A Proverb

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Proverbs 25:25


This struck me as amusing. Not in a "hahaha!" kind of way, but in an "Oh look, its another reminder that God's word is always relevant" kind of way.


It's after 1:30am and I have now worked 12 hours today, not counting a mad dash to the grocery store, helping teach 3-5 year olds at church, or putting Princess Pea Pod to bed. At this point we're running into technical difficulties and are at a standstill. (Which is why I figure it can't be that bad to blog while working. What else is there to do?) There is no end in sight. This soul was weary hours ago. Now, if they could just get those issues fixed, this weary soul would be refreshed to know that I just might see my warm, cozy bed eventually!


All that to say that His word is always relevant, that He knows my name and He knows my need. (And now I should probably go refill my Diet Dr. Pepper!)


Note: If this post ends up feeling a little incoherent its because I am... a little incoherent. Woo-hoo!

Crying Out

Princess Pea Pod has a crick in her neck this morning. It is a new and painful experience, and she cries out every time she tries to move it. As her mommy, I cringe every time because I can feel her pain. I've done what I know to do to help ease it, but I cannot take the crick away.


Our Heavenly Father hears us when we cry out too. The big difference is that, while I can only do what is in my power to help Princess Pea Pod, there is nothing He can't do. And just like she trusts me to care for her, I trust Him to care for me. Do you?


In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God; 
He heard my voice from His temple, 
And my cry entered His ears. 2 Samuel 22:7

The Doorbell

I've been thinking about the following verse a lot today. Its speaking to me in a very real way.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20

Have you ever heard the doorbell ring, only to find no one there when you opened the door? We had an incident with some neighborhood kids a few months ago. They got a kick out of ringing our doorbell around 11pm and running away. Hot Daddy would hear them snickering as they ran away. At first I was upset; if they woke Princess Pea Pod up with their tomfoolery we'd all be up for the rest of the night. Then I was tempted to engage them. How fun would it have been to wait on the roof with water balloons? Then I decided it was about time to go "Mark Lowry's mama" on them. "I said GET ON YOUR KNEES RIGHT NOW!" Then they got bored with us, or their mamas got a hold of them, or one of the neighbors got a hold of them, and they quit.

Now we've developed a spastic doorbell. It goes off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. It happens at the time of night when mischievous kids have given up and gone to sleep. There are no sounds to indicate that there is someone running away. It probably has to do with the 30+ year old doorbell, but it has me thinking about the times when the doorbell rings and there's no one there; there are no kids running around the corner giggling. Who is it that rings the doorbell then? Is there really no one there? Or is there a dinner guest just waiting for you to answer His call?

Walking by Faith

I said, before I ever decided to start a blog, that I wanted to share our infertility story. Then I decided to start blogging and intended to post about it here. Then I decided that nobody wanted to hear about it because infertility is such a downer. But here's the hitch: my story isn't a downer! That is why I am writing now.
Stick with it, because there's a blessing here and I want to share it with you!

Hot Daddy and I got married on May 8, 2004 and we knew we wanted to start a family. However, we were working for a small company and did not have health insurance, so we waited. We enjoyed being newlyweds, we enjoyed having more space than we really needed, and a large office. We enjoyed sleeping in and doing what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it. But we wanted a baby. In July of 2005, shortly after our dear friend gave birth to a teeny-tiny-baby-bird-preemie of a little fella under extremely stressful circumstances, we learned that we were pregnant. We had hardly started trying. Technically, we were still in the "don't bother trying yet because your body will still be under the effects of the birth control" phase. Our lives were changing, and it was a beautiful thing!

Then came April 21, 2006. Labor and delivery went without complication, unless you count the part where the epidural didn't work in my abdominal area and every contraction peaked with me vomiting on Hot Daddy. He was such a champ! And in the end, we were holding the most beautiful little lady I've ever seen! Pale and pruny, with lots of dark hair. She was healthy, we were all happy. Princess Pea Pod had arrived!

March of 2007 brought with it the grand idea that Princess Pea Pod needed a sibling. Since conception with the principessa was so quick and painless, we figured we'd try for a couple months and welcome baby #2 around the time she turned 2. But we didn't. We did everything we were supposed to do for about 18 months and still the positive pregnancy test eluded us. We called the doctor.

In September of 2009 we met with one of the top reproductive endocrinologists (REs) in the state. By this time I was experiencing some pain and we wondered if it might be related to what they were calling "secondary infertility." I am an organized kind of girl, so I came in with nearly 2 years of specific cycle data. They poked, they prodded, they prodded my left ovary and I nearly passed out. They began to discuss endometriosis. They said things like "If this is indeed endometriosis, its possible that your first pregnancy is truly an act of God." They wrote orders for me to have an HSG to check my fallopian tubes and for the kind of tests that men pretend don't exist. We had those tests done in our hometown, since the doctor we were seeing is 4 hours from here, and returned with the results. My HSG prompted the use of terms like "beautiful" and "textbook" from the doctor who performed it and from our RE. They said things like "There's no reason here why you aren't pregnant." They said things like "Many women find that they get pregnant right after an HSG." They said "His test results are great. We see no reason why you can't get pregnant."

I was still hurting and still not pregnant, so we scheduled exploratory surgery with a local doctor in December. We needed to know if endometriosis was the reason. Now, when I say "I was still hurting," I do not mean that cramps make me cranky. I am talking about excruciating pain; the kind that would be described as "white-hot" and "stabbing." The kind that makes you dizzy and causes your knees to buckle right out from under you. The kind that would cause weeping, if it left you the strength to weep. So less than 2 weeks before Christmas, they opened me up. They found endometriosis, enough to cause that kind of pain, but they also found that my reproductive system had not been damaged. It was not that discovery that rocked my world, but the discovery of the blockages in my fallopian tubes. Remember the HSG in November? Remember "beautiful" and "textbook?" The doctor who performed my surgery told me that he had seen the video from November and was baffled that in December BOTH of my tubes were blocked so soundly that he had tried THREE times to flush them and stopped so he wouldn't cause more damage. I could see the confusion, the frustration on his face and I felt it too. But I felt something else even more.

"I know why my tubes are blocked, and its ok." Now, if you've ever earnestly told a doctor "I know something you don't know" you will get some idea of the way he looked at me. He was ready to give me a little something for depression. And if you've ever literally felt the hand of God, you'll know how I felt. You see, we had closed our eyes and our ears and run at the brick wall of infertility with all our strength. What I was only then realizing is that it isn't infertility that we were fighting, we were fighting God. In all my digging, and according to any of the doctors we've talked to about this, nobody can explain why both perfectly healthy, perfectly clear tubes were so quickly and thoroughly blocked. But by God's great grace and wisdom, He has blocked them. Because I was not leaning on Him, I was leaning on Hot Daddy. I was leaning on myself. I was leaning on a handful of doctors and nurses and technicians. And none of those people can do what my God can do. None of those people know how my story ends, but He does. He wrote it.

This is the point in the story where the happy ending goes. This is where an infertility story often says "I was patient and we were blessed with twins," or "God expanded our family and now there are six of us." This story is not over. There is still no second baby for our family, no sibling for our principessa, no son to play catch with our daddy. I would love to tell you that I am so consumed by faith that I never even think about it, but I am not going to lie to you. I am constantly reminded that my womb is closed, but the blessing is that I am also constantly reminded that He is in charge. He is carrying me through. His plan for our family is perfect. And when He expands our family, it will be with the one He chose for us.

Another Francine Rivers Giveaway!

Yesterday I posted about the exciting Francine Rivers giveaways on the Tyndale blog. If you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to! And speaking of "encouragement"... Francine is also celebrating the release of her Sons of Encouragement compilation with a virtual book tour on Facebook. I read The Scribe a couple months ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thoroughly! I look forward to reading the rest of the series as well, and am quite happy to see them bound together in this lovely book.

The cover reminds me of the one for A Lineage of Grace, which is a wonderful book with one of the most beautiful covers I've ever seen. (Isn't it lovely? I can smell the wheat. I can feel the tickle of the grain dust in my nose, the tickle of a trickle of sweat sliding down my face, the sun beating down on my arms.)

So I am super excited to tell you that they are giving away 20+ copies of the new Sons of Encouragement 5-in-1 book for those who join the virtual book tour. Check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CSS-Virtual-Book-Tour-Francine-Rivers-Sons-of-Encouragement-5-in-1/198750670146525?sk=wall&filter=2

Happy Reading!

Book Clubs ROCK!

I have never been in a book club before - at least I hadn't until shortly after I scrawled "Use me wherever you need me." on the bottom of a sign up sheet for our church women's ministry. Then they actually did use me where they needed me and I had a little "God, are you sure you know what you are doing here?" panic attack. No lie. But of course He knows what He is doing here, and I am loving every minute of this journey! We are reading some great books, gaining valuable insight, and the fellowship is fantastic!

Last night I shared some really exciting news with my Lit & Latte ladies, and I wanted to share it with you as well. First, the Francine Rivers Facebook fan page is approaching 100,000 fans. To celebrate this milestone, she and Tyndale House are offering a free e-book of Leota's Garden and they are giving away some books. From the moment I opened my first Mark of the Lion book I was a goner. I may have neglected some household duties to get swept away with that one. To say the least, it was a life changing read! A Lineage of Grace has been an amazing journey for our book club over the last 5 months. I look forward to reading more of her inspired works! You can find information about Francine Rivers and this exciting giveaway on the Tyndale blog at http://www.tyndale.com/blog/?p=1042.

Liz Curtis Higgs has an offer for book clubs who are reading Here Burns My Candle or its newly released sequel, Mine Is the Night! You can submit a request for a conference call or Skype call to discuss the book(s) with the bonny lass at http://www.lizcurtishiggs.com/bookclub/form.htm. Our club has decided to read both and has arranged a call after Mine Is the Night. (That's right, Lit & Latte lasses! I got the e-mail back today and we have a date & time!) I highly recommend her Scottish historical fiction! I highly recommend her non-fiction! I highly recommend her children's books! (I do not recommend reading Go Away, Dark Night to your child who is not afraid of the dark. I messed up and gave my 4 year old the idea of being afraid of the dark. Oops!)

So go forth, dear friends, and read a good book! Then go grab a cup of coffee, or Diet Dr. Pepper, or whatever tickles your fancy, and discuss that book with a group of friends. It'll make your day!

Update to Ham-tastic

Princes Pea Pod & Bunny Lily decided to have a concert for me this morning.

I don't think words are necessary!

Ham-tastic!

My baby brother is getting married soon. *Sniff, Sniff*
Where did the time go?

It seems like only yesterday that I finally learned to really appreciate him, he went from the little goober that used to chase my friends around to my precious baby bro.

Thankfully, I adore his b2b & am SUPER happy for them!

So, the cutest little blue-eyed principessa I've ever seen has been asked to be their flower girl. She's psyched!
She's a huge fan of both of them!

We were in the big city (big enough to have a JC Penney!) this weekend, so we went shopping for her dress. I'm not throwing out any spoilers, but I had to share my little ham-tastic principessa's pics with you.

Because she's funny.

Because she's beautiful.

Because she's so full of life and love.

Because she IS a ham!

I love her little toes in the bottom right picture. It's so her - so perky and fun!

The Master of the House

Today I was inspired to blog about the cat. Mostly, I was inspired by the cat himself, who decided to take his nap with me this afternoon. He naps with me most afternoons, but the problem is that I am not napping. I don't have time for napping. (I dream of having time for napping!) Another problem is that he doesn't sleep BESIDE me, he doesn't sleep NEAR me, he sleeps ON me. 

Pardon my illustration. It looks like a grainy cell phone picture because it is. I keep my camera nearby at all times, but I can't reach the sync cord because there's a cat sleeping on my arm.

The Best Birthday Party Ever

Last week Princess Pea Pod and I were talking about our schedule for the next few days. She likes to keep track of what is coming up, so I was explaining that we would have a birthday party for Daddy's friend on Friday evening, then a quiet Saturday, and then a birthday party for Bunny Lily after church on Sunday. Not expecting anything to come of it, I commented that it was funny that we would go to Bunny Lily's birthday party on my birthday. I thought she would find it amusing. I was not prepared for the reaction I got!

"I wanna go to YOUR birthday party!" The way she said it almost sounded like I was excluding her. Heaven forbid! I explained that I wasn't having a birthday party, that it is more important to me that we celebrate hers and Hot Daddy's birthdays. She insisted that I HAVE to have a birthday party. We made a plan.

Saturday I was going to help her make a cake. She had told me that I had to have a cake because I "make the bestest birthday cakes." How could I say no to that? I asked what kind of cake she thought I should have. She said blueberry. Um... blueberries are great, but I thought a compromise on cake flavor was in order. We agreed to color my coconut cake blue. (WHEW!) We got ready to start the cake Saturday and Hot Daddy announced that he wasn't about to make me make my own birthday cake. Now, could I please walk them through it? LOL! I love that man! So this is what they ended up with:

It tastes GREAT!

Friday we had been running a few errands and Princess Pea Pod  said we needed decorations. I gave her a $5 limit, told her I would pay the tax, and sent her into the dollar store.

I was so proud of her! She stayed on task & stuck to her limit.

Then, after the cake was baked on Saturday, she announced that she couldn't wait until Sunday to throw the party!

She asked us to call to invite Grandma & Grandpa, then she & Hot Daddy decorated while I took
something that closely resembles a nap.

The events of the evening, while memorable, don't compare to the way it feels to know that our little principessa thinks I'm so special that I HAVE to have a birthday party.

Here are a few pics - because I love pics!

I love Hot Daddy's sense of humor!

To Do

I am a big fan of To Do lists. One of my favorite things about working in an office was that my desk could be organized for maximized efficiency, with my notebook placed squarely to the left of my monitor and the To Do list written at the top of the daily page. Yes, my daily page often rolled over to several pages, but I could count on my list being the home point reference right between the date and my daily notes. Don't touch my desk, and don't mess with my list.

Then I moved home. I went from my nice, tidy, OCD haven to home. I was seven months pregnant, working via the internet and taking my lunch hour to nap. No desk for my daily notebook, just a disappearing lap and a laptop. Then, one spring day, my beautiful bulging baby belly was replaced by a boppy pillow - and a beautiful baby girl! Still no desk. Still no notebook. I learned to keep the most simple To Do list: take care of principessa & take care of Hot Daddy - while working. Last night, five years after leaving the office, I sat down and wrote a To Do list. It was cathartic. No more trying to hold it all in my head. It was such a relief that I created a second list! Actually, Hot Daddy was using my laptop and I decided to write it all out in a notebook while I waited. Next task: merging the lists. The nice part about To Do lists, now that Princess Pea Pod is a little older, is the Delegated To column. Yay!

What about you? Are you a To Do list fan? Are you a list lover? What kind of lists do you keep?

I'll leave you with a list of my lists:
Reading List (I can pull this up on my phone when I am at the library. I keep track of series books here too, so I don't accidentally read them out of order!)
Grocery List (I keep a running list so I don't have to waste time rewriting commonly purchased items.)
To Do List (The champ!)
Reading Group To Do List (To Do's specific to the reading group I lead.)
Packing List (The core list for quick weekend trips can be tweaked for vacations. Yay! No brainer!)
Meal Options List (This one keeps track of my favorite go-to recipes.)