Transition hurts!

It is most definitely a season of transition in our household.

We are transitioning from two children to three. Haven Justice, our little man, will be here no later than June 5th to undoubtedly change our entire life forever.  We are so excited and thrilled to meet this new addition to our lives and welcome him with open hearts and open arms.

We are transitioning homes.  We are moving from a two-bedroom cramped cozy apartment, to a pretty large home that has been given to us to live in rent-free until we find a home to purchase and call our very own.  Granted, there is a deadline and time-frame in which we need to find this home (six months) nevertheless, it's an incredible blessing that will allow our family to save and look for a home with time and grace.

We are transitioning ministries.  No, we are not leaving the Orlando House of Prayer by any stretch of the imagination.  However, our personal and familial ministries have been changing and shifting.  Caleb is feeling the tug and pull to begin to emerge back into the ministry scene by ministring in the marketplace and the Church in giving extravagantly of time and finances.  His desire is to start a young men's small group where he can train, disciple and equip young men burning for the Lord.  I, on the other hand, feel strongly that my season-of-hiding is still in full swing and really need to dedicate my time solely to personal, private ministry to the Lord in the secret-place of our home.

We are transitioning seasons.

Transition is never an easy thing.  Heck. It's downright hard. I personally, am not a big fan of it. I won't lie. I avoid it tooth and nail.  I'm so against change and transition, I'd rather have a root canal or be in labor any day of the week.

Even at work, I am seeing transition.  Our centre director will be transitioning into a consultant role and we will have a new centre director.  This has got me so stressed out, I'm even having dreams about it.

Yeah, I know, it's bad.

But I find comfort in knowing that my sweet, precious Christ does not abandon me in transition, but is rather the author of transition.  No really... Christ is the author of all transition, all change and all upheavel in our lives. And He does it simply to draw us nearer to Himself. He is the author and perfector of our faith and our entire lives.  I am being drawn to trust Him and to rest in Him.  To know that His Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. His Spirit goes before me and behind me, enclosing me no matter where I go.

So, be encouraged today.  He is indeed a perfect author and a perfect Father and His delight is in drawing us nearer to Himself...

grace when there's BIG news!

It has been quite a while.

I know, I'm sorry. Forgive me?

See, here's the thing... We had an unexpected but very welcomed bit of news.

photo credit

Indeed. Due early June 2012. Very exciting, yes, we know.

But, it has been difficult.  I am by no means complaining. After all, children are a blessing from the Lord and a reward (Psalms 127).  It has been tough though. I started working again a few months ago--part-time, but it's still cutting into the time I spent homemaking and with Aaliya.

While struggling to figure out exactly how to balance everything out, we figure out that we were expecting our second little bundle of joy. Then, comes morning sickness, bad morning sickness.  Part of the struggle was that while pregnant with Aaliya, I suffered with ante-natal depression and I was starting to feel the same way this time around.  I was doing absolutely everything I could to treat it and beat it. Trying to balance that, working, homemaking, and dealing with a very active, very cute toddler (yikes, I have a toddler now!) I have been a little overwhelmed and under the weather-generally.  Sooo, my writing suffered.

I am so very sorry.

The recurring theme through all this however seems to be one thing; Christ has given me and will continue to give me enough grace to last for today. Tomorow is of no importance because today has enough worries of its own. 

He willl provide just what I need, the day I need it.  Not a second too late and not a moment too soon. So, today, it seemed grace abounded.  I was able to finally clean the bedrooms, one of two bathrooms and the kitchen. I did three loads of laundry and am almost fully caught up with it. I was able to get a head start on several Christmas cards, and I cooked (and cleaned after) dinner, as well as take a nice long bath and write a blog. Praise the Lord, His grace abounds.

Our living room, dining room and guest bath are still messy, but there will be enough grace for that another day. I wasn't the most patient Mommy today, but there will be enough grace for that tomorrow.  There are still about 50 things on my to-do list, but God will grant me grace for them another day (or five!).

I pray you'll stick with me as I kinda manuever through these uncharted waters and try to manage in blogging on top of everything else.  Pray for me as I pray for you.  I covet prayers, so I will sow prayers.

Here's to whatever grace He chooses to grant to us tomorrow!

brief update and a promise I'll stay in touch

I'm sitting in front of our desktop computer, knowing exactly what I want to/need to/should write about, but it feels so foreign.  I've been gone from the blogging world for ten days and truthfully, it feels like an eternity.  But, as they say in good ol' Broadway fashion, the show must go on.

Several (as in quite a few) exciting and non-exciting things have happened in our lives these last few weeks.  It has been busy, and there's no promise that it'll slow down.  But finally after almost a year (ha!) I really feel like our entire family (mostly) is falling into step and we are back to dancing that glorious dance of life without missing a whole lot of steps.



My covenant sister with Josiah in her
belly (although you can't see it!)

First things first, I had family in town two weeks ago which is what caused the general blogging break to begin with.  Having the Husband's family in town is always an amazing blessing and such a sweet gift.  It's no secret that often times I wish to be in Georgia with them instead of where I am, but He's completely Sovereign and has a purpose in keeping us here (I hope!) We had a wonderful time while they were here! We didn't do anything *exciting* per-se, but I got to snuggle with my niece and nephews and rub my sister-in-law's belly with my little man Josiah in there!  It was truly a gift to spend time with them and the Lord used many of the conversations and circumstances that happened that week to speak greatly into our family's life. Praise the Lord! He who began a good work in us is Faithful and will complete it unto the day of Christ Jesus! 

Aunt Cole with two of the three kiddos
and our eldest, of course! :)


Second thing is another great bit of excitement! Remember when I told ya'll I was finally committing to this blogging thing?  Well, we are absolutely pressing on with that and completely redesigning the page! I was incredibly blessed by an individual who payed for a full year of blog-hosting and I am currently blessed by a "big-little brother" who is helping me put the page together! So, keep an eye out for the domain change and all that jazz! :)

The third and probably most important update is that after prayerful consideration, the Husband and I have decided that I will be returning to work part-time.  The opportunity has come up several times and this is the first time either one of us feel any peace about it.  I had a very hard time at first, knowing that I was going to leave Aaliya for about 10hrs a week with someone else, but truthfully, Christ has shown me so much love and affection during this time that I feel completely at peace with all of it!

Something quite amazing that has come out of it is that I am now truly cherishing the time that I get with her.  I took for granted the time I had with her and would become frustrated, more times than not when it came to her (very fiery and very feisty) personality and wouldn't really enjoy much the time I had for her.

Since this decision has been made I have read to her everyday, I have chosen to cuddle and play with her over housework and have learned the meaning of contenment (more of that at a later post).  I can't describe it, but knowing that I have to return to work has actually made me a better mom.  Who woulda thunk?

I look forward with sharing with you guys some of the lessons God has completely wrecked me with over the last few weeks. I look forward to talking to ya'll soon! =)

What's been going on with you? How have you been doing?

two fold post

First part of this *awesome* post is that I am still going strong in my de-cluttering. =) Today I tackled our desk/nook while listening to an outstanding teaching taught at the International House of Prayer-KC on families and God's dominion being released through families. Make time out of your day to listen to it. It is absolutely amazing! (more on the full message at a later post!)

Anyway, so here's the full scoop on our desk/nook area.

Surprise, surprise! It was a disaster zone. Papers everywhere, our shelves not completely attached to the wall, unable to hold anything even remotely heavy (like my files and supplies and such-- which defeats the purpose) and so on and so forth.

Today, I just cleared out the mess and organized things as best I could. I forgot to take "BEFORE" pictures (oops) but I've posted after pictures for your enjoyment.

It's a very boring nook as of now and I have lots of big plans for it aesthetically speaking, however for now, at least it's organized and looking good. I'll add some cork-boards, calendars and art pieces to reflect the faith of our family, the personality of each individual, and the full purpose of this little nook. I'll also be painting those blue shelves to match our living room decor (I'm shooting for red-- just because) and yes, fully attaching them to the wall to be more functional.

Ahh, even as I blog I am more at peace, more calm and more focused (because yes, I still work off a desktop and not a smancy laptop-- such is the life of missionaries). I am really enjoying this process and will continue to keep you updated on my shennanigans.

Which brings me to the second part to my two-fold post... Well, just look at pictures, and then we'll talk.

Such is my boring little nook after the fact... But, at least it's organized

The *unattached* shelves that are currently holding a minimal amount of things. Trust me, THIS is much better. Baskets and paint coming soon

The finished blank canvas. Ahh, creativity here I come!

Okay, so the second part of my post is quite simple.

I am just requesting grace from you guys. =) Our family is transitioning into somewhat of a "busy" season and I am learning and juggling what it's like to balance every role in my life during this new season we are in. (once again, more on that at a later post) So, although it may seem that I'm not blogging as much-- I am still thinking about you guys and will be posting just as much as I can. But if my posts seem few and far in between at any time...

Well, just remember grace. =)

quick updates

Okay, so a lot of exciting stuff is happening here around these parts.

The blog seems a little disheveled transitional. And I apologize... BUT we are in the progress of kinda turning things around (and then around again).

We are working on personalizing certain things and creating layouts, headers and all that fun jazz.

Basically, I'm taking the jump, settling down and comitting to this whole blog thing.

Eep! This comittment even comes with a completely new web address! (more on that later!)

Yess, I just had a moment. No I didn't blow into a paper bag. (okay, maybe a little)

I just thought you should be the first to know. =) About the changes and comittment of course, not the paper bag.

Also, I'll be on vay-cay-shun for the next four days so I will be absolutely, positively unplugged. I'll miss ya'll, but I need it.

Keep me in prayer, and I'll keep you in prayer.
Always.
Deal?
Hoorah!

The Move && Settling In

It's been a while... again. Sigh. One of these days, I will master this blogging thing. I shall do it consistently and I shall do it well... One day.

Good news is, I am now blogging from a new desktop with internet from home! No more updating and minor blogging from an IPhone. This should help me master the this blogging business. :)

So, what's been up with the Arrazolo family? Last I wrote, I told you guys I was super excited about moving (yes, even though it was to the third floor, yikes!) and about making the apartment our home. Well, the week before our move, Caleb, myself and poor baby Aaliya all got super sick with a nasty case of the flu. I got it first, showing serious signs of fever, body aches and complete exhaustion, complete with a gross cough. Then, Caleb got it with similar symptoms, his being kissed with a nasty runny nose (which is Caleb's archenemy). Then, my sweet baby girl got it. This one broke my heart because she was coughing, had a ridiculously high fever (102.5 at its highest) and other icky symptoms that a four month old baby should not have. :l Needless to say, I ran to the doctor with her, and they gave me some natural tea and vitamin D that really helped, and by move-in day (January 2nd) she was much better. I hope I never ever have to go through that again.

So while the entire family was sick, there was zero packing going on and naturally Mommy began to panic and get a little testy. :l By Friday && Saturday (T-minus two days) I was in a seriously bad mood trying to get things in order. And, little did I know, there was still a LOT to pack. To those of you that have moved before, is it just me, or does the little stuff takes 100x longer to pack than the big obvious things? Anyway, I am super grateful to have an amazing husband who carries a strong leadership gifting and can look at a situation and somehow figure out exactly how to solve it. So, we took Aaliya to Grandma && Granpa's house for the day (and ended up spending the night) so that we can get things accomplished. By the way, random side note: Daniella wasn't with us that weekend because we were all still slightly sick and under quarantine. We didn't want to infect her. I am glad to report that we were able to pack 90% of what we needed to by Sunday morning, and were able to load up and get things rolling Sunday morning without a glitch.

I am slightly OCD and yet not really. So when we've moved in the past, the house is unpacked within two days. This time around, it was slightly different. Having a four and a half month old baby definitely causes things to run a little slower when it comes to cleaning && unpacking. So, this time it took me about a week and a half to finish unpacking and to hang up every picture and every frame. Minus of course, the one box that hasn't been put away, ahem husband, and the two bags of laundry I have to fold and put away. However, outside that, my house is now a home and I absolutely love it! I truly find it a blessing from the Lord that we have found a home more suitable to our needs and our desire to ministry in hospitality. I am truly so excited to serve others in my home and to fellowship and glorify Christ over dinner, having guests spend the night and breaking open the Word through Bible Study.

How do you use your home to glorify Christ?

Updates: the Arrazolo family

Once again, it's been a while since I updated and am therefore so very sorry! However, updating from my phone is tedious and more time consuming than I've had time for, honestly. However, things are quite wonderful here in Mommyville and I cannot wait to update you on what has been going on;
- Little Miss Liberty is exactly four months old today. She is a ball of joy, laughter and so much love! :) She is now rolling from tummy to back, laughing and showing off her gummy smile, babbling that adorable baby talk and sleeping in her very own crib for 10-13 hours a night. I am so blessed to have a baby girl soo wonderful. :)
- The Arrazolo household is moving! Although the house hunting didn't go quite as expected, we were blessed nonetheless, and will be starting off the New Year in a 1156 sqft apartment that we will call home for the next year and a half! (at least). Momma is very excited about the move. More space, more functional space, and
most importantly? LARGER KITCHEN! yayyyyyyyy! :) Momma is looking forward to making this new place a home. :)
- Caleb and I will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary this coming Tuesday. :) I have been blessed by a man who challenges me to grow and who has taught me the true meaning of love. I have grown and cherished growing in understanding what 1 Corinthians 13 is truly about. :) I know we have many more years to come and "I'll be better when I'm older."
- Caleb and I have also opened up our very own Internet store. :) Mostly all-natural and organic materials, as well as links to a TON of other products. Do us good and check it out! We are so excites to grow as entrepreneurs that we may sow greatly into the kingdom of God and to the house of prayer. :)
- Daniella continues to do wonderful in school, and is growing up so fast! Her team of parents is prayerfully considering what this little Miss' next step is. If you would join us in prayer, we would be eternally grateful! :)

As soon as we get all moved in, January 2nd, we'll have a brand new computer and wi-fi that will allow me to finally get on a blogging schedule! :)

The House-Hunting Chronicles, pt. 1

So, recently (very!), my husband and I prayerfully decided to purchase a home. We believe the Lord has given us a gift of hospitality and we desire to own a larger home so that we may open our home in a greater fashion. After all, it's a buyer's market and it should be a piece of cake, right? WRONG! So wrong! We have found many a houses we like, however they have all been short sales (which means they take SUPER long) or slightly out of our budget. It has been a crazy experience and it's only just begun. We are coming against a few challenges, so, I'm masking you join us in prayer in this matter.

- Pray we find a home we like in a nice neighborhood within our price point.
- Pray financing, inspections and everything else goes smoothly with no set-backs.
- Pray for supernatural favor with seller and financing. 6% closing costs!
- Pray for supernatural provision for this house.

How may I pray for you?

I'm baaack!

I apologize about my long silence. I have not forgotten about you, nor do I plan on leaving. Pregnancy was a difficult time and the adjustment period thereafter has been interesting. It's also been hard because my access to an actual computer has been limited. Nevertheless, I'm back. :) Thanks for your patience. I also started an additional blog that is a little more personal as to what I'm learning throughout my journey in the Word, so I encourage y'all to check it out and to subscribe to it!

http://www.tearinreligion.blogspot.com/

Finally, an update

Okay, so it has been quite a while since I've updated this blog, and truly it's been quite the roller coaster ride the last three or so months in the Arrazolo household. The next few sentences will create an update and a picture for you as to the mountains that have been conquered, the journeys that have been taken and the lessons that have been learned.

Being pregnant has been a completely new adventure for me. I am so not used to the mood swings, the cravings and the constant exhaustion that my body is feeling with this little person in my tummy. I was blessed enough not to have morning sickness in the physical sense of throwing up, constant nausea, etc (although I did get the ocassional nausea & tummy ache) however, emotionally it was one of the darkest times I have ever experienced. For almost exactly three months, a heaviness and a depression overtook me in a very literal sense and I can't quite say I know why. I hate to attribute it solely to the pregnancy, however it so coincided with my first trimester that it's hard not to. During these three months, I completely forsook my duties as a wife, leaving my house in utter chaos, my marriage in utter chaos, my eating habits in chaos, and even my relationship with my little one in utter chaos (just to name a few). Most importantly, my walk with God was in utter chaos. Hence my lack of writing then. There was zero amount of homemaking in the Arrazolo household. It was soo hard. However, entering into this second trimester, I have to say that things are beginning to look up. The first order of business was getting my very (very!) messy house back in order and bringing my relationship with the LORD to a right standing. It seems there is sunshine after rain, and a lot of blossoming lilies thereafter as well. It is a daily committment as is my marriage, but in everything, I am learning to lean upon the LORD in a fresh new way.

I have completely cleaned the entire household, except the bathrooms (deep-clean anyway) and the little ones' bedroom. The bathrooms WILL get done this week (I haven't had the stuff I need to do so) and so will the kids' room. Someone was kind enough to bless us with a crib and a dresser for the new baby (for free! Hallelujah!) and we will be picking it up Tuesday, therefore I have no choice, but to put that room in order. I feel it's gonna be quite a project and I have to organize myself for it. I'll be making a list of everything that needs to be done this week so that I can do little tasks every day and tackle it that way. Please pray that divine inspiration comes as to how we're gonna do this! It's not a very big room and I have to fit a baby, a four year old and ALL the things both children entail. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Nevertheless, I have learned that we need to take things, one step a time or it will never work.

I am also working on a small project for our office/dining area and our closet. I bought four cork tiles to create "mini-bulletin boards" that will serve as a "living center." It can be an easy way to access prayer requests, phone number we need, to-do's, reminders, etc so that we're not running around like chickens with our heads cut off and living in clutter by stickies we write, but have nowhere to place. I got the idea from http://www.stuff2borganized.com/. Great website that has tons of great ideas. ;)

Last but not least, I plan on saturating our home with Scriptures by posting up index-cards with the WORD in various places throughout our home. That's pretty much all I've got going on. I'll write more this week and update on the baby-room decorating and etc. :)

It's just a little while longer till I see You

It's just a little while longer till I know You

It's just a little while longer and we'll be together...

catching up

It has been wayyy too long since I've blogged, and for that, adoring fans, I am soo sorry. (assuming anyone reads this, hehe). Ever since I found out I'm pregnant (9 weeks already, yikes!) it has been a whirlwing of emotions, nausea and slight downer-ness (for the avoiding of the use depression, don't like it.) I haven't really been feeling myself lately on a number of different levels; spiritually, emotionally, physically (obviously) and it's been wearing me down. Needless to say, my home has been in utter disaster for the last month or so. My bedroom is worse off than it was before (though, now beautifully decorated with a queen size bed! Thank you Mommy & Daddy for an amazing birthday present), laundry is wayy piled up and tonight was the first night I actually cooked a full meal since Dec 19th (the day we found out I was expecting). Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do. Good thing is, I get out of work tomorrow at 2pm and will be spending the rest of the afternoon cleaning and then will be visiting the House of Prayer later on in the evening. I need to spend time with Jesus, or I'm never gonna survive this pregnancy! I also need to continue to strive to have a relationship with Him and that's been lacking lately too. Good thing my head's on (sorta) straight and I'm getting back on track. His tender mercies are new every morning. :)

Anyway, here is the to-do list for tomorrow, and I will hopefully update then to let you know of the progress I'm making at the Arrazolo household.

• Vacuum the apartment! (hasn't been done since we moved in, yikes!)
• Clean out the frigde (MIL left too many leftovers)
• Organize the messy pantry. (to post before & after pictures)
• Deep-clean remainder of kitchen.
• Get all clothes off bedroom floor and fold accordingly.
• Spend time with Jesus alone.
• Blog my progress.