Monday, December 31, 2007

Final Sick Man Report

Well, the sick man is doing much better! A very big thank you to all of you who I imagine were praying for him! And the mommy didn't catch it...so thanks for prayer in that regard as well!

Little Miss Clara seems like she may be getting noticeably active! I've felt feelings here and there, but haven't been too sure if it was the baby or what. Last night I felt quite a few! Maybe the little lady was practicing her volleyball skills??!!! :-)

I got the neat news on Saturday that a couple friends of mine, Jenny and Bob (they're brother and sister), both got engaged, a couple days apart over this last week! Congratulations you two, and a huge thank you for the godly example you were to me as we were growing up!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Sick Man Report II

Well, my dear man has been doing better some and is back to work today. Hopefully, it won't be too much for him but, Lord willing, he'll have the weekend to rest and keep getting better!

In other news, we have someone scheduled to come look at the car tonight. You could be praying that the Lord's will would be done.

I got the juicer out today and made some fresh juice for the first time in quite a while! Yum! Hopefully, it will help make up for all the sugar and other not-so-good stuff I've been feeding poor Clara!

I tried something new in the bread machine today and it came out very nicely! I like it when that happens! That machine has been a neat addition to our kitchen!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Sick Man Report

Well, my sick man is home again today. He currently has his head covered up and over a pot of steaming water that has Vicks vapor rub and bergamot oil in it. He does that for about ten minutes. He's feeling better some today. I don't know if he'll go to work tomorrow. We shall see. So far, it appears, I haven't caught it, which is a blessing!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

At Home Sick

Well, I was hoping Stephen would decide to call in sick today...because I'm selfish and like to have him home! But being the good, faithful, diligent worker that he is, he got up and went off to work. However, about a half an hour ago he arrived back home...having been encouraged to do that by a couple co-workers. So, I get to have him here after all and get to play nurse some more! He may stay home tomorrow as well. We shall see. Poor guy, it's not too fun being sick, but it's a pretty nice deal for me to get to have him home!

Our First Christmas

We had a lovely first Christmas together. We opened up some gifts in the morning and had cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Later on we started baking pies...we each made one. I did pumpkin and Stephen did blueberry-banana (YES, that's blueberry-banana! and it turned out pretty well!). And I also did mashed potatoes and gravy. We loaded up and headed to the home of some friends. We were treated to a YUMMY Italian dinner. We were given delicious appetizers and at dinner we started with a pasta and bread course, before moving on to a more traditional course, which was ham, mashed potatoes and a great vegetable casserole! Yum yum! And of course there was dessert later. Stephen didn't have any pie because, at that point, he was feeling a bit like he would explode if he ate anymore! The adults present (five of us) had a "vicious" game of Uno. It was a very nice Christmas!

Monday, December 24, 2007

It's Official!

It's official everyone! Our little girl's name is... Miss Clara Belle Madgwick!

Family Visit and One Sick Guy

We had a very nice visit from my family this last week! It was a special treat for me! They all arrived here on Tuesday evening and we got to have them here until Sunday - early afternoon. Wednesday, Stephen had to work and we hung around the house most of the day and also went to a place called Dreamy Draw and took a walk and snapped some neat pictures, some of which I'll include on here. Thursday we went to check out a spy store, the railroad park, and the Bass Pro Shop, and also saw a neat tree decoration display near here. Friday, everyone, with the exception of Mom and I, played Ultimate Frisbee. Some of the guys did the BIG job of hanging some curtains for us...and believe me it DID turn into a BIG job! That night, Mark, Randy, David and Josh played volleyball at a local club! Josh's team won in the final! Yay Josh! Saturday we went to Sedona and found a place in Oak Creek Canyon to have a fire and eat lunch in the snow! :-) Sunday, we all were at the chapel. This Sunday we a special Christmas service and Stephen and I had agreed to do an instrumental special. Well, the family was very nice and agreed to join us! Randy played piano and the rest of them sang two of the verses of "Angels From the Realms of Glory". Thanks again for coming family!

I have one sick guy on my hands. Poor thing, he was pretty miserable last night and this morning, but is a bit better now. He's got a pretty severe head cold. I've kind of had some fun getting to be his nurse though. Hopefully, he'll be all better soon...and not have a miserable Christmas! He seems to have a way of getting sick when he goes on vacation.

Ok, now for a few pictures: There is one of us nine siblings that was taken at Dreamy Draw, one of Mom and Dad at the same place, and one of Amy, Caleb and Melissa at the railroad park.




Sunday, December 16, 2007

Cold Mornings


News from the man of the house- There are so many projects I would like to do and so little time. Every time I get a jump on one of them, it's like I pulled the bottom apple on the produce isle and the whole lot is coming at me! I got a chainsaw to make some firewood, but it broke last time I used it. Now why would it do that to me? I know some of you are asking if we are going to make our 1 yr deadline in regards to wedding thank you notes. Last time I checked, we still had about 87 to write. All I can say is that I work better under pressure. If it looks like I am not going to make it, I plan to file a 30 day extension with the San Luis Obispo County Recorder's Office.

Some of you might know that I am selling my car. Someone came and looked at it recently. We will see how it goes. I have been busy at work on an Embassy Suites remodel project that needs to get done before the Super Bowl. I have been learning how to tell people things that they don't want to hear like the need to drop their price $9000, and no, you won't get the $100,000 contract that you worked on for 3 days, and I need decisions from you, the interior designer, right now, today, not tomorrow, not in one hour, because the Super Bowl is coming. Now why do we make promises that we don't know how we can fulfill like getting a luxury remodel done before an annual sporting event? Why the Super Bowl? Why not Valentines Day? Why not Mother's Day? Because of money. Yup, approx. $15 Mil or there abouts. Because the other 220 rooms need to be remodeled after the Super Bowl. So you learn to do things that other people don't want to do in order to make clients and keep them. I will let you know if we make it or not.

I wanted to show you with the picture a beautiful phenomenon that I came across while cutting down a grapefruit tree in the dark. There is a branch that seperates and then after two feet of knotty angles and growth, it comes back together as one branch. I think that is a good picture of forgiveness. The odds were against against those branches for ever coming back together and they did. I can't explain it either except to show you. Perhaps the Creator will be able to one day tell the story.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

More News

We have another nice fire this evening! We've had several the last few days! What a treat!

Stephen spent quite a while outside today chopping up some of the wood we brought home. It's actually kind of fun for him to do! What a nice deal for me!

We got a second sofa a few days ago. It's a new-to-us sofa that someone was selling and it was in quite nice condition. It's very comfortable and has a bed that pulls out, so that should be handy for company!

With my family coming for a visit we've had an extra push to work on our third bedroom, which has been our box / junk room. We did some work on it today, but there is still more to do. It's the room that we're planning to use as the baby's room.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Yippy!

My whole entire family is coming to visit us (Lord willing) next week!!! What fun that should be! Various ones of them have been at various times, but Dad, Mark and Josh have never been! What a special treat for me!

I'll be back to cooking for a big group! Hopefully, I can still remember it all! :-)

Stephen already has a home improvement project he wants the brothers to do...but don't tell them that! :-) We'll try not to give you guys TOO much to do!

Thanks for coming you all!

Stephen And Our First-Ever Fire!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

In Other News...

Ok, time for some more news from around here. I got my other side of fillings done a few days ago. Some of it was not comfortable, but we got through it! And I am finally done with the dentist for quite a while now. After baby comes I get to face having all four wisdom teeth out! Fun, fun.

I made Ferguson Fruit Cake today, and it turned out pretty well. I need to check on this, but I think this "Ferguson" recipe may have been developed by my Dad, in which case, it today became a second generational Christmas treat!

A few days ago I tried out our $6.50 Goodwill bread machine...and the bread turned out the first time!!! Yay!!! Now I know some of you might be sitting out there saying "You bought a food related appliance at a thrift store???!!!! How disgusting!!!!!" I can understand that feeling, but if you think about it, how much different is it then buying bread at a store, or even eating at a restaurant? In each of those situations we are eating something that who-knows-who cooked, in who-knows-what, using who-knows-what! Once you've bought the machine, you at least know who's doing the cooking and what ingredients you're using! And you can clean the machine and, after all, what bad stuff can survive the heat??!!! And then to top it off, think of ALL the money you save instead of buying it new!!! Just a few thoughts, you can take them or leave them. :-)

Ok, now for a little Daddy news. Stephen spent a couple hours a few nights ago out in the cold and rain and fading light and then darkness, chopping down some trees for fire wood! What a tough guy I married! We're probably going to have our first ever fire in the fire place tonight! How cozy! Tonight he changed the headlight bulbs in our truck. Such a handy, hard working guy! I'm sure blessed!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

It's a.....

Hello friends and family!

Yesterday we had an ultrasound! Stephen and I both
wanted to find out, if possible, whether we were
having a son or daughter. Thankfully, the lady doing
the ultrasound was able to tell, or we would have been
rather disappointed. So, the debate between whether
my Dad's granddaughter was on her way or my husband's
son was on his way was settled. And the result
was........ my Dad was indeed correct and his
granddaughter is developing and appears to be on
schedule for a May 7th due date. The lady running the
ultrasound (do you call them technicians?) did an
extensive check-up, looking at her brain, stomach,
kidneys, heart, etc., etc., etc. It sounded like,
from what she could tell, all approximately 9 oz of
baby looks good at this point. Little Miss Madgwick
even did some moving during the procedure and even
opened her little mouth. :-). We were sent home with
some pictures. One of my favorites is one of the ones
of her little feet! Cute! Come by some time and we
just might be persuaded to show off some of them! The
technician was very nice and talked to us a lot as she
worked, telling us what she was looking at and how
things looked to her. She explained certain things,
like she told us she could tell that there was liquid
in the baby's stomach, which means she is swallowing!
Daddy Stephen enjoyed it...maybe he'll write about the event on the blog sometime in the near future! :-)
And for the record, he is NOT disappointed that he is
having a daughter! :-)

You all have a very good day and please keep us in
your prayers as we prepare for little Miss Madgwick' s
arrival into the outside world!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Today is the Day!

Well, today is the day!!! Lord willing, we'll be finding out if we're having a son or daughter and settling this little "disagreement" between the new Grandpa and new Dad. :-) I hope we ARE able to find out today and they don't tell us to come back. Either way, expect to see the news published very soon!

Awwww...we went on Saturday night and picked out our first Christmas tree! It's a live one (at least, it was until they chopped it down and brought it to the Christmas tree lot:-)). We were planning to get a small one, but it didn't end up being THAT small. I think it's between five and six feet. And guess what! We outfitted it completely from Goodwill and stuff we already had! I did a burgundy, gold and white theme with white lights. Stephen also bought me a REAL wreath...you know, one of those ones that actually smell! :-) He spoils me too much! Our house is starting to look more like Christmas as our very first Christmas together as husband and wife rapidly approaches!!! Stephen also just got a chain saw so, Lord willing, he'll be going to get some firewood soon and we'll be putting our fire place into use for the first time. That will be so nice and cozy! It's become pretty chilly here!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Clean Teeth and a Christmas Party

Raining again here! And we can use it!

Well, I did end up going to the Christmas party last night and I had some fun. I crowded into a table with some of my friends from class and we chatted away. Up until last night there was only about one person in the class who I had told about the baby. Well I told my table last night and told them about the ultrasound coming up. I got some very positive responses and some of them said to bring pictures to class following the ultrasound...so Lord willing, I'll do that! I got to have a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner...turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans and some sort of pumpkin mouse pie for dessert.

I got my teeth cleaned earlier in the day. Man! Such poking and scraping and rough flossing! I think it may have hurt more to get them cleaned then to get those fillings the other day...with no numbing!!! Of course, the laser made the difference there!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Wow! Two posts in one day! Make sure you don't miss my last post with the "proof positive" that I married Mr. Wonderful! :-)

Ok, a report on the Apple Butter! It turned out yummy! Try making some! If you want a really easy recipe just let me know!

Today, Lord willing, I'm off to the dentist again! This time for a cleaning. All I do now is go to the dentist! I guess it's not that bad....

Then tonight, my plan is to go to a Christmas party that my art teacher is holding at a local restaurant. Should be fun. Wish my hubby was invited too!

Here's a concept that particularly got my attention as I was reading my Bible this morning.

"Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief, officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?"
Proverbs 6:6-9

I think sleeping a lot isn't as much of a temptation for me as it used to be, HOWEVER, I still have problems with wasting time, being lazy, or doing something that is more fun when there is something I don't feel like doing that is probably MORE important for me to be doing! I need to remember this passage and ask the Lord to help me do the projects, jobs, etc. that I don't feel like doing!

Told You I Married Mr. Wonderful!!!!!

I told you I married Mr. Wonderful!!!! If you missed that post, check out the October archive. Now, if perhaps some of you out there who don't know Stephen too well don't believe me, let me offer you some proof positive. I had the NERVE last night at around 9:45 to say something about a bacon cheeseburger, fries and ranch dressing, and you know what?! He marched off to Wendy's, got me some and was back in 15 minutes! After he got back he went to the kitchen and grabbed the ranch dressing (I like to dip my fries in it) and brought it to our room and we sat on the bed and had a picnic! :-) Now isn't that a down right cool husband???!!! How did I get soooo blessed???!!!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Fillings, Christmas Card, Apple Butter, a Hat for Baby, Verses

Hello everyone! It's a bright day here! We got a lot of rain on Friday and some on Saturday and it is now bright and sunny out!

I had one side of my head filled yesterday. :-) In other words, I got fillings on one side of my mouth, top and bottom. She used a new laser machine that enabled her to not have to give me any shots or whatever they do to make you numb! And with the type of stuff she was using for the fillings and the way it's done, I didn't have any rules about what I could and couldn't eat at first. I'm suppose to get a cleaning later this week and then the other side of fillings next week. This is becoming my go-to-the-dentist-month!

I had fun again at art class yesterday! We did Christmas cards and the one I worked on was a wintry, snowy, light house on the coast picture. I enjoyed it.

One of my projects today is trying my hand at apple butter...we'll see how it goes. I found a really easy slow cooker recipe. The biggest project is peeling and chopping the apples. You put them in the slow cooker, add sugar and spices and I think maybe salt...I should check on that, as I'm pretty sure I didn't put in any salt...and mix it. And pretty much the rest is just cooking and some mixing and being patient hour after hour.

We bought the first clothing item we've ever purchased for Junior the other day! It's a cute little hat that will be great for Phoenix summers...it's boy colors so it will be great provided he's the son his father thinks he is. :-)


Psalm 34:8
O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Psalm 34:14
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Raining!

It's raining! We haven't got much in the way of rain yet this fall/winter, but it's coming down right now. I like rain. I just pulled some banana bread cookies out of the oven and, yum, they turned out pretty well! I had some of those over ripe bananas to use up and wanted to do something other then bread, so I looked around on allrecipes.com and came up with these. I really like that site by the way. The cookies really aren't that different then bread, they're basically just really small breads.

Mommy and Junior went to exercise class today and we sure got a work out. Some of it was soooo hard! And there some points where I went ahead and quit for a while. What we really need is to exercise more!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A special treat!

One of the special treats I got on this trip was that my husband took me to Longwood Gardens! They were beautiful!!! There were extensive and beautiful grounds, a lot of which we were able to see during our time there. There is also a huge conservatory with room after room of lovely plants. I've done three posts this morning with pictures from our time there...so if you want to see more pictures, check out the two additional posts below.






The Orchid Room!

The orchid room was one of my favorite parts! They had tons of orchids in one room... and I really like orchids! I don't know that I've ever seen so many in one place at one time! Stephen took some good pictures of several of them.





More Longwood Gardens Pictures








Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Lots of Blue

Happy Thanksgiving to you all a couple days early! As it's unlikely I'll be posting on the actual day, may I wish you all a wonderful day full of blessings, good food and fellowship with friends and family, and most of all, hearts full of thankfulness to our Lord for all the countless blessings He has poured down on us!!!! And for those of you who know my brother, Randy, his birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year, so after you've had your fill of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and pie, maybe you could call him up and wish him a happy one...before you take that nap or plop down to watch a football game!!! :-) Happy Birthday Randy!!!

Well, we started buying baby stuff last week!!! Yay!!!! We now have a crib, some bedding, a car seat, a stroller, and one of those baby carriers that you can wear either in front of you or on your back. And let's just put it this way...should my Dad be right and "his granddaughter" REALLY IS on her way...then she's just going to have to put up with quite a bit of blue. :-) But think of it this way, by the time she's old enough to start learning her colors she'll probably have a brother who is using most of that stuff anyway!!! :-)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Family visit, Thanksgiving, Morning sickness, and EARLY CHRISTMAS MUSIC! :-)

Good morning everyone! Hopefully, you all haven't just quit checking for up-dates because it has been so dreadfully long since my last post!

Well, how about a little news about life in our household. We got the privilege of having my Mom and three youngest siblings here from Monday night until Saturday morning of last week! We had some fun times together! Mom spoiled us while she was here and, among other things, bought us some lovely plants for our back yard! Caleb and Melissa did A LOT of swimming in the pool, even though the temperature in there is down to around 61 - 62 degrees!!! They're tough! We played a bunch of games together as well. Some of you might be surprised about how crazy and feisty I can act sometimes. You might have to look twice to make sure it's me! :-) We took a little hike at a place a friend had recently introduced me to. We also took a drive and they got to look around and see a bit more of the area. They were able to go to Bible study with us and meet some of our friends from the chapel. One day, while Stephen and I were at the funeral of a friend, they went to a park that a neighbor had told us about and then found a McDonalds with a really big play area. The morning they left Stephen took Caleb to the park near us and they tried out Caleb's new boomerang. So...that is some of what happened while they were here. Thanks again for coming family!!! Come again soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday we are planning to head to the east coast to see some of Stephen's family. It also got arranged that my brother, Mark, is going to join us for that time, which I was quite happy about!!! Yay!!!

Well, it looks like I may be getting over the morning sickness, though it was never really bad in the first place! That is a way in which I am glad I did NOT take after my mother!!! No offense Mom! :-) And I think I was the one who made her the most sick!!! Hopefully, this pregnancy is the one I get the sickest with too! :-) Well, we are scheduled to find out if we're having a boy or a girl sometime during the end of December. I don't remember the date exactly. My Dad is already talking about "his granddaughter" and Stephen says he thinks it's a boy.... :-)

OK, one last, shocking thing to tell those of you who may be reading this and are one of those who think that all the Christmas stuff should start AFTER Thanksgiving...I'm currently playing Charlotte Church's Christmas CD! All you "after Thanksgiving" people, please forgive me...and hopefully, we can still be friends!

Monday, November 5, 2007

Company, Drawing, and a Sandwich

I'm afraid it has been about three days since my last post. My "sincerest" apologies to one of our regular readers who says if we have a blog we should post EVERYDAY!

Life has been pretty eventful around here. Besides some regular activities we had company over Thursday night (as I mentioned in a previous post), then we were over at someone else's home on Friday for supper. Later on Friday evening a friend came in at the airport and was here for the weekend. Sunday he had lunch with some other friends from the chapel and we had three different friends (also from chapel) over for lunch. Our friend who was here for the weekend left this morning and we're expecting my Mom and three of my siblings to arrive some time this evening. We will probably get to have them here for at least most of the week! I haven't seen any of them since August when we went to the camping trip.

Today I have art class, which is usually fun. At this class we're suppose to do a picture that includes at least one tree and water. One of my latest attempts in the drawing field is a portrait of my handsome husband in his uniform. I'm not done with it yet, but so far I'm pretty happy with it. Maybe, when it's done I'll take a picture of it and put it up on the blog.

Ok, anyone want an idea for a DELICIOUS grilled sandwich???!!! I got this idea from a Taste of Home cookbook, but have done it a little bit differently. But very basically, this is what you do. Take a piece of focaccia bread and cut it into two horizontal layers. Spread the sliced sides of the bread with basil pesto (I've used both homemade pesto and store bought, both with delicious results :-)) Then, layer ham or turkey, sliced apples, and cheddar or mozzarella cheese. Put sandwich together and grill on an inside grill. I used a George Forman grill (great wedding gift!), you know, the kind that closes kind of like a waffle maker. When the sandwich is hot and the outsides are crispy, take out and enjoy! Stephen and I both REALLY like these! I think I'll have one later today!

Friday, November 2, 2007

Camping!

This is a picture that was taken when we joined the family earlier this year for a family reunion / camping trip up in the Sierras. That's one of my Uncles being funny in the background. :-)

Neighbors and company

Last night we got to have two couples that are neighbors of ours over for dinner. We had fun sitting around chatting and laughing. We chose to do one of those menus that keeps you busy for awhile! We had tenderloin, shrimp, asparagus, homemade rolls, homemade cranberry sauce and Parmesan potato wedges. My husband very kindly helped out when he got home from work. We're blessed with some very kind, fun and interesting neighbors. We've been invited to go to dinner tonight at the home of some different neighbors. So, this is kind of our neighbors week.

Then later in the evening we're planning to pick up a friend from the airport who is going to be here for the weekend. And, Lord willing, my Mom and little sister will be be coming in for a visit beginning of next week. So, the next days should prove busy, eventful and full of blessings!

I went to stretch and tone class today. Man! She really gives you a workout! Sounds like such an easy class too!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Plumbers and a Doctor

Well, that's what happened today...plumbers and a doctor. We got a really bad case of backed up plumbing in both of our bathrooms...you know, the kind where you run the washing machine and it comes up in the toilet and bathtub...nasty! Well, Stephen found a company that was willing to come out almost right away and they dealt with it pretty quickly.

Then, we had our OB doctor visit, which went pretty well. One of the things that happened was that we got to hear baby's heartbeat again! This was Stephen's first time to hear it! It sounded good to the doctor...I wouldn't have much of a clue regarding what was a good heartbeat and what wasn't. Our next visit was scheduled as well as an ultrasound in December, at which time, Lord willing, we'll be finding out if it's a boy or girl! Yes, I know, there are those of you out there who are saying "NOOOOOO don't do that! Make it a surprise!" Well, if you REALLY want to be surprised maybe we can put you on a "Please Don't Tell Me If It's A Boy Or Girl" list. Just let me know! :-)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Nice Day For A Walk

Awwwwwww! Don't I have the funniest and sweetest husband???!!! If you don't know what I'm talking about, see his post below. Sorry to break this to all you ladies out there looking for Mr. Wonderful... you're not going to find him...because I have him!!!! :-) Ok, ok, ok so there are some other good guys out there...but they're not quite like my guy! :-)

Well, today was a nice day for a walk! Still a little on the warm side, but not too bad. I got to go to a park I'd never been to and walk with two of my new friends from Moms club. The trail we were on was nice and big and paved...good for strollers, which both of them had. I'm not quite at that point but, Lord willing, I will be in about 6 months. We had a walk and then sat in a picnic area, had the lunches we'd packed and chatted. Anyone know how good a cheese and tomato sandwich tastes after not eating for a while and a walk? Really yummy!!! My Dad and I are both sort of cheese and tomato sandwich fans. :-) And don't forget the garlic salt on the tomatoes! It was a beautiful day for sitting outside...in the shade. And how great to have two nice, interesting, neat new friends!

Tomorrow we have our next appointment with the OB/GYN. Hopefully, it will go really well!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Stephen in Stephen & Gracie

Hi, This is my first official post to our blog. According to the IRS, I am the head of household, but sometimes I wonder. I have learned much in the last 9 months of marriage and I am already planning my counselling sessions for the near future to show the millions of young men who read my blog exactly what life is like within a marriage covenant. I have many other things to say as well.

First of all, if you are one of the individuals that reads our blog everyday (as some fan(s) have reported) then you must post your comments. A blog without comments is more like a blah. I am also ordering everyone who reads this blog to vote for Mike Huckabee for President because he has wise views on protecting life, fighting war with honor, belief in God and not being ashamed to admit it, he's capable, he's funny, and because I said so; especially you hippies in California (I use the term hippies in the most affectionate manner).

The Momma of the household is doing well. She walked a lot today doing errands. She has been in a ornery, cantankerous mood lately. I have decided that it's probably the prenatal pills that are doing this. Heirgo, reread my second sentence. I love her madly. My favorite things about her is that she's the prettiest little thang in the world (esp. in pink!) and she can melt my heart in a second, and she knows it. She is smart and has the wittiest comebacks, sometimes at my expense, but for some reason I like it when she does that. She respects me even when I don't deserve it. She cares for me and does thankless jobs without complaining (Thank you for all you do, Gracie!), and she will be the bestest mom ever!

Good night for now, America!

Stephen
Father to be

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The House!!!

Ok, all you many friends and family who we have not yet had the privilege of hosting at our new home, you might like getting a bit of an idea of what our house looks like. Come see it for yourself some time!

1. Master Bedroom
2. Living Room
3. Kitchen
4. Dining area with an open area and then the other side of the living room (then was shown in the other picture) in the background.
5. Guest Bedroom (sorry it's such a dark picture. It will look much brighter when you come visit us and stay in it :-) )
6. Guest Bathroom







Last Several Days

Well, hello again! We had a pretty full weekend here with some friends staying for most of the weekend, another friend joining us for breakfast on Sunday and then a fellowship luncheon at the chapel.

We've been thinking of our friends in the San Diego area in light of the devastating fires that they are having. Last we heard, there had been no loss of property for those we know at the chapel there. But, they would likely appreciate your prayers.

I had fun at drawing class yesterday...I usually do. Drawing was never something I really got into, but having this class that actually MAKES me do it, has been an enjoyable experience. The last three weeks we've worked on aspects of portraits, and that's been one of my favorite things to do. It would be neat to get to the point of being able to do people I know really well!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Last Night

Last night was mid-week Bible study at the chapel and we had a special treat this week. We had a couple men visiting from I.N. Network (formerly "International Needs"). One of them is a from Egypt and he has been in full time ministry over there for about the last 20 years. He had an impressive testimony. As a six year old boy he was standing next to his father, a pastor in Egypt, when his father was shot to death by Islamic extremists. He grew up with a great deal of hatred and unforgiveness in his heart and, as a child, his dream was to one day get a gun and go back and shoot the people who had killed his father. However, at age 11 he accepted the LORD Jesus and was completely changed by Him. Years later, he came back to that same village and started a Bible school. He told us a lot about the state of the country and the ministry he does, which includes a great deal of teaching and training of other pastors. Should Nathan, with I.N. Network, visit your church or one in the area during his time in the states, do take the opportunity to hear him speak!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

More About Baby

Ok, more now about the newest member of the family. As I already mentioned, junior is due around May 7th, which puts us now at 11 weeks. I got to go have an ultrasound on the 10th of this month, which was special! It was neat to see our little one's head, body, arm and leg! We could also see and hear the heart beating. Unfortunately, Daddy Stephen wasn't there, but at Bible study that night he handed around a picture I was given from the ultrasound. I then framed it for the proud Daddy and he has it on his desk at work! Also, should you be in the homes of either of our parents over the course of the next months, they might just be willing to give you a look at their shot. :-) I was told by the lady who did the ultrasound that at this stage everything looked good and the heart beat was normal! Thank You, Lord!!!

I haven't seemed to be hit too hard with morning sickness. It has not been completely smooth, but I'm up and around and it's not too bad. A big key seems to be not letting my stomach get too empty.

Have we worked on names at all? Yes, indeed we have!!! And we currently have a first and middle name for a boy that we are seriously considering. However, when it comes to girl names we pretty much have a blank page. Feel free to pass on any good ideas!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

A Couple More Wedding Pictures


Wedding Pictures






I know this is rather old news, but maybe there are some of you who were not at the wedding and would like to see a few pictures...or maybe even those of you who were, but haven't seen pictures yet!

The VERY first post!

Hello everyone! I, Gracie, thought it would be fun to have a blog. I ran the idea past Stephen and here we are! Our sister-in-law, Sarah, kind of helped start the trend! Thanks, Sarah!!! I enjoy getting on her blog and checking out the latest from their little clan.

If any of you have been wondering if we are still alive...yes, indeed we are! For those of you who don't know, we were married on January 6th, 2007. Right after the honeymoon we moved out of state because of a job opportunity for Stephen. That job didn't turn out to be a great situation, but the Lord has provided us with a new one that is MUCH better!!! Stephen reached his 90 day mark with the new company yesterday.

I have been able to stay home and be a homemaker. The Lord has provided us with a lovely home of which I get to be the keeper! Besides house work, some of the things I've become involved with are a little gardening, an excercise class (consistent excercise is NOT one of my strengths), a drawing class, which I've quite enjoyed, a mom's club, and a craft club. And for those of you who are wondering why on earth I would join a mom's club, let's just say that one of the other things I've been involved with lately is dealing with a little bit of morning sickness! :-) Our little blessing is due to make his / her arrival into the outside world around the 7th of May.

We have a chapel fellowship that has been very kind and welcoming to us. Stephen has become pretty involved with speaking occasionally, taking turns leading Bible study and he recently agreed to help organize the Sunday school program.

Well, hopefully, this will prove to be a good way of keeping many of our friends and family updated on the news of our little family and also to hear from some of you as well!