Wine Country

Well we are back. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Petaluma Sheraton for our stay. We traveled all over the area. Wednesday when we got there we just drove around for a little bit and went to Sonoma for dinner at a little Thai restaurant. Thursday we went down to San Jose and went to the Winchester Mystery Mansion and took the tour. It was a very bizarre place but very beautiful. We we drove up Highway 1 for the afternoon and and had dinner at a restaurant called Lucas's on the coast and they served their own fresh fish they caught that day. Friday was San Francisco and out to Alcatraz. The tour of Alcatraz was really neat and the view from the island was great of downtown and the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked around Ghirradeli Square and Pier 39 and drove down Lumbard street. That night we went into downtown Petaluma and ate at Dempsey's. I really loved the place! They grow alot of their own produce and they are a brewery as well. Their rootbeer was great! Saturday we traveled through wine country and ate at an Italian market at Venesias's winery and we drove up to The Olive Press and Jacuzzi Winery; it was our favorite. I loved the wines at Jacuzzi, every single one we tasted was wonderful, they are not cheap so we bought one bottle but look forward to ordering more! The Olive Press was a really neat place to stop by as well, they grow alot of olives and make many different olive oils and blends. We brought back a bottle of one with crushed red peppers in it. We ate that night at Dempsey's again and it was just as good as the first time. I really liked the area. I really liked that at a lot of the restaurants they used fresh produce & meats that are local. I really wish we had more of that availability in Indiana. All in all it was a great vacation. We are not looking forward to going back to the real world.

The Winchester Mystery HouseThe Door to NowhereThe view of the vines

Alcatraz Island

Help! I've been locked up!

Lombard Street

A view from Highway 1

The Golden Gate

New Bags

My Sister-in Law Katie's Tote
My Friend Kelly's Chunky Tote

Dawn's Messenger Bag

Me Modeling the Messenger Bag

I sure hope Dawn likes her bag, its in the mail on Monday. I made it with two small pockets in the inside and one really big pocket in the middle. The straps are on the side and have metal rings to secure them. Different Pattern completely. I couldn't sleep Saturday night and so I finished the drawing of this one and then three other sketches; at least the sleepless night was productive.

Just an update...

Short post today. I have officially sent in the first part of the adoption paperwork. That is it. Won't post for a week or so since we will be on vacation but will post pics when we return.

The Refuge

Thursday nights is normally our Bible Study night, but yesterday instead we were blessed to go serve instead. It was wonderful being able to get out and do something for people in need. The Refuge is a place started by a man from our church and it is a food pantry first and foremost but it is becoming more than that. They have an additional area for clothing and household goods and volunteers help people get the groceries from their list and then they can go over to the clothing area to pick out what they would need. This place is really nice, it is set up like a department store almost with different sections to "shop" from. Of course when serving you feel much more blessed to be the one serving than it does to receive in my opinion. The people seeking services from The Refuge are just about anyone...someone down on their luck, single moms and even a few dads coming in to get clothing for their kids.
Nate mostly stayed in the upstairs area to sort through clothing and hang them to get them ready to take to the clothing racks. I was fortunate enough to get to talk to some of the people and help them with picking out their clothes and chat for a while. One lady coming in had her cousin and her two children with her; the cousin and children had just been kicked out of their mothers home with nothing in hand. One of the children was a 2 month old and they found some burp rags and you would have thought they had won the lottery. It was a pleasure to help them and help pick out items we take for granted and don't even think to be thankful for. It really made Nate & I want to go back more often than what our Bible Study is going to do. They really have a need for grunt work, hanging clothing, packing seasonal items, labeling things, stocking clothing and food, etc. I came home feeling full. Not happy, sad or proud, but greatfull and full. I forget how we are supposed to serve others in our community. I get so caught up in my life and trying to sort through it that I forget the others who are in need. We have been blessed with much and do share it willingly, since it is given to us in the first place to be stewards of. We are good stewards of the money God provides I believe, but I feel we are being called to be better stewards of our time. Giving two hours a week or so instead of two hours in front of a tv is so much better used by helping others in need. I hesitate to make plans during the week since I feel so tired and worn out by the end of the day. This was the case yesterday, I was exhausted when I got home from work but after coming back from the Refuge felt energized. My body was still tired but my heart was full and I could have worked another two hours or more. My goal is to do this more often and not let my life get in the way of helping.

"Do nothing out of selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." -Philippians 2:3-4

Sushi Rolls

Saturday I thought I'd try my hand at Sushi...here are the pics. I thought it turned out really well. I made them with cooked shrimp. I know its cooked but I am not a raw seafood person and I figured since we are in Indiana that fresh seafood would be hard to come by as well. It was really yummy though with shrimp.

Two more...

A friend of a friend wanted a chunky tote with animal fabric. Now I am not a animal print person but really like how it turned out!

Also a lady from work wanted a cute little bag for her daughter. She explained what she wanted and here's what I came up with...She wanted fringe at the bottom and wanted an outside pocket for her cell phone, also wanted something that would hang right about at the hip, so thus the Hip Bag.On to new patterns and orders. I have two bags in the making and am happy to have one that will be easy and not challenging and the other I have to think of a whole new pattern for. Thanks for a challenge Dawn...

The king eats from the dog bowl

So I know from the title that it is weird but the one who thinks he is "king of the house" came down from his lofty perch to eat from the dog bowl. I will explain....
When we got the puppy, we put Zeke's, our cat, food up on a table so the dog could not eat it. She LOVES cat food among other cat things (we won't go there). When Zeke eats his food he is messy, leaving all kinds of crumbs laying about on his tray and he will not eat the crumbs at the bottom of his bowl unless he is starving....so we give them to the dog as a treat. This morning Maggie was outside and Nate gave Zeke new food and poured the mass of crumbs into Maggie's bowl. I am in the bathroom getting ready for work and hear Nate cracking up in the dining room. I walk in and he tells me to be quiet and we look into the kitchen and there is the "king cat" on the floor eating his crumbs out of the dog bowl...What a brat! Well he saw us laughing and kept eating till he had his fill then flicked his tail and walked off. Maggie then came in and polished off the rest of the treat. I just thought that was hilarious and had to share our funny story of our in house royalty.

More fabric...

Blue Indian style fabric

Fun Starbursts

New chunky tote fabric

Bingo Bag

My friend had been whining that she wanted a Bingo Bag like the ones the "serious" bingo ladies have. She told me that if I loved her I would make her a bag; if not I was off the Christmas card list. Yes, to answer the question bingo is fun and we go about once a month. I have one money too. It is fun. I was bored one day and decided to go get some gaudy fabric and designed a bag for Angie. So I am officially back on the Christmas card list again...

Nothing new...

So I have not had time to quilt or sew lately...it is killing me. I have had something to do around the house or events lately and this weekend is looking like the same. I have a couple special order purses I have to make/design and from there I have some new people interested in purses/totes as well. So I am busy but have no time to work on fun stuff right now. Work is also busy so I come home tired too...Oh well such is life. I did purchase some new fabric (Amber & Dawn) I just need to post it when I am home and have a minute or two. I will also be busy soon with baby quilts/afgans. I have several family members who are expecting and need to start them as well. Woo hoo, more projects. I'll update with pic's soon...

My Neon Sign

I went to do my quiet time and God brought out the spotlights and neon signs…It started out normal enough with a short verse from Joshua 1:2 and then it goes on and says,

“He is GOING to do something, He DOES do, at this very moment. As faith continues to speak, God continues to give. He meets you today in the present and tests your faith. As long as you are waiting, hoping, or looking, you are not believing. You may have hope or an earnest desire, but that is not faith, for “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Heb 11:1)” -A.B Simpson

Well then…I think it is clear what I am being told to do. Plain and simple, I am to stop waiting, longing, hoping and BELIEVE that God will be faithful and work His will in my life. Short and sweet and to the point, but hard to carry out; but I will do my best and believe.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.” Luke 17:6

Starting the adoption process...

So we had our first informative meeting on the adoption process and it is scary! There are so many options and this was just one agency! For Domestic adoption in the state of Indiana if the birth mom has a normal delivery she has 24 hours afterwards to sign the papers. If she has a c-section she has 48. After that she signs off but for the next 30 days she can still contest and try to gain custody back; but at that point the courts are involved. That is scary for the adoptive party in the situation. And since nothing ever goes smoothly for us that would probably be us…Also during the process you may have to pay for health care costs for the birth mom; if she chooses not to go through with it you could be out that money too…
We are now considering International which means some time out of the country and bigger expenses. Now Lilly gives $10,000 and my work gives $5000 but if we go out of the country that opens up a whole new can of worms. The children are older when you go out of the country and you are never 100% sure of the care they received. I will have to go back to work, after my leave, and you possibly get into issues with attachment disorders and such. So I came home crying and scared of the whole process right now. Nate of course takes everything in stride but it is overwhelming to me and there are still more agencies we need to check out because if we do go out of the country we want to know all our options. I know that it is the agency’s responsibility to give you all the facts, good and bad, but it is scary thinking about it. I know pregnancy on its own has risks and scares and you never know what will happen that way either but this seems to be such an emotional rollercoaster and there are many possible things to go wrong…Could be I am a worrywart to begin with but I just have to prepare emotionally for this. Honestly when it is something you want so badly any paths off course are worrisome. Please keep us in your prayers that God’s path is very clear and maybe even lined with bright lights pointing the way. I heard this poem years ago and really liked it, I think of it often; it was actually part of my quiet time today of all things.

Chance has not bought this ill to me;
It’s God’s own hand, so let it be,
For HE sees what I cannot see.
There is a purpose for each pain,
And He one day will make it plain
That earthly loss is heavenly gain.
Like as a piece of tapestry
Viewed from the back appears to be
Only threads tangled hopelessly;
But in the front a picture fair
Rewards the worker for his care,
Proving his skill and patience rare.
You are the Workman, I am the frame.
Lord, for the glory of Your Name,
Perfect Your image on the same.
-unknown

More bags

Chunky Tote

Maggie Bag

New purse pattern

This is the Maggie Bag. It has a single pleat in the middle; no zipper but has a button closure. It is 10"X13" approximately. There is one large pocket inside.

Last weeks winter snow storm

Just a pic update.

Here is the winter weather pictures I took. The dog ate the snow and refused to go out in it. It was so deep she would get stuck. But now it has refroze and she can trot on top of it. We got another 5" today or so...woo hoo I just love driving in snow (can you feel the sarcasm?)

Hello from the Land of Snow!

Yesterday was traumatic. I got up at 5:30 to get ready for work and my boss called at 6 to let me know we had a two hour delay. After that it was delayed till noon and then eventually they closed the office. I had like 2o calls between work and friends from work to discuss it. It was kind of fun though. We got at least a foot in Greenwood of snow! I haven't seen so much snow in forever. I do have pictures and will post them soon. Also, Maggie got stuck in a huge 1 1/2 foot snow drift yesterday. I did rescue her from it but she was very cold and stayed right next to me the rest of the day! Phew, poor baby!
About purse pricing, they range from $30-40. I am designing a few new patterns too. I have one almost finished in brown and pink, hint, hint Jenn... :) I will post a picture of it and if you all like it I will make more.

Fabric on hand

Pink Paisley and polka dots

Red & green flowers

This is one of my favorites!!! I love the flowers with the lime green polka dots!

Bright Pink flowers with White & Pink Swirls

Black & white

How to order.

For cutom purses, let me know what colors you are wanting. I only have a few patters right now. I am still in the simple stages, but I have started dreaming, literally, about purses and patterns (Nate is really making fun of me). If you tell me what colors I can e-mail the fabric and see if you like it. I will take checks from people I know and will ship them via mail the cheapest way. I have to look into how to do credit cards, I might look into paypal. Glad to have orders! Give me a call or just e-mail at mrsrfair@yahoo.com

Maybe a small business...

Well I am going to start selling my purses....we will see how this goes. I have made a few more and am going to start taking requests for custom colors. I found a new fun store with really really cool fabric. You can to go to http://www.clementinesdrygoods.com/ and see some of the cool stuff. Below are two new bags I have a close up of the one I am selling hopefully tomorrow...Wish me luck!

long time no blog

Here are updated pics...nothing exciting.

New purse for a friend

Blanket for cousin

Tables of Christmas at church

Not much going on still...

Things are about the same for the Fairchild Family. Nothing much exciting going on. The puppy and Zeke are still getting along fine. She is potty training well and we are accident free for about 4 weeks or so now. She is still expendable in Zeke's eyes and when we leave for a night and take her with us I believe he is hoping she will not be with us when we come back. Nate's job continues to keep him busy. One of the managers at Lilly is pregnant and due in March and so she keeps him busy trying to get all her stuff caught up before she takes maternity leave.
We are pretty well ready for Christmas; most shopping is done. Since we don't have a good place to put a tree and for the fact we are not home and also that we detest our current tree we are not putting up a big tree this year. I know it sounds grinchy but I have opted for a tiny (we're talking 1 1/2 foot or so) tree in the living room on a table with lights. The only place in our house to put up a tree is in the dining room. We never go in there and I don't feel like spending 2 hours putting up a tree that we won't even get to enjoy. I am thinking about buying one of those pencil trees, that is tall and skinny for the next years to come in this house since we don't have much room in the living room where we are most of the time.
Our church recently did Tables of Christmas. This is a HUGE to do at our church and is a beautiful event where you purchase a table to decorate and invite christian/non-Christians to the event. My friend Epha and I did a table. I will have to download pictures. She decided on the theme, it was peacock feathers and gold with brown. She found a tree and put some feathers with gold ornaments and other miscellaneous things in the tree. We went shopping together at Joann fabrics for other details for the table. We found some gorgeous fabric in green or teal with gold beading on it. I chose the teal thinking it would look better. I made a large 42" square out of it and sewed gold ribbon on it for a table runner and used the extra fabric to make napkins and a garland for the tree. It was beautiful! Some of the other tables had pink and brown themes. My favorite was the Charlie Brown table. Someone had old plastic figurines and made a Charlie Brown Christmas table...complete with wilted tree. She made chair covers out of yellow fabric and put a black rickrack around it to look like his shirt. I did take a picture of it and will post them when I hook up my camera to the home laptop. It is a lot of fun and normally there is about 250 tables or so and over a thousand women in attendance. * more on it later with pics*
Nate got his Christmas present early...yes Santa Clause was good to him this year. He got a 42" 1080P LCD TV. He found a deal the day after Thanksgiving and it was a great one; so he got it for his birthday and Christmas combined, throw in Hanukkah and several other holidays to boot! Also he turned the big 30 this year! I cannot believe it is here already! I know its just a number but really? WE ARE 30??? When did this happen? We've been together 10 years and married for 6 of it so it seems logical but so strange to not be in my 20's soon. I put together a small get together for him of some guys he plays poker with and had pizza and chocolate cake. Nothing big because he didn't want anything big...so I listened (for once).
That's about it. No great and exciting things, just normal life. But I'm happy with it.
I do promise to post pics soon!

Newest Fairchild

Meet Maggie Mae Fairchild. She is a Maltese-Shitzu mix and is about 6 mo old. My mom's friend raises them and she had been asking us to take her for a few months. We finally relented on Saturday. She was a dirty mess and had mats and so we had to cut her hair really short. But she is still really cute and very very very sweet. Nate is completely smitten and Zeke has been tolerant (we are praying he continues). He ran up to her to sniff her today and thought she wasn't paying attention and she rolled over and just showed her belly to him. She wants to play but knows better so far...She is almost house trained and is very smart. She quickly realized if she goes potty outside she gets a treat and fly's for the backdoor and straight into where we keep the treats. She has picked her favorite spot right next to Nate on his couch and will jump up there thinking it is time for her to get loved on, rotten already. So if you would please pray that she continues to train well and that Zeke does not completely freak out!

It's Fall!

I love fall. I wrote about it just about this time last year...I LOVE IT! We had a fall cookout on Saturday night and invited 11 friends and their kiddos and had a bonfire. We roasted hot dogs and had a pot luck (a ton of food) and smores. We had a great time! The weather was around 70 degrees and when the sun went down it was perfect for the fire. The kids wore themselves out running in our back yard and all played so well together. I will send pictures once we get a computer at home again. We had to send Nate's computer back to his company since he won't be working there for much longer...

We are starting to get some chilly weather at night and I am loving having my windows open. And it is the time of year you go to Brown County and walk around the shops. There are hills all around and the leaves turn beautiful colors. It is crazy down there with all the people but definately worth the trip! I went a few weekends ago with a friend and had a great time shopping and just gawking at all the leaves & people. The leaves hadn't turned all the way yet, but if the weather stays chilly in the evenings, it will be a beautiful fall soon enough!

Nate's New Job

Well it is official. We got the news on Wednesday. He will be working for Lilly! WOO HOO! It is a huge answer to prayer. A little testing of our nerves and trust, but it is all better than we expected. He will begin as soon as his current company's contract ends in October so there should be no lag time between jobs. They will keep him busy at Lilly since his department is being audited. He gets great benefits and a better salary than we were anticipating so that is WONDERFUL! He is very happy and relieved with everything settled. Thanks for the prayers! God is Good!

Month in overview

Well August flew by!!! We had our 6 year anniversary on August 24th. We stayed at home and had a nice dinner. When everything settles down with the job changeover we will be going to eat at Palomino's a nice restaurant in down-town Indy.
As for the job front, we are awaiting the answer from Lilly. He had two interviews last week and has a phone interview tomorrow. He IS the ONLY person they are interviewing so it is just a matter of finalizing things now...and the waiting game.
I have read a whole series of books in a week, the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I loved them and am waiting for the movie to come out on Nov 21! I have changed genres now to Beverly Lewis and the Abraham's Daughters books.
Other than that, nothing major...another back-up of the lovely sewers in our house and we got a hand-me-down fridge from Nate's dad; a really nice BIG one! Painted the bathroom and put up new lights and we are getting ready to start Totally Fit for Life through our church. I am going to the seminar on Saturday. Like I said nothing exciting other than the anniversary. Hope all are well and we'll update when the time comes about the job.

Updates

Update for the Fairchild’s. We are doing alright. Nate’s meeting with the boss went well. There is no non-compete clause that he signed. Now we are just waiting on Lilly to give him the interview. Please pray for God’s will still. I know what I want to happen but I want God’s will above it. He is nervous and I am anxious so we have it covered, but are trying to keep it in perspective. So all hopefully will be sorted out soon. The contract is ending soon, like 3 more weeks I believe…
As for the other situation…Nate & I have always had a heart for adoption. We are starting to pursue this. We have been looking at our options and think we have decided on one. I am excited about it and we had decided a while ago but other things happened and we put it off. Please pray we make the right decision. This is a big one! Please pray it goes smoothly and that this is what we are supposed to be doing. After 2 years of trials, I am ready to have a smooth process. Nothing ever seems easy but as long as it is God’s will I am fine with it.
I know many people have gong through this situation and genuinely feel for them and understand. I am trying to keep a good perspective on everything and not get caught up in the time. I feel like I am getting old and don’t want to be 40 with a 5 year old. I know I am not old per se but feel like it when everyone else I know is several kids into the mix. We are the lone rangers on the two person family front. In Bible Study and with our friends. We love Zeke but he doesn’t count on that…
Please pray for both situations, I don’t want to be anxious about either but it is hard not to.

Nervous

I am very nervous today. Nate has a meeting with his boss and he is going to discuss Lilly wanting to give him a contract. This is great news except there is like the 1% chance he is not sure if he signed a Do not compete clause. If he did we are in trouble. Lilly really wants to hire him and his contract is ending with them in 5 weeks, if he cannot take the job with Lilly, he will be in the outside office with some not so happy bosses and he will have to start traveling heavily, which he is not happy about. I have been praying all day so far and feel nervous still.

I keep repeating "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord." Philippians 4:6

This is my mantra lately anyways. I think I dream it too. I just had to unload my nervousness. Nate is going in after work to talk to them, so hopefully they will let him just move directly over to Lilly. They have been making cutbacks at his current job anyways, so this may be a load off. Either way they are losing the contract for Lilly, which means mega bucks gone for his current company and they would have to probably lay off two people or so it is in their best interest to let him go too. I will be nervous till I hear from him tonight. Nate is asking for prayer in this matter and that God's will is done and that it goes smoothly.

Prayer & Endurance

Prayer is easy. Patience comes with time and enduring through trials. I prayed for patience in college and have never prayed for it since. I have learned that praying for it once was sufficent for me. Because God has been instilling it in me since them. The past 10 years have been me praying to not be patient anymore. (I say this in jest, kinda) I have always had to wait a long time (to me) for what I would like. I pray and pray and pray, then pray some more. I have been praying lately for guidence, clarity and strength to endure. There are things in my life I wish for, pray for constantly. One which comes seemingly very easy to everyone else, but not me. I struggle with this very much, especially since it is something I want soooooooo very badly. I want a baby. I am just fine with adoption but I would love to experence this myself. Either way it is not a "quick" thing. In birth there is the gestation period of course that I would have to wait through, or with adoption there is the year or maybe even longer that you have to wait. When you have been trying for two years, either feels like an eternity, as have the past two years.
We had decided on adoption but then other things happen that make me think that God is blessing us with a child of our own, but that is still not so...my body is just messing with my emotions. I have not been praying for patience but lately for endurance; that I may endure with grace the trials God is allowing in my life. I know God will never test us beyond what we can handle, but I feel as if he is really pushing me to my limit. I also know every seeming verse about prayer and patience which everyone is very quick to point out to me. I pray them often...and still do not feel content.
We are the only people of all our groups without children. I think that is the hardest. Everyone has fun kid stories to tell, we have cat stories or house stories. It is hard to find people without children our age to hang out with and if we were to find them they wouldn't be doing what we would want to do. This is a hard age pushing 30 without children. Most friends are at least on their second and even some on their third. Even our new Bible Study is filled with parents. We again are the only ones...
I guess I just need to vent, it was a rough week and sad things happened and for friends that read this please just pray for endurance and clarity for me. Please don't pray for patience, that is the last prayer I want prayed because everytime it is prayed, it leads to something for me to be patient for.

Earthly Belongings

“A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother."
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
-Luke 18:18-25

These are hard words to swallow. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Rich or poor we seemingly cling to what we have here on earth to keep us safe. The US is a very “stuff” minded society, the more we have the better house we have the better we feel. Personally the thought of a house bigger than the one I have now is daunting since I hate to dust and vacuum... My husband & I have always strived to live within our means and not put ourselves into dept, however we do have several friends who have. The trouble it causes them is very sad; but they did choose to do this. In this passage Jesus is reminding us it is only “STUFF”, insignificant in the scheme of things. Some days I do wish I could just leave and go live with the Amish. I think they have the right view on how possessions are to be used. They share…could you imagine a community coming together for dinner or sharing their possessions? They hold loosely to the things of this earth and really only have what they need. We get caught up in mortgages, car payments, credit card dept, cell phones and I-pods.
We recently went to see Wall-E. I always love going to see Disney movies. It was depressing though if you really think about it. The only reason he exists is to clean up after the mess we have left on earth so we can come back to a “clean” planet. This is a big bold statement by Disney I think. But it is true...we do use things up, discard them and get the bigger better version of it. While the poor little robots on the screen clean up after us, we are getting lazier and lazier on this ship that was supposed to be temporary. They float about instead of walking while drinking food from a cup because they have become to lazy to eat and all the while they have a computer screen in front of them to talk to the person who is actually right next to them. It was sad. The cute part between the two robots is only for the kids I think…the bigger picture is that this could be us if we continue to keep holding on to possessions and not taking care of our environment. I am by no means one to talk, I am trying to be better; but there is a lot to do. I am drifting today from one thing to the next but all in all it just reminds me of this passage. Its all stuff, it is nothing compared to Jesus and the place he has prepared for us in heaven.

In Struggles continued apparently...

Okay, so I was reading my book, Light From Heaven by Jan Karon today and came across a quote about suffering & struggles. I think God is telling me something huh?

If the trials of many years were gathered into one, they would overwhelm us; therefore in pity to our little strength, He sends first one, and then another, then removes both, and lays on a third, heavier, perhaps, the either; but all is so wisely measured to our strength that the bruised reed is never broken. We do not enough look at our trials in the continuous and successive view. Each one is sent to teach us something, and altogether they have a lesson which is beyond the power of any to teach alone. – H.E. Manning

I think I am going to have to take my trials to heart and go back and remember how God had pulled me through previous trials and remember exactly how trustworthy our GOD has been with all my other trials and tribulations. He is orchestrating my life according to His will and when I accepted Jesus I agreed to let Him have control.

So even as I was writing, (it takes a while since I am at work) I was reading in a daily devotional a friend and I are going through; I posted about it yesterday; it was also about trials. As if I didn’t think the Lord wanted me to consider these things more he gave me even more about it in today’s reading. I am getting hammered with this! This part of the book said “Once the lord has given us great faith, He has been know to test us with long delays” by John C Shairp. It goes on to quote from Alexander Maclaren, “Christ sometimes delays His help so He may test our faith and energize our prayers. Our boat may be tossed about by the waves while He continues to sleep, but He will awake before it sinks. He sleeps by the never oversleeps, for He is never too late.” I really think I need to listen since he is really speaking loudly to me about this. I feel like He had been silent for so long about so many things that now that I am finally hearing something, it is really loud and clear. Now comes the hard part of submitting…

In Struggles

“The burden of suffering seems to be a tombstone hung around our necks. Yet in reality it is simply the weight necessary to hold the diver down while he is searching for the pearls.”

– Julius Richter

I really have related with this quote lately. It was in my daily devotional Streams in the Desert. In my struggles and suffering I need to remember that I have to stay down and submit to God and I will find the blessing at the end of it all. It may seem dark along the way but if I relay on Jesus, he will keep my path straight and guide me. If he feels distant I have to also remember it is not he who is distant but me pulling away. He might not speak much along the way but if I draw close to him I will fell his company along the way.

Micah James Turk is HERE!!!

Born via C-section 2:30 on July 1, 2008

Weighing in at 7lbs 13oz 21in long

Welcome to the world little one. We are excited to be God Parents!

Baby Micah's Room

It is finished. The room was complete finally on Friday. Here are the pictures:

Alison's Baby Quilt

I have known Alison since we were about 6 years old. She and her boyfriend Logan had a baby boy, Leland, in January...yes, I know this is really a late gift but hey I have been working on a whole baby room for my other friend at the same time. Zeke of course had to help with the quilt and I don't think I am allowed to lay anything on the ground without him to help. He is always such a big help... I was really pleased with this quilt. It is my fifth quilt. I am almost finished with the sixth and will add it soon. I have to finish it by Friday because the baby shower I am throwing is on Saturday. I will add pics of the whole room though since I made the curtains, dust ruffle, crib bumper and the quilt too.

Cabinets and Dressers

We bought some dressers several years ago when we first got married from my old boss in Albuquerque. We loved the nice wood but like a darker wood. There was potential so we just dealt with it for a while.We finally decided that our bathroom needed updated so instead of painting the cabinets white we decided to try to stain them. We were very happy with the result. They were a oak color and it was pretty dried out looking. We sanded them and re-stained them a mahogany color. There was plenty of stain left over so we started on the dressers. I wanted a before and after picture of the dressers since it was such a big difference. We bought new hardware and really like the way it looks now. It was a lot of work but very worth it. As for the bathroom we are re-staining the medicine cabinet too and painting the walls soon. We also bought new lights for the bathroom and are excited to get them up soon too.

NEW CAR

I will post a pic soon...we just bought a PRIUS! It's really neat! It is used and they just got it on the lot yesterday along with three others and they sold two yesterday and the other two today; one of course ours. It is exciting to have a hybrid. It will be nice to see the savings in gas!