Shining through the Sorrow

In case you missed it, here are some pictures that show all the amazing work my hubby has been doing on this home of ours.  I wanted to share it here on the blog because the photos no longer exist on Facebook ( here's why ), and because I'm hoping to pin some of the images in the hopes of helping others who are in the middle of remodeling/decorating via Pinterest .  Enjoy! Our new home!  Loving our burnt orange doors, which perfectly matched the fall leaves this year. Entrance Before After - With completed siding, new paint, and new screen door. Foyer Before After - New paint, entryway accessories. Living Room, looking into Dining Before After - Blessed with beautiful hand-me-downs. Loving the custom shelves my husband made for us, Pinterest inspired. Kitchen Before After - Lots of white paint.  Still so much work to be done. Bedroom Before - Completely not finished. After - With carpet, paint, etc. Our ...

An amazing thing happened to us recently.  My lovely mother-in-law decided she wanted to be our family's photographer!  Just a few short months ago, she invested in a really great camera and took some photographer classes.  It's been amazing to have all our memories captured by someone my children loves so dearly.  And it's also been wonderful to schedule our appointments when it's most convenient for all parties involved.  Be looking out for major photo posts coming this week.  All credit goes to the sweet Dawn Dingle.  THANK YOU for helping us capture these moments!

If you're wondering if I de-friended you on Facebook, yes.  I also blocked you and reported you.  Oh, wait.  No, I didn't.  I just finally got rid of my FB account!  How do I put this...  It wasn't you, it was me.  I had been talking about getting off of the popular website for awhile now, and had even deactivated my account several times in the past, during weeks of fasting.  I went back and forth for so long mainly because as many things about the website/interactions/culture upset me, there were just as many people, friends, and precious groups that kept me logged on. (Shout out to my new friend Lindsey, my BFF group, my Labor of Love friends, and my Bible Study gals.) I'm sorry that I've made it more difficult for some of you to interact with me.  I really am.  But being connected to something that was a constant source of negative feelings is no longer something I'm willing to put myself through.  I'm sorry I'm being vague an...

"God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December."  -J.M. Barrie Last night was the annual Christmas memorial service, held by the infant loss support group Labor of Love.  This year we met at a new church - a much bigger church - to accommodate the growing number of families who attend to remember their precious babies.  Which is pretty sad when you think about it. The church was gorgeous.  Beautiful stained glass windows, and tall wooden pews.  The perfect place to sing "Silent Night" and "Away in a Manger," which both have new meaning to me since losing Gabriel. At some point yesterday morning, I knew I was going to speak at the service.  I have never shared at the Christmas service before, but something was telling me I had to do it.  Truth be told, I spent a little bit of time going over my almost five years of blogging history, in the hopes that I would stumble upon some holiday-themed blog post, already written in ...

A few months ago, we were in the middle of packing and moving.  I was crazy overwhelmed and my sweet hubby kept repeating, "Just wait til September."  Ahem, I don't know if you know this, but it's almost November.  Unfortunately the transition of moving lasts beyond the moment you sign paperwork at closing.  There's still so much to be done - unpacking, decorating, change of address, new house projects, etc.  And we've decided to change banks and home/auto insurance companies on top of everything else, only adding to our never ending To-Do list. Needless to say, hubby has since changed his comforting phrase to, "Just wait til January." Truth be told, and with rawness at center stage - It's been a long time since I've felt great emotionally. Which inevitably leads me to struggle spiritually.  (Sorry JC.)  It began when I was carrying Ruby and it was really hard to tell if it was pregnancy hormones, or then if it was postpartum depression, ...

Dear reader, I have had quite the breakthrough in my search for relief from my migraines!  I've been so excited to share it with you, but I wanted to wait until I had time to share all the details.  So, here it is! First, some history.  My migraines started when I was 20 years old, so this aggravating issue has been hovering over me for almost *cough* twelve years.  Over the last dozen years, I have literally done everything in my power to try to both eliminate the pain and try to find the source.  I've been to two neurologists, had several scans of my brain, undergone allergy testing, visited an Ear Nose and Throat doctor, and sought treatment from the only MD acupuncturist in the area.  My final medical attempt was visiting a Pain Management doctor, where I endured several painful procedures - injections into my neck and the base of my skull - only to be in more pain after the numbing medication wore off. To say that I felt defeated , is a huge unde...

I have known for weeks now that this blog needed to be written.  But, it's hard to sit here and type it out for many reasons.  First, there are three kids now.  Wowsers.  Life is crazy different with three.  Second, we just moved and it seems every spare moment I have should be devoted to cleaning, organizing, arranging.  And third, writing is very therapeutic for me, and I have been avoiding these feelings.  Still, I know I have to get it out , so here goes. While pregnant with Ruby, it occurred to me that I could birth another baby that looked like Gabriel.  I thought about how bittersweet that would be, realizing even before seeing her sweet face that it would be both amazing and painful.  And as soon as Ruby was born, we started hearing that she looked just like Gabe.  Someone even lovingly looked at me in the hospital and said, "You finally got your Gabriel!"  Um, no.  Some pointed out her chin, others her nose, and som...