Picks of the Week 3.25.11


Jesus Walked with Women - Passionate Homemaking
Seven Principles to Simplify Your Family Life - Simple Mom


Jonathan gets back from his Canada trip tomorrow. Hooray! Sounds like they've had a lot of fun skiing and goofing around. I spent the week catching up with friends in person or on the phone, reading, and snuggling Shinobi. The weather has been horribly stormy here so it was a good week to stay inside and be cozy.

We went to Lake Tahoe with a group of buddies back in February. While some of the guys went skiing, the rest of us cruised around the North Star resort and rode a gondola to the top of the mountain. It was gorgeous! We took turns cooking meals, played board games, and all stayed in a big cabin. Even Shinobi came and got to play with his buddy Charlie. I've delayed writing anything about it because there is a fun video we made that we weren't ready to share. 

And here are some photos too.

Now that we have gone semi-public with our news, I'm excited to blog about our baby on the way!


I'm twelve and a half weeks along and there have been a lot of changes. For one, I don't feel like cooking much at all. I was becoming quite a little kitchen dweller but now nothing sounds good to eat and I just can't muster the motivation to make anything more than a bowl of cereal. My top personal offenders at the moment are ground beef, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and anything above the temperature "warm". I'm all about milk, yogurt, ice cream, and cream cheese. At least I'm still making smoothies so I'm getting some good stuff into my belly. And I've managed to keep my sourdough alive by making weekly pancakes.


Another change is our reading material. Jonathan just finished "The Husband-Coached Childbirth" by Robert A. Bradley and it was very enlightening. I appreciate that he read it because there have been many moments where I had a question or thought and he would say, "I just read about that, this is what's going on..." I've been reading "Up The Duff" by Kaz Cooke. It's a very funny Australian book in which each chapter is specifically about what happens during one week of pregnancy. Stacey lent it to me and it is keeping me cracking up on a weekly basis. I'll probably start reading the Bradley book soon since Jonathan liked it so much.


We've also added a few new items to our calendar. I'm choosing to go to a group of three midwives for the duration of my pregnancy. I have had three appointments so far and enjoyed all of them thoroughly. These ladies are hilarious, sweet, and we can tell they love what they do. One of them is an energetic Russian engineer, one is a jolly British woman, and the other one is just as pleasant as can be. Last Sunday we attended our first Monthly Midwives Tea and it was just great. They spent two hours answering the attendees questions and telling stories and it really made the two of us feel so at ease.


Also last weekend, I co-hosted a baby shower and attended another baby shower! A very baby-related weekend! Stacey and I threw a shower for Charissa who is due in just a few weeks. It was quite fun. I didn't snag any pictures myself though so I'll have to steal some and add them later. 


So that's the real update on the Gowins household. It's been tough to not blog about it. We are so excited!

Picks of the Week 3.18.11

The Season of Lent - Sit A Spell

Seven Reasons to Square Foot Garden - Keeper of the Home (someday I will have a real garden...)

Rich Pie Crust Recipe for Pi Day - Simple Bites (I used to celebrate Pi Day big time every year, but I'm out of my groove, this almost inspired me to start again)

I had a light bulb moment I want to share. Randy Alcorn had a great post on his blog yesterday about Recognizing Our Anger that is a must-read. In youth group on Sunday, we learned about Galatians 5:13, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."


I think the times I am most angry in life are when I feel like someone is stomping on "my rights", getting in the way of "what I deserve", or when I perceive something to be unfair. Sure, it helps a bit to keep in mind that I don't have any rights aside from what God has given me, I deserve death as the wages of my Sin, and God has poured out grace and mercy on me and that is far from fair. But I think considering my anger in light of Galatians 5:13 adds a new dimension to the problem.


Instead of using our freedom in Christ to run around being selfish, we are challenged to use our freedom to act the opposite of free. To serve one another, to willingly submit to being servants to our neighbors. Slaves don't have any rights. When we intentionally lay down our rights (including my favorite right: The Right to Be Right), there is a lot less to be angry about. God is helping us to avoid anger when we obey the Second Greatest Commandment. 


I hope someone finds that encouraging! I know I sure needed it.