Message from the Throne

As a wife to an adorable husband and a mom of three busy kids it's hard to find time (or energy sometimes) to read the Word. Recently a friend of mine suggested leaving a daily devotional in the bathroom because that seems to be the only place that moms sometimes get a few moments of peace. Sometimes. So, I have My Utmost for His Highest in my quiet place because the daily readings are short and a quick read but they pack a punch. I have yet to pick it up and feel like it doesn't apply to my life right now. So, I thought that I would share snippets here and there from my "Throne Room" readings and their impact on me.

This first one I'm just gonna write out for you because the whole thing was amazing to me and I am the WORST at rewording.

Reading from July 28: God's Purpose or Mine?
"He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side..." Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish-His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea". It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

I was so encouraged by this the other day. Lately I've been overwhelmed by the feeling that I'm not quite getting everything done. I have a list of things that always need to be done around the house, plus the new to-do list of car accident related stuff, not to mention the fact that I am trying to be a wife, mom, and a healthy, beautiful woman. How wonderful to hear that I don't have to focus on the end goal but on my faithfulness to the journey.

Whenever I think about needing to loose weight or needing to make a life change or having a goal that requires more than a few days focus I think of the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces. I know that may sound funny but hear me out. In the movie the main female character decides to loose weight. She works out and changes her eating habits and reaches her goal. Great. But what I always think about is that it only takes her five minutes to accomplish her goal. And she gets background music! When I start working towards my goals I get excited for a day or two or maybe a week and then I'm discouraged because my long-term goal that I want to take five minutes (with background music, please!) hasn't been met.

So, I'm purposing to take it moment by moment, day by day and to remember that "if I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me."

I Hope They Remember

I know throughout the day I say things like this over and over:
"I said, NO!"
"Don't hit your sister!"
"Don't hit your brother!"
"Get down...now."
"Get out of the fridge."
"Get off the table."
"Stop asking me questions...PLEASE!"
"Go to bed."
"Because I said so!"
"Say, 'Yes, momma!'"

Well, you get the point. But what I hope they remember me saying is this:
"I love you!"
"You are soooo adorable."
"You are my favorite Abiah."
"You are the smartest."
"You make me happy."
"You are my favorite Hazel."
"Come love on me."
"Let's snuggle."
"You are my favorite Amelia."
"You did an amazing job!"
"You are the best thing that ever happened to me."
"You are my sunshine."

It's been busy these past few months and I'm trying to remember to take time to sit and enjoy my kids because sometimes it feels like all I do is correct, discipline and train. And I need the snuggles just as much as they do.

Tuna Casserole That the Pickiest Eater Liked

I love "throw it all in a dish and call it good" dinners. I was pleasantly surprised by my kids response to this one, too. They both asked for more and didn't complain when it came time for leftovers!

Tuna Casserole

1 can family size cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
3 (7 oz.) cans of tuna, drained
3 cups (before cooking) elbow macaroni noodles
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup crumbled saltine crackers

1. Cook and drain noodles

2. Add soup, milk, veggies, tuna, garlic and onion powder and seasoning salt. Place in a 3qt. casserole dish.

3. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.

4. Mix cracker crumbs with butter in bowl and sprinkle on top. Bake for 5 min. more.


When it came time to reheat for leftovers I added some pureed peas to moisten it up. The kids really liked it and I felt like they were getting plenty of veggies even though it was a one dish meal.

Art Projects

I have been trying to do a few art projects with Abiah to keep that boy busy. He has a lot of fun and can't get enough. Here they are:

Colored Rocks

I found this project on chasingcheerios.blogspot.com. We took rocks and baked them in the oven for about 15 minutes and then colored them with crayons. It was a fun, cheap and easy craft to do. Abiah really enjoyed it. It also gave us another excuse for him to wear his work gloves. Remember the gloves!






























Pipe Cleaner Elk

I made this one up because Abiah saw the pipe cleaners I bought and was eager to use them.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets/Strips

I LOVE this recipe book by Jessica Seinfield. It is full of nummy recipes with hidden ingredients like chocolate chip cookies with garbanzo beans and macaroni and cheese with pureed cauliflower. It may sound funny but don't knock it 'till you try it. It also makes you feel better about feeding this stuff to your family because you know there's some goodness in there. And the cover is cute, too!

Here is the latest recipe I tried and it went over pretty well.

Chicken Nuggets (mine turned out more like strips)

1 cup whole-wheat, white or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 Tbls grated parmesan
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or chicken tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 Tbls olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder and mix well with your fingers.

2. In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut into a piece to check that it's cooked through.) Serve warm.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Ahpoh!

Hazel has been learning different animal sounds and has mastered a few of them. The other night I was asking her to tell me various ones and I asked her, "What does a snake say?" She said, "Ahpoh!" Which means apple in Hazel language. I laughed and said, "No, a snake says ssssss." About five minutes later Abiah asked her, "Hazel, what does a snake say." Again her response was, "Ahpoh!" We giggled and Abiah said, "No, Hazel a snake doesn't say apple. It says sssssss." She looked at him and said, "Oh!" And then a few seconds later said, "Ahpoh!" I think this one will take a little longer.

Where does he come up with this stuff...

This evening I had dinner ready to go into the oven and was waiting for the oven to heat up. I decided to feed Amelia her bottle and get a few things done in the meantime. While I was feeding Amelia, Abiah asked me, "Mom, how much more minutes?"

My reply: "Till what?"

Abiah: "Till dinner."

Mom: "Lots of minutes. It's not even in the oven yet."

Abiah: "Well, what are you doing in here then?"