Tidbits from this week

Dear Lung Virus, You can bite me: I'm on the mend, but my goodness, has this been a miserable week. I can finally talk without coughing...mostly. The "best" part about this virus? It has to "run its course" bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh.

Great News:!!!!! Dad had two doctor's appointments this week. They both went so well! He is 100% cancer-free!!!! He's also gained 15 pounds and is looking great! His next appointment with his regular doctor is in December, and the radiation doctor doesn't want to see him until APRIL! whoot whoot! Go Dad!!!!

Something New: I've been working since literally the day we moved to North Carolina, but I feel like it's time for me to contribute to our household more. So, I'm stepping out on a bit of a limb here. I signed up with Lilla Rose today! You can find my website here. I'm still doing some work on it (like the image won't upload, grrrrrrr, but feel free to order!) Every penny helps my lovely family (and our journey back up to the great white North). That said, I do love my Lilla Rose flexi clip.
Ella does too, and it's the only thing we've found that will comfortably keep her waist length hair up. They're made of music wire, so they're really sturdy. And they're so darn pretty too!

God Answers Prayers: For the past year, I've been asking God to bring Gabe back to church. This Wednesday, God answered! Here's our little couples selfie before church :)

 

How Far He's Brought Us: Today, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in over 2 years. She remarked about how happy I look and was I still with my husband? The last time she saw me, I was talking divorce. I informed her that yes, Gabe and I are still together and this is the happiest we've ever been. God has brought us so far from the couple who looked good on the outside, but were a total mess behind closed doors. My husband is my hero and my protector. If you were to tell me two and a half years ago that I would be typing those words, I wouldn't have believed you. Praise God, with Him nothing is impossible!!!!

Fall(ish)

Is there anything better than a pumpkin patch?

Nope.

 

 

 

Ella and I wandered around someone's impromptu pumpkin patch. In the middle of town. Nobody else was there, so we walked around and looked at pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. God's blessings abound :)

Meal Plan Monday and a gushy love post

Friends, before I officially start this post, I'd like to ask for some major prayers. God knows what's going on in our lives and what the needs are. He's bigger than any situations and I've been having a pity party for myself and I shouldn't be. He's in control, not us (it's better that way!) and I need to learn to trust Him more than I trust myself. Ugh.

Ok, that said....

today is Gabe's BIRTHDAY! Don't tell him I told ya'll, but he is 39 years old. And he doesn't look it, not at all, despite what he thinks.

Gabe was born nearly two months before his due date, and he had to spend some time in an incubator ("with the other little chickens", he says). He was adorable as an infant, and Ella's infant pictures are so much like his, you couldn't tell the difference.

 He has the best sense of humor of anyone I've ever met in my life. He constantly puts others above himself, and more often than not, I run into people in town who sing his praises.

Gabe was the first Bible-believing Christian I met besides my grandmother. We didn't have a church wedding, so faith actually didn't come up until Ella was almost two. I remember that he asked me when the last time I looked at a Bible was. I replied something vague, and mentioned an age in the single digits. He's the person who gave me the push into a relationship with Christ.

If I've ever doubted that God has an ultimate plan, Gabe's my proof that He does. We've had some rough times in our marriage, and most of it has been my fault. When I wanted to throw in the towel and give up, Gabe is the one who showed me that our marriage is worth fighting for. He's the quiet calm to my loud stressball. I can seriously sit on a couch with him for hours and laugh and laugh and never need anything but his company.

So, a big fat, gushy happy birthday to my husband, my love, my better half, the father of my children!

That said, here's what's in store this week.

Monday: Baked Potato Bar, because it's what the birthday man wants :)
Tuesday: t/b/a or Chicken Tacos
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner, it's church night
Thursday: Grilled cheese sandwiches and soup
Friday: Homemade assemble-your-own pizzas
Saturday: Cheeseburger Soup
Sunday: Chicken and red pepper spaghetti

Have a blessed week, everyone :)

36/52

36/52: We decided to hose down the trash can. Ella got in the way bwahahahaha

36/52, Sunday: The allergies got the best of her this morning, so instead of church, she went back to bed with her bunny.

Fridays with Ella: Simple Stuff

Hi.

This week, I did  a bit of simple, old fashioned stuff.

I accidentally dripped Go-gurt on the brown dress that my Mom got at the sale last week, and the label says "hand wash only."

So, I learned how to hand wash things.

That's my dress drying on the railing on our deck.

There was also a huge stain on the blue sash of the dress that we didn't even know about. But it came out!

My mom told me that she didn't get a washer or dryer until she was about 7. That means all of  her laundry was done by hand!
Mom and her siblings used a washboard and river water, and powdered detergent.

I used dish soap and a washtub and water from the hose.

 After the dress, we hand-washed my pink skirt. I spilled chocolate milk on it. All the stains came out, and it was a lot of fun AND we saved money on the energy that would have been used by our washer and dryer.

Sometimes, the simple stuff really is the best. Sometimes, I wish we didn't have all this electronic junk clogging up our lives. Sometimes, I like to turn off the TV and the computer and the washing machine and just go outside.

What Ella wore
Pink Dress: hand-me-down
Flip-flops: Consignment

Tidbits From This Week

This week has been INSANE. Monday happened twice this week, on both Monday and what I've lovingly referred to as Muesday. We had some major septic issues in the neighborhood, and while that was being dealt with, I went to work only to find out there were major electrical problems out there, bleh.


Here's what ELSE happened over the last 7 days.

**Good deals!: We hit up a consignment sale last Saturday. I was able to get some really awesome things for Ella, including this dress.

**Yay! except not really...: I've actually been able to read some! (because these allergies have me in bed with a book by 10 sometimes, boooooo)

**Feeling at home: Ella and I have continued to attend Bible Study at Faith Baptist, and we continue to love it!

**They're so crafty:  Gabe and Ella have done a lot of crafting together, which is super awesome what with  me feeling horrible and all. It's so fun to see Ella's sense of humor shaping up to be exactly like Gabe's.

**Prayers, please: I've got a very important meeting coming up this week, and it could mean some AWESOME changes for our little family, so pray! :)

Meal Plan Monday and some words from a stressed out Mom

It's been a stressful few weeks. Most of it is beyond my control, and a good deal of it is me failing to trust God.

Now that I have a handle on my stress, it's easier to deal with it. Here are some things I've learned about coping with everyday stress.

*Pray. Set aside some time to be with God. I used to read  my Bible at night after Ella went to bed, but I've recently switched to praying and reading my Bible in the morning, first thing. It starts my day off on the right foot, and makes it easier to deal with the little stressors that pop up during the day.

*Exercise. That's my saving grace some nights. It helps to pound out about 5 miles of pavement...my knees don't always agree with that, but ohhh does it ever help.

*Go outside. Breathe. Walk around. Repeat.

*Write a note to someone who needs it. I'll be writing thank you cards to a few people tonight.

*Clean. That's one of my big de-stressors. When something is bothering me, I clean.


That said, here is the Meal Plan for this week.

Monday: sandwiches. It's HOT, ya'll. Gabe offered to fix sandwiches, and I wasn't going to complain.

Tuesday: Crockpot chicken pot pie

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner

Thursday: Ramen stir fry ( I swiped it from Grandma Jean's lady magazine, recipe up later this week)

Friday: Mexican Macaroni and Cheese

Saturday: either Cheesy Potato Soup or Winter Soup, I'm yet to make up my mind

Sunday: Spaghetti

I took a walk around the neighborhood today. Yes, it's hot, but fall is definitely on its way.

 

 

 

I'm trying to get back to basics this Fall. Focus more on my family, and less on stressing out. After all, I'm blessed!