Like you've always known them

About four years ago, I began blogging as a way to post pictures to share with the Grandparents.  I quickly decided a needed a place of my own, one where I could write about whatever I thought or felt at the moment.  I blame my sister in law for giving me the idea, though her blog is now stagnant.  I quickly found friends from my past who introduced me to other Moms like myself in so many ways.  Our situations were different, but we found ourselves discussing parenting, individuality, and whatever randomness crossed our minds.  Blogging became therapy during difficult transitions, my new friends like an extended family of sorts.

One of those friends moved to the area where we happen to be visiting, er, overstaying our welcome. (I hope it doesn't feel that way to our hosts, and that I am just anxious about all that needs to get done upon our return South.)  And she and her family came over last night.

It was wonderful.  To see someone you have laughed with and cried with in this virtual reality called cyberspace, to give them a hug or two as if you have known each other forever.  To find that they are as honest and real and fun to talk to in person, and that bond you share from communicating is not just imagined, a nd the pseudonym is easily replaced by her real name.

another bloggy link
If we're friends on FB, you saw my status update about some friends from college whose adoption that seemed certain fell through. If you want to keep up with their adoption and church-planting journey, you can visit Emily's blog.

:)

Have you ever scheduled a home show or party for a home-based business and wondered if it would be worth it? I have. As a former consultant in direct sales, I have had hostesses with shows ranging from $0-$1000+ in retail value. My Mom NEVER has home shows, but she did for me and hers was one of my best.

The purpose of home shows is two-fold:
1) obviously- to show/sell a product
2) fellowship- the most important!

So often, we rush from here to there, and we don't get a chance to get together with the girls. When they go well, home shows allow the opportunity to hang out and shop from your feet in a relaxed environment, but if they don't go well, sometimes the hostess is left feeling, "what did I do that for?"

I had a few neighbors and a few friends from church and one long-time friend come tonight, and had a nice time. I always get a bit nervous when I have people over; overwhelmed. I manage to hide it fairly well, thanks to my teaching experience, but sometimes the uncertain girl from middle school and high school comes out and I want to crawl back into my shell. I often do better in one-on-one settings, where I feel like I can really focus on another person and not divide my time/attention. And sometimes part of me feels bad for asking my friends to buy something to help me get my hostess benefits, no matter how much I like the product.

In tonight's case, thanks to my friends showing up and knowing my consultant really well after living a block away for 6 years, hubby mopping the kitchen/dining room floor, and me actually cleaning the living room so it is temporarily not a tornado zone, and products that literally sold themself, it was a success. (Sorry, grammar-geeks.)

Thanks to Gina, my fabulous Thirty-One consultant, and all my friends who came and missed their favorite TV show (or DVR'd it for later). :)

Check her out!

Allow me to tell you little bit about our friend, Southern Barbie. We met in college, then she went away. She is partially responsible for me and my husband getting together. I think I still have the slip of paper she handed me with his phone # on it the night we met. Somewhere. I vowed not to use it unless he called me first, and the rest is history. I'm pretty sure she got to be there when he picked out my engagement ring, too. Who knows, maybe she picked it out. Her smile is contagious, and next time she is in this part of the country, we will have to meet up. She's fun-loving, her smile is contagious, and I think the Northwest is starting to rub off on her in some ways. ;-)

We lost touch over the years, but have recently reconnected. As with many other long-lost-but-rediscovered friends, online. She's blogging now, so check out her blogs...

Go introduce yourself and welcome her to the blogosphere!

Southern Barbie
Fabulosew!

Wouldn't you like to meet... my neighbor?

http://sarcasmasawayoflife.blogspot.com/

oh, crap.....

I just clicked over to a friend's blog and learned that she has lost another baby. Her son would have been a couple of weeks older than my baby. Our kids were supposed to grow up online together (we've never actually met in real life, but if I ever make it to her part of the country, you can bet I want to try to meet her!!!).

I just don't get it. Why, God? Why dangle the hope and then snatch it away like Lucy taking the football from Charlie Brown. But a million times more cruel. Why do I get to post about how big my little one is, when my friend has lost three babies since this time last year?

I know the theology. God is Sovreign, blah, blah, blah. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Sometimes we don't want perfection, we just want to hold the little one that we think is ours.

Things like this make me understand how people can become Atheists. I'm not saying I am going there, but I can definitely see how others get there. I pray that the Holy Spirit provides the hope that only He can give when it's needed.

Please pray for my friend Kristi and her husband. Pray for her son and daughter, as they mourn the loss of another sibling they did not get to know.

Thanks.

Pray for the Wyatt's

They have a 1 1/2 year old son, Jack, and twins on the way in December.

And they are moving from TN to NYC to be missionaries, working in a church there. You can read more about their calling here. It truly is THEIR calling, not just Freddy T.'s, and I am amazed by his wife Susan's faith in what's such a busy time in their life already!

Update on the twins

My friend's sister and her twin boys are on their way home to GA. She is on meds to keep her body from going into labor (it may want to, thinking the surgery was labor). She is also on meds for Joseph's heart. They could not find Little Joe (Joshua's) bladder during surgery.

Still a lot of uncertainty for this precious family. Please pray for God to take care of Mommy and the little ones who are growing inside of her!!!


Also, my friend Sandy(the sister of the Mommy) is expecting a little one in December, so keep her and her little one in your prayers, too!

Pray for these babies!

My friend Sandy's sister is pregnant with twin boys, Joseph and Joshua. They are due in November, and recent tests show that the healthy baby is measuring at 25 weeks (1lb 12 oz.), but his brother is measuring at just 18 weeks (11 oz.). They are currently seeing a specialist in Cincinnati to see if they are candidates for surgery that would enable them to share blood flow so they both get proper nutrition. Tests from last week showed that the smaller baby only gets 20% of the placenta, and the larger baby's heart is enlarged and beginning to have heart failure. The only hope for either baby is to do the procedure to share the blood flow more effectively, but the placenta is located in front, which will add an additional level of difficulty.

Please pray for Kathy and he husband Charlie, and for these two precious little boys. Pray for wisdom and skill for the doctors as they perform the surgery this morning!

labor dust is in the air!

just not my air yet. congratulations to my friend lisa from women@home on the birth of her little boy! her estimated due date was august 28th.

congratulations to zann and her hubby, j, on the birth of their little girl!
and canine big sister, sasha, who has no idea how her life is about to change.

mom's day out

my neighbor gina and i got to go out sans kids this afternoon, since our hubbies were off work. we got pedicures and then hit babies r us, which had an extra 20% off the clearance items. little guy made out pretty well, thanks to gina's knack for finding the good deals on the rack. (i typically lack the patience and move on before i come across the $2-$3 items).

coming soon: Elisha's Bones
by Don Hoesel

Do you know someone who has chased a dream, prayed for the Lord to open doors, and then seen those doors open? I do. A couple of someone's, actually. First, some guys I know from college got a recording contract. Well, today I learned that a friend of ours from church has his first novel available for pre-order from Amazon.com and through his publisher.

Congratulations, Don!!!! We're so excited for you!

A bloggy baby shower

Ok, so just the guest of honor and I blog, to my knowledge. We met each other in high school youth group, and have stayed in touch through the years. She and her husband are about to join the adventure called parenthood, with their baby due in early August, about 3 weeks ahead of me. The adorable cakes were made by one of the hostesses, and tasted as yummy as they were cute. I'll let Zann share more pics if she so chooses, but I had to share a couple.

zann & me

congratulations, zann and mr. zann!
i'll try to finish your gift before your baby girl makes her appearance!

four friends

two of us have known each other since high school.
the other two met in middle school, i think.
i was in the flag corps, they actually played instruments in the band.

we've been through a lot together, when we were near and now that we're spread out.
our friendship is a true blessing.

maternal instincts (warning, might be tmi if you aren't a woman, or one who has ever been pregnant)

It's funny how when you're pregnant, your body knows exactly what to do and when. Apparently mine has decided that it's time to start producing food, or the precursors to feed, for the little one, even though he won't be born for a while yet, Lord willing. I guess holding a rooting 3 month old in your arms (or being in the same room) does that. ;)

Some of our good friends came over tonight. They included two of my college roommates, the hubby and adorable daughters of one of them and another friend from college. I am so thankful that God has given me friends with whom to walk through life with, even from a distance at times.

Bear enjoyed playing with Caroline, and doted on baby Kimberly. She wanted to help put her paci in her mouth, and she even "held" her on the couch, with the support of a big pillow and myself. I love seeing her tender heart come out with the little ones. Though she was not an angel every second (and even showed some of her toddler temper at times), and did not want to share every little thing the whole time we had visitors, she did pretty well overall. I hope she is as gentle and patient with her little brother when he arrives.

Did you know...

...today is Military Spouse Appreciation day?
Thank all the military wives you know for their personal sacrifices AND their husband's.

Thanks to Patti from w@h for sharing this bit of trivia!

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Steph, I am so proud of you and Ashley for your sacrifices that you make together to serve our country!

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

He's officially out of his 20's. Maybe Tech Mom can post about the adventures of having a baby 7 weeks ahead of her due date, since she hasn't posted in ages. (not so subtle hint.) We went to a cookout with some friends from his work (and a couple of my blogging buddies, the co-workers wives) last night. This morning I actually made him eggs and toast for breakfast and Hannah and I gave him his cards and gifts. One of which we ended up returning, but my feelings are not hurt. It was more of a symbolic gift, as I didn't want to just say "here, go buy this." So Bear and I found something somewhat similar to what we knew hubby wanted and bought it anyway. Shockingly, it didn't quite work, but since hubby has my "approval", he has found a couple of contender's for his motorcycle jacket birthday gift picked out online. (I do have to say that Bear was smitten by the Kayak's and bikes at the store where we found the jacket that didn't quite work. It was adorable.)

This afternoon, our next door neighbor's had a cookout for their son's 1sst birthday, and this evening another neighbor and friend had a cookout for her 30th birthday, which is actually tomorrow. Hubby didn't seem to mind having the spotlight off him.

Coming Soon: Allybug Bowtique

Do you like hair bows and clippies? Does your dear daughter actually wear them for more than 30 seconds without pulling them out? Are you obsessed with finding the perfect accessory for your child's every outfit? Than you have to check out Allybug Boutique. Our friend Becky (whose hubby was a groomsman in our wedding) is a SAHM mom to two adorable little girls. She's taken her creativity from being a Kindergarten teacher and applied it to making hair bows and clippies for her daughters. Now she is sharing her creations with the public on her photobucket site, and soon she'll have an online store.

Check it out!

My heart is aching for several women this week. Between friends in real life and online friends who I have never actually met in person but am blessed to know, I know 7 women who have lost a baby in less than a month's time. Seven. Some of them had miscarriages and somebarely knew they were pregnant. One of them, Kristi, lost her little boy, Eli, around 16 weeks, and he was delivered still-born this morning at the hospital.

This song carried me through the grief of my own early miscarriage, and I am posting it with prayers for each of these women and their loved ones who need the arms of the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit's peace to surround them.
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Also, please keep a couple of other ladies in your prayers. Kimm is a Mom I met online who is 30 weeks along. She'll have some testing done tomorrow... she has had preterm labor, but is home now, and we're praying that her little guy will stay in a few more weeks! Click HERE to visit her new blog.

JoJeanne is a girl I went to elementary school with, and we reconnected online. She has had several miscarriages and recently learned she is expecting again.

Stick babies stick!!!