a month of celebrities

I know, that is an interesting title. Something you normally wouldn't find on my blog. But there it is... the topic of celebrities. I went to the library with my children yesterday, I love going to the cookbook section, getting interesting cookbooks to take home, pour over, try the recipes and add to my repertoire of daily cooking. I found a wonderful cookbook called "My Father's Daughter" by Gwyneth Paltrow. The recipes are really fabulous, lots of ones I will try. I read about her upbringing and the special bond she had with her father. It got me thinking about her and made me realize "I never pray for this woman". I know she is not a Christian, she has very mixed religious ideals including some Cabala. She is lovely, she is graceful, she is a great Mama, one of my favorite actresses, and a fabulous cook. But what does that amount to in the end? When we stand before God? How often do I pray for celebrities? How often do I just pass their salvation off as impossible? How often do we as Christians deliberately not pray for them because of their opulent lifestyle, ease of life and luxury or their political stances they take on hot topic subjects. This is simply evil on our parts. Who are we to judge who will become a saint and who will not. So here I am, asking all of you to pick a celebrity this month and pray for them. I am starting with Gwyneth. Start with whoever comes on your heart to pray for. These celebrities influence so much of our world, our culture, our worldview, the popular beliefs of any average person. So why aren't we praying that they come to the truth and influence others in that same way? Get on your knees and pray people!

14 weeks

I've really been enjoying this DVD as well as this DVD so far during this pregnancy. I'd like to try and stay in shape so that recovery after pregnancy isn't such a big deal. I feel so much better and more energetic when I've worked out and when I don't, that's when the sickies come back. So for now, it is really helping. Here's the baby growth update:

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him -- a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches -- about the size of a lemon -- and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.