Following His Will

"Be joyful always, pray continually,

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

I remember right after high school, I was struggling to figure out my "next step". I wasn't sure I wanted to go to college right away but I didn't want to jump right in to working either. In the end, I decided to complete a Discipleship Training School with Youth With a Mission. This consisted of a 3-month training period in Hawaii (rough I know) followed by a 2-month trip to India. During the process of making this decision I remember seeking and praying often, "Lord, what is Your will for my life?" I have asked this question SO many times over the years and always worried that the answer was complex or I wasn't meeting His expectations.

The verse above is written in my little MOPS daily calendar that I keep in my kitchen. I read it yesterday and thought, "Ouch". Can I be honest...I am not there yet. If this is God's will for me than I have a lot of work to do. I am NOT joyful in all things, I do NOT pray continually, and I do NOT give thanks in all circumstances...BUT I have a heart that wants to get there and I know that there is grace from above and His mercies are new EVERY morning. Along with this part of God's will is the other part of His will for my life...

...and these three are part of God's will for me...being the best wife, mother, sister, friend, and most importantly daughter of the King...THAT is God's will for me. All along I thought that the answer was so difficult to find. Now that I have found it...I am going to work everyday to fulfill it.

Keep Trying

So let's forget about the fact that I said BACK IN MARCH that I was going to blog more and here we are in the middle of September. This my friends (or should I say mom since I am pretty sure she is the only one who checks this blog out) is why I have titled this post "Keep Trying". When I say I am going to do something and it doesn't work out quite like I had planned, rather than give up I am going to KEEP TRYING! So here we are in the thick of college football season and colder weather setting in. This little guy started preschool this past week...

Sorry about the quality of the picture, I took it on my phone. Can you tell he was excited! T-man did great on both days and asks every night if he has school the next morning. And then there is this crazy girl... Baby G has a very keen ability to DRIVE HER BROTHER CRAZY and most of the time it is completely on purpose. Both kids are at a very fun and interactive age but they are also at a very testing and trying age. Trying...as in trying my patience and testing...as in testing the limits of how much they can get away with. Both I am sure are characteristics that the Lord has to deal with me on a regular basis.

We have had a very busy but great summer. We went on our first week long vacation togther as a family. Jeff's aunt and uncle own a farm in Iowa and we went out there to attend his family reunion. It is a large corn and soybean farm with lots of tractors. See...

As you can imagine Tommy was in tractor heaven! We also spent many afternoons at the park this summer and just enjoyed our time being together. It hits me quite often that before I know it these babes will be grown up and mom won't be quite so fun to play with anymore. Until then, I am going to ask them everyday to "Let Me Hold You Longer" (if you haven't read this Karen Kingsbury children's book it is a must have).

They Are Worth It

At the start of '09 my already part-time job became REALLY part-time and included quite a substantial decrease in our income. The only other option that I had was to go back to work full-time. I spoke with Jeff about this and full-time was not an option for us. I have 6 years before these precious babes will go off and be in school all day. We knew it would be a sacrifice, and it definitely HAS been a sacrifice but let me tell you THEY ARE WORTH IT. Raising these children and taking care of our home and supporting my husband, this is my REAL job and this is what God has called me to do. I know there are families that have no choice but for both parents to work and I respect them for doing what is necessary to pay their bills, but for us we did have an option and although it is tight at times, I know that we are being obedient to the Lord and He is ALWAY faithful to provide for us.
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I have been terrible about updating my blog but I am hoping to be more consistent from now on. Every day I check up on this sweet little boy. You can read about Jonah here

Jonah has a rare skin disorder called EB and praise God he is about to go home from the hospital. He still needs prayer for his condition and for his parents who will have to deal with at home care for him. He requires daily bandage changes that can be pretty painful for him. Please keep Jonah and the Williams family in your prayers.

Are You Sure I Am Qualified?

...Some days I am not sure. It is no secret that parenting two small children is a lot of work. Fortunately for me I have a husband who is very kind and helpful. There are some days (like today for instance) when I want to break down in tears because I think that I am not doing a good job. Why can't I have more patience? Why is my 2 year old in time-out for the 8th time today? Am I teaching them to be kind and respectful? I am trying...and tomorrow is another day. There is a picture on my computer desk that I am looking at while I type this. It is T-man last year in his halloween costume with the biggest smile in the world. And even after a day like today when I want to pull my hair out, I can look at that picture and think that I am the luckiest wife and mother in the world. I have been blessed with a family and a life that I am so very grateful for. Every year during our family Thanksgiving everyone goes around the table and says something they are thankful for...it is never difficult to think of something. There is so very much that I have to be thankful for.

Am I qualified for this...probably not...fortunately for me the Lord isn't done with me yet!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Winter is here! I forgot just how long it takes to get 2 small children dressed and ready to play outside in the snow. Poor Baby G she walks around like the kid on A Christmas Story. "I can't put my arms down!" A great movie...can't wait to watch it at Christmastime. After 3 weeks of colds and runny noses I decided to take the babes to the doctor today. Both have ear infections, T-man has a sinus infection as do I. Antibiotics all around! Hopefully we will all be in tiptop shape by the time we leave for Europe. Just praying now that my dear husband does not catch it. Looking forward to a lazy weekend...we don't have many of them between now and Christmas.

Not Me Monday...

Ok let's give this a try...

I cetainly did not leave my wonderful husband home on Saturday night with 2 sick kids while I went out to dinner with three other couples...that would be selfish and inconsiderate right?

I also did not sit at our kitchen counter while my children napped for 1 1/2 hours and blog stalked (is that a real phrase) instead of cleaning up our house, since we had 15 people coming over that evening for dinner. That would be completely irresponsible and unproductive.

Last night when my darling 2 year old "accidentally" did a small #2 in the our bathtub I certainly did not just let the water out, scoop it out with some t.p. and then decide, "oh the hot water from my shower will clean it out tomorrow morning" instead of actually using some cleanser to clean the tub...that would be totally lazy and gross and I am never lazy or gross!

And finally, I certainly did not analyze my entire week this morning while getting ready for work thinking, "Would that be good for Not Me Monday...or...would that be funny for Not Me Monday"...because who really has time to dwell on that kind of thing when there are plenty of more important things think about...cetainly NOT ME!!!

Too check out more Not Me confessions, head on over to McMama's blog, I know I certainly do not check in on her Charming Kids multiple times a day!

Seven Prayers

I am committing to the "Seven Prayers a Day" challenge that Angie at Bring the Rain has written about. As the mother of these two precious gifts, this is what I am called to do. I want my children to grow up remembering that their mom spoke the Word of God over them everyday. I want them to remember that they grew up in a home where prayer was a daily part of our lives. This is part of the legacy that I want to leave for them.

The Day After...

Election day is over now and although the results are not what I had hoped for, I have a peace in knowing that God is still God and HE is still very much in control. What a relief to know that the results were not a surprise to Him. Am I still worried about the economy...absolutely. Do I still wonder about the next 4 years for our country as a whole...you betcha. The results are in and the votes are tallied, now it is our turn to do our job. We are called to pray. Pray for our leaders, pray for our nation, pray for each other. Boy, in my crazy life with two little ones do I fail at this sometimes. Fortunately for me, the Lord knows my heart and He is full of grace. As a believer in Jesus, I know that this is what I am called to do.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." I Timothy 2:1-2 NIV

The Only GOOD Way to Eat Pudding

Baby G has clearly taken a liking to chocolate pudding...actually she hasn't met more than one or two foods that she doesn't enjoy! Yesterday Mr. T decided that he would like a pudding too. His favorite is pudding with whipped cream on the top. He proceeded to eat the whipped cream and then didn't want the pudding anymore. Since there are starving children all over the world and his Dad and I work hard to buy that pudding I could not let it go to waste. He refused to eat it and sat at the table for at least 20 minutes pouting because I wouldn't let him down. Wouldn't you know...he finished it for his dessert after dinner!

The End of Summer

Although the last couple of days here have been fairly nice it is definitely obvious that summer is ending and fall is coming quickly. I have found myself wishing, wishing, wishing, in the last couple of days that I could slow the hands of time and that my kids wouldn't grow up quite so fast. When you first have a baby everyone says, "Enjoy it now, they grow up too fast" and in your sleep deprived state you think, yeah right. No one told me that it is ACTUALLY true! All of a sudden I looked and T is almost 3 and Baby G will be 1 in a couple of months. How does that happen?

A few months ago when Jeff and I were out on a date (a really romantic one that included going to the bookstore to peruse the shelves!) I found a book by my absolute favorite author, Karen Kingsbury. It is a childrens book titled Let Me Hold You Longer and it talks about holding onto each and every precious moment because soon enough kids will be growing up and on their own.

Like the title of this blog, it makes me grateful for today and grateful for each and every precious moment. Here are a few picture from our wonderful summer.

Menu Plan Monday September 8th

Ok so I skipped posting my menu plan last week even though I did have one written out, but I am determined to get back to it today...here it goes.

Monday - Rostisserie chicken, rice (free sample that came in the mail from Uncle Bens) corn and watermelon

Tuesday - Meatloaf muffins (recipe from recent Kraft Food magazine), mashed potatoes and green beans

Wednesday - White chili (using leftover chicken from Monday), salad and bread

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Ham and cheese calzones (also from recent Kraft Food mag)

Saturday - Night Out (hopefully a date night!)

Sunday - Clean out the refrigerator night

Breakfasts this week
Cereal
Waffles
Oatmeal
Pumpkin Spice Muffins - 3 ingredients
1 spice cake mix
1 egg a
1 can pumpkin (i think this is a 15 oz can)
mix ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Although you can mix this by hand I feel like it mixes the best if I use a stand mixer or hand mixer.
My two year old LOVES these and I love that he is getting pumpkin in his diet which is so good for him

A Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine & The Zoo

This weekend was our "Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine" and our trip to the Detroit Zoo. Tommy was so excited for both days but he was equally as excited to spend the weekend with his good buddy Caleb. The boys are roughly 6 weeks apart in age and they love each other dearly AND can't share a toy with each other to save their life! Our day out with Thomas the Tank Engine started with a 40 minute train ride. The Huckleberry Railroad had tons of activities for the kids including animals to see, rides, characters to visit (including Sir Topham Hat and Bob the Builder!) and all kinds of other fun adventures. The day was unbelievably hot but fun was had by all. We are hoping to take a trip back to the Huckleberry Railroad at Christmastime when they decorate with over 1 million lights!

On Sunday we headed off to the Detroit Zoo. Tommy LOVES animals, so Mommy was really excited about this. Again the day was very hot but the boys had a lot of fun seeing all of the big animals (they weren't really interested in the smaller stuff and I can't blame them!) They particularly liked the polar bears and the giraffes.

Overall we had a wonderful time being together with some dear friends and as a family. One of the "precious" moments for me happened on the ride home The kids slept the majority of our drive but they were awake toward the end of the trip. T-man was of course being loud and squawking for the fun of it and Baby G thought it was absolutely hilarious and started to yell back. To listen to the two of them crack each other up (even though the noise was deafening) was pure joy for Jeff and I. It is these small moments that I hold dear.

Menu Plan Monday August 25th

So here is my 2nd MPM. Last week was a short week for us since we were out of town for the weekend. We stuck to the schedule with the exception of one night. Here is the plan for this week...

Monday - Ham, Cheesy Potatoes (recipe below), green beans

Tuesday - Townhouse Chicken (a new recipe for me; see below), green salad and rolls

Wednesday - Baked ziti with garlic bread

Thursday - Leftovers

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Saturday - Grilled burgers and homemade fries (from last week that we missed) watermelon

Sunday - Club sandwiches, fruit

Recipes

Cheesy Potatoes

1-2 lb pkg Oreida Hash Browns 3/4 C milk

1 can cream of chicken soup 1/2 C margarine

1 1/2 C mild cheddar cheese 1 sm onion- chopped

1 C sour cream

Combine all the above ingredients. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Add crushed potato chips to top before serving.

Townhouse Chicken

1 sleeve townhouse crackers, crumbled

2 T butter, melted & mixed with crackers

Spread 1/2 of crackers on bottom of of baking dish

Next, spread 1 can water chestnuts

Place cooked chicken pieces

Combine 1 can cream of mushroom and 1 can cream of chicken and mix until smooth

Stir in 1 C sour cream with the soup mixture

Gob mixture on chicken. Spread rest of crackers on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Menu Plan Week of August 18th

Monday - Leftovers from the weekend

Tuesday - Parmesan Chicken, buttered noodles, green beans

Wednesday - Grilled Burgers, homemade fries, and grilled veggies

Thursday - Breakfast Night, Daddy Cooks! Woot woot! - French toast and sausage

Friday - Away for the weekend to ride Thomas the Tank Engine and visit the zoo!

Here We Go....

Well for some time now I have been reading a number of blogs from different moms all over the country and I finally decided that I wanted one of my own. So here it is! I think that this will be a nice place for me to blab about...well anything really. I love to cook, scrapbook, read and brag about my family and I am thrilled that now I can do that all in one place.