Mama Bird

I was really thinking hard as I lay in bed last night. Thinking of how I was when I was pregnant with Lauren. I find it crazy how fast I seem to forget things- it really wasn't that long ago (2 years). But as I lay I did remember being this nuts when I was expecting my first baby. I'm sure it hit around the same time too. I've begun to nest! My poor husband has been a wonderful sport as he watches me make lists, organize things he thought were already organized, and discuss with him, endlessly, how the house will be changing. I feel for him, I do.

Well my list is being tackled and God has had his hand in every part of the house transformation. I've been doing a Beth Moore bible study (if you don't know who she is you need to, she's wonderful at helping women understand God's roll in their lives and making it fun yet convicting) on the book of James. I've never read the book of James before, except I'm sure a verse here, a verse there. Well he's a man of my own heart- he gets to the point and puts it out there. He says it as it should be and opens your eyes to how you should be living a full life in Christ Jesus. So as the nesting is kicking into high gear, so is my awareness of how I should be conducting a Christ centered life.

I've been noticing myself be more mindful that God has a plan for my house too, a plan better than anything I can sketch or a list better than any I can make. I've been praying to him regularly on decisions and trusting fully in him to reveal his plan, and wow he's got it all worked out. Silly me, trying to do it on my own at first...lol, I'm sure he was giggling to himself as he watched this little birdy fly around like a coco.

So what's been happening- everything! Here's my list and you can see how things are coming along...


Phase One:  - Empty guest/playroom and closet - moving everything upstairs.
                  - Prep room to be painted
                  - Purchase paint and paint room
                  - Reorganize closet in office to accommodate more stuff (this 
                    should be fun...)

Phase Two: - Move our bedroom furniture downstairs and set up room
                 - Decorate our new master bedroom
                 - Redesign, purchase, and install closet organization for this room
                 - Sell one queen mattress set
                 - Purchase two twin mattress sets

Phase Three: - Reorganize upstairs closets- we have three and they will all be        
                     changing!
                   - Purchase two new dressers, a nightstand and two twin beds for 
                     Lauren's new room
                   - Reorganize Lauren's stuff into new room
                   - Purchase bedding for new beds
                   - Purchase and hang new blinds for this room (curtains too, but no 
                     rush on those)
     
Phase Four: - Decorate Lauren's new room
                  - Wash, fluff, and spruce up nursery for new baby
                  - Redecorate upstairs bathroom into a kids bathroom

The bed plan has been working itself out, Amen. My dad and step-mom decided not to take the queen bed to my sister but told me to sell it and they'd put the money we made toward purchasing the two twin beds. So my first gut reaction was- how do you sell a mattress? Most people don't want a bed from some random person, you just never know what, where, when, etc. So my first thought was to try family and that didn't work so I tried word of mouth and see if anyone I knew anyone who needed one. They would vouch for my cleanliness (I hope). This didn't seem to work either. So the following weekend I placed it up on Facebook. Thinking someone in the area must need a mattress. I would fret and then pray I would trust and stop fretting- this was a cycle. I was dreading the thought of putting it on Craiglist- One I didn't want some unknown person coming to my house and Two I looked on there and I'd be competing with new sets that weren't that much more expensive. But God had a plan. The little girl a babysit, Brooke, her parents were in need of a mattress for their parents vacation house. They had a double but were interested in a queen (so much more wiggle room in a queen). She was the only person who ever contacted me and she came yesterday to check it out and purchased it for my asking price of a hundred dollars. She walked out and I just started thanking God for the answered prayers- I can't tell you what a stress relief that was! 

So the new master bedroom is painted, some (not all) of the furniture has been moved into it. We slept in our new room for the first time last night. It was different, but I know once all the furniture is in there and I've got some stuff on the walls it will feel more like our room. In moving us downstairs, I realized the bathroom situation was going to have to change before I got to "phase four" on my list- so I spent the better half of yesterday scrubbing and cleaning and decorating the upstairs bathroom to make it Lauren's (and the babies- I was being conscience to say to her "do you like your and the babies new bathroom" and not just call it hers). It is so cute! 

Oh another blessing. All of this redecorating is costing us money (duh). New towels and shower curtain for upstairs. Silly things like I had to spend $5 on water resistant 3M Command tabs to transfer the bath toy caddy upstairs. And of course fabric to make a new duvet cover and valences for our room. Paint, twin bed sheets, decorations etc. I could bore you with a complete list but I think you get the point- this transition is costing money. Because of that I'm trying to make plans or follow God's plans that will help us in the near and distant future. Like going with the two twin beds instead of the toddler bed. This way we spend money now so we don't have to spend more later. Well here is the big blessing in it all- we received a check in the mail from a family member of a significant amount- enough to cover all the small/medium purchases I just described above. Said another Amen when I opened that piece of mail. My parents offering to pay for the two twin beds. My friend offering to make the bedding for free and my mother-in-law offering to make the valences. All of these things are gifts from God, answers to prayer. 

When I started this, I knew we had some money to get us through this, but I have to admit we didn't have it all, by any stretch of the means. I wasn't going to go into debit for this- that isn't how Matt and I operate our budget- nor do I feel like it is how God wants us to use money. I was just going at it hoping it would all work out, especially because it is right smack in birthday/holiday season. As you can see, God has blessed this house transformation again and again. 

God continues to help us through this process. Yesterday after I sold the mattress set, I called my step-mom to tell her the great news. She started taking about Christmas and what to get Lauren. I had given her some ideas but I think she wasn't into them. I think because they're going to be here for Christmas they wanted to get her a gift that was going to knock her socks off, they want to see the shear joy of her receiving a gift she was going to love with wide eyes and big screams. So I told her about a stuffed animal shark that is for sale at the local Children's museum that we go to regularly. I had already felt drawn to get it for her. My sweet girl runs to this bin of stuffed sharks and hugs them, kisses them, and says hi and bye to them each time we go. I have a feeling that if she unwraps this animal she will be out of her mind- wondering how this love found it's way under her Christmas tree. So after telling her about this she said that was perfect and that she would purchase the "Santa" gift we had in mind. The expensive Santa gift. I didn't ask her to, but she offered- without me even saying "it's still going to be from Santa, not them." So that takes yet another chunk of financial burden away from Matt and I as we head into the holiday season. If fact, now Matt and I can afford to buy her a gift from "Mommy and Daddy"- where I wasn't going to be able to do that before. Something that cost a lot less than Santa's gift of course.

So this is a long post- if you've made it all the way through, Amen to you. Sorry about my babble, but I just wanted to document how God is working in our lives as we prepare for his miracle. That's why I started this blog, to capture God working in our lives and to remind us of his ever present blessings!

"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him." James 1:12