PureProvidence

Springtime is here!

2011-03-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

The weather has been SO beautiful the last few weeks! I was looking on facebook today and saw some people's posts from Pennsylvania who woke up to snow today! I'm so thankful we live in Statesboro where it's so warm a majority of the year. My allergies have been super bad this year from all the pollen, but I just can't resist being outside in this wonderful weather!

The ovulation kit worked great; however, no news to report. My cycle started Monday and surprisingly I wasn't too sad about it. Of course I was a little, but I think it helped a lot to get a better idea of what my body was doing. It started exactly around when I expected it to because I knew exactly when I had ovulated this time. We are just going to continue to use one every month until we get pregnant. In the mean time, I have plenty of things going on to keep me busy.

We are leaving for our cruise in 1 1/2 weeks! We'll be driving down to Fort Lauderdale next Friday April 1st and our boat leaves on Saturday! We are taking Princess Cruises this time because we found a great deal. Our boat is going to the Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Roaton, Honduras, and the Bahamas. Our last cruise went to the Eastern Caribbean so we're excited to see the Western side this time. I've been busy working on sewing projects for the cruise: altering a few tanks tops, dresses, and sewing a bathing suit skirt.

This is the bathing suit skirt. It looks weird in this picture but its really cute on! I couldn't try it on with the suit because Michelle has it right now. I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures from the cruise!

I've also been taking full advantage of this beautiful weather and started a garden! I'm SO excited about growing things this year! We have these three little circles of dirt in our driveway that are close to our house, get full sun most of the day, and are perfect for vegetables. Well, one is square. :)

I think when the house was built there were trees there, so they laid the concrete around the trees. Well those are long gone now, and I've had these three dirt holes in my driveway just sitting there for 2 years accumulating weeds. So, I planted spinach, carrots, green peppers, and sunflowers in them.

Sunflowers

A few days later. Growing so fast!

Carrots, spinach, and green peppers. Not much to look at right now. There are tiny sprouts but you can't really see them here.

Carrots and spinach. Hopefully soon these will be full of growth!

I've also started seeds inside to see how well they would do. I have broccoli, green peppers, cantaloupe, parsley, and basil. Everything so far has sprouted but the parsley. The parsley is taking forever!

Tons of broccoli sprouts

Big pot: cantaloupe, medium pot: basil, small pot: broccoli

Little green pepper sprouts

Green pepper

I planted some basil, parsley, and cilantro outside and they are sprouting too! I also have a tomato plant outside. Brice is going to build a box for me so I can plant my green bean seeds this weekend. I'll probably put the cantaloupe on the other side of the box. It's so exciting to walk outside everyday and see new growth! I can't wait until they get bigger and I start to see fruit and vegetables growing!

Tomato and herbs

Tomato plant

Cilantro sprouts

Basil sprouts

I've also been preparing for when I stay home with Braxton. I start watching him in a few weeks so I've been looking around for great deals on baby stuff. I found a changing table at a yard sale for $7!

She was asking for $10, so I offered $5 because the bottom shelf is broken. Then she went to $7 and I said ok. The shelf is very easily fixable with some wood glue. She said one of her kids tried to climb underneath it and they broke it. Overall the entire thing was in very good shape and very sturdy. We went to another yard sale and saw the same exact one in a different color for $35! So, great yard sale deal and now I have a cute changing table for Braxton! We are also getting a crib from our church building that the church no longer uses. That way it will be easier to just have something here instead of Michelle having to worry about dragging the pack n play around. It'll be great when we have kids too because we'll already have everything we need for just $7! The changing table came with a pad but no cover so I made a cover for it.

So I've been pretty busy the last few weeks. I cleaned out the flower beds in the front yard on Friday but didn't get to finish. I picked the first very hot day to do major yard work and got very sunburnt and worn out. Now I have a bunch of leaf piles all around the yard the need to be picked up. I'll probably finish all of that this weekend and enjoy this awesome weather!

Braxton's Birthday!

2011-03-05T10:58:00.001-08:00

Braxton Nathaniel is finally here! He was born on Wednesday, March 2nd at 3:48am. 8 lbs 10 oz and 20.5 inches long! Such a beautiful baby!

Michelle's labor was wonderful and went very fast! She woke up at midnight with labor pains and Zach called me on their way to the birth center. They got there around 2:30am and I was there about 2:40am. Then she had Braxton about an hour later! Praise God she had a short labor and Braxton came quickly! I cried my eyes out when he was born. He's so perfect!

It was so empowering to watch a natural birth at the birth center. It's amazing how God created our bodies to endure labor and birth without medication. Michelle made it look so easy! Lord willing I'll be able to have my baby naturally at the birth center. I'm excited to go through it and experience it. I really hope that I am able to and don't have any complications with pregnancy or labor. It goes through my mind sometimes because it's been so hard to get pregnant. I sometimes think that pregnancy and labor with come with complications too. I've been praying for a long time that God will give us children and that I'll have a healthy pregnancy and delivery without any problems.

Speaking of, we are using an OPK (ovulation predictor kit) this month. I'm not really sure why we've never used one before. It makes complete sense to use it if you're trying to get pregnant. I thought about it before, but for some reason we just never really used it. We talked last night about how it probably should have been one of the first things we did to try to get pregnant. If I ovulate every month the way I've ovulated this month, we have been WAY off in "guessing" my ovulation day. We've been thinking it was around day 16, but according to the OPK it's been around 19-20. So we've just been completely missing it the past few years! Surprisingly, this is actually the first month we've seen it visually that I'm about to ov. We've just sort of been "not preventing" but also not really doing much to figure out my actual day of ov. I tried charting, but I was horrible at keeping up with it and gave up quickly. The OPK is SO much easier and doesn't feel too cumbersome on our lives. It's much less work and more accurate. We'll try this for the next few months and see what happens!

A lot of catching up to do...

2011-01-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

I realize I have not blogged in a long time. Almost three months to be exact. I'm not really sure why I have not been blogging. I guess just the busyness of life and wanting the chill out and be with Brice during the down times I would have to blog. It's always so busy through the holidays and it's hard to find time to settle back down to life again.

I ended up getting the laparoscopy done in the middle of November. It went really well and the doctor only found extremely early endometriosis. He was able to laser it right off and only had to make two very small incisions: one in my belly button and one on my right side. The endometriosis ended up being on the left side, but I guess since it was so early in its growth he didn't have to make an incision on that side to get it out. I'm very thankful that he found something, and not nothing. I'm even more thankful that the something wasn't major and was easily removed. The doctor told us that endometriosis can do various things to prevent pregnancy. He thinks in our case the endo was releasing a chemical to prevent the sperm from getting to the egg. Now it's all gone and hopefully we'll have some good news coming up here in the next few months! :)

I had the surgery the Friday before Thanksgiving, so I was still a little sore through that next week. We went to Atlanta and had Thanksgiving there with Brice's mom and sister, and then we went to the North Carolina mountains for the weekend. I had SO much fun just being with Brice shopping at all the little shops, taking pictures, and hanging out at the coffee shop. It was also great to see all his family that we only get to see that time each year.

We went to snow mountain with Brice's family a few weekends before Christmas. It was such a blast to play in the snow again! We were also able to celebrate Christmas with his family that weekend.

Christmas was also great this year. After a few years of not celebrating it (in the traditional sense of the tree and decorating and presents) we decided to celebrate it this year.

In previous years we were unsure about how we felt about celebrating it with all it's pagan origins and what we felt at the time unbiblical traditions. However, we prayed a lot about it and felt the freedom to celebrate it the way we wanted to for the first time this year. We are still working through the details about how we want to incorporate Jesus into every aspect of it. Thankfully we've had time, and still have time, to research, pray, and talk about how we want to celebrate Christmas with our children. It's much easier when it's just the two of us because we know that it's not all about trees, lights, presents, and santa. We want to teach our children about Jesus with every thing we do in celebrating Christmas. We want it to be a Christ centered fun time where we develop our own family traditions and teach our children that it's all about the celebration of Jesus' birth and how and why He came to the earth and died for our sins. We also want it to be a day of serving others and showing Christ's love to the lost and hurting. We want it to be part of our tradition as a family to spend some of Christmas day serving in our community and have the opportunity to share the Gospel with others.

Christmas eve I made Christmas dinner and some great friends of ours, Zach and Michelle, came over to eat with us. Zach's family was in town and also came over to celebrate with us. Michelle got Zach an adorable puppy for Christmas and brought her over to our house where he saw her for the first time. They named her Leah. :)

Zach and Michelle stayed overnight that night and celebrated Christmas with us that morning. It was so fun having a sleep over and we had a great time celebrating Christmas with amazing friends who are like family to us.

We were all supposed to go to Rob and Sherri's for homemade cinnamon rolls Christmas morning (more great friends of ours who live right around the corner). However, their electricity went out so Sherri came over to our house to make the rolls and take a shower. Then everyone ended up coming to our house for Sherri's amazing homemade cinnamon rolls.

Afterwards Brice and I walked and met everyone at First United Methodist where there were many volunteers serving food to those in need. Brice and I had the opportunity to go out with Rachel and take boxes of food and Bibles around town to people who were hungry. We went to all the inns around downtown where people were staying and brought them Christmas dinner. It was such a great day of serving and celebrating Christ with others!

It also snowed on Christmas! Well, sort of. It lightly dusted the day after Christmas.

This past weekend we went up to St. Louis for the Mobilise conference. We rode up there with Zach and Michelle while Zach drove the entire way, there and back. He's crazy! Anyways, the conference was incredible! It was a such a sweet time of worship and prayer and a great time of encouragement. It started Friday night and went until Sunday morning. The main speaker for the event, Tope, spoke Friday and Saturday night and we were able to go to his seminar in the middle of the day Saturday.

What really spoke to me out of all the sessions was on Saturday night when Tope was speaking on living by faith. He talked about Joshua 5 and 6, about the wall of Jericho. He said a lot of Christians will get to the wall of Jericho in their life, whatever struggle they go through and they will stop and camp out at the bottom of the wall and get stuck in a rut.

As many of you know who read my blog or know me, my biggest struggle is infertility. It's a continual struggle until God gives us children, and maybe even beyond that if we continue to struggle to have more children. It's one of those subjects that everyone talks about because it's such a huge part of life. Almost everyone has children, and many couples decide at a point in their life that they want to have children and end up having one soon after trying. We constantly find ourselves engulfed in conversations about children because all of ours friends have them. When you meet new people, most times the first question they ask is how long have you been married, then, if you have any children, and afterwards, in our case they ask when do you plan on having children? I've learned to expect that question when we first meet people, and most times it doesn't really bother me. However, sometimes it will be a time when I'm really struggling and it will get to me. Infertility is such a huge sometimes seemingly unending roller coaster of emotions, even though I know one day there will be an end. So, infertility is the huge wall of Jericho in my life.

Tope says, "Jericho stands unrelenting, high, staring down speaking the whole time saying I'm here, I won't shift, come!" He says there are three ways to break through these walls of Jericho: 1) Acknowledge God afresh, just see God for who He is and worship Him 2) learn to walk by faith, trusting the One who has called you (the wall of Jericho came down by faith) Seek God and don't give up, don't give in, and don't break down. Believe in His promises and 3) Obey the last command. God says show me your faith by your works.

I feel like a lot of times through this struggle I hit the infertility wall and get knocked down. I realized as I was sitting there listen to Tope speak that so much of my words in that area lack faith in God. I struggle with asking God why is He not giving us children and often find myself saying in day to day conversations, "well if we ever have children", or "well your children will be grown by the time we have kids". I think about prophetic words that have been given to us about having children and say, well that hasn't happened yet so is God really going to give us children? Was that word really from God? Tope says negativity is a faith killer. I often have negativity in the area of us having children and, not even really realizing it, doubting God and not trusting in His promises by what I say to other people. I say I have faith that God will give us children, then act like I don't.

I'm so thankful that God has revealed this to me and now I can move on from here with faith that God will someday give us children. My faith has increased tremendously that God will someday give us the desires of our hearts. I have renewed faith that when I pray and ask God to give us a child, He does hear me and He will give us children someday. I just need to keep seeking God and living my life for His glory. To keep walking this life of faith in God and preaching His word and ministering to others. To keep serving Him in everything I do and helping others who are need of Him. To praise God for all He has given me and worship Him each and every day. I thank God so much that He speaks to His children and that His Holy Spirit is at work in our lives transforming us to be more like His son.

Memories

2010-10-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

I got home from work today and started cleaning my house for premarital counseling tonight. As I was cleaning, memories began flooding into my head of all the things that have happened in this house. This has been happening a lot lately... especially since its getting closer and closer to us selling it and moving to St. Louis. I usually don't have too much of an attachment to things, but this house is different. I have a strong attachment to it. I think it's because this is not only the first house we have bought together, but its also the first house we fixed up and worked on together (for before and after pictures, click here). We put a lot of work into this house, and have a lot of memories before we even moved into it. There have been many more memories since moving here and I'm definitely going to miss this wonderful house.

Not the best picture of the house, but our first one. This was before we bought it and for some reason the screen was taken out of the window? We were going in to plan our updates :)

We have some friends hopefully lined up to buy it from us. This house was rented out before us by some guys in our church and then we bought it as soon as they moved out. If our friends buy the house from us, it will stay in the church. I'm hoping and praying that it will work out to where they can buy it from us.

There are SO many memories of group get togethers, hang outs, babies playing, counseling sessions, leadership meetings, sewing adventures, movies watched, and amazing conversations made in our comfortable homey living room.

Sometimes I just sit the couch and look out into the living room from this exact perspective and think about all the times I had with Asher and Dallas. I really miss staying at home with them. I can't wait until God gives us children of our own that we can make tons of memories with.

SO many memories of great meals cooked, wonderful desserts baked, feeding babies, more counseling sessions, meetings, and talks, and many many dinners with guests that have become incredible life long friends all happened in this kitchen.

What I'm beginning to miss most are the memories of Suzanne and Dallas being here. As many of you know, she moved out from upstairs to live with her parents. A lot has changed in our relationship with Suzanne over the past several months. I've probably felt every emotion possible towards the situation, and now I'm really beginning to mourn over them being gone. There really isn't any communication or friendship left there, and it breaks my heart. For a while I've been angry about the things that have happened, just like I was the last time she moved out (January). However, this time it's different. I'm not so sure she'll actually come back this time, and we're moving. So the fact is, we may never see them again. What really breaks my heart is we've spent so much time with Dallas, and we love her so much as if she were our own. We still often quote Dallas' sayings and envision her running around the house playing with Leo or in her little red chair (pictured above in the living room). But in a short while she won't even remember us anymore. It almost feels like a dream now. All I have left to do is pray and trust God in all of this.

I know that as it gets closer to us leaving its going to get harder, not only leaving the first house we bought together, but also leaving our church family. But I'm also super excited to go where God is leading us and I know we're going to make many great new memories there too. God is good and He loves His children.

Event Filled Saturday

2010-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very eventful day. We spent most of the day with Zach and Michelle, and Phil and Danielle. We went to the Farmer's market and then we walked over to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. We found this awesome coffee table and some really nice lamps.

The candle and holder on the coffee table were on there at the store, so we went ahead and bought that for $1. We thought it looked great and went with the look of the table. I love going consignment shopping and finding stuff that is super unique. I've never seen a coffee table like that before.

New lamps!

Close up of one of them.

We got the coffee table for $20 and both lamps for $10. After we bought the table, lamps, and candle with the candle holder, we walked back to our house... with all the stuff. We live pretty close to downtown where the market and the restore are located, but its a good 15 minute walk. So Brice, Phil, and Zach took turns carrying the coffee table while me, Michelle, and Danielle each carried the lamps and candle. It was definitely entertaining for people driving through town. Multiple people stared, turning completely around as the drove by just to get a good look at us.

When we got home and situated, Brice and I decided to finally re-cover the "new" ottoman. We purchased a glider ottoman to go with our glider for $.50 at the annual attic sale at the beginning of the year. The fabric on it was cream colored and covered in brown stains from use. So I placed a piece of fabric over it that I was planning on covering it with. We finally did it this weekend and it turned out great! Sadly, I never took a before picture of it.

I only had a small piece of the fabric leftover from when I recovered the glider. So I had to cut it in half, and then cut one of the halves in quarters and sew the strips to all four of the sides of the other half of the square. That way it would be big enough to stretch over the sides and onto the bottom enough for it to be attached. It ended up having seams on all the sides, but I don't think it looks too bad. Brice did a great job stapling it down!

Someone gave us the glider and it had really dirty, ripped up, cat hair covered cushions on it. I took the covers off of them and used them as patterns to re-cover the cushions. I did it about 2 years ago when I had little to no knowledge on sewing, so it took me about 48 hours total to do it. It taught me a lot about sewing though and it was pretty fun! Here is the ottoman with the chair (please excuse the pillow, I didn't fluff it back up and straighten it after someone sat on it):

After we re-covered the ottoman, we went to Tybee Island with Zach and Michelle. Right now it's a full moon, and the moon looks amazing over the ocean during this time of the month. So we drove to Tybee, walked on the pier for a little while, then went to Spanky's and got some awesome potato spuds. Then when it got dark, we took some blankets back to the beach and laid down to look at the stars. Brice pulled out his Ipod Touch to look at his planets app so we could see where all the constellations were. We were all looking at this really bright star pretty close to the moon, so he wanted to see what it was. So he looks at his Ipod and said, "Hey, that bright star is Jupiter!" Michelle goes, "Really?! Why can't you see the rings?" We all start laughing and changing the subject because we sort of thought she was kidding but she kept asking, why you can't see the rings!? She finally says, "Will someone please tell me why you can't see the rings?!" It was so funny, we were all laughing so hard! Poor Michelle! We finally told her that Jupiter doesn't have any visible rings, and even if they were visible, there is no way you would be able to see them from Earth. After that we laughed and joked the whole time, and even got to the point of crying because we were laughing so hard.

Yesterday was a very event filled day, but it was an awesome day spent with great friends!

I started this post last Saturday...

2010-10-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

and I am just now getting to it. I've come to the conclusion that if I actually sit down to blog when I want to, then I wouldn't have a major amount of things to blog about when I sit down to do it later!

I was reading some other blogs on how people are using blog trackers. I thought that was a great idea, just to see how many people were looking at my blog and where they were from. So I started using one, and noticed that a lot of people were actually finding my blog by searching unpaper towels on google. It got me thinking, maybe I should start selling them again? A lot of people out there seem to interested in it. When I started making them to sell, not many people seemed interested, at least in Statesboro. Maybe others outside of our little town have actually heard of them and are interested in them. The people that are most interested in Statesboro are the ones who know me or come over to our house and see them on our countertop. What do ya'll think about unpaper towels? Have you heard of them, like them, would you ever use them? I'm interested to know other's thoughts.

I was struggling a lot this past week (week before last now) with getting pregnant. I think this is just one of those things that's always going to be a roller coaster of emotions. At the beginning of the month, we're both super hopeful for what the month is going to hold. Will this be the month it happens?! Then, the second half of the month is a waiting period wondering if it's going to happen or not. Then it doesn't, and I go through all of these emotions of sadness, frustration, and loss of hope. I know a lot of it has to do with the hormones that are already going on at that time, but it's still just one of those things that I feel like I'm always going to struggle with.

This month I noticed Brice was more upset than usual. I think as more time passes, the more he's wanting a child. When he found out we weren't pregnant this time around, he expressed to me that he was just as upset about it as I was. I know that he's always been upset when we thought we might be pregnant and weren't, but for some reason this time it seemed different. He seemed more sad about it not happening than normal. However, he is still very strong and positive about us getting pregnant when it's God's timing. A lot of times its very hard for me to be positive and hopeful about it, so it's very helpful to have him there as a support.

I'm also extremely thankful for the women God has put in my life to support and encourage me through this time. I was able to talk to one of them last week about it and just pour out to her what was going on and the emotions I was going through. She prayed for me and was tremendously encouraging. She told me things from an outsiders perspective; things I never noticed which helped put things into perspective for me. I don't know what I would do without women like that in my life. It is super hard to go through something so emotionally draining and not ever knowing when the emotional cycle will end. I can't imagine going through it without other women in my life to talk to.

I've been thinking a lot lately about writing a book. Well, not so much a book at this point, but sort of like a journal of mine and Brice's story. I've told so many people about how we met and what has happened in our lives, and almost everyone I've told has suggested we write a book. People love to hear stories like ours, and everyone says it would be such a good book. I'm not sure if I actually want to write a book, but I definitely want to write it all down and be able to look back on it and read it. I would love to have something like that for our children to read one day too. I'm just not sure how to get everything I want to put it in down. There's so many things and events that have happened and are happening now that I want to include, but how do I ensure that I get everything before I start writing it out? I want it to be in order and if I start writing then remember something, I won't be able to go back to put it in. That always happens when I go to write things out. I think I know everything I want to put in there, then I'll remember something I wanted to add but forgot. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to do this? I'm think I'm just going to brainstorm in a notebook and try to remember as much as I can. Then, when I'm pretty sure I've gotten it all, I'll start writing it out in a nice journal.

Brice had off all this week for fall break so we took a night and went to the fair. It was SO much fun. We went with a group of friends, and we rode a bunch of rides.

We rode this awesome ride called the Crazy Mouse. It's one of those mini roller coaster type rides where you are in the little car and it feels like you are going to go right over the side of the tracks. We went on this ride the first time, and loved it so much we went straight back in line to ride again! Brice had the great idea of make a video of us while riding it.

So much fun!

A Month's Worth of Events

2010-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

I realized today it is has been almost a month since I have blogged. It's October... I can't believe that! Where did the time go?! I guess I've just been so caught up in life that I lost track of time!

Lots of things have happened in the past month.

I started my sign language class three weeks ago. I absolutely love it! I've learned so much already and I've only been to 3 classes. I can't wait to learn it all! I've been looking up Christian songs on youtube that are interpreted in sign and it's incredible to see how much the signs symbolize the meanings! I definitely want interpret someday.

I had a pumpkin spice latte for the first time ever last week! It was the most incredible coffee I've ever tasted!

I put out some of my fall decorations!

Not much I know. I still have some more to put up and I want to get some wonderfully scented fall candles! Fall is my favorite season!

We made this awesome soup the first official day it was cold! It's a Rachel Ray recipe and it's called BLT and Potato Soup. It is SO delicious!

I found out two of my friends are pregnant again. Congratulations again Kim and Emily! I love you both!

We celebrated Zach's birthday last weekend. We went to Atlanta to the Sun Dial and had lunch at the rotating restaurant.

We went to the Coca-Cola museum.

And we went to the Braves vs Phillies game. Phillies won. :)

Sadly Zach is not even in this picture. We didn't get many pictures of all four of us!

We've started pre-engagement counseling with an incredibly sweet couple that we recently met and instantly became close to. We have so much in common that we literally became great friends the first night we had them over for dinner. We talked forever and then Danielle came to my house a total of 4 times that week. We have so much fun together and I can't wait to continue growing closer with them!

I'm very sad that we don't have a picture with all four of us. We need to work on that one!

Oh, and the biggest news of all....we are officially moving to St. Louis next June!

I don't think I ever blogged about this, but Brice got accepted into the New Frontiers church planting internship. God has been speaking to us for months now about planting a church in Jacksonville. Carl, the pastor at Jubilee Church in Atlanta, put Brice's name out there to Jubilee Church in St. Louis. They sent him some tests to take to make sure he was qualified to be a leader, and then he had an interview. We found out two weeks ago that he was officially accepted and we're moving! We will move up to St. Louis for a year and Brice will learn everything he needs to know about planting a church. Then, we will be sent out to plant one! That's the very super short version of the story. It's very exciting news! God is also moving on some other couple's hearts in our church to come help build with us in Jacksonville. We are very excited to see what God does!

Consignment Shopping

2010-09-11T14:40:00.001-07:00

I love going shopping at consignment shops because you can always find the best deals! We went to the farmer's market this morning and there is this cute little children's consignment shop right next to it. They are a children's shop, but they also have tons of juniors clothes and purses. I can almost always find shoes there because I can fit into kids 3 1/2, and they sell for $2.50-$3.00 a pair! You can't beat that! We stopped in there today after going to the market and I bought the cutest purse and wallet set for $5!

The inside is cute too! It has lots of pockets and I love all the different fabrics on this purse.

Well anyways, I loved the bag and bought it. Then I decided to make a checkbook cover to match it. So I bought some fabric that matched the ribbon, and made one! I've never made one before, but it turned out great and only took about 20 minutes!

Now I have a cute little purse set, all for about $7 total with the cost of the extra fabric plus tax! I've been needing to get a smaller bag since my old rag purse is really worn out. I've been meaning to make a new one, I just haven't had time to get fabric for it yet. So I'll carry this around for now!

We also saw these awesome bags at the consignment store made out of dog, cat, and chicken food bags! That's right, dog food bags, crazy! What a great way to recycle though! They were super cute and would be so easy to make, and they were selling them for $15! I'm going to make one out of Leo's food bag once he eats it all. They are great to take to the farmer's market and to the grocery store. Sadly I didn't get a picture of it, but I'll definitely take some once I make one!

Show Me A Sign Giveaway!

2010-09-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

I was browsing around my friend Jennifer's favorite blogs and came across this cute blog Simple Little Joys. I clicked on her latest entry and found out she's doing a giveaway of one of Jennifer's amazing signs!

I've known Jennifer since I was 4. Sadly I have not seen her since my wedding 4 years ago, but we still keep in touch through email and each other's blogs. Jennifer and her husband Matthew have been going through the struggles of infertility as well. It's amazing that God put us in each other's lives so long ago. Now we have so much in common with the similar struggles we have gone through.

The Lord recently moved on her and her husband's hearts to begin the adoption process. She began making these awesome signs to sell to raise money for their adoption. She is amazingly talented!

Here are two of my favorites:

If I had children I definitely get this sign. I love it so much!

You can check out more of Jennifer's signs here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jennlajeunesse?page=1

and her blog here:

The LaJeunesse Family

You can enter to win one of Jennifer's signs here:

Simple Little Joys

Just follow the steps on Rachel's blog to enter! Have fun browsing Jennifer's beautiful signs, grab the button off her website, and spread the word!

Our Home Before and After

2010-09-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging around lately looking at different people's blogs and have found some really cool ones on decorating. It's neat to see how people decorate their homes and all the different ideas they have. I thought I would share our before and after pictures of the work we did on our house.

Our Tiny Bathroom: Before

After

Before: Notice the yucky floor, it's hard to see but it was gross!

After: Notice the floor and new toilet! Brice did such a great job! We are actually going to re-paint this bathroom and sand color that sort of matches the floor.

The Guest/Hallway Bathroom: Before

After

The Guest Bedroom: Before

After

Before

After

Our Bedroom: Before

After

Before: Looking from the hallway into our room and to the kitchen

Same view after without Brice standing there :)

The Kitchen: Before into the laundry room, and no dishwasher

After: Door on the right goes into the laundry room, and there's the new dishwasher! Brice and his dad did a great job!

Before

After: Brice put new laminate on the counter top and installed the new sink and faucet

Before

After, again without Brice

Before: with the old stove and old hot water heater

and overhanging counter top next to stove

After!

Dining Area in the Kitchen (notice the nasty floors)

After! Notice the new beautiful floor that was underneath the nasty floor!

The Living Room

After

Before

After: Didn't really get a good picture of this area after. It looks different now anyways.

Before

After

So that's our home! I have some before pictures of the laundry room and third bedroom, but I never took after pictures since they were never really decorated. They both still need some work. It was so much fun doing all that work to the house and turning it into something beautiful!

Homemade Natural Deodorant

2010-09-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I wanted to pass this along to everyone since it has been such a huge hit. I made this about a month ago, and instantly fell in love with it! I actually found this to be the best deodorant I've ever used. Even better than the commercial ones, and much much better than Tom's Natural deodorant.

I found it on the Passionate Homemaking blog site (thanks Lindsay!). It is free of aluminum and it's great because you actually know what is going in your deodorant and onto your body. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

6-8 Tbsp Coconut oil (solid state)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (arrowroot is preferred)

Directions:

1. Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder.
2. Slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon or hand blender until it maintains a firm but pliable texture. It should be about the same texture as commercial deodorant, solid but able to be applied easily. If it is too wet, add further arrowroot powder/cornstarch to thicken.
3. Mix in some lavender oil or any scented oil you like to make it smell pretty! If you use virgin olive oil, it will smell a lot more like coconut than the refined kind will. I use the refined kind and add lavender oil to add some scent.
4. You can either scoop this recipe into your old deodorant dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. Makes about 1 cup. This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.

I usually half this recipe and use about 4 tablespoons of coconut oil, and a 1/8 cup cornstarch and baking soda. Then I add about 4-6 drops of lavender oil. This is enough to fill one old deodorant stick container. If you use to recipe above, it will fill two containers. If you don't have any old deodorant containers, you can use a jar and apply it with your fingers. It's very moisturizing so you can just rub it into your hands after applying. I personally don't like doing it that way, so I use the old deodorant containers.

I get my coconut oil and arrowroot powder from Mountain Rose Herbs. A bunch of the families in our church body order in bulk and split it up. You can also order smaller amounts of the coconut oil if you are just buying for yourself.

You can check out Lindsay's blog if you want to watch the video she made on how to make it. She also has a lot of information on the health benefits of using it and what commercial deodorants have in them.

Let me know if you try it out and what you think! I made two sticks of it, and gave one to my friend Rachel and she fell in love with it too. She loved it so much she passed the recipe onto a bunch of people and now they are all trying it!

Two Reasons to Celebrate

2010-09-03T08:11:00.001-07:00

This weekend we have two huge events to celebrate. 1st, yesterday was Suzanne's 23rd birthday!

Happy Birthday Suzanne :)

2nd, today marks the anniversary of when Suzanne and Dallas moved in with us and became a part of our family!

We are going to Savannah tomorrow to celebrate these two huge life-changing days, by going out to eat and just doing some fun things around town. We love you Suzanne and Dallas and are so happy God brought you into our lives!

Baby Booties

2010-08-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

I made the cutest little baby booties today! I got off work early this afternoon since there were an abundance of people working today. I left work around 1, picked up around the house, and sat down to check my facebook and email. I came across this pattern I had saved some time last year on crocheted baby booties. Supposedly it only takes 30 minutes to make both, so I decided to give it a try.

I've never really crocheted before, except one time. I tried to crochet the most complicated hat on earth with absolutely no knowledge on how to crochet at all. I figured since I knew how to knit, crocheting would be super easy to pick up. Well, the hat ended up being 10 sizes wider than my head. This was after I took it out and re-crocheted it about, no exaggeration, 20 times. Needless to say, I came to the conclusion that I was much better at knitting.

However, these little booties were SO cute that I had to give them a try. They ended up being so easy I cannot believe I actually did it! It definitely did not take me 30 minutes, since I'm not experienced at all in crocheting and did not remember how to double crochet and slip stitch. After about an hour, which isn't too bad, I completed these little darling shoes!!

Aren't they so cute?! I won't be able to use these particular ones because the yarn is not very soft. I'm going to get some soft baby yarn and start making these for all the new moms I know. They are quick, easy, and make perfect gifts for new moms! I just love 'em!

HSG Results

2010-08-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been crazy busy between work, things going on at church, having people over at our house, and working out. I'm sure most of you know by now from my facebook status or just by talking to me that I had my HSG last Tuesday. It went amazingly well. The dye went through my uterus and tubes in about 15 seconds. They said it was the easiest and quickest HSG they have ever done. It seems that so far everything is going so well and there is nothing wrong. Now we wait for the next three months to see if we get pregnant. Even though there is nothing wrong, the HSG increases our chances of getting pregnant because the dye cleans outs any mucus that might be in my tubes. There are a lot of cases where women have gotten pregnant after the HSG just because of that reason. So that gives us some hope.

Brice left for St. Louis today and he will be gone until Saturday. :( There is a conference going on up there for New Frontiers from Wed- Friday. He also has his interview on Thursday with two of the New Frontiers guys that are part of the church up there. This will be the determining factor of whether or not we officially move up there. It will also decide, if we do end up going up there, how long it will be from now that we go. It definitely will have to be a year at least because Brice signed his contract for this school year. We are thinking it might even have to be two years because of the $8000 stipend we received for buying our house. The stipulations are you have own the house for 3 years and it has to be your primary residence. If we leave in a year and rent it out it won't be considered our primary residence, so we're not even sure if that's an option. I guess we'll have to wait and see what God does!

God has definitely changed my heart about St. Louis. Before I was very against it and did not want to leave Statesboro, my friends, and our church family. Now my feelings about it are completely opposite. I'm excited to leave Statesboro and move to a bigger city and just enter into a new stage of our lives that God has planned for us. This may not be what He has planned for us. But if it is, He has really changed my heart about being very open to it and even excited about what He'll do in our lives if He does take us to St. Louis.

In light of Brice leaving today, we decided to have date night last night instead of the usual Wednesday night date night. We were really excited about it!!!!

We went to Olive Garden and had some yummy white wine, which is odd because we are really red wine fans and not too big on the white wines. We split a meal and then went for a walk on Georgia Southern's Campus. We walked through each building reminiscing about all the classes we had there and the experiences we went through. We talked about how crazy it is that Georgia Southern used to be our lives and all we knew about Statesboro. We never thought we would actually stay here, buy a house, and begin building our lives here.

I'm really going to miss him while he is gone though. I'm glad I got to spend the whole night with him before he left.

I love my husband so much!

Emotional Struggles of a Barren Woman

2010-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a little down today and struggling a lot with not getting pregnant. It's so easy when you are a barren woman deeply longing for children of her own to think everything in terms of the struggle you're going through. I'm sure it's like this with any struggle. Any prophecy, scripture, or word that is preached is quickly applied to my life in the context of my struggle with getting pregnant.

Today Rob preached his 11th sermon on God's Scandalous Grace. In small summary, it was about how God's grace abounds in our trials and struggles through life. He talked about how each of our trials look different and God takes us each through unique experiences and struggles. God uses these trails to sanctify us and mold to be like Christ. God puts each and every single one of us on a different path, therefore His sanctification process looks different for each of us.

I feel a lot of times like there is something I'm doing or have done in the past that is keeping me from getting pregnant. Like there is a sin I have committed and I'm being punished for that sin. I know this is very wrong and not at all how God views me. I know He loves me and has forgiven my sins from the past, present, and future. It's just this huge emotional cycle I been going through since we began struggling to get pregnant. Especially since, for some reason only know by Him, God has put us in a place to be surrounded by women who are constantly getting pregnant. Literally almost every woman I meet, and especially those I become friends with, ends up pregnant a few months later. Coralie said something so amazingly encouraging to me when I asked her for her advice and insight before we started our testing process:

"I just spent an hour typing out technical stuff and getting you some links that I hope are helpful, but I want to start with this: Remember John 1:3 - this is happening so that the works of God may be displayed in your life. That might mean a miraculous event, like in the first chapter of John, or it could mean that others will see the two of you grow daily in sanctification because of this. You're not being punished. Christ has born ALL the earned suffering for us. You're not broken. God is sovereign and he sovereignly wrote this path as a part of the days of your life. You are as He intends you to be. Finally, He has written an end to this suffering. We don't know when that end is, but the Lord does. This is but a season and it will pass."

It is SO easy to believe Satan's lies when I am so emotional all the time. Believing that there is something wrong with me, I've done something wrong, or that I must be being punished for something. But I must fight all of those lies with God's truth and the promises that He has given me in His word. Brice encourages me with this often as well, that God is sanctifying me through this process in amazing ways that I can't even imagine. He's sanctifying me in ways that he's not sanctifying others, and He has a purpose for all of this. He has a purpose and plan for our lives, and as Coralie said, this is but a season and it will pass.

Food Fix Friday: The Best Chocolate Fix Ever!

2010-08-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have made this dessert for a lot of my friends and everyone loves it. When I first had it I just had to have the recipe! A lot of you have asked me how to make it so I thought I'd share the recipe with you. It's very simple to make, and amazingly good... especially if you are craving chocolate! I call it Chocolate Stuff.

1 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons of the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, oil, and vanilla until smooth. Spread in an ungreased 9in pan. Combine brown sugar and the remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder. Sprinkle over batter. Pour the hot water all over. DO NOT STIR! It will look weird when you are about to put it in the oven, like a big brown pan of soup. This is what it should look like at this point:

When it is finished, it will be runny on the bottom so be careful when you take it out. Rest assured it is completely cooked. Serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Sunday Sewing

2010-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was finally able to sew a little bit! Brice bought an Ipod touch a few weeks ago, and when he puts it in his pocket his phone and Ipod scratch each other. He can't put it in his other pocket because there he carries his keys. That would make the scratching even worse!

So we went in search of a cover for the front his new Ipod touch. Surprisingly, they have nothing on the market for that! The only thing we could find was one or two leather ones that had the flap open cover. It would be perfect if it didn't make the Ipod 5 times bigger in your pocket and cost $30. It was at this point that Brice turned to me and said, you can make one of these! I agreed, and Sunday afternoon I whipped one up for him really quick. Well, not really quick, it took longer than it would have had I not stopped sewing 9 months ago. My sewing machine kept jamming and giving me problems. I also had a very hard time getting the velcro straight across from each other. You can tell I did not succeed very well in the end. The right side is higher up than the left. It took about 45 minutes, and it's probably the simplest thing I've ever made. However, I think it still turned out quite cute!

Open with the Ipod Touch Inside (You can see the all the scratches on it)

Open without the Ipod Touch

The Front

The Back

I used some leftover fleece I had sitting around. He wanted something thicker than cotton so nothing in his pocket would poke through. It's also very soft. I thought about making some and selling them. I would definitely use something stronger on the outside, such as vinyl, and then sew a cotton, fleece, or flannel layer on the inside for a soft layer to protect it. This would also hide the velcro seams on the outside of the case. I also thought about using snaps, but pushing it closed all the time might ruin the Ipod screen from the pressure. Just an idea, I don't know how well they would actually sell. But there is nothing on the market like it.

So that's it! Not too exciting, but it was fun to sew a little something after not doing anything in a long time. It's really exciting to turn a flat square piece of fabric into something useful!

I scheduled my HSG yesterday for next Tuesday morning. I have to be at the hospital at 7:50am. Brice is going to have a sub for the morning so he can come with me. I looking forward to seeing what this test will tell us.

Good News

2010-08-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I received some good news yesterday. My blood work came back fine, which means no clomid! My progesterone levels were normal and I'm ovulating on my own so I don't need to take any fertility assistance. All this makes me wonder if I ever even needed to take it in the first place. The other doctor we were seeing never even drew my blood to check my progesterone to see if I was ovulating. He just ASSUMED I wasn't. How frustrating.

They also tested my thyroid and prolactin and said everything was fine. I called the nurse back this morning to get the exact numbers, and she told me my progesterone was at 17. She said anything over 12 is good, and anything over 15 is excellent since it will lead to high rates of pregnancy achievement and success. This is all very good news! It seems that everything is coming back normal so far. This is a good thing, yes, but they also do all the easy tests first. Then comes the more complicated ones that check for the more complicated problems. So I could be dealing with something bigger than just not ovulating each month. However, we could also find out that everything is fine, and it's just not God's timing for us to have children yet. I praise God for our modern technology though, that it can help me find out if there is something going wrong and fix the problem. He's such a gracious and loving God!

Next up is the internal x-ray test of my uterus and tubes, called the hysterosalpingogram (HSG). I have not scheduled that one yet, but it will probably be sometime next week.

Thank you all for your prayers and support in this journey we're going through. It's easy to start feeling lonely and forgotten through all of this. It's very encouraging to know that my friends and family are praying for us. We love all of you!

Four Years of Marriage!

2010-08-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Brice and I went to Savannah to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. It was supposed to rain all day, but it turned out to be a beautiful day. We went to The Pirates House and had lunch together. We've heard so many people talk about it so we wanted to check it out. History fascinates me, so it was the perfect place to go.

The Front Sign

The sign on the Pirate House

The Pirates House

The Herb House

The Herb House.

It is attached to the Pirate House.

Sitting at our table

This was the sign above a hole in the house. It was the rum cellar and supposedly there are tunnels running underneath the house that go all the way to the river.

This is the hole. You can see an opening to a tunnel on the right.

I'm glad we live so close to such a historical city. There's so much to see in Savannah. I hope one day that we are able to go somewhere out of the country to see even bigger historical sites. Anywhere in Europe would be amazing, and Israel would be even better! All the Biblical history that exists there... it's just absolutely fascinating to me!

We were also able to spend the day just walking around and shopping together. We walked down Broughton St. in Savannah and went into all the fun shops. It was a great relaxing day spent with my love! I'm so thankful that God has given me such an amazing man to love me and take care of me. He is everything I could ever ask for in a husband and much more! He strives to love me and lead me as Christ loves the church, he is amazing with children, he is very hardworking, gentle, caring, and extremely patient, he's a strong leader, he's an incredible handyman, he listens and hears everything I say, he blesses me with random gifts all the time, even when I don't deserve them, he truly loves and cares for others, he loves God more than anything, he's my best friend and knows exactly how to encourage me no matter what I'm going through... I could go on and on. God is continually doing amazing things in my husband's life and I love everything about him! And as much as I want children, I am VERY thankful to God for all the time he has given us to spend together. I wouldn't want to change it for anything. I love you Brice and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, however it looks and wherever God takes us!

Week in Review

2010-08-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

So today is Friday, yay! I love Fridays because I either have off of work or I only work for about 2-3 hours. It's wonderful because I get to have some time to myself to read, clean, nap, sew... even though I have not sewn in probably over 6 months. Lately I've really been wanting to start again, so hopefully I'll be able to find some time to do that. Anyways, Fridays are just great days!

Yesterday marked our 4th year of marriage! I can't believe we have been married for 4 years already! We didn't really get to celebrate since it was on a weekday and we had a lot going on. I came home from work at 2 and cleaned the house, cooked dinner, and then went to work out at 5:30. Then we had our life mission group at 7. So not much time to really celebrate or do anything fun. However, Jordan and I made a confetti cake with confetti icing and we ate that with everyone after life mission group. That's my most favorite cake ever! Brice also got me a new faucet for our kitchen sink! It's one of those really nice ones that can detach and convert into a sprayer! It's so much easier to clean after I cook now because the faucet is higher up and I can detach it! It's so funny the things you get excited about when you own a home. Brice and I are going to actually celebrate our anniversary on Saturday in Savannah. We're going to check out the Pirate House that we've heard so many good things about. I'm looking forward to having a whole day to spend with my husband alone, just the two of us!

So this is the second week I've been consistently working out. There is a class from 5:30-6:30 every Mon, Tues, and Thurs at a church in our town. The instructor does weight training on Monday, and either step aerobics, kick boxing, or pilates the other two days. I LOVE it so far! It's only $2 a class, which is completely doable, and it's so laid back. If you can't come a certain day it's no big deal. I'm sore after each class which is a wonderful feeling. I've really needed to consistently work out for a long time. I have never been consistent or motivated with it and so everything else I've ever tried has failed. I really need to include working out as a major part of my diet, especially since I'm having trouble getting pregnant. Now I need to work on other parts of my diet, such as eating (and drinking) less sugar. We usually eat very healthy lunches and dinners, but lately I've been craving cake ( like confetti cake :) ) and sweet tea. So I'll drink sweet tea with lunch, and sometimes dinner, and that's a lot of sugar. That's not counting what other sugar I may have consumed that day through the things I've eaten. I just get so sick of water sometimes. I drink tons of water each day, and sometimes I just want some flavor!

I have not heard any news yet on my blood work. I'm hoping I'll hear something on Monday. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign, since I was told they would let me know something on Wednesday. They were really good about calling us with Brice's results within about two or three days. It's just really hard to be patient with this process because it seems like the answers to our issues are so close. I just wish that they could do everything at once to see what's going on. However, it makes complete sense that they have to do certain things during certain times of the month, because my body goes through a cycle of different hormones. I'll probably be getting my HSG test sometime late next week or early the following week. I'm just praying that they find something small and easily fixable. I'm nervous to get a result back that says I'm not ovulating, and then he'll have to put us on clomid again. It's hard not to think about our previous experience with it and how difficult it was with the doctor we were seeing. I just need to trust God and have faith in Him through this process. Who knows what He has in store for us, but I'm excited to find out!

Tonight we are having dinner with the Curley's! I'm very excited to spend time with them and see their new house! I had so much fun catching up and hanging out with Christy on the 4th of July. It's already been a month since we've hung out! I wish we could hang out and do more things together. We have so much fun when we're together... I'm really looking forward to relaxing and having some fun tonight!

Our Infertility Journey, So Far

2010-08-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Recently Brice and I have decided to start testing to find out why we are not having children. We have been trying for 3 years with no success.

Our journey started about 3 1/2 years ago, soon after we got married. I was taking birth control our first few months of marriage, and I believe that the hormones severely messed with my body. I felt that my body was all messed up while I was on it, so I decided to stop taking it about 6 months after we were married. At that point we weren't really "trying" to have children, we just weren't preventing.

The summer of 2007 my cycle was becoming more normal again, after a year of being off birth control. We decided we wanted to start trying to get pregnant that summer. During the summer of 2008 I was introduced to the Fertility Awareness Method, where you chart your body's natural signals and temperature to find out exactly when you are ovulating. I tried it for three months that summer, and got pretty frustrated with it. My body didn't do exactly what the book was telling me it was supposed to, so I stopped charting.

In March of 2009 I went to get my yearly exam and found out I had high prolactin. It wasn't too high, only about 18 above normal, so the cause was unexplainable. I had to get an MRI to be sure I didn't have a tumor on my pituitary gland which is what produces prolactin, which makes a woman's body produce milk to feed a baby. The MRI came back completely fine, so I was referred to an infertility specialist. At this point my cycle was going about 40-42 days, which was abnormally long for me. He told me that my body thought I was pregnant because of my raised prolactin level, so I was not ovulating and that's why my cycles were going so long. He prescribed clomid and sent us on our way.

We started out on 50mg the first month, which did nothing. He then put me on 100mg, and that worked for a few months. Then I stopped having ovulatory pain in the middle of the month, and I tried to call the doctor to let him know I did not think the clomid was working anymore. I could not get a hold of him for 2 months. So in December of 2009 I stopped taking clomid and no longer went to that doctor.

Then there was a possible adoption opportunity in December, but unfortunately that did not work out. After the clomid my cycles went back to normal and we decided, for the time being, to stop pursuing medical assistance to help us get pregnant.

A few months later a friend of ours introduced me to the Lady Comp, which is a computer that helps keep you from getting pregnant by telling you the exact day you are ovulating. She told us that we could use it the opposite way since it pinpointed the day of ovulation. It works by taking my temperature and using my previous cycle information to let me know when I ovulate. It is basically a computer version of doing Fertility Awareness, just a lot less hassle.

We have now been using that for about 4 months. Through all of this almost every couple in our church has gotten pregnant and had children. Sometimes I feel really alone in the journey God has put us on. Thankfully God has blessed me with an amazing husband who is always there to encourage me and be there for me through all the ups and downs. God has also blessed me with a woman in our church body that struggled with infertility before she had her two children, and a family our pastor introduced us to who tried for 12 years before they recently had their two children. I've learned over the past 3 years that there are surprisingly a lot of women who struggle with infertility. It's been especially encouraging to me to read the numerous stories in the Bible of barren women who prayed for countless years asking God to give them children. God eventually gave each of them children in His timing and many of them turned out to be great men of God.

So, after all of that, we have decided to start testing. I went to my first appointment July 19th where we consulted with the doctor about our experiences so far. Brice was tested the week after and the results came back great.

Today I went to get some blood drawn to check my prolactin again and my thyroid and progesterone levels to see if I'm ovulating. I get the results back on Wednesday. I go back in two weeks to get a hysterosalpingogram to make sure my uterus and tubes are ok. I've heard it is painful so I'm not looking forward to that part. Our new doctor said that since he's been doing the tests instead of the radiologists people have not been complaining about pain, so that's very encouraging. We really like our new doctor. He was shocked that our other doctor just put us on clomid and sent us home. Usually the doctor is supposed to monitor if ovulation is happening each month on the clomid. I'm just more than ready to find out what's going on with my body and why we're not getting pregnant.

So this begins our journey through infertility testing after 3 years of trying. We are continuing to pray and seek God for the precious gift of children and patiently waiting for His response.

Custom Orders

2009-11-30T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of the custom orders I have done. If you would like something in a certain fabric, send me an email and I'd be happy to work with you!

Michelle's Custom Rag Bags

Makeup Bag

Makeup Bag

Rag Purse

Rag Purse

Sherri's Custom Unpaper Towels

Ruth's Custom Unpaper Towels

New Items!

2009-10-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Check out my new in stock items! I have a new LARGE blue/green rag bag that can be used as either a diaper bag or tote bag. It comes with a matching changing pad!

I also have a rag makeup bag in stock!

Please click HERE for additional pictures and product information!

Makeup Bag

Diaper or Tote Bag

Side of Bag

Other Side of Bag

Front of Bag with Changing Pad

Crayon Rolls

2009-09-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

Crayon rolls are a fun and creative way to store crayons! Whether on the go or just around the house, crayon rolls are the perfect way to carry and store your crayons!

Crayon rolls hold 16 crayons and roll up nice and tight to ensure the crayons stay in place. They are then tied in place with ribbon. It fits perfectly in your purse, diaper bag, or child's activity bag!

Nursing/Breastfeeding Pads

2009-09-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Cloth nursing pads are a great alternative to disposable pads. They are softer against your skin and more environmentally friendly by reducing waste. They also help you save money!

These pads are multi-layered to protect against leaks. They are made from 100% cotton flannel and fleece. Some of the material used is up-cycled! The pads are top-stitched and then zig-zagged. Each one is also stitched through the center to ensure all layers stay in place.

Some of my nursing pads have print on the flannel, and others have print on the fleece. The flannel side is worn towards your skin and the fleece layer is worn facing your clothing. The flannel layers soak well and keep your skin dry. Fleece is water repellant and will keep your clothing dry and protected against leaks.

These are machine washable and dryable! Use them over and over again each month!

Stars

Amount: 1 Pair of Daytime Nursing Pads in Stars

Price: $2.50

Description: This is for one pair, two pads, of daytime nursing pads in Stars. They are made with 2 layers of 100% cotton flannel and one layer of fleece. The outside layer of flannel is in stars print. The other side is a coordinating pink fleece. Both pads are top-stitched down the center to ensure the layers stay in place. The flannel side is worn towards your skin and the fleece layer is worn facing your clothing.

Both Pads Wrapped with Ribbon

Flannel Layer of Pads

Left: Flannel Layer Right: Fleece Layer

Star Spangled

Amount: 1 Pair of Nighttime Nursing Pads in Stars

Price: $3.00

Description: This is for one pair, two pads, of nighttime nursing pads in Star Spangled. They are made with 3 layers of 100% cotton flannel and one layer of fleece. The outside layer of flannel is in star spangled print. The other side is a coordinating solid light yellolw fleece. Both pads are top-stitched down the center to ensure the layers stay in place. The flannel side is worn towards your skin and the fleece layer is worn facing your clothing.

Flannel Layer of Both Pads

Left: Fleece Layer Right: Flannel Layer

Engraved Bears

Amount: 1 Pair of Nighttime Nursing Pads in Stars

Price: $3.00

Description: This is for one pair, two pads, of nighttime nursing pads in engraved bears. They are made with 3 layers of 100% cotton flannel and one layer of fleece. The fleece is in engraved bears print. The outside layer is white flannel. Both pads are top-stitched down the center to ensure the layers stay in place. The flannel side is worn towards your skin and the fleece layer is worn facing your clothing.

Both Pads Wrapped in Ribbon

Fleece Side of Both Pads

Left: Fleece Layer Right: Flannel Layer

Farmer's Market

2009-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Live in or near Statesboro and don't want to pay for shipping? Come check out my sewn cloth creations at the Farmer's Market! All of my products are located under the Wombfruit Wraps booth!

The farmer's market is located behind the Sea Island Bank in the parking lot, on the corner of E. Main and S. Main, in Statesboro, Georgia. The farmer's market is every Saturday from 9am-12pm.

Sara, Heather, me, and Rachel under The Cloth Garden booth!

Sara, Heather, and me behind Heather's Loving Touch Wet Bags

Sara's Crunchy Creations, Allison's GalBabies Nursing Covers, and my rag purse hanging up on the left

Rachel's Wombfruit Wraps

My PureProvidence Mama Pads and Heather's Mama Pad Wet Bags

Rachel's Wombfruit Wraps

Sophia behind Sara's Crunchy Creations table

Heather's Loving Touch Wet Bags

Kirk behind Loving Touch Wet Bags and my PureProvidence Cloth Wipes in front

Crunchy Creations, PureProvidence Cloth Wipes, and Loving Touch Wet Bags

PureProvidence cloth items at the Farmer's Market

Sara's Crunchy Creations

Allison's GalBabies Nursing Covers hanging over PureProvidence and Crunchy Creations

The whole booth

How to Care for Your New Cloth Wipes!

2009-09-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

Laundering:

Soak cloth wipes before washing using pre-soak option on washing machine. If you use cloth diapers, soak and wash your cloth wipes with your diapers. After soaking, wash with diapers using warm or hot water and your favorite detergent. Do not use bleach on cloth wipes! This can cause discoloration of your wipes.

Dry in dryer or hang to dry in the sun to remove stains.

Please email me if you have any questions about your cloth wipes: naturallyfrugalcloth@gmail.com

Cloth Wipe Solutions

2009-09-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Cloth Wipe Solution Recipes:

Almond 'n' Chamomile
Steep the tea bags in the hot water then add the oil.
2 chamomile tea bags
2 teaspoons almond oil
2 cups hot water

Anti-Fungal
Omit vinegar if baby has a raw rash.
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon calendula oil
A few drops lavender oi
A few drops tea tree oil
1/4 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1 cup water

Anti-Fungal Two
Similar to the other anti-fungal recipe, but less vinegar and water.
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon calendula oil
A few drops lavender oil
A few drops tea tree oil
1/4 cup 100% aloe vera gel
1/2 cup water

Basic Wipe Solution
This basic recipe can be adapted by changing the type of soap or oil.
2 drops essential oil (Lavender, Tea Tree, or any oil of your choice)
1/4 cup baby wash
2 cups water

Castile Solution
Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap comes in several yummy scents!
1 tablespoon almond, apricot, or other oil1 tablespoon Dr Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap
2 drops tea tree oil
1 drop lavender oil
1 cup water

Chamomile 'n' Honey
Brew the tea, add the honey, and drink any leftovers!
1 chamomile tea bag
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup boiling water

Easy Peasy
Just three simple ingredients...
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons baby wash
1 1/2 cups water

Eight is Great
Similar ingredients as other recipes, but in different amounts.
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1/8 cup baby wash
8 drops lavender oil
4 drops tea tree oil
2 cups water

Fruit 'n' Veggie
Dr Bronner's soaps can often be found in organic markets.
1 teaspoon fruit or vegetable-based oil (apricot, olive, grapeseed, etc)
1 tablespoon vegetable-based soap (like Dr. Bronner's liquid castile)
1 teaspoon 100% aloe vera gel
1 cup water

Just One
Just one "something" of each ingredient for this recipe.
1 chamomile tea bag
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon baby bath or shampoo
1 drop lavendar oil
1 cup hot water

Lavender 'n' Tea Tree
Lavender and Tea Tree are popular essential oil choices for wipe solutions.
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon baby shampoo
4 drops tea tree oil
8 drops lavender oil
3 cups water

Lanolin & Glycerine
Lanolin and glycerine moisturize without oil. Lansinoh can be found in many local stores.
1 tablespoon liquid glycerine
1/4 teaspoon liquid lanolin (100% pure)
1 tablespoon baby wash
1-3 drops essential oil
4 cups water

Lotion Potion
Baby lotion adds more softening power to this solution.
1 tablespoon baby oil
1 tablespoon baby soap
1 tablespoon baby lotion
1 cup water
Variation: Replace the baby oil and lotion with 2 tablespoons Baby Magic Creamy Baby Oil for a less oily potion. Thanks to Kimberly A. for this variation.

Magic Baby
Baby Magic products are usually easy to find in local stores.
1/2 cup Baby Magic oil
1/2 cup Baby Magic wash
2 cups water

No Measuring
Don't measure for this one, just estimate amounts.
2 squirts baby oil
2 squirts baby wash
1 drop essential oil
1 cup water (about)

Olive 'n' Tea Tree
A great natural wipes solution.
1/4 cup olive oil (extra virgin not necessary)
1/8 cup gentle baby bath
A few drops tea tree oil
4 cups water

Shampoo Style
Baby shampoo works as well as baby wash.
1 tablespoon baby oil
2 teaspoons baby shampoo
2 1/2 cups water

Soapless
This recipe relies on the essential oil to cleanse, instead of using soap.
1-2 drops tea tree oil
1-2 drops lavender oil
1 cup water
**Use caution with this recipe as we've been told some children may develop a rash since the essential oils aren't dissolved in a carrier oil

Zany Apricot Solution
1 tablespoon apricot oil
1 tablespoon unscented baby wash
3 cups water

Zany Lavender Solution
1 tablespoon baby oil
1 tablespoon lavender scented baby wash
2-3 drops lavender oil
3 cups water

More Cloth Wipe Solution Recipe Resources
Here are a couple of links for more ideas on how to make and use your cloth wipe solution. Have fun seeing what others say about using cloth wipe solutions.

How to Use Wipes Solution:

There are many different ways to store and use wipes solution. Use a variety of different ways to suit your needs at home and away from home.

Use a plug-in commercial wipes warmer and place the solution inside. Dip cloth wipes into the solution.
Use a spray bottle to spritz the cloth wipes for an easy on-the-go method.
Warm solution and place in an insulated container to provide warm wipes for baby.
Place cloth wipes in a commercial baby wipes container and pour wipes solution over wipes.

Change solution once a week to prevent mustiness. Check solution daily to be sure it is not dirty or musty. If your solution gets dirty and musty within a few days, try mixing less of the solution at a time and changing it more frequently.

How to Care for Your New Unpaper Towels!

2009-09-16T08:29:00.001-07:00

Laundering:

Wash unpaper towels in cold water using your favorite detergent. You may choose to use the soak cycle beforehand in cold water to remove stains.

Wash unpaper towels with all your regular towels.

Do not use bleach on your unpaper towels! This may cause discoloration of the fabric. Sunning them is a natural way to bleach and remove stains.

Dry in dryer or hang to dry.

Please email me with any questions regarding your unpaper towels: naturallyfrugalcloth@gmail.com

How to Care for Your New Rag Bag/Purse!

2009-09-16T07:54:00.001-07:00

Rag Bags, Purses, & Makeup Bags
Laundering:

Since your bag is lined with canvas, it may shrink in the washing machine and dryer.

Wash your rag bag/purse by hand using your favorite detergent. Do not bleach purse! This may ruin the coloration of your purse.

Hang to dry.

Rag Coasters
Laundering:

Rag coasters are made with fleece and not canvas. Therefore, you may wash your rag coasters in the washing machine on the delicate or handwash setting using your favorite detergent. Do not bleach coasters! This may ruin the coloration of your coasters.

Machine dry or lay flat to dry.

Please email me if you have any questions regarding your rag bag/purse: naturallyfrugalcloth@gmail.com

How to Care for Your New Mama Pads!

2009-09-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Caring for your cloth pads is simple and easy!

Follow these simple steps to keep your cloth pads fresh and clean!

Soaking:

After use, rinse your pad until the water runs clear. You may also choose to soak your pads. You can soak them in:

Cold Water Alone
Cold Water with Hydrogen Peroxide
Cold Water with Lavender Oil
Cold Water with Salt
Cold Water and an Oxygen based soaker

If you choose to soak your pads, be sure to change the water at least daily and keep the container away from children.

If you choose to not soak your pads, try using a wetbag by Loving Touch Wet Bags to place used mama pads in instead of a hamper! Bigger sizes allow you to hang them up on your door and smaller sizes alow for an easy on go bag! Wet bags have cotton on the outside and PUL (PolyUrethane Laminate) lining to hold in moisture. These bags brighten up any room by adding color and texture!

Laundering:

After soaking pads, rinse to make sure water runs clear. You may want to run your pads through a COLD pre-wash or soak cycle. Then wash on regular cycle with detergent.

If you choose to soak in cold water only, or not to soak at all, you can put a couple cap fulls of hydrogen peroxide in with the detergent. Hydrogen Peroxide naturally removes blood and other hard to remove stains. You may also hang them outside in the sun to dry. Sunning out cloth naturally bleaches and removes stains. DO NOT use regular bleach OR fabric softener on your pads! This will shorten the life of your pads and may discolor and break down the fabric.

You may also hand wash your pads.

Dry pads in the dryer or hang to dry.

If you use cloth diapers, your pads can be washed with your cloth diapers and wipes.

Please email me if you have any questions regarding cloth pads: naturallyfrugalcloth@gmail.com

Rags Bags/Purses & More

2009-09-14T10:49:00.001-07:00

Rag purses are rag quilt style purses.

Rag Makeup Bag

Price: $12.00

Description: This rag bag/pouch is made with 100% cotton fabric charm squares by Moda in Nest. It can be used to carry and store multiple items including:

- Makeup
- Discretely carrying feminine products
- Travel bath products
- Jewelry
- Medicine
- Cloth wipes
- Baby food
- Small baby toys
- Any other item you may need to store or carry in your
bag!

This pouch is lined with strong canvas and has a pocket on the inside. It has two coordinating snaps for a secure closure. It is great for on the go or just to keep around the house!

Dimensions:

Closed- Width 8" Height 8.5"

Open- Width 8", Height 12"

Since each bag is handmade, all measurements are approximate.

Back of Bag Open

Front of Bag Open

Front of Bag Closed

Back of Bag Closed

Yellow Rag Coaster Set

Amount: 1 Set of 5 Coasters

Price: $7.00

Description: This set of coasters is topped with cotton and bottomed with fleece. One layer of batting and one layer of flannel are sandwiched between the top and bottom to form a fluffier, firmer coaster. They are each hand ragged and washed for maximum fluffiness!

Set of 5 Yellow Rag Coasters

Pink Rag Coaster Set

Amount: 1 Set of 4 Coasters

Price: $5.00

Set of 4 Pink Rag Coasters

**Click HERE for care instructions**

Unpaper Towels

2009-09-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

Cloth kitchen towels, known as unpaper towels, are super absorbent and add color and creativity to your kitchen! Use them as an alternative to regular store bought paper towels to save money and the environment!

I make unpaper towels out of a mix of three different materials: 100% Cotton, 100% Cotton Flannel, and Terry Cloth. Some are made double-sided with flannel, and others are made with cotton on top and terry cloth on the bottom. Both options are super absorbent and make cleaning the kitchen easier than ever!

One unpaper towel will clean up even the messiest of messes, versus using multiple paper towels that are just wasted!

My unpaper towels connect together just like regular paper towels using snaps or velcro. This makes it easy to pull the towel off while, at the same time, keeping them organized and neatly rolled up! They are placed on a matching fabric wrapped paper towel roll (recycled from disposable paper towels) to even further reduce waste! The entire roll of unpaper towels can be placed on a standard sized paper towel holder (pictured below)!

Unpaper towels can even be used in other places of the house! Use them in your bathroom to clean, or hang them up and let guests dry their hands with a fresh cloth towel!

Use a wetbag by Loving Touch Wet Bags to place dirty unpaper towels in instead of a hamper. These can be hung on a door or on your oven handle for kitchen unpaper towels! Wet bags have cotton on the outside and PUL (PolyUrethane Laminate) lining to hold in moisture. These bags also brighten up a room by adding color and texture!

These towels are machine washable and dryable so you can use them over and over again!

I would love to do a custom order for you! If you have a fabric you would like me to make a set with, send me an email and I'd love to work with you! I'm also willing to make different sizes to suit your personal needs!

*Please note that amount and price of towels will depend on size and yards of fabric specified*

**Please click HERE for care instructions**

Mama Pads

2009-09-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

Mama pads are a great way to save money, the environment, and help the overall health of your body! Save money with cloth pads by no longer having to buy disposable ones that create waste!

These pads are topped with 100% cotton flannel and have a coordinating fleece bottom. Each one is turned and top stitched for a durable and long-lasting pad. They are also stitched down the center to hold the absorbent material in place.

There are many health benefits to mama pads including:

Lighten menstrual flow
Regulate and shorten length of menstruation
Lessen cramps
Softer against your body
Chemical-free

These pads are machine washable and dryable! Use them over and over again each month!

Use a wetbag by Loving Touch Wet Bags to place used mama pads in instead of a hamper! Bigger sizes allow you to hang them up on your door and smaller sizes alow for an easy on go bag! Wet bags have cotton on the outside and PUL (PolyUrethane Laminate) lining to hold in moisture. These bags brighten up any room by adding color and texture!

All pads are shipped wrapped with coordinating ribbon!

Light Flow Candy Stripes

Length: 7" Long

Price: $3.00 each

Description: I have ONE of these pads available. Is is a light flow pad. The middle has two layers of 100% cotton flannel. The layers are stitched down the center to hold them in place. The top is Cotton Flannel and the bottom is Fleece. The flannel pattern is multi-colored stripes and the fleece is a coordinating solid light yellow. Each pad has coordinating snaps on the wings for easy closure. These pads can also fold up for an easy on-the-go pad!

Light Flow Mama Pad in Candy StripesFront of Folded Light Flow Cloth Pad in Candy Stripes
Back of Folded Light Flow Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Medium Flow Candy Stripes

Length: 8" Long

Price: $4.00 each

Description: I have ONE of these pads available. Is is a medium flow pad. The middle has one layer of cotton held between two layers of flannel. The pads are stitched down the center to hold them in place. The top is Cotton Flannel and the bottom is Fleece. The flannel pattern is multi-colored stripes and the fleece is a coordinating solid light yellow. Both pads have coordinating snaps on the wings for easy closure. These pads can also fold up for an easy on-the-go pad!

Medium Flow Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Front of Folded Medium Flow Mama Pad in Candy Stripes
Back of Folded Medium Flow Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Heavy Flow Candy Stripes

Length: 9" Long

Price: $5.00 (price in side-bar includes shipping)

Description: The middle has one layer of terry cloth topped with one layer of flannel for maximum protection against leaks. The center is top stitched to ensure the layers stay in place. The top is Cotton Flannel and the bottom is Fleece. The flannel pattern is multi-colored stripes and the fleece is a coordinating solid light yellow. This pad has coordinating snaps on the wings for easy closure. These pads can also fold up for an easy on-the-go pad!

Heavy Flow Maxi Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Front of Folded Heavy Flow Maxi Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Back of Folded Heavy Flow Maxi Mama Pad in Candy Stripes

Light Flow Star Spangled

Length: Approximately 7 1/2 inches

Price: $3.00 each (price in side-bar includes shipping)

Description: They are light flow round pads. The wings on these pads are longer, therefore providing more side coverage. The middle has two layers of flannel and is stitched down the center to hold them in place. The top is Cotton Flannel and the bottom is Fleece. The flannel pattern is multi-colored stars on dark blue and the fleece is a solid light pink. All pads have coordinating snaps on the wings for easy closure. These pads can also fold up length-wise for an easy on-the-go pad!

Light Flow Round Cloth Pad

Light Flow Round Cloth Pad Folded
Pantyliner Star Spangled

Length: Approximately 7 1/2 inches

Price: $3.00 (price in side-bar includes shipping)

Description: There is no lining the the middle and the center is top stitched for a clean look. The top is Cotton Flannel and the bottom is Fleece. The flannel pattern is multi-colored stars on dark blue and the fleece is a solid light pink. This pad has coordinating snaps on the wings for easy closure. These pads can also fold up for an easy on-the-go pad!

Light-Weight Panty Liner

Folded Light-Weight Panty Liner with Matching Ribbon

**Please click HERE for care instructions**

Cloth Wipes

2009-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Cloth wipes are a great to save money and the environment! No more buying those expensive disposable wipes that are just thrown away and wasted! Using cloth wipes along with homemade wipe solution is all natural and will protect your family and your baby from harsh chemicals.

All wipes are double sided and made from 100% cotton flannel. They are turned and top stitched for a nice clean look and a durable hold. These wipes are big enough to clean up a messy baby yet small enough to fit inside a standard sized wipes warmer.

Cloth wipes are great for:

Wiping baby bottoms
Wiping messy hands and faces
Cleaning up spills and other messes
Removing make-up or as a facial cleansing cloth
Family cloth (no more toilet paper waste!)

Cloth wipes are machine washable and dryable!

Use a wetbag by Loving Touch Wet Bags to place dirty cloth wipes in instead of a hamper! Different sizes allow you to hang them up as a diaper pail or take them on the go! Wet bags have cotton on the outside and PUL (PolyUrethane Laminate) lining to hold in moisture. These bags brighten up any room by adding color and texture!

All wipes are shipped USPS, stacked, and wrapped in coordinating ribbon.

Currently in stock:

Blue Butterflies

Amount: 2 Sets of 20

Price: $12.00 each (price in side-bar includes shipping)

Size: 5 x 5

Colors: Blue butterflies on flowery green background with solid teal backing.

Retro Flowers

Amount: 1 Set of 15 Wipes

Price: $10.00 (price in side-bar includes shipping)

Size: 5 x 5 1/2

Colors: White, light and dark purple flowers on a teal background. Print on both sides.