to be grateful for. Nausea, backaches, heartburn, reflux, swollen legs, incessant tiredness, strange cravings, and all- I'll take them for the privilege of carrying a life inside of me.
I tell you, pregnancy does the weirdest things to one's body.
I was so tired last night and yet, I was up for at least half the night unable to sleep. After an hour or so of tossing and turning, trying to relax, and praying for all sorts of things, I finally got up and read for a couple hours. That usually puts me right to sleep, but not last night. All the while I couldn't sleep, I was feeling miserably sick to my stomach (probably one of the reasons I couldn't sleep in the first place) and yet I was craving hasbrown casserole like you wouldn't believe. I probably could have gotten up and eaten four servings of the stuff if we had had any in the house! And then I would have been really sick and unable to sleep! Ah the joys of being a pregnant woman! You just never know quite what to expect - except to expect the unexpected.
Frugal Friday: Hosiery tip
 Sorry for the lateness in getting this posted. We've been having some serious computer issues the past few days. My laptop keyboard stopped working (you can do a lot with the mouse, but only so much!) so typing and blogging must be done on my desktop. However, only the internet works (albeit slowly) on my desktop since, if you remember, it crashed a few weeks back. We've worked hard to fix it and even had a tech come out and spend four hours on it, all to no avail. We can't get any program but Internet Explorer to work on it so it is needing to be replaced. Dell shipped us a new keyboard for the laptop, but that didn't fix it, so it's looking like it will need replacement as well. At least the laptop is still under warranty!
Coupled with the computer problems, we had a garage sale yesterday and this morning and I was running nonstop Wednesday and Thursday preparing for and overseeing that. We didn't close up shop until around 6 p.m. last night and then had a houseful of people over at 7 p.m. for our Financial Peace class. We were planning to stay open all today, but it was so chilly and rainy that we decided not to. Inspite of the cold, rain, and a little bit of snow (!), we sold almost $350 worth of stuff, so I was pleasantly surprised!
Needless to say, this was my first chance to sit down at the desktop in a day and a half. I had planned to start the Beauty on a Budget series today, but my brain and body are rather tired, so I think that will have to wait until next week and instead I'll share a tip from a reader. I'm off to try and get our garage and home back in order, plan a menu and grocery list, make some food for this weekend, and finish the laundry. And then we're taking the evening off to have a family movie night. It's been a long time since we've had one of those. Have a lovely weekend!
Without further ado, here's the tip from reader, Jen: I do not have a blog but want to share about an excellent product that prolongs the life of all hosiery. Hosiery Mate is a product sold by JCPenney. It cost only pennies a capful. You add a capful to a sinkful of warm water and swish your nylons/tights around in there. No need to rinse, it deodorizes and better yet, does something to the fibers of the nylons/tights that makes them resistant to running! I use this product on mine before I wear them the first time, and it increases their life span. (Works great with my girls' tights too!) When traveling, this can be used on other undergarments as well, in a pinch. -Jen B.
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The Shoe Solution
 One thing I've done for years is to keep my shoes organized by storing them in their original boxes. Not only have I found that this gives them a specific place (instead of just anywhere at the bottom of the closet or wherever I took them off in the house!) but it seems to prolong the life of the shoe and it keeps things neat and orderly in the closet. The only shoes that aren't in a box are my slippers and flip-flops. As you can see, I don't have a lot of shoes. I try to stick with a few basic pair per season that are very versatile. Shoes which are going to be worn alot - such as my Winter dress boots which I wore almost everywhere this past Winter - I spend more money for because I want them to last for at least a few years ("A lot of money" for a pair of shoes for me is something like $40-$60, by the way. If I pay that much, they had better be something I plan to wear hundreds of times or more). Shoes - like tennis shoes - which I wear very infrequently, I go cheap on (See the $10 Dollar General price tag on those? I bought them almost four years ago and they are still in close to like-new condition though I do wear them at least a few times every week). I average buying a pair of shoes about once per year and try to always get rid of another pair when doing so to keep things simplified. Kathrynne has two pair of shoes per season - a dressier pair and a more casual pair. I usually try to buy her shoes at a garage sale for around $1/pair or less. She keeps her shoes in her bottom drawer for now and is very good at putting them back when she takes them off. This helps so that we rarely are missing shoes. As she gets older, we'll move to the shoes in the shoebox solution. It works for me! I'd love to hear about shoes and shoe storage at your home. Speaking of shoes, after much encouragement, I'll be starting a series soon on Beauty on a Budget sharing some tips and ideas for looking well for next to nothing. Look for the first installment later this week!
Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
 I had purchased some dried cranberries on sale a few weeks back and found the perfect delicious recipe for them today. It's a good thing we are having lots of company over this week for how many sweets I've been in the mood to make! It seems about all I want to do is eat and cook and sleep. What a life!
Kathrynne's musical debut
I came home on Saturday from getting my hair done and Jesse said I just had to watch this video first thing he had taken of Kathrynne while I was gone. I know I'm a bit biased, but I thought it was adorable. I guess she decided that she'd come up with a creative alternative for our lack of owning a piano! And now, every day, she has to spend at least a good 15-20 minutes "playing the piano." I got a kick of the artistic expression she added to her playing in this video - not sure where she picked up that from. Must have been her Aunt Gretchen. :)
Tackling Mt. Neverest
I've been busy working on laundry and ironing today. The last week was full and I was tired, so in turn, the laundry was one area which suffered dreadfully. I'm hoping to be all caught up by tonight so that Jesse doesn't have to look through baskets of clean clothes for a white shirt tomorrow morning! Poor guy. He is so longsuffering with me! By the way, how do three people go through so much laundry in one week? I have no idea. It seems I am washing just about every article of clothing and every towel we own today! I thought I had kept things pretty pared down, but I think I need to go through the clothes again. While I'm on the subject: How do you do laundry at your house? Do you do a few loads everyday, or do it a couple times per week, or once a week? Or have no "system" and just do it as needed? Tell us about it. Normally, I tackle the most laundry on Mondays (Since I don't usually do any laundry on the weekends plus I wash all the bedding on Mondays, I usually have at least 3 loads to do on Mondays, plus all the ironing for the week). Tuesday through Friday I usually do a load every day or every other day. I try to start the laundry first thing in the morning and have it run through and put away by early afternoon. As long as I stick with this, the laundry usually stays well under control. However, every once in a while I'll have a week like last week and things get way off track.  I took a break in the morning to bake up some banana crumb muffins and banana cake cookies for a few things we're hosting later this week. And yes - you guessed correctly - I got some discounted ripe bananas at the store on Saturday!
27 weeks and counting...
We finally got around to taking a preggo picture late Saturday night: 
Well, what can I say?
Congratulations, Adrian and Susan. I am so thrilled for you both! God's richest blessings on your marriage. For those who may not know, Adrian and Susan first met - of all places - through this blog. Aren't God's ways incredible?
He is risen!
 The day dawned dark and heavy On that first day of the week, The mourners were bewildered, Overwhelmed, and torn by grief. All their hopes had come to nothing, All their dreams were crushed and gone. They had thought He was the promised King. How could they have been so wrong? So many questions pierced their souls As they neared the tomb that day. But their grief soon turned to wonder When they heard the angel say He is risen!He is not deadHe is risen just as He said.Death could not keep Him,Tell all who seek Him,He is risen! He is not here!In a world that's dark and heavy There are people who still seek, Their hearts are still bewildered, Confused, and torn by grief. All their hopes have come to nothing, All their dreams are crushed and gone. They have not met the risen Lord, And they wonder what's gone wrong. So many questions pierce their souls And they search to find the truth. Will you lead them to the empty tomb? Will you share with them the news? He is risen!He is not deadHe is risen just as He said.Death could not keep Him,Tell all who seek Him,He is risen from the dead!Lyrics by my sister, Brigette Shevy ©2007 The Wilds
The grand finale cake
 I did a lot of baking this week but failed to take any pictures of it before the items were consumed. However, I did get a picture of my grand finale cake from the Wilton Cake Class Level II. For those of you who know these techniques, you'll easily spot a lot of flaws, but for my first try at a more elaborate cake and considering the fact that I've always been a rather artistically challenged person, I was happy with the results.
In His image
 I get a lot of interesting comments and emails in response to things I blog about - many which are just better left unpublished because this blog is about encouraging Christian women not denigrating them. One such unpublished comment from this week was - as often is the case - attacking my beliefs as a Christian. I don't remember the gist of most of the comment, but one part stuck in my head:
"Christianity denies women their personhood..."Interesting view indeed considering that Biblical Christianity says men and women were made in the image of God for His glory. In contrast, the religion of secular humanism says that we evolved by chance from apes. Hmm, I think God thinks a lot more highly of women than any evolutionist or secular humanist does.
Graphic from AllPosters.com
Free eggs at Target
Though I rarely shop at Target, I just found out about this deal and thought I should pass it on... Many SuperTargets have Market Pantry eggs on sale right now for $0.50/dozen. You can print a coupon here for $0.50 off/dozen. Free eggs! You can print multiple coupons or even use the kiosks at Target to print the coupons if you want to save printer ink. Check your local flier online to make sure the deal is advertised as I've heard it varies by area.
Frugal Fridays: CVS coupon
 I spent almost all morning and early afternoon pricing the massive mountain of stuff I have somehow accumulated for our garage sale next week. And tonight we're hosting a rather full house of people, so I only have time for a quick Frugal Friday post...For those who shop at CVS, you can get a $4 off $20 coupon by changing your email address here. They just started printing instant ECBs (instead of the past policy of you having to wait two days before they printed), so it makes it even more exciting! There are quite a few good deals this week and April monthly deals (some which are a Limit 5 instead of the usual Limit 1!) and when you stack them with the above-mentioned $4/$20 coupon, manufacturer's coupons, and any store coupons you have, it equals lots of good deals and free stuff! By the way, Mrs. Pear just sent me her post about her experiences in learning to cut their budget. Good reading, especially for beginners. ----------------- To join in Frugal Friday, just post a frugal tip or post on any subject of frugality on your blog, link to this post in your post, and then post the direct link to your Frugal Friday post below. Any link or post which does not adhere to these rules will be deleted at my discretion. If you do not have a blog, but have a tip to share, please post your tip in the comments section. And, remember the rules: Must be family-friendly. Thanks! I can't wait to read your tips!
There is a better way
 There's been a lot of talk in the blogosphere and elsewhere about a certain woman who wrote a certain book recently on - surprise, surprise - how stay at home moms are giving up so much, too much according to this author. I guess she decided to ride on Linda Hirschman's coat tails. From Booklist: Many well-educated American women are giving up the struggle to balance career and motherhood and making the "willfully retrograde choice" of relying on men to support them and their children, Bennetts maintains. Financial dependency can jeopardize women's futures and those of their children, she warns. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of women as well as sociologists, economists, legal scholars, and other experts, Bennetts lays out the dangers of giving up careers. She looks at how new divorce laws have altered alimony, reducing the likelihood of a lifetime guarantee of support for stay-at-home mothers after divorce. She details the impact of a loss of income on medical and retirement benefits and weighs it against lifelong financial needs. Bennetts encourages women to consider a "fifteen-year paradigm," viewing their lives beyond the years of motherhood and asking themselves what they want from life when their children are grown and gone. Allowing women to tell their own stories of economic abandonment, Bennetts presents a cautionary tale for women pondering giving up economic independence. In a sense, when I read about books like this, it infuriates me. For one, do people forget that it's thanks to feminism we have no-fault divorce laws in the first place? And secondly, choosing to be a full-time mommy is not a career instead it's deemed a "willingfully retrograde choice"? On the other hand, though, I'm not a bit surprised. The feminist mentality which says, "It's all about me" (which, if you think about it, is at the root of everything feminism is about), is only going to denigrate moms who are selflessly giving of themselves to train and raise the next generation. Being a full-time mommy means you do give up something - you give up your life - and that flies in the face of feminism. A friend of mine wisely noted recently that there is always talk about how much women are giving up to stay home with their children. No one ever seems to realize that the husbands of these wives give up a whole lot, too. They often put in long hours, live with less "stuff", and shoulder a lot of responsibility. Both husband and wife make mutual sacrifices because they realize there is something worth living for that is much greater than all the money and glitter the world has to offer - the precious souls of their children. However, contrary to what women like Bennetts might want you to believe, just because a woman chooses to stay at home does not mean she is checking her brain at the door and opting to be a doormat. That couldn't be further from the truth - at least in the cases of the Christian wives and moms I know who stay home. The husband is just as dependent upon the wife as the wife is upon the husband. She needs him, he needs her. It's a team effort. That's what Scripture calls "one flesh." You know what else I see in these Christian marriages? The husband and wife trust each other. I think that is so | | |
