A Couple of Cookies {Apple Oatmeal Chocolate Chip}

After my husband and I had our Shabbath service Friday evening, we invited my family and good friends over for dessert. (Teach your children- and possibly yourself- how to distinguish dessert from desert: remember 'ss' for super sweet!)

My parents and our friend's daughter were the only ones able to come over, so we missed everyone else. But... I enjoyed the company of those who could come.

The original plan was to serve sorbet; however. I had a cookie recipe I wanted to try, and my sweet man wanted Abuelita hot chocolate, so... Bam. Plan changed. :-) We're so flexible. Haha

The cookies were a hit! I called mine 'Apple Oatmeal Chocolate Chip' cookies. They tasted 'light' and had a 'nice flavor,' as my guests remarked. The almond extract also gives them a delicious scent and flavor. And they were all gone by the end of the evening- proof of their tastiness.

You can find the original recipe here, as I did change just a few parts in my version posted in this blog.

Home Progress {Pictures}

"It takes hands to build a house, but only hearts can build a home." -unknown

The Hillers have taken up residence & are ready to build a home!

We moved into our new home on Friday, January 16. We are renting a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home with a fenced yard about three blocks from my husband's work. The home also includes a basement, which can be assessed from the outside. The basement is the size of the whole home, without the walls. Water and sewer are included in the rent. We pay the rent, electricity, heating oil, and trash pick up. If you missed my video tour of the home, you can view it here.

When we first viewed the home, we were not impressed with the exterior. In fact, it was a little... ugly. :-) But we definitely liked what we saw on the inside.

Welcome to Our New Home! {Tour}

The Lord is very good to us! Since Friday night, we are sleeping in a new home.

I know our home is 'tiny' by many standards, but it's quite large relative to a motor home the size of a van. I am so excited to make this home our own. We plan to rent it for the long term-- until we find a home /or land we would like to buy or until we can no longer fit in it.

I will post more pictures and videos, as we add touches to our home like curtains, furniture, decorations, and daily living.

Just think... this is the home our daughter will be born in. This is the home where family will visit. This is the home where I'll experiment in the kitchen, becoming a better cook and baker- where I'll explore natural alternatives to the toxic chemicals we place in, on, or around our bodies- where our friends and family will gather and share memories- where our lives will be lived. How exciting!

*Please forgive the quality, shakiness, and low volume of the video. It's only 2 minutes long, as I walk through the house to show you the layout.*

Our Daughter's Name

Google Image

I'm not sure what the scene may have looked like, as the woman fell on her face before the future king. He and his men came with swords and vengeance; she came with gifts and humility.

The Bible describes this woman as "a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance," despite her husband's stubborn and ungodly nature. She is the epitome of Biblical submission and diplomacy. Jewish tradition reveres her as one of the most intelligent and beautiful women of their history. Her name means "father's joy" or "gives joy."

December 2014 Life Update!

What do you do when you've travelled four days, need to use the restroom, and there's no running water at your destination?

Hello, John. My name is Jill.

You use an outhouse.... Welcome to our December 2014!

The outhouse on my family's property.

Quick Blurb on Submission

Our family faces a lot of changes in this new year. Of course, with changes come decision-making.

Decision making can be a hot topic in some families, and submission seems to be a filthy word to some.

Biblical submission is not about a step ladder of authority, inferiority and superiority, or control. 

Biblical submission is about trust and peace and being empowered in who Christ has made a man (husband) and a woman (wife) to be. 

I can become completely obsessed with a decision that needs to be made, but when I say, 'Handsome, I trust that you're going to make the decision you believe is best for us.' I receive so much peace. 

I am thankful for a husband who hears my thoughts, discusses decisions with me, but ultimately takes the lead and responsibility(!) of the decision. I find that the husband's role is so much more difficult than a wife's role, and I am tremendously appreciative of my husband!

God bless you and keep you,

~Raquel

32 Weeks Pregnancy Update!

The time of our darling child's arrival is approaching quickly, and this mama-to-be is still getting settled in her new home. 32 weeks of pregnancy completed and counting! I have LOTS to share in this pregnancy update!

December 25, 2014-- photography from a friend

All About Baby

Our sweet child is 32 weeks old and will be 33 weeks old either this Wednesday or this Friday. 

At 22-23 weeks, we had our first ultrasound. My husband and I considered our options for finding out baby's gender. Ultimately, we decided that, since this child is our first and because we are only having one ultrasound, we would like to know the baby's gender so that the technician can point everything out to us on the ultrasound. During the ultrasound, our baby was active as ever-- kicking and moving about. 

The baby gave us plenty of opportunities to see that.... SHE'S a GIRL! She is definitely the sweetest, cutest darling I have ever (sort of) seen. During the ultrasound, she was sucking in amniotic fluid with adorable pursed lips. At one point, she also yawned, which stole mine and her daddy's heart.

Everything on the ultrasound looked "perfect" in the words of the technician. We are so excited to meet our daughter whenever she arrives. Judging by her movements in my womb, I know what a spirited, active child we are about to have. Thankfully, she will have the majority of my time and devotion with my new occupation-- stay at home wife/mom!

Now that we know her gender, we have also chosen a name. I will create a separate post with her name and the story(ies) behind her name soon.

All About Mama-To-Be

Some women hate pregnancy and find it miserable.... I am definitely NOT one of those women! I feel great. I feel like I look great. I am enjoying my pregnancy thus far-- and I'm almost through. The Lord has been very good to me to give me a healthy child, a healthy pregnancy, and peace!

At my last appointment, I am measuring right on target (still a little on the smaller side). I have gained one pound each week of the last two months.

December 25, 2014-- photography from a friend

I have had a few rough spots in the pregnancy.... In my first trimester, I experienced all day morning sickness and extreme motion sickness. The sickness completely went away two days into my second trimester. Hallelujah! In my second trimester, I was also working full time and experienced chronic fatigue. Toward the end of my second trimester, I decided to visit the chiropractor to get aligned for an optimal labor and birthing experience. Interestingly, the thermal scan revealed that several vertebrae in my back and neck were misaligned and could cause chronic fatigue. After about three weeks of consistent chiropractic care, my bed time began to become normal again.

This third trimester, though, has been so occupied with the move to north Idaho and trying to become settled in a home that I've scarcely had a moment to think about what's going on with the pregnancy. Of course, I am ever aware of our sweet daughter;'s presence, but I have not thought about how I'm feeling or what may be going on with my body. I feel like my normal self-- just with a belly.

Unfortunately, I am not quite my normal self, although I am not experiencing anything too terrible. 

At my most recent midwife prenatal appointment (more on the midwife next!), I learned that I am anemic. My iron levels were 9 (units unknown), which is below the normal 12 (units unknown). My midwife recommended that I take Floradix Iron + Herbs. She will be reassessing my iron levels at my next appointment (two weeks from last appointment). My midwife said that she looks at a pregnant woman's iron levels to determine how she will do in the postpartum period.

My midwife also recommended that I consume more protein. She likes a pregnant woman to consume at least 60-80g of protein a day. She uses the Garden of Life Raw Meal (vanilla flavor) and recommended it to me, so I bought a large container of it. At first, I found that I was having to supplement with the raw meal at least twice a day. (If you are wondering, yes! It is tasty.) Since becoming more aware of my protein intake, however, I have not had to take the raw meal the last two days. I have made my breakfasts larger to include an egg, oatmeal, and fruit with peanut butter. I am trying to eat more meat than I usually would, too. So far, my protein has been over 60g each day.

In addition to the iron + herbs supplement and raw meal protein, I drink my red raspberry leaf tea religiously and take my Garden of Life raw prenatal not so consistently. I began drinking one cup of red raspberry leaf tea every day at 20 weeks. Since 30 weeks, I have tried to drink a double brew of the tea daily. My midwife says I will begin drinking large batches of the tea starting at 35 weeks. As for my Garden of Life raw prenatal... out of sight, out of mind, unfortunately. Our new, but temporary home is very small. I put the prenatals in a cabinet and continued to forget to take them. Now, I have put them on the counter top, and I am beginning to take them again. I was taking cod liver oil; however, we accidentally left the bottle in the refrigerator when we moved from Texas to Idaho.

Last of all, I have just recently (within the past two weeks) begun experiencing mild to severe right rib pain. One night in particular was extremely painful, and I could not fall asleep for the longest time. I looked up this symptom, and apparently it is a common complaint in late pregnancy. As the uterus pushes up and out, my poor ribs have very few places to retreat to.  The pain is not constant throughout the day and usually only comes in the evening. I have found that lifting my right arm above my head helps relieve the pain. Also, in severe circumstances, I kneel on my knees with my knees and head on the ground in an A frame of sorts. I find a lot of relief in that position. I'm hoping that going to the chiropractor regularly will also relieve this pain.

My youngest sister built a pregnant snow woman for me. I think her belly may be bigger than mine, but hey-- we look good together! haha :-)

All About Our Situation (Pregnancy Related)

Our first midwife was not willing to travel from Texas to Idaho for the birth of our daughter (haha-- we were not expecting her to), so we had to find a new midwife in the area. Thankfully, north Idaho moms often use a midwife, and so we had several women to choose from. The Lord brought our current midwife, Kim, into our focus shortly after we moved. You can find information about her and her care on her website. We are loving the experience and knowledge she is bringing to this pregnancy. She is also faith-based, and we feel very comfortable with her.

In Texas, we were planning a homebirth. Since moving to Idaho, we have been living in a motor home (without running water). I thought I might give birth in a birthing center. The nearest birthing center is over an hour away, though, which may not be the most comfortable or safest ride of my life.... We are planning to move into a new home (hopefully within the week), and we will have our midwife travel to our home for our desired homebirth.

Also, with the move and the holidays, my husband and I have found ourselves in one another's company all day long. What a treat!! In a way, we are experiencing an unplanned babymoon. I'm not sure if we will have an official babymoon with our precious girl coming soon and with the expense of the move. The time with my wonderful husband has been priceless!

Until Next Time...

Be on the look out for the story of our daughter's name. I would also like to share our birth plan and vision in a future post.

God bless you and keep you,

~Raquel