Assorted thoughts in bullet points

I don't realize how much grief just makes me tired. While I can honestly and surely say that God protects and blesses and pours out His comfort on me...the small tasks just don't get done (like cooking, cleaning, or writing blog posts). I think the processing of Gracie's death is happening even more this month than last. I couldn't figure out how to write something coherent, so, I decided on bullet points.

One of my best friends just had a baby and I was honored to be at the birth. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever participated in. I have had three c-sections, so the wonder of a woman's body just functioning correctly was truly beautiful. (It helped that she pushed once and the baby came out. I was worried that the doctor wouldn't be there to catch the baby at all!) What a gift to hold her hand while she welcomed her new daughter.
After my birth class I had a very negative view of having others attend my birth. I was warned that people would be a huge nuisance and that they would just make me angry. After attending a birth, I felt like it bonded everyone there. We were her cheerleaders, supporters and extra prayer warriors for when it got tough. I would do it again in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever arises.

What are your thoughts or experiences? Have you had people attend and loved it? Hated it? Participated with someone else's and had your mind changed one way or another?

Sweet Vivvi and Me

I am getting ready to teach my second class at my church on style, color and clothing fit based on the book, It's SO You! by Mary Sheehan Warren. I taught this once last year and then we all went home, went through our closets, and had a clothing exchange. I'm glad those that participated liked it enough to encourage me to do it again! I'm also glad to be on the other side of my pregnancy and hope to score some cute clothes. I'll talk more on all of those fun things when I have higher brain function.

I am really enjoying a cookbook I saw at my mom's house called The Stocked Kitchen. (I will admit it is no longer at her house, but currently residing on my counter for easy reference). It is a system where you have one shopping list and then you can make over 300 recipes using a combination of those ingredients. The few I've tried have been very yummy and it's nice to know if I have the list, I have what's needed. It's a nice reassuring book to have when I'm less inspired for dinner.

Speaking of books, I am currently wanting to reread several titles from the Sonlight Summer Reader Packages. I could use a hammock day (or, just an evening would be nice) to dive back into these favorite worlds. This was such a fun project to work on! If your kids love reading, I really hope you will give these a chance. Super fun!