Nursery Update...

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was going to start speaking our baby into our lives. So since my parents were here this past week, we decided to go ahead and start working on our nursery.

I had always dreamed of having wainscoting or recessed paneling in our baby's room, so I searched on the internet until I found exactly what I wanted. I found the picture below and my mom, dad, David and I went to Home Depot to find all the materials we needed to start on our nursery...

The quality of this picture is not good because I took a picture of it with my phone from mom's iPad :)

Mom and I cleared out the room...it used to be a guest bedroom.

We are also planning on replacing the doors to the closet...the ones the previous owners put on the closet do not even fit. But our plan is to put in sliding doors that we think will look perfect.

Dad and David put down a new tall baseboard...

And then started on the wainscoting...

They added a quarter round to finish off the seam...

Then added another tall board at the top and trimmed it off with a piece of crown molding...

I LOVE this view of the window...this is the FIRST thing you see when you come into the room!

The detail of the crown molding just makes my heart go pitter patter...

I honestly think they did a BETTER job than my inspiration picture...don't you think so?

David plans to start the painting tomorrow and I'm SO excited to see the finished product.

I'm continuing to speak this baby into our lives!!!

Delight...

I can't even begin to tell you just how often God speaks directly to me through several of the daily devotionals I receive. This one is yet again, another example...

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart”

(Psalm 37:4, AMP)

TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Are you believing God for something that seems to be taking a long time? In the natural, you may have every reason to give up on what God has placed in your heart. At times, you may be tempted to get discouraged, but remember, God knows exactly where you are. He knows the desires He’s placed within you. He knows even the hidden dreams — what the scripture calls the secret petitions of your heart. Those are the things that you haven’t told anyone about. Maybe you thought they would never work out, or you’ve buried them because they didn’t happen on your timetable. But God still has a way to bring them to pass.

Be encouraged today because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Delight yourself in Him — find joy in serving Him and make your heart moldable in His hands. Don’t settle for mediocrity because God knows what’s in you, and His plan is to finish the work He began in you!

SO glad...

I saw THIS article today and was overwhelmed with happiness for Giuliana and Bill.

After watching their show and SOBBING through the episodes when they found out that G had a miscarriage, my heart just ached for them. It's strange how CLOSE you can feel to someone you don't even know, especially when you share the same desires, hopes, and expectations.

(photo from Huffpost Celebrity)

I truly believe adoption is a WONDERFUL process and I hope that they are blessed with a baby very soon!

God is Good & He is in Control...

Remember to Say Every Day: God Is Good and He Is in Control

by Rick Warren

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who’ve been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

“Why is life so hard?” Do you ever find yourself asking this question because you’re frustrated by circumstances in your life?

Frustration is the result of living in a world that is broken by sin. You can’t avoid suffering. There will be pain, and if you aren’t careful, that pain can lead to bitterness.

Bitterness is a poison that will eat you alive. It’s like a cancer to your heart. When you become bitter towards someone, you don’t hurt that person; you only hurt yourself.

It’s so easy to become envious and jealous of others when life doesn’t go the way we want it to. We begin to think, “It’s not fair. Why does that person have it so easy when life is so tough for me?”

It’s very easy to become resentful in a broken world. But envy and jealousy can quickly turn to bitterness, and bitterness will eat you up.

How do you keep from becoming bitter? You choose. There will be pain in your life. The question is, are you going to allow it to make you a better person or a bitter person? You can moan and groan and become bitter. Or you can stay sweet in a suffering world by remembering these four things:

The Holy Spirit is praying for you. “[T]he Spirit himself speaks to God for us, and even begs God for us with deep feelings that words cannot explain” (Romans 8:26 NCV).

God uses everything for your good. “And we know in all things God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8:28 NIV). God is bigger than your enemies. He’s bigger than your critics. He’s bigger than your problems. And he’s working it all for good in your life.

God wants you to succeed. “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31 NLT). God wants you to succeed in all those areas where you are failing. He’s pulling for you.

God will give you what you need. “And since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 NLT). God solved your biggest problem when he paid for all your sins, including the ones you haven’t done yet. If God cared enough to save you and give you the gift of eternal life, don’t you think he cares about the problems in your daily life? If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about. And if you pray about it, you won’t have to worry about it.

All of these things should remind you that God is good and he’s in control.

Perfect...

I mentioned in THIS post that I had decided to start speaking this baby into our lives. My parents will be here in about a week and our plan is to start working on the nursery. My OCD personality wants to make sure that our nursery is somewhat ready if a birthmother chooses us...which can happen in a blink of an eye.

One of the first things that we are going to do is paint the nursery a green color. So I searched high and low for some baby boy and baby girl fabrics that I liked...both incorporating green into the color scheme. I finally came across several fabrics that I think would make the perfect crib bedding.

I ordered these swatches for crib bedding to help us choose the perfect shade of green for our perfect baby...

For a boy...

For a girl...

I'm not planning on using ALL of the fabrics you see above, but wanted to at least get an idea of how they all would coordinate. To be honest, I love ALL the fabrics...so I'm not really sure how in the world I'm going to narrow them down and choose the ones we will actually use. BUT I think I have chosen the perfect shade of green to start the nursery with.

PERFECT!!!!

Mercies in Disguise...

I am so in love with this song right now...so true.

He NEVER Disappoints...

God never ceases to amaze me. Just when I need an answer, an extra boost in my day, or a little encouragement to get me over a hump...He always delivers.

Proof...

I was sitting at the doctor's office on Monday and I was having one of those days. My hormones were out of whack, I had a MILLION things to take care of at work, and I was dreading my upcoming birthday AGAIN without a baby. All I really wanted to do was go back home and go to bed.

I decided it would probably be a good idea to read through some of the verses on my Daily Prayer app on my phone. Here is the very first scripture that appeared...

They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent." The Lord said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." ~Genesis: 9-18

My attitude changed in an instant...He NEVER disappoints, does He?

Kokopelli...

Since experiencing the waiting for a child for quite a few years now, I've come in contact with the fertility god, Kokopelli QUITE a few times. Not in REAL life, of course, but you get the idea :)

I got really tickled though, when I saw this huge picture of Kokopelli in one of the rooms in our doctor's office...

Actually, there are SEVERAL symbols, artwork, and even a windchime depicting Kokopelli's picture in this room.

In case you haven't heard about Kokopelli, I found some interesting facts about him...

Kokopelli embodies the true American Southwest, and dates back over 3,000 years ago. There are many myths of the famous Kokopelli. One of which is that he traveled from village to village bringing the changing of winter to spring; melting the snow and bringing about rain for a successful harvest.  It is also said that he was the source of human conception. Legend has it, everyone in the village would sing and dance throughout the night when they heard Kokopelli play his flute. The next morning, every maiden in the village would be with child. (info from Kokopelli.com)

I'm sure praying that Kokopelli brings us luck and I wake up SOON with a child of my own :)

Sentimental Crib...

When we were in Texas a few weeks ago for my high school reunion, we spent Saturday morning with my grandmother (I call her Mother). She shared with me that she wasn't sure if I would be interested, but my great-grandfather built a crib for her when she was a baby, and thought I might want it for our baby. The crib was not only used for my grandmother, but also for my dad and his two brothers. It is definitely an antique, at least 80 years old...but more importantly, it was built by my great-grandfather (who passed away last year at the age of 102).

I am SO excited about this...how sentimental and special would it be to have our baby sleep in the crib that my great-grandfather built with his own two hands?!?!?

My grandmother took the crib last week to a company that specializes in refurbishing antique furniture. She was concerned that it wouldn't be able to be fixed, but they felt confident that they could change out some of the bolts, screws, etc. and paint it. I thought that I might want it stained to match our bedroom furniture...we are thinking this crib will be the one we keep in our room when the baby is small and we can get a bigger one for the actual nursery. But, the company was concerned that due to the fact that the wood is so old, it wouldn't hold stain very well. So we've decided to just have them paint it white instead.

Here are a few pics of the crib BEFORE...

It was one of those cribs that you could adjust the railing up or down, but since that is no longer safe, they are going to bolt it into one position.

My grandmother thinks that it will be ready by the time my parents come again for a visit at the end of July and they can bring it to us.

I am SO very excited about this sentimental crib and look forward to the day when I can tell our sweet baby who made it :)

Speaking it into My Life...

A good friend of mine told me YEARS ago that I needed to start speaking our baby into our lives. She encouraged me to start working on our nursery, start buying clothes, and to start picking out a crib/furniture.

After meeting with our social worker last week, I realized that she could call us one day, without a moments notice, and tell us that our baby is HERE. She commented that she's had several conversations where she called the adoptive parents and said..."Your baby is here! Go to Target TONIGHT because the baby will be placed with you TOMORROW!!" How exciting would that be?!?!?

So I've decided to take my friend's advice...FINALLY! The next time my parents are in town, we are going to start moving out all our guest furniture and get the room ready. I have wanted (and envisioned for YEARS) to have wainscoting or recessed paneling in our baby's room. So I am hoping that the hubby and my dad can do that during the next trip.

I've picked out a few designs that I think would be pretty...

I've also decided to paint the room green on the top of the wainscoting or recessed paneling...that way, we can add blue if it's a boy or pink if it's a girl :) Not sure which type of green yet, but I'm looking at crib bedding right now and trying to narrow it down.

So here I go...speaking this baby into my life!!!

Play it Down and Pray it Up...

Play It Down and Pray It Up

by Rick Warren

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 (NIV)

Is there pain in getting in shape? Yes. Is there a profit to it? Yes. Is there pain in doing the right thing in your marriage? Yes. Is there profit to it? Yes. Is there pain in having a daily quiet time and being disciplined? Yes. Does it have profit and benefit? Yes.

To endure short-term pain in a situation, you need to look at the long-term reward.

“He (Jesus) was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God” (variation on Hebrews 12:2b LB).

Why did Jesus go to the cross? Because he knew the joy that would be his afterward – the joy of seeing all of us saved. He was willing to go through the pain of the cross because he could look past it to the reward that followed.

When you are going through any kind of problem, any kind of pain, play it down and pray it up. Take it to God in prayer as you keep in mind whatever it is isn’t the end of the world.

Take a moment and read 2 Corinthians 11:24-30. Paul was beaten and stoned, survived a shipwreck, faced robbers, floods, deserts, and stormy seas, went without food and water, and lacked sleep and clothing to keep him warm. Yet, in spite of all these things he endured during his ministry, he was still able to say, “We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NIV).

Everything that Paul endured for the gospel he called “light and momentary troubles.” He knew it was all a matter of perspective. He minimized the pain and maximized the profit.

Today’s verse from Galatians says that “at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” There is always a delay between when you plant the seed and when you eat the fruit. What we often want is to plant the seed in a prayer and expect the harvest of an answer immediately. But that’s not how it works.

Whatever season you find yourself in right now, the planting season or the growing season that requires waiting, know that the harvest will come if you don’t give up. Just look past the current pain to the eternal gain that awaits you.