Cooking with Emma

Fridays have become Emma's day to cook dinner. And we've all really enjoyed it.

On Thursday, she picks out a main course and dessert from my recipe book. Then we buy what we need when we go to the store Friday morning.

That night when Daddy gets home, the two of them work together to prepare dinner. Sometimes I help her ~like this day~ but usually it's Daddy.

This was a yummy chicken casserole.

Family

My dad is one of ten.

Jeannette, Russell, Bobby, Doris, Billy, Joe, Mark (my dad), Carolyn, Bonnie, and Sandy

Doris and Billy died very young of illnesses we easily treat today.

The two oldest, Aunt Jeannette and Uncle Russ, have also passed away.

Half of the siblings moved down here decades ago - within 45 minutes of each other - and the other 4 stayed in Alabama.

This past week, we got to spend lots of wonderful time with five of the six remaining siblings......along with the cousins who live here and a cousin from Alabama whom I haven't seen in almost 20 years!

I don't what it is about family but I couldn't get enough of them.

The ones that came down from Alabama rented a roomy house with a pool. That gave the kids lots of time to burn off energy and gave Mommy time to catch up!

Screech Owl

Saturday afternoon my parents found a screech owl perched in this opening close to their roof. The mockingbirds and blue jays were justa fussin' at him but he didn't seem phased by the commotion at all.

Even when we all gathered around right under him, he barely moved.
After we left to head home, Dad climbed a ladder and picked him up. He was so docile. He didn't even try to get away.

Later, after we met up for dinner with some extended family who were in town, we went back to Mom's and Dad's to see the owl. Emma and I took turns holding him.

I really wanted to keep it but I think it's against the law. But because Mom and Dad have a mockingbird nest with eggs in it next to the house, we walked down the street a ways and let it go there.

He didn't fly away when Dad opened his hand but as soon as he tried to place him in the tree he flew off!

Then we headed back...

Being Thankful

When you're in the midst of having babies and little ones, you don't realize what you have until it's gone.  When I had Emma, seasoned moms told me it would go by fast.  I took their words to heart.  But even still, it went too, too fast!

I kept a friend's 4-month old one day last week.  The next morning I saw the washed bottle we had given him the day before and wanted to run down to her house to get him again!

Life for me right now is pretty easy.  Meaning, I don't have diapers to change.  I don't have feedings to keep up with.  I can even skip naps if I want to.  I don't have sippy cups to fill.  No baby food to spoon out. No diaper bags or pacifiers to keep up with.  No burp cloths and bibs to wash.  I don't even give baths.

I've come to realize the work that comes with having kids is less about how many you have and more about how old they are.

I also realize what it's like to have something and then not have it and miss it sooo much.

I promised during our cold winter months that I would never complain about the heat of summer again (I don't care for cold weather at all!).  And if I ever get the chance to have my own little ones again, I promise never to complain about all the work required to take care of them.

I share this to hopefully encourage some of you moms of little ones or soon to be moms. I know how tiring it is. I was reminded last week of how much work it is.  But pray that God would help you enjoy pregnancy.  Enjoy spit up and nasty diapers.  Enjoy little bitties wanting to be held.  Enjoy potty training.  Enjoy being asked to play cars or blocks or baby dolls. Enjoy interuptions and not being able to get it all done.

When you want to complain, ask God to show you what to be thankful for.  And I will promise to do the same for all that's involved with my stage of motherhood.

Would you? Do You?

Would you expect to find only fit, buff, healthy people in a gym?

I hope not.

Do you expect to find only healthy people at a doctor's office?

Of course not.

Would you expect everyone in the grocery store to know how to cook?

Do you expect everyone in a sewing class to know how to sew?

Then why would we expect everyone who goes to church with us to be fit, buff and healthy spiritually? 

Why do we expect fellow believers to know how to overcome all temptations when we know that we, ourselves, struggle with sin daily, hourly!?

I think it's easy when we don't struggle in an area to wonder why someone else does?  It's easy look down on someone who is financially illiterate and we consider to be poor stewards of God's money just because we don't struggle in that area. 

It's easy to condemn someone who can't seem to get their house in order and it's always a mess just because we don't struggle in that area.

It's also easy, in our insecurity, to look at someone who appears to have a perfect marriage and, with jealously, find fault with them for something else.

Or to look at someone who can actually make it out of the house without looking frazzled and disheveled because her children are obedient and helpful, and, with jealousy, pick apart another area in her life.

We each live in our own little bubbles. We have no idea what others struggle with physically, spiritually or emotionally. 

I find the need often to remind myself to take the beam out of my own eye before I look at someone else with disdain for the speck in theirs.  I'm thankful God is doing a work in my life to help me understand that everyone of us is at a different point in our spiritual walks. 

Just as God has created each of us unique, He has a unique plan for each of us to know Him, trust Him, love Him.  I want to be a follower of Christ who is willing to pray for, understand and encourage those around me.  I don't want to be critical and tear others down.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV and ESV)

True Joy is Not Found in Self

selfish

self-centered

self-absorbed

self-esteem

self-indulgent

self-righteous

self-conscious

self-assured

All of these words point to one thing ~ SELF.  And when self takes center stage, God is not in His proper place in our lives.

Can you think of one sin that is not all about self?

When we sin, we're saying, "I want what I want when I want it, and I don't care what anyone else wants - including God."

Whether we're depending on self, worried about self or insisting on our own selfish way, when we take our eyes off God and focus on ourselves, sin is crouching at the door.

And if you think about it, no matter what the world tells you, when you are focused on yourself, you are NOT happy!  At least not for very long.

True happiness, true joy is only found in Jesus.  And as our perfect Example, Jesus put others first. He gave everything He had even to the point of death. 

He tells us that His joy is ours when we love others.  This is exactly the opposite of what the world tells us.  The world says we have to love ourselves before we can love others.  WRONG!  Everyone loves themselves.  As Reb Bradley puts it, "Even the person who hate themselves, can't get themselves off their mind."

So if you are miserable, depressed or unhappy, get your eyes off yourself and start loving and serving others...starting in your home.

Finding Joy in Motherhood

Feeling discouraged?

Is the day-to-day of motherhood waying you down?

Feel the need for a pick-me-up?

Sheri is offering words of encouragement for us.

If Jesus Came to Your House

Found this taped inside one of the Jackson's Bibles:

~If Jesus Came to Your House~

If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two~

If He came unexpectedly, I wonder what you'd do.

Oh, I know you'd give your nicest room to such an honored Guest,

And all the food you'd serve to Him would be the very best,

And you would keep assuring Him you're glad to have Him there~

That serving Him in your own home is joy beyond compare.

But ~ when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door

With arms outstretched in welcome to your Heav'nly Visitor?

Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in,

Or hide some magazines and put the Bible where they'd been?

Would you turn off the radio and hope He hadn't heard

And wish you hadn't uttered that last loud, hasty word?

Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out?

Could you let Jesus walk right in, or would you rush about?

And I wonder if the Savior spent a day or two with you,

Would you go right on doing the things you always do?

Would you keep right on saying the things you always say?

Would life for you continue as it does from day to day?

Would your family conversation keep up its usual pace,

And would you find it hard each meal to say a table grace?

Would you sing the songs you always sing and read the books you read

And let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed?

Would you take Jesus with you everywhere you'd planned to go,

Or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so?

Would you be glad to have Him meet your very closest friends,

Or would you hope they'd stay away until His visit ends?

Would you be glad to have Him stay forever on and on,

Or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone?

It might be interesting to know the things that you would do

If Jesus Christ in person came to spend some time with you.

~Lois Blanchard~

Jackson's Bibles

Yesterday my mom came over ~ have I mentioned that's my favorite day of the week?!!

The project for the day was cleaning up the guest room.  It had become the put-it-in-there room.  It is also the room where we store Jackson's Bibles.

It looks so much better and all the Bibles are neatly organized in the closet for easy access. 

So while it's on my mind, I thought I'd give an update on Jackson's ministry...

Over 700 Bibles ~new and used~ have been generously donated and we've been able to give out over 450 of them to homeless men, women and children in our area.  We also have a friend in Tennessee pastoring a church who is going to promote a Bible drive at his church.  Very exciting!

I'm praying for two things:

1. more opportunities to give out the Bibles.
2. for ideas of what to do with the 40 or so Bibles that are too worn, torn, etc. to give out.  I realize someone in China who would die for a scrap of Scripture so I know these Bibles have a future somewhere.

Monday's Motto

Actions speak louder than words.

This is especially true with our children.  We can talk to them all day about being kind to each other but if we are not kind to our spouses or to them, our words are worthless.

They will pick up more from the way we act than from what we say.

The Dress

Here is the dress Mom and I worked on the other day. See the cute flower?My sister made it! Isn't it pretty?

A Perfectionist's Nightmare

Bad pictures!

I know that Easter is NOT about Easter pictures! I know this. But the last two years, we've taken the worst pictures. I'm blaming the lighting.

Too much sun coming through practically bare trees = bright spots and darks spots! Not good. I won't even go into the fact that I'm about a month and a half past needing my hair done! Look at those roots! Or the fact that every time Papa got ready to take a picture the wind picked up. Good grief! And dispite the shade, we're still squinting.

Here it is slightly edited in PhotoShop.

This is my favorite picture from 3 years ago. Now you see why I'm disappointed?

More Easter

Setting up...

The girls...The boys...Meme and Papa...Mamaw and Papa with 9 of their 15 grandchildren...Isn't my sister pretty?

Strawberry Jam-Preserves

Look at what my friend brought me...

When I saw her last Wednesday night, she told me she was going to pick strawberries the next day and asked if I wanted her to pick some up for me. I gave her $4 and this is what I got!! I estimated about 11 pounds all together.

What do you do with 11 pounds of strawberries? I froze a bunch. We ate a bunch. And Mom came over today to make a bunch of strawberry jam-preserves. (We couldn't decide what the difference is between jam and preserves so we're using both names.)

So yummy!!

Laundry - Sorting

I realize I'm a little bit nutty really nutty about my laundry. Of all the ways someone could help me, laundry would be the worst way. It makes me want to hyperventilate just thinking about it because I know it wouldn't be done the way I like it.

I also realize that some of you reading this will think, "Whatever lady." But a friend encouraged me to post about this subject so maybe some part of it will help someone.

Before I get into sorting, I want to encourage you to get your kids involved in laundry. Each of our kids has a day of the week assigned to them. On that day, preferably before breakfast, one of their responsibilities is to bring down the dirty laundry. Then on Thursday, we all go in the closet room to work on putting the clean laundry away. Many hands make light work!

Sorting laundry. Here are my baskets on shelves made by my handy husband. I have six baskets for sorting dirty laundry. I have another large basket that we use to transport dirty laundry from upstairs down to the laundry room. And then I have two clean laundry baskets for transporting clean laundry from the laundry room to the closet/dressing room. I never put clean laundry in a dirty laundry baskets.

So here is my list of baskets along with how I wash them and whether I dry them in the dryer or hang them up to dry (and I promise I didn't sort the actual baskets by color on purpose - that's my story and I'm sticking to it):

Left - Towels, wash clothes and really dirty white socks. Wash in hot water. Bleach added. Dry in dryer.

Right - Nice solid whites and off-whites. Wash in cold with Tide with Bleach Alternative (TwBA). Hang up to dry.

Left - Underwear. Wash in hot. Dry in dryer.

Right - Roddy's workout clothes. Wash in warm. Dry in dryer.

Roddy's white t-shirts, white socks not needing bleach. Wash in warm with TwBA. Dry in dryer.

Sheets. Wash in hot. Dry in dryer.

Pillows. Wash in hot. Dry in dryer.

Left - Any clothes with white and another color on them go in this basket. It is then sorted into at least 4 loads:

1. Red and white, 2. Mostly dark with some white, 3. Mostly white with some dark, and 4. Boys sports outfits.

All are washed in cold with TwBA. Hang to dry.

Right - All solid colored clothes. This basket also gets sorted into several loads.

1. Good black clothes, 2. Jeans, 3. Reds, oranges and pinks, and 4. The rest depends on how much of each load I have. I can have enough clothes to wash separate loads of tans, blues, and greens. Or I can just combine pastels together and darks together. I usually put yellows with tans, purples with blues, dark browns with not good blacks.

All are washed in cold with regular Tide. Hang to dry.

Laundry 101

Laundry is one of my favorite jobs. That wasn't always the case, though. Because I'm so picky about the way my laundry is done, it used to be a mental challenge every time the laundry basket was brought down.

Which load should this go in? was the constant question. I know most people just throw lights together and darks together and towels together. Not me. But I finally figured out a system that works for me. I no longer have to think about it. I just do it. No more decision making. That part is now done. And it makes life a lot easier for me.

A friend once asked, "How do you get all the laundry done?"

My answer is, "I don't!"

I'm a firm believer that laundry does NOT have to be done. In my book, it's a ridiculous notion.

This is a picture of my laundry at a point where I consider it "pretty caught up."
I remember back when I had 3 little ones. I looked at my one laundry basket which was stacked up a couple feet above the edge and thought, What a lot of laundry! Hee hee hee! I had no idea!!!

Anyway, I used to think I needed to get laundry baskets emptied and everything put away to feel like I could check Laundry off my list. But who can ever get laundry done? Even if I emptied the baskets and put it all away, we'd all change our clothes at bedtime and I'd have a full basket again! See? Ridiculous.

I also used to think that doing laundry every day would get old. But since I've figured out the best way for me to sort and know just how I want to wash each load, the only work is physically entering the laundry room and throwing in the load.

My laundry goal is to do at least 3 loads a day, one at each of our major meals ~ breakfast, lunch and dinner. My laundry room is right next to the kitchen so I'm right there anyway.

Tomorrow I'll tell you how I sort my laundry. For now, I want to give you some laundry tips. A lot of these are preferences and you may think I'm nuts (especially when you find out how little I put in the dryer).

Bleach ~ bleach is your friend. I put a little bleach in every load of towels and wash cloths to keep them from smelling musty and mildewy. I recommend it.

Vinegar ~ if you have a new red or dark colored garment and you don't want it to fade, soak it for about 15 minutes in a bowl of cold water with maybe a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white vinegar. It helps set the color.

Darks ~ turn dark colored clothes inside out to wash. It helps with fading also. If you don't believe me, check your hubby's dark socks. Whichever side is usually turned out when you wash them will be lighter than the side that isn't exposed.

Good Whites, white socks and white t-shirts ~ I never wash white garments with any other color. If you want dingy whites, go right ahead and mix them in with other colors. I can always tell my kids socks from others' because although they are stained on the bottom from being worn without shoes (ugh), the tops are actually white instead of gray.

I also never dry my good white clothes.

Dryers ~ I don't dry most of our clothes. It saves energy and your clothes last longer - both of which save money. Clothes don't shrink or fade or pill as badly if you hang them up to dry. I don't have an outside clothes line so I hang them to dry on hangers in our closet room.

Clothes I dry are: hand-me-downs that I know were dried by their previous owners, socks, Roddy's undershirts, most jeans, underwear (but never bras or sports bras), sheets and towels.

Rubbing Alcohol ~ Gets ink out.

Hydrogen Peroxide ~ Takes out blood.

Shout or some other stain remover is a must.

Fabric Softener ~ I use Downy instead of dryer sheets in every load of laundry since I don't use the dryer for all the clothes.

Miscellaneous ~ I never lay clothes on top of the washing machine since I never know if there is the tiniest bit of bleach unseen that may ruin them.