Driveway Camping

Phil and I love to camp and have been tent camping with the kids many times. We have talked about how we would be able to go even more often if we had a pop-up trailer, as we wouldn't have to worry as much about weather and having tiny ones, or worry about me being uncomfortable when I am really pregnant, nursing, or both. We even went and looked at pop-ups, but didn't have enough cash to purchase a used one that was in good enough condition. We talked very briefly about taking out a loan, but decided that it didn't matter how badly we wanted it ... we were going to stick to our commitment to not go into debt. 

Recently we started really putting our finances in God's hands. We became very serious about tithing the first of our money every time Phil gets paid (we had not been very good tithers in the past) and about trying to make wise decisions with the material possessions God has entrusted to us. This meant we had to put aside the dream we had of getting land out in the country for now (we are NOT suburbia people ... we are both DYING to get back into the country!), as well as making a lot of smaller sacrifices. Getting a trailer was just one of them.

My mom sent me a text last month saying that she just bought a new trailer for camping. I half-jokingly said, "Cool! Wanna sell your old one!?" ... to which she replied, "We can talk about it." I talked to her over the phone and she said we could look at it and discuss it next time we came over. Sure enough, when we were over visiting, Phil went out with my Mom to look over the trailer while I was nursing Josiah. He came back in and sat down across from me in the living room with a strange look on his face. Once my Mom was out of earshot, I said, "Well ... is she going to sell it to us?" He shook his head and mouthed, "No ... she GAVE it to us!" 

As I type, Phil is out in the pop-up trailer with the older children, camping in the driveway!!  Phil is giddy ... he is like a little kid again! Camping means so much to him, and knowing that we can do it more often now has been a dream come true for him!

God is soooooooooo good! He knew the desires of my husband's heart, and what a sweet Father He was to bless him (and myself and the kids, too!) so generously!! Praise God from Whom all blessing flow ... including beat-up old campers!!!  

Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast

I have been tweaking my french toast recipe for awhile (well, since I got married, really), and tonight's version was the best it is has ever been!

First, let me say that french toast is one of those foods that should TASTE GOOD ... not be good for you.  This is my opinion, but it is a strong one! :)  French toast is a comfort food for me, so while I still try to use the best ingredients that I can for my family, I don't get all foodie about it.  It has processed sugar in it folks, and that is fine by me! :)

Here is tonight's recipe (I don't measure anything, so just assume that I put a LOT of each ingredient in unless listed otherwise!):

Ingredients:
6 eggs (this is to feed 6 of us)
heavy cream off of the top of our raw milk
ground cinnamon
vanilla
brown sugar
butter (Troyer roll butter is to die for and all I use anymore!)
sugar
bread (we used Ezekiel bread tonight, but it is even better with a homemade whole wheat cut into thick slices!)

Whip together eggs, cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Melt butter in skillet.  Dip bread slices in whipped egg mixture until thoroughly coated on each side.  Cook in butter until brown on both sides.

Now, here comes the fun part!  I melted some of that heavenly Troyer butter and mixed it with sugar and ground cinnamon, and then drizzled that over the toast.  OH MAN!  Sooooo good!  I think this would have to classify as a dessert more than a breakfast food.  Doesn't matter ... we defied all classifications and ate it for dinner tonight! ;)

Five in a Row

(duplicate post from my other blog - http://mylittleliterates.blogspot.com )


No, no ... I didn't switch our curriculum (although FIAR is awesome and I love to peruse their book lists!). No, "Five in a Row" would be my nickname for our crew these days:

Aren't they too stinkin' cute?!  From L-R:  Corbin (4.5 years), Samuel (20 mos.), Josiah (7 weeks), Abby (6 years), and Daniel (3 years).

Oh how I love those babies!!

Our sweet Josiah Wayne is our newest blessing, born in September and breaking the family record for weight - a whopping 10 lbs 12 oz!!  Cutest 10 lbs 12 oz of chub you ever did see! :)

Here he is moments after his birth:

GAHH!! I just want to run in to the room and kiss him right now looking at that!! But I won't.  I will have a little self-control until I finish this post.  THEN I will run in there and kiss his chubby cheeks all over... ;)

And here is a recent one:

Yes, he has awesome hair :)  It is a natural mohawk ... no styling required.  It is actually the lightest hair any of our kids have had, and is very close to a strawberry blonde!

Okay, just one more pic because I like him so much!

*sigh*

Eleven Years

I was sixteen and awkward.  He was eighteen and so quiet.  He wasn't the type of guy I usually noticed -- so shy and reserved -- but by God's grace he noticed me.

A date on the lake.  Late night phone calls.  A first kiss under a starry fall sky.  The weak knees and fluttery heart of a teenager girl head over heels in love for the first time.

...

Eleven years later he makes my knees weaker than ever.  My chest still tightens when I think about him.  I still wait at the door for him every night and hope it is him every time the phone rings.

Those eleven years haven't all been goose bumps and flirtatious glances.  There have been some pretty rough paths along the way.  But we take all paths together.  Always.

...

Tomorrow is the 11th anniversary of our first date.  God has recently done some things in our marriage that I never would have even dreamed possible.  He has taken our relationship -- with Him AND with each other -- to a level that we didn't know existed.  So much peace, healing,  communication, trust, joy....and I thought we were pretty darn awesome before ;)

God has taken the man of my dreams and grown him into the man I never new could possibly exist this side of Heaven.  I'm living in a constant state of praise, and it is good.

...

This weekend I heard a new song that made me break down like a baby.  I saw just how rich I am to have a man who leads me, with strong hands.  Stands up when I can't.   And who makes me feel everything but alone.

I love you, baby!  SILY ;)

Amy

Priorities of Passion

Balance.  Simplicity.  Prioritizing.  These seem to be the buzz words amongst busy moms these days.  Whether working full time with kids in school and daycare, or staying home with a homeschooling brood, balance and simplicity are what most of us mommies seem to be grasping at, sometimes desperately.

I know I am.  And I'm one of the desperate ones.

I can't tell you how many times I have sat down and tried to "prioritize" my life.  I start mentally listing those things that are a MUST - food, sleep, shelter, time with God, time with loved ones.  However, that list soon grows exponentially with needs ("to eat we have to grocery shop, to grocery shop we have to have money, to have money we have to spend hours maintaining our business records, to have a business we have to pay taxes, etc.") and goals ("I want to own land and farm it and get all my milk from my own cows that I milk every day") until the only thing I seem to have weeded out is my sanity!!

I have never, ever, been good at prioritizing.

Last night, though - I believe in an answer to prayer - a thought came to mind that completely changed the way I think about prioritizing.  Actually, it was a question:

"What are you passionate about, Amy?  Make your passions your priorities."


Hmmm....an interesting thought.  But will that method really work?  'Cause I can guarantee you I am not passionate about paying bills.  Or doing laundry.  Or washing dishes....

But then I thought about it, and realized this just might work.  I have a ton of things that I never seem to be able to keep up with that are always nagging me in the back of my head.  Sewing, knitting, tatting, crafting, scrap booking, cooking 100% from scratch, decorating my home, gardening.....the list goes on an on.  I felt a nudge from God to go through that list of things that I think I SHOULD be keeping up with, and really analyze which were my passions and which were just hobbies I enjoyed on an every-now-and-then basis.

Right now is no time for now-and-then hobbies.  With four kids at home under the age of five (and no TV!) and a husband who works 70+ hours a week, this is a stage with room for survival and passion only.

I heard God clearly tell me that I had to cut myself some slack.  In my dreams I will one day sew all of our clothing and cook 100% from scratch 100% of the time with food that came 100% from our own land, all while our baker's dozen of children run about my feet.  But I can't expect myself to be that woman now.  My husband and I were talking about how it is not the sustainable, simplified, self-sufficient lifestyle that is too much at this stage.  It is the transition that is overwhelming.   Finding land.  Fixing up this house.  Downsizing our material possessions.  Schooling the kids.  Maintaining my husband's business......

Getting to simplicity is just too darn complex.

One day.  One day we will get to the dreams we have been talking about together for 11 years, and dreaming about separately for even longer.  Until then, though, I need to have two kinds of priorities: priorities of survival and priorities of passion. (Side note:  my husband is INCREDIBLE at prioritizing.  I should have been doing things his way for a LOT longer!)

The survival list was pretty easy to come up with.  What do we need to stay alive?

PRIORITIES OF SURVIVAL:
Time with God (prayer, study, worship, praise).
Food (grocery shopping, cooking, dishes).
Health (medical appointments, exercise, healthy eating, adequate rest).
Finances (work, bills, taxes, budgeting).
Shelter (having a tidy, sanitary, safe place to live -- decorating and obsessive cleaning do NOT fall in the survival category!!).
Clothing (having clean clothes to wear -- whether they come from being folded in a drawer or thrown in a basket doesn't matter, they just have to be CLEAN!).

The next list took a little bit more thought and prayer.  What are those things that I am really passionate about?  What are the things I could do all day and never get tired or stressed over them?  What are the things that excite and energize me?  Here is what I have come up with so far:

PRIORITIES OF PASSION:
Time with God (yes, this makes both lists!).
Time with my husband.
Time with my babies.
Reading.
Writing.
Educating myself and my children.
Spending time outdoors.
Building intentional relationships with women I feel God is directing my heart towards.


That's it.

I have to admit, the second list was a little painful to make.  I had to really be honest with myself and confess that some of my hobbies were not truly passions right now.  I love to sew, but it is not a passion.  It can stress me out if I do it for too long or too often.  Gardening is not my passion.  I enjoy being outside and getting dirty, but I do tend to get distracted with all of my other passions and lose sight of my precious plants.  Having to admit that some of the things that I love to do I simply cannot do well at this stage of life was a small blow to my ego.  But honesty, especially with God and self, is definitely the best policy!

I feel like I can breathe for the first time in a long time.  I suppose you could say I am finally giving myself a little bit of the grace that God has already given me.  No more lofty expectations, no more comparing myself to other women.  For the first time in my life I will allow myself to thrive in the things I am passionate about without thinking I have to excel at everything.  There is now no condemnation!

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  Romans 8:1