Friday Love

I haven't done one of these posts in forever, which is crazy because I have so much I'm loving right now!

~First of all, I'm adoring this girly girl. Yes, she has her very two-year-old moments, but when she begs to have those tiny toes painted pink, I can't resist... These are the exact reasons that I wanted a baby girl! And those little nails are so sweet (even if they are so small that I can't help but get paint all over... fortunately she isn't picky!)

~Mail! I love ordering everything online because I do the super happy dance when each package arrives. Although I really would love it if the delivery guys wouldn't come during nap time and make the dogs bark like mad.

~Speaking of mail, yesterday I received a shipment of some things I ordered for a tea party that I have coming up. I'm excited to share the details once it gets a little closer... I've invited a bunch of my girlfriends, and I also gave them each an extra invite to encourage a friend to come.  I used to love having fancy tea parties with my mom, so this should be super fun. Plus, it's new to most of my friends, so it's a party and an adventure all in one. Now if the weather holds out for me to do it all outside...

~The Royal Wedding- I am actually one of those crazy people who set my alarm for 3am just to see it... I seriously can't wait to scoop every detail of William and Kate's big day. I'm so nosey!! I've been dying to see her dress since they announced their engagement. And in honor of their big day, I think I need to use a British Accent all day... that should go over well (because, of course, my accent is perfect). 

Hope your weekend is full of things you love! xo

WooHoo Granola!

Well, I was really excited about this one... as you can tell by my title.  I was in the mood yesterday for some granola and went digging in my pantry, thinking that I could just wing it and create something. I am thrilled with the result (though not so much the pic from my phone)!

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate, since I really just threw stuff into a bowl...)
~2 1/2 cups oats
~1 cup flaked coconut (not sweetened)
~3/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (I used half dark and half light)
1/3 cup honey
1/8 cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

Method:
Heat oven to 300*. In a bowl, mix together oats, coconut, and almonds. Pour into greased roasting pan and place in oven for about 25 minutes, stirring several times.

While that's in the oven, in a small saucepan on the stove, mix butter, sugar, honey, and syrup over medium heat. Stirring pretty often until butter is melted. Remove from heat and add in vanilla.

Remove oat mixture from oven and pour syrup mixture over it, stirring to coat. Then spread this out on a cookie sheet that's been covered with parchment. Return to oven for about 5-10 minutes. (This last time is a guess because my oven quit working on me... My granola was a bit sticky but still tasted delicious... just leave in there until it sets up a bit.

I'd love to know if you try it! This recipe is pretty exciting to me because I can think of about a zillion ways to change it~ adding chocolate, dried fruit, different nuts, etc. Happy Thursday!

Wednesday Wish List

You can find this print here.

Several holiday seasons ago I had a recurring Wednesday post here, in which I highlighted my favorite handmade finds of gift ideas for friends & family. Well, as priorities have changed, so have the things that I am wishing for... I am thanking Him today that as all things become new, my heart changes and I find myself dreaming less about stuff (because it's not mine!!) and dreaming more of things that will make my heart happy and more like the heart of Jesus. Hallelujah for growth, right?! Even if it is inch by tiny inch...

So here is my question for you today~ What do you dream about? In quiet moments between you and a listening Saviour, what do you find yourself asking Him to allow you to fulfill?

This is Katie Davis, who founded Amazima Ministries in Northern Uganda. Awesome, AWESOME ministry!

I have two that come up quite often, if not several times a day. The first is to be a missionary in Africa, specifically Uganda. I really do believe and try to live out that we are all missionaries in our current context, but going to Africa and serving children there is something that I can't get out of my head or my prayers. Often I plead with God to make a way for this to happen, whether it be for short or long term. And I absolutely know that it would take an act of God to make this come to fruition because logistics (the littles, time, money, etc.) make it impossible to carry out on my own.

The second dream of mine is to write. This blog is a place I write some, but I literally have volumes of journals and loose sheets of paper that are never seen. I pray that God would see fit to use my words, inspired by Him, to further the kingdom... to teach... to help someone find Him. My deepest struggle is also tied to this one because I never want to do anything with a heart that is less than pure in it's intention. I don't want to make a name for myself! "He must become greater, I must become less." (John 3:30) weighs heavily on my heart daily.

So what do you wish for? What are the {seemingly} far off things that you would love to see happen in your life? I would love to hear from you, lovelies!

Abandon

In my journaling and study recently, God keeps prompting me with this word: Abandon. It sounded sort of daunting at first... my mind goes to abandoned houses, things left behind, my teenage years... So many things that prompt me to fear what He's telling me. But I press in, because I truly believe that knowing what God has to say to me is worth it.

I'm still diving into Luke 9:57-62, which in my tried and true NIV is a section entitled "The Cost of Following Jesus". This text is about living radically, and Jesus calls us to give up comforts, agendas, and even our yesterdays. His call is to stop hanging on to the things that keep us tethered to this place and to look forward to his Kingdom. I was also reading in Hebrews, and chapter 11 verses 8-10 talks about the faith and obedience of Abraham. It says "he lived in tents... For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." I was thinking about his 'tents' as it pertains to my own 'abandon'. God was his permanent city, so he lived in a temporary home on earth. 

I have to abandon my roots in the ground, my hands clinging to stuff because it's not mine. And it's not permanent.  1 John 2:17 says "the world and its desires pass away...". Then yesterday I came upon this quote by Jean Nicolas Grou, and this idea of abandon in a more figurative way came to mind again.

"When in his mercy God leads a soul in the higher path of sanctification, he begins by stripping it of all self-confidence, and to this end he allows our own schemes to fail, our judgement to mislead us. We grope and totter and make countless mistakes until we learn wholly to mistrust ourselves and to put all our confidence in him."

This quote reminded me just how temporary it all is.  And that the only way in which we can be left not grasping at straws is if we remain tied to the only One who has roots enough to hold us. God wants to strip me of everything that ties me to this world, to myself even, and admit that apart from Him I can do nothing!  I am reminded of Jesus speaking in John 15 of the vine and the branches. So what am I clinging to? What am I confident in that is temporary and will keep me from being truly rooted in the Vine? Is it my kids? My voice? My checkbook?

Praying today to learn to let go... and that you who are on this journey with me will too if you need to. Is this lesson just for me?

Miscellany Monday~ Easter Edition

Happy Monday!! I hope y'all had an awesome Easter weekend! Ours was full of miscellaneous things, so it fits in well with today's post...

~The weather was perfect for the weekend. It rained on Friday, which I always feel is perfect for Good Friday... helps remind me what we are remembering. And then after a so-so Saturday, we woke up this morning to a glorious sunny sky for celebrating a Resurrected King. Hallelujah!

~The littles loved the egg hunt at our church on Easter morning. It was pretty chilly, and the ground was still a bit soft, but that didn't stop them from hunting for tons of candy. Another parent told Trace that as a parent you get 10% off the top... And truthfully, Halle is just as excited to find the eggs without knowing anything about what's inside. The thrill of the hunt, I guess...

~ We also took some time to make Resurrection rolls, color eggs, and have a spring scavenger hunt, but my crazy self didn't get any pics of those. The spring scavenger hunt is what we do on the Saturday before Easter in lieu of Easter baskets. I struggle because I have a hard time with traditions vs. the actual reason for the holidays. (You can see my thoughts on Santa here.) I don't want to be the parent that keeps my kids from doing fun things, but I also want to keep them constantly mindful of why we do what we do. So on the Saturday before Easter I hide eggs with clues around the house that lead to small prizes that I've collected.

Image from here

~I've started watching Glee from the beginning on netflix. I love this show. I started watching it in Nashville, but when we moved for some reason our antenna doesn't pick up Fox. So along with Glee I've gotten used to not seeing some shows I really like, like 'So You Think You Can Dance' (is that even on anymore?!), 'House', and 'American Idol'. But Glee really is my favorite. I watch and relive my glory days from high school show choir. And any show that has Josh Groban guest star is on my list anyway... I'm only on episode 5, but I see a lot of this in my future. Any other Gleeks out there?

So what did you do this weekend? Today will be highlighted by taking both little ones to the dentist and doing some shopping with my momma. Happy, happy! See you soon, lovelies!

How Great is His Love!!

Happy Easter, sweet friends! "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

I Believe in Miracles

I'm so excited to be blogging with Hearts at Home today! Hearts at Home is a wonderful organization for moms, and I'm thrilled to be blogging along-side them for the first Third Thursday Blog Hop. You should definitely check out their site if you aren't familiar with H@H... I have been so blessed by the wealth of resources and support they offer!

Today's question was: Have you experienced any miracles in your life?

I think, had I been asked this question several years ago, I might not have answered with certainty. I absolutely believed that God works miracles, but I think my small mind was on the lookout for grandiose things- you know, pillars of smoke and parting waters.... But what I am discovering as I live out these days with my sweet little ones and family and friends is that there are miracles all around us. And God is doing things, big and small, that can only be accredited to Him. And the thing is that some of the tiniest things are, to me, the most miraculous!!

In an effort to change my attitude and cultivate an attitude of everyday gratefulness in our home, I am trying to note the miraculous everywhere. While pulling a splinter out of Remy's finger this morning, I noticed his tiny fingerprint. The thought that God intricately printed my boy with tiny creases on his fingers that are like no others on earth?! That is amazing!

And while brushing the soft ringlets in Halle's hair, I can't help but think that God knows their number. Those same curls that seem to get so tangled and take forever to comb out (and admittedly don't get combed out on crazy days!) have been counted by our Maker.

I love knowing that He hears our hearts! Several weeks ago as our Fusion group met, I received a text that one couple wasn't going to make it because their 9 year old, Faith, had a 104 temp and splitting headache. They were on their way to the ER. Our group stopped the study and began to pray. Later that night I received an update that just when we were praying, Faith's fever immediately dropped to 99 and her headache went away. They didn't even have need to go to the ER. God is good and is faithful to answer! I'm just pretty sure I haven't been looking for the things that were right in front of me all along!


So what about you? Have you witnessed any miracles in your life? In what ways do you see God working around you? I have found that as I have been keeping my eyes open to see Him, they are everywhere. I would love to hear your stories and for you to link up! (I've never tried one of these hops, so we'll see how it goes... we all know I'm a bit technologically-impaired...)

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He Sees.

Some days I struggle to see God. Not because life is terrible, but rather the opposite. Life is comfortable, and I don't need Him like I do on really rough days.

Some days I don't know what to read in my Bible.

On rough days I just want my mom. Just to talk. Just to sit down and laugh while my kids act silly. Just because when she's here I'm not the Mama Hen. And I can breathe.

And then I read a post like this one from Amanda at Visiting Orphans.

And I am shaken back into the uncomfortable place that I always hope to be in. The place God wants me.

Strong God Who Sees.  And thankfully He doesn't look away when I walk in the wrong direction. And His love covers all the sweet little ones who have been abandoned. His gaze holds on the ones who have been forgotten.

And His Spirit living in me prompts me to love. And to become more like Jesus. And He reminds me of the things in my life that separate me from Him. And I pray that at the end of each day I only want my Father. Because He is teaching me to see Him.

Miscellany Monday~ Easter Week

{one} My 2 year old Halle made a declaration yesterday morning, and it certainly started my week on a good note. She said: "Mommy, guess what?! Jesus isn't on the cross anymore~ He's alive!". This momma's heart swelled to the point of bursting... They get it, don't they?!

{two} We may have to change Rueger's name to Shamoo. This poor baby dog wails and cries like a crazy whale or sea-cow or something. Nights are getting long, and we aren't sure what to do... Most info online says that he may just be bored and need attention. Are you kidding me?!

{three} Our spring pictures are in! And in a stroke of Divine Interference, neither little person was scarred or screaming. God is Good!! The bottom right is my absolute favorite. Our photographer apologized, saying that she didn't capture any of Miss Hallelujah smiling. But after looking at them, I had to laugh because she perfectly captured my girl!

{four} I am very excited about Easter week! For many, many reasons, but certainly on the list is the fact that my mom is coming into town on Thursday! I am definitely a momma's girl, and can't wait for her to spend some time here with all of us. Halle is already making her list of books to read with 'Grammy', and I'm sure Remy has some show and tell on a list too. So much to fit into four days!

{five} Lastly, I just want y'all to know that I am thankful for each of you. I have been glad to be back in this sweet spot, and the emails, tweets, & comments I've received have been wonderful. I love this 'community' and am so grateful for it! I pray so often for each of you as I read your blog posts as well as comments made here, and I love that God is able to knit us all together over one thing or another. Such blessings to me you are!!

Happy Monday, Lovelies!!

In the Garden

I use the term 'garden' loosely. This dirt pit is the site of what was to be the garden last year, but I failed miserably at getting that going. So now the kids have a great place to dig and get messy (as though they needed help with that...). The weather has been glorious for the last few days, perfectly warm in the sun, so we've been out a lot. Halle, of course, is wearing her ruby red sparkly shoes, because who doesn't wear all her finery in the dirt?!

     

And I won't forget about these boys... Rueger is all pup and wants to wrestle poor Starbucks all the time. But we've started calling Starbucks 'The Godfather' because he's definitely put Rueger in his place a time or two. We know who the boss is here, and being a quarter of the size doesn't keep him down one bit. So what have you been up to now that it's warming up?

Weight

"Your eyes have seen, now you are responsible."

I received this response while I was tweeting with someone yesterday, thanking him for the recommendation to watch the documentary called 'God Grew Tired of Us'. Have you seen this? It's available on netflix... It follows of the journey of several of the Lost Boys, which is the name that has been given to the more than 27,000 boys who were displaced or orphaned during the second Civil War in Sudan, as they travelled from a refugee camp in Africa to the US for the first time. Their perspective is awesome, but it is also deeply convicting. I urge you to watch this. But don't just watch it... don't you want to do something?

If you would like more info about refugee communities near you, or ministries that work with refugees and homeless folks, Joshua Read at Ragamuffin Life (http://ragamuffinlife.org) would be a great guy to get in contact with. He's the guy that I was tweeting with, and he is allowing God to use him to do some amazing things!

I'm sure if you have read around here for any length of time, seeing the title of this post you most likely assumed it was yet another post about my struggle with my own physical weight. But today it is more philosophical. I feel this tremendous calling to DO because I know. I beg God that I will never be a comfortable Jesus-follower. And that quote from Josh is so true because Christ has given me this knowledge, this heart sensitive to His calling, and that calling is to use it~ To fulfill his commission out of love and obedience.

... But the greatest of these is Love...

I also want my children to know that it's not about me... and it's not about them! We recently found a huge world map in our basement, and we hung it on the wall in the playroom. We have just started (and I seriously mean 'just' because we're only on the first country) is using a book called 'Window on the World: When We Pray God Works'. We have some friends in Michigan who recommended this book to us, and it's a family-friendly alphabetical guide of countries around the world.  It gives some basic stats, interesting facts, and prayer requests and praises about each country. I love the section of requests and praises, because it guides us in exactly how to pray for the people there. After reading some stuff and praying, we took the littles to the playroom and found Afghanistan on the map.

Most of it is admittedly over Halle's head, but some of it is sinking in to Remy. They both love the map, and we have friends all over the world right now, so it's awesome to point out where they live, where they're from and how far it is from us. We are also going to make some arrows or something to mark different spots, like where Nthiani, our Compassion sponsored child lives.

We're trying to teach them about love by loving others, praying for others.  I would love to hear what you are doing to help your kids get outside their own world! It rocked Remy's little brain that there are kids who can't go to church, who don't have video games, and who don't eat the insane foods that we have. (The video game thing was the most amazing, but we're getting there...) 

Rueger

This is Rueger (and coincidentally my messy kitchen...). He's a sweetie, though he doesn't know his own size... A doggy wrecking ball. But Trace is so happy, and that's what matters, right?

Come As You Aren't?

Last night at Fusion (which, if you haven't been around here very long, is what our church calls small groups) we got on a topic that I have given a lot of thought. We were talking about how each of us struggles, and the sad thing is that everyone in our group agreed that at this point in America, church is the last place we feel like we can show those struggles. I think often of the story in Philip Yancey's book 'What's So Amazing About Grace' when he told a prostitute who was wanting life change that she should go to the Church, and she said 'Why would I want to go there? I already feel bad about myself.'. This is what it's become.

If anything, it should be the opposite. If there is one community I should be able to bare it all and be myself around, it should be my brothers and sisters. But strangely it's not... we come on Sunday in our 'Sunday Best', cleaned up and spotless. So I'm calling for a paradigm shift... what about our Sunday Worst? Why do we feel pressure around other believers to sweep all our brokenness under the proverbially rug?

I find it interesting that even Paul said to the Philippian church 'Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect...'. If anyone would have had grounds to appear somewhat perfect, it would have been Paul, right?!

But his transparency helps us heal. His humanness helps me to come before God just as I am and beg for change. 

So couldn't my apparent brokenness help someone else? As I thought about this last night, God was definitely speaking right at me~ especially about my kids. I am in a constant state of fear that my littles will do something crazy or offend someone on Sunday morning. But shouldn't it be that I come in with kids in tow begging that everyone would see them as they are and pray for God to mold them into the world changers they are born to be? Couldn't our community be the kind that sees an imperfect family and prays for a different heart in my kids but also in me as I teach them?

I think in the year that we have been here I've taken steps in the right direction on this one. When we first moved, my self-conscious self felt that I had to appear perfect. I was so afraid of the 'church ladies', as I call them, that I didn't want to appear as anything less than 100% in front of them. (And come on, you know every church has their group of 'church ladies'...) But who was I really fooling?! No one really is perfect, and frankly it's exhausting keeping this up when we all know that everyone else is as flawed and human as the next person. So little by little I've been making changes. I've been coming to church in whatever state I might be in. I cry during worship as I talk to God and He speaks to me. I don't always stand & sing or answer the usual 'good' when someone asks me how I'm doing.

And God is changing me for that.

Suddenly as I allow myself to be more transparent I'm becoming more keen to see others as they are. With less judgement and more prayer. More seeing a need and asking God to heal them or allow me to serve them in His name. Allowing Him to increase as I decrease (John 3:30).

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14

Miscellany Monday!

Well, it has been a super long time for this... and this is my favorite, because when nothing else works, I can always be random... Happy Monday!

1~ Newborns are hard work!  I know I have had two little ones of my own, but you really do forget how crazy it is! I am watching the sweet new baby of a friend two days a week until school is out, and she is perfection~ That sweet baby smell, those tiny little clothes, and precious first smiles. But man, I had forgotten how constant new babies are... by the end of the day I am so tired!

2~ Rueger  Well, our home has increased in number again... I may have mentioned before that Trace absolutely loves BIG dogs, and I guess Starbucks doesn't count. So yesterday we drove a little ways to bring home crazy Mr. Rueger. He's a pure bred Doberman and just a puppy at 100 pounds. Poor thing is crying constantly missing his brother, but he's awesome with the littles, and Trace is enamored. No pictures yet because he moves too fast for me to capture!

3~ Jumbo Egg-mallows Have you had these?! They're huge, vanilla-flavored, egg-shaped marshmallows, and you can have like 4 of them for 90 calories, I think. Halle and I are eating them like there's no tomorrow! (okay, maybe I'm eating more than she is, but whatever...)

4~ Pink Panther Thanks to netflix, a new crop of old cartoons have come into my house, and we are all loving it! Remy had pink eye last week and decided to stick with the 'pink' theme and start watching Pink Panther. He laughs until he cries!

5~ Training Yesterday afternoon, we had the privilege of welcoming Bill Allison from Cadre Ministries at church to do a training called 'Ministry is Relationships' with many of our team leaders and also youth student leaders. It was a great session, and if you're involved in ministry in any way (and even if you're not technically, being a Jesus-follower is ministry, right?!) you should check out his sight!

So what have you been up to? I'm linking up with Carissa, and you should stop by her site and say hello! See you soon!

You.

From flickr. Sorry, I couldn't find the link again, but if it's yours, i'd love to credit you!

God loves you deeply. Constantly. Consistently. Without abandon.

I stumbled upon this quote from Jonathan Edwards while studying Luke 15: 57-62 and was amazed by it. I have begun praying this, and I truly hope that I can begin to embrace this in my life. I am finding that day by day God is molding me and indeed claiming deep, dark places that I thought were hidden as His. Such freedom in this kind of 'slavery'. I hope it speaks to you this Monday morning!


"I have been before God; and have given my self, all that I am and have to God, so that I am not in any respect my own. I can claim no right in myself, no right in this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither have I any right to this body or any of its members; no right to this tongue, these hands nor feet; no right to these senses, these ears, this smell or taste. I have given myself clear away... This I have done. And I pray God, for the sake of Christ, to look upon it as a self-dedication; and to receive me now as entirely His own, and deal with me in all respects as such; whether he afflicts me or prospers me, or whatever He pleases to do with me, who am His." ~ Jonathan Edwards