So What did You do Today?

Here's what I did.

The Real Meaning of Easter...in the kitchen

Since it is Good Friday, the kids and I got into the kitchen to make some special treats. We made Resurrection Rolls. This is such a great way to talk with your kids about what Jesus did for us on the cross and about the miracle of his resurrection and what this all means for us as believers. My kids loved it! And they were pretty yummy, too!

Here's what ya need:

Crescent Rolls

Regular sized marshmallows

Melted Butter

Cinnamon and Sugar mixture

Explain to them that the marshmallow represents Jesus. I also explained why Jesus died on the cross...for our sins, so that we can live with Him one day. I actually just prompted and they told the story.

Roll the marshmallow in the butter and then in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. This represents how his body was prepared for burial with oils and spices.

Jesus's body was then wrapped in cloths before He was put in the tomb. Wrap your marshmallow in the crescent roll and be sure to seal up the ends really well, or the marshmallow will ooze out and create a gooey mess. Not that I know that from experience or anything.

Put them in the oven and bake according to the instructions on the crescent rolls. We pretended that we were leaving them in for three days.

And what did they find in the tomb on the third day?? Nothing, the tomb was empty!

Have a Blessed Holiday and please remember the real reason that we celebrate.

God Bless

5QF

Today, I'm linking up with Mama M. at My Little Life for 5 Question Friday. Hop over and say Hello!

1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?

Of course, I love the egg hunts for the kids, but my favorite Easter tradition is pokkings(sp?) eggs. My grandpa taught us to pok eggs when we were little and we have done it every year since. Now my kids do it, as well.

Oh, you want to know how you go about pokking an egg?

Well, it's very simple. Two people each hold an egg in their hands with the end showing. Then one person taps the other's egg. The egg that breaks is the loser.

My sis and Alyssa pokking when she was just a weee little girl.

2. Are you a "shower" or a "long, hot bath" kind of person? LOOOOONNGG, HOT bath! Yes, I know the whole, "how can you sit in dirty water" reasoning. But I don't care...I LOVE baths!

3. Can you parallel park and if so when is the last time you did it? Yes, I can, given perfect circumstances. I mean, there has to be just the right amount of space between two cars, there can't be anyone waiting on me and there can't be anyone in the car distracting me. It stresses me out and I'll just move on to another spot.

I don't remember the last time I did it...but I remember the first time I tried.

I was 15, yep...just a baby! just gotten my license a few months before. My mom, dad and I were going to see a family member in the hospital...in New Orleans. I was driving. And my dad, wanting the best possible spot, points out and empty spot on the side of a very busy street.

It didn't go well...He was fussing, I was crying, Mom was in the back shushing him. I gave up, we switched places and he parked.

4. What is your favorite Easter candy?

Mini Cadbury Eggs or Robin Eggs. I love all Easter candy though! It just tastes different than all other candy. I don't care what anybody says, Easter M&M's taste different than regular M&M's.
5. Easter: do you go all out with the Easter Bunny or focus on the religious part of the holiday?

I have, honestly, never mentioned the Easter Bunny to my kids. I don't guess we are particularly against the furry fella but it has always seemed a bit silly to me, even as a kid. I mean, c'mon...plump guy in a sleigh shimmying down chimneys...totally possible. Oversize bunny giving out eggs...not so much!

All my kids are 100% familiar with the real reason of Easter. This week my two-year old has told me the story of how Jesus died on the cross for our sins many times.

Have a Blessed Good Friday!

Time for a Change

I don't know if you can tell, but there have been a couple of changes around here! Hard not to notice right? I felt it was time to go in a different direction with my blog. And I'm really happy with the results.


So what's this all about?

Well, I'm glad you asked...

We all know that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. In life we are given lots of medicine, but we are also given lots of sugar, hopefully more sugar than medicine. That sugar comes in many forms, our spouses, children, things we enjoy doing, etc. And my spoon is overflowing! I hope to blog more about the sweets in my life and those little things that help make the days a little brighter.

Does that mean I won't also blog about the "medicine" in life? Nope, it's all about being real. I'll let ya know when I'm having a not-so-good day, just because everyone has them and it's a little comforting to know that someone else out there has to fish through piles and piles and piles of laundry to find their kids' socks or has to dust their feet off before putting their shoes on because it's been one of those weeks when you can't even find the time to sweep.

What's that? You've never had to do that?? Sure ya haven't...


I'm still working on my new blog and I have some neat things planned for the future. So I hope you will come back to visit me.


Chasity

Refreshment

I just walked into the house after being at work all day. The girls had piano and I went shopping for a few things. I walked into my bedroom to take of my shoes and realized that I had made my bed this morning. Yes, I'm guilty....I don't make my bed every morning.
I don't know why that made such a difference in my mood, but it was so refreshing to walk into my room and see a neat and tidy bed.

Random, I know, but thought I would share. It's the little things in life, right!

What about you? Are there any of those little things that just give you a tiny pick-me-up?

Monday Morning Shoe Shopping

Who doesn't love a new pair of shoes every now and then. I know I do. I love going shopping for shoes, love buying shoes, just love having shoes. I have passed that on to my 2 year old. Ava LOVES shoes. She will cry for a new pair of shoes at the store. And this morning she was treated to two new "treats".

Cecil is out of town, so I was dancing alone again this morning. Things were going very smoothly until it came time to put Ava's shoes on. They are always right there on the corner of the fireplace. The place we have kept them every day this school year. And we hadn't lost a pair yet...this was a big deal considering the number of morning we searched for shoes last year. Anyway, this morning her shoes weren't there. She has sandals, which she can't wear to school, and she has two other pairs that she can wear, but we only had one of each of those pairs.

Right about this time, Cecil texted me:

"Have a great first day back. Smile a bunch, have fun, and make everyone else smile. Love You."

I just love him:0)

My reply:

"Nothing like Monday morning shoe shopping to make me smile :0)"

So off we went...to Wal-mart...at 6:30 in the morning...to buy shoes...all four kids in tow.

We made it to school a little late, but Ava was a happy camper... she got a new sparkly pink pair of shoes (which she is wearing right now) and a pair of light-up shoes, which I didn't know were light-up shoes until after we had bought them.

So Honey, hurry home...we miss you! and your missing all the excitement!

Hunger

This weekend at church, our pastor gave a great illustration that I wanted to share. He talked about how every person was created with a God-shaped void in their heart. One can never be truly happy, joyful or fulfilled until that void is filled. And the thing is that it can only be filled with one thing, one Person.

He then gave the illustration of being physically hungry. When you are hungry, you often want or crave a certain thing. When you go to the pantry or fridge to get that certain snack, and find that it is not there, you will devour anything you can find. Well, when that doesn't hit the spot, you will move onto something else, until something satisfies that hunger. Often going through ice cream, chips, cookies etc, when what you really want is just some chocolate.



The same is true in our relationship with God. We all have a desire to know God, to be in communion with God. Many times we don't know what it is that we need to satisfy that hunger or need, so we go through all sorts of things to try and fill that void. We may try relationships/friendships, certain sports, alcohol, drugs, distractions such as television/movies/internet, our spouses, and dare I say, our children and our roles as "mommy".

All of that stuff may make us happy for a season, or make us think we are happy. Some of those things listed above are extremely important in our lives. But the truth is that one day those things, those relationships, those roles that we play will bring us heartache, or disappointment. Until we find complete satisfaction, joy and contentment in Jesus, we will always be at the pantry looking for the next "snack" to devour. Until we learn that our joy, contentment, and fullness are not dependant on our circumstances and those around us, but on our awesome, unchanging Heavenly Father, we will continue to search for that missing piece, trying in vain to fill it on our own with temporary, earthly things.

So what/who are you holding on to today? What/who are you relying on to bring you happiness? What/Who is satisfying you today?

Mind your Own Business...

No, this isn't a post telling you to mind your own business. It's actually the post in which God tells me to mind my own business.

Don't you just LOVE when you go to God with a very specific request or a very specific issue that you are struggling with. And then He faithfully answers you with a VERY specific answer!!

This week, actually the past few weeks, I had been REALLY stressing about some issues that didn't directly affect me or my family, but somethings that I was concerned about nonetheless. Please bear with me, because I can't give details, just wouldn't be right, and it would just be gossiping. But these were situations that were inappropriate. And I really felt like someone should say something. I prayed and prayed, lost sleep, talked to my husband, almost scheduled a meeting with a pastor at my church, I was really stressing.

God kept telling me to go to His Word. And to be completely honest, I put it off because I didn't want to do what I thought He was going to tell me to do. Ephesians 5:11-13 kept coming to mind:

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

and I didn't want to ruffle feathers or make enemies. But at the same time, I felt compelled that these things needed to be brought to light. So I didn't read the Bible for several days. Spiritually, I crossed my arms and stuck out my bottom lip and pouted. I was confused.

Then I began to pray for peace. I began to pray for a gentle and quiet spirit, and a teachable heart. Then I went to God's Word.

On Thursday, I read 1 Timothy 2:1-4:

1Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

On Friday I read 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12:

But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; 11 that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you 12 that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing.

So, in order to have that peace that I asked God for, I first needed to pray for those that I thought were doing wrong, not only that, but to give thanks for them. Then I just needed to mind my own business and go about my own work. God's Word is just amazing!

Mary Sundays

Historically, at our house, Sundays have been used for getting ready for the week. It was when the grocery shopping was done, the laundry was caught up, the school uniforms were gotten ready for the week, other chores that I needed to get done to get ready for the busy week of school. The thinking was that, if I could get all this stuff done on Sunday, the week would run more smoothly, which is logical thinking, right?

But at the beginning of this school year, God starting working in my heart to change this behavior. Everything I read for a while had something to say about keeping the Sabbath, or making the Sabbath a day of rest, etc. I began to see that my well-meaning attitude of working diligently to stave off chaos throughout the week, was preventing myself and my family from having a day of rest, a day of spending time with each other. It was just like any other day, just a busy, just as chaotic.

Then as I began to read Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, I immediately asked myself, "How can I apply this to my life?". I understood the concept and what a wonderful one it was. But I was so task-oriented that I couldn't even imagine what a Mary heart looked like when it was lived out. I began to pray about this and God really put it on my heart that it needed to start with Sundays. I needed to work diligently throughout the week, so that we could be together as a family without the worries of getting chores done before Monday. And, of course, to spend time with Him without all the usual distractions.

It took me a while to get it together enough to pull off a Sunday with no to-do list. I had to start trying to complete some chores during the week. I had to do more on Saturdays. But I knew that once those needed tasks were completed, I was going to do nothing the next day. I don't know about you, but it is RARE that I do nothing.

As a matter-of-fact, the very first Sunday that I was able to put this into practice was one Sunday when Cecil was out of town with work. The house was clean, we went to church, the kids and I had just eaten a simple lunch, the school bags even been packed on Sat. night and were ready for the next morning. I sat on the sofa and put the Saints game on with the kids. I'm not kidding you when I say that two minutes passed and tasks that I should be doing started creeping into my head: Martha thinking...

"You could be organizing your closet",

"You need to go through the kids' clothes and get rid of what's too small",

"You never got around to cleaning the floor in your bathroom".

I had to really make a conscious effort to sit and do nothing, to not be "productive". The kids and I played some games, I read a little and had a wonderful, relaxing day. It really made a difference in that next week, too. I felt less frazzled, calmer.

It's still a learning process, I'm still trying to get it "right". As a matter-of-fact, I do have some laundry that has to be done today. But it's definitely worth the extra effort during the week. And next week I will just try a bit harder and be a bit more diligent.

By the way, I highly recommend this book. It completely changed and is changing my thinking, my attitude( that still needs some work) and my heart. It was truly an answered prayer.

Just something I've been learning...

Just some thoughts on what God has been showing me...

When the Jews were rebuilding their temple after being released from Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans used several tactics to hinder the building of the temple; tokeep the Jews from doing God’s work, from doing something that was pleasing to God.

One thing they used was accusations. They sent letters to the King of Babylon accusing the Jews of doing something wrong. They falsely accused the Jews of rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem to fortify their city in order to make it powerful again. This was, of course, false. They were only concerned with rebuilding their Temple so that they could worship. They were only concerned with honoring God and doing God’s work. They were, in addition, following king’s orders, as Kind Cyrus had ordered them to return to their homeland and to rebuild the Temple. He even gave them necessary tools to do so. This reminds me that just as Satan used the Samaritans here to discourage and falsely accuse God’s people of wrong or impure actions or motives, Satan, clearly, still uses these tactics to this day. Often times, sadly, those false, hurtful accusations come from other Christians or church family, which is, I believe, even more hurtful than if they came from those that you know are not Christians.

The Jews stopped working on the Temple for 16 years after the Samaritans, with the help of the current king, used fear and intimidation to hinder their obedience to God. The Samaritans lost faith and got discouraged, which is often what we do when we are faced with others who have falsely accused us. The fact of the matter is that Satan hates God’s work, and when you are doing God’s work, Satan is looking for ways to stop it. Discouragement and fear are two very effective tools that Satan uses to accomplish this goal. Unfortunately, he often uses other Christians to plant these feelings. I can tell you from experience that there is no better way to discourage someone than to speak lies and spread false accusations.

The application of this principle in my life is two-fold, as is the lesson that God slammed me with this morning. On one hand, as a person who chooses to follow God and wakes up each morning and prays that I will live each day in a way that is pleasing to my Savior, I know that I will be attacked by Satan. And Satan may use others to attack me. If I allow this to discourage me, this is a lack of faith. I have to remember that whatever God commands, He always backs up with his own power .

One the other hand, I have to be aware that at any time, Satan could try and use me in his plan to hinder others. I have to be vigilant and careful about the things that I listen to, or say to others. Am I listening to gossip that could possibly be used to discourage someone or hurt someone? Am I spreading gossip that could discourage or hurt someone? We have to be conscious of the spiritual warfare going on constantly and to realize that just because we are Christians, doesn’t mean we are exempt from the pressures of Satan ; it is often more effective for him if he can get us to do his work for him. I, personally, don’t want to be Satan’s go-to person when he needs a job done. I want to live and walk in a way so that I am God’s go-to person when he wants a job to be done.