Valentines came and went on the weekend and while I'm not a big celebrator of that holiday in a romantic way (though of course a card and thoughtfulness from my sweet love always goes a long way), I am a big celebrator of Valentines Day and love in general. Growing up my parents always made this day a big treat - we had a nice dinner and we got little gifts. It was a time to celebrate family. With my grandpa's passing on Friday this weekend was all about family - and it felt so appropriately timed. My family is pretty wonderful and I am so thankful for time with them.
As I reflect on the people I love there is one other big consistent love in my life that needs mentioning. In the past I've mentioned my love for the two churches I grew up in, but lately I have been reminded of the love I have for the church community I am currently in. Just last night I was telling someone my "love story" with our church and realized that I have been a part of this church family since February of 2006. Which means that it's been 9 years this month! That's crazy!! And I'm not sure I've told our love story here.
Late January of 2006 God won my heart. I had been fighting it on and off but knew I couldn't or didn't want to stay away from him. I was afraid to try and fail, but had this tiny hope that maybe it could be amazing to be in love with God and actually know what it felt like to be loved by Him. I broke up with my boyfriend and started to look for churches where I lived, which was a struggle. None of them were right. It was like going on blind dates with a bunch of guys who were great for other people, but not for me. My sister was already going to church in Vancouver and a big part of my draw back to Christianity and God was her relationship with God and her church, so as January turned to February I took a trip over to Vancouver to see my sister and visit her church and church community. I was nervous and excited.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Monday, February 16, 2015
Menu Plan Monday: 33 weeks and counting
Currently there is a 33 week baby moving inside of my belly. I realize that's normal for being 33 weeks pregnant but wow, what an interesting feeling. There is a little tiny baby bum sticking up at my belly and a little knee that keeps pushing at my sides, and two tiny little fists that pummel my lower belly. Despite some the discomfort that comes with this, it's also miraculous and so so cool. I mean that's a human in there who will become like a real live person and I can get to know her now, before she is even born. That's just crazy cool.
Last week was a busy one at work - as of this weekend I only have two weeks of work left (8 days!) and I'm thankful to say that I've finally gotten through all my major tasks at work and just have training left to do and tie up a few loose ends. It feels pretty awesome. On top of work we had a super busy long weekend, busy evenings and lots of house stuff to do to get ready for baby.
This week my grandpa passed away. He was two weeks from his 90th birthday and had been sick for a while, so while this was unexpected it wasn't as shocking as it might have been and thankfully he passed away peacefully, in his sleep. The staff at the home he was living in were sad to see him go - they had enjoyed him being in their space. We've spent the last couple days alerting family and planning the funeral; it's certainly a new learning curve. Next week my girlfriends are throwing a baby shower for me after my maternity photo shoot, and then the following day we will have my Grandpa's funeral - the full circle of life. It all makes for a very interesting range of emotions and tasks. It's also a reminder that in death and life, the daily grind continues for us.
Last week was a busy one at work - as of this weekend I only have two weeks of work left (8 days!) and I'm thankful to say that I've finally gotten through all my major tasks at work and just have training left to do and tie up a few loose ends. It feels pretty awesome. On top of work we had a super busy long weekend, busy evenings and lots of house stuff to do to get ready for baby.
This week my grandpa passed away. He was two weeks from his 90th birthday and had been sick for a while, so while this was unexpected it wasn't as shocking as it might have been and thankfully he passed away peacefully, in his sleep. The staff at the home he was living in were sad to see him go - they had enjoyed him being in their space. We've spent the last couple days alerting family and planning the funeral; it's certainly a new learning curve. Next week my girlfriends are throwing a baby shower for me after my maternity photo shoot, and then the following day we will have my Grandpa's funeral - the full circle of life. It all makes for a very interesting range of emotions and tasks. It's also a reminder that in death and life, the daily grind continues for us.
Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Dressing the Bump Week 31
Well here we are, week 31. Less than 10 weeks to go, that feels pretty crazy. I had my monthly check up yesterday (and after this it goes to every two weeks) and so far everything is on track - I passed my glucose test well, my blood pressure is good, baby is growing perfectly and my weight is doing well (half a pound gain in the past month, I was surprised by that). The doctor answered the many questions that I'd been writing down - prenatal class gave me lots to ask about. All in all a very positive visit. Then we had prenatal class - and while it wasn't the most exciting session, it was very informative and helpful.
Baby is currently in the correct position, head down. Her little bum sticks at the top of my belly all day long and is pretty noticeable. She's constantly poking her little bum up and it's so cute. She kicked Paul in the face again, which made him ecstatic. I'm definitely feeling pretty tired some days and making many restful choices, while still trying to do the things I love in life. My feet are definitely starting to swell - I used to need two pairs of socks in my boots and now only need one.
Friday morning I was laying in bed trying to pick an outfit for the day. I was reading through one of my favorite blogs, Hi Sugarplum, and I came across her post on some outfits she'd worn recently. She had two outfits that involved stripes, worn jeans and a pink cardigan - while our shades of pink are different and my pregnancy stripes are black based, I really enjoyed pulling this look together.
Baby is currently in the correct position, head down. Her little bum sticks at the top of my belly all day long and is pretty noticeable. She's constantly poking her little bum up and it's so cute. She kicked Paul in the face again, which made him ecstatic. I'm definitely feeling pretty tired some days and making many restful choices, while still trying to do the things I love in life. My feet are definitely starting to swell - I used to need two pairs of socks in my boots and now only need one.
Friday morning I was laying in bed trying to pick an outfit for the day. I was reading through one of my favorite blogs, Hi Sugarplum, and I came across her post on some outfits she'd worn recently. She had two outfits that involved stripes, worn jeans and a pink cardigan - while our shades of pink are different and my pregnancy stripes are black based, I really enjoyed pulling this look together.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Nursery Dreamin'
For a while now I've been dreaming, plotting, planning and imagining what our sweet baby girls space will be like. It's been awesome. I'm aware that many mom's to be in North America go crazy overboard and spend tons of money on a baby room and I want to avoid that. I also know that as a "messy" I'm more likely to keep something clean if it's pretty and organized. The question was how to do the room for a good price, beautifully, weighing through what things were needs and what things were wants. Quite a few of the things I wanted were "wants" and so they did not make the final cut, but the needs and even some wants made it in. I'm lucky that Paul's mom Nancy is an interior designer and a very patient woman - she spent two hours on facetime with me plotting out space with tons of helpful ideas on how to make this work. I felt so blessed by her help! She helped me streamline my ideas, and be realistic on what I could fit in the space, and what I could not fit in the space.
While we're having a little girl, we also plan to use this room for other children in the future (assuming we can have more) and obviously don't know the gender of those children, so wanted to keep it fairly neutral while still celebrating the fact that we are having a gift. Our main colors are my favorite colors to use in decorating; whites, greys and teal/truquoise. On top of that I wanted hints of another color so we're going to be adding some pinks that are easy to remove if we later find we have many boys. We toyed with the idea of adding yellow highlights instead of pink (my whole life yellow and pink have been the two competing favorite colors) but I keep coming back to pink. I just can't shake it. You can see the Pinterest Board I made here, which shows greys, whites, teals, yellows and pinks, as well as design styles I like.
While we're having a little girl, we also plan to use this room for other children in the future (assuming we can have more) and obviously don't know the gender of those children, so wanted to keep it fairly neutral while still celebrating the fact that we are having a gift. Our main colors are my favorite colors to use in decorating; whites, greys and teal/truquoise. On top of that I wanted hints of another color so we're going to be adding some pinks that are easy to remove if we later find we have many boys. We toyed with the idea of adding yellow highlights instead of pink (my whole life yellow and pink have been the two competing favorite colors) but I keep coming back to pink. I just can't shake it. You can see the Pinterest Board I made here, which shows greys, whites, teals, yellows and pinks, as well as design styles I like.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Menu Plan Monday, Feb 2nd
Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie
Upcoming week:
Monday: Porkloin, vegetables & mixed rice
Monday is the start of my 4th final week before mat leave, 14 working days after today. CRAZY. Tonight we don't have to rush out as soon as dinner is over, so I can make a bit more of an intensive dinner and I have a porkloin thawing in the fridge and a batch of rice cooked up from the weekend.
Tuesday: Chicken Taco Soup
Tuesday is Lifegroup and I'm making an LG favorite, Chicken Taco Soup. Easily popped into the crockpot in the AM and always super tasty.
Wednesday: Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna
Wednesday we have prenatal class, so crockpot meals are vital. I obviously can't eat this meal (noodles have wheat) but it's pretty easy to whip something else up for myself if everyone else is taken care of. Then we're off to our 4th prenatal class! Halfway done!
Thursday: Salmon, Vegetables & Potatoes
Friday: YOYO
Friday we are headed to our friends the Montroys for dinner, so our house is on their own!
Saturday: Tangy Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob & Roasted Vegetables
Saturday we will pop over to the states in the morning to grab some groceries, and check out cribs (then we can make our final crib decision). I plan to take a nap in the afternoon, and hopefully do some painting in the garage (with a mask on and doors open). We have our friends the McCarthys coming over for dinner and I'm really looking forward to it.
Sunday: YOYO / Appies from around the house
Sunday is a busy day, working around the house in the morning, a baby shower mid day, church, and then a post church hangout to enjoy our friend Jodi being in town! Phew! Thankfully Monday is a holiday!
Wednesday we have prenatal class, so crockpot meals are vital. I obviously can't eat this meal (noodles have wheat) but it's pretty easy to whip something else up for myself if everyone else is taken care of. Then we're off to our 4th prenatal class! Halfway done!
Thursday: Salmon, Vegetables & Potatoes
Friday: YOYO
Friday we are headed to our friends the Montroys for dinner, so our house is on their own!
Saturday: Tangy Grilled Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob & Roasted Vegetables
Saturday we will pop over to the states in the morning to grab some groceries, and check out cribs (then we can make our final crib decision). I plan to take a nap in the afternoon, and hopefully do some painting in the garage (with a mask on and doors open). We have our friends the McCarthys coming over for dinner and I'm really looking forward to it.
Sunday: YOYO / Appies from around the house
Sunday is a busy day, working around the house in the morning, a baby shower mid day, church, and then a post church hangout to enjoy our friend Jodi being in town! Phew! Thankfully Monday is a holiday!
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