3, 2, 1.....here we go

There is so much going on, it would take several posts to clue you all in, so I tried to think of how to incorporate it into one post.

3. My mom came in.
I know, I can hardly believe it myself. But, she did. She is here spending the weekend with Kiera and me. We have a lot of fun spending her money. We have shopped for big things like dining room sets (for her) and small things like food processors (for both of us). We have eaten out a lot and just enjoyed each other's company. My mom is such a homebody, it is so nice to actually have her come to our house. Kiera has turned her charm on high and convenienently melted her Grandma's heart! I truly enjoy spending time with her as well. We have many, many things in common.

2. Cypress Calling Ministries
For those of you who have been reading awhile, you know I helped start a ministry with a group of girlfriends back in the Spring of 08. After a couple months, we defined our ministry to helping mothers-in-crisis. Well, we are still going very strong and I have truly seen God's work in so many ways. We will be having our first Ministry Retreat where we will plan at least the next three years if not five. I am not exactly sure where God will take this minsitry, but He has given me some glimpses of His possibilities and I am so excited! The other night I was laying in bed with Kiera trying to get her to sleep and my mind was going a million miles a minute with possibilities for CCM. I couldn't even keep up with my own thoughts. Now, I am not one to claim God speaks directly to me and I certainly don't believe I am a prophet, but sometimes you know your thoughts are not your own and there is only one person to attribute that to-the man upstairs. So, what God and I developed in the wee hours of the night with His precious gift singing away next to me was....

BUNCO FOR BABIES

Imagine this....instead of a $5 entrance fee, women bring a $10 baby item to donate. It could be diapers, an outfit, a pack of sleepers, a pack of diapers, etc. We would use these donations to fill our baskets or our warehouse (one of God's great future glimpses) to give to mothers-in-need. In one night, we could get over $120 in baby items and have FUN doing it. Then I was thinking we could contact other Bunco Groups (meetup.com, Tasha:) ) and see if they would do a Bunco for Babies once or twice a year. If they were local, we would come pick up the items (and really have done nothing in the process) and if they are far away, we could have them bring cash and then turn their cash into a gift card to Babies R Us and mail it to us. Then there is the opportunity to have a Women's Bunco Night at a church or MOPS (Mothers of Preschools) group. If we did Bunco with these larger groups, we could collect even more items and reach more possible volunteers. So, I have planned our first Bunco for Babies night next Friday. My wonderful neighbor, Chris, is hosting it. I have invited my neighbors, new friends, and old church friends. I am hoping it is a success and something we could continue once a month all year long.
Believe it or not, that is not all that is going on with CCM....
We have donations coming in of over $5000 for the year of 2009 and so we will have to get the official IRS 501c3 status. We will be opening a bank account next weekend and planning a budget very soon. I have learned so much over the last few months about our state and federal government and how corporations work, my brain hurts. But, after lots of prayer, meetings, and Christian counsel, we had clear direction and our ready to proceed. I am sure after the retreat I will have much more to report. Until then, prayers are very much needed and certainly appreciated. Oh and if you want to help, please let me know in the comment section. You can also check out the ministry here.

1. We are going to have another baby...
We hope! We have had quite a roller coaster with our previous RE and have been asked to find another RE, so we have. I will keep the story to myself for now since the previous RE clinic is quite wrong and will be investigated. Anyway, we have an appt with our new RE on Tuesday and we will see if we can save this cycle. If it is too late, we will try again next month. With all of this happening, it has created quite a bit of stress, confusion, and anger, but all in all it is a blessing. We have a good friend that went to our RE and was not happy at all with their service when she went back, so that made us a little cautious. Then, they were confused on several occassions why we were back (um, for an FET) and that sort of raised my eyebrows. So, we weren't sure what to do not to mention the whole fiasco we were asked to leave over. The whole issue revolved around money and insurance coverage and let's just say with the new RE we have came out way ahead...at least in terms of money. I know I am being vague, but unfortunately, I have to be for now. Prayers in this area are also needed and very much appreciated!

So, there you have it....the top 3 going ons!