Wow!! That is all I can say. I didn’t realize that the three months of summer are gone and in two days we start school. Get ready for the blogging to begin again. Pregnancy is going good, garden has been torn down, and lunches are being made. I will blog on all of this with in the next few days. I have been writing it all down and have a LOT of updating to do on here. Like I said “GET READY”. Okay that is all for now.
Hope you enjoy what is coming up…
I made hot chocolate today. The kids asked what I was making and why I was cooking so early. WELL…needless to say they are very happy with the outcome. I made Hot Chocolate, there is a difference in Cocoa and Chocolate. Cocoa is powdered and Chocolate is, well, melted chocolate with milk.
Hot Chocolate Recipe for four people
5 Cups of milk (two and a half in a separate container that can hold all five cups)
One 14oz pkg of Chocolate Candy Melts (found in the baking isle, NOT chocolate chips)
1/8 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Add 2.5 cups milk and half of your chocolate to a sauce pan, do not boil. On medium low heat stir until chocolate is melted.
Pour in to the other container with the extra milk, stir well. Pour half of that back into the sauce pan and add the rest of the chocolate. While that is getting warm stir in the Nutmeg and Cinnamon to either of the mixes, I like to stir it in the mix that is on the counter. After the mixture on the stove is melted and stirred well, add it to the counter mixture and enjoy!!
Last night I had a lot of fun with the ladies of my Life Group from church. We visited a place called Cross My Art and painted. It’s like paint by numbers for adults. Angela asked what I wanted on my canvas, drew it on there and I painted it. She came back around and touched it up for me afterwards also. We then went to the coffee house and at 10 PM they asked us to leave because they had to close…Needless to say we had a lot of fun last night. I feel very blessed to have those ladies in my life and a husband that will watch the kids when I go and do things like this. It might not be a full vacation but I will take what I can get. LOL
Here is what I painted, it will hang in the kitchen at our new house.
See how she touched it up in this photo.
I also have some crafty stuff we have done at home for the kids. I made this one for the counter in our kitchen so that when I need a pick-me-up, I can pick this up and read it.
It is normal printer paper for the verses and then scrap booking paper for the pages I glue it on to. I bet you could do some pretty amazing ones with a little more time and items. I got this idea from my MOPS group.
I’m still trying to figure out how I can turn this into a better printing file, but for now here are the verses for the whole thing. I hope y’all enjoy all of this. I will be making another post also. A little more personal.
I was reading my “study” and realized it was all about designer stuff. How we have to have to best stuff. When we start to look at our spiritual life do we have the best? No, most of the time we don’t. We flip flop all around like a fish out of water. Always wanting more and always moving around. We are not satisfied with the deep thoughts we are all wanting to come and go and leave quick. Self-help books are all about “this is the easiest and fastest” , food, fashion, cars, electronics all of it is that way. I have become that way. I don’t know about you, but I want to slow down and have God guide me. To do that I have to listen better to what he says to do, that means going deep into His word and what He want’s. NOT what I want. NOT what my family wants. WHAT GOD WANTS…
I am done for now. I have quite a few things to do now that the husband is going back to work after being off for a week. I can get house cleaning done again!!! Still have a really busy week ahead of me…every night is full and a few days are also…
At our Wednesday night Bible Study group we are learning about The Daniel Plan and I am trying to get some permissions to post some of the stuff, but for now I will tell you about what I think. There are recipes on their website (link is above).
First I understand where this is coming from. Daniel 1:1-16
1. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim the king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2. And The Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god.
3. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Isrealites form the royal family and the nobility–4. young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the kings palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. 5. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
6. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10. but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse then the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11. Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12. “Please test your servants for then days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14. So he agreed to this and tested then for ten days.
15. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished then any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
So, I did all that so you could also know the back story to this. I am not talking about the Daniel fast, I am talking about the Daniel Plan. It is a life style change that is hard and easy at the same time. There are foods that you are suppose to eat and there are quite a few that we eat all the time that are very bad for us. I’m sure you have seen all the news and the things said about processed food, real food and the like. I am slowly but surely switching over to the “real” foods and staying away from the over processed and over sugared foods. That is what the plan is all about. I have to get on there and update some things. They also give you an account and let you access all the learning material for free.
I have found a few recipes that I will post in another post, later today. There are some gluten free, some all veggies and fruits and some just really healthy ones. I will post two or three for each “meal” even a few snacks and dips.
Well, I said in my last post that I would tell you somethings and to be honest I don’t remember. I have had some heavy blows the last few days and some very strong realizations. I am going to make this a long post. Sit down, grab a cup of coffee or tea and prepare yourself for the ride of crazy emotions and hopefully some help from God on situations in your life.
First, we didn’t get the house. SO no “new” house for us…YET!! I was heartbroken today, not only from finding out we didn’t get it but after stressing the past few days about it I had built myself up so high and had “all my hopes” in this one house. I have put a few things on hold and have lost a few really good, opportunities due to putting things on hold…ALL for a house!! My poor husband has also had to deal with the ups and downs of crazy here lately. Here is where God steps in. We have been looking for “The” house for about 2 years now…yes 2 YEARS!! So, I am upset and stressed and downright in a bad mood. I start reading my devotion today, it really had nothing to do with the situation at hand but reminded me to sit and pray and let God do his thing. I had an overwhelming peace come over me and a calm. AND THEN!!!! Not one, not two BUT NINE, yes 9 houses showed up in our search that had not been there or noticed before and all the weight was gone and I felt God tell me there are more. Do not worry about the one you didn’t get, realize there are more. Then something hit me, and I mean HIT ME!! It was a two year old, by the way. That, I’m guessing, was just to drive the point home. There are things in our life that we can not control as much as we try to control them, if we give it over to God, it all seems to fall into place. I know I have heard that my entire life, let it go to God…just let it go. You always seem to not be able to let it go the entire way. It is very hard to let it go. I promise I have a problem letting it go. Well, to day I let it go and it was a fantastic feeling. So…
On to something new I’m doing that I think is helping. I have started a very simple way of studying the Bible. I got some notebook paper and when I read a verse I write it down and comment on it. I have about 5 pages so far and started yesterday really. I will put a part of that on here at the end.
I really miss some of my friends this week. I know the kids are getting ready for school and we are in a new area and that is just how it goes I guess. I hope that MOPS will lead to some good things this year and some lasting friendships.
Okay, like I said all over the place lately…here is how I’m doing my Bible study. I don’t have a reading plan or anything like that. Just got a notebook and am taking notes. You really understand more and concentrate more. Here is a small clip of what I do with my Bible study…
Our crazy life is taking us places again! We are looking at houses and I’m hopefully about to have a new one! I really hope that it is. I know God has a plan for us and I hope that I am not blinded by the world and looking at this all wrong. Moving to a new house means a new school also. With the DB I hope that we can explain it to him and that his ASD doesn’t go crazy. LOL
You should know by now that with ASD we are also going to be doing OT this year. I have to get all the school paperwork and the doctor paperwork and then scout the OT offices to make sure we get into the right one for us. I know there are a lot of different opinions on this. I think that, just like our doctor and therapist we also have to find the right fit for us. I have been doing some OT and PT here at home, it’s not enough in my opinion. I have not been trained in this and do not pretend to be.
Our crazy life is leading us in different directions. If we move that also means I will be finding a new church. (God, can you please guide me in the direction you want our family to go. Thank you!!!) I am just getting really involved in our church where we are now and I hate to move, but I know it is a season in our lives and that if the season is over it is over. We can not make the seasons go longer or stay shorter if we wanted that also.
Okay, as you can see I am all over the place today and have a few things I really want to type and talk about, I have to get my mind settled first… Thank you for understanding and I will either update this post or just write a new post. LOVE Y’ALL
So, this time of year we are getting ready to go back to school. I have to get the house in order and get back on the routine of getting up and driving to the school and back home and figure out where is the best parking and drop off area. He will now be in the 1st grade and that means a different door!!! Yeah!
Not only all of that, we are also having to go get all the school supplies and the list is crazy, I don’t understand the “brand” thing. Isn’t a #2 pencil a #2 pencil? Why does brand matter? And not to mention the ridiculous amount of items we have to have. Why do we have to have 6 boxes of crayons? Are they really going to go through 6 BOXES?
I will have to get all this done! I will post more on this subject later…LOL New furniture is here and I’m organizing the house in a different way than before and yes, he is helping with where stuff goes. He knew the other day when he got home from therapy that I had moved the cereal. So, he has to help…LOL
We went to church today and I will post in a little while about what it was today that made it special. I really liked the sermon today and am glad we went this time. This summer has been so crazy and we haven’t been as often as we should be going. Post to come later today. I have a coordinator meeting to go to…
Now, lets see. I’m cooking dinner and writing this at the same time…LOL busy mom problem
Today at church we had a guest speaker and he was talking about the “storms of life” and how Jesus is always there with us during those storms. I will go into more detail when I pull up the verse that he was talking about. My thought behind all of this: who has not gone through storms in life?
This took a little longer than I thought when I started writing this…this is now the third time I have updated this post and am now going to finish it…
The verse I am talking about that was mentioned earlier today is Mark 4:35-41
So in this verse it is referring to when Jesus and His disciples getting in the boat and a storm coming upon them and they, the disciples get afraid. In verse 36 it actually says they took Him along just as he was. Nothing special about Jesus, just as he was. and it also says that there where other boats with them…sooo they looked at other boats when the storm came and thought that they have it “better.” Secondly Jesus was in the stern of the boat, for those of you that don’t know boats, that is the back of the boat, the most calm area of the boat when you are hitting waves. the other interesting thing that is said is that they asked Him the most hateful question you could ask Him. Verse 38 “Teacher do you not care if we drown?” First this really bugged me because you are asking Jesus if he cared…YES he does. He is used to hearing nothing but angels and sitting next to the father and he comes down here to earth to hear us whining and crying and complaining all the time. He also died on the cross for us, not just hanging on the cross but was brutally tortured, whipped to a point of his ribs showing on his back, spit in his face, thorns wrapped around his head pressing in to his temples and you are asking him is he cared??? REALLY!!!
Okay, so there is something to think about. He not only “came as he was” but is always there with us. Do you know why we go through storms in our lives? So that we can come closer to God. We are to talk to him and though we may not understand the storm we do know that he does not put us though anything we can not handle. I know this is very vague, it is meant to make you think…
It’s not that difficult to get your smaller children to talk to you about what is wrong, but to get a teenager to talk to you could be the hardest thing on the earth to do. They will talk to everyone but you about their problems and they might even talk to you a little bit, but the person they need to talk to the most is God. If you start early in life and teach your children to pray it will ease your mind and you will feel better about situations going on..
Teach them to…
Use their own voice They don’t need fancy, spiritual words. Help them learn to talk to God as their loving Father.
Pray on paper Encourage them to write in a prayer journal. Journals are a great way for them to see their journey with God over several months or even years, and remember what He’s done for them.
Pray with a friend There’s power in praying for and with each other. Instead of gossiping or giving advice from their own perspectives, encourage your kids to take it straight to God together. Give them opportunities to practice this.
Pray a Psalm Not sure what to pray? Start with Scripture. Tell your kids to choose a Psalm and pray it out loud from their hearts.
Prayer Starters
Dear God,
I praise You because…
I am so thankful for…
Today I’m really feeling…
I need you most today because…
Something I’m struggling with is…
I really need forgiveness for…
Something stressing me out is…
Something I want to ask You for is…
I want to love You more so I can…
This is from a devotional that I read. Journey: June 2013
I knew before my first child was born that things were going to change. We all know that, right? We know we’ll get less sleep, we know we’ll have to deal with all sorts of baby-related gear. We’re well aware that the days of long, leisurely dinners with just our husband are over for a while. But we–or at least, I–didn’t know some of the fine-print details about what was going to change.
For example, I didn’t know I’d never get to go to the bathroom alone again. About the only way it happens now is if I sneak in there when nobody’s looking and lock the door. Even then, sometimes they find me, and they stand outside calling, “Mommy! Mommy!” or wailing to be let in.
One day, when Ellie was about 4, she saw me go into the bathroom. So she followed me. “Can I come in?” she asked, not waiting for an invitation.
“Actually, Mommy would like some privacy.” I said.
Ellie gave me a quizzical look and responded, “But I want to watch your privacy.”
For once I was speechless. How does one respond to a statement like that?
See, that’s the whole point of privacy-that nobody watches you.
There are certain things and certain times we just don’t want anyone else to observe. We want to choose what to reveal to others and what to keep to ourselves. If we’re forced to let others see more of our actions or feeling than we want to, it’s painful. We feel embarrassed. Vulnerable. Exposed.
We certainly wouldn’t reveal our innermost selves to every single person in the world who wanted to know. No, WE certainly wouldn’t.
But fortunately, God DID.
In Jesus’ coming to earth as a human being, God laid Himself open and bare to our eyes. I’m not just talking about the fact that Jesus would have had His dirty diapers changed. I’m not even referring to the time when He hung on the cross, naked, for anyone who walked by to see. (He wouldn’t have worn a loincloth on the cross as He wears in artistic depictions of Him.) I’m talking about how God laid His character and His heart bare in the person of Jesus.
True, God has always existed, since before time began, and certainly long before He created humanity. But until Jesus came to earth, we couldn’t see God with our own eyes and live. We couldn’t touch Him. We couldn’t watch His emotions as He responded to the things going on around Him. We couldn’t get so much as a glimpse of the members of the Trinity.
When Jesus came, He changed all that. He made God real and vivid to us. For the first time, we saw God. We heard His voice, we ate with Him, we rested with Him, and we rejoiced and cried and worshiped with Him.
Yet the Bible tells us that we didn’t realize who he was. We didn’t get it that He was fully God and fully mand until later, after He had risen from the dead. We didn’t realize that God was right here, in our midst.
No, you and I weren’t alive when Jesus walked the earth as the God-Man. But we can see Him even more vividly that His disciples did for the three years they followed Him.
Why? Because God still continues to lay Himself bare to us today through the person of the Holy Spirit. Though we can’t see Him with our physical eyes anymore, He is even closer to us than He was to humanity then, because He now dwells within every Christian. We may not be able to see His earthly body, but we can still observe how he responds to things going on around Him. We can still learn form Him about each member of the Trinity.
Few of us take advantage of this incredible privilege the way we should. God had laid Himself our before us like an incredible spiritual buffet where we can taste His delights as He reveals each one to us, yet we settle for ordering a Kids Meal and ignore the lavish spread. God allows us to find Him if we only look, but we’re not even looking. We thing Kids Meals taste good enough, so we never stop to consider what might be on the buffet table.
As C.S. Lewis said in The Weight of Glory, “We are far too easily pleased.”
I want to see everything God has revealed of Himself. I want to learn all I can of Him on this earth, and then spend eternity learning more. I bed you do too. So let’s go boldly into His presence as we’re invited to do. Let’s rejoice in the fact that He doesn’t insist on privacy. Let’s leave those Kids
Meals behind and dive into the buffet. Will you join me?
We write to you about the Word of life, which has existed from the very beginning. We have heard it, and we have seen it with our eyes; yes, we have seen it, and our hands have touched it (1 John 1:1 GNT)
From Manna for moms, 2010 Meagan Breedlove, Published by Regal Books
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