Hanging Out

Two very happy kiddos!

Unexpected

Did I mention that this past Sunday would have been our due date? I know, you are thinking , not another depressing miscarriage post. Honestly, it's not, so don't leave yet. Before Sunday, I thought about writing some kind of therapeutic poor me post on that day but it turned out that I didn't need to. I was actually dreading Sunday but, as usual, God is so good and it turned out to be a fantastic day.

First, I got to bake 50 potatoes for a church fundraiser in our oven at 5:45 that morning with my hubby. Oddly, I enjoyed the task and the time we spent together. Later that morning I helped serve at the fundraiser and had a blast. I was able to visit with people whom I have never met at church and I got to know some others a little better.

Second, we had a special baptismal service and over 20 people we baptized that day! Isn't that incredible!?! I love watching baptisms. The look on the faces when they come out of the water is awesome. There was this one man who was pumping his fist in the air afterwards. LOVE that!

Third, the worship was awesome. There was one song in particular we sang that really spoke to me, "You Never Let Go." The first Sunday I went to church after the miscarriage we sang "You Never Let Go" and I pretty much lost it. This will sound silly, but it was like God was singing to me at that very moment. I was hurting so much and to sing that song was overwhelming. Here are the lyrics.

Matt Redman - You Never Let Go
From the album Passion 06: Everything Glorious
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back I know You are near
And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me
Whom then shall I fear?Whom then shall I fear?
Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go
Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth
Chorus:
Yes, I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
Still I will praise You, still I will praise You

I'm not sure if I ever shared this, but the only scripture I could recall while the doctors were working on me in the ER was Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me . I know, sounds a little dramatic, but that was all I could think of. I can remember whispering this to myself over and over while I laid there. Who knows, I was probably shouting it and had no clue.

Anyways, do you see the significance of this song now? Between that and a reminder that He never lets go, I was a complete and total mess that day. Now, fast forward to this past Sunday. I was reminded once again and completely overwhelmed (but did not emotionally lose it) by His love and the fact that He never lets go. I hope you understand what I am trying to express and don't think that I am wacky. I am not good at verbalizing things and am definitely not a good writer. Bottom line, it was a very intimate moment on a significant day between me and my Father.

Finally, the best part of Sunday, a friend went forward and accepted Christ! This was an awesome moment and I am so happy for her.

See, this wasn't a sad post. My Sunday was great, hope you had a great one too.

Around the Garden

In honor of Earth Day, I thought I would show you around our backyard garden. Last year we were very unsuccessful in our gardening attempt. The squirrels beat us to every red tomato and our soil was pretty much useless.

This year we took a different approach, a raised garden. We did not want to spend a lot of money on the structure, so we got creative and used cedar trunks compliments of hurricane Ike to build our bed. It is a little funky looking but we love it.

This picture was taken at the end of February. We also thought a raised bed would be helpful in keeping Lola out.

Ha ha! I guess not. She used it like a throne.

As you can see, we invested in some light duty fencing. This worked well until she realized this past weekend how to crawl under it!!

As you can see, the plants are growing. Hooray!

We planted 2 cucumbers, 2 zucchini, 2 squash, 1 bunch of onions, carrots (but I don't think they will make), romaine, salad mix, and 2 bell peppers. We decided to try tomatoes again but we opted for yellow varieties because the birds and squirrels did not bother our yellow pear last year. We planted 2 yellow cherry, 1 yellow pear, 1 golden boy, 1 lemon, and a purple variety called German heirloom (i think).

This is my Italian parsley that came back from last year. I was sooo excited to see this! It looks better then what it did last year.

Thyme that came back as well. Sigh. I love love thyme! It is so good on roasted chicken!

Last but not least, my faithful Rosemary. I think you have to have a serious black thumb to kill Rosemary. I love this herb too.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

By the way, did anyone watch the documentary on PBS titled Food Inc. last night? We did and it was very disturbing. If you get a chance, read the synopsis here.

Another "Matt"versation

On the way to school this morning Matt requested that I turn on the radio. I turned on our usual Christian station, but that was not what he was in the mood for. Then, he asked for #6 which translates to 80's and 90's rock. As soon as I hit the button, a screeching Guns N Roses guitar solo filled the car, "Sweet Child O'Mine" to be exact.

To this, my 5 year old gleefully yells "Yes, I love this stuff!"

Uhh..Hmm..Not sure what to think about this. To top it off, he even had the 80's head banger thing going on. It was quite a show!

Who Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea

Today Matt went to the dentist for the very first time. Yes, I am the world's worst mother in regards to dental care. I am well aware that most children go to the dentist when they are three but with the move and Matt's horrendous behavior at barber shops, we decided to wait as long as we could. Honestly, I thought that I would be typing about holding him down kicking and screaming while tears were pouring but....that did not happen!

Hooray!!!

Other than the x-rays, he was cool with the visit. I can't blame him for getting upset about the x-rays. Seriously, who likes having film shoved into the side of their mouth?

The best part of the visit was when the dentist said he did not have any cavities!! I think the best part for Matt was getting a Sponge Bob toothbrush and toothpaste since he is taboo in our house.

I just realized something kind of bizarre about Sponge Bob as a dental product character. He only has two teeth. What kind of example is that?

Does this really look like the spokesperson for good dental hygiene?

Caking

The day after Matt's birthday party I started a Wilton cake decorating class; course 1 to be exact. Perfect timing right? I can finally scratch this off my bucket list because I have been wanting to take one for the past 5 years.

The class was great and I highly recommend it. If for no other reason, just to learn how to properly ice a cake. That lesson changed my world! Anyways, here are some of my creations.

The Cookie Monster cake was my first class cake. We practiced the star tip application and how to make zig zags. The cake looks alright but it tasted awful. I used a dressed up box recipe and it came out very chewy. I had no idea a cake could be chewy...

The bottom cake was our second and last creation. I am so proud of this cake because it really looked like a bakery cake. The icing was completely smooth and look at the cute shells. Also, I managed to create four roses for the top. This was a huge accomplishment because I could not make one the week before. They may not look great, but they did look like a flower.

Finally, my first creation after the course. Ahem...notice anything wrong? Aside from being lopsided and over decorated. I forgot to cross the "t"!! No one noticed or disclosed this info to me until today on facebook, lol!! Oops. I made this for my sis-in-law on Friday. It might be pitiful looking but it was tasty! Richard said it was the best cake he ever ate; I tried a different batter and icing recipe.

All in all it has been a great experience and I am now addicted to cake decorating. There is one slight problem with my new hobby, the CALORIES!!

I am alive and will be back in full blogging mode this week. I have lots to share: cakes, our garden, Easter, and adventures in T-ball. See you Monday.