Character, Not Comfort!

Romans 5:3-5

"We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hears with his love."

My paster said not too many weeks ago, that God is more interested in our character, not our comfort. Kevin and I now certainly have a character test before us...yesterday, I was informed that effective next week, I would be working a 3-day work week with a 40% pay cut...yes, ladies and gentlemen, 40%. To put it in to perspective for all you work folk, just imagine pretty much one of your paychecks being taken away each month. While the prospect of having two days off each week sounds absolutely divine, Kevin and I do have responsibilities that we are committed to, namely the three main subjects of this blog, our little mini-me's.

Because of our faith in God and knowing that he has plans for us, I am not "freaking out" and I know that Kevin and I will get through this and come out better on the other side. He and I have to quickly make some changes in our lifestyle along with making some hard decisions about our work situations. Because of this, please add us to your prayer list...that we will remain patient and we will listen to God and follow the plans that He already has for us.

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."

"I wear my sunglasses at night..."

So I walk into the boys bedroom this past Monday night to check on them before I headed to bed myself and I see Samuel with his sunglasses on, sleeping soundly!! I got the biggest kick out of this and had to go grab my camera! I asked him the next morning why he fell asleep with his glasses on and his response was simply "it's too bright"! It's at Samuel's request that we keep the closet light on as well as a fake fish aquarium light on as well! Too funny!

And never to let his bigger brother get the best of him, the next night I walk in to check on them and there is Caden with the same pair on but what I thought was super cute is how he has his "Curious George" monkey laying on his shoulder!

MY NEW FAVORITE THING

For those of you who like "scents" in your home, you will love my new favorite thing...a "reed air freshner"! I like plug-in air freshners that you plug in to an outlet or squirts out at timed intervals but I just hate paying the price for the "replacements" that go in them and feel as though for what you pay, they don't last long enough! I've seen these freshners in the store, in a wide variety of scents, but just wasn't sure about them. So, I decided to give it a go and I bought a set of two for $10 with one scent being "cinammon-raisin" for the kitchen/living room area and then the second sent is a "honey" scent, which I put upstairs. The glass bottle is filled with "oil" and then bamboo "reeds" are placed down in the oil so that the scent filters up through the reeds into the air. They are supposed to last 90 days and so that is about $1.70 per month...not bad! Also, for those of you with children, this is a good alternative to burning candles in the home.

Thursday Thoughts

Outside my window... bright sunny skies but cold, cold air!
I am thinking... that I need to start updating my blog more often!
I am thankful for... my healthy children. A young son of a work acquaintance died last night and it makes my heart very heavy for him and his wife.
From the kitchen... not sure tonight...we have a doctor's appointment this evening and so it may just be a "to-each-it's-own" sort-of-deal!
I am wearing... black pants; green cable-knit sweater and pink shirt underneath.
I am reading... Cold Tangerines (still); Christianity 101, Chapter 2 for my bible study
I am hoping... to finish Cold Tangerines this weekend...not a great book but I do want to "finish" it.
I am creating... nothing at the moment although I've been poking around various sites to see what strikes my fancy to make and saw instructions today for a cute little purse to make Isabella!
I am hearing... "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban on the radio.
Around the house... spring cleaning has begun! I know it's not spring but it will be by the time I get done, what with working full-time and having 3 kids!
One of my favorite things... Caden's sweetness...I'm so glad that he's still my little "boy". He's only 5 but he is still so sweet and cute and not in a rush to "grow up".
A few plans for the rest of the week... Doctor's appointment tonight with Samuel's psychiatrist for "us as parents" so that we can be better equipped to deal with his ADHD & ODD; Nursery duty Sunday at church — otherwise, NO plans this weekend...feels odd! Probably continue to work more on "cleaning" up/out the upstairs!

Better Than Anything Cake!

I was looking online for a recipe to take to my ladies get-together at church earlier this week and came across this yummy cake recipe! It is so good and after tasting, I decided to share it all with you!

Better Than Anything Cake
• 1 German Chocolate Cake Mix
• 14 ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Small jar of Caramel or Butterscotch Ice Cream Topping
• Large tub of Frozen Whipped Topping, thawed
• Bag of Heath Toffee Chips/Bits

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cake as directed on package in 13" x 9" pan. Cool 15 minutes. Poke top of cake with handle of wooden spoon or something small & round. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over top of cake and let stand until it has been absorbed into cake. Drizzle 3/4 caramel topping over this. Cover and refrigerate to cool. Sprinkle 1/2-3/4 bag of the Toffee Chips over the cake. Spread whipped topping over this. Sprinkle with the rest of the toffee chips and drizzle with caramel for decoration.

This is best made the night before so that everything can soak in!

Valentine's with Chunky Crayons!

This year, we decided to make our own Valentine's for the kids to give to their classmates! I read on the internet, an idea to make chunky semi-homemade heart crayons and I thought how fun this would be for us to do as a craft and for the kids to take pride in what they were giving away! These were so easy to make and even Isabella was able to join in the fun!

To make them in any shape, you need broken up crayons (Crayola works the best from what I'm told) and you take off the paper wrapping, break up into chunks (if not already broken) and then you place them in your mold. I found these cute little heart-shaped ones at Target for $2.50 for 2! You then want to stick them in a warmed oven at 200 degrees and let sit on the top rack for about 10 minutes, checking ever so often. (I did mine over the course of two nights after I had cooked dinner in the oven, I just turned off the oven and stuck these in!) Take out and let cool. Because these were silicone molds, I was able to pop them right out! To make the card, I just printed out the "Valentine, you COLOR my world" and then glued it on to pink cardstock. We then used "burger glue" or rubber dots to secure the hearts to the card! Voila!

We thought they came out so cute and the boys were so excited to give them out. The signed the back side as to who they went to and who they were from! Here's the finished product:

Thursday Thoughts!

Outside my window... cold, cold temperatures & evening has arrived
I am thinking... that I need to read the chapters for my Sunday bible study
I am thankful for... a God who is ever-forgiving
From the kitchen... shrimp alfredo with fettucine
I am wearing... grey sweatpants and a long-sleeve white tshirt; very comfy!
I am reading... Cold Tangerines; Christianity 101 for my bible study
I am hoping... that God will provide me with greater patience
I am creating... a Valentines "tree" tonight from a pink Christmas tree I found on clearance.
I am hearing... the water running as my wonderful husband does dishes.
Around the house... Samuel is upstairs playing games; Caden is watching TV; Isabella is playing with her doll stroller
One of my favorite things... kisses and hugs from Isabella I got tons of earlier tonight!
A few plans for the rest of the week... sign the boys up for YMCA summer daycamp; make broken crayon "hearts" for the boys to give as Valentine's; church on Sunday