Happy New Year and New...

Baby :)

It's been quite an eventful few weeks. Just 2 days after moving in to our new place, I started feeling "sick". I thought it was just because we didn't have a refrigerator for a couple of days and our food was outside in coolers. When the sickness just got worse and I missed an important monthly thing, then it wasn't hard to figure out the real culprit. Although, I am very happy for this little culprit :)

May you enjoy your Holidays and see ya Next Year!

New Home

Hello All.
So I've been feeling a bit guilty for not writing anything for such a long time. Honestly, my creative juices are pretty non-existent right now. And loading up pics on our computer takes a looooong time. But I just wanted everyone to know that we moved in (with lots of help from friends and church) and slowly are getting settled in. I actually put up some things on the wall yesterday. And I did manage to locate our Christmas decorations. As soon as I can, I'll post some pics. For now, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a non-rushed, enjoyable New Year :)

Moving!

Well, speaking of speeding through life. I've been waiting for a LOOOOOOng time to move out of our technically 1 bedroom place. I think just after Abigail was born, we realized this place was too small. God has been good to us (mostly in helping with my bad attitudes) and we have managed to fit for over 3 years, but now the time has come. WE ARE MOVING !!!!

And it is all happening so fast. We saw the place on Sunday after church (which this place is only 2 miles away from) and already we put in our application, sent our check and they called today to approve us. Praise the Lord. So the next few weeks will be busy with packing and more packing. I doubt I will write much, if not at all.

Some quick highlights: It is a townhome, no one below or above us, a whole garage, a laundry room with more storage, an extra bathroom, doubling our closets, a dishwasher, a kitchen twice the size we have now, and a living room three times the size, and Mike's commute time will be cut in half. Of course, knowing my nature, I will find something wrong with this place once we've moved in. I hope by God's grace, I will remember His Faithfulness in helping us find this place, and will help me to be content no matter what.

So, until next time....

the Now and the Daily

Normally, I get moody when I wake up and the sky is the color of lead and huge rain drops are pounding against the window. But today I relished in an unexpected day of "rest". I didn't fully rest, because I am a stay-at-home mom of a wiggly 3 year old. But after 4 days of non-stop activity, it was nice to just be at home (literally).

I've also been meditating on a recent quote I read from Mitten Strings for God--Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry by Katrina Kenison (thanks Jen). Her first chapter is devoted to her friend who died from cancer. When Kenison was going through her papers, she found this quote among the unfinished manuscript of her friend's 2nd book:

“I have learned to quit speeding through life, always trying to do too many things too quickly, without taking the time to enjoy each day’s doings. I think I always thought of real living as being high. I don’t mean on drugs—I mean real living was falling in love, or when I got my first job, or when I was able to help somebody, or watch my baby get born, or have a good morning of really good writing. In between the highs I was impatient—you know how it is—life seemed so Daily. Now I love the dailiness. I enjoy washing dishes. I enjoy cooking, I see my father’s roses out the kitchen window, I like picking beans. I notice everything—birdsongs, the clouds, the sound of wind, the glory of sunshine after two weeks of rain. These things I took for granted before”.

Now, I haven't reached the enlightened stage of enjoying cooking or doing dishes, but I do want to cherish the Now and the Daily...and never, ever take anything for granted.

Abigail sings Winnie the Pooh

The first video would of been the best, but we got cut off. So here is 2 for your listening pleasure:

Baking with Abi: The Apple Pie story

This story might get a bit confusing, because it involves 2 different apple pies (well, 3 really). When my mom was visiting last week, we went Apple-Picking. Then the next morning, we spend 4 HOURS making 2 apple pies completely from scratch (and cleaning up afterwards). Since I only do this once or twice a year, I'm no expert. And we all found out this fact when we took our first bite...it was totally rancid! It turns out that vegetable shortening CAN go bad!! I even looked up on the internet..I just had no idea. Neither did I know that you should put it in the fridge to stay. Well, lesson learned. Then today we had our 2nd attempt. I used a Pie Crust mix from the store. Still had to roll it out and peel and chop all the apples. But the result was much, much better. Even delicious.

want a little pie with that flour?




and the clean-up..this is from Pie attempt #1...see the mischievous shortening in the background!



the bad pies:

5 weeks in

So tonight is Mike's 5th week at school. I've been surprisingly calm so far. I had one mini-break down last month, but have received much encouragement from some friends. I've also been meditating on this:

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken" Psalm 62:5-6

Life hasn't changed too much. He does need to study a lot on the week-ends and the couple nights leading up to class. But, I'm learning how to "release" him to do his work. I've also recently heard about other ladies who had it even harder than me (one husband worked 40 hours on the graveyard shift and then went to school full-time during the day or one who's husband is being deployed in Dec. and won't see him for a whole year!). So, when I start feeling sorry for myself I remember a previous resolution:

I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others...mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

Enough said :)

A week with Grandma

Grandma visited us last week and we had lots of fun. Highlights were: visiting the Louisa May Alcott house, Apple and Pumpkin picking, and visiting the Boston Public Garden. Abigail says her favorite part was playing with leaves. Mommy's favorite was going on a date with Daddy :) Thanks for visiting Grandma!

Scenes from Maine, pt.2

If you noticed, Mike's hair changed during our time away. In honor of his 40th Birthday (which took place on 9/21) he decided to shave his head! Here is the breakdown:
























I think he looks rather cute this way :)










Some more random scenes from our fun time:

Scenes from Maine, pt.1

Well, we've been back from our fun-filled and very relaxing vacation for over 2 weeks now. I've been way too busy to write anything, and I'm already longing to go back to Maine. Good thing it is only an hour away :) Some highlights: seeing the beach everyday, eating out a lot, eating sweets, Abigail turning 3, the trolley museum, the spa, an hour massage, watching movies, playing in the sun room, sleeping in, and did I mention eating? Here is the 1st set of pics:

Family Vacation

We leave tomorrow for a week by the beach!! There is so much to do before then, but I am SO looking forward to a whole week without anything scheduled. Just me, Abi, and Mike. While we are gone, Abigail will turn 3 and Mike says he is going to do something drastic for his upcoming 40th Birthday (on 9/21). So, I'll have lots of pictures and memories to share :)

Changes

Resolution #5- Even if I turn out to be wrong, I shall bet my life on the assumption that this world is not idiotic, neither run by an absentee landlord, but that today, this very day, some stroke is being added to the cosmic canvas that in due course I shall understand with joy as a stroke made by the architect who calls himself Alpha & Omega.

Well, I haven't written for awhile, because 1: i've been super busy savoring the last few days of warm weather and 2: we have had some changes and I didn't know the best way to share it.

So, I will be brief, because I'm exhausted and need a nap. Last week we found out that we lost our health insurance again (well, we will lose it on 10/1) and that all the jobs Mike had been interviewing for didn't go through. Including the one that he is at now. For the past 15 mo. he has been working on a contract basis and his old boss told him the first week that they would hire him on permanently. His new boss told him that they aren't. At least until the end of the year.

He still does have a job, for which I am very thankful. But no health insurance. So our best option is for him to start taking classes again and we will get insurance through the school. Thus, in 2 weeks our lives will be a bit different. Now I will have a working and a student husband. The last time he was in school, I was not very gracious, to say the least. I am praying that my attitude will be different. There are many more things I could say about all this, but I fear that I will descend into a pit that I can't get out of. So, for now, please pray for me and look for many more philosophical and long blogs this fall (writing helps me to get out of my funks). Thanks!

The Blessing of Friendship

We have lived in Everett, MA now for over 3 years. The first 2 1/2 years of it, I had a pretty bad attitude. We moved from one of the beautifulest places in USA (southern o.c. in California). I never really appreciated it, and I always wanted to leave. Also, I was born and raised there. So imagine my surprise after settling to our new home (which is very cute; our landlords take great care of their home) that I discover our city it a bit, shall I say, on the rough side. I wasn't used to broken, cracked sidewalks, or trash or broken glass or kids that all dressed like gangsters. So I tried hard for the first couple of years, to visit friends in other cities. And found myself making excuses for our little city. And then a year ago, Mike got a job in the suburbs. There was no way he could take public transportation there, and it was an hour commute. So overnight, we were now severely limited to our city or a few neighboring places. It was an adjustment, to say the least. I wish I could say that I had a good attitude about it. No. It was a hear adjustment.

So, that is a long introduction. Let's just say that God really worked on my heart. I read a few really inspiring books. And I finally took the step and actually reached out to some ladies I saw frequently at the story time at the library. It was one of the best things I've ever done. This summer was GREAT. We met up for pool dates. We played at the park and did arts and crafts through the rec. center. We had the music lady and the turtle lady and story time at the library. (Which now all the librarians know us by name and greet us as soon as we walk in!) I rarely had to wait for the bus or the train. I could just walk and meet-up with people. And now....

I can honestly say that I enjoy my city! I don't notice the cracks or trash (maybe there really is less of it this year) and the broken glass. Instead I see the memories we've made and the people we've met and the lessons I've learned. It's been a huge humbly experience. So, Thank-you to my friends in Everett and Malden. Thanks for being willing to hang out with us, and at times listen to my moans and groans. If we ever do move away, I think that I really will grieve.

And the icing on the cake was yesterday when 5 of us met up for some fun at the Frog Pond in the Boston Common:
Riad and Abigail hold hands every where they go! (here they are on the subway) He is a sweet boy and has a little sister, Mimi.







More hand-holding. I think we were playing the ants go marching on. Here is Abigail with Sophia, Alex, Riad in the back and the other Abby in the distance.






Sharing a blanket at lunch time..with Sophia, Abby & Lonnie








A cute pose with the Hill brothers, Lonnie and the 2 Abigail's.

New friends & the Beach

Abigail and I are part of a Mom's group through meetup.com. Last week we had a beach meet-up and met some new friends, Avery and Kieran, from Canada. After lunch, she warmed up to them and by the end, they couldn't even walk alone! Oh, the joys of youth!

Abigail & her ABC's

Now that she can sing her ABC's all by herself, we hear multiple renditions every day. Which leads me to another resolution:

4. I shall sometimes look back at the freshness of vision I had in childhood.

List of Resolutions

Many years ago, people wrote resolutions...Jonathan Edwards is famous for them and I think George Washington had some too. Awhile back, I read a more modern list and I would like to share a couple with you:

1. I shall not fall into the falsehood that this day or any day is merely another ambiguous + plodding 24 hours, but a unique event, filled, if I so wish with worthy potentialities. I shall not be fool enough to suppose that trouble and pain are wholly evil parentheses in my existence, but just as likely ladders to be climbed toward moral and spiritual (wo)manhood.

2. I shall not demean my own uniqueness by envy of others...mostly I shall simply forget about myself and do my work.

3.I shall not allow the onrush of this century to usurp all my energies, but fulfill the moment as the moment. I shall try to live well just now because the only time that exists is now.

In Desiring God, John Piper

Good-bye Rocas

Today our friends & care group leader--Dan, Megan & Isabel (shown here with Abigail) left for 10 months to go to the Pastor's College in Maryland. Oh, partings are bittersweet. Once again, I am reminded how sentimental I am. I was a wreck yesterday at the "send-off". Today I am a little better...but we will still miss you!!!

Thanks for everything!

Design Star clarifications

In my last post on Design Star, I got some interesting comments. So I wanted to clarify. I was kinda being fascias about my 'addiction' to Design Star. Actually, I don't really think if of as an addiction. Mike and I truly enjoy watching hgtv (which is the home & garden network). We like watching people take drab and boring rooms and transform them with paint and creative furnishings. I think Mike enjoys more when the carpenters take raw pieces of wood and make them into beautiful custom made shelves. We don't watch everyday. We might watch more than we should. But I was just wanting you to all know a different side of me. One that I am only recently discovering. I find delight in decorating and designing. I've even thought of taking interior decorator classes. Of course, like everything, I need to be careful that I don't make it into an idol. Or that I neglect other areas of my life (like feeding my family and doing laundry, etc.. )

So, here is a few of my recent projects. Nothing too extraordinary. I would love to paint the walls and put up awesome designs on them. But for now, I am learning to be content with renting and just doing what I can to make our home a more comfortable and inviting place to be. Hope you enjoy!

Our bedroom before. The pillow coverings didn't match and there was a lot of bare wall, plus the awkward corner.


















Our bedroom after- With some pretty fabric, I actually sewed pillowcases (all I can sew is straight lines) and made the extra fabric into "art" on the walls. Abigail and I painted the frames and matting on the pics to match. And we got the canopy on sale. Now I truly enjoy going into the room. (it is also our office and storage room, so it wasn't that relaxing of a place before)
















Up close on my hand-made pillow coverings








Abigail showing off her "name". We also painted these together. I've also made a new pillowcase for her and tie-backs for her curtains. (it has been raining a lot the past 2 weeks)



























Well, I can only take half credit for this one. She is so cute that I don't really need to do anything :)

6 year anniversary

Mike and I celebrated our anniversary by going to a really nice French restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Boston. We don't get to go out much, so when we do, we splurge! We love it here...especially when we walk into the lobby and they come up to us , greet us, ask us our names and instantly say "Happy Anniversary"!