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My Husband Rocks!
Posted on: January 29, 2010
Jonathan doesn’t get nearly enough “blog time”, despite the fact that because of him and I am Loved Like the Church. So, I’ve decided to take today to do Brag on Him Friday, which is hosted by Blissfully Domestic.
Jonathan is an amazing husband. He is incredibly supportive, continually laying down his wants/desires/needs in order to show his love to me. One mere example of this, comes from this past week:
The University of Iowa hosts the Geneva Lecture, which is put on by a Christian run ministry that aims at answering how God fits in our society. This year the lecture was “Modern Physics and Ancient Faith – Conflict between Science and Religion”. Bing! This is right down Jonathan’s alley. And happens to fall on…. date night. Jonathan expressed his interest at going and perhaps postponing our date to later this week. Then the day came and I asked him what his plan was. His response? “I’m not going to the lecture. Going on a date with you is far more important.”
Be still my heart.
I know the lecture might not have been a top priority in his life, but I also know he was really excited about it. Which proves to me, yet again, how much he lays down his life for me and our marriage. My husband rocks.
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Last night I cooked one of my favorite (and easiest!) meals. Turkey tenderloin with pasta. Why do I love it? Because the turkey comes pre-basted and oven ready. Oh yeah.
Honeysuckle has all sorts of flavored tenderloins, and truth be known, the ingredient list really is not bad.
Whole grain pasta. A cabinet keeper must. Once cooked, add olive oil and some garlic powder. Yummy!
Alright, I don’t know if corn on the cob actually goes with pasta, but I can’t resist when the grocery store puts corn on sale. I just had to buy it. Because, really, I love corn on the cob. And so does Julia, she had 3 ears! And one of the Abdos had none.
The easiest drop biscuits, courtesy of All Recipes (an absolute bookmark!)
Top it off with some cut up some fruit and walla you have dinner.
I’ll be the first to admit that after Hannah I’ve let a few things slip. Trying to keep up with healthy eating/living, working out, being a mama, a wife, a Christ follower, friend, and daughter – something was bound to get pushed aside. And for me, the first to slip has been food preparation.
Shameful, I know. Good food is at the core of my southern roots.
But I have a good excuse. My daughters turn into crazed monsters between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. Without fail, just like clock work, there is a meltdown, blowout, timeout, or breakdown (more from me than them) in that hour before daddy arrives. So, in response I did No Cook November to help ease the stress of dinner time. But I started slowly letting go of any variety that my family both enjoys and craves. Once we moved in with the Abdos, I started helping out with lunches and dinners. I’ve quickly come to find that with four teenaged boys in the house you need lots of variety and lots of food. They have really helped be regain my cooking groove. Expect more food posts to come!
Man, I love this stuff
Posted on: January 27, 2010
- In: Life
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Because of this, she hates having her hair brushed. And who could blame her? I know from experience that it hurts. Bad. So, I bought her some hair detangler and I love it. I call it her “hairspray” so she feels like she gets to do something mama-ish. It works like a charm. Spray, brush, and no tears. Yippie!
Now, if I could just figure out to pull her hair back without her screaming, we’d be set.
I am adopted
Posted on: January 26, 2010
- In: Life
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“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
I am not adopted in the earthly sense. But, I have been adopted as a child of God. And that right there means so much. Just thinking about what it means to adopt a child – to choose to love and care for another as your own – makes me humbled. Before I ever graduate high school, I thought about adoption as an option for my future family. Yet, truth be known, my attitude towards adoption in the last several years has been very close-minded. While I think adoption is not only good, but necessary, I am not sure I, personally, could ever adopt. I’d even go so far as to say “it’s not my calling”.
Then the other day, I read a post by Jon Acuff over at Stuff Christians Like, that hit me to my core. It might not be in God’s plan for us to ever have adopted children, but it is His plan for me to be “called to that”. It is my role, my calling, as a Christ follower, to love orphans and care for them, the same way Christ loves and cares for me. My heart needs to be open to orphans even if it’s not through adoption. I read in World Magazine twenty different ways to impact an orphan. I won’t list all twenty, but here are a few that impressed me:
1. Sponsor a child
We’ve all probably seen those “Sponsor a Child” commercials. They pull at my heart strings every time I see them. And for good reason. These children need help. They need food, shelter, clothing. They need love. Since the Haiti Earthquake, I’ve been praying more about sponsoring a child. Even if not a Haitian, then another child who needs our help.
2. Give financial support to an adoptive family
This one hits pretty close to home. We have several friends who have either adopted, or wish to adopt. While I don’t know the exact cost for the process, I know it’s expensive. Like crazy expensive. Giving them financial support would be huge – not only in achieving their goal, but in showing you support and love them and their child(ren).
3. Participate in mission trips to orphanages abroad
I love this idea. I love the idea of my entire family going. I want my children to have a heart for those around them. I think seeing other children with nothing, or close to nothing, would move us all to want to help in any way we can.
What are your thoughts? Do you want to adopt? Have you ever adopted?
I want a Yummie Tummie
Posted on: January 25, 2010
- In: Life
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What mama out there doesn’t want to hide some of her tummy? I confess, I actually do own a pair of tummy shapers. I bought these high brief/tummy suckers right before I got pregnant with Hannah in an attempt to hide my fluff. I wore them for one major occasion, got pregnant and tossed them into the back of my dresser. I’ve donned them a few times post Hannah, but haven’t ventured into them for several months because they aren’t too comfy and I much prefer my tanks.
However, the idea of a tummy tucking tank, hmmmm….
Yummie Tummie is having a $100 giveaway, hosted by Blissfully Domestic. These yummies are sure to please the tummies! Go check ’em out!
FIFTY!
Posted on: January 22, 2010
- In: Life
- 7 Comments
My dear readers, as of today, I have lost 50 pounds since having Hannah. I am now under my wedding day weight and closing in on my college weight. Woo-hoo!!
It will never, ever end
Posted on: January 21, 2010
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
I’ve been trying to have just one laundry day. It seems like between cloth diapers, the girls’ blankets/sheets and our clothes, I am always doing laundry. But since moving in with the Abdos, I’m striving to do just one day of laundry instead of 4. The results? Lots and lots and lots of folding. Today I’ve done 5 out of 9 loads of laundry (not including the diapers I washed over night). Whew. On the plus side, I didn’t do laundry any other day this week. It really is the never ending task.
The Penny Trip
Posted on: January 20, 2010
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
I’ve counted all my pennies. Paris, here we come!
Jonathan and I are planning an anniversary trip to Paris this fall. Can I confess that I am maybe just a tiny, tiny, little bit excited? I’m already dreaming of crepes, wine, cheese and visiting Pont Nuef, where we got engaged. In order to go, Jonathan said that I needed to raise half of our travel funds. Which is no small feat for a person with no steady income and who isn’t nearly as business savvy as my friend, Leah. I’ve been saving money since last summer and shortly before we moved, Jonathan said he’d donate our change jar to my funds. I’ve been wanting to count the money for a while, but haven’t had the chance until this week. My grand total in coins? $58.90.
$36 in pennies
and
$22.90 in silver
I got a huge kick out of counting all those pennies. Every time I hit a dollar I thought, “Oh, yeah baby!”. Here’s the beginning:
I roped Julia into helping me out, handing me pennies as we went:
Here’s my system, that Jonathan laughed at; I’d make 10 columns, 2 pennies deep, 5 rows long:
Here’s the finished product; I really need some penny sleeves:
And some more pennies for my jar:
Help for Haiti
Posted on: January 15, 2010
- In: Life
- 3 Comments
MoneySavingMom is donating $10 for every person who blogs about what they specifically have done to help the Haitians. She will donate $.30 for every person who merely leaves a comment or email with what they have done.
What have you done?
Link up with MoneySavingMom to tell her what you’ve done and provide a little more help!
What have we done?
We donated money to Compassion International Wednesday night. I called Red Cross and United Way yesterday and was told that at this time, money is the biggest means of support, but will find out once that changes. Our family is discussing how much more we will give now and what ways we can continue to support the Haitians in the future (water, blankets, other supplies).
Please continue to pray for the country and her people.
My bubble needs to pop
Posted on: January 13, 2010
- In: Life
- 2 Comments
The country of Haiti was hit with a 7.0 earthquake yesterday, January 12. It was the worst in over 200 years.
Last night I heard the news from Jonathan, but I’ll be honest, paid no attention until this evening. Wrapped up in my own little mom bubble, I gave no thought to listening to the news, reading online or asking friends. Then tonight, as Julia played before bedtime I started reading news sources. Reading one after the other, my heart broke. Do I really care so little, that I haven’t even bothered to pray for these people, this country, until now? Why am I so engrossed in my own bubble that I am failing to see the world around me?
As I challenge myself to pop my “me bubble”, I challenge you as well. Here are 3 ways you can look beyond yourself and help the people of Haiti:
1. Pray
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” 1 Timothy 2:1
If you can’t help monetarily, you can help by praying. Pray for peace for the country, wisdom for the government, healing for the people and for God’s glory to shine through a dark and troubling time.
2. Give
“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” Galatians 6:2-3
There are some amazing relief organizations* taking donations. Giving even $1 will make a difference.
3. Talk
Spread the word among your friends. If you find an organization that you want to donate to, tell a friend. Better yet, organize a donation drive. If you have an idea to help with disaster relief, post it. Every thing you do helps.
*Sites I recommend
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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