A Season of Renewal

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
And not have compassion on the son of her womb?
Surely they may forget,
Yet I will not forget you.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
Your walls are continually before me. 
{Isaiah 49:15-16 NKJV}

He has written us on His hands. We never leave His mind. He bears the scar of His love for us forever. Yet He remembers our sin no more. It's gone, wiped clean, and we stand before the Father bearing the image of His Son's perfection. This memory of our Lord, it is a marvelous thing.

As I awaken from the haze that is a first trimester of pregnancy, I'm renewing habits and family traditions that have fallen off the calendar for months. Food inspires me again (for a while it was my enemy). I've been blessed with energy to play and create with the girls. In fact, I attended my first homeschool conference as mother and former student this past weekend and came away feeling both pumped and soothed. I've been nervously researching methods, curriculum, and schedules for preschoolers for a month or two, and felt apprehensive and intimidated. Thankfully I attended a seminar for parents of preschoolers based on the Charlotte Mason Method (which I've always admired) that relieved my fears. I'm throwing traditional preschool out the window, and we're going to read (and read and read), play, paint, and run around outside until Kindergarten. With a new little one joining our family this winter, a relaxed schedule is important to me. This will be perfect for our family. As we settle into a rhythm, I'll share our "schedule" and some ideas as we figure out what works and what doesn't.

One last thing. This hearty stew is simmering in the slow-cooker now. I haven't made it in a long time and I'd forgotten how easy and healthy it is. There's something peaceful about chopping up fresh veggies and stirring them together for your family. I love on my people with food.

Crockpot Vegetable Soup with Potatoes

1# hamburger, browned and drained
2 15-oz cans diced tomatoes
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 potatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 cup water
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas

1. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on LOW 8-10 hours.

Tips: If using leftover vegetables that are precooked, add during the last hour of cooking so they don't turn to mush. For a vegetarian version, use pre-cooked dried beans or lentils, and substitute a cup of vegetable broth for the bouillon cubes and water.

Until next time...may you all find yourself in a season of renewal and peace. Love to you.

The Sunroom: Curtains!

Dane hung curtains in the sunroom last week! He had lots of help.

My precise husband measured and marked exactly where he needed to drill.

We made our very expensive, very fancy curtain rods out of a $5 10' length of 3/4" conduit and a $2.50 package of straps (conduit fittings that bolt it to the wall). This brilliant, cheap idea is not original to me, I first saw it here.

Dane was impressed at how securely he was able to attach the rod to the wall. With two curtain-swinging little ones, sturdiness is pretty important.

I think it turned out great, especially since it's made of electrical hardware (!). I think it would look even better painted or wrapped in twine, but for now I'm quite pleased with it. With the delicate floral print of the curtains, it adds a nice industrial chic vibe to the room.

The Fresh Start

photo credit

The afternoon sunlight filtered through the blinds as I slid out of the wrong side of bed, trying not to disturb the little one snoozing on my pillow. She fell asleep quickly, after a morning of attitude and drama. Some days it seems like she has all the emotions of a grown woman in a three-year-old body.

I headed to the bathroom to wash the morning off and tried to decompress two months of stress in ten minutes (it didn't work). 


Motherhood is hard. Give of yourself, without feeding yourself, and eventually you'll have nothing left to give.


All my complaints hit the cold walls of the shower and bounced back, echoing until they multiplied into more than I could bear.


The tile obviously wasn't listening. So I lifted my pain to the One who always listens, even when what hurts is something under which only this foolish heart would buckle.


Good Friday. If I'm called to lay my self down and offer grace and peace to my children as a sacrifice to Him, how small is that gift compared to the Gift? The day that the Son was put to trial and executed, when His creation turned its back on Him is called good. Good for us. He loved us first, before there was time and before we realized that we are incomplete. 


I'm learning that my sacrifice of praise is good to His ears, and good to my soul.


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We celebrated the Resurrection yesterday. Today is a fresh start. He Is Risen. 


(I also got 7 hours of sleep last night, and made it to work out this morning at 5am. A fresh start indeed.)

The Power of a Positive Mom

"There is no greater investment we can make in the lives of our children than giving them generous doses of encouraging words. It costs us so little in time and effort, but the rewards are priceless. When our young people are reminded of their God-given value, they receive deposits of confidence, security, and well-being in their emotional bank accounts. They begin building on their strengths, knowing they have something to contribute to the world." - Karol Ladd, The Power of a Positive Mom

I think I will read this one soon. 

Healer

photo credit

From my prayer journal yesterday:

Lord, be merciful to me; Heal my sou, for I have sinned against You. {Psalm 41:4}

My soul is what needs to be healed after I wound God with my sin.

A Sweet Third Birthday

My sweet Katelyn Grace turned three on Saturday.


I've been a mother for three years. That means it's been three years and two weeks since I earned a paycheck, commuted two hours a day in disgruntling Houston traffic, or blow-dried my hair daily. 


Three years of obeying God's calling.


Three years of living on a single income, of learning to be "just" a stay at home mom, of finding creative outlets that also nurture the littlest members of our family.


Three years of feeling like the most blessed woman on earth.


Thank you for teaching me to be a mama, Katie Grace. You are the joy of my life.

The only thing the birthday girl requested was a "Cindawellwa cake." 

I had to decorate quickly, and didn't have time to do a crumb layer of icing. Ah, well. It turned out ok with only one layer.

Aunt Bethany is the best gift wrapper.

We didn't actually cut the cake on her birthday, since it fell on the same day as Papa's surprise 80th birthday party. But we pulled out her birthday crown and sang a couple of days later.

Sweet girl.

Big enough to blow out her own candles this year.

Mama's homemade chocolate cake with buttercream icing. Yum!

Happy, happy birthday, sweet girl! I can't wait to take you to get your birthday portrait taken, a big girl haircut, and a trip to the zoo! Let's celebrate you all April, ok?

Bittersweet

My baby brother left home this weekend. He is attending the A&M Fire Academy.


Michael, you are an incredible young man, a wonderful brother to me and Dane, and an awesome uncle to my kids. I am so proud of you.

Loading up his beloved truck, the Black Beauty. Too bad ol' Beauty broke the second he pulled into his new apartment complex. I heard she got fixed yesterday, though.

Dane double-checked that the trailer's blinkers were wired correctly. Can't have an illegal vehicle on the road, ya know.

Helping Uncle Michael and Daddy check the wiring.

Oh, yeah. He's gonna go far. And I can't wait to see it.