When I shared the story of naming Eliza, I mentioned that I became a bit of a name nerd while I was pregnant with her. I have a few favorite naming websites, and even though I’m no longer pregnant and don’t have an immediate need to do this, I still enjoy reading about names and writing down my favorites. I have almost enough names for a family of 30 children at this point.

Before Eliza was born, I ran across a popular blog where a pregnant twin mom “gave away” some of the baby names she had considered but didn’t end up using. I thought that was a fun idea, so I’m sharing some of my favorites that I can never use for one reason or another. Since I’ll never have children with these names, feel free to share your honest opinions of them…

Sylvie: “from the forest.” I think Sylvie is pretty and whimsical. I can completely imagine a cute, chubby baby named Sylvie. It’s too repetitive with our last name, though. It’s not on the list of the top 1,000 names.

Willa: “resolute protection.” I love this name. It’s graceful and classy-sounding. It’s also too repetitive with our last name. It’s #968.

Eleanor: “bright, shining.” We have a little Eleanor in our church already, and Eliza and Eleanor would be too similar-sounding for sisters. Grace named her new baby Elinor. It’s a lovely, classic name, with the traditional spelling at #165.

Lilia: “lily.” I love how delicate and feminine this name is, but again, it’s too repetitive for us. It’s #876.

Eloise: “healthy, wide.” Every time I read our Eloise Wilkin storybook to Christian, I think about how much I like her name. I don’t think the style goes very well with Christian, though, and it’d definitely be too repetitive now that we have an Eliza. It’s #530.

Susannah: “lily.” I think this name is beautiful, but since my name is Anna it just wouldn’t work for us. It’s not even in the top 1,000.

Una: “one; also; lamb” (pronounced Oona). I found this name in Rainbow Valley by L.M. Montgomery, and it’s also in Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. It’s a bit too “out there” for our family; I prefer names that aren’t wildly popular but are at least recognizable. Sadly it also reminds me of the game Uno. But I think some people could make it work really well. Not surprisingly, it’s not in the top 1,000 either.

Corinna: “maiden.” This is how I ended up with the middle name Corinne for Eliza. I think Corinna is a pretty name, but I didn’t want to start a trend of C’s with our oldest’s name being Christian. It’s also not a top 1,000 name.

Charlotte: diminutive of Charles, “free man.” Charlotte is a classic name that I like a lot, but again, using it would be setting a “C” precedent for future children, and our friends have a Charlotte who’s just a few weeks older than Christian. It’s #45.

Clara: “bright, clear.” Clara is yet another vintage chic choice that’s very attractive to me, if it weren’t for those same issues of repeating C’s and friends who have a little Clara. It’s #167.

What do you think of these names? And what are some names (boy or girl) you like but won’t ever use for one reason or another? Do tell!

I’m in my third trimester, and I am tired, folks.

When the beautiful hour of naptime arrives, the last thing I usually feel like doing is working out.

But anyone can exercise for 10 minutes, right? So I talk myself into it.

And by the time I’ve completed 10 minutes, I almost always think, “I can do another 10!” Before I know it, I’ve done 40 minutes worth of pilates and I feel great. And even if I only do 10, that’s still something.

There’s nothing like tricking myself into being healthy.

Speaking of hair (yes, that was a lead-in), a friend of ours just opened her Etsy shop, Sugar and Spice, and I wanted to share her creations:

Fabric Bow Clip

Pleated Headband

Reversible Headband

Go here to check out the rest!

It’s been four months since I posted links! Here are some gems I’ve come across lately:

• Homeschooling and the Changing World :: The Happy Housewife
• a few things i’ve learned. :: a beautiful journey…
• How My Wife Prays for Me :: Thabiti Anyabwile
• Go to Sleep! :: Shepherd Press
• Can Romance Novels Hurt Your Heart? :: Moore to the Point

“Praise God for His Word that alerts me
If I confess my sin then I obtain mercy
Proverbs 28:13, James 5:16, He’ll turn me
I used to hide all the time till it burned me
Now I confess to the Lord it’s the first thing
Then I confess to my fam that I walk with
Every nook and cranny, have I lost it? (Nope)
I just want to live in light of what the cross did
Ain’t just trying to look Christlike – I’m trying to walk this”
-Trip Lee

There are some fancier, probably better-tasting ways to make iced coffee, but if you want quick and simple, here’s how I do it:

1. Brew a cup of double-strength coffee.

I use four scoops of coffee (one regular and three decaf) and two cups of filtered water.

2. Mix with desired sweetener(s).

The sugar/Splenda will dissolve more easily if the coffee is hot. I go ahead and add creamer or half-and-half while it’s hot, too, along with a little vanilla.

3. Pour over ice.

I use a full glass of ice. This is why you brew the coffee double-strength – because the ice will melt and would make regular-strength taste weak.

4. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.

I wait until the ice is mostly melted, then stir and add a dash of chocolate syrup.

So delicious… how do you make iced coffee?

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P.S. Thank you for the comments on Stay-at-Home and Working Moms: My Thoughts. I need to reply to some of them. I’m sleep-deprived and don’t have the mental energy right now… but I plan to soon!

Happy Saturday! It’s been a couple weeks since I posted links, so I decided to offer you ten clicks instead of five this week. And no, I can’t stop staring at that picture.

• Creative Ideas for Household Notebooks :: Life as Mom
• You Are What You Tweet :: (in)courage
• A Hidden Heart :: All She Has to Say
• Wintertime Boost: Citrus Salad :: Vintage Chica
• Why THEIR Methods Won’t Work for YOU :: Motherhood Your Way
• The Best {Natural} Valentine to Give Your Husband :: Passionate Homemaking
• home and here :: Heart and Home
• Incarnation and Remembering :: Lavender *Sparkles*
• “Delicious blend of colors.” :: Simply Vintagegirl
• Valentine’s Day Diner Dinner :: Dear Baby

“In the winter, I drew her tossing snowballs at the trees that lined the wide parkway, her arm motions like those of a little girl. Often we ran through the drifts together, kicking up the snow with our galoshes, and I drew that too.” -Chaim Potok

• Confessions on Deep Joy and Serving :: Shine On, Child
• Two “Me Time” Extremes (Part 1) : “Me Time” part 2 :: Joyful Mothering
• Gifts from God’s Hands :: Thanksliving
• How to Please Your Husband :: Ordinary Inspirations
• God Is My Portion :: A Holy Experience

“Isn’t it here? The wonder? Why do I spend so much of my living hours struggling to see it? Do we truly stumble so blind that we must be affronted with blinding magnificence for our blurry soul-sight to recognize grandeur? The very same surging magnificence that cascades over our every day here. Who has time or eyes to notice?” -Ann Voskamp

• 6 Survival Strategies for the Introverted Mom :: Steady Mom
• Evaluate Your Personal Worship :: Do Not Depart
• What Kind of Message Am I Sending? :: Like a Warm Cup of Coffee
• “You and me, buddy.” :: The Flourishing Mother
• Mom to 5 : mom to 5, again : mom to 5, finale :: Happy Helms

“Those who are willing to come apart from the clamor and demands of each day’s activity in order to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His heart are the ones who will be blessed with intimacy beyond that which most believers will ever know.” -Nancy Leigh DeMoss

And yes, I do copy Simple Mom’s weekend links format. I hope that’s not plagiarism. I just like it!

You might notice that I took my “Links” page down. I went through a major weeding out of the blogs I read. I was reading way too many. Sure, I’m a fast reader, but I felt this urgency to get through each post, leaving me no time to comment or enjoy the community – and more importantly, taking time that should be spent on more important things… like listening.

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So my weekend links might have a lot less variety, and might be less frequent… which is always probably a good thing in the blogosphere! I do love highlighting other people’s writing, though – it makes me feel all happy when someone else enjoys a blog I love. (Although sometimes I selfishly want to hide my favorite blogs so they don’t become hugely popular and leave me just another face among the masses. True story.)

{Does this post reveal my total nerdiness, or what?}

Without further ado, some lovely links for you this Saturday (you might notice the same theme in some of them):

• grateful for a fussy baby :: {stories from will & kendra}
• to know their stories :: chatting at the sky
• Beloved rooftop, nice to meet you :: Shine On, Child
• Guarding Against Technology Time-Wasters :: Passionate Homemaking
• Unplugging :: Thoughts and Whatnots

Just stopping by late on a Sunday evening to share some of the best posts I’ve read over the past several weeks.

• 128 Simple Family Activities: Be a Rockstar Today! :: Inspired to Action
• Identity? God’s :: Rick and Susanna
• Face Skin Care – Do’s and Dont’s :: The Healthy Happy Chicka
• Assurance of Salvation :: That’s All I Have to Say about That
• Be Patient… :: Making Home