Beginning my eleventh sabbatical day on my deck with little Quinn. I will be so thankful for the day that she allows me to sleep past 6 am. But waking up to her sweet puppy kisses is worth getting up for. She’s a biter so the kisses are a
welcome occurrence.
As I read my daily devotional today I have to think back to my last post about the recent losses in our lives. It says “I can take the deepest sorrow and weave it into a pattern for good.” There is so much truth to this statement. Three years later, I can honestly say that God turned those horrible events into his pattern for good in my life. FDLIC came into my life shortly after that time. Those losses, while tragic and painful, did give me my story to help families understand what it’s like to be unprepared. I speak to families with a position of “having been there” which i believe is more powerful than “what I see everyday when families are unprepared”.
Yesterday, my amazingly talented husband made me an awning. I know that sounds strange but I struggle to find the right window treatments. I’m sure that’s a struggle that everyone has, right? Lol, I found a picture on Pinterest and showed him and less than 24 hours later, boom! An awning in my living room. He is the most talented maker of things! I’ll be adding some signage above it today or tomorrow but I want to show everyone how great it looks right now. 
It goes perfect with the old windows that I refurbished last week. My husband taught me how to use his bandsaw so I was able to cut out all the letter, paint them, distress them and hang them all by myself. Jeff loves to sell our projects but this one he can’t sell unless he find a family with the last name “BELL”. I’m sure he will try! 😂 
Baby Elliott update, he’s having a good week which is such a blessing. The doctors felt he was doing well enough to discontinue another medicine yesterday. Although he seems to love this particular med, I pray he’s decided he doesn’t need it anymore. Prayers requested for him today to come off of that medicine with success and more baby steps toward his mommy and daddy getting to hold him for the first time. It’s been a long and difficult eight NICU weeks for his parents but it’s going to be all worth it soon and this NICU journey will be in the rear view mirror!