Happy Birthday, Diana!

Dear Diana,

We hope you have a wonderful birthday! We are thinking about you and wish we were celebrating with you! But for now, these videos will have to do and hopefully express how much we love you ...



And for some more personal videos...

sleep troubles

So...since Anna turned 6 months (about then) we have begun to have sleep issues with Anna. It began with the emergence of her first tooth, which was followed by her first cold, which was followed by a busy Thanksgiving, and has since then remained crappy. I believe she grew accustomed to me going and comforting her and there were many times I should have probably let her cry more.

I often feel like I am unsure of the cause though, and other times, knowing that Daryl could use the sleep to teach well in the morning has motivated me to just go and stop the crying.

Now Daryl is on a break from teaching, although he is working from home so last night we decided to try and let her CIO. After 50 minutes, I caved. She was immediately thrilled to see me, just wanted to latch on for a second, and then went to sleep. She woke up two other times in the night.

I feel completely defeated. We're going to try again - only this time with the aide of a video monitor and hopefully it will work - but I am open for advice, suggestions, and encouragement. I feel like we are back at square one only worse! It is affecting her naps, affecting her mood, affecting my mood, my productivity, and my ability to love and enjoy my family. Not to mention I'm afraid if I'm not consistent now, we're just setting ground for more rebellion later.

I know in my head that God's grace is sufficient, but I'm having a hard time, so I would love some ideas and encouragement and even your prayers :) I think I'll be calling the pediatrician in the morning to get some advice from him as well, and make sure there aren't any other problems with Anna.

Thanks!

Our Classy Christmas Card

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Dancing

Sorry for the lack of words, but these videos basically say it all...







I love it!

Home videos

Here are some videos of Anna and I hanging out today! She is so much fun! Enjoy!



Anna and I just talking to the camera...

Loving Anna

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Titus 2, verses 1-10. These verses are some of my favorites because I love having clarity about what I'm supposed to be doing, and they offer that clarity.

The verse that is burning in my heart and on my mind today is verse 4 where I am reminded to LOVE my husband and child. The book Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney expounds on the word love in that verse by saying,

"The form of the Greek in which the New Testament was written employs at least five words to distinguish various kinds of love. The word for love used in Titus 2:4 is phileo. The word describes the love between very close friends. It is a tender, affectionate, passionate kind of love. It emphasizes enjoyment and respect in a relationship" (32).

I am not supposed to just love Anna by feeding her, changing her diaper, making sure she is warm, and just in general senses be her mother, I am supposed to ENJOY her! Just being around her should be a sheer delight to me!

I confess there are times when I would love a break to read a book or have a day to sleep in, but God has been exceedingly gracious to provide me with wisdom that I am to enjoy and delight in her and He has fulfilled His promise to give ME joy when I do so. Daryl often comments that he hears Anna and I laughing together downstairs while he is working and that it brings him joy, too!

My prayer is that I will seize every opportunity I have to love Anna well. I won't always have such a sweet little bundle calling for me when she's sick in the night, or needing me to wash beneath her arms, or button up her coat. One day, Lord willing, as we grow older there will be no more diapers to change of hers or sleepers to wash; no more drool spots to mop up or toys to reshelve. So for now I will do my best to rely on the Spirit to fill me with joy in doing those things because the house will soon enough be clean and quiet and she will have her own home.

Bottom line - if you have kids, enjoy them. Delight in them. And in doing so fulfill Titus 2 and adorn the gospel of grace by which you have been saved and showcase the love and joy of our magnificent Father to the rest of the world.

Here's some of Anna's "I-know-I'm-being-enjoyed-and-I-love-it" faces :)

Keeping Busy

I remember a few weeks ago as I was talking on the phone while unloading the dishwasher while waiting for my spaghetti sauce to simmer that thinking in my head, "I am always busy."

At first I thought, "I must need to cut something out." Very quickly though the passage from Titus 2 came to mind (most likely via the Holy Spirit), "3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

It was like the lightbulb finally came on in my head! I AM supposed to be busy! The issue is not whether or not I use my time, but how I use it!

1 Timothy 5 and in 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul encourages us to be busy because if not, we become idle, and when we become idle, we often become busy-bodies, gossiping and slandering. He encourages those people to get on the stick! Start working, start managing your homes, etc. He also says that when we become idle, busy-body-ing gossips (haha) we "have given the enemy opportunity for slander" (1 Timothy 5:14) and that some women even end up following Satan (1 Timothy 5:15) which correlates with 2 Timothy 2:16 which says that we should "avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly."

Wow! It says when we don't stay busy, we can easily become gossips and basically join up forces with Satan. Who wants to do that?!

My friend (okay so he doesn't know me, but Daryl and I watch/listen to some of his stuff) Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church says it like this, "A woman who is a gossip and a busy body is working for Satan...You have a husband, you have kids, you have a home, you have things to do. Stay busy."

Now I know that being married isn't always God's plan for everyone or for all seasons. I believe that a woman's time of singleness (however long God ordains it) can be EXTREMELY awesome and an excellent time of service for the Kingdom of God (and Paul even talks about that in Corinthians). I also believe that having meaningful friendships and finding appropriate rest and leisure are good (other verses on this as well).

But my point is that all of us ladies need to be careful to stay busy - either serving, volunteering, cleaning our kitchens, changing diapers, etc, because the lure of Satan to keep us from adorning the gospel is huge otherwise. Let's quit complaining or being so scared of being busy about the things we're supposed to be busy about! Let's just get busy being busy about the right things!

For those of you who love pictures, here are some pictures of Anna and I, staying busy...well...mostly busy :)

learning about boys

carving her first pumpkin

family portrait

The Blaney clan and their pumpkins :)

learning to enjoy all sorts of cuisine...


resting and leisuring :)

$3 won't cover it

In the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Bible a man asks Jesus what He has to do to "inherit eternal life." Jesus tells him (see Luke 10:25-37 for the whole story) and it says, "But he [the man questioning Jesus], desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus..."

Every time I read that that verse it pricks me because I am so often like that man. I want to justify myself where I fall short out of either pride - I don't want to admit I'm wrong, or laziness - I don't want to do what it takes to change.

I remember a guy in college saying in regards to physical intimacy before marriage, "Why don't stop asking how far is too far and start asking ourselves, 'How pure can I be? And then go after it.'"

It made such a profound impact on me because he was right! But so often what we do as Christians or even not is to get as close to the line, just before it comes sin or "really bad" as we can because we've bought into Satan's lie that that is the best place to be. But it isn't. Usually when we get close to the line, it's just too hard not to go ahead and cross it. Oddly enough, when we flee the line (like God has advised us to do), and pursue holiness through Christ, that is when we are most satisfied.

We often ignorantly trade laziness for productivity, modesty for looks from a guy who will also look at every other immodest girl, great sex for cheap sex, nagging for kindness, gossip for friendship, and as Mark talked about on Sunday - $3 worth of God for fullness of joy and the chance to light up the world.

I love how J.P. (John Piper - and one of D & I's new heroes) puts it in his book Don't Waste Your Life...

"...in creating us for his glory, he is
creating us for our highest joy. He is most glorified in us when
we are most satisfied in him."

Why don't we believe God that His ways are the best ways? Why don't we shelf the excuses and throw out the temporary pleasures and fail-to-satisfy goods and buy in to the real thing. Let's buy in to Him and thus be satisfied and truly joyful forever.

Daryl Posts!!!!

Okay, so Daryl got tagged by my brother Jarod, so here is his response (mainly because I've been dying to know how he'd respond, and I must say, I wasn't disappointed - especially in number 3, hee hee...I love him!)...

6 random things about myself:

1. My deepest desire is to delight more in God. I’ve learned many things about Him in my 8+ years as a Christian, but I LONG to delight in Him like the Psalmist (Psalm 37).
2. I love Mac computers, probably more than I should. I used to think they were useless toys, but now there are 3 (!) in our little house. At least we didn’t spend any of our own money on them.
3. I marvel at my wife every day. When I first saw her, I was amazed at how her love for God flowed out of her. Now I get to see that every day and I don’t get used to it. By the way, she’s also smart and beautiful. God is truly generous.
4. I love taking care of our lawn. I want it to be perfectly green and lush, without blemish ☺. Of course, it’s not, partly because I won’t spend the time to make it that way, and partly because I don’t know how. I also love trees. I recently bought a field guide on identifying trees. That probably sounds pathetically geeky, but oh well.
5. I love teaching and writing papers, but I wish I could focus on one at a time so I could do them as well as I possibly could. In fact, I don’t like to do things unless I can do them really well. It might sound wise, but it’s really a manifestation of pride.
6. I miss my Doberman, Simon. He was an incredibly loving, smart, and loyal companion. I hope we get another one soon.

The wicked one in the pride of his countenance will not seek, inquire for, and yearn for God; all his thoughts are that there is no God...

Psalm 10:4 - the Amplified Bible.

This morning I was reading from Romans 1 and came across a startling realization that perhaps would be quite obvious to most. Romans 1:29-32 says this,

"They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

What struck me so profoundly though this morning was the why...

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." (verse 28).

Seemingly obvious, I know, but God reveals things to some of us more slowly because we are...well...we have a lot for Him to work on and He's gracious enough to go in stages :) Anyways, I was blown away by the thought that the wickedness in me that I so much wish would be gone is often because I am not acknowledging God. If people think there is no reason to acknowledge God even if He does exist, hopefully that verse will show them there is! The results of refusal are disgusting!

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines acknowledge like this:

1: to recognize the rights, authority, or status of
2: to disclose knowledge of or agreement with
3 a: to express gratitude or obligation for <acknowledge a gift> b: to take notice of acknowledge my greeting> c: to make known the receipt of <acknowledge a letter>4: to recognize as genuine or valid <acknowledge a debt>

In the monotony of my day I often disconnect from God. He never leaves me, but I so often fail to recognize His presence and authority. I so often choose my own way and so I am overcome by the evilness in myself that He has already saved me from.

Thanks be to God for His grace to me as so eloquently put in Titus 3:

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."

I am so glad that He uses His Word to impart grace upon grace to us and even if we have read it for years and years, He still reveals new things to us in the years and years to come.

Remind me to acknowledge Him. :) This is my reminder to you. And if you have never acknowledged Him at all, my prayer is that His kindness and love would be revealed to you today so that you too would be saved out of His mercy from the wickedness that lies in us all.

If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.

I am a far cry from a perfect wife. There are ways I have behaved that I never thought I would; attitudes of disrespect that I have portrayed that should have never even crossed my mind. But despite all my sin, God has been so gracious to give me a wealth of love and respect for my husband and further gracious to give me a husband who is as worthy as any man could ever be to have it.

I don't know if Daryl will ever even read this blog, but I'm writing it anyways because it burns within me and that often means it needs to be said (or in this case, written).

Ephesians 5:25-30 says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourished and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body."

This is a familiar passage but one that is rarely (not so rare among my friends), but rarely still, acted upon. Many husbands may "love" their wives by treating them to dinners out, saying sweet things to them, or holding their hands in public, but I am amazed at my husband's faithfulness to not only love me and give his desires up for me (trading Xbox for emptying trashes, staying up late for coming to bed with me, a relaxing weekend at home for grocery shopping and serving at a leadership retreat, etc, etc), but he, so much like Christ, is ever faithful to speak the word to me in due time in the hopes to help me further become holy and without blemish (God had to give me a man good at this, as I am a piece of work for sure! :) )

Anyways, I just wanted to publicly commend my husband for being so faithful to speak the truth to me in love. He is so generous and kind towards me and surely it would be unkind for him to leave me in a sinful state as that never produces the life God intends for us to have for His glory or our joy. I am so thankful that when my heart is sad or angry or heavy that Daryl asks to pray with me - or for me if I have no energy or words - and so thankful that he consistently points me to trust in God and His ways and to abide in Christ.

There is no perfect man outside of Christ, and my husband knows this and so gets his counsel from Christ and takes me to Him for further assistance :) I am so grateful.

And as I am sure my husband hopes too, I am sure that his faithfulness to "wash me with the word" will over time make me less and less blemished and what a glorious thing that will be for us all! So if you see good in me, thank God first, and then thank Daryl for being a vessel the Lord can count on to scrub the roughness out of me!

Finally, single ladies....Josh McDowell has said that what you are as a single person you will be as a married person. This is true in some regards although I really do believe you change very much in marriage if you are both pursuing Christ - there is no way not to. However, this change takes time and a deep commitment to Christ. Please don't marry a man that is not pursuing God as a consistent pattern of his life. It is never worth it no matter how funny, attractive, charming, wealthy, etc that he is. Marry a man who abides in Christ - then you will have a life giving marriage and one that you are not ashamed to showcase before the world or regretful of before the throne of grace.

Thanks be to God for great things He has done.

Tagged

Here are the tagging rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

2. Six random things about myself (and unfortunately for you, I'm not very random)...

1) The first thing I saved up to by myself was a stuffed dog named Mutsy. I believe I still have this dog somewhere.
2) I thought I had an honest shot of being on the 2004 US Women's World Cup Soccer Team when I was about 9.
3) I hate sticky floors.
4) My first boyfriend's name was Billy and I broke up with him because I didn't want to french kiss him - wise choice.
5) I am funny about when I like peanut butter and nuts and when I don't. Same thing with milk. For instance, I prefer sundeas and cookies without nuts, but I like nuts plain or in certain chocolate gooey things like Snickers. I don't like butterfingers but I like Reese's. I like milk with my cereal and warm cookies and otherwise not. Go figure.
6) One of my favorite places is the Nemacolin Woodlands Spa.

3. I tag...

1) Carrie Wilson
2) Kadie Blaney
3) Sarah Burgess
4) Meg McGinnis
5) Stephanie Bowman
6) Tara RICKARD (I capitalized that bc that's one of the first times I've gotten to write out her new name!)

Trustworthy

This week I have found myself in many positions where I've had to exert faith in God... Faith that I will be able to complete my assignments for work; faith that most important is my family and that not being available to do as much work as I used to do is good and right; faith that forgiveness is better than bitterness; faith that no matter how people receive it I must speak truth [in love of course] to them; faith that I am loved [because when people don't receive the truth you speak out of love as a loving thing it sometimes is painful]; and faith that He does provide comfort for others who are finding themselves in positions where they need to know He is trustworthy.

For them, faith that He can heal their heart even when a spouse leaves; faith that He will provide companionship when it seems like all their friends have up and married or moved away; faith that serving really does bring joy; faith that obedience is better than giving in to the "easier" ways the world tries to tempt us with; faith that God is good when a healthy and robust young boy ends up a paralytic; and the list goes on.

While some people say faith is blind, I am glad that my faith in my Heavenly Father is not such a huge leap. I have not seen Him physically - this is true, but there are so many evidences of Him - and so many factual ones, not just subjective - that prove His existence and His Word.

I am so thankful that these evidences exist and that I have been able to "experience" Him as faithful time after time after time after time after time because we all need someone faithful. We all need someone dependable. We all need someone who can guarantee it will get better. We all need someone who loves us no matter what. We all need someone to give us wisdom when we're clueless. We all need healing - whether it's a broken heart or a babies tummy. We all need someone who will listen. We all need someone who can empower us to do good. We all need someone to free us. We all need someone to give us joy.

We don't just need someone for all of those things, we need that someone to be in charge.

He is the one. He is the one. Jesus Christ, you are the One.

Psalm 111: 7 - "The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy."

I am so glad that He is governing my days and the days of my friends, and that He governs all of our days with absolute goodness and wisdom. Praying for us all to exert faith in Him today - He's earned it.

Whew hoo!

So, I finally got some of my friend's blog links back up on my web page. I had changed the background template of my blog and it deleted them! How rude!

Apparently it warned me of this, but I didn't notice. Anyways, then I went to add the new heading for "Friends Blogs" instead of boring old links and I couldn't figure it out. I don't have lots of spare time so instead of continuing to try - okay so I only tried for like 10 minutes max, but still, I didn't want to spend my spare time that way - I left it "Links." Exciting.

Now that I have spent about a half hour adding links back on there I am officially brain dead. It took a lot of effort because I tried to go in alphabetical order! :)

Updates: We visited our family in DC two weekends ago and had a blast! We love our family. Jarod bought Anna an Uncle Ernie doll - er, just Ernie, but we call it Uncle Ernie in honor of Jarod - and she loves it. See -



Unfortunately Ernie isn't very smart...


...he keeps getting into the microwave.

For more pics of our fantastic trip you can check out my sister-in-laws blog here.

Anyways, Anna has had a lot of fun playing this week. She seems to love people. At first she studies them, and then she likes them to pay attention to her and make her laugh. This is good because I can tote her to work with me and leave her in the nursery, etc, not many worries.

She loves the Baby Bjorn now and it's so fun to take her shopping, etc, in it, because she seems to bring a lot of people joy and I think it's mutual - they smile, she smiles, then I smile...Ahhhh.

We're also really excited because we've been getting to know two couples in our neighborhood, each with babies, and one couple is actually having another one on September 4th - she's having a C-section so that's how we know :) It's fun talking C-section business to someone, too, and they don't have family around so I'm excited to be able to help her out with her 2 year old - who Anna loves to have pull on her piggies (for those of you like Daryl, "piggies" are code for "toes") and maybe with some meals.

MMM...what else...Anna is rolling over from back to tummy on her own now and EVEN can get her inner arm out from under her. Before she would roll over but the arm would stay stuck. She wasn't much for that. :)


I am back to working and God has been SO gracious. It is better than expected although not without some glitches here and there. Daryl and I have had to be much more scheduled (okay so mainly Daryl - I've always been crazy about schedules/lists/etc) but it has helped us SO much. There is freedom in those things somehow.

We also got to visit with one of my best friends who is in vet school FAR away and that was a blast! We had a very encouraging visit and I love how God uses people to reveal Himself to us/challenge us to grow.

Lastly, I have been so encouraged by God's goodness to continue to reveal Himself to me and teach me new things. I went to the Beth Moore simulcast at church a LONG time ago now, and while I was there, I knew I was learning/being refreshed, but I didn't leave thinking "WOW!" But so many seeds were planted in me that I am now seeing the fruit of! I love how God works - in Spirit and in truth. I love how we can hear things that don't charge us emotionally, but change us eternally and as we realize it, we then are charged! Pretty fun.

Okay, that's it. D&L time now - horah! Have a wonderful night.

Pictoral Update

Here's an update on Anna :)

She likes to sit up (with help of course)...


Play on her tummy...


And boy, does she LOVE her exercauser. She was afraid at first, but she quickly adjusted as you will see...


"This is amazing!"


"I LOVE this thing! Don't take me out - don't you dare take me out!"


Seriously - she loves how everything makes noises and lights up and she even likes spinning herself around in her little seat. She also is great at entertaining herself on the floor while I'm cooking dinner, etc. As you can see, she isn't so much into playing with her toys as she is into eating them. We have much training to do!!! :)


While Anna was a gem last time I did Once A Month Cooking, this time she wanted to pitch in! Please disregard me - I cook from sun up to sun down so I don't shower til it's all over! By the way, for those of you who are wondering, it was even easier this time and I found some more recipes we like. It was such a blessing to be able to have meals ready to just bake instead of having to cook every night. Whoot, whoot!!!


However, like I said before, I am tired, very tired at the end of the day. Anna was tired, too. Check her out...


She is quickly revived with kisses!


She thankfully loves mommy...


...and Daddy! What a joy she is to us!



She is generally a very happy little girl.



And just in case you're curious on whether or not she knows she's our cutie...


Rest assured...she does.

A blog a day!

Just for today though and only because I came across an article I thought was worth passing on. I debated on posting it, but have decided "better safe than sorry" and know that you all are certainly able to make a good decision in regards to the validity of it's content on your own.

The article is titled "The Case for Caution in the Use of Cell Phones" put out by the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institue and is located here.

By clicking here you can find the level of radiation emitted by your phone.

Happy researching!

Mother-Daughter Fun!

I've been keeping a journal for Anna Grace since before she was born. Simple notes and letters from to her filled with thoughts I have towards her, things I would like for her to know, funny things she has done, etc.

Tonight I was perusing a book I actually purchased for some teenage friends of mine to go through with their moms called Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by the Mahaney ladies that discusses what God intends the mother-daughter relationship to be and how we can attempt to make it that way by His grace. There is a chapter on communication that I was reading today that talked about the importance of pursuing relationships with our daughters even when they don't seem that interested because it's our role to be the initiators with them.

Currently Anna's general looks towards me are of complete joy and love - I can't get enough of them! When I come into a room she usually lights up! Sometimes I honestly just get overwhelmed by how much joy her adoration brings me and amazed by her sweetness towards me. I know it's a gift from God that I don't deserve and so I intend to cherish and be grateful for every moment that she enjoys me so well!

I also know that she may not always be so fond of me, but while that could give me grounds to be nervous, as I wrote to Anna Grace tonight in her journal, I concluded with verses 20 and 21 from Ephesians 3...

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

I know that I don't deserve it - I rolled my eyes at my mom so much it's embarrassing, but it is my prayer that even though we are bound to have conflict and struggle that Anna and I will share many more moments of affection, sincerity, intimacy and joy even as I have found with her now. I intend to ask this often of God and I trust in Him to do better than I ask. I'm so thankful that He doesn't give good gifts based on our goodness!

Just for fun :)

Our little girl is growing up fast!

For those of you who think that when you become a parent you lose your ability for risk taking and adventure, think again...

The above photo was taken the other night when we decided to take Anna Grace to Tygart Lake State Park only hours before her bed time - risk number 1. Risk number 2 - listening to the beloved GPS instead of following the signs that said "Tygart Lake State Park." That lead to Adventure #1 which meant Anna Grace got a very late evening meal and into bed very late as well - but, we got good pictures and found a great trail.

Risk #3 came when I thought I could carry Anna from her changing table in her bedroom to the bathtub without a diaper. Begin Adventure #2.

This parenting thing gets more and more fun, and I absolutely mean it!

Joyful Recommendations: Crockpots

I love the crockpot because I can throw the ingredients in and then walla - our dinner is ready in the evening with little prep!

Here are some of our favorite crock pot recipes as promised:

Spicy Turkey Chili (allrecipes.com)

2 (5 ounce) cans turkey meat, drained (I get fresh turkey from the deli and cut it up or cook & use ground turkey)
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 (1.25 ounce) pkgs chili seasoning mix
1 (4 ounce) can green chile peppers
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 onion, diced
1 cup water

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine turkey, beans, tomatoes, chili seasoning, chile peppers, tomato sauce, onion and water. Cook on low 3 to 4 hours. Serve hot.

Rich & Tasty Beef Roast (Reita F. Yoder in Fix-It & Forget-It Recipes)

10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
3-5lb beef roast
oil
1 pkg. dry onion soup

1. Spread mushroom soup in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Sear roast on all sides in oil in hot skillet. Add to slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle meat with dry onion soup mix.
4. Cook on high 5-6 hours.

Serves 6-8

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Italian (Sherri Grindle in Fix-It & Forget-It Recipes)

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup water
8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
4-oz. can mushrooms, drained

1. Place chicken in greased slow cooker.
2. Combine salad dressing and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover. Cook on low 4-5 hours.
4. In saucepan, combine cream cheese and soup. Heat slightly to melt cream cheese. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken.
5. Cover. Cook 1 additional hour on low.
6. Serve over noodles or rice.

Variation: Add frozen vegetables along with the mushrooms.

Serves 6

And while we're on the topic of slow-cooking, an encouragement about being patient taken from John Piper's book, Battling Unbelief - another recommendation in itself!

James 5:11 - "You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and gracious.

"James wants us to see the purpose of Job's suffering. The word for 'purpose' is telos and mean 'goal.' It was God's goal in all his dealings with Job to be merciful, and fit him for a greater blessing...The power of patience flows from faith in this truth: In all [God's] dealings with us his goal is 'compassionate and merciful.' Faith in future grace is faith in grace that is sovereign, and sovereignty that is gracious."

If you are suffering or have been set back by something unexpected or simply delayed in getting daily tasks done by some interruption, remember that God is sovereign over everything, and gracious in His sovereignty. According to Romans 8:28, if you belong to Him, He will work every set-back together for your good - even if you don't receive the good here, you will in heaven. According to Paul, death now even serves the Christian because it is the way that we receive heaven and there stand face to face with our redeemer and receive every good thing we have only partially tasted in the here and now.

If you aren't a believer, check this out. And even if you are, it's a great reminder!!!

Happy waiting :)

Joyful Recommendations: Once A Month Cooking

So on Monday I took my first stab at something called "Once A Month Cooking." The basic gist of it is that you plan out all the dinners you will eat that month and cook them all on one day and freeze them! There is a website that describes it and has some recipes.

The recipes included on the site typically have "cooking day" instructions and "serving day" instructions. While you are doing most of the cooking on one day, there is always at least the reheating bit, and sometimes you have to add a sauce or something before reheating. A lot of the meals I made also require some sort of side - like a veggie, salad, etc.

I didn't make 30 different meals, but I sure made a lot! The recipes I used from the site are bbq pork, chicken enchiladas, goulash, calzones (these came out HUGE!), mashed potatoes (a big hit with company that recently visited), chicken pie, and some others I can't quite remember right now! The enchiladas were highly recommended to me.

You can also use a lot of your own recipes, once you learn what freezes well and what doesn't! From personal experience, rice doesn't seem to do so hot!

I also made some recipes of my own and from others - sauces freeze great, so my mother-in-laws spaghetti sauce is an easy one to cook lots of and store, marinades, and we loved Megan's stuffed shell recipe, so I cook the shells, stuff them and then on "serving day" I just add sauce and bake.

I planned to cook fresh about once a week, and we usually go out to eat once a week. Knowing that along with other dates when we have plans with friends, I made meals for the rest of the nights leaving us completely covered for the month and then some since it's just Daryl and I! Due to that fact, I separate a lot of the meals in two containers or so, so that I don't have to thaw and cook more than we'll eat. That way we'll have the rest for other times. Btw, most things keep 3-6 months :) THANKS MOM AND DAD FOR THE DEEP FREEZER which makes this possible for us.

The pros of this are obvious - I don't have to spend a lot of time cooking each night which frees me up for time with my family, to serve more, to work, etc. We also spend MUCH less on groceries when we plan because I only buy exactly what we need. It limits grocery store trips which is a pro for multiple reasons in itself - I don't have to take Anna there again, I don't waste time, and I don't spend more money on gas :) Also, we eat out less and eat healthier. And last but not least, if we end up going out with friends or something last minute, no groceries are wasted because we can just keep things in the freezer for later! Whew hoo!

The cons - well, I don't have any right now! HOWEVER, it is a difficult investment at the beginning of the month, or whenever you decide to do it. You spend a lot of time choosing recipes and then make an ingredient/shopping list. I also had to spend a little bit of time making a plan for how exactly to cook. For example, I tried to chop all of the meat I needed at once, all the vegetables at once and separate them for the recipes, etc. You also spend a while at the store and then of course a whole day cooking and a few hours cleaning up as you can see from the picture at the top of the blog - that was the kitchen when I was done and I was even cleaning up some while I went!

Anna was FANTASTIC that day and I took breaks to play with her, but you may want to get some help with your kiddos if they're around. Also, plan on cooking on a day when you don't have other plans.

If this doesn't sound like something you want to do or could do at current, my other recommendation is this: when you make something freezable - a soup, casserole, sauce, etc, make double and freeze the extra. That way if you know a busy day will be popping up you can put it in the fridge the night before and then just heat it at dinner time for a quick meal! The crock pot has also been a good friend of mine since Anna has arrived, so hopefully I'll get some time this week to post some of our favorite recipes.

Please respond with your own recommendations and recipes as many brains and different experiences are more helpful than one! :)

Just for fun...



Isn't she great? Happy cooking!

Joyful Recommendations: Entertainment and Media

So often, for the sake of desiring to be entertained, people (this of course includes myself) watch things that they know aren't right, but make excuses...like, "well, it's just this one scene," or, "I would never do those things," or, "I'm old enough," "everyone else watches it," etc.

Romans 1:32 says, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." For the Christian, we often know (whether through the Word or the conviction of the Holy Spirit) when something isn't quite right with what we are watching, but many times because we either are too proud to think we'll be affected or don't have enough courage or don't believe God, we keep watching.

In the book of Psalms David scribes this prayer,

"I will set before my eyes
no vile thing.
The deeds of faithless men I hate;
they will not cling to me." (Psalm 101:3).

Granted we can't remove ourselves from every wicked thing in this world, and God doesn't even want us to be out of the world, He does want us to avoid putting ourselves in places where we are being tempted to sin - especially when we are paying $7/8 to do so.

I'd like to have the gumption of David and be courageous enough to stop rationalizing and have the faith to be obedient to God's Word and flee the temporary pleasures of sin (in this case, being entertained) to have the eternal pleasure of glorifying Him and growing in holiness.

There are times, however, when we ignorantly step into a movie theatre or put one in our DVD player without expecting it to be bad and then WAM-OOOOO...a totally raunchy, unexpected image pops up onto the screen and now resides in our minds. While our minds can be renewed, these things aren't helpful. I can STILL recall images from a movie I watched in sixth grade that I would rather not.

So onto joyful recommendation #2 which is a FREE recommendation that can help you avoid situations like mentioned above....

http://www.screenit.com

or

http://www.pluggedinonline.com

Both of these websites allow you to see a general synopsis of movies and then break the movies into categories like language, violence, sexual content, etc and list the instances of those things in the movie. While pluggedinonline.org is run by Focus on the Family, is easier to navigate, doesn't have advertisements, and gives a concluding remark regarding whether or not the movie (in the author's opinion) is worth seeing, I tend to prefer Screenit's site for the sole reason that instead of having to read the instances of language, violence, sexual content, etc contained in the movie, you can just view their table at the top which says whether the language content is "none", "mild", "moderate", "heavy," or "extreme." That way you can often make a decision without even having to read what the exact scenes are which can also sometimes effect our minds and therefore our hearts. PS - you don't have to "join now", you can scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and hit, "No thanks" and see movie reviews for free.

I'll leave you with a closing encouragement to "watch" what you watch :)

"Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

Joyful Recommendations

As I have been seeking to fulfill my role as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend with joy, I have come across some things that have really proved helpful in my humble opinion! So, for the next few weeks or so, I will be passing those things on to you - simply as recommendations, and of course, it's just my opinion!

Today's recommendation to increase your joy as a parent is...


This is a CD with Bible verses set to music. The one that is currently sticking my head is "Trust in the Lord....with all your heart....lean not on your...own understaaaaaaaanding..."

I purchased this CD for Anna and I to listen to as background music when we're playing or house cleaning or preparing dinner. It became an instant favorite in our household and I can't wait to buy the other volumes!

Daryl found the CD in the car the other day after I had been out without Anna and I caught him singing one of the songs the other day in his office without the CD which should clue you in that we love it as adults, too! It is fun and catchy, and very beneficial to our souls! It really helps us to meditate on God's Word and is so encouraging! I have been reminded of God's attributes, encouraged in His promises, and convicted in regards to priorities and obedience.

The cheapest new ones I found were at Christian Book Distributors (http://www.christianbook.com/).

Hopefully someday soon someone will package all the volumes in one at one great price! Until then, we'll buy her one at a time. We think it's worth the investment to get God's Word into her heart (and ours) in as many ways as possible - and this way is so fun!

Psalm 19:7-14

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Here are the verses/songs...

Happy joyful noise making!!!!!!! :)

Great Expectations

Growing up my greatest dream was to be someones wife (or better put - to be the love of some fantastic man's life; be preferred above others to one man; be romanced, pursued, you get the point) and then to be a mother. I can remember as a little girl wanting triplets - all girls with shiny, wavy hair that bounced and swayed as they happily skipped behind me. I of course had no idea what parenting entailed, and now if you told me I was having triplets I am sure I would immediately fall on my knees and tell God that He of course would have to give me the grace to survive that - I mean how do you nurse three babies in the same day????

Anyways, motherhood has been very awesome in many ways. I love talking and laughing with Anna in the mornings when we are all alone. I love reading books to her and watching her startled face when I move her too suddenly or make a loud noise. I love her confused face when she sits in her bouncer seat on the counter and "helps" me make dinner. I love dancing and singing worship songs to her and I love kissing her. However, to my shame I must confess that sometimes I get discontent with my life at current.

When I think of summer I think of hiking, camping, eating fabulous meals on the deck, walking around the lake with Daryl, being able to up and go whenever, vacations, parties, putt putt golf, scrapbooking, etc. This summer is different. Camping wouldn't be up Anna's ally, hiking is often difficult to squeeze in between feedings, and scrapbooking - yeah, right! Whenever we go out I have to think about when I'll need to be home to feed Anna, if I have enough diapers, and what the plan will be if she freaks out in public.

I knew motherhood would be semi-difficult, but I didn't ever think somedays I would miss days pre-children. I would never trade being a mother, but somedays I confess that I look at Daryl playing video games and in my head I want to throw books at him and say "YOU TAKE CARE OF HER!" I go upstairs and vent that I spend all day serving him and Anna and it's just not fair - why didn't God give him the milk or make him responsible for managing the interior of our home? Other times I'll be talking to a friend about how she and her husband just "duh duh duh duh duh all weekend" and I wish I could have a weekend like that.

Titus 2:3-5 says, "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, so that the word of God may not be maligned." My role is to love my husband and my daughter and to serve them - dirty dishes and all.

While I was reading in Philippians the other day this verse struck me anew...

"Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." (vs. 14-15)

The word grumbling there means "thought, doubt, argument or dispute." The word questioning: "complaint, grumbling, whisper, private talk." WOW.

The Holy Spirit was so gracious to convict me! I had slipped into grumbling and questioning, doubting and disputing, and privately talking against the awesome role that God has in His goodness and sovereingty given to ME.

I have the privilege of being Anna's mother. I have the joy of being Daryl's wife. I am to delight in them, to be busy making my home wonderful and comfortable and appealing to them, and to be kind to them always - even in the midst of vacationless summers, spit up and mounds of laundry.

May God always be so generous to convict me when I forget the goodness of the role that He has chosen to bless me with and may I continue to abide in Him and in His strength to fulfill my calling with joy and vigor.

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strenght." Philippians 4:13.

Father's Day

So it was Daryl's first Father's Day! Yay!

Aren't they good looking???

We got to celebrate with the four generations - my grandparents, parents, us and now Anna! It was so fun! 

I have been so blessed to have such great "father's" in my life. My dad was and is awesome! He has always been so present and active in my life. He is a great support and just fun to be around.Then there is my hubby! He is so great with Anna and is going to make her such a confident and secure girl because he loves her so well and because he loves her mama so well! Since she has been born I have never once had to restock the diapers, the wipes warmer is always full, and somehow the laundry always gets done! :) What a great guy?

And finally there is our heavenly father, without whom I wouldn't have such good fathers in my life! I am so thankful that He has chosen to describe Himself to us as a father to help me understand Him better and that He gave me such a good father to further help me understand Him and now that He has given Anna such a good father to help her understand Him! I love them all!

Big News!!!

We have some big news in the Reynolds household...

Anna has slept through the night 3 nights in a row now! We love it! So does she. Check out our cool video of her smiling and such...It gets much clearer around 40 seconds, so you may want to skip the beginning! I hadn't turned the swing off yet :)

Reynolds Look-alike Meter

So I put in a more recent photo since she's aged so much in the past 2 weeks :) and the results changed.  We'll have to do this often :)

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free genealogy - Pedigree

For those of you who need a humorous story, here's one:

Today I struggled to get Anna in a cute little cowgirl costume for a costume party we were attending at a friends.  The power went out once I started to get myself ready so I packed Anna up and went to leave with a wet head.  

Of course the garage door wouldn't open without power, so I woke up Daryl and he did it manually.  We got on our way (now going to be late), and then hit traffic on Tyrone Avery bc everything was backed up due to the construction on the interstate ramp towards Cheat Lake.  Anna started crying, but thankfully finally fell asleep.

We showed up 24 minutes late and there were no cars in the driveway.  I quickly realized it was Tuesday and not Wednesday.  At least Anna was getting a good nap.

I turned back to go home and hit the garage door button and heard a loud noise.  Daryl came out and said, "uh-oh."  He had locked the garage door so it couldn't open manually to bad guys :) and that meant that when I hit the power button the lock held the door mostly down and it broke the brace that lifts it up.  So now we can't get in and out of the garage.  We'll be sharing a car until it gets fixed...and all for a trip I didn't need to make.

The saga continues when I left Anna to nap in her car seat bc moving her sometimes wakes her.  When I finally woke her to eat she had this explosive bm and I felt warmth on my own belly.  I lifted her up to find her costume covered in poo on the front :)  Lovely.

So there you have it...another day in the life of the Reynold's :)  Who knew motherhood could be so funny?