Nashville Wife

Lifestyle Blog | Recipes | Home Decor | Money Saving | DIY Wedding Planning

Ellie's Life

Our Baby Girl

by 200 Comments

This summer, I shared with you that I had experienced a miscarriage at 6 weeks. I also published a post titled “What I Learned from My Miscarriage.” A couple months later, we found out we were expecting again. As you can imagine, we were absolutely thrilled.

For the first several weeks of my pregnancy, I was understandably nervous. The ultrasound at eight weeks showed a healthy baby with a normal heartbeat, so I relaxed, thinking that I was in the clear. At 10 weeks, I did a blood test to find out the gender. We truly would have been happy with either a boy or a girl, but when the email results showed pink, I started dreaming of bows and dresses.

Just past 11 weeks of pregnancy, I started having symptoms of a possible miscarriage. After a visit to the emergency room, including IV fluids, we received the devastating news that our baby girl had passed away.

Honestly, it has been a very difficult few weeks. I know that the holidays are going to be hard, as we approach what would have been the 20-week mark and the excitement of seeing our baby girl on the anatomy ultrasound. Then there will be the due date of our first miscarried baby, followed by the due date of our second. Both will be painful, emotion-filled reminders of what should have been.

According to the latest medical literature, I have now been labeled as someone suffering from “recurrent pregnancy loss.” We are working closely with my midwife to make a plan, with the goal of preventing future miscarriage. Ultimately, Mr. Handsome and I know that our family size is in God’s hands.

Whether or not our future includes adopted children, more biological children, or both, we rest in the truth that God has it all planned out, and we know that it will be for our good. Through the tears and uncertainty, neither of us has questioned our faith. In fact, the trials of 2020 have deepened our trust in Christ. I truly can’t imagine walking through this valley without the assurance that God is in control and that we will spend eternity in heaven with him, where we will be reunited with our miscarried babies.

Call to Prayer

by 44 Comments

As we approach Election Day in the United States, we would like to put out a call to prayer for our nation. While there has been a lot of controversy surrounding this election, Christians can have perfect peace as we rest in the truth that God is in control.

Since the beginning of time, God has known the outcome. Whether Joe Biden or Donald Trump is voted in as president, God will still be on the throne, and Jesus will still be Lord. Christians who profess Christ as Lord and Savior know that this earth is not their home and that there is a wonderful paradise awaiting when they depart from this world.

No matter who wins in tomorrow’s election, we can place our full trust in God and know with perfect certainty that He holds our tomorrow. He will not be “responding” to the outcome, but He already has a plan in place that will ultimately be for our good.

Healthy Eating Tips Part 1

by 53 Comments

healthy eating tips

Healthy eating is something that I’m very passionate about. Since middle school, I have been keeping track of my fat and sugar intake every day and educating myself about food labels. A few readers have asked for tips, so I thought I would share some principles that have helped me.

I don’t have a particular meal plan, but my general goal is to eat healthy the majority of the time. I admit that I do cheat sometimes, but instead of allowing myself to cheat for an entire day, I try to limit my cheats to one larger treat in the evenings. For the most part, though, I enjoy eating healthy. In fact, I often find myself eating a treat and wishing that it contained less sugar. I know, I’m a bit of an odd duck.

My goal is to eat 2-3 servings of vegetables and 3 servings of fruit each day. It helps to get one of those veggie servings out of the way at lunch and then only have to pack in 1-2 at dinner. When I’m hungry during the day for something other than fruit or vegetables, I try to reach for healthy snacks, like granola bars with less than 8 grams of sugar per bar or unsalted nuts. (Trader Joe’s has great healthy snack options.)

I read the ingredient lists of every food item that comes into our home, and I rarely buy things with artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. We don’t usually have soda or other sugary beverages in the house. We don’t eat packaged sweets or prepared foods (which includes canned goods that contain artificial preservatives). A general rule of thumb is the shorter the ingredient list, the healthier the item. If I’m not familiar with a particular ingredient, I look it up online to make sure it’s something I’m comfortable with.

When I need a treat during the day, I’ll make a smoothie (with no added sugar) or mix some juice (100% juice without corn syrup or added sugar) with sparkling water.

All that being said, Mr. Handsome and I do enjoy sweets. We both like dark chocolate, so that has a lower sugar content, and I make sure to buy brands without artificial ingredients. I’ll bake cookies and other treats from time to time, but we don’t keep that sort of stuff in the house on a regular basis because we both know that when it’s on the counter, it’s nearly impossible not to eat it. Eating healthy is often about removing the temptations.

When I bake, I almost always decrease the sugar content drastically. Some more involved recipes don’t work with less sugar, but your average cookies, cakes, or pie fillings do.

Come back in a few days to read about Mr. Handsome’s weakness and how he keeps it under control.

A Disaster Cake

by 48 Comments

Mr. Handsome and I enjoyed reading your comments about his haircut. I think it’s looking better as it grows out a little, and a little bit of facial hair is making him look older. I do miss his old haircut, though, and I’m grateful that he considers my opinion to be of utmost importance.

On another note, I wanted to share a photo of a cake I baked this weekend. As far as appearance goes, it was a complete and utter fail, but if you’re going on taste alone, it was a smashing success.

I was in a rush because we were headed out to our friends’ house for dinner. (Please no comments telling us that we are terrible people for leaving the driveway. We do support the wearing of masks in public places, and we have gone to great lengths to protect our family, but it makes me sad to see people on both ends of the spectrum being so critical of each other.)

I used a new gluten-free mix (Almond Flour Chocolate Muffin and Cake by SimpleMills). As you can tell from all the recipes on my blog, I don’t usually use mixes. In fact, this might have been one of the first times I have baked a cake that wasn’t from scratch.

But I needed a quick dessert, and this mix checks all my boxes. The ingredients are simple: almond flour, organic coconut sugar, cocoa, arrowroot, organic coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt…that’s it. The total sugar content is lower that 99.9% of the desserts I’ve had, and it’s free of gluten, soy, corn, and dairy. What could be better? I know I’ll get at least one reader asking if this is a sponsored post for SimpleMills, so I want to add a disclaimer: This is in no way a sponsored post. I “simply” want to share one of my favorite products. See what I did there?

Now back to my saga. As I was trying to get the baked cake out of the pan, I made the mistake of not scouring the edges with a knife. Like I said, I was in a huge hurry. Unfortunately, only half the cake fell out onto the cooling rack. After a brief moment of panic, I decided to just put it all back in the pan and leave it. I had used a pie plate so it looked plenty fancy.

Due to my mistake, the cake no longer had a smooth top. My plan was to whip up some homemade buttercream frosting for the top, but I quickly decided that making enough frosting to fully cover the mistake would have added way too much fat and sugar.

I stuck toothpicks in the top of the cake so it wouldn’t stick to the plastic wrap, and we jumped in the car, disaster cake and all. To my surprise, our friends love the SimpleMills mixes, and they thought the cake was delicious. And quite honestly, they were right. So I would say my mission was a success. What do you think?

2020 Beach Vacation

by 33 Comments

The other day, Mr. Handsome and I were talking about our annual photo book, which I had just started making. “Shouldn’t we just skip this year?” questioned Mr. Handsome. “We can pretend it never happened.” I assured him that, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we still have plenty of memorable photos worth looking back at.

We recently took a vacation to the Florida panhandle. It really was the perfect “pandemic trip.” Locals consider the panhandle to be more of an extension of Alabama, and the number of COVID-19 cases did not mimic the rest of Florida. At least while we were there, the case count was very low.

We rented a tiny condo with a small kitchen and balcony. The beach was across the street, and there was plenty of space to “social distance” while enjoying the salty air. We didn’t even have to use the public bathrooms. While we were there, a hurricane was hitting a nearby state, so the dangerous riptide prevented us from being able to swim. Even though we were expecting to spend most of the time inside, the rain was not nearly as frequent as forecasted, and we even had some periods of sun.

The “beach ambassadors” were very careful to inform everyone that the double red flag meant that swimming was prohibited. Unfortunately, Little Buddy did not understand any of that, and he desperately wanted to go in the water. We let him walk to the edge, but if we had let go of his hand, he would have gone straight in. That’s just the kind of kid he is.

My niece, on the other hand, is terrified of water and starts bawling when her feet hit the sand, whether she’s at the ocean or a lake. I find it very interesting to hear about the different reactions that kids have to certain situations.

Our vacation only lasted a few days because Mr. Handsome had to return to work. We were able to go biking one day, with Little Buddy in a trailer. Thankfully, it was during his naptime, so he fell asleep. For the short time that he was awake, he was not thrilled to be strapped in.

We found one restaurant with outdoor seating that served fresh fish, and we ate there three times. And that was about all we did. A very laid, back, relaxing vacation.

What I Learned from My Miscarriage

by 52 Comments

We recently lost a baby to miscarriage at 6 weeks. Before suffering a pregnancy loss myself, I thought it would be something that a mother could “get over” in a few days. But the hurt is much deeper than that.

It has been almost four weeks, and I am feeling much better than I did the week after it happened, although I still have moments of sadness. Through all the tears, emotions, and doctors visits (I have had nearly 10 blood tests), I’ve felt an overwhelming peace. Through this trial, my faith has grown, as God has showed me some pretty incredible things that I can’t help but share.

  1. Even though Mr. Handsome and I are devastated that this baby will not physically be a part of our family here on Earth, we know that he or she is now in heaven with Jesus. Our God is a just God who will grant eternal life to all who seek His face. But he is also a compassionate, loving God who holds a special place in his heart for little children. And because babies and small children are unable to comprehend the message of the Gospel, God covers them with the blood of Jesus and takes them to heaven when they pass away from this earth, whether they died inside the womb or outside. I was so encouraged to find verses in the Bible that indicate this. The book “Safe in the Arms of God” by John MacArthur was incredible blessing. In fact, it was one of the best books I have ever read, on any subject.
  2. Life begins at conception. Even at 6 weeks gestation, my baby was a tiny little human that grew (for a very short time) inside me. When the pregnancy ended, there was physical evidence that we had had a living child who had passed away.
  3. God will always provide the grace that we need to walk through the trials that we face. Even in my mourning, I have an overwhelming peace that God is with me. He is near to the brokenhearted.
  4. As my heart cries, my soul cries, too. The tears I cried in the week following my miscarriage were much deeper than any tears I have ever shed. It’s kind of hard to explain, but it was a feeling I have never felt before. I believe that’s because I’m not just grieving the loss of a baby that I was looking forward to delivering. I’m grieving the earthly death of a tiny human with a precious, eternal soul that was made in the image of God. Even at 6 weeks old, my baby was knit together by the Creator of the universe. The Bible tells us that all people are made in God’s image.
  5. My husband is a treasure. The usual post-pregnancy hormones make miscarriage that much more emotional, and it’s not something that men can fully understand. But Mr. Handsome has been there for me every step of the way and has been so sweet and sympathetic.
  6. My fears of not being able to have the family that I have always hoped for have diminished. Since getting married, Mr. Handsome and I have both been in agreement that we would love to have four or five children. We still share that desire, but I no longer hold this fear of not being able to reach that goal. If we are unable, I will still be at peace knowing that God’s plan is better than ours. My heart has also been opening up to the idea of adoption. That would likely be a little further down the road for us, but we will see what God has in store.
  7. The assurance I have of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus has become even sweeter because there is now someone very special to me who will be there, too. I will hold this child in my heart until I can one day hold him or her in my arms. 

Miscarriage

by 108 Comments

I shared on Facebook a few days ago about my recent miscarriage. Mr. Handsome and I are very grateful for the encouraging comments and well wishes that many of you left, as well as for your prayers.

This has been a difficult time for us, and especially for me, but it has been incredibly comforting to hear, based on words shared by other moms who have been through miscarriage, that my grief has been very normal.

The first week was the hardest because the postpartum hormones were raging. When I wasn’t crying, I was actively holding back tears. It helped to have our rambunctious toddler as a distraction and a reminder of the blessings that God has given us. And Mr. Handsome was so compassionate and attentive. His sorrow was great, but not as great as mine because I was the one who carried the baby and had that special connection.

The second week has been significantly easier, but the feeling of loss is still very present. Through this whole experience, though, I have felt such an overwhelming peace. Even in the three days when I began having miscarriage symptoms but still did not know whether the miscarriage would occur (what a difficult time that was!), I felt peace knowing that God was with me.

We believe that life begins at conception and that every tiny human conceived is created by God and has an eternal soul. Unborn babies and young children who die do not have the mental ability to accept or deny God’s gift of salvation through His son Jesus Christ. For that reason, we believe that all little ones go to heaven when they leave this earth.

This wasn’t something I had spent much time thinking about before our miscarriage, but when we lost the baby, the thought immediately popped into my head that he or she is safe in God’s arms, and with that came great peace.

As I searched Scripture, I was able to find verses on the subject, and I also found sermons from two pastors that Mr. Handsome and I have great respect for that go into depth on the topic, with Scriptural evidence. A friend sent me two books that I am looking forward to reading. Knowing that I will spend eternity in heaven with God and other believers has always been an incredible promise, and that promise is even sweeter knowing that I have a precious child up there who is waiting to meet me.

High Ropes Take 2

by 23 Comments

Three years ago, I posted about our date at the Nashville Shores Treetop Adventure Park. Since that time, I have wanted to go back again, but it hasn’t worked out. So when I saw that they had reopened after COVID-19 (with new policies and fewer spots per time slot) and were offering a 50% discount, I purchased two tickets. It was sort of a “pre-anniversary” celebration.

High ropes courses are something that I really enjoy. They are adventurous and provide great exercise but are still very safe (at least the ones I have been to are). My family went to a really great one several times while I was growing up, and although the one in Nashville doesn’t quite measure up, it’s still a blast.

Mr. Handsome was happy to go with me, but he isn’t a huge fan of treetop obstacle courses. He says he doesn’t understand the appeal.

“There’s no point to it,” he explained to me. “It’s like, we create this course just to mimic real terrain and then climb around with no purpose. It would be one thing if you had to climb a tree to cut it down or cross a waterfall while being chased by a bear.” I’m usually the practical one, but his view on this subject is certainly more practical than mine. He still had fun though.

My New Bathroom

by 45 Comments

Since we moved into our house, I have wanted to redo our main bathroom. The other bathroom was recently updated, but this one was about 30 years old and in desperate need of a facelift. It’s not technically a master, but it’s the one we use, so I was reminded daily how bad it was.

When quarantine started and Mr. Handsome became temporarily unemployed, he informed me that he was going to make my dream become a reality. It took a few weeks, but he got it done, and I’m so proud of him! I have included before and after photos. What do you think?

Birthday Mushrooms

by 37 Comments

This year, my birthday fell during quarantine, so our celebration looked a bit different. I usually enjoy doing an activity, such as visiting Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, which is what we did in 2016, and eating a nice meal at the restaurant of my choice. Despite the COVID-19 closures, Mr. Handsome was still able to plan a wonderful day.

In the late morning, we went mushroom hunting at a friends’ farm. Mr. Handsome grew up hunting for morel mushrooms every spring, but as hard as he searched, he never found more than a couple every year. To say he was excited by the “loot” that we acquired on my birthday mushroom hunting trip is an understatement. He was utterly elated, and he was even more elated to share the experience with Little Buddy and me.

I, on the other hand, don’t believe I had ever tasted a morel, but I had heard about how tasty they were. Mr. Handsome sauteed them in a skillet, and they made a wonderful addition to the steak that he grilled for dinner. My birthday was lovely. Spending time outside with my two favorite men and then having a quiet evening at home was the perfect way to celebrate.

We won’t mention Little Buddy’s tantrums at the farm. Let’s just say he doesn’t yet understand that you can’t walk through tall grass because of the risk of ticks. But Mommy did let him play in a puddle, so that was a highlight.