It works for toddlers...

This morning Maryn wasn't getting her way and in true Maryn fashion she dropped to the ground, screaming and rolling around demanding her way...I don't even remember what she wanted anymore. She was ranting, raving and rolling all over the family room carpet...yes that sweet thing you see on Sunday mornings does have a temper and she is 2, so it goes with the territory! So what did I do? I laid down on the carpet and did the same thing she was doing to show her how crazy she looked. (Now I realize that some parenting experts would tell me that you need an audience for a tantrum and I usually go that route, but I couldn't resist this morning.)

Thankfully my mock tantrum didn't backfire on me. It did diffuse the situation and we had fun wrestling and laughing, oh, I got drooled on as well. It's a few hours later and I was thinking it would be nice if the same strategy would work for my teenager's little outbursts, somehow I think not! But alas, God deals with each of us individually. Sometimes He uses humor to bring us around and sometimes the dreaded 2 x 4.

Frustration, not inspiration...

I should have known that when I ripped my jeans "stretching" them when I put them on this morning that it was an indicator of things to come. Actually my morning went very well..vet appointment and running errands. Maryn and I shared Arby's for lunch. She had a blast looking at all the books at Borders. I think it was her first time there...so many books, so little time.

The problems resurfaced later in the afternoon as I went to the freezer to get some salmon for dinner. I actually had a plan and a healthy on at that! Imagine my surprise when there was no salmon. Dinner needed to be on the table quick so I found some sausage and decided I'd brush up on pancake flipping skills for the upcoming pancake breakfast.

Maryn pulled her chair up to the counter to help. She started washing dishes but decided stirring pancake batter would be much more fun, so she stirred away while I cooked the sausage. She was doing a great job, only sticking her fingers in the batter on occasion until I realized she grabbed the pot scrubber to assist her stirring. Only God knows the last time I ran it through the dishwasher to sanitize it! I did opt for the photo op...I'll have to post a picture when I download, excuse me, when Rich downloads the pictures. It was a manageable photo op until Maryn decided to show me the stirrer, and drip pancake batter all over the chair, counter, floor, herself, etc.!

Up until this point I was really doing fine. I stopped, cleaned up Maryn, ran to school to pick up Josh and returned home to re-make the pancake batter, without help this time. I got everything going, the boys were helping me and we discovered we had very little syrup...URGHHHH! I reached peak frustration levels as I started sneezing uncontrollably, while messing up many of the pancakes.

Oh, I forgot to mention that during this wild time, Winston (the puppy) was shredding paper all over so now I need to vacuum, well I needed to anyway, but now I really NEED to. So, if you need any documents shredded, I have the shred-o-matic puppy. I decided to call it a day and put on my pj's, yes at 7 pm. Definitely not an inspirational day, can anyone relate?

By the way, I do need volunteers to help make pancakes and sausage at home the morning of the pancake breakfast at church on October 5. Let me know if you can help!

Might not be...

This might not be the most inspirational week for blogging...

• I'm still catching up from the weekend
• Not very motivated to get caught up from the weekend
• I don't think Dora or Diego will provide inspiration, for me at least...Maryn loves them!
• It's an admin week for me with women's ministries and getting ready for the pancake breakfast
• My to-do list is overwhelming and did I mention that my motivation is lacking?!
• My best dinner inspiration is what we are having tonight...chicken and french fries...it's Josh and Maryn's birthdays...it may not be healthy, but will be happy

While I'm not planning on a very inspirational week I am counting on...

• lots of laughter as I play with Maryn
• the fun of watching Maryn and Josh open their birthday presents, though most of Josh's haven't arrived yet
• my house surviving even if it doesn't get cleaned this week
• God's faithfulness and provision
• eventually getting some things done, well maybe
• the reassurance that many of you reading have weeks like this and perhaps feel the same way I do

All that to say I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging this week, though I promise to blog as God lays something on my heart. Who knows, maybe with some extra sleep and lots of extra prayer, I'll hit my stride, until then....

The Fight

I opened my Bible study book this morning (A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place by Beth Moore) to the following verse: Exodus 14:14, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." It's still sinking in for me, definitely something I need to "chew" on.

I'm a doer...be still? That is rarely my response. I wonder how my life would be different if I were still and allowed God to fight for me...

Chicken Pox or Chiggers...

Just when I think life is under some sort of control, something arises that makes me remember Who is really in control. Throughout the day on Monday, Caleb developed a suspicious looking rash, so we headed to the pediatrician first thing Tuesday morning to discover this "rash" was chicken pox!! Of all things, he had chicken pox when he was two, but that was still the diagnosis. Apparently some people get chicken pox twice in their lives.

Incidentally, two of his friends had similar sounding rashes as they were all traipsing through the woods on Sunday.

Today we went to the dermatologist for Caleb's alopecia. The resident we saw confirmed the chicken pox diagnosis, but the specialist came in and told us it was bug bites and went on to explain why. Bug bites are certainly welcomed news, though certainly irritating.

While I certainly cannot plan chicken pox or even a massive chigger attack, I do need to remember to be flexible and follow God's lead.

Pie Maker, I'm NOT!

For those of you who are time crunched, I'll start by sharing a recipe for Peach (or Strawberry) Pie. You'll need the following ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup boiling water, a 3 oz package of peach or strawberry jello, 2 cups of sliced fresh fruit, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, lemon juice (to sprinkle over peaches so they don't brown) and a 9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled according to the package instructions.

Directions: Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Add boiling water. Cook over medium heat. Add gelatin and mix well. Cool until lukewarm. Slice fruit. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Add to gelatin mixture and pour into pie shell. Refrigerate for several hours or until set. Garnish with cool whip if desired.

Now, the reason why I'm not a pie maker. I guess I should have realized that since my mom didn't like pie and therefore didn't make them, that there may be a genetic issue here...I'll have to ask her sometime. I had a great neighbor who tried to teach me all things domestic...I didn't do so well in the pie making department then either. There was an Easter dinner, parents, in-laws, sister etc. for dinner...big dinner, had to do everything myself (I'm also NOT Martha Stewart, but that didn't keep my from trying). I carefully planned the use of my oven, but as I pulled out the peach pie, I clipped the edge of the oven sending the entire peach pie to the bottom of the oven and no, the meat wasn't yet finished. Just imagine lots of smoke, the smoke detector wailing and a very frustrated homemaker!

Anyway, I've sworn off baked pies unless they come in a box, if you know what I mean. I was given this recipe and with so few ingredients and the bonus of using fresh fruit I figure what could be so difficult. Well if there is a way to mess it up, I've tried it. I had added the wrong ingredients at the wrong time. I've had the jello not gel...just ask Pastor Steve and Sherri about their "dessert" (term used loosely in this situation) when I took a meal when Nic was born. Today I decided to boil the water in the saucepan, then add the sugar and cornstarch, but ended up with clumps of goo...Caleb had a name for it. I suppose it'd be cool to play with if that was the end game. So after throwing that mess out (thankfully sugar and cornstarch aren't that expensive) I started again. It's now cooling in the refrig so I'll have to let you know if it turned out. I decided there is a reason I don't homeschool...imagine what would happen with science experiments in my kitchen!! My hats go off to all our homeschooling moms out there. Me, I'm a science project gone bad!

I did have one time the pie came out beautifully...I was talking to Melissa on the phone, so my advice, call Melissa so say hello when you try this recipe. This pie did turn out, Rich even asked me what I did to prevent it from flopping. Maybe it was sharing the recipe with you! Oh, and feel free to share your experiences with this recipe if you'd like!

What would you change?

Earlier this week I sent out a women's ministry email asking what you'd change about yourself. I've received some great responses, but would love to hear from more of you. If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

It has been surprising to me that some of you have been struggling with the same things I've been working through. My intention in asking this question was to get ideas for our next women's ministry activity in October. I know that the things we'd like to change are tough to take on and that there are no quick fixes. I also know the One who has the power to change us. I'm praying for God's wisdom and waiting for His direction for this evening of Managing Change.

If you have any ideas, let me know. Shoot me an email letting me know what you'd like to change about yourself. womensministry@lifecc.us

Remembering 911

I have no great words of wisdom to offer as we remember September 11, 2001. Like many of you, I remember exactly what I was doing that day. I was meeting my 2 year old preschool students. I remember one of my former parents coming in to tell me about the first of the twin towers being hit. I was so focused on my job that I didn't process what could be happening until the little ones left...by then the events of the morning had played out. I came home and just sat in front of the TV watching the news.

I remember the stories of the families left behind. I also heard stories of parents who "should have been" on one of the planes. I was so thankful when I heard from Rich...he was in a meeting in a government office that morning, but I didn't know where. He was fine and far away from harm. I was also so thankful as I waited for my boys to get off the bus that afternoon. I was thankful for the time off from our usual routine as many of our activities and school were cancelled. While I had things to be thankful for, there were others who were in so much pain.

So, seven year later, I still think of those families who lost loved ones. I think of how the children have survived without a mom or dad. I also think about how our nation turned to God for answers and hope that we do that again today as we remember.

Recipe

Tuesday evening I had the opportunity to attend a Pampered Chef party at a friend's home. We had a great time and the consultant, also a LCC member did an excellent job. Pampered Chef as a company does a great job providing recipes that use their products. I was telling a friend one of my favorite Pampered Chef recipes...it's one I've had for at least 8 years.

Chicken Cesar Pizza

You'll need: pizza crust (boboli, homemade or you can even purchase pizza dough at Bertucci's)
Ken's light Cesar Dressing
Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
Parmesan Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Garlic

I don't have exact measurements for the above ingredients...I just fill the pizza crust.

First marinate your chicken in the Cesar dressing...I do this right in the pan that I'll use to cook the chicken...for about 20 minutes. Cook the chicken in the dressing. Meanwhile put a small amount of the Cesar dressing on the pizza crust (be careful, this dressing is very strong), use your garlic press to put a clove of garlic on the crust followed by the cooked chicken, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake in 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Serve with Cesar salad. Enjoy!

God's Call

I just started reading a book that has been on my shelves for a while...it seems like this is my pattern, buy a book, find a place for it on my shelf and then eventually pick it up and read it, well read most of it. Anyway, this book is called "Leading Women to the Heart of God: Creating a Dynamic Women's Ministry", edited by Lysa Terkeurst. Many leading ladies in women's ministries contributed to this. I am always looking for new ideas or ways to keep the "life" in our women's ministry at LCC.

I think as women we all feel overwhelmed at times and question our ability to perform a certain role. I know I do. In the introduction of the book a phrase by Lysa Terkeurst stood out to me. "We need to stop wondering if we really have what it takes to be a leader and realize God doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called."

The fall is often the season when as churches we resume classes, lifegroups and revisit the staffing needs to make these happen. So instead of sprinting into the bathroom when you see one of the church leaders coming your way, perhaps it would be better to remember that God qualifies the called, and we are all called to do something in the church.

I hope to have some other fresh ideas for women's ministries as I read through this book, but in the meantime, if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear from you!

Sharing Blogs

There are several blogs I try to keep up with...the LCC blogs topping the list. It's a great way to keep up with someone and get information out there that we can access as we have time. I have several connections from our LCC women blog to some of my favorites. One of those is the Living Proof blog, which is Beth Moore's blog where she and her daughters post thoughts.

Beth's daughter, Amanda had a quote that really made me think this morning. It said,"If I stop receiving from God, I start demanding from others." There is much more to this post and I encourage you to read Amanda's post in its entirety.

I need to spend some more time working through this, but right now I have to deal with a tantruming almost two year old! Oh, the realities of life!

Rainy Mornings

It was such a raining morning, one of those days when we love to stay under the covers, sleep a bit longer or read a book. While the temptation may have been great this morning, about 12 of you braved the rain and came for our Back to School coffee. You encouraged me with your friendship and inspired me with your desire to seek God in prayer for our children and those who teach them. Scripture tells us where two or three are gathered, He is in their midst and I surely sensed God's presence this morning!

If you are a teacher attending LCC or one of our core class teachers, you were prayed over. We appreciate all you do to teach us and our children. If you are one of our LCC kids, you were also prayed over - that God would continue to mature you in your walk with Him and be with you in your academic pursuits as well.

If you weren't here, I'm sorry. You unfortunately missed a special morning, but we'll be gathering again soon. Make sure to watch your email and this blog for details! Sherri made a comment to me a few days ago that something is happening at LCC. While I can't adequately explain it, I certainly feel it. God is doing a mighty work in our church! I can't wait to see what He has in store for us this fall! Please join me in prayer during this exciting time!