miscellany monday

1. Ahh... Monday, you are here again. I used to loathe Mondays. You know, because it meant "back to the grind," but I have intentionally scheduled it to be a slow day, so that I don't start out the week rushed and unorganized. After we take Saige to school, the littles and I eat breakfast, play, get dressed and go to the grocery store. No rushing. It is good for this Momma who doesn't do well when she's feeling hurried. This is what Monday mornings and every morning for that matter look like around here. This girl loves her some cards. I think this is probably one of the only traits she got from me. I used to play for hours by myself when no one wanted to keep playing with me. A girl after my own heart. You try telling that sweet face no.

2. I found this excerpt by John Piper encouraging...

There is a principle here that applies to you and me: God takes small, imperfect things and builds them into a habitation for his glory. O, how we should take courage in our little spheres of influence! And is this not the message of Advent and Christmas?

What more appropriate word could God have said to Mary as Jesus was growing up: Take courage, young mother, you build more than you see. And so it is with every one of us. Nothing you do is a trifle if you do it in the name of God. He will shake heaven and earth to fill your labor with splendor. Take courage, you build more than you see.

3. This boy of mine got a haircut, thanks to Mimi's handiwork, and now officially looks 10 years older. Sigh.

 

4. It's cold here. Finally. It's been hard to get into the holiday season when it's been 70 degrees outside. But it's going to be in the 50's during the day and 30's at night this week. I plan to get our tree this week and break out all the decorations. Putting up the tree, listening to Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas, and drinking hot chocolate are by far my favorite things to do at this time of year.

 

5. Please pray for this sweet girl. She keeps getting re-occurring ear infections, and the doctor has suggested tubes. But I have read that doesn't always fix the problem. She may have a milk allergy and I am going to probably cut dairy out of her diet and see if that helps. I am not looking forward to this, as she loves milk. Have any of you had to do this with your child? What milk alternative should I start with? Suggestions and advice are welcome!

 

Happy Monday, y'all!

 

friday favorites

1. motherhood is application

 I feel like a broken record when I say this, but Rachel Jankovic wrote yet another excellent article on motherhood titled, Motherhood is Application. My friend Jamie commented that maybe we should move to Idaho and become her BFF's. I couldn't agree more! She seems like such a wise woman that would be such an encouragement. Check out her article if you're a mother of any age. I can't recommend it enough!

2. garage sale

"I am afraid that the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare." - C.S. Lewis

We are having a MASSIVE garage sale tomorrow and ALL of the proceeds are being donated to World Vision to help with the East African drought crisis.
I read that Lewis quote last week and it just confirmed Patrick and I's decision to have this garage sale, along with other members from our church. We have inherited a lot of things, nice things, things that will be hard to let go of. But you can't take it with you when you die. And there are people dying right now because of the lack of water. I pray the little bit that we collect tomorrow will go a long way in helping with this crisis. 
To be inspired, I recommend reading what a friend of mine's daughter did. Saige and Meadow will be doing the same thing tomorrow at the garage sale. Check out this awesome story and give anyway you can! 


 3. free printable

Jamie sent this link to me this morning and I just had to share! Aren't these lunch box notes, adorable? They are from the blog: i should be mopping. You can bet Saige will be seeing these next week in her lunch box.

4. rain

Praise the Lord, it rained yesterday!!! We need it so desperately. I even went for a run in it, because it's been that long since it rained. It was glorious.

5. love & war & the sea in between 

 I have been listening to this album by Josh Garrels a lot lately. He definitely has a different sound, but I am enjoying it. I have particularly been enjoying the songs Flood Waters and Farther Along. Check it out - he has his album for free on his website.

Happy Friday!! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Wash me, Savior, or I die

I did it. The other day I actually had a minor victory over my crazy-raging-hormonal-sinful self. I was in the van, driving the kids somewhere... I can't exactly remember where, but that's besides the point. I was feeling frustrated? discouraged? angry? I'm not exactly sure, because it was all wrapped up into one tightly wound ball that was about to explode. 
The point is that I was feeling. I was letting my feelings take charge. I was letting my thoughts control my feelings and I wasn't taking them captive (2 Cor 10:5). I wasn't talking to myself, like Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones encourages us to do. I was letting the enemy get a hold of my thoughts, listening to lies and allowing them to dictate my feelings. 
Until I turned on some music for the kids. I did it selfishly at first, because I didn't want to answer one more question about what day it was going to be in 3 days and when is it going to be tomorrow. 
I turned on the new song I had downloaded, Rock of Ages. The verse below just about did me in:

Nothing in my hand I bring

Simply to the cross I cling
Naked, come to Thee for dress
Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul, I to the fountain fly

Wash me, Savior, or I die

The gospel. The gospel. The gospel. Preach the gospel to yourself, Cheryl. How easily I forget. How easily my mind wanders to the dark and gets stuck there. How easily I will just wallow in self-pity and anger. I need to be reminded, over and over again, to put to death the sin in my life and to put on Christ. Wash me, Savior with your grace and mercy, or I will die a thousand deaths. Wash me, Savior with your blood, your righteousness, or I will live a life of selfish mediocrity. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).
Thanking God this morning for His mercy and grace. Thankful that He doesn't give up on me and that He loves me enough to remind me of the good news every day.

friday favorites

I recently mentioned some music that the kids were enjoying, here. Well, I found these free downloads from Redemption Hill Church, via Tim Challies blog and we have all been enjoying these in the van as well. The other day, Meadow said, "Mommy, I didn't know this was another God song. I like it." Me too, Meadow. I like it too.

Rock of Ages by RedemptionHill

Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee
Let the water and the blood
From Thy wounded side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure
Save from wrath and make me pure

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill thy law’s demands
Could my zeal no respite know
Could my tears forever flow
All for sin could not atone
Thou must save, and Thou alone

Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to the cross I cling
Naked, come to Thee for dress
Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul, I to the fountain fly
Wash me, Savior, or I die

While I draw this fleeting breath
When mine eyes shall close in death
When I soar to worlds unknown
See thee on thy judgment throne
Rock of Ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee


Here are two other songs free to download as well:
O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Praise to the Lord Almighty

What music are you listening to right now?




Happy Friday, y'all!

WYPW {music, creamer, and encouragement edition}

My kids are LOVING these songs from Daniel Renstrom. I can't even remember exactly how I came across them, some one's blog that I read, I'm sure. But recently the girls have been asking to listen them whenever we are in the van. And I actually don't mind since they don't make me want to bang my head into the steering wheel. The first one titled, Love, Love Love, has a line that says, “He has loved you long before you could have loved Him in return.” This song has sparked a lot of questions from Saige and we have had many good discussions about who Jesus is and why He came to save us. The songs are all very gospel-centered and I have really appreciated the lyrics and the intent behind the songs. On his blog he says, "One of the most fundamental things I want my daughters to know about God is that His action in their life, on their behalf, is an act of His grace. They won’t ever do a thing that could merit it. But praise God He has acted. He sent Christ to weak, feeble people in need of rescue. He has ABSOLUTELY loved us long before we could have loved Him in return." Yeah for good music with good lyrics that get your kids thinking. So my point is this: If you want to feel like a stellar parent and like you're doing a rockin job at sharing the good news, then I highly recommend these songs, because they definitely will give you an ego boost. I am totally kidding. But they are helpful in fostering good conversations. I mean, come on, it's a no-brainer, really. Done. Deal. Give Daniel Renstrom some money. Go. Do it now.

I know I blogged awhile back about a new soy coffee creamer that I was enjoying. Well one of my readers pointed out that the jury was still out concerning the benefits of soy and she mentioned that there was a new REAL coffee creamer in grocery stores now (thanks, Elizabeth!). A couple of weeks later I saw it at Wal-Mart of all places (this, of course, just confirmed to me that going there is always full of surprises). I was happy to give it a try and you know what? It's delicious. There is just regular cream and then they have 3 different flavors — hazelnut, french vanilla, and cinnamon vanilla. My point is this: all of them are wonderful and I am so excited, because now I can clog my arteries with REAL fat and not the chemically-manufactured-trans-fat kind of fat. Yeah for cream!

I found this article, written by Jennifer Smidt and posted on The Resurgence website, extremely encouraging. My point: read it and be encouraged. Here is an excerpt from the beginning:

I often believe my husband has not found an excellent wife. When he tells me I have been short with him lately, overreacting and snapping unnecessarily, I am discouraged at my lack of excellence. Impatience and disrespect have brought embarrassment to him on several occasions.

My task-oriented, performance-driven heart attempts to fix itself by making a list: An excellent wife cooks with organic food (not Velveeta), sews her own clothing (or at least irons her husbands shirts!), speaks only words dripping with grace (and not sarcasm) and reads her Bible for hours on end (okay, minutes?!)).

The list brings more condemnation; concrete evidence that I cannot be an excellent wife on my own. 

While all of these things can be signs of excellence, they are definitely not requirements. Turning to Scripture for comfort and conviction, I am reminded: An excellent wife is not found but forged. No man goes out and finds a woman that is pure wife perfection and marries her. Neither of them truly know what that even looks like yet! 

It is the character of God, and not our husbands, that can be fully and firmly trusted. Our core identity must be anchored in Christ alone.

A godly woman becomes an excellent wife as she understands she is made in the image of God, re-made in the image of Christ and formed over a lifetime of repentance and redemption. Excellence is not measured by a to-do list; it is manifested in the life of a wife who knows Jesus intimately.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!

~cheryl~

Grace Upon Grace {Book Club, Part 6}

"My heart says to you, 'Your face, LORD, do I seek' (Psalm 27:8), but I'm desperate to grab someone, anyone, and shake hard, How do I have the holy vision in this mess? How do I see grace, give thanks, find joy in this sin-stinking place?" (page 125)

Ann Voskamp starts chapter 7 by describing the tension she feels when her sons are blatantly sinning against each other. As they are fighting, she is getting frustrated and feeling defeated she asks herself, "where did I go so wrong?" 

I could absolutely relate to this. There will be times where I will have a nice quiet morning before everyone wakes. I drink my coffee slowly. I read. I pray. And I journal. I feel equipped, and ready to begin the day. And then within a few hours of everyone awake, I can feel my neck stiffen and my patience drain out of me. Whiny kids fighting with each other over silly things, markers on chairs, the proverbial spilled milk — and I will just sometimes lose it. I will get angry and tell them to go play in their room. I don't want to have a teachable moment. I don't want to figure out whose toy it was in the first place. I want to just rip it from their hands and throw it in the trash. I will get frustrated with all the "stuff" we have and wonder why I don't just get rid of it all. And then I inevitably calm down and realize how immature I was just behaving. A wave of guilt will rush over me and I think back to the early morning hour and think, "Well, that 'quiet time' was a waist. A lot of good that did my attitude." I will feel defeated in those moments of not being the mom I know I can be. Crushed under the weight of my own guilt, under the weight of knowing I have to teach them but just not having the right heart in that moment.
This chapter offered some real insight into those hurtful cycles. Voskamp asks herself, "What compels me to name these moments upheavals and annoyances instead of grace and gift? Why deprive myself of joy's oxygen?" And the answer she said was swift—"Because you believe in the power of the pit" (page 125). This next paragraph got me. It got to my heart and tears flowed quickly. Because I knew what she was saying was right.

"Really? I lay my head on the table. Do I really smother my own joy because I believe that anger achieves more than love? That Satan's way is more powerful, more practical, more fulfilling in my daily life than Jesus' way? Why else get angry? Isn't it because I think complaining, exasperation, resentment will pound me up into the full life I really want? When I choose—and it is a choice—to crush joy with bitterness, am I not purposefully choosing to take the way of the Prince of Darkness? Choosing the angry way of Lucifer because I think it is more effective —more expedient—than giving thanks?"

I have been behaving poorly. Believing that getting angry with my kids will accomplish what I want is absurd. I am quick to react, quick to impatience, and quick to frustration. I am what the Proverbs clearly calls a fool. Ann's words hit hard. Do I really believe that anger achieves more than love? I must, since I am so quick to respond that way. I have to remember, constantly be reminded that I need a grateful heart. I am like a sheep, dumb and forgetful. I am so quick to forget that from His fullness, I have received blessing upon blessing, favor upon favor and gift upon gift. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:14, 16
 And John Piper says, in one of his sermons, "If you want to be really alert to seeing Jesus’ divine beauty, his glory—the spiritual brightness that sets him apart as self-evidently real and true—then make sure you tune your senses to see his grace. That’s what his glory is full of." God has been using this pressure-cooker of a life to make me more like his Son, tuning my heart to see His grace. And I am very aware that I need His grace every minute of every day.

Sandra McCracken's song, Grace Upon Grace from The Builder and The Architect album, has also helped me to remember. This song has helped me tunes my senses and has been a beautiful reminder of His grace in my life. It helps me to remain thankful, instead of ungracious and unkind. It reminds me of the gospel, the life-giving, life-altering gospel.


In every station, new trials and new troubles
Call for more grace than I can afford
Where can I go but to my dear Savior
For mercy that pours from boundless stores.

CHORUS:
Grace upon grace, every sin repaired
Every void restored, you will find Him there
In every turning He will prepare you
With grace upon grace.

He made a way for the fallen to rise
Perfect in glory and sacrifice
In sweet communion my need He supplies
He saves and keeps and guards my life

To Thee I run now with great expectation
To honor You with trust like a child
My hopes and desires seek a new destination
and all that You ask Your grace will provide.

What songs remind you of God's grace? Did you read Chapter 7 in Ann's book? What lessons did you learn?


~cheryl~

What's Your Point? Wednesday

Ahh... it's that time again. My clever friend, Jamie, has started What's Your Point? Wednesday and I am determined to help her take the blogging world by storm. So, why don't you join me and link up here? Don't let the fact that she is funnier than you deter you from participating. I surely haven't.


I am absolutely in love with this song, Home, by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You may have heard part of it on a commercial. It's like a throw back song to June Carter and Johnny Cash, although the band looks more like The Mamas and The Papas. I know nothing about the band, except the lead singer is named Alex and they first performed together at the Marfa Film Festival. The song just makes me happy and brings a smile to my face every single time. It makes me love my husband more and brings back a lot of memories. It also makes me wish I could whistle. It's pretty lame that I can't whistle. And when I run it makes me feel like I am in a music video. My point —did I mention that I ADORE this song and that I am also a closet hippie?

I have been thinking a lot about community, about the body of Christ. I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of local church where authentic believers gather, the gospel is preached, and Christ is honored through preaching of the Word and singing praises to His name. I am thankful that our small community strives to be real and there is a significantly small amount of drama. And it's not because we all get along really well, hold hands and sing Kumbaya together. I believe it's because the elders and leaders have done an excellent job of holding each other accountable. They have each come from different walks of life, they have different preferences about music, style, etc., but they are committed to serving the body. They have set an excellent example for the rest of us. I am at a point in my life where I recognize that no church is going to be perfect. And in our individualistic and consumeristic society we have to fight against the mentality to "church shop." A church isn't going to have every single aspect that fits us to a tea, but it's not about us. We have to persevere through the inevitable tension that happens in church. We need to commit to people, and when friction occurs, don't run from it. But run to the person and talk it out. Beautiful things come from hard discussions. Beautiful relationships come from giving and receiving the hard Love. And developing community takes work. Hard-messy-heart-wrenching-work. So get involved in a small group at church, invite people to lunch, have them over for dinner. Don't wait for someone else to do it, and then complain that no one ever talks to you on Sunday. Like my mom always told me, "If you want to have good friends, you have to be a good friend." I guess my point is if you aren't involved in a local church, you need to be.


Are you a member of a local church? What do you love about your church?
Are you a closet hippie too?


~cheryl~

Who Knew?

On Wednesday mornings my girls go with a sweet friend from church to BSF. And I get to be just a mommy-of-one for a few hours. I wish I could go back in time, to when I just had Saige, and tell the "then me," to CHILL OUT.  And to just take it all in and to enjoy the simplicity of one child. And tell myself that one is SO much easier than having 3 under 5. But I guess that's why they say hindsight is 20/20.

Anyways, I usually run errands on these days since getting one child in and out of the car seems like a breeze. 

I decided to brave the Super Wal-(Freak)Mart that is north of where I live and it is a bit more ... "country," we'll say. And I absolutely love going there, honestly. People are who they are and there is not a whole lot of pretense. Especially compared to the one south of where I live, that has a bit more of a keeping up with the Jones-esque' vibe going on. 

Needless to say, I like to blend in a little more when I go to the country version, so I usually wear a t-shirt and jeans and I dressed Reed in his camo pants. So this morning, when I pulled in and parked right next to a big Dooley with a confederate flag and a license plate that said WHYTBOY, I knew we were at the right place. Oh, Texas, the red-neck land I am learning to love. When I was walking in it occurred to me that I could potentially be prejudiced against people I think are racist. That seems funny to me. Racist towards racists. I will have to delve into that a bit more and write a whole post about how we need to love them with the love of Jesus too. But for now, I am just laughing.


After getting what we needed - you know, bulk in everything - and braving the big, crazy-consumer, capitalist America-at it's-best store, we got back in the car to come go home. I was in my friends car since she drove the van to BSF, and I didn't have my usual music. So I decided to turn on the radio and surf the airwaves. Aerosmith was playing so I stopped and I listened for a little while. I was a fan back in the day so it was bringing back memories of my days in combat boots, multiple piercings and flannel. I was singing along and then I quickly snapped back into Mommyland and realized that Love in an Elevator was probably not the best choice for my son since I didn't want him growing up to act like some of the boys I dated during my grunge-rock-teen angst days. 

And I changed the station. 

Reed went absolutely berserk. Screaming "mar, mar!" 

I looked around at the imaginary passenger and thought "he can't seriously be upset about that?" 

So just to find out, I turned it back to Aerosmith. The incessant screaming stopped.

So apparently we have another 90s rocker fan in the family.

I guess he does come by it naturally since Aerosmith's greatest hits album, released in 1993, was one of his daddy's first CDs to purchase. Man, we're getting old.

Who knew ...

that Reed was such a fan ...

 of Steven Tyler? 

I do sort of see the resemblance. Don't you?

Solaced and Refreshed by Music

"My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary.” 
- Martin Luther

It was still light out this evening when I went for a walk. I set out with some music and a very heavy spirit. Patrick would knowingly be getting the kids ready for bed by himself and encouraged me to go anyways. I am so thankful for that man. I am so thankful that he knows when I need a break and I need to, not only get out of the house, but get out of myself, out of my head.

I had a rough day of being impatient with the kids and with Reed being sick it just buried me. It buried my best efforts. I was exhausted before the day had even begun. And I rolled out of bed this morning and started the day on my knees, not really sure what to say, other than, "I need you today, Lord." And it occurred to me in that moment, that my prayer life is so weak. It is so shallow. I don't even know where to begin, because I haven't practiced it. I like the theory of prayer. I read a lot about it. I read the Word and I read what others write, but when it comes down to just me before the Lord, I am at a loss. I feel like I have been "found out." I am speechless because if I am honest, I don't live like I trust Him or that I believe that He loves me. My life doesn't always reflect it. But I am putting my hand to the plow and trusting in a God that is bigger than me. I am believing that He is good and that He is near. 

So I went out my door to seek the God that is my only hope. And when I left, once again, I turned on the Mumford & Sons album, Sigh No More. I am totally wearing this album out. Their music is honest, extremely thought provoking, and just plain good. And whether they are believers or not, I don't know, but what I do know is that all truth is God's truth and their music points me to Him. So with that said, the song Roll Away Your Stone stirred some things in my soul, and these lines resonated with me:

"Cause you told me that I would find a hole,

Within the fragile substance of my soul

And I have filled this void with things unreal,

And all the while my character it steals"

"It seems that all my bridges have been burned,

But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works

It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart,

But the welcome I receive with a restart"

I am the Prodigal son over and over again. I leave what I know to be good and chase after other things everyday. I fill the "void with things unreal" and rely on other things to be my righteousness all the time. And the Father welcoming me home as His child wasn't a one time affair. I need the gospel every single day. And although, today was rough, I don't have to let the grief spiral into despair and hopelessness. It seemed poignant that I was literally walking when home while listening to those words. It reminded me that it isn't me coming home that changes my heart, it isn't my best efforts. It is His grace alone that changes me. So I will hold onto hope. I will hold onto the hope I have in Him - the hope that He is my righteousness. I will trust in His grace with every restart and believe that His mercies are new every morning. 

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

   great is your faithfulness.

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,

   "therefore I will hope in him."

Lamentations 3:22-24

I am thankful for days like this because they force what's in my heart to come out. And although lately I haven't liked what's in there, I am thankful that He still loves me. I am thankful that He loves me enough to not give up on me (Philippians 1:13). And I am thankful for the gift of music to refresh and encourage my soul.

What songs right now speak to your soul? Would you share them?




~cheryl~

Friday Fun and Linky Love

Have you tried these? They are delectable. delicious. divine. And I CAN'T GET ENOUGH. My favorites are, but are not limited to, Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Cinnamon Roll, Peanut Butter Choc Chip, and Carrot Cake. Those are the only ones I have tried and they are all fantastic. If you have tried them - what are your favorites? I have seen a few recipes to make at home. Has anyone tried that yet? They are a bit expensive so I will probably be looking into making my own. But for now, I will enjoy them when I can.

*UPDATE:* My friend, Jamie, posted a way to make the Larabar at home here. Yay for you, Jamie! Thanks! 

LÄRABAR is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from 100% whole food, each flavor contains no more than nine ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

Have you listened to this album yet?  I mentioned The Civil Wars here and here. Barton Hollow is their single, but their entire album is amazing. I can listen to the album all the way through and have still not gotten weary of it. Even my kids enjoy listening to them and if Reed swinging his feet up and down with a big ol' grin on his face isn't proof enough, I don't know what is. Honestly, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH.

If you are having a baby, you might be receiving one of these from me. That is if I get around to making them. They also double as a cute drying mat for dishes, of course after you've washed it from changing a baby on it. ;)

Charlie Sheen. Remember when Charlie Sheen looked like this in Ferris Bueller's Day Off? Man, I am getting old, and if you can remember, you're getting old too.  

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH of his crazy phrases. I am saying them all time. And although his life is a train wreck, he needs Jesus, and I should probably be praying for him, I can't stop laughing. Thanks to Charlie Sheen, the entire country is laughing, like we're all in on ONE BIG INSIDE JOKE. So thank you, Charlie Sheen for your tiger blood, and for bringing the country together. That's what I call winning.

Another funny insight from Jamie about the man who cannot be processed with a normal brain.

And lastly, I CAN'T GET ENOUGH of THIS KID. 

I found him at my computer, Hershey's kiss in hand, and what did I do? I grabbed the camera, laughed and took pictures of him, of course. Because that's what you do with your third child. There is just something about the third born, that has made lighten up. I guess that's why the third is usually more spoiled. And while we still don't let him get away with everything, he definitely probably, gets away with more than the girls did. 

Exhibit A

And yes I let him eat it after telling him to not do it again. ;)  I'm sure that was effective parenting.

What are some of your favorite things right now? Care to let us know? Leave a comment or link back to here in your blog post. I would love to hear what they are. 

Happy Friday!

~cheryl~