Wakin' Up Hugs

One of my favorite things about being a mom are those hugs when the kids first get up.  We call them "wakin' up hugs."  This morning SweetTate came and crawled in my lap.  I told him, "I love wakin' up hugs."  He said, "Mom, I'm just going to let you hug me" and tucked his arms in between us to keep them warm.  I'm sure that he was thinking just let me wrap my arms around him, as opposed to monkey hugs--another favorite--where he wraps his arms and legs around me and can hang on all by himself even if I walk around!

I happened to be sitting at the table doing my Bible study when he came in.  His comment made me think of my wakin' up hugs with my Heavenly Father.  Some mornings I'm clinging to Him with all my might.  Other times I just need to let Him hug me.  This weekend I heard Beth Moore speak and she made the point that we have to operate out of a present awareness of His love.  That fills us up so we have what we need to love others.  If we try to love others without knowing that He loves us, we will run out of energy really fast.  His hugs come in lots of different forms.  It may be a sunrise.  Maybe a fresh insight from His Word.  Or one of His little ones coming into your arms to just be with you.

Thank You, Father, for these precious moments and the reminder of Your love for me.

Balancing Act

While I was at Colorado Springs for the Hearts at Home Conference, I spent a little time at Garden of the Gods.  I would love to go back when I have more time and I think the family would love it!  It is a place at the base of Pike's Peak where these massive red rocks seem to have been tossed out there for some reason.  This is from a distance.



Then I drove down to walk around these rocks that are just towering giants!  It is hard to get a perspective in these pictures. 

I saw pictures of this next formation and saw it on the map, but decided that I better get started home and not take the time to find it.  (Now that I have looked better at the map, I don't think it would have taken that much time.  Just FYI if you ever go and want to take that tangent road.)  It is called Balanced Rock.  Countless people stop to take pictures by this rock and no doubt try to push it over, but it still stands.  Even in this setting of seemingly out of place red rocks, this one is different.

So here is the God Stop I want to share.  I had just been to a Mom conference where I was renewed and energized to jump back into life as a Mom, and I see this picture.  In this scenic place, what do you think when you see this rock? 

Beauty, strength, awesome, balance, constant... 

I know this sounds silly, but if you were the rock, how do you think you would feel? 

Unstable, big responsibilities balanced at one point, odd--why can't I have a base like the other rocks?, easily toppled, worried that the next storm or wind, man or child would push me over... 

I don't know about you, but many days that is how I feel as a Mom.  The reality is, God placed me in this place with these people at this time for a purpose.  I am not out of place.  I don't have it all together and often feel unbalanced, but if I will keep my focus on Him, He will hold me through every storm that may come.  It is His strength that gives me stability and holds me together.  My job as Wife and Mom is imortant.  Any beauty that may come from my life is because my Creator.

This Momma says, "Thank You, God!"

(I didn't take the picture of Balanced Rock.  I found it on Rian Houston's site.)

For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and

in Him all things hold together.

Colossians 1:16-17  NIV

No bonbons here!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get the feeling others think that because I'm a stay at home mom, I just sit around watching soaps and eating bonbons.  To be completely truthful, there was a time that I watched soaps, but as a brand new mom, I was hardly doing nothing.  It was more for noise and adult conversation, been there?  Anyway, SweetHeart came home the other day, and this is what I had been doing.  You see, what is mostly on our TV now is kid's shows.  On one of their favorite PBS shows, Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman, we saw they guy who holds the world record for a card house--AMAZING!  (His name is Bryan Burg and here is one of his creations.)  I have tried to build one before, but I always tried to make it with triangles and it never worked!  Here is the secret we learned on Fetch!  This is the strongest way to arrange the cards.

Then you just start adding cards around it continuing the pattern.  We found that if you lay cards on top, it adds stability to it.  This was my first attempt at a level (notice the cards are facing the same direction!)  Part of the Ruff challenge was that their building had to be sturdy enough to support weight (I don't remember the poundage, but it was heavier than the little candle we used.)  When I placed the candle on this...it collapsed!  But doesn't it look good!

SweetBoy got in on the project and we got a second level going!  (With some repairs along the way.  Just in case you try this at home, it takes several tries!)

We got a third level and even a fourth!

Here goes nothing...

It supports our candle!  I know you are so impressed.  SweetHeart was, let me tell you.  So the point of this post is that there is no bonbon eating going on here, but we are practicing some mad card stacking skillz!

Just a little something

The Halloween candy is half eaten, the leaves are almost off the trees. It's two weeks until Thanksgiving, so you know, it is time for Christmas commercials...what is up with that! Someone emailed me a Go Fish song about Christmas that was pretty good. This song was a related video and I thought my fellow moms would enjoy it. I can totally relate..."tired of doing dishes, and know who Elmo's fish is!" I don't know about you, but this mom needed an "ata girl!" so I'll share it with you. Enjoy!



This week I have been doing some baking for Thanksgiving. Here is a new recipe to me that is very yummy--it should be with all the butter! Don't think about the calories, just make it for a crowd and have a little bit!

Pumpkin Cobbler

3 eggs beaten
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of cloves
1 tsp vanilla
18 1/4 oz. yellow cake mix
1 1/4 cup margarine melted
1 cup chopped pecans

Stir everything together except the cake mix, margarine, and pecans in a bowl. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Melt the margarine, and drizzle over the top of the cake mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Chop pecans and sprinkle over the top. Bake 15 more minutes.

The things they say...

SweetTate is in that oh-so-cute phase of mispronouncing things. He has a fire truck shirt and I keep trying to get him to say fire engine, because I'm sure you have already guessed what it sounds like! Many words he uses f instead of t. But then SweetDoll had a tamberine and he said it was a tenerine. He got the t right! One of my personal favorites is when I give him something he will say, "Thanks me, Mom." He hasn't quite gotten the personal pronouns down yet! Tonight before bed, SweetTate was going around the house with his little microphone singing, "Jesus is love me. Jesus is love me." How much I need that reminder that Jesus is loving me! He is love to me! He is love! So precious! I love this part of this stage!

Olympic dreams

Ok. I know the olympics are old news, but I had this post in my head I just didn't get it down until now. Do you know how that goes? I love watching the olympics from opening ceremonies to closing. I like the pagentry of the home country culture (and wasn't it spectacular!), the bio-stories of the athletes, the close races (men's swimming relay!), the realized dreams (Nastia and Shawn--women's gymnastics), the surprise medal finish (men's gymnastics)... I don't like to see it, but it is part of the games--the disappointment of unrealized dreams so close. When I was younger, I wished that I could do something like that. Now that I'm older and wiser, I know there is no way I'll ever reach olympic gold. And I'm fine with that as I watch my kids practice sprints up and down the hall, timing themselves as they train for thier olympics! We'll see!

I may not reach a gold medal, but I do have dreams. I have three precious children that it is my job to train and prepare for life. After the Israelites left Egypt, wondered in the dessert, finally entered the Promised Land, and defeated their enemies, it was time to inhabit their Promised Land. Joshua sent them out with this charge:

But be careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to
you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, hold
firmly to Him and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.

Joshua 22:5

When I send my kids out on their own, they need to know these things. Am I living the example? Am I intentionally teaching them God's Word? These are my training days that I need to put in the work no matter who is watching. And one day, they will be mature adults who love God, walk in His ways, obey Him, hold on to Him and serve Him. That will be my realized dream moment.

Moms have a hard job and much of it goes unnoticed and unappriciated. If I can encourage you, my fellow moms, along the way, I would say keep doing what you are doing--God sees! I had seen this story in an email before, but Nicole Johnson brings it to life so well.