How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've bought my gloves, my first seeds, a few containers, soil...and all I'm waiting on is February 1st to get here. My first spring gardening catalog came from Gardener's Supply about two weeks before Christmas. Then my onion seed catalog came the first week in January. And now Neil Sperry's facebook posts are starting to entertain thoughts of spring planting...and it's making me super happy.

Last summer we had to cut down 13 pine trees from our yard. I was sad beyond compare because they were one of the reasons we had bought the house. But the drought of 2010 had damaged them so bad that they were a danger and we had to get them removed. Anyway, now that I've recovered from our loss, I've been eyeing the perfect spot in the yard where a garden would get enough sunlight now. I'm pretty excited.

To add to the excitement are all the ideas you can find on Pinterest and blogs. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for container gardening:

Source: raftertales.com via MiSsa on Pinterest

Source: tatertotsandjello.com via Naomi on Pinterest

Source: tokosenyum.com via Rebecca on Pinterest

So, in just a few days, I'll be planting. The feel of the dirt between my fingers, the promise of seed bearing fruit in a few months and the anticipatory waiting period...I love it all...well everything but the Texas heat!

Are you planting this spring? Do you container garden, dig in the dirt, buy plants rather than seed? I'd love to hear what works for you!

Pralines Anyone?

Born and raised in the deep south has its advantages. There's nothing quite like GA Fried Chicken, TN BBQ, South GA boiled peanuts, a greasy hamburger from the varsity, a mouthwatering fresh picked GA peach...and I could go on forever. I'm pretty partial to foods from the south. And maybe that's why when it came to choosing a paint color for our living room I was drawn to the warmth of the color praline cake. Think about it. The rich, sugary goodness of a praline. 

Picking paint colors was somewhat of a daunting task for me. The room is huge, filled with good natural light, has a gas fireplace. I've worked to get the right furniture arrangement using what we have for now and think I just about have it the best way possible. We use the room for all our family TV viewing, gaming, homework, reading...it's our comfy room...rarely ever spotlessly clean. I have an old farmhouse table there that's used for everything from laundry folding to homework to extra guest seating when company is over. 

So, I thought I wanted a pretty robin egg blue on the walls...something like

But...after living with a sample on the walls for a month I decided it was too blue. So, I looked at this color...

Nope....just didn't do it for me.

Then I read this article from The Nester. CLICK HERE to read it before you decide on paint....really, go now...it's very informative. Go..now. And if you have the time...(and I'd suggest that you might want to have the time) follow the links within the article...because it's somewhere in there that I found the answer to my problem. Somewhere within those links I found out I like the warmth of a room to surround me. In other words...I found out what I've known all along....I don't like the beach (GASP..no haters please!)...I prefer the mountains...with an occasion lake (thus the attraction to the greenish blue color). I like the fireplace, a good book, flavored cream with a little coffee, Fall and Winter, sunset shadows and earthy warm colors. And why I couldn't settle on a blue???....it's because I like warm colors. And while I'm sure there is a blue out there somewhere that would satisfy my cravings for pralines, barn reds, golden yellows and evergreen....I haven't found it! 

Instead, I found this...

Valspar- Praline Cake

...and we love it!

Attention PLEASE!

In a classroom of first graders I watch as they pay attention one second and then just as quickly fade into that beautiful place between day dreaming, sleep watching and distraction. They're six and seven years old...it's almost expected. But not quite.

More times than 10 in a day I caution, encourage or demand that they pay attention. Just because it's nearly impossible for them, doesn't mean I'm allowed to just give up and let them take the first train to dreamland. No, it's my job to continuously nag remind them that something important is being discussed or read or written on the board.

But sometimes, my message is ignored. Sometimes the directions aren't followed. Sometimes, I don't catch the one before the train comes for them. And then...what happens next is near disastrous. It's when the handout requires the knowledge of the material that they missed. The hands raise, they approach the desk, they ask the question ...to which I have just spent 10 minutes answering on the board, and without fail, I give the look. (You know- the one similar to the "mom" look, only from the teacher). And they know...they've been caught. Not paying attention. Not listening. And they've made mistakes on their paper...they know...but they don't know how to fix them. Because that's what happens when you don't pay attention. And so, I explain again why, how, what, when and where to the particular topic and they fix their mistakes and learn the concept and have the power to make better grades.

Oh my! Isn't this just like our own grown up lives. Aren't we really in a lifelong classroom. Trying to pay attention...but distracted by so many other things...new stuff, the neighbors, someone else's family, money, jobs. And all the while God is trying to teach us stuff on the chalkboard of life. But we're looking somewhere else, too tired to see what He's explaining, disinterested in His lesson. And so we miss the truths in the lesson. And the next time we're faced with the worksheet....we don't have the material, the information, the knowledge to implement into life to succeed. And sheepishly (yes, SHEEPishly) we go to the teacher...we admit we weren't listening...and sometimes...He gives us that look of correction.....and then lovingly He goes back over the material...and we apply it and have the power to make better choices and decisions in the future.

Before I judge my first graders too hard, I'm going to try to remember this little lesson. I'm old enough to be paying attention, old enough to read the directions found in His Word and certainly know who to go to when I've got questions about the material of life. Thankfully He's patient with me and knows I'm a little bit of a slow learner. Aren't we all?

Thankful particularly today for His never ending supply of grace and patience with me.

Meal Plan for Wk of Jan 20

Well...here we go. This week is going to be crazy because we are having some interior painting done and my guys are out of town until Wednesday afternoon....but Savannah and I still have to eat so we've made a special meal plan while they are gone...(her favorites).

Monday- Leftover Spaghetti
Tuesday- Homemade pizza
Wednesday- Eat at the church
Thursday- Chicken Spaghetti
Friday- Corn Dogs (for the kids)
             Date Night (Bruce and Gina)
Saturday- Sausage/Potatoes/Onions with green beans and salad

Nothing exciting at all...except date night!!!

Holding the Rope

So tonight at about 10pm one of my sweet friends and her family will be on their way to Papua New Guinea to continue following God on their journey to assist in spreading the gospel of Jesus to people in their own heart language. This is their first term. There are lots...and lots of unknowns. But they have faith in a BIG God..that same God who has led them every step of the way...and He will not fail them.

Sunday night in church we were challenged to help hold the rope as our church held a commissioning service for the Brewers. It was beautiful to see the body of Christ praying over them, crying (a lot), rejoicing that this time was finally here, loving on their parents in the service, laughing, letting go, holding on, embracing, taking photos of tear stained faces with smiles and watching as we help send this family to the other side of the world to fulfill God's call on their lives. Again, it was beautiful. God's presence was all over the place.

So, here they are...

Jason and Jaime Brewer Family

From tonight at 10pm until Friday morning around 1am they will be flying to Australia, then to Papua New Guinea and once in the country they will be flying to the city of Madang where they will catch their breath for a couple of days and then head to 4 months of intense training before finally making it to the city of Ukarumpa where Jason will be a pilot for the JAARS/Wycliff associations. He will be assisting in getting translators, Bibles, missionaries and supplies into areas of that country that otherwise would be nearly impossible to reach.

You'll notice the three little munchkins in the picture...Mal, Dylan and Mo are gearing up for their own adventures....Schools, culture, food, language.

As Christians, we all have some level of sacrifice that God has called us to. What God has asked us to give or sacrifice doesn't even begin to touch what we have been given because of His own sacrifice. Like most missionaries I've met through the years, the Brewers are humbly sacrificing relationships, convenience and security to be sure that others know of the greatest sacrifice that has ever been made.

Will you pray with me, for them? Especially for these first few days of travel, time zone craziness (they will travel 16 time zones!), emotions running high and low....just whatever comes to your mind.

You can follow the Brewer's journey at Jaime's Blog HERE

..."We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first." — Oswald J. Smith

When Trust Isn't Really Trust

Sooooo.....we've been talking about FEAR in our Sunday School Class the last couple of weeks. In our group of a dozen or so participants we have every fear imaginable ....loss of family, car accidents, death, not being needed, being out of God's will, messing up this whole parenting thing, frogs.

Yep, in the middle of many could be life altering fears...frogs. That's mine.

Seriously? Why are you so afraid of those disgusting, gross, slimy, wart giving, pee-on-the-spot, nasty  animals? Well, because very early in my life a frog was placed in my hands. It was the ugliest, nastiest looking thing and it must have felt how I was feeling about it and it peed all over my hand. Disgusting. So since then it's not just the feel of the frog or the fear of being peed on, it's the whole experience that I am afraid of. Touching, petting, catching, chasing, holding....ain't gonna happen. I'm afraid.

It's a good thing we have a couple of therapists in our group. (Funny...but true)

In the middle of our lesson this past week our teacher asked us, what could we do to counteract the fear. The class chimed in "TRUST, think about your past experiences, believe God's Word." My answer: "avoid frogs." And pretty much I'm good with my answer. Only, I'm pretty sure that while it's comical to deal with my greatest fear of frogs, I don't think God wants us to live our lives paralyzed by fear of anything....especially the serious issues many of us have trouble trusting Him with.

In fact TRUST is one of the things most of us struggle with. Trusting each other, trusting God, trusting the government, trusting our spouse. Trusting is a huge part of our emotional make-up. But somewhere along the line I've misconstrued what trust is really all about. So many times I've made a decision and because I had rationalized it out, worked the dynamics of the whole situation out, budgeted the finances for it, mulled over every jot and tittle and it all worked out...I'd say proudly that I was stepping out by faith, trusting God to provide, depending on Him to lead me....when in reality that wasn't really trust at all..I'd already told God how this and that were going to work together to get me exactly where I wanted to be. And hopefully it would look like I was trusting God. But it didn't.

But in recent days, I'm figuring out, with God's Word as the guide, that TRUST is more an act of obedience and less an act of me knowing what the next step is. Trust means believing that what God is asking you to do is going to glorify (make Him known) the most. Without knowing the next step...without figuring it out...without knowing how it's all going to work out. It's obeying because He says this is the next thing, the next step, the next way you can glorify ME best.

So I'm learning in this process of sanctification that the old hymn is true...

Trust and Obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, 
But to trust and obey.

Meal Plan Week of January 13

Here's our meal plan for this week. We're eating out of the freezer this week for the most part. I have most of these items on hand so that should make my weekly trip to the store much quicker and cheaper.

Breakfast Options:

Oatmeal

Blueberry Muffins

Pigs in a Blanket

Cereal

Lunch:

Sandwiches

Baked Chips or Pretzels

Snack- for kids

Fruit

Dinner:

Meal 1- Turkey Sausage with onion and bell pepper, Green beans, Mac n Cheese

Meal 2- Homemade Spaghetti in Meat Sauce, Salad, Rolls

Meal 3- Chicken, Rice, Broccoli Bake, Salad

Meal 4- Pizza

Meal 5- Chili Dogs, Potato Salad

What's cookin' at your house this week?