Friday, November 27, 2009

Christmas time is here

i made this wreath in preparation for Advent...


and bought some nativity items...


...one them our Christmas tree this year!


i also made a new wreath for the door....


...and found enough items leftover to make a mistletoe sprig!



and our music for the first official day of Christmas is...
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Jewel - Joy, a holiday collection
Over the Rhine - snow angel
Andrew Peterson - Behold the Lamb
Sixpence None the Richer - Dawn of Grace
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - jingle all the way

Enjoy the season!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

somehow we both just always knew

as we've begun preparing for this little baby, i've always kind of laughed when people would ask me "what do you feel like its going to be?" (girl or boy) but somehow, i've been thinking this entire time that we'd have a daughter. its not that i always grew up waiting a little girl first. honestly, i loved having an older brother so much that i'd always hoped i could set up the same kind of beginning in my family.

however, as the weeks have added up...i'd become more and more worried that if this one turned out NOT to be a girl, i'd have to reset my mindset and start thinking "boy" because i've just felt pretty certain that we'd have a daughter in april.

Mike has had the same feeling. As we talked about potential names, we found a girl combination we loved rather quickly, but kept changing the boy names around and just not settling on anything.

(really good news is...i was right and dont have to worry about having loved a son as a girl for the past 4 monthsand worry how that may affect his future...or have to pick out another name!)





in April we will welcome little Jennifer Mikaela Springstead to the outside world!

(please note: i am not saying we had any knowledge from another source to lead us to believe she is a girl before the visual evidence. i'm just saying i'm glad we were both correct in our guesses)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Trust

My faith is being stretched so much in everything involved in our moving here. We knew that we'd be here jobless in a hurting job market. We also knew that while we'd made the decision to move in a bleak housing market, our home had sold within days...proving that God still does more than all we ask or imagine. We moved here with the knowledge that we had that house money to carry us through this first semester. sometimes having the money makes faith seem much easier. Then, once we'd arrived, we discovered another turn of events....our pregnancy.

that put us here: miles from "home" and family. jobless. about to have all kinds of medical bills. and then another person to care for. we knew we could make it through one semester with what God had given us. But did we trust Him with carrying us through the unseen?

Now its November. the semester is rolling to a halt. I've been to seven or eight job interviews but applied for a far greater number than that. Mike has had to cut his classload down just to barely keep up. It has begun to feel that we were in over our heads.

This all began to really feel burdensome to me last night, as I was thinking about what Christmas would look like this year and if we'd get to see family at all. My answer has been lately "If i get a job, We might not have time to go see family due to scheduling, but if i don't have one by then....we might just have to move home during the holidays....before we are too broke to make the trip."

At what point do we say "enough" and go back where we started?

I keep having to be reminded of how quickly God sold that house....

God is faithful.
1. we haven't run out of money yet. He never promised we'd have more than enough. having the house money was more of a blessing than most get in these circumstances. I have certainly been taking that for granted.
2. I have been approved for Medicaid (being jobless and pregnant helps that become a simple process, i suppose) which means most, if not all, of the medical bills will be covered.
3. I received a call back this morning from the director at a job which i interviewed at over a week ago, explaining that she's been very busy with state and corporate inspections..so she is just now getting around to making my reference calls. She wanted to know that i'm still available before she made them. (not hired yet...but at least they like me and are pursing me!)
4. minutes after the job call, I began my morning devotions. (I've been reading in Genesis, then looking up a passage in the concordance on the word "Glory")
I'd left off last time in Genesis..chapter 15..where Abram is doubting that he could possibly be made great when he still is childless. Abram was looking at his circumstances logically and humanly, just as I have been. God reminded Abram of His promise and made a new covenant then and there. It was in that passage that Abram was commended for his faith. Just after Abram's moment of doubt and practically accusing God of being a liar, He still had faith. He was considered righteous.
And then guess what my "glory" verses included? Philippians 4:19..."And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."

i feel sometimes as though my faith is so small...yet i do have faith. and everyday I wake up believing that God will carry us to whatever He would have us do. yet, i still try to work out all the details on my own understanding....

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

boy or girl?



almost time for Dr. visit number three! tomorrow we're at 18 weeks. today we're siting on the couch coughing and sniffing due to a bit of a cold.
This Thursday we'll get to see our little one again on screen...and hopefully discover which little springstead is: boy or girl. Everyone's trying to guess....which do you think it is?