Grandpa

Today they will gather and celebrate his life.  They will talk about how wonderful he was and how much he will be missed.  They will use words like "legacy" and "pillar of faith." I know there will be tears, but mostly I hope that there is joy.  When CS Lewis said "We do not have a soul.  We ARE a soul; we have a body" he was right.  Our bodies are just temporary, but our souls are eternal.

I have no doubt that my grandfather is rejoicing in heaven with Jesus (and his parents and brothers and sister and ALL those that have gone before him that he had a part in their salvation).  So we should be rejoicing too. We should rejoice for the time that we were given on earth with him.  We should rejoice that we have memories we can cherish.  We should rejoice that we are part of a heritage of faith.

Someone asked me last week what my favorite memory of my grandfather would be and it was honestly hard to say just one.  I spent my entire childhood less than 30 minutes from my grandparents so we saw them frequently.  He was an integral part of my life, but mostly he was a beacon for my walk with the Lord.  He was an old school pastor that preached with a fire that most pastors don't possess anymore.  He used to say "It's not a sermon until you break a sweat!" :) He took everything to the Lord in prayer.

My grandfather was a man that lived simply.  He never had cable or a cell phone or a computer.  He loved to eat! He would re-use foil and plastic bags.  He didn't spend his money but gladly gave it to those that needed it.  When he laughed, his whole body shook and tears fogged up his glasses.  He always carried a handkerchief and when he blew his nose the neighbors dogs would bark (and small children would go running). :) He wore bifocals but used to put them on top of his head to see things close up.  He had an incredible memory and recited poetry from his childhood.  He said he didn't speak German, but he had a German accent.  He had a library of books and he read every single one.  He had a love of peppermint and believed it to be the cure for almost everything.  I may have inherited that trait.
He was never too busy for anyone.  He never had a negative thing to say.  His Bibles were always falling apart from being read so much.  He spoke directly to the Lord twice a day and didn't rush through it.  He would mention each family member by name and ask for their needs to be met.  He always had a story to tell (I may have inherited that one too).

He loved his family and loved the Lord.  He lived to tell people about the miracle of Jesus, so I rejoice that this Christmas, He gets to be in heaven.  I rejoice that I got to see him in August on our trip to the northwest and hear his voice and laugh again.  I rejoice that eternity is a really long time and we will get to spend it together.

My grandpa Tom Grams

5/21/18-12/5/12

Dwelling

I have always been intrigued by words.  I remember when I was in high school I heard a comedian making fun of the English language.  He said that "laughter" pronounced "laff-ter" means that "daughter" should be pronounced "daff-ter." It really is amazing that people learn to speak English at all. :)

Recently I have seen a word surface in my devotions and in conversations so I have given it some thought.  The word is "dwelling." In a quick dictionary study it's one of those fun words that can be a noun or a verb.  It can mean a place, like a home (dwelling).  It can also mean "to spend time" on something (dwell).

What do you "spend time" thinking about? Is it thankfulness or bitterness? Is it anger or joy? Do you think about how life used to be? Or do you spend time thinking about how good life could be, if only you had ..... (fill in the blank)?

A dwelling, both physical and emotional/spiritual, can also be a place where you feel comfortable.  Where do you feel the most comfortable? Do you feel the most comfortable when you're complaining? Do you feel the most comfortable in thinking about the past or the future? Do you feel most comfortable in the presence of God?

I'm not sure if I'm just getting older, or if I'm just more sensitive to it, but I'm hearing more and more about how much tragedy there is in the world, and how hard the holidays can be.  Two weeks ago marked the one year anniversary of Brian's mom's passing.  A week later, a friend suddenly lost her two year old son.  Our community just brought home a soldier killed in battle in Afghanistan, leaving a wife and 15 month old son.  Our local Christian high school is mourning the loss of a 16 year old boy that one morning just didn't wake up.  There are wars overseas that we know only a fraction of what's going on.  It would be really easy to focus on all that's going wrong.  There are lots of folks that dwell on the negative.  While there are bad things that happen, we have to choose to dwell on our eternal hope.  This world was never meant for us to be content.  It was meant for us to long for more.  The 23rd Psalm tells us that we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death...." It does not say "though we stop and make our dwelling in the valley of the shadow of death." Isaiah 43:18 says "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past." We are supposed to be current thinkers.  Psalm 23:6 says we will "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Psalm 4:8 says that "I will lie down in peace for you, oh Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Clearly the Lord has a plan for where we dwell.  My plan might include a beach or lake house and looking forward to retirement.  I might plan for my current dwelling to have some renovations or nicer things, or more land and less neighbors (and barking dogs).

Today, I will choose to dwell on things above and live in the present.  I will make my physical dwelling place (my home) a place of joy and my spiritual dwelling place in the presence of the Lord.

Soap!

aIn the past few years, I've been learning new ways to make life simpler (which truly means more work, but it's worth it).  I even bought a sign that says "Simplify" that sits on a shelf in my living room.  It's covered in dust most days (because I've placed it too high to reach in order to clean it often...and yes I'm aware of the irony) and often I forget it's there.  But the concept is something we strive for daily.

On the journey of simplicity, last week I  made our own laundry soap.  When I found out that it's almost all the same ingredients for dishwasher soap, I attempted that too.

So far, we are loving the laundry soap.  The dishwasher soap has a few kinks to work out so I won't share that one just yet.  But I thought others might like to try the laundry soap as well, so here is the recipe we used:

1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot)

2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent aisle.

(this is optional. I did not add it but if you notice your clothes getting a little dingy, you can add it).
You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store or walmart.

Grate the bars of soap and mix all ingredients together in a large bucket.  This makes approximately 2 gallons of detergent.  

**Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I know that does not seem like enough but this recipe does not have fillers like the store bought detergent so you only need 1-2 Tablespoons.**

This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. If you love a strong scent you may have to add a fabric softener or laundry crystals to each load. You can find laundry crystals in the detergent aisle.

We got our recipe from this site: http://beingcreativetokeepmysanity.blogspot.com/2010/11/homemade-laundry-soap.html?m=1

Enjoy!

A Different Simple

The past week has been busy, but in a good way.  It hasn't felt frantic or chaotic, and I haven't felt stretched to my limits.  For that, I am grateful.
I was able to have lunch with both big girls at their school as part of their "Lunch with Loved Ones" days during the book fair.  The lunchroom was loud and a little crazy, but it was fun to pick up fish tacos and hang out for a few minutes with each of them.  I love those moments of being able to focus on one child at a time.

Later in the week I was able to chaperone a field trip to an aquarium for Reagan's class.  The chatter of fourth grade girls is a total crack up!

I'm also co-leading a Moms in Prayer group and I'm the VP for our PTO this year.  I know....this season is supposed to be about simplifying.  But what I've realized is that simplifying looks different for everyone.  The Lord was showing me that I had been neglecting my most important ministry; the one to my children.  So, while this week has been busy, I've spent my week being with my kids.  That made my heart full.

Of course I have days where I dream of living in the country where leaves change color and snow falls, homeschooling the girls, growing all of our own food, and sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and the love of my life in peace and quiet.  But that's not our reality.  Our simple looks different.

Our simple involves schedules and responsibilities.  Our simple is busy.  But our simple means getting back to basics when we can.  Our simple can be loud and messy.  But our simple is being together.  It's finding joy in the moment.  It's talking and listening, even if that means in the van as we drive.  Our simple is also eating good food, saving our money, and being grateful for what we have.  Our simple is far from perfect but it's our work in progress and I love it.

Love is a gift

I've sat down at least a dozen times to write in the last five months and something has always stopped me.  At times, it was my own bad attitude and I didn't want a post of whining and complaining.  A few times I have opened the computer and honestly felt like I had nothing to say, so I closed it again.  But now, as I dust powdered sugar from they keyboard, there's a new peace in my heart, and a desire to just write.

I won't relive in detail, the internal struggles I have faced over the last several months, but I will share that God is so good.  I had to hit my knees in exhaustion to finally surrender.  I will say that the tides of change are coming and I am filled with hopeful anticipation about the future.  I am returning to the things that I love.  I'm spending more time with my kids, making memories, and just being with them instead of around them.  I'm going to write.  A friend once told me that if the Lord made you LOVE something, then it's a gift.  I love to write, so I need to cherish the gift He gave me.  It won't be everyday.  It may not be every week.  But it won't be 5 months inbetween.

I have a sign in my house that says "simplify." I'm going to do just that.  I have stepped down from my roles in ministry and I am going to focus on the ministry of raising my girls and keeping a happy Christ-centered home.  Afterall, with kids in the house, the days may be long, but the years are short. I think that's how the saying goes.

Someday I'll tell you about the wonderful family vacation we took in August.  But for now, here's a sweet picture of my blessings.

Our Spring Break

FIVE weeks! The countdown is on.  We only have 5 weeks until our school year is over and we get to sleep in, play outside, go fun places, and just enjoy being together.  I can't wait! 

Spring break was a small glimpse of what our summer will be like.  We were able to relax, spend time with friends, and do some crafting.  In fact, after spring break, Bailey said, "Mommy, we haven't done a craft in DAYS. I'm dyin' here!" LOL! That kid.... Normally she's so literal, so her exaggeration cracked me up.  I told her the other day that Yaya (my mom) had to get rid of her wash machine because it was on it's last leg.  She said, "What happened to the other legs?" See? Literal.  :)

Spending time as a family is my favorite thing in the world.  During spring break, we embraced our location and decided to do something we have wanted to do for a loooong time.  We went from the snow to the sand in one week.  It was wonderful!! We were afraid we had missed the snow completely this year but we got an extra dose of cold rain (which equals snow for the mountains) the weekend before our break.  Most of it had melted away by the time we got there, but we did find a few patches left, and it was perfect for sledding.  

The sledding path started out pretty bumpy but we wore it down quickly!

Bailey was so excited to sled with daddy.  We almost had a crisis because we couldn't find the "purple" hat that she got for Christmas.  Thankfully the extra red one I packed worked just fine.  

This face cracked us up.  We thought she was having a blast, but the pictures tell a different story.  

The look of terror says it all. :)

I got all 3 to stop moving for a few seconds to grab this picture.  The rock behind them is the famous Taquitz Rock.  People climb it.  Crazy people.  I'd rather take pictures of it. :)

Bailey decided that sledding with mommy was much more her pace.  She also made snowballs (in the loosest sense of the word) and threw them at her sisters.  

Skylar is our little daredevil and couldn't get enough of the downhill speed.  In fact, I caught a picture of her going down the hill....with just her elbow on the board.  Talk about flying! She also loved sledding with daddy and crashing at the end.  

Love her rosy little cheeks after working hard to get back up the hill!

She's looking more and more like a little girl...and not a toddler.  Bittersweet to say the least.  

Reagan is usually our cautious one so we were thrilled that she went down the hill as many times as she did.  She and Skylar also decided to go without the sled and just slide on her behind at the end.  Thank the Lord for stain remover. :)

After a snack, we found the purple hat in the van! She was a happy kid!!

The girls all slept great and we made some wonderful memories. Success! Four days later we were off to the beach....

It was a little chilly when we got there. 

This kid is impervious to cold.  She didn't even wait to get her bathing suit on before heading into the water.  

She was soaked up to her sweatshirt in about 12 seconds. 

Bailey showing us how big the waves are!

Bailey didn't get to make snow angels up in the mountains, so she decided to make some sand angels.

Brian took Skylar and Bailey out on the surfboard for the first time.  Bailey caught a wave pretty quickly and LOVED it! Skylar (who was the most excited) got knocked off the board pretty quickly and has decided she doesn't like surfing.  But how cool are those birds behind her? :)

We chased a lot of these guys....

Reagan was our sandcastle builder.  I love that her hair starts to curl up as soon as we hit the ocean air.

And just to prove that I was there... :)

We gathered LOTS of shells! (I think that's a rule when you go to the beach as a child).

The girls did a lot of running from the waves. Then they decided to take on the waves together.  

One of my favorite pictures ever...

I don't think I could love these girls any more!

Spring break was great...but bring on the summer!!

Rainbow Brite

We've had a busy few weeks here so I'm trying to catch up! Skylar and Bailey's birthdays are close so we usually do a joint celebration.  I'm trying to get away with that as long as I can until they start requesting separate parties and wanting to invite their own friends (instead of just our family and family friends).

We do something special on their "actual" day with just our family.  This year Skylar requested a princess cake.  With sprinkles.  Lots of sprinkles.  

Bailey requested cupcakes and a movie.  

I love their simple requests.  :) 

For their party, we did a rainbow theme.  What little girl doesn't love rainbows? Remember Rainbow Brite? :) It was a fun theme and the girls LOVED all the color.  

Rainbow fruit kabobs (made by my mom)....

Rainbow bundt cake (with rainbow sprinkles)...

Rainbow partyware (and rainbow snacks of course)

And rainbow tissue pompoms

The girls had a wonderful party! 

Now on to Reagan's birthday.  Whose idea was it to have these birthdays so close?? :)