Embrace Your Lot

Company "Sin"-amon Rolls

2012-02-06T07:39:00.002-05:00

This has been a fun recipe to consume with company lately. I finally updated it since my copy was all marked up. I needed to type it up for a friend, so thought I'd go ahead and post it, since I don't post much these days. Enjoy!

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Source: (adapted from) Money Saving Mom (my friend Cara and I did the Math – 35 cents a cinnamon roll! even cheaper if you find powdered sugar on the cheap)
Yields: 2 round pans (about 16 rolls)
Note: This is actually a fairly simple recipe, although practice does make perfect. Be patient with yourself the first few tries. You’ll get faster and better as you make them!

Dough Ingredients:
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk (10 oz)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 1/4 cups flour (Original recipes calls for 4 cups, but I’ve found the dough to be more manageable if I use 4 ¼. You might even need more. CHECK dough after first few minutes of kneading and if it looks too wet, add a bit more. It will make your life so much easier if dough is not very sticky!)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling Ingredients (this is the doubled version; half it if you want to be good):
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing (this too is the doubled version; half it if you want to be good):
• 4 teaspoon milk (after all icing ingredients are mixed, you might need to add extra splashes of milk and keep mixing until it seems right)
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 8 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
• 2 teaspoon vanilla
Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. Remember to check in a few minutes to see if you need to add a little more flour. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up (from long end to long end) and cut (I use dental floss – a trick my mom taught me) into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.
You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning. You can freeze the baked rolls, and I suppose you can just freeze the dough unbaked, but I haven’t tried that. Let me know if you do!

Orange Icing Option:
• 3 tbsp. butter, soft
• 1 tbsp. grated orange peel
• 2 tbsp. orange juice
• 1 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

Friday "For Reals!"

2012-01-20T11:40:00.004-05:00

One of the biggest complaints you often read on the blogosphere is that everyone seems like they have it all together. Duh! No one does, but I guess it does feel like that sometimes. Everyone's all dressed up in their Sunday best with a smiley family and some crafty project done. Anyway, I don't know why I mention all of that except to say I just randomly felt like taking a few pics today to show what it is really like, in case anyone ever feels like my ducks are always in a row. Far from it! (And, I'm NOT crafty, for the record.)

There's a picture (a few days ago) of the kids all contained with their 3rd (I think) round of Cheerios, just because I needed to finish up dinner in peace. Ha! The pizza picture is from lunch today. I like making pizzas with Nate, but we are all out of cheese. Ha! Nice planning on my part, huh? Nate's eating lunch in his pj's. Don't judge. And, I've stayed on top of laundry this week (good) but not folding.

Some days are better than others, but that's a funny glimpse into some not-so-with-it days. I'm trying to learn to laugh. And press on! Signing off.

By Grace!

2012-01-18T13:40:00.003-05:00

I recently read lyrics to a great hymn I've never heard before. I have no idea what it sounds like, but here are the words:

By Grace I am an Heir of Heaven

1. By grace I am an heir of heaven:

Why doubt this, O my trembling heart?

If what the Scriptures promise clearly

Is true and firm in every part,

This also must be truth divine:

By grace, a crown of life is mine.

2. By grace alone shall I inherit

That blissful home beyond the skies.

Works count for naught. The Lord incarnate

Has won for me the heavenly prize.

Salvation by his death he wrought,

His grace alone my pardon bought.

3. By grace! These precious words remember

When sorely by your sins oppressed,

When Satan comes to vex your spirit,

When troubled conscience sighs for rest.

What reason cannot comprehend

God does to you by grace extend.

4. By grace! Be this in death my comfort;

Despite my fears, 'tis well with me.

I know my sin in all its greatness,

But also Him who sets me free.

My heart to naught but joy gives place

Since I am saved by grace, by grace.

Contentment in 2012

2012-01-01T19:27:00.001-05:00

Great post to ponder here.

Close (but not quite)

2011-12-12T09:09:00.000-05:00

This is the closest thing I can get to a good brother picture these days, and I try almost every single day. :) These crazy, sweet boys - they keep us running, laughing, praying, humble, etc.

What's Going On At The Butts' House Today

2011-12-01T10:04:00.001-05:00

"More, Mr. Grinch? All done! Avacodoes, Mr. Grinch? Yummy - Rice Cereal! All done! Wipe!"

Morning's View From Balcony

2011-11-08T08:44:00.004-05:00

One of the Lord's kindnesses to our family in the move to Georgia is our little apartment. We didn't know how or where we were going to live (or work, for that matter) when we decided to move here. The Lord provided both a job for Dustin (got the phone call as we were unpacking) and a wonderful apartment to call home. But my favorite part of the Lord's kindness in all this might just be our view. We're in the back corner of the complex, 3rd floor. And it just happens to overlook Kennesaw mountain. Most evenings, we can also catch spectacular sunsets. This was my view from this morning. My neighbor and I enjoyed chatting over coffee, enjoying the fall crisp air. I hope that I can enjoy His kindness ("pardon for sin and a peace that endureth") no matter what the view, but it's been wonderful to have this patio. It reminds me of how our Father has guided and provided. Great is His faithfulness! And His mercies are new each morning indeed.

How Deep The Father's Love

2011-11-05T22:38:00.004-04:00

The Stewarts from Together for Adoption on Vimeo.

I'm so glad God pursued me, no matter what the cost.

If you've ever wondered why so many Christians are adopting lately, this is why.

Nathaniel is 2!

2011-11-05T21:05:00.004-04:00

I'm all sentimental about this kid today.

To all of the older folks at the grocery store, I'm really trying to take your constant advice to heart and enjoy the little years, because they fly. Keep reminding me though.

2 years ago...

Today...

We love you, Sweet Natey.

2 Teeth.

2011-10-12T21:36:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist sharing this one.

Butts' boys' teeth mess up naps, cause drool and we'd like to even blame them for our funky hair and bad breath.

But, isn't he sweet?

Keep Praying For Cari!

2011-10-11T09:20:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, we found out that a sweet friend of ours (from the first couple of years of our time at Third Avenue in Louisville) was diagnosed with breast cancer. We've been praying for her and thinking about her constantly. Her husband, Josh, was one of the first people we met at Third on a Wednesday night. And she led the Women's Group that was such an instrument of spiritual growth and deep fellowship in my life as a new wife in a new town. She is an amazing woman, and she is trusting her amazing God.

Chemo is underway and life is hard. Please pray for this sweet family.

Cari encourages me so much, as she says things like this -

This is a testing of my faith like I have never experienced before and I find myself running to the ONE who gives me strength. Thankful for His faithfulness and perfect ability to help me be steadfast! Jesus alone is my strength.

Cari's sharing her heart - in pictures and words here.
And strangers, friends and family are giving generously here.
Please pray for her to have strength to fight and keep running to the One who gives her strength. Pray for healing.

I love you, Cari!

Not just for the kids...

2011-10-07T12:43:00.013-04:00

It's never a bad thing when I get THESE songs like these in my head. Listen to an entire cd here. UPDATE: If you click on that link and scroll down (arrow to right of grey bar), you can listen to all of their cds!! Wow! So, if you are interested, you can listen to Nate's faves. Choose Seeds of Praise #3 and listen to #2 and #6 to hear what's almost always in our van (if he asks kindly) lately and in our heads and dreams. He actually has been known to throw FITS when his "mouth song" is not on, so we are trying to teach him that he's not in control of the song selection.

This is the only Seeds cd we own so far. Nate's FAVES are #2 and #6 without a doubt. Dustin and I have our own favorites.

Thanks to the Collins for the intro to Seeds Music... We recently bought their van, which they kindly filled with goodies from diapers to Mr. Potato Heads to this cd. I miss you, Collins.

The following two songs are not from our cd, but a couple I found on a quick You Tube search, to give you a flavor -

On the lighter side...

2011-09-28T18:32:00.008-04:00

My son is developing quite the sense of humor. For example, Dustin talked about Nate getting his PANTALONES (we like to speak Spanglish) on, and Nate cracked up. He could not stop laughing and yelling, "Pantalones!" which sounded more like "Pantaloney!"

And when we watched a little more videos (on Zoodles) than normal this week, due to his being sick, I discovered that he thought this was just hysterical. It's not exactly the same signs I learned for all of these words, but, well, Mr. Nate thought it was hilarious.

Especially the nappy change. Wish you could all stop by and watch my son watching this video.

"You sign."

180.

2011-09-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

"It's Good." "It's Hard." It's both. And hard to communicate!

2011-09-20T15:22:00.007-04:00

The early part of my Christian life, I'd say I erred on the side of not sharing my sin and struggles. You know? Putting on my happy face, because after all, J is for Jesus, O is for Others and a Y,I,I,I,I,I,I is for you, you, you, as the happy song went. Now, I sometimes feel like I've "grown" in this area, and yet, now, I'm tempted to lose balance. For example, in perhaps aiming to be more transparent, I know I can sometimes grumble, gossip, whine, etc. I know we don't have to be "hard, but good" all the time people, you know when you constantly just say, "It's hard right now, but it's all good." Although there's definitely truth in that. But I need to flesh that out a bit more before I say it, without really, really meaning it. Really believing it. God IS at work in THIS, whatever this might be. Right now.

Anyway, I think Mr. Altrogge is on the right track in this article I just read. I really want to chew on this, and ask the Lord to help me in this area. I just find it tricky, and I get confused on what kind of speech and openness honors the Lord without turning into a grumbler. I'm always running from one extreme to the other, if I'm not careful. Anyway, my rambling aside, this article is a short one, but worth your time:

Bringing God Into the Equation

P.S. An afterthought here... some of the most godly people I know, who love God's Word and read it a whole bunch and love their Maker and pray to Him a whole bunch, do this really, really, really well. And suffer trials way harder than I've ever, ever, ever been asked to suffer. And they never read this article. :) I'm so thankful for models who have done this well in my life. Think about it. Don't the godliest people you know seem to strike a balance in this? They don't act like they have it all together, but they don't utterly despair when trials come. They bring God into the equation.

Thoughts?

Fear of Man

2011-09-12T07:58:00.007-04:00

Fear of man is such a part of our human fabric that we should check for a pulse if someone denies it. (pg. 17)

Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more. (pg. 19)

-Edward Welch, When People are BIG and God is Small

A looooong time ago, when I blogged more and read more, I posted thoughts on another book on the topic of pleasing people/fear of man. They are still floating around the Internet here and here.

Baby Brudder Tee-um (as Nate says)

2011-09-08T10:19:00.000-04:00

He's getting sooo big, but he's still my baby.

Barabbas: Jesus is Alive - Shai Linne

2011-09-03T12:17:00.001-04:00

Barabbas: Jesus is Alive - Shai Linne

Nate's New Favorite Song

HT: Blake White - Thanks, friend!

Strength for Weary Moms

2011-09-03T09:42:00.005-04:00

"The harvest won't come today. And it won't come tomorrow. Maybe not even next year or the year after that."

Keep reading MORE here and be encouraged!

And, if time allows, read each article in the series. The first one on the Gospel, for example, held a convicting reminder of what I need the MOST in this season, and every season:
Without a steady diet of gospel truth our souls will shrivel and our strength will wane; but a steady diet of gospel truth will give us power to persevere, even in the most tiring of times.

Friday Links

2011-09-02T12:24:00.016-04:00

If my friend Erin still blogged, she'd have all kinds of fun ideas for you. I feel selfish keeping all of her tips to myself sometimes, so I thought I'd share a few today.

With Timmers taking 3 naps a day, (and much more successfully at home) we are home quite a bit. She recently helped me brainstorm some fresh ways to keep Nate entertained and busy, enjoying home and learning, etc, etc.

She pointed me to the following:
Sensory Balloons (looks cheap and not too hard, hope to try soon),
Zoodles (we just use the PLAY GAMES section which takes you to a spot where you can watch a few short videos here and there)
and even Healthy Meatloaf (I used bread crumbs instead of almond flour)! Well, the Meatloaf was more a project for me than Nate.

And, I just skimmed this article on moving to a new spot, but hope to read it more later.

That's it for now! Thanks to Erin for some great resources to help me keep my little man engaged and a new, yummy, healthy recipe to add to the mix. Easy, too!

For Fun

2011-08-31T11:22:00.003-04:00

Whether you have a toddler or not, you probably would lower your stress level by rocking out to the Pandora Toddler station. Set up a free account, and then create a "Pandora Toddler" station and have fun!!

We're kind of addicted.

Considering Introverts & Church

2011-08-29T14:44:00.011-04:00

(from Boundless.org)

In many ways, the church is an extroverts' world.

So what's an introvert to do?

Read on here.

(from Jamie)
If you aren't an introvert, chances are you are good friends with or married to one, or someone who is more introverted than you, even if they aren't a textbook introvert. You definitely go to church with lots. I stumbled across this and it was thought-provoking for me in several ways. I appreciated the careful consideration behind knowing your God-given personality and gifts, not excusing sinful tendencies, but kind of "embracing" your introvertedness, if that's you, and letting God use it, while still pushing yourself a bit. The thoughtfulness on strategically being a fruitful part of the Body of Christ was helpful...

and, for me, it was simply a convicting reminder that ALL of the Body of Christ is so BEAUTIFUL, not just the more visible parts.

Chesterton

2011-08-24T12:31:00.002-04:00

It's not that Christianity has been tried and found wanting, it's that Christianity has been found difficult and left untried.
-G.K. Chesterton

A Respectful Wife (a link) and A Helpful Perspective (on being overwhelmed)

2011-08-22T16:47:00.015-04:00

This was a very clear article on a topic that's often easier to talk about than actually practice, thanks to my sinful flesh! This was a practical list to think through ways I should strive for growth in respecting my man more and more, and thus obeying the Lord!
A Respectful Wife

And I'm working through my new book. It's a different kind of book... no verses. SHORT chapters (I'm talking 2-4 pages). And, I should probably add that there are several in-passing references to an understanding of children that is more in line with presbyterians. Anywho, it's such an easy read. Mainly giving you (God-honoring) tools to help your THINKING and PERSPECTIVE about parenting your "little people" during the busy "little years."

Pg. 41 got me a few days ago.

Here's an excerpt. And, it would probably serve you better IN CONTEXT, so go grab your copy of the book soon! (They didn't pay me to say that.)

God gave this to me. I may not be overwhelmed about it. I can try as hard as I can, and maybe fail sometimes. I can try as hard as I can and fall asleep at the dinner table. I can try as hard as I can and be completely burned out at the end of the day. But I may not be overwhelmed. Actually, I may be overwhelmed, but I may not say I am overwhelmed! The words have a power over us. If you say it, you allow it for yourself. You give yourself that little bit of room to say, "But I can't."

For Sarah, Lindsay and Mary (and you)

2011-08-18T07:43:00.004-04:00

Hey all!

In light of the sweet comments on my last post, I thought I'd spend 3 minutes and pass on 2 links and a book that I've recently found (or am finding) helpful. AND a picture to boot.

1. How Can I Disciple Other Christians?

2. Keep Calm and Carry On Being Strong!

and I just got my copy of this book in the mail. Even the preface and Ch. 1 were encouraging!!

Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Woman (or Man)

2011-08-11T19:28:00.006-04:00

One of our very dear friends, Bryan...

has a very insightful father...

who wrote a very helpful post!!

It's called Preparing to Be an Amazing Old Man or Woman by Jim Elliff of Christian Communicators Worldwide.

Check it out here.

It's so easy to think you will be young forever. To not see past next week. I sometimes can't see past the current diaper I'm changing. I love the loooong-term vision presented here. My friend Erin says, "As I grow older, I want to grow MORE wise, not less." Sounds simple. But it will take the kind of thought laid out in this article to TRULY pursue. And all for His glory.

Anyone read this anymore? If so, I'd like to scoot away from kiddos' pictures a bit (although I like my kids a whole lot) and, although I don't aspire to spend much time here, share links like this that may be helpful. IF anyone is reading. =) If not, I'll just save them to my own favorites or print.

The Move.

2011-08-05T15:03:00.003-04:00

If you didn't know, we moved to Georgia on 7/23.

The move went well. We were pretty tired though.

Mindy "Mia" came (her 5th time to visit us) and brought smiles to our faces and extra hands to hug and help!

We worked out some energy downtown at the park!

We're bonding.

We get lost in the big city sometimes (note the shirt) but doing okay overall!

That's the picture scoop. Also, Dustin starts his new job on Monday! We are thankful for the Lord's kindness! We miss Louisville and our sweet friends there, but we're also excited about being here. That's it for now!!

Fellowship So Deep

2011-07-22T16:38:00.002-04:00

Speaking of memories and seasons and such as today marks 5 year of marriage, we are also closing out (more on that later!) a BIG season of life here in Louisville and headed to Georgia.

We're thankful for several things over these years, but Third Avenue Baptist Church probably tops the list. More thoughts or pictures one day, but our hearts are full! With deep gratitude - for the Gospel, for our church family there, for growth, for hope, trials, for joy, for worship, memories, so on and so on. For... fellowship so deep, and this song reminds me...
I'm thankful for this season. I'm looking forward to the next.

5 Years!

2011-07-22T14:46:00.002-04:00

Five sweet, full, sanctifying, wonderful years ago, I married my Dustin!

Today, we're celebrating in nasty work clothes, crunchy-ice cokes and chocolate, painting and packing (ha, we'll celebrate later), but we are thankful!

Marriage has been another of God's tools to teach us more about His kindness to us in pursuing us and rescuing us with His grace!!

I love my sweet man! Thankful for him!!

It's Hard Work Being a Stud Muffin

2011-07-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

We're Moving (and easily distracted...)

2011-07-18T16:04:00.000-04:00

Rediscovering the Library...

2011-04-20T21:21:00.014-04:00

I like to read. I forget that I like to read, and then I re-remember. :)

These all came highly recommended to me (and the Power's book was recommended to Dustin) lately. I've read all of one, most of a 2nd one, and dabbled in the other two. I haven't read leisurely in a looong time, and I've really been enjoying it. Hamlet's Blackberry is especially interesting and helpful. Go check it out for yourself. Little Women (the unabridged version) has been my middle-of-the-night-I-can't-sleep go-to. Why Motor Skills Matter was recommended at a little seminar thing I went to recently, and it's really interesting. Finally, I read Guernsey in a matter of days, it was just really fun. A historical fiction, written completely in the form of letters between characters. Anyway, I thought I'd pass them on to you, although I wish I could tell you more about each one and write a more thoughtful review of each of them. I should probably do more important things though, like go clean... or grab a snack and finish Little Women before Timothy decides to come.

Anyway, I thought it was a random list of reading, which kind of made me laugh. We've mainly read more theological books (we do live in SBTS land and near the beloved Book Nook, after all) over the last few years, so reading like this has been a change, but it's always nice to find a good (free) unwinding hobby! So, hey, pull a Hamlet's Blackberry (you'll see what I mean when you read it) and take a little break on your facebook or e-mail and go check out one of these at your local library today!

Let me know what you think.

We're OLD! :)

2011-04-14T17:40:00.002-04:00

These were 5 of my 5th graders from the first year I taught at Christian Academy. They now answer to Mr. Butts for their Math needs (in 9th grade). All of my old boys were taller than me. I saw one of my old kiddos who is now 6'4"! It was soooo fun to see them. They were such a special class! And, it's always fun to take Nate to see his daddy at work! Going down the halls is a wild experience though... kids call Nate "Little Butts" and "Mini-Butts" and "Buttsey" - hmm....

Ah... exhale! And rejoice!!

2011-04-13T11:29:00.001-04:00

I love this growing family SO much!! Rejoicing!!

More Pictures!!

2011-04-04T16:02:00.004-04:00

I mentioned that my sweet friend Lindsay took some maternity pictures and some of Nate. She did an awesome job! We hoped to do some of Big Bro Nate with the belly, but he was melting. So, we got some sweet, crying pictures instead. But, those are part of the memories, too! Anyway, here are the rest of the photos she took! Our inspiration on the block/belly picture was my talented friends The Cozarts. You can see more of there stuff here. They took similar belly pictures with Nathaniel (and Lucy, since we weren't finding out gender that go-round)!

Tips for Two Under Two (Document Attached)

2011-04-01T13:32:00.014-04:00

Photo Courtesy of my sweet and talented friend, Lindsay Crosby!

This is one of my faves! More to come...

Most of these tips could be applied to any newborn situation. Some could be applied to any busy household, children or no children. I was (in many ways) even busier (or at least, busy in different ways) when I was working full-time. I don't discount that working and keeping a home is a busy time! Maybe these tips (especially the cleaning ones) could be useful to those in that life season as well.

I do not endorse all of these sources (blogs, preschool books or otherwise). Mainly, because I haven't read them all. I just dug for stuff I liked.

I think I quoted everything correctly, but you can get on to me if I didn't.

Any more tips? Add them to the comment section. Perhaps I'll add them to the document eventually!

When I can't sleep at night, this is one of the things I've been doing (besides reading Little Women, ha!). I'd like to add my own thoughts on a future post and some verses. These tips are mainly practical, not getting at the heart of mothering and probably not for everyone. But, I liked them.

The formatting is shabby at this point. If I get bored, I may play with it sometime. For now, it's tips first, the source they came from second. Categorized by sources, not topic.

This link should get you to the document: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/75185699/Tips-for-Two-Under-Two

How do you serve the suffering?

2011-03-09T21:03:00.010-05:00

Since Molly Piper's blog's sidebar assures me that I'm a "stranger, not a stalker" - I keep visiting it. Mainly the archives. Mainly the series I'm about to share on here.

By way of intro, here's the skinny. I'm a people-person. I love people. And I love "my people" - all of the amazing friends and family God has given me. But, I clam up around people, even "my people," when they are suffering. I think about them. Sometimes I cry for them and pray for them and worry about them and wonder about them. But, I just don't know what to say. Or do. And, so, sadly, sometimes I don't. Often, I don't. I don't say. I don't do. I was convicted about this awhile back.

In my life, I have literally lost count of the number of friends who have had miscarriages, struggled with infertility, stillbirth or a brand-new baby that dies, an adoption process that doesn't end with an adoption, life-threatening illnesses, chronic illnesses, deaths in the family, etc. It's a fallen world, and sometimes, it hurts. A lot.

Lately, I'm wanting to do something about my tendency to "clam up" around the people who most need a friend during these times, and even months and years beyond. I want to ask them questions. Listen. Serve. Minister. Let them share. I want to try to enter into this world of suffering. I have much to learn.

Anyway, more could be said. But, I've been learning some big lessons about this. Many of which I learned on Molly Piper's blog. I heard of her story awhile back and stumbled upon her blog shortly thereafter. What I so appreciate about her writing is it's honesty, and the way she's trying to help the Church at large know how to deal with people who are hurting.

Okay. So, enough of my jibber-jabber about it.
If you have ever felt like I do, feeling kind of lost about how to serve the suffering, be it a close friend, a new friend, the gal three pews over at church or your neighbor, read these posts.

Start here. (And there are more posts on grief here as well.)

Thanks, Stranger Molly. I so appreciate your ministry to me. Even though I don't know you, I have learned a ton from you on this topic.

Two Under Two - Collecting Tips

2011-02-26T23:05:00.003-05:00

Feel free to pass along any tips you know about having two kiddos under the age of 2. Nate and Timothy will be under 18 months apart, Lord willing.

Most of the nesting is mental this go-round. Any handy advice will be most welcomed and may even be featured in a future blog post.

Because I'll have so much time to do things like blogging... right...

Nate's Friend

2011-02-07T13:46:00.001-05:00

We're hanging out with our friend Rebekah Love today. This is a big week for her! After a long journey you can read about here, our friends will be officially adopting her this Thursday, Lord willing! She is precious, and her story is precious! We love you, Rebekah. We join your family in praising God for your life and adoption, especially on this special week!

A fun video for the poor, neglected blog...

2011-01-30T22:19:00.003-05:00

I love my boys!!!

Christmas Concert & The New Fave.

2010-12-10T20:03:00.012-05:00

*Christmas card on the previous post... we're cheap and only sent the 10 free ones I got (thanks for the coupon, Trina!), but just print it if you aren't a grandparent, aunt, etc and are feeling left out. We love you!!

And now for a non-picture post, because it's been awhile (and probably will be awhile before inspiration strikes again)...

So, my sweet husband asked me awhile back if I'd be up for going to the Keith and Kristyn Getty Irish Christmas concert. Um... yes!! So, we had a very special date night last night. Jimmy John's and wonderful Christmas music!

I wasn't sure what to expect at an Irish Christmas concert. But, it was just incredible. Classic Christmas hymns and original ones with an incredible Irish feel. The band (including bagpipes and accordians and a gal who was stunning on the violin) was uber talented and really played with all of their hearts. The Gettys were wonderful. The music was of stellar quality. And we got to sit with dear friends.

But it was the story woven through the night that was just amazing. I needed to hear it again, just as I do every Sunday, every day really. And the joy that each person on stage (and in the auditorium) just oooooooozed out. It's the fact that the story of Christmas is THE story of the Bible. If you understand it was a story written from before time began to our hope yet to come that awaits believers in heaven... a hope foretold by the prophets, fulfilled in the Messiah, who was born of a virgin, and who was sent. Sent to die. For wretched sinners like us. Giving us hope. And life. And forgiveness.

As they sang the story of the Gospel, with a Christmas emphasis and Irish twist, they also stopped to simply recognize that Christmas isn't warm and fuzzy for everyone. Some people are super lonely. Some feel hopeless. They spent a few songs singing about trials and each of these few songs crescendoed to a rising energy because of joy found in Christ alone and rock-solid hope to be found in His truth. One of the songs is my new favorite song. (For now... I'm always changing my mind about my favorite song. I have about 30, I think.)

It's called Still, My Soul, Be Still and you can sample it here and you can download it from their new cd Awaken the Dawn. If not, just buy the whole cd. It's great.

Just thought I'd share about one of my favorite new songs. It brought tears to my eyes and Dustin and I both were really encouraged by it and it also made me think and pray for several friends of ours going through various trials.

And now, I've got to get Nate signed up for some violin lessons or maybe get him started on the bagpipe or just start working on his accent. :)

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

Just Merry Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

A Very Difficult Christmas Recipe =)

2010-12-09T14:28:00.004-05:00

Christmas Mug of Hot Cocoa (Christmas mugs make the cocoa taste better)

A splash of Peppermint Mocha Creamer (off-brands such as Aldi's will do just fine)

3-4 Cinnamon Red Hots

Mmm...

What a Year!!!

2010-11-05T08:46:00.019-04:00

Love at first sight...
Hi Mommy!
WAH!!
First of many kisses...
Our little man
Month 1
Month 2
Month 3
Month 4
Month 5
Month 6
Month 7
Month 8
Month 9
Month 10
Month 11
Last Night :)
Birthday Bananas and Balloon!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Nathaniel! We love you!! We praise God for your life which brings us so much joy. All praise to the Giver!

Psalm 126:3 - The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.

Baby Apple Butts

2010-11-04T14:52:00.002-04:00

15 Weeks Today

Baby Bump for sure

Baby's the size of an apple

Next appointment, December 2, we'll find out the baby's gender. It was sooooo fun not knowing last time, but I am not sure how I waited! I'm dying for December 2 to hurry up and get here! :)

Big Brother Nate is 1 tomorrow! Pictures from the year-in-review to come soon. Hopefully.

You're all caught up on the pregnancy now.

Pilot Fun!

2010-10-31T16:30:00.000-04:00

Book Review: Prayers of an Excellent Wife

2010-10-26T07:43:00.017-04:00

If you are married OR if you know anyone who is, raise your hand. Yup. That covers just about everyone. And, in that case, you should hear more about this book, because you would either be benefited to read it or be a blessing to share it. Christmas is just around the corner.

When we're honest with ourselves, praying for our husbands, our pastors, our friends, our children... um for ANYONE can leave us too-often-tongue-tied. "Please help my husband today. Thank you for my kids... Bless so and so." We know that there is so much more that we could/should be praying for them, but either feel bound by time constraints or, if you are like me, don't know where to start in the vast ocean of things to potentially ask. Not to mention the constant temptation to laziness, pride (too independent to be depedent, which prayerlessness reveals), etc.

This is where Andrew Case's book is extremely helpful. Prayers of an Excellent Wife is basically a carefully compiled series of Scripture-SATURATED prayers for wives to offer up on their husband's behalf. Each one is taken from a different passage or good chunks of a passage of the Word. Each prayer fits on one page, and my (new) habit and goal is to pray 2 pages - left and right - each day.

Here are some examples, taken from different days, so it loses the flow of one, cohesive prayer focusing on one passage or theme. But, it will give you a taste of the book, and then you can go snag your own copy!

"Perform your good pleasure in him - use him as a vessel to magnify the beauty of your Son. Give him this day his daily bread, providing for his physical needs, for You are a loving, merciful Father who gives good gifts to His children. Teach him to trust You, being not anxious about whether he will have enough for tomorrow."

"Please cause him to say, "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

This next one's convicting!

"Grant him continual patience and forbearance to live with me, a wicked wife. For I have sinned against You; I have acted very corruptly against You by forsaking my duty to help my husband lead our home in righteousness and the fear of You; I have not kept your commandments."

"O Lord God, make him continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that he has heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven. Keep him! Keep him! Keep him in the love of Christ."

My first thought in reading this book, a few prayers in, was initially and wrongly somewhat critical. It went like this - Who needs this book if you have a copy of the Bible? You can open up the Word and pray through it like this. My following thought was broken and corrected. More like this - Um... but I don't do that. The more I read it, the more I realize how much I need a guide like this.

My hope is that through reading/praying through this book, maybe several times over, perhaps one day I won't need it as a launching pad for my prayers as a habit has been formed. But, for now, it's helping strengthen those weak, weak spiritual "prayer muscles" (if you will) and guiding me in what to pray, stirring my heart for the Lord to be constantly at work in my dear husband for His dear Name.

Click HERE to find out how to obtain your own copy!
Thanks, Andrew Case, for this terrific and needed resource.

Frugal Tip of the Day...

2010-10-21T14:35:00.006-04:00

In an effort to revive the blog a little, besides with just pictures of a certain cute little guy, I thought I'd pass on a new favorite frugal tip today. We like to live (um... and have to!) tight, and it can actually be fun along the way. :)

The tip of the day is to check your receipts. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we've found it can really pay off.

2 Great Examples and One Just-Decent one... =)

1. Sonic - We love Sonic, especially during Happy Hour. They are hard to find in Louisville, but there are a few. Awhile back we bought a Sonic Route 44 and on our coupon it said if you take a survey, you can get a coupon code for a free Route 44 the next time you come. We did, and came back, and got the same message on the back of our receipt. This happened over and over, and I think we got about 10 Route 44's for the price of 1 before we got to a receipt that didn't offer that. And the next time we bought one, we had the same message on our receipt, and the process started all over again. It takes about 1 minute to do the survey.

2. JCPenney - If you make a purchase there, your receipt will have survey info on the back (takes maybe 3-5 minutes) and when you finish it, you get a coupon for 15% off your NEXT purchase at Penneys. And, it can stack on top of sales or whatnot. Dustin gets work shirts on clearance at JCP using these coupons, and he gets them for dirt cheap.

3. I bought a camisole on sale at NY&Co (mall walking for pregnancy health, right?) today and there was a survey listed, that once completed, will send me a coupon for $10 off of my next $50 purchase. Although I doubt I'll use it, I could pass it along or something.

The point is that this seems to be a big trend now... so check your receipts to see what you can save.

For Laura Cozart =)

2010-10-20T13:45:00.004-04:00

My sweet friend Laura texted today requesting more pictures of Nate. So, this is to make her smile. Miss you, Laura!

1. Maybe not the best expression, but we like this picture because it was one of the first times for Nate to wear shoes. Such a big boy!
2. Granna snapped this great picture in Cincy at our new fave spot to eat there, It's Just Crepes! She had to take about 15 pictures of him playing and wiggling but this one was worth the effort. Love it!
3. Playing outside! We do that a lot these days. Trying to soak in the warmer weather and pretty leaves before both the temperature and the leaves start falling!

Cindy's Pumpkin/Apple Muffins

2010-10-06T10:00:00.002-04:00

2.5 c. flour (regular, not self-rising)
2 c. sugar
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. solid pack pumpkin (15 or 16 oz can)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. peeled, finely chopped apples

In a large bowl, mix 1st 5 ingredients and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, and oil. Add the liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in apples. Spoon batter into paper liners, 3/4 full. A small amount of PAM to the liners will help them not to stick. Sprinkle on topping, and cook in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Topping (She said they usually double the recipe below, so I did too!)

2 T. flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
cut in 4 tsp butter (cold) till mixture is crumbly in relatively small chunks

Catch Up - Facts of Randomness

2010-10-05T04:16:00.007-04:00

1. It's 4:17am, and I am having what I guess is pregancy insomnia. My theory is that it kind of happens when it's time to "drop" your 1st Trimester naps that were so needed, because the energy's kicking back in. So, the nap I thought I needed yesterday was perhaps not as essential anymore. No naps tomorrow!

2. I'm not sure who reads this anymore, if it's something to keep up, what to write when I do post, etc...

3. Nate's going to be 11 months tomorr... nope, today. It's the 5th. One more month until he's ONE! Unbelievable.

4. His little brother or sister is somewhere between the size of a kumquat and a fig, according to my sources. Yes, we will find out this time, even though yes, it was actually really fun not finding out last time! We thought we'd try the finding-out strategy this go round.

5. A sweet lady from Korea, a long-standing member of our church, joined me for lunch today and kindly brought us a box of the Korean equivalent to Moon Pies. So, I just had one as a 4:24am snack. And it was yummy.

6. Brr! It's getting chilly around here. Like everyone else, I get so excited about the fall - sweatshirts, leaves changing, Nate in his cute winter clothes, soups, chilis, etc. It is coupled with a nervousness about what follows... for several months, but I'm getting a little tougher each year here. I was such a pansy my first year and daily wore my ski jacket to recess when I taught 5th grade, but if you have been a long-time follower of this blog, you probably already knew that and have laughed at me before.

7. Dustin's folks are coming to visit this weekend, and we are so looking forward to seeing them! We miss our family and friends in Texas and abroad. We have some fun things planned... Friday night, Carolyn is going to help me practice sewing on my new (dusty, sadly) machine that I still haven't used yet. Meanwhile, Dustin and his dad are headed to a local football game! We might go on a day trip to Cincinnati, and we will definitely go to Dudley's (my father-in-law) favorite place to eat in Louisville. Have you been there? You should! Just don't eat all day before you go... so you can enjoy more than one piece of evilness. They are dying to get their hands on Nate, if they can catch him in his busy boy-ness.

8. Later this month, we're headed to St. Louis for a friend's wedding. We're excited about the road trip together. Dustin and I love road trips!

9. I have found Cozi.com to be extremey useful these days. Mainly, the calendar features and the to-do and shopping lists you can create. Check it out!

10. I'm guessing this will be my last post for a few months until some inspiration strikes, because posting at this hour can't be too insightful or deep. But, I guess it served it's purpose, because I'm tired again and you are caught up at some level. Until then...

PS: Since we're talking random here, I'll leave you with some random pictures of our Friday night to stick with the theme. Let's just say it was a funny night, but one of the best we've had in a long time. It started with 1 neighbor kid asking Dustin to fix his bike and then grew. I didn't even get a picture of the final crowd, but it was fun. We loved meeting a good chunk of our neighborhood kids, and Dustin enjoyed getting to be handyman and tearing apart one clunker bike they found at the dumpster to fix the other two. And I think some of the kids enjoyed playing our keyboard and eating Nate's goldfish. We hope to hang out with them again sometime.

Dancing in the Minefields...

2010-09-30T00:06:00.006-04:00

I'm toying around with the idea of blogging a little again. Just a little though. Don't get too excited or anything. And mostly just sharing links of this or that, and pictures of this or that, maybe recipes of this or that, and maybe every once in awhile, an original thought. But again, don't hold your breath. :)

For now, I have to give props to an old friend of mine for a great link. Sarah was a friend of mine in my Camp days, and I really admire her still. Her blog shows that she's still a jewel. She linked up to this Andrew Peterson music video. Since several friends of mine at church just RAVE about his stuff, I thought I'd give it a listen. It was really, really good.

Go to Sarah's blog for a little blurb and the link. HERE.

Thoughts?

Family Fix

2010-08-17T07:37:00.000-04:00

The family is requesting more pictures, namely of Nate. So, I dusted off the blog to add a few for their viewing pleasure. We need to take some new ones. The football picture is at least a month old, but the others were just a week or so ago.

Nate's a fun little 9 month old. We are thankful for each day with him.

Part 2

2010-06-14T11:33:00.000-04:00

A Mini Nate-Catch Up (in pictures)

2010-06-14T11:21:00.000-04:00

Turn your heads, people. Sorry.

Pass it on...

2010-06-04T09:09:00.004-04:00

What's the point of this blog, I sometimes wonder. I guess one of the main purposes it has seemed to come to have is to just pass on stuff that has been helpful to me with the hope it may be helpful to others.

So, Dustin and I found our good friend's blog awhile back, and I get e-mail updates when he posts. So, thanks, Aaron Menikoff. I needed to read this!

Here's a snippet:
We are to pray recognizing that we do not pray to earn God's favor but because we have God's favor.

Read more

here.

Helping Mr. Butts

2010-05-20T09:27:00.000-04:00

Having been a teacher myself for 3+ years, I try to be an understanding teacher-wife. Especially at the end of the year, I try to remember how much I needed long naps, help with grading, encouragement, big hugs, brownies, caffeine, etc. Last night was hilarious. We graded so many Geometry projects that we were getting delirious. It felt like a high school lock-in or something. We may pay for it all day, but man, it felt good to be done with that huge stack when we finished. You go Mr. Butts (and all of my other teacher friends/family) - you are almooooost to summer! Hang in there!

Vegetarian Recipe - for Mel's birthday!

2010-05-13T20:34:00.005-04:00

I have about 2 dozen more cookbooks than I need, so I'm attempting to pare down. This means I need to figure out the recipe keepers! And, it makes Dustin happy because he knows I'll let him try to sell (some of) them at Half-Price, or I'll sell them at a Yard Sale. Hopefully. It also means a more organized shelf... one of them anyway.

I've just been typing a few a day, but I started drooling when I read this recipe. It's become our spring/summer fave! And, I hadn't even thought about it yet this year. Especially as veggies get cheaper (and if you are in Louisville, you seriously need to check out Fresh Produce Warehouse by TJ Maxx).

It's meatless too. Just in time for my Merdy's birthday. That was my childhood nickname for my middle sister Melodie! She's not a meat lover. We even made this for her once when she was here. Dustin loves it too! What's not to love? Roasted veggies, yummy bread, cheese, MAYO, etc. :) And, we usually serve it with homemade (much easier than you think) pita chips and store-bought (one day I'll make it...) hummus.

Okay, enough jibber-jabber. Here's the Butts' This-Time-Of-Year Favorite... typed especially for you!

Roasted Vegetable Focaccia Sandwich – (a Pampered Chef goodie, with my notes)

*You can double everything, and have 2 large sandwiches (good leftovers, if you eat them quickly) OR you can double everything BUT the bread and have lots of roasted veggies to pick on! Yummy!
*Good with pita chips and hummus

1 medium eggplant
1 large zucchini
1 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
8 ounces mozzarella
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 (7 1/2 inch) loaf focaccia bread (about 12 ounces)
¼ cup reduced-fat mayo (or more…)
½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat to 450. Cut eggplant and zucchini crosswise into ¼ inch-thick slices. Combine eggplant, zucchini and oil. Add garlic. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired!
2. Arrange veggies in a single layer on Stoneware Pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and deep golden brown. Remove from oven to cooling rack; cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, cut mozzarella and tomato into ¼-inch-thick slices. Cut bread in half horizontally. Spread mayo on cut surfaces.
4. To assemble, arrange basil leaves, veggies, tomato slices and mozzarella slices over bottom half of bread. Top with top half of bread. Cut into slices and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Happy birthday tomorrow Melodie! Love ya! Card should be at your new place soon... as in already. Did you wait until the 14th like you were told? :)

"Not the greatest good..."

2010-05-11T08:38:00.003-04:00

I loved this Mother's Day. It was special.

However, this post reminded me that "Motherhood is not the greatest good..." It's not the highest calling for a woman.

Read more here.

No way!

2010-05-05T10:08:00.006-04:00

"Good morning, Mom!"

"Really? I'm 6 months old today! Get out!"

P.S.

2010-04-28T20:41:00.001-04:00

More from the same series - really worth a read! -
It's Just A Suggestion.
Props: www.girltalkhome.com

To Schedule (Kids) Or Not To Schedule

2010-04-26T15:42:00.003-04:00

It seems that part of my daily routine as a new mom is hitting up my beloved Girl Talk archives. What a gift these ladies are to me... I've loved their blog for years now. They hit on soooo many important topics to women of all ages. They love the Gospel. They admit their shortcomings, letting you in on some of the daily grind they too face. And, in areas like this, they make clear that what they offer is just a SUGGESTION, not Gospel imperatives.

Anyway, so I like their series of old on ROUTINE. I like routine though. You might not. And, that's okay. It's just a suggestion. I'd actually start with the concluding remarks found here. Then, go back and browse through the series and see if you find any articles helpful in your specific season of parenting, should you find yourself in one today.

Terrific Deal! Thanks Meg!

2010-04-23T10:49:00.002-04:00

Props to my new friend Meg King (see side bar!) for this amazing link for a free 8X10 canvas print! You just have to pay shipping!

Nate and Macy

2010-04-23T08:50:00.002-04:00

**Photo credits to Erin Gerlt! (More pics on facebook...)

Weekend

2010-04-05T18:43:00.003-04:00

So, we celebrated Easter from our home yesterday. The stomach bug attacked Momma Butts, so Daddy stayed home to care for her and the boy. There were some really low points of the illness, but believe us, those do not need to be spoken of on the internet. But the highs were sweet lessons that this small trial (we really missed worshipping at church for Easter) was a great reminder that the Risen Lord will one day end all sickness for those who believe! And a little reminder of how awesome my husband is... what a man!

Although Nate didn't get to wear his adorable Walmart outfit, we had to try it on today and take a few pics. He's 5 months today, by the way. Big boy. We kind of stole the "5 months" sign from the Goads and Byers. Sorry guys. We're not too clever to think of anything new and creative, so thought we'd join in the monthly fun. This was our first picture to catch him laughing.

Needy?

2010-03-29T09:39:00.006-04:00

"Because the people God uses don't have to know a lot of things, or have a lot of things - they just have to need him a lot."

from Let's Go, a story about when Jesus chooses his helpers, from the Jesus Storybook Bible

Fading "Rights"

2010-03-25T07:30:00.006-04:00

I'm loving our current Women's Group book right now. Don't let the title make you assume it's watered-down or cheesy since it's specifically for the ladies. We all had the same thought when we first considered this light blue, "pretty" theology book with an artsy brown bird on it. :) It's good, deep stuff. Really helpful reminders. Truth to apply.

Here's one worth sharing. I'm always inspired to put up verses or quotes on my bathroom mirror or in my kitchen, by where I do dishes, but I just don't. I never move past the "being inspired" stage, I guess. But this one went on a card and up a few days ago. So far, it's been applicable every day. Something to chew on, for sure. It is part of a summary of Philippians 2, in a chapter entitled God Is Our Savior, Example, and Bridegroom.

We are called to willingly give up our rights and welcome the sacrifices that accompany being a servant to others. We are not called to think badly of ourselves. People who think badly of themselves are as self-centered as those who think highly of themselves. Instead, we are called not to think of ourselves at all. As our grasp on our perceived rights weakens, our needs fade into the background, and we become little images of Christ - consumed with the needs of others to the forgetfulness of our own.

-Wendy Horger Alsup, Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives

just a few :)

2010-03-22T11:16:00.001-04:00

Scattered Friday Thoughts

2010-03-05T07:47:00.006-05:00

Hey Hey and Happy Friday!
*You can scroll down for pictures if that's all you really want anyway! :)

We were digging the sunshine yesterday, and we're hoping for another sunshiney day today! Not too much to report around here. I've been able to get out (or have people over) a lot more lately, and I've definitely enjoyed that.

There's a lot on my mind this morning for some reason. I've been thinking about discipleship (specifically among women) and how it's neat that you are passing on the baton in the race of the Christian life. And, it's also scary in that I think it's tempting to make your goal - whether intentionally or unintentionally - to make a clone of yourself, instead of pointing others to Jesus.

Our friends (Cuthbertsons) are also heavy on my heart as they travel overseas to pick up their adopted son. They've been sick all week, so stop & say a quick prayer for their health, especially since Laura (the mom) is pregnant as well!

I've been thinking about my sweet friend Becky whose precious grandmother died recently. I'm encouraged by how Becky has counted the cost of following Christ, in their case to spread His glory among the nations. And, how that cost includes missing a funeral (and being with family) due to being across the world because of the Gospel. Like the guy in Luke 9:57-63. Jesus means what He says. He is worth it. This very text was in a sermon (I told you this was scattered) Dustin and I recently listened to (here).

So, (if you are even still following) we've also been inspired/encouraged/humbled by 2 movies recently. I know...movies? Really though. Nope. Not Food Inc, although that was interesting, and we did finally watch it. ;) The 2 movies are The Soloist and Hotel Rwanda. The latter gave us a stark reminder that we, to put it bluntly, do NOT hold a global vision of life. We forget about the rest of the world. The first one, The Soloist, made me remember that we live like KINGS compared to SO many in the world, so many even in America. Not only are we fed, clothed and sheltered - we are WELL fed, WELL clothed and WELL sheltered.

Anyway, I guess all of Nate-Man's sleeping has provided me some more sleeping time, which has got my brain (semi) working again. Speaking of, sweet Nathaniel is 4 months old today. He's sleeping through the night (for a week now) and having happier, longer waketimes as a result. I'm a big fan of this age. We even went on our First Date Since Nate! Dustin and I got to talk for 2 hours at Panera over coffee/dessert. Yippee! So, yup, we love our little man soooo much! I love all of Nate's smiles and how he "talks" so much. It's fun that when you blow on his face, he blinks his eyes about 3 times and then flashes a HUGE smile. A million other things are special too. I am so thankful to be his mommy. Undeserving. Thankful.

Oh... so scattered! Oh yes... my friend Cheri (my former co-teacher at CAL and she was the music teacher at my middle school/high school - back in the day) came over and helped me finish up Nate's room. Design on $6 (+ the cost of spray paint) because that's all it cost. She is that good, people. There's also a pic of Nate in the tub (LOVES it) and with one of his girlfriends, Libby Byers. :)

2010 Reading List - Updated

2010-02-20T10:59:00.005-05:00

~~Keeping House: The Litany of Everyday Life - Margaret Kim Peterson~~

~~Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald~~

Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in Our Daily Lives - Wendy Horger Alsup (Women's Group)

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making - Tim Lane/Paul Tripp (Home Group)

Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious – Christopher Catherwood

Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy – Paul David Tripp

Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards’s Vision of Living in Between – Stephen J. Nichols

Women & Evangelism – Sharon Beougher and Mary Dorsett

The Mystery of Marriage: Meditations on the Miracle – Make Mason

The Hidden Art of Homemaking – Edith Schaeffer

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles – Paul D. Tripp

The Truth of the Cross – R. C. Sproul

What is a Healthy Church Member – Thabiti Anyabwile

Receiving As Gifts The Homes We Have

2010-02-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

I'm sadly almost done with a book I borrowed from a friend. I have enjoyed it so much, I'm kind of bummed it's almost over. Ha! Keeping House: The Litany of Everday Life by Margaret Kim Peterson was a great book by an intelligent woman who apparently loves God, her family, her home, her church and the lost. She also has an outstanding way with words, and she passes on fresh perspective that motivates you as you aim to tackle the most ordinary of tasks (ex: laundry). I was suprised how helpful it was to us, us because I read aloud a good chunk of the book to Dustin.

The book actually hits on everything from attacking your dirty dishes to clothing a household to contentment to giving things away, even things you might enjoy or use. Two particular quotes stood out to me. Actually more than 2, but these will get you started...

There has surely always been a gap between the way people keep their houses and the way they would like ideally to keep them. But many of us, I suspect, are demoralized by the task of keeping house in part because we know that our houses, no matter how well kept, will never look like the palaces in the dream house publications. And so we give up, preferring unattainable ideals to less than perfect realities.
An alternative might be humility and gratitude that in a world in which not all are decently housed, we have been given the gift of a home, plus a willingness to aspire to a more modest ideal and to work to achieve it. Instead of nurturing dissatisfaction with the shortcomings of our present home, whatever we may perceive them to be, perhaps we can turn our energies toward receiving as gifts the homes we have and to creating in them enough order and tidiness to promote convenience and peace and hospitality.

When there are limits to the numbers of things and the kinds of things there are in a house, the house can become a place that moves back and forth comfortably between being messy to being tidy. Houses inevitably become messy because people live there, and they are busy with all manner of things. But if there are places to put things and it is simple and convenient to put them there, then picking up the house becomes a kind of active meditation, like putting a favorite puzzle together and seeing the familiar picture – the tidy house – appear anew.

3 Months!!

2010-02-05T13:38:00.007-05:00

Wow!
The calendar says Nate's 3 months today. Hard to believe. My friend Leslie Blair (who just had her 2nd baby boy this MORNING - congrats) said I needed to post an update. Okay, okay! I know this blog has definitely been lacking.

Well, since the little man is 3 months, we'll give you some stats and an update.

Not sure how much he weighs now... it was 13 lbs at the 2 month appointment, and he's definitely grown since then! He's looong with looong Jamie/Dustin feet and looong Jamie/Dustin hands. People say he really looks like Dustin now, but many say that he has my nose. I have stared in the mirror, but I don't really see it. Guess I don't look at my nose enough or something. He can roll over from his belly to his back, but only when he really wants to. He's done it 3 times. Let's see... Nate's grabbing things and focusing on things and us a lot more. He's cooing and even has mimiced my voice a few times. The other day, we had our first "conversation" that went like this...
J: Hi!
N: UGH!
J: Hi
N: UGH!
for about 2 minutes. It was a VERY happy 2 minutes!

He's a funny kid, and we're learning more each week. I feel like we've digressed a little with scheduling/naps, but today's a new day! He still has one "midnight snack" in the wee morning somewhere around 2:00am-ish (slept THROUGH the night a few times, but it didn't stick) but goes right back down. He loves playing with his daddy when he gets home from work. They play "Wipe Out!" on the couch. And, he actually throws a fit if Dustin stops singing/playing. Side story: When I try to do Wipe Out like Dustin, I can only think to sing the Batman song. I have to think pretty hard to remember which tune goes with which song. Sad, huh?

So, he's super happy when he's happy. His smiles are precious, and he's moving and grooving. However, he does melt really fast when he's tired. We're working on longer naps (instead of more short ones) so he can get to that deep, good sleep! He's not a huge fan of Sundays, to put it mildly. Just gets thrown off! He's a very active guy. He LOVES LOVES tummy time. LOVES LOVES baths, but equally HATES HATES when you take him out of the bath. Last night, I was bathing him and he was so happy he started kicking like crazy and trying to scooch down into the water more. You gotta watch him carefully!

You can put him down in one place and he scooches a good ways away - he works hard to grab stuff. He doesn't really cuddle unless he's sleepy or scared. Speaking of, sometimes things scare him out of NOWHERE. Sometimes, a vacuum next to him wouldn't bother him, but then at other times a sneeze will send him over the top if he's tired. It's peculiar and funny and annoying all at once. :)

He kicks when he gets really happy - the air, his little foot piano, the toys on his little tummy time mat we are borrowing from Sarah. He is constantly looking at things, and there are certain things in each room that really captivate him consistently. He stares the mess out of "his red curtains" in the living room. He gets in fights with "his" ladybug on the bouncy seat. He will look at her and start crying and look upset and then he'll smile and make a flirty face. It's quirky. Nate loves his elephant toys, and he cheers for the Michigan Wolverines. :) Oh, and he has started to scratch his bottom when I am changing his diaper. Um... it's really hilarious.

Dustin is an amazing father. I love watching him light up when he plays with Nate, and he tells us how he missed us all day long. He is a huge help. My favorite time is our bedtime routine, where Dustin reads us a Bible story, we sing and pray and put him down for the night. I also love Saturday mornings, where we bring Nate into our bed when he wakes up and we all snuggle.

We definitely aren't perfect or close to it! There are normal tough times, and it's been a huge growing experience thus far. But, it's hard to imagine loving him any more and then the next day you wake up, and love him even more.

I've been all emotional today about our little man (not tears, just really thinking on it) and it's only 3 months. :) I was finishing putting his pictures in his album and remembering the day he was born, so those pics are at the top. The last 2 were taken earlier this week.

And now, blog world, you are very updated about the little man!

Joy in Answered Prayer!!

2010-01-15T16:30:00.003-05:00

What tremendous joy in receiving good news from afar... or however the verse goes!
Check out a HUGE praise for our friends that's been a long time coming...

2010 Reading List

2010-01-08T15:55:00.003-05:00

So, in relationship to another one of our New Year's goals about staying in our budget, we decided to make 2010 Reading Lists based on books we already had. Seminarians, even former ones, have bookooooooos of books! And I had a bunch when we got married. Sadly, we haven't read many of them, but we're always itching to buy new ones. Not this year. No new books. If I want to read some other stuff (like novels or classics, ha, I realize these are all Christian books), I'll just have to borrow, hit up the library or read online.

So, here you have it. I may let you know how they are going from time to time. One of our main goals is to not let our goals fizzle out by February. We made realistic ones we want to keep all year long (like make my bed every day - ha!) so here's hoping. Of course, goals and keeping them don't save anyone! I'm reminded constantly that the only good in me is Jesus, so I hope I don't look to these goals or the keeping of them to find my worth or stumble into pride (if I keep some) and despair (if I don't).

That aside, (for real) here's the list. Dustin's list is a lot harder, as several of my books are pretty short. I was inspired by my friend Laura Cutherberson who has kept great reading lists up for the last several years, posting about them on her blog, which I'll add to my sidebar for ya!

Ask me how they are going. You can ask about making the bed too. Or my Postnatal Tae Bo workouts. :P

Jamie’s 2010 Reading List

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald

Church History: A Crash Course for the Curious – Christopher Catherwood

Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy – Paul David Tripp

Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards’s Vision of Living in Between – Stephen J. Nichols

Women & Evangelism – Sharon Beougher and Mary Dorsett

The Mystery of Marriage: Meditations on the Miracle – Make Mason

The Hidden Art of Homemaking – Edith Schaeffer

War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles – Paul D. Tripp

The Truth of the Cross – R. C. Sproul

What is a Healthy Church Member – Thabiti Anyabwile

Some pictures...

2010-01-05T09:09:00.004-05:00

1. After years of LOATHING chopping onions (my eyes would KILL me... I wonder if allergies make the process even worse), I finally found a way to chop them up without any eye pain. It even works better than my old (equally dorky) strategy of putting my head in the freezer. Don't worry. I close my blinds first.
2. Big Boy Nate is 2 months old today, and he looks way too grown up in this picture. We could not keep our hands off of him when we saw him in this sweater vest from Aunt Mel. It's so fun! Month 2 was way easier than Month 1, but it's all been fun. We're literally shocked at how much he changes each week!
3. The smiles are flowing freely now! (And finally, he smiles in response to us and quite often. It's not just gas anymore, although that still makes him smile too!)
4. Nate's cousins Ethan and Henry were absolutely precious with him. They were so gentle and sweet. Ethan (in the picture) and Nate locked eyes on each other like this for about 3 minutes straight! We miss those boys!! It was so good to see and play with them. I love being an aunt and we pray for them each night when we pray for Nate. They will be awesome big cousins!

5. Finally, one of my favorites from the month... a candid picture of Dustin and Nate. We were at my parents, and one morning Dustin took Nate so I could keep sleeping. I heard Dustin reading from the Bible to Nate and snuck out to snap a picture. It was so sweet. Later, Dustin had a funny story from it too! He had been reading from the OT and it talked of the plague of killing the firstborn son. He said that Nate started crying at that part. Seriously. :) Poor guy. It was a tramatic story for him, but he loved cuddling up with Daddy!

Joey

2009-12-22T14:06:00.003-05:00

My youngest sister Joey has a terrific blog, filled with funny teaching stories, some poetry and well-written devotional-type musings. Check it out here and add it to your blog reading. Enjoy! :)

Nate Thinks He's "Nasty, Wasty"

2009-12-22T12:47:00.000-05:00

One Month Recap - Figuring Out The Fussies

2009-12-08T13:12:00.002-05:00

Whew! Month 1 was wonderful and sanctifying. People aren't lying when they say that being a mommy is hard work. Well worth it, of course, but hard work.

So, I used to kind of wonder why parents post pictures and talk about their kids ALL the time. I think I learned that it's because you are with your kid all the time, not just because you love them so much. What else are we going to write about? Ha!

We are doing well overall. The learning curve with a newborn is gigantic, so it's crazy to look back at the month and see how many things have become normal so quickly.

It's amazing to see Dustin in the dad role. He's a natural. It's the highlight of my day to see my boys cuddling when he comes home.

We have had one hurdle, and we're not quite over it. But figuring out what it is was half the battle, I hope. Nate has Silent Reflux and not the "Happy Spitter" kind of reflux - I'm 99.99% sure. He fits all of the symptoms. It was confusing, because I thought reflux meant lots of spit up. Not always. So, it took awhile to figure out. Good friends and our pediatrician helped. We had one week, where most days and nights were consumed with crying and horrible stomach pain. And as we have learned more about it and worked on doing some things to help, there has definitely been a good measure of relief. He still doesn't sleep well at night, and only really takes one GOOD nap during the day. But he's not in pain (usually), just being fussy. So, maybe it's colic PLUS silent reflux. I just sometimes wish so bad he could tell me what he needs. It's sad when hours of hugging and holding and loving don't do the trick.

But, reflux (even the painful kind) is common. And, we count our blessings, knowing it could be much, much worse. But, it is taking a lot of prayer and patience to guard my tongue and emotions when we're especially sleep-deprived. Last night was not a good night. So, yes, this mommy stuff is incredible, but also an area God will use to strengthen our faith, highlight our need for Him, sanctifying us in so many ways!

So, if you think about it, pray for our little man's stomach, for good naps and night sleep and for us to have wisdom as we parent.

A few more =)

2009-11-09T12:08:00.002-05:00

Nate Is Here!

2009-11-09T12:00:00.002-05:00

May not be on blogger as often here in the next little bit. I'll try to update soon, but for now, here are a few fun pics from the first few days! We are definitely smitten!

Nathaniel William Butts
7 lbs, 9 oz
20 inches
born on 11/5/09
at 2:32am

It's a...!!

2009-11-05T08:07:00.003-05:00

Hmm... For all the non-facebookers -

Try this? Think it may let you see the pics on facebook. :)

Pregnant brain is real.

2009-10-31T00:51:00.004-04:00

At night, when insomnia comes, and you decide to post, you can go in 2 directions - serious or funny. I have plenty of serious thoughts swirling around in my busy mind right now, as the ticker on the side of this blog says 9 more days to go (and God's ticker might be less than that perhaps).

But instead of rattling on and pouring out my soul to cyberspace (not always a smooth move perhaps), I choose funny. I have already read for awhile. Had a snack. I'm awake, but not super alert, so I'll be safer choosing funny, I think.

I just wanted to give you a few reflections on "pregnant brain." Ever heard of it? It's REAL. And, if you think it's not, don't tell me, because if you do, you're just saying I'm stupid, basically.

Here are my examples over the last few weeks. And here's an article, just for kicks.

-I go to ValuMarket, our neighborhood grocery store that's mighty handy. Armed with about 15 thank-you cards and no stamps, I go in to the customer service area and pull out my wallet.
"Hello! I'd like to buy a thing of stamps. What are they called? A book? How many are in a book, I can't remember?" (Not too shabby so far, but random you can tell.) She helps me. I buy the stamps. Then -
"Thanks! Now, can you tell me where a... er, um... where I could send... where is the nearest, I need to send these letters, do you have a..."
I could NOT for the life of me remember the word mailbox.

-I go to Costco, where I'm the Thursday pizza-go-getter for an international lunch each Thursday that our church helps with on the U of L campus. I do this every week. They know me there. I say the same thing every week. This time, it didn't come out right, but I thought it did. I was CERTAIN it did. I rattled out my usual order while mentally thinking about baby or how I can't wait to be rid of my dumb maternity jeans... or something. I'm not sure WHAT I was thinking.
"Hi again! I need 5 whole pizzas - 3 combos, 2 pepperonis and 1 cheese. I'll be back." As I walk off, he says, "That's 6." I turn around, thinking he hadn't heard me right, but try to be kind to the poor guy and start over. I think I changed up the order. "Of course, sorry. 5 pizzas. 2 pepperonis, 1 cheese and 3 combos. Thanks!" "That's 6." I hate to add this part, but we honestly went through it one more time before I realized my mistake. My husband asked me later if I mentioned I taught Math for the last 3 years. Thanks a lot, Dustin. :)

-I completely missed the exit for CAL on my way to tutoring the other day, while engrossed in other thoughts. I was late.

And finally, this isn't about pregnant brain, but just pregnancy in general. A confession. You know how pregnant women get really sleepy? And they need to use the restroom a lot? I have fallen asleep twice on the toilet. Leaned up against the wall in the middle of the night. Twice.

Craziness.

Uno mas!

2009-10-30T08:33:00.001-04:00

One more from the wedding! These are our friends Nathan and Ashley, who recently moved to Ohio. We miss them. It was fun to see them at the wedding, even if just for a bit!

Pictures from last weekend...

2009-10-30T08:20:00.002-04:00

Here we have some pictures of some of our friends here in Louisville - Sam and Lindsay, and a picture of Dustin, Sam and another good friend, Riley (who just had a baby). Next up - Nick and Laura, also sweet friends of ours from church. Then, Dustin and I had a little practice during the reception with both genders, so hopefully we're that much more ready for caring for a boy or a girl. :) We had fun playing with these 2 kiddos from our church. There are always lots of babies to love on at Third. And, the last picture was the lovely couple as they danced together. Chris and Lisa are really special to us. We have done several double dates with them and kind of saw their whole relationship grow. We count them both as dear friends, and I definitely shed lots of tears (not just because I'm pregnant, I think) at their wedding, which was so God-honoring and beautiful. Dustin and I could not be more happy for them!

Random

2009-10-30T08:10:00.002-04:00

Random pictures here. Let's see... There is Dustin and our good friend Keith being ushers at last week's wedding. Slade and Laura in action; what a team! :) Dustin comforting sweet Wyatt who was not feeling too hot, but being mighty sweet and cuddly in this pic! Kari and Laura catching up in the 'Ville. And our little buddy Jameson who came over to visit me with his mom the other day. I held him in the hospital and now look how big he is! I thought we didn't have very many kid toys, until we turned on the keyboard. He was a big fan!

Cozarts!!

2009-10-26T13:56:00.003-04:00

We had the talented, godly and good-looking Cozarts come and stay with us this past weekend. They were in town to take pictures for our other good friends' wedding. We loved every minute of their visit, and we can't believe how fast it went. More pics later. We miss you already, Cozarts!

Pray for Baby Butts! Won't be too long now, Lord willing! :)

Picture Catch Up - Part 5

2009-10-15T08:45:00.001-04:00

Saturday night was my church baby shower. It was so fun! My sweet friend Erin Wheeler hosted it at her house and her 3 girls helped out. She and Eliza are in the first picture. Cindy planned some really great games. I'm horrible at putting on baby clothes while blindfolded, but it was really super fun. I guess I'll have to practice some more before changing diapers in the dark! There were lots of women there, and we had a wonderful time of fun and fellowhip. I have been so blessed by the friendship and example of the women at our church. The devotion was really encouraging too, based on 2 Corinthians 4. Erin typed it up for me, so here's a quote for you to ponder:

The image of clay is to point us towards God and away from ourselves. We are just vessels for His use. The mundane things of toilet scrubbling and cleaning spit up can all be done for His glory... As a mother you have the distinct opportunity to be a clay pot for the kingdom of God in your parenting. What you care most about will eitehr strengthen your gospel witness or distract from it. There is no in between. You will either live your life as a clay pot mom, or a china vase mom.

Picture Catch Up - Part 4

2009-10-15T08:27:00.002-04:00

In Jeffersonville, just down the street from where we stayed, we discovered a delightful little Candy Shop/Old Fashioned Soda Pop Shop/deli. If you are local, you need to take your kids (and your husbands) there. You can even watch how they make candy. It's been open since 1858! It's called Schimpff's Confectionary and it might have been the highlight of the weekend for my sweet-toothed-husband. We got some yummy candy and even came back later in the day to eat at the deli. We each chose a small Potato Soup, since we were full from a big breakfast. Over lunch, we updated (finally) our Anniversary Book with memories from Year 3, striving to follow advice from friends Mary Row and Pat Horner and "record the history of God's gracious dealings" in our lives. We also added a few things to our baby book. :) We also went to Huber's Farm on Saturday, but we didn't take any pictures there. Oh, and I'm back-tracking now, but on Friday, we went to Rocky's on the River for dinner, one of our favorite Italian spots around. Anyway, we were grateful for a fun and relaxing weekend. It was fun to look back, look ahead and just hang out! Next time we get away, we'll be bringing a sweet little bundle or calling a babysitter. :)

Picture Catch Up - Part 3

2009-10-15T08:21:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, we explored some in downtown Jeffersonville. We even ran into some pretty famous people! And, we spent some time wondering if baby is a boy or a girl!

Picture Catch Up - Part 2

2009-10-15T08:16:00.001-04:00

So, with the nesting instincts so strong, I thought I'd makeover our bathroom while I was at it... Just kidding. More "Babymoon" pics...

Picture Catch Up - Part 1

2009-10-15T08:05:00.004-04:00

A few weeks back, I visited our dear friends in Atlanta, the Menikoffs. (The little boy on the left of the first picture is not a Menikoff. He just snuck in the picture.) It was great to visit with them. I had a super visit, from great conversations, to the Sandy Springs Festival, to my 1st trip to Trader Joe's, to outlet shopping, to seeking Deana's counsel on all-things-baby and baby registry, to great theology chats with Aaron and Deana, to hearing a terrific sermon on Ruth by Dr. Menikoff. :) No pics of Aaron, sorry.

And here are the first pics from our "Babymoon/3rd Anniversary Celebration." We went to a Bed and Breakfast just over the river in Indiana, so we could enjoy a longer time "away" without Dustin having to take off any work. Our room was the Bridal Suite, which was quite a splurge for our frugal/Priceline souls, but we thought it was well worth it. The room was very purple and very nice, and we had a wonderful time. I happened to be wearing purple, but it wasn't planned. Breakfast was amazing, too!

Upcoming!

2009-10-05T23:14:00.006-04:00

This Friday, my husband and I are going away for a night for two celebrations. We are (finally) celebrating our 3rd anniversary, which was back in July. And, we are celebrating what is to come, taking a "babymoon" of sorts. I delegated myself as the sneaky planner of the trip, since he's been busy with school. So, he let me put that in my court (yippee), and I have had fun getting it all planned and ready. I'm now to the week of "torture Dustin with clues in his lunch." His guesses are quite comical.
We are both looking forward to it. Marriage is a wonderful and sanctifying thing, as a friend told me when I was engaged. She said it was "just as wonderful as it was sanctifying and just as sanctifying as it was wonderful." I'm sure parenting can be described about the same way! Great words! And speaking of marriage, these 2 quotes, which I read within a few days of each other, have really been on my mind. They are on the post just prior to this one. The second one is especially helpful.

When we get back, on Saturday, I'll have my Church Baby Shower that night with sweet friends. So, there is a lot to look forward to this week. We are humbled by His mercies, of which we constantly know ourselves to be undeserving.

Marriage Quotes

2009-10-05T22:42:00.005-04:00

Richard Baxter, on marriage (taken from The Christian Lover edited by Michael A.G. Haykin):

It is a mercy to have a faithful friend, that loveth you entirely, and is as true to you as yourself, to whom you may open your mind and communicate your affairs, and who would be ready to strengthen you, and divide the care of your affairs and family with you, and help you to bear your burdens, and comfort you in your sorrows, and be the daily companion of your lives, and partaker of your joys and sorrows. And it is a mercy to have so near a friend to be a helper to your soul; to join with you in prayer and other holy exercises; to watch over you and tell you of your sins and dangers, and to stir up in you the grace of God, and remember to you of the life to come, and cheerfully accompany you in the ways of holiness.

And C.S. Lewis (taken from Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, by Lane and Tripp:

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now. In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.

Prayer

2009-10-02T09:27:00.002-04:00

Prayer is something I always struggle with, and I suppose I always will. It sometimes flows freely in praise and talking and pouring out my soul to my Father. But, to pray faithfully and specifically to intercede for others takes so much discipline. My flesh fights against it. My mind wanders. My to-do list beckons. My heart is unmoved. Far. Too. Often.

And, while the problem is sin overall, there is the real issue of just being overwhelmed by what to pray for. It's a long list - thinking of the prayer needs at church, home group, women's group, in your friends' lives, in your families and when you think of missionaries, nonbelievers, neighbors... not to mention your own kids, spouse and the biggest sinner you know - yourself!

Anyway, I recently went to visit a dear friend of mine. I was sitting on the couch one day, and saw her prayer calendar sticking out of her Bible. Without trying to be too nosy, I did glance at it, remembering awhile back when I made one. I admired the way hers seemed simpler than my former one. And usually when you shoot for some kind of daily routine (be it cleaning or something more like this) that is very complex, it eventually fizzles out.

So, I asked her for her categories. And, I'm slowly working on a new one today.

It's basically a table (Sunday-Saturday at the top, categories on the side, requests in the proper cells). She folds it up in her Bible and pulls it out each morning.

I have tweaked hers some, and may keep tweaking, but this is what I'm considering at this point, and there is a point forthcoming for me sharing this with you...

-Me
-Dustin
-"Baby Butts"
-Family
-Friends
-Missionaries
-Churches/Ministries/Major Leaders
-Elders/Families and Deacons
-3ABC (our church)/Ministries
-Nonbelievers

So, for example on Monday for family, I might be praying for my dad and mom, my friend Mindy and our friends the Riedls, the President, Children's Ministries at Third Avenue, etc.

Here's where I'm stuck. I also have lists of prayer requests from our church prayer meetings, home group and our women's book study group. I have prayer requests that I aim to lift up continuously like some friends who are adopting and we are longing for God to bring their boys home. Dustin's co-teacher's son has leukemia. The 8 or so friends I know who are having a baby soon.

Prayer should not be a burden, and I don't want to over-organize it. I know that many things I should just be praying about spontaneously, as people or situations come to mind.

But, my question remains... if you are a believer, how do you discipline your prayer life to consistently lift up so many various needs? Do you have a similar calendar? Do you have any suggestions? Do you have one main prayer time a day? Do you carve out one big time a week to pray in a more focused way? I don't know. I would like to learn what others do. I hate to say it in this way, but what works for you? What have you found helpful?

I'd love to hear from you on this one.

Mindy - Visit 3!

2009-09-23T04:11:00.003-04:00

Our Mindy is such a special friend. Since I knew her from DBU, Camp Buckner and Heritage Baptist, we did a lot of life together! And, she's still not sick of me yet. Dustin and I both enjoy her visits so much. She has come each year to visit us. She's such an easy guest too, because she is up for anything and just loves hanging out casually. We always have a terrific time with her. We try hard each time to talk her into moving here. We both miss her when she leaves.

This past visit, we did a horrible job of taking pictures. But the ones I did snap were super cute! One afternoon, dear TX friends Kari, Sarah and sweet little Brooklyn came over to play Settlers. We LOVE Settlers of Cataan and always play games when Min visits. Mindy and Brooklyn are so photogenic!

We love you, Mindy! See you next year.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-23T03:31:00.003-04:00

Below, you'll find a few scenes from our new home around Labor Day weekend. Dustin's family gave us his grandfather's nice grill. We finally fired it up, and had grilled BBQ Chicken and grilled corn, thanks to Chef Dustin. Our friend Jeremy came for a visit and our buddy Dan came to hang out as well. You'll see that Dustin (although Texas-raised) LOVES Michigan, and really enjoys our new TV this time of year. He wore Michigan gear all weekend. There are many Saturdays where he grades while watching football. We've never had a TV before, so this is definitely a highlight for him and a fun way to relax. And sometimes I find him asleep down there, poor guy, working so hard... :)

"Down there" is referring to our basement (which finally dried out after recent flooding) which is Dustin's "Man Cave," and probably his favorite part of the casa. A perfect den for hanging out with the guys watching ball (even if they root for Ohio State, he lets them come hang out), or reading or whatnot. It still needs a lot of work, but it's getting there. His mom even made some really cool Michigan curtains (and some pretty ones for above the washer/dryer on the other side of the basement). I haven't taken a picture of those yet though.

Design on a Dime

2009-09-23T03:04:00.015-04:00

Over time, I've learned to embrace the fact that I'm not super crafty, and invite others to help me with my limited decorating skills. Like Dustin's mom painting the tree for the baby's room! One of my "nesting" projects listed was to re-do our bedroom. We loved our old bedspread, but it was formal, kind of dark, we were getting tired of it, it was falling apart (strings kept coming out), etc. We wanted to go lighter, and we didn't want to spend a lot of money. Also, our previous home had these great windows above the bed, so when we moved here, we realized we needed something to go over the bed. The bed wasn't made when I took this before picture, for extra effect (or I was just lazy that day). And yes, if you were wondering, that is a big body pillow in the shape of a C. I borrowed it from a friend for pregnancy sleep... love it.

So, there was also this huge, blank wall (whereas the old home also had windows) and I didn't know how to fill it. What to do, what to do. Looking at this wall every day was making me feel my need to get started on my project.

My friend Cindy helped me! She had this great idea of covering plywood with some padding (or did she say badding? batting?) and fabric. She even went to Hobby Lobby and Home Depot with me, and helped put it all together with Dustin's staple gun. It was significantly cheaper than most of the other things I'd been seeing at the stores, wall art and such. Dustin and I bought a new bed-in-a-bag on a major sale at Sears. And, I found the D/J letters for cheap at Kohls, although we want to change the 8X10 out with a different picture. We also got cheap curtains for the other wall (with windows!) that match really well, but we haven't put them up just yet. Need rods.

Anyway, the whole project was fun, and since I can't sleep right now, C pillow and all, I thought I'd catch up by way of pictures. Thanks again, Cindy!

Question - Is anyone thinking it still needs one more big tan pillow or something like that? I welcome advice. :)

What do these things have in common?

2009-09-15T11:00:00.012-04:00

Question: What do the following groups of people have in common?
-Nursery workers
-New moms
-People who are traveling
-Those who have to work on Sundays sometimes
-Those who are ill

Answer: They have circumstances which may prevent them to be under the preaching of God's Word regularly.

Without realizing it lately, I had been really "drying up" not being under the preaching of God's Word. You can have your quiet times, read good books or have good conversations, but the preaching of God's Word, and sitting under it, is important. And for me anyway, those things (quiet times, good conversations, prayer) don't happen as consistently when I'm not under the preaching of God's Word. Between traveling and nursery needs, it seems like I've caught very few sermons lately. This is not to complain, and MANY people are in this boat, but I think it's good to take a hard look at it objectively and realize the dangers that may accompany such seasons. And, it's almost guaranteed that I WILL enter such a season in just a few months where I'll be either having to excuse myself from the service to go feed the baby, or I'll only be partially there mentally due to sleepless nights.

Of course, these things aren't sinful. But they can be spiritually dangerous, and if you are like me, you may not realize it until after the fact.

All of that said, one way to fight the dangers is to put yourself under preaching when you can. We live in a day and age where good sermons are plenteous online. I used to listen as I cleaned or worked or drove, and that's a good strategy, but today, I just wanted to sit and listen. Take notes. Be fed. It felt like a feast, and I didn't realize how starved I had made myself.

What a wonderful refreshment the sermon was that I listened to today on our MOUTHS. It was taken from Proverbs 10:11 - The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life!

Here are a few things that stuck out to me -
1. God cares about your mouth and what comes out of it.
2. A life-giving mouth is like a fountain (free-flowing) not a factory (work, work, work).
3. Wisdom is crucial to having a righteous mouth and the fear of the Lord is crucial to wisdom. In Proverbs, all 3 (righteous mouths, wisdom and the fear of the Lord) are said to be fountains of LIFE!
4. Becoming someone with a life-giving mouth means sinking your roots deeply into God, abiding in Him. Out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth speaks.
5. Righteousness is not a list of deeds to do or not to do - it is a trusting, resting, abiding in, and drawing abundance from God. Fearing Him - being afraid to forsake Him, staying close to Him who IS the Fountain of Life. Drawing our life from Him!

The application was really helpful as well -
1. Does your mouth usually feed (as opposed to starving with silence or empty words) others?
2. Does your mouth usually heal (as opposed to wound with harsh, sharp, unhelpful, etc words) others
3. Does your mouth usually protect and deliver others (as opposed to join in the attacks against them)?

Finally, in the close of the sermon, this phrase stuck out to me - we have very needy mouths. I feel this - in my friendships, marriage, phone calls, relationships with unbelievers, etc. This need, which we will probably first feel deeply discouraged over, shouldn't lead us to despair, but to draw near to the Father. To drink deeply from His Life, His words. We need Him to give us life. And to fill our hearts with life and joy that we may use our mouths for His glory.

Lots to think about. You can read or listen here. .

I highly recommend this sermon, and I highly recommend guarding against the dangers of weeks, those busy weeks we all have for various reasons, that shrivel your soul. Abide in the Fountain of Life, and as a result, may He use our mouths to bring His life to others.

The Old Wives ARE Right! Well... 50% of the time. :)

2009-09-07T21:54:00.011-04:00

I hope the belly picture doesn't weird anyone out and no, it's not my belly. However, bear with me, because I've been doing some thinking about this little kicking one the Lord is knitting together in there. Boy or girl, boy or girl...

As you know, we are waiting to find out the gender of Baby Butts (and putting our friends and family in suspense too...) I'll have to admit that it's been much more FUN lately than I originally imagined. Quite honestly, I used to be just sort of half-way on the "this is fun" bandwagon with Dustin, making clear (but with a smile) that this was his original idea, or making jokes about how I think this is fun, but I'm not so sure yet. As friend after pregnant friend found out "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!" at Week 20, I wondered, at times, if I should have taken Dustin up on his sweet offer ("Of course, if you really want to find out, that's fine dear!")

But really, it has been more "fun" lately, for 2 main reasons I think (and only post-picking out names and nursery decor). 1 - When I worry or get a little anxious about labor and delivery, I have this smile-producing, consoling thought - Lord willing, the baby will be born and we will find out "It's a boy" or "It's a girl!" 2 - When I am feeling kind of restless or impatient with the pregnancy (Come on, November!), it's fun to wonder if it's a boy or a girl. In addition, it's fun to imagine Dustin in the delivery room, hopefully triumphantly having made it without fainting (he's a little queasy, my sweet guy) - smiling or perhaps even shedding a tear or two when the for-this-announcement-we've-waited, BOY or GIRL, Nate or Lucy.

Anyway. The POINT of this was supposed to be that lately, some of the fun had been taken away by my doctor. Boo! I like her well enough, but she has told me TWICE that she thinks the heartbeat is like that of a boy, if she were to make a guess. (Why is she guessing if we told her we didn't want to find out... ha!) Although she used the word GUESS, it's coming from a doctor, who said it not once, but twice, and who went to school for these kinds of things, right? I put a lot of stock into her educated, I-do-this-every-day guess, so in my mind, the baby must be a boy. Which would be fine. I'd love a boy. I'd love a girl. But, after all of this time, I'd love a surprise.

So I "researched" (okay, okay... googled) about it, and it seems that even the heartrate test (along with the how-you're-carrying-test and there's even a DRANO test) has not been proven by any medical studies. It's just a guess, just like she said. 50/50. So, I'm telling myself that it's still all a suprise at this point. (We've waited this long; I want to go all the way!) Only one person (on earth) knows our baby's gender; the doctor didn't even find out from the ultrasound. I think she thinks it's fun to wait it out with the few who choose to make it a surprise. So, it's only the sonographer lady. She knows.

I will admit though... there are days where I consider calling her up and inviting her to a baby shower. Is it cheating if we became friends, me and the sonographer, and she busts out with a blue or pink gift? I mean, honestly. :)

And if you are bored and curious, there's more info here and here, even about that DRANO test.

And a few more...

2009-09-05T12:36:00.000-04:00