Our Calling

I was reading today in my bible study, Jesus the One and Only, by Beth Moore. She said something that I found interesting. I agree with her statement! She said our only calling is to daily surrender to God. That's it. Yes, He may give us an assignment or a mission to accomplish for a certain period of time or our entire lives, but our calling is to surrender to God on a daily basis, nothing more, nothing less. That means surrendering to God when He gives us our assignments/missions. So many times, when Chris was being interviewed for jobs at Christian companies, they would ask him why he felt called to this certain position. Truthfully, he didn't feel called. He just needed a job, and he fit the criteria for that position. Does God ask us to do certain things? Sure. But are we called to certain places or is that the assignment God has given us or the mission He desires us to accomplish? My calling? To surrender daily to the will of my Heavenly Father. That is my calling. My mission? My assignment? I guess He will make that known to me. But I know what my calling is, and because of that, I'm good.

Is It Really Christmas Time?

Temperature wise, it feels like Christmas. It is a chilly 8.5 degrees outside right now! There is still snow on the ground from the storm from the weekend before. Lights are up, our Christmas tree is decorated, we're doing our 24 names of Jesus advent, and today we will be baking for our neighbors. I am still doing my Jesus, the One and Only, devotioal every day. Yet, I feel something is missing. It doesn't feel like Christmas. I don't know why. We are doing all the same things as before. We even have our own house to live in this year! But I just feel like something is missing. What could it be? Every year, a Christmas song hits me. It's always different than the year before. Thtree years ago, Do You HearWhat I Hear from Third Day hit  me. I love that song to this day! I love Emmanuel by Amy Grant and last year What Child is This touched my heart deeply! But this year? I haven't found one that brings me to tears yet, and they normally do. I have listened to Joy to the World by Toby Mac, and I have to say that one makes me long for the future, when we can adopt our little boy. But nothing yet. Sigh. I keep praying that something will click for me this year to really get me in the holiday mood. Chris says it feels like Christmas for him. Maybe it's because I can't smell the tree due to a stuffy nose. Who knows? I guess I will keep doing what I am doing. That should help, right? Oh, Lord, help me to experience the Wonder of the Season!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

I took this from another blog. It is so true of me lately! I will totally be in the kitchen, getting dinner together. In the midst of that, I will see something I needed to do, do it, then realize dinner was never finished! That is just one instance! I have many!

IF YOU GIVE A MOM A MUFFIN…




If you give a mom a muffin,

She’ll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She’ll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.

She’ll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she’ll find dirty socks.

She’ll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She’ll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She’ll look for her cookbook (”101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger”).

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.S

he will look for her checkbook.

The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.

She’ll smell something funny.

She’ll change the two year old’s diaper.

While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.

Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.

She’ll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

And chances are…

If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

A Few of My Favorite Things

One of my favorite things is when one of my boys says or does something that is just so funny! That happened last night! We were sitting around the dinner table, talking about John the Baptist. The boys asked how he died, if he was crucified like Jesus. We told them no, and proceeded to tell them the story of John's death. Gage paused for a moment, took a bite of his dinner and said, "Mom, I'm going to marry a good girl who loves Jesus and won't cut off my head or son-thin (how he pronounces something)." It made me and Chris laugh so hard! We are so glad Gage is not going to marry someone who wants to kill him! :)

It's 14 degrees outside and lightly snowing. Truly it is a beautiful sight. This is one of my favorite things. I sat with my decaf peppermint mocha this morning and watched it snow outside. Lovely! And lets not forget about my crazy children who are all bundled up in their snow gear and are already outside playing in it! Their little cheeks are super rosy from being outside for just a few moments! As I write this, they are trying to discover rabbits. I can only assume they are finding rabbit prints in the snow and seeing where they lead. Of course, they are not allowed out of my eyesight! But they seem to be having fun!

Another one of my favorite things is seeing my husband's eyes twinkle with joy. I love it when he laughs and plays and is just fun to be around! He has the most beautiful eyes anyway! I love to see them shine! He is also extremely handsome! It is wonderful being married to the handsomest man alive!

Steffanne

My sister, Steffanne, is less than one year older than I am. She has been my best friend since birth. Our families love each other dearly, even after living together for 6 months. Granted, we don't want to live together again, but we still love each other and respect each other deeply.  Recently, she got a job at Applebees in Arvade, Colorado. Thank God they live near us! We are so happy about that, but I digress. So, she got a job at Applebees and has gotten nothing but compliments. She is an excellent server, always on top of things. Chris has a standard on how much to tip servers. Do they fill his water cup before it is empty? If so, good tip. If not, well, not so great. Steff has always filled his cup! Last night, we were hanging out with Dylan and Josiah until Steff got home from work. She walks in and says, "Guess what? I got my first complaint today!" No way! What could anyone possibly say about her service? I mean, really? Chris and I were intrigued. Upon further investigation, we found out what the story was. Apparently, a woman had called to complain about the chili not being good or something. The manager talked with the woman, and then asked who her server was. She said it was Steffanne. "And let me tell you, she was just a little TOO friendly!" The manager laughed and told the lady Steff has gotten more compliments on how friendly she is and how wonderful her service is, and that she isn't fake, she is just genuinely friendly. The woman huffed and said, "Well, she was just a little too over the top for my taste!" Chris and I laughed! Yes, she got her first complaint since she started working there, but it was because she was just too friendly! How many times can we say that about servers? Lady, if for some weird reason you are reading this blog, be thankful for friendly servers! They are few and far between!

Black Friday! Black Friday!

Yes, I am one of those crazy people who get up at the crack of dawn just to get a good deal for the holidays! I love getting a bargain, even if that means a few hours of missed sleep! For the last few years, I have been doing this. It started with Steffanne and Joanne. Then Steff went to Kenya, so it was just me and Jo. Then, I moved to Colorado and it was me, Steff, and Russell. This year, it was just me and Steff. But! I did get a text message from Joanne saying, "Happy Black Friday!" And indeed it was! We went to Wal-Mart, Sam's Club (got a free breakfast-whoo hoo!), Target, Family Christian Bookstore, The Lego Outlet, The Arc Thrift Store, the Goodwill, and Game Stop.  Overall, I got some good deals. However, the turnout for Black Friday was sad. There were not a lot of people out, I can only assume it has to do with the economy. I didn't get threatened or ran over by a cart this year. I wasn't even looked at meanly when trying to get an item at Wal-Mart. I think a part of the issue was that the deals weren't spectacular. They were less than thrilling for some people. I was a little sad that things went so quickly, and even then, I could live without the product being sold. It was a lot of fun, though, until we hit the Christian Bookstore. Last year, they had a ton of doorbusters! $5 cds, $10 movies, really great bargains! Today, it was blah, blah, blah. Not a lot of cds, even little movies. That's when I started to get bummed. But alas, there is always next year! I can only pray the deals will be much better! I did get quite a bit of the boys' stuff. We are slimming way down to pay off debt, so I can say the boys are almost done. I only need two more gifts, maybe three, and then bam! Done! Ahhh! Black Friday! To me, a person who hates shopping with every fiber of her being, today ought to be called, Sunny Friday! :) Good times, good times!

My Boys and Food

I decided to make traditional white bread from scratch yesterday. It was the second time I have made it. It smelled so good while baking! The boys came downstairs and were so excited to have it for dinner! Along with the bread, I made spaghetti. It's my grandma's recipe. She taught me how to make it years ago. The funny thing is, it's from a packet! But, my boys absolutely love my spaghetti! They think it is so yummy! They were quite happy with dinner, and told me quite often how great it was! We also made pumpkin bread from the pumpkins from Halloween and passed them out to our neighbors. Gage loved smelling them while they baked and asked me if I could make some for them. This morning, I got up and made it for breakfast. Again, Gage was thrilled! And, it's only a few points, so I didn't feel bad for eating a slice. I am beginning to think the way to Gage's heart is through his stomach. He doesn't like ice cream (makes me wonder where he gets that from). That is normally what we have for desserts at home. Last night we had ice cream (a 2 point yummy snack for 1/2 a cup! Whoo-hoo!), and Gage didn't have any. So, I made him chocolate chip cookies today. The kid is adorable! He hugs me and says, "You are the best Mom I have ever had!" I love that kid! The boys love food, there is no doubt about that! I am just happy they like the stuff I make! Actually, Gavin told me he likes Steffanne, my sister's cooking, better. My feelings were not hurt at all! And I say that seriously! I'm glad they enjoy food, all types, whether it be dinners, snacks, or yummy fruits! Garrison loves cutties and oranges while Gavin enjoys berries! It's fun! I love my boys!