Third Thursday Thoughts {Not Alone}

 Once a month, I link up with Hearts at Home's "Third Thursday Thoughts"  They provide the topic, and I share my thoughts on the subject.  This month's topic is "When did you realize you weren't on your own in this journey called motherhood."

There was a time when I felt very along in the land of motherhood.  Hubby and I became parents before most of our friends, and for a while, it seemed that few people "got" us.

Slowly and surely, that's changed.  It crept in quietly, until one I found myself surrounded by other moms...friends who truly understand.

They're the ones who can commiserate when the kids won't sleep.  And the ones I can call when I desperately need a babysitter.  They send emails of encouragement, leave notes on my Facebook wall., and whisper prayers on my behalf.  They understand the joy in coffee and conversation.  They offer advice when asked and support as needed.


These are the people who bless my life in such sweet ways.  

Thanks, mommy-friends.  I hope I am able to give you even a fraction of the love you've showed me!

Third Thursday Thoughts {Living With Less, So Your Family Has More}

Today, I'm joining in the Hearts at Home Blog Hop with Third Thursday Thoughts.  This month's topic is "Living With Less, So Your Family Has More."

Here's our top 5 ways that we're cutting back on our spending:

1.  Menu planning -- I used to go into the grocery store with a half-devised list and wander around, putting items in my cart that I thought I might be able to use to create some meals.  The trouble was that this tactic usually resulted in multiple return trips to the store, because we didn't really have the things we needed.  (and spending a lot more money in the process.)  Finally I figured out that if I wrote out our weekly menu BEFORE going to the store, we ended up saving a lot of money (and it also keep me more sane, because it takes care of the "what's for dinner" question.)

2.  Making our own laundry soap -- Recently, I began making our own laundry soap, using this recipe from Jill Savage.  It works great, and is a huge savings  (About $7 worth of ingredients lasts 6+ months)

3.  DIY -- I'm very lucky that I married a guy who is extremely handy.  He has completed so many projects at our house that we never could have afforded to hire someone to do for us:  fencing, flooring, patio doors, decking....he's installed them all!

4.  Using store brands -- Often time, there is no real difference between store brand items and the brand name ones (except for the price.)

5.  Keeping gift-giving in check-- with Christmas approaching, it can be easy to go crazy when buying gits for the kids.  To help us remember to keep things in check, Hubby and I follow a "3 gift rule" for our kids, since the wise men brought three gifts the Jesus.  It's just a good way for us to keep spending under control and focus on the real reason for the season.

What's your favorite way to save?

Third Thursday Thoughts {Alike, Yet Different}

Today, I am once again joining in with my Third Thursday Thoughts.  Today's topic is: How are you like your mom?  How are you different?

One way my mom and I are alike is in our skill for baking homemade cinnamon rolls.  There are very few things that I claim to have mastery over.  But if my mom is the master cinnamon roll maker, then I am her apprentice.  It's something I'm pleased to have learned from her, and happy to be teaching my own daughters.  (I even wrote a guest post at "Homegrown Mom" about  teaching your daughters to make cinnamon rolls!)

My mom and I are also both very involved in children's ministry at our respective churches.  My mom has been a huge part of kids' programming for over 20 years...as a volunteer!  For nearly 5 years, I have worked as the part-time children's minister at our church.  We frequently discuss lesson ideas, curriculum, and Vacation Bible School planning, bouncing ideas off one another.

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My mom and I differ in our locations:  she's a dairy farmer, living outside a small Iowa town.  I live in the Twin Cities in Minnesota.  I know it would make my mother crazy to live in the city, but after a little adjustment period, I really enjoy being in a metro area.  (But I often joke with Hubby that it's a good thing he married a farm girl, so I'm tough enough to help him with all our home improvement projects.)

My mom and I also seem to operate at different speeds.  She seems to always be moving at warp-speed, while I prefer to have more down-time in our family's schedule. (But perhaps she's ready to learn some relaxing ways:  on our recent family vacation, my sister, and I convinced my mom to have a pedicure with us!)

My mom and step-dad with their 3 grand-kids.

*While looking for a picture to accompany this post, 

I realized another way Mom and I are alike:  

we're usually the ones behind the camera, not in the picture!

In what ways are you like your mom?  How are you different?

Third Thursday Thoughts {A Message to My Teenage Self}

If you could go back in time and tell your teenage self one thing, 

what would it be?

Would you divulge the outcomes of some tough decisions?  

Would you give tips on what stocks to buy?  

Would you draw out a road-map to adulthood, 

circling points "not to be missed,"

and carefully marking that which should be avoided at all costs?

I think,
given the chance, 

I would simply tell my teenage self to hold her head high...

to be more confident in herself...

to not worry so much over every new thing...

and to know that her life turns out pretty great. 

Third Thursday Thoughts {Oatmeal Raisin Cookies}

One of our family favorites is our oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.  
This recipe was given to me at one of my wedding showers by
Hubby's grandmother.  
It's loved by the kids and the Hubby alike...which makes it a classic, in my book!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Mix together:

2 cups rolled oats, 2 cups flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar,

1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon baking soda,

and 1 cup melted butter

After mixing well, add:

5 tablespoons sour milk and 2 eggs, beaten.

(To "sour" the milk:  add a small amount of vinegar to the milk 

& let it sit for a few minutes.

Be sure the total amount of liquid is still 5 tablespoons, 

though, or the cookies will be too runny.)

Then add 1 generous cup of raisins and stir.

Place in rounded spoonfuls on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Third Thursday Thoughts {Everyday Miracles}

We often wish for miracles in our daily lives.  We pray...we hope...we cry...we groan...we wait.  And yet, when they show up, we are often unprepared to witness those miracles.

I find that I'm always hoping that God will send a miracle in my life that looks like something straight out of the Old Testament:  a pillar of fire, manna from heaven, the sun that stops in the sky.  Perhaps our culture's mantra of "impress-me-in-a-big-flashy-way," is causing us to miss the point.  We're too busy looking for a message from God written in the sky like the trail of a sky-writer.  Maybe there are everyday miracles all around us, and we're just not paying attention.

When I think of everyday miracles, the first thought in my mind is our daughters.  How often have I taken for granted their uncomplicated birth, their good health, their quick minds, and their joyful personalities?  Yet miraculously, these are the faces I look into every day.  For now, God has entrusted them to me.

When I think of all the times I've heard the perfect song or a perfect verse or talked to just the right person at the perfect moment, I know that God's been at work.  Those are everyday miracle.  His hand is over me, around me, and guiding me in ways I will never truly understand. 

When I've observed friends and family who have battled the mighty foe of cancer and have come through victorious, I'm amazed.  And I'm even more in awe as I watched their strength along the way and their unwavering faith in God.  Miracles...no doubt.

More and more, I am discovering that if I am waiting for a voice from heaven to proclaim, "Here is your miraculous sign," I am missing out on so many everyday miracles that God is placing in my path.

"I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”  

Psalm 44:12