so thankful

These last few weeks have given me the opportunity to become more settled into our new "normal" life as I nanny for Mr. S. with Moriah along for the ride :) She enjoys her days, have no doubt about that, as she watches the busy 2 1/2 year old little guy and his gentle dog Ruby. Moriah squeals with delight as she watches Ruby, who patiently gets close enough for Moriah to touch (or grab) and then calmly walks away! The biggest perk of this job is the 4 day work week, with additional time off as overtime hours are necessary from time to time. During the past week I worked two extra-long days, that weren't the easiest at times, but was compensated by an extra day off... who could ask for more than that! This week I have lots of potential fun planned with Mr. S. starting with our "In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb" handprint craft. We're also going to keep a calendar together. Mr. S. is a smart little guy who does an amazing job at distinguishing between today and tomorrow (I think his busy parent's schedule has helped him learn time more quickly). Since there are a few long trips for his mom this month having a calendar and looking at the days may help him understand when she'll be home. The "in like a lion, out like a lamb" is also all about weather so I think we'll sketch a little picture of the day's weather on each box and discuss at the end of the month whether or not it was like a lion or a lamb. I've also been browsing a few toddler learning books to find creative activities for our days. I was even able to buy two of them at our favorite Half Price Book Store this weekend! In one book, I read about making a teddy bear parachute, which we'll also try tomorrow I hope. His tall staircase will be the perfect launch site :)

In other news, our family life is seeming to be the sweetest it's been in a long time for me. Part of this sweetness comes from the opportunity I've had to experience so many different "seasons" thus far... I've been a single woman teacher, a married teacher without children, a married and pregnant teacher :) (it deserved a category of it's own!), a married teacher and a mom, and now a married nanny and a mom. These opportunities have shown me much, and given me a chance to empathize with the challenges women can face in each stage. None have been "easy" per se, but in hindsight the Lord seems to show a lot. Now that I have an extra day off each week, I feel like I've been given bonus time! The chores which were always needing to get done can be accomplished with less stress and much more joy. Little projects I might dream up (clearing out books to sell at the used book store, writing in Moriah's baby book, starting to baby proof our house) can be added in to my days. And the most important thing... my perspective is filled with thanks. I know now that the opportunity I have to spend quality time with Matt, do dishes, cook dinners, make baby food, fold laundry, vacuum and swiffer, dust, and keep our home tidy are not opportunities every woman has... oftentimes they must be neglected in order to accomplish other more urgent tasks which may be related to her job or family life. I also know now that these routine chores can bring a sweet order and stability to a home. They can allow me to serve Matt in a way that gives him time for sermon preparation and school work. I can send him off to start his day with fewer things on his plate and that is a joy to me. I can try to offer Moriah a routine which gives her all she needs to eat (an ever growing amount!), time to sleep, play, and learn about her world. This is no small task. I am so thankful.

If I was an artsy person I'd love to create some great painting on a canvas incorporating the verse from Andrew Peterson's song "Planting Trees"... I know this life might not always be as filled with sweet moments as it seems to be right now, and I know that there are still hard moments and hard days, but these words encourage me that my work is glorifying to the Lord and will have eternal ramifications I pray...

"She rises up as morning breaks
She moves among these rooms alone
Before we wake
And her heart is so full, it overflows
She waters us with love and the children grow

So many years from now
Long after we are gone
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless the dawn
These trees will spread their branches out
And bless someone"

Pray for me, that above all else my days would not be filled with busy-ness that is absent of the Lord, I desire to seek Him through His Word and must grow in that priority. All else is insignificant if not fueled by Him that I may bring glory to His name.

life now...

some thoughts floating or racing through my head tonight... nothing profound, just real, I'll forewarn you

*avocados are now split three ways in our family as Moriah has become a huge fan of tasting them through her mesh feeder, great for her as we eat dinner - sad for Matt as his most favorite food of choice will become even more scarce!

*I'm wondering which first foods might tend to be more "binding" and which might have the opposite effect on Moriah's tummy... any thoughts? I think apples are binding?! what about pears and avocados, maybe they're not so strong either way?!

*having a longer commute has made my prayer time for Matt and Moriah more consistent, my husband and child prayer calendars have also been an excellent resource

*while thinking ahead in some cases is helpful, in other cases only trial and error can be your teacher... putting a 2 1/2 year old boy into the van before Moriah seemed like a good idea (so that he wouldn't be left without a hand to hold in the parking lot while I lifted her into the car) until he wandered around the van and enjoyed pushing buttons - like the lock button! after a wave of panic came over me as I realized my baby and my little nannying charge were in the van with my keys, I tapped on the window hoping I could pantomime pushing the button to coax him into the doing the same... so thankful for a smart little guy who happily opened the door right away, calming my fears and teaching me never to surrender the keys again :)

*charming local toy stores are wonderful and too few these days (head into downtown LaGrange, Kentucky on the historic square if you need a good example), we enjoyed browsing today and even came out with the most perfect small sticker book like my mom used to buy me, today our choice was a construction site sticker book with reusable stickers for the construction scene, at only $1.50 you can't beat it!

*the wise advice of more experienced moms is always good to solicit... thanks to a wise mom Dollie, Moriah is sleeping soundly and without a fuss almost an hour earlier than normal, must be what she needed :)

*Harry and David is a most extravagant treat in my mind, but I've been so thankful to enjoy it twice this year as my mother in law sent me peaches and a market bag for my birthday, and a triple box of treats for Matt and I this Valentine's day - even better for my sweet tooth (but not my overall health) is that most of the treats are chocolates I prefer more than Matt :)

*is curious about my experience jumping into the world of big children's consignment sales this weekend... Little Treasures is in the setting up phase so tomorrow night I'm dropping of my things, Sunday I'm a "clothing inspection assistant", and Monday I'm headed in to the worker's pre-sale... hopefully in two weeks I'll walk away with a check which might put us ahead or at least break even with the great deals I'm sure I'll find (I have a short list... a baby monitor to use in the large home where I'm working as Mr.S. and Moriah nap two floors apart and a Jumperoo for our ever moving little one, if I found irresistible shoes for a walker-in a few months-and some summer play clothes they might be too hard to resist as well!)

*I enjoy my conversations with Mr. S. throughout these days, and he seems to be more talkative when we're driving or out of the house than when we're playing at home with his toys... maybe an argument for exposing children to the in's and out's of life... so today we discussed the wind, he doesn't like it much:
S: "Wind stop blowing!" (while we were picnic-ing in a gazebo at the park)
me: "I don't think it will stop right now, but I know you'd like it to. Who makes the wind stop and go?"
S: "The neighbors, need a tall ladder!"
me: "Really?! :) I think it's God who can make the wind stop and go!"

*comfy clothes, a messy pony tail, and some unwinding time on-line is just the motivation I need before more productive chores can be accomplished over the next two hours, especially when they include scrubbing the shower

*trying to eat a quick nacho dinner-while wrangling a very sad teething girl-and her mesh avocado feeder-before Matt left for class-left my kitchen table a mess to say the least... I'll reward the clean-up with some (or "a") Harry and David treat!!! with that I'm off

change and blessings

Well, change is upon me again... and maybe I'm getting more comfortable with it, ask me next week and I'll let you know! Tomorrow I will leave my official "teaching career" for now and venture into a new world as a nanny. While my classroom days are over I look forward to teaching a little 2 1/2 year old boy and my darling little girl. This summer we'll add a new baby to the mix :) I know there will be adjustments to make and lessons to be learned. My "teaching" days have been filled with younger and younger children recently, but not anyone quite this young before. Upon our first meeting I learned two crucial details about Mr.S... he loves tractors and cooking! What a lovely combination :) I've been researching the typical development of 2 year olds, along with games, and activities for them. I've been a fan of the blog "I Can Teach My Child" for awhile now, and look forward to using many of her ideas with this little man. I have a pile of things, in my dear husband's office (lacing beads, Mr. Potato Head, magnetic blocks, learning CD's, puzzles, etc), that I can bring in my bag of tricks once I figure out exactly what he's ready for. After visiting his home, I also know he has plenty to play with and lots of room to play as well. Some of my books are organized for our first few weeks together... a typical boy pile with transportation books, and dinosaur books; some Valentine books that we'll read as we do a few holiday crafts; some alphabet and counting books; "The Napping House" which will be perfect before nap time; some favorite character books (like Clifford and Curious George); and finally some easy "I Spy" books.

So with this new opportunity we're rejoicing in the following blessings specifically (some about the job, others about the time I'll have free at home):
~ 9:00am-5:00pm work days, only 4 days a week!
~ on busier weeks for the family I may be needed for longer hours which will be made up with more time off to enjoy Moriah and be home
~ outings to the library's story times, parks, the zoo, etc.
~ a very kind and thoughtful family to work for who have already gone out of their way to make me feel very comfortable in their home with Moriah as well
~ 3 weeks of paid vacation a year... a huge perk :)
~ days with my little one
~ learning baby sign language and teaching it to Moriah
~ getting Moriah back on a well structured nap routine (day care hasn't been the best about this lately when they banned swaddling!)
~ adding fruits and vegetables to Moriah's growing palate (and making them at home)
~ grocery shopping and cleaning on my day off so that we'll have more weekend family time for fun
~ serving Matt by helping our home run more efficiently so that his time in sermon preparation and school work can be maximized
~ maintaining friendships with other mom friends and their babies since I'll have time for play dates
~ visiting my old school with Moriah, and potentially volunteering with some of the students a bit
~ maybe blogging on a more regular basis (weekly perhaps) to share some of my ideas for enjoying both of these little ones and our fun throughout the days :)

I know that in the midst of such blessings there will be hard days that will not be easy... I hope to rejoice in the Lord and remain thankful even then. Please pray for my patience and strength throughout each day and especially as we settle into our new routines. Change is never my favorite, but it almost always promises new challenges and rewards as well.

Two insights from very wise men that have been on my mind lately...
"The place where God has put the wife is the husband’s home. Most people have forgotten nowadays what a home can mean, though some of us have come to realize it as never before. It is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life’s storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary." ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer (find the entire wedding sermon here)


"Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason . . . ,takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says,
“Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores. . . ?” [LW 45:39]
What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers, or to be
entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight. . . . God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling—not because the father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith." [LW 45:39-40]
~Martin Luther, shared by the GirlTalk blog yesterday

thankful for this season

The Lord is giving me much to thank Him for these days. Rather than finding myself always looking forward to "some day" I've been very convicted lately that I must instead live now and worship Him here. So for me, "here" is living as a wife to Matt who's in Seminary taking two night classes and working full time at the bank... it's also learning to be a mom to Moriah who is an ever-changing and growing little girl (5 months old already!)... and the harder things for me about "here" are being a working mom which isn't something we had planned necessarily, being on a close budget, and living in a sort of funny season as we prepare for the future God has planned while also knowing life is happening for us now - not just later. So I'm finding myself more and more thankful as we trust the Lord now. While I didn't always imagine things to go this way, the Lord certainly knows each of my steps and "hems me in" as Psalm 139 reminds me. So here's the beginning of my thankful list which I hope I can add to throughout the year...

I'm thankful for:

1. Matt who gladly works very hard all day, and has willingly changed his plans to take classes at night, and preach at our little country church... often staying awake or using every free moment to prepare for one or the other of these jobs. He still makes time to enjoy Moriah, listen to me, and be ever-helpful.

2. The Lord who is never surprised, even when we may take an unexpected to us turn in our plans

3. Moriah who is a joyful and peaceful little girl, her laid back personality and cuddly affection is a sweet blessing to me

4. my job which does allow me to work with Moriah all day, just a few steps away... I also leave most of my work at work, and have little evening stress from my job (while I never want to forget the different life I led in years past as a teacher of children who I cared so much for and thought so much about on most evenings)

5. the opportunity to support others in ministry with our income as we work

6. renting our apartment which allows us to call maintenance if something breaks or malfunctions at no cost to us and with a relatively quick repair time

7. this Seminary and the abundance of opportunities it provides for enrichment of all kinds in our spiritual lives... our godly friends, classes, and opportunities for worship are just some of the "perks"

8. our little church and the simple yet profound faith we've witnessed there in Turner's Station, Kentucky

9. a storage unit which safely houses our extra stuff... mostly my teaching things and holiday decorations, at an affordable price within semi-close proximity

10. a new-to-us minivan my mom and step-dad sold us at a great price when my Cavalier died right before Moriah was born... the ample space for her car seat and stroller are wonderful

11. sticking to my grocery budget and watching the Lord provide exactly what we need for every meal of the week, with a few extras added in - like a tempting box of cranberry orange muffin mix on holiday closeout, and frozen organic cheese enchiladas too - so amazing!

12. a laundry room on campus, and a husband who makes the trek to it almost every other day now as our mountains of clothes have grown with the addition of Moriah and baby messes :)

13. a lovely city like Louisville which is full of charm and unique opportunities in all things, what a great place to call home

Five a Month

Rather than making big and long-term goals this New Year's I'm going to join Jess at Making Home, and set five measurable goals per month. I'm blogging about them, for my own accountability and to encourage you all to make goals and join me! So after talking with Matt, these are my top January priorities...

1. Maintain a DAILY time of Bible reading... First, I'm going to wake up at a consistently early time every morning, hopefully before little Moriah does (she's been pretty inconsistent lately in her mornings), so that I can read. I'm planning to use the ESV Study Bible's "read through the Bible in a year" plan, but I'll be cutting it in half for a more realistic goal this year. I'm especially excited about the way it's organized... the Old Testament readings from Chronicles through the Prophets is organized chronologically which will help me as I understand the history of the Bible, something that I'm always fascinated by. We were able to visit Clifton Baptist Church last weekend since we stayed in Louisville for Christmas and our little Turner's Station Church service was cancelled. Dr. Schriener's sermon was very exhorting along these lines, check it out here! (just so you're not confused, it hasn't been uploaded yet from what I can tell-I bet it will be soon and would certainly be worth waiting for!)

2. Pray for Matt and Moriah strategically... I've chosen to pray with these calendars (praying for children & praying for your husband) from the Inspired to Action web-site - there are many like these, but these are brief and focused which is what I need right now. I'm going to pray as I drive to and/or from work each day.

3. Accomplish one bit of home keeping work each evening so that our weekends are more open for fun! We're constantly doing laundry these days... so that's going to occupy about two weeknights. On the others I will clean the kitchen, clean the bathroom, and vacuum.

4. Practice playing the keyboard twice a week. I really loved the class I took here at the Seminary which taught Seminary Wives to play the piano/keyboard. Since then, Matt insisted that we buy a keyboard so that I could continue to practice. I also have my music stand situated so now I'm really ready. While I haven't forgotten everything I learned last Spring, I need to revisit it all, before I can hope to add any more. So twice a week would be great for me!

5. Follow our newly revamped and updated budget "to a t" this month. The more closely we stick with it, the more we'll be able to see if it needs any tweaking as we start the new year. We've been blessed to make much progress over the last year financially and hope to continue the trend, so we're back into the swing of our cash envelopes and a written and specific plan. Grocery shopping with cash is always more frugal for me than not!

These are my goals... I'd be thankful for your prayers as I rely on God's grace to accomplish them in my life for my godliness and His glory.

our Christmas open house

This year, I was very excited to host our first Christmas Open House. We sent invitations to friends that we see often, and others that we don't see as often as we'd like. We planned for people to come and go during the afternoon and enjoyed talking with them all. The treats were easy holiday cookies, and warm drinks which stayed out throughout the afternoon for tasting! *I made way too many cookies, so our co-workers at the daycare and the bank enjoyed our leftovers on Monday!* I remember a childhood friend whose family hosted an open house each year. I thought it was a marvelous idea and have always wanted to do something similar. I'm really thankful that Matt enjoys hosting as much as I do, and was excited to visit with friends in our home too. We're hoping it can become an "annual" Christmas Open House for us, changing a bit each year.

Here are a few pictures for our far away friends, and some recipes you all might enjoy :)



This apple cider recipe came from my friend Lauren, who'd recently made it for another friend Kimberly's baby shower... it's wonderful and simple too :)
Apple Cider
1 gallon apple cider (mine came from ALDI)
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice
1/4 c brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
1 orange peel
Pour apple cier into Crock-Pot. Add brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel to cider as it warms. Using a loose leaf tea strainer (I'm not quite sure what it's called) add cloves and allspice, then float in cider as well. Serve when warm.



Clementines are always delicious and remind me of Christmas... mostly because Amy is thrilled about the orange in the bread on the movie "Little Women" which they then give away to a family in need. But the orange was a prized Christmas treat to them all. The clementines were also so pretty in this bowl.

Next were the Swedish Thumbprint Cookies. This is another easy recipe that tastes so heavenly!
1 c butter, softened
1/2 c white sugar
2 c sifted all purpose flour
1/2 c jam (I like raspberry)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add flour and mix well --you'll use all the flour even though the consistency will seem to change a lot and look pretty thick.
Shape dough into 1" balls and place on cookie sheets.
Use 1/4 tsp to press indentation into cookies.
Fill indentations with jam.
Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown at the edges of cookies. (Mine were a little over done in the picture!)


We also enjoy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies (in the covered cake stand) which I made from a recipe Meghan gave me. I've taken them to work where they've been a huge hit and even made them with my 4 year olds who also loved them. A new holiday favorite for sure!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
dry ingredients:
2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

wet ingredients:
1 can pumpkin
1 stick butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 c sugar
1 egg

1 bag chocolate chips... I like using the mini ones

Mix dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients by hand until creamy.
(Pieces of butter may still be visible, but should be well incorporated and pretty small.)
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes.
(These cookies don't expand much during baking, and will still look moist even when they're finished cooking.)

The last cookies I made were cranberry pecan cookies which I found in the Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2010 cook book.
1 tube (16-1/2 ounces) refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
2/3 cup vanilla or white chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the cookie dough, pecans, chips, cranberries and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.

I hope to share more of our Christmas traditions soon... hope the Christmas season has already been a sweet time for each of you and your families.

three months old!

We're enjoying so many new and sweet moments with Moriah these days as she grows and changes right before our eyes...

~she's becoming quite "talkative" as she squeals and coos throughout the day, when we get close and talk with her, she only gets more excited and chatters away! Matt knows she'll probably be like mom and chatter for many days to come :)

~as she gets excited to see us or over a toy dangling down, she kicks her legs as fast as you can imagine and baby would be able to! she really gets them going and even looks like she's doing the bicycle exercise every now and then

~she wakes up so happy with lots of smiles and giggles, always makes me a happy mama right away as we start the day

~she's sleeping through the night consistently now, sometimes only waking up to get her pacifier back once... otherwise our routine is off to bed around 8:45pm or so and awake at 6:00am for our first feeding of the day

~she's getting a good grip on most anything that comes in contact with little hands, the rattles are becoming the perfect sort of fun for our little one!

~she's so curious as she looks around (holding her head up with lots of confidence!) to see everything within sight of her bright eyes, there's lots she's hate to miss it seems like!