Sold out for Christ

My time with the Lord this morning was so good I needed to share. I pray this blesses you and meets you as richly as it has me. God is so faithful to meet each of us, he just asks us to come. 

Matthew 20:16

"So the last will be first, and the first last."

ESV Study: A disciple of Jesus should not measure his or her worth by comparing it with the accomplishments and sacrifices of others, but should focus on serving from a heart of gratitude in response to God's grace.

Isaiah 40:30-31

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Joy in Rejection by Lydia Brownback

"Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." Acts 5:41

     "'She's one of those Christians,' we might overhear after rolling our grocery cart past neighborhood acquaintances in the canned goods aisle. What about us stands out as distinctly Christian so that others know it about us, even if they do not know us very well personally? It's good to be singled out as a Christian because we exude joy. It's not so good if we are the only ones on the block who darken our homes and refuse to answer the door on Halloween. Too often we get caught up in trying to look Christian rather than trying to be Christian. Even when we do stand out for reflecting Christ in a winsome way, not all our neighbors are going to like us. Some will hate us all the more, as Paul made clear: "We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life" (2 Cor. 2:15-16). 

     The most joyful women I know are those most involved in serving others. No matter who likes or hates us, joy comes from living for something [someone] beyond ourselves. That's why, all through the book of Acts, we see the apostles rejoicing in the midst of horrendous difficulties. Their joy in life wasn't contingent on how well things were going personally or on how much people liked them; their whole reason for living was to spread the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus. In Acts 5 we read that they were arrested for preaching the gospel. The council decided to beat them and then let them go. Afterward, we are told, "they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." 

     When was the last time we rejoiced at suffering dishonor for the sake of our faith? Sooner or later, we are going to be rejected for our faith by a neighbor or a family member or a friend. We might lose a job because we bear the name of Christ, or experience ridicule at work because we believe. We understand such rejection as the persecution Jesus promised all who follow him, but to rejoice at it like the apostles did? That's another story. How were they able? It wasn't because they were super-Christians. It's because they were so completely sold out to Christ that nothing mattered except him. Suffering? Great, so long as it meant they were associated with Jesus. Blessing and prosperity? Bring it on, so long as it meant God would be made more visible in their lives. God was their overarching purpose, which is why the apostles were always joyful. 

     The extent of joy we know is the measure of how sold out we are."

I hope you all have a blessed day! 

Week 19

Our little June bub is the size of a mango this week. Babes brain is developing and working on his/her five senses. We are just a few days away from our half way point and next week we will hopefully be revealing if it's a boy or girl!!!

How far along: Back end of 19 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 5.4 + lbs
Maternity clothes: Still the same. I've been wearing my maternity jeans, but they are starting to get baggy... I think it's time to wash them. ha! My shirts still fit for the most part. Soon enough I'll be going through my closet to eliminate what doesn't fit.
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: It has been great! Only waking up once to go pee. Sleeping through the night is such a gift from God that I used to take for granted... not any more!
Best moment this week: This has been a good week. Taylor and I are enjoying our times at home together resting and having fun. Every moment with him has been my favorite!
Have you told family and friends? Yes
Miss anything: Taking baths.
Movement: Yes yes and yes! Mommy and Daddy have BOTH felt movement!!! Teeny kicks! :) :)
Food cravings: Turkey and Ham sandwiches and Werther's Originals.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing!
Have you started to show yet: Getting bigger!!
Gender: Only 1 more week and we should find out!!!
Labor Signs: None
Symptoms: I have more energy these days, starting at 8pm lasting anywhere from 10-11. Which is not normal! Leg cramps have become more frequent. Thank you, Christina for my Ted stockings! Less headaches, except one bad migraine this week. It is what it is right? Last, I think I've developed a pet allergy. When I'm in a house with a dog my nose and eyes go crazy. I don't like it. I feel for all you [my Hubs especially] who suffer from this daily.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy this week. Except one night... oh my! I couldn't breath out of my nose and I started crying... wailing is more accurate. Taylor and I couldn't do anything but laugh. It was hilarious! Taylor said, "I think we need to start a pregnancy book and THAT needs to go in it!" Lol. Whoa hormones!!!
Looking forward to: Finding out if it's a BOY or GIRL?????

My dearest Tricia sent me this diaper bag. She always said, "Once you're pregnant I have the perfect diaper bag for you." And she did! *THANK YOU, PHO!* I love it!!!

Taylor and I are reevaluating our babymoon plans. Our original plan was to go to Nashville and tour around, but we decided that resting on our babymoon was the best idea and Nashville wasn't the place to do that. So, we are looking into beaches. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. :)

My fabulous mom is visiting in April. Which means we will probably be either packing up boxes in the apartment or unpacking boxes in a house. Craziness!!

Please pray with us as we move forward in searching for a place to call home. We are so excited to see what God has planned!

Week 18

Christmas has come and gone. Time sure does fly. We had a great time with family at the Brown's this year. We ate a ton of food, hung out with Memmere & Fred, went on a little trip to see Nana & Da, did a gingerbread house competition, watched a lot of movies, and just rested, had fun and enjoyed our time together. Plus, Jon and Julie [BIL, SIL] announced they were pregnant, and well... that was wonderful news!! :)

I missed my family though. And I am missing them more and more. Especially when little Cami asks Taylor and I if we can come to Grandma's. So sweet. And I wish! <3

Taylor and I are home now, Christmas decorations came down this past weekend. We decided that since we'll be moving in a few months, we'll take other stuff down and not decorate as much. It feels good. :)

I haven't posted updates for a few reasons. First, the obvious reason, Christmas. Second, life got super busy trying to get ourselves back on schedule. Third, having headaches every day doesn't make me want to have a picture taken, let alone post it. You understand right? ;)

We have set the date to find out the sex!!!!! And we have a date on the calendar to tour the hospital we plan on delivering at. Now to just figure out who is going to deliver this little bub of ours. We shall see.

So here I am. Eighteen beautiful weeks!! And our babe is growing strong everyday. He/she is about 5 1/2 inches long and his/her skeleton is continuing to harden from cartilage to bone. How cool is that? I keep telling Taylor I wished my stomach was see through so I could watch my little babe grow. Ha! It would be awesome!!!

I heard little bub's heartbeat last week.
Beating at a strong 140 !!!

How far long: 18 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 5.4 lbs
Maternity clothes: I bought jeans, a skirt, and some tops. I was so surprised at how comfy maternity jeans are. My waistline is thankful!
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: I have slept through the night 4 times so far this week. Hallelujah!
Best moment this week: Woke up 3 days without a severe headache. I may sound like a broken record, but you have no idea how much that is a blessing to me.
Have you told family and friends? Yes!
Miss anything: Fitting into my jeans. Ha! And believe it or not... coffee.
Movement: We have felt little flutters here and there. Waiting for a kick!!
Food cravings: Breakfast foods. Really, I crave Toast Cafe. I want to go there all. the. time.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not eating. I'm always hungry. It's funny how much things change from one trimester to another.
Have you started to show yet: Sure am. And looking back on the earlier pictures amazes me how much my belly has grown!
Gender prediction: Okay... I'm gonna say it... I think it's a boy. We find out THIS month!!!
Labor Sign: None
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but when I'm hurting I'm not much fun. Taylor is the BEST medicine though!! He continues to make me laugh, which always helps! :)
Looking forward to: Finding out if it's a BOY or GIRL?????

Week 15

Because my family is far from me, I'll be sharing a little more on how pregnancy is going and how I'm feeling. This seems to be the best way to keep everyone updated. Miss you guys!

This past week was rough. Two weekends ago I was fighting a sore throat, which Thank you, Lord didn't turn into anything. And started to have some bad pain on my right side. So I went into the Doctors on Tuesday. He said it was probably round ligament pain. [Round ligament pain is when the ligaments holding the uterus are stretching. Growing with my uterus, which can cause pain.] The Dr. also gave me a flu shot, which wow! I forgot how much those hurt afterward. And lots of headaches. I'm starting to feel bad putting all this Tylenol into my system. 

This week, so far, the round ligament pain seems to be getting less. I have been feeling like my sinuses have been going crazy though. I talked to my sister and she had that happen to her during her 3rd pregnancy, which gives me a little more comfort. Headaches/Neck tension is an everyday thing, but tylenol seems to help. And since I'm in my 2nd trimester, I'm hoping for most of this to start slowing down. :) Overall, it has been a great week. I am learning to deal with the pain. I have a baby growing inside of me... I can take it!

This Saturday Taylor and I celebrate our Christmas with each other. Our first and last Christmas in our apartment. We are both so excited. I plan on making Sausage Gravy & Biscuits for breakfast. A sweet tradition my family does Christmas morning. After we're done, we will pack up and head over to the Brown's until Wednesday. Jon & Julie get in Saturday around dinner time and well, I can't wait to see them!! We'll be going to McAdenville to see Christmas lights. [McAdenville is a little town that has a ton of Christmas lights and you can drive through slow and look at them all. It is so much fun!] We'll have a boys vs girls Gingerbread house making competition. We'll visit with Memmere, Fred, Nana & Da. And rest a whole lot. Eat a whole lot and not gain a pound. And have fun fun fun!

On a side note, our scale is so wrong. I mean for anyone outside of pregnancy a wrong scale is kind of nice. ;) But it still says I haven't gained any weight. But, at my latest Dr. visit, their scale showed I gained 3 lbs. So, I won't really be able to accurately say how many pounds I've gained until I have my visits. oh darn! ;)

How far long: 15 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 + lbs
Maternity clothes: None yet, I still have 2 or 3 pairs of pants that fit. Woohoo!
Stretch marks: Nope
Sleep: Eh? Waking up every few hours with a full bladder.. and having weird dreams.
Best moment this week: One day this week I woke up without a headache or neck tension... it was glorious!! Oh and also, I actually cooked a few meals this week without feeling sick! Praise the Lord! And I know that blessed my hubby. :)
Have you told family and friends? Yes!
Miss anything: Honestly, not really. Though, I won't be making Trader Joe's trips [queasy reasons] and I kind of miss that.
Movement: Sometime I think I feel movement, but I'm unsure... mommy and daddy are anxiously awaiting!
Food cravings: Salads, cucumber with salt, and ice cold water. Seriously, iced cold water is keeping me going.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still smells. Like coffee or [if you live near Highland Creek you'll know] Wallace Farms. Yuck!
Have you started to show yet: A growing small bump. :)
Gender prediction: It changes back and forth all the time. . . Only 5 more weeks!!!
Labor Sign: None
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Finding out the gender and feeling the baby move!!!

We have our first boy/girl items purchased. And I love them!!!

I mean... How do you say no to something so cute?!!!

I love bow ties on kids. Though they aren't practical
they are adorable! :)

I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 

Hugs from Charlotte to Delaware <3

Week 13 & 14

Sorry I didn't do this last week. It's busy over
here with Christmas on the way. :)

How far long: 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs
Maternity clothes: I haven't bought any yet. Pants are tempting.
Stretch marks: No
Sleep: Off and on
Best moment this week: Got to hear our June babes heartbeat on Tuesday!
Have you told family and friends? Yes!!
Miss anything: Taking bathes.
Movement: Doctor says there's a lot, but I can't feel it yet. At least I don't think I can.
Food cravings: Beef Ramen noodles and cereal are the most recent cravings. I eat a lot of cereal!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Random smells. . . like coffee brewing.
Have you started to show yet: Teeny bump. Looks like I just ate a huge burger with a plate of french fries. Mmm that sounds good!! 
Gender prediction: Not yet
Labor Sign: None
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! :) Thank you, Lord! 
Looking forward to: Find out the gender and feeling the baby move! Oh, and for this round ligament pain to STOP! 


On a side note, Taylor and I celebrated 3 fantastic years together Tuesday night. Three years from when he asked me to be his girl. I am so glad he did!! And I said yes, 3 times. I'd say it a million times over, too. He is [apart from my Salvation] the BEST thing that has happened to me. God has been so kind and generous to bless me with Taylor, he is such a gift. :)

We went out to Osaka. Osaka is a Chinese restaurant where Taylor took me on our first date. We go there every year to celebrate and get the same meal every year. :) We had such a great time, laughing and conversing over the last 3 years and all that God has done. We are blessed!

Happy 3 years dating my hubby!

How did we tell our family?

How did we tell our family?

We told my family over Thanksgiving break. Our first night there we mentioned we wanted Chinese take out. Totally planned. [Before I tell you, earlier this month we ordered fortune cookies with a custom fortune inside]. So, we go to pick up the food and on our way back to the house switched the fortune cookies with the ones we bought. Everyone ate dinner and Taylor "remembered" that we had fortune cookies to eat, so he passed them out. [We were all spread out throughout the kitchen and living room so I was a little nervous]. My sisters first fortune cookie didn't have anything in it.... haha! But then she opened another one and said to her husband, "I wish Stephanie had gotten this one." [so sweet]! Then a few other comments were made to each other about what was written... then Taylor announced, "You guys, WE'RE PREGNANT!" A few "not ah's" and "for real?"s passed around and then my sister and mom rushed over to me and cried like crazy! We hugged and chatted and laughed and well... it was perfect! Oh, and the fortune said, "There will be an addition to your family in the near future." On the back was the due date numbers.

With Taylor's family, we used the same cookies. We visited them after dinner time, so we just told them we just ate Chinese and thought they'd enjoy a cookie. They opened the cookies and thought, "What is the Lord saying?" I remember even Gisele saying, "Maybe a new puppy?" Hehe!!! Then, she looked at us with her jaw dropped [still not thinking baby] and Taylor announced we were pregnant to them. :-D They were surprised [success] and in shock! Very very happy to finally be Grandparents. :)

Later we called other family members and the now Great grandparents, who were all filled with so much joy!!

A sweet surprise no one saw coming!

Thank you, Lord for this precious baby you've blessed us with! 

Browns little coming soon!

First, I am sorry I haven't posted any recipes in the past month or so. There are few reasons why, but one main reason is because we have some news to tell you. . . .

We're PREGNANT!!!! 

I am 13 weeks this week. We finally announced it to our families and a few friends this past month before making it Facebook public. ;)

Without going into too much detail, I'm going to say this baby is a miracle. [And of course, every baby is a miracle from God, no matter the reasons or process behind it]. :)

Taylor and I found out this exciting news and are still kind of in shock. I know there was no reason for me to be surprised because God is able to do far more than I could ever imagine, but I was. An exciting surprise. An exciting shock.

We had our first ultrasound when I was 8 weeks. Our little baby's heartbeat was 169, which the lady said was good. :)

This is what we saw. . .

Our little sour patch baby. hehe!

Expected due date: June 10, 2013

As the joy continued, so did the nausea and morning [not so morning] sickness. So many smells bothered me. Poor Taylor had to open the windows and close our bedroom door in the morning when he made his breakfast. I stopped cooking meals... except things that didn't bother me... which didn't leave us with many options. Taylor was a trooper and God gave us both grace to get through it. The worst week of all was the week after we visited the Dr. I had food poisoning and all the baby pains. But it really is all worth it.

I think the worst is over, so far? I get headaches a lot... but if you know me well, you know that isn't anything new.

With every day that passes, I am eternally grateful for what God has blessed us with. I can't wait to feel our sweetie kick and move around. Update: On my latest visit when we were listening to the heartbeat [around 152] the nurse said there was a lot of movement. . .  so very exciting!!

Boy or Girl? We won't find out for a while.... before I was pretty head strong on what I wanted first, but now that I'm pregnant, it doesn't matter as much. :)

Here are a few baby bump pictures thus far.

This was taken after our first ultrasound...
Also at night, after I drank a whole bunch of water .

It is a stereotype.... but one night I seriously craved pickles.
We had to capture that moment. 

9 whole fabulous weeks!!

Stole the chalkboard idea from Pinterest... and that
will be one of the ways we update with pictures
and how I am doing.

week 13 picture to come...

God is so good!!!