Well, the cat's out of the bag...

1. I am pregnant.
2. It's a boy.
3. We are moving to Chicago.

Since most of you are probably most astounded by number 3, let's start there.

It's been a whirlwind and a very strange string of events.

We have family and friends in Chicago that we got to visit this summer.  During one of our drives I turned to Billy and said, "Wouldn't it be amazing to live here near Ray & Sarah, and be part of this incredible church plant [with people we know/getting to know from Raleigh]??"  To which he replies, "Yes.  But I don't have a JOB in Chicago and we just bought a HOUSE in Wake Forest."  Both valid points.

Fast forward 6 months, a random phone call for a work from home position based out of Chicago, a whirlwind of an interview, and a senior management job offer on the spot later - we found ourselves with a [slightly unwanted] job opportunity in Chicago.  The job they interviewed him for was not what they wanted to hire him for, thus asking Billy and our family to relocate to Chicago.

CRAZY, RIGHT?!

After much prayer, late late LATE talks through every scenario, and a last minute trip to Chicago (in the middle of vortex number 2), we felt like it was an obvious YES to move to Chicago.

Shew.  It is so so hard to leave.  Billy and I have both lived here for over 20 years.  Most of our parents are here.  We are leaving behind our beloved church family and our most precious friends, some we have known over 15 years.  But we also know that what lies ahead is a sweet sweet blessing for our family, an adventure and opportunity for our family to grow deeper with the Lord as we depend on Him in an unfamiliar place.  We are also moving into an unknown territory in Billy's career as he will now be home 99% of the time.  When we first got married and for the first 6 months of Luke's life he was literally gone every. single. week.  Him being home is huge for us, as we welcome baby #3.  While a blessing I am sure it will bring on a new set of challenges as we have never actually lived with one another longer than 14 days.  Ok maybe 20 :)

There are many ways in which the Lord has already gone before us and for that we are so so grateful.  Truly, the details of how this has all played out is quite incredible.  A few things we are most thankful for is our sister and brother in law + nieces will live relatively close, we were provided a personal reference OB for baby boy 3 from our current OB, and we already have a church we will be able to call family.  There is also a homeschool CO OP that I was wanting to participate in with Luke next year here in Raleigh....and there is one in the same suburb in which we are hoping to move.  So thankful!!

Here are a few answers to questions in which we have been asked recently....

Billy's new company will take care of our house to sell and buy out if needed.
They will move us.  And our cars.  And our dog.
His new start date is March 10.
We are moving before said start date.  Please note that is in exactly 1 month.  AHH!!!
We will probably take a trip to Chicago this weekend to find a 6 month rental until we better know the area.
WE ARE NUTS!  And it is only by God's grace that I do not end every day in a puddle of emotions on my kitchen floor eating chocolate cake and ice cream.
Thankfully I'm just sticking to the chocolate cake and ice cream portion of that last statement...

The Handmade Christmas List

I love crafting.  And I love gift giving.  And as we approach the holidays and the season to give, I don't think there's anything sweeter than a thought-out gift from the heart.  Below you'll find a list of my favorite DIY Christmas gifts, complements of Pinterest of course :)  Once the holidays are over and gifts have been given, I'll share pictures of my version of the below gifts!

Snow White Costume

This is a link to a FREE PRINTABLE TUTORIAL for a 2T-3T Snow White Costume.  Pair this with the Snow White storybook (on Amazon Prime for less than $4.00)!

Olliblocks

These Olliblocks are one of my favorites, though you do have to pay for the Printable.  However, they have a starter set that includes 4 different character sets which is the most economical of the options.  Grab a little Mod Podge and be on your way!

Sleeping Bag

This free tutorial is another favorite, and I'm hoping to use this for my boys.  Though with all the other handmade goodies in the works it might just have to wait until their birthdays!

Personalized Serving Plate

Ok seriously?  Too cute and oh so easy.  Makes a great hostess gift!!

Personalized Coffee Mug

This didn't come with a tutorial other than a tag line, "Paint Pen on a Dollar Store mug!"  So, I tried it out myself, and so so easy + adorable.  I used scrapbooking stickers and dotted away!  I packed it in a box full of K Cups my Keurig loving sister in law :)  

And lastly, 

Custom Coasters

I've seen these done with Scrapbook Paper, but I love this for grandparents or those that have been to really awesome places with great pictures.  

Do you have any favorite DIY gifts?? 

I Want What I Want

Lately in our home we have been talking in much detail about worry and trust.  Our first born is a worrier and can be a bit controlling.  A rule follower to his core, and everything he does is with a plan in mind.  This is fun at times, comical others.  And sometimes very irritating.  Stepping back I see that at the very end of it, it is worry.  Worry that things aren't going to go his way; things might not go according to his plan.  What if...  There's not enough... But I want... That's not how we....

At the end of the day it is worry that he's not going to get what he wants, that it's not going to go the way he planned.  A trust issue.

And this week as I stared down at 6 little faces from Compassion International in need of a one time emergency gift I was worried.  I didn't trust.  I didn't believe we could help because..
what if we could use that money for Christmas gifts.
There's not enough to pay for them and also new tires, oil changes, etc.
But I really wanted to buy the materials for Billy to build our dining room table.
That's not how we budgeted that money.

And I see that I have the same trust issue.  I worry.  Will there be enough, Lord?  This is not what I wanted.  This wasn't my plan.  And while keeping the kids pictures out on the counter for a few days in hopes that I might have a change in heart and stop being so selfish my husband walked in with a check from a doctor he saw over 2 years ago.  Enough to cover every one of those children's immediate needs.

So this evening as I wait for my absolutely lovely Bible Study ladies to arrive I am filled with praise.  Praise that my God is the God who provides.  And breaks the chains of worry.  And reminds me that even when I don't want to and I am stuck on wanting what I want when I want it.... He is still God.  And He has not finished His work in me.

"Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness." Psalm 37:3

Sick season is upon us...

And I am determined to keep our family healthy!  Or as healthy as possible...

I used to pride myself in the fact that since having kids we had never experienced ear infections or stomach bugs.  Which was all because of my fantastically awesome parenting, of course.....  We were clean.  Neat.  Relatively good eaters.  Vitamin takers.  Herbalife drinkers.  Ear infections?  Throw up?  Unheard of in the Grimme house.  

And then.  The month of our move out of Cary it started happening.  My 3 year old stopped sleeping well.  Very whiney, all the time.  Irritable, not eating.  Wasn't paying attention or listening.  But it was all because of the move and the stress, right?  It did not even occur to me that he might have an ear infection, all he had was a runny nose and it was March, the month of runny noses.  And then one day, when I could not get his attention as he was standing just 10 feet away from Billy and I, it finally dawned on me.  It's not that he's not listening... I don't think he can hear me.  So I took him in to the doctor and they told me had "glue ear." In both ears.  And that he literally could not hear me.  It was like he had his fingers stuck in his ears.  How can this be, I asked... The response: he's probably had an ear infection for several weeks.  They kindly offered to check Everett's ears (1 year at the time) and sure enough.  Same thing.  In both ears.  Not MY kids!!  We don't DO ear infections, thank you very much.

Insert humility here, followed by a  month - MONTH - of 4 different antibiotics (google what antibiotics do to your kids attitudes and behavior.  Then picture that x2 while living in your parents house while searching for a new house) before we finally reached resolution of said glue ear.  Just in time for them to get a stomach virus.  !!!!!!  I remember a friend texting me the week they got the virus and it said, "I know this is random, but have your kids still never had the stomach flu?"  Funny you ask, my friend.... 

Throughout the process of getting rid of the glue ear, and keeping it away for a year I have found several helpful tips and tricks for not just [warding off] ear infections, but also boosting immunity and fighting off the common cold.  I am indeed a Pinterest junkie.  And very thankful for the website, www.keeperofthehome.org.  This is not to say we don't or won't ever get sick.  Or that their health is entirely dependent on me.  Sickness happens.  And the more involved they get in weekly activities, so will the sickness.  But, there are some things I can do along the way to minimize the sickness.  

First of all, I keep my kids on a daily vitamin C and Herbalife multi vitamin regimen.  They get a dose of each in the morning and if they're interested, ill give them a kids Herbalife smoothie or shake for a snack at some point throughout the day.  If they show any signs of colds, I bump up their vitamin C to twice a day.  *take note that not all vitamin C's are the same!  Go for something that is all natural, no artificial flavors OR colors and is made for kids.  Too much vitamin C can be harmful.  We always get ours at Trader Joes or Whole Foods.

Eat well.  By eating well I do not mean eating an exorbitant amount of food.  I mean watch what you eat.  The month of getting our house ready to go on the market, show it, sell it, move out of it, we did not eat well.  We ate out all the time, I bought a lot of pre made snacks so we could get out quickly.  We were constantly on the go.  I really think this contributed to just how sick we got.  Double up on the raw veggies, drink tons of water, avoid processed foods as much as possible.

Ear massage.  Sounds weird, but I am convinced it has helped release some fluid in their ears and prevented infection.  If they will sit in your lap to watch a show or read a book, gently place your finger in their ear and rub in a circular motion.  I have found that when either of my boys have a runny or stuffy nose, they welcome the ear massage.  And the most recent time I did this with my youngest (whom I was convinced had an ear infection), he had quite a waxy build up that had drained within 3 hours after me rubbing his ears for 10 minutes.  And we never ended up having to go to the doctor to check on his ears.  

Fluids fluids fluids!  I know they always say this when you're sick, but I feel like there are some misunderstandings about pumping fluids when sick.  Choose something low in acid and low in sugar.  Otherwise you will likely end up with an upset stomach combined with a lot of mucus.  For example: giving a full glass of orange juice to someone who just woke up and is extremely congested may result in throw up all over the floor.  I know this from experience.  STOP THE MILK.  Dairy is a mucus producer.  So drinking milk, or any quantity of dairy, is only going to produce more mucus.  Your child will survive without milk for a few days.  *obviously not for infants...as they get all sustenance from milk*. I recently found a great "tea" that you can easily make at home.  I will post the recipe below.  This is great for several reasons-honey and ginger in their raw form are both great as an immune booster and digestive health.  This is also a great throat and cough soother.  So, in the midst of getting those fluids in I definitely recommend this.  My boys love it.  

Chicken broth.  From cooking a real chicken.  While preparing canned soup is certainly easier, the age old advice of sipping chicken broth when sick won't prove profitable from canned soup.  The marrow from the chicken is an immune booster and is packed full of great vitamins and minerals which will help you heal more quickly.  A lot of the broth in canned soup isn's nearly as potent as homemade. The next time you eat a whole chicken for dinner, throw the bones in a pot covered with water, toss in a quartered onion and add some parsley.  Let it cook for a good 2-4 hours.  Strain your broth, and freeze it for another time.  

Do you have any health tips for this fall and winter???

As promised, Homemade Pop Tarts

One of the things I love about my husband is how versatile he is.  He is book smart but also street smart.  He loves to hunt, great at cooking.  He is a man's man, but a tender tender heart.  (I promise, I will get to the pop tarts).  A few years ago we decided to dive in to the world of canning, as we'd seen his parents and grandparents do.  There is no way I would continue canning if he didn't help me with it.    It is hard hard work, but worth the reward.  He really loves it as much as I do, and for that I am thankful!  Over the years we've learned how to make many jams and jellies, along with pie fillings, canned green beans, pickles, tomato sauce and more.  What I love about the jams and jellies is that they can be used for far more than spreading on a biscuit!  My boys like to use it as a topping to their oatmeal, I use apple jelly and butter on top of a pork recipe, and most of all...we love to stuff our homemade pop tarts with our home made jams and jellies!!

Below is the recipe we use from 100 Days of Real Food.  They are easily frozen so I tend to make them in bulk, with several different varieties.  This is a great food to let your kids help with.  Mine love to help roll out the dough, spread the jelly and press the ends down.  On the morning of, pop one in the toaster and voila!  Another fresh, warm breakfast at your service.  AND it's all real food.  Winning.  

Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries (a.k.a. Pop Tarts!)

SERVES: 7 – 8 TOASTER PASTRIES

ADAPTED FROM THE HOMEMADE PANTRY

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ¼ cup whole-wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup cold, unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• ½ cup water plus ice
• 1 egg beaten with a splash of water
• 7 – 8 tablespoons
• jam or jelly (we prefer either homemade jam or an all-fruit spread that’s sweetened with fruit juice concentrate as opposed to sugar or high-fructose corn syrup)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Put the flour and salt in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse it together briefly.
3. Meanwhile fill a glass measuring cup with ½ cup water and add a few ice cubes to it.
4. Take the cold butter straight out of the fridge and cut it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle the pieces of butter on top of the flour in the food processor. Be careful to spread out the butter as opposed to letting it all clump together in one piece.
5. Turn on the food processor and blend until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal. While the food processor is still running add ⅓ cup water through the top. Watch the dough come together and add 2 – 3 more teaspoons of water as needed so a dough ball will form. If some of the dough is in a ball and some is stuck to the sides that is okay…you can fix it with your hands. At this point the dough could be stored in the fridge in plastic wrap for up to 3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer safe container) for up to 6 months.
6. Remove the dough from the food processor and put it on a lightly floured counter or large cutting board. With a rolling pin (and another sprinkling of flour) flatten out the dough to one big rectangle or square that’s no more than a quarter inch thick. Trim any uneven ends and use those to patch other edges as necessary.
7. Using a knife cut out 14 to 16 rectangles of dough. Actually you could make them any shape or size that you want at this point. Lay half of your dough shapes onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Spoon about a tablespoon of jam down the middle of those bottom dough pieces.
8. Top them with matching dough shapes and seal around the edges by pushing down with a fork. Make a few holes in the top with the fork as well. Lastly, brush the tops of the uncooked toaster pastries with the egg wash.
9. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18 – 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the cooked pastries on a cooling rack (if you have one) then either eat them right away or store them in the fridge for 3 days or the freezer for several months. They can be eaten cold or reheated. Enjoy!

Tiny Prints GIVEAWAY

It's that time again - Tiny Prints Christmas card preview AND $50 + free shipping GIVEAWAY!!! **See bottom of this post to see how you can be entered to win the $50 gift card**

Tiny Prints is always a go to for us.  Great coupons, great specials, frequent free shipping offers....and most importantly, fantastic designs and customer service.  This year Tiny Prints has gone above and beyond with their new trim options (round, ticket and scallop) and lovely design styles.  Some of their new designs feature full bleed photos, glitter (woohoo!), clear cards (a must see) and more.  And if that isn't enough, add on minimal cost address labels and envelope liners and you're all set!  Below is a round up of my favorite cards this year.  

For those enamored with the latest trend of burlap, vintage and stripes (myself included) this one is for you.  The rounded edges give it a polished look and this card features several picture options.

 I love all things grey.  And all things simple.  The two together make this card very sweet and streamlined.  With a little bit of Christmas on top.

The polka dots bring out the kid in all of us, and who doesn't love to be a kid at Christmas??  Again with the rounded edges adds a little class and softness to the red and green. 

Wanting to make your card the most memorable?  Can't go wrong with this tastefully bold Christmas card that doubles as a Christmas ornament!  

And lastly...for the tradition in all of us, this card is elegant, classic and timeless.  None of which you can go wrong with!

To check out Tiny Prints vast collection of Christmas cards, click here.  Not interested in Christmas cards?  No worries, Tiny Prints also offers an incredible collection of personalized gifts which can be found here.  You are sure to find something for everyone!  And if you want to find out even more, check out the Twitter party #TinyPrintsCheer in November with @ResourcefulMom

And now that you've fallen in love all over again with Tiny Prints, I am sure you want to know how to enter the drawing for $50 + free shipping @ Tiny Prints!  All you need to do is check out the holiday cards Tiny Prints THEN LEAVE A COMMENT HERE ON THIS BLOG stating your favorite card.  If you do NOT comment here you will NOT be included.

Happy shopping!

Shop Local

With Christmas around the corner (did anyone else just have a panic attack with that realization???), I wanted to throw out a list of my favorite local, small businesses that can help you out with your Christmas shopping and holiday baking.

The Purple Polka Dot

Located in the heart of downtown Cary, this little shop has become a local favorite in the past two years.  Featuring home decor, clothing, hand painted barn signs, children's accessories and more you are sure to find something fun and unique to give.  And maybe yourself to.  For daily updates and staff favorites, look them up on Facebook: The Purple Polka Dot

La Farm

This quaint little bakery and restaurant is situated in western cary and is a must when in the area.  All fresh, homemade French cuisine that is cooked to perfection.  Their wide assortment of pastries, desserts, breads, savory quiches and pies, salads and cookies leave you completely satisfied but dying to come back.  Not to mention their first class coffee menu... If looking for a gift idea, think hearth made granola, holiday bread, or even a gift card.  Your loved ones will thank you!  Visit their website, www.lafarmbakery.com

Annelore's German Bakery

You're in for a treat with this one.  Every German cookie and pastry you can imagine, homemade by the master chef Annelore herself and her trusty companions.  This mom and pop shop can be found at the NCState fair grounds Monday-Saturday and is getting ready to open up shop in Cary by January.  This sweet German couple not only offers a wide selection of absolutely delectable treats, they are truly a joy to talk with and get to know.  If you're looking for a crowd pleaser for those holiday parties or an addition to your Christmas morning menu, this is the place to stop.  

www.facebook.com/anneloresgermanbakery

What A Babe

I've known Tanya for a few years now and I just love her creativity and willingness to work hard from home while caring for her daughter full time.  I can't help but take the time looking through all the cute frills and thrills for little girls since its all polos and jeans around here!  She hand crafts a huge variety of girl's hair pieces with a few accessory items on her website as well.  Check her out at www.whatababe.etsy.com!

Good Girl's Studio

Johanna has made quite a name for herself here in the heart of Raleigh.  Starting out in retail and making jewelry on the side, Johanna quickly began to notice a market and was found offering home shows to sell her jewelry.  Over the past few years or so she has become quite sought after.  Her unique revamped vintage, one of a kind pieces, and custom order designs make her jewelry truly something to desire.  You can find her on Facebook, or check out her website goodgirlstudio.com

I just noticed that if the men in your life don't like food, there's probably not much on here for them.  What are some of your favorite places to shop local???  Link up!