Nutella Cookies

1 Peter 4:9

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

 

 

Have you ever has someone call you and ask if they could stop by for a cup of coffee in 30 minutes? Or how about this; your husband arranges for friends to come over and forgets to tell you until the morning of?

 

I love to have people in our home, I enjoy the fellowship and encouragement it always brings even if I am not necessarily in the mood at the time. I love that my kids get to hear the wisdom of others, they are also learning how important it is to share our lives with those God puts in our path. But lets face it, sometimes we feel so unprepared!

 

I have come to realize over the years that having people over for fellowship does not always mean providing a three course meal served on china and linen, although that is fun sometimes. Most of the time people just want to visit, fellowship, hang out, whatever you want to call it! So, next time you find out you are having company at short notice whip up a batch of these easy, fast (seriously, they take five minutes to mix up) and delicious cookies, turn on the coffee pot, relax, and enjoy the people you've are blessed to know.

 

1C Nutella

1Egg

1/2C sugar

1/4 C butter

1C flour

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Roll out dough into 1" balls. Place on a cookie sheet and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Makes 24 cookies



Becoming Thankful



"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." (1Thessalonians 5;18) Are you thankful today? Take a minute and think about it! Being thankful is often one of the easiest things to be, that is when life is good, and the roses are smelling sweet. But what about when life is tough and the roses in our lives are rotting?

Thankfulness is something we should strive for every day, but it's often the hardest thing to do. Being thankful isn't a trait we are born with, in fact it's the exact opposite really.  As parents, one of the main things we try to teach our kids when they are young is to say "please" and "thank you". Isn't it funny how in times of desperation we can easily say "PLEASE GOD!!", but often fail to thank Him! Thankfulness is something that does not come naturally, but it's something that as believers we are commanded to do in scripture, not just once or twice but over and over again! Being thankful is not a feeling or an emotion it is a choice, a decision we can make. It pleases God's heart, and is refreshing to those who surround us on a daily basis. As we learn to be more thankful, the easier it is to see the things we truly are blessed with.

We may find ourselves thinking that the only thing we can verbally thank God for is the fact that we are still breathing. Some may not even be thankful for that. However, if we have chosen to trust God, we can not only trust Him when it's easy.

If you are having a hard time being thankful today, let me help you out! Take a look at these and turn your heart heavenward.

• Thank you Lord, for the sacrifice of your Son on the cross for me
• Thank you Lord, that no matter what, you are God and you are in control
• Thank you Lord, that you are my rock, I can rest in your protection
• Thank you Lord, that you love me more than anyone on this earth could possibly love me
• Thank you Lord, that when all others walk away YOU are there and will never leave me
• Thank you Lord, that you have felt and experienced every emotion I could ever feel. You understand
• Thank you Lord, that just because I 'feel' abandoned I don't have to believe a lie
• Thank you Lord, for my family
• Thank you Lord, that I do not have to fear the future
• Thank you Lord, that even though you don't give me everything I want, you give me what I need
• Thank you Lord, for not giving me what I deserve

Now, if you can't something in that list that you can be thankful for, you need to get on your knees! Let us be thankful today!

Do Not Be Troubled!

John 14v27 - "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. (NLT)

Worry and fear! Two words we hear alot these days. Worry about how the bills will be paid, fear for our children being drawn into a world that offers countless temptations, influences that threaten to pull their hearts away from how we have taught them to live. Worry about our national security and what the future holds for our great country. So many issues that could plague our minds and cause our hearts to be restless.

It is to be expected that the upcoming election has become a source of worry and concern for all of us. As a mom, my chief concern is for my children and the future that is ahead for them. National debt, national security, social issues, and declining moral standards are talked about non-stop in the papers, online, and on the news. We are bombarded by images of death, disaster, disease and destruction, so much so that unfortunately we often become somewhat numb to what we see and hear.

As the election draws near and so many of these issues and concerns are in the forefront of our minds I have found myself worried, fretting, wondering what will happen if we continue down the road we are on as a nation. I am honored and blessed this year to be able to vote for the first time! The thought of pulling up to my polling station on Tuesday and making my small voice heard makes me excited and proud. However, I have asked myself the question, "what if things don't change?", "what if my vote isn't enough?" Hmmm, what then?

The truth is this. God is in control! Call it cliche, but He is and there is no better way to say it. Nothing slips by his sight. No man is elected without His permission. God's plan was established before the foundations of the earth and nothing will change it. He is the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end. He will have the last say.

So my friends, do not fret! As the scripture says, we have been left with a gift; peace of mind and heart. We are not to be afraid, but bold. We are not to be troubled, but courageous! We are not to shrink back but we are to pray, trusting the One who made us and loves us.

Courageous Woman - Not 'what' you are but 'who' you are

As women, our identities are so often caught up in whatever life situation we find ourselves in. We tend to think in terms of “what are we?” and not “who are we?” Whether it’s being mom, wife, our job, position at church, our past, these things so often dictate what we think our life is to be.  However, before we held any of these titles, we were women. We were created by God, to do His will and for His pleasure.  The question we need to ask ourselves is not WHAT are we, but WHO are we?

In todays media culture women are often portrayed as objects, some good looking guys latest conquest. However, Gods word says we are individuals, carefully made and put together by His own hands. Women are seen as abused and victimized, God says we are precious and  cared for. Many times we are 'not heard' but God says we are known and loved. 

Whatever you are called to do at this point in  your life, whether it be wife, mom, career woman, business woman or all of the above do it to the best of your abilities. That being said you cannot hide behind the positions that you hold. You have a calling beyond the duties of life.

Do not settle for what the world offers or says is best for you as woman.  Believe the things God says about you in His word.

Wanted......

JOB DESCRIPTION :

Long term, team players needed, for challenging,
permanent work in an
often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication
and organizational skills and be willing to work
variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends
and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to
primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities!
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :

The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily,
until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a
pack mule
and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from
the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges,
such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets
and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and
coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings
for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute,
an embarrassment to others next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a
half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for
the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and
janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :

None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,
so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :

None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis..

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :

Get this! You pay them!
Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because
of the assumption that college will help them
become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that
you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :

While no health or dental insurance, no pension,
no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and
no stock options are offered;
this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,
and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

Don't know about you but I wouldn't want it any other way!!

In the Midst of the Chaos, be Thankful!

“A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a broken spirit saps a person's strength.” Proverbs 17:22 NLT

One of the greatest gifts that God has given us as mothers is the ability to find joy in the midst of chaos. If you think about it, we have many opportunities throughout the day where we could choose joy and laughter over frustration, irritation and anger. We can laugh with our kids, many times at them. We can laugh at our husbands taking care of our kids, but we should mainly be laughing at ourselves and the ludicrous things that motherhood can sometimes make us do! It is not only uplifting and healing to laugh, but sometimes it is all we can do in a certain situation. There are days that are so overwhelming, the last thing you feel is joyful, but on days like that laughter truly is the best medicine, and our children seem to instinctively know that! Like I said earlier God presents us with many opportunities to choose joy, and most of those come through our children. The question is do we see them, and do we choose well?

God promises that we will go through trials, we will faces challenges, however they are balanced and outweighed by His tremendous blessings, encouragement and love. One such moment stands out in my memory. Take a listen to this next segment and see if you can relate.

As a Christian family, going to church on Sunday has always been a priority for us. As parents we have instilled in our children the importance of giving our Sundays to God, and being together as a family. This being said it doesn’t change that fact that when Sunday rolls around, I am never excited about the prospect of getting everyone up and ready for church in the morning. I’ve often wondered if it’s just me or if there are other families that experience something similar to World War III on Sunday mornings. You are fighting to get breakfast eaten quickly, trying to explain to a three-year-old why he cannot wear his Cars swimming shorts or Incredible Hulk pajamas to church, and scrambling to find a pair of shoes that match.

I am always the last one in the shower, which gives me approximately six minutes to make myself look as far from the mess I feel on the inside on the outside. Then there is daddy struggling to put on little girl tights, (on our daughter, not himself!) We finally manage to corral everyone into the van only to be met by pushing and shoving and daughter pulling her ponytail out.

We eventually arrive a few minutes late; hot, sweaty and more often than not, annoyed. But somehow a truly miraculous transformation takes place as we step out of the car and walk into the church building. We are now the Cleaver Family; happy, all smiles, put together, not a trouble in the world! Sometimes I smile to myself as we find our seats, wondering how many of the other 'happy' looking couples walking into church with their families  drove there in complete silence because of the big fight that occurred over little Johnny’s shoes moments before leaving the house. Let me tell you about one of those particular Sundays.........

…….'It was Sunday morning and we were visiting my mom and dad in Florida. Jasen wasn't with us but we decided to brave church regardless. I had just come out of the shower after enjoying a fairly relaxing fifteen minutes void of anyone banging on the door with a near 911 emergency. Daring to pat myself on the back in satisfaction, I reached for my hairdryer.  I hear commotion outside, “oh dear", I had thought too soon. “Mama! Evan pooped on the floor!” came a little voice from behind the door. “Great” I think as I head for the door, “I just sat him on the potty minutes before my shower.” As I approached the bedroom I hung my head; there standing in the middle of the room surrounded by poo was my sweet Evan. “Went poopy Mommy” he says with a panicked look on his face. “Oh Evan” were the only words I could reply. Thank goodness for Jaden, who jumped in and grabbed the wipes, resolve, and wet rag.  I wiped down Evan’s foot, then my own. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention we both stepped in a pile!

After the Operation Poo clean-up, things went pretty smoothly as we rushed to finish getting ready for church. We actually arrived  on time, enjoyed about 10 minutes of the service and decided I should either head to the nursery or risk being thrown out for disturbing the peace. With snacks, plastic animals and crayons everywhere, it closely resembled a daycare floor. The deciding factor was when the offering plate was passed and one of the children knocked it on the floor spilling pennies, nickels & dimes everywhere leaving my mom and a very irritated parishioner on their hands and knees retrieving the coins!

As I sat in the nursery alone that day watching my kids play, a realization came to me.  You could call it an “aha moment” I prefer to see it as God speaking clearly into my cluttered, overwhelmed heart. Rather than sitting there feeling like I was missing out on 'me time' at church and seeing my nursery duty as an inconvenience, I started to see it as a blessing. I started to choose joy!

Observing Leah conquer a new shape sorter.  Watching Evan take complete delight in Homer Simpson plowing down The Beast with a cool red sports car. Then, in the next breath seeing him tenderly tuck in a baby rabbit into bed, “nite, nite, cute bunny” he says, my heart melts. As he looked at me with a sweet smile, “I love nursery Mama” said a contented Evan, who then immediately runs off to find something else to satisfy his need for activity. It struck me that day more than ever before, life is all play and fun for my little ones, that’s all they care about right now, and let’s face it, that is all they should have to care about.'

How many times do we miss out on cherished moments because we are so focused on our own wants, needs and desires. We choose to wallow in our 'poor me' pity party and fail to see what God is trying to teach us. I realized that day that I have the rest of my life to sit in church, but only a small window of opportunity to watch my children grow. A window that once closed, will never reopen. May we look for, recognize and gather those many blessings and be thankful. May we laugh and choose JOY!

At this moment you may be thinking to yourself, "right, easy for her to say, she isn't going through_____!)

God's word promises us everything we need to live joyfully and succeed in what He has called us to do, in your case it's being a mother to those he specifically chose to bless you with.

Psalm 121v1-8

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.3 He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

As you are faced with the day to day, seemingly mundane tasks that seem to fill your life remember to look to Jesus. He has promised not to let you fall. He does not sleep and is in complete control. He will not allow harm to come to you, He loves you. We will often times have to make the conscious choice to look to Him, just as we have to make the choice to be thankful. Remember that your children are sponges, everything you pour over them they will soak in. Cover them in joy and thankfulness and watch the fruits of you motherly labor grow and flourish.

Chicken Drumsticks, Peas & Choosing JOY!

I am looking back today! In June 2008 we were in process of moving across country. My husband had stayed in Alaska to finish up some business details, the kids and I were at my mom and dad’s in Florida waiting to move to Tennessee, yeah, life was a little complicated! Anyway, here is a journal entry that I wrote back then. I found it as I continue gathering material for the book that I am writing, so essentially you are getting a little sneak peak……enjoy!

“Today I woke up and almost immediately asked the question “who took my children?” I was convinced from very early on that Curious George and his friends from the zoo had come in sometime during the night and replaced my dear ones. It just seemed like from the moment they stepped out of bed things went downhill.

They were so loud! Jaden and Adam fought continuously. Leah was having intestinal problems, which resulted in a funny dance type move and trips to the potty every 5 to 7 minutes. There was bouncing from bed to bed, couch gymnastics, yelling, screaming, arguing, and general horrid behavior. For most of the day I felt like I was going to pull my hair out, and on more than one occasion I just had to walk away.

We are in transition. Grandpa has been gone for a few days and they are still adjusting to being away from their daddy, life is confusing right now for our little ones; I have to be understanding. So many things going on I am starting to wonder if I am going to get through it with my sanity.

Leah was tough today, whined and cried all day. Not sure if it was because of her bathroom issues or what, but you never quite know with little Leah. I love her dearly though, she is my girl.

Then dinnertime rolled around and things were looking up a little. We had made it through the majority of the day without an ER visit and without me checking myself into that ‘special place’ people go to ‘rest’ and ‘get better’. I had a healthy meal prepared, oven-fried chicken, broccoli, peas, potatoes, and some kind of fruit. They all seemed pleased when it came to the table, “good” I thought, “maybe things are turning around”. We said grace, and all seemed well. With the kids settled at the table I left for a few minutes to tend to something else and upon my return found a sight that made me laugh so hard I had to leave the room. The twins were playing baseball with their chicken legs and peas! They were so intense and so encouraging of one another “good one Leah Lou!” Evan said as Leah hit a home run across the table. It was one of those moments when as a mom you have a choice. I ‘should’ have done something, handed out some form of discipline for bad table manners but I couldn’t, I just didn’t have the words. It’s times like this that I have to relish the gift of motherhood, the bad and the good, and determine to enjoy every moment. To realize that sometimes laughter is the best medicine”

Now four years on, I can look back on this fondly and be thankful that my children who had been the source of my frustration all day were actually the ones that turned my heart towards the Lord. Discouragement is always around the corner waiting to pounce, and so often our response to things determines the behavior of the people around us; our husbands and children, the lady in the grocery store, the difficult customer service rep on the phone

So my encouragement for you ladies today is, when faced with a situation, no matter how frustrating, CHOOSE JOY!

This Little Light of Mine

We often sing this childhood favorite to our kids, especially when they are small and think it's cool to have you sing to them! They are simple words to a simple melody, but the prayer that it carries is profound.

As you declare "this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine" do you ever ponder how many times you inadvertently point your light downward so as not to be noticed. Or when you move to the next verse, "hide it under a bushel, NO!" do you stop to think how many times you cover up our light so as not to be different. How about the last verse, "won't let Satan, snuff it out!" hmmmm, that's a big one!

The choice is yours. You can allow your circumstances to dim your light or to snuff you out, or you can trust God, who has given you everything you need. Do you grab on or shrink away? You do not have to listen to satan telling you that you didn't do enough today. You don't have to cave under the guilt of how you may have spoken to your children during a moment of frustration. God is continually gracious and merciful and able to lift you up so you can shine. Be encouraged!

Matthew 5v16 tells us - "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Our light is to shine so God gets the glory!  Shine on ladies, shine on!

Homeschooling! Crazy right? Why I do it!

Over the years I have been asked many times why I have chosen to homeschool my children. Homeschooling used to be an odd undertaking, a decision that many in society looked down upon, thinking that it was a choice only old fashioned, uneducated, 'different', overprotective, mothers made. These days homeschooling is growing at an alarming rate. There are approximately 1.5 million homeschooling families in the US, and the number grows every year.

With the decline in our education system, and the rise of negative social issues that affect our children on a daily basis, what used to be a practise only for the 'religeous' is becoming more and more attractive to many different walks of life.

Personally I homeschool because it works for us! I am blessed to have a husband that works hard and also supports me 100%. Our decision has not come without sacrifice, but that's for another post. I delight in teaching my children new things. I love that they are not stuck behind a desk for eight hours a day and buried under two hours of homework each night. I love that they get to experience unconventional lessons, like gardening, cooking, beachcombing and fort building. I love that they are naive to the ugliness of our culture but schooled in God's word and the great things He has done and continues to do. I love that they can say "my mom taught me to read!" I love that when the weather is beautiful, we can call a fun day and take off to the playground.

Yes, it is exhausting and frustrating at times! I often wonder why, after many times saying I would never and could never become a homeschooling mom did I decide to do this. Yet in all of the chaos, every time I look at my children whether it be as they study, read, recite the US Presidents or run around the yard I am reminded that they are gifts only given to me for a very short time. The choice I have to make every day is what to with that gift.

My goal is not to raise genius children. My goal is to raise children that love God, and desire to use the talents and abilities that He has given them to do what He calls them to do. My job is to develop those abilities so they can be successful.