And This Little Piggy Came Home!

I'm home again after a great visit with family last week. My poor sister survived her gall bladder surgery and was a great patient. Over the weekend, we had a fun time visiting with my parents and celebrating Mom's birthday. That woman is timeless! I hope I got those genes.

When I arrived home tired and happy, my amazing husband had the house sparkling and laundry finished. Talk about a Sweetie! I was glad to see him. :)

I'm reading a wonderful book right now that I'll have to do a review on when I'm finished. Sorry this isn't a meatier blog but I'm too tired to write much. Hope you are all having a great day in blogland!

Cool Drink for a Hot, Hot Day

For those of you who don't know, I love coffee. My husband worked at Starbucks for awhile and I was in coffee heaven! :) I HAVE to have my coffee in the morning; it's my wake-up juice. I'll even drink it on a hot day like today (107 degrees to be exact) and I was perspiring ur, I mean, glowing. However, having a frozen coffee drink is so much more refreshing. So here is a recipe for all those coffee drinkers out there that are too hot to drink it today:

(Recipe and kitchen tip are taken from Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy)

COFFEECCINO

1 1/2 cups cold coffee (decaf or regular)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. Chocolate Syrup
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3 cups ice cubes

Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Cover and blend on high speed until the ice is crushed and the mixture is smooth. Pour into tall glasses and enjoy!

Variations: Add 2 T. caramel ice cream topping to the drink before blending, and/or top with whipped cream before serving.

Cost per serving (1 1/3 cups): $.08 [Better price than Starbucks, eh?]

Kitchen Tip
If you make EXTRA COFFEE, don't throw it away; keep it fo another recipe. You can refrigerate coffee in a covered jar for one month or freeze it for up to six months. Freeze it in a plastic container or in ice cube trays for easy use.

Always on Your Side

God has been showing me many things lately. He has shown me incredible grace during this last week. This song resonated with me. Maybe it doesn't match exactly to my circumstance, but I love it anyway. Supermom and Bttrfly, I send this out to you. Here are the lyrics:

"Always On Your Side"

My yesterdays are all boxed up and neatly put away
But every now and then you come to mind
Cause you were always waiting to be picked to play the game
But when your name was called, you found a place to hide
When you knew that I was always on your side

Well everything was easy then, so sweet and innocent
But my demons and my angels reappeared
Leavin' all the traces of the man you thought I'd be
Too afraid to hear the words I'd always feared
Leavin' you with only questions all these years

But is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear
Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear
Or are you left to wonder, all alone, eternally
This isn't how it's really meant to be
No it isn't how it's really meant to be

Well they say that love is in the air, but never is it clear,
How to pull it close and make it stay
Butterflies are free to fly, and so they fly away
And I'm left to carry on and wonder why
Even through it all, I'm always on your side

But is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear
Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear
Or are you left to wonder, all alone, eternally
This isn't how it's really meant to be
No it isn't how it's really meant to be

Well they say that love is in the air, never is it clear
How to pull it close and make it stay
If butterflies are free to fly, why do they fly away
Leavin' me to carry on and wonder why
Was it you that kept me wondering through this life
When you know that I was always on your side

Just Give Me A Formula!!

I have definitely felt some moments of desperation lately with my parenting. Slowly God has been revealing to me that our problems are rooted in me. I would rather Him just give me three steps to make really great kids and be done with it. But unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. These problems are bound inside my heart and they demonstrate themselves through me and then reflect in my children. Those sweet little mirrors.

Submit. Man, how I love and hate that word! In my head I know that submitting to God is taking the pathway of peace. But in my heart is another path I like to take. The I-Know-Best path. I am such a control freak. I didn't think I was, but it's come bubbling to the surface through all this struggling. Yuck!

I want control of my husband, kids, family, friends, etc. It's not that I truly believe myself to be the most intelligent person in the world but I guess I must think fairly highly of myself since I always want things done MY way. Or maybe that's just selfishness.

Okay, I'm almost finished with my rant. One thing that has been so wonderful about this "working through" is that I am beginning to see my need for rest. That resting in Him that settles me. It's that moment of being held by a loved one through a turbulent time; it calms me. I wish I could stay there and never get up. Maybe the process is just learning to get back there and stay a little longer each time.

So, I'm beginning to see that as God parents me, so must I parent my children. I can't teach them what I haven't allowed God to teach me.

Why I Love Avril Lavigne!

I know that I will probably get some rebuttals on this, but I can't help it. I love the passion with which the girl sings. The fact that she writes all her own music. The depth of her lyrics. Her honesty. Her anger.

I know that anger is an odd thing to love about a person, but I do. I can be an angry woman sometimes. I hate that the world isn't perfect. I want the garden of Eden. NOT the remnants! I want to live in perfection. NOT have to BE perfect. I want to be passionate. NOT fearful.

If I were only forty pounds lighter and twenty years younger, I might go on the road with my angry songs.

For Want of a Mentor

I have been thinking lately that I need a mentor. You know, someone ahead of me in the game of life that will walk me through what's coming. Someone whose children my little ones could look up to. I need that wife, mother, and friend that could admonish me to be everything God wants. I want them to be like-minded. Is that so bad? Not that they have to think everything that I do, but that we see major things in life through the same lense.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I have many wonderful friends and family members who love me, inspire me and journey with me. But most of us are peers. And there is something to be said about that older woman, living in the same town, that could show me things that I don't know. Or even challenge me when they see weakness in my life.

Since we are part of a church plant, many of our members are young. I love that. They add vitality and life to our tiny congregation. BUT, that makes me one of the oldest women in our church. I don't feel particularly suited for that. :) It's not a bad fact, it's just a fact. I guess lately I've noticed my need for guidance more than ever and I'm feeling desperate. So, I've started praying for a mentor. Isn't it funny that being desperate always leads to prayer? I guess I should have started praying BEFORE I was desperate. Oh well...