Homemade Yummy Treats

I've found a whole new world of homemade yummy treats this past week. We've started making our own yogurt, granola, and granola bars. All of them are super easy to make and taste SO much better than store-bought, not to mention being cheaper too. I also reached a whole new level of excitement with my baking this week. So many recipes claim that "you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry." Until lately I've always had to go buy most of them as I planned my menu for the week. When we decided to make granola, lo and behold, we had everything already here!

Here are the recipes I've been using:

Yogurt
1/2 cup of yogurt with active cultures (room temperature)
1/3 cup dry milk
4 cups of 2% milk

• Heat milk to 180 degrees (or until beginning to froth)
• Allow milk to cool to 110 degrees and add starter
• Mix and put in oven overnight (I usually turn oven on for just a moment to warm it and keep oven light on overnight to help keep temp between 90-110 degrees.)
• The next morning, put in freezer for a couple of hours and then transfer to fridge and enjoy! You can strain it with a piece of cheesecloth if you like the Greek style, super thick yogurt.

Granola bars - I've put chocolate chips or craisins in them instead of raisins. Experiment a little!

Granola - I'm allergic to nuts and not a big dried fruit fan, so I just leave all that out and just make plain granola. Again, this recipe is super easy to modify to fit your needs.

I'm off to decide if I want to conquer some homemade bread without the bread maker today or not....

Spring fever

So it's been two weeks since I last posted anything and I know myself well enough to know that if I don't write something today, it'll be two more weeks before I think about it again. I just finished writing my research paper for my Systematic Theology class. I'm so glad that the final is next week so I can have some time to relax! (well, as relaxed as you can be with 3 kids 3 and under haha)

I'm so glad it's finally getting warm outside and we're getting to spend time most days in the great outdoors. I'm making it a goal this summer that we go outside every day if it's not raining. Everyone stays in a better mood, we get some exercise, and the house stays cleaner too!

Jody's been busy with his new graphic design business and I'm so proud of him! He's already got lots of work and he's really loving getting the chance to use his creative talents. If you haven't checked out Websterville.net, you should! Look him up on Facebook too and share it with all of your friends!

Well, I'm off to finish cleaning the house before I pick up the boys from Parent's Day Out. I'll try to keep up more regularly again!

House Cleaning for Dummies

At the park yesterday, one of my good friends told me about a website called Fly Lady, that helps her systematically keep her house clean. Upon returning to my dirt and fur-infested home, I decided to check it out and I was completely impressed!

She has divided the house into 5 zones that are targeted on a rotating cycle of 5 weeks. Each day are various tips to help you declutter, clean, and maintain your home so that it is always ready for company. You can subscribe to free daily emails or just check out all the tips online. Most everything is done in just a few minutes for each project, making it ideal for all of us who have decided that we don't have time to keep our homes super organized and clean. Everything is manageable and is presented in a straight forward manner that motivates you to get off the couch and get cleaning.

I've been in crazy cleaning mode the past few weeks anyway and now finding this site has encouraged me to keep going. Not only is my house cleaner, but I get a killer workout with Taylor or Elyse on my back while I clean. :)

The Fly Lady advocates getting rid of "CHAOS - can't have anyone over syndrome", making your home a welcoming place for company and for your family as well. It's a great feeling to know that if you wanted to invite someone over to your home, that the only thing you would have to do is set out another plate for dinner rather than spend 2 days trying to get everything in order first.

I highly encourage all of you to check out the Fly Lady and see how quickly making some small changes will revolutionize your home. Even those of you who already have a sparkling clean house will find some great time and energy saving ideas on her website.

Update

I haven't blogged in over a week! Between a trip to Knoxville on Wednesday and Thursday, a visit to Sparta for the boys, and trying to catch up on house stuff around here, life has been crazy. Jody's been crazy busy trying to finish getting his website up and running and I've been trying to help him get resumes out and beginning the process of sorting through all of the "stuff" we've accumulated over the years.

I'm still amazed at the amount of stuff that has come to live in this house in less than two years, not to mention all of the stuff that made the move from Knoxville! We've officially finished going through all of the closets and I think I've already gotten 4 contractor size trash bags full of things for a yard sale. That both excites me and depresses me. On one hand, I've got all of these things that can be given to other people who want and/or need them! But on the other, I have all of this stuff that I don't need. I'm continually faced with the purchases that have been made over the years and am reminded of how blessed we have been.

God has been extremely faithful to us over the years. God has always provided Jody with a job (or two) that provided for our family and we are confident that He will once again do the same. Please continue to be in prayer for us as we seek God's direction.

On a side note, please read Jody's latest blog: The Care and Feeding of Your Youth Minister. He is an incredibly talented writer and deserves a great audience.

Hi! My Name is....

Today we moved everything out of Jody's office and turned in our keys to the church. It's an odd feeling to not know what's ahead for us, not knowing where we'll end up or even knowing what job he'll end up in. The possibilities are endless and now it's up to us to try to discern where God is leading us next. The thought is a little overwhelming at times, but also very freeing as we learn to trust God with every decision and see how much greater His plan is than our own.

Next week, for the first time since we were undergrads, we'll be visitors in a church. It will be an eye-opening experience for us to be able to see church life from a completely different perspective. Since both of us grew up in and have always been involved in relatively traditional Southern Baptist churches, we plan to see how some local churches are approaching ministry and sharing the gospel in new innovative ways.

As long-term church members, you often forget what it's like to be a visitor. I remember when I was beginning vet school and began looking for a church home in Knoxville. I'm not an overly outgoing person and hated the thought of walking in by myself to a huge church where nobody knew me. At the recommendation of a friend who used to live in the area, I visited one church. On my first Sunday there, I walked in by the Welcome Center and was immediately greeted by someone. That same person walked me through the HUGE building to my Sunday School room and introduced me to the teacher. The teacher then took the time to introduce me to several students, one of whom immediately started a conversation. She stayed with me the entire time and then took me up to the sanctuary and invited me to sit with the other college students. She even asked me to come back for Sunday evening services. I was completely impressed by her warm welcome. I knew then that I had found my church home. Since I was a college student, I was out of town quite frequently. I always knew that if I missed a Sunday, though, when I returned everyone would ask where I was. Even though I was just a visitor, I mattered to them and they wanted to get to know me.

Now we begin again as visitors and all of the questions begin to float through our heads. What should we wear? What will our kids do? Will they find some place where they are comfortable? Will we fit in? Will we be singled out as visitors? Will anyone remember us if we come back next week?

Just thinking about this makes me wonder why anyone who hasn't been to church before ever walks through the doors. I'm comfortable with church and I know what to expect but the idea of going somewhere new is intimidating for me. I can't imagine how difficult it has to be for unbelievers to go. This will definitely be a learning experience for us and it will be something to remember when we see visitors elsewhere.

Replace Me

"Replace Me"
by Family Force 5

Desperation
Needing You
Every last breath
I scream for you
Shatter me into a million pieces...Make me new

Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me
Make me what You want me to be
I am yours for You to use
So, Take and Replace me with You

This was one of the favorite songs the youth used to sing at South Clinton in our Ignite services. If you've ever heard this song, you'll know that it isn't exactly your typical church worship song. It's very loud, high energy, and even has some screaming! But if you read the lyrics, you'll soon realize that it has an awesome message.

As I was sitting in my car listening to this song on the way home the other day, I was struck with the truth of the lyrics. Am I so desperate for Christ to fill me that I scream for Him with every breath? Do I really long for Him to replace me with Him?

I've heard many sermons preached on how God is the potter and we are His clay, being molded into His likeness. However, most stop short of describing how intense of a process it really is. When a piece of clay hardens in the wrong shape, it is broken into pieces and reformed once again. "Crush me, tear me, break me, mold me." This is not a gentle movement, but a complete transformation. Change is difficult and often painful.

As I've said before, I'm a planner and I like to know what the future holds, but God's plans almost never seem to match what I have in mind. I get so focused on what will be happening sometimes that I forget to take things one day at a time. Rather than allowing God to gently mold me day by day, I start heading down my own path and the clay starts to dry so that He is forced to rock my world in drastic ways.

Jody and I officially begin our great adventure today as he starts looking for a job and we wait for our house to sell. We're not sure where we're headed but we know that God is faithful and that He will provide for our needs. We know that God has something great in store and that when we look back on this part of our lives, we'll be able to see His hand on everything that has happened. But that doesn't mean that it won't be difficult at times. Our responsibility is simply to trust God and allow Him to continue to replace us with Him so that He is all that is left.

John 3:30 - He must become greater; I must become less.

Growing Up

Elyse is already 7.5 months old and I'm still trying to figure out where the time went! It's so much fun getting to watch her grow up and learn new things each day. This past week she has finally decided that it is worth her time to roll from her belly to her back and that sitting up is far more fun than laying down. Two huge milestones in just a week! She actually rolled over months ago, but until this week I could count on one hand the number of times it has happened. It just wasn't worth it to her. Now she is experimenting with her new-found mobility and learning how much fun it is to sit up and play with her brothers rather than to lay idly beside them watching.

Every time that Elyse tries to sit independently she takes a risk. On the road to learning how to crawl and walk, there will be many bumps and bruises, lots of falls and tears, but in the end she will succeed. She's not going to be content to just lay on the floor and watch life happen around her.

How often do we sit back and watch life happen rather than jump in with both feet? Maybe we're afraid of what might happen or maybe we're just apathetic. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we can't do what God is asking of us because we just don't want to do it or it's not comfortable to us. It would be ridiculous to suggest that Elyse would never walk because everyone else would care for her or that she deemed it too difficult. So why do we do the same thing with God?

It's easy to stay safe, not rocking the boat. We're afraid of what other people will think and it's often much less resistance to merely maintain the status quo rather than to take risks. God doesn't call us to live safe lives but He does call us to be obedient to Him no matter the cost. Are we willing to risk our relationships, our jobs, or our ministries, or even our lives to reach a lost world for Christ?

1 Corinthians 13:11 - When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

Praying for Rain

James 5:13-18 - Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity to talk to several people that I would consider to be amazing prayer warriors. When you share a prayer request with them, you know that it isn't just going to be a passing thought, but that they'll bathe your request in prayer just as they would their own struggles. Isn't this what we're all supposed to do as Christians? Aren't we called to pray for one another?

I know I'm frequently guilty of offering a quick "I'm praying for you" comment when all it means is that I prayed for you when I heard the request and then totally forgot about it. God doesn't ask us to just pray once, He commands us to "pray without ceasing." Prayer should be the language of the heart, always on our lips and our minds.

When I was a teenager, I was very faithful to keeping a prayer journal. What happened? Did I not have enough time any more? Did I not see prayers answered? If I'm honest with myself, it's because I became complacent and apathetic, two of the biggest dangers in the Christian walk. I decided I was too busy and nothing amazing was happening, so I quit. Besides, someone else would take up the slack, right? Notice my focus was on what I thought I was doing for God, not what He was doing in and through my life. It was all about me.

God has spent the past 10 years or so teaching me to trust Him in all things. He has humbled me time and again when my pride begins to rear it's ugly head. He's carried me through many things I never saw coming and every time He has shown me that His plan is always better than mine.

God calls all of us to be prayer warriors. Time and time again, He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things through prayer. Often it isn't in our timing, but our prayers are always answered in God's perfect timing. Are we faithful to continue to pray even we aren't seeing results? Are we willing to submit our requests to His will even when it means we don't receive the answers we were looking for?

Maybe it's time I started keeping a journal again...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Dust Bunnies

As we moved all of the furniture in our house into the center of each room to paint, I was amazed at how many dust bunnies live in the dark corners where no one disturbs them. Even when a house appears to be impeccably clean, all you need to do is look under the refrigerator or the oven to find an assortment of dust, pet hair, crumbs and all of the things that have been missing for months.

Dirt and dust accumulate in the dark recesses, either forgotten or ignored until something brings them out into the open. Most people don't worry about the dirt under their appliances until they are faced with the sight of it and then they quickly move to clean up the mess.

How true is this for our own lives? Do we appear squeaky clean on the outside to onlookers, but have sin hidden deep in the corners of our hearts? Do we tuck the dark things back into hiding so that no one can see them?

I think sometimes when we are trying to get rid of a specific sin in our lives, we tend to clean like we do in our houses. All of the visible dirt is gone, but sometimes that sin lingers in the corners, waiting until we are tempted again.

Psalm 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Christians too frequently put their focus on fixing bad behaviors instead of changing the core: sinful thoughts and attitudes. Living the Christian life isn't just about doing the right things, it's about doing the right things for the right reasons and with the right attitudes. If the heart isn't on track, the rest of it doesn't matter.

Luke 6:45 - The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

How many dust bunnies do you have living in dark corners? Maybe it's time to shine a little light on them and do some deep cleaning.

Blessed

Thank you to everyone who took time out of their Saturday to come help us paint our house! Your support means so much to us! We really appreciated the help painting, the food, and most importantly, the company during a long day of exhausting work. Your help took well over a week's worth of work and turned it into a great day. Now hopefully all that beautiful new paint will help the house sell quickly!

Childlike Faith

Mark 10:13-16 - People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Today we're attempting to repaint our entire house with the help of family and friends. It's going to be sad to see all of the colors that we've put up over the past two years be covered up by that lovely boring beige that realtors recommend for selling your house. There are a flood of emotions that are associated with this process: sadness about leaving memories, frustration over circumstances, excitement about new possibilities, fear of the unknown. It's easy to get overwhelmed with them all, but Jody and I have both decided that we're going into this with Ben's outlook. When we mentioned the possibility of a move to Ben, he immediately responded with joy. He is excited about the new adventure that awaits us wherever we end up. He has no concerns about the details because he trusts us to take care of everything he needs.

At what point in life does change become such a bad thing? As humans, we crave stability, but where should that stability come from? As Christians, we say that Christ is our rock, but do we really mean that? If we were suddenly put in Job's circumstances, would we still be focusing on God's plan or would we be wallowing in self-pity?

How often do we genuinely trust God with a childlike faith? Do we really believe He'll take care of the details or are we so worried about the possibilities that we don't enjoy the adventure before us?

Lots of questions to ask, now to ponder while I paint. Our house is going to be completely different by tomorrow, but different isn't necessarily bad. It's just different.

Following God's Path

Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

During Jody's sermon Wednesday night at the Rock, he mentioned this verse in talking about the future. He asked the youth to imagine how a lamp is used in a black forest to light a path, reminding them that it would only provide enough light to show the next step. God doesn't describe His light as shining like a beacon or a flashlight, showing us where we're going to be 10 years from now or even what's going to happen next week. He only promises to guide us where to put our feet for the next step. We often won't see the obstacles in our way until we're upon them or even know if the path is taking a new direction until it begins to turn. But God is faithful in directing our steps as long as we are keeping our focus on His light.

Just a couple weeks ago, we were focusing on our long term plans. Little did we know what obstacles were going to appear in our path, completely changing everything. Now we're forced to focus on taking it one step at a time trusting that God has a greater plan for our future than we had imagined.

This doesn't mean that we don't ever make plans, but it does mean that we should hold them loosely, letting God have complete control over what happens next. He's the only one with the master plan and His word is our lamp, faithfully guiding the way through the darkness.

3 for 3

Yesterday was a great day in the Webster kitchen. Three new meals tried with three resounding successes!

For breakfast I made biscuits, but wanted something else to go with them. Ben suggested chocolate muffins, so I decided to try making some chocolate gravy for the biscuits instead. I don't know that I've ever tried chocolate gravy, but I remembered that Jody liked it when he was little, so I pulled up my trusty All Recipes website and found Southern-Style Chocolate Gravy. Both of the boys actually devoured their biscuits and Ben ate another one too!

Jody and I are both lovers of all types of Asian cuisine, but have never been able to make a good stir-fry recipe. It's never as good as what you get in a restaurant or even as good as those boxed or bagged meals from the grocery store that are so expensive. Then I found the Super-Easy Stir Fry recipe. It's much less of a recipe and more of a tutorial on the art of making a good stir-fry. You choose the meat, the veggies, and the sauce and it tells you how to prepare everything to make an amazing meal. We used chicken as our meat and a bag of frozen broccoli, green beans, corn, carrots, water chestnuts, and peppers as our veggie selection with the soy-sesame sauce. After being disappointed so many times when trying to make our own Asian food, this was a resounding success! And since there are so many ways to change it, we won't get bored with the same old meal over and over again.

I knew we had a bunch of errands to run before dinner time, so I decided to make soup in the crockpot because it would be ready when we walked in the door. This time I tried the Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, which only took a few minutes to prepare once I cooked the chicken. Although the boys were less than thrilled (mostly because they don't like soup), Jody and I were impressed. There was tons of chicken and the flavor was excellent. Much like the stir-fry, there was lots of room to alter the recipe to your own preferences.

And for dessert, we already had some cookie dough made in the fridge so I baked some Big Soft Ginger Cookies, one of our favorite cookie recipes. They were the perfect ending to an already yummy day.

*on a side note: Ben had his staples removed yesterday too. It was equally as exciting as having them put in, with just as much screaming and even more blood! The first staple was just a tiny bit hard to get out and once he felt the first twinge of pain, he once again freaked out. Of course once he started fighting and screaming, he began to bleed more as his blood pressure got up. He even had to leave the doctor's office with a head bandage on because he bled so much. I feel sorry for the poor souls in the waiting room (or even outside for that matter) who had to endure his screams before they were treated.

Listening for God

1 Kings 19:11-12 - The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

As we are fervently seeking God's direction for our lives at this point of transition, it is easy to get distracted by all of the noise around us. I think at some time or another, everyone has wanted God to speak to them in a loud booming voice telling them exactly what they're supposed to do next. I know I have. Wouldn't it be so much easier if there was a huge billboard in the sky that told you what to do? Unfortunately, God doesn't usually work this way. I know if God spoke loudly to me, I'd still be focused on my plans and would probably not even give His will a second thought. When He gently whispers to me, however, I'm forced to block out all of the distracting thoughts and focus completely on Him. It's in those times that I can see Him working most clearly.

I'm incredibly stubborn and absolutely hate to ask for help in any circumstance. So God patiently waits for me to try to take care of things on my own over and over until I finally realize that He is the only one who has control of my future. Usually things work out about the time I've finally given up and stopped trying to fix things on my own.

So now I wait and listen. God's speaking.. I just have to be quiet enough to hear His voice.

Not By Sight

"By Faith"
Keith & Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townsend
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We'll walk by faith and not by sight

As I sang this hymn this morning in our worship service, I was overwhelmed with its truth. Though not of my choosing, but by God's will, Jody and I are getting ready to be 100% living by faith and not by sight. Many of you already know that Jody resigned from his position as Youth and Children's Minister at FBC Lebanon tonight. (read his blog here) We are definitely taking a big step into the unknown as our boat has been turned over, but we feel like Jesus is calling for us to walk on water, to do the "impossible".

I've mentioned previously that I'm a planner. I don't do anything without planning all the details and always having a safety net to catch me when I fall. Obviously this is not the case for us right now, and oddly enough I'm at peace with the situation. I'm not frantically trying to make changes, I'm just taking it one step at a time.

Philippians 4:6-7 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We don't know where we're headed next, but I am confident that God has a plan for us even though we can't see it yet. The next months are going to be difficult, but they will also be filled with hope, anticipation, and lots of prayer. Every time we've been faced with adversity, God always has had something better for us that we would have never imagined... but it has never been in our timing. Just when I start to get comfortable, God rocks my world and reminds me to keep my focus on His plan.

It's been incredibly freeing to completely surrender this situation to Christ and give Him control rather than trying to fix everything on my own like I usually do. It's really easy to get caught up in the "what ifs": "what if the house doesn't sell?" "what if Jody can't find another job?" "what if ...?" But we're not called to worry, we're called to trust and obey, even if it means no safety net. As I've already mentioned this week, without the hard times, you aren't able to fully appreciate the blessings on the other side. How many blessings have I missed out on because I was too afraid to walk by faith and not by sight?

Matthew 6:25-34 - Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

These verse speak for themselves. We're taking it one day at a time and trusting in God for the details.

Jehovah Jireh

2 Kings 4:1-7 - The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil." Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side." She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."

Yesterday we realized that Jody needed a new computer. Anyone who knows Jody knows that he uses his computer for everything: church, music, movies, art. You name it, Jody has it on his computer. So when he needs a new one, it becomes an immediate must-have purchase.

As I've said before, I'm a planner. I want to research every option out there and find the best deal when I need to make a purchase. I sometimes wait weeks in making my decision even when I'm 99.9% sure what I'm going to do, just to see if a better deal shows up somewhere. Well, we got online last night to look for a laptop and after a few minutes of looking, Jody found one that would meet his needs and was a pretty good deal. I knew how much he needed one and told him that regardless of whether or not we had the money, we could go ahead and make the purchase. (Again, something I rarely do.)

Later last night, I was curious how much money in our savings account wasn't already dedicated to something other than just savings... and lo and behold, it was almost to the dollar the amount we had just spent buying Jody's computer.

Money has always been the one thing I've had the hardest time trusting God with. It's very hard for me to let God guide my decisions, even when they don't seem like the best financial choice at the time. I never would have made such a big purchase on an impulse a few years ago, and it's still very hard for me, but I'm learning that there are many times when you just have to follow God and let Him work out the details. [note: this theme appears a lot in my life... I'm apparently very stubborn]

God doesn't promise riches, but He does require trust and faithfulness. Sometimes I try to take care of all the little things so that God can just have the big stuff. That's not what God wants. He wants all of me: all of my decisions, all of my finances, all of my life. period. He is the Great Provider if only I have faith enough to trust in Him, even when the requests aren't logical to me.

Dancing in the Rain

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

As I woke up this morning to the thunder booming and lightning flashing, I thought about a quote one of my facebook friends had posted yesterday: "life's not about making it through the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain." How many of us get up on rainy days and worry how long it's going to rain and how it's going to affect our plans for the day? I often find myself talking about what a "yucky day" it is or how much I just want it to stop raining so I can continue on with my plans.

But if you ask a farmer about the rain, you'll get a completely different outlook. Rain is necessary for plants to grow. We need rain in order to reap a bountiful harvest of crops.

For some reason I'm always amazed at how God knows just the right time and the right amount of rain to send into my life. It's happened enough times that I should understand that God's omniscience clearly overpowers my human planning, but yet I'm always caught off guard. God's timing never seems to by my timing, but when I look back over the years I can clearly see how His timing is always perfect.

Sometimes the rain comes as a refreshing summer shower, quenching the dryness of our souls. Other times it comes as mighty spring thunderstorms, shaking us to our cores. But always, God is in control. Are you merely sitting through the rain, wishing it would stop so you could go on with your life? Or are you outside splashing in the mud puddles and dancing in the rain?

Live your life in the moment. The past is gone and you have no guarantees about the future, so take some time to learn how to dance in the rain. Maybe you'll see a rainbow.

Toddlers and Pain

Yesterday afternoon while I was talking on the phone with my mom and straightening up our living room, I heard a big crash come from Elyse's bedroom. Ben had been playing in there and I was certain that he had slammed the door on his fingers. I became even more sure when he let out a blood-curdling scream that led me to hang up on Mom as he ran into the room holding his hands together. There was blood all over them and he was sobbing. Then as I examined his hands, he reached up and yelled "my head!!" as I finally saw the source of the blood, the top of his head. He quickly calmed down and began to tell me that he had been climbing on the cedar chest and fell and hit his head on one of the corners. There was blood everywhere: his hair was matted to his head, his hands, his clothes, even his feet were bloody. I quickly grabbed a rag to apply pressure and began to clean up the mess. Once the bleeding had stopped, I put him in the bathtub to rinse him off so I could see the wound. It's amazing how much blood a tiny head wound can produce. The cut was less than a centimeter, but it needed to be closed.

So off we headed to the local convenient care, who said they were willing to try. If you know Ben, you know he is a stoic little daredevil. He falls all the time and rarely will he cry for more than a few moments. When he was 18 months old, he fell and broke his finger in two places and I didn't know until the next day when it was swollen and bruised. Even the doctor couldn't get him to show a response to pain. Well, Ben was great while they examined him and got the wound cleaned and even with the first injection to help numb the area. He sat and licked on his sucker and just chatted. After that, however, he came unglued. It took me, the nurse, and the doctor to hold him still enough to finish numbing the area and get three tiny staples in. He was flailing, kicking, and screaming like we were trying to kill him. And then we were done.

We let him sit up and he immediately said, "Ooooh! My sucker!" and that was it. No more tears, no more screaming, just the happy boy that he always is.

Oh to be a toddler again, when life may be painful in the moment, but once it's over, it's forgotten. To be able to bounce back after the tough stuff and move on without a care in the world. How often do we dwell in the painful parts of life rather than enjoy the good things that are right there in front of us?

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

When we were at camp one summer, this was our theme verse. The Christian life is filled with ups and downs, pleasure and pain. Our pastor told us that life is like the word translated "abundantly" or "to the full" means with more amplitude. While the non-Christian's life may be like the kid-coaster at the theme park, ours is more like the mega thrill-ride. The lows are lower and the highs are higher, but the end result is a much more satisfying experience. Our job is to not dwell in the negatives, but instead to focus on the One who guides us through the pains of life.

While we were at the doctor, Ben kept his eyes on me the whole time looking for reassurance, even as I held him down. Once it was all over, he immediately wrapped his arms around my neck and held on. When we're in the painful circumstances of life, do we keep our eyes on Jesus for guidance even when it seems like He's the one causing the pain?

As we were leaving, Ben was talking to the doctor and nurse like nothing had ever happened. He had no hard feelings toward anyone... it was all forgotten. Once the pain has passed, do we cling to Jesus and focus on the future? Or do we dwell in the pain we just experienced and live in heartache?

If we'll ride with Jesus through the hard times, He promises us higher highs than we ever imagined. Next time you're in one of the low times in life, just remember how high the next high is going to be. It it weren't for the difficult times, we wouldn't be able to appreciate the blessings we have been given.

Stepping Out of the Boat

Matthew 14:22-33 - Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

I'm a planner by nature. I want to know exactly what will be happening in my life 10 years, 2 months, 3 weeks and 6 days from now. Over the past several years, I have learned how vastly different my plans often are from God's. Anyone who knew me ten years ago would have never imagined that I would be a stay-at-home mom of three kids. I was completely focused on becoming a veterinarian (who would probably be a workaholic) with a maximum of one child. I had no interest in cooking, cleaning, all things crafty, or anything related to homemaking. Now I do all of those things on a daily basis and my life is much more complete than it ever would have been if I had followed my own plans.

God obviously knows how stubborn I am, so on multiple occasions He hasn't just asked me to step out of the boat, He's flipped the boat over for me. Every time I think I've got things figured out and start planning the future, He steps in and rocks my world. And every time, I'm forced to pull my focus back onto Him and allow Him to guide me to places I never even imagined.

How many times have you heard the story of Peter walking on water and thought how amazing it would be to have that kind of faith? It's easy to sit in the boat and claim that you have complete trust, but how quickly that faith is tested once you are thrown out into the stormy seas. Too many people sit securely in the boat thinking that their faith is strong when in reality they are too scared to step out of the boat and obey Christ. We are called to do impossible things and the only way to accomplish His will is to keep our focus on Jesus and let Him take care of the details.

Have you stepped out of the boat or are you still waiting for more directions?

Spring Cleaning

One of my goals for March is to go through our house, garage, and attic and do some major spring cleaning. Jody and I are trying to simplify our lives and along with that goes a lot of "stuff." I'm terrible at getting rid of stuff because "what if we need it someday." My goal is to get rid of everything that hasn't been used in a year. If we haven't used it in that long and it's not some special memory item, then it needs to be given to someone who can use it.

We've got enough toys and clothes in our house to take care of an entire neighborhood! So we're going to go through everything and be very selective about what stays. The boxes of decorations that we don't even remember putting in the attic need to go! The toys that have only been touched once since Ben was born need to go! Once we've sorted through everything, we're going to have a yard sale to raise money to buy a lawnmower and weed-eater because we've decided that paying someone to mow the yard is not a good use of our money. Everything that doesn't sell is going to the Wilson County Help Center to be given to someone in the area who needs it.

One summer when we took the youth to Centrifuge, we did a missions activity that demonstrated how the money, food/water, and medical resources were distributed in the world. It showed us how those of us in First World countries had more than we needed, how those in Second World countries had barely enough, and the Third World countries were lacking. At the end of the activity, they showed us that if the resources were to be evenly distributed across all of the people, everyone would have what they needed and no one would be without their basic needs. That demonstration has really stuck with me and constantly reminds me that I have way more than I need, although I frequently get caught up in the desire to have more "stuff." I don't want to be responsible for hoarding things that I don't need when someone else could greatly benefit from them.

Matthew 25:40 "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'

James 1:27 "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

A Heavenly Night's Sleep...

Last night was wonderful! All three of the kids went to bed without any trouble.... stayed in bed all night... and woke up happy this morning. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to sleep all night and wake up without someone else waking me up screaming. I feel like a new woman today! :)

Now to enjoy our spring break. It's supposed to be almost 70 outside today, so we have to do something outdoors.. especially since there is a chance of rain in the forecast until NEXT Monday. :( We've been thinking about the zoo or Don Fox Park (the greatest local park I've ever seen: 1.5 miles of walking trails, two big playgrounds, and a splash pool for the summer). I also need to do some baking and clean up the mess that has become of our house, but that will wait until tomorrow and the rain begins. For now, we're off to enjoy the warm weather, even if I have to hobble the whole time.

Babywearing at the Aquarium

Yesterday's trip to the TN Aquarium was tons of fun! Jody's mom and sister-in-law met us down there and we spent the entire day enjoying all of the fish, turtles, snakes, penguins, and sharks. We were there for about 8 hours and the only time the kids even touched the stroller was to ride a couple blocks to lunch (during which time I managed to sprain my ankle stepping off a curb wrong). Below are some pictures of our day. I had the chance to use my lovely dyed Didymos Kapok Mille to carry Elyse on my back for most of the day, although Jody wore her in the Wrapstar for a while until the Ibuprofen took effect on my ankle. Taylor got to be worn in my Didymos Color Grown Waves shorty for a little while, but he was so excited that he wanted to be down in the action most of the day. Even my 3.5 year old, Ben, got to be worn for a while on Jody's back in the Wrapstar when the exhaustion of the day began to catch up with him!

Tennessee Aquarium

Today we're taking a trip to Chattanooga to enjoy the Tennessee Aquarium. Yet another one of those places that it's great to have a family membership to, because now all we have to pay is gas to get there. We went back in October for the three of us with October birthdays and had so much fun we thought it was a worthwhile purchase to get an annual membership. I think it was the cost of less than 3 visits, plus then we don't have to wait in the terrible ticket line again either!

Ben is super excited about seeing the penguins and the sharks and Taylor keeps talking about seeing the snakes, and fish, and turtles, and fish, and snakes, and turtles, and snakes, and turtles... well, you get the picture. Those are his three favorites at the Nashville Zoo as well, so the Aquarium is just up his alley.

Hopefully the boys will sleep some on the way down there because poor Taylor woke up at 3 am coughing so much that Ben woke up saying it scared him and wanted to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room. Well, that was fine until Taylor woke up at 4:30 and Mommy had to go sleep with him in Ben's bed. (not nearly as comfy as her own bed!) Oh well, everyone slept so I can't complain.... much.

Rise and SHINE

Good morning everyone! Those who know me know that I'm a morning person... you know, one of those annoyingly perky people at hours before the sun comes up. :) Lately, I've been too exhausted to enjoy my mornings since my children have conspired to keep me up most of the night. It seems like about the time I get to sleep, one of them wakes up and once that one is back asleep, another gets up and so on until I finally give up and get out of bed in the morning. Well, last night I actually slept for 8 hours until Elyse woke up and then got 2 more before Taylor got up! and NO ONE came to our bed last night! I feel amazing!!!

I think today is definitely a zoo day... a family membership to the Nashville Zoo is the best entertainment we've found. For about $100 a year (versus $14 per adult per visit and $9 for kids 2 and over!), we get to enjoy the zoo. When the weather isn't miserable, you can find us there at least once a week, sometimes two or three times. I get exercise and we all get to enjoy the animals and fresh air. We often take a picnic lunch and spent most of the day just enjoying all of the exhibits. Ben could probably draw a map of the place with his eyes closed, but we never tire of it.

Well, off to get some breakfast on the table so we can all go play our favorite morning game: "Wake Up the Sleeping Daddy!"

Teething Miracle Relief!

Taylor has been sleeping terribly for the past several nights (read: waking up at 4 or 5 am every morning!) and been in a generally grumpy mood (by grumpy I mean I can see horns and smoke coming out of his head!) and I'm pretty certain that he must be getting some more teeth in. Yesterday morning, I thought I'd try out the amber teething necklace that I bought for Elyse and see if it would help Taylor any. Supposedly baltic amber has some analgesic properties that have been known to help with headaches, arthritis, and teething pain. Personally, I bought one because it was pretty. :)

First off, I was shocked to find out that the same necklace that fit a 6 month old baby would fit my 20 month old toddler with room to spare. From the time I put it on, Taylor has been a changed child. He was in a great mood yesterday, with no crying without reason. I took it off to get ready for church and the screaming began yet again so I quickly replaced it. I told Jody that I'd put a big pink bow on his head if it would make him feel better. :) He slept in the necklace last night and I have to say I saw a pretty noticeable improvement in his sleep. He still woke up at 3 and came to our room, but he fell back asleep and slept well until 6 and now he's happily playing and watching cartoons rather than crying and screaming in my lap.

Now I've ordered another one just for Taylor and can say that I'm completely sold on them. Here's the link to Inspired by Finn, the company that I've used to get my necklaces. I have one of the breastfeeding necklaces and Elyse is completely attached to it. Whenever I'm nursing or wearing her, she's always playing or chewing on it... and now both Taylor and Elyse will have some relief from the discomfort that comes from teething. The products at Inspired by Finn are well made, safe, and relatively inexpensive.... and they have saved my sanity too! :)

Baking 101

For those of you who have known me for some time, you'll be amazed to learn that I'm actually starting to enjoy cooking! This week, I've made biscuits, waffles, and muffins all from scratch (note: not out of a box but from real flour!). I'm very quickly learning not only how much cheaper it is to cook things from scratch, but also how much better and more rewarding it is. Here are my new recipes:

French Breakfast Muffins - fast, easy, and super yummy! I just brushed on the butter and sprinkled the cinnamon sugar after they were done.

Belgian Waffles - have to wait for the batter to rise and takes forever to make enough for the family, but well worth the wait.

Biscuits - I've made these twice now and they are just the right amount of flaky and soft. Huge mess to be made, but lots of fun!

Welcome!

So I finally broke down and decided to start my own blog. I wanted one place where I could post pictures, tell stories, and share recipes and products that I'm interested in. Now we'll see if I actually use this regularly or if I end up being one of the millions of unused blogs sitting on the web.