So it’s taken me all morning to get these pictures for you, but here they are!

Here are our new cribs all set up (Eric did that on Friday night):

Karen and I were out last week and found some cute bedding for very cheap at Target, so yesterday my mom got it for me (two sets…she’s so great!).  It’s pretty neutral, and can be matched a lot of basic sheets and decorations.  So I’m very excited!  Here are some pictures of that addition:

And finally, a picture of my 22 week baby bump.  I have one of my bare belly too, but it’s a little weird to see my belly hanging out there, so I didn’t put it in.  If you desperately want to see it, maybe I’ll let you look at on my photo page.  Oh, and sorry for my wet hair/no makeup look, too!

As for the weekend, it was pretty good.  Eric came home on Friday pretty frustrated by work, so he wasn’t very excited about going back today, I think.  It’s so hard to know how to encourage him.  We spent most of Friday goofing off, I think.

Saturday I did a number of projects (including knocking out another ant attack), and then we went to Easton to wander around in the evening.  Sunday was church, and then my parents came up to visit.  My dad wanted to see the new cribs because he’s going to build us a dresser (which will double as a changing table) to match and he needed some firm measurements to get started.  Then they took us to Target, where Mom bought us the bedding above, and we got ice cream on the way home!  Eric and I just hung out in the evening and were both in bed by 9:15.  Fantastic!

Anyway, happy Monday!

I’ve entered a wonderful new stage of pregnancy: night-time charley horses.  I’ve had two this week.  Yippee.

Yesterday, I was not nearly as productive as I had in mind I could be.  I did get the garbage out and the plants watered.  And I did get the house a little tidier.  I sorted apples to get the rotten and bruised ones out of their bins so the others will keep a couple of days longer.  And I worked on boxing/bagging stuff in the upstairs so that Eric can move it all to the basement for storage.  I thought about moving it myself (the lighter stuff), but never got around to it. So now Eric gets to!

Geez, apparently I did get more done than I thought.  But I didn’t get the dishes washed.  That was the first thing on my to-do list, and it didn’t happen.  It sort of annoyed me.  But maybe I can get to it today.  Around a shopping trip with Karen and a grocery shopping trip of my own.  Yeah…it might happen. Or maybe tomorrow…

Lastly, I have ideas in my head I need to get out, so here’s a thought from my bible study this morning: 
   I came to the verse about “to whom much is given, much will be required” today in my reading.  I’ve heard it lots of times, but I’m not sure I ever realized that Jesus gives this principle in the context of his return and our readiness/service in light of his return.  We’re supposed to be serving and watching, and those in positions of ‘higher’ authority, spiritually speaking, will be more responsible for their actions and perspective than those who are not given such positions or those who don’t even know to be looking for Jesus. 
   It really got me thinking this morning.  I’ve been given a lot.  I grew up in C-ville surrounded by biblical thinking and training.  I’ve got so many abilities and natural gifts.  Yet I wonder, if Jesus came back today, would I be found ready, be found in faithful service.  And am I really willing to surrender to this principle?  God has already poured more into me than into many, but am I really open to his asking much of me in return?  Most days, the answer would have to be “no” if I’m honest.  I want that to change.
    And also, my church is starting a 6-week series of sermons about finding a place to serve in the church, asking every member to, at the end, be prepared to commit for a year to some place of service in our ministry.  I have been ‘on a break’ from the ministry I had for 5 years (long story…finally starting to heal).  So now I don’t know what ministry to pursue.  I do feel an urge to find some outlet, though the pending arrival of twins seems to be potentially working against me and the options never seem to fit me just right.  So I really have no idea where God wants me to serve.  None at all.  So I’m really hoping, trying to remember to pray and ask him, that He’ll just open a door that fits me fantastically.  Just don’t know what that will look like right now…

Okay, thanks for listening (or skimming) while I emptied my brain.  Have a wonderful weekend!  Happy Friday!

Last week at the zoo, Deb brought a book of baby names for Eric and me to borrow.  Kelly was madly impatient all day about when she could give it to us. She’s very into this whole baby thing (though at 5, she doesn’t really get the “in the belly” part).  We have been perusing it since then and having random conversations about names for the twins, although Eric is still very much in the “pointing out names that have no chance of being used” stage of the game.

Yesterday, I watched the nieces while Deb had a meeting.  We turned on a VeggieTales show at one point, and Kelly joined me on one couch. 

Kelly: (looking at my belly) Have you got names for them yet?
Me: No, we’re still talking about it.
Kelly: (shocked) Haven’t you read the book?
Me: (chuckling) Well, we are reading through it.  It takes a long time to pick names.
Kelly:  Well, you should pick a boy name and a girl name.

She’s very helpful.   Actually, she was extraordinarily concerned about me all day yesterday.  She pulled my chair out at the table so my belly wouldn’t get bumped.  She kept wanting to bring my water bottle to me if I left it in the other room (even if I had a glass of water with me!).  And she kept wanting to give the babies kisses through my belly. She’s a cute one!

Holly, on the other hand, is still pretty oblivious.  As I gave them hugs good-bye, they sort of touched my belly.  So I pulled up my shirt so they could feel and touch it.  They did.  Holly looked up at me after a minute: “You got a big belly.”   Thanks, Holly…I hadn’t noticed.

So I spent the morning watching some television, doing a craft project (they created a book for Uncle Eric…their idea), and playing outside.  They do love to swing!  After lunch, I came home and ran some errands.  Then I crashed for a good bit of the afternoon and evening.  Eric and I were both pretty beat, so we went to bed very early.  How lovely!

Today, I’m going to work on the clutter in my house.  It’s starting to drive me nuts.  And maybe I’ll take the recyclables away, too.  I go through gallons of milk so fast that the empty containers fill up my recycling bins a lot faster than used to happen.  Oh well.  I guess that’s a good thing.  Anyway, Happy Thursday!

Off to C-ville today to babysit the nieces for the morning.  I may be back some in the afternoon, but we shall see. 

I got two canners of pie filling canned yesterday.  And then I hurt so badly I pretty much sat around most of the rest of the day.  The standing required for that job is more than I can do for a long time anymore.  And I even sat down (with the Olympics on) to slice the apples! 

Maybe to get rid of the rest of the apples, I’ll hold tutoring sessions on canning for my friends.  They always tell me it’s cool, but they don’t know how.  So maybe I can walk them through it and send them home with their own jars of applesauce/pie filling.  We shall see…

In the afternoon yesterday, I sat on the couch and read after I watched the America’s Got Talent I had recorded and forgotten about.  I was going to do some more organizing upstairs, but my body was telling me it needed the break.  In the evening, I watched a bit of Olympic diving and then we watched Eureka.  Then to bed.

Okay, gotta run.  Happy Wednesday!

I was looking over my meal plan for the month, and I think I’m going to
have to change some of them.  A couple of my ideas don’t sound good at
all anymore.  And one of them is for this week!

So, what chicken dishes do you make that your family just loves?  I need some new ideas…

Other than that, not much to say today, really.

I plan to can more apple pie filling today.  The two batches I did on Saturday both boiled over, which makes the seals a bit suspect.  So I’ll do some more to make sure we have enough for the winter.

I started more reorganizing projects yesterday – the closets in the babies’ room and the guest room.  So those rooms look trashed right now.  However, I did put the loft back together yesterday, too (Eric had cleaned the carpet on Sunday), so I was both constructive and destructive!

Eric may actually have things to do at work again, and it may last for a while.  At least he won’t be sitting at his desk bored all day now!

And that’s about all I can think of right now.  Happy Tuesday!

So I’ve been having all sorts of weird issues getting this blog together today, but I think we’re on track now!

On Friday, we had another appointment.  The heartbeats were good and strong (140s and 160s).   I’m measuring at 25 weeks, about a month ahead of where I actually am.  And everything else is looking good so far.  (EDIT: Per Beki’s request, I’ve gained about 25 lbs. so far, so that’s still looking good.)  Also, in the last few days I have started to feel them move A LOT!  It’s so much fun.  Eric even got to feel one of them kicking around in there. 

Yesterday we actually went to Babies R Us on our first official shopping trip.   We ordered cribs and bought mattresses and car seats.  This is the crib we decided on (I borrowed the picture from some lady’s website).  I’ve found it online, but only pictured in white and this is the finish we actually got.  We will get them in 1-2 weeks, so that should be fun.

We also bought car seats.  We ended up buying identical seats in the Sterling pattern because I don’t really like the girl patterns at all (too over-the-top girly), and the only other option was the G-style, which I think is ugly.   We got them out when we got home, and I’ll tell you how strange it was to see these two empty seats just sitting there.  It was a tad unnerving!   So here’s the scariest thing I’ve seen in a while…

Okay, I think that’s all I’ve got for now.  Enjoy your Monday!

As in thoroughly exhausted.  Here’s the breakdown of the day:

• Up at 7:00 to send my husband off to work.
• 7-9:30 – getting ready, household chores, preparing for the zoo
• 9:45 – leave for the zoo
• 10:30 – arrive at the zoo (except for the stop for cash to pay for parking, it should only take me about 20-25 minutes to get there)
• 10:30-3:15 – walk the entire zoo with Deb and the girls and Karen and her family
• 3:15-4:00 – drive home (in traffic) with a stop at Kroger for milk
• 4:00-5:15 – collapse on the couch to watch TV and put my feet up
• 5:15-9:30 – drive to C-ville with Karen (thanks, Kate!) for the Mary Kay Party
• 9:30-10:30 – drive home
• 10:30 – wash face, collapse in bed

So needless to say, I’m pretty darn beat.

The zoo was much better than last time, less hot/humid, and I had plenty of water.  But it’s a good thing that this is likely the last zoo visit of the summer (Kelly starts school in a couple of weeks) because I doubt I’ll be able to walk that far again in 2-4 more weeks.  My feet and hips were really unhappy with me by the time we got to the Reptile house (last stop…Kelly insists we see it…yuck!).  I did not take my camera, but Karen did, so I’ll link to her site if she posts any.

The Mary Kay party was fun…we were all exhausted (and the girls totally wired) so there was much excitement, chatting, laughter.  But I suspect there were serious ‘crashes’ shortly after everyone got home, too!  I know I was well past done by that time!

Today, I need to tidy up my house a bit and probably start work on canning apples.  I’m not totally into it yet, though, so maybe I won’t.  We shall see…

Happy Friday!

Today I’m joining my SIL, Debbie, and the nieces as well as Karen, Erik and Jason at the Columbus Zoo!  Thankfully, this time should be a little less hot/humid than it was the last time I was there with them (in July).  And I will be driving separately just in case I can’t walk the entire zoo today.  I was late in July because of doctor’s appointment, so I only walked half the zoo, which was almost too much with the heat.  So hopefully, today will not be too bad, and I can make it the entire way around!

This evening, we’re having a makeup consultation at my Mom’s house.  We all use Mary Kay products and have for the last few years.  But this summer, they stopped carrying all their normal color makeup and introduced a line of mineral shadows/blush/foundation.  They still have the old foundations and all their normal cleansing products, but we decided we better let our provider show us the new stuff before we need color makeup again.  Thankfully, Karen said she would drive and I could just ride along with her.  After walking all day at the zoo, I think that will be a good idea!

Yesterday was pretty low-key.  I did some chores around the house, but I tried to spend as much time as I could just sitting down.  I’ve been doing a lot this week and needed to give my aching feet a break.  Apparently, my poor feet are not dealing well with having to support my extra “girth” these days.  I need to take better care of them, I think.  So are there any favorite pedicure-type treatments that you ladies like to do at home?   Maybe I’ll try those!

So this week, Eric has spent his evenings trying to “fix” his grandmother’s computer.  His Grandma Powell loves her computer (mostly for email and playing games), but she is forever having problems that Eric usually has to fix.   This time, it was shutting down on her for no reason and just acting weird.  As of last night, Eric had found most of the viruses which were living in her hard drive (around 30 at last count) and had cleaned out most of the spyware/trojans/etc. that were lurking in her circuits.  Not surprisingly, the computer is running much better already!  Now if we can just teach her NOT to open every attachement that is sent to her, we’ll be doing well.  But I won’t hold my breath!

I think that’s all I’ve got today.  I did watch Good Morning America‘s interview with Steven Curtis Chapman and family on their website.  It’s pretty good, but it will make you cry.  Very sweet.

These are the things that are on my mind today. 

Minivans – It’s a bit confusing, but it’s also stressing me out a bit.  And no, we aren’t buying one.  There’s a missionary family coming to CU to drop off their son next week.  They have no transportation while there here, and no connections to CU other than that their son is starting there this fall.  They are supported by a WY church where a friend of mine (a CU grad) used to go.  The pastor’s wife asked Ghena if she knew anyone at CU.  She only knows me.  SO now I’m really frustrated by the difficulty of trying to help this family find a ride to/from the airport and a minivan for 5 people and all their luggage for a week at the busiest time of the year in C-ville.  I totally  understand that they can’t rent one (vans are $400-500 for a week…I checked).  I’ve been praying really hard about it because I just don’t know what to do.  I know God can provide something, but it’s just hanging over my head and stressing me out.

Eureka – We watched episode 2 of season 3 last night.  I really like that show.  I even dreamed about it last night. But for some reason, they decided to do a TON of product placement all for this men’s deodorant.  So it’s “woven” into the show (not very well) and then at least one commercial per break is for this product as well.  I don’t like it at all.  I want my show back the way it was.

Peanut Butter – I guess Eric’s co-worker was trying to be helpful, but I didn’t really need the help.  Eric forwarded me, last week, this article about how some Dutch study thinks there’s a link between eating peanut butter while pregnant and the likelihood of a child developing asthma.  They warn that there’s an increased risk for even 1 daily serving of PB.  Um…I’ve been doing 1-2 servings a day for the last 10 weeks.  And now, I worry every time I have the stuff.  I hate that I can’t shake the story.  I hate that my control-freak nature has latched onto this idea to fill its needs to be in charge of something.  I realized last night (about 3 am) that, of course, lots of it is my fear of failure (ie, my kids have some sort of “issues” = I’m a bad mother) which does give some perspective.  But as easy as it is to just say “I won’t worry about this anymore,”  it’s much  harder to actually do.

So this is where my mind is today.  I know I’m not exactly managing Is. 26: 3 (mind is steadfast, trusts in You) at this moment, and therefore I have no peace.  But that’s where it is anyway.  I really need to get a grip…

As far as the day’s agenda…I have two loads of laundry and some ironing to finish.  I also need to do a little more reorganizing in my closet and dresser drawers so that I have room for more maternity clothes.  And I probably should start on canning apple stuff so that the bags of apples Eric and his grandpa picked on the weekend don’t go bad.  But we shall see…

Happy Wednesday!

Resignation
    I didn’t get a chance to post about anything yesterday, but since you all were wondering, I thought I’d answer some of your concerns.  I actually resigned about 3 weeks ago; I just never mentioned it on Xanga.  It was certainly bittersweet: I like my colleagues and parts of my job a lot.  But it was the right thing to do – for CU and my family.  I did shed some tears, especially while writing the letter and right before hitting the ‘send’ button.  But since that day, I’ve really had no regrets. 
    Generally, the hardest part has been that for almost 10 years, I’ve defined myself as “professor of college freshman” or “writing teacher” and now I’m shifting that moniker to “mother of twins.”  I just don’t know what “mother of twins” actually means or entails.  So the vagueness of my new direction has been the most disconcerting part.  Oh well…I’m sure I’ll figure out my new job description pretty quickly one of the these days!
     So yesterday, I met with a colleague who is taking over my Basic English class (she was hired just last year and is perfect for this responsibility…another confirmation!) and finished boxing up my office.  I got everything out and sorted.  My dad and brother showed up and moved it all to my car (where it still is!), and though I was aware of the moment’s potential for nostalgia…I didn’t even feel like being emotional about it (another confirmation!).  And, about 6:45, I made it home for the grilled steak dinner I told Eric to start while I drove.  Yummy!

Reluctance
    So our next door neighbors are moving out.  They were one of the only two couples on the cul-de-sac who were still the original owners.  They’ve built a house in Dublin.  And I’ve been trying to figure out how best to say goodbye.  We liked having them as neighbors (and they seemed to enjoy us), but we never really connected in such a manner that we could easily witness to them or where doors opened onto spiritual things.  I’m really, really bad about that sort of thing.  But I’m praying to get better.
    So yesterday on my morning walk, I realized that I couldn’t really do a lot of ‘witnessing’ to them now, but maybe I could do something else, even a little something.  I still needed to do something to thank Dani for the maternity clothes (she gave me more yesterday!), so I bought a little $10 Walmart gift card, and put it, a note, and a copy of Lucado’s The Gift for all People in a bag for her.
    And then I almost couldn’t make myself give it to her.  Why is it that I am so incapable of making even the smallest gesture towards an unsaved person?    All I could think was, “What if she hates me for including the book? What if I make her mad and ruin any open door that I did have?”  So I hesitated to go outside and give her the bag.  I balked, even though I’d prayed all day that they would still be there when I got home (I wasn’t sure when their last day in the house was).  And finally, I just walked next door and dropped it off.  And didn’t make a big deal of any of it.  We chatted, she brought over more clothes for me, and then she headed back home. 
     I don’t know what she’ll think of or do with the book.  But it’s a gift book.  It’s supposed to be given away.  So if she throws it out…I can’t do much about it.  But maybe it’ll get shoved in a box and someday rediscovered right when it’s truths are needed most.  Who knows?  I just know that my reluctance to actually reach out to people is something about myself that I really want God to change.

Recap

And finally, a quick weekend update since I didn’t post one yesterday:

• Friday – cleaned the house, made cookies, packed an overnight bag (after Eric moved all the stuff so I could get a bag out to use) and drove to the farm.  There was a bad accident on I70 eastbound, so we drove around the city on I270.  We got back to I70, drove about 5 miles east and were diverted off the interstate (before leaving the Columbus suburbs) by another accident that shut the highway down.  So we took some back roads in Pickerington and got back on 70 at Pataskala, then drove the rest of the way to the farm without incident.
• Saturday – Eric played farmer all day (picked apples with his grandpa, chased cows who’d escaped, and mowed hay in the big tractor).  He totally enjoyed his day!  I hung out with Pam, my MIL.  We ran errands and visited her parents so they could see my big belly.  We stayed for dinner, went for a short drive afterwards, and then came home.
• Sunday – Communion at church…lovely service!  Then home, dinner, and my parents stopped by in the afternoon to bring me a new porch swing that my dad had built for me.  My previous one (made by my grandfather) was of poor quality and was disintegrating.  My new one is fan.tas.tic!  I love it!!  After my parents left, we went to the grocery store, then relaxed for the rest of the evening!

Happy Tuesday!