Give and Take

Embarking on my 17th week of pregnancy has been....interesting. (Don't worry; we haven't forgotten to post a 16-week photo, we just haven't been home in daylight to do it!)

I can't really tell if I'm getting energy back, or if certain sleeping patterns/ activities being changed are helping, lol. I can honestly say that I am finally able to keep most of my food down - I've even had two days without getting sick! This is so great for me, because I'm hoping and praying I stop losing weight ASAP. I just want a happy healthy baby! Thanksgiving was really difficult on me, because I was unable to keep anything down. It was really uncomfortable. So I'm thankful for the progress, if ever so slight!

I'm also finding that my appetite comes and goes. There was one day that I honestly hardly ate anything, but not because I felt sick - I just wasn't hungry. I'm trying to pay attention to stopping when I'm full and eating when I'm hungry, because too much or not enough of one or the other sends my hypoglycemia into crazy swings for days. (A little side note: for those of you who are under the impression that hypoglycemia is either "the same thing" as diabetes, or always leads to diabetes, that is incorrect. My doctor said he would be shocked if I end up as a diabetic, because I'm reactive-hypoglycemic).

As far as cravings go, I haven't really had anything too crazy, although I must say that watermelon sounded amazing the other day - and of course, it's not in season. :) Although my wonderful husband offered to go to as many stores as it took to find me some, I really wasn't interested in spending the money on it - go figure. I settled on a banana instead, lol.

Naps are still a necessity for me right now. I usually take a nap every other day during the week, and a nap on Saturday afternoons. Robert usually has me lay down for a "rest" on Sundays after church (seriously, it's like I'm 4 years old again, because I never feel like I need to sleep, and I'm always out for hours!) But I need the down time, and I'm well aware that our new little sweetheart is going to change the availability of that!

Which brings me to an important point - the baby! :)

Everyone seems to have such amazing advice to give, and while we welcome it, sometimes it's just too much to take. Don't get me wrong; we are not ungrateful for the gestures of kindness. It can be overwhelming, though. I've posted some below that have been known to hurt my feelings lately. (Personal note: I'm also keenly aware that I'm hormonal and sensitive right now, so please don't think I'm angry or upset.) 

• "Your life is over as soon as that baby is born." No, it is not over. It will be different, and in a good way - and we are so excited for this awesome change!
• "Oh, you have no idea...." Well, the truth is we are first-time parents. So sometimes "duh" might be more effective than that statement, although neither are very kind, lol. We know there is no perfect way to raise a child, and there is no such thing as a perfect child, either. We'll simply do our best, and in the meantime, we're learning. 
•  "You'd better," and "You'd better not..." Meh. It is what it is. We'll do what we feel is best, and if we make a mistake, we'll learn from it. 
• "You will have no social life, dates, etc. when your kid comes." Yes, we will. It will be different, but we will still have the same lives. We have priorities, and they will change, but not disappear. (Refer to the first phrase).

Again, we're thankful for everyone's heart and willingness to share! But there's give and take with every piece of advice, comment, question, etc. about us, the baby, our lives before and after the baby is here, etc. We appreciate everything everyone's been offering to us, but we also realize that we will have a different way of doing things than anyone we know. I once heard a quote somewhere that went something like this, "For as many people are in the world, there are that many ways to live." How cool is that?!

We don't have a perfect plan. We aren't perfect people. But I'll tell you what we've got and what we are: We have undeniable, unconditional love for each other and our baby. We have faith that could move mountains, a God who loves us, and a Bible to guide us. We've got amazing jobs that we both love, a nice house, nice vehicles, fantastic insurance, and family and friends who love and support us regardless of what we have and what we don't.

But in reality, all of that fades right now. Our baby doesn't need our stuff. They need love, shelter, food, clothing, and we intend to give them everything we can! I feel like we're doing alright, and I've got some thoughts on how this is all shaping up.

We're grateful and thankful that we waited a few years before starting our family. It was the right decision for us. We're so excited to be parents that it's still weird to think about sometimes! We're glad that we prayed and had a direction for our marriage and this little sweetheart. I'm finding myself scribbling in my prayer journal often "thank you, Lord, for blessing us so quickly with this little baby...." I know that not everyone gets pregnant right away when they start trying. We count this as a divine blessing!

On to a little fun.... some of my friends are asking if I still have a feeling that the baby is a girl. Yes, I do! But it's just that - a feeling. I'm a first-time mom, so I have no idea, lol. But that does not change our perspective on this little baby: We would be thrilled to have either a boy OR a girl. We have no preference in the sex. We are praying for a happy healthy baby, and that's really the only idea we are entertaining at this point. :)

My boss asked me today if I'd felt baby move yet - yes, I have! Several times now! On November 21st, the baby actually woke me up for the first time. All I'm really feeling is fluttery, light movements, but let me tell you - when you're sound asleep on your side and you feel that movement, it is undeniable, lol! We felt the baby moving around a lot on Thanksgiving weekend. Most of the time, I have to put my hand on my lower abdomen to really feel it, because it's usually impossible to feel internally unless I'm laying down, but it's so cool! It's forever amazing to me!

Some of our friends and family have asked what our plan is for work after the baby (especially for me). Currently, we are planning for me to return to work after the baby is here, but I will definitely be taking time off from work. Robert will most likely not take very much time off of work, but we both plan on continuing our same professions. As far as H&R Block, I'm definitely returning this year. Robert is still deciding what he'd like to do. To be honest, this might be my last year there, and I only committed to working through March (babies have been known to come early!) My mom was a little sad when I told her I might not go back next year, because she said, "Aw, man! Nana was looking forward to having the little one here in the evenings so you could work!" Hehe. We'll just see what happens. We're not planning anything for that far in advance just yet.

I'd like to interject here that I'm very, very thankful for an amazing job that I absolutely love more and more with each passing day, a fantastic and understanding boss, and incredible co-workers. God really brought us through the storm of jobs that were just not the right fit for me, before we were blessed with this one! It's a little nerdy, a little different and a lot of fun - perfect fit. And Robert and I have worked so hard to have me working just part-time - I always thought I'd work full-time forever in dead-end jobs that I hated! God's provisions are always perfect, even if they include teaching me about how to determine what the perfect job is. :)

For the few people who have been emailing and posting on Facebook that my "transparency" on this blog is refreshing and appreciated, thank you. I like to post honestly, and I tend to type like I talk. :) I'm just writing about life, and praying I can encourage and relate to some of my readers!

Anyway, this post is way longer than I wanted it to be, and I'm still not tired, so I guess I'll do some reading before bed! :)

15 Weeks

This is my 15-week picture! We took it on Thanksgiving (I know; I'm way behind on posting!) There's a real baby bump now! :)

During the 15th week, I could feel the baby moving around a little bit! (It felt like butterfly kisses.) So many people were telling me "there's no way" I'd be able to feel the baby already, but my doctor and the M.A. confirmed it, based on how I described it. There was even one morning that it woke me up because the flutters were tickling! (But I attribute that to my weird sleeping position). I helped my parents get their house all ready for company for Thanksgiving, and it got done hours earlier than usual! Win! I anticipate the dog, Sarge, being a little needy this week though, because last week he had my mom, Perry and me all home with him pretty much every day, lol.

I am not getting sick quite as much, but I still have not put on any weight. The doctor isn't too concerned, but because I'm still getting sick (none of anything I ate at Thanksgiving stayed down), I still have to use the anti-nausea medicine. I've been experimenting with it today, and decided to try not to take any. I found that if I take a little rest in the afternoon and drink at least 32 oz. of water, I'm less hungry and less likely to get sick. The bummer is that I didn't sleep well last night, and so I was tired all day. This really dragged me down and led to next to zero energy. I was in bed all day after church. I think that there is a need for me to sleep as much and as long as I can right now (don't judge; growing a human is difficult work!), so I'm going to purpose to have more down/ rest/ nap time every single day. I learned today that it really helped.

But the good news is, I'm about to go to sleep and have not been sick at all! I gagged a little bit, but I wasn't hungry at all today - all I ate was a breakfast sandwich and some cheese fries, and had a ton of water - but I'm okay now. So, that means today is my first day not being sick in over 2 months!

Yesterday I got a little emotional about how I was so sick on Thanksgiving, and then sick again yesterday. Robert was really supportive, and assured me that I was still doing really good. I think part of the problem is that I'm worried that I'm not doing my best for the baby, because I was "supposed" to have gained 5-8lbs. by now, and I lost over 25 in my first trimester. It's getting better, though, so that's encouraging!

This weekend I re-did our budget spreadsheets. Boy, was that a long task! But I got it done. Robert and I just achieved yet another financial goal (I think that's our 5th one in 2012!), and I am so excited to keep working on it! We are working on becoming debt-free, and that process has been refining and difficult, but rewarding. I showed everything to him tonight after some fine-tuning, and he was very pleased with everything I've done with our finances. But the budget really needed re-doing, because it's so hard for me to show him "at a glance" every week where we're at. This way, he can see everything at his fingertips! I plan on continuing it all the way through the year, and starting a new one (designed the same way) in 2013. Yay!

I've completed 50% of my goals for the month of November, as well, so I'm feeling really good about that! I intend to do our master-bedroom/ bathroom cleaning this week, depending on my energy and time.

This week is going to be a very busy week for me, so I'm going to try to be in bed before 11 every night. (Before 10 would be awesome!) Thankfully, my work is pretty flexible with my schedule, but I do my very best to come in before 9am.

I'm feeling much better about everything right now, from baby to finances to goals. :) We had a very nice, relaxing Thanksgiving, and a lot of fun hanging out with Robert's cousins and family and my cousins and family, although this may be the last year that we can do more than 1 family gathering (having a 6-month old might change how we do things next year!)

We decided that I can go ahead and work tax season at H&R Block again this year. I think this will be my 9th tax season, and I am so excited! I always look forward to it, and I'm so glad we decided that I could go back again. We are not sure about the 2014 tax season just yet, but my mom was really encouraging and said that she'd be glad to babysit nights/ weekends as needed so we could do it. (It's kind of a toss-up right now, because the baby isn't here yet, and we don't really depend on the income from H&R Block; it's just extra). As of right now, it doesn't look like Robert will be coming back for his second tax season this year, but we're not quite decided on that yet. Pretty much the only thing holding us back right now is his primary work schedule.

I'm thankful that we got 4 new tires on the Trailblazer last month, and we already got our $50 rebate from Discount Tires, too! I activated the card tonight, and we intend to use it for groceries or fuel.

This post wasn't really supposed to be this long, but a lot happened during this 15th week of pregnancy, lol!

Our next doctor's appointment is on Monday, Dec. 17th. We go in for our "big" ultrasound on Thursday, December 20th. We plan to keep the sex of the baby a secret until Christmas Day, when we'll tell the families. :) I have a feeling that it's a girl, but we would be THRILLED to have either a girl or a boy! We are just so excited to be parents, and starting our family.

Why We Don't Support Black Friday

I don't often share this with just anyone, but I feel like it's important enough - especially this year - to share with all my blogger friends. :)

Robert and I no longer do any Christmas shopping, per se. That's part of the story. Another part is based on a personal conviction that I had last year around my birthday about spending $$ at Christmastime.

But I should start at the beginning (because that's a very good place to start, right?) :)

In 2010, we had one consistent income we could count on - Robert's. I was babysitting, but although I loved it, it didn't bring in the same amount of income I had when I was working full time. We were on a tight, limited budget, and Christmas was scaring me more and more as it approached. But, we were able to buy all the gifts for the people we wanted to, and stay on a good budget, so I felt (somewhat) pleased.

But something didn't feel right about it. Although we did use mostly (about 95%) cash to buy all the gifts, and the small percentage that I used a credit card for was paid off immediately, it just didn't sit well with me.

Thus began this journey we're on to becoming debt-free. But another story for another time.

In 2011, I was convicted to make all of the Christmas gifts we'd be given. We had already agreed that we'd be purchasing a new television for our home for each other for Christmas with the extra money we had saved for the holidays, but I couldn't stand to buy gifts for people that I wasn't sure they'd like or appreciate. Don't get me wrong; no one has ever dismissed anything I've given them! But I wanted our gifts to truly matter to people.

So, I invested in a couple of moderately-priced magazines and other sources to help me plan the gifts we'd be giving. Admittedly, we did make a lot of the gifts in bulk, but were very selective about whom we gave each gift to. A lot of thought went into each of them. And it ended up working out perfectly well, so that we were both excited to give each and every gift. The really amazing part about all of it, though, was the fact that everyone we gave the gifts to was genuinely thankful for each one!

Here are some pictures of a few of the things we made last year, but if you want to read the blog post on it, go here. 

And you know what? I didn't worry about them worrying about how much or how little we spent on the gifts, because this overwhelming sense of calm washed over me about it: the price does not matter. I know we can all say that, but I finally believed it, in terms of giving gifts. I've always enjoyed giving more than receiving, but this was like an amazing reward for following my heart.

So, we decided we'd be doing homemade gifts again this year. (Well, okay, I decided, and Robert said, "sure, sounds good.") But we're both excited to do this again, because we had a lot of fun doing it last year! We worked together on each project, and it made it more enjoyable and special every time we saw someone open our gifts. :)

In short, we will not be doing any Black Friday shopping this year, and there are many reasons:
1) We don't need to - we're making everything we're giving! (and already have a lot of the gifts ready to go, or at least have all the supplies)
2) I refuse to participate in being a statistic on Black Friday (I'm not a fan of consumerism, really)
3) I have no desire to stand in line with a bunch of people who are just as impatient as me, and end up being shoved and pushed around, and risk being robbed (don't kid yourself; Black Friday is every pick-pocket's playground)
4) The need to spend is not there for us
5) The temptation to use credit is too great (we do not use credit anymore, we are paying it off) 
6) I don't care to fight people over parking spaces
7) It's cozier at home with my hubby and/ or family
8) I have better things to do with my time, and so does Robert
9) We are excited to give homemade gifts instead of shopping online or in-store
10) I truly believe that people value the homemade gifts more than the ones we bought previously

And the list can go on and on. But that's a brief explanation. And I'm sure there are people who disagree with me, and that's okay, but we're standing by this decision.

How do you feel about Black Friday? 

Weekend Ambitions and a Brief Update

Well, back the drawing board with me and colds!

This week, I spent my time working and sleeping. Period. I had pretty much no energy at all until yesterday, and really didn't do very much (except make this awesome new Christmas Bible cover!)

I think it's my best one yet. :) It was really nice not to have to embroider by hand anything on it, since it says, "Let it snow" all over the place! I did it really simple, and the inside is just a dark crimson backing, the "button hole" slits are sealed with the same color of crimson thread, and then the tie is a forest green. I ended up having to do my closing seams (top and bottom on both the front and the back) on the outside, because I was trying to narrow how much extra fabric I had from the beginning (cutting) stages, but I cut too close. So flipping it inside-out and doing a "hidden" stitch and flipping it right-side-in again was not an option. Oh well. I still think it looks amazing! I just used a very light yellow thread for the top and the crimson thread for the bobbin, and my seams are nearly perfect, so I'm happy!

After I made this, though, I was worn out. It only took a few hours (I'm such a perfectionist), but I was so tired. I wasn't coughing or sneezing anymore, but Robert still wanted me to lay down and "rest." (He always knows when I need to actually sleep, though, and I think this is just one of many characteristics that are going to make him a great dad!) I totally fell asleep within half an hour. But it was good that I got to rest!

The original plan was to go to my aunt's and put her Christmas lights up yesterday, but Robert got called in to work, so I went to my mom's after I woke up from my nap and got done with my violin lesson. I spent the evening up there because I didn't want to be home alone. So we'll try to get the lights done this afternoon.

This morning, we're just hanging out with the Trek kiddos at Bible Quizzing practice for another 45 minutes (there's only 2 of them; it's really easy today), and then we're going to try to get my aunt's lights up. Robert had a softball commissioner's meeting this morning at 7am in Arlington (I totally slept through him leaving and everything), so he's already kind of tired. It was a bittersweet meeting for him as he resigned his position as commissioner for the 2013 season. We'd talked and prayed on it, and decided that we've got just too much going on right now (especially with a new little baby on the way, to come right at the beginning of softball season), so he's resigned that position. It may not be forever, but it is a position that you get nominated and voted into by the entire league, so while we know it was a calling for a couple seasons, he's ready for a break.

The brief update on me is just that I'm trying to stay healthy and keep the baby healthy. I haven't had much of an appetite this week (probably because I couldn't taste much), but I did eat something after 6pm at my mom's last night - and it stayed down! Usually I cannot eat after 6pm because nothing stays down. But this was my first success! I'm definitely going to keep taking the anti-nausea medicine, though, because without it, I feel like I have the flu 24/7. The doctor said it's still his request that I take it every 6 hours, so that is what I'll do.

Tomorrow I have worship team duties, and I was asked to help at the Everett Philharmonic's young listener's concert. I'm not sure if I can do it, because I'm still really tired, but I'm going to call my dad today for more details.

That's all for now!

Sick - again

This post probably won't be what you think it will be.

I'm not only dealing with morning sickness (still, even at 14 weeks and 1 day!), but I've also got a cold. Blech!

The good news is that the morning sickness is subsiding ever so slightly. I'm still getting sick several times a day, but it's not quite as bad as it was in the previous 7 weeks, so I count that as a definite improvement! Don't get me wrong; being nauseous has not really ceased. But at the very least, I'm not losing weight at quite the rate I was before. (I am still down a little bit from where I was last week, though).

The bad news is that this cold that's making itself at home in my body (are you picturing the Mucinex commercial yet?) has been really debilitating. It started last Thursday as just a little cough, but progressively got worse throughout the weekend. My throat was really sore on Saturday & Sunday especially, and now it's graduated into more than just the coughing. I've also got a runny nose and no appetite. (Probably because nothing sounds good when you're sick). I made it through work today, and it's a short work week, as Monday was a paid holiday, but I'm just praying I can make it hour by hour through my work week.

It sounds silly, but I really have to push myself every 15 minutes, half hour and hour. As soon as I came home today, I hit the bed, and I wasn't out of it at all except to go to the bathroom - and that was 9 hours ago. I did find out that Robitussin DM and Vicks Vaporub are perfectly okay for me to use (per my OB nurse and doctor), so I started taking that today.

More than likely, I will not be going to Awana tomorrow night, because I don't want to get anyone else sick, or get exposed to anything that could potentially make this cold worse. This morning I woke up at 5:30 because I was unable to breathe through my nose, and I'd been coughing so bad that I kept Robert up through the night. :(

One thing is for sure - I do not take double-nostril breathing for granted.

Baby bump picture 13 weeks

So many people have been asking us to post a "baby bump" picture, but I keep telling everyone, I don't really have one yet!

Anyway, this is me at 13 weeks at 5 days on 11/10/12. :) You can KIND of see a little tiny bump (and I'm totally exaggerating it in the picture!) if you look closely.

Baby Crombie's Heartbeat!

Hi everyone!

We had an appointment today. It went well! Everything checked out just fine, and although I've lost weight, I'm still okay. The baby is healthy and just fine. :)

I also got my flu shot, which I've never had, but it's highly recommended for pregnant women. I got the one that is not the live virus (so I won't get sick from it), and it's got no preservatives. Those were the two recommendations from the M.A., Cindy, so we decided to just do it right then and there.

We'll be changing the prenatals I'm taking as of tonight, though. The doctor said he's a little concerned that I get sick every night with them, so we're going to switch to something non-chewable (sounds backwards, I know!) I'll also be doubling my calcium intake, per the doctor's request. He even sampled one of my chewable calcium tablets that I had! He's so funny. We love our doctor! :)

I've created a little video so everyone can see and hear our little sweetheart! Enjoy!

Steady Now

Well, things have been pretty relaxed around our house - if you don't count my constant sickness and lack of energy, lol!

I want to do so much around the house, but I really just can't. I literally come home from work and either nap, or lay down and rest on our bed. And you know what? I'm okay with it. For the first month or so of the pregnancy, the baby just had me a little tired, and I was frustrated that I just couldn't muster the energy to do stuff like vacuum and laundry twice a week. Now, it's commonplace for me to clean a toilet and call it good for the day, lol! Par for the course of being pregnant, and looking out for baby's health as well as my own.

That being said, a little update on health:

Robert had a nagging sore throat and cough for about a week, but thankfully he's better now. He is rarely ever sick, though, so my radar was up. As for the baby, he or she is healthy as can be, because mommy is so sick! :) Most of my sickness happens at night, but I'm still getting sick during the day, too. We're estimating that I'm keeping about 1/3 to maybe 1/2 of what I'm eating, which is actually an improvement, if ever so slight.

Tomorrow we go back to the doctor for our second OB appointment. We're hoping to get to hear the heartbeat! (We saw it at the last appointment, but we didn't get to hear it). I promise to blog about how the appointment goes!

For those who have asked, we won't get to find out the sex until mid-December, but we will be finding out for sure. We will not be posting right away, though, as family will be the first to know, on Christmas Day.

The prayer requests right now are as follows:

1) That I could start to feel better and not get sick all the time (or at all!)
2) That if I do get sick, I keep more down.
3) That the baby continues to grow and be healthy.
4) That Robert continues to have energy to help me around the house and with the shopping and stay healthy (he's been so great!)
5) That we'd take nothing for granted. We feel very blessed to have amazing healthcare, a nice house, great cars, and great jobs!

October Update & November Goals (Still Losing)

In more ways than one! But I really believe that it's all for a good cause, and it's just a season that I'm going through right now.

As much as I hate to admit it (or place any blame on our sweet little baby), I have to say that my lack of energy and constant sickness is not normal. It's definitely pregnancy-related. I don't know that I have been extremely emotional, but I definitely feel a little more sensitive to personal comments. I've been struggling a lot with certain ones, but I'll refrain from posting them here, as I'm currently in the midst of some massive prayer-journaling and praying about the Lord handling it for me, so I stop worrying and crying over it all. It's amazing how those comments can hurt so badly!

Have any of you ever watched 7th Heaven? Well, if you have, you know that Lucy has two constants in her life: She's always the last to know what's going on, and she's extremely emotional. Lately, I've felt a lot like Lucy. :) But I'm trying to keep a lot of it private, because I don't want anyone being as upset about stuff as I am. Thankfully my husband has been so supportive, and has been very encouraging, as well as a shoulder to cry on for me. He tells me every day that he loves me, and that he wouldn't have it any other way. This is so important to me, and I don't think he'll ever know just how much it means to me! (Again, those emotions... lol!)

The weight loss is still continuing, though not at such a rapid rate as it was. I'm currently down about 24 lbs. since August 31st. Normally, I would think that was great. But now that I'm into the 2nd trimester and still losing, I'm definitely bringing it up at the appointment next week. I'm willing to try anything at this point. I have some questions that I can hopefully get resolved there, but it's so discouraging (ironic!) to see the numbers on the scale keep dropping, even if it's ever so slight. I got so upset about it last week that I quit weighing myself every few days. I try to only do it once a week if I can. I know it's normal to lose a little  bit of weight during the first trimester, but I feel like I've lost so much! I want to be the best mommy I can be, and it seems like I'm not doing the baby any favors by continuing to lose weight. I know that in the 1st trimester, the baby gets what it needs from me, but I want to talk to the doctor about any other (natural) solutions I can try. I've been faithful to take the anti-nausea medicine, but I really really wish I didn't have to. Other peoples' stories are not really comforting me anymore, and I have to say that I just get more sad about it because I've been so sick, and I feel like the general consensus around me is to just "deal" with it....when I know what's going on isn't normal. It's so difficult! Again, I am so grateful for my husband. He's been amazing through all of this!

That being said, I know that as long as I'm sick, the baby is okay. I'm trying to stay focused on that! My Auntie Judy gave me two really nice books for the baby tonight, and I was super excited! (For those of you who don't know, I love reading, and my Auntie Judy is a big encourager of that - being a teacher and all!) It really lifted my spirits, and I even smiled when I set them in the guest room (soon-to-be nursery) with all the other baby clothes and gear we already have. :)

The other losing battle I'm facing is my goals. It's no fun to look at my growing list, and not be able to check things off simply because I don't have the energy and stamina to get things done. Don't get me wrong - I know it's necessary to get a lot of rest and take naps for my health and the baby's health. It's just hard for me since I'm usually so motivated and productive. Last Saturday, I actually had enough energy to pick up the house (family, dining, and living rooms and the kitchen), and vacuum the entryway, family room, living room and hallway. That was quite the feat for me! I wanted to clean the kitchen floor and bathrooms, too, but I had to save that for this weekend. I was so tired when I finished.

Without further ado, here is the update on  my goals last month (please don't hold it against me!)

• Clean office
• Clean guest room
• Clean vinyl floors 1x weekly
• Vaccuum 1x weekly (twice is tough when you're trying to kick a lingering head cold!)
• Set dining room table with autumn decorations & plates
• Finish 5 more Christmas gifts
• List 5 things on eBay
• Start preparing my ledger for taxes from etsy & eBay (notice I said "start." This whole task is very time-consuming, but since the bulk of my sales happen between 10/1, and 12/24, I'm starting early). 
• Email the Newsletter to the church office by Fri., Oct. 26th 
• Start making gift tags for Christmas gifts - Not yet, because I can't decide how I want to do them this year! I have about 4 ideas, though.
• Do laundry on Sundays or Mondays and Thursdays - I actually got back to doing that, for the most part! Now to put it all away....
• Start the thankfulness journal for REAL - I did! :)
• Read 1 chapter from Proverbs & 5 chapters from Psalms daily
• Read the "Daily Bread" devotional every day
• Check all Bible Quizzing study guides for errors
• Donate 5 bags of stuff we don't need to Value Village (this will mean going through things...) - I think I got rid of 4, so I call it success.
• Have Robert help me clean out the pantry & food cabinets in the house - Yep! He did it!
• Work on my Christmas music on both violin & piano :) - Yes! I'm feeling better about piano than violin at this point, though.

So,  I really only accomplished about 30% of what I set out to do. I can't decide if I'm disappointed in myself, or happy that I'm adjusting to being pregnant and doing the best I can for our sweet baby. I think this will be a topic of choice in my prayer journal...

I am really excited to say that even amongst having about $1,000 in car/ truck maintenance (mostly tires) in the last month, we also made a major financial achievement! I'm so excited about it! It's taken a lot of sacrifice and discipline from both of us, and I'm so proud of our progress. 

Here are my goals for November:

• 2 new fudges in my Etsy Shop
• Baby bump pictures for the blog (probably not bare belly, but we'll see)
• Read 1 chapter from Proverbs & 5 chapters from Psalms daily
• Finish the rest of the Christmas gifts
• Pick up, vacuum and dust our bedroom (sad that I used to do this all the time, and my goal is to do it once this month)
• Try to drink 8 more ounces of water every day
• Pray for the burden of the hurtful comments to be lifted (really, this is about me giving it up to God)
• Spend a little bit of time every day on Pinterest (I find this relaxes me and I am always happy after I do it! It even helps me accomplish some of my goals!) I just don't want to spend hours upon hours on it
• Girls day with my BFF (Scheduled! I can't wait!) 
• Christmas pictures
• Read all the library books I checked out (reading also relaxes me)
• Help mom & Perry with Thanksgiving prep
• Christmas decorating done before Dec. 1st (Not sure when my energy will drop off from day to day, so this is more so we don't have the Christmas tubs laying around everywhere for weeks)
• Put more effort into selling stuff on eBay

That's all I've got. I'm hoping with a few more attainable goals and a few less goals altogether, I can accomplish more.