Within the Lines

Has it been over a year?

What’s Been Coking in my Kitchen?

 

 

While I was cooking up my soups Leanne and Sierra made a triple batch of apple cinnamon muffins. I bought a 20lb box of organic Fuji apples on my last Azure order and have been working to use them up. We have eaten a lot of apples, made 3 apple pies and now 3 dozen muffins. The box is almost gone now..  

 

I don’t have a recipe for her coffee creations printed down yet.. maybe someday! 

That is all the cooking for today!!  Hope you all have had a pleasant and blessed Sunday on your homesteads!

Prayers for Jeanine Taylor and Family

Could you all pray for Jeanine and her family, they were so kind to us when we were expecting Daniel and they are experiencing a miscarriage. This is so hard on the children as well they were so excited as they had lost one baby stillborn in 2007.  Their excitedness when we were expecting daniel was shown in pictures drawen and the gifts sent to us.  I can only imagine how hard this is on the whole family. Please pray for her to be able to pass everything on her own and that all will be well physically and that the Lord would heal their hearts.

Jeanine, I am here praying if you read this know that I am so sorry and yet I am so thankful to you Sis.

Your loved and cared for....

Linda, Mark, Faith, Hope, Daniel Josiah...

Too Many Books... help!

I am looking to reduce some of my books that I have in my house.  I have a goal of emptying one bookshelf so that I might put something else on that shelf. 

I am trying to find places online that I can post the books for free.  Currently I use Half.com, Paperback Swap, and Cash4Books.net. 

Does anyone know of other book places?  Can be exchange sites as well as I tend to exchange for books for our church library and donate them.  The basic need is that they are "Free postings!". 

Thanks for any help!

Warmly, ~Melissa

December!

I am 33 weeks today.

The more I rest, the better I feel and the fewer contractions I have. Which is good. Very good. The fewer contractions I've had since Friday has really made me aware of just how serious Friday really was. *gulp*

So many mixed emotions. When I had a single hard contraction this morning, I was reminded that I really don't think my body is "faking".

I feel this baby move inside and my arms ache with longing. With my belly's changed shape, at times I feel like I've already had this baby. And it strikes me that the empty sensation of not having my baby with me that I deal with for a split second before I remind myself that I'm still pregnant is what I dealt with after I had Eijah.

I held him for only moments after he was born. And then he was taken to the hospital. Jonathan came back without him, to hold me until I fell asleep. Falling asleep that night without a baby in my arms was the lonliest feeling I have ever dealt with.

Please, Abba . . . not again . . . .

I remember going to the hospital and staring at him, feeling strangely detached. They asked me once if I wanted to hold him for a moment and I said no. Jonathan held him for a minute. I held myself aloft all that day - they never asked again - knowing my heart would break if I touched him. If I held him close to me and then had to put him down and walk away.

I hold him that night, for only a few carefully sanctioned minutes, and the things it did to my mama's heart . . . .

Please Father . . . You know the thoughts of my heart . . . .

Was it worth it?  A hundred times, yes. It struck me recently how much sacrifice has went into having chidlren for our particular family. We don't get to take things for granted, simple things like going "full term".

For we know that all things work together for God, for them that love God, for them that are called according to His purpose . . . .

He will uphold me if I go into labor tonight. He will be my strength if I have to birth my baby into a stranger's hands and face that fierce pain of seperation again.

The pain God must feel to a greater degree when we are seperated from Him by sin . . .

Just some ponderings,
Ashley

Frosty the Apple Tree

I went and got a few pictures of the beauty.  I can never seem to do it justice with a camera, but it doesn't stop me from trying.

God is so talented. 

Pregnancy Update ... catching everyone up

Well, it's out in the open now. After nearly three weeks of taking it quietly easy, the baby dropped low yesterday. So now everyone in-real-life knows that I'm essentially on bed rest now. So I'm free to blog about it now, and that's a relief.

It's crazy; my belly is so small now. I can certainly breath easier, though I never would have termed it really difficult to begin with. The little feet I felt under my ribs for a short while are well beneath my ribs  now. I have a small, rounded baby bump and I look far less along than I am.

Until the baby dropped, I had several people ask me when I was due and express shock when I responded with my January 20th due date. I've had two people ask if I was carrying twins. Well, I doubt anyone would respond that way now!

At times it feels as if I've already had my baby, except for the times of jabs, kicks and squirms on the inside.

It's such a weird feeling!

Besides the baby settling low, I don't have any other real symptoms of labor, besides a smattering of contractions yesterday that were perhaps due to mild dehydration? What do you do? Keep going like you just know the baby is going to stay put? Or take it easy? How easy? Fortunatly for me, my Jonathan has made the choice for me. Until I'm full term, I'm not supposed to do anything.

I'm going to go stir-crazy. I like to move, to walk, to keep my house and just mother. I have a vision in my head of who I am, and that has never come remotely close to anything resembling weak or needy or . . . stagnent.

Yesterday, I was pondering my change in lifestyle, and the verse that came to mind was Second Corinthians 12:10 - Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

I'd like to re-write this verse to read "when I'm strong, then I am strong." It'd be lots more comfortable for me!!! Unfortunatly, this is the way it is. I'm weak. Can I take pleasure in my infirmity? In my necessity and distress for Christ's sake? Can I sing praise from out of the "prison" of my couch?

The Bed Rest Chronicles have begun . . . . . 

One day down, about 21 more to go . . . .