John 14 blows me away

Did you know that John 14:23 says:

Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.  My father will love them, and we will come to them, and make our home with them."

How wonderful is THAT?  Beyond wonderful it is!  I need God to make a home in my home, because without Him, there is a lack of peace and my earthly haven is all but.   And not just that, there's an opposing force at work if God is not IN my home/making a home WITH US.  God has revealed this truth to me today, via my mom suggesting I read John 14.  It is a wonderful passage full of truth, hope, peace, favor, love, kindness, patience, gentless, and more truth.  Truth that seems too good to be true but it isn't.  Truth that when we obey Jesus' teaching, God will love us, and the Father/Son will COME TO US.  Oh dear Lord, I pray to be more obedient to Jesus' teaching.

God, dwell among us, dwell with us, in our home. 

I feel like a weight has been lifted.  I've been trying so hard and crashing in a pile of defeat.  It's not been enough to get the kids bathed, fed, and off to school.  It will never be enough.  It is not about the here and now ... it's about Christ leading us all home.  Where the streets are gold.  Not silver.  I pray fervently that I do not choose silver streets....ever ever ever again.  Yet if I do, I believe I will recognize the silver as a lesser good now.  Because, sometimes, see, I settle for silver.  Silver afterall, is cheaper, pretty, and easier to obtain.  But it isn't God's best for us!!!

God, dwell among us, dwell with us, in our home.

I urge my few faithful readers to pull out your bible (I like NIV and NLT) and read John 14.  I've had head and heart knowledge of the Lord for many years, but never once did I understand that the Father/Son will COME TO ME AND MAKE HIS HOME WITH ME.  Now that I know he lives here (or will when I obey), I see the space differently.  It feels different.  It feels pure and bright and new.  Join me in pouring over this verse and claiming it. 

Please take a few minutes and listen to this beautiful song that speaks my heart.  May I never be like Judas.  "The saddest thing I know of is when God's children turn away from the grace that they've been given,  just like Judas did that day.  There was forgiveness, but he chose silver over streets of gold.  But still, Jesus loved him, and would have saved his troubled soul.  All he had to do was ask, but that's what Judas didn't know."

What Judas Didn't Know

& this beautiful singer and her family have a website here.  I think she sounds a lot like Dolly, and this country girl in me likes some Dolly!

Love you all!  Happy listening!

Fort Sum'thin

The weather was so nice and sunny that we played outside for 3.5 hours yesterday, blew naps off, washed up, headed to church at 5, then afterward, the kids fell asleep by 8:30.  I rocked them both and sang silly songs to them, an obviously treasurable moment, as their legs seem lankier day by day.  They basically drape across me now instead of furrow into my lap.  Bittersweet!

 

 

Before the hubby and I retired to bed, we realized the heater wasn't working...so we layered the kids' beds with extra blankets, ours too, and went to sleep with one ear open.  The heater never kicked in overnight and when we woke it was 67-68, not bad at all, thank God!  I am really thankful for yesterday's day out in the sonshine, because today's is more like this....pickup, put up, repeat.

 

 

Nonetheless...the blessing of having a little boy...when your heater goes out in KY in late Feb and you have a preschooler at home, you have no choice but to make a super duper fort!  That's what we do anyway!  See that little chestnut hair peaking out?  He's the king of fort sum'thin.  It now looks like a gigantic stack of pillows for him to jump into over and over and over. 

Here's to spring arriving early and for mild weather, too!  And here's to turning over a new leaf for us all.  I did 15  freezer meals this weekend, and plan to do about that many more within the  next couple weeks.  It took me about 6 hours and the end result will save HOURS of time and calories.  I had to literally force myself to do it because I was not in a "plan ahead" kind of mood!  It had been nearly 2 mos since I had frozen meals.  When I did it then, nothing tasted freezer burnt (per my very picky husband) and I'm hoping for the same fresh taste with each meal this time too.  I LOVE having my afternoons free for playing with the kids.  It is so good for us, since little girl is now in big school. 

I prepped: 
1 veggie pizza toppings (mostly bc the carrots and broc were teetering on being bad).
1 meatloaf (gr chick)
2 jerk nacho toppings (peppers, rub, cilantro, lime)
2 philly cheesesteak
2 taco meat
2 spaghetti meat
2 chicken marbella (this is an amazing recipe, though a nontraditional combo of ingreds...see the recipe here I got the recipe years ago from a friend who has a Christian radio talk show!  I had it at her house and had to have the recipe.  It's now one of my favorite meals!   
1 chicken burger patties
1 tater tot casserole
1 bbq chicken w/ gr peppers (for pizza actually)

Still left to assemble,:

2 chicken divan
2 ritz chicken

The ritz chicken doesn't require hardly any prep so I'm thinking about waiting to assemble it day-of.

I did the math.  It cost me $2.52 per person for 19 meals.  I'm pretty happy w/ that!  I will have my southern meals on a dime :) like pinto beans and cornbread, and that will bring the month of March's cost per meal down even more.  This is the first time I've done the math, and I won't always, but I wanted a point of reference.  Since I've been a stay-at-home mom for 6 years, I like to shave pennies off when and where I can!

Okay, clock's a tickin', and I have laundry to fold, repaired (yay!) heater fans to pick up, and the funniest and most fun little boy to spend time with today!  I will leave you with one final thing, the best thing:  scripture.

I have recently memorized....

Isaiah 25:1
Oh Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you and praise your name.  In perfect faithfulness, you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. (emphasis mine)

This verse is a real thirst quencher to my parched soul.  Everyone have a good Monday!  Tomorrow is a work day for me.  Luckily, both my kids are in schools that I am happy with, which makes it so much easier for all of us!  And since I cooked all those meals,  we can rebuild fort sum'thin for at least 15 afternoons in a row! 

Disney: Planning the vacation is not a vacation!!!

They say there are 2 types of people who go to DW...those who plan everything to the n'th degree and those who show up the day-of and go to guest services for quick advice on what to do when.  I believe I fall in the 2nd category!  We are planning a DW trip (long time off) w/ some friends and possibly my mom...and I'm almost dizzy from just looking at DW's trip planning site.  Just tell me when to go to Magic Kingdom, sign us up for a character breakfast at the castle and another w/boy characters, slide us into Bippity Boppity Boutique, the pirate fixer-upper place, tell us when to go to Animal Kingdom, and I'm good.  I think I developed a deeper crease in my 30-something forehead from trying to simplify the process!  Good thing I have a gift certificate for a facial.  Amanda, if you read this, I'm headed your way.  Please use the anti-Disney-planning-cream to the crease b'w my brows. Thank you!

Ah, but yes, Lord willing, it truly will be worth it though, to see this:

with the cutest farm kids this side of the Missisippi!  Or rather, to see them as they experience the magic.  Speaking of them, whew, somebody out there tell me what to do about sibling rivalry, specifically from 3pm-6pm when I'm trying to cook!  The sad thing is that time period is now the only time my two are together through the week (the last 1-2 hours before bed not included- for some reason they change and are so tender w/ each other from like 7 on!?).  This momma is stressed and turning to comfort food to numb it all!  I am in serious need of Jesus and real-deal intervention because this ain't gonna fly in this household!  No way, no how.

 

What to do...

*read The Word (alive and breathing...WHY oh WHY do I neglect it!?)

*freezer meals (so I can be w' the kids in the thro's from 3-6 instead of screaming from the kitchen w/ a frying pan in my hand..literally that was today's scenario as bacon for blt's popped and sizzled!  i mean, hello redneck central!)

*early bed times for all of us!  we were off to such a smooth start but round about dec...we snuggled in later and closer as the cold outside seemed less appealing.

*go less.  my hubby is on various committees and as a result, we travel more than i would plan at this point...i ENJOY these trips very much but for simplicity sake w/ 2 small ones, i would opt out (but for him!)  that being said, i've already planned an overnight trip for the kids and me to see my cousin and her 19 month old in 6 wx.  what can i say.  not a word if i'm smart!  oops, too late. but seriously, go less.  bw now and end of june, we have one excursion planned and it's a one-nighter.  i'll be surprised if i don't get homesick and head to the hills on an unplanned trip but for now, one trip is the plan so we can ...go...less.

*exercise...start again.  there is not much to do here besides eat - i compare it to when we were out west just a week ago - fast food restaurants were few and far between.  here they are everywhere.  and we like to eat!  we're southerners! 

*be positive, think positive

 

Happy Trails Y'all & Hope You Never Have to Plan a Disney Trip!  Just kidding!  But seriously, the hubby has taken over and this makes me HAPPY!  I can't afford too many facials afterall.

 

AgBc's if I may

Preparing to speak to 3 Ag classes and I am having speaker's block!  I think I may have the students do this fun and simple activity. So...if I may...I am going to plunk down some quick ideas to *hopefully* make speaker's block go AWAY!  I can normally talk to a wall yet right now, I'm STUCK!

Question: "What do you instantly think of when you hear the word FARMER?" 

ABC's of Agriculture

A-air...farms (hog specifically) may not always smell good but I like country air better than smoky/smoggy air!
B-breakfast...think country eggs, sausage from a nearby farm, bacon from a nearby farm, biscuits (hubby likes canned best), real butter (from Kroger ha)
C-country music...all things sung about farming and farm life make it sound gritty yet desirable at once (which makes me lol)
D-dogs...the hunting ones, the working ones, and my crazy chessie/wire hair Hallie dog!

 
E-eggs...from my backyard
F-farms...all across the nation...2% of the population farms and I'm PROUD to be a farm fam for this reason
G-grass...yep green grass...we grow it and sell it on this diversified ag op!

H-hens...don't want a rooster, thank you!  We have 7 of these babies right now.

I-inchworms...they aerate the soil, folks, and help our farms a lot more than they get credit for! 
J-juice...bc somewhere down the line fruit was picked from a farmer's field!  Even those big farms have a face!  I just met a guy face to face whose family farms 10,000 acres out west!  Awesome guy!  I'll never serve the kiddos another carrot w/o wondering if it came from that guy's land and hand!
K-kids..farms and kids go together, and I'm SO glad to raise mine on a farm, though I had to grow to love it and appreciate it!
L-land...whew, land is $PRICY$ here and I'm glad for the land we farm and the little bit we live on!
M-moo cows...went to a dairy recently and watched those mommas get milked, then their milk was dumped into a drain because they had been on antibx and it must test out of the milk before it gets pasteurized. 
N-North Dakota...the farmers in ND have it different than we do here - their land is owned by the gov't and they lease it from them.  Glad for all kinds of people who do their best with the land today (and shame on those who don't!) for food tomorrow!
O-operations...farm ops to be specific...all kinds too...traditional, organic, big, little.
P-pesticides. I know, I know.  Trust me, I know!
Q-quaker oats...on those mornings I indulgeforce them down my throat, I think of a farmer and a farm field somewhere that grew those babies.

R-rain...oh yes, rain, and the good Lord who gives it.
S-sunshine...same as above!
T-trucks...I am kind of in love with my husband's hot truck.  It's built Ford Tough.  It literally gives me flutters something crayyy.
U-USDA for regulations...even though at times they bite farmers and I may take flack for saying it!  They are there for good reason.
V-variety ... I'll take peaches and cream sweet corn variety please!

W-water...see letter R. 
X-meXico...our best workers come from there!
Y-youth...who are the up and coming farmers...let's teach them well!
Z-zones...so I know which flowers and bushes I can plant and when :)