He Is Not Here!

The darkness had come in the middle of the day with grief trailing behind, 
weaving and winding itself into their minds hiding His words.
But in front of the grave light dawned and suddenly they remembered what he had said. 
Mercy and joy burst from the tomb like a deep belly laugh from the mouth of a child.
Victory danced down the halls of time turning all of creation on its ear.
He had won.
Death, the greatest enemy, had been defeated.
New life, everlasting life, had dawned.
Hallelujah, Christ arose!

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Reposting

This is a quick little visit back to a blog post I wrote several years ago. Not sure why I woke up thinking about it this morning but it’s words are true and the lesson is a good reminder.

It was 6:45am. She hates unloading the dishwasher anytime of day but she was doing it. Loudly. After a particularly rowdy session of removing bowls I said something to her about the noise. Her point was she wasn’t being loud on purpose…my point was that she wasn’t trying to be quiet either. We take virtuous refuge in the things that we didn’t intend. We are not accountable for those consequences which we did not intend to happen.
But here’s the thing… Nothing. Is. Neutral.
“Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.”
Paul is saying that it isn’t enough to just not steal anymore…now you must labor honestly…for the purpose of having something to share.
It isn’t enough to not intend harm…for every action or thought that we don’t intend we must be clear that we are seeking the opposite.
I didn’t intend to be rude. But was I seeking kindness?
I didn’t intend to be disrespectful. But was I seeking to show respect?
I didn’t intend to tear down. But was I seeking to build up?
I didn’t intend to hurt you. But was I seeking the best for you?
I didn’t intend to be hurt by you. But was I seeking to be long suffering?
Sometimes it isn’t enough to not intend the wrong thing. We have to pursue the right thing. We must be aware of what we don’t want to happen as a consequence of something we do so that we are very intentional in what we do want to happen.
Quick to love…slow to speak…submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
We are intentional because He was intentional.

This means we practice wifery with the intent to do good to our husbands. We parent with the intention of  not just seeking to raise good kids for the sake of having good kids but rather to raise up a godly generation that will love God, seek justice and pursue righteousness. We’re the kind of neighbor and friend that seeks  the good of the land that we live in. We are women who live to proclaim the Gospel in all that we do.

Sharing with Heart and Home and Titus 2 Tuesday

Pinterest Test Kitchen #25 ~ The Non-edible Edition

I don’t think I’ve shared a “recipe” here that wasn’t to be eaten so this is a first but today I’m going to show you a quick little recipe that will make your house smell marvelous.

What you’ll need:

one lemon sliced

1 or 2 teaspoons of vanilla

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary

water

What you’ll do:

Put all the ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.

Turn the heat down and allow mixture to simmer and flood your home with a crisp citrus scent.

Add more water periodically.

There you have it! A nice crisp and clean aroma that’s simple and natural.

Sweet Sharing Monday           Meal Time Monday            Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Titus 2 Tuesday

You Alone

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Treasures From The Sea

I mentioned last week that I needed to feel the sun warming my skin and feel the sand between my toes. On Friday my girls had a school holiday so we hit the beach for a lovely, albeit slightly cool, afternoon. We met up with some friends, walked the shore, they ran and dug in the sand, and even found some beach treasures.

We also came across an old shipwreck. For a little while imaginations turn to swashbuckling sailors and buried treasures but it’s actually a 1920’s snapper fishing boat that ran aground during a storm. The local archaeologist come mark it off whenever it shows up so that eventually the tides and the sand can cover it back up, leaving it hidden so that in some other time it will be discovered anew and little eyes will grow bright with the possibility that pirates once roamed our shores.

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Last Friday

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Twelve Things to Know About Sam

 1.)  He’s the only boy between two older and two younger sisters. This will either make him the greatest husband ever one day, or it has totally ruined him.

2.)  His favorite food is everything except what he doesn’t like. No kidding, if you ask, he’ll say something like, “All of it except for the stuff I don’t like.” Usually that means veggies and other things like rice, potatoes, or oatmeal and anything that he will have a sensory issue with.

3.)  Although he doesn’t play any sports he does enjoy watching them.

4.)  At one point in his young life he wanted to be a cartoonist that delivered babies. Since taking up art lessons he is more inclined toward the drawing vocation.

5.)  Still he loves babies. And is very excited whenever he finds out someone is pregnant. And then, he’ll consider all that he has read in Genesis, grab his stomach, begin muttering about the curse and the pain and pretend to faint. It’s quite entertaining.

6.)  He loves to tease his sisters, has a mischievous streak a mile wide, and likes to pull classic pranks like the shake hands with the buzzer and whoopie cushions.

7.)  He’s smart. But he’s also lazy. Which means school is something that he has to be greatly encouraged in. It helps that I found an online system to use. He loves anything electronic including the computer.

8.)  His greatest desire at the moment is to create a stop motion movie of some sort.

9.)  Legos are a big deal in his world. A big deal. His PawPaw and Nana got him a new set for his birthday with almost five hundred pieces. In less than two hours he had it all together.

10.) He loves word plays. He’s really sort of obsessed with them. Sometimes, they’re pretty funny. Other times not so much.

11.) If he’s asked if he misses someone who is out of town his response is always the same. With a pitying look he replies, “No, I’m not worried.” Not sure how he connects those two things but there you have it.

12.) Today is his birthday!

Happy 12th birthday, son! You’ve added much joy into our life and constantly show us a different way to view this world. We are much the richer for it.

April is Autism Awareness Month so next month I will share a series of Sam’s World posts and tell about our journey. I hope you’ll come back to learn a little bit about this often times misunderstood condition and if you know of someone whose life is touched by autism that you’ll share the blog with them. I’d love to hear your autism related stories too!

Test Kitchen #24 ~ Breakfast: It’s What’s For Dinner

We love breakfast in our house. And more often than not we eat it for dinner since our mornings are a mash up of getting up and out the door to school or work or up and ready for our homeschool day to begin. I mean I feed the kids but not like when we do breakfast for dinner.

We have three main favorite menus:
1.) Pancakes with bacon
2.) Eggs, bacon, grits, and biscuits and gravy and the one I am sharing with you today
3.) Black beans and huevos

It really isn’t anything fancy and in case you didn’t know it, “huevos” is actually the Spanish word for eggs. But this is what my husband calls it and the kids are fascinated with the exotic sounding name.
Technically this isn’t a recipe in the true definition of the word but rather just a combo platter of breakfast goodness.

What you’ll need:

huevos ~ in the amount needed to feed your family

black beans ~ 1 large can (we’re a family of seven, make that six that actually eat the beans)

sauteed onions ~ because of their almost caramelized deliciousness we use two or three large onions

tortillas

salsa

sour cream

shredded cheese

What you’ll do:

Warm your black beans 

Place tortillas in a warm oven to heat them

Scramble the eggs

You can either put your tortilla flat on your plate and load all the other stuff on it and roll it into one beast of a breakfast burrito or you can eat it like my husband and I do. 

Layer the eggs with the onions and black beans. Add the other toppings that you like; fold your tortilla in half and then in half again. Then use it as a spoon of sorts.
Either way it is one yummy conglomeration of breakfast food.

Sharing with Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Meal Time Monday, Sweet Sharing Monday, Marvelous Monday, and Try a New Recipe Tuesday.

A Desire Fullfilled

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What I Need

We’ve had the crud. The kind of crud that lingers and overstays it’s welcome. The one that stands on your  chest and causes deep eye crossing can’t get a breath coughing.
I’m so over it.
So today I practiced a little Biblical taking back. A little Old Testament dominion over dirt, dust, and germs. I opened blinds and threw open windows. And I feel like I sort of took my house back.

It feels good. But I read a quote off of pinterest and thought, “Yep, that is what I need.”

“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot 

and the wind blows cold: 

when it is summer in the light, 

and winter in the shade.” 

~ Charles Dickens Great Expectations

Which means that tomorrow I am taking the children (home for a school holiday) to the beach. 

I need to feel the sun heating my skin.

I want to feel the sand between my toes.

Hear the cry of a seagull over the sound of the waves.

Mine some treasures from the sea.

Feed the birds.

And maybe even watch the sun go down.

Can’t think of a better way to start the weekend, can you?

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