Thankful Thursday

As we welcome in another month I'm taking time to give thanks for the events of the past week. We are most thankful for our Thanksgiving trip home to Pennsylvania. It was great to spend time with family and friends as we feasted on turkey and all the trimmings, especially my mom's sweet potatoes!! The best part of our Thanksgiving day was that it was drama free...very rare in my family!!
We spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with my family before heading home on Sunday morning. Even though we enjoyed our time in PA, it was nice to get back to our house and back to our normal routine...until Christmas!
Here are just a few pics from our time in PA:

Two family pics. So blessed.

My cheeky lil monkey. Love him.

At the Newmanstown park.

Best buds!

My babies! I'm thankful to have these 3 children (and their older brother) in my life. Love them and their parents.

We look forward to making the eastward trek to PA again for Christmas. It will be a longer visit this time so we hope to visit with more people and make more memories to cherish.

Happy Holidays, everybody.

Thanksgiving Reflection

This Thanksgiving season I have been reflecting back on my somewhat short life. I had a childhood that was filled with ups and downs and some trauma. My 20s could be considered manic; I was just getting by emotionally. My 30s so far have been pure bliss. I like to say that life didn't really start for me until my 30s. I'm so thankful for the presence of my husband and son in my life.
Today I am going to reflect on my 20s. I put myself through school; earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. I had aspirations of a career in law enforcement; eventually joining the FBI. However, the thing I wanted the most alluded me.
Since I was about 10 years of age, all I wanted was to be a wife and mother. I yearned for the day that I could get married. Finally I reached the age where I could finally get married. However, the few short relationships I had went nowhere.
My 20s came and slowly went and nothing. I watched friends meet their partners, fall in love, get married, and have children. I watched as some of those friends took their spouses for granted. I was dying inside because I wanted what I thought I could never have.

Throughout my 20s, I had on occasion tried several dating sites without success. Finally in an act of desperation I decided to give Christian Mingle a try. I paid a three month membership in February 2014. February crawled by without success, March came and went without even a nibble, finally in April I decided that I had had enough. My membership was about to expire and I had no intentions of renewing it.
On the eve of my 30th birthday, I searched through profile after profile sending out smiley faces along the way. I was about to quit for the night when I stumbled upon a profile that really stuck out to me. After reading through his profile several times I sent him a smiley face and went to bed. The next morning (my 30th birthday) I awoke to a message from him saying that he thought we would make a great match and that he'd like to get to know me better.
Just one smiley face changed my life forever. A week later he and I met in person, two months later we were engaged, and a month later we were married. Our wedding present came nine months later on my 31st birthday. God has really been blessing me with awesome birthday presents!!
I'd love to say that our marriage has been a bed of roses in the two and a half years we've been married but it hasn't. We had our ups and downs like every married couple do. We had knock down drag out fights and at times one of us wanted to leave.
Thankfully we stuck it out. My husband can really get on my last nerve sometimes but I couldn't live without him. My husband is also the sweetest, gentlest, most loving man I know and he is the greatest husband and father in my world.
My encouragement to you is that you hold close those loved ones in your life. Stop taking your spouse or your children for granted. Give your spouse another chance. Tell him or her that you love him/her. Order flowers, chocolates, or a teddy bear. Just let them know what they mean to you.
And be thankful.
Don't forget to give your spouse and children an extra hug today.
Happy Thanksgiving!

 What are you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving Thursday

I just realized that I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in a while. Although it has been a struggle lately to be thankful, I do have so much to be thankful for and I need to show my appreciation to God more often.
As I sit here at my desk, I glance up at the posters on my wall quite often. One poster is very appropriate for this time of the year. It states, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you," 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It is a daily reminder for me to be thankful.

Another poster on the wall contains a list of 10 things you need to know. There are several that stick out to me. One is "Prayer is what keeps you breathing." Another one is "Character is how we show others that we have given God our life." My favorite one is "If we are thankful in everything, our hearts will have true peace."
In order to have a peaceful life, I must learn to be thankful in everything. Even when my dreams for another baby get shattered each month. Even when I'm feeling depressed and my husband has to scrape me off the floor. Even when I think of my nieces and nephews who are growing up without me in their lives. Even when I think of the discord in my family.
I must choose to say "Thank You, Lord" even when being thankful is the last thing on my mind. I must choose to be thankful because my son is depending on me to be his mommy. I must choose to be thankful because my husband is depending on me to be his wife and keep his home. I must choose to be thankful because I depend on myself to keep it together.

I love this quote.

                                                        What are you thankful for today?

So What Wednesday!!

I remember reading a blog in the past where the author wrote a weekly post titled So What Wednesday. I thought about doing one myself for a while now and since last night's election I finally decided to say, "so what". So here goes!

This week I am saying so what to:

• I haven't blogged in a while.
• all the negativity inspired from last night's election.
• I am already listening to Christmas music and have been for several weeks.
• I am so ready for the holidays and I can't wait to share them with my husband and son.
• My husband and I are considering taking our son trick or treating next year. We've agreed on no creepy, devilish costumes.
• We're also considering taking our son to Christmas activities as well, especially a local reindeer farm.
• I'm excited to spend our first holiday season in our "new" house.
• I really love our woodstove. It heats our house very well.
• Another month and another negative test result. Not giving up but it's depressing each month.
• This struggle to get pregnant has been so emotionally draining that at times my husband has to scrape me off the floor.
• I'm so excited about homeschooling my son and he's only 18 months old!!
• Yes, I will be that mom.

It's a Struggle

This year has been a struggle for my husband and I as we have tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant. My hormones have been all over the place and my poor husband has taken the brunt of it. Considering he knew absolutely nothing about hormones, menstruation cycles, and how crazy women can get before he met me, he is doing a great job supporting me through this emotional roller coaster ride that we are stuck on.
The worst part has been the weight gain over the past four months. I gained 15 lbs this summer adding to the 30 lbs I gained last year. There were some key factors to my weight gain last year though: my C-section and slow recovery, issues with my incision, and family drama. I also began a love affair with raspberry cheesecake gelato...to my husband's chagrin!!
I believe that I am finally getting my weight and hormonal issues under control. My husband and I are dedicated to living a healthier lifestyle. We are starting a diet rich in veggies and healthier meats such as chicken, turkey, and fish. We are also cutting out soda from our diet which is alright with me since I am a tea drinker most of the time!! I LOVE MY COLD BREW TEA!!
We are also supplementing our diet with Plexus products (Tri-Plex), safflower oil, and flaxseed oil. We love our Plexus products. Not only is the safflower oil and flaxseed oil combo helping me lose weight, it is also helping to regulate my monthly cycle so that my infertility issue can be resolved. I've used this combo once before and I was able to get pregnant right away with my son. I just wish I had started it sooner instead of waiting so long.

Here are the health benefits to taking safflower and flaxseed oil:

I am excited about this new diet plan and I hope that we are successful. I really do not have a weight goal in mind right now; I just want to get healthy so that my body is prepared for a pregnancy. I am excited to see what all God has in store for our future. He has blessed our lives abundantly and I'm thankful for all that I have.

What are some diet changes you've made in your life? How have they changed your life?

Sweet Sixteen Months Old

Where has the time gone? My baby is sixteen months old already!! He is becoming more and more independent and he's always on the go, go, go. Considering that he just started walking over the past two months, he is pretty quick on his feet.
He loves playing outside, especially riding toy tractors or cars. He also sits on toys that aren't meant to be ridden. His little toy trucks, tractors, and trains are his favorite toys to play with in the house. He makes the most adorable tractor sounds. Unfortunately, he stops making those sounds whenever he sees my camera. Some day I'll catch him on candid camera!!
He also loves books, especially his new Usborne books. I try to read to him on a daily basis. I think he'll be a bookworm like his mama!
He eats everything we give him...except dessert! He's not a big dessert eater, just like his daddy. He loves hot dogs and French fries especially. And fruit. Lots and lots of fruit. He's not crazy about veggies but he will eat cauliflower.
He's still attached to his bottle. He's not fond of his sippy cups yet but we are slowly transitioning to his sippy. He mainly drinks milk and apple juice. He does not like water and he gives me the look as if to say, "What the heck is this?"
At last check, he has 12 teeth but he is currently working on more. He has been sleeping a lot lately and chewing on everything in sight. He is a big biter. He loves chewing on me and I just don't know how to make him stop. Lightly smacking his mouth just doesn't seem to work. But it needs to stop because his teeth are sharp!!

Pics of our handsome 16 month old:

I'll take ya for a ride on my big green tractor!!

Family pic taken at my sister-in-law's!

He loves hot dogs!

Eating a banana.

Riding his train!

That's Not My Monkey!!

Sweet baby boy, would you please stop growing up so quickly. Mama wants you to be her baby boy for just a little bit longer. You are so precious to me and I love you so much. As I am writing this you are chomping at the bit to get out of your crib. You are always on the go so it's hard to keep you down for long.

Mommy and daddy love you and we are looking forward to sharing many more months (and years) together. Keep on being the precious young man that you are growing up to be.

It's a Celebration!

It's hard to believe that it's been two years since Wendell and I started our newly married lives together. We have come a long way since then. We settled in for the long haul and we're so thankful for all the blessings we've experienced since saying "I do".

We've had our share of ups and downs over the years. We've seen relationships come and go. We've overcome health issues. We've moved and moved and moved!! But through it all, we remained united.
My husband has been my rock since the day we met. He loved and supported me throughout my entire hormonally charged pregnancy. He was rock steady in the hospital when my labor wasn't going as planned and I needed to have a c-section to save our baby's life. He kept me strong in the NICU as we watched our lil fighter heal from a pneumothorax and overcome his strenuous birth.
He aided in my recovery, changed the dressing on my incision over and over again as it slowly healed. He woke up to take care of a fussy baby. Without complaint!
Through it all, he lovingly provided for us. His son is excited to see his daddy every night when he gets home from work. The two males in my life share a special bond that cannot be broken...and I love witnessing it!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our wedding day!

Posing with my role model, my grandma Miller. I love this lady very much!

Posing with my parents, grandma, aunt, and uncle. I am thankful to God for blessing my life with these amazing people. I love you all!!

Posing with my parents and my 6 siblings.

My all-time favorite picture. My beloved uncle took this picture.

I love the look on my husband's face!

Just a few pics from last night's celebration!

Our beautifully arranged table.

My husband's plate of hamloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

I love this candle holder. It's a bit Christmassy but we'll be getting in the spirit very soon!

Very festive!!

No night would be complete without a selfie!!

Happy anniversary, baby!!! Thank you for loving me through everything that comes our way. I love you. Here's to many more years together.

Thy Will Be Done

This is by far the hardest post I've ever written. This past Tuesday morning I heard news that I wasn't expecting to hear. Heartbreaking news.
I wasn't pregnant. I believed I was. I had all the symptoms; I was even feeling movement. One thing I never had was a positive pregnancy test.
Tuesday morning I drove to a medical center in a nearby town for an ultrasound. As I laid there on the bed and the tech was moving the wand around, peace came over me and I knew that I wasn't pregnant. The tech confirmed it a few minutes later.
Before I left, my midwife spoke with me as we tried to figure out what was wrong with me. She recommended that I see a OBGYN to figure out why I'm irregular. She also believes that I have a hormone imbalance. For now, I will try to resolve the issue on my own.
Oddly enough, the "bloating" I had in my abdomen is going down. The "morning sickness" has gone away. The cravings for carrot cake and chocolate has gone away.
Leaving me with the motivation to whip my body into shape so that I can share good news before the end of summer. Leaving me to love up on my son and cherish him even more.
Thankfully in the days since then, I have been very busy preparing for our multi-family yardsale at my in-laws store. Several of my nieces helped me bake cookies and banana bread for our stand. My one niece is helping me run the stand as well. She is a godsend to me.
I am keeping myself busy. I am thankful for my son. I am thankful that God has a plan for my life. Whether or not we have more children is in His will.
Thy will be done.

Pics from our camping trip a couple weeks ago. You can see how huge my belly is. 

Pics from today. It's still huge but at least it's normal!

I have a long way to go but I have a big support group on my side. With all their love and support and through God's grace, I will overcome this roadblock and continue on life's journey.

Motivation Monday

  Indeed all of our lives are made up of precious moments.
  They are the little gifts from God that make our lives worth living.
  In times of trouble and strife we take comfort in memories of these moments.
  They are the bits of joy and solace that aid us through life's difficulties and times of sadness and sorrow.
  God is with us always, and our live's Precious Moments are His Most Blessed gifts to us.
- Angela Grace -

I have always been a fan of the Precious Moments line. I have the books and little figurines and I cherish them.
Recently I was reading through a book I have and I stumbled upon this beautiful "poem" written by Angela Grace. It really spoke to me.
Be sure to cherish every precious moment you spend with your loved ones. The day will come too soon when you'll have to say goodbye to them.

Motivation Monday

Laura at iheartplanners.com motivated me to spruce up my blog a bit so I've been working on that between taking care of Sonny and running errands for my husband. Laura is doing a course right now on setting up a blog. Since I already have a blog, I participated in hopes of getting ideas on how to make my blog more reader friendly. Thank you, Laura, you have been a help!

I have made several new changes to my blog. One is my header. The picture is now behind my blog name instead of below it. Another change is the font style and color of my text. Hopefully, I've added some color to my blog.

The biggest change I've made is adding pages to my blog. They are The Nolts (info about us), Trim Healthy Martha, and Recipes. I hope to start blogging about my health and ways to live a healthier lifestyle. I also hope to start sharing my favorite recipes as well.

I really love the new blog setup and I hope that you will as well. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Happy Monday to you all!

Our UP Experience

Wendell, Sonny, and I left bright and early Saturday morning and headed north to the Upper Peninsula. We crossed the Mackinac Island and entered the UP around 8:30 in the morning.
After stopping at several stores and buying the cutest souvenir we decided to head to the campground and see if we could check in early. We were so we got settled in at our cabin and cooked lunch while Sonny napped. We were so happy to have the woods to ourselves with no neighbors nearby. We were enjoying nature. The birds were singing. The mosquitoes were buzzing around us.
Then reality set in.
As we were eating our lunch, classic rock music was blaring from a neighboring site. At first we thought it was rude campers but it turned out to be a rude KOA employee working at a campsite.
Strike one.
We quickly ate our lunch and changed Sonny before leaving the campground to explore St. Ignace. We came upon this beautiful park right by the lake and I almost hyperventilated when I saw the lighthouse. I love lighthouses.
We spent time at the park and took lots of pictures of the lighthouse and lake. It was spectacular. After leaving the park, we drove through St. Ignace, taking in the sights. We came upon this adorable fudge shop with giant popcorn bags on the porch. We went inside for fudge and saltwater taffy.
We went back to the campground to rest before supper. Unfortunately we weren't able to get much rest because a groundskeeper decided to cut down a tree and do maintenance nearby with a loud tractor.
Strike two.
Supper time wasn't so great. We sat outside and tried to enjoy our meal but we couldn't. Our neighboring campers were at their fire which was very close to our cabin. We could hear every word they said.
We went inside early to get some rest and for privacy from our drinking neighbors. We left our perishables outside in a small cooler to stay cold because there was no fridge inside. ANOTHER NO-NO FOR ME.
We went to bed early but had a restless night. Our loud neighbors talked by their fire into the wee hours of the morning. Also, the mattress was as hard as concrete so it was difficult for us to get comfortable. We woke up stiff and sore.
Strike three.
We packed up and headed for home making several stops along the way. We drove down by the lake where we had a spectacular view of the bridge. We stopped several times to take pictures before crossing the bridge and going home.
We had a lovely time all in all but we will not be going back to the St. Ignace KOA. Future trips to the UP will either be day trips or we'll be staying at a lodge.
The lighthouse and the bridge were the highlight of our trip. I'm looking forward to spending more time in the UP in the future.

We're Yoopers now!

Our cabin.

Now that's a backdrop! 

Dipping Sonny's toes in the water for the first time.

Love this shop. 

♡ The lighthouse ♡

♡♡♡♡

♡ The mighty Mac ♡

We had a great weekend, all things considered. Looking forward to going back to the UP again.

Hope you all had a great time with your families. 

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

♡ Our camping trip. We changed our plans and we're going to the Upper Peninsula  (UP). I've never been there so I'm super excited.

♡ I'm one day closer to getting my health questions answered. More to come later.

♡ Sonny's haircut. I'm thankful he still looks cute even though we buzzed off all his curls.

♡ For time spent with my husband. Sonny and I ride with my husband on his delivery run at least once a week. Our son enjoys it and my husband gets to spend quality time with him.

All cleaned up after his haircut. He took it pretty well at first then he became a handful. 

Riding with daddy.

What are you thankful for this week?

Motivation Monday

I came upon this post on Facebook and decided to put my own twist to it. As someone who has had a poor self-image for many years, this was just what I needed to read.

Affirmations that inspire healing:



I love and accept myself for who I am.
I stand up for myself.
I am strong and courageous.
I am worthy of love, kindness, and respect.
I choose the best for myself.
I express myself in a powerful way.
I am proud of my achievements.
I honor myself.
I choose healthy relationships.
I am authentic and one of a kind.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
I direct my own life in a way pleasing to God for He directs my path.
I appreciate my strengths and my weaknesses.
I feel my own power for Christ is living in me.
I am free to choose in any situation.
I seek opportunities for personal and spiritual growth.
I am at peace with myself.
I trust in God to see me through everything life throws my way.
I believe in God.
He is the rock of my salvation.
Not my will but THY WILL BE DONE.

Thankful Thursday (Friday Edition)

I wanted to blog yesterday but I simply ran out of hours in my day. So I will do a Friday edition. This week I have a lot to be thankful for.
♡ My spectacular Mother's Day weekend. From a cookout to a ride-along with my hubby to a gorgeous Mother's Day spent at my in-laws. It was a day that I'll never forget.
♡ My parents new van. My dad finally bought a new van so they should be able to come visit us in July. I simply cannot wait. The 10+ hour distance between us sometimes feels like a hundred hours :(
♡ The time spent with my in-laws. This week we spent a good deal of time with Wendell's parents. We were working on preparing for our upcoming garage sale. I'm excited because it'll be the first one I help with.
♡ The Tupperware party. Yesterday I went to a Tupperware party at a friend's house. It was great to socialize with other ladies. I won a couple containers and I scheduled my own party for July. Thankfully it's scheduled for when my parents and brother & sister-in-law are visiting. Ka-ching! Granny Moneybags will be ordering!!
♡ Next weekend's camping trip. I am so ready for a weekend away. My husband and I need a little R&R. I'm looking forward to seeing the sights with my husband and son as we get away.
♡ My son. Thank you, son, for cheering your mommy up and for always making me smile. You are the light of my life. I love you.
♡ My husband. Thank you, babe, for putting up with your hormonal wife. Our life has been filled with so many ups and downs lately that it seems like a roller coaster ride. You keep me sane in this insane world. I love you.
♡ My readers. Thank you for reading my blog. Don't hesitate to leave a comment. Be sure to follow me on Facebook. Have a great weekend.

Are All the Children In

Ever since I was a little girl I've been listening to Johnny Cash's Are All the Children In. My mom was a big fan of his music and she owned several of his gospel albums.
It became a favorite song of mine and I listened to it often. It is still on my playlist and I feel nostalgic every time it comes on.
When my husband's grandmother was dying last year, my mother-in-law was emailed a copy of this song by her sister. It is now a favorite song of hers.
This past Sunday, her first mother's day without her mother, my mother-in-law played that song. Just watching her, I could tell how the lyrics impacted her and that she is looking forward to seeing her mother again.
Below are the lyrics to Are All the Children In. If you get the chance to listen to the song, please do. You will not be disappointed.

          "Are All The Children In"

When I'm alone I often think of an old house on the hill
Of a big yard hedged in roses where we ran and played at will
And when the night time brought us home hushing our merry din
Mother would look around and ask are all the children in
Well it's been many a year now and the old house on the hill
No longer has my mother's care and the yard is still so still
But if I listen I can hear it all no matter how long it's been
I seem to hear my mother ask are all the children in
And I wonder when the curtain falls on that last earthly day
When we say goodbye to all of this to our pain and work and play
When we step across the river where mother so long has been
Will we hear her ask a final time are all the children in?

Worth the Wait!!

This past Sunday was Mother's Day and it was one of the happiest days of my life. I love my life as a wife and stay-at-home-mom but I sometimes take my life for granted. This got me thinking about life...life before I was a wife...life before I was a mother...it sucked.
Yes, I made some great memories during that time. I experienced some great experiences. I went to school. Earned my Bachelor's of Science in Criminal Justice. Had aspirations of going into law enforcement. Being a victim's advocate.
I was settling. Settling for life as a single woman. No man was on my radar. My dreams of motherhood seemed out of reach. I was merely existing.
I can remember when my dreams of being a wife and mother started. I was ten and I would sit in church and watch all the young couples with their babies in their laps. I saw the love in their eyes and I could see how happy they were. I knew that I wanted to experience that life.
But after one failed relationship after another and one very long cold spell, I gave up on those dreams. They seemed even farther away.
Then February 2014 came along and I was ready for a change. I updated my long forgotten profile on Christian Mingle and I began to hope and dream once again.
Two months later on the eve of my 30th birthday, I was about to give up. My membership was due to expire soon and I wasn't planning on renewing it. So out of desperation, I searched through my matches and sent out a few smiley faces. Then went to bed anticipating a change.
The next morning my thirties roared in bringing change to my life forever. Wendell Nolt had received one of my smiley faces and he liked my profile. More importantly, he thought we'd be a great match so he sent me a message. And that was the beginning of our love story.
We messaged each other for several days. We texted each other and spoke on the phone and planned to meet in person. That week waiting to meet in person was the most nervewracking week of my life. I barely ate anything and I had trouble sleeping but it was all worth it.
There was instant chemistry. We sat at DutchWay and talked for hours. Even after they had closed and everyone went home. We just sat on the park bench and talked. And we fell in love.
Three months later we were married. Expecting a baby. And starting our life together.
Now as I look at our son, sleeping peacefully on the recliner, I thank God that He brought me to this place in my life. I'm thankful for those single years because they prepared me for this life.
It was all worth the wait and the best is still yet to come.

My very first mother's day as a mommy. I will always have a special connection with my lil lovebug, my Sonny, for he made me a mommy.

Our second mother's day together was even more special. I'm looking forward to spending many more mother's days together.

This mother's life began when Sonny's life began. I live for him.

I love you, babe. You've brought meaning to my life.