fresh batch of baby onesies!

As I promised, here are the other projects I've finished. Can't wait to see these on Isabella!

 strawberry onesie..

 I is for Isabella...

Some groovy bibs for my groovy baby

 beautiful butterfly

 Birds of a feather

 I had fun with this one, there's a butterfly on the front

and one to pat!

pregnant and pickles

I made these "bread and butter dill pickles" today. It's my first attempt at making pickles and I must say..Yum! They actually taste like pickles! I know that is weird to say, but as I'm making these and canning them I'm hoping that they don't taste like vinegary cucumbers. Next time, I won't have them in the water bath quite as long as I lost a bit of their crispness, but Eddrick, who is my pickle eater is still happy over these! Here is the other project I've been working on...

 

I made Isabella some very tiny and personalized onesies. This is her "peacock" onesie and I really loved how it turned out. I used the "soft" fabric paint so it wouldn't scratch her newborn skin either. I'll post pics of the other onesies another time. Right now I'm 22 weeks pregnant, my weekly email says she's the size of a spaghetti squash right now. Talk about a growth spurt!

Eucharisteo Moment: toothless

Eucharisteo - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember as thanks to the Lord.

spring comes early

I live in the desert, it can be hot here, it can get downright freezing here, it is dry here. And there are times and seasons when our spirituality can feel the same way, such a fluctuation of "temperatures", such a "dryness" of soul. This week has been hard, and when I say hard, it is like the ground on a day in August in the desert: when the land is parched and cracked and there seems no hope, no life, no rain, just dust. But then the Creator comes and with one touch of His hand, he makes all the hurting and fear and worry go away. Just one touch! An incredible wonder has happened in a life of one I hold dear. A repentance, a miracle, a growing....a SPRING! God has taken all the pain and turned it into the most beautiful springtime boquet. He has made all things new, placed His hand on a dead branch and made it burst into blossom. He has turned my mourning into laughter. I am Lucy and I was in a ship in an island of fog and I can't see, and I've screamed "Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now". And I hear his voice, like an albatross over head, in a soft, gentle, "delicious" voice, in the middle of the dark say to me "Courage, dear heart". And in those few moments, the darkness is.......gone! I am praising God right now, for this early Spring, may it ever flourish and grow. After all, we were all once dead in our trespasses and sins and His RESURRECTING LIFE has made us alive!

Lent and the forgiveness of sins

This year we are really trying to reflect on Lent. What does it mean? Why do we observe it? Here is an excellent post from one of my favorite people on Lent. And here is another one of her posts on Forgiveness, something which is raw and real to my heart right now. Oh the hurting, oh the reflection on my own sin, the thankfulness for God's ultimate forgiveness and how I MUST do the same. He blots out our sins, He remembers them no longer. I am empty, I am broken, I write the names in dust, I wipe them away and I forgive and sometimes I keep writing the same name and wiping it away. Forgiveness is a cycle, it needs to happen constantly, not just once: for we are fallen humans in need of a Savior. Jesus does it perfectly, once, and IT IS FINISHED. I am so thankful, and I am observing lent this season.

winding down, catching up, and breathing...

God gives us what we can handle at certain times in our lives and He gives us the grace to get through. For what seems like over a month of a teething, fussy, sleepless baby season, the molar finally broke through only to give way to a horrible diaper rash and the constant diapering needs that go with that. We've been busy, busy, busy full of people and places and ministering, but we are finding ourselves exhausted. And at the brink of all that, I had a family disaster take place that has rocked me to my core, made me cry and cry so much, that I am all cried out now, I am mentally and emotionally and spiritually exhausted. It's hard when a brother decides to try and throw everything God has given him away and revel in his own trash instead. It is frustrating to hear and see the pain on his family's voice and hear my own parents heartbroken and weary voices. And when his repentence comes you find your doubts but begging God that this whole thing be final and resolved and be different this time. Oh life can get to it's hardest point and when you think you're about to break, the Lord gives a brief reprieve and low and behold, the baby is sleeping through the night again. I find comfort in my husband's arms and his understanding, in the laughter of my children as we sit around the dinner table telling cheesy jokes. As my husband reads to our family the book of Job (which we've been going through for some time oddly enough) and having the words wash over me, strengthen me and I feel the Lord's arms around me hugging me tightly and soothing my soul and I finally take a deep breath...

In the midst of this, I also find comfort in the kitchen. I know, different things for different people. For me, I just need to bake up a storm or cook up a storm or something. Just to be doing, and not thinking over and over again and getting all caught up in my thoughts and how they can spiral.

made a year's worth of jam: blackberry, strawberry, and blueberry strawberry and some ginger mango granola.

Cooking tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes for two days and then canning them.

 Making sun-dried grape tomatoes

 Large quantities of zuchini muffins to freeze and have on hand for any occasion...

Stewing all the heirloom tomatoes I got at the market. I love them fresh, but there were just too many to be able to enjoy all at once.

And here I am at 21 weeks pregnant, so excited she's a girl, that I'm over half way there.

It's a GIRL!!!!

Here she is!

 Here's her very strong Spine..

 Her feet were tap dancing, it was amazingly precious!

and here's her little face peeking at you all! We've decided on the name Isabella Kathryn Lenore Moya. I really can't wait to meet this little person. Here is my latest preggo pick of 19 weeks...

Your baby's sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don't be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces (acutally the doc said she's 10 oz.) and measures 6 inches (again, doc said 8 inches), head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

It's time to boycott!

Here is the latest news on Susan G. Komen's decision to fund Planned Parenthood and give them even more funding than previously promised. So, here I am: pregnant with my sixth baby and making a declaration that I won't purchase anything pink EVER that supports Susan G. Komen as long as they proceed to fund the killing of innocent babies. PLEASE boycott this evil group of people! My husband and I have also decided to boycott the super bowl as the NFL has also funded Susan G. Komen. The color pink can now be associated with the image of an aborted child, where it should be the glorious pink of a newborn baby.

18 weeks

Head to rump, your baby is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and he weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. His blood vessels are visible through his thin skin, and his ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from his head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his nerves, a process that will continue for a year after he's born. If you're having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you're having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now, but he may hide them from you during an ultrasound.

15 weeks

Rad shirt eh??? My friend sent me yet another really cute maternity shirt. Here I am at 15 weeks...
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.