Perfume

Oh, how I love to wear Perfume. The sense of smell is one of my five senses that is on alert all the time. Think about it. When I go into get my boys up in the morning... "Ugh, what is that smell?" Yep, you guessed it, Elijah has a dirty diaper!! Not all smells are bad though!! Don't you just love putting on a nice perfume before heading out the door on a "date night"? Or what about the smell of ooey, gooey cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven!!

Well I was reading this verse this morning and it reallly got me thinking!!


“. . . through us [God] spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 2 Corinthians 2:14-16.

Wow, WE are the Perfume, Aroma, Scent of Christ to God!!! Our smell is given off to believers and unbelievers alike!!! I don't know about you, but just thinking back on the past few hours, there were some pretty smelly moments.

Would you ever buy a perfume that wreaked??

Would you ever tell someone that you liked their perfume if it smelled horrid?

Oh, Lord give me the grace and self-control to be a pleasing smell in your sight!!!

A "Thankful Post" to Break the Blogging Silence

As I sit here, I keep on thinking of the goodness of the Lord in my life, so here we go:)

~ Remember last year, I was talking about how nice it is to have a clothesline? Well, I am even more thankful for it this year! Jud is working hard in our basement, getting things ready to finish so we will have room down there for the contents of the "guest bedroom" to reside in order to prepare more room for a new little one!! That means things are a little out of place down there... including the laundry room. He managed to temporarily hook up my washing machine, but really has no way to hook up the dryer 'til its permanent location is finished. That's why I am thankful for the clothesline and the beautiful sunshiny weather!! Whew... did that make sense??

~ I am also thankful for my husband who is very capable at remodeling and construction work!! He works so hard, and for that I am truly grateful to God who gives us all unique gifts and abilities!!

~ I am thankful for Ethan and his every growing desire to learn. He has just started preschool and really seems to be enjoying himself and soaking everything up!! Praying for him to desire some day to be a student of God's Word!!

~ I am thankful for Elijah and his happy spirit and liveliness. Somedays I don't know if I'll have enough energy to keep up with him and his curiosity!! But, God always gives the strength we need for every day!

~ I am thankful for people who are bold enough to gently correct me! I had a friend who did just that this week:) Oh, how precious and rare that type of friend is!!

~ I am thankful for God and His Word that also corrects, instructs and disciplines me!! Oh, that I would have eyes to see all the ways God works in my life!!!


I hope you too can see the many things God has done for you!!!

Random Thoughts

On Driving...
Do people not know that when an emergency vehicle is driving down the road you are to pull over and stop until the said vehicle passes by. We were almost rearended twice this weekend by people who were talking on the phone and surprised by the fact that we were pulling over. Not smart!!!

On Raising Children...
With every day that passes by I am amazed at the beauty of parenting in that no matter what happens in a day, I always want to check in on them all tucked in and sleeping peacefully for it reminds me of a bigger picture.

On Politics...
The primary election is coming up on June 8!!! Are you registered to vote? Do you know who you are voting for? Where is your polling place?

The Government is a representative of the PEOPLE!! I am a representative of Christ! Who am I letting represent ME? Who are you letting represent YOU? Please Vote:) Your vote does matter!!

On Gardening...
My wonderful husband helped me plant mine yesterday... he got finished and said it was kinda ugly, just I as I was about to say it was beautiful. It truly is a beautiful thing to plant and harvest your own food to it. So excited to start this new hobby and praying for a good harvest!!

On the Bible...
I am still plugging away at reading through the Bible in a year. So thankful for my husband who is encouraging me through this every step of the way!!!

Happy Monday!!!

Hidden Treasure of Joy!!

A few weeks ago we had our Ladies' Retreat for the ladies of Grandview. We had so much fun together talking, eating, precious time in God's Word and lots and lots of laughter!!! Oh, it had been a long time since I had really laughed. Laughter is a wonderful medicine!!

The lovely Christy did the decorations for the tables. She is so creative:)

These are the ladies on the Women's Ministry Team!! What fun it is to serve on this team!!

We had such a wonderful and challenging time in our sessions focusing on having the Joy of the Lord in our lives!! Joy is such a deep concept. It's so much more than a smile on your face!! Don't get me wrong I love to smile and love to see others smile too!! So many days we face things in our lives that are less than ideal. An unplanned trip to the Emergency Room, sleepless nights or mothers who endure the sleepless nights of a child, uncertainty at work, unsaved family members, death of a loved one, sorrow over a son or daughter who is headed down the paths of destruction, etc. etc. etc. All those things I've just listed are things that I have personally been exposed to through people I see on a regular basis. If we were to focus on those things it would lead us to be depressed, despaired, confussed and possibly bitter.

So often we base our joy on our circumstances. Life's not about ME or My Problems, It's About God and His Plan for my life! How I wish I could grasp this concept every moment of every day!! The conclusion our speaker brought as the Key to our Joy is:

First Seek God, Joy will follow!!


You will make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11


The Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Self-Control... Galatians 5:23


Pray for God to work in your heart to do what he wants you to do! Read His Word!! Draw near to God and he will draw near to you!!!

Name That Plant!!

What kind of plant is this?

At The Farm with Papa Joe

This little man loves being outside and was a willing subject for dad to practice out his photography skills. Love his little four tooth smile:)

Ethan got to spend part of his birthday down on the farm with Grandpa teaching him all about this baby calf learning how to nurse!! Ethan enjoyed every minute and enjoyed it more than any thing else we could have done for his birthday!!!

Jud's Grandpa always balances an egg on the first day of Spring... or Spring Equinox. All forces are equal on that day!! God is so Amazing!!

Ethan is 3!!! We enjoyed celebrating his birthday with both sets of grandparents and just youngest sisters. Ethan loves cake... well, he loves frosting;)

Our little family before Ethan's party!! I love these guys!!!

My Grandma!

Grandma

Most people have one... this is mine! She is a lot like my mom, uh, well my mom is a lot like her!! And if you know me well, you also know I am a lot like my mom!! If you want to know what I will look like if I ever make it to be 87, you won't have to look away from this picture.

When I think of Grandma Jensen memories flood my mind. I honestly can't remember one bad thing she ever said... well except for one, and it was on accident and out of sheer innocence (and if you know me well, I have those moments too;).

Grandma was an amazing cook!! Every time we went to her house she ALWAYS had homemade cinnamon rolls. These are the same recipe that I make very often and always in her remembrance!!

Every morning grandma and grandpa woke up, had breakfast, and sat down together to read their Bible and pray. I can remember the other grand kids sleeping in on purpose so they could miss out on family devotions. I was the youngest grandchild and always slept either on the couch or on the twin bed in my grandpa's room, I was almost always part of this devotion time. At the time, I considered family devotion time to be a small, insignificant "activity." Now as I reflect back on those days I am amazed at the love and devotion they had for our Savior. Oh, how I wish I had listened more, but I am so thankful for what I did hear and their example that is so powerful in my life today!

Grandpa died my freshman year of college. That was such a hard time! And now, as my grandmother still lives she is just as amazing as she was when grandpa died. She loved grandpa so much! With love and respect I write these words about my grandmother who passed down more than physical features, and baking abilities!! She is leaving a legacy of love and service to God!!

Sometimes Life is a Run-on Sentence

First of all, for those of you who think my house is always neat and tidy... a reality check for us all:) Jud is doing a partial remodel of my kitchen!! HOORAY!! I am enduring a mess!!

Elijah has discovered his nose!! This has nothing to do with his nose, but... Yesterday after he was done eating lunch he was looking sleepy. While I was cleaning him up, he started to rub his eyes. After he noticed that I was looking at him rubbing his eyes, he said, "Boo." It was really cute and funny all wrapped together. This little man has a great personality!!

This is what happens when you make things into heart shapes. The heart shaped jello is cute, but this, who wants to eat!! Who am I kidding, the boys don't even care about the hearts... their mother does:) Maybe I'll eat the hearts and they can have the scraps... we shall see. BTW Jud doesn't even like Jello:) Too bad I didn't remember this until after I started the third layer!!

Here is the magazine that featured these cute little heart shaped jello!

Here are mine!! Happy Valentine's Day!!

What's For Dinner Mom?

If you're a pasta fan you will love my Baked Ziti!! So easy to make, plus if you have a small family you can divide the recipe in two pans, bake one for dinner and freeze one for later!! You could always double the recipe too, to freeze one for later:)

Baked Ziti

16 oz. pkg of Penne (Or pasta of your choice, shells, Fusili work well with small kiddos:)

Jar of Prego (28 oz.) More if you like lots of sauce.

2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (Divided)

2 eggs

1/2 C parmesan cheese

2 C Ricotta Cheese (Cottage Cheese Works also, just has a different texture)

Cook Pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta, rinse. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Add cheeses (saving 1 Cup of Mozzarella for the end) to egg mixture, stir and mix well. Add pasta to cheese mixture, gently stir. Pour half jar of sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 Pan. Place pasta/cheese mixture on top. Pour the rest of the jar of sauce on top of pasta. Top with remaining cup of Mozzarella Cheese. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 30-40 min. till cheese is melted. Enjoy:)

Variations:

Ground beef can be added for more protein.

I usually divide the recipe in two smaller dishes. Bake one for dinner and freeze the other for a "rainy day." Freeze before baking. When ready to use, take out of freezer to thaw in refrigerator for 8 hours or I have baked partially frozen, will need extra time to bake!

The Most Influential Book in the World

The Bible. It tells of the greatness of God, His Powerful Creation, His wrath, condemnation, and judgement. It speaks immeasurably about His goodness and lovingkindness in sending His Son, Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the World.

I have been pondering the power of this book and was finding it hard to put into words what my heart was telling me. In my pursuit of my goal to read more this year I stumbled upon this quote from Gladys Hunt in "Honey for a Child's Heart." She says, "Parents who never read the Bible outside of an organized meeting of the church are not likely to sense the urgency of intstructing children in the most important truth in the world. If we really believe that God speaks through this book, how can we possibly handle it so carelessly and leave the responsibility for its content to someone else."

This quote is jam packed with many convictions. Convictions of which I possess. Don't get me wrong. Do I always turn to this powerful, never-changing, unfallible book? No! Do I wish I always would!! YES!!! To that end I write this post:) I'm not perfect... isn't that what the Bible says!! But I do want to press on for the mark!! So I bring to you, my reading goals for this year!!

Last year, I cannot tell you of one book I read from cover to cover (except for the countless books I read to the boys:) I began to realize my need to finish what I start. And certainly my time in God's Word was shamefully lean!!

First of all, my pursuit to know more about God through His Word by reading it every day! Not only to read it every day, but to read it entirely by the end of 2010!! My first goal-Reading through the Bible in 2010:)

Second of all to expand my knowledge of God through other good books that will help me in my daily life as a wife and mother, as a children's worship time teacher, or as a woman who desires to not be satisfied with what I already know... being a life-long learner!! So I bring to you the Book List!

"The Chronicles of Narnia" by C.S. Lewis- all Six in the Series!!

"Humility" by C.J. Mahaney

"Idols of the Heart"- by Elyse Fitzpatrick

"Feminine Appeal" by Carolyn Mahaney

"Creation Evangelism for the New Millenium" by Ken Ham

"Let the Nations Be Glad" by John Piper

"Child Wise" By Ezzo and Buchnam

"A Mom After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George

"To Train Up a Child" by Michael and Debbi Pearl

"Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Paul Tripp

"Treasuring God in Our Traditions" by Noel Piper (Yes, Casey that is your book:)

"Bringing Up Boys" by James Dobson

What will you shape your thinking with in 2010? Happy Reading!

A Decade in Review

I enjoy reminiscing of the past. When I saw Katie's post on a similar wave length I decided I would share mine too:)

2000:
Graduated from High School
Freshman Year of College
"Played" on the Volleyball team (or maybe sat a lot:)
Went to California to cheer on Big Sis and team in Nationals:)
Deciding on the major of Elementary Education

2001:
Manager on Big Sis's Basketball Team- Breaking a family tradtion of playing the sport!
Surviving another Volleyball Season in the Fall and Realizing Sports was not an important part of my life.
While Driving Big Sis's Car to Church, it caught fire! I survived, but "Goldie" did not:(
Big Sis got married:)
Maternal Grandfather Graduated to Heaven.
Officially being the only Child at Home.
Assistant RA in the dorms at college. Loved the challenge and responsiblity!

2002:
Chosen to be on a traveling ministry team for the college!
First summer away from home.
First Birthday not celebrated at home and teamates pretending to forget my birthday:)
First time in NYC, and out East in General:)
RA in the Dorms. Again, loved every minute.

2003:
Chosen to be on a team at IRBC
Attended Winter Meltdown at IRBC... Cold!!!
Starting enjoying my education classes. Graduation was starting to become a reality!!
Summer at IRBC. One of the most stretching and good summers of my life:)

2004:
Final Semester of College
Being asked unexpectedly to be on a Summer Team two weeks before Graduation!!
Graduation!!!
Offered a Teaching Position for the fall!!
Spent summer traveling. Got back three days before Teacher Orientation.
First Year of Teaching 3rd Grade.
Met the Love of My life when he was dating a friend!

2005:
Starting dating the Love of my Life, Feb. 5!
Met the Parents Feb. 27.
Love of my life declared His love for me and desire to marry:)
Went to South Africa for 2 weeks on a missions trip.
Moved out of Mom and Dad's to live in a Condo with Friends. First taste of the real world!
Was in London on my birthday, July 7- the same day there was a terrorist attack there!!
Began the second year of Teaching 3rd Grade
Team taught that year, with my nephew in the class:)

2006:
Jud proposed in the wee small hours of the morning of 2006!! I said Yes!!
Began making wedding preparations!!
Found wedding dress for a whopping $99 at David's Bridal. It was the perfect dress.
Father almost didn't let me buy it, for fear I was buying it only because it was cheap:)
Bought first house 1 month before wedding.
Spent first night with my husband on our wedding night in our first home:)
Exciting news of expecting a "Honeymoon" baby!

2007:
Birth of our firstborn Son, Ethan Richard Eddy!
Passed out in front of my class because I forgot to eat breakfast!
Went to the hospital because baby hadn't been moving only to find out I was dilated to 5 cm and having contractions three minutes apart! I knew I had been contracting but didn't know I was in labor:)
Successfully gave birth without an epidural- which many told me I could not/wouldn't end up doing!!
Final Year of Teaching 3rd Grade... at least for a while!
Becoming a Stay at Home Mom!!
First Year Anniversary. Mom and Dad babysat:)

2008:
First Family Vacation to SC
Close Call to move away, but ended up staying:)
Jud's first big Fishing Trip to Canada. My first week "home alone."
Had an expensive, false alarm overnight stay at the hosptial, went back three days later for the real deal:)
Secondborn Son was Born December 8
Gave Birth Naturally again!! I highly recommend it!!

2009:
Finding a new home we both loved, listing our house and having an offer in 5 weeks!
Packing and moving and lots of help from family and friends!
First Summer going to Family Camp!! LOVED it!!!

Do you have any memories of me that I have failed to remember... if so, do share (at least the internet worthy ones;)