Where we are

I fell of the internet for a while. I mean, it's good to have a little break now and then. I've been nesting like a maniac in our new home. I can't believe that we're home owners, or as a friend said, "Home Moaners." Two days in we had to fork over $500 to the 24-hour plumber after I flushed the toilet and the basement started to flood, so she pretty much nailed it!  Check out our sweet cherry blossom tree, though.

RIGHT?! The inside of our house is coming together nicely. We have Wild Child's "big boy" room finished, though he's still sleeping in the nursery. His sleeping habits are so erratic I don't think putting him in a bed is a wise decision. We're still waiting on the newest arrival and hope he arrives soon. I hope to be back soon with photos of the house and some projects we've already completed. Here's to being back in the game!

Lately

Things have been crazy around here, but thankfully as I was packing up the desk I found my camera cord so I could finally upload some photos. It's amazing what you dig up when you start to pack. I've decided after this I never want to move again. I say that every time; doesn't everyone? Here are a few photos from the last few weeks.

Building is our favorite.

Granddad sent us some presents from his trip to Honduras!

Getting so tall!

Eating a "nanana"

Lemons are a special snack.

                                                                                                          

DIY

So I'm packing up our house and mentally decorating our new place. It's dangerous, you know, making over a place you don't even live in yet. I've been scouring Pinterest for weeks in order to get some ideas for cheap and easy upgrades, how-tos and decor ideas. I came across this blog - The House of Smiths. I have been pouring over it for days now and it's serving as quite a bit of sewing and decor inspiration. I've decided our first "major" project will be this one:

Beautiful, right? Our hall entry closet has bi-fold doors, though, so the demolition step won't be quite as dramatic as theirs. We plan on just taking the doors off and adding molding. It will give the Husband a chance to use some of his new tools and get back into woodworking. I've already put him to work at designing a new dining room table for us. Just a few more weeks!

Waiting...

I've been doing a lot of waiting lately. At present, I'm sitting on the couch waiting for my Tylenol Severe Cold and Flu medicine to kick in so I have full use of my nose back. We're also waiting on this little guy:

Cute, right? He has his little arm up by his head just like WildChild did when he was born. Come spring, when he's due, we hope that we'll be HERE:

I'm done renting. We wanted a place with walls to paint and a yard for the boys. I have dreams of a garden in the back, surrounded by fruit trees. Of course, I'm going to need to figure out a way to keep the deer out. Yesterday I was scoping out the raised beds and noticed deer tracks all over the yard. Because the house backs up to a wooded area, they come down to the house to feast.

It's so hard to trust and rest and wait. I'm praying that God continues to direct our steps and gives us peace and we go forward. In the mean time, I'm hoping I don't have too much time before this medicine kicks in. I'd like a nap before the kid wakes up!

Dad time

Wild Child is loving having Dad home during the days he's off. They walk around the house together and it actually gives me a chance to clean the bathrooms without having to worry about little hands in the toilet. It's glorious! Here are a few snapshots from the last few days.

Daily Bread

My dad got me a great book for Christmas - Jennifer Reese's Make the Bread, but Buy the Butter: What you should and shouldn't cook from scratch. I have been known to sit and read through a cookbook for fun, and I couldn't put this one down. Not only is it a cookbook, it's a very funny rendition of her trials and errors in making everything from cakes and cheeses to moldy meat in her crawl space. I finished it in two days, every so often saying, "Hey, did you know..." and then inserting some sort of food trivia. The husband wasn't as interested, but one day I'll win Trivial Pursuit with my knowledge of trees poisonous to bees. You'll see.  What's great about this book is she breaks down the cost and gives you a gauge of how difficult each task is. Bread is high on the easy list, so I decided instead of buying pre-made frozen rolls I'll just make them. This isn't one of her recipes, since I the one in Reese's book calls for whey and I have yogurt making on my list for next week.

Basic daily bread:
     4 cups flour
     2 cups hot water
     1 packet yeast (about 2 tsp)
     1 tsp salt
Mix together and leave on the counter in an oiled bowl for an hour or more, covered with a damp towel. It will look something like this:

 After the dough is doubled in size, it should look something like this:

 Punch your dough down and preheat the oven to 450. Sprinkle some corn meal on a cookie sheet and shape your dough into whatever shape you'd like. I'm used to frozen rolls and didn't realize how much this bread would rise when you cook it. Next time I'll make the rolls a little flatter.

 And this is what it looks like when you've pulled it out. I baked these for about 25 minutes. They have so much more character than store bought, don't you think?

On Giving

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us..." Isa. 9:6 (NASB)

I woke up this morning before the sun was up. I made a pot of coffee and put the french toast casserole in the oven. Sitting in my husband's easy chair I read the first few chapters of Luke by the light of our Christmas tree lights. Mary's Magnificat resonated with me especially this morning. Yesterday, as I prepared the roast for today and wrapped the last of the gifts, I watched a heart-breaking documentary about the waste in our country and the issue of hunger, especially among children. In Luke, Mary recites. "He has filled the hungry with good things."

This morning I was overwhelmed with the blessings of God. Our home is warm, safe and filled with good things and unnecessary luxuries. We give gifts at Christmas to remember the gifts the Magi gave to the Christ child and to rejoice in the free gift of Grace that Jesus has given to us. Yesterday as I watched one statistic after another roll across the television screen I couldn't help but thank God that he has not only filled us with the good gift of grace, but also the gift of food security, a roof over our heads and clean drinking water. My prayer for the upcoming year is that I would remember the daily bread my Father gives me. I'm thankful for the gifts the Lord has given us, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be able to give to those who are in need.

The Lord has done great things for us. If you'd like to do something for someone, I'd encourage you to make a donation to a nonprofit in your community. Or buy a family in Africa a chicken. Or sponsor a child.
And speaking of child, here's one of our WildChild from this morning.