Posts Tagged ‘I am loved’
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We only have five more days in Iowa. Yesterday was the first day that everyone was health {or relatively enough to have outside contact}, so we did a lot. And in the craziness of everything, two amazing things happened:
1. We found renters for our house! Praise God! After several postings on Craigslist, with no response, we finally had a couple contact us for a showing. They are moving into the area for work and just fell in love with the house {who could blame them?!?}. They signed the lease yesterday – the same day we gave them a tour. It all happened in four hours! Whew. Talk about a whirlwind.
2. My sweet and dear friend, Leah, gave me this:
"Would you look at that? Would you look at THAT? Holy smokes. Do... Do you know what this is? This is... A lamp!"
While my version is a night light, it is perhaps the coolest Christmas gift I have ever received. I love it. And owning it now allows me to cross off #27 of my 30 Before 30 – Own a Leg Lamp. Thanks again, Leah!
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Our family is packing up our house for a big move to Texas. We leave next Wednesday, so we are working hard to get everything squared away in time. Thankfully, a lot gets done when Jonathan is at home and we can work together. But, I’ve still found that there are some lessons we’ve learned NOT to do when packing up your entire house.
1. Pack up all your toys – While it might seem like a great idea to clean up the toy room, it’s dangerous territory when your two toddlers have nothing to play with.
2. Pack up all your medicine – Sure, you haven’t been sick in months, so why do you need 3 bottles of NyQuil? Trust me on this – packing up all your medicine is like asking to get sick.
3. Have your oldest get pink eye – See #2. Told you I was asking for it.
4. Have your youngest get pink eye – Could I really expect her not to get it, since big sister is all she has left to play with {see #1}?
5. Get sick yourself – See #2 and #3 and #4.
6. Start The 30 Day Shred – I blame this fully on Alicia’s amazing results. Once I saw her before and after pictures, I went out that afternoon and bought 30 Day Shred. I’m on day 5. And I’m really, really sore.
7. Volunteer for anything – I volunteer for things before I even think. It’s a good habit that comes at bad times. Thankfully all my friends are gracious enough to overlook when I back out of my responsibilities at the last minute {Sorry friends!}.
8. Be hard on yourself – Let’s just say I haven’t been the greenest human lately. Or the most time conscious. Or the most loving. Or the most hygiene prone. Or anything else I strive for.
9. Be overly hard on your kids – Moving is hard for kids. They don’t fully understand what’s going on. And while it’s frustrating to explain for the fourteenth billion time what it means to “pack” I need to cut the girls some slack.
10. Not ask for help – I’m blessed with friends just waiting to help us. And I take advantage of it when I can/need. And that means thankfully I have dinner provided for us every night this week. Can you say awesome? {Thanks friends!}
What are some of your packing tips? Any crazy stories of packing with little ones?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
- In: Life
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“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-30 {The Message}
In February I took on a personal challenge to pray daily for an entire month for my younger brother, Fletcher. February turned to March and I kept praying. Then I prayed through the spring and summer. It’s October and I’m still praying. My constant prayer is that Fletcher would lay his life before the Lord and be saved by grace.
About three weeks ago Fletcher called me. Said he need to talk to me about some trouble he was facing, some hardships that happened. About half way through our conversation, Fletcher said “Sis, I’ve realized I can’t do this on my own. I need Christ.” I asked him what that meant. He said he was ready to lay his life before God; to surrender his life in return for a relationship with God. I wept. Literally. I stood in my kitchen and cried sweet, sweet tears.
Let me bold. Let me tell you, Christ died for your sins. He died to put you in right standing with God. He died because He loves you.
Christ wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to have a relationship with me. He loves us. He wants to “recover your life”. He wants to give us “real rest.” Recovery from our sins, from our hurts, from our pain. Rest in Him. Rest in the grace He gives, the mercy He brings, the love He covers with.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
Cry Baby Cry
Posted on: September 22, 2010
- In: Life
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Have I ever mentioned that Hannah is a mama’s girl? Never content to be next to me, she needs to be on me {or being held}. For the most part I love it. But let’s be honest, when you can’t set her down to go to the bathroom all day long it gets a little tiresome. We have been working with her, getting her to be around other people without crying. With our friends that she sees often she does fairly well {or maybe not and they are just being kind!}. But if I am in the room and she can’t be with me, this is usually the result:
Look at that sad face!
And that’s when she’s with Daddy and Julia. I’d hate to see her with a stranger!
I know she will out grow this stage. I remind myself of that when the frustration sets in. It’s a sweet time in our relationship and I am learning to love it completely {even if that means I only get to pee when she’s asleep}.
And the Results are in!
Posted on: September 15, 2010
- In: Life
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After yesterday’s post on my ten choices for New York, I’m seriously considered having you all pick my clothes for me each week. Thanks for all the great input! I thought either 1) people wouldn’t really give much opinion or 2) people would think this was the craziest post I’ve ever had. {But then I remembered I just wrote about composting toilets and reusable toilet paper, so I’m in the clear for covering crazy posts!}
I’ve decided to take all the clothes with me {plus a few more “plain” tops – as I do tend to overpack}. However, for sure I’ve decided to wear #4, #7 and #9. I added a few cardigans per layer suggestions and made sure my comfy flats were packed next to my amazing {but not so great for long walks} heels. I will also be adding this number {sans bike and possibly a different scarf}:
Thanks again ladies for all the input {and super sweet words!}. I will be sure to take lots of pictures to post next week!
- In: Life
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Those were Jonathan’s words to me this weekend when I started stressing about my trip this weekend to New York. Did I tell you I was going to New York? Well, I am. And I cannot wait. Lots of plans have been made {including a bus tour of the city and a trip to Brooklyn for some pizza} and a wonderful time will be had. Yet, insecure Sarah has a slight nagging.
Will I stick out?
Will I look New York cool {’cause there is a difference from Iowa cool to New York cool}?
Will all my hip New York friends think I’m lame?
{Have I mentioned I’m still in junior high?}
As I was going through my “Will I” list, Jon stopped me and said “All you have to worry about is your purse.” He went on to say that for the 72 hours that I am gone, all I need to worry about is having my purse. Don’t worry about naptimes. Don’t worry about training. Don’t worry about sticking out. Don’t worry about being lame. Just relax and enjoy being away.
Come Thursday night my only care will be having my purse – and getting a taxi from the airport to Manhattan.
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We had an amazing Labor Day weekend. While it was all happening, I couldn’t tell you what made it so great {maybe that the girls slept in, or that we had an extra family day}. But looking back now, I can tell you the top ten highlights from the last three days:
1. The Weather – Nothing puts me in a better mood than cool{er} weather. I am not a fan of summer weather. So each year when fall begins to cool things down, I am like a walking musical. It’s nothing but sunshine and roses {or is that cool breezes and fall leaves?}.
2. Hosting a BBQ – Jonathan and I decided to host a BBQ on Friday night. I emailed some friends and before I knew it, there were 15 adults and 12 kids partying in our backyard. Total bliss.
3. Apple Orchard Visit – There is a local orchard that I just love. Since the weather was so perfect, we decided to spend Saturday morning at the orchard. Hannah was more than thrilled with the all-you-can-eat apple policy.
4. Caramel Apples – You can’t visit an apple orchard without buying a caramel apple. Yumminess on a stick.
5. Pedicure – I went for pedicures with Leah and Rachel. It was my first time going and a great girls time out.
6. Family Bike Ride – Saturday evening we decided to ride into Iowa City for dinner. We biked about 4 miles to The Mill and had their Big Nachos. On the way home we stopped by my former boss’s house {who we’ve stayed in contact with since Julia was born} and enjoyed a lovely chat.
7. Watching The Family Stone – Have you seen The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker and Luke Wilson? If not, it is such a cute movie {especially around the holidays}.
8. Coffee on the Porch – We hosted house church on Sunday and sat on the porch talking about God’s awesomeness and drinking coffee. Beautiful.
9. Playtime at the Mall – Monday morning we spent family time at the play gym in the mall. Jonathan bought me my first pumpkin spice latte of the season. The girls enjoyed running around crazy, while Jon got a little work done.
10. Attending a BBQ – We started the weekend off with good food and good friends, so what better than to end the weekend with good food and good friends. There were a few more adults and kids this time around and much fun was had by all.
I don’t recall Labor Day being this much fun, but I’m hoping it’s a tread for the future.
What about you? How was your Labor Day weekend?
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
My New at Home Getaway
Posted on: August 23, 2010
- In: Life
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For the last couple of months, I’ve been daydreaming about having a mother’s corner. Just a little nook all to myself for reading, sewing, relaxing. Jonathan and I agreed that the best spot in the house would be the laundry room. It gets the least traffic {especially from the Windhamettes}, is rather large and has a door for more privacy. The only draw back is that it looks like this:
Not exactly what you would call homey and inviting. But Jonathan said with some paint and rearranging, he could make me the best mother’s corner possible. And about 6 hours later, this is what we had:
The laundry area
My sitting area
We painted the floor and started on the walls {mostly focused on my corner so that it would be completed first}. And if you couldn’t tell the amazing difference just of the floor, I’ll show you:
Before
After
Amazing, right?! Just one more reason my husband rocks. Rather than relaxing on his well earned day off, he works all day just to create an area for me to relax. Seriously, he is always this awesome.
The beauty of morning
Posted on: August 18, 2010
- In: Life
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Thanks to my loving husband {who picked up on my not-so-subtle hint}, I get to see these when I first wake up every morning:
The best part? I didn’t get them for our anniversary. I got them just because. Just because means a whole lot more. They make my mornings just a little brighter and sunnier.
I love you, Jonathan. You are the best.
Anniversary Extravaganza 2010!
Posted on: August 9, 2010
- In: Life
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Jon and I went to Minneapolis this weekend to celebrate our five year anniversary {July 30}. We had a wonderful time {made even more relaxing knowing our girls were well taken care of – Thanks Abdos!}. I have a confession: We didn’t take as many pictures as I {pr maybe even you} might have expected. From the moment we arrived in Minneapolis, all responsibility, even photo taking, went out the window.
We started the weekend off by driving this:
2010 Chevy Camaro – Awesomeness
We stayed on the 16th floor of the Marquette in downtown. We love tall buildings and lots of crowds, so we were delighted with our view:
Minneapolis reminded us a lot of Austin. Which in of itself made us love the city. One of the coolest things we came across was public bicycles. Minneapolis has this bike rental program called Nice Ride. The idea is to rent bike for a day, month or even a year, then when you are done riding, return it. There were return kiosks all over downtown, so finding and returning the bikes were quite easy. I loved it. Although, there were times {say 5 o’clock traffic} that I was less than confident riding on the streets. But, Minneapolis is incredibly bike friendly, so after the first few minutes I realized most drivers were use to having cyclists riding along side them {not something I can say is as true here} and I stopped worry so much and went with the flow.
Our three main goals of the trip were 1) sleep in, 2) eat at a really nice restaurant, 3) plan nothing. That last one was easy. Aside from our couple’s massage on Saturday {which was as nice as it sounds} we made no plans. And while I doubted I’d be able to sleep in, I actually did. I woke up at 6:30 on Saturday, went back to bed and then got up for the day at 7:30. However, Sunday morning I slept till 8:30. I couldn’t recall sleeping that late since Julia was born. Talk about a nice way to start off your Sunday!
As for eating at a nice restaurant, we had dinner Saturday night at 112 Eatery. The atmosphere was a little louder and less romantic than I had originally wanted, but rather than sitting across for one another, Jon and I sat side by side, which actually made it more romantic. And the food? It was worth every penny. We had scallops with mushrooms, a pasta with lamb sauce and this amazing green bean and feta side dish. Oy! It was so good, I dreamed about it that night!
Here we are all dressed up for our night out:
We got home on Sunday night around 8. The Abdos weren’t home from church yet, so we were able to unpack our bags before getting the girls. I’ll admit – I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be “ready” to start being mama again. Even as we pulled into town, I kept thinking “I don’t want to go back to reality just yet”. But when we saw the Windhamettes for the first time, I was thrilled. Hannah caught us through the window and just stared in puzzlement. Once she figured out what was going on, she just started laughing. It was really sweet and made me glad to be home.
And now, as our week has started and life moves on, I can look back at a wonderful time spent alone with Jonathan and rejoice in God’s blessing in our marriage.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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