Easter Firsts for Our Family

I had intended to post this yesterday but my to do list was a mile long and my family and home-keeping comes first. So this may seem like old news but our Easter was made up with a lot of firsts for our family and thought I would share them with you.

It was our first Easter living in Kansas away from all our family. It was also our first Easter at a new church.

It was the first Easter where I was responsible for the ENTIRE meal. I was a little intimidated having the weight of an expensive piece of meat on my shoulders but I guess with ham, unless you overcook it and dry it out, you really can't mess it up.

It was the first time I attempted making a pie crust. I wanted my Grandma's recipe but I couldn't get a hold of her in time. I used this recipe instead from AllRecipes.com. If you have a great pie recipe you use feel free to send it to me. It turned out okay for my first try but I made it a little thick. I know to roll it more for next time!

We also started something new with the egg hunt. I added scripture verses into the eggs that were about Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Eian put them in the order they happened. Since he's 10 I had to come up with something challenging for him. He seemed to like it and it helped me by writing out all the verses and bringing the Scriptures closer to my heart. I would have typed them but the computer was acting up and processing slowly. I appreciate writing them now though. :)

Although I missed being near extended family, it was nice spending some much needed family time with my three guys. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

This post is linked to Titus 2sday

Last Minute Easter Activity for Kids

It's easy to become busy during Easter with the holiday meal planning, shopping and cooking, church activities and services, egg hunts, buying goodies for the kids, etc.

So it's understandable that if or when you have time to slow down you forget something. Unfortunately, it's easy to forget the main reason we even celebrate Easter...the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Here are two easy and quick activities to do with the kiddos to help remember Christ this Easter.

Resurrection Rolls

We've made this a tradition the past few years in our house but as I share this with friends I find there are many variations. This recipe is simple and works for us though.

You Will Need:

1 can of crescent rolls

8 regular marshmallows

cinnamon

Just unroll the dough and separate following the perforation marks. Sprinkle cinnamon on it to represent Christ's body being prepared with spices for burial. Place the marshmallow on top, which is Jesus' body and then roll the dough around the marshmallow just as the stone was rolled in front of his tomb. Make sure you seal all edges to prevent any oozing.

Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the package.

Eat and enjoy and notice that just as Jesus' tomb, they are EMPTY!

Some of the marshmallows ooze out sometimes despite your sealing efforts but if you bake on a Silpat sheet (any silicone baking sheet is okay) or parchment paper you should be fine.

Plant Seeds

Planting is always a good way to tie in your faith and show that just as God creates new life from that seed, we are also a new creation in Christ. It was a rather warm day when we did this Friday so the kids enjoyed getting outside and of course getting dirty. Yep, they're all boy!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter!

Consume and Be Consumed

I normally would be typing a money saving post to link up to Frugal Friday's over at Life As Mom. However, instead of sharing what I'm learning about saving money I want to share how I am already rich!
Thanks to Jessica at Life as Mom for setting the "tone" with her great post here.


It's Good Friday and I was reading this morning about the Lord's Last Supper in Mt 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-25 and Luke 22:17-20. They are verses I've heard numerous times, especially at communion, but it wasn't until this morning that the Lord really allowed me to see the fullness of the dinner's symbollism.

In verse 26 Jesus broke the bread (just as I'm sure physically His bones were broken during His beating* after I posted this I remembered from John 19:26 that not one of Christ's bones were actually broken-sorry for the mistake*) and He gave thanks for it and gave it to His disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

26:27-29 Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, "Drink from it,all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

Again, these are familiar verses but what really choked me up was Christ's words, "Take and eat." "Drink from it, all of you."


What is it we do when we eat, when we drink? We consume.


God wants us to accept the freedom the Gospel truth offers and consume it. He will in turn consume us, our very souls, and lead us to victory over sin.


Will you consume the truth of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection this Easter and let the Lord consume you?

Become rich with the greatest treasure this life has to offer, a relationship with God.

Opening My Eyes to Freedom

As Easter approaches I've been trying to spend extra time in my devotions reflecting on the gospel.

I was reading today from Mark 10:46-52 about the blind man Bartimaeus. He was a blind man sitting by the roadside as Jesus, His disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho to head to Jerusalem.

Bartimeus heard it was Jesus passing and he shouted, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" When others following Jesus heard him, they began to rebuke him and told him to be quiet.

It shows they weren't fully understanding Jesus' purpose. Many who followed Jesus, including His disciples, believed He was the son of God but thought His going to Jerusalem was to deliver the Jews from the Roman government.

I try to put myself there and imagine how the crowd was pumped up thinking of Jesus more as a political figure. They may have been hoping Jesus would overthrow the Romans and rule Israel. The closer they got to Jerusalem the closer they were to freedom. Then out of nowhere, this blind beggar shouts for Jesus. How dare he? How dare he divert Jesus' attention away from His real mission?

How many times have I misunderstood God's mission for my own life?

But oh how I love Christ's response in Mark 10:49, "Call him."

It says in 10:50 Throwing His cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

Jesus then asks him in 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?"

Then Bartimaeus said, "Rabbi, I want to see."

I find it fascinating that just as this blind man excitedly jumped to his feet and threw off his cloak, the Lord longs for us to come to Him with excitement, letting go of anything weighing us down.

Just like this blind man, our hearts should be crying out to the Lord desiring to see and to be brought out of the darkness.

As we think about Easter and what Christ has done for us on the cross, I pray that I will continuously have a heart that shouts, "Lord have mercy on me! Help me, I want to see this life, my life and those around me, the way you do!"

And oh we're not done with the story, here's verse 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he (Bartimaeus) received sight and followed Jesus along the road.

This blind man was following Jesus along the road, the road to freedom. Little did he or those following Jesus, that this would mean eternal freedom not political freedom.

I also find it interesting that this is the last recorded miracle Jesus performed before entering the Holy City. This speaks volumes to me as to where God's heart is. The last miracle He performed before dieing on the cross was to give a poor, blind beggar sight! I am and was, before giving my life to Christ, that poor and blind beggar.

He wants us to cry out to Him and to be desperate in our need to see!

So as we reflect on the gift of Christ's death, burial and resurrection let's ask God for sight to see and to be free!

Have a joy filled day!

This post is linked to Women Living Well Wednesday and Walk with Him Wednesdays and Word Filled Wednesdays.

Developing a Personal Mission Statement

It's Monday again and I have been trying to make it a habit to partake in Multitude Mondays at A Holy Experience. Multitude Mondays encourages us, as women and children of the King, to thank God for all the gifts He gives us.

I also like to partake in Project Mondays over At the Well and they are challenging their readers to create a personal mission statement.

So as I was contemplating today's post, I thought about how these two blog link ups are intertwined.

I thank God for the roles He has given me as David's wife and companion, as Eian and Elias' mom, keeper of this household, keeper of this one physical body I have, my roles as daughter, sister, friend, etc.

If I believe God is ALL powerful, ALL knowing, ALL loving, and ALWAYS in control then I must believe that the people in my life are put here for a reason. They are here for a purpose and for an opportunity to let the light of Christ shine through me and into them.

My ultimate goal and purpose for this site is to walk along side all of you reading and encourage you to fill YOUR roles more passionately and intentionally and allow this desire to truly SIMPLIFY your life.

When we focus on what God has designed us to do, and purpose ourselves by aligning our desires appropriately, then that's when we find real fulfillment. This has been my experience anyway.

Believe me though, I am by no means saying I have it all together or that I have even had a day recently where I have really felt completely fulfilled. And we may not really ever feel this until the day the Lord calls us home but I do know that feeling like I've missed the mark on impacting the lives of those I love in a positive way, on a regular basis is NOT what God wants.

I am simply admitting I recognize this truth. So how can this knowledge be implemented? How can I give thanks to God for these roles? How can He be ultimately glorified?

God has been slowly revealing to me (or maybe I've just been slow to catch on) that all these desires to fill my roles more purposefully need to be outlined somehow to keep me on track. I think we all suffer from mild cases of ADHD, or at least I do, and it's so easy for me to get distracted.

I was ecstatic to see that the Project over At the Well was developing a personal mission statement.

I honestly had just asked David last night what he felt were some important tasks needing finished. God bless him but he wasn't much help! He couldn't really think of anything other than working with Eian to finish his diorama for school. I was looking for guidance and direction because I have really been feeling like my wheels are spinning lately.

It dawned on me, as I was washing dishes last night (my daydreaming time) that while I think it's important to include your spouse, the best way to find guidance in prioritizing and finding purpose is asking God. I admit I do not do this nearly as often as I should. So with my arms wrist deep in dish water, I did just that.

Today seems a little more clear thanks to the Lord and I do not think it was just a "coincidence" that today's At the Well project is Developing a Personal Misson Statement.

I will be prayerfully contemplating, organizing, and implementing mine. Won't you join me? What areas of your life are you feeling unproductive in? What are some practical ways you can fulfill your roles more effectively?

Is it making yourself removed from that never ending to do list and purposefully spend a chunk of time with your kids, is it purposefully planning to spend an hour alone with your husband tonight by getting the kiddos to bed early and staying OFF the computer, is it purposefully getting to bed on time so you can rise before the kids and make time for God, is it purposefully planning to make healthier food choices...? So I guess you can see these are a few of mine but I want to hear from YOU!

What can you do in your life NOW to give thanks to God by living more purposefully in the roles He has given YOU?

Goodbye Numbness-I am Alive!

So many of you have already heard me go on and on about my new favorite book One Thousand Gifts by my new favorite author, Ann Voskamp. But I really cannot say enough about how God is using this book to help put everything into focus for me.

When I say everything I mean, my relationship with my husband, my role in our home, my relationship with my kids, and even this blog but it's all more clear because I have a deeper understanding of my most important relationship in Christ.

Sure, I'm a Christian of five years and sure I know how I should love and treat my family and how I should act. Let's face it though ladies, people (especially those we live with) are not always so lovable (and often times neither are we). And sure we're taught as Christians to love one another as Christ loves us (John 13:34), not to return evil for evil (Romans 12:17), and God has a good purpose for all things (Romans 8:28) but how do we practically apply all that knowledge of scripture?

Ann goes into great detail how God taught her the art of giving thanks. He led her to a place where she now gives thanks for 1000 daily gifts, big and small, from how the sun glistens on a soap bubble in the sink to the smile of a child.

Since reading the book I started pondering what is it I want, long for, yearn for, what is it I feel I'm missing? On a rare occasion when I was alone, driving to the grocery store on an emergency milk expedition, God revealed this to me... Numbness. I don't want to feel numb.

One of my greatest fears is to wake up one morning feeling as if I never took it all in, this life that is, and with it all the experiences and gifts that God gives. I don't want to waste this life God's blessed me with by focusing on what I don't have but instead giving Him thanks for what I do have.

I want to use this life to glorify Him more, to bring joy and love into the lives of my husband, my kids, and all who God places in my path. I want to take time to just sit and watch how a toddler marvels at a butterfly, or how a ten year old burrows his eyebrows low and sticks his tongue out during an intense Wii battle, or how my husband's face lights up when he comes into the room and sees me and the kids playing together.

The bottom line here, and point to my ramblings, is I don't want to miss God's gifts, His good and perfect gifts in ALL this life offers. All means just that...even when my husband shows his irritation AGAIN, or when my son forgets to make his bed AGAIN, or when the baby torments the cat AGAIN, or when I lose my cool towards the kids AGAIN... I can make the choice to give thanks even in those circumstances! And yes girls, it IS a choice. A choice that God backs you up on if you're willing to trust Him and to wait on Him. (Dt 31:8)

Psalm 33:20

We WAIT in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

So far in giving thanks, I have learned it takes my focus off the negative and instead the light of all the positive shines through. I can take even life's frustrations and stop and say "Thank you Lord. Although this situation is hard, I know it is here for a reason and you are allowing it in my life to strengthen my faith in you. What will you have me to learn from it? How can I glorify you through it it Lord?" Wow, what a difference this has made in my attitude towards my husband and kids! It allows me to set that peaceful tone in our home that I keep saying I want more of. Finally, I am learning it all starts with giving thanks to the Lord.

Will YOU thank the the Lord and start today by making a list of ALL the good gifts He's blessed you with today? As we approach Easter and ponder Christ's death, burial and Resurrection, I think we can safely say He is trustworthy, He loves us and He is faithful!

Have a blessed day everyone and start counting! :)

Visit Women Living Well Wednesdays, Ann Voskamp's site for Walk With Him Wednesdays and Internet Cafe Devotions for Word Filled Wednesdays

Journaling: Private Love Letters

As I caught a glimpse of the last few empty pages in my journal I started reflecting on the art of journaling and why I started it in the first place. I don't know about you but as a new Christian (5 years ago that is) I had heard several times from well meaning ladies, the importance of journaling. Whether it was to document your prayers in written form or keep a list of things your grateful for... journal, journal, journal, you MUST journal! Oh how I tried, attempted for a few days, a few weeks, and failed,attempted again and failed...again. So I was a little ecstatic to see only two fresh, untouched pages left in my journal today! It made me ponder why. Why did I finally, after many failed attempts, keep at it? So I thumbed back to my very first entry which I am now going to be transparent and share with you. In this I think we'll find our answer.

Monday, July 26, 2010 I planned on starting this journal back in January as a way to document my findings as I read through the Bible chronologically. Well, here it is the end of July and I'm finally putting pen to paper! Nonetheless, I know I need an outlet in which to get my rambling thoughts out in hopes of sorting through and making sense of them. Being apart form David has been difficult but God is using my loneliness to do a great work in me. This journal may be a great way of documenting His work! Well I guess that wasn't so bad after all, not too terribly revealing :) I look back to that day, that period of my life and it was no joke, it was really HARD! My family was separated while David was working a new job in Florida with the Air Force. The babies and I stayed behind waiting, wondering if this would be a permanent thing and if we would move soon. There were just so many unknowns and fears coming at me that I needed, ached, and longed for the Lord. Journaling became my escape and more importantly the words in it became my personal love letters to God. Just as our prayers should allow us to be open, humbled before Him, so was my journaling. This is why I kept it up because it was just another medium in which to communicate to my Heavenly Father and I found fulfillment through Him in that medium just as in prayer. It was no longer a thing I thought I had to do if I wanted to be on the Good Christian list. It was my personal thoughts, feelings, struggles on paper. The best part is I can go back through and now see where God has brought me. I can see those heartfelt cries on that paper weren't for nought. I see because in some things He has brought me to the promised land and in some His answers are still unknown completely. Thank you Lord for the gift of communicating with you whether through words spoken or in print, thank you! P.S. Sorry for the hard to read format. Blogger is messing with my spacing once I post and frankly I have lost my patience and time to try and fix it! :)

Feeling Homesick

For those of you who know me are probably wondering why I'm including an Ohio photo under the post title of feeling homesick.

I'm joining Jenn at Country Girl's Ramblings for Simply Saturday's and as I was going through my photo archives that reminded me of home, this one from a few years ago pulled at my heart strings. This Ohio sign, while we lived in Indiana, had become a familiar landmark for us as we made 3-4 trips a year to visit David's mom in Columbus. I miss her :(

It also got me thinking about how I just love pictures of roads, paths, streams,etc. They always make me wonder where they lead. That's why I chose the one I did for my blog header. Do you like it? I took this last year before we left Indiana. I drove this route almost everyday and that barn always made me smile, not sure why. I guess it's because it seemed clean, crisp, new among bland fields of corn and soybeans. Every time I look at that photo is takes me back to HOME.

The best part of this photo was something I actually intended to crop out...my rear view side mirror. I decided to leave it in because I began finding myself looking into it down that road. However, unlike most photos I like of paths and roads, I know where this one leads...HOME.

Yep, I'm officially experiencing the homesick blues! What makes you think of home?

5 Tips for Leaving the House on Time

Is the front door your enemy like it is mine? Okay well not the front door but the task of getting OUT of it?

I've really been enjoying my time at home and having the sole position of SAHM. I have days where, other than taking Eian to and picking up from school, I don't go anywhere. I never thought I would become a homebody but it's true I could probably be a hermit if I was allowed!

There's at least one day a week though that I have to go out to get groceries, run other errands and such. Those days prove tough for me when I have to constantly pick up toys, spills, change diapers, do the coupon thing and check my websites, get out the door before naptime hits, ooh let me check my email one more time and the list goes on!

I am finally fed up with not getting out the door until late afternoon and then having to rush to get Eian picked up from school. You all know I'm a major list maker so I've made a check list and thought I would share with you. ! Yay! Oh come on you know you're excited :)

1. Make a time line list of all the things I know I have to do BEFORE I LEAVE.

This really helps me because I am a chronic under estimator of time. The more I have the more I try to get done and then I'm frazzled trying to leave.

Making a list of even the mundane, routine things like breakfast is helpful for me. I have also had to learn I can't do everything in one day. Making pancakes and eggs probably wouldn't be the best when I want to leave the house by eight!

2. Maximize time away from home-Plan your trip

Okay so I know this isn't like revolutionary but it really does help to have a list of places I need to visit. I also put a number next to each one in the order I will go there. This not only maximizes your time by not back-tracking but it also saves in gas.

3. Do any prep for my errands/groceries the night before.

I'm now thinking through my days' errands the night before which really helps. I now plan my grocery trip by going through the sale ads and clipping the coupons before I go to bed.

I have also been putting little snack bags together and a small cooler if I know Elias and I will be out long or around lunch time. This really helps me stick to my weekly spending money and can't use the excuse, "I was in a rush to leave and didn't have time to grab something." This also makes for a happy little guy!

4. Leave first thing in the morning.

I know this may not be for everyone but since I take Eian to school anyway, running my errands immediately after dropping him off is best for us.

I find that the more we stay in the house before leaving the more messes we make and that leaves me in a constant state of running circles. So my new motto is Get Out While I can and FAST!

5. Pack the vehicle while kids are eating.

This is my most dreaded part of leaving. I never look forward to taking my purse (or some may call it a suitcase), my coupon organizer box, my bag of store ad inserts, a diaper bag, a lunch cooler if approriate...oh and the kids, out to the car and usually haivng to make multiple trips! Doing this with a toddler who follows me EVERYWHERE proves very trying. He has also discovered the playground across the street and can run a lot faster than me!

I am much more motivated to leave when I can set Eian and Elias up for breakfast and I can "sneak" out while they are occupied.

Well there you have it and now I have it for all the world to see and so I can stay on task! I know actually making a list for this seems trivial but it has really helped me.

So what do you do to make getting out the door a little easier?

A Snapshot of Life's Sweet Moments

Jenn at a Country Girl's Ramblings is hosting Simply Saturday's . It's where you share pictures that remind you of a simple life and of home.

Do you ever have those moments in life where you could embed into your memory forever like, well a photo? Well here's mine from yesterday.

Enjoy Saturday, simply! Have a great weekend!

Having a Little April Fool's Fun

I'm not usually known as a prankster and probably take life way too seriously sometimes. April Fool's Day brings out...well the FOOL in me though! :)

There's something about having a day you can plot, plan and follow through with a goofy prank on an unsuspecting family member or friend that's a little thrilling.

So who's my "victim" this year you ask? Well that would be these guy here!

My son is at the age where he loves practical jokes and is always trying to pull one on me and his dad.

So I thought I would put my old scrapbooking supplies (from before days of children) to good use. These little sticky guys are great on the under side of a breakfat plate!

Yep when Eian went to put his empty plate in the kitchen he was delivered quite a surprise!

Now I know many of you mischevious moms probably have more clever ideas than this one but not bad for a last minute thing huh? The whole point was to have fun with Eian and get him smiling before school and I think I succeeded! Happy Foolin' Day!