Welcome Summer!

We had a fun morning at Lake Elmo. We had the lake all to ourselves and both girls had a blast in the water & sand.

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Trust God

I got to spend time with Maggie at Bible School this last week. We had a lot of fun and learned

No matter who you are (or what you look like -- Maggie's interpretation) ...
No matter how you feel ...
No matter what people do ...
No matter where you are ...
Trust God

The lesson really sunk in with Maggie. On Thursday, when I pulled into the parking lot, a big truck & trailer were taking up 7 spaces. I started complaining about how could someone do that? Don't they know others need to park here too? Maggie piped up from the backseat to tell me, "Mom, did you forget? No matter what people do, trust God." Thanks for the reminder, sweetie.

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S'more Cupcakes

I don't spend much time in the kitchen anymore. I do still love to cook but even more so I love coming home to dinner on the table. But as it is Father's Day, I took over!  I made my famous bbq ribs, twice baked potatoes and just for fun, pulled out a recipe for S'more Cupcakes I've been wanting to try. I found the recipe some time ago on Snappy Gourmet. I , of course, made a few adjustments, but overall, I think they are a success and will be attempted again.

The Cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups crushed graham crackers
3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking power
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients together in small bowl. Cream butter & sugar together. Add eggs one at a time, incorporating each one. Add vanilla. Alternate adding milk & dry ingredients until fully mixed. Bake 20-22 minutes for regular sized cupcakes, 12 minutes for mini.

I was able to get about 30 mini-cupcakes & 12 regular sized cupcakes from this. I also probably filled the cupcakes too full, so I most likely could have gotten more.


Frosting:
14 oz Marshmallow Fluff
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 cups powdered sugar, depending on how much frosting you want to make
1-2 T milk
1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream marshmallow fluff & butter. Add salt & vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar. Once all sugar is incorporated, add chocolate chips. Let frosting sit in fridge at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Snappy Gourmet's recipe included dipping in melted chocolate, but I took the easy way out & just didn't do it! The cupcakes were still a hit!! They are now in the freezer just awaiting to be devoured! (they are VERY good frozen.

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Hope

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. ~ Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT

Do not be afraid ... The Lord your God himself will fight for you. ~ Deuteronomy 3:22

While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message: “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. ~ Jeremiah 33:1-3

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
 
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

As with everything, it always seems that God gives me the message I need to hear, when I need to hear it.  Last week, it was the message of "Rest" [and I'm SO looking forward to my week of "relaxing" at home with my family and hanging out at VBS].

Yesterday and today, it was a message of hope.  That God is looking out for me, for us.  Several verses, yeseterday's sermon, highlighted God's control over situations.  I'm not looking at our situation properly.  I'm shortsighted, looking at what's going on only in terms of the present, in terms of this life.

I've been frustrated lately, with so many varied things, and with so much that I have no control over. And yet, we are blessed.  Maybe we aren't exactly where we think we should be.  But I have to believe that there is something out there for us that we are being prepared for.  There is something amazing planned.

As Joyce Meyer tweeted this morning: @JoyceMeyer: Ask God to help you live in hope and declare by faith, “Something good is going to happen to me!”

Rest

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside still waters,

He restores my soul.

Psalm 23:2-3a

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  1 Kings 19:11-13

I have a week's staycation coming up.  I'm ready for a "rest." I know there won't be a lot of resting, but the idea of not coming into the office every day, debating what to wear and does it meet dress code [wish we could just wear scrubs!], what's for lunch, leaving the house and sometimes crabby/crying girls to my wonderful, patient husband, watching the clock for when is it time to go home.  I'm looking forward to a week of soul restoration, spent with my husband, my girls and my mom [visiting].  Maybe I'll even be able to have enough quiet time that I'll be able to hear the Lord's gentle whisper.

Day 731

Happy Birthday, Jessica Fae!

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A Letter to My Jessie on the Eve of Her 2nd Birthday

My dear sweet Jessie, can it truly be 2 years?  You were my much anticipated baby.  I prayed for you long before I knew I wanted you.  You are such a cautiously adventurous child!  You make me laugh as you climb over the couch, on top of the toilet, on top of the play kitchen, yet look for reassurance that Mommy or Daddy will be there to help you down the stairs.  You have always wanted to be on the go, hitting all those milestones earlier than I would have liked, all the while watching your big Sissy, wanting to be like her.  I am so pleased that you have Maggie to look up to.  She will not steer you wrong!

The last 2 years feel like a blur.  You have gone from teeny baby wanting to nurse all the time to long, lean toddler wanting to nurse all the time.  I love to hear your little voice delightfully yell "Mommy" when I come home from work.  I love to hear your laugh, loud and boisterous.  I love that your favorite game is for us to hide under the blanket and wait for Daddy to scare us as you scream delightfully as the blanket flies off.  I love to watch you play with your babies, shushing them and patting their backs to get them to go to sleep.  I love that all scary animals are "Yi-s", cats are "Ma-ows", horses are "Neighs."  I love when you jabber at me in your own language and look expectedly at me as I'm supposed to know exactly what you said and how to respond.  Your beautiful hazel eyes show so much excitement for each day.

Yet, even as you are adventerous, you love your routine and are not pleased when I break from it, especially when it comes to nursing.  I know our time there is fleeting.  I do enjoy snuggling with you [for the most part, except when you think it's time to play].  You give such wonderful hugs and kisses.

I so look forward to watching you grow up and watching you become the girl and woman God has meant  you to be.  I have no plans for you, other than to teach you what I can, help you when I should, and be the mother God has chosen me to be. 

Happy birthday, Jessie.

Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you & asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualifies you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.