5.20.2008

Just for fun

Strangest advice received at church on Sunday: feed your nursing baby goat's milk when you need to give the baby a bottle

Strangest experience of the day: making my evening snack (a smoothie) on the back patio since there was no place in the apartment where ice and berry crushing wouldn't wake a sleeping child.

Strange baby monitor experience: hearing someone else's child crying (let's hope that's all we hear from their apartment)

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Currently reading:
The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood by Susan Hunt
The Abs Diet for Women by David Zinczenko
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey (a recurring entry on this list)
The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Proverbs

Was reading (with Charlie) but now MIA since the move to the apartment:
The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth Taylor

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Items on the to-do list: 13
Items on the project list: 8

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Pieces of insulation missing under our Augusta house: 2 (I guess the inspector who inspected our house before we bought it was the builder's cousin or something)

Under Contract

Those words are music to our ears right now. Aaaahhh. We have a contract. House passed inspection yesterday. All belongings moved into a POD yesterday. Closing on May 29th. God is good - our house selling in this market is nothing short of a MIRACLE. Many houses in our neighborhood are for sale, for much longer than ours. And yet, our house sold.

Thank you Lord! Thank you praying friends!

5.13.2008

Happy Mother's Day to ME

We celebrated Mother's Day by baptizing Elliot and my new little nephew John (3 weeks old!). It was a very beautiful and moving service, reminding us of the wonderful blessing of parenting these two boys and sobering us too, at the thought of the awesome responsibility that is before us, especially in light of the seriousness of the vows we made before the church and the Lord:

1. Do you acknowledge your child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit?
2. Do you claim God's covenant promises in his behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, as you do for your own?
3. Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God, and promise, in humble reliance upon God's grace, that you will endeavor to set before him a godly example, that you will pray with and for him, that you will instruct him in the teachings of the Christian faith, and that you will strive, by all means of God's appointment, to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Thankfully, "he gives more grace" which we will surely need to fulfill these promises!

A few pictures...

These days, I think that this is as close as we are going to get to a good family picture! :)



Poor Elliot. After having a TON of water dropped right onto his face (seriously, I think we broke a church record for the most water dumped on a baby! Baby we are moving towards dunking...?) :), sitting through a long church and being deprived of both his morning naps, he was DONE. Posing for a thousand pictures was the last item on his agenda! He always looks away and ignors me when he's tired, like in the picture below.




From Genesis 48, Jacob's blessing to the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim -
15 "...May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm—may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth."

5.09.2008

Why I really dislike (dare I say hate?) apartment life...and material for sacrifice.

1. Apartments are LOUD. Our upstairs neighbors are big-time "stompers." I can't even hear myself think for all the stomping around. And it keeps waking up my children, which makes me CRAZY.

2. Apartments are LOUD. I cannot stand sleeping next to a window, which is next to a sidewalk, which is next to a parking lot where everyone parks as they come and go from work and wherever else they need to go / come from at all hours of the morning and late night. I hear locks beeps and see lots of headlight flashes ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Arrgh.

3. Apartments are LOUD. So loud that my 2-year old can't sleep at all here. He normally sleeps 12 hours a night and takes a 2-3 nap during the day, for a total of about 15 hours of sleep per day. Here, he's getting about 10-12 hours of sleep on a good day. For many children, that would be acceptable. But not for him. He's constantly yawning, sporting red and watery eyes and cries and whines pretty much all day, making the rest of us miserable.

4. Apartments and pets don't mix. I hate taking them "out" four times a day, sometimes taking 2 children along with me, other times locking the children in the apartment and going alone (only when they are both sound asleep, of course). I hate watching them stress out over the constant noise and activity going on all around us. I hate that they really have no good way to get all of their energy out.

(Crash, boom, bang - huge noise just heard upstairs. If Charlie was still sleeping by some miracle, he's certainly not sleeping now!)

5. I hate getting my mail in those little slots. I don't like retrieving my mail from those little slots.

6. I hate unloading the car. Babies and bags of groceries are hard to carry at the same time.

7. I hate how Charlie almost gets hit by a car every time we get in and out of the car. I don't have enough hands to carry both kids.

8. I hate sleeping on a cot on the floor, though this is not the fault of apartment life, it's still worth mentioning.

9. I hate how there are no overhead lights at all in the living area or in Charlie's room. WHY would anyone omit lighting?

10. I hate paying so much money for a place that we do not own. We paid well over $40K for our 3-year stay in our Charlottesville apartment.

11. I hate taking the trash to the compactor that is quite far from our apartment. It's scary in the back corner of the complex at night!

12. And this is bratty but I hate not having a garage. I really grew accustomed to having a garage and now I'm not sure how to function without one (See Items 6 & 7 above).


But some what I've been reading by Elizabeth Elliot lately speaks directly to my grumpiness, dissatisfaction and complaints:

"It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given...ingratitude to him amounts to rebellion...let thanksgiving by the habit of your life...Is it not reasonable to believe that that same God, the God of Heaven to whom all thanks is due, will provide for us today the materials for sacrifice? For one who has made thanksgiving the habit of his or her life, the morning prayer will be, 'Lord, what will you give me today to offer back to you?' "

So today, right now, if I'm honest, I'll admit that it's hard not to be bitter, angry and grumpy about the things in the list above. I'm a perfectionist and an anal, picky person who thrives in organized and controlled environments. As such, this current living situation is the "anti-Emily" in every way (my clothes are piled up in a suitcase beside me and my office materials are in a box under Ryan's cot). But by the power that lives IN me, I'm going to purpose today, right now, to be thankful for my life, full of blessings without measure - healthy beautiful children, a wonderful marriage and coming soon, a beautiful new home with plenty of room for playing and sleeping.

And I have my new hobby to distract me, woohoo! :) Coming soon - a blog for my new business! Highlighting gift ideas and my favorite products!

5.07.2008

Don't I have enough to do?

Announcing Emily Moody
an Independent Southern Living at HOME Consultant

I am excited to announce that I am starting a new business! I have decided to become a consultant with Southern Living at HOME, the fastest growing party company in history! Having enjoyed reading Southern Living and using their beautiful products in my home, I can now share what Southern Living at HOME has to offer with my friends and family! And since I just love entertaining, decorating, cooking and shopping, this business seemed like a perfect fit for me! J Whether or not you are familiar with our various pottery items, serving and decorating pieces, books, etc., I would like to share this beautiful line of products with you and your friends. I am asking for your help in one or more of the following ways, as I seek to build a successful Southern Living at HOME business:

· Sharing Southern Living at HOME with your friends and family by hosting a party in your home! We have an incredible hostess rewards program and I would love the opportunity to help you get lots of beautiful items for free and half-price. May is a great month to host a party - lots of specials and extras for hostesses!

· Hosting a catalog party and enjoying the same great benefits as our in-home party hostesses

· Ordering products from me for your gift-giving needs. Our products make wonderful wedding, baby, house-warming, mother's day, father's day, birthday and Christmas gifts. I'm currently taking orders from the Spring Catalog!

· Ordering or renewing your magazine subscriptions with me. We have Southern Living, Cooking Light, Southern Accents, Cottage Living, Coastal Living, Health, and Sunset

· Joining my TEAM of Southern Living consultants by starting your own Southern Living at HOME business

· Keeping me in mind for bridal parties and fundraisers

· Sharing my name with someone who might be interested in our products or career opportunity. I appreciate your referrals.

Please take a few minutes to browse my website and the on-line Spring catalog: http://www.southernlivingathome.com/emilymoody


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I'm excited about this new adventure! We'll see how it goes!