Crazy Week

We are moving this week, and things are going to be a little crazy in my world, so I probably will not have a chance to post again. I hope to get everything moved into our new apartment, and then put up some pictures of our new place sometime next week.

In the meantime, I also wanted to link to a couple new posts that CBMW is putting up by yours truly. It's overkill if you've already read my post on this blog, but if not, or if you just have time to kill, please click over and read it! This is a post from last Wednesday, and from what I understand, they are going to do parts for the next couple of Wednesdays, like a series. If you have any comments whatsoever, they LOVE feedback, and always pass it on to me, so please click on the feedback link on the CBMW blog. I'd love questions, too, as fuel to research more books!

Free Things!

These past couple days have been abundant with cashing in on some free stuff. What with coupons, gift cards, CVS bucks, charity and just generous people, I've been bringing home things left and right.

First, in the basement of our building, they have something called "The Attic" (great name, huh?) where families of the seminary can take 4 free things a week. I got several little baby clothes there (all pink, but you can't help that -- plus they were free). I also picked up a couple things from our church where they have a mother and child clothing room (it was my first visit, but not my last!). Here is a picture. I especially liked the little pink chucks -- that she obviously won't be able to wear for quite a while, but oh well. I still have not spent a dime on baby clothes yet -- though I was OVERWHELMINGLY tempted last night when I found a Polly Flinder's dress at T.J. Maxx.

Also pictured are a couple free things I got because of my generous friend Rhonda sharing her coupons with me: hairspray, a razor for Josh and toothpaste. I also have 2 free 2-liters of Diet Dr. Pepper, but we didn't get those yet, because yesterday when I was in line at Kroger, the power went out (what is WITH this city?) and I could not be rung up! Oh well, Josh and I will go redeem them after we drink up all the Diet Coke we currently have. I randomly got a magazine in the mail, too. I think it's from my mother-in-law, and I love Real Simple!!

This is the BEST thing I got yesterday (though I can't technically call it free) -- new ultrasound pictures! Poor Josh missed out (he was in class) as I got to see our little girl in her new bigger size, touching her nose and lip with one finger and wiggling her tongue. AMAZING! The good news is that her heart looks like it's normal from what they can tell, so that's great news!

I told Josh yesterday that working hard to save money with coupons and frugality has been a fun challenge, but I've found it's been really tempting not to think that I am the one responsible for all my hard work. I find it harder not to utterly rely on God to take care of our financial needs, because I'm relying on myself instead. Have you found that to be a challenge, my organized, frugal friends? This is a new challenge for me, because I have tended to be so fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, that if it all works out, I KNOW it is God's doing. Now that I'm trying to be intentional, I see myself as the force behind the windfall. How do YOU fight that mentality?

Thinking about Scheduling

I have been reading some books on what to do once the baby is here, and I thought I'd report what I'm thinking about. I'd love to hear from some of you who are experienced moms (or just moms at all, if you don't consider yourself experienced), or big sisters (like me) who have lived with babies in your life.

First, I read My First 300 Babies by Gladys Hendrick, who worked with hundreds of babies and their parents to train them to be on a schedule. I am not sure, but I think this book was written in the 50's or 60's (possibly 70's), just by the dated content -- glass bottles, cloth diapers, length of time women stayed in the hospital after giving birth. I found much of what Mrs. Hendrick suggested to be helpful. Her motto "It's not what the baby does, it's what you do about it . . . because babies are unpredictable," made a lot of sense to me. Her experience seemed to speak for itself, and the families who had her help seemed very pleased with the outcome! However, she was RATHER strict on her scheduling. She starts with a schedule the day you come home from the hospital (I'm imagining that really means when the baby is about a week old, not 2 days old like they are now), and plans for the baby to go 4 hours between feedings right away (3 during the day). That seemed like a lofty goal, and maybe not possible, but her firmness reminded me of a grandmother figure saying "honey, don't freak out. . . your baby can deal with it." Though I don't think I'll actually go with her schedule, I think reading this book will help me to stay calm and let my baby cry a bit when she lays down to sleep, etc. It should also help with planning parts of the day when the baby gets a bit older -- she advocates teaching a child how to play and entertain itself first in the playpen, and then in it's bedroom during part of each day. I think this is helpful especially when you only have one child, and you feel the need to be his/her constant entertainer.

Now I'm reading Babywise by Gary Ezzo. So far, this has been much more flexible, but with structure. In case you aren't familiar, Babywise advocates putting your baby on a 2 1/2 to 3 hour feeding schedule after it's a week old, and carefully monitoring your child's growth. This book deals a lot more with breastfeeding -- every aspect -- which I find helpful. Friends that I know who have done Babywise have told me the same thing: that the baby is more pleasant when he/she is awake, because they wake up hungry, you feed, and then during their alert times, they are happy! It makes sense. I know quite a few families who have done their own version of Babywise (someone told me it's like a recipe -- take out what you don't like, or put in what you do), and seem to have success. I know my mom used a flexible schedule with my sisters, and I recall clearly setting the timer for 20 minutes every time they cried when they were put to bed.

I guess at the end of the day, I'm going to have to do some sort of schedule, even if I weren't convinced of the benefits, because I'm going back to work. Hopefully, things like sleeping through the night, and being able to successfully breastfeed will just be additional benefits that come along with the territory!

What have you done? Weigh in on this topic, please!

Back online with Spelt Salad

Well, I broke one of my New Year's goals, but I don't think it could be considered my fault this time. Our apartment was out of power for 5 days, and then after it came on, there were only a few days in between before the internet went out. It must have come back up sometime today, so now I can write a post!

Today I want to share with you a recipe that might sound good if you are looking forward to warmer days: My Favorite Spelt Salad.

My friend Tara Beth introduced me to this yummy grain last year on my birthday shopping outing to Jungle Jim's, and I've been buying bags of it, and preparing now and then ever since. It's a good source of iron, so GREAT for the pregnant vegetarian!

Cooked spelt (I prepare 1/2 cup or 1 whole cup -- that's the measurement before it's cooked)
One small chopped onion
Several teaspoons of Vinegar (I like balsamic)
Several tablespoons of Olive Oil (pour over onion with the vinegar while spelt is cooking to infuse)
1 pint of halved grape tomatoes (or just chop a regular tomato)
Several tablespoons of toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste -- I like garlic salt, but adding some fresh garlic is good too!

Mix together and chill -- serve cold. Add fresh herbs if you have them (I don't in the winter).

YUM! The texture is chewy and crunchy. With the price of tomatoes falling fast, it's a good fresh way to wait for spring. This could really be a decent lunch, it's got everything you need. Or, if you're me, it's your afternoon snack. :) Hey, it's better than going for a Twix bar or something!

I'll be coming back to you soon with thoughts on scheduling for babies and the books I'm reading now!

Winter Adventure

We thought we moved to the south. But amazingly enough, the sort of storm that came through Kentucky on Monday night is much worse than the sort I've seen living in all the northern states I've lived in, including Montana and Wisconsin! Clearly, we didn't get FEET of snow, but the amount of ice and sleet we got over the next couple days were enough to knock out the power of hundreds of thousands of people!

Including us.

I kept thinking about last fall and the power outage we had then, and the lessons I learned in the dark. It's different this time, because it's scarier and COLD, and whole trees are still breaking because of the ice and wind. The fierceness of the stark cold outdoors reminds me of Narnia frozen by the White Witch's spell.

But I am also reminded of the awesome power of God. Here are a few pictures Josh took one morning after he walked me to work (this is before the power went out).

I also had a battle in my heart being envious of others who got days off work and school, sitting at home in their warm homes. Doesn't winter weather make you such a homebody? But I had to battle against that familiar sin, once again, remembering my rich blessings in Christ and cherishing the warm evening at home with Josh making cookies, watching a movie and watching the snow fall. Give me the grace to be content, Lord!

*** Edit: Power came back Sunday evening! We are moved back home, and I've gone back to work! It's amazing how nice it is to get back to routine. That tree in the picture above is now green and standing straight up. Louisville weather is so weird.

Saving Money

So three weeks into this coupon-clipping thing and tonight I actually felt like it was worth it! You old pros will scoff at my minor savings, but in my book it was substantial enough to make it worth it. We actually got Diet Coke and kept the grocery spending under my limit! I actually figured in my head almost EXACTLY what it was going to cost before we went to the store. I showed Josh my reciept and my list with my estimated total and it was the same!

Here we are in the dairy section of Meijer:

Me: "Ooooooooooooh, I KNEW it! All the Sargento cheese is gone. It was too good of a deal." (it was on sale plus I had a coupon).

Josh: refuses to accept it's all gone. Scavenges through all the cheeses laying haphazardly in the case while I vainly reread the sale ad. "What about this? Does this count? Here's 8 oz Mozzerella."

Me: "You're my hero! YES! That counts! Okay, we need another one, because the coupon is good on 2."

We are eventually successful because a reduced fat bag has been ignored by the early-shopping hyenas because of it's lack of sale tag. HAHA! It's ours!

Here's the thing about the coupon thing. There are only 2 of us and our apartment is tiny. So there IS a limit to how much this can help, because buying in bulk is mostly unhelpful to us. If I were feeding 8 kids, then the amount I COULD spend would be huge, and the amount I COULD save would be far more. So maybe if I learn how to do this a little better, someday it will be even more useful.

Anyway, this is not about to become one of those blogs that lists all the sale prices and coupons for every grocery store in the area (others do that well and I certainly would not). HOWEVER, I do want to point out a new blog I've linked to on my sidebar, hikingfool. My friend Jason pointed his blog out, and he does a good job of pulling together lots of savings blogs in a sort of streamlined way (maybe because he's a guy, I don't know). So thanks, hikingfool, for doing some of the groundwork for me, and saving me the time I don't have surfing through all the sites I don't have time to read to pass along the best.

Just Another Day at Work?

Well, not so much.

But I have a fun story I have to tell. Today the T4G guys were on campus meeting with Dr. Mohler. I was opening the door for my co-oworker who was taking out the trash and John Piper walked by me in a black stocking cap. It sort of dawned on me when I saw he was followed by the rest of the team, apparently walking over from the Legacy Center to Dr. Mohler's office.

So that was that.

10 minutes before we closed, they all came into the bookstore. This is the first time Piper has been in since I started working there, but the other guys have come in lots, so I'm used to their joviality and cheerful friendliness. Hoping Piper would be in the same sort of mood, I went back to my desk and pulled down a shelf flag (which is what you put on the shelf to tell about a book, or to show it's on sale) that I've had up by my desk since July of '07. Every month or so, we get new signs to put out to show the new sales. Every once in a while there is a typo on the price or something, but THIS time, the typo was in the title. It was advertising a sale price on the "new book by John Piper": What Jesus Demands of the Woman.

Clearly this was supposed to mean What Jesus Demands of the World. I thought it was funny, so I put it on my magnet board.

I brought it out and asked Dr. Piper when we might expect that new work to be released. He laughed loudly and said "It's WORLD! That should be WORLD! This has to be a joke."

I said "no, it's a misprint. But I think it would make a great title. Maybe your wife could pen a book with this title."

He smiled and said "can I keep this? I'm going to FRAME it."

So that's why I can't show you the shelf flag. I gave it to John Piper.

Seeing Pink and Other Sundry Matters

On Tuesday, I had my first ultrasound and found out that we are having a girl! It was amazing and sweet to be able to see the child inside me. I am 20 weeks along -- halfway! In one sense, I can't believe I'm that far along already, in another, I do feel like I've been baby-stepping along each day. Besides the sickness of the first 17 weeks (praise the Lord that has really subsided!), I have found myself stumbling along in dependence on the Lord's grace -- one day desperately aware of how much I need Him -- how weak and frail I am -- and the next day so confident in myself, that I trip again and stumble into the godlessness that manifests itself in ungratefulness, complaining and discontent. Several of you have told me that you also struggle with discontent and comparing yourself with others. Do not think I have finally beat this sin just because I blogged about it! I continue to churn in my mind -- battling the sin day after day. Your words have been encouraging to me -- we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to spur us on!

Here are some other, lighthearted pregnancy-related things I wanted to share with you (hence, other sundry matters). First, check out my friend Carrie's new blog! Hers is fun to check every day to see what she's linking to -- sort of like reading a quick magazine. Today she links to something I really need!

Wednesday night, Caitlin and Chelsea, 2 girls from my church, brought me my first gift for my baby girl -- a newborn sleeper! This is the first clothes I have for my little darling. I know girl clothes are so fun to buy (as everyone has mentioned), but I'm fighting the urge to even browse right now! I appreciate so much the kindness of the Murray girls. I can't wait until she's here so I can put it on her! I posed the picture of this sweet gift with the picture of my baby -- they gave us this little frame when we went to get our ultrasound.

I'm reading my first book on babies, and thinking about the whole issue of scheduling. Since I will be going back to work after my maternity leave, it's a MUST! My First 300 Babies is really old and pretty old-fashioned, but I like it already. I decided to read this first, and then read Babywise, which everyone tells me I should at least read "like a recipe" and take out what you want. :) Elisabeth Elliot recommends 300 Babies in her book Shaping of a Christian Family, and I'll have to let you know my final thoughts on it after I finish it off. It's pretty short, so it shouldn't take too long.

My Prayer for Jill

This morning I read Psalm 42 and penned this prayer for my dear friend Jill who recently had a miscarriage. It's my prayer for my other sisters in Christ who are hurting, whose hopes have been deferred.

"Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God."

May she preach to her own soul and find hope in the gospel. Give her hope in You, her Rock.

"all your breakers and your waves have gone over me."

May unspeakable peace come over her like a wave of the ocean. Surround her on every side with your love and faithfulness.

"By day the Lord commands his steadfast love
and at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life."

May she be upheld by Your steadfast love all day, and may you give her Your song in the night. Sing over her with salvation. Renew her heart day by day with the blessed knowledge of your forgiveness and promised hope for the future.

Love you, friend.

My post on Genderblog!

Hey, friends, check out my post I wrote for the CBMW blog, called "Genderblog". You can find my post on books for girls (from yesterday) by clicking here. Please give the editors feedback if you have anything to say about the post -- I would really appreciate it, and so would they! Thanks so much for checking it out!

In connection with this, I'm adding a link to the post I put up in the fall of '07, when I wrote about recommended books for girls. I wrote the post for CBMW from that lengthy article. Here is the full-length version (for Elaine, I hope it helps).

Being Discontent

For years, my biggest sin struggle has been discontentment. Mentally, I could boil it down to mainly being discontent because I was not a mom, or had to work full time, or whatever (you know and I know that the problem is not my circumstances, but stick with me here). This sin would manifest itself in my comparing myself with others, jealousy and complaining (sometimes just inside). So, imagine my foolish heart thinking that NOW that I have a baby on the way, this sin would just evaporate! You are now all saying what I've realized myself: "Yeah, RIGHT!"

Now I have NEW things to compare, NEW things to be jealous over. It's the age-old sin, with new room to breathe and new problems to encounter. I can now compare myself to other pregnant women who weren't sick, yet gained hardly any weight during their first trimester (how do you puke your guts out and GAIN 10 pounds?), or those who are farther along in their pregnancy, or those looking forward to staying at home. The green monster rears his ugly head again, and I see that killing this sin will be a life-long battle. It is certainly not over just because my circumstances have changed.

The Lord graciously reminded me of how ungrateful I have been, and how quickly I can take His blessing for granted. Tuesday night I had a very vivid bad dream. In my dream I was crying out to God and asking Him to help me trust Him. When I woke up yesterday morning, I was so shaken by my dream, and relieved that it was not real, it drove me to my quiet time with Him, where He fed and comforted my soul with His Word. It's amazing how a different Psalm each day can reflect how you are feeling!

So I see that this sin I have let lie dormant is quite alive, and I need now to re-engage in the battle. What a mental battle it is! Oh Lord, You are my portion forever, may I delight in Your will.

Great Quote

“No offence to those of you who buy all your books online, but whenever anyone asks why I invariably prefer to purchase my reading matter in a bricks-and-mortar establishment, I have one simple answer: Because I don’t want to live in a world without bookstores…”

New Years Goals

This past week has been a whirlwind of activity -- going back to work, and lots of celebrations and gatherings in the evenings and weekends, so I've just now begun to think through my goals for the new year. I finished off 2008 with relative ease and simplicity, allowing myself more sleep and ease than normal, and I think it's time I considered a few goals for 2009, to try to keep myself on track! Here is what I've come up with:

1. Thoughtfully reading through the New Testament (not straight through, but alternating epistles and narratives), reading the Psalm of the Day and spending time meditating and journaling for my daily Spiritual Discipline. I've decided not to try to do the whole Bible this year, but I think I still need some structure and an overall goal. If I finish the New Testament early, then I'll consider what to do next.

2. Choosing Carefully what books I want to read. I think I will have less time for reading as a whole this year, so I want to be very purposeful about what I read. I've just started making my list, and I'm including some parenting/child care books in there. I'm woefully behind in that category! Keeping in mind that I'm a new mom, are there any books you'd say are essential for me to read in that category?

3. Blogging once a week minimum. I've been bad about forgetting to post, or being too lazy to put together a whole idea into a post. Partly it's because I haven't read as much in the past months, so I have fewer books to write about.

4. Exersizing as often as my daily schedule allows. I know I'm too busy to find time every day, but I do really want to plan to go to the pool or for a walk as often as I can find time. Now that I'm feeling better, I've REALLY enjoyed excercising!

That's pretty much it! I know that this year is going to be full of changes and learning new things and adjusting a LOT, so I don't want to burden myself with huge goals that I'll never be able to meet. But I think these should help me keep things balanced, and not just clicking around on Facebook aimlessly. :)

Do you have goals for 2009 that you'd like to share?

Merry Christmas from the Neislers!

Merry Christmas everyone!

As I looked through the year's photos, trying to find a good one for our "Christmas Card", I was reminded of what a great year Josh and I have had together in 2008. Starting in January when my little sister Emily came to Louisville to go to college, attending T4G in the spring, summer travels with Josh's family for the weddings, my big 3-0 at the end of the summer and SURPRISING news when we found out we were going to be parents this fall! Those are just the events, but the day-to-day and weekly blessings of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ we've found through our church, the uplifting times of encouragement in our small group, and excellent teaching we receive both in school and through Clifton Baptist are highlights that aren't often photographed.

So the picture I chose is from the summer, but I liked it because the happiness you see on our faces reflects the joy in our hearts when we think about how richly we have been blessed during this year. Christ has become more dear and the gospel more precious. Our relationships with brothers and sisters have become more intimate. Our times with our families have been thoroughly enjoyable. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, and continues to pour out His favor on us. I am so humbled when I pause and reflect on blessed we are to be anticipating a baby on the way, and many, many of the other good gifts God continues to send our way.

Just a few weeks ago we had some troubling news about my heart from a cardiologist. To make a long story short, I was born with a congenitive heart defect, and the doctor was concerned that I was in trouble because of my pregnancy. God's grace and kindness have never been so close to me during those fearful, unknowing days. I would wake up each morning thinking "thank you for today", and the Lord would pour out His grace, and make me REALLY APPRECIATE each day. His Word was like honey dripping to my tongue, and many of the Psalms I read each morning would come to mind throughout the day and even when I would wake up at night. He has been my Song in the Night, singing over me with Salvation. We were really baby-stepping along, until last Thursday when I had another consultation with a pediatric cardiologist who gave me the opposite diagnosis as the first one. We were in AWE of God's mercy to us, and overjoyed to hear the news, of course! We know He is the Giver of Life, and were so thankful that He had us walk the road of dependence on HIM for every beat of my heart (and the baby's!). PRAISE HIM for His goodness to us!

Please rejoice with us as the year wraps up by reflecting on the GIVER of all good gifts -- our sovereign, merciful God.

7 Shopping Days until Christmas

I'm so sorry I neglected to post a book suggestion yesterday on the blog. I started writing it, and ran out of time. I taught last night at church, so I spent my lunch hour prepping for that rather than finishing my blog post.

Today's suggestion is a Christmas book. I know some of you enjoy getting out special Christmas books to either display in your home, or for the kids to read. I know a family that has all these lovely Christmas gift books on their coffee table that have been given to them from the same family over the years. A Christmas book to pull out year after year can be like an old friend -- especially if it contains the message of Christ's first advent!

The book I'm recommending is One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham. This book is a cross between a children's book (I'd say it is meant for kids, but lots longer than most picture books) and a gift book. It begins with a boy being lost in a snowstorm and finding his way to a kind old lady's home where she takes him in, and tells him the story of redemption, starting with creation, and tracing the need for Christ all the way until His coming. She tells him about Christ's death and resurrection, too. This book is rather long, and beautifully illustrated (though there's not a picture on every page). Last year we had people asking to buy it at the bookstore, and were not able to get it, but this year, we're selling it for $5! I've been recommending it as a hostess gift, or a small add-on gift to unbelieving family or friends. Some of the girls I know here are nannies for nominally Christian families, and I thought it would be a simple gift for the kids. Or maybe you would like it for your kids!

I'll be back tomorrow to complete my week of books-for-gifts recommendations.

9 Shopping Days until Christmas

Today I want to feature a book that is for kids, but would make an excellent family gift, or for someone who is a book lover. It is Dangerous Journey: the Story of Pilgrim's Progress by Oliver Hunkin. This children's version of the Christian classic is well told and amazingly illustrated. If you'd like to look at the inside, here is the link to the Amazon reader. However, I would never advise you to endanger your local retailers by buying online! Please check with your local bookstore or bookstore chain and see if they can get this wonderful book for you.

We have been reading Pilgrim's Progress with our small group this year, and I have found it to be so insightful and encouraging. I know several families that read Dangerous Journey together as a family, or with the children before they go to bed, and the timeless story of Christian's travels never grow old! I LOVE this book! Perhaps you'd like something classic like this to give as a gift to a family that means a lot to you, or you're looking for a meaningful gift for your own child or niece or nephew -- this is the best suggestion I can think of!

10 More Shopping Days Until Christmas!

I've decided this week to feature a book each day in case any of you are looking for a great last minute Christmas idea! Maybe you are behind the game a tad (like I am), and still have several hard-to-buy-for people on your list. Hopefully I can give you some good suggestions.

Today I want the feature the NEW ESV Study Bible! This study Bible came out in October, and is FULL of great notes, color maps, articles, and comes with a free on-line study aid that you can only use if you own the Bible. My friend Pam claims the on-line part is her favorite part of the ESVSB because you can make "notes" in the margins, search the text and articles, etc. My pastor, Tom Schreiner, was the editor for the New Testiment of the ESVSB, and wrote the study notes for several of the books, as well as quite a few articles. The layout of the Bible is beautiful, easy to read, and useful.

Here's the great part! Right now, my store is featuring the ESVSB in hardback, simulated, bonded, genuine and calfskin leather ALL at 50% off their regular price! This is an AMAZING sale, especially right before Christmas! Please let me know if you are interested in having one of those in time for Christmas, because I'd be glad to ship you one (if you live out of the area), or hand deliver (if I will be seeing you before Christmas!). You can contact me through e-mail, or call me at work (502-897-4506).

Check back tomorrow for the next book in my Christmas countdown!

World's Easiest (and YUMMY) Christmas Cookies!

I have probably share maybe ONE recipe on my blog so far (as much as I like to cook, that's not usually what I use my blog for). But I had to put this up for you. In the spirit of saving time and enjoying the Christmas season, you may want to try these very easy and fast cookies. I made them this afternoon in about a half hour.

I got this recipe from a girl at church after eating WAY too many of her cookies at a VBS meeting. I told her how great they were, and she immediately wrote the recipe down for me. I have used it one time and can give it to you from memory:

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

2 cups Bisquick
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cups peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together the 3 wet ingredients, then add the Bisquick. Roll into balls, and roll in sugar (it's surprisingly not sticky). Bake 8 minutes at 350. Press a Hershey kiss in the middle of each cookie right when it comes out. These seriously are BETTER than most PB kiss cookies I've had (and I am a HUGE PB eater -- love it!). It saves time because of the few ingredients, and little measuring. Plus no sitting out butter to soften, or chilling the dough.

Save some time and make a batch of these!

Enjoying the Season

This year I've really been enjoying the Christmas Season. Maybe I'm procrastinating, but I haven't been caught up in racing around everywhere this year, but have been taking the days slowly and enjoying them one at a time. God's grace is so sweet to me right now, and I'm enjoying quiet mornings sitting by the light of the Christmas tree in His Word. We rearranged our living room so that it would fit in there this year, and I'm so glad we did. I love the tree to be very well lit (I think I inherited this from my dad who inherited it from his dad -- those are some LIT UP trees). My tree has 100 lights per foot. This picture is taken with no other lights on in the room and no flash on the camera! It really only looks this bright when it's dark out, but I just love the soft warm glow in the morning.

I have a few gifts bought (but not wrapped), one batch of cookies made (and nearly all eaten), and have listened to hours of Christmas music. It has been great taking it a bit slower this year and just enjoying Christ and the season! Here are some links to a few really great posts by GirlTalk on planning your time during the Christmas season so you can focus on Christ. May Christ give you joy in your preparations!

Pictures in which I look pregnant!

Kari and I at 14 weeks! Cousins due 3 days apart!!

Holding the McCurdy's baby at Johanna's wedding (my sister said "don't show that to anyone! you look pregnant!")