A Few of My Favorite Things

I've seen a few other bloggers post about their favorite things, and it made me wonder what I would include in a list of my own.  In the absence of anything interesting to post about, here are a few random things that I would have a hard time living without:



Clorox Bleach Pen
Such a little pen; such a powerful tool for keeping Landry's onesies white.

Harry and David Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears
It sounds like a weird combination of flavors, but it works  I'm embarassed at how little self-control I have when it comes to these little things!

Kohls Cash
A couple of Wednesdays ago, I re-discoverd Kohls.  I hadn't bought clothes for myself in a while, and I had an hour to kill before my class.  I noticed their Apt. 9 brand of clothing for the first time, and I found that almost everything in that brand was something that seemed to fit my exact taste.  I bought a few things that I've collectively dubbed my "spring spruce-up" with my oh-so-very-small teaching paycheck. To get rewarded for my purchase with a $10 gift certificate was a nice surprise!

Children's Museum Tot Spot
Now that Landry can crawl, this is the perfect place to take him on a rainy day...except all of Houston is also taking their little ones at the same time.  It seems much less crowded in the afternoons - when all of the responsible parents have taken their babies home for naptime.  The last time we went, Landry practically had the place to himself.

Isaiah: God Saves Sinners Commentary

Admittedly, this doesn't fit with my other selections, but I love this commentary.  I'm using it alongside the BSF study of Isaiah, and it reads like a devotional with a lot of applications for daily living. 

Kindle

While we are on the topic of literary masterpieces, I feel the need to officially state just how much I love my Kindle.  It rests perfectly on top of Landry's strollers for walks, and I can read in bed at night without disturbing Brian by turning the pages of a book.  I recently finished The Huger Games and Girl with a Dragon Tattoo trilogies.  Now, I'm trying to decide whether to tackle Anna Karenina or re-read A Thousand Splendid Suns in the Kindle version, which I already own the hardback. 

And, you've reached the end of my far-from-exhaustive list.  In fact, I thought that I'd post more "favorites," but the last post made me want to get in bed and read for a while instead of blogging!

The Dupre Males on A Sunday Afternoon

Believe it or not, neither one needed to be bribed to take this photo! 

Rebounding After A Loss

Two weeks ago today, I went to the doctor's office expecting to see an eight-week ultrasound picture.  Instead, I found out that I had miscarried our second child.  Needless to say, the past two weeks have been filled with a sense of loss and not a lot of moments when I felt like writing a blog post.  I couldn't quite bring myself to make a lot of chipper trivial posts, and I wasn't quite to the point where I could wrap my emotions around the experience enough to succinctly document it in a single post.....So two weeks later, here's my feeble attempt at the latter.

 Although it was early in the pregnancy, it wasn't too early for me to have started making big plans. I had bought a couple of packages of diapers on sale, and I was already excited about our second "Baby's First Christmas" in a row and the prospect of a family of four in our Christmas card photo this year.  And, at the risk of causing all my blog followers to think I'm neurotic, I have to admit that the thought had even entered my mine that the timing might work out well for the baby to help out as Baby Jesus in our church's Christmas pageant. (Last Christmas, all three Baby Jesuses came from our Sunday School class!)

We hadn't spread the news about the pregnancy to everyone, but enough people knew to offer us great support and comfort in the aftermath.  In particular, our parents have been extremely loving to us.  My parents armed us with enough gift cards that I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have to cook for the next month if we didn't want to.  Brian's parents gave us an orange tree that will serve as such a sweet memorial for us for years to come.   And, no fewer than five of the ladies that I serve in BSF leadership with have shared a similar experience.  They have been particularly helpful in telling me what to expect and offering words of comfort that can only come from walking down the same path.

I've prayed a lot of things during the past few weeks, including prayers that the ultrasound had been a mistake.  But, as it became clear that it was an accurate diagnosis, I've been praying that this experience would help me understand God better and make me ever-so-slightly more like Jesus.  I'm starting to see how God is helping me understand His role as a comforter better than I've ever known before.  In particular, this experience has been one of the few times in my life that it seems like humans are completely powerless to make things better.  Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely appreciative of all the cards, hugs, and phone calls.  But, at the end of the day, they couldn't take away the sense of loss.  Only God can offer the hope that one day things will be made right, and we won't always live in a world plagued with death as a result of the curse of sin.  He is the source of perfect comfort, and He always keeps His promises.

The week I heard the news, I came across the following verse in the passage we were studying in BSF: Isaiah 43:18-19 - "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?"   Even though the promise was originally for Israel, it seems like it was written just for me as we close this chapter of our lives.  I'm so thankful that God promises to make all things new.

You Know You Live In the Country When....

trail rides for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo pass right by your house.  Mind you, this is several days before they will aririve in Memorial Park!

*Sorry about the poor photo quality. This was the furthest my camera could zoom from our front porch.

Since My Last Post I've....

witnessed a lot of crawling....

It never gets old....except when he face plants on the wood floor!

Still Waiting for Snow

Landry will have to wait even longer to see his first snowfall.  The 1-3 inches predicted for this weekend fell in the form of freezing rain.  It created a traffic mess for Houston, but we stayed at home and remained largely unaffected - that is until we get our electric bill next month!

Waiting for Snow