What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Leap Day!!!  Hope everyone is enjoying the extra day that we get this year!  Admittedly, I would love to celebrate with a new little one making his appearance, but it's looking more and more like he REALLY wants to be a March baby :P

Sacred Marriage

So far I'm really enjoying this book!  I picked it up at a MOPS meeting a while back, and I keep it in my purse for when I have a break in the day.  I love how it gives marriage a Biblical perspective and discusses why marriage isn't just about making us happy. 

Folgers Decaf Coffee

Thank goodness for decaf coffee!  I sometimes mix it with regular coffee for a 1/2 caffenated coffee... then I can have more than a cup and I get a little bit of caffiene.  Either way, it's a delicious and welcome way to start the morning!

Brown Rice

I admit, I used to be scared of cooking rice.  I'd buy the boil-in-a-bag because the first time I tried to steam my own rice, I burned it horribly.  Then I bought a cheap rice steamer but rarely used it because it didn't do that good of a job.  I finally perfected cooking white rice, so I make cilantro-lime rice, rice pilaf, and teriyaki rice sometimes... but Jon asked me to try brown rice.  I know it's healthier, but I don't know, it just didn't look as appealing.  I made it anyway though, and it's really good and I love knowing that it's a little more nutritious.  If I'm making rice anyway, I might as well make the healthier stuff.  I won't substitute it when I'm making lime-cilantro rice, but it makes yummy rice pilaf!  I just have to remember take it takes 3 times as long to cook!

No baby, but loving 1 John!

I haven't blogged in a week, and I wish I could say it's because I was busy having a baby, but no such luck.  Just as I have for the past 3 weeks, I have contractions all day (all braxton hicks of various strength) and other "signs of impending labor," but then night comes and once I lay in bed and fall asleep, it mostly calms down.  The good thing about this?  The false labor exhausts me all day so that by the time I go to bed, I actually sleep relatively well (despite getting up to pee every 1-2 hours, haha!).  God also humbled me a lot last week after I took Jon some lunch and was wishing that would be "the day."  It was a crazy day at work for him and it hit me that God isn't just planning for me to have this baby so I can get more comfortable, but that labor & delivery will be impacting MANY lives and our God is wise enough to know the best time for the overall picture, not just my selfish and self-focused desires.

We are 39 weeks today, and I keep reminding myself that before I was even created, Baby Monkey's birthday was picked out for a distinct and perfect purpose :)  I'm thankful that despite all the specialist appointments and worries, this little guy is 100% full term!  I'm also nervous that he's going to be quite a bit bigger than Nick (7 lbs 6 oz), because I've gained more weight this pregnancy and I'm bigger... but I know my body was made to do this and if God has made him a large baby, then I'm sure my body will handle it.

Our church is still going through 1 Corinthians but yesterday made a quick mid-sermon detour to 1 John and because I LOVE 1 John, I've been wanting to journal about it a bit.  I went ahead and just linked to Bible Gateway because if I copied all the scripture I want to copy from 1 John, I'd ctrl+V the entire book :)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

What I love about this book is that, while convicting, it's also pretty clarifying.  Matthew 7:22-23 paints a scary picture... it tells us that many will stand before Him and say that that they knew Him and did great works in His name... and yet they will be turned away.  So how do we know if we're in that group?  How do I know if I will stand before Christ and be welcomed or sent aside?  1 John kind of goes into that.  In it, the author (not entirely clear who he is, though many say John the Apostle) says two things that always hit me hard. 

First, he talks about how if we say we're without sin, we don't have the truth (1 John 1:8-10).  We're decieving ourselves.  I like this because a major issue a lot of people have with "the church" is that it is hypocritical and arrogant... with a holier than thou attitude.  1 John tells us that those attitudes that TRY to say "I have no sin" actually mean the opposite... that you do.  If you really had the truth, you wouldn't act as if you were sinless, because you would be humble and wise enough to know that we have all sinned and all continue to sin.  I don't say that we continue IN sin, I say that we continue TO sin.  The analogy the pastor made was a good one... he used to run a lot, but he no longer does so regularly so he wouldn't want to be considered a "runner."  I may have been a drinker in the past, and it may still tempt me at times and I may stumble, but I'm no longer a "drinker."  You may have been incredibly self-focused in the past, and you may still have moments where you catch yourself doing so again, but you repent and renew your efforts to stop.  You're no longer living IN sin, but that doesn't mean that you never sin. 

The second part that always hits me hard has to do with the concept of living IN sin.  Throughout the rest of the book (which is short!) the author talks about how those who DO continue to live in sin, live in darkness.  They know OF Jesus and His sacrifice... they acknowledge it, but they don't have it inside them.  His love is complete inside those who obey His word.  Those who see His truth, take it in, and then live in out.  He says that you know if you have Him in you because when you really have Him in you, can't go on in your life of sin.  You just can't.  This is always convicting and while I hope to get closer and closer to living as Christ did as I grow, I hope it's always convicting.  There will always be parts of me that God needs to sharpen and refine... but I also know that as I grow in Christ, I will be unable to hold on to a lifestyle of greed or selfishness... because when you have Christ in you, the fruit shows.  You can't force the fruit from your heart anymore than you can force it from a tree... but you can tend to the tree and tend to your heart through a lifestyle of prayer, obedience, etc... so that the fruit grows outside of your power.

Our pastor finished with a question that I thought was pretty good.  Did you make a decision, or the decision?  Did you acknowledge what Jesus did, or did you take in it and let it change you? 

I'm NOT a Bible scholar... I don't have any training in theology and I'm forced to rely on English translations because I can't read Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic.  This isn't meant to spark debate on what 1 John means or says... it's just what's on my heart and it's what I feel when I read a powerful book in our Bible.

Stream of Consciousness Sunday

* I really don't understand some of the debates that are going on during this primary season.  I can't help but want to lecture the candidates kind of like a mom or teacher, reminding them to pick their battles and stop bickering at the table.  Really?  Are these the issues that we'll let divide our country?  If we're going to let something divide us, shouldn't it be a little more substantive?

* I'm reminded of a sermon that our head pastor gave a few months ago... asking if these are really the issues the church wanted to divide over.  He said that, as a pastor, he'd been asked his viewpoint on many issues from breastfeeding in church, to showing tattoos and body piercings, to the kind of music a church "should" play.  He knew as a pastor that people might value his opinion, but he said he wanted to ask these people "Really?  Is this really the issue that should separate you from your brothers and sisters?"  Right now our church is going through a long series on 1 Corinthians and today we were on Chapter 6... in in Paul admonishes the church in Corinth for taking their disputes before the secular courts.  He said if we can't just solve issues between brothers within the church, then we've already failed.  Better to be wronged or loose and drop your pride, than allow petty issues to divide brothers and sisters.  Just food for thought.

* Nesting has taken full force.  Tonight I cleaned both bathrooms (including my nasty shower, eww!), kitchen, living room, swept and mopped all floors, and vacuumed.  I got all but one load of laundry done, but not put away (I hate putting away laundry!)... still need to get the sheets done.  I even got Nicholas' shower curtain washed. 

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This was my 5 minute Stream of Consciousness Sunday post. It’s five minutes of your time and a brain dump. Want to try it? Here are the rules…

• Set a timer and write for 5 minutes.
• Write an intro to the post if you want but don’t edit the post. No proofreading or spellchecking. This is writing in the raw.
• Publish it somewhere. Anywhere. The back door to your blog if you want. But make it accessible.
• Add the Stream of Consciousness Sunday badge to your post.
• Link up your post at all.things.fadra.
• Visit your fellow bloggers and show some love.

How to Make a Marshmallow Shooter (and a happy husband)!!

I was trying to decide what to make or get Jon for Valentine's Day... At Christmas time we went to a family gathering that had a type of white elephant exchange and a marshmallow shooter was one of the gifts... it was, without a doubt, the best of the evening!  It looked easy and when I looked around online, I found out that it WAS easy... and cheap!!!  I was able to make 2 of these (because it's way more fun to battle!) for about $7 including tax.

Very Basic Marshmallow Shooter

Supplies Needed

• 1/2" PVC Pipe - 3 feet or so per gun (I bought the 5' sections so it would fit in my car, but it's cheaper if you buy the big 10' piece)
• 2x 1/2" Elbows (not threaded!)
• 2x 1/2" T-Joints (not threaded!)
• 2x 1/2" Caps (not threaded!)
• 1x 1/2' Coupler (not threaded) - Optional, I just thought it looked cleaner
• Mini Marshmallows (or pom poms for a food-less option)
• Electrical tape/paint/stickers - Optional if you'd like to decorate the gun
• PVC Cutter - Optional

Optional PVC Cutter

You can easily cut 1/2" PVC with a basic saw or even a Dremel.  However, I'm extremely clumsy even when I'm not pregnant.  Ask anyone in my family and they'll tell you that me and sharp objects don't mix.  These were only $10 and I figure it's something I can toss in Jon's tool box to get used again someday.  This seemed like a safer bet and I was able to do the entire project on my living room floor in less than 10 minutes.

Directions

1.  Cut PVC into 5- 4" sections and 1- 7" section
2.  Use newspaper, tissue paper, etc... to stuff the two pieces of tubing that the arrows are pointing to (this will help with air pressure)
3.  See diagram above for putting together using elbows, caps, t-joints, and coupler
4.  Put a mini marshmallow in the top elbow
5.  Blow into the elbow and aim to shoot marshmallow
6.  Decorate as you want - if you choose to paint, paint all pieces separately... you don't want to glue the pieces together as you may need to take apart to clear blockages caused by sticky marshmallows!
7.  Make a 2nd one so at least two people can battle!!


In the end, I had an extra piece of PVC that I hadn't even cut on (and I made two)... another $3 in connectors and I could easily make 4 total of these things for a total of $10ish dollars in supplies. 

Another option, if you'd like to play with these inside and don't want sweet marshmallows flying around are those tiny craft pom pom balls.  At least if those get lost somewhere, there's no danger of bugs.  That being said, if I delivered this gun with brightly colored pom pom balls to Jon's work, I'd NEVER live it down. 

Happy Marshmallow Shooting!!

In Honor of Valentine's Day... 50 Things!

In honor of Valentine's Day... 50 Reasons why I love that Jon is my husband...

1.        You really love God!

2.       You never take things at face value

3.       You put your family before everyone else

4.       You can make Nicholas laugh like nobody else can

5.       The way to talk to Ryan while he’s still in my belly

6.       The way you drop everything to make my life easier

7.       You grill amazing steak!

8.       You brag about my cooking to your friends, and it makes me feel good!

9.       You work as hard as you can, no matter who you’re working for

10.   You were willing to keep deploying just so I could get my credential

11.   You researched into vaccines instead of just listening to doctors because you want the best for your sons

12.   You let me watch every Gordon Ramsay show ever made and you never complain

13.   You make me laugh

14.   You rub my feet and back even when you’re tired

15.   You’ve made me try new foods that I ended up LOVING!

16.   You never stopped encouraging me when breastfeeding got super hard

17.   You can make any bedtime story sound exciting with funny voices and sound effects

18.   You’re amazingly creative!

19.   You always challenge yourself to get better

20.   You went to Sonic late at night to get me a strawberry slush for my preggo craving!

21.   You know so much about the Bible and you teach me what you know

22.   I know with 100% certainty that you will always be faithful to our vows

23.   You’re always up for watching a kid movie with me (Despicable Me AGAIN...)

24.   You made me watch Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Real Steel, Alias, and more… and I loved them all!

25.   You can build anything you put your mind to (from camera rails to lighted monster trucks!)

26.   The way that only you could possibly make a huge pregnant woman feel beautiful!

27.   Your kisses

28.   The way that you have developed an amazing relationship with my parents, partly because you  know how close I am with them

29.   The way you have no problem acting silly or crazy to make a baby smile

30.   How you found an amazing home for our family when we moved to Clovis

31.   You are so much smarter than you will ever give yourself credit for

32.   You would do anything for your friends

33.   How it feels when you’re the “big spoon”

34.   The way you always carry a knife “just in case”

35.   You took me to the Tiki Room for the first time ever!!

36.  The way you always want what's best for me and will fight tooth and nail for it

37.   The way you play guitar, and how you used to play “Twenty-Four” over the phone for me to fall asleep

38.   You make the best mashed potatoes!

39.   You have always fought for our marriage, no matter how much I didn’t deserve it

40.   Even when I’m a crazy preggo, you’re patient with me (and you get the stroller in the trunk ;)

41.   You’re teaching Nicholas how to be a gentleman

42.   You stick up for me whenever you think someone has wronged me

43.   You’re an amazing Daddy

44.   You’re an incredible husband

45.   How you make fun of, yet indulge, my obsession with Russia

46.   When I see myself in 50 years, I can’t imagine being with anyone else

47.   You love history as much as I do

48.   I love that we’ve fought through difficult times and come out stronger for it

49.   You always know what to say to encourage me when I’m overwhelmed with life

50.   I know that you are the man God created to be my husband

Monday Morning Musings...

Happy Monday Morning!  Many thoughts today... each more random than the next...

• I've got an unhealthy obsession with post-its... just ask anyone who has gone to an AVID conference with me.  It's bad.  That obecession has now turned electronic as my birthday-present-laptop has a sticky notes program.  My desktop is currently a GORGEOUS picture of Jon and Nicholas (taken by David Karnowski, check him out, he rocks!) but you can't see that picture because there are 7 sticky notes covering it up. 
• As silly as it sounds, I was actually excited to pack Nicholas' lunches for kingergarten this year.  In fact, 3 of the above said post-its are lists of creative main dish/side/treat options because I'm 99% sure he won't be allowed to take anything with peanut butter.  Then I realized/remembered that the Clovis Unified School Distict does half-day kindergarten.  So he'll either come home for lunch after school, or eat lunch before he goes.  That makes me kind of sad.
• I have been LOVING the book of Titus.  It's only 3 chapters so if you get a break in your day.. check it out!
• It's hitting me that I kind of have issues with follow through.  I have all these plans to make treats for the guys at Jon's work for tomorrow and to decorate the kicthen table for Nicholas... and this morning I realize "Oh yeah, when I went grocery shopping, I probably should have bought those ingredients..." It's not that it's expensive, it's that my goal for this two-week grocery cycle was to ONLY run to the store to pick up produce.  All those little trips for forgotten things or cravings add up and I want to try to just work with what we have.  Oh well... Nicholas is home with me today (figured he needed one more full day of antibiotics before he goes back) so we'll just have to run by Target.
• I need to decide if I'm going to sign Nick up for T-ball.  The truth is, he doesn't seem all that interested.  Everytime I bring it up, he brings up soccer... which doesn't start until August.  I don't want to push anything on him he doesn't want... but at the same time, he asks to meet new little boys and I figure that's one way to do it.  You get to pick the elementary school you practice at so if I can get him into the one at HIS school, he might even meet kids he'll be going to school with.  Then again, if he's not into T-Ball, he's just going to want to play around and not actually play the game.
• I'm trying to convince Nicholas to either have a Monster Truck birthday party.  Surprisingly, it's not working.  I'm not sure how, since the kiddo is obsessed with Monster Trucks...

Thankful Thursday (on Friday): The Parental Edition

Yes, yes... I know it's Friday!  I started this post yesterday and then had to stop and forgot to come back and finish.  Either way, today I want to celebrate a bit of thankfulness to my parents!  They are amazing!!

Grrowing up it was just my mom and I.  She had an amazing way of both showing love and commanding respect and obedience.  She put a huge emphasis on education from the time I was a baby.  I remember hearing my entire life about "when" I would go to college, not "if."  She emphasized reading all the time and made sure that I knew how important it was to do well in school.  She encouraged me to try new things and worked harder than I could have understood at the time to make sure that I could participate in as much as possible.  Sometimes I feel bad because I know I didn't appreciate her sacrifices at the time; the immaturity of childhood didn't open my eyes to everything she did and gave up for me. 

When I was in junior high my dad came into my life.  Like every other blended family, there was a period of adjustment... but he has always treated me 100% like his daughter.  I've never been a step-daughter or "Holly's daughter," I'm his daughter... and it's a title I'm proud to be able to carry.  Over the past 6.5 years I see more and more characteristics of my dad in my husband, and it's something that makes me very happy! :P

Together, my parents always worked so hard for all of us.  They made sure we had everything we needed to succeed, but also made sure that we had to work and earn the things we wanted.  When I wanted to march Drum Corps, they made it happen so I could have that experience.  When I wanted to go out of state for college, they worked extra hard so I would have that opportunity.  They've always made sure I knew that they were proud of me, and as a result, I've always wanted to live my life in a way to maintain their pride in me. 

I'm thankful for their support through deployments.  I'm thankful for parents who watched Nick at least twice a week in the evenings so I could go to school while Jon was in Afghanistan the last 2 times.  I'm thankful for parents who encouraged me during the hardest times alone and who were always there for me.  I'm thankful for parents who remind me on a regular basis that I'm not a bad mom, but a mom who really always tries her best.  I'm thankful for parents who are amazing and incredible to my husband... who is also not their son-in-law, but their son.  It is so wonderful to know that my parents and my husband aren't at odds with eachother, but are close and have a great relationship.  I'm thankful for parents who are amazing grandparents.  My son (soon-to-be sonS) are so blessed to have grandparents who encourage whatever it is that interests them.  I love the quote that says "Grandparents are people who, when they see you, make you believe that they've been waiting all day to see you and now that you're here, the day is complete."  That's my parents and I know it makes Nick feel so special!

I know now that being a parent is hard.  Every decision seems like a big one and knowing that you're shaping an entire life is a huge responsibility.  I'm thankful for parents who took that responsibility seriously and raised me to be the woman I am:  not a perfect woman, wife, or mom... but a woman who always tries her best and who never gives up!