Abby's 3d at 30 weeks

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Once again, Abby was more interested in napping than cooperating with the 3d ultrasound. Because she had her face buried into the placenta and had her arms and legs bundled up close, some of the pictures were a little distorted. This was our last time to get a 3d before she is born, since she is getting too big for a clear image from this point on. Hope you enjoy!

God's Goodness in Life's Little Details

Yesterday, I began prepping the seasonings for a roast that I was planning on cooking for supper last night. When I took it out of the fridge, it had spoiled, and I was upset. I had really wanted to make a nice supper for Bryan, and being at the end of our grocery budget, I only had frozen chicken to replace the meal. Disappointed, I cleaned up the mess I'd made in the preparations for the roast and continued my day. That afternoon, a couple from church dropped by unexpectedly and handed me a brown bag before leaving. Inside it were four beautiful T-bone steaks and a huge stack of ribs. God used them to replace a failed meal with an even better one than I had planned. I know this may not sound like much to some, and others may just bypass this as a coincidence. However, I know that God was being intentional in ministering to me, and I am so thankful for His steadfast goodness in the little details of life.

Ephesians 2:4-7 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Reborn Dolls

I saw this video this morning about a new type of doll that is so lifelike it is impressive. The sad thing is that women are buying them to replace a child that was lost to some tragedy or to provide them with the child they were incapable of bearing themselves. Heartbreaking. With so many children abandoned in orphanages needing moms, how sick has our society become that we would rather nurture an expensive doll instead of a real child just for convenience's sake? May God have mercy on us.

An oxymoron, perhaps?

I have a confession. I am addicted to reading news headlines daily. Maybe it started when I was in Jr. Miss trying to prep for interviews... I don't know. Sometimes, the articles I read just leave me speechless and stunned. A recent headliner showed the most recent issue of People magazine with Clay Aiken on the cover. Check it out below.
This is what really struck me as odd. He is stating that he is "gay" but is holding "his" son. Last I checked it is still impossible for a man (who has not had a sex change... not talking about the weird situations of our day and time) to carry and birth a child. Undoubtedly, at some point, Clay Aiken must have been heterosexual. If you were going to come out of the closet, wouldn't this be the last photograph you would want to be published nationally for the title, "Yes, I'm Gay"? Am I the only one skeptical?

Introducing Abigail Bryanna Cirlot at 29 wks

You can watch the scrapblog on this site or you can click on the word "scrapblog" at the corner of the screen and go to its original site. I would suggest going to it, so you can choose a slower slideshow speed (5) when you view it in full screen (you'll see an adjustable bar with a turtle and a bunny on it in the lower right side of the maximized screen). Otherwise, the words are too small and it plays too fast. Enjoy!

Shelling Pancakes

Did you know it is possible to shell a pancake like a nut? Peeperz, our cockatoo, has the remarkable talent of shelling practically anything. He shells french fries (eating the inside and leaving the skins empty), chicken nuggets, previously shelled sunflower seeds (yes, there is a tiny, transparent skin left on them even after we shell them and think they are ready to eat), and as of this morning, pancakes. You see, no matter how domesticated our little bird is, it is still in his nature to shell everything as he would in the wild. Yes, our cockatoo may be potty trained and may have developed a hankering for chocolate milk, but you still can't get the "birdy" nature out of him.

So this morning as I sat here watching Peeperz shell pancakes, I started thinking about what my nature was like. The Bible teaches us that we have the nature of our father. Either as new creations in Christ, we have the very nature of God in us now, or as fallen beings with misplaced affections, we have the nature of the Enemy. What is my nature when no one is looking... no matter how well trained I may be?

May it be said of us that we are living up to the nature of our Heavenly Father and are walking diligently and steadfastly in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. May every idiosyncrasy and quirk point others to the truth that God is our Father and bring Him much glory.


"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."
2 Peter 1:2-4 (Emphasis mine)

So Close!

Yesterday, four of our church members gave up their day to complete their final project in our kitchen. They cut out a hole in the false wall, framed it, trimmed it, and put in our fridge. They even installed a new electrical outlet over our fridge for convenience. It looks great! Here are some photos of the progress. We should be finished with the kitchen remodel soon! God has blessed us so much!

The cutout is finished.

Carla is caulking the trim and framework.

The electrical outlet is being installed.

Yeah! Ready to use!

Nice fit! Our fridge is welcomed into the kitchen again.

Our new shelving unit in the pantry area.

***With a little sanding and paint, this project will be complete!***