Pictures of precious.

Just  a few pictures from my cell since i don’t have my camera cord. Tons more next week…and better quality. I must say though, she’s even more gorgeous in person – and I’m not being biased!

Casey’s much more sore today, but she’s so incredibly strong. Amazingly strong. Her daughter definitely got that trait too. Cate can hold her head up on her own for a bit. She’s a sturdy baby, and we’re so blessed to have her!

My niece is here!

After a very nerve-racking and scary night full of praying, both mom and baby are happy and healthy! Casey had to have an emergency c-section this morning at 7 and shortly after it started, baby Cate Lorraine entered this world to say hi! And let me tell you – she is absolutely beautiful! Pictures just don’t do her justice. She’s gorgeous!

I may be MIA on this blog b/c of poor internet connection, but plenty of pictures will be taken to share. I’ll be here until Thursday {good luck Eugene & Espn!}

I’m in love with my niece!

Much love & so much thanks for all who prayed for the safety of Casey & Cate. God is so good!

A little disappointed, and a lot confused.

First, and most important, Happy Birthday to my sister! I love you & I’m so glad you were born today 29 years ago! Maybe your little girl will be born today as a gift to you on your birthday. :)

***

Ok, on to explain the title of this post. On Monday, two different people said “Be still and know that I am God.” I’m trying my hardest to have patience right now. Trying to be still. Trying to rest in the fact that I know He is God.

We’re still waiting to hear if Eugene will get the job offer, and yesterday, we were told that the sellers of the house aren’t going to accept our offer. {Stink!} We prayed that God would shut the door if it wasn’t the direction He wanted us to head, so, the door is shut. Now, I’m just a bit {or a ton} confused about what our next step should be. Which way should we turn? No clue. God’s been so hit-me-over-the-head-with-it obvious for us this past year, so right now, I’m just a little confused. I’m not being hit with anything. Well, guess that leaves me to be still. Be patient. And rest in what I do know.

I read this on a blog this morning, and it’s exactly what I’m feeling {especially the parts I made bold}:

My own body is fighting off a cold and my mind is fighting off anxiety. My spirit has been sweetly redeemed by Jesus, but my mind still hasn’t caught up. And so I set it on truth, over and again. In some ways it has taken hold; in other ways I’m still waiting.

Sometimes I fight the rhythm of this God-breathed life. I try to force it smooth and shiny even though I should know better than that by now. I wheeze and cough my way through it, struggling against the tempo He has set. Today, I choose to receive His way of things, to breathe in this day as from His hand. It is really the only way to peace."

On a completely different topic, this week has been cooler weather. I made turkey noodle soup, just because it sounded comforting. After Thanksgiving, or whenever we have a turkey, my dad and I {mainly my dad} boil the turkey that’s left over {bones and everything} down for a few hours. It leaves us with a great broth & the meat falls off the bone. So then we freeze ziplock bags of broth and pulled turkey meat. It’s perfect for cool days when you want soup without the work of cooking the turkey. You can basically put whatever veggies you’re feeling into the soup. Oh, and these noodles are a must!

Turkey Noodle Soup

1 quart bag of turkey meat & broth {you could just use shredded turkey and broth if you don’t have this in your freezer}

1 1/2 cups of peas {I never measure, remember}

1 cup of corn

1/2 package of froze Reames noodles {these are AMAZING…just like homemade!}

Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

1-2 carrots, diced

Thaw the frozen turkey meat and broth, then bring it to a boil on your stove. Add your carrots and seasonings, if you want them. Allow it to boil for a bit {maybe 20 minutes or so?} Add the frozen noodles, and continue to gently boil it until the noodles are tender {taste one and see if you can bite it and it’s not gross!} Mine took about 25 minutes. With about 10 or so minutes left, add your peas and corn.

Serve it up with some crackers or fresh bread. Perfectly soothing!

 

See for yourself.

Good news – I know you were worried – I found my cord to transfer pictures. Lots o’ pictures. Just warning ya.

Like I mentioned yesterday, we went to my parents for dinner Saturday. We always take the pup with us because he loves the 40 acres they have and the fact that there’s no need for him to be on a leash. He loves it {so much!} Eugene forgot something inside before we left, so Espn jumped on the opportunity to fill the driver’s seat.

This is why we love taking him there…he sleeps {we’re talking the twitching & snoring sleep} from the time we get in the car to go home until the morning. Eugene was grading papers, so Espn became an Inbox {and the weirdo picked my purse for a pillow!}

Just a few more examples of the glorious zzz’s he enjoys following the trip to the ‘rents.

Here’s pictures of my big 24 day. My amazing husby made me breakfast. Delish.

And I was serenaded by our Sunday School Kindergarten class for my birthday. {Love it!}

Gotta love Eugene’s determination with the glue in this one. He’s so not crafty! I love how amazing he is with children. Yes, our class is all Kindergarten, they just happen to be all boys. ;) Fun stuff!

 

Me with the pup & my husband after church.

 

He’s getting a bit big for this, I think.

On a different note, Eugene said his interview yesterday went well he thought. We hope to know an answer by the end of this week. And on the house front, it’s not looking like we’ll be getting it, but that’s okay. We asked God to close the door if it was not a good thing for us – so we’ll keep on keepin on.

 

Birthday weekend.

No baby yet.

I had a nice weekend. My event Friday evening was successful {which is a good thing since it was a vip event.} I worked until 11:30 PM or so, pretty much taking up my Friday.

Saturday, I went grocery shopping {ugh}, and I was treated to lunch with my sista-in-law, Heidi, at Tim Horton’s. She won the roll the cup prize thingy and scored $100 at Tim’s. I can’t believe she’s already going to be 15. Crazy. I’m so thankful I’ve had the privilege of watching her grow and mature. I met her when she was only about 8. Such a blessing to have her for my friend. Saturday evening we were spoiled with my dad’s Stromboli. So amazingly good.

Sunday was my birthday. I really don’t like my birthday. Just seems like a let down. But oh well. Eugene made me breakfast before church & then our usual tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch. We laid in bed for 2 hours in the middle of the afternoon just sleeping and resting. It was so out of character for me, but I loved it.

I went out to eat with the Wade ladies dinner at Mimi’s Cafe. {The women on Eugene’s mom’s side of the family.} It was lovely, and they were so kind to buy my meal!  I’m thankful for the beautiful Godly women they are.

*I have pictures – just no cord to transfer them. I’ll  put them up tomorrow.

Maybe today is the day.

Every day this week when I wake up, I roll over and look at Eugene and think, “maybe today is the day.” We’re waiting for him to be called down to interview with the principal, and we’re waiting for him to get the job offer for next school year. Maybe today is the day. That’d make for a happy Friday for sure!

Last night I coached my last volleyball session. Only four girls showed up, but it was nice to get to really focus on them and give them immediate one-on-one feedback. I’ve really enjoyed being around volleyball again. It was such a huge part of my life for so many years that it just feels like I’m home when I’m around the sport. Miss that feeling of being stress-free, outside-life-free, just think volleyball and nothing else matters for 2 hours of practice. You’re allowed, it’s expected, to leave everything – all your worries, drama, stress – at the door before you walk in the gym. I miss that release terribly.

Just for kicks, here’s a pic from my college heydays.

This was taken during our game vs. Juniata. We were ranked #2 in the Nation and they were ranked #1. Needlesstosay, we beasted it. Winners. My best game. Quite possibly my favorite experience.

Last night, we met with our realtor and wrote an offer on the house. They should get the offer today, and they have to respond by Sunday. I doubt they’ll accept our first offer, but we’ll see where God takes us with it.

And this morning, my weirdo pup decided that a yard we always walk by seemed like the perfect place to roll over and rub his back all over the grass. He’s never even paid any attention to this yard before. Weirdo.

I have a big event to work tonight, an annual Chamber of Commerce dinner and auction in Urbana. Late night, but at least I’m not working on Saturday.

Should be an interesting weekend. Tons of big stuff going on in our lives!

Fasting & praying.

Oh it’s a day of fasting and praying. I’m re-reading this scripture lots today:

Philippians 4:4-23 (The Message)

^4-5Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
^6-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
^8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Still no baby yet. One step further with the house process. God is faithful. He will provide and He will follow through. I just need to keep remembering this.



Yesterday evening was spent with my best friend, Libby, and her husband and Eugene. We were treated to grilled burgers, baked beans, salsa dip, fresh fruit, and a trip to Young’s for ice cream. Perfect. Oh, how it made me wish it were summer and we were all still in high school!

I’m so thankful for good friends – definitely my wondrous thing yesterday. 

And today I got a super nice phone call from Maria, another friend of mine from where I used to work. She said such encouraging words. Yet another wondrous thing.

So waiting, praying, fasting, listening, trusting, and deciding. Lots going on!

DIY Wall Decor – Paint Chip Art

A bit ago, I saw online a few bloggers were making art/wall decor using the samples of paint colors that you can get at the store. The same day, I found a great deal at Big Lots for a very large frame with ugly art inside. So I tried to think creatively and cheaply and decide to take a shot at it myself. I didn’t do a very good job at taking step-by-step photos, but oh well…it’s clearly not rocket science since I was able to figure it out on my own.

The flowers and lacey silk didn’t quite match my style.


But $15.00 for this huge frame was a great deal {in my opinion!}
The first step, which was harder than I expected, was to remove the glass and backing from the frame so I could spray paint it.

I’m not a gold person in general, so I decided to transform it with blackish color. I splurged and didn’t go with my usual 99 cents Walmart black spray paint and, on my goodness, it makes a HUGE difference! The paint was way easier to use and took much less to cover and looked tons better. I used Krylon’s Oil Rubbed Bronze paint, very inexpensive at Walmart (like around $3).

A few coats later, my frame looked beautiful with tiny bronze specks catching the light. {Loved the color!} I then stole freely sampled paint chips from the store in the maroon, red, brown families. They’re free & there for the taking, so I really feel no guilt. {Is that bad?!} I cut the chips into 1 inch x 1 inch squares, which took FOREVER. No, really it wasn’t that bad, honestly. I used a cardboard template for the first 20 or so, then gave up and decided I didn’t care if they were all uniform in size.

 




















From there, I just used good old Elmer’s glue and placed them on the lovely floral picture up to where the edges of the mat would go. I didn’t place them in any order; I just tried to avoid having the same color next to itself in many place. Easy enough. {Sorry for the bad glare in the pictures below…I’ll post a better picture when I find a place to hang it.} 




I like the end result, but I think I probably should have been a bit more careful about making sure none of the background showed through. Oh well, 20/20 hindsight. {Good thing I’m not too much of a perfectionist!} I haven’t found the perfect place for it yet – I was thinking our bedroom, but I matches our living room really well, so we’ll see. I figure I better wait to see where we’ll be living this summer before I put too much thought in the placement.
What do you think? I’m not sure if I like it enough to display it, or if it looks like a preschooler made it! Either way, I do love the way the frame turned out!
 

Rowdy pup.

Since eating our carpet, Espn has been stuck in his crate (which is extra large, mind you) while I’m at work. Thus, when I get home, the dog is psycho hyper and fully of ornery energy. I took some pictures on my phone of the 40 minutes we spent outside attempting to get him to settle down. Side note, he likes to chew on twigs…which often look like cigarettes in his mouth!

I think we progressed a bit on the house process. Let me tell you, it’s such a process. Exhausting. And to think that there’s a good chance we’ll go through all this and get our offer rejected. Hmm, only God knows.

We played some pretty good volleyball last night with our small group. They took a break to pray for us, that Eugene would get the job offer. I so appreciate the dearest prayers of  friends.

Oh, and sorry there’s no new recipes this lately because Eugene’s been home late after baseball games. I’m tearing up our cereal supply though!

Big things could be happening soon.

Wow. Lots going on right now in my life! Casey could have her baby any day now, and I’m ready to up n’ leave at the ring of my cell.

Espn ate our living room carpet – I’m talking all the way down to the cardboard layer that’s under the foam that’s under the carpet. Yeah, not so happy with him. But that means we have to leave him locked in his cage all day, which stinks. At least I can go home at lunch and let him romp around outside for a bit. I just always have a guilty conscience when I leave him locked up.

Ok, enough with the vagueness. I feel comfortable sharing a bit now. Our big decision that Eugene & I are praying so hard about is the possibility of purchasing our first home. We’ve found a place we like, and our parents have toured it as well {and none of them said that we are out of our minds - *praise!*} And so right now we’re still in the thick of the question-asking and detail-thinking. There’s a lot that still needs to happen for us to actually get this house, but God’s big and we’ve certainly seen Him work in crazy ways in our lives already. We’re just really praying for Eugene to get his job offer this week {he’s interviewing this week, supposedly.} We’ve specifically prayed that God will close the door if it’s not a wise decision for us, so I fully trust that He’s going to work it out the way that’s best for our good.

So the weekend recap – Friday, Eugene and I visited 7 more homes to be sure we were happy with the home we had in mind.  Then, Saturday, I worked a memorial celebration during the day and that evening we had dinner with my parents and let the pup run around to release his devious energy. After dinner, we went to Peaches in Yellow Springs to celebrate the 21st birthday of Eugene’s friend, TJ. I sure did get some happy pictures! ;)

 
*Look at Jordan laughing so hard in the background!*

  
Such a great couple!

Sunday was spent going to five more open houses after church and taking our parents to see our one of interest at 6:00. {Exhausting process.}

We’ve had so many discussions and played out so many different financial scenarios just to be sure it’s wise for us. I’m honestly so happy with how well Eugene & I have worked through the process of decision making for this. Patience and selfless thinking, along with tempered words have really been so key. I’m really thankful for the way our marriage works. Definitely a wondrous thing!