Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ash Wednesday
Yes, I know - today is Thursday.
The season of Lent always seems to creep up on me. I think the idea of giving something up for a period is good, but to me the point is to use that time, focus, etc. to focus on God instead. Deciding the day of that I will give up sweets because the calories are bad for me anyway, just never seemed to ring true. I'm not saying that God couldn't use that to speak. I guess it's really about my motivation though. If my reason was to pick something quick so that when someone asked I would seem super spiritual ... well, I just decided it was better not to give up anything at all.
Having said that - I am participating this year. (And I don't say that to seem super spiritual. ha.) My friend, Micky, linked up to World Vision on facebook and it caught my interest. So I have signed up for Relentless Acts of Justice. Every day during the season of Lent, I receive an email with something to read and direction to pray about, think on, etc for that day. I am excited to have something to go along with and curious to see what direction that takes. There is also the option to do this with a group, but I will probably just end up processing some things on here.
And yes, I did still sign up to do it the day before it started. But that's okay. And it's not too late to sign up now if you're interested. I also was linked up to these ideas reccommened through our church, if you're wanting to go in a different direction - a daily reading from Online Lenten Devotional and 40 Days of Water through Blood:Water Mission.
My first email included this Franciscan Blessing. I will leave you with it:
May God bless you with discomfort. Discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen
May God bless you with anger. Anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen
May God bless you with tears. Tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. Amen
May God bless you with foolishness. Enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen
And the blessing of God, who creates, redeems and sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen
The season of Lent always seems to creep up on me. I think the idea of giving something up for a period is good, but to me the point is to use that time, focus, etc. to focus on God instead. Deciding the day of that I will give up sweets because the calories are bad for me anyway, just never seemed to ring true. I'm not saying that God couldn't use that to speak. I guess it's really about my motivation though. If my reason was to pick something quick so that when someone asked I would seem super spiritual ... well, I just decided it was better not to give up anything at all.
Having said that - I am participating this year. (And I don't say that to seem super spiritual. ha.) My friend, Micky, linked up to World Vision on facebook and it caught my interest. So I have signed up for Relentless Acts of Justice. Every day during the season of Lent, I receive an email with something to read and direction to pray about, think on, etc for that day. I am excited to have something to go along with and curious to see what direction that takes. There is also the option to do this with a group, but I will probably just end up processing some things on here.
And yes, I did still sign up to do it the day before it started. But that's okay. And it's not too late to sign up now if you're interested. I also was linked up to these ideas reccommened through our church, if you're wanting to go in a different direction - a daily reading from Online Lenten Devotional and 40 Days of Water through Blood:Water Mission.
My first email included this Franciscan Blessing. I will leave you with it:
May God bless you with discomfort. Discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen
May God bless you with anger. Anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen
May God bless you with tears. Tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. Amen
May God bless you with foolishness. Enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen
And the blessing of God, who creates, redeems and sanctifies, be upon you and all you love and pray for this day, and forever more. Amen
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Care
My friend, Tara, has been keeping Sophia while I am working in the mornings for a while now. Her daughter, Bella is only three months older than Sophi and they all have a great time together. With the start of the new year, we have changed over to Sophi staying with her for my entire work day. I am so thankful for the excellent care and attention that Sophi gets. I am able to get my work done without distractions and not feel guilty in the least because I know Sophi is loving it. When I asked her the other day if she wanted to go bye-bye and see Bella and Tara, she gave me a huge grin.
Tara and I have been friends for almost 4 years now. I appreciate her friendship and the many conversations we have had so much. Some days when I go to drop off Sophia, it's hard to leave. I just want to stay and hang out and have fun with them. (Even if our conversations now revolve more around baby clothes, eating habits, and nap routines.) But knowing how much she loves my baby has opened up a special place in my heart.
Being a working mom is not something that I ever had on my radar. I would still love to be able to quit my job, and am very to be thankful that I get to stay home on certain days of the week. But knowing that Sophi is cared for and is learning while I am away gives me so much peace.
Tara and I have been friends for almost 4 years now. I appreciate her friendship and the many conversations we have had so much. Some days when I go to drop off Sophia, it's hard to leave. I just want to stay and hang out and have fun with them. (Even if our conversations now revolve more around baby clothes, eating habits, and nap routines.) But knowing how much she loves my baby has opened up a special place in my heart.
Being a working mom is not something that I ever had on my radar. I would still love to be able to quit my job, and am very to be thankful that I get to stay home on certain days of the week. But knowing that Sophi is cared for and is learning while I am away gives me so much peace.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Jalepeno Popper Pizza
Josh got this yummy recipe from someone at work.
1 pkg. crescent rolls (flattened out)
4 slices bacon or 1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 red pepper (around 1/4 cup diced)
2 jalapeno peppers
5 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar, divided
Heat oven according to crescent roll directions. Flatten and seal seams on cookie sheet. Bake 5 mins and remove.
Finely dice bell pepper and jalapenos. Saute with bacon for 2-3 mins or until just soft.
(Love those colors!)
Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar, pepper and bacon mixture in bowl and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake additional 5-8 mins or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.
I don't have a picture of the finished product because I was too excited to eat them!
1 pkg. crescent rolls (flattened out)
4 slices bacon or 1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 red pepper (around 1/4 cup diced)
2 jalapeno peppers
5 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar, divided
Heat oven according to crescent roll directions. Flatten and seal seams on cookie sheet. Bake 5 mins and remove.
Finely dice bell pepper and jalapenos. Saute with bacon for 2-3 mins or until just soft.
(Love those colors!)
Combine cream cheese, 1/2 cup cheddar, pepper and bacon mixture in bowl and mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture over crescent. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake additional 5-8 mins or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.
I don't have a picture of the finished product because I was too excited to eat them!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Introducing ...
After all the anticipation, I had to share some pictures of my sweet little niece.
Ruth Nicole was a stubborn little thing (but then look at her parents). After 45-50 hours of labor, she was delivered via c-section on Friday night. I have been able to talk to Lindsey and see Ruthie on Skype. But it will be a couple of weeks before we make the trip to see them. ...
... which makes Ruthie sad, but somehow we will all make it til then. ;)
I can not wait. Really - I have to not think about it too much. Can. not. wait. to get my hands on this cutie.
Ruth Nicole was a stubborn little thing (but then look at her parents). After 45-50 hours of labor, she was delivered via c-section on Friday night. I have been able to talk to Lindsey and see Ruthie on Skype. But it will be a couple of weeks before we make the trip to see them. ...
I can not wait. Really - I have to not think about it too much. Can. not. wait. to get my hands on this cutie.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Yummy!
This week, the ladies of the church got together and went to war. Cupcake war. It was so fun and quite the sugar high. (Actually even more cupcakes came after this photo was taken.)
I ended up at a table of four, so we got a sampler of all the cupcakes and split them up to get a taste of each. And that was my dinner. Did I mention sugar high? I was really impressed with the creativity of the cupcakes - turtle, chocolate chip cookie dough, raspberry filled, oreo surprise, etc. and the winner - strawberry lemonade.
MmmmMmmm ... I may need to go dig in to the leftovers now. See ya!
I ended up at a table of four, so we got a sampler of all the cupcakes and split them up to get a taste of each. And that was my dinner. Did I mention sugar high? I was really impressed with the creativity of the cupcakes - turtle, chocolate chip cookie dough, raspberry filled, oreo surprise, etc. and the winner - strawberry lemonade.
MmmmMmmm ... I may need to go dig in to the leftovers now. See ya!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Accidental Parenting
In one of the (very few actually) parenting books I have read, it talks about accidental parenting. The author of The Baby Whisperer, Tracey Hogg, writes of it in regards to how a baby learns to sleep. (Not sure if she coined the term or not, but it is the only place I have heard it.) Parents start doing something out of desperation or simplicity and discover down the road that they have "taught" their child to go to sleep a certain way even though they don't wish to continue in that routine.
Even though she is writing about it in a negative light on sleep habits. I think a little bit of this "accidental parenting" happens to everyone. A routine or method, any part of parenting really, is kind of fallen into and becomes the norm without a real decision ever being made. The situation determines whether this is negative or positive or neutral. The idea that came across to me is that if something is important, than you need to be intentional. Think it through, decide how you want to handle certain issues, like discipline, before you are in the middle of a situation. Don't just react.
Parenting a one year old is completing different from parenting an infant. I still find it pretty intimidating really. That Josh and I are in many ways responsible for how this little person turns out. That we have to train her and not just tell her what to do. And I'm sure this will only get more complicated as she gets older. They (whoever they are) say that a child learns what is caught more than taught. It has really made me think a lot about my own life and especially my walk with the Lord. There are so many good things that I want for her - for her future, her character, her relationship with God - and it makes me want those things for myself too.
So what about you parenting veterans? Have you found yourself doing any accidental parenting? Things that have become issues down the road to avoid? Things that have turned out great? (Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back and we'll pretend that was on purpose.)
Even though she is writing about it in a negative light on sleep habits. I think a little bit of this "accidental parenting" happens to everyone. A routine or method, any part of parenting really, is kind of fallen into and becomes the norm without a real decision ever being made. The situation determines whether this is negative or positive or neutral. The idea that came across to me is that if something is important, than you need to be intentional. Think it through, decide how you want to handle certain issues, like discipline, before you are in the middle of a situation. Don't just react.
Parenting a one year old is completing different from parenting an infant. I still find it pretty intimidating really. That Josh and I are in many ways responsible for how this little person turns out. That we have to train her and not just tell her what to do. And I'm sure this will only get more complicated as she gets older. They (whoever they are) say that a child learns what is caught more than taught. It has really made me think a lot about my own life and especially my walk with the Lord. There are so many good things that I want for her - for her future, her character, her relationship with God - and it makes me want those things for myself too.
So what about you parenting veterans? Have you found yourself doing any accidental parenting? Things that have become issues down the road to avoid? Things that have turned out great? (Go ahead, give yourself a pat on the back and we'll pretend that was on purpose.)
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