“Each day, 3,300 wake up in America believing abortion is the only realistic solution to an unplanned pregnancy.  In this decision, not only is a human life lost, but a woman’s life is changed forever.  Alpha Pregnancy Resource Center seeks to support one woman at a time, to spare her and her unborn child the sorrow of abortion.  Being pro-life is more than just being anti-abortion – it means providing hope for the future by providing practical help and emotional support for the woman (and man) involved in an unplanned pregnancy.”

I am excited to partner with Alpha in their “Walk for Life!”  Please consider supporting me and joining with Alpha in their mission: “Boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, Alpha Pregnancy Resource center is committed to helping individuals have healthy sexual relationships within the confines of  marriage between one man and one woman.  We provide education  and spiritual, physical, and emotional support to those that are faced with unplanned pregnancies.”

Click below to pledge your sponsorship!

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www.alphaprc.com Alpha’s website

A little insight into her name…

Shiloh:
It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is “His gift”. Also possibly “he who was sent”.
Biblical: a prophetic name for the Messiah.

Genesis 49:10-12
The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes;
And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
Binding his donkey to the vine,
And his donkey’s colt to the choice vine,
He washed his garments in wine,
And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes are darker than wine,
And his teeth whiter than milk.

Shiloh is also the site of an ancient city in the Ephraim hill-country and the religious capital of Israel in the time of the Judges. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as an assembly place for the people of Israel where there was a sanctuary containing the Ark of the Covenant.

Shiloh was the center of Israelite worship. The people assembled here for the mandatory feasts and sacrifices, and here lots were cast for the various tribal areas and for the Levitical cities.

Hesed:
I think the following is a good, working definition of hesed: the consistent, ever-faithful, relentless, constantly-pursuing, lavish, extravagant, unrestrained, furious love of our Father God!

Also…
“In the Hebrew Scriptures, hesed refers to a sort of love that has been promised and is owed—covenant love, that is—as in Hosea 1:1: ‘When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son.’ Covenant love is the love God promised to give to his covenant people, and which they in turn were to respond with in kind, loving the God of the Bible with all their hearts, minds and strength. Hesed does not suggest some kind of generic love of everyone. Like marital love, covenantal love is given within the context of a relationship where it is already promised and where the recipient is commanded to respond in kind. Covenant love, like marital love, is neither optional nor unconditional; it is obligatory. This is not to say hesed is compelled—just as in a marriage, love cannot be forced—but it is commanded. This love may be freely and graciously given, but, from the biblical point of view, there is no such thing as free love.

It is sometimes difficult for a modern person, who associates love with uncontrollable feelings, to understand how the Bible can command love of God, neighbors, even enemies. But in the Bible the many terms translated as ‘love’ do not refer primarily to feelings. They refer to decisions of the will. This voluntaristic notion of love is recalled in modern wedding services, where the bride and groom say ‘I do’ and ‘I will’ when they are asked to make their vows, not ‘I feel like it.’ In the Bible, when God’s people are called upon to ‘love,’ they are being asked to do something loving and responsive to the love of God, whether they feel like it or not. Consider Matthew 5:44: ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’”
An Excerpt From This Article

Want to know more about the word Hesed? CLICK HERE

One last definition: our beautiful daughter!

Wounded Birds

I recently made these three birds to be flying over the ocean in my Humboldt County Quilt…

With two little ones in the house, I make a point to keep my scissors and rotary cutters up high, out of their reach.  It looks like Jakob just climbed up and grabbed them off the shelf… looks like it might be time to get a lock for my sewing room!

PS – Two of the birds aren’t even cut, the “sky” fabric with be easy to replace… I just need to mend the other bird a little…

Jakob is a Super Star!

It’s Friday, day five of potty training with Jakob – and he is doing wonderful!!!  He has had one or two accidents a day, but the other %75 of the time, he had gone to the bathroom great!  He even goes on his own, without being asked, jumping up saying, “I have to go, I have to go!”  He hadn’t had any successful “number twos” in the potty until today!    He again, went on his own volition and did great!  I am so grateful and SO proud of my little (I mean big!) boy!!!

After starting potting training with Jakob on Monday, I started cloth diapering Mercedes on Tuesday!  I have been wanting to make the switch for a few months now.  But I was nervous about trying something new, that could possibly be really gross and messy!  But with multiple kids in diapers, the money drain was really starting to bother me.  Also, a hesitation with cloth diapers was investing the cash into them.  It’s not the same cloth diaper world as when I was a baby!  It has really taken off with the green movement and there is a whole market out there, some are quite pricey!  Now, I know there is much long term savings, but still – not sure what to buy, not wanting to waste money on diapers I didn’t like all while not even sure if I could handle cloth diapering!!!

Flannel Cloth Diaper Prefolds

So, as in line with my personality, I avoided “taking the plunge” and I am stepping lightly into the world of cloth diapers.  My mom bought me a bolt of diaper flannel through her store, and generously gave it to me to begin my journey.  I have decided to go a bit of the old fashioned route to start, and not spend $100-$500 dollars on a set of cloth diapers (really, they are so fancy these days!).  So she brought me the flannel late this Spring and I looked online for instruction on how to make “pre-folds” (I just learned this term myself as I searched online).  I spent just

The "Snappi" fastener

over $10 buying one “snappi” (a stretchy clasp to hold the diaper closed – no more need for pins!) and two different kinds of “plastic pants.”  Just the white, crinkly pants that I remember from when I was young.

It’s been going surprisingly well with Mercedes, no major explosions or anything!  As I am cautious, I am still using disposable at night time.  But saving money all day long with cloth!  It’s funny too, how once I started looking to cloth diaper, I realized how many people I know here that do it.  I had been surprised actually beforehand, asking my friend why no one here did it?  But I guess you just have to start asking!  At a baby shower last month I got a bunch of tips from friends and felt like I could actually do this!

So for now, I like that I’m saving money, filling the landfill less, and the latest reason I found – the possibility that disposable diaper use may contribute to infertility issues when they grow up (yikes!).

Maybe one day down the road, when I find some extra money (Isn’t it supposed to grow on trees somewhere?), I’ll invest into some fancier diaper systems.  Or just maybe I’ll even learn how to make some of those diaper covers on my own!

But then I’d have to choose; “All-in-One,”  or “Pocket Diapers,” or “Fitted Diapers,”  or “Diaper Covers,” or “Flats,” or “Pre-folds?” (I told you they get fancy!)

There are so many brands and styles to choose from!

It’s been a long journey of no success, filled with Elmo’s “Potty Time” dvd and a little sister who now seems more interested in the potty than her brother!  I’ve tried to stay patient, listening to so many who say “He’s just not ready.”  While I doubt myself a lot (I’ve never potty trained a child before) I do feel that I know my son best, I spent the most waking hours with him.  And I think he’s ready!  The problem?  I think he’s too comfortable in his diapers.  They have great design, whisking away moisture and are very comfortable to wear.  But to the parents – diapers are expensive!  And I don’t want to buy them any longer than necessary.

Jakob is now 3 years and 5 months – and I’m ready to do what it takes to get this job done!  So today we started with underwear (again) and we’re going to go all week with underwear.  I don’t know how many days it will take until he really catches on, but I want to stick this out.

So it’s day one, and at 10:30 am we’re on pair two of underwear.  I asked him every 20 minutes or so if he needed to use the bathroom, each was answered with a no.  Then after I turned Sesame Street on, I asked him again.  He just gave me a funny look.  Turns out there was already a puddle on the floor!  Oops, but at least it was the hardwood floor.  I’m doing my best to remind him he is not allowed on the couches while potty training!

I kinda feel like I should just put him on the potty every half hour, but Jakob doesn’t like to get up until he has done the deed.  In our past attempts, he’s spent hours (literally) sitting there, not wanting to get off.  But then after I finally convince him to try later, he gets up and pees on the floor within a few minutes.

This blog may sound complainy, I am definitely a little frustrated.  But I’m trying to remain patient and kind towards Jakob, encouraging him in the right direction.

Hoping I’ll have a good report tomorrow!

Baby Bean is laying down, head on the left (dark in the head is the brain), and legs extend out to the right. (click to enlarge photo)

But today was my favorite part of the pregnancy – an ultrasound that let us peak into the womb where God is knitting together a precious little one to join our family!  I’ve never had an ultrasound this early before, but they wanted to figure out the due date, which turned out to be February 13, 2010.

I loved this early ultrasound, because even as our baby is the size of a blueberry – we saw the heart beating fast (151 bpm), the yoke sac that is feeding the baby until a placenta forms, the technician showed us the forming brain, and this little one was wiggling all over the place!  Already, while still so tiny, this baby is amazing!

Jason affectionately called he/she, “Baby Bean” as we look lovingly at our fuzzy blob picture the ultrasound technician sent us home with.  It’s funny how exciting a little black and white blob is!  Because this picture is so much more than a blob, it’s our baby!  And the picture doesn’t do it justice, see the baby squirm and wiggle is so much fun!

Here is a little more about what is going on with our baby this week:

pregnancy: 7 weeks

How your baby’s growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you’re daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that’s the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you’d spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby’s brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby’s growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.

7 more months until we meet this new little one – stay tuned!

Then on Sunday morning, Jason got up early with the kids to make me my favorite breakfast – pancakes!

Jakob joined the “big kids” in Sunday School last month after he turned three.  In addition to lots of play time, they make a craft, have snack, take an offering for orphans, etc.  So this mother’s day I got a beautiful card from him that he’d made in class!

Mercedes gave me the best gift, one I have been waiting for months now!  She started walking, unassisted, unprompted all around the house!  Jakob first walked at 15 months and I was sure Mercedes would walk sooner than he.  But no, she joined her brother and waited until age 15 months also!  What can I say?  My kids are relaxed!

The day ended with a lovely dinner made by Jason for me, and a chat on the phone with my own mom.

I thought I loved my mom, but then I became a mom myself.

Now I really love my mom!

My first choice was a quality Christian School for our kids.  Basically I wanted them to have my experience!  While I went to an amazing Christian School (Arcata Christian School), with a great group of friends, amazing teachers, and a close knit family – I realize now that not every Christian School would automatically give my kids the same experience.  Each school emphasizes different things, has a different agenda, and a varied world view.  An online search left me discouraged – schools were expensive, a commute and it was impossible to find one that fit all of my desires.  I couldn’t see us paying $4,000 – $6,000 per year for a kindergarten that I didn’t totally love.

Jason and I continued to talk about what we wanted for our kid’s education, and a “Classical Education” was a priority to him, something we were just learning about.  My desire for small classrooms, parent involvement, and quality education was leading us to a charter school perhaps.

Many of our friends (though, not all) were deciding home schooling, and I was challenged as a friend told me she was just keeping her heart “willing” towards the idea as God developed a plan for her family.  Was my heart willing to hear and obey whichever option God would tell is is best for our family?  I didn’t feel willing (sometimes we have to make decisions despite what our emotions are), but I did decide to tell God that I was willing.

In January, Jason and I were talking in the car and somehow through this conversation (which we’d had many times before) about schooling, it was as if the light bulb came on.  Home schooling would allow us to custom choose a curriculum, daily style, teaching approach, world view, etc., that was perfect for us!  It was as if someone (God) was offering us the reigns and told us we could do it exactly as we thought best!  All of a sudden those old arguments (What about socialization, what about those weird kids?  How could I do home schooling, what if I fail at being my kids teacher?  Am I smart enough, able enough to do this?  What if it’s just a lot of work and I don’t want to do it?) didn’t seem to hold any valid points anymore.  I don’t worry about socialization – I think those “weird” kids are a product of weird parents, not a “weird” schooling.  I think our kids are very social, they play with friends all the time, and maybe more importantly – they play with each other.

So with this new revelation and direction, we were ready to explore home schooling for our family!  We went to the MACHE (Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators) annual conference at the beginning of April and learned a ton!  For me, it brings a lot of structure and vision to be a better parent.  As the mom of toddlers, we are teaching all the time anyway: colors, numbers, letters, obedience, cooking, playing, imagination, etc… We are all already doing this with our kids!  Now, home schooling I think will help me do a better job as I put effort into developing my kids.

The conference was incredible!  I went to a lot of workshops for first-time home schoolers and ones that focused on young kids.  They had a ton of vendors and our favorite; a used curriculum sale.  It was like a multi-family yard sale full of great books and games! The conference was at the River Centre in St. Paul, it was almost like a little get-away for Jason and I!  Linda, Jason’s mom, was visiting for a few weeks and it happened to coinside with the conference.  So while the kids got some wonderful time with Nana (a rare treat for them!), Jason and I were able to attend all day Friday, and most of the day Saturday.  Thank you SOOO much Linda!!!

We’ve picked a curriculum that we love, and it’ll be a great place to start.  It’s called “My Father’s World.”   It was developed by home schooling parents, is Bible based, takes the best aspects of classical studies, hands-on learning, character studies, etc.  It starts with toddlers, and goes all the way through 12th grade. 

So we’re just beginning this journey (or maybe we already started it the moment we became parents?) and I’d love any advice or thoughts you have!

Now years later, my anger has subsided and my home has become MN.  So I thought maybe it was time to give the hills a second chance.  I wasn’t going to go back to the Normandale park, but maybe there was something else around here…  The past three winters I was pregnant or in Ukraine.  So this year was my chance.  About 8 minutes from our house is Buck Hill.  They have a bunch of lifts, rope tows, and even a magic carpet (whatever that is?!?).  Not wanting to waste my money again – I went for the Sunday night deal, $10 for 7:30-10pm.

Five years since my last trip snowboarding (and two kids later!), I wasn’t sure if I should be nervous or not.  Was I going to fall on my face and slide the whole way down the hill?  Well, the bicycle theory proved true with snowboarding, and I was right back into it.  It was a lot of fun and worth the $10.  Although, it made me miss Mt. Shasta.  These runs were longer  and better than the horrible first experience I had in MN, but they were short.  It’s a hill I guess, not a mountain.  I love the  long, winding runs through the peaceful trees in California.  Buck Hill was a great park for what it was.  It was quite busy, full of teens, lots of young twenty-somethings, a few older adults.  I wondered how many were just enjoying the best the town had to offer or how many just don’t know what their missing out on. The view was great, I could see the surrounding towns and even had a great view of the Minneapolis skyline.

Will I go back?  As fun as it was, probably not anytime soon.  But maybe one day! If we’re still around, it’d be a great place to get the kids started at!

My family’s Quilt Shop (Scottie Dog Quilts) in California has done all kinds of “Block of the Month” programs over the years and I have finally just begun my first! They started a new one in January called, “Where the Redwoods meet the Sea”, a Humboldt County Quilt.”

I couldn’t resist this one – it’s my home!!! Minnesota has definitely become my home, but Northern California will always be a “home” to me. This quilt has a redwood tree- I miss them so much! There is the ocean – The Pacific Ocean will always be my favorite, but it’s the best anyway! The quilt also has the beach, and a lighthouse – it’s soo nostalgic for me!

Block of the Month just means you get a new pattern each month, giving you another piece of the puzzle. At the end of the year- It’s done! And it’s a lot of fun to see your project unfold – all in little bite-size pieces!

January’s block was a log cabin pattern – three of them make up the dirt, the mountain under the redwood tree.

February is one star type pattern that makes up the base of the sandy beach.

I received March’s pattern a few days early (one of the many benefits of being a part of “the family business”) and already completed my block – more of the sandy beach.

This is a “scrappy quilt” – another first for me.  There aren’t a few coordinating fabrics that make it up, it’s all kinds of fabric – the more the merrier!  When it’s all put together it should look great.

I can’t wait for the months to come, I want to finish my quilt!  I am planing on hanging this one by the front door, in our entry way.  It’s the perfect piece of art that brings a little piece of my first home to my Minnesota home!