Sewing...

I was talking to a friend the other day as she was nursing her little one. I mentioned that she needed a nursing cover and that I had a friend who made them, but charged $18 for each one. After that conversation, I thought "I could make those." So I went and bought some materials and these were the results! I think they turned out great! This will be what all my friends (and family) get now as baby gifts (if they plan to nurse, that is)!

More small groupies (and a few others)...

A few months ago, one of the guys in our small group asked the guys if they would be interested in running a 5K with him in December. Three of them agreed to join him and began training. Jonathan was one of those three. So the four of them (the three who agreed to run plus the guy who asked) have been talking and planning for this run for several months. It was this past weekend. The whole event is called the Thunder Road Marathon. There is a full marathon, a marathon relay, a half marathon and a 5K. The 5K was called the Reindeer Romp. The guys' goal was to finish in under 30 minutes. This time of year, the average low temperature is 43 degrees, but not this past Saturday! Oh no! It was 17 degrees outside when I got up at 7:30 am. The race started at 8:15am and I think the temperature had climbed to a whopping 21 degrees!! They were troopers, though! With it being so cold, they all still finished in under 30 minutes. You can see the final results here. The night before the race, the Blacks hosted everyone for a carb loading dinner. Michael cooked all the food! He cooked huge amounts of ziti, whole wheat pasta, lasagna and spaghetti. He also made homemade bread! It was delicous!!!!

I was SO VERY proud of Jonathan! He had such a great time that he is already starting to look forward to running another in March! Maybe I'll join him...or NOT! Seriously though, maybe I will someday...just not this March.

Small groupie birthdays!

We try to celebrate birhtdays in our small group and sometimes we get behind. A few weeks ago we celebrated Michael's birthday (11/19) and tried to celebrate Eric's (10/31) and Kari's (10/29), but they were at home because Kari wasn't feeling well. Hope things are better for you now Kari!! We love our small group and miss those that are in Bolivia! Wish you were here to celebrate with us!

God is Sovereign even in our sorrow...

We are sorrowful, yet rejoice in the sovereignty of our Lord.

On Thursday I took a home pregnancy test and found out I was pregnant. I estimated that I was about 5 - 6 weeks along. We were excited! On Saturday I started spotting and began cramping and bleeding heavily on Sunday at church. I called the doctor and was told that because it was so early in the pregnancy, there was nothing they could do and I would need to wait until today to be seen. We had an ultrasound this afternoon and I will see the doctor tomorrow. The ultrasound showed there was an "illness" in my uterus and no sac could be seen. The doctor called and said it could be too early in the pregnancy to see a sac, but she felt there was no sac because I was miscarrying. Physically, I'm beginning to feel better. This morning was proably the worst. It's been a roller coaster ride of emotions the last few days, but we're beginning to level out.

Jonathan and I said when I was pregnant with Emma and with this baby that these children are not our own. Emma and this child belong to God to do what He will to glorify Himself. We take comfort in knowing that God formed even this child's inward parts; He knitted him together in his mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) We pray He will use this loss in our lives to glorify Himself and draw us closer to Him. My specific prayer is that Jonathan and I will be able to minister to others through this loss. I pray that our faith in our Sovereign Lord through this will cause questions. And that the answers to those questions may lead to more conversation.

We know God causes sorrow and that we should expect it. Our lives would be empty without the mercy that was given to us on the cross. We are thankful for the hope that Christ alone gives, even during this time.

We covet your prayers during this time and are so thankful for the few people who've known up to this point who have loved us and have been praying for us. To God be the glory forever and ever!

Thanksgiving pictures..

We went to VA for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time. Jonathan's grandmother was there from Texas so we were able to get some great family pictures.

Thanksgiving...

The day we celebrate all the things we we are thankful for is upon us. Tomorrow we will all get up early, put the turkey in the oven and get all the other dishes cooked and ready for our meal. Before all the hustle and bustle of the day begins, I'd like to take a few mintues to say what I'm most thankful for this year:

1. My salvation and the abundant grace and mercy given me to me daily by our Heavenly Father

2. My wonderful and ever so patient husband

3. Our beautiful and healthy daughter, Emma

4. Wonderful friends

5. God's constant provision in our lives

6. A house to live in and care for

7. Our families

8. Friendly neighbors

9. An air conditioner in the summer

10. A heater in the winter

11. A church family who loves us and encourages us

12. A job for Jonathan

13. 2 cars that run and have given us little problems

...and the list goes on. I'll try to add to this list as things come to mind and as I have time. We are on our way to VA to be with Jonathan's parents and grandmother who flew in from TX yesterday.

Happy thanksgiving to all of you. May you also remember the things you are thankful for this year. How gracious and merciful God is to us!

I stand Amazed
by Dennis Jernigan

I see the stars that You have made
I know You call them all by name!
To think Father God
Whom heaven displays
Is thinking of me in intimate ways!

I stand amazed in all of Your glory!
That you would die for me -
I stand amazed!
I stand amazed in all of Your glory
True Love's sweetest story!
I stand amazed

I see the nails piercing Your skin
My wicked heart driving them in
I see the spear piercing Your side
I see the Lamb for me crucified !

I stand amazed at all of Your ways
Me, worthy of death -
You, worthy of praise!
While yet in my sine You died for me!
My God, I will parise you eternally!

For this is what I'm most thankful for this year!

What are you thankful for this year??

60th birthday celebration...

This weekend we traveled to VA to surprise Jonathan's dad for his birthday. Barbara ended up having to tell him that we were coming. :-) But Steve coming was still a total surprise. Barabra had also invited some couples from their Bible study to come over and Pete was VERY surprised. We had a great time. Of course, Emma thought all the people were there to see her and that they were singing to her! :-) Thanks Pete and Barbara for a wonderful weekend and for the gifts you sent home with us! They are much appreciated!


 

Our new bed!

Jonathan and I have never had anything but a metal frame for our mattresses. We are so excited that we were able to buy a bed this past weekend. We want to find a canopy drape for it. We found one we really like, but it's ivory and we need it to be white. We are also going to paint the walls an oatmeal color. :-) I'm so excited about our "new" room! 

It's really fall!

The leaves are just starting to turn in our neighborhood. Isn't it gorgeous?!? I just love the fall in the Southeast! Growing up fall lasted, oh, 2 days. LOL! We didn't really have fall or spring in Texas. It was summer and then winter. The trees are so beautiful here when they are turning. Pictures don't do them justice. A drive in the mountains this time of year is priceless. 

Pumpkins!

We met some friends at a local farm on Saturday to pick pumpkins. I learned once we got out there, that their pimpkins were not quite ready and they had brought some in and placed them out in the patch. I never would have known otherwise! We had such a great time. I hope this will become and annual tradition with our friends! I had aspirations of great fall pictures of Emma, but I have an avtive toddler! She is only still when she's sleeping! Most of the pictures I got of her are blurry or are the back of her head. She's constantly on the move! You can see a few more picutres on her blog.




 

Pumpkin Patch!

On Saturday, we met some friends at a local farm close to our house to pick pumpkins. We learned when we got there that the pumpkins in their patch weren't quite ready, so they had some brought in and placed them out in the field. :-) I would have never known! We had SUCH a great time and I hope it becomes an annual tradition! I was hoping to get some really cute fall pictures of Emma, but she's SO BUSY these days. Most pictures I get are blurry or are the back of her head! You can see a few more pictures on her blog.

 

Who knew...

...that one jalapeno pepper plant could produce so many peppers?!? Anyone know what I'll be making this afternoon? Beth's Jalapeno Syrup and Stuffed Jalapenos









<--- the plant after it was first planted










<---the plant now - WOWZERS! And if you look close enough, you will see that I didn't get all the peppers picked!

Aerated red clay core meets 13 month old...

So if you've ever wondered what happens when a 13 month old puts a red clay dirt plug in her mouth, wonder no more! :-) Last week at women's Bible study, I found out! We were inside plugging (no pun intended ;-) ) through our Bible study on prayer when the woman who was watching children that day (thanks Joanne for your willingnes to serve us in this way!), brought Emma in and called to me. When I first looked over, I thought Emma had eaten glass or something. This red stuff (that looked like blood from where I was sitting) just kept dripping out of her mouth. But she wasn't crying. Her eyes were as big as marbles and she kept sticking her tongue out, like she was trying to get something out of her mouth. She had eaten a dirt plug. (For those of you who don't live in the south, or aren't used to the hard red clay that we have here, in the fall everyone has their yards aerated. A machine of sorts is run over the yard and makes 1/2 inch or so holes in the yard. This helps the yard to breathe over the winter months and the grass grow nice and thick in the spring and summer. The result are these dirt plugs from the little holes. Until we get a really good rain, these plugs are all over your yard.) So I got her inside and put her face/mouth under running water. It was pretty funny I have to say. I wish someone had taken some pictures. It was hilarious. Her little eyes were blinking and she was trying to spit out the water and the clay... HA! The bad part is the red clay she got all over her new shirt. I tried and tried to get it out, but to no avail. It's stained. Have you ever tried to get red clay out of clothes...IMPOSSIBLE! I treated it, washed it, soaked it...next, I will try OxyClean... (update - just got back from the mall and got another shirt like the old one for $2.50...gotta love the sale rack!)

Oh the stories that are being stored up to tell Emma's first boyfriend! ;-)

More Texas...

I haven't had much of a chance to really blog about our trip to Texas. I'm sure you all know it is more work to come home from a trip than it is to get ready for one! :-)

We had such a great time in Texas with my family. It had been 21 months since we had been to Texas, and obviously Emma's first trip. She did fairly well on the plane rides to Texas, but not so well on the trip back. She was exhausted and basically just plain unhappy. But lucky for most of the other passengers, she has the quietest cry of any baby I know. :-) Needless to say, Mommy and Daddy were worn out by the time we got home!

Our first day in Texas was spent with my brother Reg and SIL Tera and their son Trent in Big Spring. Mom and Dad were there too and we had a mini-birthday celebration for Emma. She did better with this cake than the one here in Charlotte, but she was still hesitant! She didn't know what to think or do! She still didn't eat any of it...she just played in it! Mom and Dad (GigiPops) gave her a doll, but she was WAY more interested in playing with Trent's football! Reg, Tera and Trent gave her a Big Spring jersey and some squeaky shoes that are SOOOO cute and she LOVES them!

The next day we traveled to Lubbock where we were for the rest of the week. The week was spent with a day at the fair, a day of shopping, visiting with my other brother Jay, visiting with my parent's friends and visiting with extended family. Oh did I mention great food??

On Friday, we traveled back to Big Spring for the big football game! Reg is a football coach there, so we really wanted to see his team play. They lost, but played hard. The score was 49-56. He coaches the offensive line, so I guess his guys did their jobs! Emma had a blast. Her favorite part was going on the field after the game and running around. Again - there are pictures on her blog. She also really liked the band.

Saturday came too fast! We traveled back to Midland and caught our flight back home. It was so good to be with family, but I do have to say that it sure was good to sleep in our bed Saturday night! We also missed worshipping with our church family the week before, so we were glad to be back in church on Sunday here in Charlotte.

We love all of our family in Texas and hate that we are so far away and that we aren't able financially right now to come as often as we'd like.

Friends...

Right before we left for Texas, our friends Michelle and Vera came and stayed with us. They live in China and were in the States for a few weeks. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have of Michelle! We were a little preoccupied taking pictures of the girls together. :-) You can see those on Emma's blog. In this picture, Michelle is consoling Vera after Emma scared her, by yelling/growling at her! It was SOOO good to spend time with the two of them. Michelle broke her foot while spending time with her family, so she ended up in a cast right before she got to Charlotte. You should have seen us at the mall with me pushing a double stroller and Michelle manuevering a wheelchair. The best was when Michelle pushed the double stroller and I pushed her up the ramps. LOL! Michelle's friend Maria met us at the mall with her 10 month old little girl. We were quite a sight with all the stollers and wheelchair!! 

Trip to Texas

We got back on Saturday from a week long trip to Texas. Here are a few pictures, but you can see LOTS more on Emma's blog. More to come on our trip...it's late and I'm about to fall asleep here at the computer!