gifts in the night

Yes, I know that it is 3:30 in the morning.

But I've noticed that this funny thing happens to me when I'm pregnant - my normally sound sleep (very sound, as in, almost comatose) gets much lighter and I can hear sounds through my sleep. Sounds like the road repair blocks away and the downstairs neighbors' toilet running. And I wake up.

Sleep flees for a while and I am left lying in bed next to John, trying not to wake him, thinking in the middle of the night (and trying not to be annoyed by being awakened by mere water running or distant jackhammering).

Tonight as I was lying there thinking random (would it be really rude of me to knock on the neighbor's door and ask them if I can adjust their toilet float thingy for them? it would, wouldn't it ....) and not so random thoughts (gratefulness for the warm strong arm that tightens around me when I stir), I spent some time thinking and praying about this little baby that is making it's way into our lives. A new little - unexpected - bundle to love and care for. Our second child. Due June 1. He or she already has all of their appendages formed and movable, has ten discernible fingers, is developing neurons at an astonishing rate and is still the size of a large grape.

So tiny. And yet has a soul. It is our baby, entrusted to our care by God.

I was so surprised to find out that God's plans for our family were - once again - different than I had planned (I really shouldn't be surprised by that, but I always am. It's almost as if I actally expect God to follow my plan or something ...). I pretty much came up sputtering and dazed. It took me nearly a week before I was able to wrap my mind around having another baby in seven months (and if you're counting, yes, that will make Emma 15 months old).

My absolute first response, though, as I stared at the positive test was, "God's plan is better."
Because it is.
Not only is His plan better, but it is perfect.

One of my all time favorite verses in James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Good and perfect gifts from our Father. Because He is good and perfect, He cannot give any other kind. Oh, some of His gifts may seem untimely or out of place, but they aren't. They are just right for us now.

In the same way that we in our finiteness delight to give to our own children, He delights to give us gifts, good gifts that will bless us (Matt 7: 11).

I know that the next few years will be full to bursting and there will be difficult days. But it will be good.

Because God is blessing us, rewarding us, giving us joy (Psalm 127:3-5). There really is no greater honor than to be entrusted with the care of a child, and now God has given us two.

I want to make ...

... Emma some flannel jammies.




Soft, cuddly, flannel jammies. Like these (and I have a pattern to knit little bunny slippers - she would look so sweet!) ...




... with this material. I saw a bolt of it the other night at JoAnns, and it was soooooooo sweet. I kind of want to make myself a pair of p.j. pants out of the same material, it's so soft and snugly and sweet. And we'd match. :)

The only thing is, as adorable as it is, this pattern costs $16. And doesn't go on sale. Does anyone else have a toddler size jammy pattern?

images from Oliver + S and JoAnn Fabrics

this evening out my window

a bit of autumn loveliness from one of my favorite places

I opened my email account this morning and found that I had gotten an email from Crate & Barrel. It was so colorfull and fall-ish. So lovely. I clicked on over to their website and here are a few of the things I found:

pumpkin spice chai (it has a rooibos base, so it's naturally caffeine free).

it looks as if it would go well with the acorn shaped dark chocolates and maple and gingerbread cookies that they are also offering. afternoon tea is served!


acorn dishtowels




pumpkin platter - imagine filling it with molasses cookies, or apple spice muffins or serving a pumpkin cheesecake on it. yum!

Now that I have done a little virtual window shopping I want to bake, to go for a walk and pick up acorns to put in a glass vase, and, just maybe, head over to Crate & Barrel? I know that heading over there won't happen today (it's 30+ minute drive from the new apartment), but it would be so nice to walk in and smell their yummy fall candles and baking mixes, see the table linens for Thanksgiving .....

I'm a tid bit miffed

about this.

Oh. My. Word.

It's is just too ridiculous. I mean, really now, WHY?




(please don't take this post as disrespect to our president in any way - I still pray for that man!)

as water through fingers ....

teething, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

I love being a mother. I really do. Mothering a smiling and joyful (and willful ...) baby is just so wonderful. Sometimes when I look back at my day, though, it seems as if all my effort accomplished nothing. True, the laundry has been washed, dishes done, diapers changed. But at the end of the day it is hard to tell because all of that "doing" is waiting to be done all over again. There are no marks of achievement when is comes to housework.

Emma is teething just now, and today she just wants to held as she sucks her thumb or trills to me as she plays with my hair. It is difficult to get much accomplished while carrying a nearly 20 pound baby, and combined with her want for more nursing and less "real" food, I am feeling a bit tired! So we have been sitting at the computer and I have been catching up on reading blogs as Ems absorbs comfort. As I was reading I found that this woman's post from last week was good and very timely.

It reminded me of the story of how David's mighty men went down to Bethlehem to get him some water from the well, and instead of drinking it he poured it out on the ground as a drink offering (II Sam 23:14-17). Of course, David had a purpose for pouring out the water - to him it represented the life blood of the men who had brought it for him - but I have always seen it from his men's view as well: they so wanted him to have this water that meant so much to him, and then he poured it out instead of drinking it. All their effort gone. But their effort wasn't gone. It was being used as an offering of praise.

The blog author was convicted about her setting "seen" accomplishments as idols in her heart. It was so good to read her transparency. I stopped to ponder: Can I go from needing a visible, tangible product of my labor to allowing it to be poured out before God?

photo roundup from the last 24 hours

good use for iced tea spoons #3: sour cream servers (if serving straight from the mega huge tub).

good use #2 is getting to the bottom of large jam jars without getting your hands sticky.

yes, this is a picture of our sweet baby "kissing" (sucking on) the trash can (such activity is NOT encouraged in this home!). we got this trash can for our wedding from Target (they no longer sell it but you can find something similar here) and it has been wonderful: it is the perfect size for grocery bags (so we have never needed to buy trash bags, plus we are being "green" in our own way) and has little "handles" to hook the bag over so that it won't fall into the can. It is a bit on the small side, but we tend to take the trash out frequently anyway, since it is the the kitchen can and tends to get a bit stinky.

I walked into our bedroom last night to find a VERY happy baby laughing on our bed.

she was being closely watched by her daddy, and they were having a wonderful time

(somehow this photo of John reminds me of some of the ones from his high school years ....... but with a slightly receding hairline).