Failing at Christmas

I fail as a mom everyday!  Those failures can add up quickly, and especially during this time of year.  My house doesn't look like a magazine.  The recipes aren't always delicious.  And my wrapped presents under the tree are hideous.  They look like my kids wrapped them, no joke, but it was all me!  How do I handle the small failures that add up to equal one epic fail?

All these thoughts started recently with our annual making of the gingerbread house.  We've tried kits, graham crackers, and so forth, but nothing looks picture perfect.  This year we went with a different approach...a log Christmas cabin with pretzel rods.  We started off strong, but before long it collapsed...epic fail!  I was frustrated and disheartened.  But, on the flip side, the candy was good, the hot coco we drank while making it was delicious, and we did laugh at parts of our building process. And thankfully, we had a few more crafts that actually turned out great!  (Check out our snowman mason jars at http://showingjoy.blogspot.com/)

I burnt an expensive bag of almonds that I was trying to make for candy gifts...but I successfully made my first key lime pie for my hubby's b-day!  Yay! (Check recipe out below!)

I made Christmas crepes for my girls and the first one was a definite mess, but the others turned out splendid.  Try, try again when things don't go your way!  I tell my girls that a lot, and this little experience reminded myself of that!

I printed the cutest Christmas lists for the girls to fill out, and my oldest informed me there might not be enough spaces for everything she wants.  Ouch!  Sting!  That was a major epic fail feeling as a mom!  But,  I was able to look past it when a few hours later she quoted Luke 2:8-14 and my little one, on her own, wanted to make a birthday card for Jesus.  Yay! Maybe they do get Who we are celebrating.



My gifts look like I wrapped them blindfolded, but isn't it what is inside that counts?

I may feel like the failures are huge, and our life this month feels like a whirlwind mess...and if I let my mind go to a bad place, I can feel like an epic failure...but isn't it what is inside that counts? 

 Isn't it Who is inside that matters?  

Am I letting the One we are celebrating rule in our lives and hearts?  Spending time with Him when it's busy, talking about His love and grace while we bake and decorate and wrap and be crafty.  Singing Happy Birthday Jesus all through the day.  

Keeping our eyes on Him and not the failures that make me feel frustrated...that's what can bring the joy instead of the heartache!

I hope you don't have the failing at Christmas feelings I have experienced over the last few weeks!

But, if you have, turn your eyes to the Savior we are celebrating for.  He looks past our failures and loves us unconditionally!  Epic fails and all, He loves us! 

Merry Christmas...no matter if it's not picture perfect...Merry Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Pie Recipe...

http://www.food.com/recipe/key-lime-pie-30667

The easiest "pumpkin pie"

I blinked and it is Thanksgiving.  I can't comprehend where this year went.  I am not prepared for the chaos that is coming.  Deep Breath!!!!

I wanted to post a quick recipe that I tried last week for a gathering we had.  It was a last minute decision...and a pretty tasty one.  We are having a "pie and praise" night this Sunday at church, and I plan to make it again.  I love pies!  But, I do not make them that often.  I am also planning to make another homemade chocolate pie next week for my hubby's birthday.  I will try a different crust though.  I also saw the cutest pie bites on Pinterest, and I hope the girls and I can try them soon!

This does use a cake mix so easy is not even the word for it.  I reduced the sugar by 1/4 of a cup and only used 3/4 of a stick of butter.  With a scoop of ice cream, it was amazing.

http://www.duncanhines.com/recipes/cakes/Duncan%20Hines%C2%AE/pumpkin-pie-crunch/

Chocolate Pie

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/grandma-s-chocolate-meringue-pie

Pie Bites

http://picky-palate.com/2010/12/20/kiss-pies/


If I am not back before Thanksgiving, I hope your family has a delicious and delightful Turkey Day!

That was awesome!

It's Monday afternoon. I should be running around getting school work finished, starting supper, finding cleats and shin guards, making sure the jerseys are clean, getting my husband's coaching gear ready, and so forth and so on...but I'm not.  Sniff, sniff, sniff!!!!

I thought I would be more excited about this day and more relieved that the season was over.  But after living at the soccer field for a few months, I am going to miss it!  I am thankful to have a normal Monday night at home, but I honestly forgot how to have a normal Monday night at home!  We miss the kids, the fun, and the excitement!  Three fields with three games all going at the same time.  Lots of cheering and whistles and running and kicking.  I didn't know being a real soccer mom could be so fun!

Neither of my girls had an undefeated season, but they both had great seasons!

It was funny to watch the difference in the two teams.

My oldest's team (in the 7-8 year old league) took things pretty seriously.  They were disappointed when they lost; they worked well together, and cheered each other on.  The goalies cried when they missed a goal, and we all encouraged them and said they would get the next one.  We cheered for the goals our team made, and we cheered for the other team after a collective "AAAhhhh!" was said.  They passed the ball.  They were excited to be there.  They improved every game!

My youngest's team (4-6 year olds) was a whole different story.  The kids just wanted to kick the ball.  They danced and chased butterflies.  They kicked the dirt and talked to each other.  They might have frowned when they missed the goal or they may just laugh, but it was no big deal.  They hardly payed attention to the game when it was their turn on the bench.  We all cheered no matter who scored...even if they scored in the wrong net.  And no matter if they won or lost, the kids only cared about the snacks!

We walked to the van after a game night where both girls lost.  One lost by only one goal, and the other lost by a lot.  The oldest was sad and disappointed, and the youngest was dancing and saying, "That was awesome!" (And she's the one whose team got creamed!)

If we could all have that perspective. We wouldn't take disappointments so seriously, and we would always see the bright side.  We'd pick ourselves up and still say, "that was awesome!"  But the older we get, the more losing hurts. It takes us a lot longer to find a bright side.

Today's Verse

"In the day of my trouble, I will call upon thee:  for thou wilt answer me."  Psalm 86:4

When I'm having a day when nothing feels awesome, and I feel like I'm losing...I will call upon Him.  He will answer.  He will help in my trouble.  He will help me find the bright side and give me the comfort I need.

I love that verse...it is awesome!

The most delicious pizzas ever...

Have you ever grilled a pizza.  I was skeptical, but the girls and I decided to get Daddy a pizza grill pan.  It is basically a metal pizza pan with small holes all over it.  Would we like grilled pizza? Would it burn easily?  There was only one way to find out.  We made 2 homemade pizza doughs. The girls had a blast doing this!  We used a basic dough recipe found online.  Nothing special...flour, yeast, water and olive oil.  The dough grew and grew, which was awesome to watch, and kneading the dough was like playing with playdoh!

We divided the dough to make 3 pizzas.  We pinched a small amount off of each batch to make a small desert pizza...YUMMY!

This pizza we made in the oven for 10 minutes on 400, and then broiled for a minute on high...

S more's Pizza - YAY!

Dough
2-3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips
12-15 large marshmallows - halved
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

Knead the sugar and cinnamon into the dough.  Place on a parchment lined pan and bake for 5-6 minutes.  Remove and add chocolate and marshmallows.  Return to oven for another 5 minutes or until everything is melted and the crust is done.  Broil to get that nice char on the marshmallows for the campfire feeling, and sprinkle with crumbs before serving!

We also made a regular peporoni and cheese pizza...extra cheese on Daddy's side.  The key to grilling the pizza is grilling the crust for 5-6 minutes and then flipping.  Add your toppings and return to grill for another 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is ready.

And finally...the best pizza ever!!!!  Get ready for a Philly Cheese Steak pizza!  Sooooo easy and sooooo delicious!

3-4 Tbsp of evoo

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 baby red pepper

1 banana pepper

1 jalapeno - if desired

8 oz. deli style roast beef

1 1/2 cups of cheese - we used cheddar and mozzarella

And the best part!  Don't question, just do it...

1/4 cup A1 steak sauce

Spread the crust with oil and sprinkle with spices.  Bake or grill for 5-6 minutes.  Add chopped peppers, chopped roast beef and shredded cheese.  Drizzle with A-1 and bake or grill for another 5-7 minutes.  Hope your family enjoys!

Today's Verse

"I will praise thee with my whole heart" Psalms 138:1a

Wednesday is pizza time...check out our new way of telling time over at http://showingjoy.blogspot.com/2014/10/telling-time.html

Colors

I am officially a soccer mom!  Wow!  How did this happen?  I don't even know all the rules to soccer!  I am a sports fan.  I can honestly say I completely understand the game of football (unlike my mom who asked how many innings there were in our big football game this weekend...lol!).  I love basketball and I love baseball, but now I must learn to love and understand soccer.  With my girls on two different teams, and my husband coaching my oldest's team...I am left with a lot of the dirty work of planning for practices, snacks, texting parents, etc.  Two different schedules and games overlapping, this should be awesome!  I am basically living at the soccer fields for the next month and a half, but we are excited.

After a late practice last Monday, we rush home to get super on the table, baths and spend a little time playing a game as a family.  My mind was going a mile a minute.  I was thinking of the other practices (don't forget there are still gymnastics, dance, co-op and church things too), the 4 dentist appointments on 3 different days, my husband leaving for the west coast and taking a red-eye back, school pictures, and you get what was going on.  I was worrying over how the week would get accomplished and if I would keep it together as it progressed.

Then in a moment, I looked up.  I was washing my hands at my kitchen sink, when one of those AAHHHHH! moments took place...

The picture doesn't do the sunset justice.  The colors were amazing.  The view was breathtaking.  The effects were so calming.  It was going to be a tough week.  But the Lord would give me moments like this to remember to take a deep breath, enjoy this hectic life, be thankful for my family, spend time with Him to give me strength, and always notice His beautiful creation. 

Today's Verse

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."  Psalms 19:1 ESV

Take time enjoy and be thankful for the world the Lord created for us!  His colors and the reminders of His love are amazing!

Head over to showingjoy.blogspot.com to see a cool color project the girls did!

Negative Talk

My daughter recently told me she heard on the TV that "so and so" was a bad person.  "So and so" is replacing a politician's name.  Now I know politics are important, but I am not a fan of it. And right now, those attack adds are everywhere for a major race happening in our state.  Now the person she said was bad, happens to be the one our family will more than likely vote for.  So I tried to explain things for my sweet 7 year old to understand.

Thinking about it later that day, I wondered how many time she might have heard me be negative about someone.  The rude lady at the checkout, the mom that hurt my feelings, etc.  She's listening to the world around her, including me!  I don't want her to hear the negative talk, and I never want her to hear me being negative about another person.  Not only is she listening now more than ever (because we are together 24/7 while homeschooling), but she listening and absorbing the information, the reactions, the positive but also the negative.

I want her to look past the bad and find the good!  Always finding the best in people.  Realizing we all have bad day...but forgive and move on.  You can't always believe what you hear.  And the list of lessons to be taught is endless.

Being positive and building others up...that is what I want my daughter to hear!  No Negative Talk!

"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."  1 Thes 5:11

I'm watching what she says, and I'm making sure we talk about what she might hear on the tv or news.  But most importantly I'm making sure she understands that negative talk is not something we are going to do in our family, and we can all help each other out by reminding each other to focus on the good!


I posted over on Showing JOY about a fun thing we did last week!
Check it out!

Learning Cursive

Does anyone still write in cursive?

It is not my choice of script, but I sure have been relearning the don't lift your pencil letters with my second grader since school started last month.  It is hard!  It is tedious!  But, much like they say you never forget how to ride a bike, it is all coming back to me.  When I had to write Genesis 1:1 on the board this morning, it just flowed out like I had not taken a 20 year break from the beautiful loopy letters.

Does it matter that she learn to write in cursive?  I guess so...she needs to learn to sign her name!  But there are not many people that still use this form of writing.  Well, in all actuality, we are mostly typing these days and not writing at all...texts and emails make up our communication, not the handwritten letters of old.  Online banking has taken the place of writing checks.  And the list of new technologies that make paper and pen a thing of the past can go on and on.

I like the methodical feeling of never lifting your pencil. There may be hesitation as we learn and relearn, but once in the habit, the letters just happen and are beautiful.  We can't stop and think about it too much...just like life!

When I over analyze, hesitate or worry about the next thing, life seems to start to fall apart.  We have to 'let go and let God' as the saying goes.  Let life happen, trusting that He will make the events flow together for our good.  (Rom 8:28)  We don't know the future, but we know WHO holds it.

When I don't think too hard about the letters I'm writing, the beautiful, easy-flowing words appear.

When I don't think too hard about the trials I am facing, the beautiful, easy-flowing memories can take place in the midst of a not so beautiful world around me.

I'm not perfect in my cursive writing, and I never will be.  I will not ever be perfect in living without worry either. I will have sleepless nights and anxiety that seems to overtake on some days...but in those moments when I hand it all to God, the peace seeps in the broken places and I know it will all be ok somehow.

Today's Verse
"Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27b


Soooooo....I did start a homeschool blog.  I'm not sure how good I will be at keeping it up, but as always, I will try my best.  I did post a cursive activity we did if you would like to check it out!
https://showingjoy.blogspot.com/