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I organized a brunch at the Salty Paws Diner to celebrate my dear friend Alicia Robinson! Other than Alicia and I, in attendance was Mrs. Pearl Phillips (the wife of Pastor Phillips!), Mrs. Alena Kuang (Hadley's mom!), and Mrs. Nancy Brock, a (relative) newcomer to our church community. She moved herself and her kids to Brindleton Bay after the passing of her husband a few years ago, and it has been such a joy to get to know her at events like this one. It wasn't much of a baby shower, since Alicia is expecting her 7th, but us ladies still had a wonderful time eating, fellowshipping, and praying for her. We're all so excited for her little one to be born!

Oh, how I miss having newborns of my own! I could have enjoyed my first granddaughter's newborn stage, but Sadie practically keeps Sylvie under lock and key and has since the day she was born. She texted me a few months ago to share that she's expecting again, and I'm already preparing to never see this new blessing just as I never see Sylvie. But I shouldn't be surprised. Ever since she got married, she's never had time for her poor mother. She even left the show! It's not right of her to estrange herself this way, especially when we're such a prominent family in our community and in the world. I don't know what I did wrong. I just have to pray Sadie comes to her senses soon and entrust my hurt feelings with the Lord.

mrs.sadie.nicholson 🔒 Morning bumpdate with baby 💞 Only a few weeks left until Sylvie's a big sister!

As always, I am in awe of Colin's enterprising spirit! With a family of eight and prices rising every day, a little extra cash is never unwelcome. He's really been pushing himself to meet our needs in that regard. While he's still on the typical business management track during the days, every night for the past month he's been hard at work creating an advice course for Christian family men; specifically, Christian men who want to boost their earnings and career potential. He has so much valuable insight with regards to the corporate world and the real estate world, too, now that we manage three(!) rental units. (Yep, we ended up closing on that renovated old home just a little while ago.) It's pretty scary to owe this much money to the bank, but Colin's assured me it will turn out just fine.

After Colin finishes up with one last bit of fine tuning, he plans to sell this course across the internet and within our church network. I can't pretend to know what in the world he's talking about most of the time, but I'm just grateful that he's providing!

(L-R: Lauren (15) holding Evan (4), Lucy (12), Pastor George (42), Pearl (36) holding Ethan (0), Justin (10) and Ellen (7) Phillips)

Speaking of our church network, I feel so grateful to be part of this beautiful faith community. Our former pastor was a great guy, but unfortunately, his father-in-law got seriously sick, and for the sake of his wife he decided to move his family back to Willow Creek. The new man in charge, Pastor Phillips, is a real mover and shaker. He's been making some noise about getting a group together to promote Christian values and encourage likeminded families in their walks with Christ, but it hasn't gained a lot of traction yet. Whether that works out or not, we couldn't be more grateful to know his family.

He's also been calling in all sorts of interesting speakers. He calls it "Speaker Series Saturday" and it covers a range of topics, from theology all the way down to practical parenting. Some people at church have been bristling because it's 'too fussy,' whatever that means, but personally I find it all so soothing. Especially with a recession looming! In these troubled times, a little Biblical wisdom certainly isn't unwelcome.

Today we attended the wedding of Pastor and Mrs. Phillips' eldest daughter, Lauren! She married a very nice Christian man, Chase Gardner, whose family has been attending Brindleton Bay Baptist for the last fifty years. She'll stay at home to take care of any children they're blessed with, and he'll provide for their family through his very prestigious job at Gardner Bank here in town. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Chase Alden Gardner!

Never have I had to put as much trust in Him as I have had to these past few weeks. As I've mentioned before, Colin and I were using various contraceptive methods to put our family on "pause" while we figured out next steps--first with my body's recovery and later when the economy took a downswing and he lost his job. Well, I should have known better to put my faith in the kind of man-made technology that divides us from God's plans rather than brings us closer to Him...

...because I'm pregnant again.

I can't lie: when I found out, I was absolutely terrified. I even hid it from Colin for several days in the shameful hope that it'd just go away if I didn't think about it. I had no idea how we were going to manage another baby, financially speaking. (Praise God Stephen's already two years old, so we won't have multiple newborns like we did a few years back). Both kids' rooms have enough space for us to wedge another crib in there, but our savings have been severely depleted by Colin's season of unemployment and I honestly was afraid for our future.

Then I had a conversation that changed everything. The lovely Pearl Phillips--Pastor Phillips' wife--heard about our struggles and dropped by with some home-cooked freezer meals. At first I was so embarrassed that people had heard about our personal difficulties--not to mention that she had seen the mess the house and I were in--but she was so kind, not just in word but in deed. She gave me the harsh wake-up call I needed about God's role in our life. I realized right then and there that I had been focusing on all the wrong things: perfection in worldly matters, like having a husband with a fancy job title, children dressed in stylish clothing, a home decked out in the latest trends. Really, I should have been focusing on perfection in Heavenly matters, like obeying God's commandments and living our lives in a manner pleasing to Him. We prayed together and she shared a conviction God had laid on Pastor Phillips' heart--that our family would help create the Institute for Strong Christian Standards, this little group they were trying to start with a few other couples. I was so touched to hear that my experience in design and child development and Colin’s experience in business management would be valuable, not to mention quite intrigued.

When she went home Colin and I combed feverishly through the proposal packet she had given us. We looked at each other and we just knew our whole lives had to change. In an instant we committed to leaving our family size up to God, to dressing in a way that was truly modest, and to redoubling our efforts to honor Him. The very next day, we signed on and got to work building the ISCS.