Every once in awhile a snack food comes out that demands my complete attention until I've demolished the entire bag/box. Right now, it is these brown rice Triscuit crackers with sour cream and chive flavoring. I don't like the texture of the crackers that much, but they are DOUSED with flavoring and therefore, I'm munching the last few crumbs when they were just purchased yesterday...
We had to buy two boxes to use the promo coupon they were giving out. I made sure to throw the other box in the top shelf of my pantry where I cannot access them without a chair because I thought that would prove that I at least thought about not trying to eat them before Mike gets back...Maybe it will work??


I am appreciative that my church group went well and the meeting was graciously moved to the nursery so Orion could play and roam freely while we talked about the Eucharist from rocking chairs.

I am also very grateful that I made the right decision in coming straight home afterwards. I was rewarded with a napping baby who is sound asleep in his bed at this very moment. Nothing better than the post-outing nap! Now I don't have to share my crackers! Ha ha ha.

Glad I remembered to take the trash and recycling out this morning. I slept poorly last night, but I am not surprised by it. My throat feels really dry today and it did last night too. Bothersome.

I wish we could still travel with Mike. I really miss it. I just think it would be unfair to Orion to sit in a hotel room all week and I know my sanity would be tested. Gone are the days where he napped half the day away and it was easy to tag along!

We have to go to church today. I am not looking forward to it. I don't know how I am supposed to entertain a 16 month old for an hour and a half while trying to learn something in a church class. Oh well, at least Sister will learn about how difficult this will be for me and why I miss some classes. Ugh.

For all the complaining, things are going okay. I saw two squirrels in the backyard this morning! A black one in a tree and a brown one on top of the play set. I was glad to see them, because I feel there is a dearth of wildlife in our yard compared to when I'm at my parents.

All four of Orion's molars are on their way in. Poor buddy! But at least the ear infection/illness has passed! And thankfully, he is still sleeping well! :)

New baby is super duper active. Half the time, after I wake up in the middle of the night for the restroom, I am kept up by movements and wiggles. If I have to be awake, it's a really neat thing to be awake for.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. -- Romans 12:1-2, The Message

I believe the only thing that is bothering me about not being on Facebook is that I can't enter most blog giveaways anymore! They all want you to go and like a Facebook page :-(

We've been busy. The weather has been making small shifts towards spring, which is encouraging. Still snow in the yard, but no more blizzards (knock on wood). I can't believe I'll actually have to think about the garden soon!

Orion is feeling much better and I am doing okay. Starting to feel a bit of that discomfort again now that I'm sort of close to the end of the second trimester. It really hurts to carry Orion, which breaks my heart. It hurts to sit on the floor too long. Most everything I want to do is uncomfortable. And I seem to be in the bathroom more and more. Frustrating.

On a happy note, my doctor says everything is going perfectly with the pregnancy. I also...looked at the card with the gender on it...AND I am so happy with the news!! I won't say here, but I have told my dad and I tried telling my mom but she still doesn't want to know yet. I will probably share with a few more people, but in person.

Mike stopped on his way through Grand Rapids yesterday at Cabela's and brought home the new Northface jacket I had wanted to replace the one that was stolen. I am so happy! This one is green and maybe more Muppet-like than the last one. Was a very sweet gesture and now I won't freeze.

It was really good to see him again last night, even though we were both wiped. Hopefully he is able to take a half day today and hopefully I get the chores done & the packing before then so we can just set off on our adventure.

This week I finished both The Long Winter and Farmer Boy. Farmer Boy will always be my favorite of the series only because of the culinary descriptions! Gosh, I wish I could cook and preserve food like Mrs. Wilder did.

Now I have started reading The Interestings. This is most definitely my type of book stylistically. The first two chapters had me swooning over her writing technique. I am worried that the plot is going to take a twist that is either predictable or totally off-the-wall later on. Too many books I've read in the past two years have been decent until the final plot twist. See: The Middlesteins & The Corrections, for example.

“Worry is the fear we manufacture; it is a choice. Conversely, true fear is involuntary; it will come and get our attention if necessary. But if a parent or a child feels fear constantly, there is no signal left for when it’s really needed. Thus, the parent who chooses to worry all the time or who invests unwarranted fears into children is actually making them less safe. Worry is not a precaution; it is the opposite because it delays and discourages constructive action.”         -Gavin de Becker

Poor Orion. His nostrils were completely crusted over with boogers this morning. There is nothing more tragic than a sickie baby; I know I keep mentioning that but it really is an anxious mama's least favorite thing. Thank goodness for the NoseFrida!

Yesterday evening I went out by myself for a little bit. First stop was church, to see if my coat was hanging out there waiting for me. Sadly, it was not. Next, I met a friend and her family at the Civic Center to check out a Dutch costume sale (for Tulip Time, we wanted to dress up our babies) but the whole thing was a complete bust. We had to wait in line and by the time we got in there was one outfit for a child her daughter's size and only three in Orion's size--for $50! Mike would have been upset if I spent $50 on something I know he could probably make. So, we parted ways, and I went to the grocery store for lack of anything else to do. I usually love grocery shopping, but this was mostly about wasting time and making myself be out for some alone time even though I would rather have been home in bed or eating dinner. I resisted buying: a doughnut, buttermilk ranch flavored pretzels, cinnamon rolls, and peach iced tea. I brought home eggs, cheap bagels (since I can't get a real bagel in this town), and multi-grain cheerios for O.

There is snow on the ground this morning. I knew it was coming so I can't be too upset...but I am still over looking at it. We will be at home resting some more today...I may or may not make Orion watch more 19 Kids and Counting with me. I don't know why I am watching it, but this long winter may have led to a psyche break.

Good news is that the dishwasher is now scheduled to arrive tomorrow!

It is 8:50 A.M. and my cutie boy is still asleep! We think he is feeling under the weather, plus yesterday was ridiculously busy and he didn't nap at all...so I am not going to disturb his slumbers. I even put him to bed at 6:50 P.M. without a fuss. Very unusual, but I am enjoying this morning time to myself. Wonder if he will nap later today. Also must remember that daylight savings was only yesterday and so "technically" it still feels like 7:52.

I slept poorly last night too. I feel like this is a little early to start feeling this uncomfortable, but I guess second pregnancies are different. I kept trying to prop myself on pillows and fold my blankets differently to give me a more restful position, but none of it seemed to help.

We found out good friends of ours are expecting this weekend! So excited and happy for them. Mike says in the future we should have family vacations with them. I think that would be so much fun. O already adores playing with their two year old. Our new babies will be only 3-4 months apart.

Yesterday was such a whirlwind. We had a good bye breakfast here in Holland for a friend who is moving to AZ to further pursue his dream of working with beer. He was working at a brewery in the U.P, but is excited to be going somewhere warm now. We don't blame him! It was nice that all our friends came here to Holland for breakfast. We ate at DeBoer's. Delicious again! Mike, Orion, and I all got the same items that we ordered last time...but I really wanted to order the bliss cakes as well. Next time, maybe, if I can resist the alluring call of Eggs Benny.

Everyone came over to our house afterwards, but I had to leave for mass at 11, because I had to go through a process for RCIA. Said some goodbyes upon my return to the house and Mike, O, and I headed for St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids for the Rite of Election. It was a fairly painful event that reminded me a lot of a high school graduation--too many people in a cramped space & waiting a long, long time to hear your name read. I am glad I went and experienced it, but it was a little taxing for me, especially being pregnant and having to sit for almost three hours against a wall with no room to get comfortable. Meeting and being blessed by the bishop was a lovely experience, however. I was happy and flattered to have the support of Mike and my in-laws, as well as Mike's grandmother. I wouldn't want to give up my Sunday afternoon to sit through all that! Plus they did a really great job of keeping Orion in good spirits.

I felt so tired after the event that I requested Mike stop at Culver's for some ice cream that I had been craving all week. He obliged and upon returning home I basically shut down once Orion was in bed. Too tired! A very long day for me. I rested in bed with the heating pad after taking a bath at Mike's suggestion (even though baths in our tub NEVER refresh me). Napped on and off and then had a fitful night's sleep. No big plans for today...just glad I remembered to put the trash can out!

Ah...another note from yesterday: my coat went missing after mass. I have no idea what has become of it, but I hope maybe to go back and see if it is waiting for me later this week. I really love my coat and have no other one except a ridiculous dress coat I don't want to wear daily. Sad face.

"What nobody tells people who are beginners - and I really wish someone had told this to me...is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it's normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work."

-Ira Glass

I've decided to really embrace the Lenten season this year. I finally understand the benefits of going without in a way I never did when I was younger. I set some pretty good standards for myself this year, I feel:

Giving up:

-Facebook (I know it's cliche, but I really was using it in an unhealthy way).
-Using more than one cup daily (highly irresponsible...although this is a "one cup + one tea/coffee mug" rule).
-Excess clothes (things that have been given to me that I dislike, things that don't fit, things that I don't wear).

Adding:

-Reading a devotion and Bible verses daily (I've signed up for the She Reads Truth plan and I have the Little Black Book of Lenten devotions from church). I sort of want to add in reading a Psalm every day, but maybe I will save that for after Lent so I don't overwhelm myself.
-Reflecting more on God's love for me. I have a hard time accepting love even in my earthly relationships sometimes and it feels to me if I remind myself of his love for me, even at my worst, it would be beneficial.

We went to Ash Wednesday service last night. I had never been to one before. It was a little chaotic as we had to wrangle Mr. Wiggle Worm the entire time, but we received our ashes and a good message (Orion's ashes looked more like an upside down triangle to me and he prompted rubbed his head against my shirt to remove them). Next year I'll have to remember that there is a soup supper before hand. I had made a quiche for dinner in a panic when I realized we needed to eat before leaving (it was delicious but it would have been convenient to have already been at church to get better seats).

Today we have a play date and it looks like a beautiful, clear day out. I also have an overdue library book to return. I was doing so well! Note to self: no more hiding library books in your dresser drawers. Maybe we will take a quick browse around Target as well, if I'm feeling adventurous.

Thankful today for so many things...

Still sleepy despite a nap. My cold is overtaking me. I can't believe I fought given into sickness this long this winter. It feels like every nasty feeling I've had about the snow and gloom has returned to attack and haunt me like those pesky ghosts from A Christmas Carol ("Doomed...you're doomed for all time...it will snow forever, now you're sick and hey, this rhymes!")

Orion is still napping. His daddy came home for lunch and put him down before he left. Then he instructed me to go to bed and, as is evident above, I did. Now I am drinking hot water with lemon in it and feeling woozy despite having eaten a piece of toast with avocado. I think I will let O sleep as long as he wishes because I wish my body would have let me rest longer. I feel the small movements of new baby this afternoon, one of my favorite things.

I gave up Facebook today, a day early. Best to do these things with gusto. I hope I can manage life without it. I am sure I'll be fine once I get over having itchy fingers to check something (I'm terrible with my Feedly too). What a day and age we live in. I remember being a kid with the internet and using it solely to send Blue Mountain Arts ecards to my best friend (who I saw everyday at school) and looking at the TY beanie baby webpage (every month a different Beanie wrote a daily journal)!

Oh, I finally started The Long Winter and it is nice to feel some solidarity with those characters.

Until Next Time