Happy Day

Happy Anniversary to my beloved hubby, Rick. We have been married 14 years and what an adventure it has been:  5 kids, 7 jobs, some tears, many hugs, much laughter and tons of love.

So in honor of this Happy Day, here is a Puritan marriage prayer that I came across and have been "praying" for our marriage.

“Oh, God of love, you have established marriage for the welfare and happiness of mankind. Yours was the plan and only with You can we work it out with joy. You have said that “It is not good for man to be alone, I will make a helpmate for him.” Now our joys are doubled since the happiness of one is the happiness of the other. Our burdens are now halved, when we share them, we divide the load.


Dear Father, we would ask that you would bless Rick. Bless him as a provider of nourishment and raiment and sustain him in all the expectations and pressures of his daily battles. May Rick’s strength be Stephanie’s protection, his character her boast and her pride, and may Rick so live that Stephanie will find in him the haven for which the heart of a woman truly longs.


And dear heavenly Father, we would ask you to bless Stephanie. Give her tenderness that will make her great, a deep sense of understanding and great faith in You. Give her inner beauty of soul that never fades, that eternal youth that is found in holding fast the things that never age.


Teach Rick and Stephanie that marriage is not living merely for each other, it is two uniting and joining hands to serve You. Give them a great spiritual purpose in life. May they seek the kingdom of God and Your righteousness and the other things shall certainly be added unto them. Loving You best, they shall love each other the more, and faithful unto You, faithful unto each other they will be. May they not expect that perfection of each other that belongs alone to You. May they minimize each other’s weaknesses, be swift to praise and magnify each other’s points of comeliness and strength and see each other through a lover’s kind and patient eyes. Now make such assignments to Rick and Stephanie on the scroll of Your will as will bless them and develop their characters as they walk together.


Give them a little something to forgive every day that they may grow in the grace of longsuffering. Give them enough tears to keep them tender, enough hurts to keep them human, enough failures to keep their hands clenched tightly in Yours and enough success to make them sure they walk with You. May they never take each other’s love for granted but always experience that breathless wonder that exclaims, “out of all this world, you have chosen me.”


When life is done and the sun is setting, may they be found then as now, hand in hand still thanking God for each other. May they serve You happily, faithfully together until at last one shall lay the other into the arms of Jesus. This we ask through Jesus Christ, the great Lover of our souls.


Amen.“

Summer Plans

The big question around our house this week is "What are we going to DO this summer?"  Hmm...good question.  I have been meaning to sit down and really plan some fun this year.  Fun that doesn't necessarily involve lots of money or 2 parents to wrangle kids (summer is Ricks extremely busy time at work).  My ideas seem a little self centered to me (read, sew more, exercise every day), so I gave everyone a sheet of paper and asked them to write down anything and EVERYTHING they want to do this summer, no matter how big or small.

Here is what I found out: 

1. They would really like to travel.  Florida, Tennessee and Branson, MO all made the lists.
2. They are okay with free or cheap things too.  Picnics, parks and hikes all were listed. And
3. They really had fun being in on our summer plans.

So this week we will sort through all the ideas and come up with a plan.  Although I don't see travel within the next 2 months, I see alot of other things getting checked off the lists!

What are your plans for the summer?

In the Process...

It seems like lately that I am "in the process of (fill in the blank)".  I am in the process of losing weight, making a summer fun schedule, looking for a new house, making a quilt for my son's bed, teaching my daughter how to sew and most of all, writing regularly on this blog.

Somedays I seem to have it all together and accomplish much.  Then there are those more common days of floating around "wishing" I would have done more.

Maybe it is the heat.  For the last week and a half the temps have been in the 90's.  Ugh.  That kind of heat makes me want to stay in the house and read or play a game with the kids. Maybe it is just a case of "beginning of summer vacation blues"- the constant barrage of "I'm bored" or "Can I have a snack?" or "He's touching me!" 

Whatever it is, it is here.

Then I remember what Psalm 46:10a says "Be still, and know that I am God." He knows that I am "in the process" and He is here - with me - waiting for me - to be still.

Teacher Appreciation Ideas

This is one of my favorite weeks of the school year!  We have been blessed with so many wonderful teachers since Ross started preschool and I love letting them know how special they are.  Here are a few quick, easy and inexpensive ideas to try.

Poems or notes that let the teacher know how much you appreciate them.

Flowers from your garden.

Funny notes/gifts - for example we have done Extra gum, dum dum suckers, mints, packets of seeds, bottle of tea, lifesavers, votive candles, etc.  Here is what we have written to go with them:

• Thanks for being an EXTRA cool (great) teacher!
• Thanks for keeping me from being a DUM DUM - you're a great teacher!
• Your dedication MINT a lot to me this year.
• You plant the SEEDS of learning in all you teach (have also done this with a pot, a ziploc of potting soil, gloves and seeds.
• You put the TEA in teacher!
• You have been a LIFESAVER for me this year!  Thanks for the extra help in math, etc.
• You light the FLAME of learning for me.

You can see the opportunity for this one is great.  We usually do one thing a day for the entire week of Teacher Appreciation.  My kids love trying to come up with new things each year!

S'more bags - box of graham crackers, package of marshmallows and a few milk chocolate bars.

Potted plant - cheaper to DIY if you have a lot to do:  buy clay pots, potting soil for containers, bedding plants.  To dress up the clay pots you can simply tie colorful wire edge ribbon around them.

Home baked cookies, cakes, brownies, etc.

As a classroom we have put together a scrapbook, bought a gift card to the teachers favorite restaurant and even had an after school get together at a park.

The main thing - let your children's teachers know you appreciate all they do.  Most of them spend a lot of extra time outside of the classroom preparing for our children.  Most of them also spend a lot of their own money on the classroom.  Writing a note or sending an email is the least we can do!

What are some of the ways you show your appreciation?

Cool As A Cuke Lemonade

This is a recipe from the June 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  I made it a couple of times and had forgotten about the recipe until my sister in law Kate decided to serve it at Easter lunch.  It is sooooo good!  Even my picky 12 year old likes it!

Cool As A Cuke Lemonade

1 English Cucumber, coarsely chopped
2 12 oz cans frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
10 cups water

In blender, combine cucumber and 1 can lemonade concentrate;  blend until almost smooth.  Transfer to serving container.  Stir in remaining lemonade concentrate and water.  Cover; chill up to 24 hours.

Stir before serving.  Serve over ice.  Makes 12 servings.

Enjoy!