Done!

Hooray! I have completed the mission....Abigail's bedding is done. Well for the most part. I do still need to quilt the blanket together. It turned out so cute! I was so worried about making the bumber pad but it really was pretty easy it just took quite a bit of time. Too Fun! Andrew helped me tie the bumber pad to the crib and he told me "Mommy, I like the orange." (but of course, he does!) I asked him if he thought Abigail would like it and he said "yah!" She is after all going to have orange eyes....the boys have decided that she will have orange eyes and geen hair....we have tried to persuade them that it would be more likely that she would have green eyes and orange hair, but they don't agree! :) Go figure! The other pic is a sweet book that Daddy bought Abigail and yesterday when we were at Walmart Carson said "Mommy, won't Baby Abigail need some shoes?.....she doesn't have any shoes?" ....good thinking!....so we proceeded to the baby section and Carson picked out some shoes for his baby sister. What fun!

Getting busy....

The Bow Keeper...Check out her headbands, bows and flowers...wow!

Abigail Ruth Cupp..

Just a peak into her room from the hallway.

So I have this totally crazy thing that once I have started something I absolutely have to keep at it until it is complete....it is crazy... Dustin doesn't quite understand....we do afterall have 5 more months to wait for her arrival, oh that seems so long....anyways so Abigail's room is officially under construction and here are a few pics. My most favorite thing that I made today was her bow keeper. I bought the "rack" at Michael's and painted it green then added ribbon to be able to hold her clip on bows and flowers. It turned out perfect!! Only the bumper and a few changing pad covers to do....well better go and get busy!... :)

Using the Pattern

So this weekend I have been working on making Abigail's bedding. Yes sewing it myself, which really seemed daunting at first. As I contemplated fabric and a plan.....how was I going to accomplish this? I can make a blanket, no problem, but a bumper and fitted crib sheets....hmmm....at one point I wondered, wow.... where do I even start? I have to know first off how much fabric I will need for each item and I guess go from there. Then it dawned on me...hey, I have a crib quilt pattern somewhere that I am sure has a pattern to make a bumper and fitted sheet. The hunt began for the pattern and at last was sucessful! What a blessing....a pattern...who would have known that it could possibly be so easy to make crib sheets....15 minutes, so easy and they are beautiful!! I am still working cutting and sewing the pieces together for the bumber but am confident in the pattern and that it will be successful. As I was sewing Sunday afternoon God really spoke to me through the blessing of finding this pattern...things are so much easier if someone has gone before us and marked the way and accomplished the task successfully. Just like this sewing pattern, God has left a pattern for us in His word. He wants His best for us...His abundant life. If only we will stop trying to figure it out ourselves and truly listen and obey His word. How much easier it all was sewing the bedding using a simple pattern and in turn how much easier and fulfilling life can truly be if we will willingly follow His pattern through His word!!.......thank you God that you love us so much that you would not only send your son Jesus to die for us but also that you would want your best for us while on this earth.....that you have so graciously left us such a pattern to follow in your word. I pray that we will truly use it as a pattern of our lives, as a lamp unto our feet so that when people see us and the way we live our lives they might glorify You!

"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds." Romans 12:2

What a Day....

Sister Bear

Andrew's Choo Choo Blanket

The Finished Quilt

Fabric Cut into Strips and Sewn together

Wow! We had a wild and crazy and too fun day today. I started the day creating!! I love creating things. I have been thinking through a design for Abigail's crib quilt and found a really easy pattern yesterday online that looked perfect. Andrew and I went to the fabric store yesterday to get a few more coordinating fabrics and some ribbon. Andrew fell in love with some Choo Choo flannel that he insisted we get and make him a blanket of and so we did. I had so much fun putting the fabrics together and of course asking Dustin his opinion of which ones he liked and in what order and so forth....he really likes a say in all this....of course most times he doesn't like what I do. He! Anyways it was actually very simple. I sewed the stips together and then cut them into strips again and sewed them together to make a hodge podge of a quilt! The concept was so easy and I think that the pattern was made for people like me who do not like perfection....making all the lines add up and they inevitibly never do....anyways I am very happy with it. Then we proceeded to work on Andrew's Choo Choo blanket which from the picture you can tell that he was so proud of it. He wanted to "wear it." He immediately proceeded to the couch to lay down and cuddle up with it. So funny! After lunch we went to Build a Bear at the Mall so that the boys could build a bear for sister Abigail. Carson was so into it....he was very adamant at the bear he wanted and was so very excited to stuff it. It was fun to see the boys so excited about making something for thier sister. They named the her Sister Bear. Carson even made sure to buckle her in with the seat belt so that she would be safe on the way home....he is going to be such a great big brother and protector for Abigail.

All Girl!

Well today we had an official visit with our doctor and Dr. Ross officially confirmed that the baby is 100% all girl.....Abigail Ruth Cupp....is on her way!! Hooray!! We are so excited to meet her! The boys and I are are going to go to the fabric store tomarrow to pick out some fun fabrics to go with the ones I am thinking of using for her bedding...I am sure they will pick out something interesting...All girl!!

Things that make you go hmmmm.....

Well yesterday we met with Stan Schuermann. He is the director of Physician Recruitment for Integris Baptist Hospital Rural Health. I had a really great quiet time in preparing my heart for what the Lord might have for us through this opportunity. He gave me this verse, "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30. We met with St.Mary's Hospital in Enid in April and have still been just waiting on the Lord for confirmation of what He would have us do. We have yet to recieve an official contract from them, although they keep telling us that it is on the way...it is coming....7 months later. The meeting with Stan was really wonderful. He openly shared His testimony with us in how the Lord changed His life in his college years at OSU and then also shared with us the exciting things the Lord was doing in his own life as well as the things that they have been working on and have in store for a new concept at Integris Baptist Hospital. The new concept is for mission minded physicians where they can practice locally and also reach out globally. The idea is a clinic of doctors that are all mission minded and can allow for opportunities to do international medical mission rotations on an annual basis and still be able to maintain thier local patient base. They are thinking 6-8 doctors that can cover each other so that all of the doctors can spend at least a month to two months overseas if the Lord would lead them to do that. The model right now is totally flexible in that you can decide the location and the length of your mission involvement- from one week to several months a year. They are also wanting to encourage academic affiliation in order to train medical students and residents........hmmmm......It was such a neat time to share in the excitement of this new model and what a wonderful vehicle for physicians to be able to serve overseas and still have thier local practices taken care of while gone. Dustin and I both came away from the dinner thinking, Okay Lord this is super neat and we can totally see your hand at work here, is this what we have been waiting 7 months to hear from you? On the way home I kept thinking about the verse He gave me in preperation for this meeting..."His way is perfect"....truly it is and we totally trust in Him...."The word of the Lord is flawless"...it is all truth, completely......"He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.".....He is our shield and will guard us from all evil, maybe he was shielding us these months as He prepared His perfect timing for His plan for our lives......Things that make you go hmmmm.....trusting the Lord and praising Him for His goodness and His faithfullness as we seek to know more His direction for our lives today......

Complete in Christ

The Girls of Grace bible study went fantastically and the cake turned out pretty cute and didn't fall over---prasie the Lord. My good friend Cassandra came and helped me decorate..she truly is my decorating diva...what a blessing she is! What precious girls we have in this ministry that love the Lord and are seeking to know Him more. I am so thankful for them and for what God is doing in our midst! Tonight we learned more about how God is the only one who can truly complete us...that we are totally complete in Christ!! Truly what an awesome God we serve!

"When I think of all this, I fall on my knees and pray to the Father, the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." Ephesians 3:14-19

Our Little Pickle...

So this week we are 18 weeks and I was reading my little weekly pregnancy information on how big Abigail is and found this...too cute...she is the size of a pickle from the corner deli! She measures about 5 1/2 long now and probobly weighs 5-7 ounces or so....our little pickle is growing and growing...only 22 more weeks or so until we get to meet her! Thinking about our little pickle today....

What am I thinking...really?

So nice cake huh? We are having a special Girls Ministry Bible Study on Monday at my home and our theme is....you guessed it...wedding. So I was thinking... really... how hard can it be to make a cake and put it on pillars and then put flowers on it? You have to have a wedding cake at a wedding, right? It is kind of the pillar of the celebration, right? So here I am on a tiny budget going to all the bakery's to see if I can get a "cheap" wedding cake...Okay laugh with me cause "cheap" does not exist....you would think that it could be found out there...but I assure you not in Tulsa at least. The cheapest I found was Food Pyramid for $125.00. Not in the budget. Okay so we scrap that and start from the beginning...maybe I could bake all the cakes myself and go from there.....hmmm....I would have to buy the cake pans and supplies and plus I hate frosting cakes..I am totally not a perfectionist and to think of the cooking and the mess....not appealing...so here is the plan. I talked with a friend from church and she is going to make the three cakes for us for $50.00. Now here comes the challenge, I am then going to take them home and attempt the whole assembly of the tiers....hmmmm....the more I think about it the more I have this sinking feeling that this cake is sooo gonna topple over....I guess smashed cake is still yummy cake, right? Anyone ever attempted this? Any advice? If not rememeber to pray for me on Monday.....surely it will turn out okay...right? :)

Pumpkin Bread...yum!

Yesterday the boys and I made Pumpkin Bread! I have attempted to make it four other times and it didn't turn out at all, infact it was horrible! So, again I decided I love pumpking bread, surely we can make Pumpkin Bread! The boys had so much fun adding all of the ingredients. When Carson added the pumpkin, Andrew yelled "Wow Mommy It's Orange." They loved stiring it and making a royal mess, but it was fun! We decided to make a few little loaves for Carson's teachers at school and Carson was really pumped about that. After we put them in the oven they watched them bake for about ten minutes and then decided they took tooo long to cook :) What a fun morning with the rain coming down and nestled in my warm kitchen with my little monkeys making Pumkin Bread!

"Jesus said, "I am the bread of life, He who come to me will never grow hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

A Few things for Abigail...

Boy girls are Fun!! I have bought so many bows and flower clips that I now need somewhere to put them! :) Here is just a sneak peak at a few things I have found so far that I love. I found this wonderful lady on ebay that makes car seat covers for great prices and she is super sweet. I have picked out a couple to spruce up Carson's old car seat that we will be using again...yeah!! I love getting to resuse things!! My mother-in-law, Beth or better known as Mimi, and I went into Kathleen's kids on Saturday just for a minute to check out thier display of our Nursing Covers in thier store and boy was it overwelming! I have never seen soo much stuff for little ones and soo cute! My favorite shirt was a little onsie that said "I eat at Mom's Diner...Open 24 hours"---it was really cute but unfortunatley it was $32.00---WOW! I did make a purchase while there. I have been wanting a frame for the picture of our ultrasound that we have of the baby that we lost and found one that was just perfect. It said " A picture of an Angel"....just perfect, our little Angel. Anyways, that was sure fun...it really made my head spin and Mimi's too :) The top two fabrics are ones that I love and are wanting to use for Abigail's bedding...I am thinking of making it myself....does that seem crazy? Maybe I am just plain crazy! Still thinking that through...I really don't know where to start but I am sure that I can figure it out....well maybe!

A Baby Shower For Natalie

Sunday my sister Ashlea and I threw a baby shower for my sister Natalie that is expecting a little boy Peyton Donovan January 22, 2009. It was a sweet time for my sister's friends to come and shower her with love. We can't wait to meet Peyton!

Totally and Completely in love with...Abigail Ruth!

Today I am totally and completely in love with Abigail Ruth Cupp. Yesterday the boys and I got to go to Daddy's clinic to see her and confirm that she was indeed the Abigail that we have been calling her now for two weeks :) The ultrasound technition had just worked on the machine and it was super clear. What a wonderful day! We got to watch her for about 20 minutes...she was moving around, kicking her very long legs as you can see. At one point we could even see her little eyes so clear with her lens and iris looking right at us--that was cool. She went into fetal position with her little hand between her legs and then spread eagle for us. She is definately a little girl! We are over the moon excited to meet her. At one point we just awed at how cute she was she was sitting with one leg and foot tucked under the other, like a little girl contemplating something fantastic. Maybe she will be an honery one like Andrew Maddox. I have never had so much fun watching an ultrasound before. It was amazing! I guess it is most certainly a great perk that Daddy is a doctor! I find myself this morning so excited to meet her and hold her and love on her! She is so cute! A girl...Wow that is just amazing! Just thinking about Abigail and loving her already.......

This is the Day...

...that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it. I have been singing this song all week. I have had a terrible head cold that is just not pleasant at all. I hate being sick. I hate not being able to accomplish all the things that I need to. I hate not being able to enjoy my children because my head is splitting with pain and my ears crackling constantly. I hate being short with my husband simply because he cannot hear me or I cannot hear him. I could go on.....Okay enough complaining. God has really humbled me this week as I have been ill. He is teaching me that His mercies are most definately new every morning and that he will help, strengthen and sustain me throughout the day. Praise the Lord that He cares about little 'ol me that much. No matter the circumstance I will praise Him that this is the day that He has made...I will rejoice and be glad in it!

Thanking God for our Spiritual Family Archives

I read this devotion today and was blessed by it and thought I might pass it along....

Dust drifted up from the old suitcase as we opened it. Dusty papers, old pictures, brittle birth certificates and worn out pages of family history notes rustled in the morning air.
My Dad came for a visit bringing the old suitcase that had held the family archives for years. We poured over them, sorting them out and making a map of our history.
“Who cares, Mom? Why bother?” asked one of my kids. But it was good. It gave me a sense of my roots and a knowledge of where I came from.
Regardless of our individual family histories, as Christians you and I belong to the same family of believers. God spells out the family archives for all of us as His children so we have a sense of our roots and a knowledge of belonging.
Hebrews chapter 11 lists our spiritual ancestors who inspire us with their faith.
* Abraham who heard God say “go” and he went, not knowing his destination;
* Noah who prepared for a flood while the sun shone and the people laughed;
* Joseph who trusted his God even when his family deserted him and he found himself in a strange land;
* Moses who believed God to part the Red Sea so the people had a way to safety where there was no way;
* Joshua who obeyed the “off the wall” instructions to march around the city of Jericho with lanterns and captured it by faith without a battle.
It is so important to recall and be encouraged by those who have gone before us. It helps us to keep our feet from getting tangled in things that distract (Chapter 12). It helps us keep our eyes focused on Jesus as we run the course He has marked out for each of us as individuals.
“Consider the outcome of their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:7,8).
Take a moment to thank God for your spiritual family archives. Be encouraged in your circumstance today that you follow this same Jesus who never changes. He will be as faithful to you today as He was to our forefathers.

The Biz

WET BAGS:

NEW FABRICS!:

So most of you know that God has blessed us with a business, Deo Volente Designs, LLC. Our main product is The Modest Mommy Nursing Cover. We have been so amazed at what God has done in this little business as we are nearing our third year and 7000 nursing cover sold! Wow! Who would have known....only God! It has been so exciting to see what new things we are able to do and accomplish and where He is leading us with each passing year. This is just a sneak peak of new things coming. Some new fabrics....yeah! And we are in the process of making the nursing covers wider to be able to accomadate for more coverage...this has been on my heart for a couple of months but we are finally at the point where we can look at cutting all the new fabrics differently. Also, since I loved the bumGenius Cloth Diapers so much we are also now an official carrier of thier diapers and will be carrying some too cute Wet Bags to go along with them. Our pricing for these diapers will be the lowest on the market at $16.95 no matter how many you buy---we pray that this is a blessing to our Moms! We are also hoping to be able to add the Kushies liners to the web as well. These products should be available in our Baby Boutique online late next week!! http://www.modestmommycover.com/. Cassandra and I did just get back from Fabric Market in Houston and I would have to say that we were a little dissapointed. We were unable to find some really cute girl gender fabrics but instead found some great nuetral gender fabrics...And we didn't find any fantastic fabrics to add to the Chic Elite Line....hmmm....go figure! Our new spring line looks like it will have only 2 girl fabrics, 2 boy fabrics and 7 nuetral fabrics. Anyways here is a sneak peak.....:) The other fabrics, that I don't have pics of yet, won't be available until late December or March. Yuck!

A Day at the ZOO!

It is Saturday, November 1st and in Tulsa it is 80 degrees outside and beautiful!!! Daddy is woking at the hospital today so the boys and I ventured out for a day at the ZOO.. Z...O...O...that is...Carson was so proud of himself that he could spell it :). It was so beautiful! Andrew's favorite part was the donkeys...he was so funny...he just kept making faces at them and saying "Nannie Nannie Nannie"...and he didn't want to leave...he made Carson and I laugh! The monkeys were fun to watch today because they had two little baby monkeys that were playing together and chasing one another. Carson's favorite part was the flamingo's....that boy loves those silly looking pink birds. And of course we topped off the day with a Choo Choo ride and a Wild Animal Carousel Ride. What Fun! We then went to visit and love on Daddy at the hospital but only got to stay a few minutes. Then we were all ready for a delicious nap! Yum!