Ready or Not...It Will Come!

It was not long after I found out that I was pregnant before the big question entered my mind: "How am I going to get this baby out of here?"

I read almost all of What To Expect When You're Expecting in a matter of days, and then I decided I had plenty of time to worry about it later. Now I'm 17 weeks (well, I am tomorrow!), and even though I still have lots of time, I want to be a well-informed first time mother. A friend suggested reading the Bradley book, so I checked it out at my mom's library. I devoured it, too, but I am not completely convinced. Rather than get into all the gory details, I wanted to put it out there for my many mom friends: have you ever used the Bradley method of natural childbirth? Even if not, have you heard of it/read the book? I would be interested in any feedback or opinions from those who may be somewhat familiar with it.

I am by no means a "natural childbirth" freak. I am not a nature lover, a tree hugger, or a granola eater. I have friends who are all of these things, but I'm more of a Starbucks drinker and an "indoorsy" girl. However, the concept of natural childbirth definitely intrigues me. He has some good points. I'm just not sure about all of it. So if anyone's interested in engaging in conversation about it, I definitely am! I just thought I would throw it out there and see what I get.

Reader's MEME

I found this MEME on the blog of one of my favorite authors. I LOVE to read, and I thought it looked like fun. Feel free to use it on your blog if you like!

1. Do you remember how you developed a love for reading? I believe my parents read to me quite a bit. But I have always loved reading; I can't remember NOT loving it.

2. What are some books you read as a child? Nancy Drew mysteries, Hardy Boys mysteries, Box Car kids, The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins...pretty much everything I could get my hands on!

3. What is your favorite genre? Probably Christian non-fiction. I read a ton of ministry, marriage, and other Christian living books. I love Christian fiction and fiction in general, too.

4. Do you have a favorite novel? I have a difficult time choosing favorites. To narrow it down, some of the top ones I can recall are The Covenant by Terry Blackstock, The Awakening by Angela Hunt,

5. Where do you usually read? At home, on the couch.

6. When do you usually read? In the evening, often before bed.

7. Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time? Oh yes. I have a number of books in progress. I buy more books than I can read at one time, so they keep piling up on the floor, the shelves, the nightstand...

8. Do you read non-fiction in a different way or place than you read fiction? I usually read fiction straight through, often in a few days. If I don't have the time, I will drag it out a little more. I read non-fiction more slowly to process the content and what it means to me personally.

9. Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library? I buy most of them. I like to have them to loan out and I like full bookshelves. I also highlight and mark up the books that really mean a lot to me. In addition, as a future author, this is a great quote from another author: "I buy them. Because if nobody buys books, authors starve. Sad but true."

10. Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them? Yes, I keep them. I loan them out as well, but I like to have them for quick access. I often plan on re-reading most of the books I have.

11. If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child? N/A

12. What are you reading now? Hmmm...I have lots of things in progress. Matt and I are reading The First Five Years by Bill and Pam Farrel together. I am also reading The Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas, In Search of Eden by Linda Windsor, a re-read of Get Out of That Pit by Beth Moore, and a book recommended by a friend called The Healing Choice by Brenda Stoeker and Susan Allen. The intended audience is wives who have been betrayed, but I have found that it applies to a much broader spectrum as the woman who writes the first half dealt with her mother's battle with cancer. Many of the truths I have read are universally applicable to everyone who has taken an "unintended journey" in life (who hasn't?). It really has given me some great tools to draw closer to God. I'm only about a third of the way through it, but it is incredible in its ability to honestly address pain and how we deal with it.

13. Do you keep a TBR (To Be Read) list? I buy what I want to read. If I can't afford everything I am interested in (generally true), I save it in my Amazon.com cart so I can retrieve it the next time I'm ready to place an order.

14. What's next? I just ordered Every Woman's Battle, Believing God by Beth Moore, and I also have Authentic Faith by Gary Thomas that I really want to start and When Sinners Say I Do...don't remember the author.

15. What books would you like to reread? A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas. Joy That Lasts by Gary Smalley. Visioneering by Andy Stanley.

16. Who are your favorite authors? Oh, I have so many. I will list just a few. For non-fiction, it would be Gary Thomas, Brenda Stoeker, Beth Moore, John Ortberg, and Andy Stanley. For fiction, Angela Hunt, Karen Kingsbury, Terry Blackstock, and Dee Henderson.

Stealing Creativity

I am a woman.

I like romance.

I love to surprise my husband.

However, I can easily get stuck in the same ruts, and we have only been together for three years and married for two years. I found this book a few months ago. I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg in flipping through it, but here's a sample:

94
Give her one Hershey's Kiss.
Give her one thousand Hershey's Kisses.

Remove all the little paper strips (that say "Kisses" on them) from a couple hundred Hershey's Kisses. Fill a little jewelry box with them. Wrap 'em up and present them to her.

Write a clever certificate explaining that the little paper slips are coupons
redeemable for one kiss each.

Not only are there 1001 ideas, but I think it inspires creativity and thinking outside the box when it comes to romance. Some ideas are far beyond my budget, and others are free. It is incredible the ideas you can come up with if you devote some time to it. (Since we don't all have a bunch of time, I'm recommending the book instead!)

If your husband complains about not being romantic naturally, get it for him. Take away his excuses! (Just don't tell your husbands I suggested it; I like them and still want to be their friend.)

It was $11.53 at Amazon. It was a great investment in my marriage. I look forward to using the ideas for a long time.

Planning a Wedding...or Building a Marriage?

Wedding season is coming. I have been contemplating what to get for some of these couples. I hated getting a slew of gifts that weren't on my registry, I didn't need, couldn't figure out where to return, etc., so I am sympathetic to that perspective. I also know that they will receive many things to fill their home but not much to help their minds and hearts adjust to being a husband and wife. This is one of the best (if not the very best) books I have read on marriage. It challenged me and changed my thinking in many ways.

What if God created marriage to make you holy more than to make you happy?

I think I will throw this in the gift bag along with a cookie sheet or cake pan. I wonder which will do more good for their future?

Purple Weekend

This was my purple weekend. I won this book at a conference.

And I won this bathroom by having the best husband in the entire world.

Before:

Three days and very little sleep later:

He picked out all the fixtures without input - we had talked a little bit about it, but in a future, this is what I might want someday, kind of way. He even asked me while I was gone how tall I am. He was trying to decide where to place the wall sconces so I could get the best light for doing my makeup. Does it get any better than that?

Think about a few days without your spouse - even though you miss him or her, you try to think of the things you can do with a little alone time: read a book (or a magazine if you're my husband), watch your favorite TV shows, watch a movie he or she wouldn't like, eat what you want, follow your own schedule, work on your hobbies...all the stuff you have very little time for during a normal week. He gave up all those things plus a lot of the basics like food and sleep so he could finish this bathroom for me.

Do you know what he said? He knew that I wanted a finished room in our house, and since he knew the basement bathroom couldn't be completed in 3 days, he decided to do this room so I would have one room that is completely done. How amazing is that? He totally put himself in my shoes and did what he thought would make me happy. Holy cow - I knew I married an awesome man, but this is so over the top and amazing. He works so hard at his job that he's often pretty beat when he gets home. For him to set aside so much time to complete this room for me is beyond what I could have dreamed. He finished it from top to bottom: ceiling tiles, baseboards and all the trim, fixtures, a new half wall to hide the plumbing, new electrical and plumbing, new laminate hardwood-look flooring (I absolutely love it), new wall color...there's probably even more I'm not thinking even thinking of right now. That makes ME tired! And thanks to my wonderful father-in-law, Vern, for pitching in on Saturday to get it all completed before I came home!

Thank you, baby. I feel like I won the lottery for the greatest, most loving and giving husband that can be found. You inspire me to keep thinking up new, fun surprises to show how much I love you.

I suppose I have to finish soon. I could write about this forever. Here is the very awesome wall sconce he picked out:


It is all even cooler in person, so please come over and see it soon!

And here is my wonderful baby at 3:57 a.m. on Saturday morning (it's hard to see the time in the picture):


I couldn't ask for a better husband. You were SO worth waiting for!