What does a hotel cook, a couple park rangers & a restroom attendant have in common?

They all took pride in their work.

Each time we came across one of these people on our 10 day spring vacation across Gettysburg, Philly & NYC, it was a like a breath of fresh air. In this world of mediocrity, it was a joy to watch them work. And when they were thanked, they seemed genuinely taken aback. After all, they were just doing their job.

And it made me think.

How do I treat the job I have been given? Does my life and work as a wife, mom, & most importantly a Child of God feel like a fresh breath of air to people around me?

Gotcha!….happy April fools day :)

Yummy “cupcakes” for supper.  You should have heard the excitement around the table :) 

My older 2 still thought it was pretty fun when they bit into their meatloaf covered with brightly colored mashed potatoes….the younger 2 just felt gypped.  Any great ideas for me for next year??

End of an era….or, how to keep a bunch of 5yr olds from bouncing off the walls

Last Wednesday my baby turned 5. Wow. Now, I’m not necessarily a baby person, but it’s still sad to think that I am ending that stage in my life. Andrew calls 5 the “magical age” when you can go to a restaurant, sit and wait for dinner to come and fully expect that your children will find a way to quietly occupy themselves….you can go on a long walk without the stroller and know that you won’t end up having to carry a tired little one most of the way. Still, it’s sad…..they just grow up waaaaaay to fast. Ok, before I start sounding even older than I am, let me get to the fun stuff.

We like to start 5 off with a bang. So, Alyssa got to invite all the girls in her Sunday School class for a themed birthday party (every 5 years our kids get a birthday party with friends - when they turn 5, 10 & 15 or 16). A few weeks ago Alyssa and I headed to the party store and after walking up and down the aisles, and talking over all her choices, she picked princesses.

The entire week of her birthday, she told complete strangers that she was having a princess party with an air of sophistication rivaled only by a true princess. Which, as she will tell you, she is, of course.

The day of the party arrived with much yelling and screaming about getting this pig-sty cleaned up…..I mean….with much fanfare and rejoicing :). Just in time the castle was ready, the princesses arrived in their chauffeured coaches, one looking more beautiful than the next, and the party began!

If I have learned anything by my 4th child, it is this - when you have a room full of 5 year olds you have to keep them busy! We played Princess and the Pea (so each girl could prove she really is a princess), put the Princess in the Window, Princess May I, and a host of other Princess-y games. Alyssa had a fantastic time! I’ll leave you with a bit more of the fun.

Political humor

I've said before that I love Stoplight (Focus on the Family political shorts). And for good or bad, my kids love them too. Today we watched a couple as a bit of a reward after cleaning the basement - I know - some moms give out candy, some give little prizes, I let my kids watch stoplight :). Anywho, this one had to be watched several times with my kids giggling in the background so I decided to share.....enjoy!



Now I'm hungry......hmm........

out with the OLD, in the the NEW

Ever since we bought our house, I have hated the kitchen countertops. The previous owners installed them to “update” the house, but they were terrible quality and stained easily. At the time, I told Andrew that they would do, but someday, I wanted something different. Every couple years, I would gently remind Andrew that I still hated the countertops and after talking it over, ‘we’ would decide that other home projects (like a large patio/basketball court) were more important. Eventually I gave up and resigned myself to living with ugly countertops. After all, we’ve been here for 11 years! Then last fall…out of the clear blue…Andrew asked me, “So, do you still want new countertops?” Well yeah!

Thus began the l o n g process of figuring out what I wanted and what fit the amount we were willing to pay. And I’m happy to say, that after many hours of researching, testing, getting quotes and praying, I have a countertop I LOVE.

Aren’t they gorgeous! :) I know, these pictures are so itty bitty, it’s hard to really see them. They are concrete, ground down to expose the aggregate and then polished to a smooth and glossy finish. Bob Salter and crew did a fantastic job of figuring out exactly what I wanted and making it happen. The next couple pics show them off better.

One of the things I love about concrete is all the ways you can make it uniquely yours. I have a small spot to the right of my stove that isn’t used much, so I had a trivet set into the concrete there to set hot pots onto while I’m cooking. I also had them cut out a space for a butcher block to the right of my sink. I knew I would use these features, but wow! I had no idea how much I would love them!

If only every household project turned out this well :).

Do you know Haiti?

We, like so many other families around the world, have been praying for the people of Haiti every night since the earthquake destroyed Port au Prince. Sometimes we pray with the kids individually and sometimes we pray as a family. One night, a couple weeks after the earthquake, we were praying as a family when Alyssa, in the middle of her prayer, stopped and turned to us and asked, "Mmmmm, what's her name?" Now, this is not an uncommon occurrence, so we all started guessing who she might be asking about, "Tess?" "No, she's a big girl, not a little girl!" The names started flying, "Erica? Pearl? Lena? Katie?" All met with resounding no's. Her little face screwed up as she closed her eyes and thought hard. "Member?! She's hurt and sick. She needs food and water." I was stumped. Lucas looked at her questioningly and ventured, "Alyssa, do you mean Haiti?" A huge smile beamed across her face. "Yes!!!" and she continued on with her prayer not seeming to hear her sister & brothers' astonished, "Haiti is a country, not a girl!!" I shot my kids a 'knock it off' kind of look and we finished our prayers.

As I tucked Alyssa into bed that night, I did my best to gently explain to her that Haiti is a country with many people who are sick and hurt and need our prayers. She assured me she understood.

Fast forward to this last Wednesday night. After we got home from church, Alyssa was changing into pjs when she turned to me and exclaimed. "Wow Mommy! Lots of people know Haiti! We pray for Haiti and tonight at church they prayed for Haiti and even on the raido I heard them pray for Haiti!" Then, incredulously, she added, "How do so many people know her???"Ya gotta love it.

Playing Church

My girls have been loving the new Playmobil Church they got for Christmas. They have wanted this church ever since last winter when they saw it was set to come out late spring of last year. They waited a long time and they have not been disappointed. It's just as perfect for playing church as they thought it would be.
Before Christmas I wanted to make sure my girls still wanted this church, so I subtly asked - "Do you guys still play church a lot with Playmobil?" They emphatically answered of course they do, and then Kayla went on to explain, "See when we play, we play an entire week. So, of course, every Sunday we get everyone all together and it takes forever (imagine a healthy dose of 8 yr old drama here) because we have to get all the chairs and benches all set up and then get all the parents and all the kids all sat down in church and Sunday School and then we can have church."

"So, every time you have church it takes a long time to get everything together."

She replied, "Oh no, Wednesday nights go much faster."

"Why's that?"

"Cause not nearly as many people come to church on Wednesday night."

The first time I published this post, I ended it right here. But, then I decided I just couldn't. Kayla was simply stating things as they are, but her words cut to my heart.

When Andrew and I got married we agreed that Wednesday night church was going to be a high priority in our family. While we were in college we truly felt the need to be spiritually refreshed with other believers in the middle of a week filled with Satan's onslaughts. We reasoned that once we moved away from the college atmosphere we would need mid-week church just as much, because while Satan may not be as clearly palpable, he would be just as active in trying to deceive us. I won't kid you and say that it's always been easy. Having 4 babies in 6 years made it awfully hard to get ourselves out the door, let alone really focus on the service. I'll be painfully honest - sometimes I was just going through the motions, doing what I knew I should do even though my heart wasn't all there.

Oh, but the blessings we are reaping now!!! On nights when Satan is working to convince Andrew and I that we just can't make it to church, at least one of our children will pipe up - "We need to hurry and eat so we can get to church!"

Or the times Satan has nearly won out and Andrew and I agree we just can't make it, a child (or more likely several children) will emphatically state, "What?? We're not going to church?? But no one is sick!! Why can't we go??"

Besides being our greatest cheerleaders for getting to church, as our children have grown, they have each asked some great questions about the sermons and I can see they are learning more and more about God's Word.

I understand that some kids really need to get to bed earlier than Wed. night church lets out. I understand that sometimes people have to work late, or work second shift. What I don't understand is not making church a priority. Believers around the world face fines, imprisonment, even death for gathering in the name of Jesus.

It makes me think of a time when Timothy and I were running late for a Bible study. He was almost 3 yrs old, and he called out to me - "Mommy! We're late! Miss Peggy and Miss Susie are waiting for us! And Mommy - Jesus is waiting for us."

He is waiting for us. Waiting for us to stop our busyness, turn off all our distractions and turn our attention to Him.