Feelin' a Little Creative...

So what has been going on with all of y'all, my friends?  Have you been gettin' up a little earlier in the morning to drink coffee on your porches while enjoying this touch of Fall weather??  I haven't had the time yet, but I hope to soon.  "Haven't had the time" has been my personal catch phrase for the summer.  I put all of my energy into geography and english papers, and as of today, I AM DONE!!! I took my my English Final today!!

To make today even sweeter, my sweetie was feeling so much better.  Jude was back to his happy self today.  This was the highlight of my day which went not quite as I had planned.  In my head, I had envisioned my day to be something like this..

English final at LSU around 9ish.  Then rush home to pick up my lil guy from my mother-in-law's.  Then, I would swing by Hobby Lobby or Michael's (they have both been calling my name).  After a little reward-for-my-academic-accomplishment shopping, I would get home with my treasures and spend some one on one time with my favorite redhead.  Put him down for a nap and work on some crafty projects or start some fall decorating around here until my hansome hubby gets home..  Pretty perfect, huh?

Well let me tell ya what really happend...

On the way to LSU, my truck starts making this awful scraping noise, so I called Mr. Fix It (Lane, he's pretty handy) and he was convinced the truck was undrivable.  However, this Mama was on a mission to finish my English course; wasn't no way I was missin' this test today even though driving through LSU with your truck making a loud shrill scraping noise does wonders for your security.  It's bad enough that I already feel like I'm the oldest student on campus.  Anyway, I finish my final and follow Lane's directions to get the truck straight to the shop, go slow, and BE CAREFUL. (his concern was so sweet and cute) He even arranged for his mom to bring Jude out to me and pick me up.  So I get to the dealership and it turns out it's only a rock caught between the rotar and the dust plate (does that make sense).  So my mother-in-law and I hit up Hobby Lobby while waiting (gettin to the creative part) and five hours later, my truck was FINALLY ready.  There went my entire day..  :-(

Even though I did not get to my lil' projects, I found some goodies at Hobby Lobby that would be perfect for my current craft ventures..

  Any of you who have who are family or have been my facebook friend for a long time will probably remember these from last year...

I made these and a few more for my sweet neice, Kenadi, and a friend's sweet baby, Mallory, that were both born in August of last year.



I did not make anymore because the sewing maching I had at the time was a machine my day had bought for my mom almost 35 years ago and it was trying to kick the bucket on me.

Then my sweet mom gave me my own sewing machine for Christmas!!  Unfortunately, I have been to tied up with school and other things to really have the time to sit down and use it.  Now that I have more free time, I'm feeling a little creative which comes in handy because there some sweet Mamas I know that have either a sweet new baby or are on the nest right now.

I found a few goodies at Hobby Lobby like 1/2 off ribbon and few good remnants.  Even a yard of burlap for a $1 which is awesome cause it's on sale right now for $2.99 a yard!!

I just loved the aqua fabric.  I got that remnant for next to nothing and I think it's going to make a darling fabric rosette on something. (Kellie @ This Blessed Nest is rubbing off on me with her love for rosettes) I'm starting to get a good collection of ribbon for these burp cloths.  Now all I need is an embroidery machine so that I could monogram them myself.

I can't wait to get started on these baby gifts!!!  Check back to see some once they are finished! 

I'll be back tomorrow for the Fall Festival at This Blessed Nest!  Hopefully with some fall decor up by then!  Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!!

my heart's desire

It's early, early Sunday morning, and I just cannot find sleep.  What's on my mind?  More like on my heart...  As most of you know, my son has an extremely rare chromosome pattern that has caused him many delays and health issues.  What some of you might not know, is that rare genetic disorder was inherited from me.  (Praise God I have been freed from the wrongful guilt that followed this revelation!!)  If you know anything about genetics, you might have guessed where the problem with this comes in... more children.


I never pictured my adult life with less than three or four children.  I never pictured my adult life with one "special needs" baby.  Who does?   I didn't know about my genetic predisposition when we decided to start a family.  And believe it or not, I am SOOO THANKFUL that I didn't know.  Jude has not ruined anything for me and my husband.  Jude has only improved the quality of our life.  If I would have known about genetics, I probably would have been too afraid to ever have children and never know the blessing I have!!  Besides Jesus, Jude is truly the greatest gift the Lord has ever given me and Lane.


But where do we go from here??  Lane and I desperately want to add to our little family but the risks are somewhat discouraging.  We have a 50% chance of conceiving another baby like Jude, but only 5% chance of delivering that baby.  What does that mean?  Well, first and most importantly, it means that Jude is a miracle defying the odds everyday.  Second, it means that I could face multiple miscarriages; 90% of all babies with a chromosome abnormalities are miscarried.  (interesting to know that 1 out of every 10 pregnancies have a chromosome abnormality) Third it means we could have another special needs child.  Finally, it means we could also have a healthy baby.


Where does that leave us?? Well, we don't exactly know yet.  Our great Christian geneticist, Dr. Superneau, has informed us that, with the high miscarriage rates of babies with chromosome abnormalities, we have a 95% chance of having a healthy baby!!  Pretty encouraging, right? For most onlookers, but come try my shoes on for a minute...


Lane and I conceived Jude only three months into marriage; no previous pregnancies and no known miscarriages.  The pregnancy seemed absolutely normal until the ultrasound showed an abnormally developing baby.  Raising Jude has been quite a challenge.  In the beginning, I compared Jude to every baby: you just can't do that even with a healthy baby.  Jude will need care for the rest of his life.  Now, this might surprise you, but Jude's delays are the furthest from my concern.  I love Jude for who he is and what doctors call "abnormal" is this family's normal.  The constant stress over Jude's current or future medical problems is what gives me anxiety.  You never know when a routine appointment with the ophthalmologist or the cardiologist will turn into complete devastation.  *speaking from experience*   I never worry about Jude's development; it's the constant medical "surprises" that wear me out.


Not such an easy decision to have more children, is it?


I know people always say "God will never give you more than can handle."  While I appreciate the sentiment, that is the biggest lie ever told.  I have definitely had more than I can handle on a few occasions.  But the beautiful thing is that God handled it all for me.  You see, I believe that the Lord puts us in situations where we have no other choice than to cry out to Him.




I still want another baby more than anything.

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4




So the awesome thing is, that the Lord gave me a scripture for this very issue right when I began my journey with Jude.


Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
Ecclesiastes 11:4-6

So..  now I know what God says about all of this.  Now I just need to be obedient.

Please pray for my family.  Pray that I am faithful and obedient to step out on the Lord's Plans for my life once again.  Pray for peace.  Pray for guidance.  Pray for a healthy baby.

thanks for reading my heart tonight,
angel


**This blog was started as to take place where Jude's Caringbridge site leaves off.  That site is home to some very endearing stories.  If you ever want to get more of a background on our journey with Jude, you can always stop by his Caringbridge site.

a Purple and Gold legacy...

Well, it's Saturday in Baton Rouge and you know what that means...  TIME FOR SOME FOOTBALL!  Tiger Football is not just a game that happens on Saturday night, it's a way of life.  Some of the best times I can recall occurred while doin' some Tiger Tailgating.  

You know you are a Bengel Belle when you..

you have LSU home decor,

you have a Tiger Tailgate mat that usually resides in your truck, but also doubles as a comfy palette for your little one or a picnic blanket,

your baby has a limitless supply of LSU gear including t-shirts, blankets, burp cloths, hats, stuffed animals, jerseys, and a pair of jon jons that need ironing,

you have a closet full of purple and gold outfits, accessories, and shoes, and your husband has LSU fishing shirts (which he likes to consider as dress clothes, ugh boys)

and you have a LSU themed birthday party for your baby (which you had to plan around the LSU-Florida game... we even had a Gator helmet for the youngsters to bash)!

I even had to plan my wedding around an LSU game!  We had set the date for 11-11-06, but it was the night of the LSU-BAMA home game.  We couldn't do that to our friends, so we got married on the Friday night before.  Sad, huh?

Well if you didn't get the idea, I can always find more proof..  

GEAUX TIGERS!!!