Happy Halloween...

From the cutest puppy, frog and power ranger that there are!

Tiny talk Tuesday

~The two boys were sitting at the kitchen table, my two year old looking intently at his fingers. He looks at his brother, holding up his hand and says, "so you are 5.....and I am 2." The 5 year old responds, "yep." My two year old looks back at his hands and says, "Dang!"

~For more tiny talk visit Mary@notbefore7

Pleaase pray for...

~ There are two separate women dying of cancer now, in the area I live, and although I do not know either one very well, they are still on my heart and mind a lot lately. I know their friends, and after receiving the updates last night, I was saddened by the news and frustrated with my lack of being able to help in any way. It is hard to watch anyone die, young or old, but there is a greater confusion and sadness to the fact that these women are both in their thirties with young children. Please pray for them, for their families, and for their friends.

I really like this one...

"To many people are not living their dreams because they are living their fears."
~Joyce Meyer

He's coming home!

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."
~George Moore

I've spent the last month single parenting my children, and missing my husband and best friend terribly. The kids and I had a good time, and my husband and I have stayed in touch pretty well over the distance. I don't know how I could handle not being able to talk to him a few times a day, and e mail, text message. It makes me think of military wives who go months and months without seeing their husband. They have to sit at home wondering if their husband is even still alive, let alone know how their day is going. I don't know how they do it.
I am glad that he's coming home for a few days.

~He'll return to find the kids are a little taller, the weather is a little cooler, the living room rearranged to suit a baby whose learning to stand up, (and fall) and there's a strange musty smell in this house I can't seem to get rid of.... but he'll find us very happy to have him home!

I wish I had a picture...

~ Last night I went to check on my boys after they were asleep, like I do every night. This night was different, because at first glance, I couldn't see my 5 year old. Upon closer inspection, I realized that he was not under the balled up comforter, but inside it. Yes, buttoned up inside the duvet cover, fast asleep! Once I got the top unbuttoned, I carefully pulled him out, along with two pillows, my husband's sweatshirt, a baby blanket and a toy alligator.

Inspired to Action

It is up! Go check it out.... here!

~Kat has been working hard on her idea of this Inspired to Action site. It is going to be a really great thing, so I encourage everyone to check it often, and to get involved!

Some new commandments.

I asked my son what he learned in sunday school today, he said, "The 10 commandments."
I asked, "what are some of the 10 commandments?"
He said, "Like, no lying, and no whining, stuff like that."

This week...

~This week I am spending time focusing on getting articles written and edited for..... this new site created by Kat! This will be an amazing site, (which launches the 24th!) Be sure to check it out, and if you'd like the button in your sidebar, go to Kat's to get the code.

Multi tasking

I am a major multi-tasker. It's almost a challenge for me, I begin the day with a to do list and fill up an entire sheet of binder paper and try to highlight each thing off by the end of the day. I love to do craft projects, and try to squeeze those things in amongst all my other "to do's." The problem is, that the more kids I have the more things pop up, un-planned through out the day. I get frustrated that my things aren't getting done, or that I am up late into the night, and I end up having a lot of unfinished projects.

Someone told me the other day that they needed to have five paintings done for a show in a week. When I asked how that was going, they said that they'd started three. It was obvious to me, for them, that they should've been focusing on one at a time, because one finished painting is better than three half done ones.

It also hit me the other day, that when God created the world He did one thing each day. He didn't create part of the ocean, and part of an animal, instead He focused each day to a specific creation, and then took a full day to rest.

I have been trying very hard recently to focus on one thing at a time, and if that is my child talking to me, then I will stop what I am doing and look them in the eye, and I will listen. I am trying to look at the interruptions throughout the day, as opportunities, and that they have a point. Whether it's a chance to teach my kids a lesson, or hear something I would normally ignore. My point is, that I am trying to be more aware of my priorities, that crossing off the to do list is not more important than listening to my kids, and also that I am pointedly having less on my to do list in order to focus on one thing at a time.

Our Pumpkin Family

Asian Noodle Bowl

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 2 cups thinly sliced bok choy
• ½ cup thinly sliced green onions with tops
• 8 oz. mushrooms sliced
• ½ cup julienne cut carrots, 1 inch long
• 1 inch piece peeled fresh gingerroot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves pressed
• 3 cups water
• 1 can (14 oz.) 100% fat free veg. broth
• 2 TBSP reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 package oriental flavor ramen noodles

➢ Put mushrooms, carrots, gingerroot and garlic pressed in 4 qt. casserole. Add water, broth, soy sauce and seasoning packet from ramen noodles; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add chicken bok choy onions and noodles. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes, serve immediately.

~Yield 8 servings.

Hope

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul - and sings the tunes without the words - and never stops at all."

~Emily Dickinson

Tiny Talk Tuesday

This week I have been in and out of the house, my wonderful in laws are here spending a lot of time with the kids, so I don't have much content on what they've been saying this week! But I received an e mail of kids talking about church related topics, and some are so funny, so I thought I'd share....

~"A little boy was overheard praying:

"Lord, if you can't make me a better boy,

don't worry about it.

I'm having a real good time like I am."



~A Sunday school teacher asked her children as

theywere on the way to church service,

"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"

One bright little girl replied,

"Because people are sleeping."




~A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons,

Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.

The boys began to argue over who would get the

first pancake.

Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral
lesson.

"If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,

'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can
wait.'

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,

"Ryan, you be Jesus!"


~For more tiny talk Tuesday visit Mary@notbefore7

Letting Go..

~ It is a lot harder to let go of worry over situations, than it seems, especially when you care about someone, or the relationship, or the thing, or whatever it is that you are worrying about. I know that the bible says not to worry, or fear, to give our burdens to God, but at times letting go of that worry and fear is so difficult. I am starting to realize that God works through our inadequacies. He tells us not to worry, because He's there, but He would not have to tell us that if it were not our natural tendency.

I worry about my husband, being away, and being sick, but it encourages me to pray for him more. I worry about my son not listening, and being rebellious, so it causes me to focus more and find ways to help that. I worry about why people treat me a certain way, but it causes a healthy detachment, and the realization that God loves me, even if they don't. I think that God works through my natural draw to worry, but He is always there telling me, "you don't need to worry, everything is in my Hand." So inevitably, I end up giving Him my worries, literally saying, "Here it is God, the outcome is yours." and this enables me to move on in action and peace.

Safety Alerts

~ There are so many re calls going on right now for toys, mostly affected with lead paint. I checked out the list and found a few that my baby had been chewing on and got rid of them. Check out Consumer Product Safety for the list of toys, and they advise always allowing your doctor to test the child for lead.

~Also in the news is the recall of Infant Cough and Cold Medicines which at least is coming out before cold season is underway!

~Anything else anyone has heard about lately??

Quick Spinach Manicotti

INGREDIENTS

1 box (8 oz) uncooked manicotti shells (14 shells)
2 cups shredded Italian cheese blend (8 oz)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 box (10 oz) frozen cut spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 jar (25.5 oz) pasta sauce (any flavor)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Cook manicotti as directed on box. Rinse with cool water; drain well.
2. In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of the Italian cheese blend, the red pepper, ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic and egg.
3. In bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of the pasta sauce. Spoon ricotta mixture into manicotti; place over sauce in dish. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.
4. Cover tightly with foil; bake about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbling. Uncover dish; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend. Bake uncovered 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Increase first bake time to about 45 minutes.

(Recipe from Betty Crocker)

....

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."

~William Shakespeare

Tiny Talk Tuesday

~I was sitting (in the car) waiting to turn, and my 5 year old says, "Why are you just sitting here?"
I said, "Because if I turn too soon, those cars will hit me."
My 2 year old, (who is so precious) said, "Mama those cars don't want to hit you!"
So I turned when I got the chance, and we made it safely to the other side, and my two year old says, "See, told ya!"

~My two year old showing me his band aid- "It's Scooby dooby doobby dooby do."

~My two year old went potty on the potty, and my 5 year old was very encouraging, saying, "wow you are like a big boy, like a 10 year old!" My two year old replied, "yeah, I am like a cat!" (no our cat does not go on the potty!)

~To read more Tiny Talkers visit Mary@notbefore7

The Ham Festival

.... is what we did this weekend! It was not as traumatic as last year and we had a lot of fun. The kids went on a pony ride, bounced in bounce houses, rode a train, got ice cream... The picture is the boys watching the bees on the hive (?) while I was buying some fresh honey.

~Are the fall festivities beginning in your area?

More of His Spirit!

~ I helped in Sunday school today, have been running errands and am washing sheets and things today for my in laws coming for a visit! (yay!) So I don't have time to write much today, but am linking to a short devotional type article, or whatever you'd call it. It's by Beth Moore and about needing the Holy Spirit filling us up. Read it Here...

An excerpt:
"God gives His Spirit without measure! He has all that you need. Or more properly stated, He is that all you need. Our fulfillment and greatest joy are in the flooding of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. He is how we understand God’s Word and will for our lives!"

Kid's Art

Of course I think my kids have a natural talent to be artistic, because everything they do I think is amazing! I started realizing how much I love kids' art in general and checked out this book that is a design book for kids, and the creations are by kids. I think I love how unhindered children are with their art and designs, they are not thinking about what someone else wants to see, they are creating from their own imaginations.

~My favorite thing that my sons have made was a painting they worked on together, and I just sat and watched their different styles. My oldest had large and quick brush strokes taking up most of the canvas while my two year old stuck to a corner and painted little circles and dots. The end result was a collision of many colors and two satisfied little boys.

~What is your favorite creation by your kids?

Living in Gratitude instead of desire...

~To be honest, knowing that my husband is gone for a month and a half, combinbed with my hormones doing something crazy due to the fact that I have been pregnant or nursing since April 2004 and have recently weaned my baby, combined with issues in my family, combined with daily life..... make (for me) a hard time, and it very easy to focus on what is "lacking" in my life. I have a natural tendency to be a pessimist, and be negative, and I hate it.

My grandparents, who were some of the only christians in my family, were the most positive people. Toward the end of my grandfather's life, I became a christian, and we had that common bond. One day I asked him how he could be so happy when he was dying of Leukimia, and had recently lost my grandma. He told me that he told himself "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." throughout the day, and he said, "all things, what else is there?" Simple, but hard for me somehow. He said, it took him a lot of practice, but eventually, happiness and faith were his nature. He was given 6 months to live after being diagnosed with Leukimia, saying that it was all through his body. He lived for a year after that, golfed up until 2 weeks before he died, and up until the day before he died, not once swayed from his faith that Jesus would heal him. He'd leave the doctor, only really absorbing the positive news, never really even hearing all the negative things they were saying. I believe that positive outlook, allowed him to have a very full life, even while dying of cancer.

I read this article about teaching yourself to focus your attention on things that make you happy. "happiness is all about the allocation of attention. Getting more pleasure out of life, and increasing happiness can be done in many ways: By savoring sensory experiences (really feeling the warmth of the sun or tasting sweetness of a strawberry), becoming more engaged in what you do (being in the moment and blocking out thoughts/feelings that are not relative to that moment), and by finding ways of making your life feel more meaningful (volunteering, meditating, reaching out to those in need)."

~I am trying to teach myself to be happy, and to appreciate all the people in life that I have relationships with, whether here or far away, instead of focusing on all that is rocky, difficult and lacking. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." and I will focus on "whatever is pure, lovely, true...." (Philippians 4:8)

Turkey Burgers

(It still feels like the end of summer here...so I am not much in the mood for fall recipes yet...)

Turkey Burgers with grated zucchini and carrot
(good way to sneak in extra veggies!)

¾ lb. turkey
1 med. Zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
¾ tsp. dried thyme (or oregano)
¾ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 large egg
3 TSP olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the turkey, zucchini, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and egg. Form the mixture into 4 patties
~Can bar b que (or grill) them, bake in oven, or in stir fry pan.

The lives we live...

"The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."
~Flora Whittemore

Tiny Talk Tuesday

~My sweet Aiden reminded me as I was leaving their room one night, "mama you got for, (forgot) to pray for Bluey."

~"I'm not an itty bitt..." says my 5 year old to my two year old as they were talking in their room

My husband to Blue, "Where'd my drink go?"
Blue: "I drank it."
My husband: "Your a stealer!"
Blue: "I'm not a stealer, I'm a finder!"

Me to Blue: "Are we playing restaurant?"
Blue: "Yes, what do you want for dinner?" he asks, holding a pad of paper.
Me: "Are you the waiter?"
Blue: "No you guys are the waiters!"

(for more Tiny Talk visit Mary@notbefore7)

Yumm.

~ I love M&M's, I have not found a kind that I don't like. I couldn't pass up trying out the new Raspberry M&M's when I saw them, and I have to say, they are most likely the best thing ever. They may just be my favorite, though the peppermint ones around the holidays are a close second, and the peanut ones....it's hard to pick a favorite!

~What is your favorite M&M flavor?