i'm a fan of.....

Ceramic Coffee Pour Over

Kevin saw this at Starbucks a few weeks ago and asked me to pick one up. We've been drinking a lot less coffee at home since Kevin spends most of his days working at a coffee shop and I've been limiting my caffeine during pregnancy and nursing. We're also pretty sure our coffee pot is on it's last leg so finding this little guy was perfect timing. The pour over filter is great because I can brew my cup of decaf when I get up with the kids and Kevin can brew his own before he heads out to work. It only takes a few minutes and makes the best cup of coffee that I've had at home in a really long time! 


All you do is put the ceramic cone on top of your mug, insert a cone filter, add ground coffee, and pour over hot water. Easy peasy. You can pick up the one we have at Starbucks for $12.95 or there are several other versions available on Amazon for under $10. Enjoy!

11 months

Owen is 21 pounds. That's what they told me when we were at the doctor this morning getting his cough checked out. Turns out he has TWO infected ears and croup! He made it 11 whole months with barely a runny nose and now he's all kinds of sick. Poor little guy. He's still not up on all fours crawling, but I think his army crawl is getting even faster. I didn't think that was even possible. He's pulling himself up on everything and is just starting to creep around the furniture. He's getting a lot more steady on his feet, but I don't see him walking anytime real soon. He's pretty chatty when he's happy and likes to make funny noises. He's still eating anything that you put in front on him. He HATES taking baths. He likes to stand on the side and splash the water while Anna is in, but totally freaks out when I put him in, so his "bath" lasts all of a minute while I soap him down. I can't believe he's about to be a year old. How did that happen??

So, these aren't great pictures, but you get the point. It's getting increasingly more difficult to take pictures of Owen in his chair because he's so squirmy. Anna always ends up climbing in and trying to hold him - which he doesn't like :) You can get a good view of his teeth though!

read this: A Praying Life

I first read Paul Miller's "A Praying Life" back in August 2009. We were on our family vacation in northern Minnesota and it was our first time taking Anna. She was 6 months old at the time and it was rough. From 6-9 months Anna was kind of a bear. I truly believe that it was harder than when she was a newborn. Being on vacation for three whole weeks during that time was definitely a struggle.

All that to say, this book was truly a Godsend while I was on that trip. I was challenged and encouraged SO much. It radically changed my perspective on prayer and is one of those books that I will probably always remember. I often reference points that he makes in the book. I just started to reread it and it's rocking my world all over again. The chapters are fairly short. I've been reading one every other day or so.

Miller encourages keeping a prayer journal to help organize your prayers and to have a record to go back to, making it really clear how God truly is listening. I've journaled for years, but after reading this book I started intentionally writing out cards to keep in the back to reference. I date them as the prayers are answered and sometimes write a little note of how it worked out. Sometimes it's in a way that I never would have imagined and sometimes it takes a really long time. Either way, it's really cool to see how the Lord works and it challenges me to be persistent in prayer and also in praising him when I see fruit.

Read it. I promise, you won't be disappointed.

*author's note: since posting it's been brought to my attention that some people have been disappointed. I shouldn't make promises I can't keep :) I do, however, stick to my the claim that it's worth checking out if you haven't. *

Happy Birthday, Phyllis!

 I'm not going to get into what an amazing, life-giving, encouraging, challenging, fantastic woman of God she is because I'd probably just end up sobbing over my keyboard. I'll just say this - Curry, you have been an incredible blessing in my life and I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with you - no matter where we are. Love you friend. Happy Birthday! Here are just a few of my favorites.

more than follow the leader

the night we got engaged, Feb '03

Sometime during our engagement (back in 2003) I told Kevin that I'd follow him anywhere. I don't exactly know where I thought that would be, but I trusted him then and I trust him even more today. I am blessed to be married to a man who leads our family well and is running hard after Jesus. When we were engaged I don't think I thought much past living the dream of being a (YL) staff wife! I never imagined that we'd start a church and that I'd be a pastor's wife! And of all of the paths I could have dreamed up, not one of them included moving to Louisville, but I cannot express how confident I am that this is exactly where the Lord wants us. US. Not just Kevin. It's easy to see how he is being called there, but I am being called as well. I'm not simply following him to a new city for a new job. I've already seen the Lord grow me so much through this experience and we're not even there! He has revealed idols to me and is refining me. That's painful at times. The reality of moving has made it obvious to me that I've made comfort, control and community ultimate things. I've been reading Deuteronomy again, which has been challenging and encouraging.

"Beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.....Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." Deut 4:19,23-24

and I hear
{Beware lest you see your community and all of the wonderful friends you have, and you be drawn away and worship them, things that the Lord has created and given you...Take care, lest you forget the Lord and make them ultimate things.}

And when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." Deut 6:12

and I hear
{And when you look around at your friends, family, and home and find yourself quite comfortable and in control, then take care lest you forget the Lord, who saved you from your sins, freed you from slavery, and made this comfortable life possible.}

I love to be comfortable because I can take care of everything. I often forget that my comfort is all a product of the grace that Jesus has showered upon me. I love being with people who know me, but I rarely find comfort in the truth that the Lord knows me better than anyone else ever could. Being in a new city with very few friends will stretch me and and that's exactly what I need. I didn't realize that I was clenching some of these things with white knuckles until my fingers were being pried off through this season of refinement.

So, this move isn't just about Kevin and a wonderful job opportunity. The Lord has called us both and I ask that you continue to pray for our entire family, as we prepare to move and embark on this new season of life. Pray that through it we will draw nearer to the Cross and grow more and more into the people that He has created us to be.

white chicken chili

Unfortunately, Kevin is on a bit of a Crock Pot strike. Sad, isn't it?? I may have overdone it. He thinks that everything in the Crock Pot tastes the same. I don't think that's actually true, but it may be true for all of the things that I make. I never claimed to be a whiz in the kitchen :)

Anyway, I was recently reminded (by Jen Martin) of how much I love it, so I thought I'd post the recipe for the rest of you non-striking Crock Pot lovers just in time for fall! It's really easy and makes a ton (almost fills my pot). It freezes well though, so you can divide it into smaller portions and save it for later if you don't need to feed an army :) 

White Chicken Chili 

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (or you can put them in frozen)

2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth

1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers (omit if you want to keep it really mild)

1 can cream chicken soup

1 can black beans, drained

1 can northern beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1/2 cup salsa

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili pepper (or cayenne pepper for more heat)

shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

tortilla chips

- Add all ingredients (except cheese and chips) to slow cooker. Give it a stir. 

- Cook on low 8 hours. Chicken should shred easily when it's done. 

- Serve with cheese and tortilla chips. Yum!

*Stovetop directions: Precook and chop chicken and add to ingredients in large pot. Simmer 20-30 minutes. I don't think the flavor is quite as good and I also prefer the chicken being shredded. 

going postal

My little crochet business has been keeping my busy. I've had a pretty consistent flow of orders through my shop and friends. As much as I can, I try to just put stamps on large envelopes and mail orders from home. Sometimes, however, I'm forced to go to the dreaded post office. Seriously. I doubt that the post office is a joyful experience for anyone, but I've got Mean Mary (the regular Monroe PO worker who is almost always in a bad mood) and two squirmy kids working against me.

Yesterday, I actually carried Owen in in his baby carrier (which he is totally about to max out of) so that I could forego the extra step of unbuckling and trying to carry him. So I lug all 40 lbs of him and his carseat on one arm all the while attempting to keep Anna from running under the bumper of a moving car in the parking lot. Then, we get inside and have to keep her from flipping Owen over while attempting to deter her from pulling handfuls of envelopes out of the display. And Mean Mary is sighing and giving me the death star the whole time.

This shouldn't be so difficult.

I just want to ship a blanket!

Now, my arm hurts and I feel like this errand has set the pace for our whole day. What should be like a three minute errand has turned into a 40 minute ordeal. Okay, maybe it's more like 10, but it sure FEELS like a long time.

And here's the solution: Drive Thru Post Office! Come on people, it's not exactly a revolutionary idea. Stupid post office. I wonder, do they have these in Louisville??

I want to go to there. 

ostrich

I don't like change. I'm not spontaneous. I like to know what's coming. I like to know the end of books and movies so I can prepare myself for what's coming. It's all self preservation really. I hate getting attached to characters if they're going to end up dying. Then, I'll just be sad and I'd rather avoid that if possible. That's kind of my approach in life. I would have tried my hardest not to make great friends here 5 years ago if I'd known we would eventually move. Good thing God knows better. He throws a curveball every now and then to remind me that I'M not in control. 

I'm pretty even keeled. I don't really get worked up about much and I try not to worry until I have to. And sometimes when there are really big things on the horizon or situations that have the potential to be stressful, I just pretend that nothing is happening. Like an ostrich, I stick my head in the stand and pretend everything is normal. The only problem to this approach is that something IS happening and eventually I'll have to look around (or starve or be eaten by something I suppose). I think that up until about two weeks ago I was just pretending that nothing in my life was changing because whenever I would acknowledge it I'd get really sad. Now, that our move is public knowledge and coming very soon it's harder to do that. I'm faced daily with a growing pile of packed boxes in my living room which is hard to ignore.

One of my biggest fears is that I will get to Louisville and miss my friends so much that I'll actually just shut them all out to save myself some pain. Does that even make sense? Like, it would be easier not to know about everyone else's lives going on as normal without me. I'll just go dark. I've already felt myself pulling away. Again, self preservation. If I can convince myself that I'm not really that great of friends with people then it'll be a ton easier to move. Get me?

All that to say, I need to remain being intentional even if it's going to hurt. I also need YOU to be intentional with me even if it seems like I'm pulling away. Press to be a part of my life and encourage me to be a part of yours - no matter what zip code we're in. Remind me that God is in control here and that he has orchestrated all of this for HIS kingdom, not mine. He is going to use this to stretch and grow Kevin and I. And remind me that Kevin and I are making a sacrifice so it's normal that it's a little painful. No one said that being obedient to Christ was always going to be easy. But we're not without hope. There are great new things on the horizon and I'm actually starting to look forward with joy instead of burying my head here.

I'm a fan of.....

Homedics Soundspa Lullaby sound machine and projector

When Anna was 6 months old we bought her this sound machine/projector. You can get it for under $20 on amazon. We were going to Minnesota for family vacation and knew we'd be sharing a tiny room with her for three whole weeks. We were afraid that the sound of Kevin's snoring (loud!) might wake her up so we took a chance on the sound machine to drown out any extraneous noise. It worked like a charm and she's been using it ever since. The projector stopped rotating a while ago, but the light itself still works and it's a great nightlight. It's become part of her routine to "turn on the moon" when it's time to go night night. This girl is all about routine, so even though she doesn't really need it anymore, we're still rockin' it :)

warm welcome

I have plenty of anxieties about moving to Louisville, but the last few days have been super encouraging. We have received such a warm welcome from the folks at Sojourn that I'm definitely feeling more at ease and dare I say - excited - about our move. I'm grateful to all of the women who have messaged or called me with words of encouragement and offers for prayer. I'm still pretty sad about moving away from the amazing women that I am privileged to call dear friends here, but the sting is a little less knowing that there are fantastic women in Louisville too :) Check out this box of "all things Louisville" that Sojourn sent back with Kevin after a meeting down there! So thoughtful and so fun! Guess there's no such thing as too much Fleur de lis if you're in Louisville. Love it. 

And here's Owen in the new "502" shirt they sent for him - Louisville's area code in case you didn't pick up on that :) And how handsome is my husband? seriously.

loving your friend through infertility

I'm guest posting over at Jackie's blog today. This week she's wrapping up her series, "Loving Your Friend Through Infertility." Hop on over there and check it out!

what's a few more weeks?

I've been meaning to post this, but couldn't really explain until I had officially announced that we're moving! So, now I can. Are you on the edge of your seat? okay. Anna is not potty trained and still sleeps in her crib. There. I said it.

Before having children (and probably up until about 6 months ago) I was sure that my child would be potty training by the age of 2 and probably out of their crib. Now, potty training her before the age of 5 seems like a monumental task. We haven't pushed it because she's so traumatized by going #2. The doctor as well as Jackie (whose opinion I might trust more than the dr :)  said that it's not a big deal and that we shouldn't rush her because it'll just end up taking longer if she's not ready. Which I totally believe. She's so darn stubborn that if we try to force her before she wants to she may NEVER want to do it on her own! Aside from that, we've received some good advice that we probably shouldn't try to train her before the big move because there's a good chance she'll regress at that point anyway. It kind of makes me feel like a bad mom, though, when I know people who have kids that are significantly younger than her and are totally trained. Moms, this is your opportunity to speak up and tell me your stories of your 2.5+ year old that wasn't potty trained and turned out just fine - go!

And the crib. Kevin and I had the brilliant idea to go ahead and transition her convertible crib to a toddler bed and try to get her used to it before we moved because her new room is upstairs. We thought it might be a good idea to get her trained to stay in her bed here instead of there where she might fall and kill herself in the middle of the night. Makes sense, right? So, I took it upon myself to convert the bed while Kevin was out sermonizing to save him some work. Right. Then, I broke the bed. oops. So much for less work. I brought in the Pack 'n Play for her to sleep in until he fixed it. But even after he put it back together, she refuses to sleep in it. I keep putting her blankets and toys in and she keeps moving them back to the pack 'n play! Remember this? Yeah, now it's all stuffed in a pack 'n play. Oh, girl.

At this point, potty training and big girl bed training are on hold, at least until we get settled in Louisville. You are now free to proceed with encouraging comments.....

changes

Big changes on the horizon. Many of you already know this, but today it's official - Kevin has accepted a job with Sojourn Community Church and we're moving to Louisville. Sojourn has had a tremendous influence on The Oaks and last year they launched the Sojourn Network – a church-planting network under the umbrella of Acts 29.  As you can imagine, this was not an easy decision, but after sharing this opportunity with the elders and some close friends, and TONS of prayer, we're confident that it is God's will that we go. It would be easier to stay but not obedient.

It has been Kevin's dream to plant a church since he was about 16. About a year or so ago, he realized that he actually did it - we actually did it - God actually did it! But then the next thought was, "now what??" If you know Kevin at all you know that he is a dreamer. A visionary. A great leader. So, this question wasn't about being discontent, it was about forging ahead down a new path for the Kingdom. We started talking about where we saw ourselves going and he laid out his dream job for me. And here we are a year later - contract signed for that job. It's as if God knew. Like HE created such a perfect position. Oh, wait.... He did.

In his new role as a pastor at their East campus, he'll get to develop his preaching and will also get to devote a portion of time to working with church planters - two of his passions. Additionally, he will be able to pursue a Master's degree from Southern Seminary and grow in shepherding and pastoring both a church and our family as he learns from some of the best.

The Oaks is strong. There great leaders in place and our absence will allow two more full-time staff to come aboard, which is sure to have an amazing impact on the ministry of The Oaks. We leave with confidence that it's not just our family that is going to benefit but The Oaks as well. The thought of moving is hard. I've wrestled through it a lot. I've cried a good bit. And although we've been praying and processing for months, things are really starting to get real now. Our last Sunday at The Oaks is October 9th and we move the week after!

Pray for our family. Pray for The Oaks. Pray for the folks at Sojourn. Pray for me as I try to pack our house over the next few weeks and move to a new city where I know very few people. Pray for Kevin as he starts his new job. God is good and he does good. Pray that we can reflect that and glorify His name through this transition.