5 Minutes 5 Months

June 9, 2011 was an incredibly crazy day. I drove myself to the dr for a regular appt, well I was on bed rest at the time so it was a bit irregular, but none the less, an appt. We even had a sono before the appt. Nick went back to work after the sono and I went to my appt. Dr. Chandler said my blood pressure was still high and sent me to BSA for monitoring. Well, about 6 hours later we had Ava Renee'. 5 weeks early, but by God's grace that 5 weeks early was right on time. She had her cord wrapped around her neck a few times when they got her out during the c-section. Imagine if Dr. Chandler had sent me home. I don't like to imagine that, so I don't. I choose to thank the Lord and praise Him for an amazing little girl, who I get to call my own. He has let Nick and I borrow her for this time and we are beyond grateful. There have been some crazy moments and days since her arrival. She was admitted to the hospital around 8 weeks for a UTI. That is when we found out she has a kidney reflux and she is on medicine to help her body stay infection free and when she is closer to a year we will see if she needs a corrective surgery. We are trusting the Lord in this and know surgery or not He is in control. :)

I have been able to stay at home with her from day 1 and that itself is a huge gift from the Lord and it is also, honestly, a huge accomplishment and direct blessing of being smart with our money, living within our means our entire marriage and trusting the Lord that the time will be right to "move up" and enjoy bigger and better things financially. For, right now, we are to learn, grow and be discipled in the small things like living with less, making the most of our money, continuing to trust as we tithe (since day 1 of our marriage we have been united in this and it is being blessed every day) and learning that simplicity is allowing us to be closer to God, closer to each other and better people period. Simplicity is a blessing. It is something that amusingly does not come "simply" or easily. It is something that takes making the right choices, no impulse buying or spending, and when we do come across a blessing in the form of "green agape" as my daddy puts it, to be wise with it, thankful for it and to make the most of it. God is faithful to us.

I hear a lot of people say, "God will provide God will provide for all of my needs, he is testing me in this by allowing me to this that or the other". I'm not sure I completely agree. I do believe the Lord tests us and teaches us through lessons. I believe that God provides for his children. I also believe that the Lord has very specific instructions about finances, about home living, about our rolls as spouses, as parents and ultimately as His children. There are things that people claim and name and it drives me crazy when they do that and then goof off by not showing up for work, being defiant in their obedience to God in tithing, worship, marriage, parenting, etc. It is not easy to be obedient in pretty much anything, but it is worth it. It is not easy to always respect my husband, but it is worth the occasional biting of my tongue to let him know I submit to his Godly authority and trust his leading. It is not always easy to be quiet or humble or gentle, but it is God's command to me as a woman, a wife and a mother. Self control is not an easy task for anyone I think, but it is something God has set in place for us as believers for our good. Ultimately for His good.

When will we, as believers, as followers, be real with ourselves and each other? When will Godly living be a priority instead of getting the latest game, priciest SUV, biggest house or designer shirt? really. I'm baffled by our lack of priority. When do we quit assuming it is the church's job to raise our children in the Word and make it a priority in our home to read the Word and teach the Word and mainly LIVE the Word to our children? which first takes us reading the Word. When will we as Christian wives encourage our husbands daily by our words and our actions and mainly our attitudes? When will Christian men stand up for their wives and fight for them as they battle self esteem, weight, and significance issues? As Nick and I have grown in our marriage, now into parenthood and in ministry I am aware of how blessed I am to have a husband who continues to learn and want to learn how to better himself as a person, man, husband and father. As a woman, wife and mother I hope that it is obvious that I desire to grow, to be Godly, gentle, self controlled in speech and action, to raise my child in the Word and display grace to her.

ALL of this to say that you can have a full time job, a family, hobbies, ministries, a church home, etc and live simply. It is possible, it takes effort, but you don't have to be friendless, depressed and poor to live simply. But, you can have a crazy schedule and be fooling yourself, thinking you have a full life, rich life, so busy and happy, but what worth do all of the "things" have in your life? How many things are your kids involved in or are you involved in that have no value....how deep does the Word and worship run in your home? Just questions and thoughts that have been stirring in my head. Things God has been convicting me of in this last 5 months of motherhood. I had been asking the Lord to refresh my mind, my heart and my relationship with him and he gave me a daughter.

Blessings,

Shaina

First Snow Cinnamon Rolls

Yes, it has been this way my whole life. The first snow of the season comes with one thing. Cinnamon rolls. Mom always made them on the first snow. Always. It was as if she was going to get in trouble for not making them. Which she might have gotten in trouble from Mimi because Mimi taught mom to make them on the first snow. AND before Mimi, Meemaw taught Mimi how to make them for the first snow. Meemaw was Pawpaw's mother (my Mimi's mother in law). She made the recipe and it, to this day, is the best cinnamon roll recipe ever. Ever. I will not make another one. This is it.

So, today it snowed. A lot, especially for October! So, Ava and I made cinnamon rolls. Well, she slept most of the process, but every first snow, she will know that we are making cinnamon rolls. I hope someday, she'll keep it going. 5 generations of cinnamon roll making. So sweet in so many ways.

blessings and stay warm!

shaina

someday it will stick

It seems that I always get these great ideas, goals and "this week it is going to happen" motivations on Sunday nights. For some reason I think that I can solve the world's problems, lose 20 lbs, clean my house til it reeks of perfection, be cute, act sweet, have all the creativity in the world, blah blah...for some reason I just get so motivated in my head on sunday nights and then Monday morning comes....

Monday morning comes and all I can think about is getting my Dr.Pepper on the way to Canyon to do chores and mimi and pop's, in which I forgot to do their laundry this weekend, so I had to quickly go throw it in the wash first thing this morning, I have no desire to be "cute", put on makeup or do my hair....so I just throw on a hat and figure since it is just mimi and pop's house I can get away with looking and feeling grubby. I still have in the back of my mind, "you should drink lots of water today, eat less, go for a walk, make the bed, pick up the junk around the house, do the budget, wash the dishes, etc etc.

I wonder how to funnel all of my thoughts into habits, into disciplines, instead of really lofty thoughts and ideas that haunt me all week....

When do little things like taking vitamins, drinking water, exercising and daily chores become second nature, or will they always be hard? I can visualize myself being healthy, trendy, creative, active, etc etc, but monday morning always shows up. It dampens my Sunday night dreams and thwarts all of my "grand plans for success" that I have mustered up in my head.

Somehow, someday, I will figure out how to wake up on monday morning, just as excited about my goals and dreams as I was on Sunday night.

Please Lord, help me on this! I need my Monday-Saturdays to be as determined as my sundays....

blessings y'all,

shaina

October has almost passed us by...

Woah! October is half way over. I am just now getting to a new blog and we have had such an eventful month! October started off by serving on the Kairos Prison Ministry weekend #27. It was an amazing weekend. Ava did great staying out at De Falco Retreat Center with us! We brought her pack and play and she just slept great, was a doll the whole time and got to enjoy some wonderful time with her Kairos Family and her first experience in ministry. I am thankful that our daughter is getting her first taste of ministry before she can even sit up on her own. :) God is good to us. PICTURES look at some of the pictures I took. I am so thankful that my little family is so focused on the Lord and serving him. We don't always do it right, we surely struggle at trusting him fully, but we are trying our best to raise Ava in a home and environment of service, of love and of grace. I am so thankful that Nick and I are on the same page as parents and that our hearts are one in this goal.

We have also been continuing to go through Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. It has been really good for us and has focused our efforts to finish paying off debt, school loans, etc. and educate us on investing for our future, and preparing for our next home, etc. I suggest ALL newlyweds read it and get organized financially before diving into marriage. I also suggest that ALL couples in general read it. It is so good. It is easy to understand and it works. One of the reasons that I think this book is so successful and is getting Nick and I so excited about paying off our debts, is for one, we both believe that being in debt is many ways sinful. Proverbs 22:7

Nick and I have been convicted of this and desire to not live in idolatry to debt and what it brings. We have the "typcial" debt. School loans, 1 credit card and our car payment along with our mortgage. Mortgages are very typical debt and 1 that seems to always be a part of our lives, but the other debts we have are needing to go and not continue to hold us down any longer. God is so good to have Nick and I on the same page on this as well. Not to say that it has been an easy ride so far, but we have grown closer in our marriage, our finances (especially being a 1 income household) are tight but work and we are finding ways to start snowballing the debt we have. So glad to have a husband who does not want to spend money we don't have on things we don't need. I have to say that finding frugal ways to celebrate, decorate and gift give are actually fun and have been a great creative outlet for me.

Ava has been doing lots of new things, lots of slobbering, chewing on things, growing into new clothes, had her 4 month check up and shots and had a clear UA test at the urologist last week. Praise God! We are thankful for no UTI's since that first one and we are still giving her the antibiotics every night. They are keeping her infection free without making her dependent. She gave us a little scare last night with a bout of high fever, but is doing better today. Thank the Lord! I am so thankful for his provision and for me being able to stay at home and be with her every day. I don't have to worry about missing work, etc etc. I can just be here for her. She is getting so much more animated and laughs more. We are working on sitting up on our own and rolling over...she sure hates tummy time, but she tolerates it here and there, long enough to work on getting her head up, etc.

Lauren took her pictures a few weekends ago and they are precious! Check out my facebook page to see them!

This weekend Lauren and I are going to have some craft time. I'm excited to get some of the gifts on my list made and spend time with my sweet friend. God is too good to me when it comes to her and her husband. We are edified, prayed for, encouraged by them and we laugh a ton and enjoy each other so much. Nick and I are so blessed to have them in our life and we are anxious to see where God takes them and what He does in their life in the next year. So much going on there! :) wow!

Ava is still napping, cookies are out of the oven (don't substitute margarine for shortening) blah!! Suppose I should get mimi and pop's laundry done and a little bit of our own laundry while I'm at it. Snuggly evening at home tonight, once nick gets home. Mac and Cheese, baked potatoes and veggies. I love home.

Guess that is all for now. Blessings.

Shaina

I Love My Life!!!

Stay-at-home mommyhood is the BEST!!! :) I know there are some mothers out there that would argue with me and some who might chime in right along with me. I am just in the middle of the best time of my life and I get to share it with an amazingly supportive, handsome, silly, loving, patient and hard working husband! AND a beautiful, silly, fun, snuggly daughter! SO blessed!

Today, my mother took a vacation day and just came over and played, like we did all summer after Ava was born. Today I got lots cleaned, in getting ready for my father in law and step mother in law to come in to town tomorrow. Then we baked! We baked and baked all sorts of yummy things for our Kairos bake sale going on this weekend. It was great to just hang out with mom and with ava all day and have fun!

Then, this evening, Nick, myself and Ava loaded up the stroller with a blanket and a bag of supper and walked to the park from our house and then we ate at the park and laid there for a bit just enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather!!! Then we walked the neighborhood at the pretty houses (dreaming a bit) and then walked all the way back home. :) yay!

Life is about to change around here, as we get rid of our satellite, internet will be gone for about a month as we switch service, etc So tonight was practice for the evenings with barely any "entertainment" in the house. We are glad to be giving up some not so needed luxuries in our home in order to get debt paid off and be free from the master of the lender. I've talked about our new dave ramsey plan we are on and it is encouraging. I know within a few years we will be SO glad we did this!

I've noticed a TON of people being whiners on facebook lately. Whether it is the new layout, a headache, their job, their spouse, blah blah. I think we have all had our fair share of complaining on facebook or whatever but really people....get a grip and look at all you have to be thankful for in your life. I think that the least of our worries should be the facebook layout when there are thousands of people finding out they lost a loved one, have cancer, lost their job, won't have food to feed their children, etc etc. I feel convicted of my own selfishness, but am also annoyed and somewhat disgusted by all the negativity and complaining I see on there. Wow!! (that is my rant for the day) Thank you. I feel as though a blog is a place where we can share that, complain, and express opinion and people choose to read it...on facebook it is just there in the open and it seems like it is ALL the time.

Ok, really, that is all. :)

Money Makeover Madness

So, Nick and I have started Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover Book and work book. So far it has been very eye opening and heart stretching for us both. There are a LOT of changes taking place in our household and I am ready for them and yet at the same time, my heart and mind take time to adjust to such drastic measures. Prayers are appreciated as we go through this massive undertaking. We know we are not alone and that God has asked us to do this and he will be faithful to us through it. I know that in the next few years we will be able to start being out from under the master of debt and we will not be slave to it. God desires his people to not live in debt and to be free from that idol. We want that for our family and desire to be able to be financially sound without borrowing. There is excitement and a slight discouragement as we adjust but it is going to be worth it! I know it will. :)

In Him,

Shaina

Simple Saturday

Ava slept until 9. Of course we all got to bed after midnight, but still. WE SLEPT IN! hehehehehe. Nick is watching a movie and snuggling with his baby girl, I am procrastinating on finishing the budget, paying some bills, making a grocery list, cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming, finishing the laundry and making the bed....surely I can get to those things later. Right?

So last night, Dad and I went to Canyon's homecoming game. Most of it anyway. I've figured out that getting to anything on time now, is nearly impossible. So, either way, we got there and my sweet Morgan Dean got homecoming queen! Now that takes me back. They were "my" babysitting family. I got to watch Morgan and Weston for a few summers and I loved it. It was an awesome way to learn lots of things, hang out with two great kids and make a little spending money for the summer. They were and still are great "kids"....not really kids anymore. Just crazy how time has flown by! Congrats to Morgan!!! YAY! So proud! On top of hugging her neck I ran into an old high school classmate. It was amazing to see how far she had gone out of town only to make it right back to amarillo. :) Funny how people want to get as far away from here as possible and somehow they realize it is not so bad after all....that all led me to think about the fact that our class didn't have a 5 yr reunion or if we did I wasn't invited to it. hahaha. Either way I have a feeling that the 10 yr is going to sneak up on me and since I still have the bank account statements, I'm going to have to help. Perhaps not? We've got a few years still....I'll cross my fingers.

So, I suppose I should really get off of here and get going on my saturday to do list. This afternoon evening will consist of the park, then breakfast for dinner and a movie. Snuggly saturday nights are my favorite. I am just so thankful for the opportunity to stay at home with my baby and then have our hubby/daddy home in the evenings and on the weekends. It is the life!! :)

We have started Dave Ramsey's Money Makeover book. So far so good and I know we are about to hit a season in our marriage and home life that will be more different and possibly difficult than ever, but I can't wait until years down the road we look at our accomplishments and say WE'RE DEBT FREE! (not that there is a lot, but enough that we want to get rid of it all and celebrate that) :) So, if you see us, encourage us to keep up the work...because it is work. I might even go back to United a few evenings a week to jump start our debt paying and I suppose I could use some away time here and there as well.

Ok, that's all I've got.

Enjoy your Saturday, whatever you find to do, soak it up. Savor today. Love today. Love on your babies, your spouse, your friends and family. Be thankful and gracious for all the blessings in your life, even the ones that don't seem like blessings.

In Him,

Shaina