More Pics...

For Those Who Have Despaired Of Pictures....

An Update on The Littlest Man...

We weighed Travis again today.

18lbs.

That's why I think he is heavy...

 

Gotta Gush...

So, most everyone knows that we have been doing healthy and natural for the last few years...

We have totally changed the way we eat and in turn, I have changed how I shop for groceries.

The hardest part of all this has been the non-food items. Toothpaste, laundry soap, dishwashing detergent, shampoo, hand lotion, bathroom cleaner, makeup, etc. I know that many of these things have harmful things in them, but what do you do about it? I don't have oodles of dough laying around here...

But now I have finally been able to switch to something green that works, that doesn't cost 3X more to buy. So far, the things I have tried have worked great. And I am actually saving money.

Am I happy? Yes I am!

I like it.

Thanks for reading my gush...

 

 

FREE EVENT!!! Don't Miss It!

Did anyone catch the focus on the family broadcast this week?

The last 2 days have been really good. Dr. Dobson interviewed Dr. Laura about her new book, "In Praise of Stay-At-Home Moms." It sounds very good and I was very edified by the dicussions. This is great for moms, stay-at-home, want to stay at home or otherwise.

Click the links to listen or request the cds.

http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001882.cfm

http://listen.family.org/daily/A000001883.cfm

 

I DID IT!!!!!!!

Yesterday I took apart our dishwasher. Yep. I disassembled all of it's inards.

Why?

The thing was throwing food all over the place, in places it hadn't been and shouldn't be. After running 'Dishwasher Magic' in it 3 times and still having the problem, I decided to do some repairs. After cleaning out all the hiding places of undisolved detergent and food, I put all it's guts back in, turned a nasty load of dishes on and held my breath. When I opened the door......everything was sparkling clean!!!!!!!

Can anyone tell I am excited? No more re-washing, post-rinsing for me!

What will I ever do to fill in the time......

Ah, Spring!!!

I love spring! It is the time of year that the colors outside are just so vibrant and intense. The birds are showing up in a chorus of joyful sounds. Everything just pulls at you to come outside and enjoy the sunshine, the breeze, the sounds.

So, we run out and enjoy it all. For the kids, shoes come off, coats are abandoned and they play for all they are worth. The garden gets attention, the broom gets busy clearing out the house and porch. The fire in the stove is forgotten and, we all hope, not needed for a while. All the doors are left wide open and the fresh wind blows through the house.

There are new baby goats to play with, butterflies floating by and the first brave flowers poking their heads out and showing their faces.

Then, the wind turns cold, the sky changes color and we all head back in- with armloads of wood so we won't be so cold. Coats that were abandoned don't look so bad now, in fact, we don't want to do anything outside without one. The smell of smoke from our fire is once again welcome. And will you please shut the door?!

But, spring is coming. It can't be held back for long. And down here, we know that the cold doesn't stick around long anyway. Tonight may be in the 30's or lower and tomorrow we could have a high of 90.

Spring is great, and we'll enjoy it as it pushes it's way in.

I Did It!

Yay for me!

Last Monday, I started a painting project in our bathroom.

Tuesday we were gone.

Wednesday, I completed it. All the way. And got a few other things painted as well.

Now, to some, this may not seem like much of an accomplishment. But for me, this is pretty big.

After about a year and a half of marriage, I painted our kitchen. My husband agreed to this project willingly. Paint the kitchen. No big deal. I was going to handle it so he wouldn’t have to do anything. And it was a tiny kitchen, so there really wasn’t that much to paint. Sure, paint the kitchen, honey. J

2 weeks later………………………………..

I was almost done painting. J

I have since done a few other painting projects, and none have lasted nearly as long. But, after such a tramatic beginning to my painting adventures, I have a lot to live down. (At least in my mind…….)

I don’t have a pic to share yet, but I will get one up soon.

I am still not superwoman, but sometimes,…………yeah, I like that feeling that I have conquered the world. J

At least in my mind.

A Responsible Choice?

From someone whose been through it.

 

 

Just So You Know...

I have been doing a study by Nancy Campbell, “The Power of Motherhood.” I have been enjoying it very much. Much of it is not new to me, but it is very encouraging and uplifting. I would recommend this to any mother, young or old. Check it out!

So, do you know what a 'Wrapper' is?

Well, I am one.

 

I think I even have a bit up the fever that wrappers are prone to.

 

It seems to be a bit of a virus. Once exposed, it takes a varying amount of time to manifest, but in many cases, once it does, the resulting disease, wrapperitis, can be severe.

 

Symptoms of wrapperitis include dreaming of wraps, all conversations turning to wraps, all fabric examined for wrap worthiness. The most certain symptom is the strong desire to build one’s wrap stash, filling it with wraps of all fabric types and as many colors as possible. Those infected believe themselves to be happy wrapping their babies and will usually not hear any arguments against wrapping very well.

 

There is no known cure for wrapperitis. The only hope is to pacify victims with diversity in wraps. In some cases, sidetracking for a time may be possible, esp with other ethnic baby carriers. However, those truly infected, always return to their wrapping obsession.

 

For more info and details on this strange malady, you may be interested in the following websites.

 

www.wearyourbaby.com

www.thebabywearer.com

 

Finally...Pictures!!!

Here are a few pics of Travis. I am working on the birth story and hope to post it soon.

Travis is such a joy to all of us. I enjoy every minute with him and am so thankful for God’s grace each day.

Sorry for not posting! No posts means I am playing with my baby!

Welcome to the World, Travis!

This is Nichola's sister, Cilla.  Nichola asked me to let everyone know about the new arrival in her family.

 

Travis Brawner was born Friday, Nov 28th, at 5:14 pm.  He weighed 9 lbs, 4 oz, and was 22 inches long. 

 

Nichola had to be transported to the hospital for an emergency C-section because of a prolapsed umbillical cord.  Thankfully her midwife was there and knew exactly what to do.  They lost the baby's heartbeat momentarily but Carol got everything under control quickly and he was not deprived of oxygen or otherwise affected.  Cord prolapse is immediately life-threatening to the baby so she did save little Travis's life with her actions. He is healthy and from the sounds of it, very happy.  Nichola is recovering well, but said she is quite a bit of pain, especially when she has to cough.  She plans to be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon and should post the full details of the birth when she is better.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all reading my Blog today! May the Lord bless you and keep you and yours!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who has posted comments! Thank you so much for your prayers. I am feeling better today than I did yesterday, but am not quite over this. I did get my kitchen cleaned and reorganized yesterday. I had really been wanting to do that…

Now, let’s start praying up some contractions…

Past The Due Date...

Yesterday was my official due date. There was no sign that this baby is getting ready to do anything. Other than feeling it lower in my pelvis, everything seems pretty calm. I am thankful, on the one hand since David and I have still not shaken this junk. On the other hand, I am ready to get this baby here! =) But I do have quite a to-do list that would be nice to get done first. Not feeling well is making it hard to do that… So, keep us on your prayer lists!

A Special Thank You!

I don’t know if the person that this thank you is for reads my blog or not, but if not I know that there are those that do who can get it to them! (hint, hint)

Last week, we received a box in the mail from OR marked ‘Baby…’ Inside were some very sweet and essential items. The gift blessed our whole family. So, to the giver, (or givers?), thank you. Thank you very much.

Maybe I won’t get to use swaddling clothes after all… =)

Hmmm...

Well, last night and this morning I have been having contractions. Nothing major, but enough that I am taking notice. It seems like the baby has dropped some more and so I am having someone banging around on my pelvis…

I would covet the prayers of those reading this out there in blogland. We are all still dealing with some head cold stuff. I am fighting congestion and pressure in my head. Not really the way I would like to go into labor. I know that the Lord will give me grace in all circumstances, but I am asking for healing! And for healing for our family.

And, I will try to post if things pick up and I go into labor. Or maybe I can show David how to post…

The Good Thing About Computers...

…is that if you were talking to me in real life, I would be exposing you to whatever bug is circulating at our house. As it is, the only thing that viruses affect in the virtual world is computers. So, be thankful for your buffer…

We are still battling this junk, although I think we are about to see the last of it. No one has fever anymore, (I had a round of fever last night), and the coughing does seem to be subsiding a bit.

Speaking of coughing, my syrup pic on the post below does look rather awful! As I have though about it, I think it looks more like a bowl of worms… Actually, the only part of that concoction that is used is the juice that the honey draws out of the onions. We did try to eat the onions, and they were gross.

I do think that this baby will be coming soon now. As I am feeling better, I am having more contractions. In the past, I have not monkeyed around too much with contractions days and weeks ahead of time. I think I did some with Keilah, but not with the others. It seems to me that things are just waiting for a good excuse to get going.

I hope I am right…