~ What the Seasons Teach Us

There is abundance in the laboring

and beauty in the fading,

wisdom in the cultivating,

and strength in the bracing.

There is peace in the quieting

and purpose in the dying.

There is hope in the waiting


and life in the wakening.

~ With a Thankful Heart

Today, I am grateful for...

...waking up to a nine-year old's birthday wishes

...lingering in bed with a hot cappucino

...a husband who stopped home mid-day yesterday with French pastries

...an almost teenager who's not too big to crawl up in my lap and let me run my fingers through his black silky hair like I did when he was a baby

...a little voice saying, "You wanna watch it with me?"

...the beautiful sound of little fingers on the keys practicing Christmas songs

...a two-year-old who only wants to wear his shirts backwards and inside out with the tag in the front

...a husband who cooks better than I do

...a weekend to rest from schooling these boys

...wiping a green, goopy nose (two years ago there was no nose so now I wipe it happily)

...a long call home

...snowflakes on my birthday

...a mom and dad who teach me everyday about loyalty and respect

...a warm house on a blustery cold day

...not having to cook the turkey this year

...friends that feel like family

...sweet birthday words from my mama (who gets me like nobody else)

...a pantry ready to begin holiday traditions

... a hubby who risks life and limb taking children out to play football on Thanksgiving morning in 36 degree weather

...my Savior

...having more than we need (always more than we need!)

~ Be Careful Little Eyes What You See

These boys of mine are growing up so fast I can't keep up. Every day brings new changes:

* These pants hurt my waist!

* Does my hair look ok?

* Can I ride across town on my bike?

Can I take my brothers with me?

* None of my shoes fit!

* Can I buy this new gadget that costs ____ (way too much)?

* Can I go to the high school football game with my friend?

Add to those a new big boy bed and staying at the YMCA by themselves and increased allowances for new nightly kitchen duties and leaving the oldest home to babysit for a late date with hubby and on and on and on...

My chidren are growing up!

And I'm not ready!

How am I supposed to protect them and keep them safe with all these changes coming at me so fast? Not to mention ...

Internet

Email

Ipods

Texting

Netflix

Cell Phones (WITH CAMERAS)

How do I hold on to their innocence while letting them spread their wings?

How do I counteract all the negative influences in their lives when I don't know what all their little minds are taking in? When they're not with me 24/7 anymore? When other influences compete for priority in their lives?

I've been thinking alot about this lately.

I long to teach my sons to think about what is good and right and lovely. I want them to know how to keep their minds pure. After all, God calls us to this - to a life of holiness. A few weeks ago, we spent the week in our devotions talking about loveliness (thanks to Ann's post here). It might seem strange to talk with boys about loveliness for a week, but it gave us many opportunities to talk about how we can be loveliness to a world that is surrounded by such ugliness and how there is still much to appreciate in our lives despite the horrible things we see around us.

The more we talked about filling our minds with what is good and right and pure and lovely, the more I found myself asking, "How does one with a houseful of young boys protect their little eyes?" No matter where I look, I see things that, in a second, could undermine everything I long to teach my children.

It is scary raising boys. They are such visual creatures. Just the other day, my youngest kept asking to wear his green shirt. Apparently, Bobby on the Brady Bunch was wearing a green shirt, and he noticed. (He keeps telling me, "No mom, not this shirt. I don't look bootiful. I want my green shirt." HE's TWO! Scary!)

Anyway, I know that what we take in with our eyes helps determine what our minds think about. So I am very diligent in what I allow my children to do, where I allow them to go and who I allow them to be around. Sometimes, that makes me seem like the meanest mom ever. I'm sure other moms must think I am overprotective and a bit fanatical. Sometimes, I start to question whether I'm doing my boys more harm than good. Maybe I'm just being too cautious.

In our read aloud time, the boys and I have been reading a wonderful book by Nancy E. Ganz called Genesis: A Commentary for Children. It is one of the books in her Herein Is Love Commentary Series. The author wrote it especially for children to teach them about the love of God. I have to tell you, she may have had children in mind, but I am loving this book. It has given us so much to talk about. We read right before lunch, and sometimes they don't want me to stop. Lunchtime is often filled with questions or comments about the book and about God and His plan for mankind. I highly recommend the book for anyone to read if they want a new perspective on our Creator.

The other day we were reading the chapter about the Fall and how Eve had the witness of the world (the earth was full of praise), her own self (being made in God's image), and God's own words to help her flee temptation. However, Eve made a choice to move toward temptation.

These are the words that so captivated me in this lesson:

"The first step towards the fall was just a few millimeters. Scripture records that it was the movement of her eyes." (Ganz)

She looked at the forbidden fruit.

That was the first step toward the first sin, and it was only two more steps until she had disobeyed God. Three tiny steps to break her fellowship with God forever. From there, all it took was two more steps and the world was changed forever. Ms. Ganz goes on to say, "There were just five little steps from God to Satan, just five little steps from heaven to hell.

She saw.

She took.

She ate.

She gave.

He ate."

And with those five little steps, Satan "silenced the praises of God on this planet."

The moment I read it, it confirmed for me that I'm not just some overprotective mom. I'm doing my job. I'm protecting the one thing that has the potential to send my children down a path of destruction and despair - the path that leads away from God instead of the path that leads to Him. I'm protecting their eyes, and I won't apologize for it, and I won't cower from it because of what the world allows or deems appropriate.

I tell my oldest all the time, "With every temptation you will have to decide what to do with your eyes. Will you decide one little look won't hurt you, or will you turn your eyes to the One you know will help you resist it."

Amazing, isn't it, how just the shift of our eyes can determine our course. The question is, "In what direction will we shift them?"

~ A Brief Getaway

In less than 36 hours, I'm headed out of town with my gals.

We usually head up to the Northwoods for a girls' weekend once a year.

This year, we're doing things a little differently.

We're celebrating one of us turning 50. (It shall forever remain a secret - but it's not me!)

I'm leaving all the boys behind to fend for themselves.

If they need me, I'll be here.

I'll be relaxing here,

Or swimming here (yes, it's heated year round),

Or daydreaming here.

I might be here with my book,

Or here taking a nap.

And I'll definitely be eating this (not just your run-of-the-mill continental breakfast)!

The last time I was here,

I was with this man.

(We celebrated our 20th anniversary here and didn't know we were pregnant at the time.)

Sorry you can't come along this time, babe, but thanks for sacrificing so I can go again.

It's a brief get-a-way -

Just 24 hours!

But when I come home, I will be a new woman.
(Okay, maybe not new - just rested!)

This time, it's all about the birthday girl!

And since my birthday happens to be next week, I'm just pretending it's all about me!

~ A Taste Explosion

Last night, some friends took us to one of their favorite places for dinner. It was about an hour from our home.

We had an incredible evening!

The restaurant was called Wild Truffle. It is a Wood-Fired Pizzeria/Trattoria/Wine Bar. I knew I would love it as soon as I heard the name. To be honest, as long as the name wasn't McDonald's, they had me at hello.

You can see their menu here, but I thought I'd share what we ate because we don't normally eat like this. I usually find a pace I like, find a dish I like, and because I know I don't get to go out often, play it safe and go somewhere that has delivered before.

Last night, I stretched my culinary wings.

Here's what I ordered, but we all tried some of everyone else's dishes. It's just more fun that way!

Stuffed "Hot Dates"

Dates stuffed with sweet Italian sausage in a spicy piquillo pepper-tomato sauce

Wood-Fired Tomato and Wisconsin Goat Cheese Fondue

served with wood-fired crostini chips

Pan-Roasted Chicken Scaloppine Bellagio

with smoked Prosciutto, apple & arugula salad, butternut squash-maple puree, balsamic glaze

and for dessert

Warm Autumn Apple Tart

with maple cinnamon ice cream and a cider caramel

(Ken had one of their wood-fired pizzas. It had carmelized onions, peas, bacon and two eggs sunny side up on top. He moaned with every bite!)

Here are the drippings of grace for me:

Having a reason to dress up

A night away from the kids

An evening of adult conversation with friends

The gift of this incredible dining experience (Thanks, Brian & Linda)

The small spoonful of the Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee I borrowed from Linda's dessert

(heaven in a dish - which I will be ordering next time!)

Sitting in the backseat with my man

A babysitter who does dishes (Thanks, Kahli)

Children who race to the door to greet you like you've been gone for weeks

pictures from here

I don't know why God graces us with little moments like these.

Maybe it's to remind me that there is life outside of McDonalds.

Maybe it's to remind me that life is better when you let people in.

Maybe it's to remind me that He is a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children.

If that last one is it, He made His point very clear last night. (Thank You, Father)

If you live in the area and you've never been to the Wild Truffle, stop by for dinner sometime. You will not be disappointed. The owner, Mark, will treat you like royalty and tempt your tastebuds with his incredible descriptions of their Handcrafted Desserts. When he asked where the world would be without egg yolks, we loved him immediately!

~ On Turtles, Hurricanes and Family

Day 1

We left Raleigh, North Carolina on a Sunday and headed toward Myrtle Beach.

The skies looked ominous, and the forecast for the next week was not encouraging.

As we were leaving Raleigh, my sister (in the car in front of us) called me to ask if we would like to just stay at their house. I asked if they wanted to turn around and go home. That's when she clarified her question. "No, I mean do ya'll want to just stay at our house." I immediately knew she was pulling my leg. We sort of have bad luck on vacations. I decided not to let her sarcasm bother me, and we all pressed on.

It started raining about two hours from Myrtle Beach.

I'm not talking about the kind of rain that makes you want to snuggle in bed and listen to the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof.

I'm talking about the kind of rain that makes you want to pull the car over except that you are afraid someone will plow into you.

When we got to the condo, it was still raining.

And it rained

and rained

and rained.

The kids played in the parking lot in the rain and made some wonderful discoveries. (It entertained them for days!)

My niece, Emily, and Ellis

Bennett

Aidan and my nephew, Christopher

Emily found the first turtle...

...and then they all became turtle hunters.

This is where you could find the kids while we adults were taking our siestas.

At bedtime on day 1, I lamented I had been in Myrtle Beach all day, and I still hadn't seen the beach.

Day 2

The rain continued.

Ken decided to take the kids to the beach in the rain to check it out while I put Bennett down for a nap. I mean, if you can play in the parking lot in the rain, you may as well play at the beach, right?

At the end of the 2nd day, I kept saying, "Mama's been in Myrtle Beach for over 24 hours, and I still haven't seen the beach."

Mama wasn't happy!

Day 3

We woke up to rain.

Surprise!

I walked around saying, "I've been at the beach for 36 hours and I still have not seen this beach!"

The forecast said it was supposed to be somewhat clear.

Somewhat clear really meant intermittent moments of calm. Otherwise, RAIN.

We went to the beach anyway.

And we had a blast!

After a long day of playing at the ocean, we decided to eat at this wonderful restaurant in Little River, SC.

We couldn't sit outside to watch the boats come in.

It was raining!

We did briefly get to enjoy the view.

But the food was great. My boys decided they love shrimp and red snapper.

Oh dear. Fish sticks will never be the same!

Day 4

Hurricane effect storms - need I say more!

We stayed away from the water and opted for a day of shopping at Barefoot Landing.

Day 5

We hit the beach again. It was overcast and drizzly, but we didn't let it stop us.

Although, when I first saw the white capped waves after the torrential storm the day before, I feared for the lives of my children.

Day 6

We let the dad's take the boys to the condo pool, and we women went shopping. We hit a few local boutiques and just enjoyed the day together.

I discovered a new favorite store -

PURPLEOLOGY!

Can you guess what they sell?

Absolutely anything purple!

Loved it!

(I'm wearing lots of purple this fall in honor of my favorite new store! It's amazing what you'll buy on vacation you'd never buy any other time!)

Day 7

SUNSHINE!

We knew it was coming, and we had one day to soak it all in.

And we did!

Surprisingly, I'm actually happy there was a hurricane off the coast that week. At least I could blame the bad weather on the hurricane. Although, I did think once or twice that we should have just stayed in Raleigh! All in all, it was still an awesome vaca!