Tomorrow I will be 22 weeks out of 40. Here is a picture of me this week, I don't like my hair or smile but oh well. They were a little concerned early on because I was so sick and not gaining but let's just say the last day I threw up was Thanksgiving and I have a healthy appitite back and my parents put SO MANY candy bars in my stocking. Again let's just say that low weight is no longer a concern.

Mike and I look forward to a new resolution for the new year...WE LOVE RESOLUTIONS. Like our good friend Rob, said in his sermon this week... we categorize and type out our goals.

Anyway our biggest health resolution: Lay off the fructose corn syrup. I know it is impossible to never have any, but we both have so many health issues that are proven or suspected to be caused by sugar that it is a logical step towards health for us. We are not eating fast food as much lately and that has made us feel better too. My mom and dad were pretty good about not letting us have junk all the time growing up that I think I need to be an example in that with our kids. Depriving them is not cool I don't think but, having junk food all the time is not cool either.

And you know what else is not cool, I think...the fact that I still say "cool". Sheesh, I am nerd.

Good thing we don't plan on teaching Dorothy that Santa is the reason for Christmas :)

May Christ's birth be on your mind as you celebrate with family and friends. I am looking forward to it and wish you all a very blessed day. Love to all.

I love this recipe: Creamy Chicken Lasagna. Even more than that, I have been making the creamy sauce and using it for spaghetti. D loves tomato sauce, but she still has a hard time eating really acidic foods so adding the cream cheese helps.

So my dear auntie Jane reminded me that I forgot to post what we are having this second time around! It's another girl. We are very excited. We have decided on a first name, Margaret. We will probably call her "Maggie". This week marks the halfway point to this pregnancy. And I love eating. I can still hurl at the right smell, but food is more of a friend than an enemy.

So waaay back in the middle of October I was in my second art show. Our church has this really wonderful "Affordable art show" during the neighborhood fall festival. Also notice the two art pieces behind me, my nieghbor and friend Elizabeth did those and Mike and I got the green one for each other for our anniversary last week. I kind of love that tradition, buying each other a piece of our friends art for hoildays. He got me two pieces last year from our dearest Michael Winters friend.

It is great because the art show has very established/formally trained artists and crafters as well as newbie self trained ones like me. I made purses and onesies just like last year...and sold well (about 90% of my stuff sold!). I have barely sewn since then until this past weekend, when I made my 8 gifts for our churches gift exchange (tell you about that later). I hade a lot of people ask about my cowl (the tube scarf around my neck in the first picture, so I'll probably make some of those to sell next year).
I have got to make more girly onesies and more owls. I am also planning on making toddler shirts...but not until at least after Christmas!

(Thanks to my friend Ashley L. who took these pictures for me!)

Nine years of marriage!

Today Mike and are celebrating our nine year wedding anniversary. We were 19, in love, and never looked back. One of the best decisions I've ever made. Here are the flowers that Mike sent me today. I took these photos with Mike's phone so they aren't as clear as normal.

It is a combo of roses, daises, orchids, and gladiolas.

Here is the meal we made together. Lucky Dorothy got to share in the fun, we have a dinner date this weekend too!

Fillet Mignon, portabello risotto, and the best stinking salad I ever had
(spring greens, pomegranate seeds, garlic and herb boursin cheese, and blush wine vinaigrette) .

Happy December! Thank you so much for all the love again. Our life is taking on a bit of normalcy. Mike is still in major back pain but we see a specialist this week. We have our 9th wedding anniversary on Thursday and we find out the gender of the baby on Monday! Here is a picture of Dorothy's first corndog. About 2 minutes later she had taken the "corn" off the "dog" and inhaled them both.

Well, you are all so loving. I have received many emails and facebook messages asking how we are and the truth is we have been better. You probably remember that I am now 16 weeks along. Since about week 7 I have been extremely nauseous and throwing up on an almost daily basis, with a few needed days off here and there (yes it's still happening...just this morning). I traced my previously mentioned RA flair up to the same exact day that I started drinking regular coffee! Seriously, the day I had this amazing cup of Guatemalan and that was the day before my shoulder went crazy. ANYWAY. Dorothy has been battling a stomach bug and dehydration since Saturday. She didn't eat more than a few bites for 4 days. On Monday as we were feeling out of the woods with D, Mike called on his way to the ER. His back injury was aggravated, possibly the worse I have ever seen him in the 7 years of this injury. This entire week was very hard because of back spasms,pain, and such...Well Mike likes is privacy and I probably shared too much. But please keep us in your prayers. We have more doctors visits coming up, some for Mike and some for the second baby (heartbeat and ultrasound!).

Oh, but despite all this. We have had some quality family time together and Dorothy is adding new words and funny habits every day. Just as she turned 15 months she started calling me "Mama". She has been saying "Dada" since she was 9 months and calling me "Sarah" randomly since July.

We have also been talking a lot about babies and looking at pictures of babies and her doll. I am slowly getting her to be gentle with the doll and the baby Jesus from her nativity. She chucked baby Jesus the first time she had him, but this morning she picked him up and kissed him. Progress!

I am still here!

Hello! I hope you still check this blog! I am back. Probably not every day, but I hopefully can post a bit more than I have been.

I haven't had morning sickness in three days! I am 14 and 1/2 weeks along I have been sick for almost 8 1/2 weeks. I am hopefully on the mend. A lot of you have asked and I was not this sick with my first pregnancy. Maybe 3 times total that time. I have lost count this time. No two pregnancies are alike, I hear.

We took Dorothy to hear the heartbeat of her baby brother or sister last week. She charmed all the nurses and doctors and played with all the things she shouldn't and had no idea why we were even there. BUT! I think we got through the appointment much quicker than normal because of her presence. Not that I am ever taking a one year old to the doctor again, unless it's for her. The above picture is her running the hallway as I made the first payment on our second kid :) Just as we pay off the first kid we start paying for another- It is certainly worth it though!


Oh and I found this funny picture of D. This was on her way to meet Ruby Laffin for the first time. I love that she is waving at 6 weeks (well accidentally waving) and that she still is working on the eye control, and she is so rolly-polly.

Please pray for me if you can. Just as I am doing better with the morning sickness I have had two flair ups with my RA. I pulled my shoulder last week, the worst it been in about about two years. Then this weekend as I geared up to sew, I had a flair up in both wrists, again something I haven't had happen since before Dorothy. Not exactly a good thing for a lady trying to sew for a little business. Well enough typing on these hands for now. Love to all, near and far.

Happy October! We went to the Zoo for the big Halloween party tonight.
I'll go on the record and say Mike and I are not obsessed Wizard of OZ fans. D was named after my Grandmother and Mike's aunt. BUT! we wanted to have her dress from the movie at least once. We figure it will be all too soon before she has strong opinions on who she wants to be.

Hello again. I miss you friends. I am still getting sick quite often, probably ever other day. I have been devoting most of my internet time to tetris and facebook. Because it is more mindless than blogging. I am encouraged by so many of that have checked in on me. Thank you and God bless you. I have the afternoon to myself now to sew for Sojourn's Affordable Art Sale. My mom and D are hanging out today. I'll post pictures of our fall happenings soon. All energy has gone to loving my Mike and Dorothy and sewing pretty things for this Saturday's show. Love.love.

On the mend...

Warning! Terra and other queasy friends DO NOT READ FURTHER, this is a gross little story:




I have been feeling better...until my dog ate a bird and then well lost the contents of her stomach. BUT, I still kept breakfast down. Mike had just left for work and I ran from the scene of the crime and called him. My man turned around and came back to clean it all up. He is such a good man. BUT, praise God, I DID NOT get sick! Because when I start I can't stop. So, thank you for the many prayers and maybe, just maybe I am on the mend. And if not then I am at least so blessed by the last 5 days that have been puke free and the last 2 days that have been (almost) nausea free!

I miss you all!

Hello friends and family, near and far. It's been 14 days since I posted! Well 7 days in the middle of that 14 we had no power because of the hurricane winds that hit our region. During that time my 1st trimester nausea hit it's peak and Mike's back injury added some extra interesting juggling. But praise God we had friends and family host us. 2 nights with our dear friends, Daniel and Mandy; 3 nights with Mike's parents; and 2 nights with my parents. So I have put sewing and blogging on the back burner as I put the my time with God and caring for my Mike and Dorothy. So much easier said than done. Love to all.

This free offer says there are no strings attached. I gave it a try. 2 free years of Parents magazine.
Happy Wednesday dear friends.

I suppose I could go ahead and say it. We are having another baby. In the spring.

That is why, you might notice that I have not been so up on posting or crafting these last few weeks. So, please pray for me and our safety and health for all of us. I'll still be posting at least a few times a week and I have a few projects I hope to be working on so I'll share those soon. I also need to draw a name for that give-away. Sorry that was put on hold.

I am blessed to already know of a few ladies that I have very close due dates with. Terra, Courtney, and Maggie I look forward to this journey with you! Please lift each one of us up in prayer over these next few weeks of queasiness.

Remember when I told you Dorothy hugs by bumping her head into whatever she loves?

I realize that I may not have been altogether honest, you might have assumed that I take all the pictures on here. You see, if there has ever been a well taken picture on here, well then, Mike probably took it. I have always just been a point and shooter. But I am learning! I never expect to be a great photographer, I have so so many friends that are stellar at that. My goal is just to take some pretty pictures of my babe without it being too dark or overexposed. SOOO, I took these photos above. I am finally learning the settings on this fancy Cannon we have. Not the best but I am getting better!

I love...

I love watching these little fingers explore. The way she learns. Just like when she licks things or bumps her head against them (which is her version of hugging). Just loving the little learning process.

Our Huff family vacation Part 2

Our last day on Lake Michigan. Sigh.

Our Huff family vacation Part 1

Dorothy and Sadie and our stroller, which weeks later
and after many cleanings still has sand in every crevice.
I love the ridiculous hat and that my dad is in the background.
This will be a favorite picture forever.
The whole crew
Another Classic Cousin Picture

I love the blog GirlTalk. For those of you who don't know it is written by Caroline Mahaney (CJ's wife) and her three daughters. I have searched their posts many times for encouragement. Here is a great post that I read recently about worry. You all who read me often that worry is a big ole' struggle for me.

Kristen wrote about this:
"...So much anxiety in these few short years! Then I thought of the writer who said: “There is nothing easy about good mothering. It can be back breaking, heart wrenching and anxiety producing. And that’s just the morning.”

However, that quote is not entirely accurate. Yes, good mothering is hard! But it hasn't produced anxiety in me. Rather, it has revealed the anxiety that was already there in my heart. Mothering has revealed my sin of unbelief in God, in who He is and what He's promised to do. So often I have sought relief from my fears in a doctor’s reassurance that “everything is going to be OK.” Too many times I’ve run to the pediatrician instead of running to God."

(Find the whole post here)

What a kick in the pants reminder: my anxiety is my sin of unbelief in God! I am going to chew on that for a while.

Hi!

I am still behind in ev-e-ry-thing. I am playing catch up in the game of LIFE.

In the meantime here is one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite comedians:
Watch Here.

When it rains...

I am really sorry to all of you. I really like to post each weekday, but we were at the ER earlier this week and our house was broken into later. We are fine, as is our house. Our spectacular security system went off and long story short again, all is well. Just having a bad week. BUT, I am choosing joy. Ironically enough I read a really good blog post this morning, before the break in happened.

Hello. Got back from vacation. Feeling sick. Dorothy was not doing well. Long story short we spent yesterday at the ER. She is fine and almost better. Just some dehydration and stomach issues. The reason they sent us there was b/c she had fallen the day b/f and then threw up a couple times. Just making sure she had no head injuries. She didn't talk at all and wouldn't stay awake...very scary thinking it was her head and as weird as it sounds glad it was just dehydration. She has already guzzled pedialite, water, and juice. All is well now, Praise God!

I am also having picture issues. I miss posting pictures and I myself prefer reading posts with pictures, so forgive me while I work out the camera/picture problems.

So because I am just getting back to this blog after a week off, I'll extend the time to comment. And here is a link to what you are commenting for. Not this exact one but a smaller one like it!

Leave a comment!

I get to spend the next few days with these people. See you next week!

DON'T FORGET: Leave a comment between now and midnight Tuesday, August 19th and I'll put your name in a drawing for one of my handmade fall purses.

I forgot to post Dorothy's picture album from her birthday. Here it is !

I think it is time for another give away. Leave a comment between now and midnight Tuesday, August 19th and I'll put your name in for a fall purse.

In honor of my 10 year reunion: Click Here
Yes that is a "Let's paint the 90s" book. Complete with the "You got it Dude" Olsen twins, Not the Boho Chic, giant sunglasses, starbucks drinking Olsen twins. There is a difference. And that difference y'all makes me feel old.

Oh and it is also my BFF Carrie's Birthday!!! Here are some pictures of us growing up:

I am trying new layouts. I'll be re-arranging this site- bear with me!

Have I ever sent you over to Sojourn Music? It is fantabulous. Our friend Bobby (who I think lurks on this blog but never ever comments) runs it and I just wanted to give him and the site big applause. He works with my man, Mike and all the worship team at Sojourn to provide updates and info on "all-of-life worship". Here is one of my favorite posts, written today.

Oh and here is a picture of Bobby holding newborn Dorothy a year ago, maybe that will bring him out of lurking! Ha!

My new favorite ideas...

School is gearing up and there are lots of great resources out there!

• Crafty Crow This is a great collection of kid's crafts out there in blogging land!

• Chasing Cheerios Oh! I just found this last night and there are so many projects that I want to do with Dorothy as she gains my trust that she won't eat everything I give her :) Check out the part on Homemade toys and toddler activities.

• Let's Explore This is a great list of transition ideas for your new kindergartner. (4 years away for me:)

• Design Mom This is a cool theme for a little one's birthday. So simple!

That's the ladybug dress I made her! I'll post a bigger picture of it later.

Well she is one now. I packed up the bottles and she's drinking whole milk. She stands up so much more often, and by choice too! Getting so big...sniff.

We had a joint party with our dearest friends and partners in ministry, the Montgomerys.
Levi was one on Tuesday and Dorothy was one on Saturday.

Mandy was so much fun to throw the party with. What a blessing she has been to me over the last nine years but especially the last year as a mom! We chose a Bumblebee/Ladybug party and she drew stripes and dots on all the balloons! That was one of my favorite details!

More pictures to come! Thanks to my Father-in-law, John who took these photos. I have a couple hundred to go through before I post more!

I have been a mama for almost a year! We have a pretty full weekend and I'm going to start it early. See you Monday!

I had another post planned today, but the rain changed my mind. It's not often I truly enjoy rain anymore. I use to love it. Often times now it comes with aches and pains, you know my arthritis...But today it's nice and relaxing.
I have good memories of the rain.

• I remember splashing in puddles with my brother, Matt as we yelled "Singing in the rain, Just singing in the rain". I imagine I was about 5th grade so he was probably 11th. He always did great fun things like that. He was "cool" but never to cool to have fun.
• I also liked taking naps in my mom and dad's family/TV room. With the couch next to the window and the rain coming down. It was the perfect sound and darkness to take a nap. Ohh...I still love their/my home. When we go there and we are on a time crunch I get sucked into a time warp and we usually leave a few hours after we were supposed to. I have been really thinking about my childhood home and thinking how I can recreate that comfort in our new house (keeping it clean would probably be a start)!
• Another memory of rain is my green raincoat. During my BIG thrifting phase in high school I bought it at "Unique" with Carrie. It is one of those old school ones lined in blue with strawberries on the inside. I've had it at lease 12 years now. It was probably 1o years old when I got it! That rain gear reminds me of my high school days...as I prepare for my ten year reunion next week! I wonder if I am too old to be wearing a bright green vintage rain coat. Please tell me if I am.
• A newer memory of rain is not the aches and pains that it can bring, but the great sound it makes on our sky light. Did you know we have a great sky light? It is one of the many favorite things about this little house Mike found for us. I hope the sound of the rain on it is a comfort and sweet memory for Dorothy and any other kids we have some day.

What do you love about the rain?




************************************************************************************
A look back at Dorothy's first year:

Now this is just ridiculous! This is her "Harvest Homecoming" outfit. And yes that is a poncho she is wearing. After all every kid that is of Floyd County descent must have a Harvest Homecoming outfit. I think I've already got this year's picked out :)

My new favorite ideas...

Here are some links for you to enjoy or waste time on...or both!

• I made two dresses for Miss D this past week! It was very encouraging to have some sewing success as I sew my purse inventory assembly line style (which is not encouraging by the way. Check out the tutorial here: reversible dress tutorial at Polkadotbug.
• I really want to do a little rearranging in Dorothy's room and I think I'll do a peg board like this from Paint in My Hair.
  
• Everyone in my family benefits when I am organized. Even though I never like getting up early I am trying to make it a habit, because it helps me stay organized. Here are some great encouragements for my morning routine: GirlTalk Blog (please note, that I DO NOT get up at 5am!) and Simple Mom's Morning Routine
• I have a bunch of jeans that I am looking for ideas for...maybe this skirt, this blanket, or this couch, which would be a great reading couch.
  

A look back on Dorothy's Holidays and Celebrations

A look back on D's Holidays and Celerations
Originally uploaded by findingcontentment

Check out this video:

Oh My, I love this.

Remember when I wasn't feeling good the other day. Well that was one of the first times that Dorothy and I sat down to watch TV for her. She has been in the room when we watch things some, and really likes Radiohead and Pearl Jam concerts but this day...I let her watch Teletubbies. She loved it but I didn't so I changed the channel (well I it was really on demand, so I changed the show) and we went over to a sunny dayto Sesame Street and she loved the muppets. It was all about the letter Q and quacking and she loved "Rubber Ducky" and Big Bird. How could you not!?! That's my girl. (I even bought the Sesame Street coffee table book a few years back, I guess it's still packed with most of our books).

ANYWAY. A blog I check UHandblog posted this great Feist song on Sesame Street. So watch and get it stuck in your head! I can't wait to show it to Dorothy when she gets up from her nap!

*************************************************************************************
Today's look back at Miss D over her first year:

This was the night of Nathan and Amy's baby shower.
It was the first night all three of these girls were together (Ellory Coffey, Dorothy Cosper, and Anna Abell).
I am pretty sure this was the night the Eubanks went into labor and we had another beautiful girl, Evangaline!
Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA ABELL! You are so beautiful and sweet!

Just the other day I was telling a friend about my "planner". It is a big ole system I use to try to stay organized. I'll explain it someday. In the meantime, I was telling her that the teacher in me wants to plan teaching Dorothy. Writing down for the month ahead things I want to work on. I can easily set myself up for failure so I am simply just making a list of 5 or 6 things to think about each month or every couple of weeks. I know many people are strongly for or against homeschooling. That is not what I am even what I getting to (my sister in law does it and does it beautifully, by the way). I am talking about how we are our kids first teachers. They learn so much from us whether we mean for them to or not. One of my favorite professors in el. ed. always talked about, "We are always teaching". I just want to be more intentionally about it.

For example. A car in front of us almost caused a wreck and I yelled a "word" and my 11 month old yelled it back. Repeated it. I was teaching her at the moment whether I meant to or not. And when Mike and I raise our voices or yell (yes we do!). She follows suit and raises her voice and yells. We can become so numb to the tone of our communication, but having Dorothy has reminded me of the harsh tones and sarcasm I use ALL the time.

Because of this I have been meditating on James 1:19

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

It has been very humbling and taught us to be mindful of what our words and actions are communicating to her.

So here are some of the goals I am thinking about as she turns one:

• Talking calmly and using only words that I don't mind my own kid saying
• Labeling items, "This is your sock, it goes on your foot"
  
• Model counting in every day activities
• Continue working on walking and other gross motor skills using this book
• Model prayer time
• Talk to her about Jesus and tell her simple bible stories about him

And our look back on D's first year for today!

This is on her quilt from her Great Aunt Jean (whose name is Dorothy Jeanette!) I love the skirt and those socks. Oh my sweet girl... I remember this day so vividly. This was the night we got to see Miss Ruby Laffin for the first time. Ruby was so small and Dorothy was SO big for her age. Now they are pretty close in size. We love you Laffins and Faiths!

A new recipe!

I go to the Old Spaghetti Factory just for the salad dressing. It is so good. I could drink it. Then I found it online and I think maybe eating it too often or drinking it as a refreshing beverage may not be so healthy. But despite being made of mayonnaise and buttermilk, it's SO good, I mean that is why it is good.
CREAMY PESTO SALAD DRESSING. Enjoy!

Today's look back at Dorothy Jean:

Six weeks old with giant pacifier face.

And why do babies stop stretching like that?
They should never outgrow that cuteness.

My new favorite ideas...

There is a blog that I really like called the Motherload. She has great tips on family life, motherhood, and home keeping but all on a shoestring budget...one of my favorite things she does is her weekly notebook. On her notebook post she shares links to all kinds of great things that she has seen on the internet, cool projects for her or her kids, and recipes... She also has a section on meal plans for eating well while shopping at Aldi's.

So, inspired and blessed by the Motherload Mom Advice Blog, here is a little collection of my newest favorite ideas that I have seen around the web lately.

• Alabama Studio Style. It's all about sustainability and style. I have always loved making things from old clothes and repurposing them. This is what they are all about! I knew there was this great book but I just stumbled onto the blog today!

• GirlTalk Blog has been sharing a lot about homemaking and it has been a blessing. Here is a great list of books I want to read up on.

• VanillaJoy posted her reflections on her first year of motherhood. I am about to hit that milestone myself! I love how she wrote "So I’ve learned that with motherhood, “productivity” cannot be measured or even detected sometimes. How much I visibly accomplish in a day is no indication of my sucess as a mother - another unique characteristic of motherhood."

• Tried this Pasta with Lentils and Arugula from Everyday Food. We use penne and big juicy tomatoes from our CSA. It was so good.
  

• I bought some of this fabric (in red and white) to make D's birthday dress. She and Levi are having a ladybug/bumblebee birthday party next week!

That's my list for now!!! I think we'll have a drawing soon. You better start posting.

And today's looking back at Dorothy's first year picture is below:

Five days old, going home from the hospital.

Mike, me, Dorothy, Brian, Jack, Jolie, Arlen, and Mae

We visited our friends the Holtons this weekend. It was one of those days where you are gone for 12 hours but it feels like a whole week vacations. They have an amazing house from the late 1800s that the gutted and redid. Beautiful! Also they are partners in the farm where we get our chickens from. Mike got to see the humane and healthy chicken farm but I opted out. I can't connect my meat to animal. Even if it is organic and free range.

Anyway they are such good friends...so hospitable, so easy going. It was a blessing.

Today is one of those days where I had my whole list made and ready for a productive day.
and. I. am. not. doing. it.
I think I have shared before that rain can suck the life out of me with my RA. It's the humidity and pressure I think. So it has been a while since I have really chilled out, but I am enjoying it so much.

Oh and for those of you that I went to high school with!!! Rosie is having her baby soon! Hopefully today!

Up and down the hallway.

So for all of those who are here to see pictures of D. You are in luck. Her birthday is coming and I have been reminiscing so look for lots of pictures over the next couple weeks.

YIKES!!!

This is what it looks like when I am sewing. I promise all the other rooms are clean! I love this house, but I wish that I could sew in another room, one that isn't the main entry to the home, one that is closed off from everything else. This unfortunately is where all our guests walk in. Luckily it only looks this way a small portion of the time. I have gotten much better about putting things away each day instead of after the project is done.

PS Happy Birthday to my good friends Emily Ferguson (yesterday) and Rebecca Dennison (today)! I am blessed by you both!

Have a beautiful day.

Some of my favorite moments...

I love how she discovers new things. Like peeking out of the door windows, waiting for daddy or visitors or seeing herself in a little mirror at a rest stop on vacation. Her face lights up. Three new things she has done in the last week: blowing kisses, "uh-oh", and pointing to her eyes when asked "where are your eyes?"

Please excuse the dirty windows, between a dog and a baby...what can I say?