Sewing and Sowing

One of the things I’ve always wanted to be was a “Crafty Mom”.  So one of my first steps towards that is learning how to make the draperies for Charlotte’s nursery.  With the guidance of my mom, I’ve really made a lot of progress.

But this is taking a lot longer than I thought it would.  From the measuring, to the cutting, to the ironing, to the hand stitching… its a lot of work.  There have been several times during this process that I’ve wondered whether or not it was really worth just buying them already made.  And while there is the monetary savings to consider (it is so much cheaper to do it yourself than pay for pre-made curtains), the time commitment is slightly insane.  However, there are too many things that I’d be missing out on if I had just bought them from a store.  First, would be the $100+ dollars I’d be missing!! Second, I wouldn’t be able to say that I had done it; I wouldn’t have that accomplishment.  I would miss all this time I’m able to spend with my mom.  And I would miss out on being able to tell Charlotte that I had done this for her.

I think so many times we take the “short cut” in life.  We just get the store bought version of something instead of taking time to really make something.  And this is especially true with relationships.  They can be messy, challenging, and very time consuming.  But if you try to take the short cut “just add water” approach to a relationship, you’ll never really get the deeper sense of accomplishment that comes with a true friendship.  You’ll have a superficial version that looks great from the outside, but it won’t have any meaning.

And how many of us do this with our relationships with unsaved people?  We want to say “Hi, Jesus loves you, do you want to become a Christian?” and hope that they respond accordingly.  But we don’t want to take the time to build a friendship with them before we “pop the question”.  If we take the time to sow genuine care and love into thier lives, then the rewards are far greater than the sacrifices.

Who in our lives do we need to “sew” a better relationship with?

once in a lifetime

Today is nursery day.  Jamie and I are preparing Charlotte’s room today (with the help of the grandmas!).  While Jamie and the moms were painting, I was doing some projects of my own.  Check them out …

And this is probably one of the only times in my life when I will think that this is adorable…

Yupp, that is Charlotte’s first load of laundry.  awwww!  The nursery should be done soon, and when it is, you know I’ll be uploading pictures

oh the joy

so today was a good day. we went to the doctor today for the 28 week check up, the last of the 4-week visits (we are going every 2 weeks now!!!).  they stole my blood, i hate that part, and left me with a nice little bruise as a souvenir.  but we also had an ultrasound today… i love those   we got to see our baby girl again, and yes, we confirmed that Charlotte is still a girl (good thing b/c we paint her room pink tomorrow!).  We got to see her little feet and hands and legs … and the doctor made the “hello captain obvious” remark of the day when she told me that Charlotte is very active … duh, i could have told you that.  but we also got to see her little face … how sweet! hehe, she had her hand up on her forehead in the typical “drama queen” fashion, it was wonderful.  she is now 2 pounds 10 ounces, which apparently is ‘average’.  I’m still hoping that she won’t get much bigger than 6.5 pounds… but we’ll see.  she’s still on target for her July 10th due date, and everything was a great report.  i couldn’t be happier

but the day just got better. after an always awesome lunch at Falls River Smokehouse, we went and picked out the paint colors.  So Jamie gathered the painting supplies, and my mom and i went to find fabric for the curtains.  in the first store we went to, i found the exact pattern i’ve been looking for, and it was stupid cheap per yard, so i bought it on the spot!  then we went to Michael’s craft store to get some crafty projects for me to do tomorrow (like the super sweet little step stool i’m making tomorrow while everyone else is painting the nursery).  it was such a great day. i love days like this!

well i feel bad now…

so jamie and i are continuing our quest to see every episode of lost.  We are about half way through season two.  and i posted earlier that i hoped the blonde girl, shannon, got eaten by a polar bear … but now i feel bad.  she was just misunderstood.  all she wanted was for someone to believe in her, and when she finally found someone who really did believe in her, what happens … well, if you haven’t seen the show, i wont ruin it for you.  if you have seen the show, you know what i’m talking about.

but in every show you must dislike at least one character, and that character for me now is Anna Lucia.  I just don’t like her.  But i’m sure they’ll reveal something in her background that will make me dislike her a little less … but for now, she is the one.

I’m sure there is some kind of lesson in all of this.  something about not judging people before you know where they come from.  i think kelsie blogged about that the other day … its all about perspective.  what is a moody irritable chick to one person, when viewed from a better perspective is a hurt individual just trying to salvage what is left of a broken heart.  … sigh, i’m already disliking anna lucia a little less.  oh well, i still have “the others” to dislike in this show, and i really can’t see any redeeming quality to a group of people who sneak around the jungle stealing people… so there, they are my protagonist (is that the right word? or is it antagonist … i can’t remember, which ever one is the bad guy is the word i’m searching for)

5 more minutes, please

our vacation started today. so you think i’d be sleepiing in … but no. Its 9:15am and I’m awake. Why, you ask? because I’m too hungry to sleep. i guess i should get used to this waking up early to feed the kid thing … but it will be nice when she’s old enough to get up and make her own breakfast so mommie can sleep. but that’s a long way off, so i guess i should just suck it up. well, i should go… even as i type this she is kicking the laptop in protest …

more vacation updates to come!

Let the Games Begin!

Jamie and Charlotte played their first game last night … at mommie’s expense of course.

Charlotte likes to push off things, so if I’m at my desk, she’ll push against the table. Or if I’m laying down on my side, she pushes against the bed … kind of like she’s jumping on it. So Jamie was amused that he could see my belly jumping as she jumped on the bed. So he poked the top side of my belly, and she jumped and pushed back. … And thus the game began. Poke – Jump – Poke – Jump. This went on for about 15 minutes. So think of it this way, she is now about 3lbs and almost 15 inches long … and she’s JUMPING inside my tummy. Fun.

Well, I’m glad they had some father-daughter bonding … even if it was at the expense of my other internal organs.

Home from Africa!

My sister-in-law Brittany is on her way home! She’s been in Africa for the past few months with her job, doing whatever it is her job has her do. (we don’t talk about it much … i think it could be one of those, if i tell you i have to kill you, kind of things … and i’m only sorta joking…)

Anyways … she is on her way home right now! She is stopping in Germany for some meetings, then will be back in America in a matter of days!

Welcome Home Brittany!!

My “Ah-Ha” Moment

This past Sunday night, we had Angela Courte minister at the church.

If you weren’t there … you seriously missed it! It was awesome.  Most people don’t know how much I really love music.  Ever since I was little, I loved singing.  After high school, I never really did much with it though.  As I watched Angela sing, play, and worship, I really got a deep longing to “be that”.  I want my kids to look back on their childhood and remember the songs we sang, like you see in movies. I want them to hear a song that I sang for them, and be comforted.  I don’t want to be a praise & worship leader, by any means … but to be able to share what God has given me would be so great.  I remember last night thinking, “God I want to be able to do what she is doing”.  Then I heard very clearly, “Yet you don’t do anything with what I’ve already given you.”  I’ve always wanted voice lessons, piano lessons, guitar lessons, violin lessons, etc … and I guess I’ve been using that as an excuse.  So when I reminded God that I really wanted to do those things, He reminded me that I’m not even being faithful with the little natural ability He’s already given me.

I know that the Bible says that you have to be faithful with little before you can be trusted to be faithful with much.  And so maybe thats why I haven’t ever progressed any further with my musical interests.  It is so silly, but Jamie will ask me to sing for him, and I get too embarrassed.  In high school, I was actually thankful to get strep so that I could get out of the solo I had competed for!  I don’t know why I do that … I guess I could psychoanalyze it back to something in my childhood, maybe I wasn’t encouraged enough, maybe I was told I was too loud, whatever.  But either way, if I ever want to actually embody the vision I have, I have to be faithful with what I have now … not wait for what could happen “if only”.  … but don’t start asking me to sing for you, because I probably won’t.  [smile].  This could take a while …

The end of the beginning of the end of the beginning.

Charlotte Elizabeth is now 27.5 weeks old. On Tuesday she will be 28 weeks old … which puts us into the third trimester. Time has gone by so fast. All the things I thought I had plenty of time to do … I’m now trying to cram in! Like packing my hospital bag, preparing the nursery, reading every parenting book I can find, … just figuring out what the heck I’m supposed to be doing!! I never really thought time was going to go this fast! At the beginning it seemed like time was crawling … but now it just won’t stop! I have about 7-8 weeks left at work, and 4 weeks of being home before her due date … can I get it all done??

You can’t help but smile :)