Scrabble Board Becomes Wall Art

My sister was getting rid of an old Scrabble game, so this wall art craft was FREE!!! The girls and I were writing names with sidewalk chalk one afternoon, and realized that we could connect all of our first names. So check this out! I can't wait to get a hanger on the back and display it on the wall.

Abundant Sunshine

We didn't do anything exciting for Memorial Day. Matthew worked part of the day, and then we played at home. We took a walk in the morning, and planned to go to the Blandinsville memorial service, but Eli was still napping so I didn't wake him. Emily, Megan and I worked in the garden. After lunch Matthew got the Slip and Slide out for the girls and they played in the water. Eli had his first ride on the four-wheeler, and Matthew took the girls on rides around the yard. It was a quiet day, but we enjoyed the abundant sunshine that the Lord blessed us with!

Eli, Future Chef

I was stirring pasta one day, preparing lunch and Eli was fascinated with the steam from the boiling water. He wanted to stir too. So, I put some water in his own pan and gave him a spoon to "stir" with. He stirred for a short time before sticking his hand in the cool water, and eventually standing in what was left. What unique cooking technique!! His future in the kitchen is bright, wouldn't you say??

Play Ball!!

Here is Emily's softball team! Her team is sponsored by Fantasy Tan, and she has had a lot of fun playing this summer. She has some great coaches who really care about the girls. 

We are so proud of her!

Emily is in the back row of players, second from the right.

The Sand Man

Last Saturday. Matthew and I were crawling into bed, reflecting on the day. Almost nothing had gone according to planned. I didn't accomplish anything planned in the morning. We pulled two ticks off of Emily, one tick off of Megan and two ticks off me that day. Then, we had a birthday party in the afternoon that was fun, until Megan ended up with a HUGE splinter in her foot, which brought us home and ended up with Matthew using "surgical" skills to successfully remove a piece of it before Megan vomited. He decided that he could do no more for the "patient" who seemed to be in considerable pain, so this remaining piece of splinter (about a half-inch long and buried deep in her big toe) would have to remain in her toe. Supper was late. We had to drive back into town to get communion ready for the next morning, which meant that we didn't get all of Saturday night baths done, and got to bed late. Eli had a hard time falling asleep because he has been getting a tooth. After an hour of rocking Eli and swinging with him on the porch, he finally fell asleep. It had been a long day, and I dreaded getting up the next morning for church because I had no clothes laid out and baths were still needed in the morning. As I was cleaning up the kitchen at 11 p.m., Matthew announced that the air conditioner was not blowing out cold air. He worked on the problem for an hour, and could not fix the problem. The temperatures had been in the mid-90's earlier in the day, so it was still hot outside. So we opened windows and turned on fans to cool the house after one of the hottest days of the year so far. Nothing had gone as I had planned it out in my mind when my feet hit the floor earlier that morning. As Matthew and I talked about the day, it seemed that we could not find anything positive. 


I opened up our devotion book entitled A Devotional Night Light for Parents, by Dr. James and Shirley Dobson, and this is what we read together.

The Sand Man

Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 
Colossians 3:16

It's easy enough to express our gratitude to God when He graciously blesses us with many good things. But on those days when everything seems to go wrong, a grateful heart is harder to come by.

I'm reminded of a story by Gigi Graham Tchividjian about the time she decided to fix up the large family sandbox for her six energetic children. She called the local sand company, and a truck soon arrived. To Gigi's dismay, the truck began making deep trenches in the grass. The ground was soft from recent heavy rain. As the driver maneuvered, the truck also broke off several branches from overhanging trees.

Then it happened. The sand truck got stuck. The more the driver accelerated, the deeper he sank, until the truck began sliding down the hill, plowing a gaping hole. An hour later, a tow truck arrived. This driver backed around and hooked up to the first truck, leaving more black trenches. He tugged and pulled, breaking sprinkler pipes, splintering branches, and uprooting small trees in the process. It was no use. Both trucks were stuck. Eventually, truck number three arrived -- the cab of an eighteen-wheeler.

That night, after five-and-a-half hours of mass destruction, the three trucks departed. Gigi was left with a yard that looked like a war zone and bills for five tons of sand and two tow trucks. The day had been a disaster. But when she tucked in her eight-year-old for the night, she was astonished at his prayer: AAnd thank you, Lord, for the exciting day and all the entertainment we had!" 

There are times when we feel we could do with a little less "excitement" and "entertainment" in our lives. But the Lord knows best, and He directs us to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That's a godly perspective worth remembering -- on the bad days as well as the good.

WOW! I had to laugh at this story, and then reflect on our own day. I thanked God that Megan ran her first full mile earlier in the morning, and remembered how much I enjoyed sharing that time with her. Emily taught me a new game on the computer, and I was thankful that I spent time with her. I had to rejoice in the sweet boy who celebrated his 7th birthday, and thank God for his precious life and contagious smile. I had to thank God for a treasured conversation I had with his older sister while filling water balloons for the party. I was thankful that Megan was resting peacefully despite her painful toe. I thanked God that Eli is a healthy little boy who would soon have another beautiful pearly white tooth in his smile. I treasured the time we had with Matthew that afternoon, since he is usually working on Saturday afternoons, but took time off to attend the birthday party with us. Emily and Megan had so much fun playing on the slip-and-slide at the birthday party, and I was thankful for our friends. They have just moved into a beautiful new house, and I thanked God for providing a new home for them. We spent time serving God, and I was thankful for a small way to serve Him. In the morning we would worship, and what a privilege! I was thankful that I have a supportive husband and three wonderful children. How blessed we are!!

So, now a few days later, Megan's splinter is completely out, and Eli has a new tooth. The house is tidied up and life is back to normal, which this summer seems to mean BUSY. But I have been reminded to show gratitude to God on the bad days as well as the good days. God's grace is new every morning, and his blessings really are overwhelming.

It's Graduation Time

I was thrilled to make a cake and cupcakes for the graduation of some friends. We owed them a favor, so what better way than in the form of dessert, right??? Congratulations Ashley!!

Screaming at a Closed Door

If you are a parent, you probably learn a lot from your children. I feel like years of psychology training could not give me the grand realizations that come from living every day with three precious children. I have a much greater understanding of how God loves us, although I know his love far surpasses the capacity of love we could ever have for another human, even our spouse or children. I now understand how I can lead a life of daily sins, and every morning receiving God's grace. I now understand how God can be filled with disappointment while at the same time filled with compassion.


So, here is what I have learned about doors. Eli loves to cruise through the house. The design of our house is such that Eli can cruise a full circle from living room to kitchen and through the bathroom to come out in the living room and start all over again. He is, by far, the most active of our three children at his age. Thankfully, he sits pretty well through church, plays, concerts, etc., but if we are at home he is not content to sit still. He loves to be on the move, and I love to see him with so much freedom and joy just pacing the floors with random toys in his hand each time he loops back around.


One thing that upsets him is a closed door, particularly the bathroom door. He will stand at the closed bathroom door and scream until he is red in the face. I have tried to distract him with other places to go, toys to play with or a snack. But, he is determined to stand at the door -- screaming -- until that door is opened. All the other other doors are open and available to him, but he only wants the one door that is closed. At last, when the toilet flushes or the shower ceases, the doorknob gently turns and -- PEACE! Eli greets the bathroom patron with a smile and usually a hug and loud, cheerful squeals. I know, I know, you are all wishing that you received this kind of welcome upon completion of your toiletry duties. It is quite endearing in a strange way.


How often am I like Eli, standing at the one door that God has closed, screaming and demanding to be let in? Sure, I do not physically stand and scream, but my heart yearns for my own selfish longings. How often do I miss out on all the other open doors and opportunities because my eyes are fixed on what I cannot have? 


One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


So, I will try to trust that God has great plans for our family, and I will stop standing at the closed door and start exploring the many open doors that lead to greater, unknown places. 

Crafting with the Girls

One afternoon, Eli was sleeping and the girls were done with schoolwork. I would like to say that I didn't have any housework calling my name, but that would not be true. However, I ignored the laundry waiting to be folded and we sat down to craft. 

The best part about our craft is that it was FREE since we had the supplies already, and it didn't involve glitter. Note: I have nothing against glitter. It just seems that we cannot handle the fancy stuff without completely sparkling the house. : )

We found some washers in an old cigar box in the closet, covered them with scrapbook paper (because I no longer have spare time to scrapbook anyway), and then added a coat of Liquid Glass for extra shine. Once dried we added strings to make necklaces. How fun -- and easy -- is that????

Making Twisters

We studied tornadoes last month, and made our own tornadoes in mason jars. It was hard to capture the twisters with the camera, but they really are in there! 

Here are some interesting facts that we learned about tornadoes.

Small tornadoes sometimes form on the edge of bigger tornadoes.

In Oklahoma, a small herd of cattle were sucked up by a tornado and carried across the countryside, before being set down unharmed.

In 1981, a tornado that swept through the Italian City of Ancona lifted a sleeping baby from its baby carriage and set it down unharmed on the ground.

The UK gets about 60 tornadoes a year, even with its moderate climate.

The deadliest Tornado happened in 1925. It swept through three states and killed 689 people and injured 2,000.

Tornadoes is from the Spanish word, tronada, meaning thunderstorm.

Dust Devils are strong tornadoes that pass over desert areas.

Some people in ancient times thought dust devils were ghosts.

The safest place to be during a Tornado is underground, which makes basements and cellars the ideal shelters to get away from tornadoes.

Most of the world’s destructive tornadoes occur during the the summer in mid-western states 

of the US.

The myth of opening the windows in a house will help prevent a tornado from it being destroyed is false. In fact, opening the wrong windows could allow air to rush in and blow the house apart from the inside.

Apple Pie Baked in the Apple

I saw this on Facebook and had to try it. It was delicious, and so cute. However, this recipe does take some time and patience. It may not be the best choice if you are having lots of company over because it takes some time to scrape the core and apple flesh out of the skin. But, the family LOVED them!

Apple Pie Baked in the Apple

4 Granny Smith apples

1 pie crust

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Cut off the tops of four apples and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon very carefully,  without puncturing the peel. Discard the core. Chop remaining apple insides  and mix with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. Scoop filling into hollow apples.

Roll out pie crust and cut into 1/4-inch strips. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips. 

Place apples in an 8x8 pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.

Great Strawberry Pie

We started a strawberry patch a few years ago with about 40 plants that had been weeded from somebody else's overgrown strawberry patch. To be honest, when I transplanted them, I imagined that only a few of them would survive. Now, I am constantly cleaning out my overgrown patch, and our family has enjoyed the fresh berries each year. One of our favorite recipes is this strawberry pie. 

I was always scared to make my own pie crusts. They never seemed to turn out, but finally found a recipe that has never disappointed! I'll share that too, in case you have trouble with your pie crust too. 

Perfect Pie Crust


2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp vinegar
3-4 Tbsp cold water


Combine flour, salt and sugar. Evenly cut shortening into flour mixture.Combine egg and vinegar, and add to mixture. Add water a tablespoon at a time until dough is moist enough to form a ball. Shape dough into 2 balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out and to fit pie plate. 


To bake an unfilled pie shell, prick sides and bottom of pastry with fork. Bake at 450 for 9-12 minutes. Cool, and continue as directed in recipe.




Great Strawberry Pie


2 baked pie shells
2 1/2 qts fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg strawberry jello


Mix sugar and corn starch. Add boiling water; cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat. Add jello, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.


Place strawberries in pie shell. Pour jello mixture over berries. Refrigerate until set.

Gimme More Joy!!

Do you ever think that God is really trying to pound something in your head?? Well, everything I read lately, every sermon I hear, everything my mind dwells on seems to be screaming "JOY." This is an excerpt from a book by Becky Freeman entitled Lemonade, Laughter and Laid-Back Joy. 








In a fascinating book called Why We Do What We Do, I was astounded by a study focusing on the mental health of people who set their life goals around one (or all) of the three most popular extrinsic American values: money, fame and beauty. Interestingly, the researchers discovered that people who aim for these goals turned out to be mostly unhappy and suffering from a variety of mental distresses. But those who chose careers that emphasized intrinsic values such as meaningful relationships, personal growth, and reaching out to help others lived happier, healthier lives.


Jesus said,"He who loses his life for My sake will find it" (Matthew 10:30). It is in giving that we receive. Receive what? Money? Power? Prestige? No, the currency we're paid for doing meaningful work is joy. 


Even a subtle shift in perspective about the work we are already doing can make a huge difference in our satisfaction with life. If a full-time homemaker realizes that she's shaping the lives of her children, building a marriage to last a lifetime, making a haven for others in need of refreshment -- that what she does matters, and matters significantly -- it elevates her work to a new level. Energy and creativity flourish. Wiping noses, having coffee with a girlfriend, taking the kids to the park, even changing diapers become an art form -- if those activities are done with love, creativity and a sense of purpose.


If a man pumping gas or someone working behind a counter can see their job description as "encouraging and helping people" rather than tinckin' off hours on the clock just to bring home a buck, their "job" moves to the realm of "mission." When we take pride in doing a job well, no matter how menial it may seem -- "doing small tasks with great love" -- even mundane household chores can be an act of worship and joy. 


Ever take a look at Jesus' Earth-Job description? Born in an animal stall, the son of a carpenter, He would spend three homeless years in ministry: walking dusty roads, bringing good news, and healing the hurting. His destiny would be to die an excruciating death on a cross between two thieves in order to rise again, laugh at death, and invite us to join Him in eternity. The rich, the famous, the beautiful ways to success are most notably absent. And yet, was there ever a man more full of wisdom, joy and peace?


Jesus helped others catch a vision for how they could help spread His message. As one writer put it so well, "Jesus kept laying his hand on unlikely people saying, 'You are needed,' and so awakened in them a transforming respect for their own lives."


What creative work has God given you do do? 

5 Servings of Fruits and Veggies!!

While making dinner a few nights ago, Eli helped himself to a tomato. Delicious! He loves to stand at the refrigerator door and pick out something to eat.