So Blessed

Thank you everyone for your sweet words. I am so blessed. I know I am. I just have to look at my sweet girl's face and a see my wonderful husband to know that I am extremely blessed. So thank you. Life is hard, but I know God has a plan for us. 

So today, to get out of the house and forget about our troubles (plus we had some extra cash given to us for something special), we went to an apple orchard in Ellijay, just up the road! 

My girl loves her some apples!

And I love me some squishy cheeks!

She couldn't get enough!

I love wearing my baby girl. It's so nice to have her close to me!

Flying baby!

She was only happy with Daddy when he was playing with her.

This is the "Mommy, I want you to hold me" look. She wasn't happy with me today. I left her with her daddy for a few hours yesterday, and today she wasn't leaving my side!

I just love her faces! She's so stinking cute!

Struggles

I like to claim that I am a positive person. I like to picture the glass half full. Most times, more than half full. I find myself to be a dreamer. A person filled with hope. I like looking at the bright side of things.

So when things get dim, I start to struggle.

Things are dim. Things are worse than dim. They're getting dark. I know I need to focus on the good, and the fact that God will provide, but right now things are looking dim in my normally bright world.

I find myself looking at others and seeing into their lives. People I see who are buying new homes that are twice the size of mine. People going on vacation. People buying new things. Nice things. Things that I can't afford.

The hubs and I can't go on vacation. We can't buy new things. Our small home will have to last us for a while. Heck, we can't even afford to go on a simple date right now.

I find myself coveting things. Wanting things. Yearning for things. 

As of now, we are living on a very strict budget with enough room to pay for our house and utility bills (including phone and internet). We have little left over for food (but there is money for food..we're not going hungry) and gas. It's tight. The hubs's job will cover that and my part-time job will help out with medical bills. But I work for a non-profit, so if the money doesn't come in, I don't get paid. It can get stressful. 

It's getting stressful.

I don't like this "cup is half empty" thinking, but I do seem to go there a lot lately. Especially when I start thinking of all the things I would love to do with my family. 

But it's in the midst of all of these stressors that God likes to whisper in my ear. 

picture and words added by me

How encouraging is this?! God knew that I would have trouble, so He sent His Son to overcome the world. For me. Me. How amazing is that? 

Tonight, I am clinging to this verse. Tomorrow, I will cling to this verse. For the next few weeks, months, years, or however long it takes for us to get back on our feet, I will cling to this verse.

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

I share this with you in hopes that you see my struggles. It's hard to be the cup is half full girl. I'm trying to be. But it's not easy. Especially now when it's the first of the month and bills are due and I'm seeing how we're going to struggle. But I'm taking heart because my LORD and Savior has overcome this world. Also, I want you to see just how amazing my God is and how He takes my struggles and works them for His good.

Let's Make Habits: Catch-Up

I feel like I've dropped the ball with this whole "Let's Make Habits" thing. Okay. Let's face it. I have dropped the ball with this thing. But here's the rundown of the past few weeks:

3 weeks ago: extremely sick with a day spent in the hospital; nothing accomplished.

2 weeks ago: the hubby lost his job throwing our schedule in an upheaval; nothing accomplished.

Last week: sudden death in the family prompting an impromptu trip to Texas; nothing accomplished. 

So let's play catch-up. 

Nothing has been done. Items that have found a home have now lost their home. It's been frustrating. But there hasn't been much I could do about it, and I'm trying to accept that. Now that things are hopefully getting into a rhythm, I'm hoping to play catch-up. 

This week I'm focusing on Bug's bedroom. Today was all about her clothes. I put up her summer clothes and got out her fall/winter clothes. I shed a few tears as I put each of her little clothes into storage. My baby is getting bigger! In just 3 and half months she'll be a toddler! Okay. I've got to stop thinking about that.

Anyway, with the hubs home as well, I may try and combine a few things. Right now, the living room is the epicenter of chaos. I can't work in Bug's room when she's napping, so I have to bring everything out to the living room to work with. Hopefully, I'll be able to get everything cleared out by the end of the week. Of course, with our recent luck, something major will happen and throw our world into chaos again.

I'm not happy that things have fallen into chaos like they have, but some things are just unavoidable. But I will continue to organize this house even after the challenge is over. I'm looking forward to living in peace and harmony, without all this chaos of things everywhere. 

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!

Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to Adventures with Jude and her post Accepting an SN Diagnosis. It was a hard one to read but also encouraging as a reminder that God is present even in the trials. 

Our guest host this week is Becky from My Sweet Moose. Make sure you stop by and follow along with her today! Her blog is stinkin' adorable!

Now it's time to link up your posts! All you have to do is...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs and The Mrs. 
Guest Host: My Sweet Moose

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

My Week In Pictures

This past week we had to make an emergency trip to Texas for the hubs's grandfather's funeral. It was a "quick" trip. "Quick" meaning we left Tuesday night at 8:30pm and drove the 14 hours through the night. It was rough. Driving through the night is always rough. It was only compounded by having to be at the church at 11:30. So we got to his aunt's house at 9:00am, the hubs took a little nap while I got Bug ready. Then it was off to the church to be with the family for the rest of the day. Finally, we got back to his aunt's house and crashed. All three of us. We woke up the next morning and prepared for the long drive back. This time though, we planned to drive through the day. So we left her house at around noon and started the drive back. We made multiple - fun - stops along the way.

Bug was Miss Fuss-butt and the only way I got any packing done was to wear her. Man, I love my Ergo!

Finally getting to the hubs's aunt's house, she was so happy to be out of the car and running around!

Keeping the Bug occupied at the church.

I love Texas sunsets.

Entertained at Cracker Barrel on the way home.

We stopped in West Monroe, Louisiana to visit the beards of Duck Dynasty. No beard sitings, but we had fun walking at the store. We even got Bug a "happy happy happy" onesie. 

We stopped at the Mississippi River and walked around.

I love wearing my girl!

Such a beautiful sunset over the Mississippi river. I loved getting to share this with my girl.

Sweet moments that I will cherish forever.

New Beginnings

I have started this post a hundred times. I've written it over and over in my head. How do I start such a heavy post...

During the summer we got news that the hubs's job would most likely be outsourced. That's all we were given. We didn't know when it would happen or how it would happen or what exactly would happen. It was unknown. It was foreign. He was in a job where we thought he could grow and be secure for a while. This whole outsource thing threw us for a loop.

We were told it wouldn't happen until January. Then we were told it was happening before January. But it wasn't clear when. We were thinking maybe October. It wasn't clear.

Then, in late August, the company who his job was being outsourced to was chosen. Our hopes were high that maybe he could get on with that company. Those hopes were thrown into the trash when he met with the company. If he stayed in his current position, he would be taking a 40% pay cut and insurance would increase by 110%. Meaning, he would be making about 60% less than he was. 

That meant the job the hubs had been in for 3+ years and was good at and growing in was ending sooner than later and there was no way we could stay with the new company. It was time to begin looking for a new job. 

We looked for a job, but could never really find something that suited us. We kept waiting for God to open doors, but all around us doors and windows were closing. They're still closed.

Right now, the hubs is trying to start his own business. It's terrifying. I don't know what's going to happen. We don't know where our next paycheck will come from. It's not easy. 

But there are wonderful things that are happening. For the first time since Bug was born, heck, since before Bug was born, we've been able to spend time as a family. It's been so nice to have the hubs here to see and spend time with Bug. And Bug is eating up all the attention from her daddy.

Lemonade people. Lemonade. I will find and concentrate on the good that this situation brings.

So right now, the hubs and I are looking into other opportunities and trusting God to provide for us. We've been here before and God has always provided for us. This time will be no different. And until we know where He is taking us, we're soaking up all this family time.

Here's to new beginnings...

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!

Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to our very own Allie from Beautiful Family Affairs! Her post Top 10 Reasons To Get Pregnant Right After Baby didn't quite convince me but it was pretty hilarious. Make sure you check it out for a good chuckle:)

Our guest host this week is Michelle from Mamade Diaries. Make sure you stop by and follow along with her today!

Now it's time to link up your posts! All you have to do is...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs and The Mrs. 
Guest Host: MaMade Diaries

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

High 5 for Friday! - Fall Edition

This edition of H54F brought to you by the changing of the seasons.

One: There is just something about fall! Right now I'm loving this apple pie scented candle from Kroger. Thank you Kroger for this amazing candle...and at half off! It fills my house with such a wonderful aroma!

Two: Last weekend was a bye weekend for my Dawgs. Saturday didn't feel like Saturday without them! This week they're back and ready to go again! GO DAWGS!

Three: Bug is officially everywhere. Her new favorite game is "chase." She likes to look at me and then take off crawling to where she knows she's not supposed to go and have me come after her. Every time I reach her and pick her up and she just squeals with laughter. It's adorable!

Four: We've spent a lot of time outside this week thanks to the cooler temperatures. The hubs finally installed Bug's swing and she just loves it! We've also been doing walks almost every evening. It's great exercise for me and Bug loves walking around the neighborhood.

Five: The hubs and I are making plans for apple picking with the Bug! I'm so excited to take her! She's gotten so curious and I just know she'll love wandering around the apple orchard. 

8 Months!

weight: maybe 21 lbs? We haven't gotten a chance to weigh her.       

height: around 28 in long!

eating: nursing 4 times a day and 3 meals of solids a day  

floor time: SHE'S CRAWLING! And all over the place! She's absolutely into everything. She's also pulling up on everything too!

happiness: She is such a happy baby. We are beyond blessed!

loves: her mommy, teething toys, car rides, peek-a-boo, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, music, her piano, standing, playing in her crib, and eating

sleep: we're down to two naps a day and still sleeping through the night!

first word: MAMA! second word: DADA!

She has gotten so big this month! All this crawling. It's crazy! She's officially into everything and loving it. I have to chase her everywhere. Thank goodness our house isn't too big, because she sure is giving me a run for my money.

It's finally beginning to cool down outside, so we've been trying to soak it up. We hung up her swing today and spent the day playing in the backyard. She loved it! It was fun listening to her giggling as we pushed her.

Bug loves her daddy. She giggles and giggles with him, as long as I'm still in the room. 

We got to go to the lake for Labor Day Weekend. You can see that recap here. It was so much fun! We had a great weekend. It was here that Bug started crawling!

Dear Bug, 

You are getting to be such a big girl! Where has all this time gone?! Can you please slow down? Every time we turn around you grow and change. I'm absolutely loving this stage you are in right now. You're curious about everything and want to know what is going on around you at all times. It's really fun. You also hate it when we're eating and you're not, so we have to make sure to have snacks for you whenever we're snacking. It just makes me laugh. You sure do love your food and always want to try whatever we're eating. You are seriously a joy, Bug. We are so blessed to have you in our life. 

Gitchee gitchee goo!

Mommy and Daddy

An Impromptu Hiatus

Last week I was forced to take an impromptu hiatus from the blog. It broke my heart, but I had to. Sunday morning I woke up with a stomach ache, but by the end of the day it was pretty much gone. Monday morning that was not the case. My body hated me Monday morning. But by noon, I was back to normal. I was able to eat. Maybe I was over it. Then Tuesday came and I woke up sick again. Around noon things got better, but I couldn't eat a bite. It was not good. Wednesday was the same as Tuesday, only worse. My body seriously hated me.

At this time, we were beginning to wonder if I was pregnant. I was at my worst in the mornings right after waking up. This gave me a little hope. If I was pregnant, then being sick was way worth it. Now, this suspicion wasn't all based solely on this new bought of what I dubbed "morning sickness," with breastfeeding, my cycle is way off so I have no idea when it's coming or going. But every test I took was negative. I know there are such things as false negatives, so I had my hopes set kind of high.

Thursday, I woke up and could barely walk or move. I went to pick up Bug, and could barely get her in my arms to nurse her (yes, I continued to nurse her, if I had a virus, I wanted her to have all the antibodies my body was producing). The hubs had been home until one all week, so he was still there with me. I looked him in the eyes and told him we needed to go to the hospital. So I called my mom and she came to stay with Bug as we went to the emergency room. We ended up spending all day there. They gave me an IV and anti-nausea medicine in the ER for extreme dehydration. They also said I had the stomach flu, but I disagree with that diagnosis. Not once had I run a fever. Finally, they sent us home after 4.

That night I was finally able to eat again. Now, I hadn't eaten since Monday afternoon, so this food was welcomed. I thought that maybe I was on the mend. Friday morning held promise, but Friday night I took a turn for the worse. We thought I might have to go back to the hospital. But I wanted to wait it out again. If I got worse, we'd go if I got worse. 

Thankfully, that was the last time I got sick. I am happy to report that I am on the mend. And no I'm not pregnant. I got confirmation on that Friday morning. So, with pregnancy not being the case, we still don't know what was going on. I'm just happy to be on the mend and able to eat again. Eating is a wonderful thing, y'all. 

Here are some adorable pictures from an adorable Bug. She was great while this mommy was so sick! I'm so blessed to have her!

Bug doesn't like the feeling of hard flooring on her knees, so she improvises.

This little one is getting the hang of using her sippy cup! She loves it!

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!
Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to Gabrielle from MamaGab! Her post To The Discouraging Mom was one of my favorite posts that has ever been linked up here! I love Gabrielle's heart for her children even in the midst of chaos.

 I hope I always choose to encourage other mothers and not point out the negatives of motherhood. That's one of the whole goals of Mommy Moments...to encourage one another!

Our guest host this week is Stephanie from Dreams Turned To Plans! Make sure you stop by and follow along with her today!


Now it's time to link up your posts! All you have to do is...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs and The Mrs. 
Guest Host: Dreams Turned To Plans

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Hey mamas!
Welcome back for another great week of Mommy Moments Link Ups! Thank you for linking up and for spreading the word last week! We love all of the great posts!

 This week's most viewed link belongs to Becky from My Sweet Moose! Her post Pregnancy Sucks really hit home for me as well as I experienced a similar pregnancy. Often women who struggle through pregnancy feel so alone and guilty for not enjoying the process. I love Becky's honesty and ability to share how rough pregnancy can really be! 


Now it's time to link up your posts! All you have to do is...

1. Follow Host: The Life Of Faith 

 Co-Hosts: The Not Quite Military Wife, Beautiful Family Affairs and The Mrs. 

2. Link up your post!
Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

3. Add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up!

4. Explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

5. Tweet or Share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/baby" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/mommymomentsbutton.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

High 5 For Friday - Labor Day Weekend Recap

This edition of H54F is filled completely with a recap of our Labor Day weekend!

One: Friday, we made the trek to east Atlanta to preview a new vehicle for me. Ladies and gentlemen, I am now the proud owner of a minivan! Soccer moms unite! No seriously. I love my minivan. I've had it for one week total and I couldn't be more excited about it. Now just to fill up those seats!

Two: Saturday, we made our first road trip in the new van. South Carolina here we come! It was my mom's birthday weekend, and as it was a big one, we decided to party in style: by renting a lake house and enjoying some football!

Three: My brother is a Clemson graduate and I'm a die-hard UGA fan, so this weekend was a little tense. I was very happy with a good game, but depressed that UGA lost. Oh well, everyone's cheering for the Dawgs this weekend!

Four: It was Bug's first trip to the lake and she loved being in the water! Sunday, we were joined by my cousin and her 4 kids at the lake house. Bug loved hanging out with the older kids. They just fascinated her!

Five: It was a great weekend spent with family. It was nice just to have some family time. The hubs, Bug, and I got to experience some great time just hanging out, which is very rare these days. Bug also loved all the attention of my family and my mom's friends. 

This weekend was one for the books. Such a lot of good memories and sweet time. I'll always remember Bug's giggles and splashes as she played in water and the hubs running around with my cousin's kids. It was nice to forget about all the troubles that we've been facing and just enjoy the time we had.

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday, When did you get here? I feel like this week has flown by. I'm not ready for you to end just yet. Dear Next Week, Please don't be too hard on us. A lot is changing and I would like for it to happen slowly. Dear Bug, I can't believe you're crawling! Please slow down! Dear Hubs, I love you so much and everything happens for a reason. Dear Football, My life has been incomplete without you. Go Dawgs! Go Falcons!

Top 10 Reasons To Get Pregnant Right After Baby

10. You no longer need to cover up the belly. No more big t shirts or belly bands! You can let that bump shine once again!

9. Good excuse to indulge into those cravings, again. I can still use the excuse that I'm breastfeeding right?

8. You get your luxurious hair back. I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired of all that hair coming out all the time.

7. Good excuse for your forgetfulness. I'm still using the baby brain excuse, but pregnancy brain seems much more legit in my opinion.

6. The smells. You know you'll miss the smell of sour milk and poop when they're gone.

5. Pregnant women just look good. Being pregnant will hopefully cover up those dark circles under your eyes with all the glow-i-ness that occurs.

4.  Putting away the baby things can wait. Women (me included), get extremely emotional when putting away each different stage of clothes or toys. If you've got another bun in the oven, then you can just leave the toys where they lay and dream of the little one that will soon occupy them!

3. Forgetting things. I know we covered the excuse for forgetfulness, but if you have a baby relatively quickly after the first, then you don't have time to forget all the things with baby one and apply them to baby two (not that they'll work).

2. The dreaded periods. It was nice not having that friend come and visit for nine months, and then when it returns...it's unpredictable. If you're pregnant, you don't have to worry about any of that!

1. Who said you needed sleep? If you have another baby right away, you get all of your sleepless nights out of the way right off the bat! That way, just when you're getting used to sleeping again, you don't have a little bundle changing things up.

source

And for the record I'm not pregnant.