from Baby to BABIES!

I think its pretty obvious at this point that we are about to have two BABIES.  No longer will we be a little family of three, we will be a family of FOUR!  We are less than 4 months from our due date and things are getting REAL, REALLY fast!! :) Oh, and just for the record we are going to have TWO babies who are exactly 19 months apart (if baby number dos comes on its due date, that is.)

This is a shout out to all you mamma's out there who already have BABIES or who are about to have more than one child.  There are tons of things running through my head as to how to properly prepare for this sweet child to come into the world... I thought I would throw a few questions out there and if anyone wants to throw some advice my way I would be more than willing to hear it.  

-Strollers: I already know that I do NOT want a side by side stroller... we have some friends who have one and I can hardly maneuver the single one we have- much less the double wide one they have.  I also tend to always bump into things in stores in our single stroller... how could I ever manage a double-wide. ha! {just being honest, nothing against those who have them!}  So... here comes the question- what do you have? Do you like it? What do you plan on getting? What do you wish you would have gotten -- if you don't love yours? 

This is what we have and used for Raleigh Grace as an infant.  We absolutely love it and will be using for baby#2 most likely...

This is the stroller we have for RG now... we do not have the Chicco infant seat- anyone have this one they want to gift us? ;) kidding.. but we like the stroller fine but it only works for one child (obviously!)

-Diapers: ick, I hate to even bring this one up. TWO children in diapers?!  Hopefully not for long though.  I would have never imagined writing this in a post but my friend Stephanie posed a question: should she start cloth diapering now that she is going to have two children in diapers.  Actually she titled the post: "Convnice me I should go cloth" ... I really have little to no interest in cloth diapering (for my kiddos) because I feel like I can't even stay on top of the laundry and house work that I currently have much less adding more to the mix-- but is it worth the money to add a few more loads of laundry? If significant enough I might would consider.  I can't wait to read the comments on her post but if you have any feel free to leave them for me as well! 

our faves since day 1!

-Sleeping/Cribs/Beds: First off, we will not be moving Raleigh Grace to a "big girl bed" anytime soon. She is an amazing sleeper (sleeping 10-13 hours a night) and I refuse to mess with a good thing!  She slept in our room for the first 5ish months in the bouncer, in the pack n play-- and if baby number two likes the bouncer like RG we will be doing the same- otherwise we plan on just putting the baby in the pack n play in our room. I also feel it is important to be transparent about our living situation.  We are going to be in somewhat of a "grid-lock" situation when baby number two comes. We are currently living in a really nice condo that is two bedrooms.  We are in one room and RG is in the other.  Like I said earlier, we plan on keeping #2 in our room for a little while so consider the following questions to be applied several months down the road... The crib that RG is in right now is a regular crib that will not transition into a toddler bed.  We also have a day bed with a trundle in her room (see pics of her nursery here).  What do you think about having both kids in the same room (obviously when #2 is around 6+ months old)?  I don't see much of an option otherwise.  So, how should they sleep? Do you think RG will be ready for a "big girl" bed by that time? She will be 2 years old plus or minus a few months.  Or... should we bite the bullet and purchase a second crib? If we were to go that route we would purchase a convertible crib that will eventually be a toddler bed, and a twin headboard later.  (or is that totally unnecessary considering we have the day bed?...). Should we just move the pack n play to RG's room when #2 is older, and pray, pray, pray that they both sleep well? I'm really at a loss on this issue and most of me is just planning to play it by ear and take it a day at the time.  Obviously, K and I would love to purchase a larger home but with us still owning the house in TX that's not totally an option right now.  The lease on that house is up in the end of April so pray for wisdom for us in that situation-- I'm not sure if its a feasible idea to sell it or to continue to try and rent it and build up more equity in it...? (Not trying to open that can of worms in this post -- just letting you know we could use some prayers in that department of our life.)

see day bed and crib... as you can see there isn't a lot of extra room for a second crib but we could make do if need be (or take the day bed out)

-Diaper Bag: This issue isn't really a huge priority to me but I just thought I would include it to get some input if you have it.  I love my current Coach diaper bag (seen in crib above). I really do!  But... I feel like its almost already maxed out.  Do I need to get something larger? What did you do? I have looked at the Petunia Pickle Bottom boxy backpacks and I'm obsessed. If I had $180 dollars and had no clue what to do with it I probably would have already purchased one.  They also make the PPB boxy backpack (Abundance) in an extra large size-- is all that really necessary? Should I hang tight with what I have and make do- or indulge in a new bag? 

 The left one is the Abundance Backpack, the right is the regular Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy Backpack

-Baby Showers: How do you feel about having a baby shower for the second baby? Especially when they are this close in age? Go for it? Or hold off? 

Although those are most of the questions I am throwing around right now, I am sure that many more will come up over the next few months.  Those of you who are moms of multiples, I really applaud you. I need you to impart ALL of your wisdom to me... seriously.  :) Thanks for all of your feedback in advance, I can't wait to bounce ideas off of everyone-- if there is something I left off feel free to advise me in that department too!  

OH! And if you aren't a mom or a mom with multiple kids I would still love to hear what you think!!! :) 

Here are just a few friends who are going to be going from one to two (or two to three etc. ;) )  in the next several months... let me know if I didn't include you... I thought it would be fun to see who else will be going through this at the same time to know that we aren't alone.  I love knowing that I will have a support group when the baby gets here! 

Stephanie at Blawnde's Blog

Natalie at Extraordinary Love

Beth Ann at My Life More Abundant

Stephanie at Houghtons Happenings
Jen at A Girl in Pearls & A Boy with Toys

Prayers for Newton

Today was another day that just shook our country, our core. How on earth can someone do such a thing? K had gotten home from work early and I was fixing us all lunch as Raleigh Grace was being her cute self just wandering around the living room playing, cuddling with her daddy.  So glad he was home to play with her.  And then it all happened- my friend Mallorie sent me a text wondering if I had heard about the Elementary school shooting... I had not and I immediately asked K if he had- he had not... we turned on the news and watched as the horrific news unfolded.  

As a teacher, and especially as a mother this hit so close to home for me.  I kept thinking about my own daughter and all of my students. I kept thinking "how could this happen? What would I have done?" etc. etc.  The thoughts have brought tears to my eyes all day-- I can not imagine what the whole community is feeling there. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone - everyone. Whether directly or indirectly affected. but please, please pray for the victims and their families, the survivors, and their families and also the police, EMTs, first responders, firefighters, and all of our nation.  

Christ come back soon!! 

Prayers for Reesey: Coming Home!

Its time for another update on my friend Amanda's little girl, Reesey: (if you havne't been following along you can find her story on her blog: www.thisyearslovewilllast.com)

Ya'll I am so excited to share with you that 

Reesey finally got to go home today!! 

After 6 weeks of living at the hospital she is now home with her whole family- her 3 sisters, two dogs & BOTH parents!! God is so good! Please continue to keep this family in your prayers-- esp sweet little Reesey! She has at least another 15months of chemo and all that goes along with that.  Pray for complete healing-- you know Jesus IS into miracle working and the such ;) 

Check out the sweet pictures from Amanda's blog... and PLEASE read her post from today-- its about them coming home- so real, so full of emotion and so uplifting! 

Thank you for your prayers! < 3 

love her little grin! and those cheeks! :)

sisterly love! 

what a happy sight!

Prayers for Reesey: Update

Some of you have been asking me about how my friend Amanda and her daughter are doing... 

I wanted to post a quick update and direct you back to her blog where you can read more in depth about how their journey to beat this brain tumor is going.  She also has included some fabulous pictures of that sweet baby girl!

Since I last posted, Reesey has started Chemo and did really good with the first round.  She is having another Chemo day today so please be in prayer that today goes as smooth as the first time.  

Also, she had to have a shunt placed.  Here is what her dad posted on Tuesday about this on the Prayers for Reesey facebook page: 

Boo to today.... So the morning wake up from the neurology team was not the best of news. They are indicating a potential infection in the shunt as the fluid came back abnormal. No growth on the cultures yet, but it has only been 24 hrs. If there is growth, the. We will have to remove the shunt, treat the infection and replace the shunt with a new one; so 2 surgeries. Bummer news.

and then an update from Mamma, Amanda, today:

update for november 29th :)
so last night was good - we are STILL trying to balance sodiums and they were too high yesterday and then too low this morn so we're figuring out the amount of liquid she needs per day. ♥ neuro still has our culture out, but is okay so far. 
another chemo day today ♥ so prayers that it goes just as smoothly as last night time are welcome! we'll be here a few more days just making sure that when we go home -- its for good!!

Reesey has now been in the hospital for 30+ days and I know that the whole family is yearning for her to be taken home where they can start their new "normal."  Please pray that this would happen sooner than later!

Also, there is a facebook page called "Auction for Reesey" where you can donate and bid on items.  All of the money raised will go directly to the family.  If you would like to donate directly they have a page set up for that as well. (click on the link "donate directly")

this image from Amanda's blog: This Years Love Will Last

Thank you all for praying. I appreciate it and I know that Reesey and her family appreciate it too!! xoxo ♥

Prayers for Reesey!

Last week one of my friends from college, Amanda, got the worst news any mom could ever imagine.  Her little two year old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Words can not even begin to describe the hurt that I feel for her family.  She documented their journey on her blog, "This Years Love Will Last" and I wanted to share it with you.  I know it is often very difficult for me to find the strength to read these stories but please take the time to do so because there are never enough prayers to pass on to their family.  The power of prayer is already evident as her story leaves you with hope.  Use her family as a reminder that God has never promised us another day.  Let it serve as a reminder that He is the only one in ultimate control of this world.  Let it remind you that greater things are yet to come!! Please, please, join us in prayer and feel free to share her story on your blog or elsewhere and lets rally around them with prayer! 

Some of their friends have set up a page for donations to help with medical costs- any amount will greatly reduce their burden.   

Prayers for Reesey- Facebook page

Amanda is also an amazingly talented photographer-- Gingersnap Photographs

In a Years Time...

I can not believe all that has happened in my (our) life in just the past year.... and really so much more has happened this is just some highlighted things...where to begin?!

-Completed my first year of teaching with some of the most wonderful teachers and students
-Got laid off for the second time in 4 years due to the "economy"
-Put our house up for rent (also our first home together)
-Said goodbye to my wonderful church and church family as well as countless friends
-Moved to NC living with my mom while I was 6 months pregnant
-I Survived living without my hubby all summer while he was working out of town.
-My parents put their TX house up for sale that we had lived in since I was 10 years old
-My parents moved from TX to Mississippi
-Rented out our first house in TX (praise God!)
-Moved into a 2 bedroom condo in NC that was basically "gifted" temporarily by a family member!
-K got a new job- we were so thankful God provided
-Taken many trips to the beach
-Spent countless hours with our awesome families here in NC
-Gave birth to my wonderful, beautiful daughter!!
-Celebrated my first REAL Mother's Day! -Went from being "unemployed" to a "full time stay at home mom"

I'm not writing this as a sob story rather just to document all of the changes I have been going through over the past year.
Its sometimes hard for me to be completely open and honest here on my blog about "not so happy" things because I don't want people feeling bad for me but it's time I open up a little and get this off my chest.
Times haven't been totally easy for me (us) this past year yet we have had some wonderful moments and made great memories. Saying goodbye to TX was extremely hard for me after having lived there for nearly 17 years. Much harder for me than K since he had only been living there since we got married about 2 (almost 3 now) years earlier. Not only did I say goodbye to all of my friends but I also had to say goodbye to the home, town, church, friends, and family where I grew up.
Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a huge fan of change, especially when it's not something I have control over. Many of these changes happened so fast and were out of my control that I am still processing many of them.
I know that I am blessed beyond measure but sometimes life tends to get me down (don't we all have these moments occasionally?). I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, perfectly healthy daughter and a huge family who constantly surrounds me with unconditional love.
I'm praying for contentment as the days roll on and also that k and i would be able to find a home church here.  I'm praying for ways for the two of us to get plugged in and to meet new friends (this has been especially difficult for me as a stay at home mom!!). I'm praying that one day (hopefully sooner than later) K and I will be able to purchase a home here in NC- we are sooo grateful for the condo we are living in but we have the stuff that fit in our (much larger) home, crammed into a 2 bedroom condo ha! (and we all know I have a ton of junk!)
I know I'm not the only one whom "life" is happening to right now... Just trying to keep it real here.
On a more positive note tomorrow I leave for the weekend to hang out with my family and K-- our family reunion is this coming week... I'm excited but super bummed because K won't get to stay the whole week- at least he will get to spend the weekend's with us!! :) Miss Raleigh Grace is going to meet some more family and even meet her cousin who is only a few months younger than her! :) Thanks in advance for listening and for all your prayers and support! :)

And because this little girl makes all things better ;) 

so smart ;)
(she tried yogurt for the first time today and loved it! Banana then blueberry!)

The Power of a Praying Mother: Prayer Calender

Praying for your kids....

Even before it was time for K and I to start our family, I have always prayed for our future kids.  Now that we are the proud parents of Miss. Raleigh Grace I find myself praying but not nearly as much as I would like to nor as deep as I would like.  When I stop and pray I feel like my prayers are often the same... prayers for protection, for salvation and for her future spouse.  Though there is NOTHING wrong with these simple prayers I want to go deeper.  Sometimes I even think, "I don't know how to pray for her or what to pray for her."  If you are a mom and have ever had any of these thoughts I have something that I found that I want to pass along to you.  

A mom of one of the YL (Young Life) kiddos I used to lead posted {this}... she is a true woman of the Lord and a wonderful example, and leader!  She has shared the links and possible ways to incorporate this prayer calender into your crazy busy life on here {blog}.

Inspired by Action has created a Prayer Calender (see below) and you can download it {here} for free!  

I hope that this blesses you!! :) and feel free to pass it on! :) 

My heart is broken for James!

i can not even seem to find words...

...as many of you have been praying for little James, his fight has ended and he was beat the tumor.  Praise God, he isn't suffering anymore but my heart breaks for his friends and family members that he left behind.  Please keep the prayers coming!!!

http://jamescamdensikes.blogsp​ot.com/

URGENT prayer request!!

Please, please, pray for baby James.

His parents have a very tough decision to make TONIGHT.  I can not imagine anything that they are feeling or going through and it just breaks my heart to read of the news.  

you can find their blog here: http://jamescamdensikes.blogspot.com/

From one Baylor Bear to another, I love ya'll and am praying diligently for you!!

Friendly Weekend!

Hello Wednesday.  Goodness I can not believe that it is already Wednesday and I have not updated since Friday! Well for the weekend wrap up:

FRIDAY:

Some of our wonderful friends came in town this weekend, Erin and her hubby.  She is new to blogging so you should check out her blog :)  Anyways, we ALWAYS love it when we have friends come in town but this weekend was exceptionally fun! Erin and I are childhood friends who don't get to see near enough of each other!  Well Friday night as they were arriving we met them at Cuba Libre- one of my fav. places to eat and hang out.  It was the first place that I took K on his first visit to Texas.  We enjoyed a nice dinner, some yummy Mojitos, and some wonderful company!  We had not seen each other since their wedding but we picked right up where we left off.  It ended up being a rather late night so we ended it promptly when we got home.

 

SATURDAY:

Saturday morning we slept in (yee-haw!) and then ate some breakfast and exchanged gifts.  We got a great new crock-pot (which we needed) that I am very excited about putting to work and a recipe book for all crock-pot recipes-so neat!.  K had to work which was no fun so Erin and Brian and I all went downtown Denton to "square" and looked around at lots of neat shops, and antique shops.  We had a great lunch at the well-known "Denton County Burger" and I do believe that they were impressed- I'm not going to lie- it is a great burger!! (I'm sure I have posted about this before).  When Brian was younger he used to live in the area and so we then went to find his old house which we did.  It was a lot of fun listening to his excitement as he reminisced about "the good ol days" and.... "so-and-so lived here," and "this is where I saw such-and-such movie for the first time" and "this is where I broke my first bone."  It really was a lot of fun and brought back some of my childhood memories as well! When we left there we came back to the house and laid around watching Christmas movies, and for some reason we were all so exhausted that we opted for nap time :)  Later that evening K got off work and we went to the Gaylord Texans "ICE" exhibit.

About "ICE":

In mid-October, 40 master artisans will travel to Gaylord Texan’s location in Grapevine, Texas from Harbin, China – otherwise know as the world’s “ice city” for its spectacular outdoor ice sculpture displays. Transforming 5,000 blocks of ice weighing TWO MILLION POUNDS into the city of Who-ville will take the carvers approximately 30 days. From the Grinch’s frozen mountaintop lair and 20-foot high slides to a variety of family photo opportunities and the picturesque Who-ville including feasting Who’s and Max the dog, the enchanting attraction will make more hearts than just the Grinch’s grow three times in size. 

IT WAS AMAZING!! Seriously, you should make a visit if you live in the Dallas Area!

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera... BUT ERIN DID! :) So those pics will come as soon as I get them from her.  Oh and did I mention we nearly froze to death! It was NINE DEGREES in there!! and we were in there for THIRTY MINUTES!!!!! BRRR!!! (so fun though!)

SUNDAY:

Unfortunately the company had to leave and the hubs had to go to work yet again... BUT when we finally woke up after sleeping in.... we went into the living room to find that Saint Nicholas had visited us!!! If you are not familiar with the tradition, every year on December 6th it is "Saint Nicholas Day" and St. Nick comes and fills the shoes of the household with lots of little goodies (like you would a stocking).  Erin is the sweetest thing for doing this for us and it totally made our day.

Well thats all for the weekend but I did want to update you on Matt and his recovery. His recovery in the hospital has been extended and there is still no word on the biopsy but results are expected middle of this week. Please check out that website for all of the details and as always, please remember him in your prayers!  

Also, some news on the job front for me... I had an interview with a rather large bank yesterday and that went extremely well.  It was a group interview which was weird, and I had never done anything like that before but like I said it went well (besides it taking 2+hours!).  We were told to expect to hear something in 3-10 days ... well guess what?! I got a call back today saying that one of the branch managers wanted to interview me on Friday (this is after filling out an online application, getting through that screening, being asked to a phone interview, getting through that, and then getting through the group interview and getting through that).  I am hopeful that this means that I have the job ... but I'm not 100% sure so keep praying for that.

Well I guess I will let that be all for tonight.  Man I am so happy its cold outside but these chapped lips are not my friend.  :( ha!

Pray... Surgery today 10:45 CST

Just keeping you updated on our pastor Matt who is having a piece of his brain removed today.  You will remember I asked for your prayers a few days after he had a seizure on Thanksgiving day and the doctors found a tumor on his right frontal lobe...here is my previous post. 

I wanted you all to see his perspective on things- he has blogged as well as his wife but I am going to copy and paste his blog on here (for your easy reading and I will link you to it also.)

My Heart is full…I am Thankful

The last seven days have been some of the most interesting of my life. I have felt anxiety, fear, sadness and a deep and unmovable joy simultaneously and in deeper ways than I have felt before. I am grateful for this heightened sense of things. Today at 10:45 a.m. CST I will have a good portion of my right frontal lobe removed. I head into that surgery with a heart that is filled with gratitude and hope.

Here are some of the things I am thankful for in no particular order:

1. I am thankful for the thousands of you who have prayed and fasted for my health. It has brought far more tears to Lauren’s and my eyes to receive this kind of attention from the Church universal than this tumor has.
2. I’m thankful for health insurance because I’m guessing they aren’t doing my five-hour surgery for free!
3. I am thankful that I have deep, real friendships at The Village with Michael Bleecker, Josh Patterson, Brian Miller, Chris Chavez and Beau Hughes. They have been such a comfort to me and my family this past week. Pastors should have good friends on their staff. It’s risky but worth the risk.
4. I am grateful for the men of God in my life, namely John Piper who taught me to hold my life cheap and to join with Paul in saying “I don’t count my life of any value or as precious to myself if only I might finish my course and complete the work that He gave me to do to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God. I’m nothing, I just have a job. God keep me faithful on the job and then let me drop and go to the reward.” Without this strong view of God’s sovereign will, I’m not sure how you don’t despair in circumstances like mine.
5. I am thankful for my wife Lauren. “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.’” “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
6. I am thankful for my children. Audrey the Beautiful, Reid the Valiant and Norah the Joyous. Being a daddy to these three is one of the greatest joys of my life.
7. The privilege of seeing and appreciating all of life through the grid of a heightened sense of my own mortality.
8. I am thankful for brilliant doctors and surgeons who have been given a real gift by our great God and King to repair things as complex as the brain.
9. I am thankful for The Village Church. If there is a place that loves Jesus more, takes sanctification as seriously and wants to see the lost love the great King deeply I am unaware of it. These last seven years have been a spectacular joy!
10. More than anything else I am grateful to my King Eternal, my Lord Immortal, for my God invisible. He alone is God. All Glory and Honor, Forever to You O God. I am overwhelmed in these moments by God Himself and the assurance of a future inheritance of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and where all things are made new (Hebrews 12).

Christ is All,
Matt Chandler

Address: http://hv.thevillagechurch.net/blog/hvpastor/?p=357

You can also follow him on twitter @mattchandler74

****PLEASE KEEP MATT AND HIS FAMILY IN YOUR PRAYERS!!! ALSO, A PRAYER REQUEST FROM HIS WIFE LAUREN, "Pray for the gospel to be planted in the hearts of those involved in the surgery. HE can use anything!"
Her blog link: http://themchandlers.blogspot.com/2009/11/we-had-this-picture-taken-well-before.html *****

Thanks ya'll!

* Let it Snow *

Well this morning I woke up to send K off to work and we were in the living room when he turned on the TV and they were talking about "Snow in North Texas..." I got all excited (thinking that it would be snowing soon) and started squealing! Last night I was not happy because other parts of Texas were getting snow but not us.  K explained to me that the weather people were crazy and that there was no way it was going to snow... and I was like no! no! there we are on the radar... it says SNOW! ha!  He again was like, nah... no way... they are nuts (or something along those lines ha) ... BUT as he was saying this, mid sentence, he glanced over toward the window... (the blinds were closed but you could barely peak through them)... gets up off the couch and walks a little closer... says "oh my!", opens the blinds and WAH-LAH! There was SNOW already covering the ground table and EVERYthing else! :) I was thrilled, him... not so much haha he just isnt a huge fan of snow.

In the midst of all that is going on I feel like the past few days I have been in one of those ruts... I think everyone spends some time there occasionally and I don't think it is necessarily a bad place to be but more of a bad place to stay.  Its a great place to be if it brings you to your knees and back to the Lord!

Last week we found out that my pastor has a brain tumor (read more about it here).  He had a doctor appointment on Tuesday that went well and is scheduled for surgery on Friday.  Updates can be found here.  This is terrible, sad news for anyone but especially our pastor who has done so much for the body of Christ.  Dallas Morning News has also put out an article.  This has created an outpouring of prayer from all over the world from literally thousands of people which is totally amazing!   Join with us in praying!
On top of that yesterday I found out that my sisters kitty was killed in some sort of a fight outside.  Terrible news.
There are also some other things going on with K's job and the holidays coming up that we are in need of many prayers for.  
It just seems like so many negative things are happening to people all around the world.  It has managed to get me a little down.

Putting all of this aside, I think it so neat that this morning God would waken me to a beautiful gift, a surprise, of a beautiful First-snow-of-the-year (esp in TX where it never snows!) that immediately boosted my spirit and I felt instantly renewed.  I LOVE the little gifts that God gives us,  they are the greatest!

Home Sweet Home... :) Its all starting to melt...

(Nevermind that just a couple of hours later one would never know that it had snowed ha.  The streets are dry and the grass is green again. Oh well- they are calling for more on Friday- Yippee!)

Thought of the Day: 

"HOLD ON TIGHT TO THE HAND OF JESUS. THIS IS A WAR WE ARE IN!" 

"When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive in the angry turmoil. With one hand strike my foes, With your other hand save me. Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now." Psalm 138:7-8, The Message.

"The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making." John 6:63.  

Check out  Beth Moore's Blog for more on this.... it is a GREAT read, especially how it relates to everything else I have already spoken about on here today.  Love ya'll! 

Wishing.... plus Praying for Matt

Nothing too exciting to post on today... Got up early this AM in time to make the 9 o'clock service at church.  Now I remember why I enjoy going to the 7PM service!! I am by no means an early bird, and I don't care who says "The early bird gets the worm...." Because guess what... "The late worm LIVES!" wahoo! Okay I will admit if it involves hunting or fishing or a fun trip of some sort, then I will happily rise before the sun :)

...I WISH! :( 

Well on a more serious note I would like to ask for your prayers regarding the minister at my wonderful church.  His name is Matt Chandler and is the husband to a beautiful woman of God, Lauren and also 3 beautiful children.  On Thursday morning Matt had a seizure and after speaking with some doctors they found a "small mass" on his temporal lobe.  Please be keeping Matt and his family in your prayers. He is doing well and in good spirits but will continue to covet your prayers.  For updates please visit: Praying For Matt Chandler I know his family is so thankful for you!

Looking forward to spending the next 2 days with the hubs! :)

I Need Your Prayers!

This is a quick update because I would like to ask ALL of you to plllease be praying for me tomorrow.  I have an interview at 9:45am (CST) and this is a company that I really feel led to work for.  I ask that you pray for God's will to be done and that no matter the outcome that he will be glorified! 

I have been unemployed for a while now since I got laid off from my last job and I am confident that the Lord is teaching me to be patient, to trust in Him, and that He will provide the perfect gift of a job in His timing!! 

Here are some encouraging scriptures to look over: 

Jeremiah 1:12........ "I am ready to perform My Word."
John 16:24....... "Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
Matthew 21:22........."...whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Jeremiah 33:3......... "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things..."

I will keep you all posted and could never thank you enough for all of your prayers!!!!!!!
Much Love! I promise to update soon :)

The Weekend of Festivals!

Wheph, this weekend really flew by and was definitely fun-FILLED!

Friday night K and I had planned on going to see "Love Happens" but that didn't exactly work out. I had made dinner so that when he got off work we could eat around 8 then go to the movies... Well 8:45pm rolls around and I start to worry. Finally I get ahold of him and find out that he is getting off work late, and later, that his car won't start. I gladly picked him up and we came home and enjoyed a (late) dinner together. He figured we would be car shopping shortly and that this time it was his motor- shot. We attempted (and did a pretty good job I think) to put that on the back burner for the time being in order to enjoy our weekend together, and his ONE day off since... forever. We end up relaxing for the night which was totally enjoyable and then sent him off to work on Saturday. I am so thankful that he has a job, I just selfishly wish he had better hours so that I could see him more. (Prayers for a solution are much appreciated- I do not enjoy him not getting home until 11pm or midnight and neither does he!)

Saturday night when he got home from work the two of us headed out to Oktoberfest (a German-fest) in Addison. There was live German music, dancing and lots of great food. We also happened to run into some of my great IBM friends!

(All the girls!!)

Sunday was great as well. We got up early to meet a friend for church at the 11am but he ended up calling saying he couldn't make it so we decided to head out to Grapevine for Grapefest, a wine festival! We did a little shopping and walking around and even went to a winery. Neither of us are really wine-fanatics but we somehow managed to find two very delightful wines, both made here in Texas. They are both semi-sweet and served chilled for a warm day or after warm food but one is red and the other white. They are of the Homestead Winery in Ivanhoe, TX- the red is "Rose of Ivanhoe" and the white is "Sweet Home Ivanhoe". Believe me- if you like sweet wines you will fall in love with these- esp the red wine. We browsed a few more stands before leaving and found a beautiful wooden cross to hang in our house. I had been looking for something to hang over our fireplace but had not found the right thing and I just knew this was "it". After bringing it home to put up, we learned that it was maybe two inches too tall to fit there. We are now looking for a place to hang it in the house- I will post pictures at some point- it really is a nice work of art. Grapefest was a total hit- we saw lots of neat paintings, arts and crafts, watched a grape smashing contest where people stomped the grapes in barrels, saw a working blacksmith, and much much more. K & I really have come to appreciate any time we have together with him working so much lately. We headed home for a quick bite to eat and shower before going to church at 7pm. Church was fun but almost the MOST empty I have ever seen it. As K said to one of the men helping on the parking crew... "I guess most people love the Cowboys more than God today" ha! He was kidding but hopefully they had just all gone to different services :).

This morning was quite productive as well- esp for the two of us who usually sleep in now due to K's late night shifts. We rose around 9am and got to work. Took my car to get it inspected, Called AAA to have them tow the Jeep, met them at the location and led them to the car shop, came home, applied for more jobs, ate lunch, went to find out what this new construction was behind our neighborhood (hoping it was an early childhood center) and came back home so he could get ready for work.

Ends up the new (now finished) construction is a ... drum roll please... early childhood school!! I immediately got verrry excited because this place is brand new and literally about 500 feet away from the back entrance to our neighborhood. I quickly came home and got on their website and sent in my contact information to apply for a job. I am praying that maybe, just maybe, this is the reason that God has not allowed any of my other job opportunities to work out, so that I can work at this brand new school right by our house! Over the last couple of weeks I have started applying for various jobs- mainly sales, because I am starting to get desperate and that is the field of my professional experience. I still would much rather work with infants or toddlers or kiddos of any age for that matter but as the school year is getting underway I am, rather I have, lost almost all hope of that. This new school was a little flicker of hope in what was a seeming black tunnel. Please be praying for that as well as another job that I feel would be great at ERAC- it is a manager training position. I am also patiently waiting to hear back from another place about a project management job- be praying for all of these opportunities and that God would open the door best fitted for his plan in my life and that in the mean time he would fill my heart with peace, patience and security that He WILL PROVIDE! I have started having bad dreams about not having a job and have not really been getting any good sleep. Please pray for that also.

One HUGE answer to prayer this week (sorry I didn't mention it earlier when I was blogging about it) is that the Jeep was only a minor ($200 fix) rather than a $2,000 dollar fix that we had planned on- or buying a new car.... God was really watching out for us and we could not be more grateful!

The night is seemingly winding down and I am anxiously awaiting my husbands arrival. I am starting to feel a little sick so lets hope that its not going to be serious and that I can get over it quick!

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