Your will cannot lead me where Your grace will not keep me
Your hand will protect me, I rest in Your care
Your eyes will watch over me, Your love will forgive me
and when I am faltering, I still will find You there.
God's Grace is and always will be sufficient. When sickness enters day #8, when all I can do is sleep, and when I will finally be able to drink a glass of water without wondering how soon I will see it again. God is good, all the time.
Wednesday, February 27
Monday, February 25
sickie
Hopefully I can kick this bug. Today was miserable, again. Tomorrow we have Aaron all lined up to visit a friend's house for the day. That is a very weird feeling. And my stomach has lots of weird feelings.
Here's to getting well soon and keeping the bug away from my boys.
Amen, amen.
Here's to getting well soon and keeping the bug away from my boys.
Amen, amen.
Friday, February 22
what a way to end the week
For the past 4 days, I have had this horrible intestinal bug. I am thankful to report that a visit to the doctor was made sweeter by a little listen to baby #2's heartbeat, which was a nice surprise. This afternoon I am finally feeling like things are starting to turn around. Still running around 50% but on the upward swing, praise the Lord.
For all of you asking questions about my pregnancy and health in general, baby #2 is due around the beginning of September. I've been nauseous all day, every day since about week #6 until the end of last week. I had a few days' respite and then got hit by the bug.
We are not planning to find out the gender of our child. We really like surprises. A lot.
We are doing a LOT of praying and question-asking about what the Lord would have us to do regarding prenatal care and delivery of this new little blessing. I know it's a touchy topic, but I'm planning on having a VBAC and am trying to find a care provider with whom I feel one hundred percent comfortable with and confident that he/she will support me safely to the goal of a healthy delivery. Would you join us in praying this way?
It kind of looks like my serious options would be a home birth with a wonderful Christian midwife or working with a doctor in Saginaw, which means a longer drive for prenatal care and giving birth in a hospital that gives me a minor case of heebie jeebies. I found out that the Midland hospital's rate of C-section is absolutely through the roof. We are still weighing our options and praying for wisdom.
Have a wonderful weekend, and stay healthy!!
For all of you asking questions about my pregnancy and health in general, baby #2 is due around the beginning of September. I've been nauseous all day, every day since about week #6 until the end of last week. I had a few days' respite and then got hit by the bug.
We are not planning to find out the gender of our child. We really like surprises. A lot.
We are doing a LOT of praying and question-asking about what the Lord would have us to do regarding prenatal care and delivery of this new little blessing. I know it's a touchy topic, but I'm planning on having a VBAC and am trying to find a care provider with whom I feel one hundred percent comfortable with and confident that he/she will support me safely to the goal of a healthy delivery. Would you join us in praying this way?
It kind of looks like my serious options would be a home birth with a wonderful Christian midwife or working with a doctor in Saginaw, which means a longer drive for prenatal care and giving birth in a hospital that gives me a minor case of heebie jeebies. I found out that the Midland hospital's rate of C-section is absolutely through the roof. We are still weighing our options and praying for wisdom.
Have a wonderful weekend, and stay healthy!!
Tuesday, February 19
checkup
Aaron & I went to see our favorite doctor yesterday for his 18 month check up. He's doing great, reaching and exceeding all developmental milestones. Speech-wise, he is apparently way ahead of the curve. The doc asked if he was using six words on a regular basis and I just about lost it laughing. Uh, yeah. More like six hundred. The doctor smiled and said something about toddler babbling, until Aaron looked at him and said "Doctor" as clear as day. My strange and wonderful boy.
He's now a whopping 25 pounds, which is slightly under the 50th percentile, and 33 inches, slightly over the 50th. Not a problem, as he seems healthy, happy, and just fine to me. His new favorite? Watching Curious George on PBS. "Monkey?" he will say, pointing at the TV. He does not get the concept that "Monkey" is not on TV whenever we so desire. He also loves watching sports, of all things. He sat next to Michael through THE ENTIRE SUPER BOWL (unlike his mother) and when a commercial would come on, would say "Football? Again? Football?" He also enjoyed watching the boys play basketball at our school's recent homecoming festivities. He's definitely into sports at this point, anyway.
Praise the Lord for His continued blessings!!
He's now a whopping 25 pounds, which is slightly under the 50th percentile, and 33 inches, slightly over the 50th. Not a problem, as he seems healthy, happy, and just fine to me. His new favorite? Watching Curious George on PBS. "Monkey?" he will say, pointing at the TV. He does not get the concept that "Monkey" is not on TV whenever we so desire. He also loves watching sports, of all things. He sat next to Michael through THE ENTIRE SUPER BOWL (unlike his mother) and when a commercial would come on, would say "Football? Again? Football?" He also enjoyed watching the boys play basketball at our school's recent homecoming festivities. He's definitely into sports at this point, anyway.
Praise the Lord for His continued blessings!!
Sunday, February 17
Thursday, February 14
the rising cost of healthcare?
Today in the mail...
"Thank you for choosing Aetna for your individual and family health insurance needs. Each year, we spend considerable time evaluating both medical cost history and current premium rates to ensure we can consistently provide superior products and services to our customers. This year our evaluation of both medical cost history and current premium rates resulted in a rate decrease for your current policy..."
I had to read THAT twice. The letter went on to tell us that our monthly premium was decreasing by $18. That's $216 over the next year, people!! How often does this happen, really?
God PROVIDES! Jehovah Jireh!!!
"Thank you for choosing Aetna for your individual and family health insurance needs. Each year, we spend considerable time evaluating both medical cost history and current premium rates to ensure we can consistently provide superior products and services to our customers. This year our evaluation of both medical cost history and current premium rates resulted in a rate decrease for your current policy..."
I had to read THAT twice. The letter went on to tell us that our monthly premium was decreasing by $18. That's $216 over the next year, people!! How often does this happen, really?
God PROVIDES! Jehovah Jireh!!!
Wednesday, February 13
dear, dear Yuki
Seven years ago, I purchased my first car. It was chosen by my parents, because I was working at camp in PA and I needed a car before heading back to Northland to work in the Admissions Office. I told dad, "No white cars, and please let it have 4 doors and get good mileage."
He got two out of three - the car was a 2-door. It was a taupe 1988 Mazda MX-6, manual transmission, and it had 93,000 miles on it. Although it may have been a little lightweight on the snowy roads of Wisconsin, the price was right. $900 and a few hours razor blading the dark tint from the back window.
A friend from Japan named him "Yuki" which, apparently, means courage. And Yuki was courageous. Ask our friends Tim & Sarah, who experienced a total baptism by "puddle" in the spring of 2002. We were driving from Mel's Diner back to NBBC campus during a torrential rainstorm, and a dip in the road was flooded, a little more than I originally eyeballed. I never should have made it through that flood, as we realized when 6" of water accumulated in the back seat floor. All the dash lights went on, the car was STALLED and still the wheels turned.
Then the semi came, it's wake baptizing us in the dirty water of the street. We were TOTALLY under water. Somehow we continued to the other side of the dip, where we bailed out the water in the McDonald's parking lot and I willed my heart to stop racing. God got us through, for certain.
My darling husband learned to drive a manual in Yuki. Before we were married, on the back roads of Wisconsin. That was fun. I kept making him stop halfway up the hills, just for kicks. He was such a good sport. And now, he drives Yuki to work every day.
In the past seven years, we have had to replace 2 axels, a radiator, fix the muffler, and put in a thermostat. We've definitely changed the tires. Yuki now has well over 250,000 miles. And, unfortunately, it looks like Yuki has reached the end of his road.
Estimates to fix the clutch are in the neighborhood of $500-$700. Part of me wants to agree to this cost, thinking that perhaps he would run for another seven years with similar upkeep costs. But I'm a bit of an idealist.
Seven years is a long, long time to get attached to a car. I'm attached. Big time. And no one can convince me that this car is anything but reliable. Mazda has a fan for life.
So...anybody have a cheap Mazda for sale?
He got two out of three - the car was a 2-door. It was a taupe 1988 Mazda MX-6, manual transmission, and it had 93,000 miles on it. Although it may have been a little lightweight on the snowy roads of Wisconsin, the price was right. $900 and a few hours razor blading the dark tint from the back window.
A friend from Japan named him "Yuki" which, apparently, means courage. And Yuki was courageous. Ask our friends Tim & Sarah, who experienced a total baptism by "puddle" in the spring of 2002. We were driving from Mel's Diner back to NBBC campus during a torrential rainstorm, and a dip in the road was flooded, a little more than I originally eyeballed. I never should have made it through that flood, as we realized when 6" of water accumulated in the back seat floor. All the dash lights went on, the car was STALLED and still the wheels turned.
Then the semi came, it's wake baptizing us in the dirty water of the street. We were TOTALLY under water. Somehow we continued to the other side of the dip, where we bailed out the water in the McDonald's parking lot and I willed my heart to stop racing. God got us through, for certain.
My darling husband learned to drive a manual in Yuki. Before we were married, on the back roads of Wisconsin. That was fun. I kept making him stop halfway up the hills, just for kicks. He was such a good sport. And now, he drives Yuki to work every day.
In the past seven years, we have had to replace 2 axels, a radiator, fix the muffler, and put in a thermostat. We've definitely changed the tires. Yuki now has well over 250,000 miles. And, unfortunately, it looks like Yuki has reached the end of his road.
Estimates to fix the clutch are in the neighborhood of $500-$700. Part of me wants to agree to this cost, thinking that perhaps he would run for another seven years with similar upkeep costs. But I'm a bit of an idealist.
Seven years is a long, long time to get attached to a car. I'm attached. Big time. And no one can convince me that this car is anything but reliable. Mazda has a fan for life.
So...anybody have a cheap Mazda for sale?
Tuesday, February 12
Praising the Lord
Yesterday, I was praising the Lord for the safety of my brother, despite all odds.
This morning, Michael called. The clutch on the Mazda finally gave out. Providentially, it was not on the highway, but instead near a parking lot.
God is good all the time, and I am thankful this week that He chooses to show His hand of protection. So often I take this for granted.
I'm also praising the Lord that the SD card was retrieved from the computer with only a little shaking and a few gyrations. Of the computer, not of me. *wink*
Yesterday also was the beginning of a new adventure for me - the world of food co-ops! A family from church is heading up a produce co-op and I was thrilled to come home with a month's worth of fresh produce for significantly less than grocery store prices. How exciting - and a perk is that the food purchased through the co-op has a smaller gap between organic and non organic produce, so that more of our food can be organic! Praise the Lord for budget stretching on our behalf!
This morning, Michael called. The clutch on the Mazda finally gave out. Providentially, it was not on the highway, but instead near a parking lot.
God is good all the time, and I am thankful this week that He chooses to show His hand of protection. So often I take this for granted.
I'm also praising the Lord that the SD card was retrieved from the computer with only a little shaking and a few gyrations. Of the computer, not of me. *wink*
Yesterday also was the beginning of a new adventure for me - the world of food co-ops! A family from church is heading up a produce co-op and I was thrilled to come home with a month's worth of fresh produce for significantly less than grocery store prices. How exciting - and a perk is that the food purchased through the co-op has a smaller gap between organic and non organic produce, so that more of our food can be organic! Praise the Lord for budget stretching on our behalf!
Monday, February 11
monsteriffic
Anybody have any ideas for extracting a digital camera's SD card that was inserted into the wrong (too large) slot of our computer's multi-card reader by a little 18 month old? It appears to have completely disappeared. Where does the card reader go? If I somehow figure out how to take the cover off the computer, will I find my card? Or do I need to shell out the big bucks and get a professional to do this?
Ah, motherhood. Full of adventures...
Ah, motherhood. Full of adventures...
Thursday, February 7
truer words...
I came across this post today and thought about these sage words. Among other things, it might be time for me to let go of some of my pre-Aaron clothes. At least, reasonably, one bin?
Speedy Supper
For all of you getting that crazy-good Safeway deal, here is a recipe to use up your link sausage. It's one of our favorites (by accident!) I got a buy one, get two free deal on some low fat sausage at Meijer and gave this a try. It would work with any link-type or kielbasa.
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes (we use home canned, but diced or stewed would work great)
1/2 1-lb package kielbasa type sausage (I've used the whole package before, too)
1 bell pepper (I use frozen that I prepared this summer)
1 small onion
1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil
whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti
Saute the garlic, peppers and onions until crisp-tender, remove from pan. Slice the sausage into rounds or however you like it, warm that up in the same pan. Add veggies and tomatoes, heat through. We usually eat this over whole grain pasta, but I've made sandwiches as well by toasting rolls and then topping with the mixture and provolone or mozzarella and toasting them in the oven. The whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes and is yummy!
1 can (15 oz) tomatoes (we use home canned, but diced or stewed would work great)
1/2 1-lb package kielbasa type sausage (I've used the whole package before, too)
1 bell pepper (I use frozen that I prepared this summer)
1 small onion
1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic
olive oil
whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti
Saute the garlic, peppers and onions until crisp-tender, remove from pan. Slice the sausage into rounds or however you like it, warm that up in the same pan. Add veggies and tomatoes, heat through. We usually eat this over whole grain pasta, but I've made sandwiches as well by toasting rolls and then topping with the mixture and provolone or mozzarella and toasting them in the oven. The whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes and is yummy!
Tuesday, February 5
my beautiful momma
She is going to KILL me for putting up this particular photo, but I LOVE it!! I love seeing my parents so happy and laughing.
Today, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to the best-ever baker of cookies, the sweetest teacher, the huggiest lady, and I get to call her my momma.
Mom, you are an inspiration to so many. I love you and hope your birthday is the BEST.
Friday, February 1
new favorite cookies
I haven't baked cookies in months. Primarily because I am the only one in the house who eats them, and we all know it is not a good idea for one woman to eat an entire batch of cookies. In a week. Or two days.
Michael and I are cutting back on junk food, limiting our intake to once a week (usually Fridays). It's a whole lot easier when we stick to that plan at the grocery store, let me tell you. So Michael gets once a week nachos, and I get once a week sweets. It's not that bad, really. At least, it's a step in the right direction, and one we can easily live with.
So, I'm hoping it will be pretty easy to give away and share these whole wheat oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip creations. Not because I don't WANT to eat the entire batch...they are DELICIOUS!!! But I have plenty of opportunities to distribute cookies to others this weekend. Plus, I can more easily justify eating them due to the whole wheat aspect. And when I'm tempted to eat yet another delicious morsel, I remind myself of the sugar and fat element. And we have the classic struggle between taste buds and future fat cells.
Well, I enjoyed baking them, anyway! If you have cookie monsters in your house, these are a highly recommended addition to your repertoire! Happy Friday!
Michael and I are cutting back on junk food, limiting our intake to once a week (usually Fridays). It's a whole lot easier when we stick to that plan at the grocery store, let me tell you. So Michael gets once a week nachos, and I get once a week sweets. It's not that bad, really. At least, it's a step in the right direction, and one we can easily live with.
So, I'm hoping it will be pretty easy to give away and share these whole wheat oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip creations. Not because I don't WANT to eat the entire batch...they are DELICIOUS!!! But I have plenty of opportunities to distribute cookies to others this weekend. Plus, I can more easily justify eating them due to the whole wheat aspect. And when I'm tempted to eat yet another delicious morsel, I remind myself of the sugar and fat element. And we have the classic struggle between taste buds and future fat cells.
Well, I enjoyed baking them, anyway! If you have cookie monsters in your house, these are a highly recommended addition to your repertoire! Happy Friday!
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