Row Row Row Your Boat

Growing up I would see my Lapish set of grandparents about twice a year. Usually once in the summer and once around Christmas. I have lots of great memories with them....playing cards, wrestling with Papa, learning some of Grandma's laundry tips...We had lots of fun times! One thing that we always did together was sing "Row Row Row Your Boat". Papa would teach us how to do it in a round...and we would sing it over and over again and never grow tired of it!

Now my kids have their Papa....and he is carrying on the tradition! The other night we went down to the lake and Dad fixed up the row boat and took us for a ride! Elia LOVED it! She could have ridden for hours! She had her first lesson in singing "Row Row Row Your Boat". 

Row boat ride!

Ready to go!

Papa teaching Zeke how to use tools!

                    Love you Dad! You're the best!

Hike To The Waterfalls!

My sisters decided to take a hike down to the "big falls" at camp today, so I decided to go with them...and of course the kiddos were with me! -I've taken Elia down to the smaller set of falls many times. (I actually hiked down there full term with Elia, trying to get labor moving!) But this was our first time all the way down. Thankfully "Aunt Livvies" was with us...Elia rode down like a monkey on her back while I carried Zeke. We weren't really prepared...so we ended up hiking barefoot. We made it down with no problems at all! It was lots of fun until it was time to head back...and Elia decided she did not want to leave. After dealing with her little fit we made our way up! I definitely was huffing and puffing! But it was fun making memories with my kids and sisters!

"I want to stay in the waterfalls!"

Happy Memory!

Beauty

This week I have been contemplating beauty. I married into a family of artists! I love it! I have learned to appreciate art in its various forms...and not only the art itself but also the emotion, thought, and concepts behind it all.

Growing up I always had fun "doing art". Some of my earliest memories are doing art with "Aunt Lulu"...and  during my elementary years we had art class with Mrs. Walker. There were some that we all viewed as true artists, some that were average, and some that would sometimes come to tears in frustration. It's funny how those of us in the latter two groups began to say and believe that we just weren't artists.

A year and a half ago I went through a prophetic art class with a couple of friends. It was sooo freeing! We began to see that we were artists...that we had beauty to unveil. As we would enter into God's presence he would reveal His heart and we were able to release His heart through our art. It began to take on a much deeper meaning for me. I started to realize that no one express beauty like I can. We each have our own unique beauty to reveal...not only to God but also to the world around us. And in reality as we reveal beauty we are revealing the heart and nature of God to the world, as he is the true essence of beauty.

My sister-in-law Rebekah came over last week to help me with some paintings for the kids' room. She was sharing that it has been proven that when artists move into a really bad areas, region begins to change...if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense...beauty really does bring transformation...when God released His beauty into that which was "void and without form"...He created the earth and all the beauty it contains! What a challenge to not avoid or run from what appears to be dark and messy, but to instead release the beauty of heaven that we contain, and see the transformation it brings!

Elia's little art studio!

Choices

I have always been a morning person! I remember when I was younger I would set my alarm for 4:45 am so I could get a head start on the day and get as much of my school done as early as I could. When I lived in Cambodia that was my favorite time of the day too! It was still relatively cool...I would get on my little "moto" drive up the road and get my iced coffee and breakfast (which consisted of grilled pork, rice, and an addicting little sauce that went over it all). There's just something romantic about starting the day out right.

It's funny how having kids has changed my romantic view of early mornings. They have in recent months become the dread of my day. The last couple of weeks tho, have been different. Let me explain.

I love my kids! They are soooo different, but both soooo amazing! Zeke is my laid back, handsome, happy, easy going little man. He fusses when he's hunger or tired and that's about it.

My little mellow cello 

 Elia on the other hand is quite the bundle of beauty and intensity! I wouldn't change her personality for the world! But with her awesome intensity comes the challenge of channeling all that comes with it. 

My fearless little lady climbed to the very top of the playground!

Last week was an especially challenging week...one of those where you feel like your biggest giant in the world is a 2 year old. During this same week, God had really been stirring up a deeper hunger and desperation for him. It's interesting how what appeared to be my biggest giant was in reality my biggest ally...causing me to run to the Source of all strength. So in spite of exhausting days training and caring for my kids, my hunger grew deeper...and the more I ran to Jesus the more I wanted to run to him. The more he began to fill my hunger the hungrier I became for him.

Before it was a chore to get up and pump (oh the joys of breastfeeding) and try to fit in a quiet time or more sleep before hearing the whines from the kids bedroom ...It felt as if I had no choice as to how my morning started. Where now, I am getting up earlier...getting less sleep...but I feel so free! I am choosing to wake up early! And I love it! My mornings are romantic again! I get up, get my coffee, light my little candle and spend time with the Lover of my Soul. All it really took to set the tone for me was having the freedom to choose to wake up early...and now I love my mornings again (not to mention the One I'm spending time with is irresistible!).

This little "revelation" all came to me through parenting. During the some of the most difficult days with Elia I watched a couple of video clips (Check them out! Q&A with Brittney Danny Silk, Loving Your Kids On Purpose) They, along with Danny Silk's book "Loving Your Kids On Purpose", really focus on giving your kids freedom to make good choices. Instead of controlling them by telling them what to do and not to do, you offer them good choices...enabling them to choose their own freedom. This has brought a huge breakthrough with Elia. She is not only learning to make good choices, but she is learning how her choices affect me, Charles, and Zeke. As we both grow in this, she will feel less controlled and "made to be good", and enjoy freedom by making choices and learning to clean up the messes that she does make.

Isn't it funny how the freedom to choose can change everything? God is so safe and such a good example in this. He gives us freedom to choose...and he isn't afraid of our messes...He empowers and enables us. He is such a good Father!!

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

 We made our first batch of homemade spaghetti sauce today! We picked a half of a bushel of tomatoes and a handful of jalapeños from the garden (as well as baskets of zucchini and yellow squash) and began the process! Here's what you need!

1/2 bushel tomatoes (2 gallons blended tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic
3 lbs onions
4 green peppers
medium to hot peppers to taste

You just blend all of these ingredients in a blender (in batches of course!). And cook it down for about 2 hours until it thickens.

This is what all of the puree looks like before you cook it down!

Then you add the following:

1 1/2 c. olive oil

3-4 cans(12 oz) tomato paste

2 Tbsp. oregano

2 Tbsp. basil

3/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. salt

Then you cook it down another 1-2 hours until it reaches the consistency you like. You can freeze or can it. -It makes about 2 gallons of sauce. 

Super delicious sauce ready to be devoured! 

The sauce is amazing just over pasta, or you can cook up some meat and make it a meat sauce. One of my favorite ways to use it is for pizza sauce. I use whole wheat bread dough, this sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Then I saute broccoli, mushrooms, and spinach and sprinkle that on. And to top it of, chunk up some cream cheese and layer that on as well. It is amazing! If you like more protein, chicken is great on it too!

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!