I'll take a louder house, please!

I wrapped my dripping hair in a towel. Grabbing my slippers, I turned off the bathroom light and descended the stairs to join Steve in the living room.
Looking up from his book as I entered the room, Steve smiled. I could tell he wanted to ask me something.
"Not that it matters," he said, "but why don't you ever turn the fan on when you take a shower?"
I laughed, curious what he would think of my answer.
"It's just kind of loud..." I replied, "and after taking care of a two year old and a baby all day, I just really want to take a shower in as much peace and quiet as I can."
Chuckling, Steve responded, "Aahh. That makes sense."

It was true. Two years ago, when I was beginning to experience what life was like as a stay-at-home mother of a strong-willed toddler and a very sensitive baby, my days were filled with lots of noise. I showered with the vent turned off and I unplugged the phone when Haddie slept. I took advantage of any reduction in sound that I could. I even kept the radio turned off pretty much all day long.

Things have changed. Seth is now four and Haddie is almost two. I think our home is filled with just as much noise, if not, even more.... but I let the radio play. I have had a revelation. I don't turn off the music in attempt to keep my sanity on tough days anymore. Now I crank it up. I have realized how much music can be comforting and healing to my soul. Not just any music of course. I choose only albums or radio stations with lyrics that will inspire me, as well as Seth and Haddie.

One album that has gotten lots of play time in our home is our "Glory Revealed" CD. It is a collection of songs taken straight out of the Word of God, sung by popular contemporary artists. No matter how frazzled or overwhelmed I may be feeling, the music and lyrics from this CD always renew my mind with peace and joy. When I can't sit down to read my Bible but desire the comfort and clarity it brings, this often my next choice!

Another one we enjoy (this includes Seth and Haddie!) is the Hillsong United, "Look to You" CD. When I am inclined to have a pity party about a messy house, too much laundry, a tired morning, or fussy kids, turning up the volume on this album always creates a change of heart within me. I love the way this group belts out their priority of telling the world about Jesus. I can't help but turn my focus from inward to outward as I listen to their music and words. You should see Seth and Haddie jam out to it too! They think it's great! (Seth plays a mean air-guitar, by the way!)

So, there it is. Peace and quiet I still value. There is still a time and place for it, pretty much every day, I whole-heartedly agree. But I have learned the value in a home blastin' with Christ-centered music. It is inspiring, encouraging and fun. Most of all, I love it because it reminds me about what is really important in life.

I'll take a louder house, please!

40 Days of Faith, #13

The June sun felt hot upon my head as I mowed laps around my parents yard. I rolled my t-shirt sleeves up to my shoulders, hoping to avoid a farmer's tan. I was 14 and had just finished my eighth grade year. My mind was moving much faster than the John Deere lawn mower I rode upon. As I carefully steered around the clothesline I wondered for the hundredth time why he hadn't called yet. He had told me on the last day of school that he would be calling soon. That was about two weeks ago. Sweat glistened on my forehead. From the sun or my lament about the lack of phone call, I wasn't sure.

I prayed.

Lord, I know that I can't officially date until I am 16 anyway. Please turn my thoughts away from this young man if your plan doesn't include us being together. I do like him very much, but help me to be content with waiting if that is what you want me to do. I want your will.

I sighed. The words were painful but true. I had very high hopes that we could start getting to know each other better this summer, but I understood that this might not be God's plan. I knew that as hard as it would be to switch gears, I would have to let go of my desire and pursue the other things God had in store for me this summer. As I looked at the freshly cut grass, peace flooded my heart. It was a feeling that was starting to become familiar. I knew that I was going to be ok as long as I was continued to walk with God.

After supper that night I headed up to my room to look for a book to read. I heard the phone ring as I sat on my bed, pondering which novel to choose. Momentarily my mom carried the phone upstairs and handed it to me.

It was Steve.


We hope you are enjoying our 40 Days of Faith. Check our Archive list if you want to catch up on anything you missed, and please continue to stop by as we recount what happens next!

One of our Fav's

The other day we had one of our favorites for supper,
so I thought I'd share...
"Pepper Chicken"



You'll need...
*Chicken breasts (For our family of 4, I usually use 2 or 3 of the large frozen breasts)
*1 Tbs. vegetable oil
*1 each red, yellow, and orange peppers, sliced with seeds removed (although I often use the "Birds-Eye" brand bag of frozen peppers and onions. I use one full bag because we love the peppers!)
*2 cloves garlic, minced, or the equivalent in dried minced garlic
*1/4 cup vinegar (the recipe calls for Apple Cider Vinegar, but the day I took the pic I happened to only have White Vinegar - it worked fine!)
*2 Tbs. brown sugar
*14 oz. chicken broth (I usually make it from chicken bouillon cubes or powder)
*rice (enough for your family)

1)Bake chicken breasts till done and then slice or cube them - set aside
2)In a separate pan, saute peppers in the oil for about 2 minutes
3)Add garlic and cook one more minute
4)Stir in vinegar and sugar; bring to boil and cook about 2 minutes.
5)Stir in broth, then add cooked chicken. (If you want the liquid a little thicker, you can add a few tablespoons of flour to the broth - and mix well- before you pour the broth into the pan with the peppers and chicken)
6)Pour into a 9x13 in pan or other large bake ware
7)Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour
8)Serve over rice

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Congratulations, Birthday Boy, Cousins, & New Life

Hello! We hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!

We wanted to send out a big Congratulations to some good friends of ours who received a very special Easter surprise... On Saturday Steve, Kelly, and little Anika welcomed Jacob into their family! Hooray! We're so happy for you guys! We love you!

In other news, our Seth turned 4 on Good Friday! Wow, it's hard to believe four years have gone by already!

Seth brings lots of joy into our life. He is a very lively, passionate, bright, and enthusiastic little guy. His strong will can be challenging, but we also see that his determined spirit helps him to learn so many things. Seth loves cars and playing sports of all kinds. He is also recently fascinated with outer space, astronauts, and planets!

A huge "Thank You" to all who helped make Seth's birthday special.

We so appreciate the cards, gifts, and phone calls!

Seth received a bicycle for his birthday and had a blast going on his first bike ride with dad!

We love you so much Seth, and we're so thankful for your presence in our lives!

Saturday and Sunday we had lots of fun celebrating Easter with family. Below here is a picture of Seth and Haddie's cousin Daniel. Uncle Rob and Jen have a huge swing set in their backyard - what fun!

Here's Seth, Haddie, and cousin Caleb, enjoying the swings and the beautiful weather!

Here is Haddie, cousin Hayden, Seth, and cousin Antonio! What a treat to get to play together!
Here's Easter kisses to you!!!


NEW LIFE
It was great to find some tiny perennials beginning to push through the dirt recently. Every spring we look forward to this time of year when the hard, cold winter melts and gives way to new life.

Speaking of new life....

You know, there were things I wanted to write on Easter Sunday.

...Things about how we were celebrating because a perfect Jesus died on a rugged cross as atonement for our sinful lives...
...That three days later his grave was empty and we rejoice because he conquered death.

I wanted to find a great picture of an empty tomb and write all about it.

In the midst of preparing two church services (that was Steve), getting birthday party details squared away (both of us), helping with three family meals (that was me), and serving one Easter breakfast (both of us), the post was never written....

However, as I looked at this picture of new plant life, it made me think about our own lives. Maybe you're not one who believes in the Bible, in the story of Jesus' death and resurrection... We can't make you believe this miraculous story... though we may want to.

Perhaps that's all it is to you. An old, dry story that you've heard a hundred times.

To us, it is something so different.

It is real and it means LIFE. A NEW LIFE, and LIFE ETERNAL, to be specific.

The belief that Jesus died, rose again, and forgave our sins has changed us.

Our hearts, full of sin, looked dead and brown like that Iris plant did last fall.

As Jesus has become our love, our passion, our purpose,

he has been changing us from the inside out.

Our lives are different. Gone are the things of old that weighed us down.

We are not perfect, but we are no longer slaves to our sin.

We have been given LIFE.

ABUNDANT and NEW.

We believe in the Easter story. Not because of tradition, but because it has transformed us.

If you want, you can join us for the remainder of our 40 Days blog project and read for yourself about how the salvation we received through Jesus has made a difference in our life.

We hope you are experiencing new life too.

It is so good.

Our baby turns 4 tomorrow!

I just came across some pics of our big boy when he was about 18 months old or so (the ones from his infancy aren't on the computer yet). It's hard to believe he'll be four tomorrow!

Here's our family when it was just the three of us. It feels so long ago!

Seth, pretending to be dad with his sunglasses.

Seth has always had a thing for drums (ask anyone who has lingered in our church sanctuary after the service!) ;o)

Oh, Sethy boy, we love you so much!

Birthday pics to come - stay tuned!

Missing Grandpa

A week ago Seth and Haddie's great-grandpa Albert passed away suddenly....

It's still hard to believe he's gone sometimes.

I remember the first thing that came to mind when my sister told me was,

"Why didn't I get that picture Seth and Haddie had colored for him sent out three weeks ago instead of letting it sit in a pile of papers for so long..."

and then,

"Can't he just be alive a little longer so we could talk to him one more time?"

Ugh. I hate regrets...

One thing I'm thankful for is that we were able to see him twice in the last six months, which was more than usual as he lived several states away. At Shaun and Tammy's wedding in October we were graced by his presence, and then again around Christmas time. The following pictures were taken of Haddie and Grandpa Albert meeting for the first time at the wedding...

We have lots of fond memories of Albert. He was a wonderful storyteller (many of which were true events that happened to him as he worked around the country and the world). He had so much knowledge about so many things. He had a good sense of humor, and he was a very hard worker. He had served in the army and was a police officer, as well as a truck driver in later years. Albert enjoyed flying planes and loved to read. Although our personalities probably differed quite a bit, I did inherit the bump on the bridge of my nose from him! (My mom got it too!)

One memory Steve often tells of my grandpa Albert was of a time we were visiting him in the summer. He was living in a nice place in the country with lots of trees and lots of chipmunks. The chipmunks were particularly pesty, getting into garbages, eating from the bird feeders, and digging in the flower beds. Steve and my grandpa were outside having a conversation near the house. This was one of the first times Steve had met Albert, so Steve was surprised when my grandpa looked over at him and said, "Son, go get my pistol out of the drawer in the kitchen." Steve, unsure what was about to follow, went into the house to get the gun. Upon returning he handed it to my grandpa, who took the small gun and glanced into the open garage in front of them. Locating one of the problematic rodents, my grandpa shot from the hip, fired into the garage, and killed the chipmunk!

He he, I guess another thing we will remember about him was that he was a good shot! ;o)

....We won't forget the time we had with Albert, and we're thankful Seth and Haddie were able to meet their great-grandpa.

Recent Things and "Serious Life"

Well, another week has flown by without any updates from us. Sorry about that to all who have been interested enough to keep checking in! We've had a blurry week as we've been trying to get life back in order after our trip and gearing up for Easter and Seth's birthday. Then last Wednesday we were saddened to receive word that my grandpa passed away. I hope to have posts for each of those things coming soon, as well as more of our "40 Days of Faith".
In other areas of news, the April issue of Serious.Life Magazine is out today (we're part of their blog directory). For those who are unfamiliar with this free online magazine, it includes a lot of great content from bloggers, as well as feature stories, photos and other content. The magazine is owned and published by a family who have seven kids, three adopted and one who has Leukemia (http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/). The magazine gives away a bunch of ads to charities and ministries. Besides articles on interesting people, there is a lot about family, adoption, personal finance, spiritual life, humor… all sorts of “life” topics.
If you want to snag a free subscription, go to http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

Hope you all have a great day! More to come soon!
Blessings to you,
~S. and Company :o)