Another cake creation

I believe it was over a year ago when my mom and I decided to take a Wilton's cake decorating class through Michael's. We took Course 1, the introduction to all things cake decorating. Classes were once a week for a month, lasting about 3 hours per class. I highly recommend it, especially because you can learn a lot even if you've never filled a decorating bag in your life. I hadn't practiced or made a cake really until "The Big Reveal" a couple of weeks ago. Go figure the following week I volunteered to make my mom's birthday cake. Here's what I created! Looks very Mary Englebreit-ish, I think :)

Two of my Faves

My first bloggy award :)

My beautiful cousin Tiffany over at Reagan Marie gifted me with a "Kreativ Blogger" award!

I will accept and display this bloggy award with pride :) Here are the rules once you have received the award:

1. Post the award on your blog, and link to the person who gave you the award.

2. List seven things you love.

3. List seven blogs you love.

4. E-mail or comment on those blogs to let the people know you've given them the award.

Seven things I love:

~ hearing the ocean waves lap and roar while digging my toes in the sand ~ having all the windows open on a breezy, mild day ~ listening to children laugh and recite Scripture ~ being the wife of a wonderful, loving man ~ sitting in a rocking chair while windchimes play ~ food; specifically anything made of chocolate, bread, and cheese :) ~ learning and accomplishing something new

Seven blogs I love:

~ Clothesline Alley - Amy shares a wealth of information on various topics related to natural living, being an Army wife, and loving her sweet daughter.

~Making Home - Jess's blog is much like an encylopedia. It is random, thought provoking, and has a dose of fresh perspective thrown into the mix. Her "Show and Tell" feature is one you won't want to miss.

~Passionate Homemaking - Lindsay covers natural living topics as well, especially posts on 'soaking' your grains and healthful nutrition. Nuggets of Biblical living are strewn throughout, along with book recommendations.

~Money Saving Mom - Just one of Crystal's blogs that aims to share CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Target, and other stores' deals to help lower your cost. Articles on frugal living are regular as well, along with giveaways, which I've actually won! I recommend putting this one on your feed list (if you don't have one) since there could be up to 12 quick posts a day with deals.

~The Story of Us - Deanna shares her journey with homeschooling, her love for all things Ukraine, and interesting ponderings.

~Walk Slowly, Live Wildly - Sara chronicles a simple life having now settled down in Bozeman, Montana after a stint of living in an RV traveling the U.S. Funky, crafty, alternative lifestyle-living...it's a mixed bag, and I like it that way!

~Amy's Humble Musings - Amy always includes very informative links to DIY projects, economic and political articles, and everything including the kitchen sink. Since moving to a farm, she shares the highs and lows of living with stubborn cows, all things chicken, and having Amish neighbors nearby. She's a mom of six and posts candid photos of their homespun life.

I would add that all of these ladies love Jesus and I am constantly challenged by their thoughts and ways of living. I love blogland since it has opened up a whole new world of knowledge from ladies who are really living it. Case in point, I don't think I'd ever even think of using cloth diapers if it hadn't been for several of my favorite bloggers. Believe it or not, there are people that live very differently than you do (sometimes contrary to your ways), and they are thriving. The list could go on with what I've discovered with the help of some very cool ladies.

DIY: Cloth Wipes

In a previous post on cloth diapers, I mentioned that I was going to try my hand at making cloth wipes. I did it! And I have the photos to prove it. :)

I decided to make 8"x 8"two-ply wipes, one side flannel, the other side waffle/thermal knit. I spent about $16 on fabric from JoAnn's, and ended up being able to produce 37 wipes. So each wipe cost roughly 43 cents; not too shabby of an investment.

Improvising a sewing nook in the future nursery

Starting with the two pieces of fabric

ZigZagging away...

Prior to trimming the border

Finished sample of "Saturday Mornings"

Finished sample of "Goin' Bananas"

The final stash...37 wipes in total..whew!

Would I make them again? Yes. It does take time, especially cutting out the individual squares of fabric, but it could've been a lot easier if I had a rotary cutter to use. I have pre-washed the fabric, but have yet to see how these babies hold up through washer and dryer cycles. Only time will tell :)

Idols, Veggie Pizza, & Mules

Last week in my group's Bible study we discussed idolatry and its effects on our lives. When I hear the word idolatry, the first image that emerges from my mind is one of manmade figurines of wood, clay, or metal. I also envision a shrine and people bowing down to worship the idol. While this depiction of idolatry happened countless times in the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament, it is not what typically occurs in modern day America. And it still breaks my heart to see images of other people groups/religions bowing down to false gods and goddesses still today.

To be clear, idolatry is defined as "1. the religious worship of idols. 2. excessive or blind adoration, reverence, devotion, etc. Synonyms: obsession, madness, mania." John Piper gives a concise definition, "Treasuring anyone or anything more than Christ is idolatry."

Idolatry can be very easy to spot...a vast collection of sports cars, crying + screaming tweens (and moms!) at a Jonas Bros. concert, or it can be very subtle...like stubbornness. Yes, you read that right. I discovered a convicting gem of a passage in 1 Samuel 15:22-23,

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”

I cannot tell you how many times these verses have been brought to my mind in the past week, especially over two slices of veggie pizza. Who knew conviction was an available topping? My husband and I ordered a pizza with half veggie, half BBQ chicken. This was a treat for both of us since normally we order plain ol' pepperoni. I ate my two slices, he ate his four, and I saved my two other slices for the next day's lunch. The next day, my mom picked me up and we went out for lunch. While scarfing down a ginormous Philly cheesesteak, my poor husband calls from home asking if he could have my last two slices of veggie pizza for his lunch. How did the sweet, loving wife respond? [Cue the violins] She said (in her most pathetic, whiny voice), "but those are my slices, and I never get veggie..." My poor husband said, "okay" and that was the end of the phonecall. The following day, while eating my beloved veggie pizza....the oddest thing happened. It no longer tasted good, in fact it felt more like gravel in my mouth (Proverbs 20:17). I suddenly had a clear example of how I had failed to serve him and insist on my own stubborn behalf. How foolish I was! I apologized to my husband and asked his forgiveness for my crummy attitude of selfishness.

Back to the passage, it all begins with our heart and the motives within. Beyond verse 22, we see two similes that compare the sinfulness of rebellion and stubbornness. Frankly, it's the subtle sins within that seem more difficult to identify, control, and conquer. And sometimes, because we can't see them in the way we can like drunkeness or adultery, it is easy to gloss over them and attempt to rationalize them away (veggie pizza, anyone?).

But from these verses, it is clear that rebellion and stubbornness are major offenses to God! By having witchcraft and worshiping idols thrown into that same mix, it really ruffles my feathers. How many times do we excuse rebellious attitudes with "oh, she's just being a teenager!" or "boys will be boys?" Often times, the phrase "stubborn as a mule" comes with a knowing smirk or a frustrated sigh, but never to the equivalent degree of hearing "oh, he's just worshiping idols!" :) That puts some perspective on it!

At least to me, it is a little too ironic that within the verses of 1 Samuel 15:22-23 both submission and stubbornness are juxtaposed. I know I wasn't the best example of submission as a child, and yes, I'm still a work in progress when it comes to my marriage. Come to think of it, submission and stubbornness are really on the same continuum:

Submission (Serving others) <--------Your will--------> Stubbornness (Serving self)

On the far left, you willingly (and hopefully not begrudingly) put your will aside for someone else. But on the far right, you choose not to yield, thereby demanding your will.

Scripture is clear that the appropriate choice is submission (Ephesians 5:21, Colossians 3:18, Hebrews 13:17, 1 Peter 2:13-14, James 4:6-8). As seen in the passage from 1 Samuel, anytime we disobey God, we reap the consequences of disobedience; in this case, Saul was rejected as king.

It's time to remember that obedience and submission have blessings attached. Sometimes immediate, sometimes tangible, most importantly, the smiling approval from God.

Details of the Big Reveal

Several people have asked how we exactly told our families about the sex and name. So, here's my summary:

For out-of-staters, we simply gave them a celebratory phonecall. We wished they could've made it to our party, but c'est la vie!

On Saturday, March 21st, we held a cookout at my parents' house with hotdogs, hamburgers, and the usual yummy faire. Everyone invited knew that we were going to announce the big news, so in that sense, it wasn't completely a surprise as to the reason for our gathering.

I decided to bake and decorate a cake with boyish colors and the name on top to give the big reveal to everyone. I had so much fun decorating the cake with blue and green dots and circles :)
We got everyone together in the dining room and I still had the cake cover over it, even with a handtowel draped on top to prevent overly curious eyes from trying to peep :)

We gave a 3-2-1 countdown and I lifted the cake cover lid off.

Here's what our families saw:

The cake turned out beautifully (if I do say so myself) and delicious. After everyone got a view of the cake, Brent gave a speech about how we decided on the name and our prayers for our new son.

Caleb was one of the 12 scouts who was asked to see what the Promised Land looked like. What they saw there were men who were as large as giants along with fortifed walls. Only Caleb and Joshua of the twelve scouts gave the go-ahead based on faith and believing God's promise to take the land. Imagine, God clearly gave them insight on where the Promised Land was, yet ten men refused to accept that message in faith. We are hoping that our Caleb will take God at His word in everything he does, and remain faithful to God, no matter what. For the entire account, read about it here in Numbers.

We are still working on the middle name, and I think we're getting closer to a final choice. But rest assured, it will be special just like his first name.

We are proud to announce...

It's a BOY!

The ultrasound went very well on Friday morning and the first image that appeared on screen was a baby with its legs spread wide, and thus, our baby boy was immediately discovered. :) Not only was that prayer answered (that we would be able to see the sex), but more importantly, all the organs look healthy and well-formed. I loved seeing his face, beating heart and aorta, diaphragm, bladder already collecting urine, and a detailed view of his spine.

The entire time he was looking right at us :) We were able to watch him open his mouth, and also practice sucking. He seems like a chill little dude; his pose was laidback with an arm behind his head and legs spread. I guess right now, my womb is a comfy hammock for him.

I had really been looking forward to looking at 3D pictures, but because he kept looking straight at us, and not giving us a profile view, we were unable to get 3D ones. But, I think this was a blessing in disguise, because the sonographer offered us a visit in another week for them to practice their 3D skills. So, we get a free hour extra viewing our little boy :)

We are so blessed to have a healthy little boy on the way. We don't deserve such a great gift! With that said, the name we have chosen for him is Caleb. It means "faithful," and indeed God has been faithful to us unconditionally.

"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." ~Psalm 127:3