I'm still here!

Goodness gracious. Where have I been?
Not sure when the last post was. I have tried to post on several occasions but never got to the 'publish' part. We've been busy in March. The month was centered around a 4 day trip to NYC. I do mean centered too. Planning, packing and going to the city was different this time around since we had Oliver with us. I learned a lot from that trip. How taking along a baby does not equal relaxing, vacation-style trip. Even though it wasn't a vacation trip, and I knew it would busy. Take busy and multiply that times 3. Truthfully Oliver did wonderfully. Me on the other hand...
I was truly grateful I was able to go- and bring Oliver, and be there with my sweet husband. He and his job were the reason we went. And it was for an award ceremony. So proud of him and how hard working he is. I'm so thankful we have these past two NY trips to look back on with memories. You learn a lot on your first visit to the big city, and on your second trip it's easy breasy. Sort of.
Now here we are rolled into a new month, and our baby boy turned the big 10 months today. My, can time slow down a wee bit here?
Big decisions have been prayed over this past month and there have been big answers from God. I am thankful for others that pray. I am thankful for God who hears me. My little voice is important to Him and I'm humbled by that. I have received answers to some heart questions and I have genuine peace about the answers He provided. He has also been moving in my family and it's been amazing to see.
I have also been plugging along with our business start up, and we have been blessed with yet another maternity shoot we did last week. I can happily say we are moving forward and are close to launching our business, live!
It's with much prayer and time that this can even happen.
So life is full and not slowing down. Even Oliver is speeding up with his army crawling, half up on his knees, rocking thing going on.
Oh how much fun this crazy life is being a wife, and mom.

A chance to win

Okay so I did it. I entered a contest for a local magazine for moms. I am so not one to participate in something that involves sending in photos of yourself....but I did this time. Please humor me and my appeal for you to vote. Please take a moment or two or three, to vote for Oliver and I. We'd love to win!
http://blackdressredwagon.com/2011/03/feature/enter-our-2011-be-a-star-cover-contest/

To win means, a shot of us (professional shoot) on the cover, and some other good stuff including a trip for two night at an inn. Sounds lovely, since Jonah and I do not have extra money to go towards trips and such, as we continue to pay off our student loans. Not that I'm complaining! I know we will be able to yell out , "I'm debt free!" in time.
But to vote just go to the page I linked above, scroll down to our picture and vote. You can vote numerous times a day, you can go to their facebook page and like my photo there. You can share this with your friends and family members.... :)
Just putting it out there if you'd like to help out a good 'cause'.
Thanks for going along with my shameless plea for your vote.

Quick update

As I finished my last post I read a recent entry by a blog friend I follow:
http://dailypleasures.blogspot.com/2011/03/2-in-12-progress-report.html
I found it to be very encouraging as she set out to do many tasks and wrote out her accomplishments as she went along. I'm inspired and a little renewed to do just this.
More thoughts to come!

Time to be disciplined.

I've been feeling a little scattered lately. The other day I heard the phrase, " too many irons in the fire".
So relevant to how I'm feeling.
My interests and need for knowledge has tipped my scales, and I'm feeling very unbalanced. I keep thinking I'll figure out an organized plan for cooking, cleaning, preparing nutritional meals for Jonah and I and Oliver, find time to finish researching vaccines, finish my laundry....for once, get rid of stuff we don't use, hang frames on the walls, print pictures!!!, keep my quiet time with God at a scheduled time each day....and on and on it goes. I don't seem to schedule very well. Maybe it's my personality- that creative need to be impulsive. But I have never stuck to a schedule. I can make a list, write on a calendar, and think that I will follow through with something for a month, only to fail.
I'm getting to the point where I need this structure for my own sanity. My husband loves to make lists for things. He loves seeing the check mark next to his many many lists of things to do. He'll even add something to a list that wasn't included, just so he can check it off! I'm not quite that way. I write a list. Start doing something, get sidedtracked, or get taken to do something that requires me immediately (diaper change, dinner...etc.) forget I made the list and go on forgetting about it.
Does anyone else have a good solid schedule down for their week? We have a pretty basic schedule, I just find it hard to do all the extra work for all my everyday things. I am getting everyday things done but not feeling it's enough.
Perhaps this post doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm resolved to take this to God. To beg Him for organization, discipline, and wisdom in knowing what things are the most valuable things I should use my time for.
So I'll come back to this again. Soon.

Teething and cleaning...unrelated

Do you see it? That little white bump on his lower gum? It's his first tooth! I'm thankful Oliver wasn't one of those babies that grew a mouthful of teeth at 4 months. Because he nurses I'm grateful it's taken him into month 8 before his first tooth appeared. As I write this he already has the first tooth showing, and is actually suffering through the second little tooth pushing it's way up. Poor guy has been fighting a fever this weekend, awaiting the little tooth. He is growing growing growing all over. He is almost actually 9 months now. How did the past year fly by so fast? It's truly been a delight to watch him grow, and see him in every new stage. He is so much fun now, very VOCAL. So loud! We laugh hearing him talk, and his laughing comes so much easier. His little belly laugh does something to my heart everytime. Oh what joy it is to have a child! I know Jonah and I never imagined it would be this much fun. Truly it's a big responsibility, but worth it. I thought the other day how I would have never thought I would do certain things before having him and now when the question comes up "I have to do THAT?" without a hesitation. You just do what you have to. Example, when Oliver gagged on some new food and threw it up right in front of us. I just made sure he was okay, and cleaned it up. I no longer hesitate to do, I just do.
But I love being a mom. My heart soaks in moments and I only hope to keep them in my memory as the days and years go by.
In light of this, my prayer (and Jonah's) has been asking God for an answer for the upcoming year. We are prayerfully seeking an answer for me to stay at home with Oliver. Along with this, we have also been working on starting up our own business, from which I could do at home. It will be a photography and design business, and it's been slow in organizing, designing and such, but I'm working away on it when I can. I am working towards this with much prayer as well, trusting in God to lead and provide what we need along the way. We have been saving a small amount of money towards this and we'll be buying our equipment in the upcoming months. Yah! It's been a journey to get to this point. I can see how much we have both grown and continue to in photography- even since last year. I believe God has a specific purpose for our talents and I only desire to give them back. To use them for Him. I pray not to be selfish with money, and to remember what is important. What is important to me?
Right now, it's my family. It's not being materialistic. It's getting rid of student loans. It's staying passionate and hungry for the things of God, and His Word. It's helping others. It's being a loving, supportive, and submissive wife. It's being a loving, Godly, mom. It is being Godly, but keeping ME out of it, and allowing GOD into it.
Materialism is something that both Jonah and I have been discussing this year. We desire to NOT be materialistic in every sense of the word. I am looking around our house at so many things we don't use, that just sit and collect dust- for me to wipe off. Really? Who can use these things? I also think of our debt we are working on paying off (so we can be debt free- forever!) and I think what can we sell? Our hearts are both wanting to give. It's soooo rewarding to give, especially when I see so much of what we don't need. But we must get rid of this debt...
Along this line of thought I read about a new challenge one of my blog friends posted called the Simplify Challenge. I thought this would be a good challenge to start myself. Why not? Simplifying my life is exactly what I would love to do. Here's the challenge if you are interested! It's sure to be some good spring cleaning! (also see the button I added to my sidebar)
http://simplemom.net/project-simplify/

Finally, I'll leave you with some family photos.

Foodie

It's been a while. I know. 

I haven't been faithfully posting to this blog because of well life. 

Busy, full, rich, fast. That's how the days are going by as of late.

I have been dipping my hand (mind) into many new things. Reading, studying, learning. It's been such a great thing to learn. Feeding my mind is so important. You know the old saying, "Knowledge is power?" 

Clarity comes with knowledge. I have been praying over this word in my life. Clarity.  It seems to be the theme for the year, as I go back to it and pray for it in so many areas. Clarity about nutrition, about decisions, about direction. It's been amazing.

Right now one of my focuses has been on food. Of course. It's always there in the back of my mind, begging me to draw it out and learn learn learn more about it. Food, nutrition. Your body truly is the temple for the Living God. This is convicting in itself, but the thought, You are what you eat, also crosses my mind.

In my 29 years of life, I have gone through many phases of diets. Not the lose-weight-diet. But different eating habits. Growing up I had home-cooked meals often, which I am so grateful for. Even if it wasn't always the most convenient, my mom made most of our meals from scratch, using produce from her garden in the summer. What an amazing woman my mom is, to care for a family of 6, cook, clean, make sure we had clothes that were clean, and all the million other tasks in her life. What a balance she showed.

Then onto my college years, I remember suffering from various health issues due to my poor diet. It consisted of many processed, sugary foods and drinks. And on top of this much coffee.

In my after college years, my diet was whatever was at home, not exactly home-ade at that point, some, but not all. 

The next few years of my life were when I was first married. I shared already how I went through a valley in my life, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. That was when a light went off for me.

The turning point. 

I realized how little I actually knew about what I was allowing into my body, whether it was food, drink, or medicine. 

That passion has been lit, and while it sometimes gets put on the back burner, the more I learn, I remember. And I get excited. And I want to share it with everyone (which I try not to do, so as not to annoy!). 

But these past few months, I have been blessed to cross paths with many like-minded women that share that same passion. Perhaps it's the new responsibility of caring for my son. Realizing how much I want to give him the very best. In turn, I want to provide the very best meals for my husband and I.

All of this though does come at a price. The price for healthier foods is not cheap. I have been trying to implement things, in baby steps. I realize as I learn more, I will find ways to be thrifty in obtaining the best foods for us. 

Proverbs 31 says 'she seeketh her food from afar'. I think she was a wise woman that knew how to find a bargain, but also provide the best for her family. 

My desire is to do this. I've planned a get together with several woman this Monday. We are all going to be talking food. I'm so excited about it. Here we meet after months of me thinking, and learning and growing in this area of food, and I get to share thoughts with others on the same path. What a blessing that is to me! If anyone is interested I can share my thoughts here next week. Now onto a quiet evening of reading! Baby is down, hubby is reading, I think I'll join him.

Proverbs 31

This year has been so exciting so far. My walk with Jesus has been full and close and I continually pray for it to remain so. In light of this my focus has been directed to the little chapter at the end of Proverbs. This chapter can be daunting in so many ways because the Proverbs 31 woman is amazing. The list given in these verses can be a little overwhelming when you compare them to your own life. 

But it's also been an encouragement to me as well. Why did God choose to include this chapter? Does He want us to follow it verse by verse? 

I truly think God knows what my faults, weaknesses and strengths are. I see this chapter highlighting areas in my own life that I truly need to work on. I am encouraged though to read what a hard working woman she was. 

Being a stay at home mom has been something I have been praying for. I believe my ministry is my family, before others. Given the gift of parenting has been something so precious and good. But my what a big responsibility. 

In light of this thinking, as I read through this chapter I am continually reminded of what I would like to work on in our own family.

Here are a couple verses I have been drawn to:

To be a woman that seeketh wool and flax and works willingly with her hands, sewing, mending. Whether this means sewing to make items in my Etsy shop, or for consignment.

To seek my food from afar. Wow. To me personally this is such a great reminder of what my heart is desiring. Good food. Good nutrition. Healthful meals.

Groceries. Budgets. Nutritional.

Those have been items I have continually tried to find a good balance with. It's tough planning, buying, and preparing meals that are low cost, but high quality (no processed, refined foods). REAL foods.

But it's something that is so important. Our bodies are temples of the Living God. Literally. What we allow into them should be good for us.

Being a mom has only ignited this passion within me even more so. What is Oliver eating? What is it doing to him? What vitamins and nutrients is he getting? Jonah and I should be leading as an example in our own eating habits. 

So this month/year is again one where I will continue to improve upon this. I pray for help with this. I know that even this isn't too small of an item that God will not hear. He hears me always!

I have stepped out and actually invited some mom friends to get together and talk food. I'm excited about this, as we all share what works for us. We have similar desires to provide the best wholesome foods for our families, but within small budgets. 

I have seen that I'm not the only one that struggles with this, and I'm looking forward to what I will learn.