The Top 10 Things I love about Winter

As my mom and I were watching my kids play outside the other day, we were talking about how quickly Christmas is coming. I said, "well at least winter is going by fast." She looked at me and said sypathetically, "winter doesn't start until December 21st." To that, I replied with a disappointed "oh". Don't get me wrong, I am glad I live in an area with 4 seasons but to be honest, I just wish winter was a little shorter....like 3 months shorter.

I realize that I am going about winter all wrong. I know if I have a bad attitude to begin with all those nasty wintry days will only make it worse. So I've decided to look at the positive side of winter and share with you my top 10 things a love about it.

10. It is soup season. (Chili, chicken and noodles, homemade veggie soup...the list could go on and on.)
9. Hot chocolate. (when we are done playing outside in the snow...my kids just expect it now)
8. Sweater weather. (I hate coats but I LOVE my sweaters!)
7. Christmas decorations.
6. Christmas plays and musicals. (I secretly cry every time.)
5. Christmas music. (ONLY after Thanksgiving)
4. Snowball fights with my husband.
3. Sledding with my kids on our little barn hill.
2. Family get-togethers.
1. AND the number one thing that I love most about Christmas is..................................................................... when it is over!

I had to say it!  



Until next time...

My Potato Heart

A couple of days ago, as I was praying and thanking God for all he has done for me and my family, I really felt God wrapping His loving arms around me and whispering straight to my soul "I love you, daughter." Don't get me wrong, I feel His loving presence quite often but this time was a little different. After I was done praying and doing my Bible Study I got up to make Brad  a hot breakfast (since he was coming home from hunting in the rain). I reached in and pulled out a potato from the bag. Only this wasn't just any ordinary potato, this potato had grown into an almost perfect shape of a heart.

I am as realistic as the next guy (or, um...gal) but let me tell you, I believe with all of my heart that God hand-molded this potato in the shape of a heart to reaffirm that he loves me with an everlasting love that knows no bounds. As I held the potato and smiled, the only thing I could think was "I love you too God, I love you too."

I know you are wondering to yourself, "well... did you eat it?" And yes, I did but only after I took a picture of it first.

I potato heart you!

Until next time...

Fun Friday!

If you are just joining us, Friday's blog is a fun and interactive way to get you all involved! I will share a recipe or tip of some sorts and ask you a question that you can answer by posting in the comment section below. This only works if you join in on the fun....so let's get started!

This week's recipe is a guaranteed crowd pleaser! I am including it in today's blog because it is perfect for munching on at your Thanksgiving parties. WARNING: if you bring this to a get-together you will be expected to bring it every year!

Carmel Puffed Corn

1 bag of puffed corn (original)
1/2 c. butter
1c. brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda

Spray large roasting pan (I use two 9x13 casserole dishes) with cooking spray.
In a saucepan melt butter, sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil.
When it starts to boil add baking soda.
Boil mixture for two minutes (will get foamy).
Pour over puffs and stir until puffs are coated evenly.
Bake @ 250 degrees for 45 minutes stirring every 10 minutes.
When the puffs are done baking, take out of pan and pour onto a large, clean surface. Break apart puffs immediately to avoid large clumps.
Store in an airtight container.

Ok, so here's your question:  This year has flown by like crazy! I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here already! What is one thing you are thankful for that has happened this past year. Be specific too, none of the "my family, my friends, my dog" stuff. Let's get real with each other.

I am thankful that we survived 2 months of no income what-so-ever. My husband had been laid off for a year and a half when the government voted to end extensions for unemployment. We went 2 months living on what we had saved which wasn't much. But we made it! From people making a meal for us to being able to eat from our garden, God provided the entire time!  Brad found a job at the end of July and we feel like we have learned and grown so much over this past year.

Happy Thanksgiving!



Until next time...

Cue the Contented Sigh

I did something today that I don't get to do very often. In fact, I can't remember the last time I was able to do such a thing.

I made myself a cup of coffee, cozied up on my couch and watched a movie....ALONE! I know crazy, right?! I had planned on watching the movie with my little ones (something else I rarely do during the day) but my son had already seen the movie I wanted to watch and opted to watch the one he picked out upstairs in our landing. The rest followed suit. So, I was left with the life or death question: "do I still watch the movie or clean the house?" I thought to myself, "I'm gonna go for it!" So I did what every mother does from time to time; I raced into the kitchen, made myself a cup of coffee and practically flung myself onto the couch before they could change their minds.

Don't get me wrong, I would have enjoyed watching the movie with my kids a lot. But there is just something special about having a whole 1 1/2 hours to yourself. Granted, it was Toy Story 3....still fun, granted I had a few interruptions from time to time....still fun, granted my floors didn't get swept and mopped today.....STILL FUN!

I think as parents we need to allow ourselves some down time. As a mom of 4 kids, I rarely get a moment to myself...yes, I'm even talking about the bathroom! I know you know what I'm talkin' about! If I don't take some time every once in awhile to breath (sigh), sit (sigh), and relax (double sigh), I could be running on fumes before the last kid gets tucked in on Monday! After my movie I was energized, ready to sweep the whole house...ah who am I kidding? I'm blogging right now! Don't worry, I'll get to the floors and maybe even some laundry too.

I will leave you with a challenge today: do something fun for yourself! Read a chapter in a book you've been meaning to read, take a walk alone, or maybe even cozy up on YOUR couch with a cup of coffee and watch good movie. Ya never know, it could be just the thing you need to finish out your day strong.

Until next time...

Who Will Love Me for Me?

Love. We all want it. No, we all CRAVE it from the deepest part of who we are. The more I read about raising kids, the more I understand the NEED each human being has for love. Newborns who are minutes old could die without it, toddlers who are constantly getting into everything crave it, 10 year olds who are balancing between childhood and adolescence scream for it, teenagers who can't wait to grow up and become adults desperately search for it. A 28 year old mom who looks like she has it all together....well you get the picture.

It wasn't until just recently that I realized my deep need for love. I had all the signs and symptoms though: self-hate, self-doubt, need for affirmation from anyone and everyone, a fierce need to make everyone happy and a fear that I wouldn't or couldn't, the feeling I could never be the perfect wife or mom, the list could go on and on. I suffered from extreme highs and lows. One day (when all things seemed to be adding up) I would be the happiest person you'd ever met. The next, I could be the exact opposite: sad, tired, defeated, depressed. Sounds a little like bi-polar disease, I know. I can assure you I do not suffer from that BUT I can tell you that I was searching and didn't even know it.

I finally got sick of it. I hated who I was when I was depressed or "down". It effected the way I mothered, the way I interacted with my husband and my close friends and family. My sister has since told me (lovingly) she knew when I was having a down day. I prayed and prayed for God to take away this "thorn in my flesh" and began to lose hope when it seemed that I would be forever doomed to endure it the rest of my life. I wish I could tell you at this point that the God sent His mighty angel to give me a good word and heal me miraculously....but it didn't work that way. He did send an angel, but her name is Shiela and she took me under her wings and helped me understand what I had been missing all these years.

God loves me. I know you are thinking "duh!" and singing "Jesus Loves Me" to yourself right now as we speak, but let me just tell you, I didn't get it. I thought I did. I have been going to church almost every Sunday for almost 10 years now, I have heard hundreds of sermons about His love for me. My head knew but my heart secretly refused to believe it. I have spent all my life trying to attain it and I have. My husband is one of the most affectionate, love-giving human beings on the planet....but it wasn't enough. My children give me an endless supply of hugs and kisses every day....but it wasn't enough. My friends give me accolades and praises constantly....but it wasn't enough. I love my family and friends more than life itself and know that they truly love me back but it still left me with a void, an unfillable hole the size of God in my heart. It wasn't until I allowed God to break down the wall I had built up to protect myself from hurt or pain that I realized that I had been keeping out the good stuff right along with the bad. As he began to heal past hurts, pains, and insecurities, I began to feel engulfed by  His Mighty love. I can't get away from it, He is constantly showing me just how much I mean to Him. It can be through a verse in the Bible,  through a smile from my husband or a giggle from my kids, it can be a gorgeous sunset or a sky full of twinkling stars. I realize now that He was telling me all along, I just "get" it now. All I know is He does love me and I can do nothing to make Him love me more or make Him love me less. He loves me with all that He is and that, my friend, is a good thing to have.

It is still a work in progress, believe me. But this "work in progress" will forever be changed by His Mighty fingerprints of love. I will leave you with a song that means so much to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgGUKWiw7Wk

Until next time...

Fun Friday

I thought we could make Friday's blog fun and interactive! Every Friday I will share a tip or a recipe and ask you an interactive question that you can answer in the comment section of the blog. This will only work if you join in on the fun so don't be shy!

 Last week at MOPS we talked about finances and in the spirit of saving money, they made laundry detergent and sent home a container-full with each one of us. I loved it! It smells so good and actually works! So, yesterday I made my very own batch of it. I know what you are thinking "isn't that for the Amish and people with 20 kids?" Actually, yes it is. You will find the same recipe on the Dugger Family (19 Kids and Counting) website. BUT that doesn't mean that a family of 6 can't save a little - actually A LOT of money on laundry detergent too! So I am going to share the recipe with you all...just in case you would like to try it too.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

4 Cups - hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup- Arm and Hammer Super Wash Soda* 

1/2 Cup - Borax

-Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of the way with hot water. Shake before each use (will gel).

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machine- 1/4 Cup per load (approx. 640 loads)

*Must be Arm and Hammer "Super Washing Soda" because of the sodium carbonate. You should be able to find all the ingredients at your local grocery store.

To make a stain pre-treat put one cup of the undiluted solution in a spray bottle and fill with hot water. Shake detergent and pre-treat before each use.

Ingredients you will need.

What it looks like after adding all the ingredients to your 5 gallon bucket. One of the ladies from MOPS told me they store theirs in a storage tub with a lid.

Ok, so this Fun Friday's question is:

How do you save money for your family? You can give us tips that you use, something that you heard works, websites to checkout etc.! I want to hear from you!

Until next time.....

"Love is patient."

Is there is a reason God made this the first of the "Love is...." in the popular 1 Corinthians 13 passage? As I sit here and ponder that, I feel with certainty it is. What is patience exactly? Not yelling at my kids when they push me to the brink of insanity? Saying yes when my husband asks to go hunting almost EVERY SINGLE day? What about waiting at a check out lane while the person in front of you unpiles an overflowing cart-full of groceries while you hold a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk? Are all those things considered patience? Maybe. But what if there was more to it? What if we are missing something?

Dictionary.com defines patience as:
1.

the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

2.

an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.

3.

quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

 

By these standards, yes, not yelling at my kids or the lady in front of me in the checkout lane is indeed patience and good to do, may I add. But as I read the Bible and learn about how Jesus lived, my understanding of patience goes so much deeper.

 

Patience is unselfish. It is putting aside my own desires and expectations and looking at the other's before my own. Patience is thoughtful consideration, not impulsive reaction. Patience is a form of humility not a feeling of superiority.

 

Lets take my husband's weird need to go hunting for example. I don't understand it. I don't get the need to sit up in a tree stand for hours hoping a deer will come close enough that you can shoot it and watch it die. What I do know, is that he likes it-no, he loves it. So I say "yes" whenever he asks to go. I don't want to be one of those wives who never let their husbands do anything. Pretty patient of me right? Not exactly. You see, I may have physically said yes but inside I am saying "for real? Are you seriously going out AGAIN tonight? Don't you know that I am taking care of 4 kids, helping three do homework, cleaning, cooking, and entertaining while you go sit in a tree stand?!" Not so patient anymore is it? I am beginning to understand that patience is more than an outward response; your heart's response is so much more of an indicator of whether you have a good handle on it.

 

It's easier said then done, I know that probably more than anyone. But I do think it is possible. "Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head. Isn't always 'me first,' doesn't fly off the handle, doesn't keep score of the sins of others, doesn't revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps on going. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 The Message) You see, patience (real patience) is only doable through love. Jesus showed us how not so we can read the Bible and say "that's nice" but so we can emulate it. It is definitely not something that you either have or you don't. It is a work in progress, something that gets better with time. So, if you are like me and have very little of it, don't lose hope, one day you may be telling your husband "you go and have fun sitting in that deer stand!" and really mean every word.

Until next time.....

 

What every mother doesn't want to hear.

As I picked up my son from Kindergarten this morning, I asked the usual, "How was your day Bub?". He replied with an enthusiastic "good!". I asked him what was so good about it (suprised at his unusual enthusiam) and his answer will forever be etched in my heart. He exclaimed, "I made an airplane!" I looked in the rearview mirror as he proudly held up his creation. I asked him who taught him to make such a neat airplane and he told me his teacher did. "Wow!" I said, as I continued driving home. But he wasn't done.

He piped up, "and we learned about the Navy too! And airplanes and how they fight battles and use cannons!" I wasn't suprised at his excitement, he has always been a boy in love with all things that shoot. I was the kind of mom that was bound and determined to ban guns in my home....no violence=sweet, loving, kind boys. Well, after my son began turning anything and everything into a gun (including the vaccum cleaner) I relented and allowed toy guns.

Then he said boldly, "that's what I'm gonna do." My heart skipped a beat. Did he really just say what I fear most as a mom? Don't get me wrong, I respect ALL men and women who have sacrificed so much to ensure my family's freedom. I appreciate them and honor their courage. But, my baby? My son? This was a moment of truth for me: I could say, "that's nice buddy, but what about being a doctor or lawyer?", or "I know how exciting that sounds, but what about all the danger?" But I didn't. I looked in the rearview mirror and said, "you know what buddy? If you were in the airforce, I would be so proud of you." Immediately my heart screamed, "what are you doing! Don't give him your consent!" But at the same moment I knew I chose the right answer.

I would love to wrap my kids in bubble wrap and send them on their merry way. I know that I can't. I realized something today: I can't control their desires, their intrests, or their abilities. Yes, I may be able to steer them in a general direction but I would never (nor would I want to) be able to say, "when you grow up I want you to be _____________". God has knitted my son together and given him gifts and abilities for a particular reason. I would never want to stand in the way of that.

I know that you are reading this and thinking, "he is six, he'll want to be a firefighter tomorrow and a dog the next day!" I get that, and I will be ok with whatever he chooses (well, maybe not the dog thing). My job as his momma is to love the tar out of him and make sure he knows that I believe in him no matter what he chooses. And if he does decide to go into the airforce I will say, "you go and do your thing Buddy!" and you better believe I will be praying my socks off.

Until next time....