Come Away

The older I get the more I appreciate God's creation.
What I might have missed as a youth - captivates me now as an adult. I'm drawn to discovering the beauty in the woods, specifically, and even more specifically the woods in the Autumn. :)

We spent the weekend at a place that I affectionately call "our cabin", although it's neither "ours" or even a cabin, really. My husband had been recruited to teach a youth retreat and the girls and I got to tag along - just so happens it was at our favorite place. The camp is called Hidden Acres - it's out in the middle of corn fields and then BAM a camp, surrounded by trees. Beautiful. Restful. It's become so very dear to our family as a place of respite and renewal.

Saturday morning I woke up early and stole a few minutes alone outside. The sun was on its way up and it was chilly. Perfect. In my jammies, robe, and leopard print rain boots I trekked through the woods around our cozy cabin - camera in one hand, coffee in the other. I hadn't used my real camera in awhile and it was fun to play around with the functions again. I'm a sucker for the close up macro shot. :) It's all dirt and broken nuts and what not - but so beautiful!

The beauty of dying. Every plant is fading and wilting - yet, it's beautiful. I'm sure there are deep thoughts I could tie in with this, but today is just a post of beauty. Stopping to appreciate what's right under our feet.

The light coat of dew was fantastic! Look at those perfect beads of water.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.

The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!

Psalm 29 

The sun continued to make its way to the surface - and it happened fast. Thinking about scripture and talking to God (alone) always refreshes me. As a mom to young kids - the quiet has become valuable to me. These pictures are special because I can feel and remember the quiet. 

We are blessed to serve the Lord with our lives in full time local church ministry. It's a dream come true for us, really. It's easy to let weeks and months go by without getting some good down time - to come away from the day to day and refocus. I needed those calm mornings. While my hubby was busy preaching to teens on the other side of camp, I was enjoying my indoor fireplace and hot coffee and some time in the Psalms. The girls ran around outside, played in the bunk beds, and explored camp. Time was a treasure this weekend, to this mom heart. 

November has begun and the usual activity of holidays, family visits, ministry appointments, special activities, etc. is upon us. We'll go back to "our" little place here in a few weeks - only with 50 other family members, so it'll be a bit different. I'm thankful we had this time this weekend and I'll look forward to going back in the spring to take pictures of things coming to LIFE! 

Where do you go for refreshment? Have you made time to come away from the busyness of life? 

Happy November, friends! Hoping it's the best one yet! 

.:Autumn Afternoons:.

Despite the temp's reaching back into the 70's and even 80's this week... {bleh} We are enjoying a beautiful autumn. Oh how I love it! Neighbors trees have dropped golden leaves in our yard, I was gifted two beautiful RED mums for my front step, and we picked up our first pumpkin! The colors, the smells, the feel of it all never fails to capture my attention.

It's a laid back Saturday here in Iowa and I've been able to really focus in on enjoying my family and our home. These no-where-to-go Saturdays are small treasures to me. Piddling around in the kitchen, making crafts with the kids, extra baby snuggles - it's all wonderful and most days we are so busy it's easy to miss those moments. Even now as my two youngest sleep it's calm and sunny and watching the trees sway and lose their leaves is perfect! Of course the mug of hot cider was a bonus as well :)

Autumn really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Tonight we'll have some Creamy chicken wild rice soup - my first attempt. It's been simmering away in the crock pot since early this morning and the house smells heavenly. I'm sharing the recipe today because it's SUPER easy, pretty inexpensive to make and I'm hoping will be a crowd pleaser as my kids love rice, chicken and veggies.

What you'll need:

1 c. uncooked wild rice (I'm using aldi's rice blends - red, white, basmati and wild)

1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 c chopped onions

3/4 c chopped celery

3/4 c chopped carrots

4-5 cloves minced garlic

2 bay leaves

6 c low sodium chicken broth

2 c water

2 T poultry seasoning** (keep reading down below)

3 T butter

2 T olive oil

1/2 c flour

2 c milk

salt & pepper to taste

 

You aren't supposed to peek, but I can't help it!

Before I include the link to the instructions let me touch on the seasonings. This summer I found this gem in the grocery store and have been using it for so many things. It's awesome in soups, on burgers, ground turkey, etc. So instead of buying poultry seasoning I'm using it. Cavenders! It's salt free, too! 

I found this soup recipe on Little Spice Jar's site. It's super cute and she has some great things there! Go check it out here. Her food photography alone will have you drooling :)

As we get deeper into the autumn season our schedules are full. This year we let our oldest take part in the one day cheer clinic our local high school offers. She practiced one day after school and then the next week she and her little cheer friends performed at the football game. It was cute. My hubby was out of town so it was just me and my three little girls - which, was insane. But we survived and have some cute memories to boot.

These girls are such a gift. Some days they really drive me bonkers but then we have precious new mercies the next day. I'm so thankful for all three of them!

Happy Saturday friends! I hope you have a good one, a calm one, full of warm soup and family and all the wonderful things that make this season so special.

My grandma's soup mugs passed down to me :)

There is so much to be thankful for.

As October opened up yesterday I spent a few minutes on my front steps sipping my coffee. It was much cooler then it has been, the sun was slowly making its way up behind our neighbors house, and I could see my breath. Without question this is my favorite time of year. It's the season where, more then others, I find myself lingering. One more glimpse of a sunrise, one more second watching the squirrels in the yard, one more glimpse of that yellowing tree. Life comes alive as the seasons change and I am so thankful for Autumn. There is so much to behold.

In scripture we can read over and over all the passages that talk about giving thanks. This time of year lends to extra thought there as we prepare for Thanksgiving and holidays. It's on our mind. I jotted 1 Thessalonians 5:18 down on my mini chalkboard so I could try and have it on my mind daily. The Lord has done some wonderful things in our life this week and I'm happy to share it with you. In all things we give thanks! The good days and on the bad ones.

Yesterday I stopped by a friends house to pick up a bag of kid clothes. The generosity of people just giving away their kids used clothing blows my mind! I've had to buy very little for my own kids because we are blessed by these great hand me downs. The Lord provides for us in the area often and I am so grateful! Winter coats and boots were a part of this bag and it's exactly what we needed! My girls love ripping open the bags and sorting through whats inside. August, my 4 year old, tried on every coat and jacket proudly shouting, "I love this one!". Such a joy! Give thanks!

While she dug through her new clothes I noticed a card that fell out. I don't want to steal the blessing from this friend but I do want to share why it matters SO much to me. The back story is - our budget has been trimmed immensely this month (and until December) as we pay for my husbands seminary class. There is little to no wiggle room and as far as fun fall extras go, there won't be many. I totally support my husband and his pursuit of his higher degree, 100%, but it does make things feel a little dry at times. I've had to pray and give this over to the Lord many times. So far we've made it through September and I've only pouted a few times about not being able to buy fancy fall coffees. :)
{My splurge} Insignificant, I know. But I really enjoy them and I do find that they add to my joy of fall. Also, who doesn't love pumpkin everything even in coffee?!!?

So, as I opened the card and read the words - I cried. It was EXACTLY what I needed at that moment in my life and the Lord knew it. He always knows! But it wasn't just the coffee card - it was the heart behind it. This already generous friend, who I should be thanking and giving coffee to... was gifting me! It's a busy time in our ministry lives and her appreciation was a blessing to me. Give thanks!

On our way home from picking up the clothes I noticed a curb full of solid wood furniture. For a few months I've been debating what to do with our dining room table. It's coated with glitter and glue and really just looks ragged. We've talked about painting it or staining it or doing something. Right now it's covered in a cute fall table cloth. I saw a nice looking table so we stopped to check it out. It looked like the Duncan Phyfe table I had drooled over on Craigslist! Upon closer inspection, it may not be the real deal - but, it's beautiful! I loaded that beast in my mini van all by myself and back on the road we went! I'm not sure if we'll use it as a dining table after all, knowing how my kids lean and push on our current table. But, I do NEED a laundry table and I do LOVE how pretty this table is! Plus, it was FREE! Give thanks!

So this morning I'm thinking and remembering all the Lord has provided - and I just mention these few fun things, but He has done much more. And not even just "stuff" but in relationships and conversations. We've had a fantastic first two weeks of youth ministry and our adult cell group ministry that meets in our home. The Lord has changed my heart in many ways in how I view people, their hearts and what our deepest need is. It seems the constant theme of every message I'm hearing recently is about loving people, struggling with them, and being the body together. It's been great! And busy.
My home looks like we've been busy. And we'll just keep on serving the Lord and living this crazy good life together.

October holds many good things for our family. I'm eager to see how the Lord holds us and guides us! We have a lot on the calendar and I'm looking forward to every single thing!

Give thanks! There is always so much to be thankful for!

Call me Flip Flop

Oh, it has been awhile on here, eh?
I'm working through some heavy thoughts lately and 50% of the time I feel like my head is on straight, I'm thinking biblically, trusting the Lord, etc. but then the other 50% of the time I'm like an indecisive, mopey monster. That's where I am right now. To be honest, I feel that I've been here for a year now. It comes and goes... my heart and mind arguing and feeling all flip flop. Because I'm a woman and most of my readers are too, I assume I'm not alone in this. We aren't alone. So I'll share today some of my common struggle and we can encourage one another.

Since becoming a wife and mother I seriously DO dream of a simple, satisfying, uncomplicated life. Ha! Writing that out sounds absurd so let me explain.
I, want to honor my husband.
I, want to do special things here and there to show love to him.
I, want to raise my children to respect and love.
I, want to be a fun mom.
I, want to bless my family with all the homemade memories. 
I, want to have a beautiful and comfortable home.
I, don't want to hassle with chore charts and arguments.
I, DESIRE comfort and beauty.

But, sin. It's everywhere. It's my marriage and rears its ugly head through selfishness and pride and anger. It's in my parenting as I seek my own way, answer harshly, or give in too easily. It's in my home as I often find myself lacking contentment for what we have (so much, too!) and pining for the newest, prettiest, whatever. (or in my case, the chippiest, shabbiest, antique) Sin, it's in our world and it affects everything. My family is not excluded. So I have all these desires and ambitions to be a blessing, to seek the Lord and just ooze Jesus in my home - but I get in my own way, quenching the spirit, letting pride ruin things and discontent sour my joy.

Some days I wake up and think - "this is it!". We are going to be grateful, eat what we have in the house, create beauty in our spaces with things we own, etc. But then 11:30 rolls around and in lieu of homemade soup I just want Chick-fil-a, a starbucks and that new bookshelf from Pottery Barn. I loose steam. I forget that God is good, all in a few hours. Because being frugal and wise with money is HARD and shall I even admit that sometimes I get WEARY of it. As if having more would make life easier. Newsflash: it doesn't.

So, I went to bed last night and as I lay there waiting for sleep to come I was literally flip flopping between two schools of thought:

1- I look forward to opportunities to be frugal. Grocery shopping, looking for deals and ways to stretch a buck intrigues me and challenges me. It's good! I've gotten really good at patching holes in kids clothes and watching the Lord blow us out of the water with his provisions in all things. I love this school of thought and I love being in it. I thought through budget meals and how we could cut out this and that to free up more money, reviewed in my mind the trip earlier that day to Goodwill where I found a beautiful Banana Republic sweater for $1.49! Yea baby! Frugal living, I love it! Bring on the challenge! Let's rock this budget.

But then. Almost simultaneously.

2 - I am SO tired of driving ALLLL that way to Aldi. I'm weary of pasta meals and generic diapers. Would it be SO bad to just have a descent new car? Will we ever be out from under these student loans? How long is seminary again? I hate the challenges of budget living, I want freedom, I want more. Stuff, stuff, stuff. Seems like all we do is pay bills. No vacations. No date nights. Blah.

I'm thankful that Lord is quick to draw to my attention His faithfulness in our lives. How he cares and loves and provides. He gives us work! He shelters us with a roof. We aren't promised and don't deserve more. And really it's not even just money that gets me all flip-floppity. It's most things: raising kids, keeping a home, who I am three kids later, what I like, etc.
The Lord is doing a work in my life and I have much to learn. For now, I give thanks! In all things give thanks, my friends. Fellow budget masters: You are loved! Moms feeling like failures, you are loved! Indecisive homemakers, you are loved.

The Stuff of Summer

Hello from 1st Street! We are in the fullest part of our summer and enjoying every day, or at least, trying to. All my lists of projects have taken the back burner to the rest of life - and raising my three girls has really taken ALL my time. It's all good. We've gone through VBS week at church, a youth service trip here locally, a trip to Omaha to visit family (and the amazing zoo!), lots of days at the park and splash pads, etc. and I was able to jump into a ladies bible study on Wednesday nights. This weekend my husband leaves for Brooklyn, NY for 9 days and then at the end of the month we'll head north to camp in Michigan!

So many great memories have been made. Today I'll just share a taste of our fun!

At the end of June I celebrated my 33rd birthday over dinner and a Matt Kearney concert downtown. Such a great date with my guy! Now that I'm 33 I've found TWO gray hairs and notice more and more my squinty smile lines around my eyes. WHAT?! So soon?! :)

The girls started their summer workbooks last week - it was time. Our weekly routine has been going pretty good, but we are starting to have some fighting and fussing. Enter school books and somehow they magical soothe their brains. 

The Fourth of July was great this year! We went to a parade and spent the evening with friends watching fireworks. 

This Sunday we had a unique opportunity to attend an old fashioned car show where my husband preached. Afterward it was all funnel cakes & Sky rides! 

There is still so much summer left to live and we are thankful for that. :)

But I need to secretly admit that this odd 75 degree day made me smile to think that Autumn is next.

.:Vacation Wrap Up and what lies ahead:.

We are home.
When we left sunny Florida it was 91 degrees, humid, and ah-mazing. Upon arrival in Des Moines, it was 61 {barely}, raining, and the sky was a lovely shade of nothing-gray. Ho-hum. Back to life and reality. Vacation was fantastic but of course there's no place like home!

The rest of our week in Florida included a lot of time in the pool or poolside, quality time with our children and in-laws and one frozen yogurt trip where I won FREE yogurt because I got exactly 11.4oz of yogurt. A contest of sorts. I'm not proud that I got 11.4oz...but, it was FREE so there was a reason. {wink wink} Also, it was delicious. No regrets.

We stopped by an adorable little run-down fruit store off of an orange grove. Aside from our conference this was probably my favorite. It was old and chippy and the real deal. We tried some alligator jerky, bought real honey in the honeycomb and grapefruit right off of the tree! I'm 100% sure everyone there knew we were tourists.

Now I need to gush about my children and how awesome they are. The Lord really carried us through this week and I am so grateful! When we got home from church last Sunday my big girl had a high fever and seemed to be on the decline in a hurry. We had less then 5 hours until we needed to board a plane and my mind automatically went to "well, better prepare my heart for not going." I was convinced she had something awful and I would be forced to miss out and stay home to care for her. So I took a few minutes while my husband took her to urgent care and just cried {literally} to the Lord. Why I felt like I needed to brace myself for the worst is unknown. But I did, and I was so thankful that I serve a God who hears and has compassion. Several hours later, because urgent care doesn't live up to it's description especially on Sundays, Brad was home with our girl. She was still feverish but the Dr saw no reason for her to miss the trip, citing a weird virus they had seen a lot of that week. Lovely. So with that green light and a slightly loopy daughter we made our way to the airport and began our journey.

On our way back to Iowa

My girls were champions! Even with one who had a fever, one who got air sick {literally, gag}, and a baby - they rocked it! I got many comments from fellow travelers about how well they did and how they couldn't believe how quiet they sat. I agreed at this miracle. ;) Our second leg of the trip had us landing in Orlando at the ripe time of 12:50am. By the time we landed, found our rental car and made it to the hotel it was close to 2am. My girls were exhausted, one was still feverish and one had the results of air-sickness on her shirt, but they just walked and did what we needed them to do. They crashed hard once in the hotel room and slept until around 9:30 the next morning. Is that not perfect?! I was so thankful for my little brood.

I was also thankful they were heading to grandma's for a few days because sharing a room with them is not ideal as I discovered we have one that grinds her teeth, one that talks in her sleep and one that's a baby. :)

On the way back it was even better. No air sickness and they slept the entire first leg (2 hours). The baby was magic and giggled and laughed at anyone who would look at her. And chewed on the seats and got any germs she possibly could into her little month. {geesh} She's a charmer, that one. I got many more compliments about how beautiful and well behaved they were. And if I can tell you the cold-hard-truth, it was nothing short of wonderful to see years of prayers answered after what felt like parenting in the trenches. Because not so long ago we wouldn't have even DREAMED of flying with my biggest girl again. We are seeing fruit of our labors in small doses and it feels so good. So maybe my mini lesson here is to encourage you mommas to KEEP IT UP! Be consistent, be loving, be firm. The icing on the vacation cake was our lunch today at Olive Garden. It was our last hurrah before reality sets in tomorrow - so we got a big, fancy meal and settled in. Our kids are 6, 3 and 10 months old so we are by no means silent. But the kids were so well behaved and we really enjoyed our sweet time around the table. I was already thankful for this fact - calm, eating, all sitting down family, when a lady walked up to our table. She began to tell us how much she enjoyed watching our family and how impressed she was with our children. {I may have looked around to make sure this wasn't a joke} She then went on to tell us how she's observed other families where the children aren't so agreeable but how she so enjoyed us today. We thanked her, confessed that it's not always this way, and showed appreciation for her kind words about how "pretty" our girls were. Then she and her husband went on their way and we wrapped up to go, too. A few minutes later the server came to tell us our bill had been cared for. Now, I can't be sure it was that couple, though we are assuming it was. Wow, what a sweet blessing to us! And what a blessing to Brad and I as parents to hear people speak of our children with as much joy as we feel about them. It was a booster at the end of an already incredible week - reminding us that the investment in our kids matters and the time spent is worth it. I'm reminded of a quote by Gloria Furman, who I got to meet this week {side note}:

"By God's grace, I can resist the temptation to treat my children as interruptions to my will for my life. Instead, God enables me to treat my children as precious gifts he is using to shape me into his image according to his will for my life."

What a great end to a great week. I'm so thankful. I haven't even mentioned the quality time spent with my husband or gone in depth about the spectacular teaching I was able to sit under at the conference. Some things I'll just treasure all for me. :) But, needless to say, we had a blast!
And as I sit here typing, looking out my dining room doors watching it pour, I'm thankful to be home, too. My place. My mission. I'm refreshed, recharged and ready for another week. 

So what's next?
Life, mostly. Just life. I have a loooong list of to-do's, ministry responsibilities and a nice stack of magazines that came in the mail while I was gone. {Kidding.} {Not really kidding}
Tomorrow I'm planning a trip to The Home Depot to pick up paint for the dining room! I'll have a little peek at that later in the week. Stay tuned. I'll do a full write up about the paint job AND the plate wall I'm putting up next month on the All Things With Purpose blog.
Have a great week!

Shocked & Amazed

{Gasp!}
Look at me all sitting down and blogging and stuff.

And, did you notice the new look? I've been finding moments here and there and thought it might be time for a little makeover, blog style. :) Now, to update that family picture and we'll be golden. But who has time for that right now? My darling third born daughter - you are loved. You will someday be represented. Here's a Christmas picture in the meantime.

Hi friends. Oh how life has changed now that we've added this third child. It's beautiful and messy and busy and wonderful all rolled into one. It's taken me til just about right now (almost 9 months) to feel like my head is above water, and I'm thankful to be getting there. Life is full for us right now between ministry things and having a child in school type of things to day to day life and relationships in general. FULL. To be honest some moments (days) have not been pretty for me - there has been a lot of ugly hard times, learning curves and just flat out failures. Those times have reminded me time and again how beautiful GRACE and forgiveness are! Thank you Lord for that! Also, thank you for elastic waistband pants, chocolate and coffee. Juuuust keeping it real, folks. ;)

We are doing well. Ava is still enjoying kindergarten, learning to read, and becoming a little writer. She has lost her first tooth and seems to be growing by the minute. I still can't believe she's 6!
August keeps me busy during the day with all things dress up, pretend, and being as sweet as sugar. I'm so thankful for her constant hugs - she seems to have the gift of empathy and tenderness. :) Jane is 8 months old and just about as darling as they come. She's at the pre-crawling, pushing herself back stage. So cute! She's a smiley momma's girl and I'm eating every moment up. My heart is in denial that June 6 and that first birthday is just peeking around the corner! What is it about the knowing it's your LAST baby that just tears at you?!!?

Some exciting things are coming down the pike for us as we prepare for the spring and summer. We've got some family trips and ministry things going on that we are pumped about. Including ME getting to sit through a real-live Jen Wilkin workshop at The Gospel Coalition. Wooooooot! Not to mention being in FLORIDA. The countdown is on! But right now we are smack dab in the middle of mundane every day. You know what I mean? School, kids, weekly routine, meals, homework, repeat. Not that it's a bad thing - just, feeling a little monotonous right now. Also feeling cold. Very cold. Maybe that makes the mundane feel more heavy?

I can't close a post down without sharing what I'm reading - and, thank you those of you who have mentioned missing me. Blesses my heart! And I love, LOVE giving these recommendations to you. Words are so important. God's word is MOST important, but I'm so thankful for teachers and writers who can write to help us learn too.

Mom Enough.

Remember Rachel Jankovic from "Loving the Little Years"? She's starts this one off and while I'm only on chapter two - it's fantastically encouraging! Gospel truth for the heart of moms! Dig in!


Miserly Moms.

LOTS of good ideas for those of you looking for ways to stretch your dollars.


Life Together.

Oh man. If you need an excellent reminder about Christian community together... this is it.

And, this little nugget below. I've been working on this (tiny) book for almost a year! Ha! But, it's so good and meaty. A little bit of a heavy, wordy, read - but great.
The Hospitality Commands.

Blessings to you, friends. Hoping to catch up soon! 

Weekend Update

Helloooo weekend! And hello October! Two of my favorite things all rolled into one :) Autumn is settling in nicely around these parts and while life has by no means slowed down... I am finding little times day by day to enjoy my favorite season.

Speaking of seasons - wow, this one of raising 3 little kids is a fun one. And crazy.
My littles are growing up way too quickly and we are really trying to treasure the days and memories.

Jane, 4 months old THIS week!

Ava, soon to be 6! (in Dec.)

August, bouncy 3 year old

Jane is growing leaps and bounds and getting all chunky and completely adorable. I love it! She has just started doing this very loud yell/laugh thing and scares herself every time. She adores her big sisters and is really getting into grabbing at toys and...my glasses and earrings. Ouch! Of all three girls she is my first spit up baby, which is taking some getting used to. Kinda hoping she grows out of that quickly. Otherwise, I would love to freeze time and keep her right as she is - curious, perky and loooooves her momma. On a few occasions now I have noticed that when I hold her, she lays her head on my shoulder and chest still - even though she is more then capable of holding her head up. She's my first baby to keep doing that into the 4th month! Loving it! Jane Evelynn, you are so precious to me.

August is really diggin' this whole big sister at school all day thing. {grin} We are finding our new groove and she's loving access to basically all the toys during the day. My Augs keeps herself busy which is so different (and refreshing) to me. That girls plays and pretends all day long! From tea parties to barbies to coloring and dress up - she's busy! I am so thankful for her happy disposition and easy going little temperment. The Lord knew I needed her. Her hair is finally long enough to put into a tiny braid or a mini-bun and it seriously doesn't get any cuter. :) Love love love my 3 year old! I'm eager to start preschool with her in a few weeks. We are just waiting for baby sis to catch onto her 4 hour routine first. ;)

Ava is my big girl now. In so many ways. Kindergarten is going wonderfully well and she enjoys it. We had our first parent-teacher meeting the other night where we found out she is above average in several categories, and right in the norm for others! So proud! Her teacher commented that she is a joyful child - always whistling, skipping, etc. Oh how that warms the heart! I don't always see that side at home. She is really into journaling and drawing - always has a pen in her hand... just like her momma. But don't tell her that! :) She turns 6 in December and I don't see how that's even possible.

Hubs and I are adjusting and enjoying a new phase in life with one in school. Brad is now a seminary student and just had his first "on campus" class in Kentucky this week. I think he really enjoyed his time and I know he loves the learning. Ministry continues to be busy and fruitful and we see many new salvations and baptisms at our church. It's awesome! We've had a whole slew of teens get baptized and it's been neat to see last years' class branch out to college and really already be impacting the world for Jesus! Out of the last class 4 of them chose Christian colleges or universities! We haven't seen that in all our 6 years here so far. :) Not that you can't make an impact at other schools - but what a cool experience to watch kids choose those schools for the purpose of becoming a pastor, womens ministry leader and teacher! We are excited to get to know the new classes now and build new relationships. I've been reminded recently how hard that can be - but how worth it the teens are. :)

Personally, I'm coming out of a bit of a slump. Housework and raising kids and full time ministry was feeling a bit overbearing for awhile... but, the Lord has faithfully pulled me through (sometimes kicking and screaming) and has restored the joy! Where would we be without our Father God? In my "down" time I've been doing a little crocheting, some decorating, a lot of kids clothes transitioning (3 girls?!!?!), started an instagram account, ordered my FIRST EVER IPHONE, welcomed a new niece into the world and started taking budgeting more seriously. :) Last night I was able to enjoy a girls night out with some of my best girls - which was so refreshing. It was the first time sans baby and we had a blast! Needed some mom time out and cheesecake factory was just the ticket!

.::ch-ch-changes::.

As if life needed more change. We are at it again switching things up and making some much needed (albeit sometimes difficult) changes. Which explains why my blog has been little more then an online ghost town of a space. :)

First up, duh-duh-duhn...
Meet my friend, Dave. You've heard of him I'm sure. If not, here's a picture.

My husband and I are taking a "Financial Peace" course through our church. So far, SO good. We are only in week 3 and I feel like the take-aways have been helpful and eventually life changing. This week we'll be testing the waters of the envelope system and looking proactively into setting up a solid emergency fund. We have never done either of those - so this should be a good challenge. Our goal in taking this course is to really get a grip on our finances. We praise God that our only debt is student loans (Dave says a mortgage is not considered a debt), and I don't say that lightly... as we both have... enough. (boo!) But being in our early thirties with three children under our belt - we really feel NOW is the time to get serious and take control. We have always lived with the mindset that on payday you set out your tithe, pay your bills and then just don't spend. Imagine my slight surprise to find out there are better ways. :) I'm eager and excited to put what we've learned to practice! I'm also looking forward to being prepared for emergencies, broken whatevers, and extra expenses. {sigh}
So, big change. But it's time.

Next, managing this home and these children.
Yikes. This stay at home mom thing is not for the faint of heart. There are days when I go to bed feeling completely exhausted and yet I cannot actually remember why I'm so tired. Been there?
Part of my problem I'm realizing is that I haven't delegated much out - and I'm taking on everything. Which, I enjoy doing, but it's time for a change here also. So, today I jotted out a few jurisdiction charts for my children and started my "command center" that I hope to get done here within a few weeks. It will be a spot for kids to check off finished chores, see meal schedules, school info, etc. I grabbed a notebook and made a chore chart for myself as well. I constantly feel like I can't stay on top of the house work & organization - so I get overwhelmed and just sit down and do nothing. And then that goes on for several days until our home resembles a Hoarders episode. Or... until we are going to have company. Hey, just being honest.
The organized work schedule is something that I have thrived on in the past and I know it will help me stay on task, and then have designated intentional time for my babies throughout the day. I need this. My family needs this. We have been in survival mode since my 8th month of pregnancy until now. It.must.end.

And, bible study. Another new.
In my 19 years of walking with the Lord I don't think I've ever done a study on the Sermon on the Mount personally. This year our fall ladies bible study is based on just that and it's AWESOME. Seriously. Jen Wilken teaches on a video lesson and then we have great discussion time after. I'm already so challenged on topics like - what really does it mean to be salt? To be light? What exactly do the beattitudes mean? So good.

Lots of changes. Lots of busy but good things.
Ah, life is sweet.

Friday catch up.

First of all... announcement: Jane Evelynn slept, wait for it, 12 hours last night! To be fair I should let you know that I tip-toe in at 10:30 and give her a bottle I somehow managed to pump throughout the day. She stays asleep and just guzzles that down so I lay her back down and we carry on. I also must admit how excellent my stealthy ninja crawl moves are now. If you have never dropped to your knees and crawled out of your babies nursery...well, then you just don't understand. :) I'm considering myself the ninja queen.

It's a friday family day and I kind of want to pull my hair out, or nap, or drink 3 more of these iced mochas. How is it that I look forward to this day allll week and then the day of seems sooo chaotic and nerve frazzling. It's a word, trust me.

My husband treated us to breakfast out at Perkins. And all the momma's say "Amen". So while it was awesome to not have to prepare food and actually get a warm breakfast, it's always loud and slightly crazy to be in public. If I really focus and step back out of myself... it's cute, and once in a lifetime. Breakfast out with my goons really is precious and I know we make people smile - or wag their heads - I've seen both. {grin} Today the girls made up a game called "Scooty checkers" with the jelly packets and coffee creamers. (Side note: Thank you perkins for leaving those on the tables!) They started out so nicely and in just a few minutes the 3 year old was chucking her packets at the 5 year old and loud giggles followed. Then the sleeping 2 month old woke up and breakfast came all at once. I will not go into the number of times one child climbed under the table and visits to the bathroom. But it's real.

Currently, everyone is doing their own thing - and if you have multiple children you might appreciate this. I know I do. My biggest is playing in the toy room while the three year old is making a "craft", and I use that word loosely as she is playing with a glue stick, the lid to said glue stick, 1 piece of paper and a cut up piece of ribbon. Hey, it's a craft to her. Annnnnd she's quiet. As she went to do this "craft" she turned around and said to me -

"I'll do something my best".

Ah I love these little 3 year old sayings.

My husband is asleep at my feet. And you think I'm kidding. I'm not. This man can curl up and pass out just about anywhere. I would share a picture but I'm sure I would get "the look". So I'll just treasure this image myself. Jane is...you guessed it, asleep. I am beyond thankful for that nap loving babe.

Last fall...oh, how I am ready for it again!

As for me... I'm dreaming. Yep. Dreaming. Not that I want the clock to move or that I'm rushing life... because really I'm not. Just, dreaming and thinking of what's to come. In two weeks my girl heads to kindergarten and life will change...again. Then it's practically Thanksgiving. OK, that's a leap but that's how I feel. I am secretly enjoying these cooler summer days while everyone else complains. My fall loving self has already pinned a ton of Autumnal things for this fall on Pinterest. I'm on the hunt for the perfect fall smelling candle. I'm also dreaming about a clean house. A house that organizes itself or at least vacuums itself. I really do clean - sometimes I deep clean, even. And yet all of that goes to pot almost as soon as I move on to the next room. I know it's just a phase and someday I'll have a clean house and empty rooms... but today I'm just dreaming. I'm also dreaming about another iced mocha. Did I already mention that? If you haven't tried Caribous iced mocha...do it.

I miss blogging. I've had so much on my mind and heart recently but there is just no extra time to blog it all down. Maybe that's ok. I'm keeping up with my paper journal and treasuring lots of things there. But I do miss writing (and reading) on the ol' blog - maybe once biggest is at school we'll have more time. Life rolls on - mountains and valleys. I'm thankful for each day and for this family the Lord has given me. Speaking of... back to family day.