January25th
I’m so enjoying the old hymns at the end of the new David Crowder album, and this one in particular…
Jesus, Jesus how I trust you
How I proved you o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus
Oh for Grace to trust Him more
‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to take Him at His word
Just to rest upon his promise
Just to know, thus saith the Lord
Jesus, Jesus how I trust Him
How I proved Him o’er and o’er
Jesus, Jesus precious Jesus
Oh for grace to trust Him more
January25th
Yesterday I wandered into my Dad’s office looking for a new book. Right away he suggested a little section that contained some older books, books on Christian Living by some great men of the faith. As my eyes scanned he told me that he was reading one right now and it was hitting him afresh, exactly in the areas he needed. A title caught my eye, and I pulled a book off the shelf just as he held up the book he was reading. Absolute Surrender. Interesting how the Lord works these little coincidences.
The title stood out to me because of this, it seems to be the word of the year for me, and in the first few pages I see that it truly is the book I need to read right now…
“Oh I come to you with a message, fearful and anxious one. God does not ask you to give the perfect surrender in your own strength, or by the power of your will; God is willing to work it in you. Do we not read:”It is God that worth in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure”? And that is what we should ask for- to go on our faces before God, until our hearts learn to believe that the everlasting God Himself will come in to turn out what is wrong, to conquer what is evil, and to work what is well-pleasing in His blessed sight. God Himself will work it in you.
God comes and offers to work this absolute surrender in you. All these searchings and hungerings and longing that are in your heart, I tell you they are the drawings of the divine magnet, Christ Jesus. H lived a life of absolute surrender, He has possession of you; He is living in your heart by His Holy Spirit. You have hindered and hindered Him terribly, but He desires to help you to get hold of Him entirely. And He comes and draws you now by His message and words. Will you not come and trust God to work in you that absolute surrender to Himself? Yes, blessed be God. He can do it, and He will do it. God not only claims it and works it, but God accepts it when we bring it to Him.”
-Andrew Murray
January23rd
This…
We’re standing in the desert of dry bones
But still we see Your life
Walking through the valley of shadows
But holding onto light
And we’re waiting, waiting on You God
And our hearts will trust, trust in who You are
God who keeps our fires burning
Burning through the darkest night
See the hope in our hearts
The faith in our eyes
You can move the highest mountain
You can keep our dreams alive
You’re the joy of our hearts
You’re the fire in our eyes
Light up our lives with holy flame
All for the honor of Your name
Give us the strength to face the day, Jesus
Light up our lives with holy flame
All for the honor of Your name
Give us the strength to face the day
You’re the fire in our eyes
January23rd
So last week’s resolution was to attempt to follow the very old fashioned “Good Wife’s Guide”. I should have picked a calmer week for it though… we had company with us for a few days, 3 nights out in a row, followed by a weekend youth retreat that didn’t have us sharing quarters. But here is my report card anyway:
Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
I think I did had dinner ready every night when he got home, and I tried a few new recipes that he liked. I give myself an A for this one.
Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
hmmm. No ribbon in my hair. And not entirely sure how fresh I looked every night, although I did put forward a bit more effort. I’d say this one was more of a B grade attempt.
Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
I think I was more upbeat this week, despite still fighting a nasty cough/cold. I was definitely more interesting this weekend, though I’m not sure if he found this to be a positive thing. B+ for this one.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
I didn’t do the dust cloth thing, but I did run around and pick up a bit before he came home each night.
During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
I did this!!!! Once. I tried a second time on a night we were going to be home together, but a good, lasting fire eluded me. Kindling shortage. I have to say that this truly did give me immense personal satisfaction… though I’m not sure if it was in providing a haven of rest and order or just satisfying the hidden pyro in me.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
haha. my children do not have a mute button.
Be happy to see him.
Always.
Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
I’m not the wife that runs to the door when he gets home (though YES I have read a million books that say I should), but I DID try to come to greet him with a hug and a smile this week, and I have to say that *I* enjoyed that. I don’t like the idea of bombarding him before he can even get his coat off and fighting the kids for his attention, but the hugs were very nice, so I might have to make this one more of a habit.
And… this is the part of the show where things get REALLY sexist. Please note that this is all in fun…
Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
I do try…. but my long, detailed, fascinating stories have been storing up for like 10 hours!!! 
I love to hear my husband talk, I wish I was a better listener so he would do more of it.
Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.
…
Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
Actually… I think this is one I do well on most of the time. Sexism aside… my husband is very respectful of our family time, so when he can’t be home or has to be late, I know this truly IS minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
F
Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
F (my voice was husky and low, but I wouldn’t call it soothing and pleasant, what with a hacking, phlegmy cough interrupting every few minutes . TMI? Just the truth peeps, just the truth.)
Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
Haha… pretty sure my Jon given nickname “Correcto” speaks to what grade I should get for this one….
A good wife always knows her place.
I might have gotten a passing grade for this one if it weren’t for this weekend. Unless my place is filling my husband’s bed with live crickets… in that case A++++++++
Boooooooo-YA. 30 or so hoppy little surprises, juuuuust for you.
I think I might need a do-over on this resolution.
But I sure do love my husband… as he would say… #BLESSED.
January20th
When you live in the country, it’s apparently important to keep your automatic weapon handy at all times. Or perhaps it’s not the country, but the company, that makes this advisable.
January16th
These were a total hit tonight. I doubled pretty much everything except the black beans, and we had plenty of full wraps… maybe 9?
Delicious!!!
Source: melskitchencafe.com via Christa on Pinterest
Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
from melskitchencafe.com
*Makes 6 wraps*
1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drianed
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
Sour cream (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas
Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: on some of the wraps, I dotted the cheese with about 1-2 tablespoons of reduced fat sour cream before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it made the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.
Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve.
January16th
So last week of getting up and ready for the day before leaving my room at 7am was a success. I missed one day, and it was a terrible day… but I was/am sick, and this getting up and ready immediately certainly helped me with productivity while being sick. You just feel better when you aren’t in your jammies. (although I put on my jammies to feel better sometimes… maybe it’s unslept in jammies that make you feel better. So if I just changed into clean ones in the morning…) Or not. Anyway… this one was a winner. I’m going to keep it up, though perhaps be a bit more flexible on the time. If the kids are sleeping in past 6:30, it’s nice to have a few more minutes of quiet rest in bed for me too!
This week I have a new resolution, but I’m going to keep it to myself for the week and fill you in at the end… trying not to sabotage this one! It’s a bit retro, that’s all I will give you.
January16th
Tortilla Soup
Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 can corn
chopped jalapeno peppers to taste
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I at least double this, but we LOVE cilantro!)
2 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
In medium stock pot heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken pieces and saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add beans, corn, jalapenos, and cilantro to pot. Simmer for 10 minutes, or on low until ready to serve.
Serve with crushed tortilla chips, avocado, grated cheese, sour cream and chopped green onion.
*Kitchen Notes…
Now, you can either add the beans, corn, etc to the soup mixture as is, OR if you are like us and don’t like the texture of biting into so many black beans and corn you can do this…
Throw the corn, beans, and some of the soup mixture into a blender and puree until fairly smooth. That way you get all the goodness and flavour without the dry bean texture. You could do this with just the beans if you wanted, I throw the corn in as well because Jon doesn’t enjoy whole kernels in his soup.
Another option is to cook the chicken breasts first in the oven and then dice or shred the chicken and add to the soup partway through. I kind of prefer this method for more tender chicken, but in a hurry I will also follow the recipe.
We often make our own tortilla chips for the topping by cutting up tortillas into very small strips, tossing them in a tiny bit of italian dressing and baking them until just crisp (have to watch though, they brown fast!).
January13th
thanks Leanne!
January12th
At some point I want to take pictures of the house to post, since we moved all our stuff in here anyway. But at this point it’s all looking so thrown together and barren that I can’t quite bring myself to photograph most of it. So here is a corner of the house that actually has something on the walls, the only thing I have put up in this place so far. This is our school corner…
Having a day over here. Around lunch I tried to redeem it by making oatmeal chocolate chips with the kids, the recipe called for 2 tsp of vanilla and lots of butter, how could that NOT improve my day?! And… I burned them. 
I give up. Put on a movie for the kids and was lost in pinterest for awhile. Now there are strange mess making sounds coming from downstairs that I am trying desperately to ignore. Holy bad mama day.
Perhaps I can at least entertain you with Juno’s recent pleas for a hamster…
or a chipmunk…
She’s like a dog with a bone, or her daddy with a new apple gadget. She can’t think of anything but this rodent she will one day (when she’s like 8!) house in her room in its very own cage. The sweet pet that she will love and not squeeze to death (our reason for not adopting any new pets for a loooooooong time).
I did end up checking the messy noise, it was nothing. Spent the rest of the day building lego and listening to worship tunes. The day improved.