Giving My Wedding Dress Away || Tuesday Talk

Last month I finally did something I'd been thinking of doing for quite some time now ... I gave away my wedding dress! When my mom came to visit, she was stopping in to stay with us before and after a mission trip to Haiti. We were able to package it up and have it arrive the next day! 

The ladies were excited to add my wedding dress to their store in hopes that a woman might be able to wed and not have to wait because she didn't have the right clothes. I would have been so frustrated in sad if I wanted to marry and the only thing keeping me from it was a dress. 

What about your daughter?

Many of you may be thinking, "Why, knowing you have a girl, did you give away your wedding dress?" --and the truth of the matter is, I want her dress to be her choice should she get married. My dress wasn't "custom made" and I didn't spend zillions of dollars on it, so if she really really wanted pretty much the same dress, we could totally find it! It is more important to me that a Haitian couple could get married and not simply "live together" because they couldn't do it the "right way" in their own eyes.  

Any regrets?

No way! I think this was a big deal, I know it was -- but a wedding dress is still a dress. My marriage is far more important and that is something I will cherish and grow and hopefully impart to my daughter. Also, the photos (thank you Sarah K Crawford, Becca Pascoe, and Heather Foley!) and memories will always be ours to cherish! My husband even wrote a post, reflecting on that wonderful day. 

To the woman who may wear my dress one day, 

I pray that you will be blessed with a Christ-following husband who leads your family in a bold and biblical way. I pray that you will feel like a princess on your wedding day and glow with the light of Jesus! I pray that you will learn to be a servant leader in your home, something we all can grow in. Let God equip and change you to be the woman he designed for the man you are marrying.

Much love and many blessings, 

~Andrea

For my blogger friends, welcome to Tuesday Talk! Grab our Tuesday Talk button, and please party responsibly [see rules below!] :) Find some new blogs and make friends, that's what this is all about, so enjoy!

Your lovely hostesses::

Becky from BYBMG || Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls

Chelsea from The Contented Wife || Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things || Tara from Mrs. Coach Sims || Keri from Living in This Season || Sarah from Abiding In Grace || Lauren from Simply Free || Andrea {ME!!}from Mitchael Journey || Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones || Mandy from Almond Place  || Teressa from Teressa Jane

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Comment below because I'd love to know:

What is something you have been blessed to give away?

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Getting Close!! || 38 Weeks Pregnancy Update

How far along? 38 weeks! Almost there, but not yet! I'm enjoying time with my vibrant 2 1/2 year old and giving him all the snuggles he wants -- this week he's been wanting a lot extra, maybe he knows things are about to change. 

Little man and I have had a wonderful week together -- he's taken Josh's morning words to heart -- to be sweet and gentle to Mommy! Nap and bedtimes have also gone super well :) aaand I cut his hair this week! When I showed him his new hair in the mirror he said in the sweetest and most honest voice, "looking good!" -- haha! He's looking more grown up *tear ((so proud!))

Gender? A sweet girl :)

In case you missed it: 
Gender reveal post
Learn about her name

What's baby up to? She's just fattening up and perfecting final systems details :) She's the size of... a baby! lol -- I wonder what her birth weight will be -- oh, the mystery!

Total weight gain/loss? I think I'm hitting a gain around 30 pounds right now from pre-pregnancy weight -- which is totally fine with me! 

Maternity clothes? I picked up some new clothes when my sister was here and am LOVING the comfort of maxi skirts! 

Sleep? Enjoying sleep and rest when I am able -- I'm honestly not sure how often I get up in the night -- but thankfully I go back to sleep quickly!

Best moment this week? A couple of days after a deep chiropractic massage and my back feels ... nice, normal, not-as-achy -- and so I am so thankful! I also have been having little bursts of energy to work on my pre-labor to-do list, it's nice to be making progress!

Symptoms? I've been getting some cramps and twinges here and there -- gearing up for the big event. One day when my sister was here I had awful full body muscle ache. That was rough. She and her hubby took care of Marshall while I actually slept most of the day. I think I'd just been overdoing it and might have released tons of relaxin hormone or something? who knows!

Food cravings? chocolate :) yep!

Food aversions? Not a huge fan of spicy or super acidic right now, but that's about it!

Belly button in or out? out since forever ago :)

What I miss? Hm. I'm not sure what I miss. Maybe being more "capable" to handle things than I am now. 

What I'm looking forward to? Meeting my little gal :) I can't wait to see what color her hair is, what she looks like, and holding her in my arms!

Bumpity Bump :)

Comment Below, because I'd love to know:: 
What were you doing when you went into labor?
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Hanging out with Open Door Traders || 7 Tuesday Talk

I've had a wonderful week since I've lasted checked in with you all! My sister and her family came to visit! We had lovely adventures at the beach, hanging out, and thrifting it up :) 

We enjoyed sharing the Atlantic Ocean with this precious little girl for the very first time!

Natalie and Chad (my sister and bro-in-law) have a FANTASTIC artisan woodworking business where they work so hard to design and create! They enjoyed the rest from work, but are already back in the shop to create more unique and amazing products!

If you need a gift for ... well anyone in your life -- you should head over to their website and support their products and their dreams! I can't wait to see how the Lord grows their business this year! They also recently started a blog to connect even more to their heart and purposes of ODT!

Check out their latest post!

via

On Friday night we got called on sweet babysitters to watch our kiddos while we hit the town for one last night together! For dinner we shared some wood-fired gluten free pizza to all of our delights! 

via

Part Two of our date took place at Starbucks, of course! We just had to join in the day that is apparently the biggest Starbucks Date Night of the year. We played some fast and furious games of Dutch Blitz (have you every played?!) and enjoyed sipping some favorites :) These hilarious moustaches were sitting on our table when we arrived ... per.fect.o!

These goofy dudes decided to make their eyebrows disappear with a hat Chad found thrifting that was cool ... oh date night!

After Starbucks, we headed to the mall and a few stores concluding with TJ Maxx, which was about to close by then. I rushed through and tried on about 6 maxi skirts (my third trimester obsession) and bought 1 maxi and one midi to make these last few weeks more comfy!

Blogger Giveaway Opportunity!! I have a giveaway opportunity coming up for few copies of of The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst alongside a book review. I would like to have the giveaway hosted on a few other blogs to spread the word! If you would be interested in joining in this giveaway -- please email me at {ifrog4fr (at) gmail} and I'll send you some details I've worked out to share the costs of shipping etc. If you are not able to participate, no sweat -- just be sure to enter!! Thanks!

It's that time of the week again, time for... TUESDAY TALK!

I am hoping to get to know some more of you today as we link-up together and share our own writings! Everyone loves comments, so be sure to leave a few as you hop along in the par-tay!

Your lovely hostesses::

Becky from BYBMG || Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls

Chelsea from The Contented Wife || Elizabeth from All Kinds of Things || Tara from Mrs. Coach Sims || Keri from Living in This Season || Sarah from Abiding In Grace || Lauren from Simply Free || Andrea {ME!!}from Mitchael Journey || Jessica & Katie from Sweet Little Ones || Mandy from Almond Place  || Teressa from Teressa Jane

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A Toddler Breakfast Treat - Banana Swirl + Boosts

After watching one of his favorite shows on Netflix this early morning, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood on PBS, my little man asked me to make him some Banana Swirl which was featured on that episode! The episode is #116 where Daniel Tiger is trying new food with the strategy song, "You gotta try new food 'cause it might taste good!" which we use to encourage Marshall at home. I had some bananas frozen and ready in the freezer because they were getting overripe in the bunch, so I was thrilled to accommodate this tasty breakfast treat PLUS add a few little nutritional boosts of my own!

Daniel Tiger's mom uses 2 frozen bananas and a blender -- as simple as can be! 

 Rave reviews from Marshall:

"A little bit more, Mommy!"

"It tastes like ice cream!"

"I like it! Yummy!"

For the Mitchael Journey version I used this morning in my Ninja Blender: 

• 2 frozen bananas
• 1 packet of Baby & Toddler Multi Powder from The Honest Company (check out the Honest Health & Wellness Trial)
• 1/4 cup of plain Greek Yogurt

Still super simple, but with added vitamins and probiotics! 

A little more info on the Baby & Toddler Multi-Powder from the Honest Co.::

• Healthy Probiotics. Made with a unique blend of 500 million live bacteria cultures clinically proven to support a strong immune system and healthy digestion.*
• Whole Food Based. Filled with 22 essential vitamins and minerals from 31 organic fruit and veggies, in addition to key antioxidants, superfoods, amino acids, and more.
• Honestly Free of: soy, wheat, gelatin, sodium, dairy, eggs, lactose, tree nuts, peanuts, fish/shellfish, gluten, yeast, casein, sweeteners/HFCS, GMOs, dyes/colors, parabens, phthalates, preservatives, salicylates, artificial flavors, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals & synthetic additivesa
• additional thoughts: My son noticed the powder in his drink and didn't like the added texture, but mixed with food we had 100% success!

I'm really loving what The Honest Co. has to offer -- from prenatal and family to cleaning to gifts and wellness! If you're interested in trying The Honest Company, please use my link as a thank you for this article: http://www.honest.com/accept_invitation/99115

I think I'll experiment with additional nutritional add-ins such as nut butters or chia seeds, but basically -- this is a wonderful morning boost for your little ones -- I'd love to hear what you think!

comment below, I'd love to know::

What are some favorite healthy snacks and meals for you and your family?

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