Waiting

As I was waiting for the oven timer to countdown it dawned on me that the waiting was representative of so many areas in my life right now...

I'm waiting to go to the doctor next Wednesday so I can hear this baby's heartbeat again, the waiting is making me paranoid

I'm waiting for the crock pot to cook our dinner for tonight

I'm waiting to hear from our loan officer in regards to our closing date

I'm waiting to find out when we're closing so I can plan Katie's 1st birthday party

I'm waiting to get the motivation and inspiration to do something crafty

I'm waiting for Katie's sinus infection to clear up

I'm waiting for the granola bars that I made to harden so I can eat one

I'm waiting for my husband to take me on a date

I'm waiting for the buyer of our truck to meet me next week so we can unload that gas hog

I get a little overwhelmed by all of this waiting. Of course I want things to happen sooner than later. But, is there blessing in waiting? During this time I rely on God to comfort me and walk me through all of the waiting process. If I get stuck in the waiting I'll miss the things that are already happening...while I wait I will be present.

What are you waiting for today? 

Pumpkin pie mini's

I can't remember how I found her site with the following recipe but I'm glad I saved it to my bookmarks. I never liked pumpkin pie growing up, but as an adult I have discovered a slight love for anything pumpkin. I made these little pumpkin pie bites for a going-away party for my niece Carley. They are quite tasty, you should try them and invite me over to have a couple!

Bakerella suggests topping these with chocolate but Davey loves cool whip so I dressed 'em up with a little dollop. Also, when mixing the ingredients, I always mix the softened cream cheese and sugar first, then add the other ingredients...makes for a smoother consistency.
Enjoy!

Home is where the heart is

Dave and I purchased our first home in 2004, it was a nice condo off of Lake Norman in Charlotte NC. After a year of living there we decided we "needed" something bigger. We found a house that was beautiful and move in ready. 2000 square feet and double our mortgage payment, we later found out it was NOT what we needed. We didn't have any kids at the time so looking back I'm not really sure why we thought we needed 2000 sq. ft.!!
I can honestly say we got caught up with "keeping up with the Jones'". We lived in that house for three years until we moved back to Ohio. During those three years we racked up debt. I wanted to stay home with Sarah and in order to do that we knew we could not stay in that house.
After moving back to Ohio, I had felt like my life was moving backwards. We went from owning homes to renting to living with family. We went from making a lot of money to making little money. But, over the past year or so, God has revealed to me what I thought was backwards was really moving forward. Our lives have changed drastically...for the better! I don't regret any of the "backward" steps, I'm thankful for the knowledge and faith I've gained.
Today we are waiting to hear from sellers of a house in Youngstown that we made an offer on last night. I'm so humbled by the opportunity we have been given to be able to buy a house. I feel like this house can be the Moser family home for many years. It's very charming, large enough for our growing family and close to the park for lots of play time.
Please pray with us that this process goes smoothly and quickly! We've already had one house fall through, but I believe there was a reason for that!

Here's some fun I caught on my phone

Yup, that's Katie's foot in her mouth while riding in the car!

Holy red potato, Dave planted eyes from a potato in the Spring and look what grew...I'm amazed! What else can we plant in the garden??

That's 7:50 am on a Saturday morning! I took the opportunity to do my grocery shopping alone...maybe just a little eager

Sarah got a new hula-hoop, Katie had to try it out

Made these gems over the weekend. Gram has a similar recipe for a cake so I tweaked it for cupcake size

I'm torn between trying to read two books. This one, "One Thousand Gifts", is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Her beautiful writing inspires me

The best snack ever! My family always made this for the holidays while the big feast was being prepared, I made it today to satisfy this prego belly

B.F.

Before Facebook--that's what my life will be like from now on. I did it! I have deactivated my Facebook account! I've been wanting to let go of the account for quite some time now and today was the day. I'll miss looking at friends pictures and keep in touch with family but it was time.
I hope you keep coming back to check out this blog. I also have email and....a phone. So, shoot me a message or give me a call.

Ahhhh-gust

Oh Baby! Have I mentioned how crazy the month of August was for our family?! Some amazing, jaw-dropping events took place within those 31 days.
Dave had an interview for a new teaching job
Interview went great, God answered our prayer about our salary requirements
Sarah switched schools before the first day began, she and Dave now attend YCS
Dave and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. I'm the first to admit that it's a miracle but deep down inside I've always known would happen
We went out on a limb and started looking for a house to buy. Our thoughts a year ago were that this process wouldn't happen until 2014...we're suppose to be closing on our home on October 1st, 2012
And, we found out that we're having another baby. Excuse me, come again, WHAT???

Yup, I took an at-home test one Monday night without Dave knowing about it...didn't want to set off any alarms if it came back negative. Well, that test had just the slightest hint of a positive line but I convinced myself that I was seeing things. So, after another week of not starting (you know what) and my pants beginning to feel tight...I took another test. This time the freaking red "positive" line was shining bright! I literally ran up the stairs to Dave, hyperventilating, I threw the stick on the table where he was studying. I began crying as the thoughts of what was currently happening to us were racing through my head. Dave was amazing, he was my rock as I sat crying, swearing, shaking my head and occasionally laughing.
Needless to say, this pregnancy was not planned...by us! But, I have resolved that I don't want to send this new baby any bad vibes that he/she was not intended to be. Now that the shock has worn off we are all extremely excited. I got to hear the heartbeat this past week, any fear that I had was washed away in that moment.
Sarah and Katie will both be big sisters come April 2013...isn't it amazing how things happen?!

Snapshots of our week

This kid cracks me up, no wonder it takes me an hour to feed her

Katie and I spent a lot of time outside this week. She's squealing at the kids playing at recess on the playground behind our house. Sarah was suppose to be going there, can you imagine...

We have a reader!

Picked up Sarah from school and she was just as excited to see Katie--love to see sister love

Where's Waldo! Dave after we all went inside for dinner, guess those 12th graders really wore him out

'the war is over'

I feel like I could vomit all over the page...I'll try to spare you but keep that in mind.
I heard a powerful song on Sunday at church, a few of the lyrics resonated with me. 'the war is over, I raise my white flag'. I so needed to hear that line. It hit me like a ton of bricks, the war is over!!! I don't need to fight anymore! Jesus took his cross up for me. Nothing else matters!
My heart was so moved by this message. Praise God for the freedom He has given us.
Well, the devil definitely knows how to steal one's joy. Today I am defeated! Defeated on so many levels. The minute I think I have a grasp on something, such as the freedom I have in Christ, I can start to feel like life is nothing but an uphill battle.
Am I the only one who goes through this??
I have a confession...I am so insecure when it comes to relationships. 'the war is over, I raise up my white flag' gave me a perfect image when it comes to my insecurity...I don't need to wage war over any relationship! I'm not speaking of my relationship with my husband, he and I have our share of issues, but I am confident and secure in it.
I am insecure in who's talking about me, why she doesn't call me back, why they don't ever invite me over (a little dramatic but exactly how it plays out in my head), why she doesn't want to be my friend....and so on and so on.
So, Sunday my heart and my mind aligned with the words that I was signing with such emotion and I thought later "OK, I got this, I don't have to have an internal or external war against any relationship"...I got this.
Today...I don't got this!! Why is it so hard? Why do I feel the need to want/make everyone like me, appreciate me, respect me? Why do I care so much? Why does it keep me up at night and wreak havoc on my stress levels?
I wish I could really grasp the freedom I have in Christ, I know that's my answer. He doesn't want me battling over relationships, He wants me focused on Him.
OK, I'm committing to try again tomorrow. Tomorrow I will focus on Christ, the One who has a plan for me and so eagerly awaits my recognition (thanks Pastor Dave) of that plan.

And, of course, here are some photos to keep you coming back...

Did I mention we're selling our truck. Buy it and I'll be your best friend (haha, get it?!?)

Some sister fun in the Jacuzzi at Julia's

Daddy and Katie taking a midnight dip (really, 8:30)

How cute is this shot? Sarah and her cousin Landon watching the YCS football game, they even made it on the news

YCS looking pretty good, beating Springfield 40-3!!

Oh, and this monster. I took this shot while she was eating cheese, drinking water, and growling at her grandma...yes, I said growling!