Time Did Fly By

Where did the time go? My little guy turned one year old in October and it seems as though I blinked my eyes and he grew up overnight. He's the sweetest little boy that melts my heart with his big baby browns. My son is a testament to the fact that God knows what we need when we need it. If I think back to when I first found out that I was expecting him, I have to be honest that I wasn't thrilled with God's timing. I was still working at the time and the thought of being pregnant while in a managerial position that carried huge responsibilities didn't thrill me. While my heart had been pining for years for another child, if I had the choice I would've picked a time that was a year or so after leaving the workplace and after being settled into homeschool with the kids. I praise God that He's God and He doesn't operate under the control of man, and He's sovereign over everything. His timing was just perfect. He orchestrated the life of my son into our lives just in time to usher me out of the workplace. As my belly swelled in my office just before leaving my career behind, I believe that God used the gift of motherhood to show others that it's okay to make a sacrifice for the family when you're following your heart.  

He has sort of flown into our hearts and we're silly as ever in love.

 



For his big day he showcased his new, big boy haircut and dawned his superman costume. 

 

I can't NOT blog about my boy turning one without reminiscing through pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Plan

Approximately one year, 2 months, and two days after selling our first home last year and making the decision to downsize and prepare to start over again with planning, organizing, and working towards building our next home, it became official today after we went to closing that we’re now entering the construction phase of our second home.
 
I could bore you to tears with the process that we’ve been through in the previous months. I could detail the red tape, the paperwork, the waiting process, and unexpected events that have resulted in the timing of how things have played out, but I will spare you the story and just use this blog entry to reflect on God’s provision, His timing, and His Will.

God’s timing is perfect.

While life may not always play out in the timeline that suits our personal wishes, from God’s perspective its going just according to plan. His plan. I’m thankful for His provision for our family and His guidance as we’ve asked for wisdom. He is slow to anger and quick to shower His mercy upon us. I am looking forward to the journey as it continues now into a phase of His blessings that will result in a visualization of God’s provision as our home is built. There is never a need to hurry the plans of God (if you try, you'll just burn useless energy).

He takes care of His children His way, in His time, and according to His plan.

Keeping my Promise

I mentioned many blog entries ago that one day I'd blog a little about meal planning. I keep my promise.

I love to plan. Not just meals. I love to plan anything. I get excited when I plan my day and get to cross things off the list that I accomplished that day. In the midst of my planning though, I have to stay reminded that while a man plans his way, its the Lord who directs his steps.

With that said, let's talk about planning meals and the benefits that you can realize in your life when you plan meals for you and your family ahead of time. Careful pre-planning for meals can save you lots of time and in the long run it can save you money.

There are different types of shoppers out there. There are some that keep their pantry stocked with all of the staple items that they cook with on a weekly basis and additional items that they may occasionally use for varying recipes, items they see while perusing the grocery aisle and want to try at some point. Because they keep their pantry stocked with an array of items, they cut down on the numbers of times that they have to run out to the store to purchase items. They may grocery shop 2-3 times per month (or even less), purchasing the items that they need to maintain a well-stocked pantry for a variety of recipes and meals that they want to cook. Frequently you'll find multiple bottles of the same item in their pantry as they find certain items on sale and use those opportunities to stock up. We'll call them "Stockpilers".

Then there are the "Minimalists". That's me. I purchase just what we need for the specific meals that I've selected for my family each week. I have not done any research to see who saves the most money in the long run, but minimalist shopping works for our family's budget. It allows us to easily assess how much we're spending on groceries from one month to the next. Some pros to being a minimalist shopper is being able to account for just about everything in the pantry and we find that we rarely have waste. Some cons are not having those extra ingredients on the shelf when my family wants to splurge and make an impromptu meal.

My approach to meal planning is very simple. I maintain a list of my family's "favorite meals" along with a list of ingredients for each meal categorized ingredients for Chicken, Pork, Red Meat, Fish, Pastas, Comfort Foods, etc.

One entry on my family's "favorite meals" list may say,
Under the Heading Chicken:
Homemade Chipotle Night (Chicken Breasts, Black Beans, Mozarella Cheese, Tomatoes, lettuce, Pico De Gallo, Canned Corn, Cilantro, Tortilla Bread)

One day out of each week (usually a Saturday), I pull out my family's favorite meals list, our family calendar and a sticky note and list the meals that I'd like to prepare each day for the upcoming week. This list will become my Meal list for the upcoming week. The reason I pull out our calendar is because there are many times in the week that we have an evening activity out as a family (i.e., recital, dentist appointment, baseball game, etc.) and it could be wise from a time perspective on a specific night to grab dinner while we're out. On those specific days, I make a "no meal to plan" note for myself.

My weekly Meal List may look something like this,
Monday - Buttermilk Chicken Fingers, Fries, and Corn
Tuesday - Baked Spaghetti & Italian Bread
Wednesday - Baseball Game (No Meal to Prepare)
Thursday - Chicken Barbecue Turnovers
Friday - Homemade Chipotle Night

After I make my Meal List for the week, I'll grab a piece of notepad paper and copy down the list of ingredients from my family's favorite meals list. This list becomes my grocery store shopping list for the coming week. After I've listed out all of the ingredients that I need, I go to the pantry and then to the refrigerator and freezer and mark off all of the ingredients that I already have in-house. Whatever is left on my list becomes my grocery store shopping list for that week.

Because we are minimalist shoppers, we maintain the ingredients and food items that we need for our weekly meals. This results in us grocery shopping at a large wholesale store 1-2 times per month for our meats and at our local grocery store once a week for pantry-type items. By shopping each week using my Meal List, any additional trips to the store in the week are minimized.

Other times that I find myself adding items to my Meal List for the week are when I've run out of a pantry, meat, or refrigerator items. Whenever something is running low or has been used up, it gets added to my weekly Meal List to be replenished. 

Since coming home from the workforce, I've enjoyed meal planning and preparing meals for my family so much more. When I worked, I planned meals but the meals were not as unique, creative, and tasty as they are now. I would actually plan by the month when I worked outside the home, printing off a month-view from a calendar and filling in meals for the entire month. My goal while working outside of the home was, "pick a quick & simple meal and get it on the table!" There wasn't much time to peruse for recipes that my family actually enjoyed. I kept our meals simple and quick.

I now have time to read and review varying recipes before preparing them and selecting meals that interest my family and have the time to make them. I also have time now to experiment with new flavors and ingredients and if my family receives them well, I add them to our favorite meal listing. This seems to keep my family excited about coming to the dinner table each week. I get the "What's Mom making for dinner?" look every evening after school and when my hubby comes home from work. Sometimes a dish turns out to be a flop, but thankfully I get more thumbs up than thumbs down.

So, what are the benefits to doing all of this?
Well, it saves you time. How can this save time you may ask? If you spend time during the week sitting and pondering over what to cook every day, you can cut that time out by meal planning. If you roam the grocery store aisles wondering what to buy, only to find yourself eating out 3-4 times each week because you're tired of spaghetti, taco, and hotdog night meals, you may want to consider planning out your meals! Meal planning can also save you money if you set a budget on what you want to spend on groceries. Once you setup a budget you can apply this to your weekly meal list, ensuring that your stay within your budget as you shop each month (and, monthly if you do wholesale shopping).

Purchasing what you need versus what you want because you see it on the grocery aisle, results in extra money in your pocket that wasn't spent frivolously. If you have extra weight that you're trying to lose, planning your meals will enable you to discipline yourself to eat what you've planned instead of grabbing food from the drive through.

Will it take time? Yes, but the benefits are endless and your may win some brownie points with the fam!

So, just to recap... Make some lists & start enjoying making meals for your family!
1) Favorite Meal List (one that you can maintain a compilation of the meals & ingredients that your family enjoys). Sit down and brainstorm a list of meals that your family enjoys and as you find new recipes, add them to this list.
2) Meal List - Generate this weekly at the beginning of each week 
3) Grocery Store Shopping List - Generate this weekly at the beginning of each week as you take an inventory of the items from your Meal List before you head off to the grocery store.
If you're a minimalist, only pick up the items that you need to prepare your meals and/or to replenish your refrigerator and pantry.

One last thought for meal planning... take time to read some recipes! I used to be terribly afraid of trying any recipes that didn't include chicken, salt, and pepper. It wasn't until a friend challenged me to search online for a recipe and just go for it, that I became courageous in the kitchen using my family members as guinea pigs. What I've found is the more that you experiment, your cooking skills become refined and you grow to learn what seasonings work good in difference recipes. And, you'll discover what meals match your family's tastebuds and you can search out recipes that include the ingredients that your family enjoys. Doing this will diversify your family's favorite meal list so that there is more than spaghetti, tacos, and hot dogs on it.

Happy Planning.....and, happy eating!

Oh, Sweet James

This past week marked the completion of my 16-week Bible Study on the Book of James using the Precept Upon Precept Inductive Study. If I could put the past 16 weeks into one word as I’ve studied through the Book of James, I’d use

Life Altering

Okay, that was two words wasn’t it?

Sidebar - I google everything. Do you find yourself googling everything? Right when I typed, life altering, I wondered to myself, “is that one word or two”? And, then I googled it to find out the answer. Is there anything you can’t find on the internet? What is this techno world that we live in coming to? I digress.

 Inspiring, encouraging, challenging,

thought-provoking, captivating, convicting, humbling.

 

Those are a few other words to describe this Book. It’s a short book. Only 5 chapters. One could read through it from beginning to end in minimal time, but it shouldn’t be read like a self-help book that you’d read in a short sitting while killing time in your local bookstore. It’s a book to lay out on your kitchen table with a notepad nearby. A book where before you even delve into the first verse, you get down on your knees and ask the Lord to soften your heart before you try and take in the Words. It’s also a book to keep a tissue box within arm’s reach as you’ll be led to wrestle with the condition of your very soul and possibly drawn to tears as you’re humbled and moved to examine how you can strive more in your Christian walk to be Christ-like.

It’s a book of tests. Not the standardized kind or a Fill-in-the-Blank type of tests. The book details varying tests that we can use to examine our walk as a Christian. There is a test that covers our response in trials, another on how we show favor to the rich and elite, a test on our ability to control our tongue, and another that tests our closeness with the world. After you’ve sweat a little in taking these tests and graded yourself, there’s a message of hope in Chapter 4 (verses 7-10) if after examining your response you realize that you’ve failed all of the tests.

Never again will I wonder what I need to do when in a trial or a test in life. This book paints a very clear and concise illustration of what a Christian’s response should be. And, when I’m having trouble bridling my tongue or being tempted by my fleshly nature to dishonor God in my thoughts or attitude, I only need to go back to this Book.  I’m thankful that someone gave me the invitation to take this study.

If One of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

Anyone need a good book to read? 

Firsts.

Is been a long time since I've updated my blog with the latest "happenings" in my family. I'll update through pictures. A picture is worth a thousands words, right?

We've had several firsts.

 

Lea rode her first upside down roller coaster.

 

The girls went on their first camping trip.

 

The little guy took his first steps and was very happy about it.

I'm knitting my first hat.

 I still have to learn how to "decrease" in knitting so that I can knit the top close.

 

In school we've been repeating the following:

Eat.
Sleep.
School.
Repeat.  

Lots of reading, writing, crunching numbers, and more reading. The girls continue to be very receptive to the changes in their school curriculum. The books that they've been reading with the Sonlight curriculm have been so interesting to them that I've caught them sharing what they're learning to family and friends. I don't recall this happening during our first year very much. They just bring up facts over dinner or on car rides. I've even caught them sharing facts with friends when having casual conversations. It makes me smile to know that they're enjoying what they're learning and they are retaining what they're learning, not because of rote learning but from simple enjoyment of the material.



Frog Cycle of Life via Clay Creation



A Change

I pray that this blog entry will not leave you discouraged, but inspired to seek God's Word and be challenged to reflect internally on your heart and upward to Christ....

We are a sinful people. Left to our own devices, we would choose this world and the things of this world at every opportunity available. We entered this world a sinner not desiring God or anything that is a part of Him. Our flesh desires the things that we see and is captured and entranced by what the world offers as seen through television commercials and shows. We are motivated by money, entranced by surface level beauty, and our pride is fed in the downfall of others. We are enslaved to our desires and are driven to think and act, motivated by our fleshly desires. We desire to be seen and be known for something. Something that in our minds, people care about. And so, we'll do just about anything to fit in, to feel loved, to feel accepted by this sinful world and the people in it.  

 

As we desire the worlds acceptance, we get caught up in pleasing man. The problem is, man is never pleased. He always desires more and as his desires change, we never have peace within because we are seeking to appease man and our own flesh.  If we die in this state of sinfulness, appeasing our flesh and being absorbed with this world, we will spend an eternity separated from God. 

God on the other hand is perfect, holy, just, fair, loving, kind, and forgiving. He keeps no records of our wrongs and desires that we look beyond this world and its desires and see Him dying on a cross to relinquish us from the world's chains that bind us. We are blinded to our own sinfulness. We think that we are good enough to make it into Heaven because we think our sins are not "as bad" as the next guy. We may not physically steal or harm someone, but if we but ponder these sinful actions internally in our minds, God considers us guilty as though we committed them externally. Sin is such and awful disease, but we have a cure in Christ. 

Before the foundation of this world God the Father, chose a people that would constitute a bride for His Son, Jesus Christ. This bride is made up of those that believe in Jesus Christ. As Christ took the penalty that we deserve by dying on the Cross, He served as a substitute atoning for the death that we deserve. God desires that we repent, turn from our sinful way of living that focuses on self, and believe on the Lord Jesus. Many Churches today are not teaching this message illustrating the sinfulness of man and the holiness of a just God. What's unsettling is that people are perishing from the pews. A watered down gospel is being taught that leaves people thinking they are "better than" the person sitting next to them.
 

You say, 

All this isn't truth. This isn't the gospel message. It doesn't make me feel good about myself. There are multiple ways to get to Heaven and if I just do good things God will accept me in the end.

 

The truth is, what matters is the internal desires of your heart. We can't serve both God and man. Either you hate the things of this world or you're a friend of it. This is my story. It's my testimony in a  lot of ways. I was deceived thinking that my external "good" actions justified me enough to go to Heaven. I didn't know what repentance and sanctification was. God renewed my thinking through sound Biblical teaching and I'm being sanctified one day at a time by His Word. I wrestle with His Word daily and it changes me. Its not an external change. I've been there and done that. It's a redeeming change. One that sticks even when difficult circumstances are at my front door. Though my flesh may want to retreat to the comforts of the world which it knew before, God's Holy Spirit beckons me to my knees and I call out, "Abba, Father, please help me. For I am weak, but though art strong. Change Me. "

Caleb the Warrior

I finally made the time to finish the most recent Francine Rivers book that I've been plodding through over the summer. Since starting back to school and still working through the James Precept Study, its been a little bit challenging making the time to read. After checking out the book for the fifth time, I was determined to finish it.

This second book in Rivers' series, Sons of Encouragement, is entitled "Warrior" and its about the life of Caleb. He was an unlikely hero, being cast in the shadow of Joshua as one who stood strong in his faith. While many Israelites complained, grumbled, and distrusted the plan of God, Caleb had a different spirit. He trusted God and stood strong in his faith. While Caleb and Joshua brought back a hopeful report about the land that God had promised to give to the Israelites, the other spies that they ventured into the land with spread news that disheartened the people and led them to believe that they could not take over the land even though God promised He would.

Caleb's life was a demonstration of a true commitment to the Lord despite how things looked.

Reading Caleb's story made me reflect on the type of news bearer I am in challenging situations. When things look bleak, do I offer words of encouragement or do I echo words of discouragement and hopelessness? Regarding how life's situations end up, our lives are always in God's most capable hands. His truth reminds us of His faithfulness, provision, and love. Is that enough to sustain us when things get tough?. The Israelites were promised by God that they would be given the Promised Land, but His Word wasn't enough.

Is God's Word enough for us?