20 and Counting!

My hands are not the same. When I look down at the finger he placed the ring upon, I hardly recognize it. Time changes things and rings. The ring itself is bigger; we upgraded the diamond a few years back. His hands too, are etched with time, the broadness, the roughness, but not the grip. His grip is calloused with strength but tender is his touch when he takes my hand in his. I know he will always hold my hand, just as he holds my heart. Twenty years ago this week we vowed to be together forever. (I’m holding him to it.)

To glance at a photo of our wedding day, is almost like a dream. The white satin and lace, the eager grins, and the innocent unknowingness of the moment captured on film for a lifetime. Someone else was in that picture, not us. Truly, we are different people on so many levels. Praise God for that!! We (Dale and I) have always had a “someday”. Like, someday we will have a house of our own. Or, someday we will have children. Our “somedays” have changed dramatically over the years, but we always have them. Sometimes we failed miserably, but God never failed us. God promises He makes all things new. He took us, dirty, broken sinners and made us new!

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Rev. 21:5

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2Cor.5:17

Time is a strange commodity. We cannot produce it ourselves. We seem to always want to speed it up or slow it down. When we were first planning our lives together it was as if nothing could happen fast enough! For example, our (ahem) wedding night, our first car, first house, first baby etc. Now, with a teenager down to a toddler, we much prefer time to just stand still for a while. It’s been quite a ride! It all really does just fly by. I can’t believe I could maybe, possibly be, do I dare utter it, a grandma in just a few short years!? Okay, that’s a little far-fetched, but she is 15!!!!

This marriage journey we are on is filled with peaks and valleys. I can’t say I’d do it all exactly the same, but given the outcome so far, I’m glad God brought us here together, regardless of past or future mistakes. We are on to our next “someday” honey! So hang on for the ride! Here’s to us, and another 20 years! (At least 20!) Blessings.

Thoughts From My Inner Chef

Did I mention I like to cook? I have been baking chocolate chip cookies since I was 4 or 5 years old, maybe younger! I love a good, fresh, soft, gooey homemade chocolate chip cookie. I have very few memories from my early years that aren’t horrible and this is one of them; standing on a chair in the kitchen wearing my mother’s apron and gazing all starry-eyed at an enormous mint green Tupperware bowl filled with cookie dough. Though this was a frequented occurrence in our home, it generally came around Christmas time. My parents encouraged belief in Santa and so I more than once wrote him a letter filled with my wishes of dolls, puppies, dresses and did I say puppies? (That’s another blog…) And after doing so, I left the ever popular for Mr. Claus; a plate of cookies with a glass of ice cold milk on the side. Indeed this is where it all began. Somewhere in an Oklahoma kitchen, a cook was born.

My dear hubby might say I was a work in progress when we met and that would be an understatement. I definitely needed more lessons in my Mama’s kitchen than I got! However, he was gracious and I grew in my knowledge and expanded my cooking horizons over the years. We went from eating frozen burritos, spaghetti, Hamburger Helper etc., to oven roasted turkey dinners and homemade yeast rolls to an occasional gourmet meal. I now create my own recipes and tweak everyone else’s to suit my tastes. With the exception of the occasional “untouchable” recipe I deem “perfect”. I am in no way saying I am a culinary expert, mind you. I have never taken a cooking class. This is a part of my life and it’s in my job description as wife/mother. I also take great pleasure in creating and have made cooking/baking a hobby. Obviously my dress size shows this to be true. I love to take pictures of my work and will post them here from time to time.

I have found preparing meals and desserts for others to be a blessing, not only to them but also to me. I am comforted in knowing I have given a busy woman with a new baby a night off from cooking and I love knowing my husband is blessed by my efforts to bless others. Not to mention it is a great example to my girls of how they can serve their friends and families and their Lord.

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”       Gal. 5:13-14

As we serve others we serve our Creator. Jesus said, “That which you do unto the least of these brothers of mine, you do also unto me.”    Matt. 25:40

Perhaps some of you don’t feel comfortable serving others in this way. My response is ‘get over it’. We all need to eat. Seriously, all I am saying is look for opportunities to serve, they are out there. Don’t wait for people to ask, they probably won’t. Bless, and be blessed. :)

Boys like to pee outside. (Even 38 year old boys.) Why? I can’t really answer with full assurance, but my strongest feeling on the matter is because they CAN! We can but I don’t recommend it. It’s beyond immodest and quite messy no matter how good your balance is. It’s taken many years, one husband and four sons later to realize this fact of life: Boys like to pee outside. So have your daughters hide their eyes… whether you are hanging out with me by the pool or we are your guests for the evening or (sigh) even at a Church BBQ, one of my 5 males is bound to be found watering your azaleas. Just know- I do not condone this behavior, though I do allow it. :)

Reaping

Summer is bursting with new life! Our garden is growing immensely and so are our children! I can’t pick the beans fast enough and I can’t keep my kids is shoes that fit! Gardening has become such a topic of discussion on a nightly basis and the education and biblical references are endless. I can’t believe the way the Lord relates so much of life and relationships to gardening. The vast varieties of vegetables are likened to the types of people on the earth and within each variety they all need the sun and they all need water. However, they all are attacked and feasted on by different bugs(or sin) and they all require different spacing and weeding (repenting) affects them differently as well. Then there’s the harvesting(fruits of obedience)…some are ready after only a couple weeks and many others take most the summer to come into their full glory. Soon, the feasting at the banqueting table will commence. Perhaps you think I’m reaching here to compare our bounty to the heavenly bounty. I’m not convinced otherwise as of yet. The Lord has so many parables in the Gospels relating to planting and harvesting and reaping what we have sown. As a refresher: The sower went forth to sow, and as he sowed, some fell upon the hard way, and the birds came and devoured them and others fell upon stony places where they had not much earth, and straightway they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away; and others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them; but others fell upon the good ground and yielded fruit, some a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold: he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear (Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke8:5-8).

Or what about this one: I am the true vine and My Father is the husbandman every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, He will prune it, that it may bear more fruit; abide in Me, and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, so neither can ye, except ye abide in Me I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing; this is My commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you (John 15:1-5, 12)
As we seek His guidance and will, He lights our paths with verses like these as well: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Gal. 6:7-8
Unfortunately, most of my brood of 7 won’t eat vegetables. *gasp*! I know, I know, and I’m working on them; hence our first garden. I am already seeing a change. The olders are setting a better example just with their willingness to try new veggies, where that wasn’t even optional before. They are reaping what they’ve sown, and so are we. What are you reaping? Blessings.

Quips from Kids

Our kids often role play. They pretend to be a favorite character or even a sibling, or parent. I can't tell you how often I  have answered the call of, "Mooom, Mooom!", only to be told, "Oh. Not you Mom, the Mom in the 'game'." Okay then. My 2 year old is no stranger to this game of role play either. Recently, she's been observed doing a number of voices from her general pretending her brother is her "Daddy" and sister is her "Mommy" or being the voice of her My Little Pony toy, to her brother's dinosaurs, which is quite scary I might add. The thing that makes me laugh is that in her mind, she has separated these roles, so when she in her 2 year old voice begins yelling, "Where's my Big Daddy?", I just crack up! So now, when I hear the phrase "Who's your Daddy?", there is new meaning and new laughs to be had.