Year In Review: January - June

As I scrolled through the hundreds of photos from this past year, I realized that it actually has been somewhat of an eventful year for us. Let me take you on a walk down Zollinger memory lane.

January

The beginning of the year started out with a bang, which involved getting my wisdom tooth removed. I guess I can call myself blessed since I only possessed one wisdom tooth total, but it was still quite an ordeal. The tooth was causing havoc and it needed to come out. I did not take it very easy afterwards (it is called mom life folks), which caused the bleeding not to clot. I then developed a tooth infection. TALK.ABOUT.PAINFUL. It was a rough experience. I told Nate that I would have rather given birth than go through such intense mouth pain. 

Thankfully my mouth began to feel a bit better in time for our trip to Sarasota, Florida. We enjoy basking in some warmer weather at some point during the Winter.

It is astounding to me how much Calla has changed in the last year. 

She is no longer a baby.

We got to spend some quality time with Nate's parents, who were down there for an extended period, which was another good reason to go.

We scouted out many of the local parks in which Florida had to offer. At this phase of life, we are always looking for a place to let the kids run off some energy.

Traveling with young children is not the definition of relaxing, but it was definitely worth the effort.

February

February must have held time for a few projects. I gave our bathroom floor some character using WallPops vinyl floor tiles. I just placed them right over the existing linoleum.

Before: goodbye boring old linoleum. 

I love decorating with black and white. These floor tiles were user-friendly and hold up quite well. I am very happy with how it turned out!

I transformed the signs (on the left) into something more my taste (on the right). I like to find cheap signs that I can repaint and add to my decor.

Below is another sign I made for Calla's room. I must have had projects on my brain during this month. 

March

Our house got reroofed in March, specifically the two-story part. Every time a major wind storm (or not-so-major storm) would come through, we would lose a few shingles. It was time. I do not mind heights, but it did not look like a fun job if you ask me. 

I believe March was also, when our church made the decision to shut down temporarily due to COVID and limiting large gatherings was encouraged.

My family still got together every Sunday and had our own service, plus Sunday school for the kids. Although we missed going to church, it was a special time and special memories were made.

Next is the "before" photo of another project that happened during the month of March. My sister-in-law had intentions of doing a makeover on this play kitchen, but never got around to it. Now her kids are growing out of the phase where they would play with it. 

I took it off of her hands. This project took me a few weeks, but I think the final result turned out to be a major improvement.

Nate and I made a coffee table for our living room. I am pretty sure that we were on a stay-at-home order when all of these projects were happening.

April

I had to get a Sunday morning Easter picture with my baby girl. We still did our best to get dressed up and go through our normal Sunday-morning routine, even though we were not going to our typical church building.

My family had church and Easter all in one that Sunday. Bennett enjoys swinging, especially with cousins at grandma's house.

Daddy and his girl, matching and all.

The biggest event of the year took place in April. Alec and Dana became engaged! Seriously the highlight of the year. 

Alec basically become part of our family, living with my mom and dad for several months. Meanwhile, he developed feelings for Dana. Dana and I had become good friends during the years I lived in Ohio (she being from Ohio), and we kept in touch off and on.

The Lord is truly full of surprises, and it was such a privilege to see how God brought them together. Now my cute little Ohio friend is married to the love of her life, and she lives 5 minutes down the road from me. NEVER.WOULD.HAVE.GUESSED

Nate's grandpa passed away near the end of April. We traveled out to Ohio for the funeral. It was good to see familiar faces, many of which we had been distanced from for a few months. Here Calla is enjoying some time with her Grandpa Zollinger.

May

I feel a bit silly sharing my endless projects on here, but I know I will enjoy looking back on these posts  and reminiscing on what I was up to back in the year 2020. 

I got into sponge painting this year. This was my first wall to sponge. I had so much fun adding this accent wall to our stairway!

Bennett turned three years old on May 12th. He thoroughly enjoyed his day to the fullest.

We also got ourselves a dog during the month of May. After a few months, we realized that an energetic puppy was not a good fit for our family. Ivy (the dog) now lives across the road with her new owner Colten (our nephew).

We also became the home to eleven baby kittens. Our two mother cats birthed their kittens on the same day and in the same spot. No clue which kitty belonged to which mama. They were cute and cuddly, but we were glad to pass along a few to family and friends. No need for more cats around here. WE.HAVE.PLENTY.

May also included many golf cart rides. A common request from Bennett is to go across the road, to the shop, and see the machinery. It never gets old to a little boy.

June

A special baby girl hit the one year mark in June. We love our happy Calla Jade girl.

She did not mind her cake one bit. We feel so blessed to have Calla as our daughter. She is such a privilege to raise. I really think that one of the greatest gifts, you can give a child, is a sibling. Bennett and Calla have really been enjoying each other these last few months. Of course, they have their squabbles, but I know that is to be expected.

June also brought about many evenings at the family pond. Golf carts coming together and enjoying one another's company. I miss those warm evenings but am relishing in this season too.

I will wrap up with one more project. Can you believe it? Yep, more sponge painting. I went with a triangle pattern here. So much easier and quicker than wallpaper, all while getting a very similar look.

Well folks, those were the main events from the first half of our year. I enjoyed reflecting back and remembering what all went on. God has been so faithful and constant to us during this roller-coaster of a year. I know that I feel so undeserving but eternally grateful for an omnipresent and omnipotent Savior.

Long Time No Write: Year of Growth

 I have made the decision to wipe off the dust of this ol' blog and make my mark on it once again. Nate gave me a new MacBook laptop for my birthday, which I am pretty excited about. One of my goals with it, is to use it to start blogging again. I have not had a functioning laptop for a few years, but now that I do, I hope not to be so scarce on this platform. No promises that I will be super consistent, but it is worth a try.

Nothing earth-shattering has happened since my last post. Much growing has taken place. Bennett and Calla are growing at a steady rate. They bring Nate and I so much joy, but also have plenty of needs. Parenthood is no joke, so many ups and downs, it has definitely grown my (our) dependance in Christ. We daily seek His guidance in how to raise these little souls, in which He has trusted into our care.

Bennett is our fun-loving, high-energy three year old. He has grown in his relationship with his little sister, typically pretty nice to her at this point. I have seen growth in his ability to discern, in the area of obedience, not to mention growth in his stature. There will always be things that we will strive to improve in, and he can be high-maintenance for certain, but we love him just the same.

Our sweet, laid-back little girl is an absolute joy. She has grown in her coordination. She tackled crawling, walking, and running all this year. Calla possesses a more mild, even-tempered personality than her big brother, but she can still make a fuss when she doesn't get her way. She has grown in her spirit of determination and has a good sense of humor, always finding a way to make us chuckle.

Our marriage has been strengthened this year. We hit the six year mark this past May. God has definitely continued to grow our love for each other, but it has not been without its valleys. The enemy knows a good thing when he sees it, and he is a lion just looking to see how he can tap into our marriage. We have definitely felt his attacks, but I am thankful to say that God has only let us suffer a little while before He pulls us back up onto higher ground. We know that Satan will try again and again, but I am so appreciative for a loving husband who is willing to weather the storms with me, hand in hand.

I have gotten into the Enneagram personality tests this past year. I enjoy figuring out my husband (or anybody, to be honest). What makes Nate tick? How is he wired? Why does he do things the way that he does?

Nate is a Peacemaker (type #9), easy-going, agreeable, the type that avoids conflict, ect. Sometimes when he does certain things that go against my internal wiring (I am a #2- Helper), things I cannot understand, I go back to his personality type and realize why he responded or behaved in that manner.

It has been really helpful for me to study him and further appreciate the way God has formed and shaped him.  

all photo credits: Dana Schneider

I have a constant desire to grow in my relationship with God. It is a prayer that I will continue to pray for the rest of my days. I fail, so often, in spending the appropriate amount of time with God, but I will continue to keep this my top priority. I have definitely felt Him sanctifying and purifying me this past year, during various ups and downs. I have told God, with hesitation, "I will walk through the valleys if you want me too. I do not want to, but I will." The pathway is broken, He did not promise that life would be easy, but He did promise that we would never walk alone if we place our trust in Him. May the struggles of this life-journey strengthen you as much as they have for me.

 

Calla's Birth Story

Calla Jade Zollinger made her entrance on Tuesday, June 11th at 2:50 in the morning. 7 pounds and 20 inches in length. Four days before her expected due date. Not many babies abide by their due date now do they? It was a bit unexpected, but I could tell my body was getting more and more ready, so I cannot say that it was a complete surprise. We were definitely anxious to meet our little girl.

On Wednesday, June 5th I had my 38 week appointment at the OB/GYN office. After seeing that I was 3 cm dilated, my doctor went ahead and stripped my membranes. She told me that 1/3 of the time this trick will put a woman into labor, and typically within the next 24-48 hours.

After hearing that, I scurried to the grocery store and back home to put some finishing touches on our hospital bag and also got Bennett's things around for his stay with grandma and grandpa.

Let me not forget to mention that we had decided to go ahead and be induced if I reached 40 weeks. June 17th was our scheduled induction date. I honestly do not know how women can handle going a week or two beyond their due date. I was so miserable. I became a bit of a home body the last couple of weeks due to not feeling good, tiredness, and it took such effort to get out the door.

After the membrane sweep, I felt some cramping and a bit nauseous, but fast-forward 48 hours earlier and no action. I decided that baby girl still needed some time to cook away.

I was induced with Bennett due to complications. Read about that here, if you wish. Although I was 6 cm when they induced me with Bennett, I had not had any contractions up to that point. The only contractions I was familiar with, were those induced by Pitocin, and let me just say....NO COMPARISON. In my opinion, contractions when hooked up to Pitocin are far worse, which is why I opted for an epidural with him.

I was rooting for an epidural this time as well. I made that clear to my provider at one of the first appointments, and since I struggle with low platelets, I requested lab work near the end of the pregnancy to make sure I was a candidate. I was doing everything in my power to make sure that I had the option of an epidural.

Monday night, June 10th, I woke up in the middle of the night to some major cramping, which I believe could be identified as contractions, but I was not certain. They were somewhat painful, but after a soak in the bathtub, they went away.

The following night I felt the same sensation wake me up right around midnight. This time I knew they were contractions. At first they were spaced about 7-10 minutes apart. I soaked in the bath again, and they were still coming on quite strong, closer together and more intense each time. Nate was up by now, after hearing me clammer around. We decided to load a few things into the car just in case.

At 1:38 a.m. I called the OB/Maternity floor at the hospital to see if I could come in and be checked, they agreed. I called my mom up at 1:44 to come over to be with Bennett. I told her, "I think it may be baby time!" Thankfully she lives next door, and she was over quite quickly.

We were on the road soon after 2:00, with a 30 minute drive to the hospital. The contractions kept hitting me, with not much break in between. By now they were every 1-2 minutes. Nate was not wasting any time on the highway, he had no intentions of delivering a baby in the car.

We got to the hospital, talked to registration (which thankfully did not take long), went up to the 2nd floor. We introduced ourselves and were escorted to our room. The nurse asked me to give a urine sample and put on a monitor. When I went into the bathroom to do the following, I literally felt the babies head coming out. I started moaning because I had an urge to push. The nurse came in to check on me and she (along with Nate's assistance) got me to the hospital bed.

She checked and sure enough, I was fully dilated and the babies head was crowning. No time to call my personal OB doctor, they paged the ER doctor, who I'm sure did not have 'delivering a baby' on his agenda for the night. After a few pushes, our baby girl arrived. It was a bit of a blur, and I am not certain of the times. The staff did tell us that there were 13 minutes in between, by the time they got myself registered into the computer, and the time in which Calla arrived. This birth story ended up being much shorter and less drawn-out than I ever expected. When our baby girl decided to come, she did not beat around the bush, she was ready to enter into the world.

We are so thankful that we got the move-on when we did. God's leading and provision was definitely felt. We would not have wanted to cut it any closer than we did. After a one-night hospital stay, we were on our way home with our sweet little bundle.

Big brother, Bennett, is doing pretty well. He does not want much to do with her, but he does ask about her, especially if she is in another room. I am hoping his fondness toward her will continue to grow, because she is here to stay!

He recently turned two, back in May. While he is cute as ever, he is one active little guy, and some days he makes me want to pull my hair out. I know he is going through the 'toddler' phase, along with a new transition, and so I will try to extend grace, but some days are harder than others.

A stinker one minute and the sweetest little guy the next. I'm sure many parents could relate.

  

We feel abundantly blessed to be a family of four. It may take a while to find our new normal, but we will get there eventually. Hard to believe that our girl is about to hit the three week mark. We will cherish every moment because they sure do not stay little for long.

House Projects

 I thought I would hop on and share a few of my projects from the last several months. It seems like I am most fulfilled when I have a project. At times I do get burnt out and just want to have everything finished. 

This trunk was given to me by my mom. It sat in our garage for a couple years until I finally got the motivation to tackle it. In a way, I am thankful that I waited to refinish it, because I am afraid I would have painted the whole thing white. My style has changed from when I was first married.

I restained the top and bottom and used black chalk paint on the middle. I did distress some of the fine details to add an aged look. A few coats of polyurethane finished it off nicely. 

I am very happy with how it turned out!

These pictures are from this past fall when I had it decorated for the season.

On one of my many late night scrolls through Pinterest, I noticed these neat black and white wood decor hangings. My motto is, 'do not buy it unless you cannot make it.' A piece becomes special to me when I actually put some work and effort into it instead of buying it at the store.

Mine are not exactly like the picture but close enough. I did buy the blank wood frames from Hobby Lobby and just used a ruler to draw the design on. I used paint pens and small paint brushes to do the fine edges.

Nate also gets in on a few projects himself, usually by choice. He does not seem to mind too much. We did a shiplap accent wall in a bedroom upstairs.

Do you spy a little helper?

I like the dimension and character that it adds.

Here are a few signs that I made from pieces of wood lying around our house.

While I like the saying of the aqua sign (left), I just did not have a good place for it. I needed a FALL sign for my porch.

I did glue some rustic craft wood around the edges to make it look complete.

This brown board was a shelf that we took down when we moved into this house.

This is not the best picture, but I turned it into a BAKERY sign for my kitchen.

This brown scroll is something that I made out of brown craft paper. So simple and cheap. I tied some burlap ribbon through the top in order to hang it on a hook. All of the sayings for these projects, I print off of Microsoft Word and transfer onto the paper or sign. No free-handing for this girl. I wish=)

This next project has been mostly Nate. Other than painting and staining, he did this all on his own.

Due to the fact that Nate works from home one day per week, he needs a private work space. With another baby coming he decided it might be best to move upstairs. He was not real keen on the pink stripe. 

These pictures do not do it justice, but it turned out really well. We have some trim and a bit more painting to do yet. This is one of our most recent projects. 

I am sure I will be back with more projects to share in the future. The outdoor projects have been calling my name lately and those are numerous. Numerous and not quite as fun in my eyes. I think we are all ready for the temperatures to warm up and have that sun peak through. 

Time for Spring to spring!!