A Fair Trade

I remember the day well. The day I traded in my right to new clothes and new shoes. I traded eating out for eating home cooked meals. The day I decided it would not be my goal to have designer furniture and a big screen T.V.

The interview went really well. I was more than qualified for the job. The Oncology office called me within a day or two and let me know that I had the job. It was going to be a great . I loved working in doctors' offices. They had even planned to give me extra duties because my former supervisor had given me such a good recommendation. It paid well, and it was HARD to get a job in Humbolodt County. I accepted and told them I couldn't wait to start. A few days later, on my very first day, there was a staff meeting scheduled, and they would be introducing me to the rest of the office. I was to be there at 8:00, sharp!

Well, from the moment I accepted the job until the morning I was to start, my stomach had been in knots. This would be my first time back to work after having my baby, Gavin. How was I going to do it? At about 7:30 (remember I was supposed to be there at 8:00) when the office began taking calls, I anxiously called my new boss. "I'm not going to be there this morning. I can't leave my baby." This is where I traded the shoes, clothes, etc. These words sealed my fate. I was a stay-at-home mom. I didn't WANT to be anything else.

I didn't want to go to work so that we could have material possessions. I wanted to invest in my child. I am so glad that God spoke to my mommy heart that morning and told me I was not a career woman. He asked me to trust Him and trust that He would provide for us. Now, "providing for us" didn't look the way that I would have expected. We did struggle and continue to struggle, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't trade staying at home and homeschooling for all of the shoes in the world!

Life Without Television...

What do homeschooled children who don't watch television do all day anyway?? Well, as you can see here, they pull up the blinds and watch the men outside our window work on the pipes. Gavin kept me updated on everything they did. Everything. Seriously. He was rather upset when they tore out the grass in order to do their digging. I reassured him that they would put it back when they were done. Much to his dismay, they did NOT put it back. Well, they kind of did, in a sloppy, uncaring sort of way. Gavin was not happy with those guys. He asked me if we could buy seeds so that he could plant more grass there. It was just too ugly.

I love this! An Excerpt from Little Women...

This household happiness did not come all at once, but John and Meg had found the key to it, and each year of married life taught them how to use it, unlocking the treasuries of real home love and mutual helpfulness, which the poorest may possess, and the richest cannot buy. This is the sort of shelf on which young wives and mothers may consent to be laid, safe from the restless fret and fever of the world, finding loyal lovers in the little sons and daughters who cling to them, undaunted by sorrow, poverty, or age, walking side by side, through fair stormy weather, with a faithful friend, who is, in the true sense of the good old Saxon word, the 'house-band', and learning, as Meg learned, that a woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor the art of ruling it not as a queen, but as a wise wife and mother.

Palm Sunday - The Triumphal Entry!

This is from Luke 19:28-40
The Triumphal Entry

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.

31If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' " 32Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34They replied, "The Lord needs it."

Matthew adds in 21:4-5, 4
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5"Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

35They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road. 37When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

40"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

I love these passages because we finally see Jesus praised as the King that he is! Without robes and chariots and gold and jewels, he was is ahumble King riding on a lowly donkey. Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! And if the people had been silent, the stones would have cried out!! Happy celebrating this Palm Sunday! -Lisa

Avalanche Bark

So, here is a recipe. It is an adaptaion of an adaptation of a recipe for a treat that my friend made when she worked at a chocolate shop. My kids seem to think it is super yummy!

Avalanche Bark

11 - 12 oz. White Chocolate Chips

1/2 C. Peanut Butter

5 C. Rice Crispie Cereal

Add ins:

About 3/4 C. Milk Chocolate Chips

About 3/4 C. Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

About 1 1/2 C. Marshmallows

(I say about because I did not measure at all, I just eyeballed it)

In a large pot, stir white chocolate and peanut butter over med-low heat. Stirring constantly. When melted, remove from heat and pour in cereal. Stir until completely coated. Stir in all the extras. Press into a 9x13 pan. I lightly sprayed it with cooking spray first, but it may not have been neccessary.

This recipe is fun because you can change it and throw in pretty much anything you want. Here are some ideas:

• Replace the white chocolate with 6 oz milk chocolate and and 6 oz butterscotch chips add in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
• Replace the peanut butter with butter and add in some peppermint extract and chopped peppermint candies
• Rocky Road? Replace the peanut butter chips with nuts
• Trail mix Bark? Replace the add ins with some trail mix
• Let the kids choose the add ins!Use your imagination and have fun!!

Pace Shoop

Today I spent the entire day with two astronauts! Two little astronauts. They used my dinning room chairs to build a space shuttle, and they blasted off to the moon. Over and over and over and over and over again. Just when I thought they had run out of fuel, or the game was getting old, they climbed in and counted down again...6...5...4...3...2...1...0...Ignition, Blast Off! I don't know if that's what they really say when the shuttle is taking off, but that's what Gavin says, and he's usually pretty acurate. In between trips to the moon we had to listen to a CD with songs about space, and we had to read books about space, and Caden even had to take a nap with his space suit. Actually, to Caden it was his "Pace Shoop". His pace shoop was really a rain coat that looks like a fireman's jacket. That's ok, he's usually not very acurate. But he sure is cute. And he knows it. He brought me his space suit and said, "Mama, me yook cute in my pace shoop?" Oh, yeah baby! You look adorable in your pace shoop! I couldn't have planned a better school day myself!

Gotta Have a Plan, Man!

I'm a planner. I plan things. I write lists. I cross things off my list. It's what I do. Sometime God teaches me lessons in this area. Like yesterday, for example. I had a list, it seemed a mile long to me. Oh, I'm also a scheduler. Naptime is scheduled for 2 o'clock everyday. I get a little nutty if my kids miss their naptime. So, I had a list, and on my list was to take something to a friend who was running her Mom's group in the morning. Would I like to leave my kids in the nursery and go have fellowship with the other moms, she asks. Of course not, I have a list, I have a naptime scheduled, doesn't she know that? But, I do have time for maybe a little tea...that little tea turned into me spending a great 2 hours with some friends, having tea, holding my good friend's new baby, and soak up wisdom from other moms. Wonderful things that I would have missed if I had stuck to my plans. We had a discussion topic which was, being too busy and how to say no. Sometimes I am the most blessed when my plans go awry, or should I say when my plans are thwarted!

So, I got all of my errands done, and guess what? I was home at exactly 2 o'clock! Naptime!! Yippy! I get the kids down and snoozing, crack open my Bible, and continue reading in Psalm 33. What should I read but, "The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; He thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation." Thank you, Lord. I get it.

His plans stand forever, and His plans include Me! I'm gonna miss out on those plans if I am too busy with my own.