An Announcement...

So... we have an announcement. And since I put it on Facebook this morning, it's official. :)

Those of you close to us have already been rejoicing at this miracle since we learned of it (and yes, you may now tell all those people you've been wanting to tell for weeks!!) And for those of you just finding out, I'll tell you our story so you will understand.

We've been married for almost six years now, and several years ago we learned we couldn't have children. At first, it was a little surreal, but as we started to live with it daily, it became part of who we were. We love children - both of us. At the time, we were teaching the little ones (the Rainbows) at church together. It was heartwarming to be able to love on them and send them home, but also a little bittersweet to watch each other, week after week, and see what great parents we could have made. It was a little frustrating to have people constantly asking us when we were starting our family. Most people didn't know we couldn't, and so we just smiled.  We did have some friends who were a little insensitive (one friend actually told me, when I asked her to stop bringing it up, that she just 'couldn't help it'.) But it's part of the process - grieving for what might've been.  And we did grieve.  Daily.

Then, after months and months of discussion, we arrived at the next logical conclusion: we would adopt! And suddenly, we had joy again. We started the process (which, seriously, is WAY scarier than having a child of your own!!) We attended seminars, gathered stacks (mountains, really) of paperwork, and began budgeting for the costs. We started re-arranging things in the house so there would be a bedroom for a child, and were altogether very excited at what would now be coming. We began to love and pray for whatever child God would give us.

But God had other plans.

Our church has a missions convention each October, and the very last service was absolutely amazing (even before we learned the impact it had on us.) The missionary, Austin Jones, was from Alaska, and his message was so powerful, so full of faith. At the end of the message, he had those in the room who needed healing line up, and as he prayed, miracles happened. I mean, I SAW them happen. I was last in line, and I was waiting for prayer for my neck (an old injury from a car accident 10+ years ago.) Jayson was waiting with me.

When he got to us, he didn't ask why I was there. He didn’t need to; he already knew that I couldn't have children.  And I burst into tears.  After he prayed for me, and as we were sitting down, he called after us, "Don't adopt just yet."

The next week, we were scheduled to attend a Focus on the Family adoption seminar. We decided that we would still go, not because we didn't have faith, but because we hope to adopt whether we have natural children or not. But we ended up unable to attend because of a freak snowstorm and a stomach bug (ok, ok, we get the idea... don't adopt yet.)

Then we launched into the Christmas season, and talks about adoption and children were put on hold temporarily.

Right before New Year’s, I met a very special woman for coffee, and during the course of our conversation, we learned that neither of us could have children.  And she shared something so precious with me.  She pointed out that, in the Bible, there are seven women mentioned who cannot have children, and six of the seven wind up blessed with a miracle child anyway. “That is my promise,” she told me.  I wrapped my faith around that thought and tucked it away in my heart. {Side note - I did not say who you are because I wasn’t sure you would wish me to, but if you’re ok with it, let me know and I’ll make sure to give you credit, my sweet friend.  Your words will probably be just as precious to others as they were to me.}

A few days later, on January 8th, our Pastor was sharing with the congregation some healing testimonies from the service that Austin had led. I turned to Jayson and whispered, "You know, he prayed for us, too."  So on the way home that day, we picked up an EPT two-pack. I had no symptoms at all, and we really had no reason to suspect I was pregnant, except for what we had heard that day.

And right in the middle of the day, with no symptoms, and without having to wait at all, we saw a clear, distinct plus sign.  Oh, twice (yes, I used them both.)  We stared at each other in amazement.  This woman who can’t have children is pregnant with her first child.

I know that the traditional wait time to share the news is something like 3 months, but we agreed that, since Little Jayne is a miracle, we would tell people we trusted immediately so they could be praying.  So we started sharing much sooner than normal (like, at 4 weeks.)  And so far, Little Jayne is growing strong and healthy (and I’m now 12 weeks, in case you’re wondering.)

What will happen, I can’t possibly know.  Will I carry this baby to full term?  Will (s)he be born healthy, happy, and perfect?  I can only pray that (s)he will be, but whatever comes, (s)he is a miracle right now. 

I hope that this testimony encourages you.  Whether you believe in the power of prayer or not, trust me: it’s real.  I dare you to try it for yourself. :-)

~ Sarah

Special thanks to Austin for letting God work miracles through his ministry!! 

Converstion Hearts

Well, it has been nearly four weeks since I even thought about posting here, and almost two months since I actually posted something useful (last two were Instagram posts, if you can remember that far back.)  I would like to say I'm back, but I can't make any promises as to how consistently, since I'm still unwell (still?! yes, still.)  I'm thankful for modern medicine and old-fashioned prayer (though my new medicine has me dozing off in odd {and frequently embarassing, though funny} places...)  Simple tasks are still exhausting me, but I'm approaching things with more gusto.  And I'm eating again, which is helping immensely.  Can't express how thankful I am for Jayson, who has been waiting on me hand-and-foot, and for my job, which has let me work part-time indefinitely until I'm well enough for full-time again.  Also thankful for some very dear friends and family (you know who you are) who have stepped up to take care of things I couldn't.  I am on the road to recovery and will be myself again before long.  :-)

Well, as Maxine says, a very heartwarming thing happens in the middle of February every year: all the candy goes on clearance.  I'm a candy-lover, myself, and my husband is a bargain-lover.  Which means that we have a brand new stash of candy that would put Willy Wonka to shame. 

My personal favorites are the conversation hearts because of the things they put on them.  (Nothing says romance quite like "Tweet Me.")  They also remind me of a sweet/corny/silly thing I did for my wedding.  Around this time six years ago, my mother purchased pounds and pounds of candy hearts, literally tens of thousands, and together, we spent hours over several days pulling out all the hearts that said 'Marry Me.'  On my wedding day, I had my brother-in-law give several gifts to my soon-to-be-husband, including the box of special conversation hearts.  {Insert 'awww' here.} 

It wasn't until we returned from our honeymoon that I found out he hadn't even opened the box.  I was horrified.  (It's hilarious now... but that night, I felt like bursting into tears.)

And every year since then, he pulls out the 'Marry Me' hearts for me.  :-)  (I think it's his way of telling me he's still sorry.)

What are your Valentine's memories?

~ Sarah

There's a Pirate in my Mixing Bowl

Hey, everyone!

Do you know what time it is? It is 12:50 a.m., and I am sitting in my kitchen, boiling eggs and potatoes, because I am supposed to bring potato salad to a reunion tomorrow. And I remembered 20 minutes ago. *sigh*

Well, it seems I'm not entirely alone. The puppy is snoring in the next room, and little kitty is periodically rubbing against my leg. But we have another companion, too.

A little history. You know how it is when you first move in with someone. Your new living arrangements inherit... things. You know - things that make you, for the briefest moment, think again about sharing your living space with this other person. Things like a collection of tee-shirts that appear to have been used as target practice (and, in my husband's case, that's not an absurd guess), or the bright yellow fish with fluorescent purple glitter lips and sunglasses that, apparently, is expected to share the Christmas tree with your grandmother's antique glass balls.

Or the pirate head. The pirate head that someone made (on purpose) from a coconut, and someone else with disposable income actually paid for. Then gave to my husband to let him know they were thinking about him all the way in Aruba. How sweet.

Isn't it cute? NOT!

Confession: I started trying to throw this thing away the day we moved into our house. Jayson found it in the garbage. "How did this get in here?" he asked. "It must've fallen."

"No, I threw it there."

And that was how our first married fight started. Long story short, he agreed to keep it out of sight, and I agreed to only throw it away if I saw it again. To be honest, I'm not really sure what happened immediately after that, but I can tell you what has been happening ever since.

Mr. Aruba (a/k/a Coco, the Fearsome Buccaneer) has become the family joke. We hide him on each other. He has been all over the place! He's been hanging in the shower, wrapped around toothpaste bottles, hidden in lunchboxes, stuffed under pillows, mingled with granola bars, pinned to a sewing machine, hung on the wall of the living room (ps - I didn't notice that one until after we'd had a house full of people!), fallen out of laundry baskets, dangled in the fridge, zippered into pockets... And tonight, I found him in my mixing bowl.

Hey, if you have to stay up insanely late boiling potatoes, you might as well enjoy it with a pirate.

Now where to hide him next... Any suggestions??

~ Sarah

Jayson

Well, we have a winner!  Congratulations to Stephanie K, who found my husband's name on the Stone House Inn & Spa post from May 18th. 

So, from now on, Superman will be referred to as Jayson, which he's far more used to.  :)

Photograph courtesy of Lasting Images by Lennae Warren

Thanks for playing, contestants!  Perhaps we'll have another game sometime soon.

<3 Sarah

Scavenger Hunt...

Hey, everyone!  Let's play a game, shall we?? 

If you have read my blog before, you know that I never refer to that man (you know, the adorable and wonderful one I'm married to) by his actual name.  There's a reason.  When I started blogging, he was a little paranoid, and asked that I keep him anonymous.  Well, after several months, he's finally come around to saying that he's ok with me calling him by his first name.  (I imagine that seeing himself continually referred to as "Superman" probably got to him after a while.) 

But, unbeknownst to him, his name actually DOES appear on this blog already!!  {In all fairness, I just noticed it recently, myself.}  SO.... We're going to have a SCAVENGER HUNT! 

I realize that some of you, Readers, already know his name (since you know me personally,) but in order to qualify, you must list the following in the comment section:

1. His first name (spelled correctly);
2. The title of the post where his name appears;
3. The date it was posted; and
4. Specifically where it appears in the post.

And I'm not above giving small prizes!  $5 gift card?  Candy bags?  A party banner?   Zig-zag or spiral streamers?  Be the first to find his name, and we'll chat.  ;) 

So, ready... set... GO!!!!!

~ Sarah

PS - Yes-or-no questions are allowed... as long as the hints aren't too big, I'm happy to give them.  ;)

PPS - Everyone seems to be going first to the post called "Confessions of a Newlywed"... hint: it's not there. 

All of Our Games Turn into Dominos

Mini-post!

Why play "Mexican Train" when you can make an elaborate Domino trail?  After this was done, Superman and I agreed that we need to get more of those Mexican Train sets.  They sound really cool when they all fall down together. 

We have also done this with Scrabble letters, Rummikub chips, and Clue pieces.  We haven't mastered the art of doing this with cards yet, but we're working on it.  : )

That's all I have today.  Been a busy week.

~ Sarah

Confessions of a Newlywed

Courtesy of Lasting
Images by Lennae Warren

I realize that LwYH is primarily a blog about you, the reader, but today I'm going to make an exception to brag about something: I have now been married for five years!

Thank you, thank you... yes, we're congratulating ourselves, too.  lol

I'm not sure why, but people say that the first five years of marriage are the hardest.  That can't really be the case... my first five years absolutely flew by.  I am still amazed when I realize how long it's been.  I was recently asked by a (very) newlywed what our "secret" is, and it dawned on me that we don't really have a secret.  Honestly, though, I wouldn't feel qualified to answer that question if we did.  Is anyone?  No two couples have the same marriage, do they?

So rather than share some profound "secret", here are some thoughts on marriage from someone who got married last week -- err, five years ago.  :-)

1. If it's important to them, it's important to you.  If your spouse has something that they are passionate about, make it your passion, too!  If your wife spends a lot of time in her craft room, guys, come up and hang out with her from time to time.  And wives, make sure there's always room for him to sit.  (The same goes for the garage, girls... I know, I know... it's a scary place, but hang out with him while he works on his motorcycle from time to time!)
2. Learn how to fight properly.  My sister-in-law and I were talking about this recently: in a marriage, you never learn how not to fight.  You just get better at it (just be careful to 'get better' in the right way!)  Remember that you're still going to be married when the fight's over and you're getting along again, so don't say or do anything that will truly injure each other.  Fight through things that you can, and give in when you must, and never, ever "reheat each other's sins for breakfast"!
3. Never stop having fun.  We joke constantly, and giggle all the time.  Quite simply, the couple that is laughing together doesn't notice the years zipping past. 
4. Protect your marriage.  Don't focus on the other 'things' in your life and neglect to take care of what is most important.  Even if you have a spouse that may "understand this" or "get over that," never think that they are last on the ol' priorities list.  Remember, 'things' only last a season, but marriage, a lifetime.

I could keep going, but I'm not recording a book here.  Instead, I'll share what others have said:

• "In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for marriage." ~Robert Anderson, Solitaire & Double Solitaire
• "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ~ Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966
• "In the opinion of the world, marriage ends all, as it does in a comedy. The truth is precisely the opposite: it begins all." ~Anne Sophie Swetchine
• "Our wedding was many years ago. The celebration continues to this day." ~ Gene Perret

And finally, a picture of us "newlyweds" (courtesy of Lasting Images by Lennae Warren).

May you be as lucky in love as I have been!!

~ Sarah <3

Bradford County

Happy Summer! (For it really isn't the 'summer' until Memorial Day has come and gone, is it?)  I hope everyone had a lovely holiday!

Thank you to all those who have served in the
military so that we could enjoy our freedom!!!

Well, we over here in "LwYH Land" had a very busy weekend... at least three things every single day.  But it was wonderful!  (Now, this isn't really a blog about me -- it's more about things I've done that you may like... so I'm only going to babble about part of my weekend.)

Saturday, we stopped at an incredible place along Route 6 on our way to NY for a several-day celebration.  We knew we would be late anyways, so we chose the scenic route, and took our dear ole' time.  (I think the end result was almost 5 hours late...)

There's a wonderful place in Bradford County, PA: an asylum that was created for French Nobility during the Revolution, particularly Marie Antoinette.  We didn't actually visit the asylum (Azilum) itself, but there is a scenic overlook that doubles as a tribute.  We did stop there for a while, and have plans in the works to spend some real time in Bradford County.



My husband and I agreed that we'd move to Bradford County in a heartbeat -- it's beautiful, serene, and extremely charming.  If you ever have a chance to go up Route 6, do not hesitate! 

Happy that Summer is finally here!  <3

~ Sarah

PS -  I don't pretend to be anything of a photographer with my handy-dandy iPhone camera, but here is someone who took a marvelous set of pictures from the same location (and they did it properly!)

The Way to a Man's Heart

My husband's getting old!  :)

Yesterday was his birthday, and so we celebrated in a fashion all our own.  It's a special day for us, not only because he's a year older, but because we also became engaged on his birthday 6 years ago.  {Insert 'aww' here.}

This year, I decided to make his favorite dish - Chicken Marsala.  I made it once before (several years ago) and the result was such a disaster that I haven't tried it since.  I guess I was too chicken. 

But anyways, I googled several different recipes for Chicken Marsala, and finally found this one, which is what I more or less followed.  It's excellent - I recommend that you try it.

Chicken Marsala Saga - What you will need:

1. 4 chicken half-breast (boneless / skinless)
2. flour
3. salt
4. pepper
5. Oregano
6. Oil (I used olive oil)
7. Butter
8. Sliced mushrooms
9. Marsala Wine
10. Sun-dried tomatoes (optional)

A wine connoisseur, I am not, but I asked the very helpful man at the store what he would recommend.  He immediately had an answer.  He assured me that this is what all of the restaurants use, and who am I to say he's wrong? 

First, combine your butter and oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Combine your flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a shallow dish (I also threw in some white pepper for no apparent reason).  "Dredge" the chicken. 

• Dredge is an awesome cooking term that refers to (basically) dragging the chicken through the mixture on both sides.  I didn't get any shots of me doing this because I had no free hands.
• The recipe calls for you to smoosh the chicken before dredging.  I was lazy - I picked up pre-sliced chicken that was dredge-ready. 

Carefully add the chicken to the oil/butter mixture.  Allow to brown on one side, then on the other.  You should be able to tell when they're ready to turn.  The chicken becomes opaque on the bottom, and the edges will start to turn this color, as well.  Medium heat is probably best.

Add your mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) around your chicken.  They're Superman's favorite.  <3

Once chicken side #2 is basically done, stir together.  Add the wine, cover and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.

  

And there you have it!  It really wasn't as tough as I feared.  I also added chunks of white cheddar cheese when I served it, and he added a Parmesan mountain on his.

My helper.. far be it from him to leave me
on my own to make Daddy's dinner. <3

My notes: I've tasted better chicken marsala, but this recipe certainly held up!  It was delicous.  I may try a tad more wine next time, as, when all was said and done, the flavor wasn't very strong.

As you can see, choking it down was a chore.

After dinner, my husband wanted to go flying!  Flying on his birthday is something of a tradition because that's how we became engaged.  (He took me flying at night and wrote 'marry me?' on the ground in Christmas lights.)  {Insert 'aww' here.}

Of course, to be legal, he had to practice three landings before taking me up with him.  Not that I was bored!

Pictures from our flight:   

 

Later, we had birthday brownie with cream cheese frosting.  15 points if you can guess how old he is.  :)

All in all, a successful birthday, so Superman says.  <3

~ Sarah

PS - PLEASE share your Chicken Marsala tips / sagas!!  I plan to make it again and want to improve it.  :-)

Green Thumb (NOT!)

Take a good look at my thumb -- yup!  It is black as can be.  Anything I try to plant dies (including those plants that are supposedly built to withstand an experience with someone like me!)  *sigh*

You would think it's in my blood, as my mother is an extraordinary gardener.  Growing up, we lived on, oh, I don't know, approximately 1 acre of land, but she fenced off a magnificent portion and planted...things.  She planted eight rows in her garden, and when I say 'rows', I mean 12-15 feet long by 4 feet wide.  She had raspberry bushes, corn, flowers, pumpkins, beans, asparagus, dill, rhubarb, and many other impressive things.  With her help, of course, my sister and I planted a half-row (which we shared) of vegetables and spices. 

And that row represents the only successful gardening I've ever done in my life.

I planted morning glories one year, and to my delight, little green things started popping up.  They never fully matured, however, as (this just in!) morning glories like sun, and I planted them in a charming spot around my deck that receives about 10 minutes of sun per day.  I planted a box of wildflower seeds one year on a barren portion of our yard, but, as it turns out, flowers aren't fond of rocks (who knew?) 

I did manage to successfully sow grass seed one year around the lamp post in my front yard.  This endeavor actually looked promising, until my dog decided it was perfect for something else, and the grass promptly withered.

My patient husband understands that gardening is to me what ironing is to him - I appreciate that there's a purpose to it, but can never have any hope of doing it myself.  He worked for a landscaping company for many years, and knows things about planting that just amaze me.  We have an understanding -- if we are looking at plants of any kind, he knows that, when I find one I fancy, it will be his job to keep the darn thing alive.  He just smiles.

Anyways, despite my black thumb, I have a deep appreciation for how the plants look.  I thought I'd share some pictures of what I see as I walk around my house, most of which I actually know the names of, if you can believe it.  That's all I have for you today.  Enjoy!!

  



Our back yard lilac bush - more like a tree.



Futia hanging baskets I bought over the weekend.  I haven't
had a chance to kill them yet -- give me a few more days.

 

Bleeding Heart in the front yard.





A lilac bush that "we" transplanted last year.

 

Some lovely little flowers in my yard.  I'm pretty
sure they're weeds, but who's to say? :-)
"A weed is just a flower out of place."
























~ Sarah