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Truthful Thursday – John 16
Posted on: May 14, 2009
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“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Crockpots – God’s greatest creation
Posted on: May 8, 2009
- In: Life
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Some might say that man is God’s greatest creation. Not true. It’s the crockpot.
I tried something new this week – cooking one main meal on Monday/Tuesday and then using the leftovers throughout the week for other meals. Tuesday we had a Mexican spread: fajitas, beans, rice, Mexican salad. Wednesday we had salad using the leftover fajita meat. Thursday was bean and cheese tacos with leftover beans and rice (I made up another batch of tortillas because the last batch didn’t make it that long 😉 ).
Tonight is crockpot night. And can I just say, thank God! It’s been one of those days where I’m struggling to keep my own attitude in check while helping Julia do the same. It’s all nice and dandy to discipline your child when you, yourself, feel calm and collected. But throw in some raging pregnancy hormones (seriously, like how many times have I cried today for no reason?!), extreme fatigue mixed with insomnia, pressure to start cleaning in prep for our big house remodeling and you’ve got yourself one frazzled mama, who’d give anything to not deal with tantrums.
Anywho, I put a roast in the crockpot this morning late morning early afternoon and I am thrilled that my dinner duty is over. Nothing like knowing that while your to-do list is still a mile long, dinner is at least not on it.
So, even if the crockpot isn’t God’s greatest creation, it’s at least one of His greatest blessings to mamas!
Truthful Thursday – Luke 17
Posted on: May 7, 2009
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“The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!” Luke 17:5-6
TMI, or For Girls Only – Seriously
Posted on: May 4, 2009
- In: Life
- 13 Comments
Seriously, if you’re a guy stop reading now. Really. Just close your laptop and walk away. No joke. If you keep reading you will forever be scarred.
Guys, I warned you.
Alright, is it just the ladies now?
Have you ever considered cloth pads? I’ve done quite a bit of research on them over the last 9 months and have decided to give them a try. They can get rather expensive, so I’m having some made. It seems kinda gross (Jonathan won’t touch this subject with a 10 foot pole), but I figured if I’ve got two kids in cloth, why not just add a third? Plus, from the research I’ve done they say that these things hold up for years. One blogger said that between her cloth and Diva Cup, she hadn’t used store bought products in ten years! How cool is that?! Last summer before getting pregnant, I used the Diva Cup for about 3 months. I loved it. Completely and totally amazing. I think what is so appealing to me is that 1) you don’t have to change it all the time, 2) I can leave my house without worrying about one more thing to have on hand, 3) it never leaks and 4) it’s so much more comfortable than a tampon. However, I can’t use it post-Dubya Dos which is where the pads come in.
So far I’ve found GladRags, Party in my Pants (they are sold individually at New Pi), and Lunapads to be the most recommended. However, just for a small postpartum kit the pads would run me close to $100. Which, if they last 10 years, is only $10 a year on pads. Not too bad at all, but outside of right after delivery, I never wear pads (maybe a liner for added protection), which means that these wouldn’t be used all that often. I’ve checked out some on eBay, but with shipping you don’t really save all that much, especially since you buy individually rather than in a kit.
Ladies, have you ever looked into cloth pads? If so, what are your thoughts? Do you use them? Would you ever use them?
***EDIT***
I did start using cloth pads after Hannah was born (June 2009). If you want to read about how that’s gone, check out TMI – the update.
Truthful Thursday – Romans 8
Posted on: April 30, 2009
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“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39
- In: Life
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We are inching our way closer and closer to being diaper free. More and more often Julia is alerting me when she needs to go (more so for pooping than peeing) and she has a pretty good record to telling me after she’s peed. She’s correlating everything: dry, wet, potty, urges, etc. It’s all very exciting, but honestly I have some concerns that she’ll regress when Dubya Dos arrives. I suppose I can’t really worry about it too much for now. Just keep up with the praise and training and pray for the best!
Julia is sleeping overnight in her new toddler bed. We’re still having her sleep in the crib during naps, because we had a few instances of her getting up after only 20 minutes and frankly she and I both need more rest than that! Yet at night she does really well. We’ve hit a snag in sleeping in since we got back from Texas. Despite the fact that there is NO time change between us and Texas, Julia has stopped sleeping in. Total bummer. I really enjoyed the 6:30-7 wake up call. Not loving the 5:30 wake up call. At the advice of some girlfriends and websites, we’re going to get a large alarm clock for Julia to use. The idea is to teach her the number 6, black out the last two digits and train her to stay in bed until she sees the right number. I read one mom actually set the clock slow, so that her child didn’t wake up until after 6, but they thought it was 6. Whoa, if that would work… sweet! Kinda funny that we’re all up in a teasy trying to get Julia to sleep in, just to start loosing sleep again come June.
I went to Wal-Mart today for the first time in nearly a month. Grr. I am so glad I’ve started shopping elsewhere. I mean Wal-Mart has so cheap prices, but I’m finding it so not worth the extra effort/time/stress to go there. However, if Jack wants food and the rest of us want toilet paper, Wal-Mart is gotta stay on the shopping route.
The swine flu is coming, the swine flu is coming! Perhaps I’m too sheltered/idealist but really, I’m not sure it’s all that necessary to start freaking out about this virus. Already they are talking on NPR about the possibility of swine flu turning into a epidemic. Sounds oddly similar to the avian flu scare a couple of years back. Yet, I do find it humorous that they are saying travel to Texas should be limited, due to a breakout (of 2 students) in the San Antonio area. Oops.
Same day last year
Posted on: April 24, 2009
- In: Life
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I was just going through some old pictures of Julia and came across pictures from this same day last year (actually it was April 24, not 25th, but pretty close). My, my how much difference a year makes!
Truthful Thursday – Exodus 14
Posted on: April 23, 2009
“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”” Exodus 14:13-14
Most yummiest of yummies.
Posted on: April 22, 2009
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I fell. Hard. Off the no-sweets bus that is. It happened around my birthday. I just needed something sweet. And for some reason I just never stopped eating sweets. I’d so blame it on being pregnant, but that’d be a lie. 😉
However, I’m still trying to be good about not going crazy on the sweets and looking for a healthier alternative. I found this recipe from Keeper of the Home.
Peanut Butter Smoothie
1 cup milk (I use 2%)
1/4 cup peanut butter (I just use a heaping spoonful which equals to about the same)
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1-2 Tbsp honey (I just pour until I’m happy)
2 bananas (KOTH calls for frozen, but I do regular)
Add ingredients to blender and mix. Pour and enjoy!
Seriously, these are amazing! They are super sweet and rich and make for a wonderful treat. I’m thinking strawberries or other berries would be pretty rockin’ too.
Proverbs 31, or Why I love Fareway
Posted on: April 20, 2009
- In: Life
- 5 Comments
I’ve never viewed myself as a Proverbs 31 wife. I read though the passages and find myself faced with a woman who seems completely above all. Stays up late working, gets up early to prepare for the day, is always joyful, laughs at every worry, the definition of resourcefulness. Me. Yep, I’m not touching that with a ten foot pole. I really desire to be like her. I want to bring joy and peace to my household, be a helpmate to Jonathan, but I just don’t find myself matching up to her.
Yet God is gracious. I might not be able to get up before my family, buy and sell property, but, but I can find some good deals on groceries.
Since the beginning of March I’ve been trying to be more resourceful and mindful of my grocery shopping. I’ve been going through the local store ads, buying items in advance when they’re on sale, and buying more bulk for freezing. I’ve had some hits and misses, some days of thinking “Man, I just wanna go to Wal-Mart” but I think I’ve found my groove. All thanks to one little store – Fareway. The Fareway closest to my house has some amazing deals on produce. Like, wow amazing. For example, last week I bought 12 zucchini for $2. They were on their last leg, but cut ’em up, freeze ’em and bam!, you’ve got yourself cheap, good zucchini to steam for future dinners.
What makes me laugh most of all is just how much God cares about details.
Back in February I put our Food Saver up on Craigslist. Never once have I used this saver. It’s in mint condition with all the tubes, bags, etc. Guess how many people emailed me. Zero. Seriously, not a one.
Well, today I was prepping some green beans to freeze when I remembered, or rather God reminded me, that I have this uber cool food saver. I got it out, dusted it off, read the instructions and gave it a whirl. Whoa mama! I love this thing! What have I been missing? Hello?!? Amazing contraption. For real.
So, I might not fit every verse of Proverbs 31, but I must say God’s grace has been pretty great in showing me that I’m still doing a good job of caring for my family.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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