"Lay 'Em Down" - NeetToBreathe

Pray for missing Pilot

Please pray for the family of a missing pilot. Kyle went missing Monday when his plane went down. It was found in the Yukon River, but his body was not recovered.

Read news story:  http://kyuk.org/post/plane-found-pilot-missing-search-continues

Little Beauty

     I saw this little beauty up in a small town about fifteen minutes from where we live.

     Probably the least practical car I have always dreamed of owning! Honk if you own a VW bug!

7 Months of Motherhood

    Eva is seven months old today. Tell me please, where have the months gone?! Wasn't it just yesterday that I was staring at a positive pregnancy test with anticipation for what the Lord might do? I never understood just how fast time would fly once she arrived. She is now rolling over, sitting up, and starting to eat puree'd foods on occasion.

 Here are some pictures from when she was a few weeks old.


 

My Yoga Mat

     I finally broke down and bought myself a yoga mat (yes, I have succumbed to the latest exercise fad. Don't judge me.) I got mine at Marshalls, where I paid about a 3rd the price it would have cost me if I got it from a yoga guru retail store. I have only used it twice, so I can't tell you a ton about it other than it is indeed a yoga mat (smart observation, right?). It makes things easier on my knees, elbows, and other joints (that used to scream when I got down on our hardwood floor). It is also nice to sit on while I check my email and write to you lovelies out there who read my blog 😍.

     When you hear me talk about exercising, please don't get this picture in your mind of "crazy fit mama" cuz...who am I kidding. As much as I would like you to think I am "one of them", I just don't have the time or motivation to get myself out of bed to run, jog, go to the gym, or even take a fyoga class (which might end up being a little freaky knowing how serious some yogis are about their yoga). When you hear me say, "exercise" I'm most likely talking about a walk with the dog (and baby, and stroller) or a few YouTube yoga videos that happen to be friendly on healing postpartum mama tummies. Yeah, no crazy ripped abs around here. Just tummies that remind me of the happy little blessing I'm exercising to try and help my body keep up with I care for daily (Love you Little E 😍).

     Well, I should probably go and do what awesome moms do, right? Yeah, I'm going. I'm actually hiding from my house, and my laundry, and the dishes...and everything... You weren't supposed to read that...

 

Two Things I Love - Plants & Coffee

     If you are like me you can't walk through a greenhouse or the garden section at Walmart without swiping a plant to add to your indoor plant collection. I think I'm addicted. Last summer I had so many plants on the back patio that it made my husband nervous. He was like, "Where are all these things going to go once it gets cold?" Of course, I came back with a smart answer [cheers for intelligent conversations!], right? Yeah, no [cheering fades...]. I hadn't gotten that far yet. I was just enjoying potting plants, rooting plants, and potting more plants. Once it finally did get cold and all my little (and big) plant babies came inside, our tiny apartment reminded me of a jungle. I'm pretty sure scenes from Tarzan were starting to flash through my husbands mind! Needless to say, I ended up giving a few away after killing a few due to overwatering.

     I have just as many (or more) houseplants today. We just happen to have a bigger house [overjoyed smile].

     I never thought I would like plants so much. My mom is a green thumb and my siblings and I all grew up gardening with her. It was fun for part of the time, but it was SO MUCH WORK (I have a whole new appreciation for my hard-working mama when I think about what she did to help make ends meet and create a healthy homegrown diet during the summertime).

     Once I got married and moved to Memphis with my hubby and my favorite puppy dog Phoebe, I realized I needed more plants to keep me busy. The only plant to my name was a lovely ivy that sat on the guest table at my wedding...oh, and I guess I also owned a Christmas cactus (that was at this time gasping for breath in a hidden corner of my parent's back porch). 

     Lucky for me, and for the legacy of my poor ivy, I began to root a few cuttings from the plant before it died (I'm pretty sure that the plants in the surrounding greenhouses and grocery stores knew my name and screamed when they saw me coming ). Don't EVER fight spider mites with natural sprays. Despite every nasty smelling garlic and soap concoction I tried, the spider mites took over...and that was the end of my mama ivy plant. I currently have four healthy plants that are the result of the clippings I took from the plant before it died. The one in the picture below is one of them.

     Okay, now I am embarrassed. I just spend three paragraphs talking about my house plants. I guess now you know how much I like them!

     Oh yeah...I also mentioned coffee somewhere didn't I? Per the title of this post, I like coffee. It is true. Enough said.

Signed,
Yours Truly 

P.S.
     The poor Christmas cactus that was gasping for breath a few years ago has been revived and is now blooming!

To Brighten Your Day "In Christ Alone" - Lauren Daigle

Though You Slay Me

      These songs really cut deep when you think about them. We are so tempted to take our circumstances and base God's goodness on what is going on in our lives. The truth is that God is good ALL the time. He is refining us even with sorrow and pain. Scripture says that He prunes those who He wishes to bear more fruit for His glory.

     During a particularly sad time in our lives, my husband and I listened to these songs constantly trying to remind ourselves of the promises of our Lord. We know that God uses even simple music to help point our eyes. Enjoy these songs and the deep scriptural truths revealed in them.

Enjoy One of My Favorite Songs - "You're Beautiful" Sarah Reeves Cover

I hope you enjoy this music video!

Did You Say Schedule?

     The most successful moms are the ones who can have a schedule and follow it, right? I think there is definitely at least a little bit of truth to this. Ouch. Yeah, I said ouch. If I'm being completely honest with you guys, I've got to tell you...I am not a scheduled person, like, AT ALL. I know, it's terrible. You should see me when I start to make a schedule. I go WAY overboard and plan things down to the quarter hour...and then I get uber overwhelmed and wonder how exactly I am going to be able to stick with it. And then I don't stick with it. This happens to be a pattern in my life. I actually sat down yesterday and started a schedule. I decided to put the major things down like, "wake up", "eat lunch", "dinner", "bedtime" etc. It took me an hour before I realized that I was getting way too detailed again. I was bummed but realized that I can't have and be everything. God made me more of an outside of the box, fly by the seat of my pants sort of gal.

     I plan to continue working on my scheduling techniques as I go. I'm in no way going to see myself become a "by the books" person overnight. That's okay, right? I want to be a successful mother, wife, and homemaker and I think that making a schedule will help me do those things even better.

     For those of you who happen to be like me, you are blessed with the ability to fly by the seat of your pants. Hey, it can be a great thing! Yet I see the value in being able to know what the heck is going on, at least half the time.
     I'd love to know how other mamas out there use scheduling and/or non-scheduling as a tool to help the day run more smoothly. Love to hear your thoughts! Please comment :)

Chris and Stephanie Teague's Amazing Story of Redemption and Restoration

I heard this amazing couple on Moody rodio one afternoon as I was house cleaning. I am encouraged by their humility and their courage to tell their story. Feel free to listen! Also check out their music below!

Becoming MomStrong by Heidi St. John

For all of you out there who are journeying on the wonderful road of motherhood, please don't miss out on this lovely book. It is a great reminder to moms about how to become good mothers simply by becoming devoted and loving Christ followers. Heidi is so personable and fun in her style and brings you right into the depths of her struggles as a mom. I love how she is continually pointing to Christ and encouraging her readers to gaze on Him in their daily lives. Love this book!

 

Eternal Value = Imitating Christ

I am currently reading in 1 Thessalonians where Paul starts out in his usual manner, "Grace to you and peace..." etc. He tells the Thessalonians that he continually prays for them and "makes mention" of them to the Lord. He speaks of their conversion and the power of God shown through their new belief in the gospel.

Paul goes on to mention how the Thessalonians became imitators of them and of the Lord even in the midst of much trial and tribulation, therefore becoming a great example to all of Macedonia and Achaia. They became like a sounding board and broadcast the Gospel not only to these places but in every place their faith toward God went forth. This strikes me and makes me think about the average Christian walk in America. So many people look for what is popular and "hip" and they strive for it and live as if their lives are only as great as the next big fad. I know that we can all get caught in this. I know that I do...

It's fun to keep up with the newest Christian bands. Churches with bookstores and coffee shops are pretty hip and cool. I like being comfortable and served...but is the church where I should seek my personal comfort? Nope. As imitators of Christ, we come not to be served but to serve. Because of this call to be like Him, our faith and the spread of the Gospel are so much more important than popularity and relevance in this generation.

We are living lives that have eternal value. We can choose to place our bet on worldly things and our eternal value is wasted. If we are actively choosing to work in light of the Kingdom our eternal value is multiplied a thousandfold!

All in all I guess I am trying to make a point of the importance of our role as imitators. We can imitate the world and be no earthly good whatsoever, or we can imitate Christ and be and ambassadors for the Kingdom of the Almighty God. Which do you choose?

Pray For a Miracle

Dear friends and fellow readers,

    Please be praying for a family that is dear to our home church in middle Tennessee. Recently we received the news that the father (we'll call him Mr. A) is battling stage 4 lung cancer that has spread throughout his body. I don't know if he has been given long to live.  He has four children that are all still at home. Would you please pray for this sweet family and dear Mr. A. I am praying that the Lord would be pleased to heal him entirely. If this isn't what pleases the Lord, may He be the great Comforter and Healer of hearts as the family walks through this struggle.

Thank you for your prayers.

Blessing,
R

New Johnsonville Tennessee

We moved at the end of May into our new rental house in New Johnsonville TN. It has been fun unpacking and rearranging things into our three bedroom palace. Yes, I said palace. We now have so much space and E has her own room! I feel so thankful for our place and Z's new job.

The Lord has provided for us all along this journey. And oh has it been one! The last three years have been the best and most exciting/challenging years. They truly have been the best years of my life.

We recently celebrated our third wedding anniversary. It is amazing looking back over our lives as a couple. We have been through so much together already. These joys and sorrows have brought us closer than we ever though we could be. We only thought we loved each other when we said "I Do"! It is amazing how the Lord chooses to use struggles and trials, joys and happiness to bring us closer to one another and close to Himself. I can't even express to you how thankful I am even for the hardest things I have ever been through.

When we married we thought we would move to Memphis, have our first child within the first year, find a church, eventually buy a home and settle. Three years later we have been through four moves, lived at poverty level income for two years, lost a child to miscarriage, lived in an apartment infested with brown recluse spiders, and struggled with a thousand other things related to our previous hopes and expectations. Would we have chosen all of these things for ourselves? Nope. Would we be the people we are today if it weren't for these struggles? Definitely not!

Thank You Lord, for how You orchestrate our lives in such a way that brings You the most glory! What a privilege it is to serve in your ranks as a soldier in the Truth.

Anyhow, I sort of got off on a rabbit trail...

All this to say, we have moved :)

Eva Marie

My little Eva Marie was born in mid March. She is a darling. I can't believe she is coming up on three months old already!

Being a mom is my greatest calling, I am sure of it. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with this little one to care for and look after. May God bring her to know himself in the years to come!

Buck

My parents have a cat named Buck, A.K.A "Puffle". He is a sweet boy. I like the fellow quite a bit, and I know my mom is pretty attached. 

Anyhow, I thought I'd also mention that he is a very strange cat. He loves the bathroom. "Why?", you may ask...well, he loves the toilet. It fascinates him. Every time you are in the restroom and you forgot to invite him in, he sits and paws under the door. Or, if he hasn't noticed that you left and went without him, as soon as the toilet is flushed you will hear him come running! All he wants is to sit and watch the water go down...

Poor fellow, he must not have much to do!

Update: R.I.P Buck. Poor chap should have never crossed the road.

Favorite baby shower gift

I have always loved my moms wooden glider. It was given to her when she was pregnant with my siblings and I. 

When I first found out that we were expecting I knew I would need a glider to rock my baby. My mom took the hint when I asked her where she got her glider, and she started looking for one.

I didn't know she had bought one for me, let alone had it special made by the Amish in my home state NY. My grandparents brought it with them when they came for my brother's wedding in January.

So...here it is! Also, the lovely crochet blanket on the back of the glider was made for Baby Eva by a dear friend.

Almost there

Tomorrow I will be four weeks away from meeting my sweet little baby girl!!

I've been having fun setting up her little corner in our room. It isn't anything amazing, but it is cozy :) The crib and furniture were given to us by our landlord and friend. We have been so blessed!

I'll have to post a more updated picture...it has improved since this photo!