From the Mouth of Babes

So, first... absolute apologies for the quality of the picture. (All my photo genius bloggy friends are cringing... I just know it). No, it wasn't the victim of a flood. No, it is not from 1978. No, I didn't soak it in orange koolaid prior to scanning it. Just plain old bad lighting. But a super cute kiddo, right!? Alright, enough about the quality of the photograph.

This morning my youngest son (pictured) was frantically searching for his baby doll. (Yes, he has a doll. Usually, Baby, is bungee jumping from his window panes, taking a ride on a bulldozer, or the latest experiment of gravity and the open air staircase. I do, however, believe that little boys have some desire to nurture and show a gentle spirit - on occasion- as little girls do. Thus, the baby doll.)

I was trying to get everybody to the table for breakfast and encouraged him to wait until after we were done eating. With his most sincere and earnest expression he said, "But Baby needs me." (I'm melting as a mother at this point)

I relented and allowed him to continue the search. After a couple of minutes he found the doll and was quite happy to bring Baby to the breakfast table. I smiled and said, "What a good little daddy you will be...taking care of your baby." He shook his head confidently and retorted, "I'm not the daddy... I'm the mommy!" We all giggled as I reminded him that one day he would grow up to be a big strong daddy! I pray that he would continue to have a gentle manner and a desire for loving and protecting his children! What more could a mother pray for!

Breakfast Cookies

Breakfast Cookies

"Wet Ingredients"

1 cup creamy peanut butter (all natural/organic)

2 fresh eggs

1 /4 cup honey

1/ 4 cup applesauce

"Dry Ingredients"

2 cups whole wheat flour (or white blend)

Pinch sea salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

"Add-ins"

1/2 cup prepared granola
1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/2 cup moist raisins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Use hand mixer to add wet ingredients one by one. Then add dry one at a time until completely blended overall.

Work "add-ins" in with your hands until absorbed by dough.

Roll out with rolling pin between two saran wrap layers and use round cookie cutter.

Place on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Makes approximately 20

Persecution

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acts 1:8

I have been thinking a lot lately about the persecuted church. Imagine, living in fear that your children or husband might be ripped from you, tortured and murdered...all because they profess the name of Christ as ultimate truth. We should be on our knees in intercession for these brothers and sisters that daily face such attacks. How dare we even consider not bringing up his name in order not to offend. It is in the face of true persecution that one's true character and passion for the Savior is revealed. How much do I love Him?

Follow the links below for information from Voice of the Martyrs and how you can get involved.

Voice of the Martyrs

Persecution.com/ News Articles

Prisoner Alert/ Get Involved

Bible League

I Want to Be One of Them

Have you heard this song yet? I heard it "before" it became a popular play on the radio and just found out who sings it: Sara Groves. I absolutely love the words! Pause sonific songspot before playing youtube video. (I don't know the people in the video, but it was the only one that had the song attached!) Enjoy!






Lord I have a heavy burden of all I've seen and know
It's more than I can handle
But your word is burning like a fire shut up in my bones
and I cannot let it go

And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

Lord it's all that I can't carry and cannot leave behind
it often overwhelms me
but when I think of all who've gone before and lived the faithful life
their courage compells me
And when I'm weary and overwrought
with so many battles left unfought

I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard
I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars

I see the shepherd Moses in the Pharohs court
I hear his call for freedom for the people of the Lord

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them

I see the long quiet walk along the Underground Railroad
I see the slave awakening to the value of her soul

I see the young missionary and the angry spear
I see his family returning with no trace of fear

I see the long hard shadows of Calcutta nights
I see the sisters standing by the dying man's side

I see the young girl huddled on the brothel floor
I see the man with a passion come and kicking down the door

I see the man of sorrows and his long troubled road
I see the world on his shoulders and my easy load

And when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
and when the Saints go marching in
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them
I want to be one of them

That's My Kid!

Today my husband and I went on a date! A real, live, ended with ice cream cones kind of date. We spent an entire five hours of kid free togetherness! Of course, 75% of the time we talked about the kids...

My parents were so kind to watch the boys while we went out. My mom kept our youngest at home and my dad took my oldest to a boys/girls (elementary age) Saturday morning basketball game! Apparently, they stayed for quite a few games and my son was really into it. He loves sports of any kind and can get very wrapped up...

Well, about halfway into the girl's game, one of the players got a hold of the ball and was quickly coming down to the other basket for the score. Bubby jumped up out of the bleachers and dove onto the court, threw up his hands and tried to 'guard' the fast breaking player. The ref blew the whistle to avoid my son from getting trampled and then escorted him back to grandpa!

Yep, that's my kid!

Taste and See

Yesterday we celebrated my husband's birthday. I love birthdays! I like to decorate with streamers, balloons,party hats, annoying bazooka blowers, and other crazy random decor. The wilder, the better. Every year I make my husband wear a large prize ribbon badge that states "Birthday Boy". I love to make a huge dinner, sing ridiculous songs, and capture every moment on film. You may think you are turning 40, but all the dinner guests believe they have arrived to the party of a 4 year old.

Last night was no different...with one exception, okay two... I have a cold and we had to un-invite the party goers. I am missing two very important senses- taste and smell. Lets just say that cooking was a complete challenge. I didn't realize that I use these so much when I'm working in the kitchen! It was indeed a blessing that I purchased the lasagna and french bread already prepared from the store. All I had to make was the cake and ice cream. That's not so hard, right? Oh mylanta...


First, you have to include all ingredients. Strike one. Didn't have any white sugar. If anyone told you there is not difference between white and brown- don't believe them!

Next, I should have known there was a problem when my four year old asked why I hadn't stacked the layers on the cake. (I had). Strike two. They just didn't rise more than 1 inch each. So here we have a beautiful two inch thick cake. Grrrr.

Lastly, my husband cut into the cake after the traditional birthday melody. He cut again. Then grunted. Strike three. Too hard to cut into. It's a shame nobody bought the man a saw- it might have come in handy.

Well, at least the ice cream was good! I tossed the cake after it was apparent that we were all to "full" for seconds.

This morning I've made my second attempt- with a different recipe and oh- did I mention? Sugar.

Life in Christ

Today, January 22nd, is the 35th anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision in which abortion was deemed a legal practice. My heart truly aches for all those children who will never know the sweetness of life or taking their first breath.

My friend, Christina, wrote a beautiful post regarding the body of Christ. I encourage you all to read it and be blessed as we consider our life and breath in Him, our Creator God.

For more information from a Biblical perspective regarding planned parenthood's history and philosophy, please click here.

Just Keeping Tracking... in 2008

As I sat down to prepare for bed last night I was reminded of my 'miles' sidebar that hasn't grown any in the past week. Our family has been sick with the stomach flu, respiratory flu, sinus infections, bronchitis, ear infections, and the plain old cold for the past month. (Yes, I know... you are wondering how you too could contract this and are feeling the urgency to visit.)

Well, as I began thinking about the miles, my mind began to wander. It could have been the cough medicine, but we'll chalk it up to "spiritual reflection". What if we started keeping track of lots of other areas in our life...including all things related to our personal relationship with Christ. Granted, I wouldn't dare compare it side by side with say 'exercising' or 'reading' or 'shopping'. It is interesting, however, to see how our daily time would be spent.

I am reminded as I read Galatians 2 this morning that we are justified through Christ Jesus and not through the law. There is nothing inherently or salvifically wrong with enjoying the pleasures of life, but has it become our focus? Have the things that satisfy the flesh become the primary rule or the exception?

Let us take the challenge to do a little internal inspection. If we were to keep a sidebar like the one below... what would it say?



Just Keeping Track in 2008

Study in the Word/ Prayer/ Evangelism: 0.0

Personal Entertainment/ TV: 0.0

A Homeschool Family

Please Pause Songspot in the sidebar before watching video!

Jelly-O

Okay, so this idea's totally unconventional, but completely yummy! The boys and I wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches yesterday, but had no jelly. I rummaged the freezer for my frozen berries and tossed them in to boil. Unfortunately, I didn't have any canning supplies on hand. Not wanting to have runny pb & j sandwiches...we improvised. I found a box of jell-o (margherita lime was all the pantry held- I'd encourage another flavor if at all possible) and in it went! A little fridge time later...voila! We have jelly-o!

Bill Cosby would be proud...or confused.

Recipe:

2 cups fruit sweetened *(boiled down)
2 Tbsp water
1/2 package jell-o

*If the fruit isn't sweetened- add 1/4 cup sugar or 2 tbsp honey (the jell-o has plenty of sugar already in it- so sweetener isn't completely necessary)



Stir all ingredients and place in fridge for cooling. Enjoy!

Celebrating Life

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those who are perishing."

Proverbs 31:8

Back when I was in high school and especially in college, I considered myself quite the pro-life advocate. I jumped at every chance I had to debate the topic and pursue the issue of celebrating life. Most of my term papers included the discussion of human rights, speeches in speech class were all about life...to say the least, my fellow classmates knew where I stood.

After graduation I continued working in the Ob/Gyn office that I had interned for during my college years. I have always loved the idea of pregnancy, even as a little girl and knew that my career would surround it. I was in the (mostly) ideal office setting- a private practice with a pro-life doctor at the helm. It wasn't, however, as easy as all that. Obstetrics and gynecology are just that: all inclusive women's health. Just because the view of the practice were a 'life-centered' one, didn't mean that our patients felt or lived that same way.

I still remember the first time that I received 'the' call. A patients' husband called with news that they were pregnant, but due to bad timing they would like to proceed with an abortion. I immediately and kindly responded that our office did not practice elective abortions and he would need to search the yellow pages for a practitioner of his choice. And then hung up. I was stunned. A husband was calling. A husband. And I had referred them to the yellow pages. Just months earlier I would have lovingly counseled about the sanctity of life. I was disgusted, both at myself and the caller.

I worked at this practice for five years and every day inundated by immorality, preposterous ethics, and blatant disregard for the 'temple' as God created it. In time I found my boldness again to confront as the situation warranted it. The problem, however, was that I was no longer a concerned citizen or classmate, but rather an employee of the system that faces liability and lawsuits.

One patient, in particular, will always stand out to me. (I still believe this was a divine appointment from the Lord.) She was living in an abusive marriage and found out she was expecting. She was elated, always wanting a child (in her late 30's at this point), but her husband was outraged. He demanded she abort the baby immediately. She came into my office in tears and shared the details of her tragedy. She was an obedient wife and told me through her tears that she has made the appointment for the termination.

After obtaining consent (oh, where have all the good old days gone...thank you HIPPA) I began to pray with her and plead for the Lord to intervene in this situation. Mind you, this was not a Christian woman, but rather a Hindu who had rarely if never heard the name of Christ. I had the opportunity to share the Word with her that day as well. Her hearts' desire was to have this baby, no matter the cost.

She called me a few days later at the office because her husband had verbally and physically abused her when she told him that she hadn't gone through with the abortion. We prayed together again and I began searching for safe houses for her to stay at. She was able to get away for a short time, but due to the pressure of her husband, returned just a week later to him. She, however, held strong to her conviction and continued in the pregnancy.

Every other day we talked. She cried endless tears. I prayed. Day after day I reminded her why she was enduring this pain- because of the life of her child. I encouraged her to return to the safe house, but she refused. Her husband had flown her in-laws in to keep watch over her and she had to sneak away just to make the phone calls to our office.

After months of verbal and physical abuse, a precious little baby girl was born. Beautiful and innocent of everything that her mother went through for her birth. Her celebration of life.

Mama decided to name baby girl after me (middle name). We both had tears in our eyes the first time I held the baby. She hugged me and whispered that her little one was here today because I was brave enough (through Christ) to speak up that day many months ago.




Friends, have we lost our voices? Have we become so consumed with our daily lives that we are forgetting those who have no voice? I pray that this new year, we will remember to evangelize those in this lost and dying world who do not know Christ. Let us pray that their hearts would be changed and their minds would be renewed to know and celebrate the truth of a new life in Christ.


*January 22nd is the anniversary of Roe V Wade. Get out and speak up!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

I was referred to this site: http://www.heartofthematteronline.com for a homeschooling giveaway package! Please refer to the January 9th posting for all the juicy details!

Per the entrance instructions, I would like to refer back to a post regarding my affection for homeschooling... (click here). And...like so many others, this would be a perfect package to kick start our new year and new start for 2008!

So, "Heart of the Matter"... Pick Me! Pick Me!

Yearly Menu Plan

Just wanted to pop on long enough to let you know that I've created my first monthly menu! It is broken down by week and is accompanied by the budgeted food shopping list of $100 weekly. (or less- depending on your use of the "extras"- ie: desserts, side dishes, etc.) This allows you to print off one sheet of meals to use for the entire year!! (Yes, I said year!) Simply start at the top menu at the inception of each new month! With the exception of breakfast, there are no meal repeats on the entire menu! If you would like a copy of either the plan or the grocery list, please email me with your return (email) address and I will send you via word document. I will send by the end of next week.

Blessings my friends!

Angel

Bloggy eBreak

To my wonderful new friends in the blog community...

I will be taking a short sabbatical in order to prepare our homeschool schedule for the new year. I look forward to reading your posts and writing some new ones of my own when I return next week!

May you be blessed in Christ and enjoy your week!

Angel

On Second Thought

Have you ever noticed that sometimes you blog on issues that are designed to help you keep your priorities in order? Something about brain function or the idea of printing your resolution for all to see. It's harder to back down and serves as a good reminder once it's out on the good old world wide web. This is indeed one of 'those' posts.

I had decided that 2008 was going to be the year of athletic triumph. If you read one of my earlier entries, it was decided that two half marathons, a triathlon and a multitude of small footraces lay in my future. Well, on second thought, that has been changed.

I am really excited to try something different this year and have set my sights on a spring triathlon. It is a sprint which will include a 1/2 mile swim, 18 mile bike ride, and finally finished with a 3.1 mile run. My goal is to finish in less than 2 hours. This said, of course, without actually going through the motions yet. Just my 'mind math' on how long it will take to do each thing all added together.


Training for the triathlon begins in 6 weeks. I know some of the people I'll be training with and let's just say that I'm going to need to "train" that entire time before we actually train just to be close to their starting point. I can run- this we know. But "left, right...left, right" doesn't prepare the body for the English channel or the Tour De France. This is going to be interesting to say the least, but I'm up for the challenge! (**That last statement was personal encouragement from me to my brain)

I went to work out last night and do my normal 2 mile run on the treadmill at our local gym. Since I get bored to tears working on endurance while indoors, I have decided that I will focus on speed. The treadmill computer is set to 7.5-8 minute miles and my hope is to not fly off the back into the unsuspecting elyptical machine participant. After I was done I hobbled over to the stationary bikes to get in a few miles there. Then onto some upper body workout and sit-ups on the mats. It was decided very quickly that I am much more out of shape than one would hope for a full body athletic event.

The half-marathon and the triathlon are within 6 weeks of each other. Since I am a full time mom and wife, training to do both would not only be overwhelming, but after reading up some last night it also looks like the training is different and would prove frustrating to do right around the same time.

So, back to square one. Triathlon in the spring and half-marathon in the fall. I'll throw in some 5k's along the route too just for fun. The journey begins!

Just Imagine

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Just imagine if we were just a little closer to the sun (we would burn up immediately) or just a little farther away (we would freeze to death)... Our Creator God knew exactly where to place our earth to give us the perfect temperature for life.

This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice in it!

The Challenge

I decided to challenge myself in the kitchen this week. I took a budget of approximately $45-$50 and made our menu plan for the week. I still had items from last week left over and wanted to see if we could do it! It took me about 20 minutes total to grocery shop because of the minimal groceries. That was a bonus! The following is my grocery list and 7 day menu plan for our family of four. Enjoy!

FOOD GROCERY LIST

CHICKEN BREAST BAG FROZEN

SLICED CHEESE

BUTTER

ONE CAN JUICE CONCENTRATE

ONE GALLON VIT D MILK

1 LBS GROUND TURKEY

1 BOX CLEMINTINES

4 BLOCKS CHEESE

APPLESAUCE 1 JARS

SOUR CREAM 16 OZ

CREAM CHEESE 2 BLOCKS

BREAD (2 LOAVES)

1 CAN DICED TOMATOES

KIDNEY BEANS *3 SMALL CANS

ENCHILADA SAUCE

7 DAY MENU PLAN

SATURDAY:

B: COLD CEREAL/TOAST; JUICE/MILK; FRIED HAM

L: GRILLED CHEESE; APPLESAUCE; PEAS

D: TURKEY BURGERS; BAKED POTATOE SLICES, APPLE DUMPLINGS, SALAD

SUNDAY:

B: PANCAKES; SAUSAGE/ JUICE; MILK

L: HOMEMADE PIZZA/ SALAD/ RANCH DRESSING

D: CHICKEN TENDERS; MASHED POTATOES; GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE/ ROLLS/ APPLE PIE

MONDAY:

B: HOT CEREAL; CINAMMON RAISIN BREAD; JUICE/MILK

L: $25 OUT TO EAT LUNCHEON WITH FRIENDS

D: LEFTOVERS

TUESDAY:

B: EGGS, SAUSAGE/ TOAST; MILK/JUICE

L; CHILI W/ TORTILLA CHIPS; SALAD ; CLEMINTINES

D: CHICKEN CREAMED CASSEROLE; RICE; COOKED CARROTS; ROLLS, APPLESAUCE

WEDNESDAY:

B: CREAM OF WHEAT; HOMEMADE BREAD; MILK/JUICE

L: PB& J SANDWHICHES ON WHEAT; FRUIT CUPS;

D: BAKED POTATOE BACON N’ CHEESE SOUP; CRACKERS; GREEN BEANS

THURSDAY:

B: HOT OATMEAL/ FROZEN FRUIT SMOOTHIES; CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD

L: MAC N’ CHEESE; PEAS; APPLESAUCE; CHRISTMAS COOKIES

D: ENCHILADA CHICKEN CASSEROLE; MEX RICE; SALAD; CLEMINTINES

FRIDAY:

B: BLUEBERRY MUFFINS; SCRAMBLED EGGS; MILK/JUICE

L: GRILLED CHEESE; CORN; CELERY & PB SLICES W/ RAISINS

D: SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS; SALAD; GARLIC BREAD BISCUITS

SATURDAY:

B: WAFFLES; MIXED FRUIT; JUICE/MILK/ SYRUP

L: FRIED CHICKEN; POTATOE PANCAKES; CORN CASSEROLE; ROLLS

D: SLOPPY JOES; PRETZELS/CHEESE; SALAD; CHOC CHIP COOKIES

New Year's Resolution

Apparently, the trendy thing to do in blogland is to list your New Year's Resolutions. I counted and I have about 347. So, with the interest of time in mind...

Here are my top 5:

1. Make the time to read & study the Word daily

2. Put the needs of others before my own selfish desires

3. Pray that the Holy Spirit would grant me the ability to control myself when stressed

4. Read more and watch less

5. Share the gospel with one new person every week

Why Do You Homeschool?

When my husband and I began our initial friendship many years ago we were still in school. I was in high school and he was just starting out in college. As our friendship grew into a serious role that we knew was leading us to marriage we began to discuss the important issues that were pertinent to a long lasting relationship. One of these at the forefront was our future children. Even then our hearts were wrapped around homeschooling.

Neither of us had ever been homeschooled. In fact, my husband was in public education from kindergarten to his senior year. His parents were both deeply rooted in the system, his father was the supervisor for special and gifted education and his mother was a talented teachers aide for many years. My parents enrolled me for my entire 12 year term in a private Christian school. The school that I attended had a socialization program for elementary age homeschoolers, but other than that I was not exposed to that specific dynamic in my daily life.

The most positive and biggest part of our decision to homeschool was based on the life and example of my cousins, Bo and Jan. Although they live over a thousand miles away, I have had the opportunity to watch their four children over the past 18 years grow and flourish under the tutelage of their Godly parents.

These are not only brilliant and social teenagers, but also show such respect and love for the Word, their mom and dad, and the discipline of their daily life. They love to work with their mom in the kitchen, talk theology with their father (who is also their pastor) and actively participate in politics in the community. As with all children, I know (and they would be the first to admit) that they are not perfect. Homeschooing does not 'turn out' children who do no wrong. It does, however, give the parents the ability to deal with it immediately, one on one, in love, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

My boys are just reaching the age to start schooling. My oldest and I started preschool together this fall and he will commence kindergarten studies this year. I am so excited to be there with them through all the years ahead! I am looking forward to being their teacher, mentor, chaueffer, and nurse for the next 15 years. There is no other way I'd rather have it! I have so many other thoughts and desires about homeschooling....I'll save that for another post.

In the meantime, please leave me a nice long comment about why you have decided to homeschool. I look forward to reading them and getting to know you a little better!

Blessings,

Angel