Titus 2 Tuesday: Beth Moore

It's baaack!  Titus 2 Tuesday gives us the opportunity to honor women in our lives who have taught us Biblical principals and truths.  If you'd like to participate, simply link up below!

She is full of knowledge and truths.  She's no doubt a living vessel of the Father's.  And she's so precious!  Beth Moore.  I simply love her!  And Saturday, I went with two precious friends to see Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity Simulcast.  We were at Woodstock First Baptist church, and while we were there, on the same campus as Beth, we were in the overflow room. 

But that was okay.  Because Beth came to visit during the lunch break!  And we were tickled!  She and her daughter Melissa did a little question and answer session while there, so it was very real and it seemed we got a small glimpse of the real Beth. 

There's Beth!!

Beth spoke on her book, So Long Insecurity, and while the teaching she gave regarding being a SECURE woman in Christ, what really stuck with me was an answer to a question raised in her brief Question and Answer session during lunch.

A lady asked what was one piece of advice Beth would give to those of us who are raising girls in this world.  Obviously, I quickly pulled out my notebook and pen to write down just what Beth had to say. 

She quickly referred to Deuteronomy 6:5 - 9

"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

For when we as parents Love the Lord with all of our being, when we impress God's commandments upon our hearts and that of our children, when we talk about them in our homes, when we tie them on our hands and foreheads, it's very much a ripple effect.  And then, everything we do, including raising our children, is done with the Love of the Lord our God.

On our way home, we talked about this.  And one of my friends said she had heard it said before that it's like throwing a stone into water and watching the ripples of the water.  This one command, to Love the Lord our God with all of our being, will ripple over into every area of our hearts and lives, including raising our children.

Now, I realize I am just beginning this journey of parenthood.  But I am already so thankful to have this little nugget of truth.  That I may bind it on my heart and be a true woman of God for my precious Molly.

Thank you, Lord, for Beth Moore.  Thank you for the incredible testimony she is!

Link up and tell us about a women who's touched your heart and life!

Molly's Second Shower

Thursday afternoon of last week, my mother's teacher friends threw a shower for Molly!  It was just awesome, too!  I don't yet have the pictures from the shower saved to my computer, but I do have pictures of the goodies!!!

We got two diaper bags, both of which I really wanted!  The one on the left will be her church bag; you know, the smaller, dressier one we'll use when we go to church!  Jenn, Brian and Ellie gave us that bag!  The right one I have named the bag of many colors, and I LOVE IT!  It was from the hostesses and was exactly what we'd picked out!  We also got a bath tub and smart shopper ~ both of which I know we'll use A LOT!

Molly got books and toys, too!  See the popper?  Couldn't be more perfect!  I don't really remember if I had one or not, but Tim definitely remembers his grandfather giving one to him and one to his little brother once.  Tim says he remembers his granddaddy laughing so hard as they pushed their poppers all throughout the house.  Strangely, though, both poppers "disappeared" soon....

See the diaper cake?  One of the hostesses made it, and it's so cute!  We also received tons of fun, cute clothes!!

more clothes, a monogrammed pillow from Molly's Lovie (that's my mom!)

Yes, more clothes and a precious little sign with an M in it.  The square pillow there was given to us at our first shower.

It's official.  Molly is one loved little girl!  And she will also be one of the best dressed babies around!  I am pretty sure we'll find ourselves having our own little fashion shows and photo shoots just so we can make sure that we get to wear all these precious things! 

My mother teaches with some precious, loving, giving women.  We are so very blessed by so many of them, and we love them dearly!  Thank you so much, precious ladies!  Thank you!

Am I High Maintenance?

Do you read Big Mama's blog?  You should.  She is hysterical!  Today's post is a cute story about her daughter, Caroline, playing in the bath tub, demanding her attention and finally admitting, "Some people tell me I'm high maintenance.  And you know what? ... They're totally right." 

Caroline?  Is six.  Maybe seven.

I laughed out loud while reading it!  It reminded me of the time Tim and I were driving somewhere, in the middle of a conversation.  I can't remember exactly what we were talking about, but it definitely had to do wtih women being high maintenance.

Me:  "I'm so not high maintenance."

Silence.

Me:  "Am I high maintenance?"

Silence.

Me:  "Tim!  AM I HIGH MAINTENANCE?"

He just laughed. At least he was smart enough not to answer right away with a heartily ~ and very much deserved ~ yes, yes you are!

He said it best when he finally got up the courage to respond.  It's not that I shop at only the finest stores, only wanting the nicest of things.  Heck, I buy my make up from Wal Mart and gush over a good pair of shoes or top found there as well!  I don't demand only the best of the best.  I don't expect to be treated like a princess. 

But I am high maintenance.  In that I am unpredictable at times.  One minute, I'm very self sufficient and don't want him to help me do anything.  The next minute, I may get a little huffy because he wasn't right there to help me move the chair or lift the ottoman or whatever it may be.  But I still want him to open the door for me. Always. (Side note:  he's the only man I ever dated who opens the door for me.  And I love it.  It doesn't matter if we're going to the gym at 6am or going on a date night.  Tim always opens my car door for me.  And. I. Love. It.)

Today, I may have to have ketchup on my fries.  Have to have ketchup.  Tomorrow?  Ketchup will likely gross me out.

And here we are, me on bed rest, learning to rely on Tim for everything.  I'll admit he's caught me messing around in the kitchen and pulling clothes out of the dryer once or twice.  And yes, he's asked me a couple of times quite a few times, "should you be doing that?"

And for once, I've not been high maintenance.  I hear him out and go sit back down where I should've been in the first place.

So, I want to know:  are you high maintenance?  Tell me about it!

Woah, Nelly..... or Molly!

Well, apparently Molly was so excited about the shower Saturday that she decided she'd start making her way into the world!?!?!

I'm 29 weeks pregnant, and Monday morning I had a scheduled doctor's appointment and ultrasound.  The sonographer noticed during the ultrasound that my cervix looked to be cone-shaped or opening at the top.  My OB was in surgery, so the OB who saw me asked me all kinds of questions:  have I been contracting?  Not that I know of.  I've noticed a little bit of random cramping / pains that I completely thought were braxton hicks contractions.  Have I noticed anything out of the ordinary?  Again, not that I know of.  The doctor checked me and determined I was 2 cm dialated.  He sent me over to assessment for some fetal monitoring.

I was monitored for about an hour-and-a-half where there were only 2 contractions (I felt nothing still).  They examined me again and determined I was 2 - 3 cm dialated and 70% effaced.  I was admitted to the hospital for further observation and monitoring.  Thankfully, I had no contractions Monday while on bed rest at the hospital.

Tuesday, my OB came by and told me they had called in a perinatologist to review my case.  The perinatologist's sonographer came by Tuesday morning and completed a thorough ultrasound. 

And we waited. 

Around 7 Tuesday night we finally met the perinatologist.  He offered a few reasons that typically cause a weakened cervix, none of which really fit my situation.  He did say the ultrasound was "anatomically benign" and everything looked great.  He at first mentioned keeping me in the hospital for a few days for further monitoring, but then he examined me and determined that my cervix had thickened a good bit so bed rest was helping!

So, yesterday morning I was released from the hospital and am now on bed rest at home.  Yay for HOME!  I'm on bed rest until I go back to my regular OB on Tuesday where we'll determine how things are and if I am to remain on bed rest or if I can go back to work.

This has been a week full of emotions.  We have been terrified, we have been anxious.  But we've also been so encouraged.  Encouraged by the progress that bed rest has brought.  Encouraged by the incredibly large group of people who've joined together and are actively praying for Molly and for Tim and me.  I am constantly blown away at the facebook messages, texts and emails friends are sending to us encouraging us and praying for us.  We appreciate that support so very much!

I continue to cling to this scripture during this time:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~ Jeremiah 29:11

He is in control.  And that's all I need to know!

Molly's First Shower

My first baby shower was this morning, and I cannot begin to describe how loved Molly is already!  My best friend Jodi hosted the shower in her home, and my family was there to help shower Molly with love and precious gifts.

My sister and mom were the photographers, and I don't yet have the pictures saved on my computer to show you. 

But I do have pictures of Molly's things!  Here's a picture of everything, as best I could get it.....

Molly got some precious outfits, dresses and bubble suits, a beautiful, soft blanket, a precious sign with her name and a Bible verse, a monogrammed baby pillow, and a water temp duck. . .

books, a baby book, teething ring, a precious lamb, more clothes . . .

a precious hooded towel, bath letters and bath supplies, burp cloths, a soft green frog and blanket, precious maryjane socks, more clothes.......

a bubble outfit for her first birthday and a pack and play. . .

a precious sign, sweet picture frame, and a moses basket that my sister gave me that was filled - I mean filled! - with goodies!  Monogrammed burp cloths and bibs galore, socks, many of the items I have listed and shown above, and even a monogrammed sheet in the basket! 

Tim and I are so thankful to our family and friends who came to today's shower.  It was an amazing morning, and Molly definitely got many, many precious things!

One more thing we received was a beautiful lamp from my grandmother.  I couldn't wait to get it home and set up!  The first bulb I put in the lamp blew immediately.  So, I grabbed a second bulb.  It also blew.  And smelled like it was burning.  So we had to take the lamp back this afternoon ~ bummer!  And an even bigger bummer is that the store no longer carries that line anymore, so I had to pick out another lamp.  The new lamp had to be ordered, and it's just as cute, so I'll be sure to show it to y'all when it comes in. 

Now, I've got some organizing to do!!!

The Masters

The Masters is this week, and if you live anywhere in the state of Georgia, the Masters buzz has been in full swing for a few weeks now.  Tickets are hard to come by.  Extremely hard.  Many folks we know who attend have had tickets in their family for decades.  Neither Tim nor I had ever been before, and both of us each year dream of getting lucky and finding tickets.

Well, this year, we got lucky!  Sunday evening one of Tim's grad-school buddies, Jeshaunton, called to see if he was interested in meeting up in Augusta Monday to go to the Masters.  Granted, it was day one of the practice round, but still. The Masters!  Tim was so pumped!  We may or may not have had a conversation that went something like this, while Tim was still on the phone with his friend:

I could tell by Tim's half of the conversation that he was possibly being invited to the Masters....
Me:  "Are you seriously being invited to the Masters?"

Tim grins BIG

Me:  "I don't believe it.  You lucky duck!"

Tim:  "Man, my wife is over here already jealous!"

A little while later Jeshaunton calls back.  And invites me, too! 

So, at 8pm on Sunday night Tim and I were both frantically calling our bosses asking permission to be off on Monday for the Masters!  Luckily, our bosses understand an invite like that doesn't come around very often, and by all means, you better jump on it.

So, we met Jeshaunton and Bryson on Monday morning and enjoyed an entire day of the Masters.

And. It. Was. AWESOME.

Ahhhh, the Masters.....

I knew enough to know one thing I wanted to see: Amen Corner... 

And here it is, looking from the 13th hole fairway...

Here's the bridge over Rae's Creek in Amen Corner....

Here's a group shot of the four of us:

This much of our day I know is true:

It was beautiful

The course is much more open than it appears to be on television.

The grass?  It's seriously like carpet.  Immaculate.

The pollen was unbelievably bad up there. You could just about taste it.

It was HOT.  Like 89 degrees.

So, yes, I was the only pregnant girl to be spotted.

And, yep, I got some double takes, too.  I'm sure some folks thought I was nuts.

The egg salad sandwiches and lemonade are hard to beat!

There was definitely a Tiger spotting!!!

I realize it's about like finding Waldo, but I promise, that's Tiger putting!

We had a ball!  It was definitely a day to remember! 

Wednesday's Walk ~ The Proposal

 Oooh, I've wanted to participate in Wednesday's Walk every since Jenilee brought it back; when Lynette hosted this, I loved it each week.  And today, I have a very special walk to remember... It was three years ago this past Monday.  I was working in some of our branches along the coast and my mom went with me since it was spring break for her.  We enjoyed a great time together, and I worked during the days that week in various branches.  Each evening, Mom and I would enjoy time together going to some of our favorite restaurants on St. Simons Island and just enjoying being there.  I have a love for SSI that's really second to none.  I grew up going there for vacations, weekend getaways and great fun.   On that Thursday, we had plans for another great night.  Mom would pick me up from work and we were heading over to the island for dinner with one of my precious friends, Ami.  We ate at Crabdaddy's ~ YUM! ~ and enjoyed each other's company.  Then, my mom suggested we go walk around the King & Prince.  This was a place where I grew up running through the resort, probably reaking havoc on everything with my friends.  There were about 5 families who met annually for a weekend trip at K&P, and now we laugh about how the staff would probably growl when our group arrived each February.  The kids?  We knew all the hallways and pathways of the resort. So, the three of us girls head over to K&P.  We walked all through the resort while I was busy telling Ami all about our numerous trips there.  We walked out of the building and faced the beach. We laughed at a dog playing in the water.  It had been a beautiful day and there were lots of folks enjoying the beach.   I remember glancing to the right and seeing this guy who looked very much like Tim.  But Tim - well, I thought Tim was at work.  In Macon.  3 1/2 hours away.  Dealing with what he'd described to me earlier on the phone as a personnel issue.  But this guy is sitting in this swing and looks so much like Tim. So I turn to my momma to ask her if he reminds her of Tim.  And I see tears.  She's smiling and crying.  I look back to the guy and he stands.  It is Tim!  He walks over to me, and asks me to come sit with him in the swing. It's there, in the swing, facing the ocean, on the property of a very, very special place that Tim gets down on one knee and asks me to marry him.  He says some very special, amazing things to me, and pulls out a ring that to this very day is the most beautiful ring I've ever laid eyes on. Needless to say, I said Yes!  Many times!  My momma and Ami had stepped back and were hiding behind some shrubbery watching this all unfold from afar. And that, my friends, began a beautiful, incredibly fun engagement. To this day, those precious words Tim said to me when he asked me to spend the rest of my life to him are beyond comparison.  *Would you believe I can't find the pictures from that special night?!?!  So sorry for no photos of this Walk!