fair but lovely

Shrimp Lo Mein

2012-02-10T12:37:00.003-06:00

In continuing "Good Daniel Fast Recipes" from the January 21 blog entry:

Shrimp Lo Mein

Serves 4

4 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped

2 medium carrots, cut into slices

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz lo mein noodles

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

4 oz shitake mushrooms

2 tbsp oyster sauce

3/4 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over high heat.

When the oil is lightly smoking, add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until lightly golden.

Add the mushrooms, carrots, and bell pepper, and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, using a metal spatula to keep the vegetables in near-constant motion (If using a wok, use a wooden spoon so you don't' scratch it).

Toss the shrimp and cook until just pink and slightly firm. You would skip this step on the Daniel Fast.

Add the cooked noodles, oyster sauce, and soy sauce to the pan.

Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the sauce is thickened and covers the noodles in a light sheen.

Divide the mixture among 4 plates and garnish with the scallion greens.

Caprese Tomato Towers

2012-02-07T14:18:00.003-06:00

In continuing "Good Daniel Fast Recipes" from the January 21 blog entry:

Caprese Tomato Towers

Serves 4

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 medium tomatoes (preferably different color heirloom tomatoes)

1 tbsp olive oil

16 large fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

6 oz fresh mozzarella

Slice the tomatoes into thick slices (each tomato should yield 4 or 5 slices). Slice the cheese into slightly thinner disks. There should be an equal number of tomato and cheese slices.

Place a tomato in the center of a small salad plate. Top with a mozzarella slice and a single basil leaf. Repeat until you've used up a quarter of the tomatoes, cheese, and basil. If you really want to nail this, salt and pepper each individual layer. If using different color tomatoes, alternate the slices throughout. Repeat with the rest of the tomatoes, cheese, and basil, making 4 towers in all. Drizzle each tower with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season again with salt and pepper.

Of course if you are on the Daniel Fast you will do all but the cheese slices. It's beautiful and a great snack or side dish, especially if you are a tomato lover!

Yummy For My Tummy Oatmeal

2012-01-30T11:51:00.003-06:00

In continuing "Good Daniel Fast Recipes" from the January 21 blog entry:

Oatmeal is a great option if you are craving something sweet for breakfast. It also really fills you up. The instant flavored oatmeal is filled with sugar, so I bought the round container of plain Quaker Oats. They have a "quick 1 - minute microwave" option. Follow the directions on the container and add a few things to spice it up. Their suggested serving amount for one person was too much for me to eat, especially after adding fresh fruit to it, so I cut it in half and added what I wanted.

Here are a few options:

Add 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into small pieces (I put the apple in my oatmeal before I heated it up in the microwave. After cooking, the texture softens. I personally enjoyed it more this way)

1/3 cup of raisins (Nature's Harvest has a gourmet raisin blend of crimson, dark, and golden raisins)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 tsp pure almond extract

Fresh strawberries, chopped in small pieces

Cranberries (Nature's Harvest has a bag of cranberries mixed with pomegranate and infused with cherries and blueberries)

You can also add a little soy milk or drink it cold on the side.

I wouldn't do all of the options at the same time, but you can experiment and find what you like.

Crispy Quesadillas

2012-01-29T09:42:00.007-06:00

In continuing "Good Daniel Fast Recipes" from the January 21 blog entry:

Crispy Quesadillas

Serves 4

4 medium whole wheat tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Guacamole

1 small red onion, sliced

1 large poblano pepper, seeded, sliced into thin strips

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp olive oil

4 0z sliced mushrooms

4 oz chorizo, casing removed (soyrizo in the vegetarian section of the produce area)

Shredded chicken would be great instead of the chorizo as another option.

Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and chorizo; cook until browned, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller pieces. If using soyrizo, it never browns. You just have to keep stirring it around until you think it's cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain all but a thin film of the fat. Return to the heat and add the onion, mushrooms, and pepper; sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are brown - 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the cheese between two tortillas and top each with half of the vegetable mixture. Top with the remaining tortillas.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray and cook each quesadilla individually, until the tortillas are brown and crispy and the cheese is fully melted. Cut into 4-6 wedges and serve with the guacamole.

For the Daniel Fast: As I said above, I found "soyrizo" in the vegetarian section of the produce area at Walmart. Cook all of the vegetables. Cut the tortillas in half to make them smaller and easier to flip since you won't have to cheese to hold it together. Heat the skillet with olive oil. Lay down half of a tortilla. Top it with the soyrizo and vegetable mixture. Put the other half of the tortilla on top. Let it sit for about one minute and carefully flip. Cook the other side for another minute and serve immediately. You can also put black beans and salsa from the "Huevos Ranchos" recipe (see the January 21 post) as a side or on top.

Good Daniel Fast Recipes

2012-01-21T11:53:00.012-06:00

This month our church has been on a 21-day fast. Aaron and I have chosen to do the Daniel Fast (fruits and veggies only, no bread, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol, no chemicals. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas, and soy products are allowed. Read the ingredients on everything).

Last year I found a cookbook which turned out to be not so great. I'm not sure you should "enjoy" your fast, but this time I have found much better recipes. Most of these recipes are from other sources and some were discovered. They can help you if you are fasting or if you just want to start your new year eating healthy.

Of course it has been a sacrifice, but we've enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share them with you. I am going to post the recipe as is and you can make the necessary changes if you are doing the Daniel Fast.

Huevos Rancheros

Serves 4

1 (16 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes, with juice

1 (16 oz) can black beans

1/2 small red onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

8 eggs

1 tbsp chopped chipotle (you may not want to add this if you have little ones)

1 pinch ground cumin

8 whole wheat tortillas

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, chopped

Homemade Salsa:

Combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chipotle, cilantro, and half of the lime juice in a food processor and pulse until well blended but still slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper.

Black Beans:

Mix the black beans, cumin, and the rest of the lime juice in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Mash the beans, adding a splash of warm water if too dry.

Coat a large nonstick skillet or saute pan with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Break the eggs into the skillet; cook until the whites have set but the yolks are still loose and runny.

On a separate burner, heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add the tortillas, 1 at a time; cook 1 minute on each side, until lightly toasted. I like to cut mine in half before I toast it, top it, and eat it like a pizza. It's easier for the kids to handle as well.

To assemble the dish, spread the tortillas with the beans (or guacamole if you are not a bean fan. I like the Wholly Guacamole brand. It comes in 100 calorie snack packs), top with the eggs, and then the salsa. Garnish with cilantro if you like and serve immediately.

For the fast, we topped the tortillas with the salsa and black beans. It is a great breakfast and very filling. You can also cut up some fresh fruit for a side.

Waffles and Spaghetti

2012-01-20T13:33:00.002-06:00

I once heard a broadcast on Focus on the Family featuring authors Bill and Pam Ferrel. They wrote a book called Men Are Like Waffles-Women Are Like Spaghetti. Basically men are like waffles because they compartmentalize things in their brains. For a woman, everything touches and runs together like a plate of spaghetti. While hearing the difference between men and women is always entertaining, I usually find it hard to apply because Aaron and I aren't really extremes of either. About two weeks ago, however, I had a breakthrough! I've been struggling with understanding how to "do it all." I guess that's everyone's problem, really. I was feeling overwhelmed by the things that needed to get done around the house and feeling guilty that I wasn't spending enough time with the kids. It seemed I was always neglecting them or the housework.

So I asked Aaron, "What would your day look like if you were a mom?" He said he would bounce all day from chores to kids. Spend 10 minutes or so getting a chore started (make one bed, start one load of laundry, pick up one area) and then bounce over to playing with or taking care of the kids for about 20 minutes or so (feed them, play outside, read to them). Just then I realized that he used his "waffle brain" to come up with that solution. He was saying to bounce from box to box while I was looking at all the things I needed to get done like a huge plate of spaghetti thinking, "How in the world am I going to eat ALL of this spaghetti?" I have tried it his way and it has really worked! I get more done around the house than I have since Mazie was born and I feel great spending time throughout the day with the kids. I guess we really do think like waffles and spaghetti!

Our Big Park Outing

2012-01-08T10:58:00.004-06:00

It is very common to hear "after three it's all the same (meaning kids)." But for me having four is definitely more than three! Some days I feel so overwhelmed by the laundry and things to do that I don't even feel like I can move. You know the feeling when you have to pack up your whole house and move it to another one? You don't even know where to start sometimes. There are some days, however, that I feel strong and bold enough to venture out. Here we are at the park. I think we were there for five hours! I usually don't stay that long, but the weather was beautiful and the kids were enjoying themselves.

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

2011-12-31T20:43:00.004-06:00

This year to bring in the new year, we spent time as a family. We made a campfire in our backyard, roasted smores, and popped a few fireworks. The boys had an absolute blast and so did we. I think this is how I want to spend the rest of my new years to come and I look forward to the boys growing older and having good heart to heart conversations by the fire.

Blessed To Be A Blessing

2011-12-31T08:16:00.008-06:00

God has been doing a work in my heart in the area of giving. It started with the month of November being National Adoption Month. I heard several parents talk about their journey in foster care and adoption. My heart has been opened to receive and accept God's plan in our own family. Also in this month, my heart became awakened to gratitude. I began seeing all of the things I have as God's blessing in my life, large and small. I have started a gratitude journal that I believe has changed my life.

In the month of December, as the mail flooded in with Christmas cards, one very special one came to our mailbox. In the card was a $50 check with a note in it asking us to do a very hard thing. The sender wanted us to give it away. I was stunned. Many thoughts ran through my mind. Some selfish, some convicted by the Holy Spirit. In the end, I was supremely thankful to God that He had used this person to bless us in order to be a blessing. My next thought reminded me that we had received much this Christmas season and hadn't once thought to give it away. I personally had been acquiring more goods for myself and my own family. We had decided to give the money along with some of our own money away, so I began looking for the right family. Since cooking and providing good food for my family is close to my heart, I wanted to give away groceries. We connected with two other families in our church and were able to give a lot of food to three, all very different, families in need and it came back fast. As I was on my way to deliver the groceries, someone handed me more money for my own groceries!

One family in particular stands out to me. She's a single mom, just getting out of jail. This was the first Christmas she spent with her daughter in many years. I will never forget her phone call thanking us. The exact words were, "I ate today. I will have food tonight. But all I have in my house is a box of cereal and some milk. I didn't tell anybody, but the Lord knew we needed food." I can understand going from paycheck to paycheck, but I can't imagine going from meal to meal, not knowing where your next meal is going to come from. I am thankful that the Lord enabled us this Christmas season to have been a life changing blessing in three families' lives.

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but my goal for 2012 is to be a blessing in as many ways as I can. I know there will be many times I will forget and only be minded toward me and mine, but I hope this upcoming year I will be reminded over and over again to give of my time and money. I will end on this quote by Tim Sanders that will keep me balanced, "By giving in secret, you are free from anything other than the joy of imagining the difference it will make." Lord give me many opportunities this year to give in secret.

So Big

2011-12-29T15:38:00.001-06:00

Mazie is growing up so fast. We have found her standing up in her crib after naps and it still shocks me every time. She is trying to pull up on everything but is not strong enough to hold herself up for long. She is even crawling around already. She is very attached to me which I don't mind at all. It seems like time is flying by with her and I am truly enjoying every minute of it.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T11:12:00.000-06:00

Isaiah's Special Guest

2011-12-24T08:47:00.002-06:00

Since Isaiah's birthday is two days after Christmas, we decided to have a special birthday for him. We invited Santa and he actually came! It was hilarious when Santa walked through the door. The kids were in awe. It was a great time with friends and family.

MOPS Ornament Exchange

2011-12-22T09:45:00.001-06:00

About a year and a half ago I was in a "desperate mother" place. I called my sister to vent and she told me about MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). It's a national organization for moms of young kids. At each meeting we get breakfast, the chance to hear an inspirational speaker on mom/woman topics, connection with other moms in the same season, and a little break from our kids! It has been such a blessing to me and helped me so much in this hard but worth it season of life. Pictured above are the girls who make it all happen and some new dear friends of mine. We ate, chatted, and played a Dirty Santa game with Christmas ornaments. It was a great night.

Cajun Snow at Grandma's

2011-12-12T13:17:00.004-06:00

Every year growing up my grandma makes fake "snow" from Ivory soap. She shaves it and mixes it with water until it becomes the consistency of heavy whipped cream. She gets a real tree, makes the snow, and the kids put it on the tree with their hands. By the time we are done, it looks like a Cajun White Christmas! My sister and I have done it our whole lives and now it's our kids' turns. This was the only picture I managed to get this year - Mazie (7 months) and I on the left and my sister, Brigette, and her baby, Bailey (10 months) on the right. Since Brigette and I are the only two siblings, it was very special being pregnant with and having our first girls at the same time. I hope my dad is watching. He would get a kick out of it.

Gabe Jamming In His Music Class

2011-12-09T14:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Holidays!

2011-11-28T12:04:00.000-06:00

We're off to work like little elves getting up our Christmas decor! Gabe has gotten much bigger and stronger this year so he was able to help me get everything out of storage and into the house. I love that! He is eager to help and accomplish things on his own. Judah and Isaiah are two peas in a pod wherever they are, trying to help but mostly playing. And we have a new addition to our elf team this year but she just enjoys watching us work. That's because she already knows she is the little princess and that's perfectly fine with all of us!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-08T21:20:00.000-06:00

2011-11-08T21:18:00.001-06:00

2011-11-08T21:18:00.000-06:00

Dollar Store Trip

2011-11-02T17:36:00.000-05:00

Judah has been asking for these light sabers from the dollar store so we planned a trip for today. They couldn't wait till Wednesday! Let's see how long we can last without someone getting hurt. Any guesses??

2011-11-02T17:32:00.000-05:00

Mazie enjoyed chewing on her favorite toy while the boys ran around the store.

2011-11-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

We ended the trip at Wendy's with free Jr. Frosty's from Aunt Diane! Thanks Aunt D and Uncle C!

Riding Bikes

2011-10-27T16:26:00.000-05:00

I just went outside to the boys cleaning their bikes while waiting for me to open the gate. How sweet they looked with their bikes lined up in order of their ages while taking care of what they have been given.

There's Baking In The Air

2011-10-24T09:15:00.007-05:00

Tis the season for baking (and online shopping! Just saying). I'm not a regular baker, but for some reason when the cold weather comes I get inspired to bake and my family loves it! The first picture below is my grandma's lemon apricot bunt cake. I went to the store about five times looking for apricot nectar but they were all fresh out. So this ended up being all lemon which is Aaron's favorite so no problems there. This was actually my first bunt cake too and it came out great. My kids aren't big cake eaters so you know it's good when they ask for cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Next I made peanut butter banana muffins for breakfast. I made them once before and they are delicious. The recipe is from this book Deceptively Delicious. All of the recipes in this book have hidden pureed vegetables in them so the kids get their veggies without even knowing it. I've made most of the recipes without the veggie purees because it is a little bit of a process but everything has still been tasty and I feel great serving it to my family because I know it's healthy.

Happy Pumpkin Season

2011-10-22T09:51:00.006-05:00

The boys are finally enjoying this pumpkin season. Here they are making sugar cookies with black and orange sprinkles (see below). It's hard to see, but behind them we decorated the window with pumpkins and leaves. We put up our fall wreath on our front door and decorated the house. Today we are going to carve their pumpkins. The boys can't wait. You might be wondering what Mazie has been doing all this time? One word: Bumbo! We love that thing and so does she. She sits in it anytime she's awake and loves it. I give her a tiny tupperware top that she can hold and she goes to town chewing and drooling while giving us a piece of her mind. More pics to come. Happy pumpkin season!

Surprise Date Night #4

2011-10-21T09:35:00.003-05:00

On our last surprise date night we tried something totally new. We went to a poetry reading. We've both always wanted to go to something like that but never have. It was interesting. Not the coolest thing we've done. A little strange, but we're glad we had the experience together. Before we were married, Aaron was in New Orleans and I lived in Dallas for college. Our whole dating/engagement was long-distance and six months after we were married I was pregnant for Gabe. Although we've been able to travel many places together, we feel like we kind of missed out on the dating experience as far as making memories. We've always dated, but now we're making memories. For that reason, we're glad we went to the poetry reading. Definitely something we'll never forget.

It's Not So Happy Pumpkin Time!!

2011-10-17T08:25:00.008-05:00

I had to respond to my Aunt's comment about them not looking too happy. Probably because they weren't. My sister went to a fun one with rides, animals, a picture area, and more. We went to a church neighborhood one and it wasn't the best for older kids. The last time we went there, Gabe was a 1yr old and we took all kinds of cute pictures and he had no idea where he even was. It was great! This time, all we did was get our pumpkin & leave. It seemed kind of stressful actually. I told them they could have the one they could carry thinking they would pick a small one because they were priced by the size. Gabe, being the first born that he is, kept trying to pick up huge ones and I had to keep telling him no. Judah, his wonderful second born sensitive self, kept crying because he said he couldn't pick up any of them, and Isaiah, the baby boy, kept changing his mind. I eventually tried to pick it for him and he kept saying, "No not that one!" and then got upset. Not fun. I think we are going to try out my sister's place.

A Simple Breakfast And A Wedding

2011-10-01T10:10:00.002-05:00

Today I am in one of the best couples in the world's wedding. Aaron is marrying them. Since we are both involved, my mom took the boys yesterday afternoon. Last night was the bachelor/bachelorette festivities that lasted into the early morning hours. Aaron slept out with all of the guys so Mazie and I had the house all to ourselves. We slept 9 hours with only one feeding interruption!!

This morning I feel great. I'm really enjoying a quiet house and a simple breakfast (scramby eggs, coffee, and raisin bread toast. Music is on in the background. Mazie is sitting in her Bumbo watching me eat with her giddy feet and her pretty blue eyes.

This is going to be a great day :-)

Making cupcakes

2011-10-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Before

2011-10-01T09:43:00.000-05:00

After

2011-10-01T09:42:00.000-05:00

Apparently someone else got a little taste too!

Focused On Love

2011-09-24T10:32:00.005-05:00

Last night I saw a movie that reminded me of my dad. This happens often. The actor was a middle aged man. Divorced with a twelve year old daughter who he saw on the weekends. Even though he was a great man, he constantly doubted himself. He tried really hard to make the right choices but was never truly happy with how his life had ended up.

I don't know if that's exactly how my dad felt about himself, but I think it was close. The camera showed lots of closeups of this actor. He even had the same wrinkles and lines under his eyes as my dad did. In a strange way it brought me comfort. I felt like I was able to see a close up of my dad's face again. Sometimes I can close my eyes and picture exactly what his hands looked like.

There have been so many times I've wished I could do it all over again. He needed so much love. Sometimes that overwhelmed me. Most of the time I had a negative perspective, viewing him as selfish, which pushed me away from showing him how much I really loved him and how close I wanted him to be. Unfortunately I have shown more compassion and love to strangers than my own family. Showing grace and forgiveness is what keeps our hearts in constant connection.

I know I can't turn back the clock. I'll never get the chance to love him again. No other relationship could replace it. But I have learned to value the relationships I do have. As a wife, I keep in mind that my relationship with Aaron is more important than the issue. As a mother, nothing is more important to me than keeping a close relationship with my kids. As a daughter, sister, niece, etc., I enjoy my family relationships more. I appreciate the stories of their lives and who they are today. We are all humans, full shortcomings and greatness. I aim to stay focused on love, knowing that life is so very short.

Surprise Date #3

2011-09-22T23:22:00.000-05:00

This date wasn't actually one of my surprises. We had a Groupon to Reginelli's (thanks mom) so we went there. After dinner, we headed to Tutti Frutti (Aaron's new fav) and then to Starbucks for my Tall White Mocha. Yummy.
The busier our life gets, the more I enjoy getting away with my hubby. I looked forward to it all day and had a really great time just hanging out. It's awesome to be married to and share kids with your best friend.

2011-09-21T23:16:00.001-05:00

Mommy-Leader

By Andrea Jones

Just minutes before show time, the dining table sat perfectly arrayed. A pretty tablecloth and floral centerpieces set the foundation for the strategically placed plates, forks, spoons, cups and saucers positioned in front of each of the eight stuffed-toy guests invited to my daughter's tea party. Bowls filled with raisins, goldfish crackers, bananas and green olives provided a generous culinary offering.

"The sound of my
oft-repeated phrase
served as a deep reminder
of how my child watches
and listens to everything I say."

A beautiful spread, but it was ruined in the short time it took my daughter to change into her princess dress. When I entered the dining room I found Aly staring at the center of the table in disbelief while our family dog devoured the cheesy delights and polished off the green olives while the getting was good. Tears streamed down Aly's face while she repeated over and over, "Roll with the punches Aly, just roll with the punches." The sound of my oft-repeated phrase served as a deep reminder of how my child watches and listens to everything I say.

I scooped the dog off the table, scolded him and promptly sent him to time-out in the backyard. I then turned my attention to my 4-year-old. Together we re-set her table, cleaned up the mess, and positioned each invitee at their seat with newly filled bowls. This time I joined the party as Aly's guest of honor. We sipped lemonade, ate green olives and goldfish crackers and talked about how life was all about "rolling with the punches."

I thank you God for the reminder that you are always leading me as a mom. Help me to set a good example for my children with not only the things that I do but the words that I say.

Family Day at the Cool Zoo

2011-09-17T13:53:00.001-05:00

Just like we have allotted $20 out of the budget for date nights every other week, we have decided to set aside another $20 on the opposite week for Family Days. Two weeks ago we were supposed to go to our local pool but the Tropical Storm stopped us. Today is our first one going to the Cool Zoo (more pics below). It took exactly $20 to get all of us in. We packed a lunch and the boys had a blast. I even ran around with them this time. I felt and probably looked like one of the kids! Stay tuned for future Family Days. I have them planned all the way until the end of the year!

2011-09-17T13:44:00.003-05:00

2011-09-17T13:44:00.001-05:00

The Boys and The Girls

2011-09-03T18:00:00.002-05:00

Anytime I have errands to run or a place I need to go, such as a wedding or a baby shower, Aaron always finds something fun to do with the boys. It sounds like a good dad thing to do, and it is, but I sometimes feel left out. Now that we have Mazie, it works out perfectly. Aaron can take the boys to do fun things while I take Mazie to showers. Today Aaron took them to a Tulane football game in the Superdome while Mazie and I went shoe shopping for a wedding. Unfortunately I didn't find shoes for the wedding but I did score some adorable little grey sandals with flowers on the top for only $9.99! A great day for everyone.

Surprise Date #2

2011-08-30T09:21:00.000-05:00

This time I took Aaron to Barnes and Noble for our surprise date. On the way there we stopped for ice cream. I chose to go there because we like to do our own thing but together. After we get our coffee, Aaron grabs a few of books, I grab a few magazines, and we head upstairs to sit in our usual "comfy chairs" to read. Every now and then we look up to people watch or talk about what we're reading (or in some cases viewing). This time we stayed in the coffee shop and you can see what happened once we got there!

Earrings!!

2011-08-21T13:49:00.001-05:00

Mazie got her ears pierced yesterday!! She was not happy about it either. But like my Grandma Frost always says, "It hurts to be beautiful." Sorry Mazie. You're a girl.

Lunch Boxes

2011-08-20T09:16:00.005-05:00

I'm always amazed when someone tells me they are watching my life. I guess it's because I feel pretty common. Our neighbor recently gave her life to Christ an now works at our kids' school. She told me she loves seeing what I put in Gabe and Judah's lunch boxes because it's healthy and creative. Well that might be a small detail of my life, but I know that it's much bigger than that. It's possibly changing her future generations. Instead of feeding her kids whatever they want, teaching them poor eating habits, she has begun to think about what she buys and feeds her family. She is showing her kids that she cares about them. She is teaching them that their bodies are temples of God. Her kids will in turn do the same or better. I love that!

And that's the beauty of being a Christ follower. He chooses and uses the most common of us all to influence the actual path of other people's lives. When I look at myself I wonder how this is possible, but then I remember that it isn't my greatness that affects their lives. It's Christ in me that influences. I don't need to worry about changing other people's lives to be great. I only need to focus on Jesus changing my mind and character through my relationship with him and people all around me will be forever changed. What a privilege!

Learning To Cherish

2011-08-16T10:34:00.001-05:00

Learning to Cherish
by Moyra Jean Stiles, mother of three

Four months ago, my friend was diagnosed with aggressive stomach cancer. And my life has been irrevocably altered by the days I have spent with her during her illness. Days that confine her to her bed or a recliner all day, very heavily medicated for pain, physically unable to do daily tasks as she moves through the letting go of the work that was hers as a woman, a wife and a mother.

"I want to be the one to love
my family in these tangible ways"

In the hours when we sit together and pray, her heart desires remain very clear: "Please, Lord, please, let me be the one that gets to dress my girls. Please, Lord, O please, let my hands be able to once again prepare a meal for the man I love and the children I cherish. I, Lord, I want to be the one to love my family in these tangible ways." Of all the things she's lost in this season, this is what she mourns the loss of most: caring for the ones she loves with the energy and creativity of her unique and committed heart.

Oddly enough, those are the very tasks that most often garner grumbles from me. I, who have an abundant amount of health and energy, grow weary of endless meals to prep, laundry to fold and diapers to change. And yes, these tasks can be tiresome. But because of my friend's beautiful spirit and grace, I'm discovering just how precious they are, just how much they mark me my husband's wife, my children's mother. And those are roles I never want to lose.

Dear God, thank you for my family. Show me how to love them through the big and the small, the exciting and the mundane. Remind me to cherish them always. Amen.

My Silly Boy

2011-08-12T14:28:00.001-05:00

2011-08-12T14:27:00.001-05:00

Surprise Date #1

2011-08-11T23:03:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that in the past 8 years of our marriage I haven't been too creative, nor have I put forth much effort for our date nights. I've actually been quite lazy, expecting him to do all of the work in dating me. After listening to a Focus on the Family broadcast, I realized we needed a fresh spirt of romance, and it needed to come from me. So I went to work coming up with ideas (with help from the Internet of course). Like I said, I'm not too creative.
So here's the challenge - I have $20 every other week for our date nights.
My plan - to surprise Aaron with an awesomely romantic date night for $20 or less.
Tonight was our first one and it was a hit. Here we are at a friend's house. My friend and I set the scene and I brought the food. After dinner we even went for a paddle boat ride! Aaron was extremely pleased and it made me feel more connected and committed to the growth of our marriage.

First Day of School!!

2011-08-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

Today is Gabe and Judah's first day of school!! They were so excited to go. They have been counting down the days for about two weeks now. Gabe woke up in the best mood, which is unusual, and Judah said, "I can't wait to see what I'm going to learn today!" As we dropped them off Isaiah had mixed emotions. I bought him a preschool book and will be teaching him basics at home while the other two are at school. He's happy that I'm going to be his teacher, but sad to see the boys gone all day. He walked to the van with a very sad face as we left them behind.
This year I have a few daily goals with Isaiah. To do one praise and worship song using Seeds Family Worship (scripture put to music), one school lesson, one chore, and play/exercise. I will also be working on keeping life simple and establishing an easy yet consistent routine. It's only been an hour since the boys were dropped off and already the house is so much quieter. I think I'm going to like this year!

God Gets Motherhood

2011-08-03T07:46:00.014-05:00

As I was reading in the book of Numbers this morning, I saw a correlation between motherhood and God with the Isrealites. Over and over again, they argued, complained, and were very stubborn. God had proven that He knew what was up, yet they refused to listen! Wow, this sounds like my kids at times.

God's interaction with His children sounded familiar. He couldn't get them to do anything until He got mad enough to do something that got their attention. Even the nice things He did, like give them the meat they complained about not having, He did in aggrivation. He gave them so much of it they were literally sick of it and even complained about that! He got frustrated and angry with them over and over again. He often threw up his hands in the air and said, "Forget it! Because of your disobedience and complaining, you won't get ANYTHING!" Hmmm...sounds like me at times. In Numbers 14:34 God told them, "You will discover what it is like to have me as your enemy!" Sometimes I wish I could say those exact words to my kids and smite them with leprosy for 5 minutes just to get them to take me seriously! It's good that I don't have that kind of power.

Moses had to remind God that His true character was not this way. He is slow to anger, rich in unfailing love, and forgives the sins of a thousand generations. I am reminded even by reading that verse that if I want to be like God, I too must be slow to anger, rich in love, and forgiving the many sins my children commit all day long because God is this way towards me.

I'm glad God understands how I feel as a mom. It makes me feel more confident to ask for his grace, mercy, and help every minute of every day because I sure do need it.

It's Official

2011-08-02T21:08:00.001-05:00

2011-08-02T20:58:00.008-05:00

Last Wednesday night was the official transition from us as Youth Pastors to Ashton Cage. It was such a wonderful celebration of the past six years. They started the night off with the most hilarious rap by Kyle Tucker. Three teenagers gave us each (Ashton, Aaron, and myself) encouragement about what we meant to them and how we impacted their lives. Our Pastor and his wife encouraged us with a scripture. There was an amazing slideshow of so many wonderful memories. Aaron's parents, our Pastors, and our team prayed for all three of us in our transitions. An envelope of money that was collected by the youth was given to us and a party in the back continued the celebration. It was a night I'll never forget. Aaron said it best when he ended the night saying, "It's all about relationships." There will be many transitions in life and at the end of each season, we'll remember most the relationships we had the opportunity to build.

2011-08-02T20:43:00.003-05:00

Laura, my Pastor's wife, encouraged me greatly by saying I had been a great mother figure to the girls in the youth. She spoke of my next season in life as being a bright one. I am ready and excited to embrace it.

Last Youth Life Group

2011-07-25T13:18:00.004-05:00

Last night was our last life group with our team (pictured above). Aaron taught a great message and a few people gave parting words. It is amazing to me how much my life simply lived out has made such an impact. To me, all I do is cook, clean, try to keep the boys alive (ha ha), etc. Most days I feel insignificant. Last night some of the guys shared how my life has given them a picture of what to look for in a wife/mother. For most of us, it's hard to believe that our "seemingly insignificant" lives and choices make such a difference, but it does. Living our lives God's way reflects God himself and gives people hope. I'm honored to be a part of that because He has made me who I am. As I reflect on the last six years, my parting advice is to give what you can to people who come into your life while they are there. When someone comes along your path, it can be easy to make excuses of why you can't help them, especially if you feel overwhelmed by your own life. But those people never stay long. Lives move and change so much. In some cases I wish I gave more because my season of influence with them didn't last as long and wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. In other cases I'm glad I gave all I could when they needed me. In my next season of ministry, whatever it turns out to be, I will give my all (whatever I can), knowing they will only be in my life for a short time.

We had a great run, youth ministry. I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Thank you God for giving me what I thought I couldn't handle. Your choices for my life are always better than mine.

My Profile

2011-07-19T12:19:00.003-05:00

Today I changed my profile. In one week my husband and I will no longer be the Youth Pastors for our church. When I first heard the news about a year ago, I kind of freaked out. OK I did. I realized my identity was found in my position instead of God's daughter. Changing my profile also made me think about the future. What will my profile say in 5 years? Where will I be? What will my family look like? What will my kids be interested in? Today I'm glad to know that no matter how those things change, I am still and will always be a daughter of God.

Money Wise

2011-07-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

Since the boys are getting older, they have started getting money for birthday gifts and graduations. We wanted to teach them at an early age to control their money instead of their money controlling them, so I came up with a little system that they love. Each jar tells them where their money goes: Give, Save, Spend. When the Give jar is filled up, they can decide what they want to give their money to. After explaining this to the boys, Gabe said he wanted to give his money to the Ronald McDonald House for kids with Cancer. He said he saw the box at McDonald 's and has always wanted to put money in it for the kids. I thought that was cool that he is already aware of and willing to help other kids like him. Maybe one day we will be able to visit the kids he has given to. I think those kind of things have big impacts on shaping a child's heart to be more like Jesus. When the Save jar is filled up, we will put it in a savings account for them, and at any time they want to they can use their money from the Spend jar. Usually it's on Icees and snowballs. Gotta love being a kid!

Happy Fourth of July!!

2011-07-04T21:44:00.001-05:00

Great Job, Mom!

2011-07-04T06:27:00.001-05:00

This plate of food is a typical plate of food in our house. It has baked chicken, pasta with a little sauce on top, and a side serving of vegetables. I don't slave over a stove all day, but I do like to make sure I provide a healthy, tasty, attractive dinner for my family. After taking an hour to cook and prepare it, all the while thinking that my kids were going to love it, Isaiah, my outspoken 3 year old walks rights up and voices his opinion. Waiting in anticipation for his "Yummy!" remark, he sticks his chubby little fore finger at each item and says, "I don't like that, or that, or that." My first feeling inside is to take him seriously and be hard on myself for not doing a better job. I know I can't be the only one out there thinking this way. We all want to please our families. I personally love it when I hear positive words from my kids about how good of a job I'm doing, but I can't let that be my only gauge. After one quick second of feeling bad, I began looking around in my kitchen and found the real truth. There was a large watermelon that I bought & cut up (which I hate doing) for Gabe who insisted that he HAD to have it. There was a fourth of July cake that I made for Judah's birthday (which I don't enjoy doing either). There was a waffle maker on my counter top which I used to make homemade waffles with little cut up strawberries in them. The house was clean and dinner was even on a Cars plate. I'm not saying you have to do any of those things to be a good mom, but sometimes we, as moms, have to look around and remind ourselves that we are doing a great job, regardless of whether our kids or anyone else notices. So to all you moms out there, if you care about your child(ren) and try your best to do so, you are doing a great job!

Father's Day/Gabe's Birthday

2011-07-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

This year Father's Day and Gabe's birthday were on the same day which was very cool because the focus was family instead of just one person. We let Gabe pick where he wanted to eat and he chose "Old McDonald's" as he likes to call it. The boys played while Aaron and I hung out with Mazie. After we ate, we went to Academy to buy Gabe a basketball goal for his birthday.

2011-07-02T20:25:00.001-05:00

I wanted to show a close up of Mazie since it's hard to see her in the first picture. She's just starting to smile and talk.

2011-07-02T20:17:00.000-05:00

Singing "Happy Birthday" to our big 7 year old!

Tee Ball

2011-06-18T10:50:00.003-05:00

Tee Ball season is in full swing in the Vogel house. We have been going to games twice a week and some weekends. I feel like I'm constantly washing uniforms. Since the kids are so young, they don't keep score, so we tell the boys that they won every time. Here is Gabe at bat. He loves it and is very good at it. He can always be found in his "ready stance" with his knees bent and his hands on his knees, eyes peeled and ready to catch the ball no matter what position he's in. In fact he will leave his position most of the time to get the ball in his hands. It's been fun to watch him this year.

2011-06-18T10:49:00.002-05:00

Here is Judah up to bat. He is so funny to watch. He is like Eyor from Winnie the Pooh playing baseball. He could care less about being out there. He walks slow on and off of the field and his hat or glove is in front of his face most of the time. Even though he asks every game if he can stay home, I have to give him an "E" for effort because he never throws a fit when we till him he has to finish what he started.

2011-06-18T10:47:00.001-05:00

In this picture, Aaron got a bunch of people (mostly youth) to go to a game. It was a blast! I couldn't believe the turn out. They cheered, clapped, and coached the boys every chance they could. I felt so privileged to have so many people in our lives who support us as a family.

A Real Pirate

2011-06-15T06:39:00.002-05:00

Isaiah's little three year old dreams have finally come true. He is a real Pirate - or so he thinks he is. That's what I had to tell him in order to get him to wear this patch over his eye. No, he did not hurt himself, although I wouldn't be surprised if that ever did happen to him. It's an eye patch, much like a large bandaid. You see, my kids inherited the weirdest things from me - my pokey right ear, the big space in between my big and second toe, and now my lazy eye. When I was Isaiah's age, I had to have surgery to correct the muscles in my eyes. Isaiah's eye doctor told us that he would either have to have eye surgery or a patch. Since wearing glasses, his eye has improved greatly, but not quite enough. So now to Isaiah's delight, he gets to wear "The Patch!!" Unfortunately I'm sure the excitement of it will wear off in a couple of days. Good thing he loves candy and ice cream!

Tooth Fairy Alert

2011-06-13T16:53:00.001-05:00

Gabe finally lost his top tooth! He's been working on it for a week,
wiggling and jiggling it every chance he got. I just love that 6 year
old jack-o-lantern face!

Girls Day Out

2011-06-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today Mazie and I got our first pedicure together. Of course she
didn't get her nails done, but she kept me company while they did
mine. I had a little money left on a gift card from H2O for my
birthday and it was fabulous!

Story Land

2011-06-03T13:35:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our first official summer playgroup with MOPS (Mothers
of Preschoolers) at Story Land in City Park. The boys sported their
newly shaven "low maintenence" summer haircuts which I absolutely
love. We all had a great time with our own friends meaning I got to
talk to my mom friends while the boys ran around with other kids. Most
of the kids there were boys, so at some point one of them had the
bright idea to jump in the water. Needless to say, by the time we
left, they were all soaked.

2011-06-03T13:21:00.000-05:00

And here is what Mazie did most of the time accept when she was ready
to eat.

More Water!!

2011-05-29T07:59:00.002-05:00

Last night was our latest outing. I drove all the way to Hammond for literally a couple of hours to swim at my mom's awesome gym (with Starbucks and a salon in it). They did pretty well and had fun together while my mom and I sat on the side talking and drinking our Starbucks while Mazie slept (again)!

The Cool Zoo

2011-05-29T07:52:00.002-05:00

Here we are on our third outing by ourselves to the Cool Zoo. We all had a blast accept for Isaiah. How is it that he can jump off of anything and even bash his head into the ground and not be bothered by it, but he hates flies and water?? I don't get that at all! So he sat by me begging me to leave while Gabe and Judah ran around in the water. I only saw them when they got hungry. Mazie woke up only once to eat and went right back to sleep. Isaiah and I hung out by the tables watching all the action. I can't wait to go back!

Life With Four

2011-05-29T07:40:00.003-05:00

I used to wonder and ask moms of four what life was like. I still can't believe I'm that mom now, but so far it's gone well. Actually this past week was the first time I've had all four of them at once. So many people have helped us out by taking one or more of the boys at a time. For the most part all I've had to focus on was Mazie. The key for me so far is taking it slow. The first week after Mazie was born Aaron was my hero. He did everything around the house and made me sleep as much as possible. My recovery has been amazing. By the second week I almost felt like my old self. Usually it takes me months to feel like that! I've done a lot by myself with Mazie but not much with all four kids. Honestly for the first time I feel completely outnumbered and intimidated. Anything could happen (or go wrong)! So here they are on our first outing together at the Tanger Outlet Mall in Gonzales. Mazie is in her stroller asleep, which is pretty much all she does when we're out. We literally went to one store, got back in the van, and drove home. Our second outing was to Walmart for a handheld fan and lunchables.

Some Mazie Lou Pics

2011-05-12T13:58:00.000-05:00

2011-05-12T13:57:00.002-05:00

2011-05-12T13:57:00.001-05:00

2011-05-12T13:57:00.000-05:00

Mazie Lou

2011-05-07T12:27:00.000-05:00

She finally made it to the world! Friday, May 6, 2011 weighing 6lb,
11oz and 19 1/2 in long. We are already bonding so well and it's GREAT
to have her out!

Can't Wait!

2011-05-06T06:06:00.000-05:00

It's finally time. Mazie will be here sometime today.
I can't wait to see her.
I can't wait to dress her up.
I can't wait to sleep on my stomach again.
I can't wait to not have heartburn.
I can't wait to be able to run around in the backyard with the boys
again.
I can't wait to be able to bend over.
This is the beginning of a new season for me but the end of a long
season of pregnancies and I'm so glad we're ending it on a baby girl.
See you soon Mazie!

May is Mazie Month

2011-05-01T09:20:00.003-05:00

It's almost time!! Since today is May 1st, I have 12 days left until my due date. I have everything ready to go. Her closet is stocked with almost nothing but pink, her bags are packed with tons of outfits and accessories for the hospital, her swing with pink flowers is set up, her bassinet with a pink gingham bow around it is waiting for her, her ribbons and bows are hung up. Now all we need is Mazie. I can't wait to see how she makes her appearance into this world.

What is Love?

2011-04-20T04:27:00.009-05:00

When I think about the word "love", an old song pops into my head..."What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more...Oh, I don't know why you don't care, I give you my love but you're not there...I don't know what is right or what is wrong...gimme a sign...What is love?"

There are two ways we can try to understand love. Our way or God's way. In my fruits of the Spirit journey, there are a few things I am learning about love:

#1. Love is an act of the will. It is work and it demands constant choice and effort. My training ground in love has come from being a mother. I have to make a conscious choice every day, several times a day to love my boys regardless of how they are treating me. There are many times that my boys are so sweet to me. They tell me they love me, that I am pretty, that I am a good cook. They run over and hug or kiss me just because they want to. In those moments it is easy to love them because I feel like loving them. But the rest of life is filled with constant whining, arguing, complaining, ungratefulness. In those moments, regardless of my feelings for them, what will I choose? Will I give in to my emotions, or will I choose to show them God's love? Will I push them away, ignore them, or use hurtful words towards them? Or will I serve them, continue to help them, keeping a kind attitude? God's love shows up when we are exhausted, when we think we have nothing left to give. It makes a choice to go home to your family and serve them, no matter what kind of day you've had. This is not easy, but it can be done.

#2. I need God's grace to give it. By myself I can be a nice person for a little while, but in the nitty gritty of life and who I am, I am utterly selfish, rude, proud, not caring about showing love. I am more concerned about my agenda, my desires, my will, my mood, my emotions. The only way I can give real love is to get it from God, first by learning what it is through his Word and in prayer by letting him show his love to me.

#3. Love loves the unlovely. Jesus says to love our enemies, show good to them, and pray for those who hurt us. This is very hard when someone is truly hurting or bothering us. For me, there are days that I feel like my kids are my enemies. Not that I see them as my enemies, but that they see me as theirs. There are days when it feels like they are against everything I say and do. There are days when they seem very unlovely to me. They irritate and bother me, they are difficult to deal with and be around. I'm sure you can apply this to many other relationships in your life (spouse, boss, co-workers, parents, siblings, etc). The way Jesus says to think about and treat those kinds of people in our lives is to show them love.

How can he ask this of us? Because in reality it is us. We are the unlovely, ungrateful, selfish, rebellious ones he loved and chose to die for, regardless of his physical pain level and emotional state. The Bible says he was in agony before going to die on the cross. No doubt he had to choose to go through the unimaginable pain his body went through to show us love.

So let's gauge ourselves according to God's view of love. How well do you love? How you treat those who are closest to you, those who you live life with (your neighbor, roommate, co-workers, and of course your dear family). How would they say you treat them?

Abiding

2011-03-30T21:43:00.012-05:00

"For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh." Romans 7:18

"There is no one who does good, there is not even one." Romans 3:12

Have you ever felt like this about yourself? Like you just can't seem to get things right? You keep falling into the same trap of temptation. You can't seem to do one thing good.

In this season of my life, I am on a mission to understand and possess the fruits of the Spirit. I don't want to react out of my flesh as much as I do. I know it's not only destructive to me, but there will be lasting bad fruit in my kids' lives. Of course I will not be 100% "Spirit reacting" all of the time, but if I focus on it, making it my main aim, I will do much more good than if I give up and believe it's pointless.

One of the first steps in cultivating the fruit of the Spirit is abiding in Christ. In John 15, Jesus calls himself "the true vine" and only as we "abide in him" are we able to bear spiritual fruit.

It is only as we walk by the Spirit that we are able to show forth Christ in our lives, and God gives us the grace to do this AS WE ABIDE in Christ.

Abiding is defined as continued fellowship with the Lord and being submissive to his will. It is a constant contact with Jesus.

How can we abide?

1. Spending time in God's Word. The words of Christ should have a reigning position in our heart. We don't go to our logic, opinions, or experience to make decisions or draw conclusions. We plant God's word in our heart and it becomes our pattern of thinking.

2. Spending time in prayer. One believer explained it as "regular, daily, unhurried, secret lingerings in prayer." This is hard to do because it is such a time consuming commitment, but something that is so worth it. It is a goal to continue to reach for. For me, I'm not nearly where I want to be in my prayer life, but I'm on a path to grow. I read books about it, I practice, I remember that every day is different, I try new ways to pray. Overall, my heart desires to be completely connected with the Holy Spirit through prayer. I will keep learning, growing, and reaching for this connection probably for the rest of my life. It is not a logical or legalistic motive, but a heart longing in my spirit.

3. Obeying God's commands. Making choices that honor God and his word. "If you keep my commands, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10). In keeping his Father's commands and desires, Jesus stayed close to his father's heart. When we stay close to God's heart, it is easy to walk in obedience because we know him and his love and we want to obey his will over our own. Spiritual fruit can never be produced except by yielding to the Holy Spirit.

How do you know when you are walking by the flesh or by the Spirit? When we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the deeds of the flesh and we can have victory over it, meaning we don't give into our fleshly desires.

It is as we walk by the Spirit - abiding in Christ through consistant time in his word and prayer, and obeying God's commands - that the Holy Spirit produces His fruit in our lives.

Best Self-Help Advice

2011-03-28T22:47:00.006-05:00

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." Philippians 4:8.

There are seasons that seem like a breeze. Things just go right. You feel good, you have energy, you have lots of friends, there is something to be excited about. Then there are the more difficult seasons of life where things just plain ol' suck. When things don't go my way. When I'm in physical or emotional pain. When I can't see the end to this season.

I'd always wondered about the above scripture. What "things" was Paul talking about? What in my life or things going on in the world are right? Pure? Excellent? In the hard seasons of life, it's hard to see those kinds of "things." But I think this scripture finally makes sense to me. In general he's saying to keep your mind on the positive. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially when you really are in some kind of pain or circumstances really are bad. It takes courage. It takes a choice of your will. It takes discipline.

My mom is famous for telling us, "When you're feeling down, just start saying what you are thankful for." I used to roll my eyes and doubt that it would ever help, but the more I do it, the easier it gets and it really does work! There have been a few seeds planted in my heart like this over time of people sharing their stories and saying how thankfulness and a greatful attitude has gotten them through the hard times.

So I am here to say do it. Attitude is always a choice no matter what the circumstance. There is always something to be thankful to God for, even if you have to dig deep down inside of yourself to find it. It's there.

There are so many things I am truly thankful for. I will fight to keep my mind on the positive and not dwell on the negative. Lord help me!

Pleasing To Who?

2011-03-26T05:25:00.008-05:00

Everyone has their little trap that they somehow fall back into from time to time. I'm not talking about obvious sin, but areas of weakness or insecurity that sneak back in after you think you've dealt with them. For some, it might be negativity, critical thinking, bad attitudes, laziness, people pleasing, feelings of unworthiness, etc.

Mine is, as Joyce Meyer calls it, is performance and approval addiction. I don't know exactly where it came from or if I was like this as a child, but several years ago I realized I was living for the unspoken or assumed expectations of others. I was spinning my wheels going and doing everything I thought I was "supposed" to be doing and completely lost track of what I believed God wanted me to do. I was performing. For who? Mainly my spiritual leaders and women I looked up to in our church. Why? I didn't like myself enough to be content with who God made me, so I was trying to be someone else (the person I thought I should be or wanted to be). God did a major inner work of healing in me that took about two years to make me aware of it and set me free. Somehow over this last year it crept back in unnoticed. The only difference this time was the "who."

Over the past three years, I have gone from one extreme to another in my domestic duties as a wife/mother, but mainly as a mother. After I had Isaiah, I realized how lazy and apathetic I was as far as my role and responsibilities in the home. I was not a hard worker. Not that our house was a mess, but my attitude was apathetic about what needed to get done. I didn't care about being on time or going the extra mile in preparation.

Last year, I went through a book with the youth girls about being a godly woman, wife, and mother, and it kicked me in the butt! Everything changed and I wanted to work hard. I wanted to care. I wanted to be the best mom I could be. I wanted to go the extra mile, and I did. I began working hard and I really enjoyed it. Then I got pregnant. Pregnancy has a way of forcing you to slow down and when you do, you start to see things you didn't know were there, still lurking in the shadows.

I had an emotional breakdown recently that made me begin to look a little deeper. Why was I spinning my wheels? Why was I working so hard? Why did I think I "had" to do all these things when everyone kept telling me to slow down and just relax? Partially because I have three kids and a hard working husband and there is a lot of work to be done. I really do believe that I am the manager of this home and I want to be found a good steward of what I have been given. But there is the other side of my heart that was trying to prove to myself, my husband, and my boys that I AM an excellent mom. It's the same reason a little girl in a twirly skirt will spin for her daddy. She is saying, "Look at me. Do you see me? I want to be noticed. I want to be told I am beautiful." In this case, I was looking for a sense of pride and accomplishment. I want to be noticed by my family and I want them to really believe that they have the best wife/mommy in the world. But when I was falling short in their little tiny perspectives (meaning my boys), I was feeling guilty and I would go to work even harder. I finally thought, "Wait! Who am I doing all of this for? Who does see the bigger picture? Who does see how hard I'm working and understands my motives?" Not my boys. God and God alone. I cannot perform for my boys hoping one day to get "The Best Mom" award from them. I can't perform for God who sees all and knows all. I can't preform for others or even myself, trying to prove that I am a good mom. That would result in pride. All I can do is live with this prayer in my heart from Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." The goal is not to be the best for best sake, but that my inner man is pleasing to God, the watcher and lover of my soul.

Martha Mom

2011-03-20T09:55:00.012-05:00

There is a little book I just finished reading called "Confessions of a Mother Inferior." The title is a play on "Mother Superior" in the Catholic religion who is head nun over the other nuns living in the same convent (house) together. You don't seek to become Mother Superior, you trust that if God and others see you are worthy enough, you will be voted in. But who feels like this as a mom? No one thinks, "God saw I was ready and worthy enough to be a mom, so he gave me kids." It just doesn't happen that way. You have no idea what you are doing or why you even wanted kids, you just did. So you start at ground zero and the older your kids get, the more unworthy you feel as a mom. Of course there are moments when you feel good about your mothering skills, but then another one comes along who is completely different than the others, or the older ones go through a new phase and you are thrown for another loop. So when it comes to mothering and the way most moms feel about themselves as a mom, I think Mother Inferior is perfectly appropriate. Even the way I got the book was in an inferior way. I won it at a MOPS meeting for loosing the most points at a Bonko game. I feel like mother inferior most of the time and I know I'm not alone. It's easy to see your weaknesses and carry guilt for the things you didn't do or should have done, or maybe should not have done. We have to be shown and reminded that we actually are doing a great job. But most of the time those praises don't come often or you have to wait 30 years until your kids are parents and they finally tell you what a great mom you really were.

Anyway, back to the book. I loooooved the book. It is a collection of short stories and lessons learned from a fellow mom. But when I got it, I wasn't excited. I would have rathered a candle or small bottle of lotion from Bath and Body Works, or so I thought. This particular book made me laugh, cry, think, pray, and now blog.

In one of the chapters, the author talks about the story in the Bible of Mary and Martha from Luke 10. Basically Martha was running around like a chicken with her head cut off to prepare a meal (that had to be prepared) while her sister Mary just sat and relaxed, listening to Jesus talk. Naturally, Martha got mad about it and in her frustration told Jesus to kick her sister in the butt to get her up and help. Jesus responded in a surprisingly different way than Martha expected. He told her that Mary was actually doing to better thing and basically that Martha should consider chilling out, sitting down, and listening to Jesus as well.

So how does this relate to motherhood? It happens to us as mothers all of the time. When it comes to organizing my family and house, I am driven, serious, all work and no play. If I don't take time to slow down, I have the tendency to push everyone aside. Sometimes my actions say, "Get out of my way! I'm working hard right now!" We think we are doing it for them, but it's really for us. We miss out on sitting with them, playing with them, looking them right in the face and showing them that there is no place we'd rather be. It changes everything and most of the time we have to make ourselves do it. No matter how much we love our kids, it's easy to get distracted and forget about sitting at Jesus' feet and letting our kids sit in our laps.

I say it changes everything because I think when we spend time with our kids they forget about the weaknesses we think are so obvious. Because of the pain my body is experiencing in these last few weeks of pregnancy, I am more edgy than normal. Gabe is going through an arguing stage, so lately it doesn't feel like our relationship is at an enjoyable place. Yesterday I reluctantly took Gabe by himself to buy some crocks for the summer. We argued a little on the way there and a lot in the store. I was forcing myself to stay calm and to hold his hand while we walked. I still had a little time left and some money on a Starbucks card, so we had a little date. I got my drink and he had a cookie. We sat outside in perfect weather and small-talked. We went to Dollar General after and I bought him a bug house. At some point I told him that I was sorry for yelling so much. His response shocked me. He said, "What? You never yell mommy! I don't even know what you are talking about!" WOW! Taking a little time with him erased my sin. It felt good and I'm going to work harder at being more of a Mary Mom (taking time to hear the words of Jesus so I have his love and fruit to draw from and taking time to sit and play with my kids). The chores can wait. They don't care about a clean house. They want mommy.

Steps to Overcome Temptation

2011-03-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

This is the last blog entry on temptation and I hope you've learned a few tricks to help you better understand it and how it works. Here are three steps to overcoming temptation that have also helped me.

1. Refuse to be intimidated by temptation or demoralized that you keep facing the same one. I mentioned this in an earlier entry. I kept feeling like I was personally failing because the same temptations still bothered me. I was and still do occasionally give in, but I can't let that get me down. Temptation will always follow me. I just have to know myself enough to recognize the patterns and continuously walk in the Spirit, not my flesh so I have the power to overcome. If the presence of temptation gets me down, then I'm already defeated. It's ok to fight and I must not give up.

2. Recognize your personal pattern of temptation and be prepared for it. Certain situations make me more vulnerable to temptation than any others. Some circumstances will cause me to stumble almost immediately every time, while others won't bother me. Satan knows my triggers and so should I.

3. Ask for God's help. The Bible says, "Call on me in times of trouble and I will rescue you and you will honor me." God wants me to call on him for help and he wants to help me. Then I will give him the credit for helping me overcome and he will be honored through my temptation. Jesus understands all of our weaknesses because he personally experienced the same temptations that we face, yet he did not sin. This gives us the hope that we can also overcome any temptation we face. With God's help, we don't have to sin.

God doesn't get tired of us crying out over and over again. He doesn't get tired of us asking for help. He doesn't roll his eyes thinking, "When are you going get over this?" He made us and remembers we were made of dust. God's love is unfailing and unlike humans, he is patient and understanding. The Bible also says, "Let us approach the throne of God boldly where there is grace and mercy just when we need it." Temptation keeps us dependent on God and that's just where I want to stay.

Something to Celebrate

2011-03-13T08:09:00.005-05:00

I did say that my next blog was going to be on overcoming temptation, but I wanted to break it up a little to tell you something I'm excited about. When I was 15, a woman in my church decided to personally disciple me by bringing me into her home every Friday afternoon. For the first 30 minutes we would read and talk about different women in the Bible from a book we were going through. Then she would teach me something practical that had to do with homemaking. She taught me how to make a weekly food menu for a family, how to make an ingredients list to take to the grocery store, how to go grocery shopping, how to notice prices, how to choose healthy options, and how to keep a food budget. But two things that impacted me the most were things that I observed from her life by watching her. They may seem small and insignificant to most people, but in my young heart I made them personal goals to one day accomplish as a mother.

Every morning she was up at 5:00am, sitting in her rocking chair in their living room, reading her Bible for at least an hour.

After her morning reading, she would make a fresh breakfast for her family everyday! Now of course they were usually the same four or five things repeated, but each morning when her family awoke, they woke up to the smell of bacon, french toast, biscuits, etc.

I haven't made it to 5:00am yet, but I started with 6:00 and now I realize if I'm going to get adequate time in my Word before Isaiah wakes up and get breakfast on the table without rushing, it's gonna have to be 5:30 and I'm actually excited about it. I used to dread even the thought of these goals, but through a very slow process, I'm making my way there.

I've been making weekly dinner menus for a while now and doing pretty good with having dinner on the table most nights. It's been a lot easier since I discovered crockpot cooking. But this past week I've ventured out and have made several different breakfast items from a book I got for Christmas called Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. They are easy and healthy recipes. I've only done the breakfast section so far but they've all been hits! We've had french toast, applesauce muffins made with oatmeal, green eggs and ham made with spinach, banana bread, and blueberry lemon muffins. Everything has been so good and there is more to come. I feel like I'm on my way to accomplishing two of my life goals and that is something to celebrate!!

Pattern of Temptation

2011-03-11T22:54:00.007-06:00

In The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, he talks about a pattern of temptation that involves a four step process. If you can recognize this pattern, you are that much closer to defeating it.

1. Desire.

Satan identifies a desire within, suggesting through a thought that I give into it. It could be a legitimate desire like the desire to be loved or accepted, or an illegitimate desire like the desire to satisfy lust.

2. Doubt.

You doubt that your desire really is a sin. You think it's not really that big of a deal if you give in to it. You question if God cares or even knows about your desire. The Bible says, "Watch out! Don't let any evil thoughts or doubts make you turn from the living God."

3. Deception.

Satan will offer his lie to replace God's truth from his Word. Now you are convinced that your desire is ok and needs to be fulfilled. You believe that you deserve to act out your desire in a particular way.

4. Disobedience.

Now you have finally acted on the thought you've been toying with in your mind. Perhaps you've done it enough times that your heart has hardened and it becomes a part of you.

I hope this helps you identify the pattern temptation has taken in your life and I hope you can clearly see what step you are on. Next blog I will share steps to overcoming temptation so we can be free from the sins that so easily entangle and deceive us.

Growing Through Temptation

2011-03-10T14:29:00.006-06:00

I have always hated temptation. Wanna know why? Because I've always seen it as the pathway to my downfall instead of an opportunity to grow and make the right choices. Temptation actually is a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block. It simply provides a "choice" and every time I choose to do the right thing instead of choosing to sin, I am growing in the character of Christ.

I've been asking myself a lot lately about the fruits of the Spirit (how to really get them and what that would look like if I had them). Every time temptation would come knocking, I would feel like I was still weak and failing because this thing is still hanging around in my life. But then I realized that there were plenty of times when I did make the right choice instead of sinning and that was a gold star on my chart. I was focusing so much on my mistakes, convincing myself that I was still stuck in the same ol' pit. I didn't see that I was actually learning how to climb out through the temptations I faced.

God does want me to develop his fruit, so he's going to allow me to experience circumstances where I am tempted to do the exact opposite quality that he is producing in my life. For example, a person can't say they are loving if they've only been around easy to love people. A person can't say they are patient if everything is always going their way. Character development happens in the trials of life, where you have to make tough (right) choices. Once you've made tough choices while being tempted enough times, your character has been developed to be like Christ and you have finally changed (at least until the next trial)!

8th Year Anniversary

2011-03-09T06:46:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was Aaron and my 8th wedding anniversary. What I really wanted most was to stay home, sleep in, and do whatever I wanted, particularly in the morning and at night (no early risers to beg me to get out of bed, no getting breakfast a million times, no early arguments over toys or what cartoons to watch or who sits where, no interruptions in my morning reading, no having to re-heat and re-heat and re-heat my coffee, no picking up the same toys over and over again, no dinners, baths, or bed times for anyone accept me) and I got my wish. The boys went to my in-laws for two days and two nights. It was bliss.

Then last night I got to spend the afternoon with my wonderful hubby. This season has been a hard one for me and I just love going on dates with Aaron where he helps me navigate my way through my emotions and personal situations. I always feel refreshed every time we have good heart to heart talks. He listens to me, he encourages me, and he always has great insight on doing things a little bit different to help me grow. He's my pastor, my love, and my best friend. We laugh and we flirt. We share our lives together. We grow together. And there's no one else I'd rather do this thing called "life" with. I am confident in his leadership and his character. I trust him with my whole heart. I am so blessed to have him as my own and I look forward to all that God has in store for us.

And a bonus for the night - he took me shopping!!

Deluge VIII

2011-03-07T15:33:00.001-06:00

It's Deluge time again! A few of our youth went to Bethany World
Prayer Center in Baton Rouge to encounter the Holy Spirit with a few
hundred other local teens. I'm hungry to go deeper in Jesus' presence
and in the dry seasons when I'm not, I ask him to rekindle my flame.

Pinwheels

2011-03-04T20:53:00.001-06:00

I found these cute little pinwheels at the dollar store. I got one for
each of the boys. They were so excited to get them in the garden and
they look great! We love driving up to the house watching them spin.
It gives me such a happy spring feeling! I can't wait to tackle my
garden next!!

My Little Ham

2011-03-01T20:28:00.000-06:00

2011-03-01T20:27:00.002-06:00

2011-03-01T20:27:00.001-06:00

2011-03-01T20:27:00.000-06:00

2011-03-01T20:26:00.001-06:00

2011-03-01T20:26:00.000-06:00

Best Weekend Ever!!

2011-02-28T10:38:00.004-06:00

My father-in-law picked up Gabe after school on Friday for the whole weekend. A few friends from our church took Judah and Isaiah Saturday, so I had the whole day to myself and spent the afternoon with my hubby. While my boys were getting spoiled by other people, I had breakfast and lunch with great friends and finally got to go grocery shopping with money given to me! I went with NO KIDS and walked really slow. It was wonderful. I've heard it said, "You know you're a mom when you walk through a grocery store like you're walking through a museum!" I can definitely relate to that.

Later, I met Aaron at our friend's house while we held their newborn baby. Then we went off by ourselves to talk under the stars. Before going home, we met more friends at Starbucks and enjoyed laughing with them. We came home that night to sleeping boys and a quiet house. We ended the weekend with free tickets to a Hornets game on Sunday and got hooked up with some really good seats (pictured above). As you can see we only took Gabe and Judah and they had a blast! These kind of weekends always leave me missing my boys and feeling refreshed for the week ahead. I'm so thankful for the many blessings in my life. I can't imagine living life without people who love you. Thank you everyone who gave of their time, energy, and money to bless my whole family!

2011-02-28T10:37:00.001-06:00

The view from our seats. It was a great game!

Bright Ideas

2011-02-25T13:32:00.004-06:00

Last night I had nothing cooked, no leftovers, and no money in my weekly food budget to go out and buy something. I am learning how to live on a budget. Something all girls should learn BEFORE marriage. I know there are so many people around the world that would consider us filthy rich, who have far less than I do in my kitchen. It really was my fault anyway. Instead of waiting for a day with no kids, I went to an expensive grocery store with Gabe and didn't spend wisely.

So in this learning process, I had a bright idea (or at least I thought it was). Instead of explaining or apologizing to the kids about our predicament, I gleefully declared last night "Eat Whatever You Want Night!" Or in other words, "Eat Whatever You Can Find Night." And they loved it. Everyone shouted "Yaaay!!!" and began searching through the refrigerator, cabinets, and pantry to see what they were going to get away with eating for dinner. It started off with cookies and hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream and other snacks I can't even remember. After their feast, I happily announced bath time to which they whined, "But we haven't even had dinner yet!" After telling them that what they had just eaten was their dinner, they said they wanted "real dinner." I happened to find a salad bag, craisins, croutons, bacon bits, and topped it off with Ranch dressing. It was just enough for everyone and to my surprise my kids actually ate salad for dinner!

So even though my bright idea turned dull, I have learned that no matter what your circumstance, especially with kids, you make it sound good (aka. have a good attitude), and everyone is happy - including you.

Riding Bikes

2011-02-24T16:22:00.000-06:00

It actually happened...Gabe is riding his bike without training
wheels. It's a pretty funny story too. He was forced into it when his
training wheels were stolen by a neighborhood boy. Since then, Gabe
hasn't ridden his bike. He kept saying he needed a new bike with
training wheels. So yesterday, the same boy who stole the training
wheels taught him how to ride his bike without them! No lie. He showed
him how to push off, then he ran with him pushing from behind, and
showed him how to stop. Gabe was so proud of himself! And if you're
wondering about the boy, he is the sweetest, most respectful, and
helpful one of them all. That's why I still let him around. Just when
I want to throw in the towel with them, Gabe reminds me that we are
here to teach them. And occationally they teach us stuff too.

NOHAM on the West Bank

2011-02-23T14:00:00.003-06:00

So it was called to my attention that it has been about a month since I last wrote on my blog! I am truly sorry to all you readers out there. I hate it when I continuously go to a blog for new updates and am disappointed because they hardly update. I usually think, "Why don't they update? Why do they have a blog anyway? There must be something they can write about!" And here I am doing the same thing. My excuse? Pregnancy la-la-land and Aaron's job zone out. When I looked back at my calendar, the timing makes sense why I haven't written. You see, Aaron has been completely involved with another store open on the West Bank (an hour away). When he did the one on St. Charles, it took him out of our lives for about a month. That was really hard. This one has been much better because I knew what to expect, but still threw me off a bit. This pregnancy has been great compared to many horror stories I've heard, but has still been hard on my body. Plus with the hours Aaron is working right now, I've slipped in the zone of going through the motions until is over. I call it survival-mode. So I haven't been motivated to write nor did I want to complain. Thankfully this should be the last week of Aaron being on the West Bank and I'm looking forward to life returning to normal with Aaron in charge!

Leaders Are Like Town Clocks

2011-01-31T12:58:00.005-06:00

I love reading on my iPhone because if there is anything I don't know and want to look up, I can simply switch apps and google it without loosing where I was reading. I did that this past weekend and got a great little nugget that I wanted to share.

Since I am currently in Leviticus, I was curious about the different offerings and decided to look it up. The commentary I was reading began talking about the priests and how big of a deal it was when they sinned as opposed to anyone else sinning. He used this analogy to explain it and I think it is a great word picture. He said, "The more prominent the man, the more flagrant the sin. A man in public office is very much like the town clock, as more depends on it than on the watch of the individual. If a man's watch goes wrong, only he is misled; but when a public clock is off, many are led astray!"

Wow what a challenge to all leaders! My life and "secret sins" that I think no one knows about doesn't only affect me. It affects many around me, even to the point of leading them astray. When I read this, I pictured a whole town going crazy, people confused and getting frustrated. I know my sin does that to me. I hate the idea of my sin causing a person to wander in confusion or frustration because of something in me not correctly mirroring or honoring the scripture.

I don't think it's just obvious sins either. It can be in my pride of disobeying God in the small things I know he's told me to do, or when I choose to live by my emotions and own logic rather than the Spirit. Even if you are not in church leadership, you are still leading someone - your wife, kids, grandkids, a co-worker, a school mate, etc. So let's allow God to search and test our hearts and make the necessary changes he points out to us.

Psalm 139: 23-24

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." NLT