Refinishing the Floors

This was a job! After a lot of scrubbing, pulling staples, about 12 hours of sanding, a couple coats of stain, and three coats of poly, we are finally done with our floors! Here are some pictures of the process...

The Touch Lamp

Seth has been wanting a touch lamp for as long as I can remember and last week we finally found one at a thrift store. He spray painted it silver and it turned out pretty good.

Coming soon...

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, this house stuff is crazy! We don't have internet right now so that makes it a little harder to post. I plan on posting soon with more pictures of our house in progress. Right now we are living in a construction zone. We plan on getting the carpet in early this week, so it will feel a little cozier after that. Hopefully we'll get the internet this week or next and I can start catching up on here...

Thanks to April for my new blog template. It needed a new look. She designed it herself!

Seven Facts...

I've been tagged by Brooke... Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I get the biggest thrill out a good deal. It is really hard for me not to buy something I don't need just because it's such a good deal!

2. I eat way too fast - I'll finish my plate before Seth gets done with a few bites.

3. I love marshmallows, I always have. When I was little my older brother and sister made a trail of marshmallows and had a laundry basket fall on me.

4. I talk in my sleep (it really entertains my husband).

5. I love Quick Trip cappuccino smoothies, I drink them all summer!

6. My first memory was when I was two and got attacked by a pig.

7. I like grapes in my tacos.

The following people are tagged (If you have already been tagged don't worry about it): Mandy Jenny Regan Eaches Reagan Kemper Alan Jenica

One Year Already!

A work in progress...

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time for those of you who check my blog. We have been working on our new house. Scrubbing, patching holes, pulling nails, killzing and painting everything. So, to say the least we've been busy. We had some friends come help us last weekend, so here are some picture of our progress in no particular order.

The Statistics are Staggering

I've been wanting to volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center for a while and do the ultrasounds there. Normally they send nurses to across the country then they have to have 50 ultrasounds hand-on. Since I have experience in other fields of ultrasound they are going to let me volunteer there after I practice on 50 women who are pregnant. I want to do this because there is a huge percentage that change their mind about having an abortion after they see the heart beating in there.

Please read these statistics regarding abortion. I was shocked when I read them. We need to all pray that this would end. The government just passed a law to illegalize partial birth abortions on babies in the third trimester. That means that babies 28 weeks and under are still being aborted legally.

Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)
Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700

Who's having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical"

Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

Likelihood of abortion:
An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.

Abortion coverage:
48% of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy. 9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage. About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds. 16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women.

I found these statistics at www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html if you want to read more.

Finally some answers

Yesterday I met with a new doctor and brought in my paper work from back in October when we lost Samuel. My other doctor was never able to tell me why we lost our son because the hospital never sent him the results of some of the tests done. They just said there was a lot of clot around my placent that caused the abruption, and it was just a fluke. I had tracked down some of my tests at the hospital and brought them to my new doctor. She said I was positive for a couple of clotting factors: Factor 5 Leiden, and MTHFR. She said on my next pregnancy I will have to have Heparin injections twice a day and take a pill to prevent this from happening again. I was so thankful to the Lord that they found these things out.
Has anyone ever heard of these two things?

What I have been up to today...

I didn't have to work today so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do some things I've been wanting to do for a while...

I made my first homemade loaf of bread and some rolls. I have always been intimidated by bread, but it really wasn't too bad, it just takes up a lot of time.



We just got the molds of Samuel's hands the other day so I put together a shadow box (thanks to Brooke for the frame).



I've been enjoying the beautiful spring weather and all the pretty birds!



What I have NOT been doing... but should...


I really shouuld start packing, but those boxes are so intimidating...



And so are those dishes...



Here's what we did last night. We went to a play that Nate Madden directed and actually stared in! It was really fun to see him dance :)

Finding Joy

A few weeks ago I decided to start studing about joy. In life, there are so many things that pull at you, and if you're not careful, will start to drag you down. I felt this happening to me with the many stresses of life so I decided to look to the Lord to see how He would have me to respond to these things. I did a word search on joy and soon found a common theme... The place to find joy is in the Lord's presence. This shouldn't be surprising, but many times we search in the wrong places only leaving us empty. He wants us to spend time listening to His still small voice with His many comforting and encouraging words. Here are some verses that encouraged me.

Psalm 16:11
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 21:6
Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence

Acts 2:28
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.

Jude 1:24
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy...

Brooklyn's Birthday

I am failing at posting often enough! Oh well, life gets busy, hopefully I can do better... Here are some pictures from my niece, Brooklyn's 6th birthday party.


This is her as Mickey Mouse



Blowing out the candles on her cupcake cake


Camryn, helping take pictures


Layla enjoying the cake


The Bloom (or should I say, "Balloon") girls

Congrats to Johnny and Kari!

Johnny and Kari Heller's little boy arrived yesterday. They named him Edward Beckham 6 lb 7 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. Here are some pictures of him.

Our New Home

I just have to tell you the story about this house... We've been looking at this house for a little while now and I've been wanting to make an offer but Seth wanted to wait a little while longer. I was getting antsy, but just commited it to the Lord. Well, the other night we decided we were going to put in an offer (After about a month of first seeing it). At that time they were asking 59,900 for it, but we decided to ask 52,000 and hope to get it for 56,000 or so. Well, that night our realater called us and told us they had just dropped the price to 48,000! Wow, that was a huge reminder of why we are to submit to our husbands and see how the Lord blesses that. Anyway, here are some pictures of our new house!

Ben and Kristi's Wedding

These are pictures of Kristi and Ben's wedding from this weekend. It was a long drive down to Georgia, but it was a lot of fun... We're pretty exausted now, after driving all day yesterday and getting in around 1:30, but we're glad to be home!

Psalm 9

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Sing praises to the LORD, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what he has done" - Psalm 9:10-11

This Psalm encouraged me today. It reminded me that the Lord never leaves us, He is always going to be there no matter what life brings, we simply need to trust and seek Him. It also reminded me how important it is to proclaim what the Lord has done. To proclaim first hand: how He provides, how He comforts, how He delivers, and so on. So that more may know what a great God we serve!

Samuel James

Today was the day that Samuel was due to be born. This has been a hard week, but I keep remembering the verse that the Lord brought to Seth and I the day before all the complications started.

Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."


I thought I'd share a poem that was given to me from my mother-in-law, who also lost a child. I hope this will encourage other mothers who have lost a child, or others who have lost a loved one. It helped me to see the eternal perspective.

A Baby's Secret
by, J.C. Bromfield

I'm just a little feller... who didn't quite make it there;
I went straight to be with Jesus, but I'm waiting for you here.

Don't you fret about me Mommy, I'm all right... and am most blest;
I'd have loved to stay there with you, but the Shepherd knows what's best.

Many dwellings here where I live, waited years to enter in;
Struggled through a world of sorrow, and their lives were marred with sin.

So sweet Mommy don't you sorrow, wipe those tears and chase the gloom;
I went straight to Jesus' bosom, suffered none of earthling's pain.

I'll be waiting for you Mommy-you and Daddy, Bud, and Sis.
I'll be with you then forever... and give you all a kiss.

My Niece's 2nd Birthday

A Stone

We are all like a stone being tossed by the waves
With every crash we're made a little more smooth
The Lord chooses our waves knowing what will shape us like Him
He never picks waves too big for us to withstand
He is right there beside us when they crash
To keep us strong
To hold us when the pain is too great
To remind us that He is God and we are not
And He sees the entire ocean, the end from the beginning
And someday the waves will cease then smooth stones we will be

Calzones

I didn't get a picture of the actual ones
I made last night, but here a similar one...
This is a really yummy recipe if you like calzones!






Ingredients:
1 pkg. yeast
1 cup warm water
1 T. sugar
2 T oil
2 3/4 cup flour
1 t. salt
1 t. Italian seasoning
Parm. cheese
1 cup each: Italian sausage, ham, and shredded cheese

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in water
Add sugar
Mix in 1 cup flour, oil, salt, ans seasoning
Add remaining flour
Knead dough 5 min, then let dough rise 5 min
Divide dough into 4
Roll into 10" circles
Add 1/4 cup Italian sausage, ham, and cheese to each calzone
Fold dough over itself and crimp edges
Let rise 10 min.
Bake 15 min at 350
Take out calzones, butter and sprinkle parm cheese and seasoning if desired
Cook additional 5 min or until golden brown

If only...

I was struck by these verses and thought I'd share them...

Gen. 17:17,18 "Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, 'Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?' And Abraham said to God, 'If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!'"

So often I catch myself thinking this way. If only the Lord would do it my way, then everything would be wonderful... It easy to think that way without knowing the future. This example struck me because we know the end of this story. God had a plan and wanted it carried out according to His will, not according to man's will. I am so thankful He knows the beginning and the end and He is so worthy to be trusted with our lives.

Safely Home

Seth and I have been reading a really good book lately. It's called "Safely Home" by Randy Alcorn. It talks a lot of the persecution in China but in a novel format. It involves two men, one a highly successful business man, and the other a very intelligent Chinese man. They were roommates in college and the business man had introduced the Chinese man to the Lord, but over the years they lost touch. Now, twenty years later they meet up again, one who has turned from the Lord, one strong for the Lord, willing to die for Him.

It is really convicting how I can become so afraid to share the gospel with others for fear of rejection or something else of no life-risking value, while there are others who wake up each morning wondering if this is the day they will die for our Lord...

The Elderly

I need to start doing better about posting on this blog... I guess that can be one of my New Year's resolutions.

I have been so encouraged lately with my downstairs neighbor. She is old and is a prisoner to her oxygen. I met her probably in August, when I heard below me "Help, help" I went down and she was having trouble breathing, so I prayed with her and she exclaimed, "You know Jesus!" After that time I didn't make much of an attemt to visit her. I just became so busy and there was always something that was more important... We ran into eachother in November again and she said she was disappointed I hadn't visited her. She needed me to get her mail for the next month or so since her neighbor was going on vacation that normally gets it. Over that month I got to know an amazing lady. I now meet with her every day and she asks me to pray with her. She said it means so much to know that someone cares, it helps her get though her day. I only meet with her for probably 20 minutes. I guess to get to my point, there are so many elderly people out there that are prisoners to their homes, they so long for someone to visit them, and I guess this woman has opened my eyes to this world. I was too busy to care or to really see this need on my own. I just wanted to remind others of this need and how much just a little bit of time can mean to someone...

Christmas

Christmas in Iowa...

Clayton pretending to be Superman


Halle enjoying her breakfast



My mom, "Nana", cuddling with Clayton and Halle after their bath



Halle hiding in one of her Christmas presents