Our Story

A friend eagerly shares the good news, and I smile back, squeezing Daniel's hand under the table, willing to show only the happiness. I'll cry later.

It's been three years. Three years of doctor visits, surgery, medication. Three years of crying, hoping, praying. I am still not pregnant.

Our church has has times for people to get up and tell about what God has been doing in the past year(s) in their life, and several times people have shared a similar story. But it's always after God has granted them a child. Or children. What about the people still in the mess and pain?

Two years ago, we knew something was wrong. It had been a year and I wasn't pregnant. I made an appointment with the doctor, and told our parents; it was a few days before Mother's Day. During a routine test, the doctor discovered some scar tissue that was preventing pregnancy. Surgery was scheduled two weeks before Thanksgiving. I woke up from surgery to learn that my tubes were blocked; I would never have children except through in-vitro (that's the really expensive one where they remove eggs, fertilize them, then a few days later implant them). We weren't going to be able to afford that for years.

The only thing that sustained me during those bleak months were old hymns: Pensive Doubting Fearful Heart, I Asked the Lord, and O Heart Bereaved and Lonely played on repeat. We also started an envelope for saving for IVF. God would graciously and randomly provide unexpected money for that envelope.

Last spring, we went to another doctor for a second opinion. The same test was performed, and my tubes were clear! Something else showed up on the screen, so another surgery was scheduled to remove what turned out to be a polyp and a fibroid.

Currently, I am on medication to regulate my hormones and make me ovulate.

In these past three years, we have learned to long more desperately for Heaven, where all tears will be wiped away and all things made new. We have received peace in the middle of fear. We have known God to be close to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) and to be "the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort...so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God" (2 Cor1:3-4)



Psalm 113:9

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!

Choose Your Own Adventure Muffins

This recipe is my Mom's muffin recipe. Daniel enjoys changing the muffins every time we make them.One of his favorites is cranberry orange: a variation we created. Add cranberries, and use orange juice or orange tea as the liquid, or just add mandarin oranges. I like to make them whole wheat by using whole wheat pastry flour from Whole Foods

Best-Ever Muffins

2 c flour

½ c sugar

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 egg, well-beaten

1 c liquid

1/3 c cooking oil

Stir together dry ingredients. Stir together wet ingredients,; add all at once to dry. Stir just until moistened. Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full. Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes. Makes 12.

Berry: Fold in 1 c fresh or frozen blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, or strawberries to batter.

Banana: Stir in 1 c chopped banana.

Bishop’s Delight: substitute orange juice for the milk. Add 2 t orange peel, ½ c chocolate chips, ¼ c raisins, ¼ c halved marachino cherries, ¼ c chopped walnuts.

Ginger: Reduce sugar to 2 T. Add 1/3 c molasses, 1 t ginger, and 1 t cinnamon. Use boiling water for the liquid.

Lemonade: Reduce milk to ¼ cup; add ¾ c lemonade concentrate.

Peach or Apricot: Whirl undrained, canned peaches or apricots in blender. Use for liquid. Add 1 T lemon juice and ¼ t almond extract.

Orange Ginger: Use juice from one 11-oz can mandarin oranges. Stir in orange segments. Add 1 t orange peel and ¼ c finely chopped crystallized ginger

Changes

Last week I bought a kiln! And no, I'm not replacing the oven with it, nor is it going on the back porch. My in-laws graciously offered to house it for me {sorry all you fellow apartment dwellers who dream of kiln ownership}. I also gave notice at my art teaching position for August. After three years of working there, the bittersweetness of leaving is starting to sink in. But, I am going into business as a "real" artist! Already I've gotten a couple of commissions! I am really excited!

Favorite New Bags from Brahmin

{Disclosure: I am a part of Vogue Influencers on Facebook. Sometimes I get products to test and review. I did get a Brahmin bag in the past, but not recently. Its my favorite purse!}

Apron Farbic Choices

 There were four fabrics I found. The colors are pretty accurate except for the bottom one, so I included another photo, below, that better shows the color of the bottom fabric.

Spring Mantel

Welcome Spring!