Vacation of the Year

So awhile back our friends Cliff and Teresa asked us if we'd like to join them on a trip to Destin, Florida. They're about to have their first baby and Teresa has always wanted to go to Destin, so they figured they'd do it before their family grew by one. On our end, I had weaned Caleb in December and we'll have our next little nurser in September, so if we were going to go on a baby-free vacation, it had to be now. So yes! We would love to come!

As I've done in the past, I'll put this in note-style instead of all-out narration, because it just takes me a long time to say things. And I hate to admit this, but I didn't even take out my camera except for the "official" maternity shoot I did for Cliff and Teresa (where I also took a picture of the sand-owl I made, above). Thankfully, Teresa always had hers handy, and she's putting photos up on her blog, so you can check them out there.

On to the list!

• Drove up to Jon's parents to drop Caleb off. We stayed overnight and left early the next morning.
• The morning we were to leave Caleb, he woke up at 4am and slept next to me in bed until I got up at 6:30. I didn't sleep much, but I loved every minute of it, breathing in his little boy scent.
• Our 11-hour trip to Destin was tons of fun! Jon and I laughed together more than we have in awhile.
• We saved a turtle! Jon pulled off and kept me safe from cars while I herded/carried the turtle to safety. Totally my idea, NOT Jon's favorite thing to do, so I was super happy he stopped.
• The condo was great! C & T did a great job picking it out. It was part of a larger apartment-complex sort of place, and we could step out from our back porch, cross a street, and we were at the beach!
• Florida sands are WAY prettier than Texas sands. Beautiful white and soft!
• We went to two movies in the theater--a big requirement for our trip, since we've gone so rarely since Caleb was born--and they were great! We also ate out at some great restaurants and enjoyed being spontaneous and kid-free in general.
• We also missed Caleb very much. This was my second time away from him. The first was a mission trip without many breaks to think about it, but this was all about breaks! So I missed him quite a bit.
• Teresa and I did our pregnant best to eat all things yummy and not worry if ice cream was really an appropriate breakfast item, or if we really needed another slice of chocolate chip cookie with brownie goodness. I'm glad my dr. appointment was the day before the trip, so I have awhile to prove that my weight gain is actually baby and not vacation food....
• We went go-carting, bumper boating, putt-putting, and even wasted a few quarters at the arcade. I came away with a fistful of Atomic Fireballs, so those quarters were totally worth it!

Speaking of which...
[takes a break to dig out a Fireball from her purse]
Ahem...sorry 'bout that. Back to the list!

• We didn't get burned! Every time I go to the beach, I get crispy on Day 1 and regret it the rest of the trip. This time I'm almost regretting that I'm coming home just about as pale as I left! But at least I wasn't miserable the whole time, slathering myself in aloe vera.
• The weather (and water) was a little cold! It got warmer every day, but I only got in the waves two days. The rest of the time I just enjoyed reading on the beach.
• Teresa and I rigged up "belly bowls" dug into the sand to accommodate our bellies so we could lay on our stomachs. My 22-week belly was significantly smaller than Teresa's 26-week belly. I can't believe how much I'll grow in one month!
• We loved hanging out with Cliff and Teresa. They're great couple friends, and always will be.
• We loved getting home and waiting for Caleb to get home! Jon made it out to his parents' car first, and by the time I got out there, Caleb was squealing and yelling, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" It was a happy reunion.
• We're back at home and feel refreshed. It was a great vacation.
  

Headin' Out!

Packin' up and movin' out! Caleb's ready to go see Nana and Grandad, and Jon and I are headed to Destin, Florida! Woohoo!!

Beans and Rice Recipe

Yesterday I made a great beans and rice recipe, and I wanted to pass it on to you because it turned out so great! I had everything I needed except for the sausage, so it was a very cheap meal for us. I was proud of myself because I took an allrecipes.com recipe for red beans and rice and added my own flavor to it, partially because of what I had in my pantry and partially because I thought it might taste good. The picture to the left is not of my beans and rice, and actually uses red beans instead of pinto like I did, but it looks pretty close. I eyeballed all my measurements, which means it'll probably never taste the same again, but it'll be close.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried pinto beans
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 2 t salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 t white sugar
• 1/2 t Tony Cachere's
• 2 t celery seed
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 t gumbo file
• 1 t paprika
• 1 can Rotel, undrained
• 1 lb jalapeno sausage, sliced

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except for Rotel and sausage in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (I started with just beans and water and used the 35 minutes to get everything chopped and stirred in. That made it fun because I really don't like the smell of cooking beans, and then it just got better and better and better!)
2. Transfer everything into a crock pot. Stir in Rotel and sausage. Add enough water to cover ingredients. Simmer on low for 6 hours.
3. Skim grease off the top (I used slices of bread to soak it up), and serve with rice.

Notes:
Jon and I like things a little spicy, so we added Tabasco to our individual bowls, leaving it a little milder for Caleb. Today instead of Tobasco I used more Tony's on my leftovers. This would be great with corn bread (I forgot until too late), and a fruit salad, to temper the heat and heaviness of it.

All Things New

Today Jon and I put in our first garden! No pots this time--real rows in the ground! I think it's just about the coolest thing Jon and I have done together. Gardening is usually my project, but Jon wanted to make it really work this time, and hopefully we'll eat fresher and save some money over the summer. I loved working alongside him getting it ready, and it'll be cool to have produce from our own garden to enjoy and share!

Here's how the spot in our yard started. The previous youth minister had a pool here, so it's got a two-inch layer of sand over the whole thing.
The bags are composted manure. The soil around here is very good, but we wanted to add something to it, especially with all the sand it'll already have.

So...on to pouring manure. I was completely tied up inside keeping Caleb busy...and taking pictures of my hubby doing all the work...that I just couldn't be involved with the manure, as much as I would have loved to. So who will take care of the manure for me??
The first row being prepared....
Eight beautiful rows of manure:

Time to till!

Almost done! Jon's having to put his back into it, which means there's no way I could have handled that tiller.
All tilled!

Time to plan it all out:
Laying it all out before planting, to make sure we fit it all in...which of course we didn't. One of my seed packets got blown away by the breeze and I didn't notice until the end. Guess I'll plant cucumbers next year!

All planned out
Time to get it planted! I gave Jon a break after tilling, but he did plant quite a bit, too.
ALL DONE! Now to wait and see what happens next! Tonight we're listening to the low rumble of thunder and the steady beat of rain, perfect for our new plants.
Here's the list of what we planted:

• Peppers (bell, poblano, jalapeno)
• Tomatoes (heirloom, cherry)
• Onions (red, white)
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Green beans
• Sugar Snap peas
• Yellow squash
• Zucchini
  
• Cilantro
• Cantaloupe

Adjusting

Things I love about where I live:

• Large, Beautiful house
• A great backyard for our family to enjoy
• Close enough (as in, right across the street) to Jon's office that Caleb and I can go over any time we miss him
• Jon comes home for lunch every day
• Our truck has left our driveway only a handful of times
• We got our drivers licenses and our license plates the day we applied for them
• The license plates numbers are still stamped on, instead of just printed
• Trees, and lots of them!
• A nice park within biking distance
• Friendly people
• The fire station is just as close (two blocks away) as in Texas, yet I never hear sirens
• The only gunfire I hear is during hunting season
• The neighbor's huge oak tree gives us morning shade
• The neighbor's little dog, Chip, gives Caleb constant delight
• A carport that fits our van
• People stopping by to chit chat when we're outside

Things I'm still adjusting to:

• Wood floors that don't hide all the dirt we accumulate in a day
• No Wedgwood Sunday School class
• 10 hours away from my brother
• 5 hours away from grandparents
• Limited shopping choices
• No cell reception in the house
• Limited childbirth options
• An hour from a major road
• Hot water heater that doesn't keep water quite hot enough
• Refrigerator that doesn't keep food quite cold enough
• A postal system and area code that's got me confused about my own address
• TONS of junk in people's yards
  

Gardening Fun

This is the first year I've lived in a house with a yard that I really wanted to garden in! Until now I've stuck mainly to potted plants. The only plants I put in the ground were irises, and only because I knew I could easily dig them up and bring them with me when we moved. So now, my Texas irises are comfortably in the front flower bed, and I have several other goodies in the back! There are no formal flower beds, yet, so I haven't bought bulbs or anything like that. Here's what I've planted so far:

• the 2 crepe myrtles that have been in pots in Texas...though I think one may not have made it.
• 3 rose bushes
• a forsythia bush (makes a big bush of yellow flowers in spring; they're everywhere around here)
• a small azalea bush...it's fun buying small and knowing I'll be here to see it grow!
• a plum tree!

I'm really excited about the plum tree. There was a plum tree here before we got here, but the trunk was rotting out, so it was cut down right before we moved in. I heard, though, that it produced plums and people came and took them on their way home from church. The tree I have is fairly tall--maybe 6 or 7 feet--so I'm hoping it's old enough to make some fruit this year! I think it would be fun to be able to "share of our bounty" to the passerby who likes homemade plum jam. Not that I would make the jam, but I would be happy to share my plums.

Here's a picture of our little plum tree's very first bud. I'm so proud!

Birthday gift

For my birthday, Jon surprised me with a beautiful necklace and earring set. They are made out of black freshwater pearls. Each pearl is different and unique, and the set is just perfect. The necklace is the perfect length, and the earrings are the perfect blend of beauty and simplicity. I love it! And best of all, the money Jon spent went for a good cause! The jewelry was handmade by Wonderfully Made, a company that rescues people from human trafficking and teaches them a trade. There are limited amounts of each piece of jewelry--the earrings I have are no longer available online, though the necklace is still there--so no one else will be walking around with your jewelry on! It was the perfect gift, and what a lucky girl I am to have a guy who can do that!

Taking up a new hobby

So I've decided to pick up embroidery. Normally, when I think of embroidery, I think of flowers and handkerchiefs, so it's opened my eyes to see modern designs and cute motifs from some friends of mine. So, I decided to try my hand at it. After all, if I could whip up a bunch of little embroidered things, I could stitch them onto anything and have a fun gift for someone! I like to doodle, so I'll turn my doodles into embroidery bits.

My first project was for my nephew's second birthday. I had made him two hooded towels for Christmas, and evidently they were a huge hit and he needed more hooded towels. So, that's what I would do. But to make them a little different and personalize them a little more, I decided to put some fun embroidery on the hood.

First I headed to Wal-Mart for supplies, because that's what there is around here. I was so disappointed to find that there was nothing there for a budding embroiderer. Nothing.

Ugh. Stupid small town, I thought. But then I was expressing my discouragement to a friend, and she mentioned that she thought there was a needlework shop right between her house and mine, tucked down a small road only about a quarter mile from my house. I went to check it out, and it was the best array of embroidery thread, needles and other paraphernalia I'd ever seen! Move over Hobby Lobby! Hooray for small towns, I decided!

I went into that shop three days in a row, getting supplies, exchanging thread colors, and finally going back to show the finished product. The owner of the shop was so helpful, and then she even took pictures and put them up on her blog! How fun is that!

Here are the towels for sweet Ian. I hope he enjoys them, and I hope they don't come apart in the wash. If they do, at least the towel part will still work!

Newbie2 Coming This Fall!

Hey guess what--we're pregnant! Newbie2 is due September 9. As with Caleb, most baby info will be posted on the Newbie blog.

The Whirlwind of the Last Few Days

I would try to update you on the last few weeks, but my computer is not set up, which means I have no pictures, so I'm going to wait. Instead, I'll just talk about the last few days. Again, since I have no pictures, it will hopefully be short, with pics to follow.

Note: Jon is building a computer desk for us to share. Until then, only his computer is up. So, if you want blogs with pictures, petition my husband for the completion of the desk. At the moment it's a pile of lumber on our back porch.

On Monday, my mom and grandparents arrived to help get my house in order. I had most of the boxes unpacked, but I had gotten stuck and my lack of organization was leading to quite a bit of dismay on my part. Where to put things?? So, in swoops my mom. AND my grandmother.

I thought my grandparents would sit on the couch and watch the days unfold, but I forgot that the apple never falls far from the tree, and my grandmother is an extreme organizer/go-go-go/get-it-done kind of person just like my mom! Each woman had a project in mind in my home, and they spent the two days available to get their projects done.

By the end of the first evening, my utility room was organized and all my cabinets made sense. The next morning began two busy days of arranging, hanging, shopping, sorting, playing with Caleb, laughing, ironing, sewing, and brainstorming. It was tiring for all of us, but it was a great time!

By last night, my Grandma was satisfied that the guest bedroom was complete. She's taking my curtains home to let out the length a little for the living room windows, and she is going to buy some curtains for the guest room that weren't available here. I think she was a little disappointed that her project (the guest room) didn't have curtains up and therefore wasn't 100% complete, but it's absolutely beautiful, and might be my favorite room in the house.

Caleb's room is also fantastic. He has his own play area floored with a foam mat, and he loves it. He's so tickled to stomp around on the foam and pull out all the books. This was my mom's project room, and I hadn't even conceived of a play area, so I love it as much as Caleb!

The living room now looks more settled, with a rug to anchor the couch and coffee table. The dining area has plans for my own personal Norvell art gallery, which I'm excited about. Of course, none of my art could be in normal frame sizes, so I'll acquire that as I can. And the hallway is now beautiful gallery of family photos.

The final room was our bedroom, which was untouched until this morning. It bothered my mom that it was still just thrown together the way it was straight off the U-Haul. And I gotta say I was a little jealous of all the attention the rest of my house was getting, only to go to bed in the same-ol', same-ol'. So, before my family headed out this morning, my mom and I headed to the bedroom for some quick brainstorming. In just a short time, the furniture was moved around and things were on the wall (or planned out for the wall), and my room looked ten times better! I even have a spot for an eventual chair for my quiet times.

I'm amazed at how much has been accomplished in the last few days. There are definitely still things to be done, but I never could/would have done this if I had been given months to do it on my own. It took my whirlwind mom and my whirlwind grandmother to make it happen!

And, best of all, when they left today, my grandma had washed all the guest sheets and towels. She'd ironed the pillowcases and put all the linens back on the bed. My grandpa folded all the towels for the guest bath. Jon's parents are coming tomorrow, and everything is in order!

Packing has commenced!

It's Sunday night. We have 5 boxes packed and stacked in our living room. I know. It's amazing. We've actually started packing! Yesterday we made a list of what we would pack each day (procrastinators are great planners...it gives us more time). We're already behind, but you know...that's okay! It'll all get done by Thursday evening, when our friends are coming to help us load up.

We're also working on eating up all our food in the fridge and freezer. We've planned out meals that should take care of most everything but the condiments. Two people have graciously offered to watch Caleb on two different days. Aunt Karen will watch him tomorrow, so that will be the day we pack up the china and load up the kitchen.

And I almost forgot: we've picked up the drugs for the cats so they can take the trip to Arkansas without hyperventilating. Really. Clyde does not do cars very well. I'm not really looking forward to seeing them drunk, but hopefully it'll do the trick and then get out of their system quickly!

It's all coming together, and I've heard reports that all the updates to the new house are beautiful. Can't wait to show you pictures!

Movin' to Arkansas

So a bit back I wrote on here that we were going to check out a church in Arkansas. We had a great time, and a few weeks later we went back in view of a call. Jon was voted in and we're headed to Arkansas, so I figure I better back up and let you know some details!

The church is an FBC of a very small town. Very. Small. Town. Population 800 or so. Thankfully, it's near a larger town with a population of about 20,000. This is mighty small for us coming from Fort Worth. I grew up in small towns, but Jon has never lived anywhere smaller than Waco. Our first visit was really to assure us that Jon could live in such a small town. As we drove through the town, checked out the school, walked through the church, and listened to the crickets in the evening, I kept asking, "Jon, is this okay? Does this feel too small?" And each time he replied, "No, this is good. I like this." So, while I know it will still take quite an adjustment for both of us, we're also looking forward to the small town and slower pace of things. And healthier eating! I can count at least 10 fast food restaurants within a minute's drive of our current house, and in Arkansas we'll be driving at least 10 minutes to get to any restaurants at all!

The position is youth/education. Jon will be one of two full-time paid staff members. The pastor and his family seem to be really great. They've been at the church for less than a year and are excited about having Jon come on board. Everyone, in fact, seems very excited to have some leadership in the area of youth, especially.

One huge blessing is that the church has a parsonage for us! How rare to have two parsonages, but they do. It's a 1950s home right across the street from the church. At the moment, church members are pitching in to completely revamp it. New paint, new flooring, new cabinets and countertops.... I can't wait!

It will be nice to be so near the church; right now the minister's sons enjoy walking over from their home to practice piano, and I know Caleb and I will enjoy going to the church playground. I can imagine teaching him how to ride a bike on the parking lot (and later how to drive??). I've heard that the town is really good for riding bikes, so I look forward to doing that.

We'll ride to check our mail, visit the library, play at the park, or maybe just to ride! Speaking of mail, we are so close to the Post Office that they won't deliver our mail to us! So we have to set up a PO Box to get our mail.

Living in a small town is going to have its quirks, but I'm going to like it!

Roomie Reunion 2009!

Every year my college roommates get together. Well, it's really my roommate (who happens to also be my best friend) and her roommates that she had after I ran off and got married. We've had varying levels of success getting the roommates together, and this year it included myself, Leanna, and Karen (who happens to be my sis-in-law), and then my nephew Ian, and of course, Caleb!

I got to host this year. I was so excited, because I love Fort Worth and have always wanted to spend an evening downtown with my favorite roomies. And that's exactly what we did!

We got all gussied up, because what is getting together with girls without a makeover?

We were silly....

We took lots of pictures....

ate ice cream....


and to top it all off, went to a comedy club and got to participate on stage!

It was a great night. Jon, who was home with Caleb (Ian's grandparents were watching him that night), predicted that we would be home by ten. Well, we did leave downtown by ten, but only because it was the middle of the week and nothing stayed open later than that! I, for one, really enjoyed my girl time with no baby. It was a blast to hang out and have fun.

As for the rest of the reunion, it was spent with Caleb and Ian, so I'll put those posts up on Caleb's blog. Eventually.

What to Blog About

My husband, who has not blogged in 7 months, tells me I need to post more often.

Ahem.

I have been reading The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman, and it has been quite eye-opening. Though not normally attributed to a last-born like myself, I have found that I am a "frustrated perfectionist." I have in my mind the perfect way to do something, which is generally such a lofty goal that it is impossible to obtain. I therefore procrastinate on it (because I don't want to start when I know I can't finish), then other things pile up behind it, but I can't start those until I've done my first task justice, which I now realize I will never be able to do. So my life comes to a standstill and I get more and more overwhelmed about my growing list of tasks. Anybody relate to this?

Evidently the answer is to lower my goals to more realistic measures, and then GET IT DONE. Mark it off my list so I can move on! So fine. The next few posts may not be thoughtfully written or picture-laden, but they will catch you up on the things going on in our lives. Which, believe me, is enough to handle in itself without trying to put pictures to it.

I am resisting the urge to re-read this post before publishing, or even finding an image of the book I'm reading, or at least linking to it on Amazon. Let me just say it really bothers me, but you are getting a post, and that is all. The end.

:)

I Will Rise

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say "It is well"

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
And I hear the cry of every longing heart,
"Worthy is the Lamb"
[x2]

[Chorus:]
And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow, no more pain
I will rise on eagles' wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise
I will rise

Brought to you by the letters I-K-E-A

Yesterday I met up with Margie to shop the day away! It was so much fun! Margie introduced me to Sam Moon. Crazy place! I found some great buys, but it was pretty overwhelming. From here on out I think I'll stick to the smaller Compass here in my own town. Which Margie also introduced me to, now that I think about it. That girl loves jewelry.

After Sam Moon we ventured over to IKEA. What a great place! I decided to add accents of orange to my house, and had a small budget to spend that day, so it made for a really fun shopping trip. We'd scan all that we could see, and if we spotted orange, we'd go over and check it out. If it was pretty and cheap, we'd toss it in the basket. If we liked it but it took too much of my budget, I put it on a wish list to get sometime in the future. We came away with some really fun things! I haven't put them up in the house yet, because if things go the way I think they're going, we won't be living here much longer. So my new orange purchases will stay in their packages until we get where we're going.

I had such a great day with Margie. I could never have made it through IKEA by myself, and she was a good person to help me stay on my budget (mostly...) and pick fun things. Plus it was a great time for she and I to hang out, which we don't get to do enough of these days! I came home pooped, encouraged, and excited about my new orange IKEA purchases.

What to do...

I need help. As you know, I am not an organized person. At the moment, I have several things on my mind. LOTS of things. Hosting Thanksgiving, Caleb's birthday party, Christmas presents, possible move and new home decorating, birthdays, photography, designing stuff for church.....

So, how does one keep it all organized? Let's go ahead and note that I cannot keep it straight in my head, so I need another solution. How do you organized people do it??

Roadtrip to Arkansas

Just a quick note to say that we're headed to Arkansas this afternoon! There's a church there interested in Jon for a youth/education position. We've met with the committee once, and now they want us to come see the town, visit with the pastor, etc. It's not the official "in view of a call" visit, but I think it's the step before that. So, we'll see! Please pray that Jon and I (and the search committee) will get a very clear word from the Lord about His will for us.

Power to the People

If you've been to Wal-Mart lately, you've probably noticed their new branding for all their grocery items. And if you're like me, it's caused you to lose your appetite. Seriously, what focus group told them this was appealing??

You know what I think when I look in my cabinet?

"All I've got to eat is chili and refried beans, and that just sounds gross."

I can't just look on the shelves and see green, yellow and orange and think, "Oh good, I've got green beans, corn and carrots...yum!" (Not that I would ever say that about carrots, but that's beside the point.) The point is that these cans have sat untouched in my cabinet for two weeks because their contents are not easily recognizable by their can design. What does that mean? Boring meals for me, and less money for Wal-Mart. Someone was not thinking when they came up with these designs.

What do you think? I'm putting up a poll, so vote and let your voice be heard! I may not buy name-brand, but that doesn't mean I deserve bad design!

The end is near!

This was the sky overhead the other day, right before a rain. I love Texas skies and their sometimes apocalyptic panoramas.