Waiting & Trusting

Carrie at With All I've Been Given had a great post today about committing ourselves to pray specific bible verses that are areas that need our focus. As I so cryptically mentioned a few days ago, we continue to go through an amazing time in our lives right now that is full of unknowns. I think that God teaches us lessons through this time and His lesson to us right now is patience & trust. Those are probably two of the hardest things for me to do. Wait & Trust. So following Carrie's lead, I decided to find verses that spoke on this subject and I'm going to commit to pray on them while we wait on the Lord to show us His plan and we are going to Trust in Him as we wait.

"We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help & our shield." Psalm 33:20

"There judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring light to what is hidden in darkness." 1 Cor 4:5

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never foresaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the rock eternal." Isaiah 26:4

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. " Proverbs 3:5

Bible Verses for Kids

Our church gives out cards each week with ways to extend what they are teaching by bringing the lessons home. They always encourage you to teach your child a bible verse and have ways to help you do it. So this is this weeks.

"Be kind to everyone. " 2 Timothy 2:24

(Sing to the tune Mary had a little lamb)
Be-e kind to everyone.
Everyone, everyone.
Be-e kind to everyone.
Be kind to everyone.

It's so cute to hear Joshua try singing along. He really loves to sing...which melts my heart. He sings along with anything - although he is just kind of making noises to the tune. But he seems to really have an ear for picking up tunes pretty quickly.

Highjacker

Since my computer has been acting up I decided to get out my laptop which has wireless internet on it and I've highjacked my neighbors wireless connection so I could get online. I feel so sneaky!!

Sorry so quiet lately - our Internet and computer have been acting up so I have barely had access to even check my emails. So hopefully early next week we can get it fixed.

Tomorrow

A good friend of mine passed on this quote and I thought I would share it with all of you.

The Oriental shepherd was always ahead of his sheep. He was down in front. Any attack upon them had to take him into account. Now God is down in front. He is in the tomorrows. It is tomorrow that fills men with dread. God is there already. All the tomorrows of our life have to pass Him before they can get to us. -F.B.M Streams in the desert. Jan 15th

What a wonderful reminder that God already knows what tomorrow will bring. I am still so amazed at how awesome God is. He never stops filling me with wonder. His timing is remarkable and He knows everything there is to know about each one of us. I'm so humbled and honored that He is ahead of everything I do that He knows my tomorrows! Thank you God!

More snow pics...

I know it's not a lot of snow...but we still had fun. These are from this past weekend...

Celebration Plate

Today I'm trying to come up with a design for a Celebration plate that we will be making tomorrow in our MOPS group. We have a lady who does pottery coming in to do this with our group. So this is something you could easily do at a pottery studio one night.

I am really excited about having a celebration plate and using it in our family. The idea is to have a special plate that you can put on the table for different family members to celebrate all the special moments in your life not just the big ones. So it might be being especially good one day, a promotion at work, a good grade, nice table manners, whatever. So I'm trying to come up with something that is generic enough to cross over but special. I figure my words will be - "You are special" on the top and "You are loved" on the bottom. But I can't figure out what kind of picture to include. Any thoughts?

Prayers

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
-Proverbs 3:5-6

Thank you so much for your prayers and please continue to pray for us as God has revealed some even more amazing & unreal opportunities for us. But these are all a matter of waiting on Him with patience and trust. We have some serious decisions that will continue to become clear to us with time, but we must wait and trust. Please pray for God's protection over us during this time.

Thank you so much!!

Snow!

We got snow. Wahoo! I love the look of snow on the ground. We bundled Joshua up and let him play for a few minutes but that was all. He has bronchitis right now so we didn't want him out too long. I could not find a matching pair of mittens and isn't he so cute in his rain boots!! I also included a picture of Joshua doing his breathing treatments...cause he is just so good about it and just looks so sweet!

Unspoken Prayer Request

As things have become a little more clear for us - this is updated but still cryptic.

Please pray for a potential big change in our lives and that God will provide and that if this isn't His plan that it will be clear right away. And pray that we will have patience and wait on the Lord when we need to.

Sorry so cryptic! I really appreciate your prayers!!

Ooo...I'm SOO excited!

We are supposed to get snow on Thursday!! It has flurried but we haven't had any accumulation and Joshua needs to know what snow is! So I'm doing a snow dance...right after I run out and get some bread & milk.



(joking about the bread & milk)

What do you do with your crayons??

So I'm starting to collect quite the supply of children's craft stuff including 4 million 200 boxes of crayons. So what do you do with all your crayons cause I'm sure I'm not the only one? Do you keep them in their separate boxes? Combine them all into one box? Also, how do you keep all your stuff organized. I have a dresser in my kitchen that I've been using to keep my supplies. I was only using the top drawer but have now expanded to two drawers. I look forward to hearing your feedback.

It's 8:06am

..and I have invited a friend for brunch. She will be here at 10am. I have nothing baked, nothing planned, no groceries, and I haven't even showered or gotten Joshua up yet. Ahhhh!!

UPDATE: I managed to whip up this Pecan Coffee Cake, scrambled some eggs and cut up some fruit for my brunch. My delightful company is also very laid back so it went very well.

Preschool Pressure

There is SOOO much pressure now to put kids in pre-school. I can't believe that even at one people were asking me left and right if I was putting Joshua in preschool. Now that enrollment for next fall is starting and Joshua will be 2 - the pressure is on again. But I'm not ready!! What happened to kindergarten being the beginning of school. So, since I am not putting Joshua in preschool next fall (unless something remarkable makes me change my mind) I have been looking at curriculum's for 2 year old preschool at home. There are some amazing websites out there that offer great craft ideas, coloring pages, themes for the week etc.

One of my favorite sources is Brightly Beaming Resources. They have great lesson plans for the week for the young preschoolers with all the resources you need and best of all it's free!! An example of one of their lessons is having a weekly focus animal & letter. So the first week the focus is cows & the letter A. So you check out library books that include cows, sing cow songs, color pictures of cows etc. Same for the Letter A. You can color pictures of A things, eat A snacks - like apples, etc. I thought this was a great simple way of including education in your everyday time and not feeling like your child is going to be left behind for not being in preschool. So later this week I will share how I am going to set up our little "activity" area for learning our weekly themes. Also, I'd love to hear your ideas & sources for teaching your children.

Disclaimer: I know every child & family is different and preschool at 2 years old is great for some...but not for me.

Greek Chicken Penne Pasta

This is a great recipe! It taste very Mediterranean and was done in 30 minutes total on the stove top. I found this recipe on Allrecipes but have altered it.

Greek Chicken Penne Pasta

1 - 8oz pkg penne pasta

1 tbsp butter/margarine

2 tbsp onion

2 tsp minced garlic

2 breast of boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 - 10 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drain and chopped

1 small can diced tomato's

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp oregano

salt & pepper to taste

Boil pasta per directions until done. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan melt butter with onion, garlic, and 2 tbsp of the marinade from the artichokes over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat. Add chopped/drained artichoke hearts, tomato, 1/2 the feta, parsley, lemon, oregano, & pasta. Stir together & cook for about 2 minutes until heated through. Season w/ salt & pepper. Top with remaining feta & serve. YUM! Serves 4.

I NEED to swap!

I have signed up for two valentine swaps that I'm super excited about. But all of a sudden, I have swap mania. I want to sign up for more swaps and can't find any open ones. I especially want to join an easter swap and missed the Hippity Hop one. I don't know why I am so tickled about a new year of swaps but I am. So...if you hear of any good ones...please pass them on - so I can get my fix!!

Valentine Banner

After Monica at the Homespun Heart gave everyone this great Christmas banner, I thought it would be nice to use some of her paper to make a Valentine Banner. The scrapbook paper I used was found at Target for $1 for a pack of 12 sheets. The heart/L-O-V-E letters are something I just made really quickly using a fun font. And yes, our nativity scene is still up because Joshua is OBSESSED with Baby Jesus. In fact, any baby pictures with that old timey feel is somehow baby Jesus as well as any baby he sees in a cradle. I guess I'm happy that he took Baby Jesus away from Christmas instead of Santa.

Funny Joshua

Joshua's vocabulary continues to increase by leaps and bounds everyday. Which makes him say funnier and funnier things. So I am trying to keep a record of all the cute Joshua'ism's. One thing he says every time we are in Target as we walk by the ladies bra section is, "Hat, Hat" pointing to the bra's. I guess the "cups" on the bras do sort of look like hats. And I haven't bothered to get in a discussion about what bras are.

Quiz

I always think these are fun...so I decided to blog it. And I tag any willing participant to do the same. :)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? believe it or not, I don't remember, I'm sure it wasn't more than a week or so
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I don't not like it
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I can't stand lunch meat- I prefer pb & banana
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes, one
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? yes-- probably more than I should
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? no!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? cracklin' oat bran
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no
12. DO YOU THINK YOU'RE STRONG? Physically- sort of - my arm strength has definitely increased since toting a 20+lb toddler. emotionally - definitely
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? hmm...orange sherbert
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? their spirit - joy, sadness, etc
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? my mom
17. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? khakis/ bare feet
18. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? cinnamon toast
19. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? a quiet baby monitor - yay!
20. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? something fun and funky
21. FAVORITE SMELLS? stargazers
22. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my husband
23. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football
24. HAIR COLOR? brown
25. Eye color? Blue
26. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes, I'm blind as a bat
27 FAVORITE FOOD? any breakfast item...I just love breakfast!
28. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings
29. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? jonah - veggie tales - how sad
30. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? brown
31. SUMMER OR WINTER? Hmm...both...really SPRING!!
32. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
33. FAVORITE DESSERT? a warm brownie with ice cream
34. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? i just finished a book and haven't started a new one yet
35. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? a mouse...duh.
36. FAVORITE SOUND? Joshua's laughter
38 WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Africa
39. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? being able to hold a toddler, clean up puke, and do dishes at the same time...HA!

BIG NEWS!

Joshua has been talking about 'pee-pee' like crazy lately. So I decided to take the que from him and get him a little potty and some potty books. Well, today is the first time he has ever seen the little potty and I thought I would let him get use to it for however long before trying anything. So tonight, he was saying pee-pee, pee-pee and wanted to go in there. So we took off his clothes and tried to get him to sit down. Well, he didn't want to so I figured he was unsure of it but NO, he wanted to turn around and pee standing up like a big boy. He was straining SOOO hard to pee. And sure enough, he pee'd like a big boy standing up at his little potty. I don't know if this will really be the time for him to officially be potty trained but we will give it a try and see how he does. Oh what a fun few weeks/months I have to look forward to.

Children's Museum

Pictures of Joshua at the children's museum today. They have a beanstalk from the first floor to the second floor for the kids to climb. It was super cool. We had fun!

Gratitude - Miss Annie

As many of you know, I went to boarding school for high school. It was a wonderful experience and I have many, many treasured memories. Well, I don't know why I haven't done this sooner, but before the holidays I decided to write my dorm mother, Miss Annie, a letter. I wanted her to know what an impact she made on my life and how thankful I was for her. Too often, these people in our lives are forgotten and I certainly didn't want that to be the case for her. For 4 straight years, she was my away from home mom. She was and is a ball of energy and one of God's faithful servants. Her husband was our school's pastor and as you can imagine living with them filled each of us with God's light everyday. I can remember copping the BIGGEST attitudes with her and her never failing to love me just the same. Every morning she would wake us by singing, "Goooooooodddd Moooorning!" She was always so cheerful...a teenager's nightmare in the morning. (Big smiles). What a blessing Miss Annie was to me! You can't imagine how thrilled I was to get a letter back from Miss Annie within days. I have been meaning to call her and catch but wanted to wait till after the holidays. I encourage you to also share your gratitude with those who might not expect it. I don't know how much of a blessing it was to Miss Annie, but it sure filled my heart with joy!

Kitchen Remodel

We did a semi-kitchen remodel. I repainted my green kitchen to a slate blue. Got rid of my dusty blinds and put in roman shades and got new countertops. I LOVE how much all the changes warm up the room with not too much of an expense! I had already painted the walls when I took my before picture - but you get the idea.

Take my picture

Joshua has (kind of) figured out that he likes to have his picture taken. He hasn't quite figured out that you don't need to get SO close to the camera. And is still working on what SMILE means. We also found out that he really likes 'ungwasses'!

Zoo

While John's parents were in town we took Joshua to the zoo. It's the first time he has been to a real zoo. It was lots of fun. I definitely think it's something we will be frequenting more and more often the older he gets.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! Hope your Christmas was wonderful! We had a very nice time spending time with family before, during and after Christmas. It was great to see so many people and have so much fun sharing Joshua's JOY about Christmas with everyone. Joshua especially loved to show off for all our company by acting SUPER silly. His personality just gets cuter everyday. Anyways, here are some pictures of Joshua during Christmas.