Happy Birthday, Grace!

Today is a special day. My youngest daughter, Grace, is seven years old today. My baby...is 7. And yet I can still remember the day she was born so well, when she looked like this (being held by big sister, Rachel):

But, oh how the years go by! Grace brings love, and laughter, and hugs and kisses into my life. She is happy and stubborn and smart and funny with a sense of humor that just rolls out of her like a natural comedian. She loves to sing and read and dance and fight for the underdog, human or chicken ;-}. Grace is a snugglebug, a pouter, a princess, a wiggleworm, and often a drama queen.

Grace is a God-lover. She has Jesus in her heart and I see Him shining through her more every day. Some days I say God told us to name her Grace because He knew we would need grace to raise Grace! =) But I am so pleased and blessed and in love with this child that God has gifted us with. Happy 7th Birthday, Boo!

My daughter, the Middle Schooler

Yesterday was the last day of school. It was also the day my oldest daughter, Rachel, finished elementary school. I will say she finished well, but know my heart feels so much more. They had a promotion ceremony, which was very nice, and well attended (!), and of course Rachel was so excited.

They recited a poem, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" by Dr. Suess, their theme. They sang a song and accepted their certificates

and then it was over. Of course, I cried a little, but I really cried later when I read a comment Rachel's teacher wrote in her report card, "She's not afraid to stand up for what's right." She's not afraid to stand up for what's right...wow. Thank you, Father, that she shines for You!

I thought I would share a little bit of the essay she had to write for their theme, "Oh, The Places You'll Go." All the 5th graders had to write an essay, and one student from each class was chosen to read theirs. Rachel wasn't chosen, but I am so pleased by what she wrote. Here it is, in part:

Hello. My name is Rachel and I am proud of my dreams. I am also proud to say my one year at ** has been great. It was great to get involved in activities at school such as being Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" and also getting to be part of Battle of the Books. Wow. Those were some great experiences.

Since I just moved to *, I've only had one year at **. But my, what a year. Like I said before, this year certainly has been memorable. What really helped was having some great friends to help me and having a really great teacher, Ms. Pearl. I'm sure everyone likes her. When I heard she had been working at ** for more than 18 years, which immediately put me at ease, I definitely knew this was a teacher who knew what she was doing.

When I go to college, I would like to go to Cal Poly. Then I would like to train to become a vet or a kindergarten teacher.

The one person I would like to thank is God. I wouldn't be where I am without His support. He has always been there when I need to pray to Him and He has always loved me. I would also like to thank ** school. I want to thank you for letting me be part of your fifth grade family. Thanks God. I love you. And thanks ** school. I love you, too.

Just one more step in her still young life. But, she's finished this year well, she loves our precious Savior, and we're enjoying this journey we're on with her. I am so blessed and grateful to be her Mommy! (how much longer will she call me that?!?)

Mother's Day

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you Moms, Grandmas, Step-Moms, and others who fill that role in someone else's life. I hope you had a lovely day! I thought I would just post a few pictures and highlights.

In the morning, Rachel made me coffee (before I woke up, even!) and brought it to me in bed. The girls had handmade cards and gifts for me to open, and Grace brought the newspaper so I could read a little of it in bed before church. The girls both made a small breakfast for me so I wouldn't be hungry before brunch, and we had a nice morning together, as Craig had to be at church early to do Tech Ministries.

After church, we went to a wonderful brunch with Craig's mom, Helen. It was so yummy! I don't get to go out for brunch very often, and this was a special treat, because the restaurant is one of the most established and well-known in our town. The food was so good, and we sat outside because the weather was warm. Our waiter even gave the girls fish food in envelopes so they could feed the koi that were in several surrounding ponds!

Here are pictures of us after we ate...don't we look content and happy?

This next picture is of Craig and his mom

After brunch, we spent the day relaxing at home. One of our pullets (young chickens), was very sick, and we spent some time looking after her, especially Rachel, who really has a heart for animals.

I was not hungry enough to eat another meal for the rest of the day, but the girls were, so my wonderful husband took care of feeding them, and I was truly able to enjoy my day. Thank you, honey! =)

What a week!

The Lord is good

A refuge in times of trouble

He cares for those

Who trust in Him

-Nahum 1:7

This little verse has been a favorite of mine for several years now. A dear friend shared it with me, and as soon as I read it, I knew I had to memorize it, sure I would need to refer to it often, and I have!

This week, for example...On Sunday, I made a rather big decision. I decided to take on a big responsibility, one I am both excited and greatly challenged by. I feel good about the decision, Craig supports me, and the girls are even a bit braggy about it (I made them stop, of course!)...And then...it was like the floodgates of calamity were thrown wide open! Our heater broke, our daughter was throwing up, our dog was throwing up, I cut my finger, banged my head, had a migraine, cat pooped in the house, heater couldn't be fixed for three days, found a live mouse in the cat food bin...and I'm leaving some out because I want to get to my point.

THE LORD IS GOOD! I found myself in the midst of these things seeing God's goodness. These mishaps were not going to alter the course of my life. Yes, I hate, detest, abhor cleaning up dog vomit - my husband & I have an agreement that I deal with the kid "give-backs" and he deals with the animal "give-backs." Only, lucky him, most of the animal "gifts" happen when he's at work, so I am blessed with getting to clean it all up! =) Anyway, it didn't kill me, although by Tuesday, I was asking God for more grace and mercy to get through the week and by this morning, when I found the mouse in the cat food, I was pleading with Him for, "no more!"

A REFUGE IN TIMES OF TROUBLE So what did I do when I found the mouse? Well, after the initial shock (and prayer), I laughed. And when our heater went out and I got up the next morning and saw that it was still 71 degrees in the house, I laughed. In fact, the first morning with out heat, it was 71, the second, 72, and this morning when I got up, it was 73. I prayed when our heater broke that the Lord would keep our family warm at night. Boy, did He answer my prayer...so I laughed! Honestly, I don't usually laugh when bad things are happening to me. Ask my calm and level-headed husband. I usually whine, complain about being punished, finish it off with some crying (it's true!)...So why the change? I don't know, but I do know that...

HE CARES FOR THOSE WHO TRUST IN HIM Somehow I know these trials are temporary, even if more come, and surely they will. Were they a result of making that big decision...a test? I don't know, but I am grateful that this time I trusted in God, and laughed in the face of mice and calamity. I hope it's evidence that I am learning that trust is more than just a word in some great Christian songs.

This new position I am taking on soon is something I have never done before and there are so many ways I could fail, but I know the way to succeed is to remember that The Lord is good...all the time...A refuge in times of trouble...only God can shelter me from the world and its sorrows...He cares for those who trust in Him...when we put our trust in Him, He never fails us.

Praise Him with a Hymn

For the beauty of the earth
for the glory of the skies
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night
hill and vale, and tree and flower
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye
for the heart and mind's delight
for the mystic harmony
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love
brother, sister, parent, child
friends on earth and friends above
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For Thyself, best Gift Divine
to the world so freely given
for that great, great love of Thine
peace on earth, and joy in heaven;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Granola: Homemade Goodness

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about how I need to get off my lazy keister (yes, I'll admit that) and start giving some wholesome goodness to my family. That means making more foods, with less and better ingredients, and buying less pre-packaged, loaded with who-knows-what, I can't pronounce that, stuff. Don't get me wrong, I didn't jump on the bandwagon, slap the horse, and take off at breakneck speed. But...I am moving forward...slowly...and enjoying the progress I've made so far.

One of the recipes I have become hooked on is for granola. I really like granola, and could probably eat it every morning if it weren't so expensive and full of fat! So, a few weeks ago, I found this recipe for granola from the kitchen sink recipes and it is wonderful! I do have to say that even though I am going to reprint her original recipe, I did not follow it to the letter. But first, here is the original recipe:

Granola

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
3 tablespoons flax seeds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup toasted mixed nuts, chopped (I used pistachios and almonds here)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups mixed dried fruit (I used raisins and dried cherries and cranberries here)

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the dried fruit. Stir well to incorporate.

Spread the mixture on the prepared baking sheet, spreading it out into an even layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the depth of goldenness you’re looking for), stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the granola from the oven and and cool completely, in its pan, on a wire rack. Once the granola is cool, mix in the dried fruit.

And it looks like this in all it's yummy goodness:

Too bad I can't share the smell with you as it was baking in my oven today...mmmmmmm. Well, I guess you will just have to make it for yourself. Make sure you get the first taste of it 'cause it won't last long!

Oh, here are the modifications I made, but feel free to make your own, based on your tastes.
-I omitted the coconut (boo for me, but my love is not a fan)
-No sesame seeds, either. Not a pantry item, and I didn't feel like adding them.
-I decreased the flax seeds to 2 Tbs. on my second batch. Don't make me explain why! =)
-I used chopped pecans for the nuts - Yumm-o!
-Sad to say, I don't have pure maple syrup, so I had to omit that. For my second batch, I increased the vanilla to 1 Tbs. My feeling is: if a little vanilla is good, more is better!
-Craisins & dried cherries were my fruits of choice.

One last tip: watch your baking time. My granola was done in just under 20 minutes, and you do not want this to burn! So be sure to stir at the 10 minute mark and let your nose and eyes be your guides more than the timer.

Enjoy! =)

Havin' a Flashback...

Well, I didn't have much of interest to write about, so I started looking through some of my old photos. Before long, I came across some that my sister, Stephanie, took when she was visiting almost four summers ago. They were taken when we went to the fair and it was hot, hot, hot! But that was also one of my favorite memories, and she captured it so well, so let me share it with you...

At this point, I don't know which was hotter, the corn dogs, or the girls! =) We had been waiting in line for a good while to see a concert performed by...

Michael W. Smith

Here I am, meeting him backstage, thanks to a contest I was crazy-fortunate enough to win. I only entered because I had hoped Rachel could meet him, too, but they wouldn't let her back with me, and of course she was disappointed. So, when I told Michael (Mr. Smith...what do I call him?!?) what had happened, this is what he said he'd do...

Isn't that fantastic?!!!

Do I even have to say how tickled she was? Anyway, the concert was outstanding, the fair was a blast, it was extra-fun because my sister was there. Yep, it was hot enough to fry an egg on the curb, and we fried, too, but we still enjoyed ourselves!

Thanks for strolling down memory lane with me. Especially as my kids grow older, it's nice to look back and see them younger...and smaller. Because they grow so fast!