Life

Last night I sat in the chair-my husband on the couch with a computer in his lap and he said to me "you might as well give up on {Joy Comes from Within}. I check it everyday and you never post anything". OUCH! I simply told him "the dishes are done and the family is fed". That's about how I feel these days.

Example: I decided to hop on today and surprise my husband by posting something. I went to edit posts and the following was sitting in my drafts from 10/17/11. The last actual post was from May. I like to blog but I like my family more. If anything needs to be put on hold, it's the first to stop. Maybe I'll post regular, maybe I won't. In fact, I only started this blog to keep in touch with friends and family not here in NY but I don't think any of them ever read it :)

So dearest husband...this post is for you. xoxo

It's been a bit busy in the last...well let's say 7 months. Adjusting to being at home from a 40hr week 'out of the home' job, having a child in middle school, a newborn who is growing so fast. AH! I wish life would slow down-I feel like I am always trying to "catch up".


This morning I woke up {groggy} as usual and with my little man on my hip stumbled down stairs. Scooch 'the big brown dog' greeted us as always and I set the baby down hoping he would be entertained by the said dog and made a bee line to the kitchen to (can't remember where I was going with this...too long ago)

{GMG Blessings}

Monday we started our summer session with Good Morning Girls! What a blessing "meeting" with my group has been. We started off several sessions ago with I think 11, then quickly had to break into 2 larger groups (22 ladies). I don't know everyone personally but we share something in common-We love Jesus!!! We even had a lady one of us knew from over seas :) Many prayer request have been shared, we've seen a few miracles and are expecting a few more :) The GMG group is a way for us to be accountable to each other to be in God's word daily but I also look forward to gleaning from the other ladies as well. Many times my scripture for the day is dealing with the same subject as what someone else has read which reaffirms that God is using us to minister to each other. AMEN!!! 

 Julia and I at a GMG gathering (she is 8weeks behind me-a miracle)

If you struggle with being in God's word or maybe you aren't connected with a group of ladies to be a prayer warrior on your behalf please check this out. God is all you need but when you forget, it's nice to have a sister come along side you to point you back towards Him! 


Have a blessed day~Jac

Good Morning Girls 

Linked to: Women Living Well and Raising Homemakers &

{I thought I wanted a dishwasher}

I have lived in my house since 2002. It's a little house but cozy. I truly love it! As with any home (unless you custom build) I wanted to change a few things after getting settled in. One of the first things was to install a dishwasher. My kitchen isn't very big nor does it have many cabinets so I would be losing precious storage space for this to happen. As the months past I just couldn't figure out how to fit it in - Oh but those hours spent each week standing at the sink :( After a few years I gave up grumbling about having to wash them. I started to spend the half hour thinking, singing, and praying. Now cherish this time - I no longer want a dishwasher.


1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always

This post is linked to 

Haily and Gunnar {Birth Stories} Part 1

Let's start off 12 yrs ago...

I was expecting a precious baby right after Christmas 1998. We celebrated Christmas and then New Years- I was overdue!!! On January 5th, I waddled into the doctors office and they sent me to the hospital to be induced. I was relieved, scared, and excited to meet my baby finally. The medicine they gave me to soften my cervix put me into labor. My back hurt so bad and the nurses referred to it as back labor. I am not sure why but the Dr. had ordered that I stay in bed.They wouldn't let me get up even to go to the bathroom. When they started the pitocin to get things moving faster, the contractions really kicked in. The pain was so bad that I asked for something to help. Again, I was disappointed as the Dr. said and epidural or nothing. No walking around, changing positions, etc. After receiving it, I couldn't feel anything, couldn't turn over without help - this was not going as planned.


At 6:45am on January 6th I was only 4cm but when they checked me at 7:45am I had progressed to 10cm! It was time to do the hard work. The nurses hurried around the room to get everything ready, called the Dr. and told my Mom it was almost time. As the Dr. checked me one last time things took a turn. His words were shattering to me - this baby isn't gong to fit - the baby is just too big - You need a c-section.  I was devastated, scared and worried but Dr. knows best so I listened. My mother assured me it would be ok as two of her deliveries (mine included) were c-sections. I was never allowed to even try to deliver vaginally - not one push to just to see how I would do. By 8:03am my baby was born - I heard the first cries - they announced it was a girl and we named her Haily Marie! Then I got sick, started shaking badly, and watched as they wheeled my new daughter out of the room. I wouldn't see her again until that evening. My recovery from surgery was terrible and I don't remember much at all the day she was born. I couldn't hold her because I was too weak. I planned on nursing so she was very hungry when they finally brought her to me. I was still in shock of how things happened so quickly and I really didn't understand why they had to be that way.

We went home after a long week in the hospital. My mother had taken off so that she could be home to help me recover. I will treasure those times. This was her first grandchild and the only one she would ever meet. 

Lot's has happened since then: my mother passed away, we moved to NY, my father passed away, I learned about God and what Jesus did for all of mankind, I met my wonderful husband, and that brings you up to speed :)


To be continued...

Welcome {Gunnar}

This sweet little boy arrived on March 8th weighing in at 9lbs 2oz and 22in long.

In the waiting...

It's all in Gods timing-I am 40 weeks 4 days and no sign of my little baby boy! The midwife sent me for a biophysical ultrasound Tuesday which he passed with an 8 out of 8 and we are very thankful. They are estimating his weight at 8lbs 15oz (give or take 21 oz). That is a BIG window but it forces us to make a difficult decision. With my prior c-section we didn't want to induce since there would be a higher risk of a repeat BUT if we wait too long he will just keep getting bigger which could very well result in a repeat as well. I go back to see the midwife tomorrow morning where we will discuss our options. Patty (the midwife) has told me to just pray for guidance! She has been a blessing to me during the whole pregnancy. My health has been fantastic other than early BH's in which she told me to stay off my feet as much as possible. It has been emotional though. My mother passed away in 2000 and not having her to call is very hard for me. She was there for the birth of my daughter and was the first one to hold her just because I didn't want to "break" her. HA! I have also been replaying my difficult delivery the last time and worried that this one will turn out the same way. Patty was wonderful in talking to me and calming my fears! So, we are in the waiting...praying that I will be heading to the hospital tonight instead of the office tomorrow. Either way, he will be here soon :)

{40 Weeks} & This moment in time

Well, I made it to 40 weeks...Everyone (besides me of course) said I wouldn't make it past 38 weeks! HA-I guess mother knows best. I have been enjoying my time at home resting A LOT! The car seat has been installed in the car, bags are packed and in the car complete with a change of clothes for my husband and daughter. Speaking of my dearest daughter...As soon as I found out I was pregnant she has insisted that she wants to be in the delivery room. She is 12 which some think is too young for her to be present but we feel that she is mature enough to handle the situation. My midwife, childbirth instructor, and the head nurse at the hospital are all for her being present and excited to have her there. My mother-in-law will need to be there for the duration as well just in case something comes up where my daughter would have to leave the room (i.e. just can't handle it, emergency c-section, etc). We were planning on staying at home as long a possible but with my previous c-section and after seeing the "homelike" birthing rooms we feel that being at the hospital is the best option. I have to have a pic line put in for precaution but will be allowed to have hydration by mouth unless we head to surgery. I will also need to have continuous external fetal monitoring but it's battery powered so I can move freely around the room and even soak in the jacuzzi tub. I really, really like that my midwife as well as the hospital are for natural births and vbacs. I am praying that we don't have a repeat from 12 years ago and will be able to enjoy the first hours with our new little one :) Hopefully we will meet him very soon!!! ~Jac

{How I became a SAHM}

I have been a mother and keeper of my home for 12 years. Of those 12 years, I have worked a full time job and when needed a side job or two. Tasks that needed to get done around the home were squeezed into being a wife, mothering my daughter, helping with homework, making dinner, etc. I knew that when I walked through my back door that I had X amount of time to get everything done. Most of the time I got my list crossed off. 


I noticed that while I was able to get things done, my family and my mental health suffered. I was constantly thinking about what needed to get done next. When life threw a curve ball, I blew up!!! I didn't go outside and scream into the sky, I didn't take a walk to blow off steam, unfortunately my husband and daughter {the very people that God gave me as a gift} received the brunt of it. After a melt down from yours truly, I would have to go apologize and ask for their forgiveness. 


Over 2 years ago I started praying that I could get things under control. I feel that God put a desire in my heart to stay at home. I never wanted this before and  it didn't seem possible then but I kept praying, then my husband joined in.

We knew that when we added another child to the family it would be hard to carry on as it had always been. For several years we worked to pay any debt off and fix things around the house. As I type, the last project that "needed to be done" is being completed. We had a goal and as of January 28th the goal has been met. I resigned from a job that I LOVED so that I could be all that God intended for me to be. It wasn't and won't be easy but with God-all things are possible. In the next month we will welcome our son into our family and I pray that he will not have to see where I was several years ago!!!

This moment in time...

WOW- Yesterday was my last day of working full time! I am not sure it has hit me yet since it's the weekend but come Monday we'll see how I'm doing. My co-workers gave me a wonderful going away party and I packed up and headed out before flooding the place with tears. I am looking very forward to this next season in my life.

Last night I was able to get together with a bunch of Ladies. This isn't just friends getting together - We are all part of a group called Good Morning Girls. This is our 3rd session and includes 24 ladies broken into several small groups.  I love the friendships that have developed between us all. Every other month we try to have a large gathering so we can all mingle. Here are some photos that my Aunt Amy took last night {complements of her facebook}.

The below picture is of Julia and I. We met while working at the VA & quickly hit it off. {A forever friendship was formed} 

The next couple of weeks, our family will be preparing for the arrival of our little boy. This includes finishing up the flooring, making freezer meals, streamlining our cleaning/laundry routine, and spending some time enjoying the quietness of the house.

BTW as you can see in the above photos I have bloomed just a bit in the mid section. I am now 36 weeks!!!