day 5/ day 4

Combining days again because I am forgetful. :-)

Today in church, our pastor reminded us that sometimes, giving thanks has to be an act of the will. He reminded us that sometimes there are blessings, sometimes there is loss, and ultimately, everything is okay because God Never Changes.

I think, in light of that truth, He alone is enough to praise today - so glad I am able to know and love the God who never changes, the Creator, the lover of my soul.

6 days

I can't believe there are only 6 days left. That mess up in the countdown really sped things up (ha ha). I am looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving for some members of my extended family this year, complete with gluten free turkey (thanks, mom & dad!) and hopefully, at least one gluten free pie. Test baking of pie crusts commences tonight!

I am very thankful today!

1. for PBS, which made my super-fast cleaning spree a happy time for me and for the kids. Thank you, Word World!
2. for spaghetti squash and farm fresh butter. LUNCH!
3. for sweet little boys who ask to play tic tac toe with O's and R's.
4. for "I love you, mommy" several (hundred) times a day.
5. for the hugs that accompany the words
6. for makeup to hide dark circles
7. for God's grace to let me see the beauty of my simple, blessed life.

What are you thankful for?

8 days/7 days

OK, I realize it's getting a little ridiculous - I know it is a week away so I'm combining. :-) I have been counting the day AND Thanksgiving, but really we should not count Thanksgiving! Silly me, I never was any good at math.

1. Thankful for BSF and the Isaiah study. Today we were reminded that God has a plan, and He will prevail, that no one can thwart His plans. What a comfort in the midst of living in this crazy world!!
2. I am thankful that the kids love LOVE their BSF classes. And that they can be counted on to take good naps on Thursdays.
3. I love naptime! Ahhh, quiet house.
4. And today, I am thankful for the 5 quarts of Northern Spy applesauce sitting on the counter, popping away as it seals. Aaron helped turn the crank on the foley food mill. He's quite a helper! Tomorrow I may try pie filling.
5. Thankful for being alive and getting to enjoy my two precious boys, all day most days. The challenges are there, the craziness is definitely there. But I wouldn't trade these guys for the world.
6. Thankful for friends who don't mind sharing great coupons. (thanks, Erin)
7. Thankful for REBATES ON APPLIANCES that just came in the mail. Yeehaw!

What are YOU thankful for today??

9 days

9 days left and at LEAST that many things to be thankful for!

1. Junior Highers. I love junior highers. Tonight is our annual food drive, and I'm really looking forward to it.
2. Friends. ((HUG)) to all my friends.
3. Sleep. Just keep it coming. (ha ha)
4. Sunshine on this gorgeous November day.
5. Clean windows to see the sun (even if nothing ELSE is clean!)
6. Taking a few minutes to read the Bible. AHHH, says my spirit.
7. Reece's peanut butter cups. The mini ones. I need an intervention.

So, what are you thankful for today as we count down the days until Thanksgiving?

10 Days

Thankful for
1. Raw Dairy at great prices.
2. Friends willing to help retrieve said dairy items. (Thanks, Hannah!)
3. Green Tea Lattes (TIFFANY!!!)
4. Leftover Potato Soup for lunch
5. THE KITCHEN IS DONE (well, except the backsplash...)
6. The promise of sleep, t-minus 6 hours, and counting.
7. A great sitter who did fun projects with the kids and kept them happy and healthy while I was gone for a few hours this morning.

Praise God with me for little and big things today!

And yes, pictures of the kitchen will be coming - but, unfortunately...we have to replace our camera first!

11 days

Whoops. I WAS thankful yesterday, I just failed to blog.

11 days until Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for a nice, cozy bed. I'm thankful for a great weekend of getting things done - my kitchen and mudroom will be back to normal before I know it. And I wanted to post some photos of the kitchen this morning, but my camera is out of commission. SOON, hopefully!

I'm also thankful for boys who wake up happy, most days.

And for gluten free oats, which I will be having for breakfast.

And for produce co-ops, which allow us to afford more organics and more avocados. YUM.

Hurray, Monday!

13 days

My feet are about to fall off. I am thankful for the ability I do have to stand and talk to people all day, even when it hurts. Praise God for healthy bodies!

I had a great day at a holiday mart - vendor friends getting together for an open house. I sold a few cash & carry items and got some great leads, so that is always awesome. THANKFUL for friends and opportunities to build savings in this way!

Also THANKFUL for a fantastic husband who played with the kids all day and then is willing to come with me to a Pampered Chef show tonight for couples - it's the first time he's been able to come, so I'm really looking forward to it! Hurray!

AND thankful for the parents (mine) who are willing to come over and make our duo-show possible.

What are you thankful for today?

14 days

WHEW! I just made it in under the wire today.

Thankful for a day off work for Michael, equaling a working sink and DISHWASHER, can I get an Amen??

Also thankful for the magical effect sleep seems to have on attitudes around here. Mine included.

I'm also thankful for my chiropractor, who adjusted the whole family again today. Evan LOVES the adjustments; actually, both kids do really well.

And one last thing - Lucy's. I found boxes of Lucy's Gluten Free Cookies for 49 cents at Blue Knight today. Sometimes I like to take a million hours to bake up fabulous gluten free snacks. Other times I like to open a box and eat delicious snacks that are gluten free. Emphasis on delicious. Which doesn't happen often. SO thank you, Lucy. And thank you, Blue Knight. The boxes still had their grocery store tags on them - $4.79.

15 days

Today, it's easy to think of a BIG thing I am thankful for. It's Veterans Day.

1. I am thankful for freedom. In fact, I was just talking about this on election day with a friend. People have DIED because they loved freedom, and wanted YOU to have it too. This is something I cannot fathom, but I am so, SO grateful. For freedom, for those who serve, for families that sacrifice time with their soldiers.

2. This is a small one, compared to the above. I am thankful I am not getting a tooth extracted today. It was scheduled, but moved for various reasons. I am glad to avoid that today.

3. Another small one. I'm thankful that the garbage disposal is hooked up. These are baby steps, but GOOD baby steps, to a fully functioning kitchen.

4. My husband, who works all day and then comes home to slave away until late at night getting things done in our kitchen. Yesterday he worked on it after a long work day, and youth group. He's so cool. I love him.

Count down the days until Thanksgiving with me - what are you thankful for?

16 days

Counting down the thankfulness days.

Thankful for more steps toward a working sink and installed dishwasher, and for friends who barter services to make it less expensive!


Thankful for God's peace


Thankful for another step toward kitchen completion - knobs and pulls and baseboard were installed today! (don't you love these sneak peeks?)



Thankful for wisdom from God, in the increments we need it and in His timing


Thankful for new neighbors, which means the real estate market on our street is looking up.


Thankful for escrow account refund checks. (YAY!)



Join me in the Thanksgiving Countdown!!!

17 days

17 days until Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for!

1. a fantastic husband who works tirelessly to provide for us - and show us he loves us in many ways
2. a short lived cold (thanks, neti pot and GSE)
3. a sweet friend who doesn't mind watching the kids for me even though she has family visiting
4. crispy fall air, and sweaters
5. the hope of a soon-installed dishwasher, and water connected to the sink.
6. These kids, singing at lunchtime. (we have a special family song based vvvvvvvery loosely on the first few bars - or really, just the title, of this. Yes, it's true. Please don't judge, just laugh, like we do.)




So, what are you thankful for today? Help me count down the days!!

18 days

There are 18 days left until Thanksgiving (including today), so I'll be counting down the days with some little lists of little/big blessings. Here are a few for today:

1. A nice warm house (we turned on the boiler and turned up the heat last week)
2. A nice warm QUIET house this morning for a few minutes before the kids woke up. Hurray!
3. Kids waking up happy and rested
4. Sleep, to heal the body
5. Delicious coffee
6. A fabulous kitchen, slowly taking shape despite my indecisiveness about the kitchen faucet. *grin*


Join me, if you like, in this pre-Thanksgiving countdown. Would you leave a link in the comments if you do??

Far Too Long

Karen likes to do brain dump posts. I shall follow suit, for it is a great idea.

1. I've been doing nothing but surviving. Sorry about the lack of posts. It's all I can do to upload pics to Facebook and update my status. The kitchen remodel took over there for awhile, and will continue. We are waiting for our kitchen sink (4 more days!) to arrive at the store, still need 2 sections of countertop done, the dishwasher needs to be installed, and we have a few finishing touches on the cabinets. I am loving our new setup, still can't wait for regular function to come back to the kitchen. I'm excited to start using real plates again and making menu choices based on things other than how many dirty dishes I will have to wash when dinner is over.

2. The kids are growing and Evan is growing into the 2's. He's been such an easy going kid but last night in the nursery he pushed over 2 kids in those play cars. And yesterday during the day he scribbled in sharpie all over the hallway walls. I strapped him into his high chair while I scrubbed the walls with Mr. Clean.

3. I have 50 daffodil bulbs that still need planting. If I don't hurry, the ground will be frozen. Ugh. And, YAY when spring comes and my yard explodes in daffodils. We also need to get the foot and a half of leaves off our grass, TruGreen keeps "yelling" at us because they can't do the final treatment due to the leaves. Obviously, I have far different priorities than TruGreen.

4. My kids are sleep deprived, which is not good. I have no idea how to fix it - they have been waking up in the middle of the night, multiple times, and refusing to take naps. We are all so grumpy. Well, Michael's not. I am hoping that it's just the fact that the house is unsettled, we've been letting them watch more TV than normal, eating more junk than usual, and we all seem to be fighting off seasonal sniffles. I hope that is all it is. I'm thinking of turning them loose in the backyard until they collapse in utter exhaustion. OK maybe not.

5. I bought a bushel of apples and I hope I have time to can some pie filling before it's too late.

6. When life is crazy, as it often does, I want to take my family and go somewhere all by ourselves, to see no one we know, hole up and just be together, and forget about the craziness. Anyone else feel this way? But then I think about how much work it would be to go away and I reconsider.

7. My new fabulous washer and dryer wash and dry clothes faster than I can fold them and put them away. This is not a new problem - I had issues with this with the old machines. There needs to be a folder-putter-awayer machine. Can I get an Amen?

More Music

I went to BSF again this morning. What a challenge, what a needed blessing! It started out great, with all of us singing "Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven" and the blessing kept on going with our group discussion of Isaiah 6 - WOW. It was awesome. And then the lecture time blessed me again.

Thank you, Lord! You are holy, perfect, pure, righteous, full of power and glory - when I see You - even a tiny glimpse of your glory - it is in stark contrast to my sinfulness, I cry, with Isaiah, "WOE IS ME! I am lost!"

But you have cleansed me. Not with a burning coal, like Isaiah, but with Christ's blood, sacrificed because of your great love for me. Not because of anything I have done, but just because You are God and You love me. I have, because of Christ's atonement ONCE for ALL on the cross, been made WHOLE and CLEAN!

You ask, "who will serve me?" and I cannot hold back - I burst out, "OOH, ooh!" I say, "pick ME!"

And then, I am busy serving, busy doing, and so quickly I forget how bright Your glory is. How easily my eyes turn from you to look on myself. My comforts have been interrupted, my ideals crushed, my expectations flattened. I am sleepless and indignant over injustice. I feel without hope because I have forgotten Your glory. I forget that You call people to serve You faithfully, and that sometimes it will feel thankless, fruitless, futile, and most of all, hard. I have forgotten that it's not about any of those things, but it is about YOU and YOUR glory.

Lord, help me see You. Help me praise You. Help me serve You. You are the King of Heaven, You have not left your throne. You are robed in glory, You are splendid, You have been and will continue to be victorious. You are God.

Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry F Lyte, public domain.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To his feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing;
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To His people in distress;
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Father like He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows;
In His hand He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore Him;
You behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
All who dwell in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.

It's a Monday Miracle!

Aaron finally let me tape him singing - and he didn't SCREAM the words, he just sang in his adorable little 4 year old voice! I love the little hop in the strangely appropriate (lyrically) place. This little boy is growing up - and I love him!! Thank you, Jesus for this gift of motherhood and for the gift described in Aaron's song.




The Gospel Song
Holy God in love became
Perfect Man to bear my blame
On the cross He took my sin
By His death I live again

Speak, O Lord

If you haven't heard this one yet, check it out here. (he talks first - try starting around 50 seconds)

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faith
Speak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All your purposes for Your glory

Teach us Lord full obedience
Holy reverence, true humility
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity
Cause our faith to rise; Cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority
Words of power that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, as Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

and it begins

The littlest Muth is starting to assert himself. We were laughing pretty hard at Evan's little faces, but we did let him know he cannot tell us what to do.

Bedtime Routine

Here's a hilarious version of our bedtime singing. Evan climbs in bed with Aaron and we do some singing before schlepping him off to his own bed. Of course, as soon as the camera came out, Aaron's singing became obnoxious! At times it sounds like he's singing harmony, ha ha. If you watch Evan, he's trying to sing along. So cute!

winner, winner....but no chicken dinner

Congratulations to Marybeth! She wins a free drink of her choice - woo hoo! Thanks to all who participated in my giveaway!

Gluten Free Meatballs

I tried a new recipe for our freezer yesterday - meatballs. Now, prior to being gluten free, I'd make meatballs occasionally - once every 4-5 months or so, but after, not so much. I was nervous about making meatballs without my old familiar add ins that all contained gluten.

Then I found this recipe and suddenly there was nothing I wanted MORE than meatballs, except possibly meatLOAF but I think this could be adapted. It's crazy what you miss, let me tell you.

Anyway, I followed this basic recipe, but instead of adding parsely, basil, and oregano, I added 1T of that dried minced onion, just to make it more versatile later. I baked them, and froze a bunch then Michael and I snacked on a few leftovers. I'm excited to have a quick throw together on a busy night in the future.