#162 A change in routine and a day spent with my momma
#163 The little boy who loves dogs... and tries to bark at them.
#164 The little foot that needs to be kicked up on me in order for a certain little boy to sleep.
#165 This sight upon arriving home. Man is in my abode.
#166 Discovering a trail that starts close to my house, goes by a cemetery and ends up going around a tree-lined lake.
#167 For almost-4-year-olds that start celebrating their birthday weeks before the day, and the little girl who handled leaving the store store empty-handed because momma just wanted to see what she wanted very well.
Wishing you eyes to see all you have to be grateful for. xo Amanda
Fresh fruits and vegetables imported from... well, my daddy's garden or a local farm.
Light and fresh just taste right in the summer.
I thought I would share one of my all time favorite recipes that tastes just like summer to me. I cook this probably 2-3 times a month during the summer. I love it. My husband loves it. Addy, well, she tolerates it if I just give her some fish and sour cream rolled up in a tortilla with mango slices on the side. (According to Addy's taste buds anyways, sour cream makes everything better. That girl would eat the stuff straight out of the carton if I would let her.)
I got this recipe from an issue of Taste of Home (I tore the recipe out a long time ago and added it to my recipe binder, so I really don't know the issue). I still use the recipe just as it appears, except that I don't measure anything out, and this girl never has been able to afford halibut. Mahi Mahi is my preferred fish for this recipe, but any mild, white, flaky fish will do. I used Alaskan flounder when these pictures were taken. (I have also tried it with chicken breast... and it's also delicious.)
The recipe is here. Woot Woot! Taste of Home has the recipe on their website! They did all the work of writing out the recipe. And we both get to benefit! I did include some helpful tips... so do keep scrolling.
I love this recipe. It is super easy to make... and fast. I love to make my salsa earlier in the day, so that come dinnertime all I have to do is throw the fish on the grill and warm some tortillas. Dinner in 10 minutes? Heck-to-the-yes! By the way, did you know that when you chop cilantro, it's okay to have some stem in there? No need to tear leaves off, just rinse a couple sprigs, and chop till you get to the where there are no more leaves, and discard the ends. Easy!
Mangoes are pretty difficult to cut. So I included a picture tutorial of how to cut a mango. I have no idea if this is the "proper" way, but it is fast, easy, not very messy, and gets your mango into perfect cubes every time.
Peppers are also difficult to cut, if you want to avoid getting those pesky seeds in with your diced pepper. Here's how I cut a pepper and keep from having to pick out any seeds.
A note: Yes, you need Thai sweet chili sauce. NEED. After I discovered the stuff, it started getting added to lots of things (meat marinades, salad dressings, sauces, stir fry's...) It is GOOD. It should be located in the Asian section of your grocery store.
This taco a thing of beauty. Seriously delicious. Light and refreshing. Tastes like summer to me.
In case you don't feel up to finding the recipe link towards the top of the page, here it is again. ;)
#145 The little boy who simultaneously put on his birthday hat... and took off his shorts and diaper... and then got busy with his toys. (I edited the bare bottom out of this picture.) (Birthday hat in his birthday suit. Ha!)
#146 For my Granny's scarf and opal earrings. On days when I just miss her, I can still see a bit of her in me.
#147 Watching my husband return to his 11 year old self--stripping off the job, financial stresses, massive amounts of schoolwork, and worries of where and when he will get hired--immediately upon entering the pool with his little brother.
#148 Double Dessert. (Especially when the dessert you made didn't turn out quite like you hoped it would. ) And for mother-in-laws that still gush over your dessert and ask for the recipe even when you know it doesn't taste that good.
#149 Head stands and diapers that pay homage to Australia.
#150 Blue tape.
It reminds me of my quirky writing teacher from high school who always had some issue with her glasses. (Also the realization that I AM a quirky writer)
It is a good amount of incentive to get to the repair shop after 2 years of them sitting broken in my cabinet. (I lost my pair that I have had for 6 years... which are just about too scratched to even see out of. ITS TIME AMANDA!!!)
It keeps my glasses on my face.
#151 Front yards, friends, and sparklers
#152 Daddy home days and starting our day together.
#153 Watching Addy hungry to learn and ready to learn to write. She asked me to show her how. Her very first letters written all by herself!!! Proud moment :))
#154 Preschool Swim lessons with silly Preschool songs
Wishing you eyes to see His Grace in it all! xo Amanda
“For we know in part and we prophecy in part… For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will fully know fully just as I also have been fully known.” I Corinthians 13:9,12
When I was 17, I began a relationship with the youth pastor. Jake was 21 and brand spanking new at leading a youth ministry. I was young, I knew that there was a “call” on my life to leadership and ministry, and, if I am perfectly honest, I was completely mesmerized by the idea that a youth pastor was interested in me.
To condense a two-year story into a couple lines, we dated for a few months, I broke it off, we started dating again 6 months later, Jake proposed in front of the entire church, we were engaged for 9 rocky months, and then I broke it off for good.
It’s 10 years later and I still remember sitting in the living room of my older and wiser friend, Carla. Jake was out of town, Carla's husband was out of town, so naturally we had a sleep over. Donned in pajamas and feet up on her couch, I found myself pouring out the difficultly of my relationship with Jake. I asked her if before she got married she ever found her husband unattractive or if they fought a lot. She looked at me with wide-eyes. “Oh, Amanda, David and I may fight occasionally now that we have been married for 4 years, but, when we were dating, I wanted to be with him every second, found him good-looking, sexy.” She paused, her voice lowering as she felt the weight of the words about to come out of her mouth. “Amanda, that’s not what it’s supposed to be like.” Carla’s bold words gave me freedom. I saw it. My young mind may have believed Jake to be “God’s Will” for my life, but her words caused me to look back and see all the times that God had gently been trying to lead me out of that relationship. Jake was not what God had for me.
I took the matter to prayer and a week later broke off the engagement. It was not a pretty break up. Jake was the youth pastor. I was a youth leader. I hurt him. He hurt me. It was ugly.
I am not quite sure how to put the pain I experienced during that break up into words. Jake abused his position. He abused the pulpit. He flashed around his victim card automatically making me the bad guy. I started seeing Jake when I first started going to the church. I had only ever been his girlfriend or fiancé, and now I walked around with a scarlet H for “oh most wretched Heart-breaker of the Holy man.” Without rehashing the gory details, bottom line: a youth pastor, ex-fiance or not, should not have been able to behave the way that he did, moping and moaning about the girl who broke his heart to anyone who would had ears… even once using the pulpit to air his pain. I was still on his staff and I still went to his church.
Disclaimer: It’s not like I was completely innocent or anything, there were a couple times when I took out all the ugly in me (and him) and strung it up on the clothes line to dry in a way that only a bitter and hot-tempered woman could… in some very inopportune moments (like in front of interns or right before a youth service). And that isn’t mentioning my once flirtacious nature that no doubt tormented Jake’s broken heart.
It was not a smooth break up. At. All. And while it may be difficult for me to paint a fair portrait of the entire ordeal, we were both in need of Grace. And it does not matter who needed the most Grace; it didn’t then, and it doesn’t now. Ugly is ugly, and God’s Grace is sufficient for it all.
I wanted to leave the church. I wanted to go where no one knew my name. I wanted to go where the youth pastor hadn’t colored the picture of me, where my side of the story could be heard, where I wasn’t the black widow, she-woman man-eater that wooed men in with her good looks and witty humor only to stab them in the heart and leave them bleeding. I wanted a clean slate, a fresh start.
God asked me to stay.
It was one of the hardest, most uncomfortable, and most awkward times of my life. It took years to get over the pain that Jake caused me in the months that followed our break-up. It took years to get over the hurt that the church caused me through all of this. BUT…
BUT.
God is Just, and God redeems. In staying, I got to see the God of Justice redeem my name. I got to see Truth win out. In being the despised one, I challenged my pastor, Jake, and the rest of the church to learn how to love me, and, even better, I learned how to love me. I met and fell in love with my husband at my church. And it’s not just the meeting him that I got out of being obedient to God’s call to stay; God used the entirety of this ugly situation to keep Michael and me hidden from each other until the exact perfect moment. Mike thought I was, well, evil for breaking his youth pastor’s heart. I, well, didn’t think of him at all. Three years after the break up God gave us both a fresh set of eyes. We got to have a grand romance—in sweeping whirlwind fashion—that I wouldn’t even consider trading for a smooth and rosy-colored church history. God transformed me so completely, that when I walked down that aisle to promise my life to Michael, the woman who broke Jake’s heart was not present.
“And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit”
God pruned me with the shears of humility. He used the sharpness of someone I had hurt to cut out the pride in me. It hurt. It was not some quick process. It took years.
God used all that pain and injustice for good.
I keep hearing on the internet and in life of people who are giving up on the church. I hear people talk of needing fresh starts. I hear people talk of wanting a different church because the one they are at doesn’t “feed” them or they’ve been hurt by it. I have heard stories of injustices wrought by the church. I hear of abuses caused at the hand of those in authority. It’s terrible. Surely the church shouldn’t inflict pain. And I don’t have all the answers. But I know that God is able to use it all for good. ALL. I am not pretending to know what God would have you to do, but I will submit this: God uses the church. God’s Grace floods the most painful places in our lives. God is able to redeem. Restore. His Grace can cover it all.
Yes, church is messy. But we were made for each other. We need each other. We need each other’s brokenness too. Perhaps it is that God uses the broken edges of people’s lives to prune away the pride in our own. We need to work out our faith, our hope, and our love (especially love) in the midst of people who are occasionally rotten and rotten to us. We can only see in part this side of eternity, each one of us a part, and a part of the body of Christ. Some parts crying out, “Grace!” Some crying out, “Righteousness!” Some crying out, “Justice!” All of us crying out for the day when our hearts can truly be home, all needing the other parts to get as close as we can to the whole, seeing as best as we can through the mist. We were made for each other.
Will you give Him the messy circumstances? The pain that has been unjustly brought to you? Will you allow God to work it all together for good? Or will you allow the devastating places in your life and the rotten people to rob you of the good that God is able to bring you? Will you allow it to harden your heart so that you are unable to receive, unable to see, unable to hear? It may take years. It most likely will hurt. But, oh, dear friends, He loves YOU. He is Gentle. And He is Able. By Grace, Amanda Conquers All names have been changed.
I'm back! And so is Made Monday! Even though I didn't technically go anywhere for vacation, I certainly feel refreshed and focused. Plus I got to spend time with my family and even the husband. We had 3 "Daddy Home Days" as Addy would call them. And by the way, less than 3 months remain till my husband graduates from his program! Yee! I am excited. And ready!
Anyways... now, about this Made Monday post...
I had finally gotten around to working my budget. It's not pretty. This happened to coincide with my son's 1st birthday. Needless to say, I had no money to buy him a birthday outfit. Which is okay. It's not necessary. But seriously, all he has is hand-me-downs. And deep down in this mother heart of mine I really wanted to do something special.
If you ever find yourself wanting to deck your little boy out in all manner of cuteness but have zero dollars to do this with, I have 5 words for you:
Make. Him. A. Bow. Tie.
(Or: Tell. One. Of. His. Grandmas. Also five words, and this will most likely do the trick too.)
All you need is 20-50 minutes of time (depending on your sewing skill level), scrap fabric (I used a hand-me-down shirt that was too stained to be worn as a shirt), scrap interfacing, about a foot of elastic, and thread.
Here's the instructions in pictures (I will add some written out ones with more detail after the jump.)
1. Find fabric. You will need to determine the size you want your bow tie and add a 1/2" seam allowance to the length and width measurements.
My measurements:
Bow Tie: 4 1/2" x 3" (2 pieces needed)
Hold-Together piece: 1 1/2 x 6 (I cut this on the bias so my bow tie would have some added visual interest with a change in the direction of the print. By the way, I have no idea what this piece of fabric is technically called, so I made up a word for it: hold-together piece. I know, super sophisticated and technical, right?! Ha!)
Interfacing: 4 x 2 1/2 (2 pieces needed)
Elastic: 13"
2. Put two bow tie pieces together (right sides together) and sew with a 1/4" seam allowance the whole way around... BUT leave an inch unsewn in the middle of one of the longer sides. Sew the hold-together piece by folding in half lengthwise (wrong-side out) and sewing 5/8" from the fold.
3. Add interfacing to both sides of bow tie.
4. Turn the bow tie and the hold-together piece right-side out. Iron them nice and flat. To get the tip of the bow tie pointy, try using a pencil to push the tips out. Sew the opening in the bow tie piece closed. Turn hold together piece inside out. Iron it so that the seam is in the middle of one side.
5. Pinch bow tie in the middle (see picture).
6. Add hold together piece. Wrap once around the middle of the bow tie and pull tight.
7. Slip a strip of elastic through the hold together piece on the back side of the bow tie.
8. Sew the hold together piece. Use the zipper foot on your sewing machine to get your seam line as close to the bow tie as possible. Trim extra fabric. Try the bow tie on your handsome model with a collared shirt on to get the elastic measurements just right. (Note: my elastic stretches to get around his head and into place on the collar, but it is NOT stretching when in place. Comfort is very important to keep in mind... especially if you want your child to actually wear it.) Sew elastic together. I added a few free hand stitches to keep the bow tie and elastic from moving.
DONE!
This was SERIOUSLY easy and would require only the most basic of sewing knowledge. Definitely a great beginner project.
My handsome boy was dedicated two Sunday's ago. Immediately after church, we celebrated his first birthday with family. I may not have had a penny to use to buy him a strapping boy outfit, but I totally made it work. I think he looked adorable in his hand-me-down outfit topped off by the home-made bow tie and the grandma-bought white dress shoes.
Some pictures from the day:
That boy right there has this momma's heart. BIG TIME! Happy birthday to my little Jedman.
Some candid shots from the day.
I am a big fan of baby dedications. Not the event, but the standing before God and witnesses and committing out loud to trust God with my child and to raise my child to know God. It's a powerful thing!
My sissy's in blue and my sister-in-law is in the picture with both my kids, aren't they beautiful?! God blessed me with two awesome sisters!
I also had no money for decorations, but I rigged up a happy birthday banner from 8x6 triangle pieces of leftover fabric, free-hand cut letters out of scrapbook paper and used modge podge to glue the paper to the fabric. I ripped a long strip of white fabric and zig-zag stitched the whole thing together. It's hard to tell in the bad lighting, but I think it turned out cute.
"Jed, meet Cookie Monster. Cookie Monster, Jed." Add a toy lawn mower to go places with and they are new best friends. :)
First birthday cake.
Frosting Mustache=Best Kind of Mustache.
Have you ever had next to $0 to celebrate a milestone? How did you make it work?
We are off to Addy's very first day of swimming lessons today. Tomorrow, I have a something very personal to share with you all. I am excited about it, so do come back :)
Happy Thursday Friends! I am enjoying a week without much computer in my life, and will probably be doing the same next week too. Mike is off this weekend and Independence Day too. I am so looking forward to time spent with family! We are going to celebrate Jed's First Birthday too.
#126 My sister getting out a tub full of our old barbies among other things.
(Couple of random little side notes I just can't keep to myself: 1. Who played with Maple Town toys??? They were my favorite! 2. Who can tell I was a child in the 80's and early 90's? 3. The little boy Barbie doll has a bowl cut and totally brought me back to the days when Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the greatest thing to grace the television airwaves. Home Improvement, anyone?)
#127 Addy asking me, "Is that the church where you got married?" I reply, "Yes, baby." Then she tells me, "When I get bigger, I am going to get married there... In the church with the tall, tall, high tower! I am going to get married in the tower and dance by the bell! K, Mom?" She later clarifies that bigger means 5. I proceed to tell her a little about marriage and how she should look for a man like her daddy. It is a good gift, all of it, but especially the part where I can tell my daughter to look for a man like the man I get to spend the rest of my life with!
#128 Footed-Pajama Bible Study Buddies
#129 A turtle swimming through the cheerios.
#130 How it only takes the span of one email for my daughter to locate green plant tape and string it from one end of the room to the other, around toys, chairs, and her brother. I turned around to find that my room was very much like the girl's cabin on The Parent Trap... only with green tape.
#131 Getting to be a part of a surprise anniversary party/vow renewal of two very awesome people. The look on someone's face when they have been genuinely and pleasantly surprised. Watching 2 daughters put on the party for their parents, and 3 boys walk their momma down the aisle. Watching how after 25 years of marriage, 2 people, if given the option, will still stand and say that I still want to spend the rest of my life with you and I love you more now than then. It's a beautiful thing!!!
#132 Canolis
#133 Getting goofy with my best friend
#134 Frogs
#135 Birthday pancakes and eggs
#136 A day spent with a friend
Side note: This is my 100th post! And it's been just about one year since I thought I would give blogging a whirl. Thanks for being on this journey with me friends!
Wishing you eyes to see all you have to be grateful for! xo Amanda
My son just turned one year (Insert the 100th heart-sigh I have had this week... kids really do grow up way too fast), which means I have been cloth diapering for almost a year. I thought I would share my thoughts about it for any who are curious, BUT FIRST (since many of you may not be AT ALL interested in reading anything having to do with diapers) I wanted to share 3 VALUABLE THINGS that I learned from cloth diapering that will seriously benefit you too, whether you are cloth diapering or not.
3 VALUABLE TIPS:
1.Thirsty Towels- Who likes big, thick. thirsty towels? I do! CDing is all about maximum absorbency (i.e. "thirsty"), so I have learned that in order to get "thirsty" towels, use laundry detergent that has no fabric softeners added and do not use a dryer sheet. Fabric softeners actually leave a residue in your fabric that make it harder to absorb liquid, same with dryer sheets. Fine for clothes. Not so fine for towels. See this list of detergents to see if yours measures up (note: just look in the column labeled "softeners"... unless, of course, you care about all that other stuff.)
2. Dryer Sheets?- Want to save money on dryer sheets and money on energy bill? Cloth diapers are thick and do not dry quickly so I tried using wooly rounds (balls made entirely of wool) in my dryer. They absorb static, and bouncing balls in your dryer keep the laundry tossing around better, so it dries faster and stays fluffy. I now use these with all my laundry. Only problem: these wooly rounds were almost $13 a pop... so I tried tennis balls... and they work too! The wooly rounds are better at absorbing static, but not $13 a piece better in my mind. So now, I save money by rarely using dryer sheets (only when doing my bed sheets and fleece), my laundry is fluffier, and I shave a few minutes off my dry time. Want to do this too? It takes 5-7 tennis balls bouncing around in that dryer to be most effective.
3. Swim diapers- Did you know that a cloth diaper cover can double as a swim diaper? They make covers in an adjustable one-size so that it grows from 8lbs to 35lbs. One cover costs the same as one bag of swim diapers. And they come in adorable prints. You can save yourself the money from running out to buy a bag of swim diapers every time you get the notion to take your 0-4 year old swimming and just use a reusable diaper cover(note: this is a link to the company I use, but there are other good ones. If you are interested, you are looking for the key words one size and waterproof diaper cover. They also make reusable swim diapers, but they cost a little more.)
Cloth Diapering at One Year update.
Warning: This rest of this post is entirely devoted to cloth diapering and may contain graphic language or things that may seem like "TMI." Side effects from reading this may include rehashing rough memories from your diapering days or may reduce your maternal desire to have babies. This post may also be used as an effective form of birth control. Consider yourself warned.
(Haha I am cracking myself up... it's not that bad.)
I can honestly say that for the first 6 months of cloth diapering, I loved it. Truly. I am not lying.
You can look here and here if you want to see the beginning of my journey with it.
I loved the way Jed rarely got diaper rash. I loved that they were chemical free. I loved the cute covers. I can't explain why one would love cloth diapering, but I did. (Okay maybe love is a bit too strong of a word... but I definitely, and perhaps strangely, more-than-liked it.)
However...
After the sixth month mark, my love has gone down to a I-prefer-it-to-disposables-diapers... barely.
Barely.
Just being real.
I love the money savings. I haven't needed to buy ANYTHING related to diapers in over 6 months.
I HATE rinsing out poo-filled diapers. HATE.
For the first sixth months, rinsing the diaper of a breastfed-only baby isn't really necessary... and then they get to solid foods...
And then. Yeah.
And then your baby starts getting extra wormy-and-squirmy and they grow and their muscles get stronger and they start demonstrating a will of their own, and that extra 5 seconds of diaper time that never bothered you before, now adds to your daily frustrations. Child, won't you please just lay still so I can get this diaper on you? Puh-leeeease!
If all diapers were free, I would have cloth diapered for 6 months and switched to disposable. But they're not, so still I persist.
Some hope:
Now that Jed is near the 1 year mark, about 2 weeks ago we turned a corner. His poo is now more solid and much easier to rinse. He doesn't go #2 as often either (like once, maybe twice a day) In fact, sometimes, it's nice and solid and just falls right into the toilet, no rinse necessary (I warned you this may contain TMI...)
I am still seriously holding on to the hope that CDing will make potty training easier. All my fingers and all my toes way super crossed.
My sanity keepers:
Some days I just really, very seriously need to be able to throw the poo in the trash, so I keep some free-and-natural diapers (usually 7th Generation brand) handy. They are usually cheaper than huggies/pampers but a little more than generic. They are environment and sensitive-bum friendly.
I use a spray wand attachment for my toilet. Like seriously... seriously... if you are going to CD, get one of these. I may hate rinsing diapers, but I don't even want to think of how I'd feel if I couldn't rinse them out into the toilet. Big "ew!" for rinsing them in bathtubs or sinks. Like I tell my daughter, "Poo-poo and pee-pee go in the potty."
I only rinse diapers once a day, I just leave the poo-poo ones the top of the diaper pail, and rinse them when my kids are in the bath, since I have to be in the bathroom to watch them anyways. Might be gross to wait till the end of the day to rinse them, but it's also gross to rinse them, so...
I don't have room in my budget to switch to disposable diapers. This also helps. I am helping my family every time I take that wand in my hand and spray.
Oh, and laundry... I don't fold my diapers anymore. I put them in a stack and plop 'em down on their designated shelf. It doesn't bother me to wash and dry laundry... it's the folding and putting away that gets me. I make that part really easy on myself.
In summary: Cloth diapering is great for the first 6 months. Poop is nasty and not fun to clean. Cloth diapering can save you money.
I may have just forever convinced you to not try cloth diapers, or maybe I convinced you to try them out. Or maybe you were one of the people who thought I was crazy to try them out in the first place and is now secretly happy that I have joined the diapers-are-lame club. Whatever the case, I would rather be honest than try to sell you on something I do.
Me and my prefolds are pressing forward.
Wishing you joy even in the poop that life sometimes produces!
She sings bold notes, belting from her soul, loud and clear, deep and full, ringing through the acoustics into people's souls. She's young. A beauty pageant runner-up, straight-A student, former cheerleader, and vocal talent. Oh, and it seems important to mention that she has blond hair, big like Texas.
From my older and wiser lips, I sing softly, delicate and feminine, barely heard. I am the girl with hair that's destined to live out its days straighter and flatter than a memo sheet pinned to the wall, but I flutter a high-noted harmony that blends into her voice, elevating it. The background.
I am singing the background.
Without going into a long drawn out Amanda's Vocal History lesson, let me summarize it like this: I have always wanted to be a singer. I have never been all that great of a singer.
Time and experience have left me with a usable voice, but I will never be the Nora Jones or Adele that I dream of sounding like. In fact, the other day I was singing over suds and plates and spoons, and I decided to record myself with my camera. Friends, if you want to deflate your ego, record yourself singing. I could hear Randy Jackson saying to me, "Like, yo, dawg, it was pretty pitchy. Like I had trouble listening to it." Yeah.
In spite of my vocal shortcomings, years of trying to sing and playing the guitar have also left me with an ear that can pick out a harmony. I can't explain how I do it. I just do. I hear it in my head.
I don't have the voice that was made to shine. I was not made to be a soloist. I have the voice that was made to be in the background. It may seem un-important, but having been around bands and music teams for a long time, even leading one myself, I know, those background people cover the mistakes of the foreground people. They keep the melody reeled in tight when a young voice hits the power notes out of control. They cover the sharps and flats with the grace of their harmony.
All this got me thinking about parenting.
My son just started walking a few weeks ago. His walk is still a bit like Frankenstein--stiffed-kneed and arms out. While I was watching him walk, I had myself a moment. Tears. My baby is a toddler. He's turning 1 in a few days. {I am crying again writing this. Life is so fleeting and precious and changes so fast. From being the girl that wanted 4-6 kids, to having the hard pregnancies and a delivery that made me say "Maybe I am okay with 2," to now longing for another baby; can I just confess my sentiment: God, you are a tricky one, you are.}
Here's the truth about babies learning to walk: They walk when they are ready to walk. We, as parents, need to do very little. We stand in the background encouraging, arms out-stretched to meet their first steps. We wait and we watch and we are there to catch them should they tumble.
It seems like a lot of parenting is like this. We, the parents, are in the background singing the harmony helping our kids find their melody while they walk, then talk, first day of kindergarten, making friends, losing friends, first crush, first broken heart, discovering Jesus for themselves, wearing make-up, spiking hair, first dance... {I think I need to stop there. I don't want to be in tears again over this whole my-kids-will-be-grown-up-one-day thing.}
God made our kids wonderful and unique and special. He gave our kids talents, personalities, and a different way of seeing life and relating to God. He grafted onto our kids' hearts purpose, potential. As parents, we watch our kids' personalities come to life as they grow. We see their struggles. We see their strengths. We may not know exactly what they will grow up and do, but we want to see them get there (well kind of, I am pretty sure there is part of us that wishes our children could stay young forever). We want to see them walking in their purpose and in their dreams.
We want to see them belting out the melody of their life's song.
We want to be there to reel them in should they find themselves a little out of control.
We want to help them find the Grace that covers all their mistakes.
And because of this, there is a subtle harmony each parent was meant to sing over their child. We sing it as we watch those first steps. We sing it as we prepare them for their first day of school. We sing it as we tend to their broken heart. We sing it as we show them how to apply make-up or do their hair. We sing it even when they don't want to hear it, when their eyes roll, when they think they know more. We sing that soft, subtle harmony that lifts their voice, guides them to their melody. It's quiet, but it's wise. It never outshines the melody, but it is important.
No matter where your kids are in life, they need your harmony. They don't need you to sing melody. They don't need your will, they need you to lead them to God's Will. They need you to sing harmony, the background, the guiding role rather than the leading role. They need your prayers and your support, your grace.
{Side Note: I think this analogy translates well into church leadership too. The best kind of leaders are the one's that can sing the harmony so that those who follow can find their melody.}
Happy Thursday friends! I have been having a blast challenging myself to respond to most of your comments. Truth be known, I have always been an introvert. Not shy, just quiet. Throw me up in front of a room full of people and I can entertain for hours; ask me to go around a room full of people and make conversation, and I suddenly have no idea what to say, feel overwhelmed and quiet. So, point being, I am learning how to small talk and to get to know people over this little thing called a blog. Yes! Thank you! Seriously, thank you for coming by.
#112 Beaters. Cookie Dough. Enough Said.
#113 My Husband. He's such a good daddy to our kiddos. Also, the first "World's Greatest Dad" sticker that officially welcomed us into the dorky parents club (because don't you know, all parents who proudly sport their kids #1 Dad and World's Greatest Dad gifts on Father's Day are dorky?! Sorry if I just burst your bubble, but you should know right now that dorky pretty much goes with the whole parenting thing. Ha!). Upon reading the sticker and asking Addy who was the World's Greatest Dad, she, without an ounce of hestitation, proudly proclaimed, "MY Dad!"
#114 The smell of fresh bark at the playground.
#115 Walking hand in hand.
#116 Frankenstein Toddles
#117 Brother and Sister. Playing Together.
#118 My outfit. Pin Stripe skirt, a comfy t-shirt, and leopard print shoes. When I asked my husband if it worked, he said it looked like I belonged in a music video to a song like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." So, naturally, I wore it. Silly, perhaps, but it made me happy to be my own quirky self in my own quirky outfit. Because really, girls just want to have fun! :)
#119 Addy wanting to read one of my Bibles... without pictures, right along with me. Makes my heart happy to think of all the things she was saying while she was "reading"
This morning, I woke up, ate my Cheerios, drank my coffee, and then plugged in the numbers to my first ever giveaway. (Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say I drank my coffee and then woke up.)
And the 22nd Comment belongs to:
Katie
Who said...
You Rock! I haven't read the book either, but it seems like a great one. I'm thankful for a certain 2 year old running around the house at 7:30 screaming "Morning Daddy! Morning Bru-Bru!" Too cute...
Yeah Katie! You win! Happy for you! Expect a forthcoming email with all the details.
And now for today's post: It's not a "Made Monday" because, to be quite honest, I haven't had time for recipe experiments or crafts lately. I don't want to post something just to post something. But I have had a whole lot of inspiration going on in the way of encouragement. It's time to start posting them.
So, here it is:
I got a word for you that I have been thinking on a lot lately.
Capacity.
I have a BA in English. I graduated with honors. I taught 5th and 6th grade for 2 years. I left my teaching post and worked part-time as a substitute so I could pursue full-time ministry. I was a children's pastor for 5 years. I led a thriving midweek program that reached out to kids in the community. I mentored up-and-coming leaders in the church and helped run an intern program. I was important.
I am now a stay-at-home mom. My big accomplishments are when I manage to get the laundry cleaned, folded and put away on the same day or when I get my husband fed and out the door on time for college. My days consist of cleaning juice spills, picking up toys only to pick them up all over again, answering the constant cry for more... more snuggles, more milk, more attention, more snacks. I rarely wear make-up anymore.
It's been my dream for as long as I can remember to raise children and to stay home with them. I wouldn't have it any other way. BUT... It's an almost thankless job. My great passion in life has nothing to do with cleaning toilets, picking up toys, folding laundry, meal planning or grocery shopping, yet that's how I spend most of my days. I led children to Christ on a weekly basis, I ran a thriving ministry, I was "on top of things," I raised up leaders, I was important! And now I cook, clean, wipe dirty bottoms, remind a little girl to put her toys away, and somehow find time to write a little.
I have a feeling I am not the only one who's ever felt like this.
So here's where the word capacity comes in.
You are still you. Your talents haven't changed, though you can probably add "able to feed a baby, dice your preschooler's food, and get food into your own mouth all at the same time" to your list of talents. Your call hasn't changed either, though it now entails motherhood.
Who you are and what you were made for hasn't changed.
It's been added to.
And because of that, your capacity has changed.
Every person has a fire-marshall required sign posted over their abilities.
God is that Fire Marshall who determined long ago what your capacity would be. Everyone came with a unique capacity (so don't compare). And each person came with a maximum capacity (so don't overload yourself). You can only do so much. And when you enter into motherhood, you are adding more weight to your metaphorical elevator. You may have to let some things off the elevator.
As your kids get older and more independent, they will get "lighter" and your capacity will increase. (Though I think it should be important to note, they will be seasons in your life that are "weightier" and will shift your capacity).
So, when you are up to your eyeballs in mundane laundry to fold; when your are tired of your constant nagging to lift the lid and aim straight, to pick up the toys, to eat the vegetables, to do the homework; when you feel seriously under-appreciated and not so very important... know you are doing the most important job in the world. And you are still you. And your capacity to do the other things will return.
So, if I follow with my analogy, there is a certain order to what takes up our capacity:
1. God (Time with Him. You were made for relationship with him.)
2. Husband (You want your marriage to last through the crazy child-raising years, keep him before your kids. This may mean, putting a baby safely in the crib, a movie on for the kiddos, and locking the bedroom door for a short while.)
3. Children
4. Your Job (If you stay home, this is your job)
5. You! (Time to yourself, time for soul refreshing... i.e. friendship)
6. Your Ministry (This is often the thing that you most enjoy and is definitely not limited to something inside of church. For me, THIS is it. It may even be the job you left to start a family.)
It is important to know, the weight of each of the items on the list is in a constant flux and there is often a fluidity to their order... like keeping up your house is actually a way of serving your husband and children. I am finding that for whatever reason, I am starved for friendship so I am currently adding more weight to that item. You can best love your children when you are at your best, so sometimes you need to add weight to the things that refresh you. This list is not exact or perfect, but it definitely helps me keep the most important things, the most important things.
And here's the thing I learned from doing children's ministry for 5 years: I could build a team of teenagers and young adults. I could bring in bouncers and games and slime and water fights. I could put together the most interactive lesson that eloquently broke down the deep things of God for a child. I could lead children in the sinner's prayer. But I could never be the most important influence in a child's life. That's YOU. YOU have THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB. YOU have the greatest impact on your child. You might feel under-appreciated, insignificant, and like you used to do important things that mattered. That couldn't be farther from the truth.
You have the most important job. Right now.
And...
It's time for me to hop to that important job. Right now.
Wishing you wonderful weeks!
Amanda
I would love to hear from you! Do you ever feel this way? How do you deal with it?
I realize there is a chance that if you are reading this you may in fact already be aware of how to enjoy a blog. But just in case you are new to the blog world or find it incredibly overwhelming or just want some friendly helpful tips and blog suggestions... keep reading!
I don't just blog to get stuff off my chest or to have some kind of creative outlet. I don't just do it in hopes that I will one day make money. I really believe in the power of the blog.
For me, reading blogs can be like getting to flip through a magazine and look at projects that a real live person did. Instead of it just being things that are "on trend" or requiring a "designer" budget, they are things I can do myself, easily and affordably. Real women (or men), with real problems and busy families, sharing their projects and tips.
Bible devotionals are often super cheesy or written in "Christianese" and I have trouble relating to them (just keeping it real.) But I have come across a few blogs written by talented writers who encourage me spiritually whose words occasionally make me have those lightbulb, I-never-thought-of-it-like-that moments.
Occasionally, I stumble across a blog that doesn't just give me information, it makes me want to share my information too. Community. Fellowship. This is cool.
To sum up what I get out of blogs: Ideas, Perspective, and Community
Pretty cool, right?!
So, here, friends, are my tips to enjoying a blog:
1. Use a feed reader. I have Google Reader tool installed on my iGoogle home page. Every blog that I like, I subscribe to. Whenever I hop on the computer to check my email or Facebook, I can see a running list of new posts from each blog that I subscribe to. I can flip through a few that interest me from a box that expands when I click on the article. It's convenient. It saves me time. I only read what I want to read. {Do you want to know how to do this?? Scroll to the bottom of this post. I have attached a Youtube video that does a great job of explaining how to use Google's feed reader. I also have some links that explain how to make iGoogle your homepage and add the Google Reader Tool to your homepage.}
If you don't care to use a feed reader, consider having your favorite blogs send you their posts directly to your email box where you can read them there. Or follow your favorite blogger on facebook. The only thing you should know about Facebook is that Facebook uses an algorithm that makes it very unlikely that you will see the blog pages you follow in your feed... UNLESS you comment and participate on your favorite pages. That tells Facebook it's important to you and it moves it up in priority to the top of your feed. (It's the same with friends you follow. If you never comment on certain friends posts, you won't see them in your feed anymore)
2. Pick good blogs.
Pick a few big successful blogs. They are successful for a reason (usually). Their recipes are good, their projects are "on trend," they have great pictures, and they are well-written.
Pick a few small blogs. Smaller bloggers are great at responding to your comments, replying to your emails, and usually have the capacity to even remember your name.
Pick a few blogs that are by people you look up to and a few by people who are right where you are. Want to be a better cook, for example, find a recipe blog by a cook that cooks how you want to cook, and recipe blog from someone who is learning to cook. Direction and wisdom can be gained from people you look up to. Perpective, encouragement, and the power of knowing you aren't the only one can be found in people who are right there in the trenches with you.
Pick blogs that encourage you, inspire you, challenge you. Avoid the negative, narcissistic blogs. I think it's pretty much easy enough to be this way all on one's own. I don't want/need any help with this. I love when I come across a blog that encourages me to be a better cook, better writer, better wife, better mom... that is full of tools to help me do this and is written by someone who seems like they know what it's like to be me.
3. Participate in a couple blogs. For the blogs that are the most inspiring and the most relatable, don't just read. Get in the conversation. Follow the blog on facebook (a place where a whole lot of "conversation" happens). Follow the blogger on twitter or on Pinterest too. Community can happen... even on the internet! I can tell you as a blogger, it makes my whole day when people leave me comments on a post or on facebook. And while affirmation is nice and always welcome, I think it's the conversation that I most enjoy. I like being talked to by you! :)
I once even heard of a blogger who invited all the friends she made from her blog over for a slumber party... This sounds like way super fun! (Hope that doesn't make me lame or creepy.)
While I would never suggest allowing the blogosphere to take the place of good, old-fashioned, face-to-face friendship, do utilize blogs as a tool. The blog can provide a little extra adult conversation, money saving tips, fashion forward ideas, craft projects, recipes, party ideas, humor, devotionals, encouragement, fresh perpective... all for FREE.
If you are considering adding some BLOG to your life, here's my favorites to get you started: (These are the blogs that I always read when they appear in my feed reader because they are positive, uplifting, inspiring and sometimes even just their pictures make me happy)
Sarah Mae- She is encouraging and super REAL...a great read for moms.
A Beautiful Mess- These sisters are fresh and trendy but also kind of indie-retro-rock too. I love their pictures. I love their projects. I love their fashion suggestions. This blog always makes me happy.
A Holy Experience- pretty sure I've mentioned this one a thousand times, but this is Ann Voskamp's blog. She is a thought-provoking writer and an amazing photographer.
551 East Furniture- This blog is from a gal who revamps old pieces of furniture and resells them. She's got a quirky sense of humor and some seriously great ideas for furniture redo's.
Organizing Made Fun- Okay, so I don't always enjoy this blog if I am honest (I am so not an organizer) but I need this blog in my life. She has helpful tips and simple ways to organize.
Annie Blogs- She is a great read for singles and young women... but I seriously enjoy her blog. I don't think I have ever not laughed while reading one of her posts... though do be warned, she is also the kind of writer that could bring one to tears too. She's talented!
A Forest Feast (Healthy, Fresh, Easy Food and always with Beautiful pictures)
With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart- Lorraine has got to be one of the sweetest bloggers I have come across. She is encouraging! She's older, a grandma to 10 if I remember correctly, but so wise. She has timeless recipes, entertainment ideas, and crafts and some occasional encouragement.
I Can Teach My Child- If you would like to be a better parent, check out this blog. Jenae's blog is full of easy activities you can do with your children. Right now she is in the middle of a 30 for 30 challenge, where she challenges readers to spend 30 minutes with their children each day for 30 days. While I am not participating in the challenge, it still challenges me to be a better parent and spend more quality time with my munchkins.
And if you happen to be a fellow blogger or are thinking about starting one up, here's my list of favorite blogger tips/encouragement: Allume, Michael Hyatt, Problogger, and Blogging with Amy
By the way, this isn't even a tenth of my list of subscriptions. I enjoy blogging. And I also enjoy blogs. :)
I would love it if you would share with us, what are some of your favorite blogs?
Amanda (keep scrolling if you want to learn how to set up Google Reader)
Want to set up Google Reader and have no clue how? Want to know how to add a blog to your reader? (I only just figured this out a few weeks ago... yeah. I am so not tech savvy) Check out this Youtube video.
Want to know how to how to make iGoogle your homepage? Click this link.
What to know how to add the feed reader tool to your homepage? Click this link. This link will show you how to add a gadget. To add the Feed Reader. Click the gadget icon (towards the top of the page on the right hand side of the screen.) Enter seach terms, "feed reader," Click the Add it now button under the Google Reader (should be the top item).
You can now either click the Follow with Google Friends Connect or the Subscribe icon to follow your favorite blogs on your homepage.
I love using a feed reader because it saves me time and I can quickly scroll through a blog's post. If I like the article, I will click on it to go straight to the blog so I can comment. I love that I don't have to see anything but the article in the feed reader (of course, Google throws in a pesky Adsense advertisement at the bottom, but that's it).
If you want to subscribe to this blog's feed, click this button on the top right hand side of the page, or click on the button that says "Join this Site" with Google Friends Connect. Both of these will put my feed into your reader.
Of course you can enter your email address and get my posts sent directly to your email box (This is done automatically and can easily be unsubscribed to without me even noticing. I would never use your email address for anything else). You can also just follow me on facebook (I post all articles there too).
Thanks for reading my blog, friends! Hope this was helpful. Feel free to ask questions in the comments OR send me your questions in an email.
{Have you entered the giveaway yet? It ends June 17th. Go. Enter. :) If you don't understand how to enter, it's as simple as leaving a comment in the comment box below the giveaway.}
#98 These words: "It seems like you had a long day so I brought you home these [holds up klondike bars]" #99 Seeing just how different Mike and I can be in something simple like wrappers. I do not understand why he neatly folds his wrapper, probably never will... but he does, and I love him, and I love how surprising life is when you get to spend it with someone who does not think or do just like you.
#100 Jed at the dinner table (The camera missed it, but he totally had his feet kicked up on the table.)
#101 Jed's first mail. A birthday card from Gigi.
#102 Enough laundry to "require" a movie to watch while I fold.
#103 Addy sharing her strawberry with her Nami and Uncle Jono. :)
#104 This face. Also the way his hair brown hair is gold in the sunshine.
#105 The girl that always wants snuggles
Did you see that ginormous pile of laundry?? Yeah. I have 2 more loads to add to that and then will be folding it all. I better get to it.
Today I thought I would share my ALL TIME FAVORITE way to make pizza.
It's good. Like, really good.
Also, it's easy.
And with summer upon us, it tastes just right for this season: charred grill flavor on the dough and loaded with fresh veggies from the garden (or store).
This is one of those recipes that once you get the idea of how it's done, you can take it, and adjust it to your family's taste buds and whatever is in your fridge. I like those free-to-be-me and roll-how-I-wanna-roll type of recipes.
Here's how it's done:
1. Heat up a grill pan (Mine is a cast iron Lodge Logic for somewhere around $20-$30 from Target... SO worth it.) over MEDIUM to medium high heat.
2. Prepare ingredients... slice, dice, and shred. My ingredients for this pizza are in the picture, but this can really be up to your imagination and supplies.
Note: I use refrigerated pizza dough for grilled pizza. If I make homemade oven pizza, I usually go to the trouble of making my own dough too because store bought just doesn't taste quite right. BUT, for this pizza, the grill and your ingredients are going to add so much flavor, making homemade pizza dough just doesn't seem worth the effort.
This pizza is so good... it makes Pillsbury taste good. Yeah.
3. Pull out dough and cut into 4 rectangles. (There's no need to roll out dough will a rolling pin, just a little pulling and re-shaping will do the trick.) Brush on some oil.
4. Spray grill with oil. Place dough oil-side down onto grill. Brush the other side with oil.
5. The pizza is ready to be flipped when the top starts to get bubbly. (I am hoping you can see the little bubbles in the dough...)
6. Throw on your pizza ingredients. (Note: The hardest part of making this pizza is getting all the ingredients on top before it's time to take the pizza off the grill. Do yourself a favor by having all your ingredients next to your grill and easy to grab.)
7. Cover pizza to assist cheese in melting. I own no fancy grill cover; I just use an old pan. (No making fun of my pan! I got it at my bridal shower many, many moons ago. I learned to cook in this guy. Together, we have survived many kitchen mishaps... as I am sure you can see.)
8. Serve and Enjoy!
Can you tell my husband loves this pizza? :)
Some notes and tips:
This is a great thing to make with your kids. Help your child throw some ingredients on their own pizza, rave about how good their pizza looks, and they will most likely eat it. Give kids ownership in the making of a meal, and they are more likely to overcome their weird ingredient anxiety. (Anyone else experience "Battle: Dinner" with a picky eater???)
This is great to make with company. Prep all the toppings earlier in the day, store in the fridge until your company arrives and then gather your company in the kitchen to make their own pizza. Good company+glass of vino+interactive meal=Fun times! (Another handy equation to know when entertaining: less work+helping hands=a more-relaxed you and a better time had by all!)
If you don't have pesto or pizza sauce handy, this seriously tastes AWESOME with just some extra virgin olive oil. I prepare a little dish with olive oil, italian seasonings, cracked pepper and minced garlic and brush on in the place of sauce.
Consider making a couple extra chicken breasts the next time you cook chicken. Save the extra chicken for this pizza. If I have ready made chicken, this meal takes less than 15 minutes to make.
Imagination Welcome! Steak, Italian sausage, left over meat balls, chicken, ham, peppers, tomatoes, basil, olives, marinated artichoke hearts, spinach, mushrooms, onions carmelized in balsamic vinegar (a wow-factor staple for these pizzas that somehow I managed to forget the last time I made this for dinner)... LOTS of Imagination Welcome!
What would YOU put on top of this pizza? I'd love you hear your favorite ingredient combinations.
Hoping your MONDAY is MADE!
xo Amanda
P.S. Have you entered the giveaway yet? Handcrafted Journal, 1000 Gifts, and $10 Starbucks card. One week remains. Do enter friends :)
If you haven't had a chance, do enter the giveaway. Nothing would make me happier than to give away a homemade journal, the book I keep talking about (not to mention inspired the Thursday posts), and a coffee card to one of you! I seriously appreciate YOU! Your encouragement keeps me going. THANK YOU!
I have been doing a lot of praying and searching, and this blog may be taking a shift soon. I want to be less "me" focused and more "us" focused... like a community of women who want to live full and purposeful lives but struggle sometimes. Because, really, I don't have the answers, and I do struggle, and I need other women alongside me encouraging me that I can do it, and maybe you do too. I am still praying for direction. Consider praying with me? I truly believe God has put words in my heart to write and I believe they are for more than just me. I just feel like I am on a journey of discovering my niche and my voice. I would love to hear your thoughts especially on this community idea if you have got any!
#88 When my sister brings gifts from the dollar store.
#89 Baby Toddles and a cookie for each hand (Yep he's walking!!!)
#90 These words
#91 Looking up at a branch full of cherries
#92 Hollyhocks... or more like how happy they make my mom.
#93 The way my dad keeps the blueberries on the bush so he can snack while he gardens. I think it's one of the reasons my daughter likes gardening with papa so much.
#94 Strawberry Mustaches
#95 The way Jed sat and played quietly at my feet during church, reminded me of my brother. Oh and for the back of overalls... they made it easy to grab him when he would try to take off exploring.
I forgot to mention... in case you notice, there is a skip in the numbers from the last post to this post because I am also counting in my JOY! Journal. There will hopefully be a skip in the numbers in each Thankful Thursday post from now on.
Favorite moment from the week: #87 The gift of being able to explain to my 3 year old that we all make mistakes, but when we make mistakes we need to ask for help instead of trying to hide our mistake. Profound and deep concept, and even though it involved some tough-love discipline and a super messy bathroom (like someone should have cued Pycho's theme music bad), being able to explain that hard concept to a listening 3 year old was priceless. One of those "I am a mom and I do important things" moments.
What is one favorite moment from your week?
Wishing you all a wonderful day and a grace FULL heart! xo Amanda
It is time for this blog's first ever giveaway. Yeah-YA!
I am EXCITED!
(by the way the book isn't closed because my small children will not allow a book cover to stay on a book... even library books. Yeah. We are so that family. It's like they came with hardbound-and-covered book radar. They find it and immediately the cover is thrown off. Anyone else have this problem?!)
-Since I love getting handmade gifts, and the mere act of pausing, being grateful and scrawling it all down throughout my day has changed my life, I am giving away a JOY! Journal. (Do read the post that preceeds this one. The journal is important. Not this one, just the act of journaling. I might even inspire you to do it!) -Since I refer back to it so much, I am giving away a copy of Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. -Since perhaps you need an excuse to get out the house, have some extra peace, and some time to really "see" (or maybe even some "friend" time), I am giving away a $10 Starbucks card.
I am excited! EXCITED! I have been wanting to do a giveaway since... well even before the birth of this blog. Giving things away is fun! Maybe it seems silly to give away a book, a journal, and a coffee card... but what if said book has some super encouraging words on life, delves into some deep unanswered questions for God that you may have, and offers some simple tips on how to live that leave you changed in the best way? What if writing your gifts in a journal I made just for you adds to the joy in the process? And coffee? Yeah, I don't think I have to explain that one to you... :)
{If you already have the book, consider still entering so you can give the book away. Like I said, giving things away is fun!}
By the way, Ann Voskamp and Zondervan have NO CLUE who I am. And Starbucks definitely doesn't (well besides my local baristas...). I am just a girl who wants to sow into your life some encouraging words. This may grow the blog (cool!) but even more exciting is act of giving something away.
By the way, I am not necessarily intentionally promoting Starbucks. I picked it simply because it's almost everywhere, and even if it isn't where you live, it is hopefully in a city you visit when you do your "big" shopping. (Side note: If you need an inexpensive way to drink your coffee cold and deliciously this summer... have you checked out The Pioneer Woman's Iced Coffee? I make it more user-friendly here... or more "Amanda" friendly anyways.)
Also by the way, I am not promoting these journals. I have no Etsy shop and no journal making business. I am just gal who likes to writes, who wants to live a full life, and loves to give and receive homemade gifts. However, though I may not be promoting this particular journal, I am definitely promoting the great gift search. Do start pausing every now and again to see and record the gifts you've been given whether in a camera lens, a journal, or however else you can think of living grace-FULL.
Alright. Now for the Giveaway...
To Enter:
1. Subscribe to the blog (however suits you best: by email, by the RSS feed, or Google Friends Connect... all located at the top right hand corner of this blog) 2. Answer this question in the comments: What is one detail from your day thus far that you are grateful for? (Anything: Snuggle from your baby, sun shining through the window making the carpet warm, the way the stack of dishes reminds you that you are blessed with abundance...)
Additional Entries:
1. Like my page on Facebook. Leave a comment below letting me know your following me on facebook. 2. Tweet or Post on Facebook about the giveaway (with a link to this post included in tweet or post). Leave a comment below letting me know you tweeted or posted. (Each time is worth one entry... up to 3 entries allowed this way)
I will use your email address to contact you if you won (and that's all I will use your email address for!) Do make sure I have it. (Some comments get left by "no reply" users. I can't email you or see your email address. You can change this setting or you can just leave your email address in the comments with spaces and spelled out: [amanda at gmail dot com] for example.)
This is open to friends, family, new blog friends, and people just passing through.
Giveaway will end Sunday, June 17th, 2012, at Midnight. Winner will be announced Monday, June 18, 2012. I will be using random.org to come up with winner.
xo Amanda
This Giveaway is now CLOSED. Thank you to all who participated.
There are a thousand ways a mom can feel overwhelmed.
A thousand things to accomplish.
A thousand worries.
A thousand hours of missing sleep over the course of 4 years years of parenting.
There are a thousand things to drag a mom down.
Word.
But there's this crazy hope inside of me, that I could live fully. Here. Now. Amongst diapers, grape juice stains, cheerio bottoms, whiney voices, and temper tantrums. (And later amongst wardrobe battles, rolling eyes, boyfriends, and attitudes). Because I truly believe motherhood is a gift, even when I feel exasperated and so very tired... I know these children are my blessing. I want to live on purpose and not so "half-there" because I'm tired and I can't figure out any other way to be.
I want to fully live.
I want to instill in my children how to fully live too.
I stumbled across the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp a couple months ago when a friend invited me to her church's study. I know I've mentioned the book here at least 20 times, but it's good, and it's changed me. It's a simple idea. It's really just about slowing down a couple times a day and counting the gifts you've been given. It's about finding the joy in the messes and beauty everywhere. It's inspired my Thankful Thursday posts and now a journal I keep super handy in my kitchen.
I count gifts and all the precious and fleeting moments with my children, because they're gifts too. I count the beautiful things I see and record things like my daughter trying to take Jed's "tensaber" (temperature, for those of you who aren't fluent in Addy). Things that perhaps only I will appreciate, but maybe Addy and Jed will one day as well. I try to write down the hard things too, like that the mess of cheerios is really just evidence that I am blessed with active children or how even when I was rushing Jed to the emergency room with a punctured ear drum, God was there and He gave us peace and kind doctors and an unexpected friend's visit who happened to be on her nursing shift.
My children are learning to be thankful. I am even writing love notes to my husband thanking him for all he does.
This simple act is changing my life, my family, and my marriage.
I may sound like a complete thankful fruit loop, but it's worth the risk if it helps change someone else.
Couple of notes if you want to try "Joy Journaling" or "Gift Counting" out for yourself: 1. Make the journal handy... like wherever you most often find yourself in your home. For me, it's the kitchen. And don't just put it anywhere... make it prominent--where you are very likely to see it and be reminded by it. 2. Quick notes, sloppy notes, poetic notes... it doesn't matter. It's the stopping, the seeing, the gratitude... that's what makes the difference. It's not about the list. The list is the tool that helps you live a grateful FULL life. 3. If it helps you to have a guided way to count your gifts: visit Ann Voskamp's blog. Every month she puts up a printable with suggested items to count (They are always towards the bottom of page on her Monday posts). Actually, just check out her blog. It's good. 4. The book is awesome, but I found it to be a little like wading through oatmeal. The poetic language makes it thick. It's packed with revelation. The truths it exposes are weighty. It's a little difficult to get through (at least for me). But it was worth the "wading," definitely worth it, especially when I got to Ch. 8. That was the life-changer for me. So, while I strongly urge you to embark on this joy dare, I think it is a highly recommendable idea to read the book too (and to know if you find it a difficult read, don't beat yourself up. You are not less-spiritual or the only one.) :)
To make the journal:
I made myself a journal out of a good old fashioned composition notebook... wide ruled so it's easier to make fast notes. They are less than a $1.00. I covered it in scrap fabrics, a family picture, scrapbook paper and modge-podged it all on.
To Modge-Podge: paint a thin coat on wherever you are adding something. Paint a thin coat over the top to seal it. Just a note: you will battle wrinkles should you choose thin paper. Choose thicker paper (close to cardstock-quality thickness). Also, use thinner more cotton-like fabrics.
I got myself a letter-holder-type thing to hold my JOY journal in my organization station. I had tried just sticking the journal to the wall, but it fell off. Also, writing on something that is upright makes your pen get air in it... and that makes writing difficult. I still like the journal on the wall though (hence placing it in a letter holder). I see it every time I walk into the kitchen, and it reminds me to stop rushing, stop stressing, and be grateful.
I made a couple more journals just for fun. They are seriously easy... like half-hour-with-some-drying-breaks-in-there easy. This one is bright and cheerful. Addy loves it. I am thinking I may let her use it.
This one below is my favorite. I made it with a ribbon and velcro clasp that I embellished with an easy fabric rose. I love the quote I found amongst my scrap-booking materials. Seemed very appropriate.
"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life."
Yep.
Since I liked this journal so well and this book has changed my life...
...well...
...you are just going to have to click the link below to see what this conquering housewife has brewing.
{Click here to find out about The CCHW's FIRST-EVER GIVEAWAY!!!! (I'm excited, in case the 4th exclamation point didn't clearly demonstrate this to you.) You will want to see this even if you aren't into reading anything longer than a page or writing in homemade journals. Wha-hoo!}
Hope your Monday is MADE and your life is FULLY lived, Friends! xoxo Amanda
This week I have been making good use of the practice of gratitude and it is paying off. I have been taking pictures, AND scribbling down notes in my Joy Journal. Joy and peace have been mine! (And not because everything is all perfect here... this momma had to pull a tick out of her baby girl's head and battle some "slapped cheek" disease). I even tried applying the whole gratitude thing to my marriage. Mike and I have been fighting much more regularly, I think just from him being gone so much. I decided to intentionally thank him for everything on our love notes board (in my organization station), text him and send him voice mails... thank you for taking out the trash, thank you for unloading the dishwasher, thank you for all your hard work, plus a couple "hey baby you're sexy" notes. I feel better just remembering how much he does, and he does better feeling appreciated. Plus, he remembers to tell me how much he appreciates me. This whole gratitude thing really can change a life, a family, and a marriage!
#57 The smell and sound of valley oak leaves beneath my feet.
#58 The way a thistle can be even more beautiful when it's found amongst dead grass
#60 My sanctuary
#61 Pink Princess Shoes
#62 The girls who are going places
#63 Hay in the background... just something about the sight and smell of hay bails
#64 Balcony seating for 4
#65 The way a momma can love this face just as much as the happy faces. Grace. Love.
#66 Beautiful sights... the curls of brittle browned ivy around the barbed fence.
#67 Her excitement for friends and her first (non-family) birthday party... but still needing to bring Dawson IN the carseat with her.
#68 The company of this boy, bubbles and the morning sun during my prayer time.
#69 Addy wanting to play school. She's the teacher (in only her underwear) theatrically teaching me about bugs, "It's a hooded praying mantis. A poison praying mantis in the whole wide world. It's SO STRONG. And SO BEAUTIFUL!" Raises arm and twirls in dramatic fashion, plastic praying mantis in hand.
#70 The 5 fleeting and precious seconds this adventure-spirited boy offers his mother before he is off and climbing the heights of the chair (and making his mother's heart stop.)
Heart is full of gratitude! Hope yours is too! xo Amanda
The farmer goes out. Tills the soil. Plants the seeds. And waits. He waters. He waits. He watches for pests. He watches for weeds. He gets to drive around on a tractor (the most romanticized part of it all... "She Thinks My Tractors Sexy" anyone?? That song... it makes me smile big). He waits.
The farmer works and does so much to try to bring in a great harvest. But really, the farmer knows that he does his part and the rest is up to God.
I think it's like that with our dreams.
A dream is placed in your heart... maybe it's something you've always wanted to do, maybe it was in your yearbook next to your picture "Amanda, most likely to... be a meteorologist" (True story), maybe you stumbled across it while casually doing something you fully intended to do for just a short time or just for fun, maybe you are stuffed full of a thousand things you feel compelled to do before you leave this planet, or maybe you still haven't had your "A-ha! This is what I was born to do!" moment... whatever it is, I truly and fully believe with ever fiber of my being that you have a purpose. I believe God made you with a wonderful, awesome, needful way that you can impact your world. Maybe it'll touch the lives of thousands, maybe it'll touch the lives of a couple children and one handsome husband, maybe it'll change a city, maybe it will encourage those in your circle. No matter the impact, You were made to dream. AND You were made to be a dream-fulfiller.
Dreaming is all fine and good, but means nothing until you put it into action.
Having a pocket full of seeds is all fine and good, but it will mean nothing until those seeds are put into soil.
And God made the seed for the harvest.
{Do you know what seeds you have to plant? Your talents, your passion, your gifts... the things God places in you that forms into a dream so that you could bring glory to your Maker... these are your seeds.}
Embarking upon a dream is terrifying. You could fail. The fear of failure would like to keep your seeds in your pockets... and God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and discipline. 2Timothy 1:7, NASB.
A thousand "what if" scenarios may want to rack your brain, keep you from setting out, make you want to shrink back... but we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. Hebrews 10:39, NASB.
Thing is, even a farmer knows, that there ARE a thousand things that could destroy the crop, and failure may happen. A farmer knows he has no say so in the weather, the locusts, the birds, disease... a lot can cause a crop to not produce, but one thing is certain... a field will not yield a harvest unless the seed is put in the ground.
A dream will just be a dream until its put into action.
I compiled a list of some things every farmer knows about farming that every dreamer should know too:
1.Know the season- farmers put seeds into the soil at the right time of year. You may need to know that it's not time yet. The best way to figure out if its time? Fasting and prayer. Farmers know to look for the signs of the season... look for the signs in your own life that it is time.
2. Know you may fail- farmers know that some years yield a lot of fruit and some years do not. You may do everything right, but it may not work out. That does not mean you should stop.
3. Know that it will be hard work- farmers know that just preparing the soil is a lot of work. And so is the daily upkeep. And so is the harvest. A. Lot. Of. Work. Yeah. So is putting a dream into action. Expect this. Anticipate it. Plan for it. When you are frustrated because it is so hard, remember... it's SUPPOSED TO BE.
4. Know that it will take daily work- Farmers don't plant a field and then sit back and watch it grow. They work hard daily. There are daily problems. Daily chores. Your dream will require your day in and day out stamina.
5. Prepare for the harvest- A farmer may not be able to plan for the exact size of the harvest, but he can't collect the harvest unless he's prepared for it. If you are working towards a dream, would you be ready for it if it came to pass?
I may have just caused you to let out a big huge sigh... work. hard. failure. not time. planning. But here's the beauty of this:
I till. I plant. I water. I tend. But it is God who gives the increase.
I can't predict the weather. I have no say-so in the million "what-ifs."
But at the same time, I just do my part and I get to leave the rest to God. I don't have to strive, grind myself into the dirt trying to make this work. I do my part and let Him decide how much fruit I will bear. And truly, even if you are able to touch the lives of even a couple of people, isn't it worth it?
I bet you are with me in saying, yes it is!
So dream.
Dream big. Work hard. Trust God.
Let Him take your beautiful dream-field and work it into a great... or a small... harvest.
You were made for the harvest.
Alright, now, go, pray, and seek God, and get to fulfulling those dreams!
...on Tuesday. Our good old faithful computer bit the dust, so Monday just simply wasn't a possibility.
I am finding it humorous that I am about to reveal my new organization station... late.
So much for organized. Ha! But I find that the best organization system is a flexible one, so there you go.
Here's my flexible Organization Station.
I was at my friend's house for a monthly preschool meet-up. While in her kitchen, I noticed her wall dedicated to the running of her home. She had pictures-frames-turned-dry-erase-boards up for all her shopping lists and meal planning. She had a weekly calendar and a monthly calendar. She used scrapbook materials to create sections for her dry erase boards. I thought it was brilliant. Thank you Christina for your awesomeness!
The kitchen is the heartbeat of our home. So, it makes the most sense to do all of our planning for the home in the kitchen.
I like/need flexibility in my plans. Dry erase boards are perfect for flexibility. But, I need some kind of way to form a system, some kind of constant. That is what makes the scrapbook organizers in the picture frame so brilliant. Organized on the inside, flexible and very erasable on the outside. Works for me!
One board is for planning my week. This includes appointments, to-do's, meetings, and places I would like to go. I made room to write in a chore for each day. I have decided in an effort to organize my life and home, I need to simplify my chores into one chore a day.
In case you are curious here's my chores: daily: A quick pick up of the the house and do the dishes weekly: bathroom, floors, vacuum, laundry, windows and mirrors, computer desk (i.e. "the pile" and bills), and then one monthly chore monthly: dusting, baseboards, kitchen deep clean, organization project
Everyone needs a "Win!" I do anyways. So I decided that if I can manage to put food on the table, do the dishes once, pick up the house for 5 minutes, and do one chore then I have accomplished something great for the day. WIN! Perhaps, it's because I have small mess-makers children, perhaps it's because my husband is rarely home, perhaps it's because I am a writer, perhaps it's just that life happens and it happens all over the place, but this girl is having trouble keeping her head above the crazy amount of cheerios and toys strewn everywhere water. I am hoping this new system of organizing helps this home and the sanity level of all persons living in this home.
The other board is for meal planning and my shopping lists. I don't do well when I plan a meal for each specific day, that's not flexible enough for me. I just need a list of options, so that when I go into the kitchen to start cooking I know what meals I have bought for and can cook whichever meal works best for that evening. My shopping lists are divided into groceries, costco, and walmart (which actually isn't necessarily "walmart," it's just the list of miscellaneous household items that aren't food.)
I had read the seriously life-changing book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and if you have read that book you know why there is a journal on my wall... if you haven't read the book, seriously, read it! The journal is for counting my gifts... and I am hoping Mike will add to it too. I am also thinking it would be a great place to scribble down the cute things my kids say and do... like when I was asked if I wanted hot sauce, and I said "yes," and Addy turns to me and says in her most grown up voice, "Mom, I want the cold sauce, please." You know, the fleeting and precious "cute stuff" that I will forget 15 years from now when she's bringing dates home and I need some ammunition to scare them off with (I kid!). I know that stuff could go in a baby journal, baby book, or scrap book, but it's not handy enough and I forget by the time I got to write in the aforementioned items.
The metallic board is for quotes or scriptures or things I need to remember. It's also for love notes for me and my husband. I really don't see enough of that man and we need another way to communicate some affection.
To do something like this for yourself:
Week Planner and Meal Planner were made from old 11x14 picture frames. I took out the old pictures and mattes and used that for my guidelines for my scrapbook paper. I painted the frames to match the kitchen (and cover up what was underneath! It was screaming 1993 and not in a good way.)
You will have to come back next week if you want to see how I made the journal. wink wink
The metallic board was purchased at Walmart for $4. I bought the pencil cup there too. Cups with flat sides are ideal so you can easily mount them to the wall. The calendar was from the dollar section at Target.
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