Tasty Treat Tuesday and An Afternoon Craft

I might not get this in every Tuesday, but I am going to try to do this at least a couple of Tuesdays every month:  Tasty Treat Tuesday.  The idea is to share a recipe about something sweet that we are enjoying in our home on or around that particular Tuesday.  Feel free to leave a comment with a recipe for your own tasty treat!

This Tuesday the kids and I enjoyed a family favorite that my husband introduced me to back when we were dating.  It has no special name and very basic ingredients.  This is not a healthful snack, but could be considered a semi-decent source of protein (as far as snacks go).  It is simply a graham cracker, spread with peanut butter, and topped with semisweet chocolate chips.  So simple, but so yummy! 

Did you catch that little hand sneaking in to steal a chocolate chip?

Please pardon that this one has been partially eaten- they are irresistible in our house!

An Afternoon Craft

Some time ago, my grandma gave me a bunch of beads to be used in whatever craftical whimsy I might happen to come up with.  Well, this afternoon while Caitlin was napping (and after Aiden and I had finished our tasty treats : )  I decided that it was time for some one on one crafting with my oldest.  I wasn't in the mood for the usual play dough or color crayons, or even finger painting.  I thought it might be fun to make some pictures by gluing beads onto construction paper.  It really was fun!  We were out of white glue, so to add to the fun, I made some homemade no-cook paste.  Recipe:  Mix some white flour with water and a pinch of salt until you get a goopy, somewhat runny mixture.  Apply it with a paint brush (or you could probably use a squeeze bottle if you made it runny enough) and use liberally to affix your craft item of choice.  It was fun and by the time we were done, there were beads everywhere.  Let me know if anyone tries this recipe, how it goes, and if you have any helpful revisions.

Happy crafting and happy snacking!

Busy Busy Today

I didn't get very much sleep last night due to the restless tossing and turning that always comes during the third trimester of my pregnancies.  So, this morning when my 2 year old comes into my room saying "I hungy!" and my husband calls from work and asks me did I go back to bed (I had), I expected that I would be dragging myself through my day, sleepy and not accomplishing much.

Not So! 

For some reason, I felt very motivated today to: 

• Make the bed (let's be honest, some days this just does not get done)
• Sweep and mop all of the hard floors in my home
• Clean the microwave inside and out
• Clean out the refrigerator, tossing leftovers, wiping down all of the shelves, drawers, etc.
• Dust all surfaces in the main living area
• Vacuum all carpeting (except the kids' room where the baby was napping)
• Run a load of dishes through the dishwasher
• Switch out our toilet seat (which I've been meaning to do for about a week), and clean all parts of the toilet
• Pick up and put away everything that was out of place (mainly toys and stinky socks -thanks hubby!)
• Create and print out my June dinner menu calendar (I'm only a few days late on this one!)
• Chase and tickle my adorable children
• Read a new story to someone who "didn't want to take a nap" but is now very unconscious
• and...Bake delicious cookies!

I feel so good accomplishing all of this today, but the best part that made all of the hard work worth it was having a good attitude and the right mindset while feeling purposeful in my tasks.  This makes such a big difference and on the days when I do not ask God to "give me the right attitude", I can accomplish all of the chores in the world, but feel miserable because I am not living joyfully and purposefully.  I chose to be a stay at home mom, and some of my jobs as such are keeping my home a restful and (reasonably) clean place for my family to spend time together and "to raise up my children in the way they should go".  If I slack off cleaning the house, or do so with a bad attitude, then not only will my home feel unrestful, but I will be a poor companion for my family to be around.  If I view my children as interruptions to my day that only need to be dealt with when they are interfering with whatever I'm doing, are in danger of dismembering one another, or are destroying something, then why did I stay home with them in the first place?  I want to view them as an enjoyable break from the daily grind of chores.  I want to welcome the chance to dry my hands of dish water, and chase them around the corner for the fifth time -armed with "tickle fingers" : ) 

I worked hard today.  And I felt good while doing so because I went through my day enjoying all of the reasons why I chose to do this in the first place.  I pray for a thousand more days like today!

Our Extended Weekend

I feel as if I am coming to the end of a long, extended weekend.  A not-so-brief overview:  Some of my husband's family were in town over the weekend (actually in the foothills about 1 hour away) and we went up there to visit once on Saturday and once on Sunday.  It was nice to visit with everyone, but it made for late night drives home and not much sleep for everyone (mainly me). 

On Sunday afternoon, while shopping at Costco, I received a call from my dad that my great grandfather had passed away.  It was not entirely unexpected since his health has been poor for the last several years, but the news still came as a bit of a shock.  My great grandmother (a very special and sweet old lady) passed before him, about 5 1/2 years ago, and their home has been an epicenter for family gatherings for as long as I can remember.  Even though I wasn't very close to my great grandfather, his passing will surely bring about the sale of his memorable home.  I find that I am struggling with this the most.  Even when my great grandmother passed, I didn't feel like I lost all of her, because I was still able to come to the home where I had spent so much time with her.  Now, that home will not be a part of my life any longer, and it feels like I am losing more than just a great grandparent.  It feels like I am losing a part of my past; a place that holds many special memories for me.  I might post more about this in the coming days and weeks.

On Sunday evening we attended a Baccalaureate service for one of my brothers-in-law, who will be graduating from high school tomorrow.  It was a nice service, but with such a shook up schedule, the kids had a hard time sitting the entire time.  I walked Caitlin around for a while and towards the end, Tim and Aiden joined us and we sat on the grass behind everyone. 

On Monday, Tim went into work for a few hours, then came home and played Legos with Aiden.  The kids and I took a nap after that, but my husband took a long phone call with a friend who has recently returned home from his military training.  When the kids and I got up, it was time to leave for my dad's house, where we were taking the kids to play in their little swimming pool and to enjoy a family barbeque.  Tim was so tired from our very long and busy weekend and since he hadn't napped, he said he didn't think he could make it through the barbeque.  He stayed home to sleep and I took the kids to the barbeque.  It was nice and relaxing at my dad's and I even got some cute pictures Aiden in the pool!  Caitlin was entirely too wiggly to capture on film, but she wore an adorable pink ballerina tutu swimsuit which I got at Target and will snap a picture of sometime this summer, I promise!

Tim worked Tuesday morning, but then had some business to take care of downtown, so he had the rest of the day off.  After finishing his downtown errand, Tim surprised us all and took us to Toys R Us where he bought Aiden some Lego "otocycles" : )

Aiden insists on sleeping, eating, and riding in the car with these little guys and we have had to set some ground rules, so they don't get lost in the car, or dunked in his morning cheerios.  Another very real scenario:  Caitlin could eat a little Lego man arm or helmet and I think it would probably cause Aiden more distress than it would her.  We already have a general rule of no toys at the table when we are eating, but we have now added no toys in bed at naptime (Aiden started staying awake to play with his new toys until the very end of naptime, when he would fall asleep and very crankily protest being woken up a half hour later and continue being a grouch until bedtime- this made everyone miserable!)  The other new rule has left our little Lego buddies housebound because they are so small that I am afraid I could never find tiny Lego motorcycle goggles in our car, which is where they would surely fall off and get lost, if given a chance.

That was the majority of our weekend excitement and I almost forgot an appointment that I had this morning, because it simply did not seem like I would be starting off my "regular" weekday activities on a Wednesday.  Well, this is sure to feel like a short week and I will try to post after my brother-in-law's graduation tomorrow to let everyone know how it went!

I'm Not Where I Want to Be

There are times in my life as a Christian where I realize that I am simply not where I want to be.  I am not referring to contentment or even circumstance, but of my relationship with the Lord.  I sometimes get comfortable with feeling great about life and enjoying the joy that comes from the Lord, and I get off track in my walk with Him.  I get distracted by all of the things He has given me, and I forget to keep in often communication with Him.  I want my relationship with Him to be more than just thanking Him for His blessings and asking for His help and forgiveness.  That feels so skin deep and I crave a closer relationship than that.  Why do I forget that this is so important to me? 

I have been feeling lately like things just aren't right.  Life is going well, etc., but things feel...off.  I realized that my conversations with God for a while now have been very short and not really touching on the issues of my heart.  I desire that feeling of oneness with the Lord that comes only from sharing my deepest thoughts, worries, and hopes with my Savior.  He is the only One who understands all of me and the only One who can give me peace.  I have discovered myself, to my own shame, seeking for His answers, in all of the wrong places.  I talk to others about my life and hypothesize with them about what God might be doing, and ask for their advice, etc. I listen to Christian radio sermons and read Christian literature and look for Him there.  These are all resources that speak of God from someone else's viewpoint based on their experience with Him.  How can I expect someone else to know what God would have to say to me about my very specific issues?  It is as if I needed to get some advice from a friend (let's name him Bob).  Imagine that for some reason I avoided asking Bob directly, but instead asked everyone else who knew Bob what they thought he might say.  Wouldn't that seem silly?  If Bob was the only one who could answer my question, and no one else could possibly know what he would say to me, wouldn't it only make sense for me to go ask Bob?  Why do I play beat around the bush games with God?  Am I the only one who does this? 

Anyways, I have been making a decided effort over the past few days to speak to God often and search my heart for anything that I might need to lay down at His feet.  It feels so good!  I encourage any and all who are reading this to share each matter on your heart directly with God, even in just a quick prayer, the instant it troubles your mind.  It brings such peace and it's the only way to resolve those issues.  Happy communion with Him and may you experience more and more intimate fellowship with Him each day!

The Secret to Contentedness

Last Sunday, the pastor said something that stuck with my husband and I. He said that people who aren't content aren't thankful. (Something along those lines- I forget his exact wording.) The point is that contentedness and thankfulness go hand in hand.  I have been dealing with some discontent in my heart and attitude lately, so when I reflected on this statement by the pastor, I felt rather surprised. I thought I was a thankful person. In general, I am not a person to complain or dwell on the things that I don't have; rather, when I think of something I wish I had (like a washer and dryer in my home) I try to think of how much more privileged my situation is than so many others (i.e. at least I have access to a washer and a dryer unlike many impoverished people in other countries).I thought about it some more. I may feel thankful, or talk myself into being thankful after I catch myself grumbling, but do I take any deliberate actions to act thankful towards the Lord? If He couldn't read my heart, and only heard my words and saw my actions, would He know that I am thankful? What do I do everyday that says clearly: "I am thankful to the Lord."?

I felt a bit ashamed when I couldn't think of anything I do except pray with my husband and children at mealtimes and before bed. A few thank-yous at routine prayer times just didn't seem like they were properly conveying my thankfulness in a way that was impacting my heart and attitude. So, I am trying to take some steps everday to work a little more thankfulness into my life, and hopefully my attitude. The first thing I've started doing may seem a bit simple and some might think it would not be enough to make a difference, but I think babysteps are the way to work in a new habit, or mindset in this case.

Here is a picture of the little dry erase board that hangs in our kitchen. I've used it to display reminders, quotes, scriptures, even a daily menu.  It's new purpose is as a "Thankfulness Board". Each morning, while finishing breakfast with the children, I write down things that our family is thankful for. Aiden adds things he is thankful for which, today, are: bananas, cereal, cars, flowers, tissue, monkeys, hats, and "smile faces". 

Aiden decided to finish his Cheerios this morning by making each bite into a "smile face" as he calls it.  He is so cute and smart, sometimes its hard for me to believe that he's only two : )

When Aiden told me that he is thankful for smile faces, I realized that I am, too.  Not just the Cheerio kind : )  I have a hunch that our new Thankfulness Board is going to help bring about a few more smile faces in our home.  Try it out, and you might see some in yours, too.

Trusting Him

"As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." -Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)

Okay, so this was BibleGateway.com's verse for today, and when I read it this morning, I felt like it was exactly what God has been hammering into my brain. Not just that God has plans that I don't understand, so I shouldn't worry about the future, etc. It's also speaking to some of my frustrations in life right now: feeling very large and pregnant with still 2 1/2 months left (not that I'm feeling over eager to go through labor any time soon-yikes!), dreaming of a washer and dryer in my home and no more hauling dirty/wet/peed! laundry to a laundry room where the washers may/may not be functioning correctly (we live in an apartment with no hookups), etc. The large and pregnant thing is probably just a good trial to remind me that God is ultimately in control, no matter how much I try to be. The washer and dryer thing: lessons in patience, trusting in the Lord's timing, gratefulness for all of the blessings that I have, and...a good workout on my arms? : )

So, if anyone is feeling like: "What is going on in my life right now?" or "Why is __ happening to me?" Just remember: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NASB) God is in control of all things; even the things that we think only matter to us-even the things that we think are petty or too insignificant to even mention to anyone. God loves us and cares about all of the minute details of our lives. I guess if God cares enough to notice and hear all of my woes, I can make a little more effort to trust Him with them? After all, He's the only One with the power to change anything, right?

Oops! I forgot the pictures!

Here are the kiddos just after I put the water out to play with. I will try to post an After picture as well, because I predict some mud in the forecast : )