not much..

not a ton is new with us.. just getting excited for christmas coming around the corner! i have some things (hopefully) up my sleeve for gifts this year, but on the practical side i'm planning to get to work on making my own laundry detergent soon. i plan to try out this recipe. my latest project has been making my own baby food and recently baby wipes. i found a recipe on this blog.. i've tried it twice and am loving the results so far. a lot of wipes for a little money. just putting it out there for any of you moms who want to do something yourself and save money in the process. anyway, stay tuned for up and coming posts of crafty things i'll hopefully be working on in the next couple weeks.. i'm hoping the creative bug bites me pretty hard from now until christmas.

merry early christmas. :)

so much...

i never want it to be difficult for me to think of what i'm thankful for. i never want that to be something i have to will myself to do. i want it to come easily.. for thankfulness to flow from me. because it should. because there is never a shortage of wonderful things in my life.. even when life is hard, because there is room for thankfulness even in the midst of difficulty and pain. i love thanksgiving. i hope that it's a great day for everyone this year. and i hope that more than anything we express thankfulness to the God who saved us. to the God who has never forsaken us. the God who allows us to borrow what is his while we're here.

...always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.
colossians 1:12.

a project..

well, this post won't be interesting at all to some people, but i'm a mom now so sometimes (a lot of the time) i do mom-ish things.

i started feeding the rubes "real food" a few days ago.. which started with rice cereal and has now progressed to include pureed pears. SO i tried my hand at making her baby food.. which is something i'm excited to do for her (and for us because it saves a lot of money). so, i thought i'd share the process of my first attempt.

it started with me buying a mini food processor off craigslist for five dollars on monday. i had a very awkward interaction at a panera bread with the seller, but it was worth it.

i also used the book super baby food that was given to me by a sweet friend in california while i was pregnant with ruby. if you're at all interested in making your own baby food i would say to get this book.. i've heard from numerous moms that it's great, and it's helped me out so far.

next, i pealed the pears and cut out the hard center part and the seeds. the book tells you all about how to tell if certain types of pears are ripe or not and how old a baby needs to be before they can eat pears raw or cooked.. i don't think mine were quite ripe enough, but ruby seemed satisfied with the end result so i guess they were sweet enough for her liking.

i then cut up the pears and put them in the food processor to puree. i added a bit of water because the pears weren't getting thin enough for what i thought ruby would need. the book said to add a bit of citrus (if the baby is old enough) to keep the pears from browning.. i learned that this happens pretty quickly once they're pureed, but i wasn't really worried about it. it doesn't affect the integrity of the food for the baby, it just changes the color.

lastly, i spooned the pear puree into an ice cube tray. i heard this works really well for portioning (one cube = one tablespoon), and it also allows you to make a bunch of food at once and keep it for a lot longer than you could in the fridge.

once they were totally frozen i just popped the little cubes out and put them into a ziploc labeled with "pears" and the date.

i just can't believe my sweet little baby is now old enough for me to have to be doing something like making baby food. it was fun the first time though, and i'm looking forward to keeping this up and discovering tons of homemade baby food possibilities.

thanks for reading even if this didn't interest you at all. :)

and here's a picture of the little cutie just because.

back at it..

well, it's definitely been awhile since i put anything of substance on the blog, so i thought i'd give it a whirl tonight. i guess i'll just dive right in. i think i've realized lately that i've gotten myself into a rut when it comes to my relationship with God. not purposefully, but i can now see that slowly but surely i've gotten further and further from him, and now i want to get back.. but the main realization i've had is that i'm not really sure how to do it. i journaled for awhile the other night and i was trying to be honest with God about how i'm feeling.. and kind of figuring out how i'm feeling in the process of that. i think what it comes down to is that i don't really know how to get back to a place where i want to be with him. even while i was journaling i wasn't quite sure what to say or what i wanted to get out of it.. and then i started thinking, "well, who's to say i need to get anything out of this at all.. it's not about me." i think i was really convinced that once we (we as in me, daniel, and ruby) were settled back in north carolina, and even before that, once i had ruby and was at home more often i would have such a strong relationship with the lord and devote so much time to him. well, needless to say that hasn't happened. sadly, i think about it daily and even gear up for time with him.. and then it doesn't happen. i'm not sure why. it's like i don't know what to do.. what to read.. what to say.. or, honestly, why i do it. i know it sounds terrible, but i feel like i'm at this funky place where i don't even know what to do with my relationship with God. it's like i've gotten numb or something. so bad. and i miss it, but it's almost like i miss it because being in the word, praying, and walking with him are things i've known for a long time should be part of my life but not really because i remember what it feels like to have that full and rich connection to him. on the bright side, i do feel like i'm slowly shaking off this weirdness and missing God for real, and in doing so it almost feels like i'm starting over with him in a way. and even though it feels funny, i like it. it's like i'm reestablishing what it means to be close to God for me, and i think that's good especially after growing up in the church and getting "programmed" in christianity in some ways. nevertheless, i guess it's a process, so be prepared to hear more about that over time.

as for a little update about life for us, things are great. daniel is enjoying his job at hhgregg, and he's continued to be his stand-up self which is in turn helping him to succeed in his sales. i have started watching a sweet little girl named lilley one day a week, and i'm enjoying hanging out with her mom a bit on those days. we've also started going to a church called visio dei that we're really enjoying.. we've started going to a home group once a week through the church as well, and that's helping us to meet some more friends and feel more at home at church. of course, ruby is still the sweetest thing around and is growing like crazy. she is so fun and i'm thankful that my days never have a dull second being with her. we're so thankful that she's healthy and thriving.. she lights up our lives every day. we love being closer to our families, but there are definitely california friends we miss.. wouldn't it be wonderful to have everyone you love in one town?? we moved into an apartment a couple miles from where daniel works, so that's convenient since we're still working with one car. it's nice having our own space, but there are definitely days when i miss living in the mehaffie house. we're so blessed, and there's not a thing we can complain about.

thanks for keeping up with us.. i was excited to see that our blog even has followers! i couldn't believe it. hopefully i'll be motivated to do some crafty things soon.. and when that happens, i'll post about that too.

now, i'll let some pictures do the talking.


a little family time at the nc state fair.


the little froggie getting some love from grams on halloween.


the happiest frog i know.


i just can't get enough of that face.


d turned 26!


auntie v came to town.


loving on the little girl.


ruby got to meet her gigi during family weekend in boone.


a little bonding time with poppop. :)


a temple cry played an awesome concert at the high country praise festival. rubes made a great mascot.


excited to see kirbside and chris.


getting a little love from mimi.

where have i been?

i just noticed that this is the second post in a row that i've titled with a question. hm.

well, not that i think i have a ton of blog followers, but for those of you who do read, i'm sorry i've been mia for so long! life has been a little hectic, but i'm hoping to get things together soon so that i can return to thinking straight, crafts, and blogging. i've been keeping up with a ton of blogs, but i haven't been maintaining my own. i'm so slack i don't really even have any new pictures on my computer of the rubes to show you guys! wow. well, just a heads up that hopefully soon i'll be adding something on here for your viewing pleasure.

for now, just enjoy this video clip. :)

our president.

could people be any more awesome?

i have been very addicted to reading blogs lately.. especially craft blogs. i really want to start being more crafty and attempt more often to make things that i would normally buy. anyway, i was just watching a video on this blog, and man, i was just overwhelmed with how awesome people are. i mean, in tons of ways, but especially in how we have the ability to create. in the fact that we have been given that ability. seriously. God did not have to allow this. he could have made us totally dependent on a select few or any number of constricting things, but instead he allowed us to think so deeply and wildly and to make things. i love that.. and i love that he has given me the the desire to do it.

it hit me yesterday that everyone's got something.. and by something i mean something going on in their life that's hard. that hurts. that's uniquely difficult for them, and that they may or may not share, but regardless, it's there.

sharon and i ran into a family friend/supporter of theirs at sam's yesterday, and after she talked with them it hit me. the wife has health issues and was walking around sam's with an empty cart she didn't intend to use because she needs it for support to walk around. i'm not sure exactly what it was about that knowledge that did it. maybe just being around so many different people during our travels in the past weeks, having lots of different conversations, has brought to mind that life is heavy and tough for us all at times. even if things seem to be going well in a lot of areas, odds are there will be at least something happening that's not easy, or good, something that tests us. usually we can either look at our lives, or someone else's, and think that our or their "something" is worse, less bearable. and if it's theirs that's worse maybe there's a strange comfort in that that we wouldn't necessarily admit. for instance, i've seen the story of "matt, liz, and madeline" on tv a couple times and i've started following his blog. in short, matt's wife liz died from a massive blood clot 27 hours after she gave birth to their daughter madeline, and matt has been blogging about his and madi's life together since then. my heart feels so heavy for him, but in the midst of that i am thankful. thankful that it's not me that's experiencing that.. or daniel. his "something" is worse than mine. it's harder and heavier, and although i feel compassion for him i wouldn't trade my life for his. that's ugly, but it is the truth. i think all of us can probably think of someone, a number of people, whose life we wouldn't trade.

i'm not sure what i'm saying here, i guess just expressing some thoughts i've been having that maybe don't have any real point, but here they are anyway.

i guess, although i honestly don't feel this way much (because i'm so human), the fact that we all have something.. struggles, sicknesses, sadness... makes me look forward to heaven (and also mourn for the people who aren't going). because once we get there we won't have them anymore.. any of the somethings. jesus will take them away. i want to say i fully believe that he can do that here, but i don't just 'cause i don't believe any of us would allow him to actually take these things from us fully.. i wish we would, but i think sometimes we want to hold onto them for some strange reason.. or we don't know enough about or believe enough in jesus to believe that he actually could carry them for us totally even before we get to heaven. sad. but it does make me thankful. it's impossible to imagine, but i do believe there's a place that he's preparing for us where there's no pain, no darkness, only praising him forever and ever. amen. and i know it will be good.. even with this teeny human mind of mine.

so since this realization of "everyone has something", i've been trying to pray. pray differently, that is. pray for people who i know or don't know and their "somethings". and to be easier on them. easier on people instead of getting frustrated with their attitudes, driving, and other things that can aggravate me, but instead to see them like i want to be seen. as someone who is just trying to get through life despite my "somethings", and who needs kindness even from strangers.. because we can never ever know just what someone else is going through, so i think it's best just to treat each other the best we possibly can and wait for that day when jesus comes.

site stolen...

i saw this on the galloway's blog and thought it would be cool to try.

here's the signature i made...



try it out... make your own signature.

two month update...

ruby had her two month well child check-up today. it went well, other than the three shots she got in her two little legs. :( she weighs 9.13 pounds and is 22 1/2 inches long; which is on the small side of the average for kids her age, but the doctor said she's looking perfect and growing right on track.

at two months, ruby...

-smiles and is trying very hard to get a giggle out.
-loves to fall asleep lying on someone's chest, but usually wakes up right when you put her down no matter how hard it seemed like she was sleeping.
-has slept through the night on many occasions, and almost always wakes up right on the dot three hours after she last ate (it always amazes me).
-is very alert and looks like a cute little turtle when she lifts her head up and looks around while she's lying on her tummy.
-still has blue eyes.. maybe they're here for good?
-is a good eater (like her daddy) and takes a long time to wake up (like her mama).
-can still wear newborn clothes.
-has the prettiest eyelashes and sneezes a lot and always twice in a row.
-is the sweetest baby and gets so much love sometimes it overwhelms me. :)

here's to the months ahead and the excitement we feel about seeing this little girl grow up.

new friends and a cute dress...

ruby has been meeting a lot of new people since we moved to north carolina. we're so thankful to have her closer to so many people we love.

here's the girl with our friends keith and jessica richardson. they just got married at the end of may and they were so sweet to come over and love on the rubes for an hour or so. keith is about to take the north carolina board to officially become a practicing lawyer, and we're so excited for this new opportunity for our friend who works so hard.


and here she is screaming her head off for our friend nate. this happened all three times we handed her to him during his visit. i think he just caught her at a bad time, but i have to say that it made for a hilarious night. nate is about to take a trek back to his home state of california and of course we're sad to see him go... and obviously so is ruby. :)


and here's a new favorite of mine of ruby wearing a really cute outfit and a very big smile.


lastly, here is a picture of ruby meeting my friend janelle from college. as you can see, ruby found janelle's upper arm much more enjoyable than a boring pacifier. :) there is a video to get the full effect, but i'm having a hard time uploading it so that will come later.

kids' exhange & saturday farmer's market...

rockie and i ventured out early friday morning without the baybays and braved the madness at the twice annual nc kids exchange. we got there about 15 minutes before the doors opened and the line was already wrapped halfway around the building. i have never in my life seen so much stuff in one gigantic room. i was really impressed by what there was to find for quite a steal, and rockie and i made out like bandits.



that pile of clothes looks deceivingly small in this picture, but it really is a ton. i got all of this stuff for about $62.00. all of the clothes were $1.00 each! i definitely felt like a mom walking out with $62.00 spent and all of it for the rubes, but i was so thankful for God's provision by making so much available for such a low price. it was great to spend some time bargain shopping with rockie and sifting through our purchases in line making sure that we really needed everything we picked out. great way to spend a friday morning... and i think d felt like a real dad and uncle being at home for a few hours with both kiddies. :)

to continue a great weekend, daniel and i met our friend jessica at the local farmer's market this morning. it was super hot outside and the place was packed, but it was fun being out with ruby and supporting local farmers. i racked up on tomatoes, sweet potatoes, jalapenos, watermelon, basil, sweet corn, eggplant, and squash. my favorite part was coming home to shuck my corn on the back porch right before the afternoon rain started to pour and then standing by the kitchen sink watching the rain and eating raw sweet corn. i felt like a little farm girl. :)



this is a picture of the truck bed that i bought my corn out of. it really made me feel like i was back in the south!



and the finished product.

what's new...

a few new things in our life...



it turns out ruby is really cute (not so new), and she can drive. :)



ruby now lives much much closer to her mimi and gp... and she's loving it.



little jack kelly strickland came into the world. here he is with his good looking parents kelly and kristin. :)



ruby had her first two plane flights and did GREAT!



isaac and ruby are well on their way to cousin best friendship. :)



we've developed a new love for pacifiers and babies are our new favorite form of entertainment. :)



refreshing sunshine after summertime rain showers.

it's only been a little over a week, but we're already enjoying life in nc and all of the newness it brings.

cousies...

the meeting...



we're finally in raleigh, and luke, rockie, and isaac were able to meet sweet ruby madeline the day after we arrived. i can't wait to see how close these little best friend cousins are going to be! they look a lot different in size right now, but before long it'll be easy to tell just how close in age they are.

we love our family.

crisis...

i’m realizing that i don’t know exactly who i am. i’m not sure how many people know exactly who they are, but since college i’ve been at quite a loss when it comes to my identity. i guess i’m seeing that who i have been for most of my life has been wrapped around other people, clubs, activities, churches, and other things that i’ve been involved in or with. since graduating, marrying, moving, and mothering i feel more and more like i’m not sure what defines me. i want to be able to confidently say that i know who i am in Christ and that it's enough for me, but if i said that it wouldn’t be true. i don’t know who i am in Christ- there, that’s the truth. i don’t know my spiritual gifts. i don’t know my strengths in Him or who He’s been trying to make me through all that i’ve been through in my life. i love being a wife, a sister, a daughter, a best friend, a mom, but i don’t want any of those things to be all that i am. i want to know who i am. i want to not compare myself to other people and try to mirror little bits of myself to what i like in others. i don’t want to think that getting a new pair of glasses is going to give me a different image and make me seem more artsy, quirky, cool, or different. i don’t want to care about the clothes i have or wonder what kind of person or personality people assume i have when they see me. i think moving to california was the start of my identity crisis. i think starting over in such a big way like we did moving there can do that to just about anyone- at least that’s what i tell myself. going to a new place to work, being a new wife, starting a new church- it’s just overwhelming knowing that you’re giving a first impression to every single person you meet. knowing that each and every person you run into, work with, church with, talk to, is coming up with their own idea of who you are- especially if you’re not really sure yourself. i don’t think i’m the only person who feels this way. i mean, who doesn’t like to know what someone’s first impression of you was? it does something to us to find that out. i think, in most cases, it changes, at least on some level, how we think of ourselves. i’ve become a pretty firm believer that no one knows you better than someone else. supposedly we’re supposed to know ourselves the best, but i think since being married i’ve really realized that daniel probably knows me a lot better than i know myself. sure, there are things from my past that we haven’t been married long enough for me to have told him yet (stories, quirks, likes, dislikes, etcetera), but as far as who i really am and the things i think about myself as opposed to what’s really true, well, i think he probably knows those better than i do. anyone can say they are who they want to be, but how we operate tells the real story… there’s just no denying that.
so i say all of that to say that i’m trying to figure it out… who i am that is. and i’m trying to motivate myself out of laziness and lack of self discipline to spend more time with the Lord and work harder to find my identity in Him and who He’s created me to be… i just don’t want to waste that. i don’t want to live thinking i’m purposed to be a certain way and miss out on the truth. i just want to be as useful as i can for Him, and confident, so that i can pass that on to my sweet baby girl and the people around me.
so God, please help me. reveal to me through my time with you, your word, and my interaction with others who i am to be in you. what gifts you’ve given me uniquely. the ways i can serve you that others can’t. help me to be useful for you. burden my heart with what is heavy on yours and don’t allow me to go through a day without pricking my heart in some way to seek you on someone’s behalf. literally make my life a vessel that contains your spirit, your mercy, your forgiveness and grace, your patience and passion, and most importantly your love. don’t stop until you’ve got it right. i know it’s a process, but i’m willing and i believe you are too.

Philippains 1:6

and i am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

to be sure you know...

as most of you who regularly read our blog or keep in touch with us already know, in less than two weeks this part of the mehaffie clan will be heading back to the east coast. i really don't think it's fully hit us yet just HOW soon that is, and i say that because the majority of what we own is not yet packed. i guess on the other hand we are pretty prepared as we already have plan tickets, a rental truck, and a place to say once we get to nc lined up... so we're getting there. it truly is surreal to think about where we've been and where we're going. daniel and i look at one another very often in disbelief of all the change we've experienced in the last few years we've had together. our little baby is the sweetest thing, and we're so thankful for her, but we really can't believe it.

ruby is teaching us a lot already. i've heard so many times that you'll never realized how selfish you are until you get married and then again once you have a baby... i'm finding this to be true. there's nothing else to say but that ruby needs us. she can't survive with out us... well without us or at least someone who will take care of her little self. we're sustaining her life. if she cries she needs something, and we have to figure out what it is and give it to her or there will be a deficit in her that's unfulfilled. she has to eat, she has to be changed and bathed, she has to sleep and be warm.. and we have the means to give her all of this. it's pretty amazing, but it's also tiring. she needs so much, and we still want a lot ourselves that, quite honestly, has to get pushed aside sometimes until what she needs is worked out. it's ok, but it's strange being suddenly thrown into a world where i'm after a little tiny baby. sometimes she'll wake up in the middle of the night making sounds and ready to eat and i'll feel annoyed, i'll want to role over, but then i pick her up and see that little face and i remember why i love her so much and how thankful i am that she does need me. i watched oprah on friday and it was an episode all about motherhood... a lot of mothers from all walks of life and areas of the US vented and told funny and heartfelt truths about their lives as moms... one mom even admitted that she peed into a diaper on a long roadtrip because both kids were asleep in the backseat and she couldn't stop. hilarious. but it got me thinking about how many stories like that daniel and i will accumulate over the years. how many times we'll have to sacrifice us for her.. and the other kids to come. :) it's humbling, but also exciting, and i think there's a lot to learn from this chapter in life. to be able to love something so unconditionally, especially when all it does is take from and need you. to think about how God does this everyday... how He's doing this for me now as i need so much from him but have a hard time taking time to give myself back to Him a priority. to think that He's still blessing and giving to our family when it's pretty much the last thing we deserve from Him. it's a lesson i'm sure i'll keep learning. i'm touched to know that i'm not alone in learning and frequently failing at parenthood, daughterhood, friendhood, sisterhood, wifehood (all of the hood's :))... and i want to keep looking at it that way and being honest. i want to remember so that i can share my heart with other parents so that none of us feel alone or judged. anything that i feel has been felt and overcome before... remind yourself of that too, and reach out to someone if ever you feel like you're the only one experiencing something. you're not, and the Lord placed you in the world so that you wouldn't be alone. minister to someone. open yourself up so that you and someone else can learn. it can be hard, but it feels good. as the late MJ would say "you are not alone.. i am here with you..." :)

i know a lot of people don't have facebook, and i can't take the time to put all of our pictures of ruby and what not on our blog, so i started an online picasa web album (thanks, meri!). have a look...

picasa

but i just can't resist including this one. :)

sweet ruby...

since we don't have the internet at home it's a little tough for us to update as much as we'd like... luke and rockie have been so great at putting "ruby news" on their blog, so check here:

so say we all

and you might just find the latest pictures or videos of her if they're not here. :)

p.s. thanks east coast mehaffie's for keeping everyone in the loop when we can't. <3

__________________________

here's a little video of the girl very soon after her debut.

and here is a slew of pictures from the first few days....

a little puffy, but not too shabby after pushing a baby out of my body, if i do say so myself. :)

sweet girl in the warmer right after being born. look at that icky umbilical cord!

cute little heart-shaped thermometer.

aunt v taking it all in. what a help she was during ruby's birth!

already such a good dad... seriously.


the family!

the little peanut going for her first ride in the carseat.


just can't get enough.

going for a ride in the amazing sling mimi made.


daniel couldn't wait to try it out.

a little nervous about the no hands idea.


and lastly, a little sleep in the bassinet that's been used by every baby in my family since i was born. what a sweet girl we made. :)

well, there will be a lot more stories and pictures to come, but that's all i have the energy to put up for now. thanks to everyone who has loved and been excited about the arrival of ruby madeline. she's is already such a joy and we're more thankful than i can type for the Lord's blessing of a speedy deliver and a healthy baby girl.