25 Things For Summer

Now that I'm into the second trimester, and know that an energy boost is somewhere around the corner, my mind is starting to compile a list of things I want to accomplish before I'm as big as a barn and can't move.

This probably won't be entirely achieved during the summer--I'll be pleased if I get half of it done!

1. Paint the living/dining room
2. --our bedroom
3. --the nursery
4. --the kitchen
5. --the hallways
6. Finish organizing the basement
7. Can peaches and pears for this next year
8. Help my mom harvest & freeze sweet corn
9. Make accent curtains for our bedroom
10. Finish decorating/wall accents in all the bedrooms
11. Find some new dinner recipes
12. Start on a scrapbook for my collection of Guatemala/Honduras Missions Trip pictures from twelve years ago!!!
13. Get a good family photo taken
14. Visit my grandparents more often
15. Read Anna Karenina
16. See a really good movie
17. Take a big load of our old/unneeded things to Goodwill/the consignment shop
18. Organize/declutter the to-be nursery room closet
19. Help Pete set up a new "study" area
20. Get back into an exercise routine
21. Take Natalia to the pool
22. Host at least one dinner party
23. Organize my computer files
24. Scan old pictures and save on a disk
25. Go on at least one day trip (D.C., Philly, NYC)

Well, we'll see how all of this pans out.

I must admit I was sorely tempted to put something on my list that I have already accomplished!!! But I was a good girl. :o)

What are you hoping to accomplish these next few months?

More Funnies

When Natalia was first learning to talk, I began regularly saying "Please" and "Thank you" anytime we exchanged something...her morning cup of milk, a toy, etc. Then, at some point I must have hiccupped or burped and when I did I briefly put my hand against my chest and said, "Excuse me!" Well, wouldn't you know that now, whenever ANYONE makes ANY KIND of bodily noise, she says (with her hand thumping her chest) "'Cuse me!"

The really funny thing is that when we're in the car and we happen to cross one of those rumble strips, and the car makes that "bbbbrrrrrrrddddd" sound--she says, "Cuse me!" :o)

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A few other funny (mis)pronunciations of Natalia's:

lallaberry = library
yooking = looking
moyns / moys = her Polglish combination of "mine/my" and "moje" in the possessive form
(This started out as mines /mys; which in the mind of a toddler makes perfect sense! You add an "s" to her and our to make it possessive! And the Polish word "moje" sounds like "MOY-EH")

It's Been 8 Years!!!

Something happened today that I never thought would happen--I woke up this morning, remembering that it was Tuesday...but beyond that? Nothing.



So set in my mind is it that our anniversary lands on the weekend we're camping with my dad's side of the family, that it COMPLETELY slipped my mind that TODAY is the day. Oh my word. I had to laugh out loud this morning when Pete gave me a sweet kiss and said, "Happy Anniversary, honey". My blank look followed by confusion probably was the last reaction he expected, but we laughed and it seems once again that my pregnancy hormones (absentmindedness) took the fall! That's twice within the last few days that I had a brain lapse over something pretty significant, like leaving his house and car keys behind while I went out-of-state for the day! But I digress...


Now, dinner plans are in the works, as we always end up celebrating our anniversary earlier or later than the actual day. I'm thinking the Symposium in Centerville--that's one of our absolute favorites. The food and service are out of this world!


And we did have a nice relaxing day together. This morning we joined the masses at ROOT's Market, and enjoyed some pastries as we shopped for plums, lettuce, smoked sausage, free range eggs, homemade bread, and fresh roasted peanuts. Not bad for $20.


We had a leisurely lunch while Natalia napped and read our chapters together from Harvey's book (see earlier post) for Care Group tomorrow night. It was nice getting some uninterrupted discussion time with one another--that doesn't happen often. :o)



This afternoon we set up the tent in Natalia's room--our early introduction to sleeping in her own tent since the big campout is coming up. We'll try it out for the first time tonight. (Her naps have been much more regular since last Sunday, for which we are ALL benefitting from and thankful! We'll see if it's too big of a distraction come naptime tomorrow!)


I thought I'd post some pictures of "the event". Pete got in the tent with her and I couldn't resist taking a shot of the two pair of feet sticking out! Natalia is so excited to try out her new sleeping bag.

Pics Are Back

Hurray!

I can finally post pictures again. So here is a photo recap of the last 3 weeks.

First, a shot of our girl in her "Sunday's finest", to steal my friend Lynn's label. Loved the crossed legs!

Secondly, the big girl bed "morning after" rabbit's nest of tissues.

She looks so proud of herself, doesn't she?

The room after the emptying.

The rear 2 bedrooms of this house have really wide windows--would have to order custom blinds and I can't/won't justify the cost for that--so I bought these white panels from Walmart and splurged in $20 of fancy buttons from JoAnn's. Natalia LOVED picking them out with me! Here's the end result.

Finally, today Pete was able to start framing out storage shelves for the basement. Natalia of course wanted to be part of every little detail. So we camped out on the back deck to watch him cut the boards to size. I couldn't help but pull out the camera.

Funny posture so she can see out between the cracks.

Animal cracker stuffed cheeks like a squirrel. I'm told her daddy did this too.

I simply love her little piggie-tails--and it gets all of her thick long hair up out of her face in this hot weather.

Pete must have mentioned that she should have a hat on. So she went to the closet, and put on this! Oh my word--I don't know how she could stand to keep it on as long as she insisted! Thick hot fleece with ear flaps no less! I had a heat stroke just looking at her.

Lyrical License

I've been meaning to post one of Natalia's recent funnies.

Many of you may be familiar with a song we sing at church. I don't recall if it's true title is this or not, but I call it "Oh Happy Day".

The chorus goes like this:

"Oh happy day
Happy day
You washed my sins away

Oh happy day
Happy day
Forever I am changed"

Natalia's version?

"Oh happy day
Happy day
I wash dishes"
(and repeat)

All I can say is--that WILL be a happy day!! :-P

Cravings

Strange things are happening...

I tell ya, pregnancy is a marvelous and PUZZLING phenomenon!

Those who know me well, and know my extreme adversion to pretty much all seafood, know how much I dislike fish. The smell of fish, the taste of fish, even the thought of fish will turn me green most days. Not today.

I craved...and I mean CRAVED a fish sandwich.

Mind you it was fried and topped with cheese and tartar sauce...it was wonderful. :-P

Other recent cravings haven't been so wierd. Steak! (must need more protein) Salad! (I know I always need more veggies) and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream (who doesn't need that???) Those complex carbs I practically lived on during the first two months hold little appeal now. Really! How can crackers and toast compare to steak? You tell me.

More Books

My last book recommendation fit into the recreational category. The two I want to share with you today are specifically geared towards parenting and marriage--marriage at any stage of life.


The first was lent to me by a friend but I am quickly realizing I want my own copy. There are so many post-it tabs sticking out of it's pages, it resembles a filing cabinet drawer. It is entitled "Don't Make Me Count to Three!--A Mom's Look At Heart-Oriented Discipline" by Ginger Plowman.

Now, if you've never read "Shepherding A Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp, I'd highly advise doing that first, as his heart-oriented approach towards discipline forms the backbone of Plowman's book. BUT, I think you'd get the same general idea from her work as well. I just personally feel you'd benefit by reading Tripp's book in it's entirety in order to truly understand his premise.

My only complaint regarding SACH is that there was little referencing the stage I currently find myself in--the 2-3 year old stage. The main thing emphasized was focusing on obedience, and I get that...there are just times I wish I had some specific, practical, simplified phrases, scriptures, etc. nearby as a resource. It's hard to know what parts of my discipline my child is truly grasping at this young age when she can't articulate her feelings with words.

That's where "Don't Make Me Count to Three" comes in. Now, again it's geared towards children a few years older than Natalia--those that can articulate their feelings and answer the simple probing questions she suggests. But, she provides (as a template--not a hard and fast rule) possible questions to ask your child to help them evaluate their heart and their sinful response, as well as numerous scriptures to help them "put off" and "put on". She covers behaviors such as: aggravating/picking on others, bad friendships, blame-shifting/making excuses, bragging/conceit, complaining, anger, and disrespect. (I especially appreciated her inclusion of specific, situation-based scripture.)

I'll still have to attempt to simplify them further and discern what Natalia might be able to grasp. If any of you have any practical, specific advice on how to approach this age group, please speak up.

Anyway, I'd highly recommend Plowman's book as I found it so very helpful and practical--with a capital P. I think it will be particularly helpful in the next few years.

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The other book I want to highlight is one our church is studying in our care groups this summer. It's entitled, "When Sinner's Say I Do--Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage" by Dave Harvey.

Now my immediate thought when I saw the title was that it was one of those premarital counseling/newlywed-geared books...and as I began to read it, it certainly would be beneficial to that group. BUT, and I can't emphasize this any more, Harvey's premise (as the title states very clearly) can transform your relationship at ANY stage of marriage. The power and message of the gospel is not limited to the new believer and therefore unimportant to those that have their act together. (That last phrase truly is not biblical when you think about it!) It is also meant to focus and provide hope to the believer THROUGHOUT his journey.

The author starts out with the gospel boiled down to this simple but profound element: I am, by nature, a sinner--who without the grace of God and His salvation deserve God's wrath and hell. Because God is perfectly holy and just as well as loving and merciful means that there is hope for those who place faith in Christ. Does that make a believer perfect...by no means! It requires that we live ever-mindful of our desperate need for His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to live in a manner that honors God and showcases His mercy.

Paul, in 1 Timothy 1:15, states without false humility or needless deprication, "...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." For Paul to be saying this, one of the most "spiritually-put-together" leaders of the early church--it seems backward in our present day and age, doesn't it? BUT, if we take the time to understand where Paul is coming from, and the essence of the gospel, it makes perfect sense.

Which of the following phrases might describe best how you view yourself in light of sin?
*Innocent till proven guilty
*Worse than some, better than others
*Good days/bad days
*I'm doing the best I can
*I'm the worst of sinners

How does this view affect your approach to your marriage? How does it affect your approach to God?

The title of Chapter 2 in Harvey's book is entitled, "Waking Up With the Worst of Sinners". How transforming would it be to consider ourselves as the worst of sinners, and let the mercy and grace of God catapult us towards bettering our marriage relationship with an attitude of TRUE humility, rooted in the gospel?