Full Circle

So, last Sunday I was sitting in church, the church God has brought us to, the church my husband gets to be the preacher/pastor/shepherd of, and I couldn't help but think of where we were last year. It seems life has come full circle. Last year we were very much unsure of where God would be sending us, where he would be using us, where we would be living, etc. And now, here we are in Bedford, OH! God is so good!!!!

Slides ARE evil!

I don't usually do 2 blogs in a day, but I am today! Last night, David, Cora, Molly and I went to this playground 2 blocks from our house to play before bedtime. Cora has been afraid for slides the last couple times, so we thought we'd help her. Well, she and David went down and all was fun and fine and dandy. So, I thought I'd give it a go. All was NOT fun, fine OR dandy. Unbeknownst to me, Cora's foot had gotten caught under my leg, or something. In any case we kept going and her leg was a little further behind. We thought it was just her foot that was affected so we opted to not take her to the ER last night, as it didn't seem to bother her to have her foot touched, etc. The only thing plaguing us (me) was she wasn't putting any weight on her leg/foot. When she woke up this morning at 3:30 screaming I got up with her, gave her more ibuprofen, rocked her, she eventually fell asleep and we slept in the chair until just after 7. I came upstairs, told David we needed to get to the dr. and so, we did. We spent the morning at a pediatric ER at one of the hospitals around here and were cared for by wonderful nurses and doctors. After waiting forever to get into X-ray and then another forever to get a dr. to talk to us about what was going on, we were finally told Cora has a "hidden tibia fracture." Basically, a small fracture btwn her knee and ankle. The dr. told us this happens all the time to kids when they go down slides and though it seems a big deal to us, in the world of bones and kids it's not a  big deal at all. Sure...easy for him to say! In any case, they put a splint on Cora's leg (from butt to toes) so she won't put any pressure on her leg and make the break worse. We will be heading to a pediatric orthopedic doctor tomorrow for a cast, which will be on from 4-6 weeks. I didn't get a photo yet, I'll wait for her to have the cast on.

We're thankful the break isn't any worse and that it seems it will heal well. Now, we just pray for complete healing and, to be honest, the funds to pay for this! We have not been able to get our insurance set up yet, so we're trusting! In a world that seems to be controlled by health insurance it's hard not to panic a little, but God is bigger than insurance, and he knows our needs. Our main concern is that Cora be restored to full health very soon!

Moving Day Highlights

I have decided to just bite the bullet and deal with the slow internet connection because, really, life must go on and I have photos to share! :) On the Columbus end we had people from the church we had been attending there come help. My dad was the "load master" and he and David and the others loaded up all of our belongings into a 26' Uhaul! My mom, Cora, Molly and I headed to Bedford with a very loaded up van  so we could get some cleaning done at the house. I also wanted Cora and Molly to explore their new home without all the craziness of boxes. They had so much fun running around! Cora would squeal, Molly was a crazy, running, maniac dog! :) It did my heart well to see them so happy. I failed to get photos of the process in Columbus, but did get lots from the unloading here at our home. My whole family, minus 1 cousin, was here to help with the unloading and childcare. It was so special to have everyone's help on both ends. We felt very loved! So, without further ado here are photos from our moving day 2 weeks ago!

"I have the box!" "No, I have the box!" Someone just move the box, boys!

My poor husband and dad did a lot of lifting that day. I don't know if we could have done it without them! Thanks guys!

Thank Goodness Grammy was there to hold Cora, who was very bewildered at all the goings-on!

Uncle Bob doing lots of work, and also brought up my hutch and some other furniture.

My cousin, Tim, worked very hard getting everything to the front of the truck for everyone else.

Cora with her Grammy and Great aunts Cathy and Connie!

"Hi, Aunt Cathy!" :) 

My Uncle Kerry somehow evaded the camera, but I did get a photo of his back! :) He also did tons of work! 

Riley Boy kept us all entertained!

We even had the kids helping! Thanks Soph!

Molly had had enough and decided to snooze during it all.

Don't over-do it Jamie! :) 

Haddie had clearly worked hard and took a much-deserved nap! :) 

How to Successfully Hang Wallpaper

Be sure to have a LOVELY assistant! Near impossible to do this on your own! My beautiful sister helped me out!

Measure where you want the top of the wallpaper (we did a border) and using a chalk line thing we made our perfectly straight guide lines!

Measure out your pieces of border, try to make as few cuts as possible. Our instructions were to then soak for 45 sec and let it "activate" for 5 min before hanging--this is when it's handy to have someone help you!

Admire your handiwork! My sister made the "CORA" letters way back when I was pregnant with Cora and I was SO excited to get them hung!

The jungle theme we used is from Lambs & Ivy and is the "Little One" collection. Isn't it so cute?

Cora's piggy bank! Be sure to make deposits! :) 

This is the view standing at the window and that's her closet door.

After not being able to get Cora's room ready while pregnant and then when she was born I was SO excited to have this done. It did this Mama's heart good. Thank you Jesus!

A Quiet, Rainy Afternoon

I know, I know, I have promised photos of our move. Well, it could be a while. We're in the process of "fighting" with those at AT&T to get the speed they promised and we're paying for. It's been 2 weeks. I don't know how much longer my husband will keep the fight. In any case, this speed is not conducive to loading photos. I'll try some later, but I make no promises!

Life has been BUSY! David has just about finished his 1st week of work and it's been great! Cora and I are getting ourselves into a routine and rhythm, and I'll be glad when we're good with that. We've all been fighting allergies/seasonal stuff/weather-changing junk. In any case, we all have stuffy/runny noses and don't feel all that great. Our house has new carpet so that always aggravates (I've been vacuuming a lot to get the loose fibers up). Plus, all the boxes we've been unpacking it's really no wonder. We're just about done with all the unpacking and putting away and picture-hanging. Our room is the worse one yet, but it'll get done hopefully this weekend. I want to start taking photos of the house to share! :)

We are loving our new town/neighborhood/house! There are many opportunities for ministry in and outside the church that we're both looking forward to being a part of. We have been getting to know our 1 set of neighbors. They have 2 little girls, 2 and 5, and so far Cora has LOVED playing with them! The parents are really great too and David and I have enjoyed getting to know them. It's nice to see a friendly face when you go outside.

Our first Sunday at the church was fantastic! We had such a great time, the people were so loving and welcoming and it was good to be "home." I really feel we'll fit in quickly at this church and I'm so glad for that. They Lord has blessed us richly and we continue to be overwhelmed by that.

The Beauty of Silence

While unpacking I have come across many treasures. Some have been determined better-used by others, some have been happily placed amongst other things in the house. I came across my copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers and decided now is as good a time as any to start reading through it again. If you're not familiar, this book is a compilation of lectures given by Chambers in the early part of the 1900s. Short, one-page entries for each day of the year, yet so much meat packed into each entry. The entry I started with today, October 11, was so completely appropriate for what the last 2 years have been that I just had to share. I felt God had totally smacked me between the eyes when I read this. I read it to David and he felt the same way. So, I want to share it with you!

"After God's Silence--What?


When he had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days in the same place where he was." John 11:6


Has God trusted you with a silence--as silence that is big with meaning? God's silences are His answers. Think of those days of absolute silence in the home at Bethany! Is there anything analogous to those days in your life? Can God trust you like that, or are you still asking for a visible answer? God will give you the blessings you ask if you will not go any further without them; but His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself. Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response? You will find that God has rusting you win the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because he saw that you could sand a gibber revelation. If God has given you a silence, praise Him, He is bringing you into a great run of His purposes. The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty. Time is nothing to God. For a while you said--"I asked God to give me bread, and He gave me a stone." He did not, and today you find He gave you the bread of life. 


A wonderful thing about God's silence is that the contagion of His stillness gets into you and you become perfectly confident--"I know God has heard me." His silence is the proof that He has. As long as you have the idea that God will bless you in answer to prayer, He will do it, but He will never give you the grace of silence. If Jesus Christ is brining you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the fist sign of His intimacy--silence."

This Week

We've moved in to our new home and we've been without internet for over a week! All week I've thought of things to say, things to post on FB, etc and so I thought I would just sum it all up in a blog! :) Some of these would be good statuses, some are just thoughts/comments and some are funny things said/heard this week with all the moving!

"Do you sometimes do homeschooling in your pajamas?" "Why, yes we do!"--conversation btwn my cousin and sister.

"Cora! Here's your new room!"

"Molly! This is your new yard!"

"I can't believe I have gas!" I said in exclamation over my gas oven/stove. :)

"Gas makes everything better!" Again, regarding the oven/stove.

"Where does this box go? How about this one? And this one?"

"We are so blessed."

"We're eating breakfast in our OWN home, at OUR table, using OUR plates and silverware."

"Is the picture straight?"

"I really need to do laundry."

"Cora, please scootch down the stairs!"

"We need to get us some curtains in here!" Said about out bedroom as we dress/undress in the bathroom so as not to put on a show for the neighbors.

"I can't believe this is our home!"

"God is so good!"

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point--we're SO HAPPY!!!!!!!! God had blessed us richly and we are reminded of this every single day. I'll do more posts as the days go on with photos of our move, etc. But for now, this will have to do! I'm tired and so say "goodnight!"