Emma

Emma, my child…the one that not so long ago was a baby but now says such grown up things such as “Mom, is that a new bowl? It’s cool”…is going to start preschool in the fall. I love every season and stage that both of my girls have been, and are, in.

 

She is the coolest kid. She prays with faith for any boo-boo we get. She helps take care of her sister and occasionally sits on her. She wants to do things like “just like mommy does”. She writes her own name now. She heard a clip of a song on the radio today and informed me that it was in a movie we’ve seen only a few times. I had to come home and check the soundtrack online…she was right.

 And she’s leaving me for three mornings a week, 2 hours at a time. On paper it doesn’t sound like much…but it feels like much more. I know for her it is the right thing to do. I’m just thankful the first day they have “coffee & kleenex” for the parents.

So, I probably won’t be around much this summer. I want to soak up and enjoy every moment I get with my little girl. I get to keep Anna all to myself for a few more years. And, yeah…I am entertaining thoughts of home-schooling much more now.

solution

solution lyrics by hillsong united. what a prayer.

It is not a human right
To stare not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey now As we hold to our confession

It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet

Fill our hearts with your compassion
As we hold to our confession

God be the solution
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.

Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need

Only You can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only You can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Savior and our King

We will be Your hands , we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light
We’ll sing

God be the solution
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.

We will run we will run
We will run with the solution

you know it’s rough when…

we are entertaining thoughts of buying a second car. we were looking on craigslist. we came across this one ad that mentions in the bullet point list “have hood”. we immediately cracked up. how bad is this car that you have to specifically mention the hood is included. well, let me show ya:

anytime we saw a car that had a mismatched hood, we joked “we know where we can get an extra hood”. oh, and, by the way…we’re probably not getting that car.

can you think of a time this week when something made you laugh, totally unintentional?

heart for africa

look at this. it’s beautiful.

the very best

I have a Memorial Day gift for you. The very best cookie recipe ever. I’m talking better than Mrs. Fields, Otis Spunkmeyer and Oreos. I found the recipe online and have made them more times now than I should have. They always come out perfect and yummy. I have some baking right now…

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups quick or old-fashioned oats

2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINEflour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat brown sugar, butter and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in oats, morsels and nuts; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12 to 13 minutes for crispy cookies. Cool on baking sheets for 1 minute; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!

squander

How do you squander your destiny? You squander your minutes.

~ Mike Bickle

Your choices determine your destiny.

~ I can’t remember…someone wise

Thoughts?

Kitchen AID::: Volume 3

This recipe is yummy. Emma wanted two helpings! It is easy to make (I’m not a gourmet cook…but I love me some comfort food…or as I call it “good food”). It doesn’t take much of anything, and it’s usually things that we have in the fridge and pantry. This small recipe makes a ton of food and it is so filling. I thought I made it up, but maybe you all eat it every week. If so, just humor me!

• 1 lb. ground beef/turkey/tofu  
• 2 cups dry rice/ 4 cups cooked rice (use brown rice and it will be healthier!)
• 1 onion- chopped
• corn
• beans (any kind, really)
• green pepper – chopped
• crushed tomatoes
• southwestern seasoning / taco seasoning
• cheese – lots of shredded cheese

Cook rice. Brown meat / tofu with half of the onions. Add corn, rest of onions and green pepper. Add seasonings and crushed tomatoes. Add beans. I also added a little bit of brown sugar and sour cream to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Combine with rice and serve with cheese or wrapped up in a tortilla like a burrito.

What have been your favorite meals to cook lately?

Kitchen Aid::: Volume 1

Kitchen Aid::: Volume 2

The Day of the Dump

It’s Friday night, a long week behind us, we thought it’d be a fun family treat to go out for dinner. As soon as we were given our drinks, Anna knocked over my full, full glass of ice water onto me. Good thing, it wasn’t rainy and cold so that my pants could take their time drying.

I took a bathroom break at the restaurant and returned to our table to find Daniel under the table retrieving all of the contents of my very full “mom purse”. Good thing it was still wet under the table from the big spill so that my things could join in on the fun with my pants.

I thought it was a brilliant idea to take the girls out to the car while Daniel finished up with the bill and things to avoid any more dumping. We gladly handed Emma the carton with our leftovers because she was wanting to be so helpful. But, she is three and therefore a dropper so, yep…our leftovers are now in the garbage because they landed on the floor. Good thing we were full.

Safely in the car, I was relieved that no more messes could be made. Emma opened a granola bar…you know the crunchy ones that have all the crumbs in them…and accidentally dumped them all in the car. Good thing I am about four years into mommyhood and crumbs don’t bug me.

And its a really good thing they are adorable.

Just for kicks, here’s a video for you of the song that is always, always going through our heads. If you dare.

Oh yeah, it’s rockin’. And now you love me.

line, line, circle, circle…

think twice before you unplug

it seemed like a good idea, upon waking yesterday, to “unplug” for the day. i did not open my computer once…not to check email, google reader, to get the recipe that i couldn’t find, to update my facebook status the 8 times a really good one popped into my head. i wanted to practice self-discipline. deny myself of what i think i wanted. to understand that while the computer provides important connections…it is not the most important. still, all day long, i had urges to check my email, or put in a comment to be sure i get #20,000.

in the meantime, emma was “helping” me unload the dishwasher and she moved her head back and slammed it into my mouth. my lip started bleeding and immediately got a nasty looking boo-boo. it still ain’t pretty today. the irony of it all is…right before the dishwasher/lip incident, i was texting a dear friend and we were text-discussing my noble reasons for unplugging. my text reply was “shoulda been online”!

the moral of this story is: be careful…for unplugging is harzardous to your face. please, i beg you, learn from my mistakes.

average

You are the average of your five closest friends.

This is a statement that, when we first heard it years ago, intrigued us. The more we thought about it, the more we felt it was true. We make decisions off of this statement. We decide how close we let people based on this statement.

Is it biblical? Maybe. I think so. Did Jesus model this? I don’t know. When I started thinking of this…I was bothered. Who did Jesus hang out with? He spent most of his time with unrefined fishermen, open-mouth-insert-foot kinda guys, betrayers, and those who were considered not loyal to His own traditions. So, yes, he spent time with those He was not “equally yoked” with. He was ministering to them…but were they also His friends? I think when He needed strength, He went to the Father, because they had a perfect relationship. But did Jesus also rely on human relationships for friendship, comfort or strength? Or is this one of those instances where the “Son of God” card comes into play? It seems the Apostle Paul spent most of his time with Barnabas, Silas, Luke ,Timothy and other leaders within the church.

I could “argue” it either way. What do you think? Discuss.

{I’m not wondering about if we should have relationships with unbelievers or newer believers. I’m wondering about your thoughts on standards for having good, close friends}