What Do You Do?

Completely unaware. I wish I had known.

When I started bearing children 17 years ago, I had no idea it would feel this way. I'm not sure I would have changed my mind on the desire to fill my home with little people that share my last name, but a few clues along the way might have helped my mindset.

I hate being clueless. I don't consider myself a control-freak but I really would have liked a little more preparation than I received.

I'm sure you feel this way as well. I know you'll stand and shout 'Amen' when you're finished reading this.

I just never knew my heart would ache so badly when my children are hurting.

My precious little ones aren't so little any more. At a ripe age of 12, almost 14 and 17, they feel things more deeply than ever before. Disagreements with a friend cut to the core. Feeling left out and abandoned bring them tears that stain their pillowcases. Other children who do not understand their disability and stare, cause resentment in their minds wondering why they aren't 'normal'. Sinful actions which result in painful punishments bring remorse - something they are not used to feeling. Special relationships gone sour leave them confused, rejected and overwhelmed. Add a high dose of testosterone and puberty changes and I will show you a household with emotions that run at a new level - weekly!

What does that mean for mom and dad - where do we fit in this whole growing up picture?

It means that we hurt with them. We cry when they cry and get angry when they are. I just never realized how badly my heart would hurt - on their behalf. It actually boggles my mind to know that we have the ability to have such compassion for another soul. Of course, it only makes sense.

Jesus did.

And we are created in His own image. So what do we do now?

Pray. Pray some more. Continue praying. Pray without ceasing.

Pray that they maintain a gentle spirit with a compassionate heart. Pray that the Lord guides them through the present turmoil and each event in their future. Pray that the Lord makes His voice known to them so that they can hear it over the massive worldly white noise. Pray that God will heal their hurting hearts and bring peace to their minds.

I really don't want to hurt like this anymore...but neither do my children. I have no intentions of allowing them to ever go through the hurtful times in their lives alone, so together we will stand strong. Together we will stay united. Together we will seek God's will and guidance while pointing the children back to the cross.Jesus understands our hurts. He knows exactly how we feel. Just as we will never emotionally abandon our children, God has promised to never leave us.

After all - Jesus wept too.

Blessings,
Rhonda

An Awesome Reminder

I am in the process of cleaning our hard drive and found this short report that my eldest wrote as a writing assignment a few years back. Considering the topic is timeless, I thought I would share his thoughts. Even coming from such a young heart (I think he was 14 or 15 at the time), I couldn't have said it better myself :)



The Fruits of the Spirit are very important to a Christians life. They help us act like we should and follow God and his word better. I believe these ideas can be used for anyone weather you believe in God or not.

God will see your heart and know if you are doing it 'just to do it' or if you are doing it with your whole heart. The one true God blesses anyone who goes after Him with the right motive. No one can fool God and no one can ever hope to hide anything from Him. He is a God who knows all things.

God will bless your life if you have the Fruits of the Spirit in your heart and you prove that they are in your heart by your actions. Jesus wants us to be more and more like Him and this is just one of the many steps it takes to get there. Pray that God will show you things in your life that does not line up with the Fruits of the Spirit and then change it.

Don't wait for a chance later in life - change it now.

The Fruits of the Spirit will bless you and those people around you.

Thanks for the reminder, Kyle...love you!

Coupon Codes

I came across these coupon code abbreviations and thought I would post them as a reminder.

When searching online for coupons it is almost imperative to know the coupon lingo/abbreviations. If you have any questions regarding these abbreviations or if I left one out that you know about, leave a comment below this post and let me know!

$1/1= $1.00 off 1 product

$1/2= $1.00 off 2 products

BOGO= Buy One Get One

ECB= Extra Care Bucks (at CVS)

EXP= Expires

GC= Gift Card

GM= General Mills Coupon Insert

MIR= Mail In Rebate

OOP= Out Of Pocket

P&G= Proctor and Gamble Coupon Insert

RP= Redplum Coupon Insert

RR= Register Reward (at Walgreens)

SS= Smart Source Coupon Insert

WAGS= Walgreens

WYB= When You Buy

YMMV= Your Mileage/Manager May Vary (this means that it might work at one store and not another)


Hopefully this helps!

Cha-Ching!

Here is proof in the pudding!

I sure didn't wait long once my coupon sabbatical was over. The very next day I was perusing the cart specials at Crest and came across these flatbread crackers for 50 cents each.

Think I can't beat that? Each one of the boxes had peelies (coupon stickers) for $1 off! So, I bought every box for the price of tax only!

Of course, my picture would have been more impressive if it had ALL the boxes here - I have already given away 6 of them!

Life is too fun - especially when it involves food :)

Crisscross Apple Crowns

Not only do we love every kind of apple dessert in our family, but if they receive an "A" for presentation, then the recipe is a keeper!

These are just basically mini apple pies, but much cuter!

3 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut
3 T of honey
2 T flour
2-4 t cinnamon (we like a lot of cinnamon!)
dash of salt
1 package large refrigerated biscuits
2 t melted butter

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Roll each biscuit out to approximately a 5" circle. Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of apple mixture onto the flattened biscuit. Pull up sides and pinch edges to seal. Place seam side down in an ungreased muffin tin. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with more cinnamon (and a smidgen of sugar if you must). Cut an "X" on the top and then bake for 18-22 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 8 "crowns".

Of course, we had to serve them with Vanilla Bean ice cream, which sort of made them only halfway healthy (is there such a thing?)

I will have to say that the next time I make these, I will make my own healthy whole-wheat pie dough. The biscuits were too doughy for me and too thick at the seam. My family happens to disagree with me, so I'll just make the change and see if they notice the next time!

Happy baking my friends!

Which One Are You?

This was passed onto us at the Home School Leadership Retreat. I felt it was worth re-typing and posting for all to read:


A daughter cried out in despair to her father about the difficulties of her life. She did not know how she could continue, and wanted to give up. It seemed that just as one problem was resolved, a new one surfaced to replace it.

Her father took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each one over high heat. After the water came to a boil, he placed fresh carrots in one, a few eggs in the second, and a tea bag in the third. He sat wordlessly for about 20 minutes. Then he removed the carrots, the eggs, and the tea to three bowls and turned to ask her, "Sweetheart, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and tea," she replied. He brought her closer and had her examine each item. She noticed that the carrots had become soft. When she broke an eggshell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she sipped the tea and smiled as she inhaled its sweet aroma. "What does this mean?" she asked.

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity - the boiling water - but each had reacted differently. The carrot went into the circumstances of the water strong, firm and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile; its thin outer shell had protected the liquid interior. But after sitting in the boiling water, the inside had become hardened.

However, the tea leaves were unique. After 20 minutes in the water, they had changed the water - they had flavored their surroundings and created a pleasant fragrance. In fact, it took the hot water to bring out the best in the tea leaves.

He asked her, "When the heat is turned up in the circumstances of your life, which are you? A carrot that appears tough, but with pain and adversity loses its vitality and strength? An egg, which starts off with a malleable heart, but becomes unyielding and hardened, even though the appearance stays the same? Or a tea bag, which brings a pleasant aroma and flavors the circumstances for the better when the heat is on?"


I want to be a tea bag.

California Fun!

Several people have been asking about our vacation out west, so I thought I'd post a few pictures about our fast and furious 6-day vacation to California. It was absolutely amazing...but we were wiped out!

It helped tremendously that my hubby is a native of the LA area. I could never drive out there - those people are completely crazy behind the wheel!

Here are some pictures and a quick outline of our Cali trip. We stayed in Buena Park which was very convenient to hit Knotts Berry Farm the very next day - only one mile awayThe Queen Mary in Long Beach was incredible - the size, the beauty and the history. Spent 6 hours touring the boat and having lunch at one of the 'fine' dining rooms!The Santa Monica Pier was beautiful and we certainly enjoyed the 70 degree weather!The day trip to Catalina Island was spectacularthe boat ride,the shops, the food, our bus tour and the sub ride were memory-making events for the entire family!We ended our vacation by spending a day in Hollywood and then visiting daddy's stomping grounds - which was quite delightful in itself!

Wouldn't EVER want to live there but it sure was fun visiting - something the kids will never forget. Thanks for letting me share our memories :)