The Season of Lent

*This is a combination of several past posts...see originals here and here. 

image source

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season.  Do you celebrate the season of Lent?  Do you know what Lent is? 

Growing up in a Baptist church, I never celebrated or even knew what Lent was until high school.  A mentor of mine then explained what Lent was and the meaning and traditions of Lent.  Since I’ve been introduced to it, I love this season and when taken seriously, believe that it is a wonderful time of spiritual renewal.  Jeremy and I celebrate each year together, as Lent was an important part of his church in high school.  

The season of Lent is a forty day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter.  It is a season that is reminiscent of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness and a time for Christians to fast and prepare their hearts for Easter.  When calculating the forty days of Lent, Sundays are not included because each Sunday is considered a “little Easter”, a celebration of the resurrection. It is intended to be a time for Christians to prepare themselves for the coming celebration the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  It is a time to follow Jesus to the cross, and remember the sacrifice that He made for us.  During the passion week, the week before Easter, I love to read through all Christ did the week prior to His crucifixion.  It helps to make Easter more meaningful and focused. 

Lent is a special, intentional time for Christians to become engaged in the process of spiritual renewal.  “Lent is a time to increase the things of the spirit, and decrease the things of the flesh”.  Traditionally, Lent is observed by fasting, often from meat.  However, you can fast from anything that is distracting your attention from your spiritual needs.  It could be food, coffee, a certain activity, a certain tv show, tv altogether, facebook, or something else that you feel the Lord guiding you to sacrifice during this season.  Remember that in comparison to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross, even the hardest thing for us to sacrifice is really insignificant.

So, as we begin this journey towards the passion and Easter, how can you be intentional in your walk with the Lord?  I was listening to the radio and one of my favorite professors, Ben Gutierrez was preaching.  He said something that made me stop and really think and repent.  He said, “You can’t count on past mountaintop experiences to carry you through in your relationship with the Lord.”  Do you ever do that?  Do you ever count on those times with Jesus when He feels so close, so personal, so alive IN you, to carry you over to the next week or the next month, or the next retreat when you experience that mountaintop again?  I don’t want to live mountaintop to mountaintop, but instead everyday experiencing the power of the Glory.  I’m being intentional about the daily walk.  I must be, for He is the reason that I live and the Savior of my soul. May this Lenten season be one where I refocus on being wholly devoted, drawing closer to Him. 

Will you join me in preparing your heart for the intentional celebration of the resurrection?  Lent begins today, and I hope you will prayfully consider how you can celebrate this season in your own life.

Kitchen Dreaming

With the baby on the way, Jeremy and I are beginning to get house fever...not that we are going to buy any time soon, but we've started looking around just for the fun of it.  I'm quickly realizing that whenever we do decide to buy, no house is going to be a perfect fit (unless you build).  Perhaps I'll never have that dream "Pinterest" house, but the kitchen is one area that I would someday like to invest money.  I love pretty kitchens!  Here's one that is in Martha Stewart's guest house in Maine built using the Martha Stewart cabinets at Home Depot.

Check out more beautiful pictures of this kitchen here

26 Weeks

How Far Along?  I'm 26 weeks and 6 days in this picture

Feeling/Symptoms?  This week I've been feeling so big.  I feel like I can't get around anymore and it isn't any fun.  I'll be honest, the reality of gaining weight and being uncomfortable all of the time is catching up with me.  I LOVE feeling Savannah move and kick, but I can't really say at this point that I'm loving being pregnant. 

Doctor's Appointment:  My last Dr.'s appointment was a big one in my eyes.  I have been researching and reading about birth and labor and wanted to talk to my doctor about all of my options.  After talking with her, I have decided that I want to have as natural of a childbirth as possible.  If you are pregnant or are just curious, I suggest you check out the documentary "The Business of Being Born" (it's on Netfix).  It totally changed my thoughts and feeling son childbirth.  I have always been TERRIBLE at dealing with pain (seriously, I'm the baby when it comes to pain), and just always assumed that I would have an epidural because I couldn't handle labor and delivery   This documentary plus all the additional reading I've done has reminded me that my body was designed to do this very thing, and that I have to prepare myself both physically and mentally for labor.  I'm "training" so to speak right now, and I pray that I am able to have a safe and intervention free natural child birth. 

Food Cravings/Aversions: I have had some weird cravings this week.  I've not craved much of anything in the past month or so, but this week I was really wanting Chicken Fried Rice Chicken Helper (you know, the Hamburger Helper boxes but you use chicken instead), and Pop Tarts.  I brought home Pop Tarts today and Jeremy thought it was Christmas :)  I've never bought Pop Tarts for us before, so this was a real treat for him too :). 

25 Weeks

I have been so bad at posting weekly update pictures. I already regret this and wish I could go back and snap those photos.  I'm going to try my very best to get back on the band wagon though.

This past weeks marked 25 weeks of pregnancy.  So much has changed since I last posted at 16 weeks.  I am blessed to be feeling Savannah move and kick.  What a joy that is to experience.  I started feeling some slight movements around week 18 I believe and it has just gotten more intense since then.  The week of Christmas was the first time I felt her move with my hand on the outside of my belly.  I was laying in bed and I still remember that first sweet kick.  Jeremy felt her move for the first time a week or two later.

I have had such a difficult time sleeping.  I have always slept on my stomach so sleeping on my side has been a big challenge for me.  I can't get comfortable and I always wake up several times a night with my arm or hand being asleep.  I can't figure out what I am suppose to do with the arm that is underneath the side I am lying on.

I get physically tired much more quickly now.  But overall I feel really good!  So far I seem to be on track and I'm really taking the time right now to read and research and learn about the birthing process and preparing myself for that journey.

My Goals for 2013 {and free printable}

In 2012, I decided to have New Year's Goals broken down into specific priority or focus areas of my life.  I really liked doing this and believe it helped me stay focused and motivated for most of the year.  I'm attempting it again this year.  I've modified the monthly goal printable I created, and wrote out my specific goals for 2013.  See last years post about goal setting for more info!

Click here to download a FREE blank copy of the Goals for 2013 worksheet.

Click here to download a FREE blank copy of the MONTHLY goals worksheet.

Click the link above to download a blank copy like the one below to plan out your own goals for 2013.

Books to Read in 2013

I always like to start in January with a list of books to read in the coming year.  (See my list for 2011 and 2012).

2012 has brought many many changes in our lives.  Life happened and I just didn't get to read all of my 2012 reading list.  You know, starting grad school, becoming a teacher, and getting pregnant took up a lot of time :).

This year, I know that I'll have issues making time with a new baby arriving, more grad school, and continuing teaching.  I'm trying to be more realistic with my reading goal.  I don't like not meeting goals, so I'll only have 6 books on my list for this year.  I think that will be manageable and realistic for this season of life.

1. Loving the Little Years
2. The Ministry of Motherhood
3. Shepherding a Child's Heart
4. What to Expect When Your Expecting
5. Margin
6. A fiction book that I've yet to decide on :)


These are the books that I successfully read in 2012-
1. Made to Crave
2. Women Reaching Women
3. The Money Saving Mom's Budget
4. Total Money Makeover (Re-read sections that we are currently working at on our journey towards becoming debt free)
5. The Hunger Games
6. Catching Fire
7. Mockingjay


Reading Now- (All re-reads)
1. The Family
2. A Wife After God's Own Heart
3. A Lineage of Grace

Compare to my to-read list for 2012

Monthly Goal Printable

Have you started planning your goals and resolutions for 2013?  I've made another monthly goal printable to use in 2013.  The printable breaks down into several different specific areas that I will have goals for in each month.  It may or may not work for you according to what your specific goals are for the year, but I thought I would share in case you find it helpful!

Click on the picture below to download your copy!

Christmas Home Tour 2012

Welcome!  I'm so excited for this year's Christmas Tour of Homes!  I love simple, natural Christmas decor and have tried to incorporate that into our home.  Our decorations are very similar to last year's- take a look here.

Our tree is decorated with homemade wax paper garland, many homemade ornaments, and cheap finds.

And one of my "older" favorites...

I've kept our gift wrapping simple as well- natural color scheme and as low cost as possible.  I found the kraft paper with white flowers at the Dollar Tree, the gold and the cream paper at a local shop called Sandy's Country Christmas for .99, and am also using a roll of butcher paper from Lowes that is normally used for contractors.  I got a HUGE roll that will last years for about $7. 

I sewed little pouches for some smaller gifts using an old music book.

And made gift tags using this font

Another favorite is our handmade drop cloth material stockings.  We had to add a new stocking this year for our Savannah- due in May!

My stocking has my great grandmother's pin on it that I wore on my wedding dress

Savannah's stocking has a fabric flower I made from scrap material from my wedding dress (from where it was hemmed)

And Jeremy's stocking is laden with a simple wooden button.

Here are a few other decorations around the house

pillow cover from Dear Lillie

I have linked up to

http://cottagemagpie.com/christmas-parade-welcome/

16 Weeks

16 weeks and I'm starting to really look pregnant :)

I'm loving some hand me down maternity clothes that a friend gave me!

Her Name

This Thanksgiving, we are so thankful for our little girl on the way.  We've chosen to share her name with family and friends today!  

We have chosen the name Savannah Leslie Jenkins.  We love the name Savannah for it's southern charm and because that is the city we visited for our honeymoon.  The middle name, Leslie, is a family name from Jeremy's side.  It is his dad's middle name, was his grandfather's middle name, and was his great-grandfather's first name.  We are glad to be able to pass it to a fourth generation.