One Happy Strawberry Eater!

Hubby and I found out this weekend that Sweetpea LOVES strawberries.  She can't cram them in her mouth fast enough! Its hilarious and adorable at the same time. And kind of a relief too. Until the last few days, she hasn't shown much interest in eating anything other than momma milk! We tried the obligatory rice cereal at around 5 months: it was met with coughing and gagging and refusing to open her mouth. Again at 6 months - same reaction. It has continued like that despite the different foods we've tried, the different ways we have tried to feed her. We tried baby led weaning, which basically means you put things on their tray and let them pick up what they want and eat how they want. That is pretty much what we are doing now because she is much too independent to let someone feed her.  But it wasn't until just this past Friday that she actually really showed any interest in eating.  So, hurray for that, because although I was fairly certain she wouldn't be headed off to college still nursing, when your baby is 9 months and she will hardly put any real food in her mouth, sometimes you start to wonder. Anyone else have baby food drama? Enjoy these pictures of one happy little strawberry eater!

Contentment...

I'm trying to learn to find contentment in life.  Despite being in the top 99% wealthiest people in the world, I still find myself wishing I had different things, was in a different place, had a different life.  How ridiculous!

I read a blog post earlier this week, although I can't remember what blog it was on, that reminded me of a book I had read earlier called Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment.*  In it the author talks about a missionary woman named Ella who worked with the pygmies in Africa for 52 years.  After her death her daughter found in Ella's journal a "recipe" for contentment.

1. Never allow yourself to complain about anything - not even the weather.
2. Never picture yourself in any other circumstances or someplace else.
3. Never compare your lot with another's.
4. Never allow yourself to wish this or that had be otherwise.
5. Never dwell on tomorrow - remember that [tomorrow] is God's, not ours.

I need to put this up somewhere I see it everyday to remember.  I have a very good life.  A beautiful daughter, a loving husband who provides for all of our needs and many wants, family and friends, running (hot) water, internet! How could I want anything different???

P.S. I love this photo of Sweetpea! It reminds me of Sesame Street that we have been watching lately and Cookie Monster saying, "This does not taste like a cookie!"


I'm celebrating contentment and the simple things in life today by linking up at:

*Please see my disclosure policy here



I'm a lazy blob!

What strikes me most about this Proverbs 31 woman is that she never seems to stop.  She is always doing something. That is something that I really need to work on.  When you get down to it, I'm pretty much a lazy blob.  I spend a lot of my time putzing away the day.  I play around on pinterest.  And check my facebook page 8 million times a day. And open the fridge and peer into it for several minutes to see if there might be something I want to eat. And write lists of things I should be doing. And generally just waste the time away.

Over the past few years I have been lucky enough to make friends with several women who ALWAYS have spotlessly clean houses.  No joke, I think ever single person I've become close friends with in the last 2 years has the most organized, clean and neat homes I've ever seen.  I'm always jealous of them.  But that is silly, because the reason their homes are clean and neat is because they get off their bums and clean! 

I'm tired of being jealous for no reason, and for feeling guilty for wasting away my time.  I want to be one of these women who have clean, neat, and organized homes! I want to be this Proverbs 31 woman! One thing I really started in on today is going through some of our current boxes.  Most of you probably don't know, but we recently moved from North Carolina to Alaska! We moved into a much smaller residence, and we are only going to be here for a short time, so most of our household goods are still packed in boxes.  I am going through them to majorly downsize.  We collected a gross amount of stuff while in North Carolina, and while I should have gone through it before we left there instead of carting it across the world, I was *gasp* lazy.  But now I'm feeling more motivated.  Plus we can't fit all of it into the storage unit, so I've got to get rid of some of it!

Anyone out there lazy like me? I would love to have some company, you know, moral support and all.  Anyone out there a "cleaner" who has some motivating words, or maybe some little tips for keeping a clean and organized home? Leave me a comment!

<3 Rebekah

The Proverbs 31 Woman

^{Proverbs 31:10-31 from The Message Translation:
10-31} A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden.
First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
She's quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
She doesn't worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
"Many women have done wonderful things,
but you've outclassed them all!"
Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!

Ok, I know its long, but its an incredible passage in the Bible.  And incredibly challenging.  I just started reading a book about this passage called Beautiful in God's Eyes: The Treasures of the Proverbs 31 Woman (George, Elizabeth (Insp)) .*  So far, it has been a great book that really motivates me, which is good because this proverbs lady is a little intimidating!!! I know God wants me to be more like this woman, but she is just so...productive! Over the next few weeks I will be posting more about the different things I am learning through this book and through my desire to become more like the woman God wants me to be.  Anyone else intimidated by the Proverbs 31 woman? Let me know, so I don't feel so alone!

*Me and My Army Brat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The Simple Things 10.23.2011

This week was filled with lots of new things for my baby girl! Her first tooth, learning to crawl, and discovering the joys of pots and pans!

I'm linking up here:

10 random things about me...

1.

I love ellipsis...(that is the ... if you didn't know...and yes, they are terrible grammatically incorrect, but i don't care!).

2.



Hubby and I have been married for 6.5 years!!! and lived together for 3 of those years... (Army life is interesting).

3.

I have a bachelors degree in psychology, and am currently working on becoming an Accredited Financial Counselor.

4.

I love stripes! And jeans! but not stripes on jeans;o)

5.

I love crafting, but haven't done very much of it for several years. Hopefully that will change soon.

6.

I would really like to always have a clean/clutter free house, but somehow my piles and dust bunnies just never disappear!

7.

I really like to cook, and try new (simple) recipes.

8.

I love the feeling of capturing a great picture, especially of my little girl!

9.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, even though I fail a LOT in my life.

10.

I am addicted to Facebook.  Its pathetic.

So there you have it.  10 random things about me.  Leave me a comment with something random about you - I love learning little things about people!

Sweetpea is 9 months!

I know all first time mothers say this, but I can't believe how much she has grown! Such a funny mix of independence and dependence at this age. And I'm going to have a much harder time getting her to sit still for photo sessions from now on, I can tell.  She kept doing a superman dive in order to get some nice crunchy leaves to chew on!

Just today she started pushing herself up to sitting from her belly. I'm happy for this development, as lately whenever she wanted to be sitting she would just start screeching until I helped her up. Now she can do it herself!

Her first little tooth is poking through on the bottom. You can't quite see it yet, but you can feel that razor edge with your finger!

I love the way she studies everything.  She is really starting to love having books read to her, and touching different textures.  When you give her something new, she is a little hesitant at first, but she is so excited at the same time that she shakes.

.

Her hair is getting SOOOOO long! I should be able to put it in a ponytail soon! That is, if she will hold still long enough!

Happy 9 months sweet girl!

Rebekah

Becoming a Diamond

My name is Rebekah and I am a Christian woman, struggling to become the diamond God wants me to be.  I am a wife to a wonderful, hardworking military man, and a mother to my beautiful daughter, who will be 9 months old in 2 days!

When my daughter, Sweetpea, was born in January, with the euphoria of her birth also came the realization that this would be one of the most difficult years of my life.  Little did I know at that time what awaited my family this year! Two weeks after she was born, Hubby informed me that for the first time in seven years the Army would be relocating us.  And for our first PCS they chose the furthest base within the United States they could, from the coast of North Carolina across the world to Anchorage, Alaska! With this news also came the news that within months of our arrival in Alaska, Hubby's new unit would be deployed (his 3rd deployment) to Afghanistan.

After a month of traveling, we arrived in Anchorage almost 2 months ago.  It has been a whirlwind since then of trying to arrange somewhere to live, storage for our remaining belongings, and re-establish some form of normalcy, all to begin preparation for Hubby's upcoming deployment.  This time in my life has made me realize that a lot of the beliefs I hold and ways I deal with life are not exactly in line with the person I want to be. 

This blog will be a way for me to document the day to day life of my family and I, what we go through as a military family, and will inspire discussion about how the pressures of life can help transform us into diamonds.

Rebekah