Life lately has consisted of:

Working again, which I am so happy about! It's an ideal set up for a pregnant woman, complete with people you already know and like (a really cute boy works there, too...), any music I want to listen to, any wardrobe I want to wear, and I get to sit in a comfy chair all day. And make as much money as I did when I was paid to harass people to buy overpriced french skincare/get facials at Dillards. win win win.

Lots of these,

(spinach, flax seed, mixed berries, greek yogurt, and a little bit of banana for sweetness.)

cleaning out baby's nursery, painting her furniture, and buying the little details for her room (nesting has officially kicked in!),

(click pictures to go to etsy shops)

hitting week 24 of pregnancy (tomorrow!), which a lot of women covet ("viability week") as the baby having chance for survival outside of the comfy and hospitable womb,

and lots of quality time with people (and dog) I love. Just thought I'd find an excuse to post this picture of Abner/a poor bottlenose dolphin stuck in a coke can ring/coffee sleeve.


love to you all!

Mommy! Mommy! *sip* Mooommmy!

1. In the Kiser household, we love Allstate's Mayhem commercials.
This one, though, takes the cake in my book.



2. I know that many of you probably saw our post on facebook, but yesterday afternoon I felt Little One's very first without-a-doubt-it's-baby kicks! It was unmistakable. It felt like little, tiny pokes or bumps from inside, just below my bellybutton and to the left. I have been able to feel them a few more times since then, and it brings a huge smile to my face every single time! I know there is nothing unique about pregnancy (the vast majority of women are blessed to be able to conceive more than once!), but it sure feels special and miraculous.

3. Any time I talk to others about being pregnant, they almost always ask if I've had any weird cravings. I haven't had anything interesting to report at all, sadly, except what DOESN'T sound good. Well, my friends, I have one that takes the cake. On Colin's way home last night at 9 pm, I had the most intense desire for a chocolate iced glazed Krispy Kreme doughnut... and... an eggroll. It defies explanation, but eating both of those things, side by side was heavenly. (Before you call the prego police on me, I have been monitoring my diet carefully and don't often indulge in super sweet or fatty foods!) My husband is incredibly loving and serves me so readily. I am very, very blessed.

4. I totally missed blogging about it, but this past weekend our wonderful Mama K came to visit us! We love her, and she is one of the most gracious house guests you could possibly have. We were able to eat, relax, get outside (for walks and Colin's soccer game) and play games. Such a leisurely time with one of our favorite people!

Completed a game of Monopoly. for serious! Who does that?

Got to see Colin score a goal on Sunday! Go, husband!

Hope everyone stays warm, it's going to be our first chilly weekend in the South!

we're still here!

Poor, neglected blog!
Apologies to the 45 subscribers that we do have (ha!).
The past two months just got so crazy and busy that blogging was obviously something that had to be cut out.
But amidst a lot of work, celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, family vacations, friend visits and other things, we're back and will hopefully be updating more!

I'll leave you with a picture.


Colin and I were able to spend our 2nd wedding anniversary in DC, as you know, which was a lot of fun! On Saturday night we went to go see FC Barcelona (Go, Barca!) play Manchester United. It was stressful getting there-- between being pressed up against random, sweaty strangers in the metro for 30 minutes (like sardines. up close and personal.) on the way there to having to run the mile (in 100+ degree heat, UPHILL.) from the station to the field, only to miss the kick-off... but we made it. It was a blast! Barcelona, sadly, got taken to school by Man U but we really enjoyed ourselves. It's such a blessing to be able to have awesome life experiences with Colin. When we get to take interest in something together... I love it.

Love you guys!

a good wednesday.

(Gregory Alan Isakov... a recent favorite. His music is so beautiful! Listen.)

Today is a good day.

I'm off work (always a plus!),
The house is clean,
I wrote to one of our children, Turatsinze, in Rwanda,
I'm broiling eggplant for baba ganoush,
I'm reading The Reason for God for High School bible study tonight.

I've found that, when I'm a busier person (working full-time with weekly commitments) I'm much more productive. I naturally tend towards laziness, sadly. I'm not a self-starter and not particularly motivated. I'm happier and a better person/wife when I absolutely MUST get the laundry/grocery shopping/cleaning done on Wednesday because it's my only day off. Of course, I would rather have a normal schedule with weekends off, rather than a weekday, but that's life right now. It makes me feel good to realize that I can be good at keeping a house and being a wife AND help throw some serious money at our loans (I'm so ready to throw off Sallie-Mae's shackles, you have no idea). It feels good.

How do you other wives (or anyone for that matter... singles, parents etc.) maximize your time on your days off? How do you manage productivity while still recharging for the rest of the week ahead?

Happy Wednesday!

what a cartoon character.

six (of the many) reasons I love Colin:







Well, you've gotta make Urgent Care interesting somehow, right? :) (grainy pictures from itouch). Colin is my favorite person and never ceases to amuse me.

"I always want to pick you flowers."

Happy belated Mother's Day! Today I'm thankful to both have and know so many amazing Moms. I feel very blessed to be a witness to and a recipient of such an amazing and special love!

Our weekend was filled with food poisoning (My first time ever being so betrayed by food! My goodness. Awful.), driving to North Carolina to see my parents, stopping at IKEA in Charlotte for a few items (So in love with that place), relaxing with my family and spending Mother's Day with them, and driving back. A quick visit, but so valuable to be able to be with our family for the weekend. Of course, I brought my camera along, but only remembered to snap a few photos on the way back. Figures.


My heart melts. He says, "Rachel, I always want to pick you flowers."

grace and peace!

Shelter.

One of my favorite things is when you're driving down the highway in the rain and you pass under a bridge. It was quite stormy the other day, but that tiny moment on my way to work kind of made me smile. The second when the pounding rain stops is almost deafeningly silent, then, in a flash, you're back to squinting to see the road and listening to the rain come heavily down on your windshield.

Such is life. The past months have been full of so much rain. At times I've felt like I'm squinting, just barely faithful, only trusting that the Road is there but not knowing where it's going or why I'm on it. Quite honestly there have been times where my heart has ached so much that I wanted to just pull over. Stop completely and abandon trust.

But my heart is well. I'm so thankful that there is shelter, and that there are moments of silence, when His purpose is clear and we are able to renew our vigor. He is our Ma'on... our Dwelling Place, our Refuge in the midst of pain. Oh, that we (I) would let him be more than just a fleeting second or two of peace and rest before we're driven back into the storm!

Happy Easter, friends. Bask in the Resurrection of Christ! Let's rejoice.

a change of scenery.

It's been a crazy two weeks! We are in the new house and love it... so much. We are pretty much obsessed with the fact that we have a dishwasher and actual counter space among other things. The one thing that's kind of killing me is not being able to paint the walls-- I don't know how to function without my marigold kitchen. Anyway, I'll take pictures once I feel as though it's adequately settled (or, at least when we don't have boxes to unpack anymore).

I did take this one picture of the amazing lamp we found while thrifting the other week. The poor thing was so caked in dirt that you could barely tell it was white-- Colin actually cringed when I asked him to hold it (Although, he now admits how glad he is that we bough it!). I knew it had potential and I was right! It fits right in. Love the ceramic and wood together.


It's so funny how much tastes can change in such a little amount of time. I remember a couple of years ago sharing how much I couldn't stand most female singers and wouldn't choose to listen to most. Lately I'm obsessed-- Feist, Zee Avi, A Fine Frenzy, and more lately, The Bird and the Bee. The femininity of this genre almost seems to lend itself to the breezy, sunny season that's upon us.



Enjoy! Hope everyone's having a great week. Let's enjoy spring while it lasts!

Last week in the trailer...

Moving is exciting. Thankfully, it hasn't been stressful at all yet, so we'll see! We're only moving a little ways down the street, which probably saves us a lot of spent emotions. We get our moving truck on Saturday, and that'll be our first official day in our new place! I'll post pictures when we're moved in. We've actually been having a good time packing and preparing for our move, and it feels SO GOOD to throw things away. I am a minimalist by no means (the thought is actually laughable), but it feels good knowing that we're not moving any sort of trash or mess to our new place-- just the things we want and need. A fresh start! In celebration of having a little garden in our back yard, I bought a basil and cilantro plant as well as a little heirloom tomato plant. There's nothing like a fresh tomato... can't wait to get it in the ground!

Anyways, the thing that we've discovered about a new place is that, especially when you're starting out, you buy things and decorate to suit the place you first live (that tiny bit of wall space in between rooms, that one large wall in your living room...etc.). Every piece of furniture in our trailer was strategically chosen to fit into a certain spot in that room. Unfortunately, those things rarely carry over into the next place you move into, so there's a lot of getting rid of furniture and getting new things. This little mid-century modern-ish end table was one of my recent thrift store finds, and I can't wait to figure out what to do with it! (Side note... look at how bare our cabinet and wall are :( we've packed up everything but the furniture in a lot of our rooms).


I have stockpiled a bunch of photos in my inspiration folder over the years-- here are some ideas that I'm considering for this baby:


A bright POP of color, like this one (This photo also inspired me to get a lemon tree. how gorgeous! I'm in love with this photo. You should see the rest of the house...)


Painting the main body of furniture a selected color, then leaving the drawers natural, kind of like the above picture..

And there is always leaving it natural or refinishing the wood. I'm more of a color person, and I would rather make a statement than let the piece go ignored or unnoticed while in the room. We'll see. The piece was so cheap, I think a lot of that was because it lacks hardware, which was just perfect for me. I can't wait to pick some out! Here are a few I've been considering for the table:



(All hardware from anthropologie)

Let me know what you think!

it's been quite the week.

Hello, Friends! What a lovely, lovely, lovely day. Let's enjoy it, because it looks like a "wintry mix" is going to hit Columbia on Friday supposedly. Gross.

1. I've been looking at this picture all week-- I can't remember exactly where I saw it first to credit-- and it makes me so, so happy. The colors, the lighting, the patterns and textures... It's just good.


2. On Wednesday I leave for beautiful California with Cait and Swhite! Since Cait left all of her stuff out there in LA after graduation, including her car, she absolutely needed us ;) to fly out there with her and then drive it all back to the East Coast. Cross-country trip, anyone? I am way excited to spend so much time with my best friends on a welcomed adventure, and to get to meet all of Cait's college friends and see her life for the past four years! I'll try and be good about taking pictures to share when we get back. I will also try and coerce Colin into blogging a little while I'm gone!

3. Also, I think that you should check out Laura Marling. She's been an accomplished artist for years now, and is still only 20 years old! Her sound is simple and beautiful. Her boyfriend isn't too bad either (Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons)!



4. The other day was a really awesome thrifting day-- took a short break in between work and a meeting to go to His House with Katie, and it was so fun! Here are some of my finds...

I am such a sucker for older/vintage housewares. I think that most of the new things put out these days, like casseroles, cookware, dishes...etc. are boring. Everything's stainless steel, white, or black! This old thermos ($0.25) is in great shape and I love the color.


This blazer ($1)! I have been on the hunt for a good tweed blazer and look every time I go thrifting, and I finally found one! I wore it today to church and love it. This is the sign of a trusting friendship-- there was no mirror in the store, so I just put it on and asked Katie yes or no. It was a yes!


And lastly, these belts ($1 each)! I have so many dresses and tops that need to be belted, which has become my favorite thing to do, and these do the trick. They're in fun colors with gaudy buckles, and I love them!

Not pictured is my awesome pampered chef stoneware baking pan ($1). When I got home I checked online and saw that they retail for about $65 on Amazon.com.... wow. Find of the day, for sure! I can't wait to make apple crisp in my new pan! Thrifting is my favorite hobby. It provides hours of relaxation at a very, very low cost, offers me a chance to be a little creative with my dress, and it helps feed my desires to nest/decorate.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

Thanks be to God.

God is good, and wise, and merciful.

The past months have been hard, but slowly and surely, there is more happiness. there is more rejoicing. there is more sharing. there are fewer tears. there are fewer heart-wrenching moments.

I just wanted to share with you all something really cool that God has done (and is still doing). This wonderful epiphany came upon me about a month ago, but I only shared it with Colin and one other sweet friend of mine because I was overwhelmed. I thought it might encourage someone else, so I'll write. I was so taken aback after our miscarriage post at how many women came out of the woodwork via e-mail/message and shared something so similar happening in their own lives. It opened up my eyes (and heart) to the pain that so many of us face and will face over miscarriage (and other pregnancy-related issues). Thank you so, so much for sharing your hearts and prayers with me.

After our baby passed, I spent a lot of time journaling. I've kept a journal for years now, and it's the best way I've found to pray and process with the Lord. One afternoon, I decided to look back at my previous entries (one of the main reasons I keep a journal-- to be able to look back) and something huge socked me right in the gut. Literally, it almost took my breath away. on July 23rd of this year, I wrote (exact quote)...

"I never want to doubt You and Your provision. I want to stay in faith and trust! Continue to strengthen Colin and I to confess Your goodness, no matter the circumstance. Father, I can't help but feel as though You are preparing me to suffer. I could be wrong, and will not expect some immense pain to immediately come upon me, but I want to be ready to confess You as my only good."

That alone was enough to bring understanding and even encouragement to my heart at that time. Even previous to that entry, I had written very similar things, such as asking the Lord to do what it takes to make me a woman of unwavering faith. I even wrote a little entry on similar things here. That is what He has been teaching me the past year or so. But as I was reading that, I had a moment of dejavu. I remembered discussing the idea of the prosperity gospel (via John Piper's sermon) with Caitlyn (who I shared this with) in a message that we had sent back and forth this past year. I looked it up, and in our discussion I wrote to her...

"I love that video...I so agree, it riles me up so much...it is so moving. Cait, don't you feel like God may be teaching us this and pressing this on our hearts to prepare us for something, maybe? Such a scary thought, but true. Paul writes somewhere in Philippians 2 (?) that we are called to suffer with Christ...not just to believe in Him. ah."

Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus. I DO NOT believe, as some do, that the Lord causes miscarriage (or any death) to happen in order to sanctify us or do something in our lives. That would be completely antithetical to who I know God to be. But what I do believe is that He intends to use the painful things so that we may trust Him, love Him, and serve Him better. I see now that Jesus was speaking to my heart and growing me in areas that would ultimately help me to rely on Him and cling harder to His promises in the time of suffering that followed. This epiphany (for lack of a better word) has filled my heart with more adoration for our Jesus.

When we first found out I was pregnant, our prayer at every chance was us simply keeping our hands open (a theme in Colin and I's relationship) and entrusting our little baby to Him. I'm thankful to know that nothing is our doing, and give all credit and praise to God!

Thank you once again for reading this. I hope that, in some way it's able to encourage your hearts. He is at work in us and in the world. What a reminder.

grace and peace,
the wife.

sickly.

1. Woke up this morning with a pounding headache, sore throat, and achey body. Immediately decided to go back to bed and slept until 4 (!!!) in the afternoon. Only glanced through our blinds at the snow... There are more significant things than snow when you feel like death warmed over, I think. You know how, when you're sick, you start to wonder what it was ever like to feel not sick? I've only been sick for 24 hours and already I'm feeling that way. ugh. All I have to say is, thank goodness for throat coat tea! I have been drinking it like nobody's business.


2. I just heard that the book, The Great Gatsby, is being remade into a newer film-- featuring Leonardo Dicaprio as Gatsby himself and Carey Mulligan as Daisy! I could not be more excited! I have such high hopes for this film. I have loved this book for a long time, so we'll see. Leo can't seem to go wrong.


3. I can't stop listening to Andrew Belle. his album, The Ladder, has been on repeat all night. In a few of his songs he brings out his banjo, also, which I love. His voice is so soothing, and I love the folky elements that he brings in this album. This song makes me want to go on a night drive in the summer, with my feet on the dash, holding my best friend's hand.



4. And lastly, because I love food... one of the simplest (but tastiest) things I prepared for dinner this week. I adapted it just a little bit from this recipe here. I followed her recipe, except I doubled it and instead of soy sauce I added balsamic vinegar (yum). This tastes AWESOME. Highly recommend it if you want something fresh, and if, like in our case, the spinach you have in your fridge is starting to wilt a little!

via broke and healthy.

Hope everyone is enjoying having some time off from school and work! Stay warm.

grace and peace, the wife.

it is so weird that it's 2011.

1. Last night Colin and I got to celebrate our four year (fifth annual) first date anniversary! That might sound silly to some (I mean, how many anniversaries can one really celebrate?), but for us it marks the beginning of something really sweet, and something big that God did in both of our lives. That's worth celebrating, if you ask us!

2. This morning I purged my closet. I love doing that, and try to every year at least. I was motivated by one of the blogs that I read daily, called Kendi Everyday. I just love her blog, and her style inspires me so much! She started a series a couple of weeks back on how to create a "Working Closet", as she calls it. A Working Closet is one that you can step into and not feel a) overwhelmed or b) like you need to go shopping immediately. It's a closet that has good, versatile, and useful pieces of clothing which allow you to create an outfit for any scenario without feeling stressed. Purging allows you to assess what you really do have, what you need to buy, and what you don't need. Read Kendi's article on purging here.

photo via Kendi Everyday.

3. Another thing. Recently I have become extremely interested in breakfast foods. Why? I have no idea. I really always have been the type of person to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and just wait until I feel ready to eat something lunch-like. Until I saw this post on Apartment Therapy about one way to prepare cream of wheat and literally drooled all over my computer :)


OH! and, this article as well, on steel-cut oats. I've never had them, but I am easily put off by oatmeal because of its tendency to get glue-like and mushy. Mmmm. Thanks to my wonderful Mama K (hi, Mama!) and Apartment Therapy, I now know a little more about them and how to prepare them.


4. Also, I just recently got a job working at a new upscale Soccer/Sports pub off of Bower parkway on Harbison called the British Bulldog Pub (Woo hoo for being a college grad?)! Colin and I decided that something flexible and a little more fluid would be a good idea for me at this point in time. I have really missed having an opportunity to be around different kinds of people, as well. All that to say, this place is really going to be awesome, serving traditional British fare, such as bangers and mash (do i hear an Arrested Development quote coming on?), fish and chips, and cottage pie. There are also some more American-friendly dishes, like various salads, sandwiches, burgers, salmon, and pasta. We have 28 different beers on tap, too, so come out and visit! We are doing a soft opening this next week, starting Monday, and we're open until 12 am on weeknights/2 am on weekends. Located next to the Tobacco Merchant and Miyo's.

grace and peace!
the wife.

here's to the new year!

1. goodbye, 2010! you were an awesome year for us, but i'm also excited about what 2011 will hold. although there are so many things that will, Lord-willing, be happening in the coming years, i wish time would just slow down. i love right now. even though right now isn't perfect and is difficult at times, i love seeing Him at work, and love what He is doing.

2. Colin and i have had Sufjan's Christmas albums for years, but for some reason i've never really noticed this song. i love it. i love it. i love it and i can't stop listening to it. It's on Vol. V of his Songs for Christmas albums.



3. this article about David Bazan and his walking away from the faith/first solo album (he used to be a part of Pedro the Lion) Curse Your Branches (which is described as a, "harrowing breakup record—except he's dumping God, Jesus, and the evangelical life"). really sad. raises a lot of questions in my mind..

4. so, i love world market. we've talked about this before. most of all (well, besides their rugs, throw pillows, and curtains... haha), i love their glass moroccan-style lanterns. i picked up a few in various shapes, sizes and colors this past week since they were on sale, and am really excited to find a spot for them to hang in our little place! if only i had a back patio, i would string the smaller ones up outside.


5. Also, i made this last night for Colin and I... and we can't stop thinking about it, it's that good. this Spicy Shrimp recipe is a meal fit for the summer, with good friends sitting around a newspaper-covered table. highly recommend you make this! don't forget the toasted french bread with it!

via the Pioneer Woman Cooks.

6.. thank you, all, for the affirmation we have received on this blog (whether it be in person, personal messages, facebook, comments...). it has surprised me that people like to read our thoughts and about our life and find it interesting and encouraging, but we are so glad! i think the next post we write together will be on why we blog. anyways, thanks guys!

grace and peace!

brrrr.

1. this week has been so busy, non-stop! typical holiday season. between applying/interviewing for jobs (pretty sure i landed one!), seeing friends (and their sweet babies!), Bible study, Colin's work Christmas party (where we won a $40 giftcard to Arizona's steakhouse at Sandhills! yay date night!), a graduation party, a wedding, and tonight our church's Christmas ball... whew. it's been a lot of fun, though!

2. two nights ago, at a graduation party, i was standing around with a few guys and one other girl. we soon realized through talking that there is a great disparity between what women men find attractive and what women think. It almost reminded me of the Office episode where they have a debate on whether or not Hilary Swank is "hot". In my opinion, these are some of the most beautiful women i've ever seen:

a. Camilla Belle.


b. Emma Watson.


c. Zooey Deschanel.


anyways, i'll bet most of you can guess some of the women that the guys named. what do you think? agree, disagree?

3. Saw this article this morning on A Cup Of Jo. How fun! A columnist for the NY times and his son did dough art. here are some of my favorites:

via.

4. also, peppermint mocha coffeemate creamer > anything else. i still like black coffee, but this creamer is delicious and so festive!

6 days until Christmas!

the wife.