Do you KNOW Him?

Reading 2 Timothy 1 this morning. Its (relatively) quiet. Kids and hubby are asleep,  its just the kitties playing. Its dark still,  I have my cup of coffee and I'm taking the chance to read and ponder.
Verse 12 stands out to me, even though I've heard it a million times,  memorized it, heard sermons on it. It says "Yet I am not ashamed,  because I know whom I have believed,  and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. "
Now yesterday, we were challenged to be ambassadors for Christ. We were challenged to share the gospel. Its our calling. As believers we are commanded to do this. Yet its hard. It is SO hard. And scary. But why is something that we are all called to do so difficult?
When I read this verse, it started to make sense. Paul's confidence came from knowing Christ. He knew who he believed in. He was convinced of the power of God.
How well do I really know my Saviour? If I really knew Him, I would have the confidence to share Him. Am I convinced of His power? God has done amazing things in my life. I need to take the time to remember those things. To reflect on who He is. And believer, if its been awhile,  if you're not sure of Him, or can't remember the last awesome thing God did for you,  then ask! Ask Him to convince you. Because I truly believe that He wants to be honestly and deeply known. He wants to demonstrate His power in us, do that others will see. Lets KNOW our Saviour!

Experiments in the kitchen...

So I've been learning and experimenting more with "real food". I say "experiment" because I haven't taken it on 100%, I'm just working on incorporating it more into our lives. I'm not sure I'm ready to give up some of my favorite things(sugar), but I do want to be feeding myself and my family things that are healthy and whole the way God made them. It's a process. It's a little challenging to get kids to try new things that don't taste like the old (i.e. homemade whole wheat cheesy crackers as opposed to goldfish), but some things have a been a hit. Today's new recipe I found over at 100 Days of Real Food. I made a few basic changes, since I don't own a dough hook on any of my kitchen appliances. I just used my mixer, and that seemed to work fine. Also since I don't have white whole wheat flour on hand, I used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 unbleached white flour. I used olive oil instead of avocado oil. Oh yum. These are delish!!

 http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/26/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas/

I let it sit for about an hour, slightly flattened. Made rolling it easier!

I have obviously never rolled out tortillas before, they're a little bit odd shaped. Just a little.:)

Frying them up. You really need very little oil.

Mmm... ham, cheese, and spinach wrap.

And the kids loved it too!

 

Stay tuned for another recipe test... definitely not "real food" but delicious!!

Traveling...

Wow. I haven't posted in awhile! So here's an update. We just got back from yet another cross country adventure. 10 states and what felt like three seasons, we drove from Arizona back to upstate NY. Highlights included the Grand Canyon, four corners, the Cadillac Ranch,  Big Texan Steakhouse, Williams Creek Battlefield, St.Louis Gateway Arch and museum, Indiana World War Memorial, and good old Charlie the Butcher in Buffalo NY. The kids did great, stay tuned for a post on travel with small children! :) Here at home we still have a couple feet of snow, although its definitely less than when we left. We also have 5 kittens underfoot. Im looking forward to a few mini adventures this week during the last of leave, and getting back into a normal routine and some yummy home cooked meals. On the agenda: homemade chicken stock (a first for me) and some yummy chili and casseroles to share!

Sunshine has arrived!

We are 6 weeks into deployment. We've had our ups and downs, but for the moment things are looking up. Spring has FINALLY sprung, the weather has been amazing this week(ie kicking the boys outside has immensly improved Joey's attitude), and Sarah has slept 6ish hours straight for 3 nights in a row. Gideon is conquering the big boy potty, and we are one day closer to daddy coming home. It's truly amazing what more than 2 hrs of consecutive sleep can do for your outlook on life. On today's agenda: haircuts for the boys and planning a care package for daddy.
In the midst of nitty gritty life, I find it hard to make time for focused Bible study and prayer. I get so caught up with what I want to accomplish in a day, that I don't stop and take time away from my projects or chores to pray, or to spend time reading God's word. I fill my free moments with dishes, laundry, going to the gym, or facebook instead of God's word. This morning I am reminded of how important it is to be in tune with Him, in His word learning what He has to say. Stopping for a few minutes to pray and open my heart to hear Him.

Impromptu Dinner Party...

Sunday, a day of "R&R", or at least putting off 'til the last minute everything that needs to be accomplished for Monday. Yesterday morning I was smart. I got out my crockpot so dinner wasn't a biggie. I loaded it up and realized that WOW. This is a lot of food. So I texted a friend, and asked if they had plans. They didn't, yay! This was a new recipe (to follow), and I decided that hey, I have the ingredients, why not try a cheesecake for the first time ever since we're having company anyway? Yum. I love cheesecake. So long story short, I tried out 3 new recipes on my friends and family. It seems like that is always the case, having people over is a good excuse to try something new.:) Here are the recipes I attempted and the general verdicts:

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
http://www.getcrocked.com/2011/11/14/crock-pot-balsamic-chicken/
I thought it was delicious. I did substitute chicken breasts for the thighs,  The kids ate it without complaining excessively. Our company seemed to enjoy it. Apparently my husband doesn't like anything balsamic. So sadly, I will save repeat for a night when he's not home.

Wild rice. Just cooked it with some chicken broth and parsley.

Baked Broccoli
http://www.food.com/recipe/crunchy-baked-broccoli-506312
Super simple, and delish! Everyone loved this one, and it reminds me of summer BBQs.... can't wait!

Cheesecake Supreme
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/cheesecake-supreme/
I cheated and bought a crust. That turned out to be a little too small, so I just baked the extra filling in a small pan without a crust. Still yummy! I didn't know what to expect, so I was a little terrified that it failed completely when I pulled it out of the oven and it was huge and puffy. But it settled down, and tasted super yummy. I want more.

So yeah, yummy food, fun with friends, what more could you ask for?:) Stay tuned for more posts...

Preschool... maybe tomorrow?

My schedule is all laid out. I have workbooks. I have crayons. I have a cleaning schedule posted(which doesn't seem to be working at all). I have a meal plan(that I'm not using). I have ideas through the roof. But it seems like a week of super early(before 6am) mornings and late nights have sucked all the energy out of me. And my motivation drops with every new mess that isn't cleaned, and every workpage not filled out. Finding an effect way to deal with temper tantrums takes up a lot of time, and most of those dont work either. And so this week has been a little lax, and I suspect I will never have a "clean" house although I assume that if I stop trying the result would be disasterous.:)
But God is good, I have been getting some quiet time in almost every mornings, and I am at peace knowing that this is just the phase my life is in. My kids are more important, and life will come together in it's own way, in God's timing. In the meanwhile, I guess we will start preschool NEXT week.:) Wish us luck!

When Life Hands you Lemons... Sometimes they're just sour.

It has been a rough 7 days in our house. It started when Joey got his thumb smashed in the trailer door, and him being rushed to urgent care, screaming uncontrollably the whole way. Upon arrival the nurses took him right back, and after an hour of ice and cleaning it was determined he was OK and didnt need stitches. (He could still lose the nail, though.) Tuesday morning Gideon woke up grumpy, clinging, and complaining of ears hurting. Since we haven't yet gotten established at a pediatricians office, it was off to urgent care again, then waiting for an hour in Walmart at naptime waiting for the prescription to be filled. Wednesday, Gideon broke Joeys glasses, and by the end of the day my tailbone was sore and it hurt to sit. By the middle of the night, it was painful and sleep was impossible. Thursday I spent on the couch taking as much Tylenol as I was allowed and still in pain, with two boys running crazy watching to much tv. Friday morning it was my turn for urgent care, sure enough there was a giant grapefruit sized hot red swollen area right around my tailbone. Sure enough, infection. My super amazing hubby stayed home from work to help take care of the kids, missing out on some important things. I also had my first prenatal appointment for baby #3, good to get established, but holy cow so much pain! Saturday spent on the couch... Again, with dishes and laundry and simple mess piling up around me. Saturday evening it looked worse, so back to urgent care we went. Yup, worse, give it another day. Sunday no change, I have been "sleeping" on the couch since Wednesday, dozing for an hour here and there between Tylenol doses and heating hot packs. Zach brought me breakfast in bed and we braved going out for a late lunch(in my sweats cuz it still hurts like hell and no other pants will work). This morning, still painful. No better, so off to urgent care again. My hubby loves me so much, he stayed home again to help with the boys. And me.:) Finally the dr tells me, it needs to be cut. So she gets a second opinion, and they send me straight to a surgeon in a town 15 minutes away. After sitting and waiting, and standing and waiting, they take me back and after checking it out, start cutting. Novocain is all you get by the way. Which does nothing. At all. It might numb the pus, but really, does that have feelings? When they were done, and the showed me the gunk they got out(supergross), they let me lay there for 30 min to help the bleeding stop. It hurt. A lot. At least as much or more than labor. There's a hoe in my tailbone that is on fire. The dr asked if. Wanted codeine. Heck yes I thot to myself. Can. Take that while pregnant my stupid still functioning mind made me ask. Oh no he said. Take some Tylenol when you get home. You should probably lay down on the way if you can. Great. So there I am sobbing my eyes out with a hole on burning fire in my back. Finally the nurse says I can go, so I very slowly stumble out to the parking lot to find my hubby and my boys who have gone outside to burn off the doughnuts they ate for lunch. Stillsobbing, I might add. A poor guy in a pickup stopped and asked if I needed help.:) Now that I thin about how sorry I looked it's hilarious to think about.:) climbed into the back of the car and laid on my side, started to feel better about the last corner. Now it feels awesome, I can move, I all sleep tonight, and my dishes are done. So that was my week. Why? I don't know. I sure didnt make time to read or pray a whole lot, but God knows.and maybe someday, I will learn to like lemons just for themselves too.:)