Graceful Abandon

Family, Fun, & Feasts

2012-01-23T07:07:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks a year stand out as super special -- and this is one of them. Awesome Hubby who works so hard to provide for us takes a vacation and we just spend time together. On those weeks weeks, we spend a little more on the grocery budget (probably still less than is average for a family our size; frugality is just too much fun *wink, wink*) and enjoy our meals around the table together. So here is what this special week is going to look like for us (try not to be too jealous of all this delicious food!):

Breakfast:

Eggs, toast, bacon
Cereal with fruit (blueberries, bananas, strawberries)
Bagels and cream cheese

Lunch:

Turkey and Cheese on homemade whole wheat bread, chips
Quesadillas
Tortilla Roll Ups

Dinner:

Monday Night Movie (since we can't do it on Saturday this week!) - finger foods: chicken fingers, pizza, veggies and hummus, fruit
Tuesday (following a day out and about) - salad, Sausage & Peppers on rolls with marinara and mozzarella baked on ... mmm mmm good!
Wednesday - Hubby & I are going on a date; the kiddos will be having fried egg and cheese sandwiches with chips and fruit on the side
Thursday - BBQ ribs and corn on the cob
Friday - Leftovers ... gotta finish up what's left so we don't waste it :)

Dreaming About Someday: A Vision and A Choice

2012-01-18T08:53:00.000-06:00

I often like to simply enjoy what I have; I don't believe in being anything other than content because it just makes you miserable and you miss out on so many opportunities to enjoy and be thankful for what you have. But lately I've had a dream running through the back of my mind.

In it, we are debt free. We have paid for our home and everything else in our lives. And so we begin the start of the next stage. In the next stage, we have 5 or so acres of land and a 6 bedroom house -- teeming with children, animals, trees and plants that provide food, and the sound of laughter coming from every corner. We have chickens, a horse or two, maybe a few goats for milk, and eventually a couple of cows (milk and meat). We have a small orchard and a large garden. We homeschool on our wraparound porch or in our library. We all crowd around a large dining room table framed by a lovely picture window. The faces around the table don't share much in common; they represent all different nations. The only thing they share is the bond of family because we have brought our children home from every corner of the earth. We stay debt free, living simply and well within our means. We have space, but we work hard to maintain it. Everything we do is done with intention. And we love each other and God more than anything else.

Do you ever dream? I find that when I cast a vision, I begin to align my choices today with my hopes for tomorrow. I can ask myself questions like: does spending money on that fit in with your dream? Does this choice take you closer or farther from your ultimate goal? In ten years, will this matter? It helps -- it curbs spending, makes actions and choices much more dependable and intentional, and leaves a legacy of wisdom for coming generations as well.

I Love Muffins ... A Lot

2012-01-17T07:27:00.005-06:00

We like muffins around here. Quite a lot actually. Why, you ask? I'm going to tell you in just a moment. I'm also going to tell you that I couldn't decide which muffin recipe to share, so I've linked to our two favorites in 2011 ... they were both amazingly decadent and oh-so-delectable.

For one, every time I bite into a blueberry muffin I am reminded to pray. Really pray. Does that confuse you? Go read HERE and you'll get it; it would take way too long for me to explain in this post. But really ... blueberry muffins = prayer. I promise!

Muffins give me quality time with my children. Delicious quality time, at that. Some of our favorite muffin moments were baking Cinnamon Streusel Orange Muffins (pictured above) with my Lil Man (click the link or the pic and you can see the recipe ... so delish!). Baking muffins is simple, fun, and allows me to nourish my family (click link for Banana Mocha Chip Muffin recipe) in more ways than on.

Lastly (for today anyhow), muffins and a nice cup of tea can make for a beautiful and simple way to enjoy company. Hospitality is so important and we need to cultivate it. One thing I do to always be ready is have a couple of cute cups, some interesting tea, and some muffins on hand pretty much every day. Whether I enjoy them alone in my quiet time with God, have a tea party with the Princess, or open the door to a neighbor to enjoy them with me ... muffins help that hospitality right along!

So I'm off to brew a cup of Chai (bought from Teavana ... the coolest store in the whole mall - a tea lover's paradise!), whip up some muffins (I had planned to make cranberry, but it's just going to have to be those streusel muffins because who can resist?) and enjoy my morning. I hope you do the same!

And here is my basic muffin recipe that you can personalize for your own delectable concoction:

4 cups flour (we always use fresh ground; 1/2 soft white and 1/2 hard white wheat)
1 TB baking powder
Dash of salt (maybe a teaspoon; I'm a glance and dash kind of gal when it comes to spices)
1/3 cup honey (or 1/2 cup sugar)
1/2 cup coconut oil (you can use butter if you'd prefer) -- I cut this in
2 eggs
2 cups liquid (I often use orange juice, but milk and water are other options, depending on my muffin flavor)
1 1/2 cup add ins (cranberries, blueberries, chocolate chips, or anything else you think sounds yummy! If I use a dray add in, I'll add a drop more honey or liquid to the batter)
OPTIONAL: extra spice (perhaps a teaspoon of almond extract or cinnamon or something to give it extra "oomph")

Bake at 400 for 22 minutes in a non stick pan (I use silicone) or spray your metal tins. Make 2 dozen treats!

Linked up with Family Time Tuesday, Growing Home, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday, Titus2sday

Weekly Plan

2012-01-16T08:21:00.000-06:00

This is a very busy week for our family, but I have an important goal: no pulling from the freezer or pantry (and of course doing take out or buying more groceries are a no-no this month!) .... I want to finish using up what we have on hand, but my more immediate goal is finishing up what is in the fridge/perishable.

I'd like to just about empty it out. Why? Well, practically it will make it easier to deep clean it. But more importantly, we are moving to whole, traditional foods as a family. We have already chosen to throw away or give away some foods (the ones that had ingredients we have discovered allergies or intolerance to), but there are some we have kept that aren't so bad for us because we're also very frugal folks. But I want to start the month of February with a clean slate for our new lifestyle. We've seen huge differences already (read about them here and here) ... and I can't wait to see what happens when we're all on board with all of our food.

So my menu might not be all that exciting to you, but I'm very excited to see what a difference it's made by week's end!

Breakfasts will remain eggs, muffins, or oatmeal.

Lunches will remain ham and cheese sandwiches or pasta, with either veggies or fruit.

Dinners will be:

Monday: BBQ Nachos Supreme (in honor of my friend Heather!): Chips baked with BBQ sauce, taco meat, cheese and then topped with lettuce, sour cream, jalapenos, and salsa (all as desired)
Tuesday: Dinner at a friend's home
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese, tomato, and bacon with side salad and oven baked fries
Thursday: Loaded baked potato and salad
Friday: Quiche and side salad
Saturday: Leftovers ?? {It'll be a whatever is left in the fridge night!}

What are you doing this week? Anyone else join in on the pantry challenge and doing some major clean out? Our big success is that our hallway pantry is so empty we were able to use it for storage!!! WOW :) I hope you all have a great week and that you enjoy dinners with your family. The best part -to me- about the plan is that it allows me to enjoy meal time at the table with all of the family ... together.

PART OF MENU PLAN MONDAY

The #1 Gift for Your Children This Year (and it has a lifetime guarantee!)

2012-01-11T11:50:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite moments in this new year is one that has continued on for 8 days now. On January 3, my children and I began reading the book of Acts. The goal in this is to consistently read one chapter each day, this completing the entire book before the advent of the next month.

We started out the holiday season memorizing the mandate of Jesus to love God with all we have and then to love people wholly. We talked about how the only way to really love God is to know Him (you can't love a perfect stranger intimately, after all). And the best way to know Him is to listen to His words and read the love letter He has sent. So we have been working on doing just that.

And it's been awesome! We read a chapter each day and the Princess will actually narrate a few salient points back to us. Lil Man is starting to pay attention more so that he can do the same. And reading so consistently is allowing us to see patterns we haven't always noticed in other readings of these stories. We've noticed how Jesus promised them power through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and in every single chapter Peter or another God-Lover has been able to boldly proclaim the Truth in a situation that would otherwise be very overwhelming.

And my children are taking that to heart and walking in that same boldness. Just yesterday the Princess prayed for a lady at Walmart who was sick; she asked God for total healing! On the way home, we talked about how the Holy Spirit prompts us and equips us ... but we have to move forward.

So today I want to encourage you: delve into the Word of God. Know Him. Seek Him tenaciously. Crave Him desperately. And teach your children to do the same!

Linked up with Raising Homemakers

Game Day

2012-01-09T23:26:00.000-06:00

My kids love to play games! It doesn't even really matter what the game is; as long as you play it with them they are happy. A few favorites in the last two years (they are 5 and nearly 8 now) have been Blokus, Uno, SkipBo, Sorry, Trouble, Slamwich, Chess, and CandyLand. Out of those, I think Blokus and Slamwich are my two faves. But mostly I just enjoy watching how they think and work their way through the games ... and how they enjoy playing with us. I also cherish knowing that they know I am enjoying them.

I used to be this uber productive mom who was so busy doing things for her family that sometimes I forgot to be with them. I'd cook, clean, pay bills, shop, fix things around the house ... and be too tired to answer correctly when I was asked to play. Then God gave me a clue. He showed me just how loaded of a question it is when our children say, "Mommy, will you play with me?" Thank goodness I've learned a lot more about the importance of being a mom and what it really is. I'm so thankful that I now take time to play cards, roll dice, or move around a board game with my children; some day we will have these memories to look back on. But more importantly, we will be walking firmly on the foundation laid during those times.

Do your kids enjoy games? If not, do you think they might if you did? I have found (at least in our family) that children (younger ones especially) just want to be with Mommy and Daddy and be enjoyed by them. They are so eager to please! And they love it when you take time out of your routine to play with them. My family came all the way to Dixie from New York to visit. They offered to take us places and do some pretty awesome things with us. My kids very favorite part of their visit? The day they came to the house and played games with them.

We are starting a weekly game night, but I am also trying to play games randomly throughout the week. I am declaring today to be game day. Why? Because I can! Really, it's that simple. I am choosing to step out of our routine and play games with my kids today during the time they would normally play on their own so I can clean. I'm setting my house in order by putting first things first. What are you playing with your kids?

Linking up with Titus2sdays

Planning The Week

2012-01-08T19:56:00.000-06:00

Well, we survived the first week of 2012. I'm pretty excited about all we have done, actually. We started reading the book of Acts -1 chapter each day so that we finish by the end of the month- together each morning, Lil Man kicked up to 1st grade, I've renewed my determination to take at least one photo a week that expresses something about our family, and I kicked off our homeschooling blog.

This coming week is a full one with school and family fun -- we're going to try to build a model of the solar system in science, learn math with the #9 this week, and cook two things we've never made before (a new granola recipe and home made poptarts). I'm excited! I'm also enjoying joining up with Menu Plan Monday @ I'm An Organizing Junkie each week for the accountability and all the fantastic meal ideas. Now that we've about cleaned out the pantry and we're into our season {lifestyle!} of eating nutritious whole foods, I'm always on the prowl for recipes. For those of you who are new to Graceful Abandon, you can get to know me HERE a little bit better ... and be sure and introduce yourself :)

Breakfasts:

Eggs, Wheat Honey Oatmeal Bread
Orange Cranberry Muffins (I need to share my recipe one of these days; I've totally made my own recipe and it's a family favorite!)
Oatmeal (we flavor it up - honey berry, apple cinnamon, banana raisin, strawberry, maple raisin - and it's quite good!)
Greek yogurt (I'm not making it myself yet, but I certainly plan to start) topped with granola (honey bunches of oats with almonds flavored)

Lunches:

PB&J
Ham & Cheese
Pasta
Salad with Bread (maybe homemade croutons?)

Dinners:

Monday: Pancakes (we love a good breakfast for dinner meal!) and Pineapples
Tuesday: Western Skillet (a spoof off of THIS recipe)
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese and Salad (maybe quesadillas, if I can get my tortilas to turn out well!)
Thursday: Spaghetti and Garlic Knots and Salad
Friday: Pizza Night (homemade pizza ... I'm thinking BBQ Chicken)
Saturday: Loaded Baked Potatoes
Sunday: Baked French Toast (coated in egg and granola then baked till crisp and topped with peaches and cream) and Home Fries

See you tomorrow for some encouragement and next week for another healthy menu plan; I challenge you to not just make great food to nourish your bodies, but to nourish family with life affirming words this week!

Just Another Day

2012-01-06T08:20:00.000-06:00

Today is just another day. No big plans, nothing out of the ordinary. Just living life with my kids. And I'm really excited about it! Our new year has been fraught with challenges, but it's also been overflowing with blessing. Each day the kids and I are reading a chapter out of Acts and talking about it - we'll be done with it by the end of the month. We are doing more formal schooling, too, as Lil Man is now in 1st grade. I have a weekly date set with each of them and we all seem to treasure those times. I started a blog where I chronicle our daily adventures as a homeschooling family -- mostly just to have a record of our activities each day without generating more paperwork, but you can check it out at GRACEFUL GROWING if you're interested.

I'm off to enjoy my children ... intentionally, sincerely, excitedly. I hope you do the same! Take 5 minutes with each of them just to pour your love out all over them. Take 5 minutes to tell them why you like being their mom. It's great for them and (if you're anything like me) it blesses your heart, too!

Have a great day and be strong in the joy of the Lord,

Opportunities Everywhere

2012-01-04T21:45:00.002-06:00

Several years ago I had a friend named Laura. Really, I still count her a friend, but about five years ago now we used to see and talk to each other much more regularly than we do today. Anyhow, each month when I would get to see her I'd ask her how she'd been and without fail I would be so humbled by her answer that eventually I started to not even want to ask how things were.

Isn't that awful!?!? It was total conviction!

Laura would look at her week and express her gratitude to God for the opportunity to be patient ... to understand grace better ... to grow as a person ... to develop self control. Translation: it's been a rough week, I've been surrounded by people who are irritating me, life has been really hard. And yet she would smile, thank God for the opportunities she had that week, and bless everyone around her.

This has been a week of opportunities in my life. I've had the opportunity to trust God, the opportunity to love others, the opportunity to choose joy over and over again when irritation and frustration made more sense and seemed more instinctual. I've had the opportunity to smile when I wanted to cry, to laugh when I wanted to scream, and to walk in peace when I wanted to rage.

And you know what hit me this morning when the van started acting up? That God loves me. And that every single detail of my life has passed through His equipping grace. Everything He has sent my way and everything He has allowed to come my way are literally that: things that have either been chosen by Him or permitted by Him. There are no surprises to God. And He has promised never to give me more than I can bear. He has promised to work all things for my good. He has promised to never leave. For I am pressed, but not crushed ... persecuted, but not abandoned ... struck down, but not destroyed. And my blessings are pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

What opportunities are you facing today?

{P.S. How do you like the random picture of dog smiling? I saw it and it made me smile today amidst all my opportunities and thought it might do the same for you!}

Irrelevant? Lessons for Today

2012-01-02T23:15:00.003-06:00

The Bible talks a lot about a lot of things that just don't seem all that pertinent today. For instance, I don't really need to know about a dove or a goat offering. We don't celebrate the year of Jubilee any more. And since I don't live out in the country, all that talk about harvesting and leaving grain in the corner of my fields is really irrelevant.

Or is it?

Actually, it all matters. Or at least I'm convinced that it does. Knowing about the sacrifices makes it that much more precious that my price has been paid and I do not need to jump through hoops to stand before Beloved. And while my physical debts are not forgiven during a certain year declared to be Jubilee, I walk in a liberty that allows me to experience an unfettered life because Jesus is my Jubilee. And the harvest? Well, so much of my life lately has been relevant to those teachings.

Over the last two years, God has been teaching me about sowing into my husband and sowing into our children. He has taught me about sowing into His kingdom. He has also taught me some very basic principles regarding wheat.

You only reap wheat when you plant wheat. If you plant something else, you get a different crop entirely. So you'd better sow intentionally.
Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it cannot produce anything else. Death is a requirement to abundant life. (I'm still working on this one) You've got to die so that God can multiply your life and use it to nourish the nations.
The Boaz principle: Never reap so tightly that you forget to leave the corners of your fields dusted with wheat for those less fortunate. Have a "corner fund" at the ready -- you never know when God will call you to nourish others (and I don't mean your tithe -- this is extra, this is intentional, this is more - it is physical, financial, emotional).
Farmers are never off duty. Even when the fields look barren, there is work to be done. You must plant, water, watch, harvest, process, and then start all over again. It is never ending and you must approach it tirelessly. The same is true for the wife and mother. There are seasons, and not all of them are pleasant. But we aren't sowing for the moment; we are working with an eye on an eternal harvest.

Look to the fields ... they will one day be ripe for harvest - so sow into them wisely, my friends!

Linking up with Far Above Rubies, Titus2{sday} and Tuesday Confessional

Healthy Start: Meal Plan and Time Plan for the New Year

2012-01-02T07:53:00.004-06:00

Today marks life back to normal in our household. We have wrapped up the holidays and truly enjoyed our family time. Awesome Hubby was home for three and a half days with us -- something truly rare unless we are on vacation -- and we loved having time with all of us home together. We worked out in the yard, the men had a boys day out, we played scads of games, snuggled, giggled, chatted, and just loved our family time.

Today it is back to school, back to work, and back to the drawing board for a menu plan and a game plan. And though it's back to routine, we are always praying for moments when we can reach out to our children's hearts and reach them in a slightly special way. I pray you ask God for those, too, and find them! Enjoy your family as you live today and this week ... time is the one resource you can never recover.

Here's what we're looking at this week:

Monday {School, Home Together}

Breakfast: Eggs, fresh pineapple, small serving of oatmeal
Lunch: Ham and cheese, carrots and hummus, chips
Dinner: Loaded baked potato, chili and side salad, Christmas cookies for dessert

Tuesday {School, Home Together}

Breakfast: Delicious Orange Cranberry Muffins (recipe to follow soon!), Fresh Fruit
Lunch: Whole wheat bread with honey, Apple slices, Cheese slices
Dinner: Spaghetti with Garlic knots

Wednesday {Trip to Library, School, Church}

Breakfast: Muffin and banana
Lunch: Ham and cheese, carrots and hummus, chips
Dinner: Taco Casserole, side salad

Thursday {Community Bible Study, Individual Study for School, Errands, Home Together}

Breakfast: Homemade bagels, fruit spread {leaving early for CBS}
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly, carrots and hummus, chips, apple {at CBS}
Dinner: Chef Salad, Garlic knots

Friday {School, Family Game Night @ Home}

Breakfast: Eggs, fresh pineapple, small serving of oatmeal
Lunch: Ham and cheese, carrots and hummus, chips
Dinner: Homemade pizza, popcorn to eat during games

Saturday {Clean house, play (Mommy preps next week's school), build solar system model, Family Movie Night}

Breakfast: French toast, homefries, fruit
Lunch: Quesadillas, Brown rice (taco style)
Dinner: Leftovers!

Sunday {Church, rest, home together}

Breakfast: Homemade bagels, fruit, coffee (for Daddy) and yummy peach tango tea for the rest of us
Lunch: Grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, chips, carrots and celery with hummus
Dinner: BBQ chicken, rolls, mac & cheese, salad

Our focus this year is on a healthy family - healthy because we spend time investing in our relationships and because we steward over our physical health as well. Now that Christmas has passed (but the oh-so-earth shattering revelation of it has not!), we have the time and energy available to invest in creating a revolution in our home.
Linking up with Growing Home, Menu Plan Monday

Our Daily Bread {Part 2}

2011-12-31T11:04:00.001-06:00

I love to know about the how and the why of everything. So when the doctor told us that I was a ticking time bomb for diabetes and that our daughter hit all of the indicators and needed it to be controlled now, I started to read. I got my hands on every single thing I could. And a lot of it did not line up with what my health conscious self had already learned was good for us. So I prayed. And I started to read the Bible with an eye for anything that might apply.

I got so much more than I bargained for!

God really does have a plan for all of this. And, if I align our habits with His mandates, we'll be fine. I was so encouraged, but I felt a little crazy. I mean, who eats like they did in Leviticus? Well, believe it or not, a lot of people.

One of my favorite blogs has been Hallee the Homemaker (and I loved her recipes before we embarked on this journey, too!) because she shares the what and the why of the Levitical plan for nutrition. Not to mention about two years ago I felt like God was prompting me to learn how to make bread. And not only that, to make the flour I was using in it. I tried - and failed. But then, at the start of this new leg of the journey, God reminded me that He did not call me to give up. So I started to do more reading to see if maybe it was a part of the puzzle. It was! I found a blog (and I'm sorry I can't remember which one) that pointed me to a teach CD (order it HERE - it's totally FREE!) by Sue Becker. I ordered it, listened to it, and was convinced it was the missing piece. I've continued to read articles by her and watch the videos they have on their website for learning purposes.

And for the last month, it has been awesome around here. As a homeschooling mom, I can only tell you that I wish we had changed our diets like this at the start of the journey. And I'm so glad we're doing it now and not later. As a parent, I can tell you that God has shown me that quality nutrition is literally a tool I use to equip my children to behave well and have a good attitude; when I deprive them of it for convenience, then I am robbing them of a tool they need to succeed with their best. As a concerned mom wondering about various health issues in her children, I have found so much relief in seeing them all clear up! And as a woman who has not been at her healthiest, I am feeling better than I have in years. Even Awesome Hubby is on board!

God certainly knew what He was talking about when He spoke of daily bread. And none of the mandates in Scripture are pointless. I'm learning and growing in this area, and excited to see what else will be coming our way!

Our Daily Bread {Part I}

2011-12-29T08:02:00.001-06:00

This past year has been on that has turned our lives upside down, inside out, and more! Since last Christmas our family has grown, our home has been largely remodeled, our finances have changed, our diet has been drastically overhauled, our homeschooling style has done a total one-eighty, we have found a new church, we have started the journey of adoption, we celebrated our tenth anniversary, and about half a dozen other things I can think of off the top of my head.

The change I wanted to share with you today is one that is very exciting for me. God has been teaching me to trust Him for His provision each day. We've obeyed in finances, in child rearing, in regards to what activities we do and do not participate in, and even little household details. About two years ago we started obeying God's directive to make our family healthier. A little at a time we would eliminate something we should not eat/do and replace it with something better. I have been learning to trust in the large and the minute details. Each leg of the journey has made me more and more confident that my God shall supply all my needs ... even our daily bread.

A few months ago I found myself on my face before God asking Him about some things that had come to light. I found out I am borderline diabetic and that our oldest has every single indicator of childhood diabetes, plus a few other things that go along with it ... but we were told that a diet and lifestyle overhaul could make the needed difference in her life and in mine. I was also seeking God about behaviors. Our daughter is prone to emotions - it was not uncommon at that point for her to spontaneously combust into a puddle of tears over just about anything. Even she recognized that although she could not find a way to control it, it was not the response that she wanted to have in many circumstances. Our son was getting disenchanted with school (not a happy thing for a homeschooling family!) and plain 'ol mean at times, and I was getting grouchy, tired, and overwhelmed.

And God answered. But not in the way I expected. Or wanted. Or imagined in my wildest dreams. Come back tomorrow, and I'll tell you more about it -- about how we are not worried about diabetes now (although we still choose with wisdom), about how schooling has gotten better, about how self control has all but eliminated tears and temper tantrums in both of our children, and about how my spirit has been renewed and redeemed. God has given us each day our daily bread and it's changed our lives!

And if you're interested on why I'm challenging people to not make resolutions this year, read HERE and link up if you want to hop on board!

ReSolutions are Out; ReVolutions are In {and a Link Up!}

2011-12-28T08:48:00.005-06:00

I'm not a big fan of New Year Resolutions. They often fizzle out and fade away. And then you're left with a heap of despondency and doubt in your ability to succeed as a person.

But I do like revolutions. What's the difference? Let me share it with you:

A resolution is a statement of intention or setting the course of the mind. It is an idea of what you want to do.
A revolution, however, is a radical and pervasive change or a complete, marked change.

So one is wanting to do something. The other is actually changing your life and doing it.

Each year I ask God for a word and a theme. This year my theme is abandoned to faith and my word is prudence. At first glance, these two really don't seem like a well matched pair. Abandoned to faith means to be completely yielded over to that which I cannot see . Prudence is related to careful consideration and care. But they do work together ... at least for me.

God is teaching us to walk forward in faith. He's taken us on some crazy journeys already and 2012 is going to surpass them all. I feel like so much of my life has been a training ground for what is coming. The Beloved has been whispering to my heart; He is calling me to give myself completely over to Him. I have an image in my mind of walking blindfolded through this next year, holding His hand. And He is leading me around every dangerous place and taking my to places of beauty and wholeness.

Prudence is careful consideration, living with wisdom understanding future import of present actions, and frugality. It relates to wisdom in relationships and life choices, stewardship of resources, and an overall attitude of discretion.

My Personal Top 5 for 2012 are:

Become more intimate with God; I want my quiet times to mean something
Get up and dressed every morning before 7 a.m.
To show my husband I loved him in one special way every single day
To love my children more than I love myself -- and have the way I allocate my time be reflective of that
To exercise discipline and self control in my choices (diet, exercise, time)

My Top 5 for the Home in 2012 are:

To nurture our spirits with daily family devotions
To nurture our bodies with healthy meals, three times a day (plus snacks!)
To homeschool with intention and excellence, patience and encouragement
To re-institute weekly family game night
To make sure that every single item in our home has a place and that it can be easily put there

Please, link up your theme, your word, your goals for this New Year. And stop by and encourage someone else who has done the same! (Click on the blue letters to add your Linky ... they are below the line!)

I've linked up with Above Rubies, Growing Home, WLW Wednesday, Raising Homemakers, and Peace Creek on the Prairie, too

Now What?

2011-12-27T11:15:00.001-06:00

The days following Christmas always leave me wondering. Is it exciting to pack up the decorations and move into the new year or should I be wistful that such a time of anticipation and excitement has ended? To be honest, it depends on the year for me. This year, it's both. Next Christmas we'll have even more children and so I am already looking forward to the added joy each child brings. This next year holds much promise for our family and I can't wait. However, I've truly enjoyed many special moments this Christmas season and loved the peace we've been living in.

This week, for us, is one of anticipation and preparation. In our family, we have a New Years tradition (it's a young one, but we plan to continue it!) that we must now prepare for. We will ring in the New Year together at home ... with snack foods and a movie and one present for each person to celebrate the final day of the year. The next day we will enjoy a day of family relaxing and go over our goals for the next year. We will talk about things we want to experience, things we hope to learn, the people we want to grow into. We will set goals for ourselves, but also for our family. We will also reflect on the year we have just finished. It's a time of encouragement and a time of motivation.

What will you do?

The Final, Most Important Character of Christmas ... and it's not Jesus {Day 25}

2011-12-24T08:30:00.001-06:00

I had a great post all spun out. Truly poignant. I was actually quite proud of it.

And then I felt like God told me I had it all wrong. Here's how it went.

God: You're missing it.
Me: How?!?!
God: Look closely.
Me: It's the Christmas story; how can I be missing it? I've got it memorized for crying out loud!
God: You're writing about the most important part.
Me: I know, God. That's why I wrote about Jesus.
God: Keep looking.
Me: Seriously. Seriously? You want me to look some place else to find the most important part?
God: Keep looking.

I just have to ask. Is anyone else as confused as I was at this point? I mean, really, it's Jesus' birthday. Who could be more important than Jesus?

Me: Okay, God, I looked. I do not see any other character to write about. Well, okay, there's Simeon, the rabbi who circumcised the infant Jesus on the 8th day, the animals in the stable. But, God, it's the last post in the series and I want to write about Jesus! I saved the best part for last.

And then I heard it. The truth. An epiphany.

God: Jesus isn't the most important character in the Christmas story. He is Christmas.

Me: Okay, true. I can see that. But that's just a phrase to talk about the people in the story.

God: Yes, but there is another character who is important that I want you to write about.

Me: Sure thing. WHO?

God: YOU. Everyone who reads this. Jesus isn't a character in the story; He is the story. But you are. You, and every other person throughout time on this earth. Without you all, I would never have sent Him in the first place. The opening line of my love letter to earth came in the form of a newborn babe. I signed that letter on Calvary in red. I know you want to celebrate His birthday, and that is precious. But realize how incredibly precious, please. Christmas symbolizes the moment in history that I knew it was finally time to redeem you so that we no longer had to be separated. Christmas symbolizes the second time in history that God walked with man and gives hope for the next and final time. Christmas symbolizes, more than anything, how I wrote you a love letter before I even created you and had a plan because nothing -not sin, not death, not hell itself- could keep me away from you. Christmas is about YOU and how much YOU are loved.

Merry Christmas friends!

Holiday Plan: Activities and Menus

2011-12-23T11:13:00.000-06:00

I'm a planner. I like things to run smoothly. And that's so ironic, considering I end up flying by the seat of my pants half the time. But when it comes to special events and family time, I like to have done my prep work so that all that is left is to enjoy it. I also like to take some time to journal special memories and write down things we'll enjoy remembering next year. So here is how the holiday week will go for us. I'd love to hear how yours will go, too!

Christmas Eve: During the day, the kids and I will "holiday clean." And then we'll read all kinds of fun Christmas stories, make a craft (probably just something simple so the house will stay kind of clean), and watch a holiday movie. For dinner, I always make something a little extra special. After the kids go to bed, Awesome Hubby and I will wrap up their presents and set up the living room to "wow" them when they wake up. Then we'll go to bed, knowing that morning will come quickly!

Dinner: Homemade gyro meat (a mixture of ground lamb and beef with seasonings), homemade pita bread, tzatziki sauce, salad, and wild rice.
Dessert: Homemade banana pudding (except I'm not making it; it was a gift from a friend who knows I've had dreams of her specialty!).

Christmas Day: We start out the morning by reading the Christmas story. I'll have hot cocoa and coffee made and ready to drink as we gather around the tree and turn on the lights and dedicate this day to the One we are celebrating. I will have muffin bites and fruit out to nibble on while we open presents and brunch is baking in the oven. We will have a relish try out for nibbling on during the day and an Italian feast for dinner.

Mini muffins: homemade cranberry orange bites and chocolate bites, apple slices.
Brunch: Egg bake (egg, ground turkey sausage, cheese, bell peppers), French Toast with peaches, Homefries, fresh pineapple.
Relish tray: Triscuits and spreadable cheeses, olives, pickles, cucumber stick, celery sticks, ranch dip, chips.
Dinner: Salad, garlic bread, stuffed shells, sausage and meatballs.
Dessert: Believe it or not, we don't always do one ... but I made some sugar cookies :)

New Years Eve: We started a tradition in our home to ring in the New Year. We don't like going out to parties or even separating to go our separate ways at church (Kids to kids class and us to service). We like to be together. So we have a PJ party! We put on fun jammies, watch a new movie (usually a Christmas gift), eat hor'dourves, and everyone gets one gift to open. Then we play a game, read a bed time story, and hit the sack.

Stuffed jalapeno boats, potato skins, taquito style wraps
Ice Cream Sunaes (Awesome Hubby's favorite ... he's going to be so excited!)

New Years Day: We chill out. We take the first day of the year to relax and spend together as we intend to continue the year with a family focus. We each talk about our goals and any themes God might have shown us. Food is simple, but satisfying. The focus is on growing together as a family.

Breakfast: Pancakes, Eggs, Homefries, Fruit
Lunch: Toasted Subs (hopefully turkey, avocado, bacon, provolone, lettuce and tomato if I can get all the ingredients on sale!) and chips.
Dinner: Blackened Chicken Alfredo, salad, homemade garlic knots, sparkling punch

I've Waited So Long for This Day! {Day 24}

2011-12-23T09:27:00.000-06:00

Perhaps the character I'd most like to be in the Christmas story is one that showed up a little late to the party. Eight days after the Big Event, to be precise. Her name is Anna.

Anna was a prophetess. There really hadn't been any of those walking around Israel for about four hundred years. Before Anna, there had been a time termed "The Silent Years" ... that time from the end of Malachi to the beginning of Matthew. God had made His people wait.

But then ... then something awesome happened. He began to stir in the hearts of some of the people an awareness that it was almost time. Time to be ready. Time to keep eyes wide open. Time to fast, pray, and look. Time to start preparing hearts who would listen. John the Baptist lept in Elizabeth's womb. Anna and Simeon hung around the Temple. I'm certain there were others who also knew something was coming.

But I love Anna.

She had been a widow for 84 years. She was right around the ripe old age of one hundred. She was not living in a state of mourning, but in one of expectant exultation. She stayed in the Temple, all the time, just fasting and praying. And one day, a young couple walks in with their 8 day old son and she starts leaping and dancing and shouting with excitement!

I bet the people -those other devout, religious people- thought she was insane. I bet they were worried she would fall and break a hip. The loved the same God, read the same Scriptures. But they didn't get it. She did.

I doubt she really cared what people thought. She knew. She knew it was He - the One she had been waiting for!

You see, Anna was so in tune with the heart of the Father and so in love with Him, that she recognized Him even in His unexpected infant form. She recognized what others missed. Her entire life was spent with bated breath, waiting for that one moment when she would see His face. He didn't need to deliver her, heal her, overthrow a government. She just needed to glimpse His face.

God, I want to love You with that abandon. I want to want to see Your face so badly that nothing else matters. I want to long for such intimacy with You that when I catch a glimpse of You - in whatever way You choose to appear ... even if it's not what I've expected or asked for - that I am exuberantly excited. Bring me closer, Beloved!

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

A Royal Pain {Day 23}

2011-12-22T08:09:00.000-06:00

When we tell the Christmas story, we often circumvent the role of King Herod. But really, God used him to play quite the role in getting Mary and Joseph to go where He needed them.

Herod was a wily soul and a very insecure, ego-maniacal leader. He tried to con the wise men into coming back and telling him where the Christ child was "so [he] could go and worship Him, too." He was so threatened by a newborn babe and so puffed up with his own power, he just assumed he could outsmart God. When he didn't get his way, he slaughtered innocent babes.

It makes me nauseous. And it's so easy to look down my nose at him.

But I often act that same way. I remember many times when I tried to make things come out my way without praying about what God wanted. I hesitate to imagine the spiritual casualties that resulted in.

And yet, I also find comfort. When God sets something in motion, He is not deterred my human sin. When He ordains something, He is supreme and finds a way. Look at your life today. Look at what God has spoken over it. And then stop being concerned by the circumstances you find yourself in. God is sovereign!

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

The Stinky Outcasts {Day 22}

2011-12-21T07:35:00.001-06:00

Perhaps my other favorite characters in this ongoing look at the Christmas saga are the stinky outcasts of society. I've always had a heart for the rejected and the different. Possibly because I can so totally relate to them. And I love how God often chooses them (it gives me hope that He'll choose me to use one day for some beautiful purpose of His own!).

Christmas morning was no different. The shepherds were up in the hills, watching the sheep. The night was cold, the sky a pitch backdrop to the stunning light of the stars that were different this year for some reason. The smell of the sheep and the smell of the men intermingled; a shepherd often walks among his flock and picks up their distinct odor.

They talked of the lambs they would send to town to be sold by the Temple for sacrifices; only the best of the best would do. Perhaps some of the younger men, not so set in their ways, scoffed at the irony of their job. After all, they were tasked with finding the best lambs and protecting them from injury or attack so they would be worthy to lay down on the altar before Jehovah. And yet, the men themselves were considered unclean and unable to participate in so holy an event. The old men just advised them to accept the laws instituted by the religious leaders of the day; their passions had long since retired in the face of continual rejection. The young men, though, they had dreams and visions of grandeur; after al, they reasoned, King David started out as a lowly shepherd, did he not? Why can't God use us for some great thing, as though we were like him?

The old men laughed at the idealism of youth; their dreams now buried, they had little patience for those who thought beyond the boundaries of acceptable. After all, it was just the way things were and longing for more would just make you discontented with your lot in life. Wisdom says if that is how we worship God and that is how it is done in your time, don't be rebellious and expect more. The older shepherds tried to impart their knowledge.

To keep the peace, one of the shepherds begins to sing a psalm of the great David who walked those same hills. It was a psalm of expectation.

Suddenly, the pitch sky was not just dotted with beacons of light; it was totally sliced open to allow the greatest light they had ever seen illuminate the mountainside. A host of angels filled the sky and gave them the news that the Perfect Lamb had come. Suddenly, the dried up dreams of the old men were resuscitated and the longing in the hearts of the young was fulfilled. They rushed to see this precious Gift in the lowliest of places - a barn! - and yet they knew that even the grandeur of the Temple could not hold the same honor and richness of that place.

Which one are you?
Are you the older shepherd, who feels rejected once too many and has given up hope? Or are you the younger one, full of passion and yet afraid to step out of the box? Are you the one burgeoning with hopes and glimpses of something different, something radical and yet just can't seem to grasp it? Or perhaps you are that one given to praising when logic and dreams collide; trusting God that He loves you and will make a way. Take a look at Scripture and don't be afraid; God is coming and He is coming for you no matter anyone else thinks about you or has declared over you. You are His!

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Linked up with Women Living Well

The Crazy Coots of Christmas {Day 21}

2011-12-20T08:42:00.000-06:00

So who are you guessing I'm terming the Crazy Coots of Christmas? Any ideas?

Well, traditionally we call them the Wise Men. Three men, hailing from east of Bethlehem, who travel with costly gifts through miles of desert to sit at the feet of a toddler. With nothing more to guide them than a change in constellations. Seriously. They followed a really bright star.

Can you imagine leaving your life ... a very comfortable life ... where you are held in high esteem and have everything you need or want ... to follow a bright star?

Craziness.

or Faith. Extreme Faith.

Beautiful Faith.

Passion.

A transcendent understanding that there is something more important in life than the trappings of wealth of privilege. Something higher to attain to than education, prosperity, and societal standing. And understanding of how truly empty those things are.

Not only that, but to be taken into a king's palace and to have him ask you to return to that opulence and lead him to your discovery. To have angels warn you in a dream that that is dangerous. To devise a plan to disobey the ruler who could have you killed if he found out before you left his territory. To listen to a God you did not know growing up, but have sought out because the longing in your heart is so strong to hear Him.

I want to be that crazy. Not just at Christmas, but every day.

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Knock, Knock (No Joke!) {Day 19}

2011-12-19T00:23:00.001-06:00

One character in the Christmas story that's always grabbed my attention was the innkeeper. I've seen him vilified, pitied, overlooked. But really ... what do we know about him? For one, we know his business was rockin' his socks off that year. Talk about gangbuster business! People were sleeping two deep, piled into corners, probably even sitting up to make room for more people. The man had a legitimate reason for turning away more business ... he just couldn't handle it.

But dude, give the guy a break! The above question is a cute way to put it, but in reality I'm sure that the innkeeper was just doing what he thought was best.

It wasn't like he looked at Mary and thought, "Wow, you look like a nice young lady. I bet that's the Messiah growing in there. I think I'll turn you away anyhow."

I've heard it speculated that the innkeeper is the one who offered them the stable out of pity. I can only imagine. But it does get me thinking every year. How often have I done what I thought was best or necessary and missed out? So this is my checklist heading into this final week of Advent:

God, is my life too full for You?

Will I recognize You if You come a little camouflaged?

Have I turned away others in Your name and therefore said no to You?

Is my busy-ness creating an environment that is so overly full that You will birth blessings elsewhere?

Today I'm going to slow down. I'm going to remember that JESUS really is the reason for this season and that if I allow activity to eclipse Him, it is pointless. I'm going to have fun with my children and my husband, reading our Advent stories and talking about the most important gifts we'll give this season: Love, Peace, and Joy. I don't want to become so wrapped up in all of the hustle bustle that I fail to have room in my life for unexpected God-moments! What about you?

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Linked with Moms The Word

Here's to Joe: The Man Behind the Scenes {Day 17}

2011-12-16T00:45:00.000-06:00

Joseph has to be one of the most intriguing characters in the Christmas saga. Very little is known about the man. We know his lineage, his wife, and his children. We know his occupation. There is very little in Scripture said about him beyond the early chapters of the Gospels. Mary crops up here and there, Jesus' brothers are around, but Daddy isn't.

Yo, Joe ... where are you?

I've heard some speculate that he wasn't really a key player in the big picture. I don't buy into that theory at all.

Surely God, our Father, would not pick just any man to father His own child during His time on earth. I just don't believe that could happen. No, I think Joe was a man of integrity. In fact, I can say that with a fair amount of certainty because of how quickly he changed his own plans to align them with God.

Joe was no fool; he recognized that Mary wasn't the ideal virginal wife when she showed up to tell him she was pregnant. And yet, it speaks highly of both of their characters that he was willing to do what needed to be done without making a spectacle of her. He didn't care about opinions; he cared about the people. And when God spoke to him, he answered. He married a woman pregnant with a child not his own and gave his life to protect that child's and raise that child.

No matter that the child was the Christ. He still cried for milk in the middle of the night, still teethed, still asked incessant questions, still needed to have food and clothes provided for him, still needed to be taught a trade, still needed to have Scripture ingrained in His heart as directed by the sh'mah.

And Joe? He did that. He raised a young man to know the Scriptures so well that He held His own at a very early age with the religious leaders in the synagogue. He raised up a man who respected His mother and honored her request to miraculously turn water into wine even though it was not time yet. He raised up a man had the self discipline to fast in the desert and face the devil.

Yes, this child, this young man, was the Messiah. But He had within Him the potential to sin. If He didn't, He would not have been able to be tempted in every way. If He didn't, His presence on earth and His death would have been irrelevant.

So Joseph raised this boy into a man, fathering the Son of the Father. And He equipped Him, supported Him, loved Him so that He could fulfill the call of His Father in Heaven. Joe had to have been quite a man to be hand picked for that job.

My hat is off to you, Joe. May dads everywhere follow your example and love children, regardless of genetics, with the love of the Father Himself so that this next generation becomes all that God has called it to be! May wives everywhere love their husbands and pray for the men in their families to step up to this calling. May we all love the children of this world with the unfettered grace that Joseph loved the Christ child.

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

As If Being A Teen Weren't Hard Enough! {Day 16}

2011-12-15T08:21:00.000-06:00

Welcome back. If you've been joining me this week, you know we're taking a good look at the characters of Christmas ... hopefully from a new perspective. I don't know about you, but pretty much every single year I get to hear at least one sermon on Mary, one on Joseph, and one on the "others." This year, I felt like God challenged me to find things in this part of Scripture that I'd never realized before. I think Elizabeth is my favorite, actually ... and she's one I've often overlooked.

But what about Mary? What can I tell you that I haven't told you already?

Probably nothing. {Insert smile here ... cheesy smile, at that!}

But I can share with you what I think she might have felt like. Scholars age Mary at anywhere from 13 to as old as 17. But she is still well within that teenage range and that means she was just like every other teen God created. With hormones, heightened emotions, strong passions, waffling self esteem, hopes and girlish dreams, and big fears.

Ever wonder why 4 years in high school can shape a person's future? Why twenty years after graduation, people still get together and remember vividly what being a teen was like and how they viewed people? When we're teens, everything is more colorful and alive and important than at other times.

As if that's not hard enough to handle, Mary gets a visit from Gabriel in which she -a pure, innocent, virginal young lady on the cusp of womanhood- is told that not only is her entire life about to change, but that she stands to lose everything. Young women in Mary's day and age didn't just get pregnant and keep on going to school or walking around town, people applauding them for not having an abortion and telling them how cute babies are and how they can do it.

No, it was a little more reserved back then. Mary could face being stoned if Joseph wanted to expose her. She certainly faced a lifetime of spinsterhood; who would marry someone who gave their virginity away, after all? She faced a lifetime of shame, too. And the love of her life? Well, she was going to be lucky if he still married here with this news. And then ... and this may be total projecture, but I know it's how I'd feel ... then, she'd have to wonder Why me? I'm not good enough for this.

Or maybe Mary was more optimistic. Maybe she wondered if Joseph would be excited, too. Maybe she expected her parents to rejoice with the news that the Messiah would be their grandbaby and they would get to spoil God Himself when He was a toddler. Maybe she understood grace a little bit more than I do and knew God would equip her. Maybe.

But I'm thinking she was a little more realistic than that. Or at least more human. Surely there were doubts and fears, hopes and anticipation and mangled together in her heart.

What's that look like in my life? Well, it means that there are times God is going to come to me. Times when He is going to nudge me in a direction that not only seems impossible, but that look ludicrous. And He's going to give me two choices: (a.) turn and run or (b.) reply as Mary: "Let it be to me as you have said."

The moment of truth arrives when God speaks to us and shares His plan. Have you been there? Have you looked all around and thought that nothing good could come from this? Or have you ever known God had something great and awesome to do, but then shied away when He asked you to be a part of it?

And we are told that she treasured these things in her heart. How beautiful. She was obviously more mature than your average teen, more ready for intimacy with God than others of her day. And she went through scorn, rejection, disbelief and probably a whole spectrum of other emotions when she shared the news (why else would Joseph plan on divorcing her quietly?). And yet, she took all these things and treasured them. I don't think that just refers to His birth; I think it encompasses the entire story.

Mary got a lesson in treasure: it's not all good and shiny ... but it is all valuable. I challenge you today (and me!): be open. Be ready. Be available. Know that God knows your heart (fears and weaknesses, hopes and strengths) and when He calls you it may not line up with how you've planned on things going. But if He wants to use you to birth something special, He's already lined up every single detail. But YOU have to be the one to say okay. It's up to YOU to say LET IT BE TO ME AS YOU HAVE SAID.

Please Join These Bloggers in

their 25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Angel Say WHAT?!?! {Day 15}

2011-12-14T07:26:00.001-06:00

Ever wonder what it would be like to have an angel come into your room or walk up to you out in public and give you a message from God? There are a handful of folks in Scripture - starting way back with Abraham - who had angelic encounters. Nearly all of them freaked out and had to be told not to be afraid!

I totally get that. I mean ... HELLO! ... I am pretty sure I'd freak out, too. One thing I don't know about is whether or not I'd have the ability to speak. I'm thinking I'd be stunned speechless (those of you who know me well are probably doubting that, but really ... it's a big deal for me to be speechless).

Gabriel got quite a workout traveling from heaven's throne room to Israel the year Jesus was born (frequent flier miles, anyone?). First to Zechariah and then to Mary. And both of them started out afraid and ended up questioning his message. (As a side bar, Abraham did this, too! And Joshua. And Gideon. Doesn't take long for the shock to wear off and human nature to step in, does it?)

Picture it with me in a today kind of way (poetic license taken; hope that's okay):

MESSENGER: I have come to tell you that God is going to do {insert unfathomable miracle here}, a great and beautiful thing in your life.

YOU/ME: uh uh uh uh {stuttering in shock!}

MESSENGER: Calm down and put away your fear. God has a plan and this is on a heavenly timetable. You don't have to make sense of this, there is not a single way you can justify this logically, and you have now stepped into the supernatural in a way you have not before. God is doing this because you are highly favored in His sight.

YOU/ME: Are you sure? That doesn't sound totally possible! Let me break this down for you, Gabe ... my life has {whatever challenges you are currently facing} going on and so what you're saying can't really happen that way.

Now, I'd love to think it wouldn't be like that. But it is. Nearly every day. God comes to us gently, lovingly, beautifully all of the time. He no longer has to send an angel because He has sent His son and there is no longer a veil blocking us from His presence. Instead, Holy Spirit comes and whispers to us. He beckons us to come closer, to step up higher, to engage more. And oh so often I sit back and think, "That's crazy!" or "That makes no sense at all" or "I just can't see how that makes sense."

You see, when the supernatural begins to seem mundane, I start to limit God to natural boundaries. What a mistake! I want to stop taking the Word of God and trying to fit it into my human box. I want to respond like Mary when I hear the voice of God and reply, "Let it work in my life just the way You're said it. If You've ordained it, I trust You!"

I get that they all questioned God ... I used to think it was nuts when I was kid, but I get it now. I couldn't understand in my youthful passion for God how anyone could second guess Him when He was sending something so awesome to them. Now, as an adult, I like things to make a little more sense. Dear Lord, give me back my faith and trust in You!

I challenge you today: Open your ears, your heart, your life. Listen to God. And when He begins to whisper in your heart a dream that is impossible, don't reason it away. Step up like Mary and reply: I'm ready for this; You are with me and I trust You!

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Linked up with Women Living Well

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Auntie, HELP! {Day 14}

2011-12-13T00:49:00.003-06:00

After Gabriel came to visit Mary, not much is said about family reaction, teenage emotions, or community conjecture over her pregnancy. We can assume that several people expected Joseph to divorce her, even Joseph himself for a time, based upon Scripture's reference to that. We can also assume that no one believed she was virginally innocent once she started showing and that it might have been hard to fit in anywhere at that point. But we don't really know anything.

Except that she had a beautiful support system in her aunt (actually, it was a distant cousin, but I have often heard that the relationship was more that of an aunt/niece), Elizabeth. A woman who was also supernaturally gifted with a child, though in a slightly less miraculous way. A woman whose faith allowed her and her husband to accept what God was giving them. A woman who raised a man who walked in a faith so radical that people thought he was Elijah the prophet returning.

What a woman! I wonder if I'll ever have that inner strength that she must have possessed.

When Mary went to see her, I can only imagine it was with a supernatural measure of peaceful resolve coupled with human uncertainty and fear. And what she found in Elizabeth's hug of greeting was affirmation, encouragement, honor, respect, and expectancy for what was coming.

Even here, God provided.

Just like He directs us in Titus 2 to seek out older women to learn from, so He gave Mary an older woman in a very similar situation (about as similar as you can get when dealing with a miraculously unique situation!) to speak wisdom and encouragement over her. I can picture them over a cup of tea talking of things that no one else would even whisper about, bonding over the fact that they were both carrying men in their womb who would shape history. I wonder what they said to one another?

God is nothing if not constant and consistent, loving and generous. I want to encourage you today to look back at Scripture and see how time and again God provided a gentle encouragement for women in tough situations. You are not alone, no matter how alone you feel today. God has provided Holy Spirit for you, the Son Himself is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, and there is a Titus 2 woman out there praying for you (even if you haven't met each other yet). God gave Mary an Elizabeth and He will give you one, too, if you need her!

Please Join These Bloggers in

their 25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Linked with Titus2sday

The Key Players - Part 1 {Day 13}

2011-12-11T23:51:00.000-06:00

Ever find yourself thinking about the key players in the Christmas story? I used to think I identified most with Mary - after all, I've been a young girl, I've been scared and pregnant, I've faced the unknown and ~~slightly~~ incredibly overwhelming world of motherhood. Now, I'm not so certain.

So, who do you think of when you think about Christmas? Who is it that you most relate to when you think about that miraculous day? This week, I'll be taking a look at some of the key players in the story. I'd love for you to share a link to your blog if you are doing the same. I'd love to read your comments if you want to share any thoughts.

One thing I like to do is imagine who they are in the context of my world today. I'll be getting to that in each day's blog post. I'll be delving into Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the Wise Men, the Shepherds, King Herod, Elizabeth, and -if time permits and God leads me this way- a few others we don't think about as much. So come back and see me!

Today I'll leave you with this thought: Who are YOU? And what role do you have in the exciting coming of the King?

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

Fun at Home {Day 11}

2011-12-10T00:23:00.003-06:00

Today is a great day. We have two (yes, two!) Christmas parades to attend and play dough to make. I cannot wait to try out THIS RECIPE from Tammy's Recipes for holiday scented play dough. How cool and yummy is this??? (THIS PICTURE IS HERS ... WE WILL SHARE OURS IF IT COMES OUT WELL). By the way, if you're new to her website, we love her tortilla recipe - and several others. There are some great kitchen tips there, too!

And Joye shared a wonderful recipe yesterday for salt dough ornaments and I've been looking for a way to bake our own dough instead of buying it. Take a peek at that HERE. I think we might give this a go if we have time, as well. While you're there, peek around her blog. Way back when I first discovered blogging, hers was a favorite stopping place for me.

UPDATE: We did the salt dough ornaments and painted them and they are treasures! You've got to try it :)

What do you do to decorate your home? I love the idea of decorating, creating a tradition, and making a tangible memory all at once!

Make Your Home Sing link up

25 Days of Christmas Series:

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays @ Graceful Abandon

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers @ Sidetracked Sarah

25 Days of Christmas Traditions @ Sharing the Journey

25 Days of Simple Christmas @ Simply Living for Him

The Bittersweetness of It All {Day 10}

2011-12-09T00:13:00.000-06:00

I missed a day in my 25 days of Christmas series. But I have a really good reason; I promise.

Yesterday was our home study for the adoption process. It is a bittersweet victory for us; sweet because it is one step closer to bringing our child(ren) home, but sad because it is Christmas and we are not together. But I'm moving forward in joy. And peace. And trust. And faith.

We are in the process of adoption; we have saved, raised, and earned about half of the money we need to go and complete our precious family. It hurts me so much to see the materialism of the season and all the money people throw around and know that it is that same money that is the barrier between us and bringing our family home. I have always been frugal, but I'm bringing it to a whole new level. In the last few weeks we kind of loosened the purse strings, but today strengthened my resolve not to do that any more. God is bringing me back to the very start of this journey. He is calling me to follow His heartbeat and ride with Him on this adventure.

Someone shared this video with me and I ask you to listen to the words; this articulated so beautifully what my heart has been crying out. I sat in a puddle of tears, but the last verse filled me with hope for next Christmas. Her stocking is hanging, but it is waiting. Next year it will be filled and the wait will be over!

It's time to be moved beyond pity and into a place of determined compassion. It's time to step out and step up. There is a world out there filled with fatherless children ... and it starts just outside your door. What will YOU do about it? Will you pray? Will you go? Will you love? Will you support someone else who longs to do so? I challenge you: ask God what gift you can give to the Father of All ... how you can be His hands extended this season to one who has no one else to love them.

I don't normally toss this out there, but if you'd like to help us on this adoption journey you can click the paypal donate button on the top right. All money will go directly into our adoption account and be used to help us with our adoption costs.

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Decking the Halls {Day 8}

2011-12-07T09:39:00.001-06:00

Do you have a "deck the halls" tradition? When I was growing up, I remember by mom making a really big deal about hauling the boxes of ornaments in from the shed, playing our favorite Christmas CDs (who am I kidding? My earliest memories are with cassettes!), and decking our tree. I remember taking an entire day to bake and decorate and beautifully plate Christmas cookies to be gifts for anyone and everyone we knew and loved. I loved all of our traditions; I think Christmas is the center of pretty much all of my favorite childhood memories at home -- my mom made it wonderful special!

(this table is decorated with things that have been in my family for decades; it is especially

precious to me since I live so far away from my family and miss them greatly at this time of year!)

I do it a little bit differently with my kids, but the memories are no less precious. And I'm praying my kids grow those same beautiful memories. I decorate when my kids are in bed -- either nap or after bedtime -- and they wake up to a Winter Wonderland. Last night I burned the midnight oil to set up the tree, hung our stockings, and put out the rest of our decor. When they woke up this morning it was with giggles and radically high levels of excitement! I also snuck into their rooms and hid decorations on their shelves and walls for them to discover.

What's your holiday decorating tradition? Part of having a simple holiday at home that is also rich with love and times to cherish is creating a tradition; God Himself is the author of traditions (just look at how He established the feasts and times of remembrance!) and it is only normal that we find comfort and delight in them ourselves. The challenge is in creating traditions that are meaningful and will leave a lasting impact; I want to leave a legacy of faith, not just empty fun. But the fun is great, too!

Have a blessed day, my friends. We're off to the Wee Theatre to see "Twas the Night Before Christmas"!

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Staying on Track {Day 7}

2011-12-06T09:19:00.001-06:00

Awesome Hubby and I were super blessed by the Best Friend last night; we got to go on a date together! Our original plan? Hit the mall, maybe a few shops, grab a bargain meal, and catch a dollar movie (gotta love that $1 theatre!). It didn't happen that way; we got totally derailed.

After reading THIS POST (don't forget to go read it; I think it's truly spectacular!), we decided to do Christmas a little differently. We have always thought our children received a little too much (and the funny part? Very rarely did we buy them much ... it's called grandparents, friends, extended family, and so on!). But one child in particular seems to think it is all about a huge stack of presents and what will be inside of them. The want-List is growing by the minute. And that breaks our hearts as parents.

I know it's natural, but it's not where I want their hearts to be. I desire for my children to truly understand that worth is priceless. So how do I teach them this? By giving them gold, frankincense, and myrhh (yup, you gotta read that blog post I mentioned to get it!).

Before we decided to go that route, we had our Christmas ideas all mapped out. Then, we thought better about it. We picked one gift that will be their eye-popping, jumping up and down with excitement gift. Just one. I found like four a piece and then had ideas for more. But we picked a favorite. Then we picked a more practical need gift. Now, to be totally honest, it's not a "needed" item like a toothe brush, but it is something we can use for schooling and it's fun. Lastly, they are each receiving something that helps them express themselves creatively - this we picked specifically for them. And my mom is giving them each beautiful Bibles with their names stamped on the front (they're gonna go ga-ga over those -- both have been asking for a while now!).

It wasn't easy to stay on track. But that's the point of a simple, home for the holiday themed Christmas. We are going to teach our precious little people that it's more about what you give and what God has given than anything that comes under the tree. But we'll also bless them with something simply because we love them. And I pray that as they get older and we continue with our new tradition of only gifting gold, frankincense, and myrhh (now see, you just have to go read THIS POST so you get it!) that they will come to understand the beauty of a well chosen gift and think just as thoughtfully when it is their turn to give.

How are you staying on track this holiday season?

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Linked up with Tuesday Confessional

Are We There Yet? {Day 6}

2011-12-05T07:45:00.001-06:00

Sometimes the wait is hard. In fact, for a child it's probably quite the challenge. I know for me it is, too. Looking forward to a certain day, just waiting, waiting, waiting... Or, being the mom whose children have all these grand ideas and keep asking, "How many more days?"

It's like being on a road trip and having them ask, "Are we there yet?" every ten minutes! I find comfort in the fact that Jesus is waiting, too. He is excited to come back and catch up His Bride. He is finding opportunities to ready us for that day, to build in us a child like anticipation that just cannot wait for His arrival to be here. Now.

What are you waiting for? Are you super excited about Christmas this year? Are you waiting, eagerly, for the moment when your children run around the corner and see the presents under the tree? Or are you seeing that there is more to it than that?

Perhaps the spirit of Advent has stolen your heart and you are instead waiting for the King to come. You are waiting for the Gift of Heaven to arrive and take you home ... you are asking, "Are we there yet, God? Is it time?"

Today, we're reading our Advent books as we do each day (Jotham's Journey each day and The Jesse Tree each night). We're also going to make hot cocoa and listen to Christmas music with Daddy after dinner. During the day, we'll do spelling words (words like Advent, Christmas, present, coming, holiday, and season ... I like themed studies!), crafts (Christmas cards for our neighbors), clean the living room and ready it for the tree (yes, we're running way behind!). And most importantly, I'll share with my children while I am just as antsy as they are -- except that I'm waiting for a different day to arrive. And I'll be planting the seeds of hope in them.

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Lining up with Titus2sday and Make Your Home Sing Monday

Home For the Holidays {Day 5}

2011-12-04T00:19:00.012-06:00

I pray that today you enjoy a day of rest. Those of you lighting an Advent candle, I pray your anticipation is like that flame ... shining, glowing, waiting ... never dimming. Be blessed!

⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
   will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Waiting at Home {Day 4}

2011-12-03T00:57:00.000-06:00

The whole point of Advent is to acknowledge the wait. Technically, we are waiting for Christmas. We are waiting to celebrate the birth of Christ. But it's so much more than that. Or at least it should be.

It is a time to acknowledge that we are waiting for the Messiah. It is a time to say, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!" It is a time to live with bated breath and eager readiness. We are not simply acknowledging that He came two thousand years ago; we are acknowledging that He is coming again.

Does your home reflect this waiting? I know that my children are thrilled to sing Happy Birthday Jesus and think about a wee babe in a manger. And to get gifts and sing carols. But I want them to understand the true celebration.

We are a bride, waiting for a bridegroom who is being restrained by His Father. The Father is saying, "Not yet, my Son."

WHY???

Because we are not ready. He is returning for a Bride without spot and blemish. He is returning for the Church who has preached the Gospel in every corner, who has sent out the call of salvation and who has lived sacrificially with an eye on eternity. He is waiting for every last heart that is ready to turn to Him. Then, and only then, will the Father release the Bridegroom.

Until that moment, He is at home in heaven. Waiting. And we are here ... in our home ... waiting. I want our home to reflect that. We are not sitting on our laurels whiling away the time. We are waiting -- readying our own hearts to receive Him for eternity -- reaching out to everyone we can, living out His great love for them -- not holding on to things but instead laying it all down to pick up a Cross -- waiting for Him to come and bring us home.

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Thanks to Rhonda Jewell for the photo! Click the image to go see more of her stunning work.

The Most Precious Ornament: BROKEN! {Day 3}

2011-12-02T07:32:00.001-06:00

When I was around ten years old, I was a part of an event that had a lot to do with shaping who I am as a person. It certainly defined how I celebrated Christmas, that year and every year since. Let's see if you can get the picture.

Yup, you guessed it. The most precious ornament broke. Right on the tree.

That was the same year that Mrs. C picked "The Ornament" to be the Christmas cantata we kids performed at church. I loved her so much and learned a lot from that women over the years. Truth be told, I still love her and her lessons have carried into adulthood with me! Anyhow, back to the lesson from that year...

The lesson was not one I learned at home, but on stage. You see, in the play, a very spoiled girl named Emily is perfectly decorating a tree with lovely ornaments when the angel Noel visits her. Over the course of the play, Emily is taught that she can focus on Santa, or her Savior ... candy canes or Christ. And then she is shown the Most Beautiful Ornament of All: a nativity scene in which the baby Jesus is spotlighted.

Noel tells Emily that God sent this perfect ornament to the world for the sole purpose of breaking it on a tree called Calvary. Emily is heartbroken! She doesn't understand. Here are the words that she sings (best as I can remember them over 20 years later - I looked, but could not find online anywhere the script!):

Broken, how can He be broken?
Will the Light of the world grow dimmer and die?
Will the way be lost forever?
Broken, how can He be broken?
It was part of a plan; we'll understand some day.
Broken Love was born this day,
Broken hearts He takes away,
Broken lives He came to save
And gives the promise He will guide you.
Broken there on Calvary -
Broken spirits now set free -
For Christ the Lord has come!

What an awesome lesson! Maybe the kids and I will hang a broken ornament this year. Every part of life, even His birth, is meaningful because of His sacrifice. It is the death of Christ that allows us entrance into the presence of God. It is His resurrection that gives us the hope of His return. And it is His birth that brought Him to us.

Won't you celebrate with me today the Broken Ornament of Christmas?

Linked to Titus2sday

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Spectacularly Simple {Day 2}

2011-11-30T23:34:00.000-06:00

It's easy to get caught up in all the holiday hype. But this year, I'm not going to. It's still going to be spectacular. Spectacularly simple, that is. Last night we read our first installment of The Jesse Tree. Yesterday at nap time, the first installment of Jotham's Journey. Today we'll move onto the next chapter of Jotham's adventure. Tonight, we'll read the next part of The Jesse Tree, eat gingerbread boys, and drink hot cocoa. These are the things memories are made of. Years from now when the toys that seemed so important have been broken and forgotten, when the treasures they begged for are no more ... they will still have these memories. What lasting, simple seeds are you planting this holiday season?

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Keeping the Vision {Day 1}

2011-11-29T20:50:00.005-06:00

As we kick off the first of the 25 days until Christmas, I want to welcome you to pull up a chair, enjoy the fire, and make yourself at home. I'm linking up with a few other bloggers also celebrating THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (take a peek at the bottom of the post and click over and visit them!). Here at Graceful Abandon, we are celebrating 25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays. I'm a homemaker and homeschooler. Quite simply, I love being home with my family. And this holiday, I am all about making the holiday special at home. We aren't going to get side tracked by mis-defining Christmas; we're keeping our focus!

With the holiday season already upon us, I've had my hands full trying to juggle life and the seasonal extras. One thing I did today was sit down and think about the vision I have for our home. And then I looked at my "to do" list and the activities we have set before us. Any of them that don't line up with our family vision ... have to GO. There's just no room for all those good things -- because they are hindering the best things. And if we get overly committed, all that happens is stress abounds. I find it liberates me to know what my vision and to not add things that aren't in line with our vision or to remove from our lives things that just don't fit with it (without guilt!).

As the mom, I have an important role. I set the mood for the house each day, I choose the tempo by which we live, and I impact just about every part of every day for all the members in our family. We all know that if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy ... right? But flip that around. If momma is blessed and joyful, won't everyone else be more inclined to walk in blessing and joy? If momma is tranquil and sweet, won't that rub off, too?

I don't want my husband or children to feel rushed or stressed or like they have to do something to enjoy this holiday season. I simply want us to live joyfully as we celebrate Christ's birth. Even if I have to rush around a little while they are sleeping or otherwise occupied, I'm not going be stressed. We are going to focus on the important things: God, family, others. It's not about decorations, shopping, gifts, or keeping up with everyone else. It's about being together, loving one another, and celebrating Jesus. That's my vision.

Please join us for: THE 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

25 Days of Christmas: Home for the Holidays

25 Days of Easy Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers

25 Days of Christmas Traditions

25 days of Simple Christmas

Gingerbread: A New Twist

2011-11-28T23:19:00.005-06:00

I've shared before about our family tradition of making Gingerbread Boys. I don't know if I've ever shared how it started or how we've adapted it though. It all started with my grandmother; she would bake them and leave a note for us ... asking us to dress her 28 naked men. My cousins and I would rise to the occasion with enthusiasm every year on Thanksgiving. I've since added other shapes to the tin of cookies and added my own twist with my kids. We don't always get to it on the exact holiday, but it's usually close. The cool part about this is that I get to continue a family legacy and meet one of my kids' most important needs.

This year I decided to make my own recipe, tweaking various ones I've tried over the years and adding my own touches to it. It worked out well and I think we all agreed this is THE recipe. I'm so excited! The recipe is below, so make sure you snag it if you want to try a fun twist on a classic holiday treat.

We had a blast decorating our cookies and listening to my very favorite Christmas album ever (thank you, Point of Grace!). I think the kids are sound asleep in a sugar coma, and I'm about to head that way. But it was a wonderful evening of memories and will provide us with several yummy desserts, not to mention gifts for the neighbors. I love this tradition!

RECIPE:

2 sticks softened butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses
2 TB orange zest
4 cups flour (plus extra for working the dough)
2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter and sugar together, then add in egg, molasses, and orange zest. Mix well.
Add in dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly.
Place dough in air tight container and refrigerate 4-6 hours (overnight works, too).
Take dough out and knead till soft, then roll out to 1/8" thick (add in flour if too sticky).
Cut out shapes and place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 for 11 minutes.
Decorate to holiday music with those you love.
Be sure to share!

Linked up with: Trick or Treat Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Above Rubies, 5 Minutes for Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Growing Home, Time Warp Wife, Tuesday Confessional,

Advent: The Jesse Tree

2011-11-28T07:58:00.002-06:00

Winter is upon us and the holiday season has descended! My kids are just about vibrating with excitement (and I'm not that far behind them!). What do YOU do to celebrate the birth of Christ? Do you have any Advent traditions? We will be reading The Jesse Tree each evening, starting this week.

Each night, we will snuggle up and read the daily story with Daddy. Each morning, the kids and I will start the day drawing a picture and writing out a verse to emphasize what we learned the night before. I'm excited to have this record of their Advent journey. Last year we simply read the book and got our feet wet; this year, they've been asking to do it for months on end and are more excited about that than anything else.

I encourage you to take a moment each day to do something special. These memories will stay in your heart and the hearts of your children forever. Traditions add security, nostalgia, peace, anticipation, and create a legacy. What are yours? I want to hear about them!

I hope you'll join me for my 25 Days of Christmas here at Graceful Abandon ... I'll be opening up links each week so we can all share our journeys, as well as linking myself up (and I hope you'll visit those I link with, too, for some great inspiration). Our theme around here is going to be 25 Days of Christmas at Home ... our family focus is enjoying each day as a family in our home, the things that are important as a family. I hope you'll join us on our fantastically fun, frugal, family oriented Advent journey! Be sure to link up and check out the others who do, too. It's our own little holiday party!

Linked up with Make Your Home Sing Monday -- this has been one of my favorite blogs for a long time ... check it out!

This post contains an affiliate link to The Jesse Tree. I was not asked to review it or suggest it. However, we love it and hope you'll check it out! And if you do, please click this link to bless my family. Thanks!

Growing Them Up: A Home of Their Own One Day

2011-11-26T11:19:00.003-06:00

The greatest work a mother can do is prepare her little people to be big people who love God, who put forth their best effort at whatever task - small or great - is before them, and to walk with integrity in all things (even if no one is watching). They are little shoots, sprouting up in a world that is largely dead.

And we are tasked with teaching them the way of Life.

Today we got up early and finished raking our front yard. The Princess Chef (a ~~precocious 7~~ 7 3/4 yr old - says she, thank you very much!) and Lil Man (an energetic 5 1/2) helped. At one point they said they did not want to because it was not fun. But we told them that work before play was the rule (but we made working fun, too!). Many hands made light work and fun family time!

And then it happened. That moment we look for and pray for as parents. The moment when their hearts unfold and lay open before us so that we can speak words of wisdom to be remembered. Those moments are rare, special, priceless. And oh so fleeting! But Awesome Hubby saw the moment and took it with Lil Man today. He shared how Lil Man was learning how to care for a home and eventually a family. How this effort he was putting forth was teaching him hard work and skills he would need in the future. And Lil Man glowed from the words of life and encouragement spoken over him by a father. He is exciting about having a home and family of his own one day; it is so precious to hear him talk and pray about that day!

Those words of life are important in the life of every child, but especially our boys. I hope that your young men have a father to speak over them ... and if they do not, that you are earnestly seeking God for a man to do so (if not a father, than a spiritual father). We as mothers can do so, but there is something special that happens when our men do it.

And if you have a man in your life that has this open door, but for some reason does not know how to walk through it, there is another task set before you. Pray for that man to have someone in his life speak as a spiritual father. Speak words of encouragement and life over him yourself. And step back and watch God work!

I challenge you today to pray for your children ... prepare them, love them, watch over them. And surround them with voices of life to coax them into adulthood as God-fearing young people.

Thanksgiving Deals & Steals

2011-11-23T10:41:00.002-06:00

Have you noticed that "Black Friday" deals are not just limited to Friday these days? The deals begin earlier and earlier, with each store trying to best its competitors. What does that translate to for you? Deals and steals galore!

However, it is these same deals that STEAL my husband away from me.

He is a Walmart employee and has to be at work at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving night to help get everything ready for the big sales that are being launched at 10 that night. And he'll be working through till the next morning, so he'll need to get a few hours (or more!) of sleep during the day so that he can be alert to give his diligent attention to the chaos that is a holiday deal.

Consumers hold the power. If we did not shop on those days, the stores would not open. I would love to see people think about what it means when they shop ... and choose not to. It's ridiculous that holidays are shifting from days to enjoy families and be thankful to days that are all about going to a store. It makes me sad, to be honest. Even when my husband did not work on those days, we did not shop on them because it meant that somewhere a child or a mother or a wife or a husband or a sibling was doing without someone they loved so they could be at work. Doesn't that break your heart?

We still have much to be thankful for, and we are choosing to do that. We will celebrate our family Thanksgiving on Sunday so that we can all be together, because together is much more important than a date on a calendar. But I would love to see everyone home with their families on days like this, wouldn't you?

I do want to also add a word of gratitude to those who have to work -- our military, doctors, policemen, firemen, safety workers -- I'm so sorry we need you, but so thankful for your dedication! You are truly appreciated! And we thank your spouses and children, too, for their sacrifices that bless the rest of us.

Altars of Gingerbread: A Thanksgiving Tradition

2011-11-19T02:30:00.001-06:00

Today I am excited to be guest posting over at Homemaker's Challenge and sharing my very favorite tradition of all. Yes, that's right -- my very favorite tradition of all ... any day of the year, any tradition we have - this one is the best! Come and read about our Altars of Gingerbread and share with me your favorite tradition (I can't wait to get glimpses into your family, too!).

Graceful Abandon

Family, Fun, & Feasts

Dreaming About Someday: A Vision and A Choice

I Love Muffins ... A Lot

Weekly Plan

The #1 Gift for Your Children This Year (and it has a lifetime guarantee!)

Game Day

Planning The Week

Just Another Day

Opportunities Everywhere

Irrelevant? Lessons for Today

Healthy Start: Meal Plan and Time Plan for the New Year

Our Daily Bread {Part 2}

Our Daily Bread {Part I}

ReSolutions are Out; ReVolutions are In {and a Link Up!}

Now What?

The Final, Most Important Character of Christmas ... *and it's not Jesus* {Day 25}

Holiday Plan: Activities and Menus

I've Waited So Long for This Day! {Day 24}

A Royal Pain {Day 23}

The Stinky Outcasts {Day 22}

The Crazy Coots of Christmas {Day 21}

Knock, Knock (No Joke!) {Day 19}

Here's to Joe: The Man Behind the Scenes {Day 17}

As If Being A Teen Weren't Hard Enough! {Day 16}

Angel Say WHAT?!?! {Day 15}

Auntie, HELP! {Day 14}

The Key Players - Part 1 {Day 13}

Fun at Home {Day 11}

The Bittersweetness of It All {Day 10}

Decking the Halls {Day 8}

Staying on Track {Day 7}

Are We There Yet? {Day 6}

Home For the Holidays {Day 5}

Waiting at Home {Day 4}

The Most Precious Ornament: BROKEN! {Day 3}

Spectacularly Simple {Day 2}

Keeping the Vision {Day 1}

Gingerbread: A New Twist

Advent: The Jesse Tree

Growing Them Up: A Home of Their Own One Day

Thanksgiving Deals & Steals

Altars of Gingerbread: A Thanksgiving Tradition

The Final, Most Important Character of Christmas ... and it's not Jesus {Day 25}