Thanksgiving was a little different for us this year. We closed on our new house the day before Thanksgiving so things were a little crazy around here. =)
But, we still had time to get together with family, have a (semi) home-cooked Thanksgiving meal, and break our new house in with an attitude of {GRATEFULNESS}!! We spent most of the day painting but also took some time to eat and visit. We wore yucky paint clothes, ate on paper plates, and had no TV to watch a football game. It was a little non-traditional but we had fun!!!
Did you expect a table and fine china!?!? Sorry, none of that around here!
This is what a kitchen looks like when you host a Thanksgiving dinner the day after you close on a new house.
I'll give you one guess who's room this is. And (though I do like pink) it is NOT mine. Drew's havin none of that.
This Thanksgiving we are thankful for our new home!
I am also thankful that the Lord gave me these four people who bring so much joy into my life:
My incredibly handsome hubby (he looks good even in paint clothes).
That's right.... We just bought our VERY. FIRST. HOME! Wahooo!!!!
I'm so excited to take you on a picture tour of the house but I don't have time right now! We're busy painting and doing a few projects before we officially move in mid-December. I promise more pictures will come soon, though!
So excited... We have the keys!
We are so {grateful} to the Lord for his provision in our lives and so excited to get into a place that has more than 1 bedroom and 875 sq feet of space. While we've enjoyed our little apartment since we moved to Florida three months ago, the kids are anxious to have a little more space to run! =)
The kids have LOTS of room to run, both inside and outside, in our new house!
We were originally scheduled to close on the house in October (will tell you that story later) but our closing date got pushed to today... and what wonderful timing. With tomorrow being Thanksgiving, what a wonderful blessing we have to be thankful for!!
And, if you're in the market for a Realtor in the Jacksonville area, Kimberly King is A-MAZING. Seriously, cannot say enough good about her!!
"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
*WARNING: This post contains graphic pictures and video*
There was a time when one of my babies was just a couple of months old that I thought I was pregnant again (I wasn't). I am ashamed to say though, that in the few days that I thought I was, one thought kept coming into my mind: How can I get this "problem" to go away?
I wasn't consciously considering abortion and I am positive I would not have had one. But it's amazing the subconscious thoughts that come to your mind when you think you are pregnant with a baby you have not planned for, do not want (at that moment), or feel ill-prepared for. If my mind could gravitate towards such thoughts when I was in a stable relationship with a supportive and loving husband, I had enough food to eat, a house to live in, and the means to take care of a baby, then how much more appealing is the option of abortion to the pregnant 14 year old, the single mom who has 6 kids already, the "good" Christian young woman afraid to disappoint her parents, the family that already has their hands full with a 1 year old and a 3 month old, the parents who find out their baby has severe birth defects, the aspiring professional who got pregnant at a party and doesn't know the dad, the rape victim....?
Women give an average of 3.7 reasons why they are seeking an abortion including the following (1):
• 21% Inadequate finances
• 21% Not ready for responsibility
• 16% Woman’s life would be changed too much
• 12% Problems with relationships, unmarried
• 11% Too young and/or immature
• 8% Children are grown; she has all she wants
• 3% Baby has possible health problems
• <1% Pregnancy caused by rape/incest
• 4% Other
I want to talk to you today about a very weighty subject. A subject that many people shy away from either out of an "ignorance is bliss" mentality, or.... out of guilt. Guilt because more one third of American women have an abortion by the time they are 45 years old. Two in five pregnancies worldwide end in abortion. There are more than one million abortions performed in the United States ALONE each year. (2)
With numbers like that I know, without a doubt, that some of my readers have been up close and personal with abortion. I am not writing today to condemn you. I don't want you to walk away from this post feeling like you should live in guilt over decisions in the past. Our God is a God of {forgiveness}, {acceptance}, and {new life}. Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from any sin we ever have or ever will commit. There is HEALING. There is HOPE.
I am not even writing today to debate with you when life starts (At conception? Upon implantation? When the heart starts beating? At 20 weeks? At birth?). I am not writing to debate whether the morning after pill is a form of abortion or not. I'm not writing to argue over which companies and businesses we should or should not support based on their willingness or unwillingness to provide health care coverage for the abortions of their employees. I don't want to hash out ideas with you of ways to de-fund Planned Parenthood.
Today I want you to set aside politics. I want you to set aside all judgment of those who have chosen abortion in the past. I want you to set aside the desire to argue for or against abortion. This is not a hate post. I simply want to show you what abortion really is. I want to show those who consider themselves Pro-Choice just exactly what choices women are making. I want to give those who are Pro-Life more conviction in their stance. I want to help the woman considering abortion {right at this very moment} understand what Planned Parenthood and similar organizations are telling them about abortion. I want to help them understand what abortion really is before they make that irreversible decision.
It's going to be a weighty post, but I hope you'll stick with me. Some images are going to be hard to see, some facts hard to swallow. But remember what the Bible says: live in the light! Let's expose the darkness, shine the light, teach the truth, and pray for change.
"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God."
John 3:19-21
Let's start with (what I believe are) some facts about abortion (these are taken from the site abortionfacts.com):
Every new life begins at conception. This is an irrefutable fact of biology. It is true for animals and true for humans. When considered alongside the law of biogenesis – that every species reproduces after its own kind – we can draw only one conclusion in regard to abortion: every single abortion ends the life of an innocent human being.
No matter how you spin it, women don't have four arms and four legs when they're pregnant. Those extra appendages belong to the tiny human being(s) living inside of them. At no point in pregnancy is the developing embryo or fetus simply a part of the mother's body.
The comparison between a baby's rights and a mother's rights is unequal. What is at stake in abortion is the mother's lifestyle, as opposed to the baby's life. Therefore, it is reasonable for society to expect an adult to live temporarily with an inconvenience if the only alternative is killing a child.
There are all sorts of circumstances that people point to as justification for their support of abortion. Since none of these circumstances are sufficient to justify the killing of human beings after birth, they're not sufficient to justify the killing of human beings before birth.
Like toddler and adolescent, the terms “embryo” and “fetus” do not refer to nonhumans but to humans at particular stages of development. Human beings inside the womb are smaller, less developed, and more dependent than human beings outside the womb. These are differences of degree, not differences of kind. We can all point to other people who are bigger, stronger, smarter, or less dependent than we are, but that doesn't make our life any less valuable or any less deserving of protection.
If abortion doesn't kill children, why would someone be opposed to it? If it does kill children, why would someone defend another's right to do it? Being personally against abortion but favoring another's right to abortion is self-contradictory and morally baffling.
It is a scientific fact that life begins at conception. However, if one personally has even a shred of uncertainty about when life begins, then they are still morally obligated to err on the side of life and NOT have an abortion. Why? Because to make a mistake about the exact time when life begins is to kill an innocent human being.
Yes, every abortion kills an innocent human being. Even more alarming is the fact that beginning at the 8th week of development, an unborn baby that is aborted feels pain during the abortion. The baby feels both psychological and real physical, organic pain. Let that sink in. Of course, whether or not abortion is a painful experience to the unborn child being aborted, the child is left no less dead as a result. In talking about the question of fetal pain, we must remember that it ultimately has no bearing on the morality of abortion.
Networks of killing centers across the globe are eliminating "unwanted, unborn" children at a staggering rate. Were the context not abortion, the world would be outraged. Call it what you want, when an innocent group of human beings is targeted and exterminated by the millions, that is an injustice on par with any of history's most egregious atrocities. At the end of the day, if the unborn are people (and they are), then abortion is not only comparable to past crimes against humanity but is also, by sheer volume, the greatest holocaust of all.
What do we call it when a person no longer has a heartbeat or brain waves? Death. It's a scientific fact that life begins at conception, but even more obvious; what should we call it when there is a heartbeat and there are brain waves? Life. It is an indisputable fact that each and every legal surgical abortion in America today stops a beating heart and stops already measurable brain waves.
Some defend abortion by claiming that they have a right to privacy. Whether they have an abortion or not is between them and their doctor. Everyone else should stay out of their business. Of course, if abortion kills an innocent human being (it does), then killing done in private is no more acceptable than killing done in public; and the encouragement or assistance of a doctor does not change the nature, consequences, or morality of abortion.
Now let that information sink in and watch this astounding video and hear the counselor at Planned Parenthood tell this young girl that her baby at 7 weeks gestation "has no legs, no arms, no head, no brain, no heart. At this point it's just the embryo itself."
Umm... Actually no, Planned Parenthood. Scientific research shows that a baby at 7 weeks LMP DOES indeed have a beating heart, arms, legs, and a head. In fact...
Fertilization (2 weeks after LMP):
At fertilization, the genetic composition of a preborn human is formed.This genetic information determines gender, eye color, hair color, facial features, and influences characteristics such as intelligence and personality.
3 Weeks after Fertilization (5 weeks after LMP):
The eyes and spinal cord are visible and the developing brain has two lobes.
4 Weeks after Fertilization (6 weeks after LMP):
The heart is beating and a circulatory system is in place.Specific brain components and internal organs such as the lungs are beginning to develop and can be identified.
9 Weeks after Fertilization (11 weeks after LMP):
More than 90% of the body structures found in a full-grown human are present. The medical classification changes from an embryo to a fetus. This dividing line was chosen by embryologists because from this point forward, most development involves growth in existing body structures instead of the formation of new ones. The preborn human moves body parts without any outside stimulation.
10 Weeks after Fertilization (12 weeks after LMP):
All parts of the brain and spinal cord are formed. The heart pumps blood to every part of the body.The whole body is sensitive to touch except for portions of the head. The preborn human makes facial expressions.
12 Weeks after Fertilization (14 weeks after LMP):
Electrical signals from the nervous system are measurable. After an abortion, efforts to suckle will sometimes be observed.
18 Weeks after Fertilization (20 weeks after LMP):
The portion of the brain responsible for functions such as reasoning, memory and language (the cerebral cortex) has the same number of nerve cells as a full-grown adult. Pain sensory receptors have spread to all portions of the skin and mucous membranes.
20 Weeks after Fertilization (22 weeks after LMP):
The preborn human sleeps, awakes and can hear sounds.
How can we justify abortion when we read these facts?
And now come some hard photos to take in. These photos make me want to snatch up all three of my babies and kiss them from head to toe, hold them tight, and praise the Lord they are alive. How can people say these "embryos" and "fetuses" they are killing are not BABIES? I know, these photos are hard to look at. They make me sick to my stomach too. I can only look for a few seconds before turning away. But this is reality, friends. This is happening around us. We cannot turn away and pretend it doesn't exist. Expose the darkness.
7 week abortion
9 week abortion
10 week abortion
22 week abortion
24 week abortion
It's heartbreaking isn't it?
Two articles popped up on my Facebook feed recently. This one completely boggled my mind when I read it. The article tells of an abortionist, 18 weeks pregnant, who performed an abortion on a mother also 18 weeks pregnant. She recalls that her own baby kicked her for one of the first times precisely as she pulled the leg off of the baby she was aborting. Seriously? What has our world come to?
The second article is more hopeful. It tells the story of a baby, desperately wanted by his parents, miscarried at 14 weeks. The family wanted to share publicly the pictures of his tiny body to show the world that a baby is truly formed at 14 weeks gestation. When you look at that picture of Nathan's tiny body, doesn't it look so different from the bodies of the baby's killed by abortion? Nathan's body is so whole and perfectly formed... the way it should be. I know that there are many many of you have suffered the loss of a miscarriage. I want you to know how different this is from abortion.
A few months ago there was a video circulating about an abortion counselor named Emily Letts who filmed her own abortion, portraying the event as "cool, easy, and necessary." Below is a very well done video exposing the lies and irony behind Emily's words. Please do not watch with children in the room.
When you see abortion for what it really is, it's shocking isn't it?
In the process of writing this post I accidentally left up some pictures on my computer and Isaiah saw this photo of an aborted baby:
I held my breath, wondering what he was going to say. I didn't intend for him to see the picture but I also didn't want to scare him by making a huge deal out of it. He looked at the picture for a minute and, after a while, he said thoughtfully:
"Oh no, Mom, that baby got all ripped into pieces. Do you think a bad guy did that?"
I waited a while and then said:
"Yes Isaiah, I think a bad guy definitely did that."
And in complete, innocent belief that this was the {only} scenario that could have caused something like that to happen, he said:
"I know a bad guy must have come in when it was dark and stole that baby from it's mom and it died."
Oh, the innocence of a child. How do you explain to a 4 year old that actually the Mommy was the bad guy? That her baby wasn't stolen from her without her knowledge but actually killed with her consent?
Friend, does your heart not ache? My eyes are filled with tears and my heart is breaking in two... it is aching for all the sweet babies who were never given the chance to live in this world because someone decided that they should not be allowed to. The babies who go from the safety and security of their mother's womb to the shock of cold, metal forceps in the hands of an abortionist.
I hope and pray that this post has opened your eyes to the horror of abortion. We need to expose this darkness, counsel women contemplating it, LOVE and support women who have done it, and pray pray pray. Something has GOT to change.
Before I leave you today I want to remind you that no matter what sins we have committed there is always forgiveness in Christ. We always have the option to repent, turn from our ways, and live in God's freedom from sin. Abortion is NOT unforgivable. Below I have listed resources for women considering abortion and places to find hope and healing for women who carry abortion in their past. If you would like more information about how to start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ please e-mail me at: Drewamhutch@gmail . com. I would love to listen to and talk with you.
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7
If you are considering abortion please, please seek outside advice. Here are some places that can offer hope and help:
Call 1-800-712-HELP (a service of OptionLine.org) for help in providing the resources you need to carry your baby to term.
If you are struggling with guilt and shame from a past abortion there are places to help you receive healing. Here are some helpful links:
http://www.abortionrecovery.org A very helpful site with powerful testimonials from people who have found healing after abortion. You can locate a CARE center by your zipcode.
Rachel's Vineyard Ministries at www.rachelsvineyard.org. National toll-free hotline at 1-877-HOPE-4-ME (1-877-467-3463). Rachel's Vineyard offers post-abortion weekend retreats and weekly support groups in 46 states and 7 countries.
Option Line at 1-800-712-HELP or consult their online directory at www.optionline.org/to find out if a pregnancy center near you offers post abortion support groups.
Healing Hearts Ministries International at www.healinghearts.org/ .This international ministry was founded in the state of Washington and has grown to include in-person support groups in a number of other states. In addition to in-person support groups, Healing Hearts offers an online program.
Ramah International at www.ramahinternational.org (941) 473-2188. This Christian group supports post-abortion ministry through training programs, resources, research and promoting awareness of post-abortion issues.
Victims of Choice at www.victimsofchoice.com .Elizabeth Verchio, Director, has created "My Guilt, Grief and Shame are Ending Soon", a 10-session program that is especially designed for one-on-one work between someone experiencing emotional and spiritual wounds and a trained peer counselor.
I try and get family pictures done every year and for the past three years (ever since we've had more than one child in our family) I always leave the session thinking WHY IN THE WORLD DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!?!?
Not only is it stressful coordinating everyone's outfits and trying to get everyone to look perfect and STAY looking perfect before the session, but during the shoot the kids are running all over, someone gets dirt on their white shirt, someone doesn't want to smile and has a meltdown, someone spits up babyfood all over, someone cries because they're cold, someone cries because they're hot, someone's hungry... ALL the children want to do is play instead of take cute, sweet pictures that help us look like a perfectly put together family. It's pretty much impossible to get all the children to look and smile at the camera at the same time and every year, by the end of the session, Drew and I are pretty much exhausted and swear we'll never do it again.
But THEN... I get the pictures. And no, they're not perfect. There is not one picture where everyone is looking and smiling. In most pictures one kid has a goofy look on their face. Usually (if the kids are smiling) they're cheesy smiles. In some pictures one kid is a blurr because they were moving. But you know what? They're {REAL}. They are pictures of what {REAL} life is like for us with three young children. They represent a far from perfect and yet completely beautiful time of life that we're in.
And so, we'll continue taking family pictures every year. We want to remember how our children and our lives are {now}. And someday we'll be thankful that we didn't wait until everything was "perfect" to take pictures and make lasting memories!!
It's that time of year again! Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child time! Have you ever packed a shoebox for them? If not, this year would be a great year to start!
Not familiar with Operation Christmas Child? The cute video below will fill you in on this great organization!! (And even if you know what Operation Christmas Child is, the video is still pretty cute to watch.)
Need more information? Check this out:
How to Pack a Shoebox
SHOEBOX
Use an empty cardboard or plastic shoebox (average size). You can wrap the box, lid separately, but wrapping is not required.
BOY OR GIRL
Decide whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Download and print the appropriate boy/girl label. Mark the correct age category and tape the label to the top of your box.
FILL WITH GIFTS
Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child (see Gift Suggestions below).
INCLUDE $7 DONATION PER BOX
Help cover shipping and other costs related to delivering your shoeboxes to children overseas by donating $7 for each gift you prepare. You can give online to discover the destination of your box. Or, you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on the memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the items inside your shoebox. If you are preparing multiple gifts, please make one combined donation. Note: Follow Your Box is only available through online giving.
PRAY
Ask God to use your gifts to show His love to the child who will receive your shoebox.
DROP OFF
Place a rubber band around each closed shoebox and bring it to the drop-off location nearest you during National Collection Week, November 17–24, 2014. Visit our Drop-off Locations pageto find the closest collection site. Or, call 1-800-353-5949.
Collection dates this year are November 17-24 so you still have time to get a box together! To find drop off locations in your city click here. The boxes get shipped all around the world!
Need some gift suggestions? I'm glad you asked!!
Gift Suggestions
TOYS: Include items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls, toy cars, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, balls, toys that light up and make noise (with extra batteries), etc.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: pens, pencils and sharpeners, crayons, markers, notebooks, paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
NON-LIQUID HYGIENE ITEMS: toothbrushes, bar soap, combs, washcloths, etc.
ACCESSORIES: t-shirts, socks, hats, sunglasses, hair clips, jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries), etc.
A PERSONAL NOTE: You may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may be able to write back.
DO NOT INCLUDE: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; out-of-date candy; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snow globes or glass containers; aerosol cans.
This year was fun for our family because Isaiah and Eloise were old enough pick out exactly what they wanted to get their little boy and little girl for Christmas. We took a special trip to the store just to buy presents and everything they picked out, we bought! It was hard for them to understand at first, especially Eloise, that they were not picking out gifts for themselves but for someone else. But once they got the hang of it, they were running around the store and putting toy after toy in the cart all while saying things like, "That little boy will LOVE this" and "Mom, that girl must be a princess, she needs this." I loved seeing their excitement to give!
This year we made two boxes, one for a girl age 2-4 and one for a boy age 2-4. We included things such as a barbie doll, toy cars, notebooks, glitter gel pens, books, combs, beads, hair clips, coloring books, stickers, socks, toothbrushes, washcloth, headbands, candy... and more! We also included a hand written card for each child and a picture of our family. I chose the option to pay the $7 per box shipping charge online here, which will allow us to track our boxes and see which countries they end up in! How cool!
Not feeling like you have the time to put a box together this year? You can fill up a virtual shoe box online in just a few minutes! Click here for more information.
What better thing could we teach our children this Christmas season than how to GIVE rather than GET??
Cutting the paper to wrap our boxes. Please note that this is not required, just something we wanted to do. If you do decide to wrap the box, make sure to wrap the lid and the box separately.
Eloise and Olive packing up a box for a little girl.
I'm sharing a great snack today that can be whipped up in just three easy steps, probably with ingredients you already have on hand! These granola bars are quick and easy to make and taste great. When I was pregnant with Olive I would make these and pretty much eat the whole pan myself. They were a terrible craving of mine! Thankfully, I didn't OD on them while pregnant and I still like them just as much now. Enjoy! =)
Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups mini chocolate chips (I usually use regular sized ones because I like bigger chunks of chocolate in each bite. =) )
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, vanilla, butter, honey, and brown sugar. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Lightly press mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 18- 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes then cut into bars. Let cool completely in pan before removing to serve.
The ingredients! (I actually didn't have enough oats to make a full batch so I made a half batch this time and baked them in a smaller pan).
