The Unconventional Mom

Everyone is familiar with the phrase “the calm before the storm”.

calm before the storm a quiet period just before a period of great activity or excitement. (Literal in reference to weather.)

We often think of the events in our lives in terms of something good, and then the worst possible storm. Something good is always followed up by something bad. Society has trained to think that in order to have good, you must have the bad. But did we ever stop to think that perhaps the storm is a blessing? That the bad is just a prelude to all the good that is waiting for us? God has other plans for our lives. He sends us the storms to regain our attention, to refocus our thoughts and prayers, and to start over.

Recently, we had a snowstorm that lasted for almost a full day. I remember standing at the back door thinking “Is it ever going to stop?”. I remember thinking that this latest snow was going to wreak havoc in my life and the lives of those closest to me. I worried about my dear husband traveling in the storm, I worried about how Nana and Pap were going to get shoveled out, I worried about not seeing the grass for another few weeks. But God showed me how much He is in control of things. Dear husband’s work actually got closed for the day, my in-laws were able to shovel out Nana and Pap before heading home from work, and a great deal of the snow has already melted in the back yard.

Storms come in the literal sense, in the form of rain, snow, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. But at the same time, there are also the storms that we confront on a daily basis. Some storms are expected, things like rent, utilities, groceries, and countless other daily activities of living. Other storms come out of the blue, sometimes in the form of an illness, or personal loss, or accidents. Still other storms can be of our own creation. I, myself, am dealing with a storm of my own creation. For about 2 1/2 years I have been caught in this storm, twisting, tumbling, and unfortunately dragging my family down with me. Recently, however, the storm has begun abating because I have taken the steps to make amends. For the longest time I felt trapped and drowning in this storm, sometimes not caring if I made it through. God has other plans for me, though, and has been showing me in countless ways. While the storm has not completely stopped, there is definitely a break in the clouds, and the sunlight is peeking through. Most of my life, I have always expected to be stuck in a storm of some sort. But recently, through prayer and Bible reading, I am seeing that there is a calm after the storm. Friends have supported me and lifted me up as well. A husband who has been a rock and a life preserver, has also helped me to move forward. I am looking forward to embracing that calm, thanks to God’s love and the promises that His word has for me.

A Snow Covered Street 5pm

Recently we were snowed in from a large snowstorm.  So, in anticipation of lots of shoveling, and probably not having the energy to cook, I prepared this recipe early in the morning:

• 4 pounds ground chicken or turkey(I use both for added flavor)
• 2 cans light red kidney beans~drained
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans~drained
• 1 large can whole, peeled tomatoes~not drained
• 1 large can condensed tomato soup~add 1 can water as directed
• 1 cup diced, frozen green peppers
• 1 cup diced, frozen onions
• chili powder
• dash salt and pepper

Brown meat, drain, and add chili powder. Mix all ingredients, including meat, into crockpot. Add rest of chili powder. Cook on low for 6 hours, and stir once every hour.

And what’s a hearty chili without a dessert.  To go with the meal, I made my MIL’s brownies:

Simple Chocolate Brownies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

• 3/4 c. cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1/2 c. hot water

Mix the above ingredients on low in a mixer, set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the ingredients below:

• 2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. oil
• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt.

Mix these ingredients on low in the mixer, then slowly add the already mixed chocolate mixture.  Pour into pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Test for doneness at 35 minutes using a toothpick, adding one minute each time you check. The toothpick may not come out completely clean, especially if you are using “generous” measurements with the cocoa. This recipe can be doubled, but you need a bigger pan so that the mixture spreads out.  Set on rack to cool uncovered for 10 minutes so a crust forms, then cover with a dishtowel to continue cooling.

Of course, we topped it all off with large, steaming mugs of hot chocolate with whipped cream.  For it being so cold and windy outside, we were all warm and toasty on the inside!

Check out this blog entry for more details!

Control Journal Pages

Most people look forward to the fresh start that a new year gives to each and every one of us.  New challenges are laid before us and we are given the opportunity to succeed.  Everything looks fresh and inviting, and we are eager to forge ahead.

Sylvia, the founder of the CHK network, has a wonderful article posted.  It’s called Resolutions vs. Goal Setting.  Please take the opportunity to read it here.  I have always been in the habit of calling things “resolutions”.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary has many definitions of resolution, but this one is what I most associated with the term resolution:

*a formal expression of opinion, will, or intent voted by an official body or assembled group

Reading Sylvia’s article made me rethink about using that term to describe what my plans are for the coming year.  Or rather, to use her term, my goals.  These are things that I want to accomplish, or I’d rather like to think of it as what He wants me to accomplish.  Because I know that God wants me to succeed in the life He has blessed me with.

Psalm 20:4 (New International Version)

⁴ May he give you the desire of your heart
and make all your plans succeed.

I love thinking that what I plan for the year is really what God desires for me.  I often forget in the busyness of daily life that my time is not my own, that it has been preordained by God for His purpose.  I know that even if I don’t succeed at these goals, that my God still loves me and always will.

So don’t be afraid to make those goals.  If you fail, you will at least have the knowledge that you took a chance and followed not only your own heart, but the heart of your Heavenly Father.

Blessings to you!

Home is definitely the center of all things important to me.  With the holidays approaching at an astonishing speed, it makes me more reflective as to what home means to me and my family.  I admit, there are times where I can be discontented with what I have.  You know, I need a bigger kitchen or family room, our furniture is a little beat up, the back yard could be bigger or fenced in, etc.  So when this happens, a very timely Bible verse manages to work itself into my mind.

Hebrews 13:5 (New International Version)

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,  “Never will I leave you;  never will I forsake you.”

Recently, Sylvia, the founder of CHK, has started a wonderful blog carnival for the month of December, called “Attitude of Gratitude”.  This past week’s theme was “the little things”.  It made me stop and think about just how lucky I am to have a home to call my own.  It may not be the newest, or the biggest, or the most ideal, but it is our home, and it is what keeps our family together.  The more that I ponder on that concept, the bigger our home becomes.  And that is a wonderful feeling!

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home; ~John Howard Payne

I am glad that I can come home each day to a place of safety and comfort.  Instead of wishing for more, I plan to be working on the home that God and my husband provided for me, and with God’s help, make it the best it can be.  God has an amazing way of taking our desires, and redirecting them into things that glorify Him.

God’s blessings are the most wonderful things in life.  Too often we forget that in the busyness of everyday life.  With Thanksgiving coming up, I thought it would be important to remember that each day we should be thanking God for the wonderful things in our lives.  So I thought I’d take a moment and share a few blessings in my life.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name” ~ Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

For God’s forgiveness and unconditional love.

For the husband that He has brought, my two blessings he has gifted me with, and a family that is loving and supportive.

For the roof over our head, the food in our bellies, the gas in our cars, the heat in our home, and the means to support our family.

For the friends who have loved and supported me during the high points in my life, and for those valleys as well.

For the little things that bring our family together: the Wii, professional sports on television, trips to the shore and to visit friends.

Remember, with God’s love and blessings, it can be Thanksgiving everyday!

It’s absolutely amazing that the Christmas season is rapidly approaching.  I am still working on summer mode, so the transition is always difficult for me.  I have a wonderful friend on the CHK forum that loves Christmas.  What’s wonderful about her is that she loves Christmas most because it was the day Jesus was born.  That has always been first and foremost in her life.  She is an inspiration in that she lives her life for Him.

But she also has this absolutely childlike side that lives for decorating, and Christmas music, and spreading joy to everyone that she comes in contact with.  I admire her that she can manage to juggle everything and still have the time and energy to decorate and enjoy this time of year.   She loves it so much, she even has her own holiday blog.  Please check out http://www.holidaybarn.blogspot.com for some holiday tips!

And while I don’t always look forward to this time of year, once I am decorated and the hard work is done, I just love how the house looks.  So, in order to cut down on the holiday stress, these are things that I have done:

Last year, any decorations that were no longer used or broken were thrown away immediately.

I took detailed pictures of the decorations that I liked, so I knew how to put them up the next year.  I printed the picture off the computer, and stored all the decorations together in one red and green plastic container.

I keep one strand of lights for replacement bulbs.  I tend to lose the little packet that comes with the lights, so one strand is labeled, and I pull a light each time I need one.

I labeled each strand that blinks because I like a well balanced tree.

These are just a few tips to start out the holidays.  As it gets closer, I will share a few more tips to help.  I am hoping that with a little bit of advanced planning, I will be able to cut down on the holiday stress and just enjoy it!

I am so excited because it’s finally starting to feel like fall.  Crisp blue skies, crunchy leaves, football, and Sunday School.  This weekend, after having the summer off, my boys have started back at Sunday School.  They have always enjoyed going, as my sister-in-law is superintendent and one of their teachers.  It makes starting a new year that much easier because there is less teacher anxiety.

They started off the year with a lesson on Joseph’s coat.  In case you don’t know this story, here is a summary:

Joseph’s father Jacob favored him and gave Joseph the coat as a gift; as a result, he was envied by his brothers, who saw the special coat as indicating that Joseph would assume family leadership. His brothers’ suspicion grew when Joseph told them of his two dreams (Genesis 37:11) in which all the brothers bowed down to him. The narrative tells that his brothers plotted against him one day when he was 17, and would have killed him had not the eldest brother Reuben interposed. He persuaded them instead to throw Joseph into a pit and secretly planned to rescue him later. However, while Reuben was absent, the others planned to sell him to a company of Ishmaelite merchants. When the passing Midianites arrived, the brothers dragged Joseph up and sold him to the merchants for 20 pieces of silver. The brothers then dipped Joseph’s coat in goat blood and showed it to their father, saying that Joseph had been torn apart by wild beasts.

The envy of his brothers may also have stemmed from the fact that Joseph was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s first love. While they were the sons of Rachel’s older sister Leah and the sons of the handmaidens, who were given to Jacob during a time when Rachel could not conceive. There was a battle between Leah and Rachel to compete for Jacob’s attention. Jacob had told Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, to go check on his brothers. Joseph would report back to his father of their evil deeds. In addition to this he shares his dreams of them bowing down to him. Their anger towards him only increased.

The gist of the story was not lost on the kids in the class, believe it or not.  Too often kids end up being jealous of what other kids have and think that they need.  This story is a great reminder that jealousy is not how God wants us to live out our days.

My oldest son summed up their lesson in this great sentence : Jesus gave me a daddy who loves me and looks after me. He had a great moment of silence while he pondered that thought.  He then said it’s like having 2 daddies, one on earth and one in Heaven.  Wow.  It’s amazing how at 10 1/2, he can make that beautiful connection.

I look forward to another year of my children growing in the word and basking in knowledge of His love.  Can’t wait to see how much I will learn as well!