gifts

Sometimes when I look at this girl, I think to myself, "Is this really the girl who was placed in my arms for the very first time... 5-AND-A-HALF years ago already?" She stared right at me with the biggest, most beautiful, dark eyes... I am so humbled and thankful that God has given me the priviledge of being her mom. Every first-time mom is a true rookie... and my firstborn has had to put up with a serious learning curve! From not knowing what babies do, how to teach them as young children... all the mistakes I've made---oooooh! I don't want to even go there!

Yet God has given so much grace! Grace for me to be her mom, and grace for her to love and forgive me inspite of my mistakes. I'm thankful beyond words for both her and for her little brother. And for Eric... (there's a whole other blog post on HIS patience with me, though!:) In a world where there is much heartache, God is good. Our children, our spouses, our dear families, loved ones, the sunshine, each new day - they are gifts from Him; they're not ultimately ours, but HIS. And He commands us to think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. And I know I've mentioned it before, but that list of things we're to think about follows the verse that tells us: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I guess with the recent heartache in our community...little Cash and Melanie who are now in Heaven, and Jensen who continues to suffer... it's once again my tendency to be anxious. But I know that is not the answer. All of these children are so precious to Him. And their presence in our lives is truly a gift from Him.

prayer requests

To anyone who ever reads this blog, I have a request... please pray especially for the following 3 people and their families. It sure seems like 'rough patches' come in waves, and this is a wave alright!

1) Jensen Anderson... most of you probably know about him. He's a 6-year-old boy with cancer in his spine and he has been in incredible, excruciating pain. Pray that God has mercy on him and his dear family. (You can follow the Andersons on facebook if you look up Jensen Anderson Updates.)

2) Cash Parriera... he is 2 years old and has cancer as well. While it doesn't seem as though he is in a lot of pain, he is increasingly fatigued, and there is nothing more the doctors can do for him as far as treatment goes. They so need our prayers as they walk through this valley. (You can go to acashofhope.blogspot.com for updates.)

3) Melanie Plagerman... she has battled with Cystic Fibrosis her whole life, and is once again in the hospital. She has had 2 lung transplants in her life, and a third cannot be done. Her lungs are only functioning at about 10%. She is also unable to undergo any more significant treatment now... time will tell whether she is able to come home or not.

My heart just aches for these families. And I wish there was something to lessen their pain or get rid of their diseases. I thank God that they trust in Him and that this life is not all that there is to them. Their hope is in the Lord. I know that each and every one of them would covet our prayers on their behalf! For peace. For God's love and mercy to surround & sustain them. For healing, whether here or in Heaven.

I'm so very thankful that "the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him."

And I pray that each one of them finds comfort in the words of Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed because I am your God. I will strengthen you and keep you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Health Food

I have a few friends who like to think that I can justify almost anything as "health food." I'll let you be the judge...

First of all, I actually do like to steer clear of hydrogenated oils where I can. I hear that stuff clogs your arteries. Anything that molecularly close to plastic probably shouldn't be consumed excessively. Soooooo, I make my all of my cookies with real butter. Yes, I'm a dairy farmer's daughter and the "M" word is not allowed in my house. Plus, it makes my cookies classify as health food if I use REAL butter.

Another example: Basically anything with chocolate chips is loaded with antioxidants, right? My grandma makes an unbelievable fudge at Thanksgiving. There is no margarine in it, and it's packed full of delicious, antioxidant-filled chocolate chips! My grandpa, who is just turning 80 years old claims that Hershey's chocolate has been a large part of his plan for healthy living.:) Anyways, Grandma's Fudge=Health Food.

Finally, my friend Dana makes an amazing sour cream coffee cake. This coffee cake is unlike anything I've ever tasted in my life, for not having chocolate in it. It gets a little harder for me to justify this one... (There might be about 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup sour cream and a 'few' cups of sugar in it...) BUT, this delightful dish is LOADED with dairy. Very important for strong bones, especially for us women. And, sugar is so much better for you than that fake stuff. So Dana's Amazing Sour Cream Coffee Cake=Health Food. What do you think? I think it works.

As you can see, my dietary plan has not been all that helpful in shedding holiday pounds. But it sure tastes good!

it's just january!

oh how i'd love...
to be in the mountains

camping with eric
and our two sweet kids

to make breakfast on a griddle...

bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes
all smothered in maple syrup

and enjoyed in the sunshine

to ride horse through

mountains, streams, valleys

meadows of lupines

and soft lush grass

to soak in hillsides

covered with indian paintbrush, bright yellow daisies

the smell of sage

and a faint trail

to enjoy time

unhurried, uninterrupted time

with my family

the people i love the most.

...better stop my daydreaming and remember, it's just JANUARY!

I know not why...

I know not why God's wondrous grace
To me He has made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.

I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart

I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing men of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.

I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.

But I know whom I have believed,
And am persuaded that He is able
To keep that which I've committed
Unto Him against that day.

My mom mentioned this song not too long ago, and I'm going to try to memorize all of the verses... I write that so that I really do buckle down and do it! This song is so full of such beautiful truth... As far as being a Christian goes, it's all His doing. He works in us, convicting us of sin. He works faith in us. He keeps that faith. If it were up to us, we'd never be able to do what is required! In all of life with all of its worries, I need to constantly remind myself of that. In His grace is the only place to truly find rest!

(mondays)

I love and look forward to the weekends... My husband is home from work, we get lots of time with the family, and we're all ready for a break in the regular routine. Lets face it, Mondays can be a bummer. Hubby's back at work, and well... I suppose that's about it. What can I say... we like having him around! However, there are a whole lot of good things about Mondays so I'm going to think about them instead.

My husband has a job that he loves-
God provides and I am able to stay home with our kids ~ we are so blessed!

I usually don't have too much going on-
Therefore, the kids get back on schedule.

My sister doesn't have to work on Monday-
Which means that I usually get to see her and my sweet niece before 9am and enjoy a good, STRONG cup of coffee with her:)

I'm refreshed and ready to tackle the house again-
I pretty much take the weekends off of any major cleaning since my hubby's home.

The kids often play happily for longer periods of time than usual-
They're so busy over the weekend they're happy to see their toys again!

And I'm thankful that I could go to church again-
What a great way to start the week!

Prayers...

In this Thanksgiving season, I have SO very many things to be thankful for... Jesus Christ, my family, friends, a warm home, life in a free country where I'm free to worship God, plenty of food, good health, and I could go on and on and on...

Right now, I think of the health our family enjoys. I just ran across a blog asking for prayers for the child in Monica Zylstra's womb. Baby Esther Jade is full of fluid and the doctors say it's unlikely that she'll make it outside of her mother's womb. They say she will most likely have congestive heart failure. BUT, our God is BIG. While they face the reality of the diagnosis of their precious little girl, they also hope in the Lord and pray for a miracle. Please join me in praying for her and her parents. And for Cash Parriera and Jensen Anderson... that they would also be miraculously healed from their cancer. That God would surround the families of these children with a peace that surpasses all understanding. Pray that they would know HIS love and strength in their trials.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph. 3:20-21)