Prestoncrest Shower

My talented friend Robin took these pics, aren't they great??

My SIL (almost, just 2 months to go!), niece Ashley, Mom, me, Sis Leah, and niece Joan


Hostesses, thank you soooo much!! Ashley, Amy, me, Liesl, Robin. Not pictured: Miranda, Mica, Kim, Stacy

Me and Jenn. She's having a boy in the spring. Buddies!!
Joan

Ashley

Bonnie's going to be a great little sister. She made a diaper cake!!!

Amy's like family. Plus she's not intimidated by my outspoken wild one. A couple shots for the scrapbook:

Hello Fall!

I have to capture this as the year I was glad fall came! I was born and raised in the DFW area, so my skin is thin. Summer cook outs, fresh cold fruits, cook outs, swim parties, fireworks, ahhh these are comforting events to me. With colder months usually came the bone chilling uncomfortableness that had me reaching for the nearest sweater or blanket at every opportunity and the battle to control the thermostat in the house. Thanks to the rise in internal body temperature this year, summer was not my friendly comfort as has been the case for years past. I'm however lunging in to baking, fall walks and the smell of spice and pumpkin. I'm looking forward to going to a football game that a friend of ours is coaching and enjoying the outdoors. Hot mug full of cocoa, decaf flavored coffee or what ever warm beverage catches my fancy that day. The only blip on the screen of fall comes with it flu season. Billy has just recovered from the swine variety. It was such a God thing for me to have already been on antibiotics for an unrelated viral infection so Matthew and I were able to avoid that sickness.

Ladies Bible Study started up and I'm very excited to hear other's thoughts and be able to share my own in person with a wonderful group of women about the book of Esther. I enjoy sharing my thoughts here, so I can revisit them later in print that may happen less often now that LBS has returned :-) Although yes, I cringe at times looking back, asking myself what I was thinking typing what I did. Anyway, there's something about women nodding in understanding and expanding with their own experiences that is irreplaceable. I enjoy finding what we women have in common and look forward to being transparent, growing from the different life experiences and opinions we bring to the table. So many thoughts already shared that warm my heart, encouraging my walk and obedience with the Lord. I know I will never be perfect and neither will anyone else be. I have encouragement knowing we are meant to run a race until we die. It's never about perfection from me or expecting it out of others. In that knowledge, I can hope to learn to love better.

The biggest event that fall brings this year in our home is our son. Tears spring to my eyes, believing with a Godly hope that everything goes smoothly so that in approximately 5 weeks we will welcome Matthew in to our lives.

Sewing Ideas

I'm an outwardly motivated crafter. I have found recently some great inspiration via blogs for gluten free cooking/ baking, scrapbooking and sewing. I can't get enough of baby blankets lately :-) This looks sooo adorable with the taggies on it!

Here's a few of my own creations lately:

These two are small what I call car seat blankets, since he'll be born just before it gets really cold. Well, cold for Texas.



Pillows are still a work in progress for me, but I'm sure Matthew won't mind!

Not very complicated projects, but that's how I build skills and confidence. My favorite baby project to do is the picture quilts which I enjoy incorporating the first year of life so it can't really be done until after that. The other blanket I'm very excited about is from my friend Amy W's mom. She made a blanket for her granddaughter, our sweet friend Rachel and she takes that sweet thing everywhere (nap, school, church). She offered to make one for our little guy and I quickly gathered fabric and I can't wait to see Matthew with his :-) Thank you Mrs H!

Here's the rug I'm working on for his room. The tan fabric is a large remnent from the uphostry project for the glider and the jeans were kindly donated. It will be durable, thick and completely machine washable for any mishaps that happen during tummy time! I haven't sewed the border on but you get the idea, the entire other side will be denim, squares I'm thinking. I also found great projects for the rest of the dissected jeans, unbaby related.



Oh and I'll throw this in for kicks. I did some easy pocket cafe curtains for his room out of remnant fabric from my SIL Teresa. It perfectly brings together all the colors of the nursery. The only down side is it's 10 inches too narrow for the window. I tried supplementing with panels, but I'm not happy with the result. I've looked at a couple of places for more of the striped material and can't locate. If this material looks familiar to anyone and you know where to find it, please shout , thanks!!

I'll Take it, Trust & Family

I'm so relieved THIS is the heart of God!!

Here comes a rambler.... Wait, why do I say that? So that in case this doesn't make sense or no one understands or receives it well I protect myself ahead of time? As the poster says by my computer.. "Be patient. God isn't finished with me yet"

I keep these thoughts about life vague which might be frustrating to protect people's privacy. It's not meant judgmentally or with poor intent or to gossip. It's my perspective of things going on around me and what I try to learn. I'll say I am both hurt and angered watching a beloved family member struggling. How do you teach someone to forgive themselves? How do you save someone from their own choices? They don't read my blog. When the ripple effect gets bigger hurting more people you love. I pray God uses all this to help this person do great work for Him when this person sees what's really going on.

I've been thinking about the matter of trust. A godly man who did our premarital counseling told Billy and I, it's not something you earn. You chose to give it. Everyone is going to let you down at some time or another. It's part of being human. We are selfish, greedy, vain, prideful, lazy people. We can chose to harden our hearts, make our walls so high no one can get close and never give the power to hurt out to anyone. We can find any number of reasons to withhold. I can see trust as a sort of bank, deposits consisting of being there, listening, coming through, encouraging words. Subtractions for letting down, hurting feelings, words of angry, acts of abandonment, words of condemnation and so on. Errgg wait, that sounds a whole lot like keeping record of wrongs and that's not love. Sounds logical as well, but too systematic and distant. I'm not suggesting to be a door mat either. We are called not to throw pearls to the swine. I think sometimes forgiveness is confused with reconciliation. In a new friendship trust is built slowly, sharing bits of my heart at a time increasing in vulnerability as they show they can handle my heart with integrity. My theory is the younger of an age anyone was that their trust was betrayed whether it was their parents or someone else in authority or that they held respect for, the more ingrained it is not to trust. Some personalities find trust easy and some very difficult. Who is the richer in spirit and heart? Who's showing the heart of Jesus? I know I'm cautious person who opens up slowly. Once someone has reciprocated and shows genuine respect, I'm a loyal person. I'm also human prone to doubts, hurt and feelings of rejection. Place on top of my humanity is the natural ebb and flow of being a woman with hormones. Complex creatures aren't we?

I pray to teach Matthew trust. I badly want to model that trait for him when we have messed up in regards to raising him. I want this for his own sense of peace, because I know Billy and I will need it from him and most importantly how ever will he accept the beautiful sacrifice Jesus has done if he never knows in his heart the feeling of both forgiving and being forgiven.

Family... whether by blood, marriage or faith is vitally important to us for support. We were never made to be isolated to ourselves, we were made for relationships. No matter if we are 6 or 60, we have a desire to be transparently known, accepted, especially wanted. These heart desires are present regardless of nationality, religion or culture. Yes, as grown up children, we form our own family units, but there's something about being around parents that transports me back in time to being a little girl. No matter how independent, far away geographically or the time in between communications, the heart's desire for a relationship with family exists. As I prepare to welcome my own son in to the world I wonder how his being born will change current family dynamics. The thing I don't want is to place the burden of my own childhood disappointments and hurts on to my tiny child's shoulders. He is not being born for my therapy. As the parent it's my responsibility, privilege and yes obligation to be there for my child. Not just for the 18 years he is under my roof, but for a life time. I want to be his biggest cheerleader, encourager, source of guidance and comfort. I'm not here though to look down on his mistakes or rescue him, but rather help him to learn from them. I'm not here to make all his decisions, but to show him how to trust his instincts by trusting God so he can be a confident adult. I'm not here only for the celebrations or the crisis but the common. I'm not wanting to just adore him as a baby and long for him to return ever after, I'm here to cheer every milestone, advance and growth until God calls one of us home. He's not here to live out my childhood dreams but for me to help him tap in to his God given gifts, talents and abilities to become the man God wants him to be.

The adage of always being mom or dad's little child is endearing and yet does it recognize the growth and respect the current stage of life? If a family feels a codependent needs to rescue, protect and never allow a child to feel the consequences of their actions; we are stunting their growth and conveying a lack of trust in their ability to recover, learn and grow from their mistakes. We also want to give our family the benefit of the doubt and know in our hearts they act out of the best love they can give even if it isn't our image of the perfect _____ (for example: father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son).

I was speaking with some girl friends yesterday about searching out a particular set of traits that my sister had when she was alive. Something in my psyche seeks that dynamic that was present for 31 years. Even though at times like all relationships it had it's moments of frustration, tension, irritation; somehow it became a comfort. The take charge older sibling with strong opinions, leadership and organization. This last week I was saddened that my newly formed family will have never known my sister. I have memories and I talk enough, they will have a sense of her :-)


Yes, there's 3 fragment sentences. If that's what you're focusing on, my blog must bug you :-)

http:turnbowpuzzle.blogspot.com

32 weeks & catch up

Here's us at 32 weeks. My weight gain is now 30 pounds and stomach size haven't changed much at all. August started the bi-weekly obgyn appointments. I actually ended up going every week due to failing the glucose test first time around ( passed the 3 hour follow up visit version thankfully) and an infection. They still aren't sure why my white cell count has been high for the last few weeks. They continue to send it in for testing weekly and find nothing majorly wrong. I began getting Charley horses and due to swelling grew out of my wedding ring. I'm currently sporting a substitute. I've been making more progress on the nursery when I have the energy. Several kind ladies have included me in their play dates and I'm staying caught up on my pregnancy scrapbook. I had a gluten issue at the beginning of the month, my dr said no harm to the baby as this was an isolated incident and not a normal occurrence.


Here are some of my favorite pics of the month in no particular order. (Power already went out once due to storms, so I'm rushing to get everything in to this post)

Niece Sydney
Sydney with her brother Kyle

Friends of Billy's from college
Girl's day out. Lunch and mani/ pedi's

Favorite pic so far of the pregnancy, thank you Katy!!


Hot air balloons, so bright and beautiful!

Women of Faith, sooooo needed!


Liked this article, so I'm sharing and saving it for reference:

Tips

Follow these TIPS to create effective boundaries and inspire cooperative behavior in your household…

Lean on the 3C’s (Clarity, Consistency and Commitment) when setting and enforcing boundaries. In the midst of today’s busy lifestyle, practicing the 3C’s at home is daunting task in itself. It requires real effort by parents to figure out what is important to them, decide which behaviors require concrete structure, and enforce the rules even when they cause inconvenience to themselves.

What many parents don’t realize is how much more satisfying and enjoyable family life can be after the initial investment of time and effort required to establish the 3C’s. Once children know that boundaries are firm, with real and predictable consequences tied to them, the practice of testing those boundaries becomes frustrating for a child. As living within the rules becomes routine, the tension surrounding those “sore spots” fades away.

Listen and understand. Don’t jump to conclusions. Recurring stress in any relationship causes defensiveness. Human tendency is to hear words under such tense circumstances, then interpret them to support their existing defensive stance. In other words, true listening stops and word-twisting inadvertently becomes the norm.

Kids are especially prone to such behavior, but it is harder for them to recognize this situation. Therefore, the burden is put on parents to break the cycle and actively listen; to ask questions and ensure understanding; to make amends before emotional barriers become too high.

This is especially important when setting boundaries and resolving important issues, as any miscommunication or lack of understanding can lead to “band-aid” solutions that may temporarily ease the pain, but never truly fix the problem.

Focus on cleaning up a few big issues, rather than fixing all the small ones. The old adage “Rome wasn’t built in a day” has never been so true. Trying to fix all family problems in one fell swoop is essentially conceding defeat. In order to make sustainable improvement, families must identify the biggest sources of tension and fix those first. Once the biggies are out of the way, emotions subside, healthier routines develop, and families can refocus their efforts on the next wave of problems slated for repair.

Plan fun activities that everyone in the family can enjoy together. As the world turns and people evolve, sometimes family members forget how to enjoy each other company. They grow bored with favorite shared activities and never replace them. Once this happens, laughs are harder to come by and bonds become more strained.

Find activities to share a family unit, as well as individually with each member. When out shopping (i.e. shoes at a sporting goods store), keep your eyes pealed for something fun (i.e. bocce set) and bring it home to enjoy with your loved ones. Worst case, it bombs and you’re out a few bucks. Best case, you find a shared pastime to fill in until you find the next one.

Focus on improvement…not perfection. If life were about perfection, we’d all be doomed to bitter failure. Don’t expect it from yourself or those around you. Doing so will lead to certain disappointment. Make a commitment to gradually improve. Establish the family infrastructure (i.e. 3C’s) and communication patterns to start the ball rolling up hill. Then enjoy the continued progress you see in yourself and those around you. Remember, life is sweeter when your look forward.

Be Still

When am I still? When my thoughts force me to do so. That's also when I write. That's when I'm open to God working on my heart. I allow his desire from Psalm 139

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

What's better is He already does in case my stubborn heart is resisting:

¹ O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

What leads me to slow down, feel and think today is my sister's birthday. She was born on 9/9/70 at 9 something in the morning weighing 9 pounds, 9 ounces. I can't make this stuff up. She would have liked celebrating her 39th birthday on 9/9/09. I didn't ever understand friend's whose relatives had passed away how it could effect them so many years afterwards until I experienced it myself. It's been 5 years. With the passing of time comes the feeling of both distance and moving forward conflicting with the desire to have time stand still or better yet go backwards. It's like faith in a way, if you don't have it, it's hard to explain what it means in my heart. If you do, there's no explanation necessary. So, if you don't understand, that's all right. No one needs to feel they have all the answers, since none of us does. All of this is happening for the benefit and the love of an audience of One. He understands the sadness in everyone's hearts who knew my sister and that's enough.

^{Matthew 6: 33}But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Substitution

I am due on a few updates for August pics as well as our monthly update, but sitting here very long is uncomfortable. I also have had in mind thoughts on trust and family that I'm trying to understand and apply..

I will share this for now as it really resonated with me. I know I substitute. Here's the portion that touched me in case the link doesn't work:

Howard Hendricks, distinguished professor at Dallas Theological Seminary writes, "Interpretation without application is abortion of God's Word." He goes on to highlight 4 "substitutions" that we may be tempted to make:

1. We substitute interpretation for application.
Disciples feel that if they understand a passage, they have mastered its content.

2. We substitute superficial obedience for substantive life-change.
Disciples come to believe that if they begin to apply the scripture or demonstrate a life which may only hint at intended change, they have accomplished the intent of a text.

3. We substitute rationalization for repentance.
Namely, we explain away our sin, our complacency, our refusal to be more than mere hearers of the Word. We give excuses as to why a text doesn't exactly apply to us.

4. We substitute emotional experience for a volitional decision.
Our excitement about a text or our passion about its implication becomes the end result of our study. While we might be emotionally captivated by spiritual truth, we are nonetheless unchanged.

True application is a change in our lives: a change in what we believe, in what we feel or in how we live. The Bible is designed to transform our mind, our heart and our behavior. So, once we discover what a text means to the original audience, we must decide what implication it has for us personally. The following is a list of questions to ask as we work to apply God's Word:

1. Is there an example for me to follow?
2. Is there a sin to avoid?
3. Is there a promise to claim?
4. Is there a prayer to repeat?
5. Is there a condition to meet?
6. Is there a verse to memorize?
7. Is there an error to note?
8. Is there a challenge to face?

Today, you might print this list and tuck it inside your Bible as a reminder to not only be hearers of the Word, but doers as well. I pray that your study of the Scriptures yields great fruit for life transformation.