get your read on

Hey all!  Today my words are posted over at mom4life.com.  Head on over there and get your read on.
Not only will you love my post (haha) but I think you'll love her blog and website as well. Plus, you cannot help but like Heather and be challenged, touched, encouraged, and simply amazed by God's presence in her family and their story. I'm honored by the opportunity to write for her blog.

i got to have choices

Wow. My kids are funny. Oh so funny. If I do say so myself.

This afternoon was Marshall's first t-ball game. It seems we need a lesson in base-running. He got a hit right away and ran to first base. Then he was at second base. Then he was running for third. Or . . . so we thought. He ran right past third base and straight into the dugout. Huge grin, with dimples showing, all the way. With everyone shouting. And then laughing so hard we cried. It was priceless. Simply priceless.

First season. First game. First at-bat.

New topic. This evening I received this text message from Maggie, who babysat the kids last night. I love when babysitters share stories about our kids. Makes me wish I could be a fly on the wall. Here's the text I got from Mag-Mag (her name around our house). I'm just going to leave it as is. Hopefully you enjoy the description of this conversation as much as we did.

marshall was talking about how he likes kennedy. and because he likes kennedy he is going to have to marry both sydney and kennedy. so i was explaining to him that he could only have one wife and he said "well i am young! i got to have choices" and then eliza chimes in and says "i always thought i was going to marry noah. but now i don't know because i met lane" (and exaggerated the n sound) and then said "i got choices too!" then marshall asked me who my choices were and i said i didnt have any and eliza goes "you should marry an australia man!" and then marshall goes "i have a better idea. marry a spanish man. and next year i will learn how to talk to him!"

Love.Them.

Star Wars School

Sometimes I find an idea on Pinterest that looks amazing. Then I click on it for myself, and . . . not so much. My friend, Dana, is posting about said phenomenon in relation to recipes on her blog. However, the link I'm posting about today is different. It is awesome. And, don't think this is only for homeschool moms. These activities would be wonderful to do at home with your kiddos even if they go to school. Marshall and Eliza thought they were so much fun that they didn't want to stop working on them, even to play outside when the sun finally broke through last week. My kids are calling it Star Wars School. It is two free packets of Star Wars themed pre-school materials. Did you catch that? Free. You can download both packets for free right here. And look how darling this artwork is!

The packets were perfect as-is for pre-school level kiddos. Counting objects, identifying missing letters, identifying words in a story, creating patterns, pages for a "book report." Marshall is currently doing first grade level work, and he still loved this packet. I added some of our Star Wars readers to the mix, had the kids read them aloud, and had them handwrite part of their own book reports to make it more appropriate for their age level. 

A sweet homeschooling mama of four kiddos created this packet, along with several others. Each has a different theme such as astronaut, cowboys, firemen and knights. Her website/blog are full of all kinds of free high-quality printables and resources that she created and is now sharing with other families. I felt like I hit the homeschool jackpot when I came upon her website. 

And, so did my kids. Yes, they are in their pajamas again. Marshall is wearing Christmas pajamas, and Eliza is wearing pajamas that are slightly too small because I hadn't quite finished the laundry yet. And Marshall is using grown-up scissors because his hands have outgrown safety scissors. What? Why is he so big all of a sudden?

I'm planning for next year to use the homeschool planner this mom designed. It is $20.00 but comes as a PDF file that I can print and use every year. More importantly, I can personalize the pages to meet our family's needs and print off as many as I need as things change for us or when I make mistakes (which I inevitably will!). Check it out!!

Easter Weekend, Part 2

At our house, we love Jesus. We love that He is alive today, interceding for believers at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. And, we love celebrating the Resurrection. We are all about the Resurrection. It gives us hope, forgiveness of sin, redemption of our very selves. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23). For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilt of breaking all of it. (James 2:10). That describes all five people living in this house. How could we ever stand before a righteous God knowing the reality of our sin? For the wages of sin is death, BUT the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23) Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. The word of faith we are proclaiming: That is you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved . . . Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:4, 8-10, 13). Could there be a better reason for a weekend of celebration? I don't think so!

Hey!  Where's the candy?

So many attempts at a family picture.

Eric's effort at making Marshall quit pretending to be asleep in every picture.

Me, my sister in law Stephanie, and our friend, Carmel

My really amazing mother-in-law, Robyn

Jameson

My view during the Easter sermon

More family pictures. Oh wow.  Please take note of the way Jameson looks deep in thought.

Love these boys . . . 

... and this girl

Easter Weekend, Part 1

Exhaustion. Content, happy exhaustion. Probably the only way to describe how I feel right now. Wait . .. if I'm going to be honest I'm maybe just a little stressed about the week ahead. I have temporarily misplaced the checkbook, my car is a disaster and I am way behind on laundry. The clothes are piling up, people. And, yes I'm blogging in the midst of it. I want to get these memories recorded. It's important, as I was reminded this week. So, I will be a good steward of my memories and deposit them right here. And, I will pray about what lies ahead this week.

We did have such a fun weekend. I don't think that our family could have squeezed anything else into the past three days. Friday night was our West Valley girls' evening in my kitchen. Saturday morning, we headed up to Portland with our dear friends, the Richters, for a huge Easter party. Saturday afternoon we bought a new (to us) car for Eric. Eric spent Saturday evening back up in Portland with our friend Michael at a Portland Timbers soccer game. Today included church, followed by dinner with family (and, our fave barista/friend from the Bux joined us. such a treat!). And, sugar highs abound!

Here's a glimpse of the weekend. Okay, it's more than a glimpse. I don't want to lose these memories. So, I'm posting half today and half tomorrow.

We'll just go in chronological order, shall we?  Here's Saturday.

Deep in thought, making her first candy selection of the day.

So many fun activities here!

Marshall was in love with this little guy.

Love Eliza in this picture. Definitely wants to pet the puppy. But definitely terrified at the same time.

No, we did not come home with a puppy. A little part of me wishes we had. They are so cute. And, Marshall is so cute with the puppies! But it is only a little part of me. That was a close call though. So easy to get sucked in by those adorable little puppy faces.

Long time buddies, Marshall and Noah. Marshall and Noah look oddly similar, but with totally different coloring. From behind, they have the exact same head. Haha. Marshall, Bethany (Noah's mommy) and I would love it if you could go to college and be roommates with Noah. Eliza says that she is going to marry Noah and be the next Mrs. Richter. Lord, help him.

Eliza and Abraham. How can you not love a little guy whose shirt says "I'm the Bomb"?? We often say that if Eliza and Abraham ended up together they would be a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde. All we can say is: watch out world, get out of their way.

Sweet Jameson wasn't really sure what was going on. But he was happy to be along for the ride, as always.

More to come tomorrow . . .

Keeping My Promises

Last night, my house was filled with one of my favorite sounds. Laughter and chatting rang through the house. Fourteen of my favorite women gathered in my kitchen. We ate and talked and laughed. and ate and talked. and laughed. We never really left the kitchen, actually.

After a long winter, some of us West Valley girls decided that a girls' night was in order. Five minute conversations before and after church on Sundays are not enough. Between sick kids, traveling, and other commitments it seems there are some women who haven't seen each other in months! I am so thankful that I fellowship with these women, that they are part of my church family.  Some of them are new friends. Others are women who I've known for several years. But, I never cease to be amazed at the beauty of the Lord working in their lives. Each time I visit with any of them bits and pieces of their individual stories come out. Funny stories from the past, the journey they've walked thus far, current and past struggles, victories, losses, amazing twists and turns that have brought them to where they are right now. Thank you ladies of West Valley for such a fun evening!

My evening with these ladies also included keeping a promise to all of you blog readers. This promise was easy to keep. Because it involved me getting to eat chocolate cake. My favorite chocolate cake of all time. Chocolate Kahlua Cake, covered in chocolate ganache. Please gaze upon this object of beauty.

I wish I could claim this recipe as some concoction that I just whipped up on my own. But I have to give credit to Demarle -- the Silpat company. I sold their product via home parties for about five minutes a few years back. Haha. What was I thinking? Home parties are so much work. But, the product is awesome. And I do know a really fabulous rep  here in Salem who is currently selling Demarle. I am just not selling it myself. However . . . my brief career with the company landed me a crazy collection of their cooking gear and fabulous recipes. Chocolate Kahlua Cake was one of them. Try it some time. Eat it warm. With warm ganache. LOVE.

Chocolate Kahlua Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Cake:

1 package Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 cup Kahlua

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Optional:  Slice strawberries

Make sure the oven rack is in the center position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Cake:  Combine cake mix, eggs, sour cream, Kahlua, and oil.  Beat with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes.  Do not over mix.  Only mix until ingredients are blended.  Stir in chocolate chips with a spatula.  Pour batter into bundt pan.  Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool.  

Ganache:  When ready to serve cake, in a saucepan bring whipping cream to a boil  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips.  Pour immediately over cake and serve.  

Optional:  Fill the middle of the bundt cake with sliced strawberries before serving.

Next Time I Promise Chocolate Cake

Just yesterday I was visiting with a new friend. And, she was so honest. Honest about her life, which looks like a pretty package on the outside. She is sweet, beautiful and has a cute little family. It would be so easy for her to let me believe that her life is and has been the fairy tale it appears to be. But, she openly shared some of her story. What some might say is less than ideal. A story, in fact, that wasn't the ideal that she had envisioned. But, by her sharing the truth of her journey, I had the privilege of seeing the beauty in her trials. Somehow it adds even more beauty to something that looked like such a pretty package to begin with.

On Sunday, one of our pastors shared a portion of his family's story. What some would say was a less than ideal way to start a family. The hopelessness they felt in their circumstances. But their family is so beautiful - and it's made all the more beautiful because of all that the Lord has done in and through and for them.

And so, I was encouraged. Encouraged to continue to be honest about my struggles. The less than ideal moments that only the walls of our home have seen. Oh, what our walls would say if they could speak.
(Anyone catch the Amy Grant allusion there :)? )

Like a day last week. A day where I felt slightly insane at home with my kids. Oh wait, that happens on a lot of days. I'll admit it. At some point during most days being a mom feels exhausting, drives me to tears, and/or finds me acting in ways or saying things that I wish I could take back. I struggle with anger. And impatience. Sometimes I am appalled at my own behavior. There. I said it.

Eric will call and everything is going great. An hour later he is home from work and I am in tears. I think at times he is totally perplexed as to how everything could change so drastically in sixty minutes.

Sometimes my prayer is Lord, help me to love these kids.

The crazy thing is, that we would love to have another little person in this house, no question about it. And, I think I have the best job in the world, no question about it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my kids. I love Marshall's red-haired self. His monkey hugs, his sweetness toward Baby J, the way he likes to perfect something before anyone can see it, his love of Star Wars and Legos and Angry Birds.

I love Eliza's blond-bobbed head. (Which by the way, has a mysterious piece in the front with a big chunk of hair missing. She says she has no idea what happened to her hair. We may never know . . . ). I love Eliza's enthusiasm, her expressiveness, her dramatic nature, and her love of all things glitter-y and sparkle-y.

I love Jameson's semi-baldness (hmmm - not sure why I felt compelled to comment on all of my kids hair), those gigantic brown eyes, his big head and his perfectly round belly, his perfect comedic timing, the way he kisses all of us before bedtime, his love of balls, trucks and loud noises.

Yet, being a mom has showed me my need for a Savior more than anything else in my life. If I love my kids so much, why do I snap at them in impatience? Why is it so difficult at times to respond with the grace that God has given to me? Why are there days that I selfishly live for nap time? Acting as if I deserve something - and you know how I feel about that.

I totally and completely identify with Paul when he says: For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate . . . For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:15, 17-20)


I feel better knowing that even Paul, yes, Paul!, had the same internal battle that I have. Misery loves company. Isn't that how the saying goes?  Paul, the great missionary who gave all with reckless abandon for the Gospel, called himself wretched.

Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

But, Paul also knew the Truth of the Gospel. That in his wretchedness, he was saved. That even while  Paul was murdering Christians, God called him to himself.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! ... There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 7:25-8:2).

And like Paul, I am set free. I am set free from condemnation. I am set free from the law of sin and death. Because Jesus gave everything for me.

Because He gave everything, I can turn to Jesus and pray Lord, help me love these kids. Of course I love them. But, I want to demonstrate to them a life that is worthy of the calling of Christ. I want to be willing to lay down my life for them, the way that Jesus laid down His life for me. I want to be willing to die to myself so that my children can experience Jesus and really live. To set aside the things I think that I deserve. [like peace and quiet. being able to eat my lunch without being interrupted 15 times. a life free from the sounds of bickering. being obeyed the first time I ask.] And, trust that as I lay down my life for my children, the Lord will supply all of my need.

God is so gracious. He hasn't left me on my own to be able to do this. He doesn't say This is what I expect of you, now off you go, on your own to figure this out. In fact, He says that living a life worthy of Him is impossible on my own. He doesn't say be strong. He says "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." (Ephesians 6:10). Ephesians 6:10-11 says that He gives me His own armor. God's own armor. Which is enough to allow me to stand firm. Because there are moments where life feels like a battle.

But the catch is that I have to put the armor on. It's like any other type of clothing. It's not going to do me much good sitting on my closet floor, or strewn across the chair in my bedroom, or rumpled in a laundry basket (not that my clothes are ever in those places - ummm). The Word of God and prayer are my armor and my weapons for motherhood, and wifehood, and relationships, and crises, and daily life.

My ideal is to be up before my children to study God's Word and to have uninterrupted prayer before everyone is awake. Any and all of you have permission to ask me how this is going. Seriously. Please do. Sometimes my ideal just doesn't happen. But, I can still put on the armor of God. Paul tells the Christians at Ephesus to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. It is such an amazing gift to have access to God, His armor, protection and weapons for everything I face. I don't want to leave it sitting on the closet floor. Yet, I go back to Romans 7:15 (above). Even though I want to take hold of all He has given me, it is a daily struggle to do it!

Thanks for "listening" to all of my thoughts. I promise a light-hearted post for this weekend. With my favorite chocolate cake of all time. Covered in chocolate ganache. And baked with Kahlua inside. Just you wait . . . it's amazing.