Choosing Gratitude

                                                   

I'm reading the book "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh Demoss for the second time this week.  It is an amazing book, and it is teaching me a lot.  If you have time, you should definitely pick up this book and read it!

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 3:

"Oh Lord, please forgive me for so often being forgetful of your goodness, for acting as if I deserve anything more (or different) than what I have received, for sinfully comparing myself and my blessing with others', for being oblivious to so many expressions of your grace, and for allowing roots of pride and ingratitude to grow up in my heart.

Forgive me for the many times and ways I reflect negatively on Your character and Your goodness, by verbalizing discontentment and murmuring to others.

Grant me a spirit of true repentance and heart that is always abounding, overflowing in gratitude towards you and others."

Wow.  Do i ever need to APPLY this to my life, memorize it and pray it 10 times a day.  When I am cooking for picky eaters, cleaning up after babies who throw their food on the floor, get up several times in the middle of the night to tend to Brooke who is struggling with night terrors, when I feel unloved, when I start to compare, when I feel hurt.  I want to be thankful to God for EVERY situation that He allows in my life.  The ones that I enjoy are the easy ones to be thankful for.  It is the trials that I need to give thanks to Him so that my heart will be changed and I will see that I am right in the middle of His will.

Buy the book here.  I wish I could post everything that stands out to me...but that would be the entire book.  so go buy it...it's a goodie.  :O)

Crispy Coconut Cookies

Two weeks ago I cut out diet coke AND sugar from my diet.  I have been enjoying water, green tea and fresh fruit to fulfill all those cravings.  Thankfully, I don't miss either one!  Here comes the real test...making cookies for my family!  Cookie dough is my favorite treat.  I will make cookies, only so I can sample the cookie dough.  :O)  I made these crispy coconut cookies dipped in chocolate and Landon loved them!  I was tempted, but I stayed strong!  I just grabbed a few raisins and kept on baking!

Here's the recipe...hope y'all have a great weekend!

Crispy Coconut Cookies (allrecipes)

What you'll need:

1/2 cup butter

1/1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla extract

1 cup flour

1 cup crushed cornflakes 

1 cup oats

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream the butter and sugars until smooth.  Stir in the egg and the vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and add to butter/sugar mixture.  Add the oatmeal, cereal and coconut and mix until combined.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are light brown at the edges.  Leave them plain, or dip in melted chocolate.  Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Peanut Butter

We got through a lot of peanut butter in our house.  I love the simplicity of making my own peanut butter.  No added sugar, preservatives or oil!  I use stevia in my peanut butter to add a little sweetness and always make at least half of it into dark chocolate peanut butter by adding dark chocolate cocoa powder.  :O)  Antioxidants, right?!?

All you need are peanuts and a food processor.  The food processor does all the work!  Just add the peanuts and allow it to grind them until it turns to peanut butter.  It will turn into a thick paste like in the first picture, but after about 4-5 minutes you will have creamy, warm and fresh peanut butter!  Use honey roasted peanuts, add some sugar, salt, stevia or chocolate to your peanut butter according to your preference. Keep it refrigerated.  If you need it softened, give it a warm water bath for a few minutes.  Mine doesn't make it to the bread...I just grab a spoon.  :O)

Plain & Dark Chocolate.  I am hoarding the jar to the right.  :O)

Wishing time would slow down...

The more I try to hold on to these moments when the girls are small, the faster they seem to fly by.  Time began to move much more rapidly once the twins were born.  I took the girls for a trip to the zoo this week.  Besides wishing I would have invested in a triple stroller, we had a fun time together and made some sweet memories.  Once I got home and loaded my pictures, I realized I had taken some simliar pictures of Brooke a couple years ago.  It was so fun to look back at how much she has grown.  It makes me smile...and tear up at how grown up she is.

 By the penguins.  This has always been her favorite exhibit!

On the turtle...wishing time would slow down! 

Getting ready to go into the rainforest.  Love her smile here.  

All my girls together...then and now.  amazing.

I'm so thankful for my trusty camera that has captured all these precious moments with my girls!

Mod Podge Love

I had to share the "secret" to some of my easiest projects - MOD PODGE!  

Every time I post a picture of something I have mod podged...I get lots of emails with questions, so I thought I would share on here!  I have covered glass, plastic and wood so far with mod podge using fabric and scrapbook paper.  SUPER easy, and always looks great.  Just start by "gluing" the fabric/paper down...smooth it out with a brush or your fingers and put a coat of mod podge over the top of your project. You'll end up with a beautiful finish when the mod podge dries.  I haven't tried using pictures yet, but I'll let you know how it goes when I get a chance to try it out.  :O)

Here are a few pictures of the various things I've tried...

A couple years ago, I actually poked tiny holes in real eggs and blew the inside out.  ha ha.  Crazy. I used a paper napkin to decoupage that beautiful damask.  Because of the tedious process and my impatience, I only ended up with 2 eggs.  :O)

Brooke's Room - The B is just a wood letter covered with some scrap fabric.  

Old wood frame covered in fabric to match the twin's room.

Light Plate covered in Fabric.



Old Dresser - painted and used fabric & furniture mod podge on the drawers.

Christmas Ornaments covered in scrapbook paper.
  I also used a glitter spray paint to add some extra shine.

Easter eggs covered in pages from an old hymnal.  This time I used plastic eggs instead of real eggs.  SO MUCH EASIER.  :O)



For LOTS of inspiration and "how - to" tips visit:
http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/
http://choosetothrive.blogspot.com/2011/04/damask-mod-podge-easter-eggs.html
http://www.modpodgerocksblog.com/2011/02/stumbles-and-stitches.html

Learning to TRUST

Wow...I feel like we are finally getting back to "normal" after the last few weeks at the Miller Infirmary. :O)  We made it...thanks to all your prayers and encouragement.  The prayers, emails, texts, calls and meals from our family and friends was such a blessing to us. 

Last Thursday, Lauren woke up with a different rash all over her body.  It was different, on top of the other rash she already had, and it happened overnight.  I was terrified.  Landon drove home to take her to the doctor.  She ended up having an allergic to the medication she was on.  Thankfully, after a couple days on steroids, she finally started improving. 

The last couple weeks I have really struggled as a mom.  I have allowed exhaustion, loneliness and frustration to affect my attitude and actions.  I felt like I have just been a terrible mother to the girls.  We are just trying to keep our heads above the water sometimes...and some days I feel like I don't get to invest in their lives the way I want to.  

This morning, I was really looking forward to my meeting with my sweet friend Terri.  I knew she would have wisdom and encouragement for this weary mommy! We are going through a book called "Don't make me count to three" by Ginger Plowman.  As I was reviewing the chapter this morning before she came over I came across this...

"Right attitudes are not issues of the emotions.  They are issues of the will, which means that a child can choose to be happy and content." "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

SO convicting.  I realized that I have been making a choice to let my emotions and circumstances rule my life.  I need to have a happy heart and a joyful spirit regardless of the situation or trial I am in.  I "feel" like a terrible mom.  The truth that Terri reminded me of this morning...God is SOVEREIGN.  He has a perfect plan for my girls...and nothing that I do will thwart that plan.  I know that I am doing the best I can, and I know that he will give me the strength and grace for any situation.  I need to trust Him for strength and wisdom, and HE will take care of my children.  It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders when I heard that truth.  I am going to mess up...but I am so thankful that God is there to walk beside me every step of the way.  

Hope that this simple truth will be an encouragement to someone who is struggling with the same thing...I know it was to me today!

Sovereign One (Sovereign Grace)

When I'm all alone and afraid

I will trust in YOU
For you watch over my ways
When things in my life don't make sense

I will trust in You

For you are GOOD, you are good

Sovereign One

You work all things to your plan

Sovereign One,

You hold all things in your hands

When I don't get to have my own way

I will trust in You

For you know what is best

When tears begin to roll down my face

I will trust in You

For you are Good, you are good

PERFECT in Power, You control all things

Perfect in Wisdom, You know everything

Perfect in goodness

Jesus, You're so good to me

"Brooke-isms"

This put a smile on my face this morning as I was preparing this post.  Brooke says a lot of funny things these days...I know we will have many more to share.  Here are my favorites "Brooke-isms" from last week.  

Brooke's thoughts on the Moon as she was standing out of the sunroof (in a parking lot!):

Brooke:

"Daddy, there's the Moon!"

"Can I have the moon?"

Landon:

"No, they are too expensive."

Brooke:

"Well...can I sit on the moon?"

Landon:

"If you become an astronaut you can."

THOSE TWO....

Brooke's insight on the inside of a nose:

Landon was reading and praying with Brooke before bed.  After he was done praying, Brooke gave him a science lesson:

"Daddy...you have hair in your nose.  I don't have hair, I have boogers.  Poppy has hair.  Sissies...Lily and Lauren have boogers".  Then...in a whisper she said, "and mommy has hair". 

 She must have thought it would offend me if she said it out loud.