Almost Debt-free!

We are scheduled to close on our house next week, and we may be able to close before that. We are so excited! I think we may go out for a debt-free steak dinner to celebrate! But I won't count my chickens just yet....:)

The Makings of a Quilt

My little guys, now almost 4 and almost 6, are about to grow out of our toddler size bunkbeds my husband made them (well, at least the almost 6 year old). So now, it is time to make some quilts for them and get them some regular size bunkbeds! I made the quilts for their toddler bunks a while back, and I loved how they turned out! You just can't find store bought quilts or comforters of comparable quality. I even checked online and found some cotton quilts at Kohl's, but they, even at a half-off sale, were still at least twice as much as it would take to make them with all new materials. The nice thing about homemade quilts is that 1)They are made of cotton, which doesn't pill and lasts longer than polyester, which most store-bought comforters are made of, 2)The edges are made with a binding that is 4 layers thick and cut on the crosswise grain or bias, making the edges super strong. Even when that wears out, you just replace the binding, not the whole quilt! 3)It is quilted with cotton thread, much better and longer lasting than the clear thread most store bought comforters are made from. I can't count how many of our store-bought comforters have fallen apart because the quilting stitches have come out, and the cheap polyester batting has bunched up. Homemade quilts are quilted with more stitches, so that even if a stitch or two did come out, the whole quilt wouldn't fall apart.

Anyone can learn how to make a quilt! My little guy, who is 5 years old, is learning how to make a doll quilt, that he's going to give to his sister when he is done making it. Starting out with just a simple pattern makes it easier, but as you gain experience, more complex patterns are lots of fun! This is how I went about deciding how to make these quilts....

First, I decided that I wanted it to go on twin size beds. I found that a twin bed measures 39x75. I knew I wanted it to drape down only the minimum amount on all sides, since this would be for bunk beds - I found out that would be 10" on each of 3 sides. I also wanted it to have a pillow tuck, so that the pillows would be covered (I want the boys to learn how to make up a bed that way) - that's an additional 10" at the top. I also wanted to make another "card trick" quilt pattern, since I'd done that before, liked it, and wanted to do it again. I found out that one quilt block would be 12 1/2". I figured out how many blocks would be able to fit on the quilt, based on the measurements I'd just taken. After that, I took the extra inches leftover and divided it into two separate borders (an inner border & outer border).

Next was to calculate how much fabric. I'm NOT a math person, and all this calculating made my brain hurt, but it was worth it to know exactly how much fabric to buy. The nearest fabric store is 20 miles away, and they were having a good sale, so I didn't want to have to return on a NON-sale day to pay too much for fabric that I didn't properly calculate! So, after a riduculously long session of meticulous calculating that would take the average math whiz a third as long, I emerged with the fabric measurements to buy. If anyone is interested, leave a comment, and I can give you a link to the websites I've found that assist you in calculating fabric measurements. I think in the future, I will just look through my stash for fabric, cut them into equal size squares - then when it is time to make a quilt, I will already have them made up! But I wanted these to be special. :)

I decided to start on my project ASAP, so it wouldn't get put away and forgotten about. So, one night when my hubby was working late, we turned the computer screen to face the couch, put on a movie, and I started cutting squares. Not even close to being done, but got a good start! So what about you? Tell me about your quilts and quilting experiences!

We're All Moved (well, mostly)

Wow, are we exhausted! The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. We took a trip to Arkansas for my husband's work, and to visit family, the beginning of July, and since we got back, it has been almost non-stop work! The day we got back we started packing to move, and from that day until the day we moved the following weekend we worked from morning to night packing our house (with the help of some wonderful friends). So many decisions to be made while packing - do we keep this or not, where do we put it in the new house, what box should I pack this in with what other things, etc.

Moving day went so well! We had lots of friends from church show up to help, and our whole house was loaded into the moving truck in 1 1/2 hrs.! Smoothest move ever. Once we got here and unloaded everything into the house, it was very overwhelming! We had nothing but a narrow path through the house, boxes stacked high - who knew where to start? All the children were tired from the move, so all fell asleep and I had a few hours to unpack things alone while my husband returned the moving truck. I started with our tiny little laundry room. I had almost a year to think about where I wanted to put things, so it wasn't too difficult to do, actually. All the duplicate cleaning supplies and such were boxed up an labeled for the garage/storage shed. Then my mom and sister arrived to help me start unpacking, and my brother-in-law put the boys' bunkbeds together. They were tired from their own busy days, so it was a blessing to have them come and help out. My mom came the next day as well, and my husband took Monday off from work, so I had some time to get some of my "honey-do" list done (can you hang this on the wall? move this furniture? install a shelf?). From that point on, little by little, boxes started disappearing, and order was being restored. Jeremy spent every evening of the following week working out at our old house, getting home at 1:30 AM, so the unpacking, on top of all the other normal duties around here, was all ME! We both fell into the bed exhausted every night, but felt good from the days of hard work. The last few days we have been going back and forth from our old house as a family (even staying one night there), and so I am surrounded by chaos once again! Laundry to be done, unpacking and sorting still to be done, and a HUGE clothing donation from my sister (a blessing, of course!) to be sorted through.

We knew that getting out of debt would mean some hard work, but we didn't know exactly what kind of hard work would be involved. Now we know! Sometimes the days are stressful and we snap at each other, or the house is a wreck from having to focus on other things, or we are physically SO tired, but it has been worth it. We are definitely looking forward to selling our house so that we can settle into more of a routine around here (and be DEBT FREE, of course!). I'm also looking forward to swimming out from under the last box around here, and "everything having a place, and everything in its place".

I'm not sure what kind of blogs are the most interesting to my readers...sooo....leave a comment and let me know what you'd like for me to write about! What would you like to hear more about? What is the most interesting to you?

Packing Up

This week it's PACKING TIME! Next weekend is our moving day, so we are packing like crazy around here. Michelle Duggar has advice on packing in her 20 and Counting book, which she got from Emilie Barnes' book, so I've used that, plus the advice on Flylady's website. I have an index card file box. Inside is one card for each box, with the contents of each box listed on the card, along with the number of the box. The number of the box is also ON the box. :) This way, if I need to pull something out of a box, I know where to find it. I used those file boxes you can get at office supply stores to pack all our stuff for "storage" (since our mobile home is small, ALOT will be in storage!), and the things that we will be almost immediately unpacking from boxes are packed in moving boxes, and just labeled the usual way. We have colored stickers we are putting on the boxes - a different color for each room. Then we are planning to put a piece of paper with the color of sticker on the wall of the room where they belong - to make it easier for our sweet friends who will be helping us.

It's kind of nice to pack. For one, we've been trying to move for about 10 months now, so I've had lots of time to think about it. Also, we've lived in this house for 10 years, so there are things that haven't been touched in a while. Moving is good motivation to clear some things out, dust and clean, and organize.

Since we've got little ones, I've got to keep them busy, or else they get in trouble! I've been setting them up with activities to do: trains on the floor, puzzles at the table, books on the couch, etc., and I try to change the activities every 15-30 minutes. And of course, I let them help wherever they can! My 5 year old likes to help me assemble the boxes, wrap newspaper around dishes, and things of that sort. My 3 year old is good at fetching things like scissors or markers that I've forgotten. And my 2 yr. old sweetie is good at handing me things close by or throwing things in the trash. And baby is good at making sure I take a break every few hours to nurse her. :)

Our 4 chickens are at our neighbors house, hanging out with his chickens. The chicken tractor got moved at the same time and is now housing our neighbor's hen and her baby chicks. She was losing chicks at an alarming rate, so now they are safe from the chicken hawks, or whatever was eating the little chicks. It'll be fun to get more chicks of our own someday!

Borrowing, Mortagages, and Presuming Upon the Future

Back when we first decided to sell our house (hmm...maybe 2 years or so ago almost!), we talked with a realtor, one of Dave Ramsey's ELPs. He took us through evaluating our home value and what we would need to do to coordinate buying & selling. We knew, back then, that just putting our house up for sale and then just buying whatever was available would not work for us. We needed a miracle to be able to pay cash for a house! So we decided to save up money like crazy, buy a place with cash, and then sell our home once we got moved out. He appraised our home at about the same price that we purchased it for 10 yrs. ago. A little disheartening, but at least we would be able to pay off the mortgage with a little profit.

Now, here we are with our new place bought, trying to fix up our current house - and we call the realtor again to talk about putting our house on the market. Bad news. The housing market has plummeted, and our house (best case scenario), is worth about what we owe on it. That means that after paying the realtor we will actually have to PAY MONEY to sell our house! It's worse than breaking even. It's true that "riches maketh wings and fly away". This is all due to banks lending people money who can't afford to pay it back, and those people actually BELIEVING the banks and BORROWING more money than they can pay back. What's more, now that banks have changed their lending policies, fewer people qualify for a mortgage. That means, too many houses on the market, esp. foreclosures which are being sold for not much at all, and not enough people who can afford to buy! As the realtor says, "People don't want to buy your house, they want to STEAL it!"

Borrowing money is presuming upon the future (Jim Sammons quote). Presuming that your house will always be worth more than you owe on it. Presuming that you will be able to sell your house if you need to. Presuming that you will always have an adequate income to sustain your mortgage. Houses are not always appreciating assets. Jobs change. Moves sometimes need to be made quickly.

What if we took our financial limitations to be a sign of God's direction? If we didn't have the money to buy something, then that must mean that it isn't God's will for that time. "God's work in God's time will never lack for God's funds" - Jim Elliot. What if, as Christians, we decided to live in, drive, wear, and use whatever God has provided the cash-in-hand for? What if we taught our children how to work hard and save at an early age, so that by the time they are ready for marriage, they will be able to pay cash for their first home (however humble it may be)? What if, instead of foreclosing or filing for bankruptcy, we paid back what we owe, even if it took a long time? What if we believed God for the impossible?

We don't know what will happen with the sell of our house. We just know that God provides. I love how Dave Ramsey says that when you start moving in the right direction, it's like God puts a moving sidewalk underneath you, accelerating your progress in the direction He wants you to go. Will God work a miracle and help us to sell our house with enough money to pay off the mortgage and the realtor? Will He, in spite of a low selling price, provide the money from another source to pay it off? Will we find a renter instead to tide us over until the market recovers? Will we just have to scrimp and save (hey, we've done THAT before!) to make up for the difference? We are paying our stupid tax, as Dave Ramsey says. If it isn't too late for you, please heed the warning - the one in Scripture "The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7 or "Owe no man anything but the debt of love" or what about this one: "If thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger (banker!), thou art snared with the words of thy mouth (or thy ballpoint pen!). Do this now, my son, when thou are come into the hand of they friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe (or gazelle, as Dave Ramsey says) from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler." Proverbs 6:1-5

Preparing for a Move

Well, let's face it - we've been preparing for a move for 7 months now, BUT we are actually getting CLOSE now! The list of things we have LEFT to do is actually shorter now than the things we've gotten accomplished. The children's bathroom, boys' room, girls' room, living room, laundry room, and kitchen are all complete now! What remains is the master bedroom (installing carpet and baseboards) and master bath (take out old shower, replace flooring underneath shower as needed and possibly sheetrock behind shower, install new shower, paint, replace broken mirrors, install vinyl flooring, and replace countertops/sinks). I'm sure we will discover even more than needs doing in this bathroom, but that's our list for now. We also found a good deal on a steel frame, metal building that we will be using as a storage shed. What a load off my mind to have storage! The biggest stress for me living here was going to be lack of storage; glad it will not be a problem. The neighbor behind us does concrete, and he is having his trucks stop off at our house to pour concrete on the way to another job. He is able to give us a good deal that way. We are getting the best quality concrete because of the job he is doing on the way, and we are getting the highest storm/wind rated building in the hopes of using the building as a storm shelter as well. Our neighbor was just telling us about a tornado passing right over our homes a week or two ago! It went back up and caused no damage to our homes, but he could hear the roaring of it passing overhead. That is the second tornado this season that has passed so close by us. Thank the Lord for his protection! We are but dust, and our lives so fragile, yet He cares for us. We know that we will not leave this earth one day sooner than our appointed day, so there really is no place for worry. We know we are in His will doing what we are doing now, and in that regard, we are in the safest place on earth.

Tongue Tied

Little Hope is now two months old! She is such a sweet, pleasant baby. However, I knew something wasn't quite right. With my other children, nursing pain lasted about 4 weeks, but this time was different. Once 4 weeks passed, I kept thinking that any day the pain would go away. I tried adjusting her latch and doing all the things I knew to do. Days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, she was 7 weeks old and we were visiting the midwife. When she asked how nursing was going, I mentioned my ongoing pain. It just so happened that several of the midwives and assistants had just gotten back from a seminar on tongue-tie, and after examining her, they definitely thought she had it. They recommended a local dentist who is able to do the procedure with a laser, takes only a few seconds, and no anesthesia is necessary. The very next day I called to make an appointment. It was a Thursday, and they got me in on Monday, but honestly, Monday couldn't come fast enough for me! I was so ready to be done with this intense pain and to be able to enjoy nursing my sweet baby. When Monday DID come, we went in for our appointment and the dentist looked her over. He said that her tongue looked fine, but her upper lip frenulum (I believe it is called - the piece of skin that attaches the upper lip to the gums) was too short. Her mouth was unable to open wide enough when nursing, which was causing my pain and causing her to be gassy and not take in as much milk. In 30 seconds the whole procedure was over, and I was nursing my baby WITHOUT that intense pain! The next week or so was an adjustment for us. Hope's lip swelled pretty badly (she still looked so cute, though, poor baby!), but that was gone in a couple days. She never got fussy or refused to eat, as the dentist said she might, so we were thankful for that. We could just tell that her lip was still tender. Everytime I nursed, I had to pull her lip up as it should be, to keep it from reattaching, and also to help Hope relearn to nurse the correct way. I was still a little sore for the first few days, but now, things are feeling more normal. I'm so glad this procedure was available to us! It has certainly made a difference for me and for Hope. She is getting more milk now, is more satisfied and doesn't have the gas problems she was having before. And she is smiling for us now! We are thoroughly enjoying it, too. :)

Hope's Birth Story

It's a girl!! Hope Abigail, 6 lbs. 7 oz., 18 inches, born April 3 @ 4:13 AM. She's so precious....and 3 weeks and 2 days "early" - our little "surprise"! Here's her story... (What follows is a BIRTH story, with all the accompanying details, so consider yourself forewarned.....)

On Saturday afternoon I had a baby shower, hosted by the ladies at our church. It was a beautiful baby shower, my favorite part being the prayers and words of blessing that were spoken over me. When one of the ladies asked if there was something specific I wanted to ask God for concerning this birth, I told her about my previous long labors and how I would just like for God to give me a short labor this time. If you remember, I also mentioned wanting to make a pink blanket for this baby, in case it was a girl, since I already had a blue blanket made, and I really wanted this baby to have something made just for him/her. Well, things got busy and I was never able to make that blanket, but a dear friend made a blanket for me, not knowing my heart's desire. It was so wonderful to see how God cared about such details in my life!

I had taken a nap every day for the past 2-3 weeks because I remembered how exhausted I'd felt when each of my other labors started. Saturday, however, was such a busy day, with the baby shower, then church, that I didn't get to take that nap. I should've seen the signs. :)

During church I was feeling contractions pretty regularly. I even remember thinking, "I'm having lots of contractions tonight.", but I didn't say anything to my husband, because I've done this for weeks before a birth in the past, so I knew it didn't mean anything. And they weren't strong contractions. We went out to dinner afterward, and still, the contractions continued. I commented to the friends we were with that I was probably just tired, and my friend, a mother of many children, suggested I drink lots of water and get some rest. Sounded good to me.

On the drive home, the contractions were getting uncomfortable. I remember telling my husband that I was SO ready to get out of that car! I drank some water and immediately took a hot bath, trying to get contractions to go away. They still didn't. I tried laying down, but the contractions were only getting stronger. I was having to breathe through them and wanted Jeremy's hand. I think I was still a little in denial that labor was starting, and Jeremy definitely was, since I was not even 37 weeks along. During one contraction, as I was breathing through, I said, "ah!", like something hurt suddenly, and then next contraction, I felt a gush. Water broke...this is really happening, I thought. When I got to the bathroom, I saw blood. "There's blood, call Ann!" I said, and I began to get concerned. Once on the phone, Ann asked if the baby was moving. I think that was the longest moment of my life as I poked this baby and tried to get her to move. I almost don't notice her movements much because I'm so used to them, so I really had to concentrate. Finally, I could answer, "yes." She seemed to feel that my water had broken, and that everything was OK based on the answers I gave. I told her I wasn't ready for her to come, yet, so Jeremy and I labored together for a while more. I wasn't able to take a bath for relaxation until labor really picked up, so I just picked various positions that felt comfortable.

At one point, I asked Jeremy to turn on some music. He put on a lullaby worship CD that I'd played for Hope almost everyday the last few weeks, trying to get her to turn head down. The first song that came on was "I Can Only Imagine." I just began to weep - so much that I could hardly breathe. Jeremy walked in and said, "Are you OK?" I told him that I don't think I've ever felt the presence of God more than I did right then. He said, "Stop. You're going to make me cry, too." It also made me think back to a Scripture one of the ladies read to me at the shower, about how Jesus was with God at creation and they were pleased with what they were creating. How God is pleased when another baby comes into the world. I began thinking of how this baby would get to be with us forever with Him, if we teach her to love Him. I seemed to be more at peace with the fact that I was in labor, however uncomfortable and unprepared for it I was at the moment! I was starting to moan through contractions, a sign that things were picking up. We called to ask if getting into the tub would be OK at this point, and she said it was. I was so relieved! I had reserved a birth pool, which wasn't to be picked up until 38 weeks, but I knew they would bring it over for me if I requested it, but I felt like there wasn't time. At my previous birth, labor was in full swing when we called the midwives, and once they came, labor stopped. I was so afraid of that happening, that I wanted to REALLY wait before having them come over. I didn't want to have that "watched pot" feeling.

So I labored a little longer, and I remember somewhere in there saying, "I don't know if I can do this anymore. I'm so tired. Please call Ann, I need some encouragement." Ann later told me that Jeremy called and said, "We can't do this anymore" and then she was on her way. I knew that this usually means a woman is in transition, but again, because I felt like this during Faith's birth before I called, and then labored another whole DAY before she was born, I still was in denial about how far I really was. I remember feeling the urge to push a few times in the bathtub, but again, feeling that for hours with Faith, I still was worried I had a long way to go yet. I was ready for Ann to get there, but not because I was concerned the baby was about to be born, but because I needed that encouragement to keep going! I got out of the bath (where I'm usually the most comfortable) and onto the toilet (where I usually do NOT want to be because it makes contractions SO intense). The next contraction, I could not hold back, I HAD to push! Ann walked in just then and said she wanted to check me, to see if I was complete. I didn't know if I was or not, I was just doing what my body was forcing me to do.

I did not want to move from where I was, but I agreed to get on the bed, and asked if hands & knees was OK. I don't remember what she said, I just knew I'd better get there fast before the next contraction, and that I did NOT want to be on my back! The next contraction was completely overwhelming, totally intense, and I did NOT want anyone touching me. All I could do was push with all I had (it hurt NOT to push!), and I couldn't remember why Ann had her fingers on my cervix. I just remember begging her to stop - it had not occurred to me that I perhaps wasn't already dilated and maybe shouldn't be pushing - I just knew that I wanted it to stop! I was so overwhelmed, I felt like I couldn't breathe, but then Ann reminded me to take deep breaths for my baby. It's amazing the things I can forget to do while in labor - so glad she was there to remind me. I think there were only two more pushes after that before the baby's head was out. I just remember saying, "I just need a break", as the contractions just seemed to come right on top of each other and I couldn't get any relief. She said, "You're about to get a break here in just a moment as your baby is almost here." I didn't believe her, because I have had births where I pushed for hours, and people would keep saying, "I see the head!" On one push I remember feeling that burning, where typically, I'm supposed to stop pushing to allow my body to stretch. Ann is usually there coaching me as to what to do, and she didn't say anything, so I said, "Should I push or not?" I later found out that they weren't talking much because she was trying to get Michelle (the assistant) to throw her birth supplies frantically, since they could tell baby was almost here! Eventually she did tell me to keep pushing. Then she said, "Baby's head is out!" I believed her this time, because I could feel them moving her head around, trying to suction her out. They told me to stop so they could suction her. Very hard to do that! Then they told me to push, and with one good push, she was out! My first thought - and words - were "What relief!" Then, before I had a chance to even think about what just happened, Jeremy, I could tell through tears (remember, I can't see anything because I'm on my hands and knees still) said, "It's a girl!" I remember just crying and thanking God that my baby was here. They helped me get turned around and on my back so that I could hold that precious baby! I couldn't believe how tiny she was, and that she was a girl,and that she was actually here! A few minutes later the other midwife and assistant walked in happy to see the baby, but disappointed to have missed the birth. I found out later that I pushed for 11 minutes, about the same amount of time that they'd been there. It seemed like forever to me!

The only thing I was a little sad about was that, since I was on hands & knees, I didn't get to see her emerge, didn't get to catch her or see that she was a girl, and didn't get to see my husband's expression! But because her birth was so short, I was OK with all of this. It was only a few moments before I actually got to see her.

I was so thankful to God that He'd given me the short birth I'd prayed for, that my "preemie" was totally healthy,and that whatever caused the bleeding (subchorionic hematoma, slight placenta previa and subsequent slight placental abruption, or whatever it was) caused no harm to the baby. God is faithful! And sweet little Hope is truly a gift and a blessing!

Why I Chose a Home Birth - Part 2

Now that I've covered a lot of "Is it safe?" questions, I think now is a good time to talk about some of my favorite reasons....

Home births are so different...beautiful. I was not hooked up to any IVs, my midwife encouraged me to eat and drink. (She said when asking the hospital why they don't allow eating/drinking, they said that a woman MIGHT need a c-section, in which she MIGHT have to be put under general anesthesia, and then she MIGHT vomit, and MIGHT aspirate the vomit. A simple solution is just to turn the mom's head if she starts to vomit, something "icky" that they don't want to have to deal with. With that many "mights", I MIGHT should stop eating before I get into a car, for the same reasons...). I was allowed to move around and get into any position that was comfortable to me. I didn't have to leave my house. My midwife and/or her assistant were with me the whole labor and birth and afterwards, to make sure all was OK. And she wasn't just there...she was a blessed encouragement for me. She prayed for me, read Scriptures to me, addressed any fears I had, and cried with me when my baby was born. She's seen me at all my prenatal visits, and remembers all the details of all my births. She knows and loves my family. She thinks that birth is an amazing process created by God and feels privileged and excited to watch it happen everyday. I can call her at any moment with any questions I have, and she will pick up her cell phone and not sound rushed or irritated when I call. When I'm in labor, I can have the room dark if I want to, play music, light candles, be soothed by a warm bath and ice water on my face simultaneously. And the best part (I think, although it all seems to be the best part), when the baby starts to emerge, I can catch my own baby, or my husband can if he wants to, and no one shouts out whether it is a boy or girl - we get to find that out on our own. And that baby stays right there with me until I'm ready to hand him/her over. The cord isn't cut until it stops pulsating, so baby gets all the blood and oxygen he/she needs, so there is no rush for him/her to breathe. No one panics. Baby gets to nurse right away. Then baby and I get to take a nice herbal bath together to clean everyone up and raise baby's body temperature for the newborn exam. I get to snuggle with baby in the bath and look at all his/her little features - and I get to give baby his/her first bath! The newborn exam is done right on the bed, right next to me, and dad gets to dress baby in his/her first outfit. Why take a baby from his/her mom to do all these things? After all, I've just labored for however long, and like every other mom - I WANT MY BABY! There is no need to put baby under a warmer - mom's chest is the warmest place in the house!

All aspects of the birth are very peaceful. The midwives don't carry on loud conversations about random topics while I'm having a contraction - everyone gets quiet during a contraction and encourages me, then talks in low voices in between. There are no loud machines, just intermittent checks on baby's heart tones with a Doppler (continuous fetal monitoring has not been shown to improve birth outcomes, and often the machines incorrectly read the heart tones). Lots of counterpressure, massaging, hand holding - whatever I need, they are willing to do.

And if you think the midwives hold out for a home birth at all costs - you'd be mistaken. :) If there is a sign that baby or mom are not handling things well, or that intervention might be necessary, she is not afraid to transport, and has great relationships with her backup physicians. But this is only necessary in about 2% of the cases. A nurse in a hospital once told me, when she found out that I had a homebirth, that she gets to see ALL the ones that go wrong. And that's just the thing. She's only seeing the ones that required intervention - out of 100 births, she's seeing 2 - she isn't seeing the other 98 that were beautiful as I've described! My midwife prays for God's wisdom and discernment concerning these decisions - you just can't go wrong when God is leading you!

And again on safety: midwives carry with them all the first response equipment that the hospital would have, to stabilize mom or baby: like oxygen, neonatal resuscitation equipment, IV fluids, pitocin for stopping hemorraghing, suturing equipment, etc. But she says that most of the things expire before she actually needs them! Last we talked about this, she told me in 20 years she's only had to transport one baby!

Babies sometimes die. Situations come up that no one could prevent, not even a hospital. I heard of a lady whose baby had a rare form of dwarfism, whose lungs would not be able to expand properly to support life, and this was known even before the baby was born. But she still chose the home birth because there she could have a peaceful birth and be able to enjoy the few moments she would have with this baby. In our culture, death is often hard to accept. But as believers we understand that God has our days numbered, every life has a purpose, however short, and that God controls who lives and who dies.

So as not to end on a somber note, I'll say that we are all so thrilled to be welcoming this baby soon, and, the Lord willing, in our home once again! What a miracle it is to watch a child be born, and how humbling it is to see God giving us this precious gift to nurture and teach in His ways. Life is truly precious.

Why I Chose a Home Birth

I get lots of comments from people when they find out I'm having a home birth with a midwife. Those who have done it before completely understand and are excited for me. Most often I hear that I'm "brave" or "crazy". LOL! I don't think I'm either, really. Like many things, a home birth isn't what it seems at first glance, mostly because of the things that have just become normal as a society, that we maybe don't stop to question. So here are my reasons. There are so many, I may only get to some of them, but it will at least help everyone to understand where I'm coming from. If you are a guy, this might be TMI - just a warning!

Is a home birth really safe? I think this is the question that is on the forefront of every couple's mind. Everyone wants to make sure that their baby will be safe! The short answer is "Yes! A homebirth is safe!" Statistically a home birth is as safe or safer than a hospital birth, for healthy, low risk women. When I was interviewing my midwife years ago, and asking her a billion questions, I was surprised at all the complications that my midwife said, "I've never see that, because I don't do _____ (which would cause the complication)." What I found out is that many complications are actually caused by the hospital's interventions! For example, pitocin. Many, many women receive this, either to induce labor or to augment labor. What they may NOT tell you is that it makes your contractions much stronger, longer, and closer together than what your body would naturally produce. This often causes fetal distress in a baby who would otherwise tolerate labor well. Fetal distress is a common cause of caesarian delivery. Also, once you receive pitocin, you may have a difficult time tolerating the contractions and ask for an epidural. An epidural sounds like a great proposition on the surface - who wants to tolerate pain unnecessarily? However, while it may relieve your pain, your baby is still feeling the very strong contractions caused by the pitocin. What is more, an epidural numbs your body, mostly from the waist down, and will prevent you from being able to get up and move freely around the room, something that midwives know would help your baby wiggle into the best position to be born. So an unnecessary c-section may be performed. Thirdly, an epidural interferes with the pushing process. A woman may not be able to effectively push her baby out, causing the use of forceps, vacuum extraction (both can cause damage to baby's head/neck/spine) or a c-section. It also interferes with a woman's ability to feel what is going on while pushing. At a certain point, it is wise to stop pushing to allow the body to stretch and prevent tearing. However, many doctors do not support a woman's body in order to prevent tears, and may actually perform episiotomies that could have been prevented had they just known what to do! How much easier recovery is when there are no tears! I've only once had a small tear - with our first son - a superficial tear that healed without stitches. Our last two births have been without tears, including our 9 lb., posterior, acynclitic Faith! I've heard some women tell me their doctors told them they were "too small" or that their babies were "too big", but I think their doctors just lacked the patience and knowledge that many midwives have in regard to preventing tears. So, while an epidural may provide some temporary relief during labor, I think the tearing/episiotomies that accompany them may not really be worth it!

Concerning pain & long labors, I have a few thoughts. Our pastor just preached last week about how suffering and the will of God are not mutually exclusive. That means that sometimes, God allows suffering to build much needed character in our lives and to bring glory to Him. Just because we are suffering does not mean that we have done something wrong! I believe labor is a spiritual experience. It takes a lot of faith to believe that that baby is going to come out the way that God has designed it. It takes surrender to accept the things about birth that are beyond our control (including the interventions that ARE sometimes needed). And it takes humility to ask for God's strength to do things that we know we couldn't do otherwise, without His help! So, while I'm very much hoping that one of these days, I will have one of those quick and easy labors (Ok, like any labor is easy?), I accept the fact that a long labor may the process that God wants me to go through in order to teach me something I need to learn. Unlike in a hospital, midwives also accept the fact that sometimes labors need to be long in order to get the baby out. And long labors can happen with any size baby! Jude was only 7 lb. 12 oz. and his labor was my longest. Faith, at 9 lbs. was my second longest labor, and Seth was by far the shortest of all, and he was only 1 oz. smaller than Jude!

I have to blog in spurts these days, as most moms understand, so I hope to continue this in a later post.....

Countdown to Baby: the Preparations Begin

We now have about 4 1/2 weeks until the due date, and boy, has this pregnancy gone by fast! Getting two homes ready, homeschooling, and otherwise raising 3 children probably has something to do with it. ;)

Before we came out to the property this week, I must be honest, I did NOT want to come! Not that I don't love coming out here - it's so peaceful and just fun to dream about when we will actually live here. But all the packing and preparing to come, and the fact that I want to be "nesting" at our current home all factored into my reluctance. However, before we came I insisted on bringing a birth kit, even though it was hastily assembled. I did not want to be out here without the needed supplies should I actually go into labor early. We had to get boxes of newborn clothes down from the attic, look for newborn sized cloth diapers from our stash, and we even had to buy some sheets and mattress covers, since we'd gotten a bigger bed in between now and when Faith was born. Our mail-ordered birth supplies arrived super fast, so we were able to have those available as well. But now, I look forward to getting home and actually washing all the linens and organizing the new baby's clothes. In the past we've just put girl, boy, and neutral things in the drawers, and which ever gender we DON'T have, we put back in the attic shortly after the baby is born. Some people say they are too much of a planner to NOT find out the gender of the baby, but, hey, I'm a planner, too - I just plan in a different way! We have everything we need for both genders, acquired inexpensively through garage sales and thrift stores, so it's fun to go through it all and dream about it being either a boy or a girl. I always get this urge to knit something for the baby when I'm pregnant, and last pregnancy, I knitted a hat for a girl, and a whole set (hat, booties, blanket) for a boy. This pregnancy, I think I'm going to use up my pink cotton yarn and knit a new girl blanket. If I have time. We'll see.

I also intend on making and freezing some meals for after the baby is born. We've always had people bring us meals in the past, but I like to be prepared in case people aren't able to do that. And just to have a longer time of not HAVING to cook after the baby is born.

I always seem to go into labor at night, and my greatest wish THEN is that I'd had more sleep. So I've decided that I will forego any preparations that do not allow me to take a nap every day from now until baby comes! Seth is never a problem with taking naps, and if Faith has already had her nap for the day, then Jude is always good about watching her for me so that I can sleep. That is such a blessing!

Speaking of the children, they are also very excited to see this baby. Just tonight, Jude said, "I wish we could just see the baby tonight!" And yesterday when I went to see the midwife, when she gave Seth a sticker, Seth put it on my belly and said it was for the baby. Faith pats my tummy and says, "Baby", and sometimes pats HER tummy and says, "Baby." We'll have to work on that one. :)

This will probably be our last visit here before the baby is born, so it is bittersweet. But I'll be glad to be at whatever home is "home" for now, so that we can get ready for this baby's arrival.

Oh, as for names: Levi for a boy, Hope for a girl. Suggestions on middle names, anyone?

Things to say (and NOT to say) to a pregnant woman

A couple of days from now marks one month away from my "due date", and apparently a new, yet familiar phase has arrived. The time in my pregnancy where I almost dread appearing in public because of the many unwelcome comments from strangers (and even people that I do know). I realize that many of the comments are made in ignorance - not to intentionally hurt or spoil the fun of my pregnancy and soon-to-arrive precious baby - but they hurt, nonetheless. So, I don't want my dear readers to make these same comments in ignorance. But first, here are some lovely comments that BLESS an expectant mother:
"Congrats on that sweet baby"
"You look beautiful (radiant, etc.)"
"I bet you can't wait to meet that little one"
"Oh, how exciting to be expecting another child!"
"Let me help you with that cart (or lift that child for you, or load your groceries, etc.)"
"Children are such a blessing, aren't they?"

And, of course, the not-so-helpful comments:
"You look like you are about to pop!"
"You must be past your due date."
"You'll never make it to your due date."
"Are you sure you aren't having twins?"
"Your baby is going to be HUGE."
"You're having ANOTHER one"
"Don't you know what causes that?"
"I hope you aren't having ANOTHER boy." (What is it with boys? I think they're great.)
"I was never THAT big/My baby was never that big, etc."
"Wow, she's fat!" (I'm pretty sure that's not nice to say to ANYONE!)

At the end of pregnancy, I always have some days that I come home crying, swearing that I won't leave the house again, because I've just heard one too many comments like these from people. Pregnancy is a blessed, unique, very special time in a woman's life. I enjoy being pregnant! Please don't spoil an expectant mother's fun; think carefully before you say something. Same goes for comments on newborns. I think "mom's " advice about, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" applies very well.

Now for our week at home

It's funny to call our current house "home" because, really, they are both home now. But that is where we are this week. I think we've figured out that a week here, then a week there, then back here for a week might be a good, less stressful, more productive system. I can plan a week's worth of meals, a weeks worth of clean laundry, and then we can stay somewhere long enough to get more accomplished. Well, that's the plan anyway.

I hope I don't bore everyone with details, but I'm also hoping that someone who may one day be in my shoes will benefit from my experience. So, here it goes...This week I planned to make more homecooked-from-scratch foods, since last time's experiment with all the packaged stuff failed. So, I found a store more than 30 minutes from the property that had organics. And I went shopping there. Definitely an option if I'm totally out of some things that aren't sold locally. And, aside from the whole "organic" thing, there are very basic foods in my cooking, like coconut oil, that organic or not, are just not available (except at this store)! I'm always amazed at the rows and rows of different brands of "vegetable oil", but the utter lack of true variety. At Wal-Mart, if I want something other than "vegetable oil", or olive oil, I am out of luck (at least at this one). What about sesame oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, flax oil, etc.? Anyhow, I digress. I also drove to the farm (about 30 minutes) which has milk and other milk products (yogurt, kefir, etc.), cheese, eggs, beef, chicken, and even things like salt, grains, etc. It is operated by a lovely Mennonite family who are so friendly, and we always have a good visit. I was able to test the limits of my little dorm fridge and get a reasonable amount of food in there for the week. Things went well this time: I didn't spend much time in the kitchen and I felt significantly better health-wise.

My productivity is waning, as is the list of jobs that I can actually help with now. However, I had HOPED to get the laundry room painted this week. I thought it was totally doable, since the laundry room is the size of a large closet. As I swept the floor after dinner one night, I realized that, once again, I would not get to paint that laundry room. I just had to give that desire up to God. I've started working off a list of priorities each day, to make sure that the most important things happen everyday, and I had done that this day, and the laundry room was not more important than educating the children, spending time talking with them, and making sure that everyone had healthy meals to eat. So, I went to bed in peace that night, knowing that I'd accomplished the important things, and that God would take care of the rest. I just kept thinking of the verse, "Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and ALL THESE THINGS shall be added unto you." I saw it happen this week. I saw my two little boys dragging all the things, HEAVY things, that were stored in the laundry room, out to another room in preparation for painting. This was something I'd planned to do but just didn't have the energy, but they did it for me. When God says that children are a blessing and a reward, he means it! They really are. My children are doing for me things I cannot do right now in my big, pregnant state, and I am so thankful to them for that.

The week's agenda includes (starting Monday): the week off homeschool for the boys, and a big house sort/cleanout! Our current house is bigger than our trailer, so we have to prioritize and decide what we can really live without, and what we truly need. A big job. Hope I finish. Then, toward the end of the week: off to house #2. Pretty soon I will have to carry my birth kit in my van for "just in case". :)

Preparing to Stay Again

I enjoy going to stay out at the property, and I also like being at our current home. But I don't like packing and preparing to go to either place! It is exhausting. It is like we are packing for vacation - but we do it every week, sometimes twice a week! And it's not like I can make a list and that will be my once-for-all packing list, because things are always changing. We're always thinking of things that need to go to one place or the other. And finding things that didn't work last time that we need to change for this time.

Aside from all that, it really is FUN to get to go! We get to, little by little, fix things up how we want them, without too much pressure. I get to contemplate where I want to put each thing, and design how I want to configure the closets, etc. I was telling Jeremy, though, that I wish we could move things to the new place one room or one little bit at a time instead of moving the whole house at once! I just remember moving day to this house, where we had lots of boxes of STUFF that we just had to find a place for or else step over them constantly. Not a lot of time to decide where to put things, or if it was actually WORTH it to KEEP certain things. I think I'd rather have my house clean and tidy and easy to keep that way (everything has a PLACE and not too many things trying to be shoved all in one too-small place - like they seem to be now).

Along those lines, I have been noticing for a while that the boys are having a hard time keeping their toys put away and sorted into proper bins, etc. So, I just dumped a whole bunch of toys into a box, put them in the garage (after reassuring them I wasn't actually getting rid of them), and decided to let them play with what's left. I have a theory that they will be happier because 1) They don't have to listen to me constantly telling them to pick up toys, 2) They don't have the frustration of trying to put too many toys back into spaces that are too small (I can relate to their frustration) and 3) They can appreciate and find the toys that are left, that they possibly couldn't even FIND before. What I really want to do is clear their room of all toys and only put back ONE box of toys (like trains). When they manage that well, I'd add another box, until they reach the point of being unable to maintain it all, then I'd take it back a step. It's nice at the property because they only have one big tupperware container of toys. When I say, "Clean up" they know that all toys go in that box. Finding parts that go with each other is easy enough because the box of toys isn't that big. And they aren't any less happy with life out there, nor do they bemoan the fact that a certain toy isn't at the trailer. That's why I think my theory will work. :)

I also love how I only acquire things at the trailer once I've seen an actual NEED for them. I think I've discussed this before, but I think it bears repeating: it is so freeing to know that everything in your house is there because you have RIGHT NOW found a specific purpose that nothing else could serve. I think in our homes we acquire things that people give us, or things that "might be useful someday" or that we "paid good money for, so I can't throw it out" without even realizing that we really would be happier just giving it away. Oh the people we could serve, the things that we could do for God that would REALLY count for eternity, if our lives weren't spent shopping for things, storing, repairing, and organizing things, and eventually deciding to part with things. I'll try to remember that the next time I want to buy something.....

Easy Way to Alter Pants

Maintaining pants at our house for the boys seems to be an ongoing thing. I'm either patching pants, taking in or letting out hems, and of course, trying to find a way to keep their pants up! Pants always seem to be too big in the waist for the guys around here, so I found this great, easy tutorial on how to quickly take in a pair of pants. Check it out!

http://www.kundhi.com/blog/2011/02/06/how-to-adjust-the-waist-of-your-pantsjeans-in-4-easy-steps/

I think it took me about 10 minutes to do a pair of pants, so that is awesome! A few less dollars that I have to spend on a new pair of pants (or a seamstress!). :)

Nutrition and More Work Accomplished

We've decided recently to start staying out at our property during the week more, to try to get more accomplished. The frantic loading of everyone on Sunday mornings to stay the day there is exhausting, and we seem to not get very much done. As Jeremy headed off the work this Thursday, I began preparing to meet him out there after work. The kids and I ate breakfast, finished homeschooling, ate lunch, and then packed everything into the van. It is surprising the heavy bags that those boys can load into the van! They like doing it, and it helps me a lot!

I've also decided to stock the pantry/dorm fridge at the property so that we aren't trying to pack up loads of food for our stay out there. I've been going shopping just as we run out of food, which seems to be often, since that fridge doesn't hold very much. I tried to plan meals around foods that didn't require refrigeration, and I was successful in that we did get meals fixed and didn't eat out, but the processed foods and minimal protein started taking its toll! My hands were swelling, which they hadn't done in a long time (only a handful of times this pregnancy, and I'm now 32 weeks), and one night while walking around Wal-Mart getting some things we needed, I got really nauseous and faint feeling. I was adding up what I'd eaten on that (very busy) day, and it wasn't much, esp. not in the way of protein. So I went straight to find snacks, paid for them, and then walked around finishing our shopping while consuming everything I'd bought! I soon felt better. Yet I didn't feel completely better (as in, no swelling and not hungry all the time) until I got home today and could eat our usual foods. I'm so surprised how much difference the right nutrition makes, esp. in pregnancy. I bought a box of Nutrigrain bars, and I seriously could eat at least a half box at one sitting and still not feel full, probably because it just doesn't provide the kind of nutrients my little growing baby is needing. Next time I will be bringing my Bosch so that I can make homemade bread and smoothies! I have to eat twice (or more!) as much store bought bread as normal bread to get full, and it doesn't have all the nutrients. And it is hard to find healthy, tasty options at Wal-Mart sometimes that don't have refined grains and/or extra sweeteners, and there aren't too many close shopping options besides Wal-Mart. So next time I will bring a cooler, too, if need be, and just cook my normal meals so that I will feel well, and save the pantry stuff for emergencies. At least now I know.

As far as work on the property, we got some transition strips between the different floors installed, a threshold and some trim around the door to make it look so much better, a deck partially installed (I'm SOO thankful that THAT, as it was getting really hard to make it up our temporary steps), and the carpet cut and laid down for our bedroom. We don't have the carpet pad yet, and it isn't installed, but at least it is down, on the floor, so that we aren't getting that particle board dust all over our feet, beds, etc., and now the roll of carpet is out of the kitchen! One less thing to trip over. :) And while the kids were napping one day, I painted our bedroom (yeah!!), and Jeremy helped finish it up when he got home. And then we proceeding to scratch it up with the carpet "installation". Oh well. Another repair for another day, I suppose.

I was so excited to find a great thrift store not to far from our property, too. I'm going to miss that about where we live now - tons of thrift stores with lots of great stuff, all not too far from our house. Yet having one good thrift store will help, with some others a bit farther away. I was able to find a wooden highchair for Faith, and we negotiated the price to $12. It didn't have a tray, which I didn't care too much about, since we were planning to just slide it up to the table, and it was wobbly, which Jeremy fixed with some wood glue. Clothes were half price that day, too, so I was able to find a few things for the children for $1 each. And we found some great Bible story books for my nieces birthday party that weekend! The neat thing about thrift stores is that they have things that typical stores do not sell, and for a fraction of the cost of the things that typical stores DO sell. For example, we bought a last minute shirt for Jeremy since the weather was colder than we thought, at an outlet store at 75% off: total price - $12.50. I told him that the shirts at the thrift store were 75% off of that store's 75% off price! Maybe I'll convert him to my thrift store ways someday.

Enjoying the Simple Things

Since Jeremy had president's day off, we decided to stay Sunday/Monday at the property to get some work done. The weather was soooo beautiful! We still have no AC hooked up, and we haven't been too worried about that, since it's been so cold, but this weather warming up has made us start to think about it. One of our first projects was to buy and install some ceiling fans in the living room and bedrooms. We went with Hunter fans for the bedrooms - they are just SOOO good! We have one in our bedroom now, and all you can hear is the sound of the air moving. We've slept in too many rooms with noisy fans to go cheap on them. Some cheap things are worth the savings, but not fans, in my opinion! The ceiling fan installations were a team effort: Jude handed me fan blade parts, I assembled them, while Jeremy did all the wiring and attaching to the ceiling. We went to bed pretty late that night, since they seemed to take a LONG time to install, esp. on funky mobile home ceilings!

We also had a wonderful friend who came and helped install the drywall in the bathroom, and what a blessing that was! It is finally finished! The drywall, that is, not the bathroom - we are still a long way from that, it seems. :) I'm now 7 months pregnant, and I'm no help when it comes to carrying heavy sheet rock, and not much help with anything involving bending over (esp. the getting back up part of bending over!) or lifting. The master bedroom now has a coat of primer and we have the paint purchased for it for next time we are out.

I decided that I was tired of all the packing and moving practically our whole house in order to stay out there any length of time, so Seth and I went on a little excursion to purchase lots of these items. We got the cheaper quality stuff (hello, Dollar Tree!), since we don't need it to last forever, and while I was against getting duplicates of things at first, I now think that if we got them cheap enough, we can just donate them to people who need them when we are finished with them. No more loading up the entire van; problem solved (mostly!).

I also decided to get some food while we were out that would be healthy, but last at least a month, just in case we weren't able to come out there for a while (if some of us were sick, or something like that). So, our little dorm fridge is packed with food! I'm glad it has a little freezer, too, so I can keep some meat out there. Packing food is the hardest thing for us, so that will save us some trouble.

It is amazing how much one appreciates simple things after doing without for a while. For example, I kept forgetting to bring a spare pair of scissors out there, and oh, the many things that are made more difficult by not having pair of scissors! Sure, one can sometimes substitute a knife, but scissors work so much better. :) Not only that, but we are really learning what bare necessities are for us. We don't typically bring things out there unless we have noticed a lack, so that the things we have out there are things that we specifically decided that life was better with them. I know that I have things in our current home that we probably wouldn't notice too much if they were gone, so it is nice to enjoy a little simplicity.

Lately I've been enjoying reading Habitat for Humanity's "How to Build a House" by Larry Haun. I definitely recommend that book to anyone interested in home building! It is written for the average Joe who knows NOTHING about building a house (yep, that would be us). If you think about Habitat for Humanity for a moment you'll see why it's a great book: they utilize lay volunteers (folks who don't know how to read a tape measure - yep, that's in the book, too), so the book is very detailed, yet simple to understand; they are building low cost housing (that's right up our alley); and they focus on simple to build, small homes (in reality, that is what we want, too). The book is very easy to read, and the author seems to have as his purpose convincing everyone that they can ACTUALLY build their OWN home - and I'm convinced we can do it! Good thing, too, since that was our plan from the beginning. :) The main difference we want in our home that most homes don't have is a bigger laundry room! Our family is really growing, and we already do lots of laundry, so I want space for more than one washer/dryer if we need it, places to fold, iron, sort, etc. But other than that, I don't want our house to be very big. I like how close our family is in our little mobile home we're preparing to move into. I will definitely want more storage space in our house, though, than the mobile home has!

New Floors Put in & Other Progress

So, I'm way behind on my blogging! No surprise there - 3 children, right now feeling the "tummy gymnastics" of our fourth due in April, and maintaining two homes - I'm a little bit busy.

To sum up our week spent at the property - we had a toilet overflow, on the particle board floors (what a nightmare!). We need to replace that toilet because even a normal amount flushed down that toilet is too much for it, not to mention the large amounts of t.p. that toddlers tend to flush! The kitchen is now painted a lovely butter yellow (I did the whole thing myself).
And, the biggest accomplishment of that week is that our trailer now has skirting - which means it is now insurable. We were able to buy used corrugated metal (like barn tin) for the skirting - giving us a durable product and saving us tons of money, but the downside - it takes a LONG time to custom cut it into trailer skirting. But it is done. Praise the Lord!

Since then we have finished painting the living room, which was wall paper, but is now brown, with a darker shade of brown on the bottom, and white trim in the middle. Baby girl's room is now lilac, and the living room, hallway, and baby's room are now done with this vinyl plank flooring called Allure that we got at Home Depot. It was advertised as the "easiest floor ever", and I've not installed any other flooring, but this stuff was pretty easy. It consisted of vinyl planks with sticky strips that overlap each other, and it is supposed to be waterproof - a big plus in our decision to get it. It looks great, and I'm so pleased that we got it! The baby's room also now has baseboards, and oh, what a difference it makes!

We still have flooring left to do in both bathrooms - sheet vinyl, kinda nervous about that, and in the master bedroom - carpet, which we got for free from a neighbor, but we've never done carpet, so nervous about that one, too. The hall bath still needs sheetrock to be hung, painting, the vanity, toilet and tub (including tub surround) to be put back in; so pretty much everything! and the master bath needs a section of flooring to be replaced, the shower needs to be replaced (and who knows what else will need to be replaced once we pull the shower out), and the aforementioned overflowing toilet needs a replacement. In also needs painting and mirrors replaced, and probably a new vanity before it's all over with, but I guess we will see! The whole house needs baseboards. We need a deck built/rebuilt, because the makeshift stairs leading up to the front door are inadequate - the last step before going into the home is not tall enough, and my pregnant self almost can't make it! Especially not while carrying a child. There is just so much left to do, and not much time left before the baby is due. All in God's time, though; all in God's time.

Our Week at the Property: Day Two

So now we have sleepy people and stinky laundry! And, we have a nice list of things we need to go into town for, so after breakfast and dishes, we head into town. We, of course, stop at Home Depot, as we do almost every time we are down there. We need more paint and other supplies for the house. Jeremy got in touch with a guy we know who rents out mobile homes to ask his opinion on skirting for the trailer. You see, the insurance company will not insure our trailer until there is skirting up, so that is priority one on the to-do list. As it turns out, he will sell us some used metal , which happens to be the most sturdy material we could probably get for this purpose, for much, much less than we could buy new. So we pick up some miscellaneous materials needed to put this skirting up (or rather, we have McCoy's deliver it), and then later on, Jeremy and his dad (who arrived later that afternoon) pick up the metal. We stopped at our favorite local taco place, Taco Shack, for lunch. Then I trek to Wal-Mart with just Seth to pick up some things we needed there (and Seth picks up a birthday gift for his brother!). I ended up having to go BACK to Home Depot with a very sleepy Seth to pick up something that was forgotten, and by the time I got back, I was so DONE with shopping for the day! We wrapped the gift for Jude, and the children got to open some of their presents from their grandparents. After dinner, the last of the gifts were unwrapped and we had a nice stack for the burn pile, and lots of toys floating around. The men had accomplished some work on the skirting. We put sleepyheads to bed and enjoyed a nice bath in our only working (garden) bathtub. This night's sleep was much better!

Our Week at the Property: Day One

So last week my husband and in-laws took the week off and we all stayed at the property so we could work, work, work! We were going to just head out Monday morning, but since we already had our game plan, we just started packing up the van on Sunday. It's probably hard to imagine what a family of five (plus 2 in-laws) would take to stay out at a trailer that has practically NOTHING in it, but I'll give you a "short" list:
1 dorm size refrigerator - which was taken the day before, or else we would have been strapping even MORE things to the top. This held the most perishable things like meat, milk, yogurt, cheese, leftovers and any produce we could squeeze in. Probiotics and Bentonite in case anyone got sick because Wal-Mart doesn't stock these things. Faith ended up with diarrhea, so it was a good thing we brought them.
1 very large cooler, along with a smaller one - these were refilled almost daily; the bigger one held the least perishables, like eggs, some produce, bottled water, etc. And the small one held only ice for drinking purposes.
Linens galore: kitchen towels, sponges, washcloths, bath towels, shop rags, sheets for 3 beds (including extras for the little ones), and pillows.
Cleaning: soap, shampoo, dishwasher detergent, and everything to hand wash dishes as well, including a dish drainer.
Food, Prep Utensils, and pots/pans: I had to think through every meal we would have and what would I need to prepare it: a can opener? knife & cutting board? Spoons to serve it with? We ate out SOO much at the beginning of this pregnancy because of morning sickness, so now I'm trying to stick with eating healthy. I feel much better and have more energy when I eat like I should. Of course it would have been easier to just bring cereal and sandwiches, but we've been down this road before, and this just isn't the kind of food that satisfies working men and a pregnant mom! I don't regret the time I spent cooking, though it does mean I accomplish less around the property. It is a way to bless my family, esp. my growing baby.
A weeks worth of clothing for five people
Some vinyl flooring strapped to the roof, and some tools that weren't already at the property

All of this adds up to one VERY full van! We couldn't open the back door when we arrived, we had to carefully unload, piece by piece, from the side doors. We arrived somewhat late, so we had to air up the inflatable beds and set up the baby's playpen while trying to unload the van. The children were already asleep! Then we had to load all the food into the refrigerator, and try to find places for the kitchen stuff amidst dirty cabinets. Yuck. Eventually all the beds were made, and most things put away, and the kitchen counters cleared of most of the tools. And then we finally settled in to sleep. But neither of us slept well. Unfamiliar noises, plus a night-potty-trained 3-year-old who awoke us early in the morning because he wet the bed! So we had to take down the extra sheet we were using as a curtain to put on their bed. And Faith woke up with diarrhea, and of course we were using disposables, that of course leaked (people think cloth diapers leak, but it is very rare that we have even diarrhea leak out of our cloth diapers). So we immediately had lots of laundry to do. I brought supplies to hand wash, and we have a clothes line, but of course it would be cold and rain in the forecast! Thank God for nice neighbors who lent us their washer/dryer. I'll continue with my next post to let you know how the rest of this second day went....