tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67183807858504811712024-03-14T05:16:02.570-05:00Michaela RaeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-25245917692108467682016-03-11T18:41:00.002-06:002016-03-11T19:46:27.054-06:00Reflections on “Better Than a Birth Plan”
In a recent Desiring God article, Jenni Naselli expresses
some of her concerns surrounding the growing push for mother’s to birth
naturally.
In some respects, Jenni hits the nail on the head. Mom’s
often struggle with comparison. It can negatively affect so many areas of our
lives. It can lead us to become control freaks and cause us to question our
worth when we can’t seem to “measureUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-90641537253203745962014-03-17T00:26:00.006-05:002014-03-18T15:12:32.713-05:00Ellie Mae's Arrival (my home birth experience)Several people have asked if I'd share the story of Ellie Mae's home birth and my overall thoughts on the experience. It seemed like a daunting task because there's so much I could say! But here's what I've come up with.
First, the hard facts:
Eleanor Mae Jaros was born on Saturday, January 25th (her due date) at 1:50pm on the bathroom floor. She weighed 8lbs, 13oz and was 20in long. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-88791057833586184942012-12-14T11:40:00.000-06:002014-03-17T10:32:33.467-05:00Something New!Hello dear readers!
You may have noticed that I've only blogged a handful of times since returning from the UK in August. The break was a much needed one and I began re-evaluating my time spent in the blogging world. I've loved sharing about Kurt and my adventures here. The support I received while doing so has been really special to me. Now though that we're beginning to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-52276016671768054862012-12-06T10:34:00.002-06:002012-12-06T14:32:53.289-06:00The Very Best of London | according to me
Having lived in London for a year, I often find it hard to sum up what I'd do if I had one week in the city. London is amazing and there's just so much to see and do. After some thought though, I've come up with my top recommendations. A lot of websites will fill you in on the popular tourist attractions, but here are my personal, perhaps less well-known, favorites. If I could go back today, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-8723874537620788072012-12-02T15:28:00.002-06:002012-12-02T19:45:31.113-06:00Merry Free Printables!I've been on a free printables kick recently. There are so many cute (especially, holiday) ones on the net right now and I think it's the sweetest that designers are willing to share their talent for free. Here are of my favorites:
+ This, DIY Holiday Paper Reindeer Postcard & Tag from Eat Drink Chic.
+ HelloBee's, Notes of Thankfulness.
+ Holiday Gift Tags from LoveUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-48489176038856090212012-10-23T22:43:00.000-05:002012-10-23T22:43:13.088-05:00Sharing on Life AbroadToday I'm over on Chelsea's blog, Lost in Travels, sharing about a couple ways that living abroad shaped my perspective. I feel really honored to share on her blog because she and her husband are the definition of an adventurous couple (or "life long honeymooners", as she calls it). They currently live in Korea and Chelsea shares all about their life there on her blog. I'll forever have Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-12892675764776155182012-10-17T10:38:00.003-05:002012-10-17T10:50:54.526-05:00Autumn Chicken and Corn Chili
This autumn I've been trying to think outside the box a bit by making familiar seasonal recipes I love, but with a twist. Last week I had a hankering for something warm and hearty so I made chili. I'd normally make my mother's more traditional chili recipe but this time I went with a Chicken and Corn Chili. I haven't posted recipes in awhile because I realize I'm not an expert and there Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-87777667343456762702012-10-08T17:02:00.000-05:002012-10-08T17:29:15.668-05:00Florida NutshellThe last few weeks have been so full. I finally feel like I can sit down to summarize what's been going on now that we've seen all of our family and celebrated new nephews, birthdays and a wedding.
We just finished visiting Florida and are stopped in Memphis on our way back to the Chicago-area. It was great to have two full weeks of summer-like days with my family in Florida. We sweated it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-80161129315253550072012-09-17T16:40:00.002-05:002012-09-17T16:40:30.105-05:00Thoughts Lately
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I've been avoiding the social media world the last few weeks. I needed a break, partly because I'm weary of the political strife, but mainly because time needs to be spent elsewhere. I've been working on home projects with my mother-in-law, reorganizing Kurt and my belongings, job hunting and reading books that've sat far too long. Big moves and transitions make one thing apparent: life Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-91931408114775603972012-09-05T19:33:00.000-05:002012-09-05T20:23:22.991-05:00Back in the MotherlandThis past week has flown by. Here's the scoop: since my last post, we traveled through the sky and landed in Chicago, our home for the next little while. We've been waking up at 4am (thank you jetlag), spending time with Kurt's family and slowly unpacking, reorganizing and repacking our things in Kurt's childhood room. We're staying with his parents for the next couple weeks and then heading downUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-20601044984277241742012-08-29T06:31:00.000-05:002012-08-29T06:31:02.875-05:00It is Well
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Wednesday already. The sun is shining and buses are cranking on the street below - just like any other day. But today, today is five bags packed to 50lbs and an empty flat. It's one last walk through my favorite park and bizarre meals from leftover ingredients in our kitchen. It's "hooray" one minute and "I'll miss this" the next. Today is the end of an incredible year and the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-46720255799788378792012-08-27T04:50:00.001-05:002012-08-27T04:58:41.920-05:00Last Weekend in England
Our last weekend in the UK has come and gone and now it's really starting to sink in. We spent it right though, no doubt.
Saturday we decided to venture back to a place we visited in January, Richmond upon Thames. Only this time everything was green, we weren't freezing our tushes off and we had a pleasant familiar feeling walking down the streets and along the river. We ate aUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-50617669177886192012-08-23T05:49:00.000-05:002012-08-24T06:01:22.610-05:00Trends I'll Live Without (Part III)
Well, I'm back. Back with more fashion trends that make me cringe. I'm going to share four trends that this summer (what's left of it), and every summer, I vow to live without. You can see other horrible trends I've written about in Part I and Part II.
Summer's when people get to show a little more skin, and that's fine by me, it gets hot out and I like wearing summer dresses too. The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-60899747820632471712012-08-21T10:02:00.002-05:002012-08-21T17:20:29.491-05:00It is Well with My Soul
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The words from, It is Well with My Soul, have been in my head all day. I can't help but think of all the things, big and small, that are blessing my soul this week. But I know it's not always like that. A few days ago I wrote about obedience and this morning Horatio Spafford's words have helped me think of a new way to practice it: I'm going to say, "it is well," through life's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-7427061779354122862012-08-20T14:15:00.001-05:002012-08-20T15:01:46.599-05:00Life Lately
Cannizaro Park
Life lately has consisted of walks or runs in my favorite park, squeezing in extra time with friends and realizing how much crap we've accumulated over a year. I always say this when I move, but I want to be more of a minimalist, gah!
In 10 days we fly to Chicago and we've already decided to have dinner at Cracker Barrel that night. I guess you could say we're getting our Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-90849713169800860592012-08-15T08:42:00.011-05:002012-08-15T11:02:51.240-05:0015 Days + Links
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In my post last week I mentioned that we only have three weeks left in England, and I keep wanting, everyday, to believe we have three weeks left. Always three weeks. Yesterday I made my first attempt to accept it - not three weeks but 15 days - by sorting through my basket of craft supplies and scraps. It's time to start deciding which things to leave and which to cram into one of four Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-85645429965908660752012-08-13T16:09:00.000-05:002012-08-15T12:05:19.769-05:00Obedience > Emotion
This week I've been convicted of relying on emotional motivation to act like the Christian I claim to be.
Perhaps my charismatic upbringing taught me that emotion should be the force that drives me to action. Or maybe humans are just like that because obedience is something you learn and have to practice while emotion comes naturally.
Although there's nothing intrinsically wrong with having Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-52132820542353750552012-08-09T07:00:00.000-05:002012-08-09T07:13:23.228-05:00Europe Trip, Check!Yesterday our Europe trip drew to a close and now we're back in our little London flat. There's been lots of hugging and "Oh, we're back!". Kurt even exclaimed, "Look you're making your oatmeal!" this morning. (We're kind of goofy and sentimental.) But thoughts of this being our last three weeks in London are hard to shake. As much as I've discovered I'm not a city girl and that I need a higher Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-81115978605774277492012-07-27T15:07:00.000-05:002012-07-27T15:14:35.732-05:00Hola, Bonjour, Ciao, Hallo...whew!I meant to have blogged by now, but it's incredible how quickly vacations fly by.
Here's a speedy update: We're in Salzburg, Austria. Already half way through our massive road trip. We began in Barcelona and have visited Southern France and a good portion of Italy since. Nice, France was absolutely breathtaking. I couldn't get over the color of the water, and coming from a Florida girl you can Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-30278305384181205842012-07-15T16:21:00.002-05:002012-07-15T16:21:45.452-05:0023 Times Around the Sun!
Yesterday was my 23rd birthday! Kurt took me out to brunch at a cafe I'd been eyeing for several months and then we lazed around planning our Europe road trip and eating chocolate peanut butter cake the rest of the day. It was lovely.
It's weird to think it was just 3 years ago that I spent my 20th birthday in Argentina. I remember sitting up in the Andes Mountains and thinking and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-72408082845971629082012-07-10T18:29:00.003-05:002012-07-10T18:37:10.324-05:00Priorities for Home Arrival
Tonight I've been contemplating going home August 30th and getting excited for all of the things I'm going to do upon my return. Gotta get all of my priorities in line.
In no particular order:
Hitting up Florida beaches, oh how I long for the sound, smell, heat.
Getting my hair did. Next month will be a year since my last cut.
Texting friends.
Driving and jamming to Katy Perry.
Eating Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-83294455754211798072012-07-06T05:24:00.000-05:002012-07-06T10:20:40.952-05:00Best Swedish Chocolate CakeWhen I visited Sweden a few weeks ago my aunt introduced me to one of the best chocolate cakes I've ever had. She says the secret is coffee and extra vanilla and I couldn't agree more. The recipe is originally from a little cookbook called, Sju sorters kakor (Seven Kinds of Cakes). I would've written down so many more recipes from it if they hadn't been in Swedish and used deciliter Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-79626230591079234292012-07-04T18:56:00.001-05:002012-07-05T11:32:05.165-05:00Independence Day, in BritainToday felt very much like my Thanksgiving last year.
Though my eyes were particularly peeled for red, white and blue, I mainly saw them on a flag of a very different sort. There weren't any fireworks or piles of watermelon rhine, and a fish-out-of-water feeling accompanied me.
But, like Thanksgiving, Kurt and I had one huge blessing: friends from home. I love how it's happened twice Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-19682192685782284582012-06-30T16:56:00.001-05:002012-07-01T04:36:54.722-05:00Lake District & ScotlandIt's been long enough since I updated, but I have good reason and exciting news to share as well.
As for the good reason, Kurt and I decided to make a spontaneous trip up north to explore the Lake District and Scotland. We're increasingly aware of how quickly our time here's dwindling so squeezing in adventures whenever possible is a must.
I'd become pretty disenchanted with England over the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6718380785850481171.post-51420146286918020272012-06-20T05:21:00.001-05:002012-06-20T05:24:26.595-05:00Adventures in SwedenI've been MIA because Kurt and I spent six days in Sweden this last week. What a beautiful place! I'm so excited to share photos from our time. The trip was different than most because for one, we stayed with family. Although I haven't spent much time with my aunt Rhonda, uncle Sven and cousin Ellinor over the years (for obvious reasons), staying with them in their pretty Swedish home was like Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0