grace when there's BIG news!

It has been quite a while.

I know, I'm sorry. Forgive me?

See, here's the thing... We had an unexpected but very welcomed bit of news.

photo credit

Indeed. Due early June 2012. Very exciting, yes, we know.

But, it has been difficult.  I am by no means complaining. After all, children are a blessing from the Lord and a reward (Psalms 127).  It has been tough though. I started working again a few months ago--part-time, but it's still cutting into the time I spent homemaking and with Aaliya.

While struggling to figure out exactly how to balance everything out, we figure out that we were expecting our second little bundle of joy. Then, comes morning sickness, bad morning sickness.  Part of the struggle was that while pregnant with Aaliya, I suffered with ante-natal depression and I was starting to feel the same way this time around.  I was doing absolutely everything I could to treat it and beat it. Trying to balance that, working, homemaking, and dealing with a very active, very cute toddler (yikes, I have a toddler now!) I have been a little overwhelmed and under the weather-generally.  Sooo, my writing suffered.

I am so very sorry.

The recurring theme through all this however seems to be one thing; Christ has given me and will continue to give me enough grace to last for today. Tomorow is of no importance because today has enough worries of its own. 

He willl provide just what I need, the day I need it.  Not a second too late and not a moment too soon. So, today, it seemed grace abounded.  I was able to finally clean the bedrooms, one of two bathrooms and the kitchen. I did three loads of laundry and am almost fully caught up with it. I was able to get a head start on several Christmas cards, and I cooked (and cleaned after) dinner, as well as take a nice long bath and write a blog. Praise the Lord, His grace abounds.

Our living room, dining room and guest bath are still messy, but there will be enough grace for that another day. I wasn't the most patient Mommy today, but there will be enough grace for that tomorrow.  There are still about 50 things on my to-do list, but God will grant me grace for them another day (or five!).

I pray you'll stick with me as I kinda manuever through these uncharted waters and try to manage in blogging on top of everything else.  Pray for me as I pray for you.  I covet prayers, so I will sow prayers.

Here's to whatever grace He chooses to grant to us tomorrow!

menu plan oct 17-23

Last week was a bad week.  No, really, it was a bad week.  The only good thing is that, well... It was last week. Needless to say, a lot of repeats this week and I won't be eating Brown Bag Burritos for a while!  I didn't get a chance to make *anything* of what I had intended.  This week's already starting off better, so let's see.

Breakfast
Pancake and Sausage Muffins (x2)
Bagels and Cream Cheese (x3)
Cornmeal (x2)

Lunch
Hot Dogs && Apples (x2)
Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches (x3)
Leftovers (x2)

Dinner
Soup No, it wasn't from scratch.  It was instant.  I was tired, ok?
Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli and Pasta I'm so excited about this recipe! :)
Taco Potatoes with Corn and black bean salad

Rice, Beans && Pollo Guisado and Corn
Baked Potatoes with Fish Fillets and Salad
Taco Salad with Rice, Beans, Shrimp Scampi and Salad

Snacks
Pita && Hummus (Mmm!), Granola, Apple and Caramel (Yayy Fall!) and Cookies for Mama (only a couple of times as a destressor! haha)

What're you cooking up this week?

*This post is linked with Keeper of the Home's Plan-it-don't-Panic series!

the supermom myth busted!

photo credit

I don't know what it is about super-moms that appeal to us so much.  I know, I know, it is quite tempting to have the natural ability to do absolutely everything on our to-do list, raise perfect children and have perfect marriages meanwhile our home looks like it stepped out of a Pottery Barn catalogue.  Yeah, I know.

There's one thing that Supermom misses though.  The beauty of the village and community.  

"It takes a village to raise a child." --African Proverb

I love that African proverb.  I think it's so true.  I personally think it takes a village to do anything worthwhile for the Kingdom, especially related to families. 

We need a village to support us in our journeys through marriage in a divorce-minded culture.
We need a village to support us in our parenting Christ-loving, holiness-minded children of the living God.
We need a village.

And yet, we often don't like to ask for help.  We refuse help even.  We want to give the impression that we can do it all on our own.  But we really can't. There are times in our lives when help is imminent.  Right after the birth of a child; during the first trimester of a pregnancy; when we become ill; when someone we love has become ill, and on and on and on it goes.

We jump at the opportunity of helping others when their time arrives, yet cower back when it's our time and we refuse to admist we really do need the help.  Today, I want to challenge you to accept help when you so need it.  It doesn't mean you (or I) are not Supermoms, it means we're human and we've been specificially designed by our very intelligent and all-knowing God for community and partnership and relationship for one another.

menu plan Oct 10-16

This past week was a great one menu-wise.  We managed to stick with our plan with zero detours. Woop! =) This week is going to be one with a couple new recipes.  This next one coming up has been, by far, the toughest for menu planning.  Publix's deal were okay, nothing spectacular which made for a whole lot harder for menu planning.  Especially since we've run out of a lot of essentials. Hopefully I can get through it as seamlessly as I got through this past week.  But I need to head to the grocery store tomorrow after work, because we didn't get a chance to this past weekend.

I'm having a hard time with lunches.  I'm finding this is probably my biggest challenge, since I need to plan for both Caleb, myself and Aaliya with our varying schedules.  It's gotta be something quick and easy but filling at the same time (and preferably high in protein).  I would love any suggestions ya'll have!

Breakfast
Warm Vanilla Soother/Egg Whites and granola for Aaliya  Gonna give this a try. It's high in protein but I don't have to actually taste (hopefully!) the eggs. Let's pray this is good!
Pancake & Sausage Muffins (x3) I will get a great deal on turkey sausage at Publix this week, so I plan on making a big batch and freezing them!
Cornmeal (x2)
Scrambled Egg Mix and Tortillas Mexican Style! :)


Lunch
Leftovers
Sandwich (x2)
Brown Bag Burritos
That's all I got. :l


Dinner
Cream Cheese Chicken with Broccoli I'm so excited to try this crockpot recipe! If it's good, I'll post it up!
Brown Bag Burritos Yepp, they've become a family (especially Mommy!) favorite
Rice with Gandules and Avocado Salad
Taco Potatoes with Corn and Black Bean Salad
Rice with Pinto Beans and Pollo Guisado Crockpot Recipe; it's a slowly cooked spanish-style chicken
Cream of Pumpkin Soup Again, if it's any good, I'll post the recipe!
BBQ at Schepler's Home on Sunday

What are ya'll cooking up this week?

*this post is linked with Keeper of the Home's Plan-It-Don't-Panic series. 

what I love about Sundays

I'm not into country music.

Okay, maybe I am- sort of.

Either way, on our way home today the song that kept playing in my mind and in my heart is Craig Morgan's "What I love about Sundays"

photo credit

I've really wanted to create some sort of special traditions for our family on Sundays. I want our children to grow up looking forward to Sundays.  We are incredibly blessed to be a part of an amazing spiritual community that is not just a great support system, but they have truly become a part of our family.  My children call these families "Aunt and Uncle" and they relate to their friends as "cousins."  We have learned to love another and do life together not just in word, but in deed.

We love this. We encourage this. Every Sunday, we head off to our weekly celebration service (that's what we call Church) and then we make plans to go spend time with our Church family.  Whether we head off to a restaurant (it's the only time we allow ourselves to dine-out outside of special occasions) or cook with another family or a little of both, we spend time doing life together, playing, enjoying fellowship and serving one another. The men sometimes go off and play some basketball (because apparently, football tends to get a little too physical) while the ladies enjoy one another over a cup of coffee and great conversation.  The kids get to play with "new" toys and their friends every week.  It's such a beautiful day.

And I want to continue to make it special, weekly. For both, my children and our extended family.  I want Sundays to be the day when all is in order, and rest reigns.  A day where we rest solely on the love and grace of Christ and the wonderful families He's brought into our lives. I'm incredibly committed to this purpose.  Sunday Dinners will be a sacred, glorious time in our family's lives.  I promise!  

I'm taking suggestions. What do you do to make Sundays special?

That's what I love about Sunday

Sing along as the choir sways

Every verse of Amazin' Grace

And then we shake the Preacher's hand

Go home, into your blue jeans

Have some chicken and some baked beans

Pick a back yard football team

Nothin' much of anythingThat's what I love about Sunday

It's 35 cents off a ground round baby, cut that coupon out

That's what I love about Sunday

Cat-napping on the porch swing

You curled up next to me

The smell of jasmine wakes us up

Take a walk down a back road

Tackle box and a cane pole

Carve our names in that white oak

And steal a kiss as the sun fades

That's what I love about Sunday

Oh, new believers gettin' baptized

Momma's hands raised up high

Havin' a Hallelujah good time

A smile on everybody's face

That's what I love about Sunday