All who labor and are heavy laden...

We sang this song at church a couple of Sundays ago and I couldn't help but smile. These lyrics have never been so real. I feel very heavy laden and in just 3 short months will be in labor, but thankfully Jesus has promised to give us rest! I hope I didn't take that too out of context, but with pregnancy on the brain all the time these days, some things just strike you as funny!

I'm finally getting around to recapping February and March...Maybe one of these days I'll be caught up to real time!

1) Valentines' - My great co-worker Jennifer and I made cupcakes and served "red" drinks for the teachers. My sweet friend Jenilee had her baby girl Jazmin Elizabeth 3 weeks early on Valentine's Day. Later that evening, Jack and I had a candlelit dinner in the living room next to our fireplace. Funny moment: Jack nearly burning the house down and setting the smoke alarm off just before we sat down to dinner :) Life with Jack is always an adventure! 2/14 Javi, Jazmin and me

Valentine's Treats for our teachers at school. We made cupcakes and served "red" drinks.

Our lovely candlelit dinner (notice the smoke has cleared...smile).

2) We went to Vail, Co over Spring Break with 4 other couples. While it was so hard not to be hitting the slopes, it was still a great trip. Thankfully, I had a friend who was also pregnant to hang out with. We went shopping, rested and got a great prenatal massage. 3/10 - 3/15

1. Lisa and I - the two preggers on the trip. 2. The whole gang. 3. Beautiful view from the top of the mountain. I got to ride the gondola to the top on the last day.

3) Had two awesome Girls Weekends in a row. One trip to Canton and one trip to Amarillo to surprise our dear friend Jordan with a baby shower. 2/3 and 2/17

Our Canton weekend - Only picture I got was of the great breakfast that Stephanie prepared...

Amarillo weekend for Jordan's baby shower. Such fun!!

4) Dress Like a Storybook Character Day at school - We are Thing 1, 2 and 2.5 from The Cat in the Hat... 3/9

5) Fly Lady came to Dallas for a booksigning 3/31. She has this website that helps you cut clutter and clean your house 15 minutes at a time. You can check it out at www.flylady.net

We didn't stay to get her autograph because there was a huge line, but it was cool to see her in person.

6) Celebrating our niece's 16th birthday and getting to hold her sweet 4 month old brother Wilkin.

Sweet Brittany

Too cute!

So that's the recap. Fun times, great memories and lots to be grateful for!

Visions of Blue...

Before

After (about 5 1/2 months)

Our little miracle!
His leg is over his head, so cute!

I suppose when life gets busy, blogging is the first thing to go. I'll have to post later about what we've been up to over the past 2 months, but the most important thing that happened (on 2/18/07) is that we found out we are having a little boy!

We are so thrilled and just can't wait to meet this little man! I've been feeling really good these past few months...just getting bigger and bigger. I just read in my pregnancy book that I should start growing 1/2 inch per week in my stomach until the due date (which is now moved up to July 2). That's a little scary because I already feel ginormous. It's so worth it though to be carrying around this little miracle!

We are so thankful for this blessing and just feel overwhelmed to know that God has already formed this little guy and knows him so well! He is truly fearfully and wonderfully made!

I'll post more soon and I'll try not to go 2 months in between postings :)

Tagged...

I've been tagged. Here are the instructions -

1) Grab the book closest to you
2) Open to page 123, go down to the fourth sentence
3) Post the text of the following 3 sentences
4) Name the author and book title
5) Tag three people to do the same

I usally have about 3 books going at a time (1 fiction, 1 self-help and 1 devotional) I thought the fiction would be the most interesting...

"Yeah, right," he said.
"I'm not kidding, Jake. I have three friends from high school who are dead.

Terri Blackstock - Trial By Fire (Newpointe 911) series

I tag Jenni, Steph, & Rebekah

Quick Update

This is the day we found out we were expecting Baby Conley!
We had played a rousing game of Scrabble that evening!
My 29th Birthday celebration - Jenny & Kelly
The sweetest girls - Kelly & Jenni
Trying to show my stomach - It's definitely pooching out, now.

Hi Blogfriends -

Just a quick update...

1. Jack & I are expecting a little one on July 5, 2007! (Just in case you were wondering about the new baby countdown on my blog) We are so excited and feel extremely blessed to be experiencing this little miracle. I've been to the doctor 3 times and this last checkup the heart was beating around 136 beats per minute. There are so many "old wives tales" about figuring out the sex of your baby and one of them is regarding the heartbeat. They say if it's under 140 bpm then you are having a boy and if it's over 140 you could be having a girl...??? Anyone ever tried the wedding ring on string thing? I think you're supposed to tie your husband's wedding band to a string and then put it over your tummy. If it swings in a circle - it's a boy; if it swings from side to side it's a girl... We're going to find out at the next appointment on Feb. 9! I think I've felt the baby move a few times. They say you can start to feel the baby around weeks 16-20. (I just started Week 16). It feels a little like butterflies or "gas bubbles" to be perfectly honest :)



2. I switched over to Blogger - Beta! If you haven't done it yet, I highly recommend it! You can design your page so much easier -without writing html code. At first, I thought "Beta" meant the old style of VCR's and wondered why in the world I would want to switch to that. Yeah, I'm a little behind on the blogger-speak.



3. I found the greatest shampoo. My hair has always been the one thing I'm HM on. I spend way too much money on getting it done, special shampoos, straighteners...etc. My roommates can testify to this fact. But, I was reading some magazine and ran across Matrix "Sleek look". It really works well. I always have trouble finding something that smooths the frizz without being too oily. This smells really clean and is light enough that to use daily.



4. "24" is back! We watched the season premiere last night and it was great! I could have really done without Jack Bauer biting the guy on the neck, though! Gross! Do you ever wonder if they have to approve those episodes with the real government? Some of the plots seems very possible and you wonder if it gives people ideas or causes racial tensions for people from the Middle East.



5. I turned the big 29 on January 6 and so many special people helped me celebrate big time! The celebration started on Friday afternoon when my friend/coworker Jennifer took me to lunch at Corner Bakery and then to see Charlotte's Web. So cute! That night we continued the birthday fun with an outing to Ft. Worth to eat at Joe T. Garcias with our friends Don & Tianay. We had a fun time, but I can't say that the food was that great. With only 2 options on thier menu, you would think they would be outstanding! Saturday, my sweet husband brought me breakfast and flowers in bed. (Kolaches & OJ - can't beat that!) That afternoon, I met my mom for lunch at our favorite place - La Madeline's and then she took me for a pedicure! (Talk about feeling like a princess!) That evening, my dear friends Kelly & Jenni came over to "scrapbook" and eat dinner. Jenni made hot ham & cheese sandwichs, artichoke dip and fruit salad. Delicious! Kelly made a choc. chip cinnamon cake with "Dos Amigos" ice cream! Yum-Yum! Thanks everyone for making it such a memorable birthday! I like 29 so much already, I think I'll just stay in this year forever!

A tribute

Today has been such a bittersweet day. My dear friend Stephanie lost her husband to cancer on Friday night. His memorial was today. It was one of the most inspirational services I've been to. The pastor really emphasized the celebration of Keith's life and faithful walk with God. He said that Keith would want to be remembered, but more than anything he would want this service to be about God and His glory. Even as he struggled with his sickness, Keith was concerned about how he could glorify God. To me that is amazing! The pastor also recounted that Keith quoted Job when asked what he'd learned through the trial of facing cancer by saying, "Though you slay me, I will still trust in you!" Job 13:15

Keith and Stephanie's pastor also read the story of Lazarus (John 11) and encouraged us to remember Jesus' words in John 11: 4, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's son May be glorified through it." Keith's sickness did not end in death for he is sitting in the very presence of His creator and is just beginning eternal life. And I'm certain his faithful legacy will impact many for the glory of Christ.

I am thankful for Keith's life and pray that I won't forget this day. All day, I have been alternating between sorrow for Stephanie and Lincoln and being humbled by the walk and testimony of Keith's life. I want to make the days count and let God use my life for His glory. I am so easily caught up in the trivial trappings of life - Christmas shopping, housekeeping, work, etc. I pray God will keep my heart open and help me to see the opportunities each day provides to glorify Him.

The group Mercy Me sang the song "Homesick" at the memorial today. Here are the words below:

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times.
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you.
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Pictures...finally

Back view...

From the front... I used the "diaper rolling" method on this one.
















On this one I just fanned the diapers around a circle form.

Diaper Cakes & Life

It's been 3 months since my last post...yikes. I've always got a running blog going on inside my head, yet it just seems like one more thing to do on the never-ending to do list. However, I'm beginning to make peace with my to do list. My first revelation was in college...when I kept wondering when "free time" was...and realized that in life, unlike elementary school, there really is no free time (a time free from duty, responsibility or thought of such things). My next realization came when I started working full time and my daily lament was, "I would give anything to have those college days back...and a nap". So now, at the ripe old age of twenty-something eight, I am making peace with my to do list. I am now understanding that there will always be something to do (gifts to buy, showers to plan, calls to make, people to see, laundry to fold, floors to mop) And now, that doesn't seem like such a bad thing. "To Dos" are what keeps life going. I can worry about them or I can just do them and get on living my life (you know the thing that happens to you when you're busy making/worrying about your to do list).

Okay, deep thoughts are over for now. We threw a shower for our principal and I tried my hand at a diaper cake. I was pretty excited about the way it turned out, so I thought I'd share. It was super easy to make. I made two different kinds. On one, I rolled the diapers and fastened with a rubber band. On the other, I just kind of fanned the diapers. The other picture is one of the centerpieces that my friend made for the shower. So cute and pink!

Spastic Polka

I have recently discovered the greatness that is "Gilmore Girls". It's the best therapy! Today's episode featured Lorelai and her mother Emily spending QT together at a spa. I loved this quote from daughter Lorelai regarding her tumultuous mother-daughter relationship...

"Life with my mother is 1 step forward and 5000 steps backward. It's like the spastic polka." - Lorelai Gilmore

Thankfully, I have a wonderful mom, who is completely unlike Emily on Gilmore Girls.

Anniversaries, Pergolas and HOA's...

My sweet husband planned a very special getaway for our first anniversary. We traveled to Fredricksburg, Texas and stayed in an authentic log cabin built circa 1882. It's called Allen's Log Cabin. He also surprised me with a laptop for our anniversary gift. I am very thankful for such a thoughtful husband. I know I'm loved, because smack dab in the middle of the NBA playoffs, my DH (dear husband) found the time to plan such a great surprise!

And now with my new laptop, I am able to stay connected with my friends through blogging. I have been hesitant to post because I didn't think I had much to contribute...But tonight the blogging bug hit me and I decided to try it.

In other breaking news, we are attempting our first ever home improvement project. We are erecting a cedar pergola

(noun - An arbor or a passageway of columns supporting a roof of trelliswork on which climbing plants are trained to grow.) [Italian, from Latin pergula.]

I know you were dying to know the definition and origin. I could have included the pronunciation, but I stopped myself.

Currently, we're trying to expedite the HOA's appoval so we can really complete the project this weekend. It's a little frustrating that we have to pay an annual fee to have someone tell us what we can or cannot build in our backyard.

*Well, I had pictures uploaded, but blogger ate them??

What lights your fire and won't let you go?

I just got off the phone with a precious friend of mine. Talking with her always brings up difficult questions. I've known her since she was in 4th grade. She is now 20 and her life has been full of challenges. She was born into a cycle of poverty. Her father was killed early in her life and her mother raised her and her two brothers. I met her through a program at ACU called Treadaway Kids. Meeting her and her brothers changed my life.


Why is her life so hard? What can I do to help her? Over the years, we have grown as close as sisters. I am always amazed at her strength and courage. She is unselfishly loyal to her family. She wants to go to college and repay all those who've shown kindness to her along the way. However, everytime she sets out to break the cycle that she's in, she faces another crisis. Most recently her brother was stabbed (he will make it). He was mistaken for someone else.


I want to learn how to help her. I know there are so many people like her trying to survive and break the cycle of poverty. Why was I so blessed?


These questions haunt me but also light a fire in my soul. I know Jesus had a reason for saying "the poor would always be among us." I also know we are to "help the widow and orphan in their distress, to give to anyone who asks of us and love the Lord with all our soul, heart and mind..." Is it my job to reconcile these statements?


And just now, I saw Rembrandt whitestrips on T.V. that are very appealing. I have a broken computer sitting in my study and lots of clothes in my closet. My friend has never had a computer and has never had the luxury of shopping for the sake of shopping.


This is my dilemma. I am constantly struggling between living by the fire in my soul and living by my fleshly desires. Thank God that He is in control. I trust Him with my friend and I trust him with these questions.