Fluorescent Lightbulbs

If you use fluorescent lightbulbs, you need to read this article for the safety of the people in your home, especially if you are pregnant or have young children.

Here's an excerpt:

The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

After reading the article, Hubby and I have decided not to use fluorescent bulbs in freestanding lamps that could tip over or other places where the bulbs might easily be broken.

Pregnancy Brain Strikes Again

Chalk it up to the hormones, the interrupted sleep, the many details whirling around in my head, or what have you, but I have been known to say some pretty silly things while pregnant. Last night, I went into the bedroom to get something. When Hubby asked if I would be coming to bed soon, I said, "I think I was doing something; I have to go see what I was doing." Hubby laughed and laughed.

By the way, here's another quote from last time around when I was pregnant with Dear Little Fellow. Hubby and I were out shopping together; you have to understand that what I was trying to say was that while I would be needing a restroom soon, I wasn't desperate yet. How it came out was, "I could stand to use the bathroom."

"Really?" he asked skeptically, with an amused smile.

Dear Little Fellow's newest words: chips, cocoa, grin

Nice...

I was munching on some trail mix at the kitchen table while making a couple tweaks to the blog. I knew a chocolate chip escaped, but I couldn't tell where it went. I looked all over the table, under the table, on my chair, under the chair, and couldn't find it, so I concluded that it must have fallen back into the bag.

Then I decided I would be more comfortable on the couch, so I took my laptop over and sat down and did a few more things on the computer. As I was setting my laptop aside to stand up, I discovered that the chocolate chip had melted onto my laptop and my lap-top. :-) Khaki pants and chocolate don't go together so well.

Random Ramblings

-When Dear Little Fellow was in the womb, he was very active, and kicked, and kicked, and kicked; this baby seems to be more mellow, making mainly gentle movements. I wonder... is behavior in the womb is at all a predictor of future personality?

-I have had a lot of colds this pregnancy. It seems that as soon as I get over one, I'm getting a new one. I have a feeling I only have myself to blame. Although I generally eat pretty healthy (lots of protein, lots of fruits and veggies, almost no processed foods), I have been craving chocolate and eating a lot of it. At least it's been good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, which has less sugar than milk chocolate, but still, it's chocolate, and I think the sugar it does contain has been weakening my immune system. Also, when I got blood work done a few weeks ago, everything was fine, except I was low in B vitamins. I did a little research and found out that caffeine (which is present in small amounts in chocolate) can deplete B vitamins. I'm not ready to swear off chocolate completely, but I am trying to cut back. By the way, Dear Little Fellow and I both currently have colds. I usually read and sing to him a lot throughout the day, but my throat is scratchy and my voice keeps cracking, so I can't do much of that at present. I'm trying to find things to keep him occupied that don't require much talking on my part!

-I don't read a ton of fiction (not that I don't love it--I do--but I try to use my reading time wisely, and that often means reading "practical" non-fiction books instead), but lately I have been enjoying the works of a Christian author named Jamie Langston Turner. I've finished her books Suncatchers , No Dark Valley, Some Wildflower in My Heart, and I'm almost done with By the Light of a Thousand Stars. I have a couple of her other books on my shelf, waiting to be read (yay for my public library system that lets me renew books indefinitely unless someone places a hold on them!). Her quality of writing is a couple notches above most Christian fiction...it's obvious that Turner is intelligent and well-read. Her characters are quirky, which to me, makes them enjoyable. Quite a few of her protagonists are bitter middle-aged women, which is a change from the typical naive 17-year-old female main characters readily found in the "Christian fiction" genre. All of Turner's books I've read so far have been challenging and thought-provoking. Her most hardened, worldly characters come to know the Lord as a result of the kindness and perseverance of everyday people...usually their neighbors or co-workers. Although the books are all stand-alone novels as far as I know, a lot of the characters live in the same town and end up interacting with each other. Turner does deal (not explicitly) with some mature subject matter, so I'd recommend her books for those over eighteen.

Valentine's Day Banquet

Tonight was our church's 2nd annual Valentine's Day Banquet. This is not your typical "couples"/romantic banquet...it is only for the ladies of the church, and it is put on by the men. We all sat at a beautifully-decorated long table (that was one of Hubby's tasks, along with childcare). There was live music. Mostly we ladies just talked, but we also played a game and ate lots of chocolate! We had our choice of steak or fettuccine alfredo, salad or mixed grilled vegetables, broccoli or pear soup, and apple or chocolate cream pie. I had steak, and it was magnificent, probably the best steak I've ever had. Mmmmm....

The dress was semi-formal. I wore this dress from Motherhood Maternity with a black cardigan.

It was a very special time. I appreciate the way my brothers in Christ take this opportunity each year to serve and bless the ladies of the church.

Dear Little Fellow

I have decided that 1-year-old will henceforth be referred to as "Dear Little Fellow" on this blog. It's one of the nicknames we've called him since he was little, and it's better than calling him 1-year-old all the time (I'm still working on a better moniker for Hubby).

One of the things Hubby and I most love about Dear Little Fellow is watching him learn and grow. He is walking and talking now, and he's not much of a baby anymore! He literally says new words every day, but here is a list of some that I can think of, somewhat in order of when he learned them:

By 14 months: Yum-yum, Papa, Mama, Yeah, Clock, Ham, Nana (banana), Didee (diaper), Cat, Meow, Roooo! (elephant noise), Grrr/roar (bear/lion noise), Brrr (bird), Hat, Hot, Hi, Help/Helper, Mat (that his highchair is on)

15/16 months: Home, Snack, Neigh (horse noise), Baa (sheep noise), No, his own name, Caw (bird noise), Blocks, Box, Hmm… (sometimes he will look in the refrigerator and say that; Hubby says he got it from me!), Din-din (dinner)

16/17 months: Dizzy (when he wants Hubby to spin him around), Out, Squirt (referring to his bath toys), Yap/Wow-wow (dog noises), Wow!, Ring, Bed, Bath, Hoo (owl noise), Book, Milk, Walk, Burp (bupp), Cack (quack, duck noise), Bawk (chicken noise), Peep (chick noise), Baby, Maybe, Good, Box (for mailbox, when he wants to get the mail), Read, Door, Key, Eat

Updated to add: Honk, Beep, Goin' (going), Doin' (doing), Red (the color...it is the only color he knows, but he says "red" pretty consistently for red things), In, Dry (as in, to dry off with a towel), Ride, Tree, Water, Library

Mama Burped :-)

1-year-old is walking now on his own. It's fun to hear the "pitter-patter of little feet" as he toddles around the house. I've been taking him outside for lots of walks lately. He enjoys patting trees and bushes and posts, and with all the exercise, he has been sleeping a ton! He is also talking up a storm. I used to try to write down all his words, but I've given that up, because he literally learns new words every day! He mostly says single words, but there is one consistent phrase he says. He loves to point out if he or anyone else burps. If I burp, he says "Mama bupp" (burped). If he burps, he says it about himself, using his own name. Now if only he will get "Excuse me" down....

The more independent 1-year-old gets, the more I look forward to having a newborn around the house again. I went over last night to visit my friend, who has a darling 2-month-old baby. She nursed him while I was there, and I went ga-ga over the sweetness of it all...the desperate little searching mouth, the cute sucking noises, and then the inevitable contented, milk-induced coma afterward. Nursing will be more challenging this time around, since I have a busy toddler to keep track of, but I am still looking forward to it. I nursed 1-year-old exclusively for 6 1/2 months before introducing solid foods, and I am planning to exclusively nurse this baby even longer. This page explains several good reasons to delay introducing solids.

Big Answer to Prayer

A couple of weeks ago Hubby received a summons for jury duty for a trial that would last at least six weeks. Now, we are all for doing our civic duty and all (read my funny jury duty story here), but we just didn't see any way how it would be possible to go without any income for all that time (where we live, jurors only receive a token amount of pay per day--a few dollars to cover transportation and lunch), plus, Hubby can't just abandon his job duties for that long.

I have been earnestly seeking the Lord about this matter and asking Him to work something out, and I've asked several other people to pray about it, too. Today Hubby got a postcard in the mail that the jury summons has been canceled! He doesn't have to go at all!

Thank you, God, for answering our prayers.

Just a Little Sniffle-y

I have a bit of a sore throat and the sniffles today, so I am taking it easy. I did manage to keep the house tidy and the dishes caught up, so that is a plus. One-year-old was very sweet and well-behaved today, and it wasn't actually very hard to stay on top of things, so I think the Lord was gracious to me in my time of weakness by giving me strength and by helping me have a cheerful attitude.

I also made a 1/2 batch of yummy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (I know, what business do I have consuming sugar when I'm sick? But I was in a baking mood...when am I not? And, I got rid of most of the cookies--Hubby took some to his accountability group tonight). Then I made quiche for dinner, with hamburger, cheese, mushrooms, broccoli, and green bell pepper, and a big green salad. I always try to eat extra vegetables when I am sick.

We do not have a laundry room, just a laundry closet in the living room, and one of the folding doors keeps coming all the way off. A professional repairman came and fixed it today, so hopefully that will be the end of our closet woes. It is nice now not to have to stare at the dryer whenever I sit down on the couch. :-)

I have been re-reading Created to Be His Helpmeet, by Debi Pearl, and receiving so much motivation and encouragement from it. I think every wife should have it on her bookshelf and flip through its pages once in a while.

$100 Vision Forum Giveaway

Crystal is hosting a $100 Vision Forum giveaway on her blog. Click here for more details!

If I were to win the giveaway, I would like to get these products:

Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God
Home-Making
The Wise Woman’s Guide to Blessing Her Husband’s Vision
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Teach Them to Your Children
The Influence of Older Children on Younger Children
Rebuilding a Culture of Virtuous Boyhood
Why Satan Wants Your Firstborn and What to Do About It

3 Years Ago Today

To Have and to Hold



To Love and to Cherish



As Long as We Both Shall Live

26 Weeks Pregnant!

 

Day Off

Hubby is off from work today for the holiday. He spent a couple hours this morning repairing a jammed mechanism on the passenger-side seatbelt in our car (yes, I rode around in the backseat all weekend on our anniversary trip! Hubby was my chauffeur). He got it working perfectly again. I am so grateful for my Mr. Fix-It husband.

I don't have big plans for today, just unpacking and doing laundry after our trip and spending time with Hubby and 1-year-old. I may head out to Rite Aid...looks like there are some good deals this week. Lots of things are free after rebate.

Our Anniversary Get-Away

Hubby’s and my anniversary get-away was very special. My parents came over mid-afternoon on Friday. Hubby and I left one-year-old in their care and went to see National Treasure (the second one) in a theater. Then we went to a casual restaurant for dinner and checked into our hotel. We were both pretty tired, so we just talked for a while and then went to bed. I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about one-year-old. I hoped he wasn’t missing us too much or worrying that we would never come back.

Saturday morning, Hubby and I both had delicious omelets and pancakes for breakfast at the hotel restaurant. After that, we stopped back home to visit with my parents a little and see how one-year-old was doing. He was doing great with his grandparents! They said he had been very good and content and hadn’t cried at all the whole time we were gone. That set my heart at ease, and I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of our trip even more. We were so full from breakfast that we didn’t want lunch, but we did a couple of errands and then went to a coffee shop and got mochas. We had to an hour to kill until we could check in to the hotel (we stayed at a different hotel each night), so we browsed a Christian discount bookstore. Hubby bought a CD of some Rich Mullins songs. We drove downtown to the hotel and checked in, then hung out in the room and talked and read until dinner time. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant. It was one of those fancy-schmancy restaurants where you order your entrée, but it doesn’t come with anything, so if you want a salad or anything else, you have to order that separately. We wouldn’t have ended up at such a restaurant if my grandmother had not generously given us some money for a nice dinner. And, oh, it was good. Hubby had an amazingly-flavored pork chop, and I had bacon-encrusted salmon. We shared a Caesar salad. The menu boasted of the restaurant’s French cuisine made by a master chef, and we were not disappointed. My only qualm was that the delicious flavors were so unfamiliar I could not place them! I’m sure the meats were cooked in various wines and sauces I know nothing about.

After dinner, we went back to our room for a while, and then it was time to go to the symphony! It was the first time Hubby and I had ever been to a symphony together. We enjoyed it very much. The evening was divided into two parts: the first half was the work of a modern Scottish composer, and the second half was a musical interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s plays.

Sunday morning, we ordered room service and had breakfast in bed while we watched an old Western movie on TV. Then we packed up and came home!

I felt extremely blessed this weekend to be married to my husband. I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness he put into planning everything for us and keeping everything a surprise from me (I like good surprises!). It was marvelous to have time alone with him, but it was also great to get home to one-year-old. I missed him so much! I love the comfort and familiarity of home and the peacefulness of having my whole family together.

Very Busy!

Hubby has planned an anniversary (our 3rd!) get-away for us this weekend. My parents will be taking care of 1-year-old. It will be a very special time for Hubby and me, as we haven't even been on a date since before 1-year-old was born!

There is much to do before we leave tomorrow. I still need to prepare meals for 1-year-old and my parents, do lots of laundry, clean the bathrooms, vacuum the whole house, and pack! Oh, and finish the "instruction" lists I've been making for my parents to tell them what 1-year-old can and can't eat, what he is and is not allowed to do around the house, what his usual daily routine is, etc.

I will write about our weekend when we return.

Problems with Wheat

I am beginning to suspect that wheat is the culprit of various digestive difficulties that my family is experiencing. I have already switched from using whole wheat pastas to brown rice pastas, which seem to be easier to digest, and now I am searching for a good, everyday wheat-free bread recipe. Please leave a comment if you know of one! Thanks!

A Glimpse of Family Life

Yesterday we went to a discount store because Hubby wanted to look for some tools. He didn’t find what he was looking for, but on the way out, we were passing through an aisle and I commented, “Oh, look, they have my very favorite kind of candle…” (which, for the record, happens to be Carolina sensual sandalwood) “…but…it seems kind of expensive.” Hubby asked, “Do you want it?” I hesitated because of the price, but didn’t say no, because I could tell that Hubby wanted to bless me. Still, because of my frugal nature, I couldn’t quite bring myself to flat-out say, “Yes, let’s buy it.” Finally, Hubby just picked it up, brought it to a register, and bought it for me. I felt loved and spoiled. I am very grateful that my husband looks out for little things to do for me to make me happy, and I want to make more of an effort to do the same for him. He also installed some shelves in the kitchen today for my cookbooks. The cookbooks resided previously on the bottom shelf of our very small pantry. They were always inconvenient to get to, plus they took up space that could have been better used for food, so it is wonderful now to have them right at eye-level. I am motivated to re-organize (okay, initially organize, since it’s never really been organized since we moved in!) the pantry, now that I have an extra shelf in there for food.

1-year-old (now 16 months) was extremely cranky today. He is teething, plus he is adjusting to being fully weaned (just in the past week; I think he still misses nursing at times), plus he is transitioning from two naps a day to one, and is having trouble falling and staying asleep during the day. Fortunately, he is still sleeping well at night. He usually goes to bed between 6:30-7:00 P.M. and sleeps until around 6:00 A.M. Anyhow, we didn’t feel up to taking him to our house church tonight, so Hubby stayed home with him, fed him dinner, and put him to bed, while I went to church. It was the first time in a couple of months that I have actually been able to not only fellowship with people uninterrupted and undistracted, but also to pay attention during the teaching time (usually I am chasing after 1-year-old and trying to keep him quiet and entertained). It was very refreshing. Caring for an active toddler in a house church where there is no nursery is quite challenging, and it was nice to have a break from that this week. Then I came home (the house where we met tonight was only a couple-minute drive from our house) and Hubby went over for a leadership meeting, so he is getting to be with the church body tonight, too.

Hubby (I feel weird calling him that, but I don’t want to use his real name online, and I haven’t yet thought of a more creative way to refer to him) and I are learning what it means to be “in ministry.” Not necessarily pastoral ministry, but for now, just reaching out to others in our church body and our neighbors. We have a lot to learn, and we have very little experience, but we are both trying to make more of an effort to be intentionally involved in other people’s lives. It doesn’t come especially naturally for either of us, since we are both introverts, plus, we are finding out that the more you invest in people, the more chance you have of getting hurt, but our example is Jesus. We want to imitate His love and compassion, even if we, like He, end up getting hurt. I think Hubby and I are, individually and as a couple, coming to a point in our lives where we are finding it necessary to evaluate what is truly important. Do we serve God or money? Are we living for our own pleasure or to please God?

In all of this, I am learning more of what it means to be my husband’s helper. Wherever God calls him, whatever God calls him to do, that’s my calling, too. I am learning the joy and peace of surrender.

The Holidays Are Over

As much as I enjoy the holidays, I am glad now that things are settling down. We visited my parents, grandma, and brother on Christmas Eve and ended up staying one more night than we intended because we actually had a white Christmas (pretty rare in these parts) and didn't want to drive back late at night on icy roads. We visited some of Hubby's family yesterday (New Year's Eve day).

The Christmas decorations are all put away, and our living room furniture is back to its old arrangement (it's so much more spacious without a big Christmas tree in there!).

I cleaned the house today and got together with a friend this afternoon at a cafe. We had a good chat, and plan to do it again sometime soon.

Hubby and I are trying to make some big decisions about plans for the future. I have a lot of dreams, but I need to hear from the Lord to know if I should go ahead with pursuing them, or if I need to lay them down. Either way, I want my heart to be completely surrendered to Him. I want to humbly accept whatever He has for me, knowing that He loves me deeply and knows what is best for me.

On the Menu

I volunteered to bring the main dish and sides for church tomorrow. This is what's on the menu:

Spiral-Sliced Ham
Pioneer Woman's Do-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes (with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon)
Peas and Carrots
Whole-Wheat Bread
Fresh Fruit Salad (pineapple, apple, and banana chunks, with bowls of chopped walnuts, sweetened dried coconut, and sweetened dried cranberries on the side for toppings)
Dessert (made by someone else in the church)

There's really not a ton of preparation involved. The most time-consuming thing was peeling ten pounds of potatoes, which my sweet husband did for me. The mashed and sweet potatoes are made, and just need to be heated tomorrow. The ham is pre-cooked, so it just needs to be heated through as well. I will steam the peas and carrots and mix them with butter and salt right before it's time to go. Same for chopping up the fruit for the salad. The bread's easy, too--I'm just going to make it in the bread machine, cut it in chunks, and serve it hot with butter.

My Deals This Week

I received a coupon in the mail for $10 off any in-store purchase at JCPenney. I found an outfit for 1-year-old, originally $12.99, on sale for $5.99, and a set of 3 pairs of sterling silver hoop earrings, originally $10.00, marked down to $4.49, so I only paid $.48.

At Walgreens, L'Oreal Studio Line products (in white bottles) are on sale 4/$3. I had a $1 coupon, so I got some mousse for free with $.25 overage.

Nestle Turtles (formerly DeMet's Turtles) candy are on sale for $.99 a box. I had a $1 coupon (which specified DeMet's Turtles, but there was no problem at the register), so they were also free. I will probably use them as a white elephant gift at a party this weekend.