Come and See What God Has Done

My eldest daughter danced a liturgical piece at church on Christmas Eve.  The piece was to Lauren Daigle's "Noel."  As I watched the performance, and listened to the lyrics, I was struck by the line "Come and see what God has done."  Obviously, the song is specifically speaking about the birth of our Savior, but I considered the line in the light of everyday life as well.

Sharing our testimonies about what God has done can help to draw others closer to Him.  Our stories of trials, and unrelenting faith, can be used to strengthen the weary and encourage them to keep pressing on in the face of adversity.

I do readily share about God's faithfulness to my sister and I in the time of my mom's terminal illness and passing.  I am quick to proclaim His goodness and mercy despite the sad ending I wanted to avoid.  But I am less open to sharing how God has worked in the middle of my everyday, ordinary messes.  Because that would require me to admit what a complicated mess I truly am.  And really, I'm hard enough on myself already and can't bring myself to be open to further scrutiny.

But then I'm making it all about me when, as a believer, it is supposed to always be all about Him.  I'm actually not quite sure what to do with these thoughts.  I've been pondering them and trying to figure out what it all means.  I think the obvious answer would be to be open to sharing how God has worked through my trials both large and small but that is far easier said then done.  I think I will be praying this through for quite some time...

The YouTube video of Lauren's song can be found here.

Holiday Mini-Meals

This time of year, our family has extra events and a crazier-than-normal schedule (I think this is true for most people!) We are pretty good at eating at home, on a regular time schedule, most of the year but I can struggle during busy seasons like this.

We are a family of seven and our main breadwinner works in ministry.  We simply do not have the budget to swing through a fast food place every time things get busy.  One thing I have been doing for several years now is to serve mini meals ahead of our usual dinner time.

So if we typically eat dinner at 5:00 but will be out of the house until 6:30 or so, I serve a mini meal around 4:00.  I try to do a relish tray with cut veggies and some fruit.  I will also try to add a little protein when possible to keep them full.  One of our recent favorite "appetizers" has been Meatball Poppers.  I originally found the recipe on Pillsbury's website so they are made with convenience foods and not horribly healthy (hence the fruits and veggies to try to ease my mommy guilt!).

The recipe can be found here.  I don't put our poppers on sticks because it's an unnecessary expense, and let's face it, my boys will turn them into weapons for an epic dinner battle!  After our event, I'll usually serve a light dinner such as soup and sandwiches.

Do you have other tips and tricks for meal times during busy seasons?  I'd love to hear them!

Life Skills: Sewing

I think sewing is a very valuable life skill.  However, almost all of my Home Ec knowledge has escaped my memory. (#mommybrain) My eldest daughter had been exposed to basic sewing skills through a summer camp and was very interested in learning how to advance her newfound skills. For her twelfth birthday, earlier this year, I gave her a sewing machine and a basic sewing kit.

Since I was unable to teach her to sew properly, I hired a recent homeschool graduate in our community to teach her.  The teacher was able add a few more students and we had a great little class.  The girls met every other week to work on specific skills and creative projects.

I believe, as homeschool moms, it's easy to think that we must have all the skills necessary to teach our children all the things.  We can be hesitant to admit that something isn't our strong suit or we just don't know how to teach it effectively.  I felt this way about teaching my daughter to sew.  I really wanted to teach her and I was willing to spend hours on YouTube trying to figure it all out.  But that really wouldn't have been the best route for her or I.  Hiring the sewing teacher ended up being a blessing to all of us.  The teacher earned money for her living expenses, my daughter and the other girls learned to sew and made new friends, and I even had the chance to glean homeschool/childrearing advice from the teacher's mother while the students were in class (She is raising phenomenal children and I've wanted to pick her brain for a long time!)

This week my daughter has been sewing Christmas gifts for her siblings.  She loves using the skills she's learned to bless others.  I'm so glad I was willing to lay my pride aside in order for her to flourish.

Let Laughter Ring

When my mother passed away, and my sister left our hometown for the east coast, I inherited the house I was raised in.  When I was a child, our home was rarely a happy, joyful place.  Living with an alcoholic father meant our home was usually a loud, angry, and stressful place or a silent place filled with the tension, and pressure, of the next impending explosion.

By the Grace of God, the same home is now a dramatically different place.  The house may be the same but the atmosphere is entirely different.  My children are free to be creative, expressive, loud, and messy.  There is the occasional disagreement because there are seven people living here and it's bound to happen.  But there is grace, forgiveness, and mercy for all.

Tonight, I'm listening to the happy sounds of two of my children collaborating to create a Christmas Eve production.  The other three have created a "swimming pool" for their dolls and stuffed animals.  Every day I am grateful for God's story of redemption in this house and, more importantly, in my life.

With a Grateful Heart

Ever grateful to the One who chose me to be their mother.