Wednesday, September 30, 2009

"Your Blog is Fabulous!"

Several days ago, my wonderful blogger friend Callie over at Through Clouded Glass blessed me with a "Your Blog is Fabulous Award!"...so I just had to share and give out my thanks to her!! :)



In order to receive the award, I'm supposed to list five current obsessions.  (Obviously, my first and utmost obsession would be Jesus, then my husband, but I'm going to stick to the more random obsessions that you may not know about for purpose of this blog post. :) )

So here they are:

1) My baby...specifically, my baby BOY as we just found out today. :) (See my last post, Lil' Snoke. It's a.....)  This would include reading about my pregnancy, reading about baby care, searching for baby items, thinking of ways to decorate his room, staring at my expanding belly, holding my breath hoping to feel his kicks, thinking of a middle name to go with his first name (Krewson), etc. 

2) Eating.  I am starving all the time.  I carry food with me everywhere.  I've been eating nearly as much as Dave, yet I haven't gained any weight in the last two weeks.  It's amazing.  If this is any sign of how much Krew is going to need to eat when he comes out, we may have a long road ahead of us.

3) Organizing our new house.  There is sooooo much to do!!  (Pictures of the house coming soon.  I've been falling by the wayside on my blogging again. :( )

4) Taking care of our new yard. I love mowing the grass.  And watering it and the plants.  I can't wait for the day when I get to prune them. :)  (Actually this obsession probably should have just been plants in general.  I think many people would agree I have a few more than average.)

5) Music.  I looooooove my music.  It moves me in crazy, wonderful ways. 

Thanks again, Callie!!

Lil' Snoke. It's a....

We had our ultrasound this morning!!

And the results are....drumroll please...















it's a BOY!!!!


You can check out the ultrasound pics on my baby blog if you're interested: 18 weeks 4 days ultrasound

:)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

We're in!!!

Well, we finally moved into our new home last Thursday and Friday!!! Dave and I are pretty excited. :)  Of course, the amount of work we have ahead of us is a bit overwhelming.  There are boxes galore.  However, we were so grateful to have the help of Dave's parents and a bunch of friends in moving all our stuff.  And then my parents and grandma are coming this weekend and will be helping us do more things like painting and installing a second attic pull-down door.  (Ok, I don't know how much painting and attic-door installing my grandma will be doing, but I'm excited to see her nonetheless. :) )

Here are a few pictures of our house from a day or two before we moved in.  I will be taking and posting more soon, so you can watch as our house turns from a disaster area into a nice livable home. :)






Our small but nice backyard

Friday, September 11, 2009

Finding Smells that Repel

So apparently, mosquitoes may love me so much because I'm not stressed enough.  Who would have known??  But that's the new theory, according to this article I found online in The Wall Street Journal:  Finding Smells that Repel.

Anyone who knows me well will probably laugh at this suggestion.  Although I'd consider myself somewhat relaxed these days, for a good majority of my life (like up until a little over a year ago) I was highly stressed with too much on my plate.  And the mosquitoes loved me just as much back then.

And to make this research just a little bit crazier, they had volunteers stick their arms in boxes with mosquitoes to see how many bites they'd get.  WHAAAAAAAT????  You'd have to pay me a lot of money to do that.  A lot.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Just Be

I frequently get little "Healthy Reflections" from babyfit.com in my inbox.  I really liked what today's had to say.  Here it is, with just a little modification by me:

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You have permission to stop thinking for a moment and just enjoy yourself. Stop looking at your computer right now and go look at the world. Rediscover the natural wonders that you walk past every day. How can there possibly be that many shades of green? Let your mind be grateful for a break. Don't think, don't strain. Let the memories of loved ones remind you of your favorite times. Close your eyes and try to smell the sunshine. Listen to your heart beat in your ears. If it's raining, smile at the thought of the flowers that will soon follow. If you're surrounded by buildings, celebrate the creative genius of human beings. See the hope, the alarm, the love, the grief in faces that stream by. Thank God for the chance to even be here. For a moment today, don't worry about being better. Just be.


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Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Life updates

First of all, just got the news that our home loan was approved!! Whoo hoo!!  Now just one more week of waiting and we'll be moving into our new house. :)  All the builders have to do between now and then is fix up some cosmetic things around the house, resolve issues found by the inspection we had done, and put in the sod.  I'm pretty excited. :)

With a new yard came the need for yard supplies.  So Dave and I have been on the lookout for a lawn mower, garden hose, sprinklers, etc.  Over the weekend we found a lawn mower on Craigslist, and it's exactly what Dave wanted (for half the retail price).  It's electric and cordless.  It's pretty spiffy...you just pull a super-easy handle and the mower revs right up.  (Quite different from my dad's gas mower.  Your arm has typically gone numb by the time you get its engine running.)  There's a picture of the mower below.  When we're done mowing we just plug it in to recharge.  No gas to fill or spills to clean up.  Yay.



We also bought a 100-ft garden hose and giant tarp (combo package) from a lady on Craigslist.  Given the tiny size of our yard, this 100-ft hose should suffice to reach every area of our yard from one single water faucet.  Very efficient. :)

On another note, I recently discovered that I can no longer go jogging due to my new preggo body.  (See my post about it here: 14 Weeks 5 Days.)  So I've been regularly using the elliptical machine in the apartment complex gym, because it's about the only activity that doesn't make my body ache.  You might have already figured out that this is not going to be an option once we move into our new house.  And I'm not about to get all weak and flabby while I'm pregnant.  I'm sure getting my pre-baby body back will be difficult enough as it is (if I even get it totally back).  So my solution?  Craigslist again. :)  I found an elliptical that retails for close to $500 for $125.  We picked it up Sunday, and it looked like it had barely been touched.  Brand-spankin'-new condition.  An excellent bargain, once again. :)


Alright well that's all I have time to share for now.  Hope everyone is doing well. :)

God bless,
Kara

Miss Velvet's Wedding

My friend Velvet got married in a beautiful wedding this past weekend. I really enjoyed it. :) Here are some pics from the event:



She looked gorgeous. :)






Velvet didn't have bridesmaids, but she had all her "honorary" friends wear black
and then we all received calla lilies when we arrived. It was sweet.
(Excuse the fuzziness...Dave didn't really know how to focus my camera.)






Once again, my husband wasn't the greatest picture-focuser.
(But I appreciate your effort, hunny. :) )



Congratulations to Velvet and Justin!!!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

"I am a Christian"

I received this in an email and wanted to share...

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When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin.''
I'm whispering, 'I was lost, now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner, who received God's good grace, somehow!


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A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.

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Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you are not willing to move your feet.

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Wedding: Collin & Brittany

So I realize that my brother's wedding was over a month ago, and I apologize for the delay in pictures. Nevertheless, here they are. Sadly, I realized after the fact that I got a total of like two pictures from the actual wedding day. I was right up front during the ceremony, and was teary-eyed through half of it, so taking pictures wasn't exactly on my easy-to-do list. I did get some neat ones from the rehearsal night, though. :)


The Bride and Groom





Aunt Sandy, Mom, Grandma L., Grandma N.


Allison, my brother Aaron's girlfriend
(she's a total sweetie)


Aunt Sandy and Grandma L.






Father and Son
(Grandpa L. and Dad)


Evan




Aaron and Allison




my two wonderful grandmas




My husband was taking the picture, can you tell?




the big day


bros