Blessings

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2.

These are the verses that Pastor Jim has been using in his childrens messages at Church. Each Sunday morning (for the month of October) he reads this verse, chooses a small part to further explain in "kid language", and then asks the kids to help him recite the verse (with motions!). This past Sunday morning Pastor Jim talked about blessings and what it means to be blessed. He explained that sometimes we know about blessings but sometimes there are surprise blessings in our lives. He gave the example of coming home from school to find grandma and grandpa at your house when you didn't know they were coming. It was at this point in the message that Jackson piped up and said, "Yeah, that's like when you are sleeping and Santa just sneaks in your door and leaves you some presents!" To which another boy chimed in saying, "Yeah well, my mom is just Santa." Nothing like keeping the pastor on his toes on Sunday morning! :)

Dave was mortified, wanting to crawl under the pew and disappear. The rest of the congregation thought it was hilarious. At least Jackson didn't ask if Jesus lived with Santa at the North Pole or if Santa was in heaven with Jesus. I'm quite certain that he was wondering about this last year at Christmas time.

We have so many blessings in life, not the least of which is a 4 year old with a curious mind and and uninhibited spirit!

Soup-er Saturday

I recently made this soup for a meal exchange. Our family loves it...even the boys. You can either dunk grilled cheese or garnish with shredded cheese and croutons. Or you can eat it plain, but what's the fun in that? Hope you enjoy!

Tomato-Basil Soup

2 (28 oz.) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
Fresh, minced garlic (I used my garlic press)
18ish fresh basil leaves, minced
2 T. sugar
1 cup whipping cream
4 T. butter

In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes, broth, and garlic to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add basil and sugar. Reduce heat to low; stir in cream and butter. Cook until butter is melted.

A side note: I did try this with half and half (some even use milk) to reduce the caloric value a tad, but shockingly enough, it was much better with the cream.

Hop on over to Katie's blog to find some other fantastic soup recipes. Happy Eating!

A L-A-Z-Y Day

So, we're feeling a little lazy this morning. Both the boys have colds and Jackson has a "leaking eye", as he calls it. Not sure if it's pink eye or not. So cartoons on PBS are just what the doctor ordered for the morning. A little oatmeal for breakfast and maybe we'll head back to Crane's for some more apples. Depends on the eye. Maybe we'll just stay in our jammies all day and snuggle.And we'll give you a little smile, but don't think for one minute we'll peel our eyes off the TV.

One of those weeks

It seems like this week has been "one of those weeks" with the kids. Constant bickering, whining, pressing their mother's every button. You know, one of those kinds of weeks. Our trip to the grocery store this week was especially frightful and I'm sure if you live in a 30 mile radius of the 16th street Meijer, you could hear the massive meltdown as it was in progress. For those of you who are farther away, consider yourselves lucky. I was thinking of busting out this move like the Mother of the Year. (I wish I was really techy and knew how to post this video directly instead of just the link...sorry.) But please watch it...I did...at least 10 times.

I've recently started reading a blog called (in)courage. These daily postings have been refreshing and encouraging for me to read. Women from all walks of life post about their lives and their faith. A post worth reading from a few weeks back can be found here. Just a small reminder that I am not defined by my children (or their actions) but am to be defined by Christ alone.