For Baby

My sister-in-law, Kelli, is expecting a little one in a few weeks, and her shower was this weekend. What better way to welcome a new baby than with some handmade goodies...

I started with this Noah's-ark-themed blanket. Jacob and Kelli are waiting to find out the gender of the baby until the birth, so I went with a mix of bright colors and patterns.

The yellow back is a very soft flannel.

This little guy, as well as the ball, are from a pattern book called Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, though I think their definition of "last minute" is probably a little looser than some would care to use. I guess in the world of quilting and sewing, where projects can take months to finish, a few days or hours seems like last minute.

He's called Peanut the Wee Elephant.

This one and the dog rattle are from a book called More Softies Only A Mother Could Love. I sort of went to town on his eyes. I love doing hand stitching and embroidering. There's something so organic and personal about it.

I just love his little feet.

This little cutie is crocheted and stuffed and has a little rattle insert in the head. I couldn't find rattles at the craft store, so I just repurposed one of the kids' old rattle toys. They have so many; they're not going to miss one. The parents-to-be have two dogs and one of them is a silver lab named Romeo, so I thought this little pup should have a silver coat as well.

This one is called a Puzzle Ball. It's the perfect size and shape for itty bitty fingers to grab onto.

Home Sweet Home

Welcome to our new home!! We finally got everything mostly put away, and this house will probably never be quite this clean again, so I thought I'd take you on a little virtual tour of the new digs. As you can see from this picture and the one below, I FINALLY got my fabric shelves organized!

And this has now become my favorite room in the house. We're calling it Mommy and Daddy's play room.

I have plenty of room to sew and craft.

I am envisioning some very girly and very fun craft gatherings around this table. I can't wait to invite some friends over and make good use of this space!

Our office space is no longer in our bedroom, which feels great.

The books are no longer within Patrick's reach, as he is not generally allowed in this room. One less temptation for those curious little hands.

The living room and the studio/office through those double doors.

The apple painting made its way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Also, I recovered the piano bench in a really fun, bright fabric from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line.

Our "quaint" little kitchen and dining area. I really do love this space. It has so much character. But I say "quaint" because we're a bit lacking in storage and work space.

It could quite possibly be that I just have way too many kitchen items, but what can I say? I love to cook. Speaking of which, you can see two little herb plants sitting in the window. I bought some basil and some rosemary and I tried them out this week in a homemade pizza.

Here's the new island in use, providing some much needed counter space.

I used some of the fresh rosemary leaves and mixed them right into the dough.

I brushed the crust with olive oil, then sprinkled with parmesan and garlic powder, topped with sauce, fresh mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes...

...then threw on some of that fresh basil for the last couple minutes in the oven. Yum!

We finally have a usable backyard, which has been so nice for Patrick.

It's divided into a front and back section, which means less to take care of. We're thinking we might get a swing set to put out in the back part.

More of the saltillo tile that's laid throughout the house.

The kids' very cute little bathroom.

Olivia's sweet room.

Patrick's room.




Our bedroom.

And a peek into...

...the smallest bathroom in the world!

And that's about it. We are loving our little home and are so excited to have all of our friends, new and old, over for fellowship and of course food. So feel free to invite yourselves :)

We'll unpack later...

Look, Mom! Mud!!

It's Box City!!!

Have I mentioned how much this kid loves boxes???

Seriously the sweetest smile ever!

Mmmmm... fingers :)

Family photo minus Mom, of course, who is snapping all these precious pics.

Exploring

Patrick conquering the great unknown of the new backyard...








...mission accomplished!

Pretty in Purple

These are from a couple weeks ago...

A Quick Update

Well, we are moved into our rental in Tempe, and we have been busily unpacking for the last few days. Just about everything has found its place, though we still have quite a few odds and ends that don't quite fit and may have to just be stored in boxes somewhere for a while. I will definitely post some pictures once things get tidied up a bit more.

The kids are adjusting just fine. We had to remove the rail on Patrick's bed in order to get it out of his old bedroom, and we actually decided to leave it off and turn it into a toddler bed for him. We bought him some "big boy" bedding, and he is loving his new "night night" quarters. I have been so pleased, though I really shouldn't be surprised, that he has been so good about staying in bed. He gets in and out just for fun during the day when he's playing in his room, but when it's time to take a nap, or go to bed for the night, he climbs right in and doesn't move until I come get him. I'll hear him at the end of a nap or in the morning lying in there talking to himself, and when I come in to get him, he just looks up at me until I tell him it's time to get up and then he pops up and slides out. He has always been an obedient nap-taker, and Olivia is following the same pattern now as well. I guess all that Babywise and To Train Up A Child teaching and training has really paid off. It truly has been a tremendous blessing!

We attended one church service at a brand new church called The Anthem the day after we moved. They meet on Sunday nights at the theater on Mill. It was started by a couple from Albuquerque, NM along with a team of about 14 or so people (if I remember right). They definitely have a tremendous passion for the Lord, and I am sure that they will be used by God to do some incredible things here in this town. Luke and I are thinking and praying about where God would have us fellowship. Perhaps this one is it. I think we definitely want to give Calvary Tri-City at least one try as well. We shall see...

And that's about it for now. Pictures of this cute little house will be coming soon! Thank you all for your covering of sweet prayers as we continue to make this transition. God is so good!

Afternoon Mischief

That's right... I'm sittin' in a box...

...What's it to ya?

Hmph!

Praise God for New Beginnings

Changes are a-happenin' here in our little family! God has certainly been busy, and I am so excited and thankful for each and every one of His gracious blessings.

For starters, the biggest change has been in my own personal health. After struggling with depression and anxiety basically since puberty and being hit with a very serious bout of postpartum depression after having Olivia, which only seemed to be getting worse and worse by the day, I finally went to see a doctor about it. Now, if you know me, you know that things had to be B A D for me to go to the doctor. I'm ornery that way. I have to either be lying on my death bed or literally dragged by the hair to go anywhere near a medical office of any kind. *Slight* phobia, you know... Anyways, I finally decided it was time. And I could not be happier... literally! Praise Jesus!!

Insert BodyLogic plug here: I just have to mention a few details about the help that I've gotten, because I know I'm not the only one out there struggling with these issues, and if even one person can get some help as a result of reading this, then it was worth the few inches of screen space. The network is called BodyLogic MD, and they have doctors all over the country. There is just one here in Arizona, and he is well worth the visit. The best part: EVERYTHING THEY DO IS ALL NATURAL!! They will have a very thorough blood and saliva work-up done to determine exactly what your problem areas are before you go in for your first appointment. They work with bio-identical hormones (not synthetic) to help balance out any hormone imbalance you might have. They also help get you on the right vitamins, and offer a few suggestions to make sure you're eating right. Let me just tell you, after about 3 days of starting the hormone therapy, I was feeling FANTASTIC. I have never felt this good in my entire life! And this new energy has finally given me the strength to eat the way I need to be eating, which in the first week alone led to a weight loss of about 5-7 lbs (not sure of the exact amount), and I am hoping to continue losing over the next several months. Where before I could barely drag myself out of bed, and some days not at all, I am now thoroughly enjoying my children, loving my husband, cooking for my family, cleaning house (and packing, details below...), and just altogether joyfully serving my God with a passion and love that I did not believe was possible a few weeks ago. God is so good!

Ok, moving on... the next big change: we're moving! We are going to be renting a house in another part of the valley so that we can be closer to Luke's office, a change we are excited to make. Just the fact alone that his drive will drop from an hour to about 8 minutes is enough to make us both jump for joy. Besides that, we will be closer to our families as well as "civilization" and all the conveniences that that brings. As wonderful as all these new things will be, there is definitely some bitterness mixed into the sweet. We will be leaving the comfort of owning a home and going back to renting, something that I had hoped not to have to do again. Yet, I am excited about the freedom that renting allows us, and we are definitely still talking seriously about moving out of state at some point. Also, I am thankful for the opportunity that this has presented for God to remind me that this (all of this) is not my home. It is only a house, and we are headed for something much greater! The other bit of "bitterness" that this move will mean for us is having to leave our dear friends at Calvary Maricopa. These people are so much more than friends. They have been our family in more ways than one, and are not so easily left behind as a house. Thankfully, we won't be too far away and will still be able to see everyone now and then; yet, knowing that we won't see their smiling faces every Sunday definitely makes my heart ache a little...

...which leads me to the next big change...

...finding a new church! We have already mapped out a couple churches to "try". I really hate that word when it comes to churches. Maybe "test" is a better one. We absolutely must test the church we attend against the standard of God's word, but to go around "trying" churches the way we try on clothes until we find one that suits us, or makes us happy, or, worst of all, caters to us is something that I believe is not beneficial to our growth or to the work that God may want to do in our life. That being said, we will most likely attend one of the other Calvary Chapels that are nearby, and I am so excited to see what God has in store for us once we get there. I have been very comfortable in my area of service, playing the piano with the praise band, at our current church. I am going to be so terribly sad to leave that. It is something that I have loved passionately, and something that I believe God has used to work through me. Perhaps I will find my niche in the music ministry again, or perhaps God has something entirely different planned this time. Whatever it is, I know He will be glorified and I know it will be a joy! I can't wait!

Of course, the kids are growing like little bean stalks, but other than that, I think that's all the changes I have to report at the moment. I hope that God has been as good to all of you as he has been to me and my family.

Love to all,

Tarrah