Adelynn, I'm ready for you!

Okay, so I'm not really completely ready (as in, I do have some things I'd like to get done before her arrival) but I can hardly wait!

I want to meet my little girl so badly!

I wanted to make the post about our new nursery really special and nice with quality pictures, but I just decided 10 minutes ago that I couldn't wait another second! :) So - there may be one more (if ya'll will put up with that!!) with the completed room in a month or so but for now - this is what we've been working on!

New crib bedding ~ not a great pic, but you can get the gist of it...

One of my favorite parts of the room ~ Gma June painted this adorable tree for us! She is currently working on some things that will hang on the tree - so more on that later!

At first, I wasn't happy with the green - it was a bit much for me, but I think I've finally gotten used to it... (with a little urging from my lovely husband!)

Addie's growing closet...Did you notice, ITS PINK!!! :)))))))))

This is the project that has kept me sane lately...I decided to make all of my own burp cloths! So fun! I love to sew, but not if I need to strive for perfection so this is the perfect project for me!

Praise God

This week has been a bit rough for the Nick Fiechter family...

Nick has had a terrible cold, possible something more and missed 2 1/4 days of work. He has been on Tylenol, Benedryl, DayQuil, NyQuil, and Vapor Rub around the clock since Monday. If you know Nick at all - he is not easily medicated; therefore, he is feeling rough!

Carter came down with croup on Monday evening. Yuck. He just coughs and coughs sounding like a seal.

Funny story: Tuesday while he was sleeping (11:00pm), as I was on the computer doing some office work, I heard him start to cough uncontrollably and then start crying hysterically. I ran to rescue him, only to find out that he wasn't crying at all! He was LAUGHING HYSTERICALLY! Yep, that's right. My little 4 year old was having a funny dream!! Now, I know, I know....Nick is sick and needs his rest, but I just HAD to wake him up to witness this! (Once he stumbled into the boys' room and heard for himself, he didn't mind a bit! He even stood and listened with me for 10 minutes!) You may be wondering...."Did he tell you what he was dreaming about?" Yeah...well.....sort of....He told us "the papers were all dancing around..." Hmmmm.....Remember - we're dealing with a 4 year old...He must be easily amused in his sleep!

This morning, Mason started to match his big brother's pitch (ya know, the high pitched seal sound....) Hmpfff....I know we'll survive this but it sure is painful to watch my little boys struggle to cough up the sickness. If only he would have had a good dream....Nope....He informed me that his dream was about the bumble bees. OUCH!

On a super-de-duper positive note,

I am feeling better now than I have the last 2-3 months!

I have been so tired (I know - pregnancy will do that - but it was more than that. I could only stay awake functionally for about 8 hours a day...)!

Partially for normal procedures and partially to see what my body is suffering from, I had some blood work done last week. In addition, I made the decision to make one other change that I thought could be causing my fatigue. Well - it must have done the trick, because my blood test results came back today and all is good! Praise God!

Sorry this was all an earfull (or eyefull) with no pictures!! I guess I needed to vent! I'm impressed if you are still reading! THANKS!

Benches and Baller Signs

Projects seem to be never ending around here! Good thing we enjoy it, though. (um....most of the time!)

This bench is really exciting to have because it was my mother-in-law's at one time. I LOVE free furniture that can be adapted to my own style cheaply!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I totally love the outcome! My total expense in this bench: $10 for fabric to recover seat! Paint was free b/c I used some that we had around here! YAY!

Even more exciting is what we had put on the wall above it. Last year at the LSM auction we purchased Baller Signs' (Clint Gerber) donation of a free wall decal. Clint did an amazing job! THANKS A TON, CLINT!

(I know the color is weird...oh well)

This is the final addition to our basement decorations. IT IS COMPLETE! YAY! Again, big thanks to Clint for creating our decal. :)

Next project to complete: Adelynn's room. *sigh* Maybe in a week or two! :)

Basement Update #6

Wow...It really has been a while since I've posted an update on our basement. Well, most everything has been done except the windows and the entertainment/fireplace center. Spencer (bless his poor engaged heart...) finished it last week although I know how badly he wanted to be with his beautiful bride!

THANKS SPENCER!!! WE SERIOUSLY LOVE IT!

I'm sure he'd love to do work for you, too! He may be a bit busy for now, but keep him in mind! He is very detail oriented and professional. Let me know if you want contact info!

*Stay tuned for one last basement post with pictures of each room completely finished and decorated. We are in the process of ordering a vinyl verse for one wall from Clint @ Baller signs. Check him out here.

And so it begins...

Nick and I have finally made the decision to take the plunge.

This is "officially" Day #2 of potty training our dear Mason.

Our Method: Put on underwear, let him get uncomfortable and "aware" of his habits and DO LOTS OF LAUNDRY! :)

Progress:

Day #1 : He became aware....after the damage was done!

Day #2: Dry so far....but say a little prayer!

The Invisible Woman

The God I serve is amazing!!

After a pretty lousy day,

He is here with me...to comfort me...to show Himself to me...ME! Little 'ole Jessica, mother of 2, wife of Nick...

Wow...I stand amazed in His presence!!!!!!!!

This video was in my email inbox when I got home tonight... Thanks Tara! I had a very discouraging day with my kids, and just in general.... I felt exactly like this woman! I even thought to myself, my work is taking me NOWHERE!

Boy, am I wrong! I'm honoring God, Praising God, Submitting to Him through my job as a mother and wife.

Nothing else could be more important. NOTHING.

I also couldn't be more sure of anything else tonight - my dear friend sent me this email not knowing what my day was like and not knowing what I NEEDED to hear. But God did.

AMAZING.

Smushed Bread

So who else has the goal each week at the grocery store to come home with totally UNsmushed bread? Due to my two wonderful shopping buddies,

I always try so hard to keep the bread looking beautiful from shelf to pantry. Mostly, I fail miserably.

Between Mason throwing things in the cart careless of my precious bread, and Carter insisting on unloading the cart in the checkout lane ( again, careless of the bread) and me being in such a hurry (eek...careless of the bread!) to load and unload the van ~ our bread gets SMUSHED!

Well, I was so excited today because the bread had made it as far as reaching the front seat of the van with no sign of smushing! Believing it was safe there, I headed out to Grandma Fiechter's house to make some jam. As I was leaving with this wonderfully loaded (and heavy) box of finished jam, my sweet, helpful, loving brother-in-law, Chase, (did I mention how helpful he is? Seriously, I mean it ~ love him!) agreed to help me by carrying the box of jam to my van.

Feeling good about my day, I arrived home to put away my groceries. MUCH to my surprise, I found the box of jam smack dab on TOP of my precious bread!!!!! NOOOOO!!!!! *SIGH* Oh well - it's just bread, right?

On a more serious note, I've decided to be thankful for this loaf of smushed bread. It will still taste good, and serve its purpose as toast, a sandwich, or french toast. How spoiled am I that I can eat a slice of bread whenever I feel like it? This sweet child does not have that privilage...

May God bless this sweet child and the others in her country and provide for them...