Thursday, January 19, 2012
For Today....
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Favorite Gifts
These are the VERY precious gifts my kids gave me for Christmas:
Julia drew the two Christmas trees for me, and cut out all the tiny little squares of paper. Elijah gave me the two chocolate candies. Hannah watercolored the flower for me...
and gave me this super cool notebook titled, "Mom's Usual Stuff Book (A little book for a mom's notes...who has more than 4 kids). Abby made me all the bookmarks, and the coolest collection of coupons ever!
Can't wait to redeem these!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas Dinner Menu Links
Filet Mignon with Red Wine Reduction Sauce
Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole (I used sausage):
Chocolate Raspberry Tart:
Christmas Salad (Amazingingly Tasty...and festive!)
Salad:
8 cups spinach
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing:
4 Tbsp cranberry juice concentrate
4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole (I used sausage):
Chocolate Raspberry Tart:
Christmas Salad (Amazingingly Tasty...and festive!)
Salad:
8 cups spinach
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Dressing:
4 Tbsp cranberry juice concentrate
4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
Friday, December 23, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
I painted something!
So I actually watercolored something today...something I haven't done in a long time. I have a plant on my windowsill that I tried to copy. It's amateur, I know, but I do enjoy it.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
26 feet plus of blessing
If you think about it...asceticism is another form of ingratitude. We all know that wanting things that you don't have is ingratitude. But not being thankful for the bounty God has blessed you with, and feeling guilty about it, is ingratitude also. In other words, wanting more than you have is ingratitude, and wanting less than you have is ingratitude also.
When we moved a couple of months ago, I was convinced that I had too much stuff! Now granted, some of that stuff was junk and in excess and just needed to be given away or thrown away. But some of it was stuff that was just God's blessing! And rather than despising it, I needed to be grateful for it! Thank you God for the many blessings you have poured out on us! Thank you for the fact that we can fill a 26' truck, and a trailer, and a truck, and a van with all of our stuff, and this just goes to show how very blessed by You we really are!
So branches of Christianity that say that it is the more spiritual thing to have less, and you should feel guilty if you have more, is just ingratitude repackaged. They want you to feel guilty for the gifts God has given you, rather than lifting up hands of thanksgiving to God in good Ecclesiastes fashion!
When we moved a couple of months ago, I was convinced that I had too much stuff! Now granted, some of that stuff was junk and in excess and just needed to be given away or thrown away. But some of it was stuff that was just God's blessing! And rather than despising it, I needed to be grateful for it! Thank you God for the many blessings you have poured out on us! Thank you for the fact that we can fill a 26' truck, and a trailer, and a truck, and a van with all of our stuff, and this just goes to show how very blessed by You we really are!
So branches of Christianity that say that it is the more spiritual thing to have less, and you should feel guilty if you have more, is just ingratitude repackaged. They want you to feel guilty for the gifts God has given you, rather than lifting up hands of thanksgiving to God in good Ecclesiastes fashion!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Living With REAL Men
News flash! You're married to a sinner. And, surprise, surprise! Your husband is married to a sinner too. And get this! Everyone who is married, is married to a sinner!
We know this, yet sometimes we act like we don't know this. You know what I'm talking about. You can think of that little something that's under your craw right now! Your husband wronged you in some way, whether big or small, and you cannot believe that he would sin against you in that particular way! "So and so's husband doesn't act like that, so my husband has no excuse!" "The man of my dreams doesn't act like that." The man of your dreams isn't a real man...he's just that...a dream. And, that other husband you're comparing your husband too...he's a real guy with real sin too!
Well, seeing as how we are not married to perfect men, but rather REAL men, how should we respond when we are sinned against by them? God would have us to respond the same way we would to anyone who sinned against us.
I'm reminded of the story of the guy who went and throttled a guy who owed him a little bit of money, and yet had been forgiven a ridiculously large amount of money. We have been forgiven an unbelievable debt, yet how often do we turn around and throttle our husbands for a minor offense! You must on a daily basis see your sin in light of how God sees your sin (look to the cross for that perspective). Not only have the entire list of your offenses against God been nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb, but your husband's have been too! Grace is the word...both wallowing in God's grace towards you, and then turning around and dishing out that grace to your hubby.
I'm also reminded of the time when the disciples asked Jesus how many times they should forgive their brother who sinned against them. Seven times? If you think about your home life, putting a cap on forgiveness at #7 offense is a really tiny number isn't it? I think most of our marriages would have been over the first month if the cap was 7! Jesus responds with 70 times 7. Now that is exactly 490 times, but I think the point is, is that your not supposed to keep track! "Let's see here, Bob. That is the 2nd time you have come home late for dinner, which makes that...yes #367 offense in our marriage. Only 123 more times, and I'm outta here!" We all know that it is ridiculous keeping track like that! But we do a form of it in our marriages. We start keeping a record of wrongs in our heart and minds, and we stop forgiving and dumping on the grace, and then we become bitter. And then one day, all of those offenses will just roll of your tongue in one long litany of charges made against your husband. You'll explode! And your husband will wonder where all of this came from! So it's important to keep short accounts and just forgive and let go...time and time again.
The other thing I'm reminded of is treating your husband the way you want to be treated...the Golden Rule applied once more. You are no perfect wife yourself. He has to overlook, forgive, and put up with your sinning against him time and time again. How do you want your husband to respond when you sin against him? Do you want him to get angry with you, nag, make snide comments, give you the cold shoulder, storm out of the house, give you the silent treatment, keep a record of how many offenses you've sinned against him, grow bitter toward you, compare you to other wives? I daresay not! SO DON'T TREAT HIM LIKE THAT EITHER!
So, with all that said, don't be surprised when your husband sins against you. Look at him the way God sees him. Look at yourself the way God sees you. And be trinitarian through and through...live at peace with one another, forgiving each other, striving together for the UNITY of the gospel in our marriages.
We know this, yet sometimes we act like we don't know this. You know what I'm talking about. You can think of that little something that's under your craw right now! Your husband wronged you in some way, whether big or small, and you cannot believe that he would sin against you in that particular way! "So and so's husband doesn't act like that, so my husband has no excuse!" "The man of my dreams doesn't act like that." The man of your dreams isn't a real man...he's just that...a dream. And, that other husband you're comparing your husband too...he's a real guy with real sin too!
Well, seeing as how we are not married to perfect men, but rather REAL men, how should we respond when we are sinned against by them? God would have us to respond the same way we would to anyone who sinned against us.
I'm reminded of the story of the guy who went and throttled a guy who owed him a little bit of money, and yet had been forgiven a ridiculously large amount of money. We have been forgiven an unbelievable debt, yet how often do we turn around and throttle our husbands for a minor offense! You must on a daily basis see your sin in light of how God sees your sin (look to the cross for that perspective). Not only have the entire list of your offenses against God been nailed to the cross and buried in the tomb, but your husband's have been too! Grace is the word...both wallowing in God's grace towards you, and then turning around and dishing out that grace to your hubby.
I'm also reminded of the time when the disciples asked Jesus how many times they should forgive their brother who sinned against them. Seven times? If you think about your home life, putting a cap on forgiveness at #7 offense is a really tiny number isn't it? I think most of our marriages would have been over the first month if the cap was 7! Jesus responds with 70 times 7. Now that is exactly 490 times, but I think the point is, is that your not supposed to keep track! "Let's see here, Bob. That is the 2nd time you have come home late for dinner, which makes that...yes #367 offense in our marriage. Only 123 more times, and I'm outta here!" We all know that it is ridiculous keeping track like that! But we do a form of it in our marriages. We start keeping a record of wrongs in our heart and minds, and we stop forgiving and dumping on the grace, and then we become bitter. And then one day, all of those offenses will just roll of your tongue in one long litany of charges made against your husband. You'll explode! And your husband will wonder where all of this came from! So it's important to keep short accounts and just forgive and let go...time and time again.
The other thing I'm reminded of is treating your husband the way you want to be treated...the Golden Rule applied once more. You are no perfect wife yourself. He has to overlook, forgive, and put up with your sinning against him time and time again. How do you want your husband to respond when you sin against him? Do you want him to get angry with you, nag, make snide comments, give you the cold shoulder, storm out of the house, give you the silent treatment, keep a record of how many offenses you've sinned against him, grow bitter toward you, compare you to other wives? I daresay not! SO DON'T TREAT HIM LIKE THAT EITHER!
So, with all that said, don't be surprised when your husband sins against you. Look at him the way God sees him. Look at yourself the way God sees you. And be trinitarian through and through...live at peace with one another, forgiving each other, striving together for the UNITY of the gospel in our marriages.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Roofing Tar Baby
On Easter Monday, it was raining. Andreas found an empty plastic egg, and began using it as a cup. He collected water that had traveled down from the roof and into the drain, and then he would drink it, and go for a refill. He got quite wet, but he wasn't complaining, and he was rather entertained, so why not let him be? Well, then he wanted back in the house, and when I picked him up, he smelled totally like roofing tar. So I gave him a bath, and he still smelled like it! And even after going to the pool last night...and showering with shampoo after the pool...he still smells like roofing tar! So I hope his insides aren't damaged.
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