Catching Up {+} Q & A

I have a little bit of catching up to do. Life goes on outside this little blog and with Holy Week last week I failed to give appropriate press to some precious things in my life.

First being my friend L.A. who is expecting daughter numero dos in a few weeks! When Mom was still here we {along with Hornet} ventured over to Tallahassee for the day to celebrate L.A. and the precious life in her womb. I'd tell you this little girl's name if I only knew myself, she's such a stinker and keeps it a secret... how dare her! :)

I ate a lot of these... and could have eaten a lot more. They're the best petit fors {is that how you spell it?} I've ever had... and the same ones I got for Morgan's birthday last year! Let's just pretend like you can taste them. They're delightful.

Someone else brought this.

It made me laugh and want to put myself in time out.

Here are the hostesses & the preggo...

We had a wonderful time, LA got wonderful gifts, and it made me miss all my Tallahassee friends!!

Second I just want to let you all know that I am madly in love with this man. He's a wonderful husband and father. He prays for me and praises me and I'm so grateful that God chose us for one another. {Keeping honest: he can also really tick me off sometimes too... but I can assure you that feeling is mutual!}

Last week he got a new {to him} truck. It's a big truck, with a big engine, a 5th wheel {whatever that means}, and enough room for all of us...

...you see he owns his own businesses which means he spends a good deal of time on his phone. And several of you asked what happened to the Raiger's head & lip...

When they arrived for the big egg hunt on Saturday, her big sister kindly unbuckled her carseat, Daddy opened the door to the new truck, and then took a phone call, which resulted in Paige leaning out of her carseat and subsequently falling out of the truck and hitting her face on the asphalt. Justin said it was the most horrified he's ever been. She still has some color on her forehead and a little scratch but she's doing much better! What's an egg hunt without a goose egg!

You all also assumed that I made the kids Easter outfits... thanks, but you assumed wrong-o!

I bought them at Kids Market {a local semi-annual consignment sale} and they were only $10 each. You can't beat that. But let me tell you, in the amount of time it took me to remove 3 monograms with a seam ripper and put new ones in I could have made 3 brand new outfits! Oh well! But the dress pattern is Carol by Children's Corner if you are so inclined to make your own.

Third I have an idea. I am so BEHIND on my emails... about 6 weeks behind and I feel as though I'll never catch up so I'm thinking of answering questions in form of a blog post because a lot of people ask the same questions. So, while I wait to show you my bathrooms {because I'm waiting for a piece to return from the upholostery man} I'm going to answer any questions you may have. So... ask away in the comments section... anything from where did you get that... to how did you do that.... to what color is that... to do you have any more of those bulletin boards {yes, I've been collecting them for y'all}... to what did you have for breakfast. I'll answer them all {if I can!}. Have fun and be creative it's good for your brain and hopefully mine too!

He Is Risen

We were blessed with the most delightful Easter weekend. We had an action packed, celebratory weekend full of egg hunts, family time, good food, great weather, and excellent fellowship. Saturday we spent the morning at Justin's parents house hunting eggs with all the cousins. After church on Sunday we joined the family back at Justin's parents house for Easter lunch and more fun with the cousins. Here we are for a rare family photo. Thanks, Dona for taking it!

Here are some more pictures from our weekend... {embedded slideshow may not come through Reader}

A very big thank you to my blog friend, Becky, for the happy I found tucked in my mailbox. Next time we will play!!!

Happy Monday friends. It's pouring down rain and I'm about to tackle mounds of laundry and dishes!

There's Power in the Blood

Happy Good Friday to all of y'all. The girls and I spent some time this morning reflecting/coloring-out the events of the day that took place over 2000 years ago. MommaSis' is the one who started all of this "make-your-own color sheets". Shes' a much better artist than myself but I gave it a shot anyway. Using paper from a roll {that I bought at the teacher supply store} I taped it down to the girls table and sketched out a few scenes from the crucifixtion of Christ along with a few snippets of scripture from the gospel of Matthew in their children's Bible. Then I let them loose with crayons and waited for them to ask what all the words said...

It didn't take long for her to ask, "Mommy, what do all those words say?"

I delight in watching them learn about Scripture. I pray that it has a lasting effect on their souls.

After we colored this morning Paige helped me feed John Martin some cheerios. She gave him the ROYAL treatment!

And she made a ROYAL mess.

All that work left the princess herself little famished.

I screamed a little because my children don't obey me EVER and then we went to the park to swing a little! This is for you MommaSis'!

There are two songs that really speak to me about the crucifixtion and resurrection of Christ. One being Power in the Blood and the other Amazing Love by Chris Tomlin...

Power in the Blood {Lewis E Jones 1899}

Would you be free from the burden of sin?
There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would you o’er evil a victory win?
There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
In the blood of the Lamb;
There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
In the precious blood of the Lamb.
Would you be free from your passion and pride?
There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
Would you do service for Jesus your King?
There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
Would you live daily His praises to sing?
There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

Amazing Love by Chris Tomlin

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

Amazing love,
How can it be
That You, my King,
would die for me?

Amazing love,
I know it’s true.
It’s my joy to honor You,
In all I do, I honor You.

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken,
I’m accepted, You were condemned.
I am alive and well, Your spirit is within me,
Because You died and rose again.

You are my King
Jesus You are my King

I've always loved Fernando Ortega's rendition of Power in the Blood, but I came across this one and it makes me want to put on a choir robe, raise my hands towards heaven and sway from the choir loft. You can hear Amazing Love here.

Rejoicing today because the story doesn't end at the crucifixtion...

Easy Asian

I'm just ducking in with a quick dinner idea for you. My throat is killing me and Mom left yesterday, please lower your flags to half-staff and mourn with me. I have the best mom in the whole world. We had so much fun living life together. I'm sad, but not THAT sad, because she's coming back for 10 days in May, I can't wait.

The bathrooms are looking good and I hope to show them to you soon... but for now... how 'bout a quick dinner idea. Are pictures ok?

You'll need a little of this:

And a little of that:

And some of this {minus the frozen sauce packet} or you could go buy carrots, red peppers, edamame, baby corn, celery, onion, water chesnuts and mushrooms. Then you could clean them and chop them... or you could just buy them all frozen and ready to go! :

Oh, and if you like meat, some of this too {cooked chicken, pork, or beef}:

Mix it all together after each has cooked and you'll get this:

I used 3 chicken breasts, about 1/2 the bag of vegetables, about 1/2 the bottle of Stir-Fry Sauce and 1/2 a box of each type of spagetti {whole wheat and regular}.

I got all the ingredients from Walmart and while I was there I bought this too:

See you soon with bathroom pictures....

Try this:: Holy Week Cookies

Once again, I apologize for the lack of posts since Friday. Chance is recovering and my sister, Erika, has been posting updates on her blog. Thank you so much for all your prayers, comments, well wishes, offers to help, Wii offers, ambulance rides, transportation, spare bedrooms etc. We truly felt the love!

Now, life has been extremely busy these last fews day but this is a must share so I'm carving out a little time to blog about it. A big thank you to a kind reader, Denise, {who, I think, is in South Carolina} for sharing it with me {and all of y'all}!

I turned it into a PDF so you can easily print it off. Click HERE for the printable version. All the scriptures are included on the document so you don't even have to have a Bible.

The girls and I made them last night and had an absolute blast in the process...

Easter Story Cookies::

You'll need: Bible, 1 c pecans, 1 tsp. vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch of salt, 1 c granulated sugar, 1 qt. or gal. size zipper bag, wooden spoon, tape

Before we started we preheated the oven to 300 and lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper {although the recipe called for wax}.

First, have your helpers crush, smash, and beat the pecans and while they do it share with them that this is what the Roman soldiers did to Jesus' body. Read John 19:1-3.

Morgan has heard the story before but last night she seemed shocked that this is what happened to Jesus.

Before you add the vinegar to the mixing bowl let the children smell the vinegar. Explain to them that this is what Jesus was offered to drink. Read Read John 19:28-30.

To the vinegar, add egg whites. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each childs hand and let them taste it. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins. Read Luke 23:27. Morgan wasn't fond of the salt.

Next, the story turns sweet. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Add the sugar.

The sugar was so good... they didn't want to let it go.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 & John 3:1-3.

Fold in the broken nuts. Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper {I used parchment}. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:57-60.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.

GO TO BED. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20.

The next morning...

open the oven and remove the cookies. Notice - the cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

Try it! Your kids/grandkids, nieces, nephews, husbands, friends will all love it!

Happy Holy Week!

A Good Update

Hello Friends!

Bear with me... E called and talked to Justin around 11 pm... Hornet kept us up last night and Justin left around 4:30 am so I'm going on what I remember her telling him last night. Brainwaves please connect!

From what I gather, Dr. Neurology fully redeemed his rapport among the family when he FINALY arrived last night for a consultation. He stuck around for a long time, answered everyone's questions, became DaddyBoy's new best friend, and told Chance to watch out for those garage doors . He said at Chance's age {35, I think} it is safer to allow the blood that has pooled between his brain and skull to reabsorb {that's my word... I don't know medical terms} into his system on it's own rather than to go in and attempt to drain it surgically. The blood is 8mm thick and hasn't changed. I was thinking all day that it was 8mm in circumference but apparently that's the thickness. {Again, I'm sure there's a fancier term for thickness.}

Chance is still in ICU. DaddyBoy drove Erika home last night and stayed the night with her. Chance's parents stayed over night at the hospital with him {well, not really with him because they can't with him in ICU but you know what I mean}.

The doctor confidently said that Chance will fully recover from this with no damage to his brain, just his ego. He will be in the hospital at least until Sunday and then will have to take it very easy for 30 days and they will closely monitor him during that time. The only risk of leaving the blood in there is a seizure but that is why they've ordered him to take it easy.

So, that's all I know for now! Sorry I couldn't get my sorry carcass out of bed last night at 11pm and come tell y'all all of that. I subtly hinted to Justin that I'd like him to come out here and update the blog... he laughed.

Mom and I will decide today what we are going to do. Mom will probably make her way down there. Justin just so happens to be working in Ft. Walton Beach these next two days so he will be able to be with them. I will probably stay put with the crumb-crunchers.

DaddyBoy literally walked out of work when he heard about this, went straight to O'Hare and flew out. He had to go shopping last night when he got in, he only had the clothes on his back. Hopefully he thought to ask his new best friend, Dr. Neurology, to fill his prescriptions that he forgot to bring with him.

As I know more, I'll share. Aren't ya'll glad I'm a girl? If Justin had agreed to update, it would go like this: Chance is doing well, still in ICU, no surgery needed, will be in hospital at least 'til Sunday.

Thank y'all for all your comments and prayers.

Psalm 116:1-2: I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

Another Update

First, I am so very sorry for the lack of communication over the last few hours. I keep thinking that I will have something big to report and as of right now not much has changed.

Chance is resting comfortably {with pain meds} in ICU. They have done additional CT scans of his brain and neck and the bleed they saw on the first CT scan has not changed. {Praise!} They are still waiting to have a consultation with the Neurologist. They were told when they left hospital #1 that there would be a bed in ICU and a Neurologist waiting for them at hospital #2. Those durn hospitals. They spent 2+ hours in the ER and still at 7 pm haven't heard from a Neurologist. I'm assuming since they haven't rushed him into the OR that no change in the bleed size in the brain is a good thing.

DaddyBoy has landed safely and is probably {by now} with Erika in the ICU waiting room. She is not allowed to be in the room with Chance for long periods of time and I know that she's not allowed in there between 6 and 8pm... but was told if the Neurologist comes in during those hours that they will call her back to hear the report.

Please continue to pray for healing. Erika and DaddyBoy plan to return home tonight to sleep. They aren't allowed to camp out in the room with him and the ICU waiting room isn't a good place for a pregnant woman to sleep.

Thanks for all your comments, love, and support but most of all for your prayers.

Psalm 25:10- All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful.

Update

First, thank you for your prayers!

They have transferred Chance by ambulance to a hospital in Ft. Walton Beach. His parents have driven down {from our neck of the woods} to be with them and Chance's brother Bayn is also with them. When I last spoke with Erika they were preparing to transfer him to ICU and they were still waiting for a consult from the Neurologist. At this point they are still hoping to have him transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola but for now they are waiting to make that final call based on what the Neurosurgeon says about the scan.

Bayn, Chance's brother drove Erika to the next hospital. DaddyBoy was on the first flight out of Chicago and will get into P'cola at 5pm.

Again, we covet your prayers. These head injuries are nothing to be messing around with. Chance is awake and aware of what is going on. He's on morephine and still says he didn't hit his head.... obviously the large bump and CT scan show that he did. We figure he was running into work in a downpour and didn't lift the garage door {at his office bldg} high enough and hit his head above his eye... which then may have caused him to pass out and fall backwards and hit the back of his head on the concrete floor. If you don't know him... that's a long fall backwards if you're over 6 feet tall. He wasn't acting right at work and one of his coworkers suggested he go home. No one knew what was wrong with him... nor did he. He called Erika and told her he didn't feel good and so she told him to come on home and she'd make him some breakfast. When he got home she realized he really wasn't acting right and saw that he had leaves and debris on the back of his shirt and a black eye. She quickly realized he wasn't "right" and then felt the knot on the back of his head. She decided that she needed to get him to the ER asap. I'm just so thankful she didn't tell him to go get in bed.

So that is where we stand now. Please keep praying.

Please Pray!

Hello friends.

I come to you this morning requesting prayer for my brother-in-law, Chance. Apparently something happened to him this morning between the time he left for work and 8:30 am. They are suspecting a fall of some sort. He called Erika around 8:30 and was not making any sense and was unable to recall anything from the morning. She quickly got him and took him to the local hospital. He has some trauma to both the front and back of his head. We suspect he hit the front of his head on something, causing him to pass out and fall and hit the back of his head. He has had a CT scan at the local hospital and it shows some bleeding in his brain. He is awake and aware of what is going on but unable to recall any events of the morning. They will be transporting him to a larger hospital in Pensacola, FL because he needs to be seen by a neurosurgeon. At this point they are waiting for an ambulance and the weather is horrible. Erika will not be able to ride in the ambulance with him. Please pray for God's hand to be on this situation, for Chance's healing and for peace that only He can bring.

We covet your prayers.

***the weather is really bad... tornado warnings. The ambulance is there at the hospital but they are talking about a closer hospital than Pensacola. They will not fly the helicopter with tornados. E is praying to get him to Pensacola. Please pray that with us.

Thoughts on children & worship

Rain, rain go away my children want to go outside and play. I'm seriously thinking about buying a houseboat... I could ride it around town with as much rain as we've had.

Thankfully Mom bought the girls these giant bouncy balls last week and they have provided hours of indoor entertainment while we wait for the rain to pass.

Speaking of bouncing, I so often find little subjects bouncing off the walls of my brain, especially in that corner I label "blog ideas". Honestly, verbalizing my thoughts, especially in a blog, is a challenge for me. It takes me a long time to choose my words and to structure and articulate my thoughts in a way that is clear and can be understood by a lot of people who don't personally know me. Since I've shown my{true}self on more than one occasion you all can probably understand why thoughts are easy for me but words are often a little more challenging. I know what I think. Thinking is fun, easy, inspiring; filtering my thoughts through my brain, putting them into words is laborious. Since no one pays me to do this I often find myself looking for something entertaining and lighthearted to post on {aka "easy writing"}, so I dig through my pictures looking for a story to tell. All of that comes easy. Now with this new camera I probably don't even need words. But as I sit here and type I feel the urge and need to drudge through my thoughts, gather them up, filter them through my brain and put them into words... even if it takes me hours and this post doesn't get published until Friday. Exercising my brain is like exercising my body... no pain, no gain.

Here's a picture while I think:

The first subject I just found in the "blog section" of my brain is children in worship. But before I tell you my thoughts on children in worship it would make more sense if I told you what I believe, where I worship and why I even feel the need to include my children in worship.

As far as what I believe... the Apostles' Creed does a fine job {much better than I could ever do} of summing up ALL that I believe. My elementary version is much simpler:: I am a big sinner with a bigger Savior. His name is Jesus Christ. He is 3 in 1 and He lived a perfect life and died a gruesome death so that I can have life eternally.

Justin was raised in the same church in which we are now members, a Presbyterian Church of America. While I love my church I also came across this quote today and it is a true representation of what church really should be. "Church isn't where you meet... church is the human outworking of the person of Jesus Christ. Let's not go to church, let's be the church." Bridget Willard

With that said, we "go to a church" but I also am encouraged because I have seen our church "being a church" in recent months. I love the thought of our church being a body of believers rather than a building full of people. In our church our children worship with us {well, the baby is usually in the nursery... but the girls worship with us}. I love it. I really think that families worshiping together with other families facilitates the concept of church being a body of believers rather than a room full of people who go to church. I'm not sure what other churches do, but the other churches I've been in it is not only accepted but also encouraged for families to worship together. Of all the moments I've had with my children I consider the times on Sunday morning when I hold them while singing songs and hymns of praise the most precious. Some of you will find this concept foreign and maybe even disturbing... no pun intended... you know children can do that, "DISTURB". For our younger children {preschoolers} they offer what is called "Preschool Praise" which is held during the sermon. Our girls both leave the sanctuary during the sermon. But the children are always present for the first half of the worship service which always includes prayer, worship in song and the sacraments {baptism and communion}.

From the Bible on the gathering of believers {children included}:

Nehemiah 12:43 And on that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.

Joel 2:16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. {looks like JM qualifies!}

Mark 10:13- 16 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

I always love to hear your feedback... any thoughts from the audience on children in a worship service? Do your children worship with you? If not, are there other ways you worship together as a family?

How 'bout another picture while I gather my thoughts? Morgan earned her doll!

Sometimes people say nice things in the comments like, "I admire your faith" and while it makes me feel warm and fuzzy I also know the real me. The real me who feels more like Paul in Romans when he writes... "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." My biggest struggle now, the one thing that I want to do but I don't is be still before the Lord... just me, my Bible and my journal. Our pastor gave {not only an incredible sermon this Sunday} but also a wonderful resource that was tucked in our bulletins. I scanned it to share with any of y'all who also may be struggling with how to study the Bible and where to start. It's a PDF... you can find it HERE and print it off if you so desire.

How 'bout another picture?

or two?

or three?

Tonight I'll leave you with that. Mom is still here {praise the Lord!} things are happening in our lovely bathrooms and everyday I am treasuring the time we have together. She is a servant if I've ever seen one. A true Proverbs 31 woman. She's sleeping soundly in her bed now and I'm off to do the same... all this brain exercise has me tired! :)

Good night!