Fun Finds

I love Target's dollar section. Right now, they have out Easter stuff. I bought a felt bag/basket for Isabel that is beyond adorable! There were too many styles to choose from (pink bunny, yellow chick, purple flowers, eeeeeek). I almost bought 3! I also stocked up on non-Easter cards with great prints and small gifts to keep on hand. For a buck, the stationery they provide is good quality and pretty.

Wal-Mart, at least by us, has their Valentine's goodies discounted to nearly 90%. I purchased an "X" and "O" muffin tin, too cute, for $2; a lip-shaped cookie cutter for $0.50; and ten adorable heart-shaped gift boxes, perfect for giving small gifts, for $1.

milestone

It's the little things in life that bring the greatest joys! Yesterday, Isabel rolled from her tummy to her back, screaming the entire time. The way I reacted, you would've though the Ravens had won the Super Bowl.









What small joys are you finding in life right now?

Movie Review

Miguel and I have been watching our fare share of movies lately, courtesy of RedBox. With a sick baby, we've changed most of our plans and opted instead for lots of Isabel cuddle time. When we couldn't handle watching Ultimate Recipe Showdown for the 5th time, we rented movies. Friday night it was Three Men and a Baby. You've got to watch it for the diaper changing scene alone. I'd forgotten how funny it is, probably made more so by the fact that we are in the throws of poopy diapers! Saturday night we watched Changeling. Angelina Jolie stars in this true story about a mother whose son is stolen and then "returned." The boy she welcomes home is, upon inspection, not her son. After repeatedly protesting and begging that the police continue the hunt for her real son, she is wrongfully imprisoned in an insane asylum. A local minster takes up her cause and helps her fight the justice system and the corruption of the time. The movie is certainly heart wrenching, and hard to believe that such an event actually took place in our nation. Changeling is definitely worth the two and a half hour watch.

3 months

Isabel is three months old today. It is strange to measure in months and not weeks. Where has the time gone?? A few of her favorite things:

*Cuddling
*Screaming when she's happy, which is most of the time
*Smiling her big, toothless grin at Mommy and Daddy
*Holding onto my shirt while eating.
*Watching t.v....sigh...when she's supposed to be eating. Miguel is firm in his resolution that she will NOT watch the Bachelor. But Isabel does love the Food Network.


Silly things she has been doing lately:

*Scrunching up one side of her lip and nose (a bit like Elvis)
*Throwing herself backwards while we hold her in order to get a good view of the ceiling
*Pulling my hair
*Outgrowing her 0-3 mo. clothing
*Waking up with "bed head"

black foils

"Afflictions are often the black foils in which God does set the jewels of His children's graces, to make them shine the better...God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians." -C.H. Spurgeon, from Morning and Evening

Our life seems full of testing at the moment. We have seen God provide for us in amazing ways, only to see that same provision seemingly taken away. This week has brought about new opportunities to see just where my hope lies. Isabel's state-funded insurance has been canceled due to Miguel's new salary. Though he makes significantly less than he did at his previous job, he still makes too much for us to qualify for the insurance she was receiving. So, our application gets transferred to another agency, and we wait. We wait to see how God will provide. We pray for health and safety for our baby girl. At times, I feel like these trials will crush me. I don't always have the faith/vision to see the trials as the black foils. But my prayer is that I will remember HIS ultimate purpose in my current trials. I pray that He uses them to bring me to His feet and make my faith shine brighter.

"Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there."
-C.H. Spurgeon

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I wish I had written this article from Newsweek. It was witty and quite honestly, true!

(Click on image to read article)

Valentine's

I was reading through old posts this morning, and I realized that I used to write better posts than I have been recently. Or at least posts that were entertaining or useful. Without further ado, here's a throwback post.

What is the best Valentines' gift you have ever given AND received?

Best Received: A cook top stove. Purchased and installed by Miguel while I was at work. I got home and saw a gorgeous bouquet of roses on the counter. I didn't even realize that they were sitting on a brand new stove! Miguel then made me a nice dinner on that stove. Perhaps not the most romantic gift, but definitely something I had desired. It was that much sweeter because it was a surprise.

Best Given: I have a horrible memory, so I can only remember last year! I had written a "menu" for the evening, including things like: a romantic dinner by candle light, a massage, etc. He earned "money" to buy the items by finding Hershey Kisses I had placed around the house. In the evening, he counted all of his Kisses and then chose several items off the menu. What he chose was based on how many Kisses he had found, and the value of each menu item. It was a fun, creative way to give him a gift (and inexpensive).