I just read this incredible post by Kristin Timmerman, from project:babyblog. Her words are so uplifting! I was amazed to discover that I can relate to so many Bible stories on a whole new level as a mother myself. Be encouraged and enjoy!

What does “faith” mean to you? I Googled it just to see what the official definition was. I found this pretty interesting: Belief that is not based on proof.

I consider myself to be a pretty logical person. A + B = C. This can be pretty problematic when it comes to faith in God. The truth is, believing in God is NOT logical. In fact, some might consider it foolish. The temptation is to put Him in a box. To make sense of it. God is BIG, complex, and mysterious - we will never fully understand the magnitude.

So to put your faith in something so…beyond comprehension…is hard! But to put that faith into action? OK, now we’re talking about scary stuff.

Tinsley’s newest Baby Faith video is “God Made Babies.” We popped it in last week and I was excited to see this story focused on Moses. Moses played a MAJOR role in the Old Testament. Talk about a leader! Faith! A champion for God’s people! His story is an incredible example to all believers.

But what really struck me was how the video began: with his mother - Jochebed. You see, Moses’ story was pretty dramatic from the beginning. He was born in a time when ALL male Hebrew babies were to be drowned in the river. The Egyptian pharaoh feared the Hebrew people were becoming too powerful. And so, mothers of little baby boys were forced to give up their precious newborns. Can you imagine?

Jochebed was different. When Moses was born she knew there was something special about him. So she risked her life to keep him in hiding for 3 months. But eventually she had a decision to make: What am I going to do with my baby? How will I save him?

She wove a tight, waterproof basket. She placed baby Moses inside. She set the basket in the Nile…and watched her 3-month-old float away.

I cannot (CAN NOT) wrap my mind around that.

She instructed her daughter, Miriam, to look after the basket from the riverbank. And guess who found baby Moses? The pharaoh’s daughter. Bathing in the river, she spotted the baby and immediately felt compassion for the child. Baby Moses was then adopted in the very family that wanted him dead.

Miriam approached the pharaoh’s daughter and suggested they hire a Hebrew woman to nurse and look after the baby. And so, Moses was given to a baby nurse who would take care of him for the next three years - his own mother, Jochebed.

You can’t make this stuff up!

Moses went on to do great things - he encountered God in the burning bush, freed the Israelites out of slavery, parted the Red Sea, received the Ten Commandments, and brought God’s people within sight of the Promised Land.

All because his mother had faith. FAITH IN HER GOD. Faith that the Lord would take care of her family. Jochebed’s confidence brought her and Moses through some of the most oppressive times imaginable. What if that had been me? Do I have that kind of faith? Do I believe in God’s perfect plan?

I often think what I want is the same thing God wants for me. “He wants me to be happy, stay healthy, keep my family safe. He wants me to grow old with Matt. Watch our children grow up, be successful, and start families of their own.” But that’s MY perfect plan…not God’s.

Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing what’s waiting around the corner. I have no way to see the storms on the horizon. My only hope is to pray, read the Word, focus on Christ, and live my life as an example to others. I must cling to the truth that GOD IS IN CONTROL no matter what. He can create miracles from what seems impossible if we will just TRUST in Him.

Best part of Before Sunrise

make-up: adding some flourish to an old routine

What is your make-up deal? It can be hard to pamper yourself each morning when you have young babies, but I have found a way to include the right amount of fancy for my face into my busy days.

:: If you wear make-up everyday, try going completely bare on a walk with your kids. Feeling the morning air on my cheeks, knowing that there is nothing between it and my bare skin is enough to make me feel cheerful, romantic, and pretty.

:: Before putting on any make-up, give yourself a facial massage with some Vitamin E oil. A massage stimulates the blood vessels in your face, and helps you relax before facing the day (and tantrums) ahead.

:: Try using a face brush when applying liquid foundation. This gives an artistic feel to the simple task of applying make-up, and makes me think like I am prepping for the runway (a futile dream, I know, but still fun to pretend).

:: Get a brow comb and arch those brows! Brushing brows gives an automatic well-groomed look, while rising fallen arches makes any girl feel saucy and glamorous.

That's all for today. Each one of these little changes and gestures will give you either a outside or inside glow, or perhaps both!

Love C

Where on Earth Did I Go?

I have been carrying, birthing, feeding, changing, holding, loving, THESE TWO! Be still my beating heart...

I found another one!

what a guy!

All the Sea Ranch turkeys love to follow the little paths on the side of road, and goodness, are they funny birds. For instance, one morning, two males gadded up to my kitchen window; I began tapping the pane and immediately both started gobbling! With every tap came a gobble, but they ran away before I could get enough of it. Another funny thing they do is this: males go up to the horse paddocks and 'present' themselves (this is when the turkey goes from smooth and long to fanned and fluffed). Those poor turkeys feel they must intimidate the grazing horses lest beasts get out of hand. So they march back and forth down the side of the fences like little awkward soldiers, so proud of themselves and without a doubt that their display is indeed inspiring fear in the breasts of "...those pitiful, inferior equines." (their words, not mine)
As I was driving home from a walk on the bluff (with Marley!), I came upon the fat figure of a presented turkey on the trail next to the road. He was trying very hard to attract the attention of two plain females nearby, each of whom were busy pecking at the ground, their brown tail feathers pointing directly at his display. He was obviously proud of himself, thinking himself to be quite a catch; he also most likely had an ego outrageously larger than the average Sea Ranch turkey (perhaps he had just finished squaring a parked car into submission?). Unfortunately for him, another very clear point was that the wind was not aware of his romantic ideas. It was furiously strong! Blasting so, his foofed feathers were awkwardly and asynchronously shunting and bending; his little feet couldn't keep his bulging body steady; and every gobble that rose from the wrinkly red throat was immediately drowned.
I didn't stay to observe the outcome; known for their amazing eyesight, I was afraid he would notice me parked and laughing, and I thought he was in enough embarrassment already.

my closet...

Today is a perfect day for nothing! School was canceled on the Reservation (although only three students have been showing up for the past two days) and so I was free to fly home, jump back into pajamas, finish reading Howards End, and begin watching BBC's Middlemarch (for the millionth time). New things to share:

:: When I lean forward while sitting down, my tummy presses against my legs. I found out a few days ago that putting my belly in this tight spot lets me feel the baby move! I am amazed! However, the feeling is not like butterflies or bubbles...it is very gloopy and roly-poly. Little Baby, I love you no matter how unromantic it may be to describe your precious movements!

:: I finished Howards End! This was my favorite line:

"Evie heard of her father's engagement when she was in for a tennis tournament, and her play went simply to pot."

Should I have chosen a more intellectual quote? Probably, but I did really like this one. Next book on the list is Lark Rise to Candleford.

:: Another sewing project is finished! This time it was for the Sea Ranch Theater Company. A new play is beginning this weekend, and I volunteered to sew two curtains. After lots of stressing and arranging and measuring (a sewing machine would have been wonderful about then), I was victorious! I realize now that I forgot to erase the dark, smudgy pencil line I had drawn across the white sheer fabric of one, but otherwise the task was heartening and I really enjoyed it! I recently joined Made This / Love This (http://madethislovethis.com/) and I am supposed to be making a t-shirt scarf. Really, instead, I am dying to make this necklace in the picture above. Hurrah for sewing!

It grows!

I am so far away! And shadowy!
These pictures were taken one week ago, on the side of a very scary road
(we are on the edge of a cliff, hundreds of feet above the Pacific!).
I am with Joel's cousin Amy, and her son Mark. We had such a lovely time!

Filly Designs

A perfect gem in this world: Filly Designs. Emily Christensen writes a wonderful greeting and her philosophy is lovely and shines bright. The above are my most favorite (observe the details!).

Lambs and Big Bellies

Oh, I love the community of mothers! Although my husband and I live in a remote area, I am still (on a daily basis!) blessed and encouraged by fellow mothers. There is a new yearning for me to have contact with The Women who have been through this before, to ask them a million questions, hear their stories and take notes on their advice. Where I once viewed mothers/motherhood as a wonderful task, I now add awe and amazement. Whether it is from someone as close as my own mom and my mother-in-law, or from a mom-blog, I am basking in every second of communication!

Having said this, here are my two new mom-blog discoveries (thanks, Natalie!):

http://www.thewonderlove.com/
I cannot WAIT to try out some of her projects!

http://www.thewonderlove.com/
I love love LOVE this mom!

oh my!

discoveries

Here are four J.Crew, almost-maternity-ish, gorgeous pieces.
There were a lot more - for instance, there are so many sweaters that can work brilliantly (because J.Crew just loves over-sized sweaters at the moment) - but these were my favorites. Also, the first probably won't work as well as the others, but it was too pretty to leave out.

Maternity Clothes

I have read over and over again about the wretched state of current maternity clothing stores. The bemoaning is everywhere! This doesn't intimidate me or dampen my excitement to wear clothes made for the belly my dear baby is making, but it does tempt me to avoid them altogether and go straight for thrift stores, hand-me-downs from sisters and family, nice-stretchy-normal clothes, and homemade wearables. It's not that I will ever mind going into a maternity store if the opportunity comes (I actually think it will be fun), but I do trust (to an extent) in the real dismay of other women who find them discouraging. So! Although I know that I will probably eventually search for a pair of maternity skinny jeans (they must be out there...and I must have them), here are my two absolutely wonderful discoveries to dispel any garment worries if they happen to arise:

1) The crazy-perfect blog www.jenloveskev.com. I just discovered this adorable girl and I love love LOVE the outfits she put together from her closet while she was pregnant. Every time I read it, I am inspired to look at my current pieces and find what can work when I am bigger (and I do!). Adoration!
2) Finding things on J.Crew that will fit a growing belly. I am so thankful that I will be biggest in the summer! (I wonder if I will regret those words later on...)

My brother's facebook information, under 'Education': Well, I am pretty much schooling life...

And you know what, he pretty much is! I love my brother.

So Much!

It has been so long! I haven't seen my blog in months! Although it seemed like a good while, it was a much needed break, for the most wonderful thing has happened...in December, Joel and I found out that we are pregnant! For the past three months I was too sick for the all-of-a-sudden-awful task of reading and writing, but I only have a couple more weeks and I shall be done with the nausea and enter the happiness of a baby belly! Actually, I already do have a bump, but I am afraid that it is partly a result of eating everything I see, all day long. Right now I am in front of the fire with a layout of steak, roasted veggies, a salad, mushroom ravioli and delicious coffee (decaf!). sigh. What a lovely day it is! And the snow from last night is still on the ground!

So many new things:

1) We are pregnant!! Our baby is due on September 15th, and I have NO idea how I will be able to wait that long. I am looking forward to sewing baby things, trying out the world of maternity clothes (I have some ideas about this...) and having the constant company of my own little baby with me for nine whole months!

2) My husband's wonderful parents and littlest sister were here for a week-long visit! We spent the first two days in San Francisco, eating amazing food and exploring parks and museums. We then drove down to Pebble Beach and stayed for lunch in my new-favorite-city: Carmel. Oh, it was a week of absolute bliss as my gracious mother-in-law made me soups and pasta, shopped with me, and cleaned my house! I was able to rest and be refreshed by their company and goodness...Thank you, Gray, Mac, and Rebekah!

3) I have pictures to post! All are from this past week, and I am very excited to share them. Joel and I also want to start a weekly belly (covered, of course!) photo shoot, and I am hoping that this will start today. I want my momma to see her baby's baby growing!

4) It snowed! It is not suppossed to snow on the beach of Northern California, but it did last night and I was asleep for the whole event. Once it started, Joel ran upstairs to tell me, but at that moment snow was a very ordinary and petty thing compared to the throes of nausea. Thankfully, there was still snow leftover this morning, and I was up for a walk to the car (the car lots in Sea Ranch, by the way, are pretty far from your nice warm houses) to enjoy it.

5) I can't wait for my husband to get home today!

my silly head and friend

Pictures my sister sent me of my pooch and her companion as rich, infamous ladies!

bubbles and mr. knuckles