Bathroom Makeover

Hi readers! I know you have probably given up on me....but don't give up quite yet. I have finally made it well into the 2nd trimester and finally started feeling better around week 17. Just to put into perspective how sick I was...I haven't gained a pound and I am 18 weeks along. Just thought I'd make sure you didn't think I was MIA for nothing.

As soon as I started feeling better I got to work on a project that has been haunting me for months. During my many hours in the bathroom the first 17 weeks of my pregnancy I figured out that I really needed a change in the decor. Hey, who says your can't multitask whilst vomiting?!

The first thing the bathroom desperately needed was a nice coat of paint. I went back and forth on the color, settled on a light green, but then spontaneously picked up a light blue and threw it on the wall without reserve. I'm crazy like that...but thankful I actually liked it on the wall. The next change was the shower curtain, which I already had. I added a few cheap apothecary jars from T.J. Maxx and then filled one with Christmas snow and ornaments and the other with Cotton balls, which I use everyday. Another cheap find was the Christmas tree on the counter-$8.99 from Homegoods. I would have definitely made this to save the money, but I have way too many projects to do right now and needed to save the time a little more than the money. I still need to fill the third apothecary jar, add few things to the shelves behind the toilet and add some pictures to the wall, but we are at least on our way. Next project, Christmas decor!

Guest (and secretive) Blog

So Lindsey has no idea I've done this...marriage is full of surprises though. I wanted to stop by and do a couple things. First, I'll brag, followed by theological ramblings.

BRAGGING: Lindsey is now 14 weeks pregnant--for the mathematically challenged, that means the first trimester is finished (can I get a double-raised hand Hallelujah!). She's been a trooper battling sickness at any and all hours. My lady has also developed an aversion to dairy...not by choice mind you; her body just rejects it and if ingested it's but a moment before she's hunched in the bathroom. Thankfully, Chick-fil-a is not dairy.

While I would expect someone in this state to be complaining and whining, she's resorted primarily to silent suffering. When I get a sore throat I'll put an ad in the paper letting you know it's sore, and then I'll give puppy dog eyes to Lindsey, as if to say, "Pwwease take care of me." Not Lindsey.

The other day as I was sitting comfortably in my leather recliner (aka-man's throne), Lindsey asked a brief but theologically packed question: "What's your curse again?" She was of course referring to the sin of Adam and Eve and the subsequent curses placed on them by God. It's true though; women do seem to have it harder than men. You have to put up with men first of all. But you're the one who gets pregnant, whose body does magical--sometimes inhuman things, and it is you who gives birth in excruciating pain.

RAMBLING: Now, what's my curse? I think it's that I'm supposed to sweat when I work or the ground will be difficult to cultivate or something like that. But let's pretend we're in church and be honest: the bulk of my days are spent reading, thinking, and writing (also in a leather chair = throne). I also preach, but that's another calling altogether. More and more, though, I'm realizing the tremendous weight to my calling as a husband, namely, that I'm eternally responsible for the spiritual health of Lindsey. I will give an account for how I ministered to Lindsey well before any church questions start flyin' my way from Yahweh Himself. Pregnancy is an extra special time to minister. So to all the ladies, I commit to preaching and teaching men that it's our responsibility to lead well in sacrificial humility.

I hope I'm serving you well babe. Thank you for carrying this child and for not hating me that I've done this to you. As an excellent wife you are, as Proverbs 12.4 says, my crown. I wear it gladly and with gratitude. Love you momma.

10 Weeks and Counting

I promise that once I get through the worst nausea of my life, I will blog about something other than our little bean, but right now, I have nothing else going on besides this nausea....it has taken over my life. Talk about a run-on sentence. Point being: I have to update you on the baby because it's the little things that keep me going at this point.

Size of Baby Mitchell: Barely the size of a kumquat (just over an inch)
How can something so small cause this much change in my body?

All vital organs are in place and are starting to function to some capacity.

My belly: Barely showing, but I do have a small bump....which could just be the bloating. :) No need for maternity clothes yet.

Baby Mitchell is growing finger nails and peach fuzz this week. It's arms and legs are longer now and the fingers and toes are no longer webbed (whew!). In fact, Baby Mitchell is apparently kicking up a storm right now, but is still to small for me to feel. Weird huh?

Intentional Thankfulness

When I'm tempted to complain about my nausea or exhaustion, I try to redirect my thoughts and words to thankful ones....

Meet Baby Mitchell-8 weeks old

Our Living Room Revisited

Sorry I've been MIA. I've been battling awful nausea and "morning" sickness that lasts all day long. I hardly want to eat so I definitely don't feel like blogging. BUT, today has been a good day, which includes eating a bowl of soup for lunch, so I thought it might be good to update you on a few changes we've made to our living room. We've made some changes to other rooms, but I need to save those so I have something to blog about another day. :)

Most importantly, we painted the walls. I liked the off-white look we had when we moved in, but since I put a light slip cover on our couch and got white lamps, it all looked like a wash to me. I needed to make the light accessories pop, so we had a painting party and painted the living room Favorite Tan-a Sherwin Williams color. I love it! We actually painted our bedroom the same color, but those pictures will come later. While we were in painting mode, we painted the entry way Comfort Gray-another Sherwin Williams color that looks more like light blue than gray.






In addition to painting the walls, and adding some bookshelves, I added the colorful pillows to the couch. They matched perfectly with the red ones and brought out the home-made $11 blue curtains behind the couch. Now, I must pat myself on the back for the thriftiness here. I searched high and low for these pillows. I didn't know exactly what they would look like, but I knew what I was looking for. I looked frantically and waited patiently for months....many months. I looked online, at fabric stores, and everywhere in between...no luck. My sad story turned around when I saw some cheap laundry bags at World Market that had the print that I needed for my pillows. I looked everywhere and asked if they had the pillows, but no pillows....just a laundry bag. I quickly realized that this was even more perfect because I could slip my pillow right into the bag, cut the extra fabric and I would only have to sew one side shut. So....that is exactly what I did. It isn't pretty if you look at that one side, but shame on you if you look at the seams on pillows when you visit your friends.

Finally....

Sorry it has been forever since my last post. There has been a lot going on in the Mitchell house. This being one of them:



No, you aren't seeing things....we are indeed pregnant with our first baby! We announced it to the facebook world yesterday and have been overwhelmed by encouragement. I have been off the pill for 6 months. Our theory was that we would just live life and see what happened. No temperature-taking, no counting days, no charts-I didn't want to become obsessive about the whole thing. BUT, month after month, nothing. I was getting a little ancy when a friend of mine, who just had her first, gave me a book entitled "Plan to Get Pregnant." It charted out what your body is doing all month and taught you how to recognize the best times to try. I have to admit that I had already thrown my hands in the air because my body just wasn't following the chart. I was convinced something was wrong with me. But, what do you know...I was already pregnant.

Please be praying earnestly over the next couple of months during this crucial time. We are so excited and can't wait to experience pregnancy and a baby for the first time! For all of you mommas out there....I would love any bits of wisdom you have!

I Got An Itch

With school starting and the scortching sun simmering down a bit, I begin to get ancy for Fall kick off to come. Not just for college football, but for my fav shows:

House


Will he and Cuddy survive the dysfunction of their crazy relationship?? What will come of them? Will House stay clean or fall back into his addictive cycle? Will 13 and Foreman get back together? Will Taub ever become content in his marriage? Will Cameron show up and confuse Chase all over again?

Community

super funny...mostly clean. Really hoping Jeff and Britta end up together...totally confused by the ending of last season.

and the newbie....Parenthood

This show started right after the Olympics last year. It's not super climatic, but it's a clean, fun, family show that is more realistic than "reality TV." LOVE the cast.

I must add that I haven't decided how committed I will be to The Office now that Steve Carell is out.

So, what shows do you watch???