The thing about parenting when it's HARD

Life has sort of knocked me on my butt these last few months. Just being real. I'll sum it all up by saying parenting is hard. Not potty training hard...I mean raising teenagers hard. If you have teens I bet you're shaking your head right now. See, I use to say my least favorite part of parenting was potty training. It was the first thing those wiggly little humans really had complete control over and they would do it when they were darn well ready. Yeah, that was kinda hard.

Then they grew up and decided they would make their own decisions. Oy vey! Sometimes those decisions make me stand up and cheer, sometimes they make me cringe and sometimes they make me just want to curl up in a ball and cry. Yep, I've done all three. Good, bad or indifferent, they're learning all decisions have consequences and those consequences never affect just one person. They're learning how to live with consequences and make the best of them.

Me? I'm learning to pray. Oh, I knew how to pray before, or at least I thought I did. The whole "pray without ceasing" thing? It takes on a whole new meaning when your kids decide to find their own way. You wake up praying, pray in the shower, the car, while making dinner and then you fall asleep praying. Repeat daily for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Yep, it's a whole new dimension of prayer.

Through it all here's what I know to be TRUE: God has a plan for each of our kids. We've known that from the start, but my little Pollyanna outlook had me believing those "plans" would be all rainbows and unicorns. It honestly never occurred to me that in order to fulfill the plans my kids might have to go through a whole lot of junk. Junk that will refine them to do exactly what He has called them to. Oh how that junk hurts my momma heart! We want to protect our kids from pain, but the pain is the sandpaper (or in some cases the sledgehammer) God uses to polish out the imperfections so they will shine for Him.

I may be knocked on my butt, but I don't doubt that God is still in control and working all things together for good. He's like that...faithful when we're faithless, sovereign when we fail and able to see the bigger picture when our eyes are so blurred by tears we can't see what's right in front of us. He'll pick us up, wipe our tears, dust us off and send us right back out there to keep fighting for these amazing kids he's loaned us to raise. 

And he gave us coffee...just one more proof he loves us dearly.

Four reasons Elf will never sit on my shelf

This whole elf on the shelf thing...I'm not a big fan. Not that he's not cute and all. His funny antics can be seen on social media posts throughout the holiday season. People are so clever! He's certainly a naughty little thing, but I can see how his mischievous escapades would delight children and parents alike. Me? I'm not so delighted.

Four reasons Elf will never sit on my shelf:

1. Failure people...failure. 

Every single day of December this whole elf thing would set me up to fail. Coming up with something cute and comical for him to do on a daily basis would leave me completely stressed out. I'm the mom who who rushes in all ninja like seconds before my kids wake up to replace the tooth with the money because I forgot...again. Four kids and Lord knows how many teeth and I STILL forget. After a few days of forgetting to move the little thing I would probably just have to tell the kids that he met with an unfortunate accident and was no longer with us. 

2. He makes a mess! 

I already spend the majority of my life cleaning up after five other people and a dog. Why would I knowingly add another member whose sole job is to make messes and get into trouble? Nope. Not gonna do it.

3. Expectations. 

When our kids were little I came up with this great idea for hiding their Easter baskets. We tied a piece of string to their bedposts and had them follow their colored string to find the hidden surprise. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Well, apparently it was a little too much fun because now they are teens and it is their FAVORITE tradition of the year! Heaven forbid we should miss it. We skipped the year Dad had knee surgery and they've never forgiven us. Do you know how much time it takes to intertwine four skeins of yarn all over the inside AND outside of the house? Trust me...it's a long time. Traditions are great, but just make sure it's one you're willing to continue until the cherubs move out.

4. It doesn't make sense. 

The premise is that Elf is checking up on kids to see if they're being naughty or nice so he can report back to Santa. But from what I can tell most of his antics would certainly fall into the naughty category. So the elf is going with the "do as I say, not as I do" theory of parenting? Nope. It doesn't make sense.

Now don't get me wrong. If you are a parent who has welcomed Elf into your home with open arms then great...kuddos to you. I'm just glad he's busy making messes at your house and not mine because I'm pretty sure if Elf were on my shelf he just might send me over the edge of Christmas sanity. Just bein' real people...just bein' real.

So, is Elf hanging out on your shelf this year?

Hiding God's Word in our hearts...and the shower

Here's something I never expected about having teenage boys...the incredibly loooong showers. They don't have to spend much time on appearance, but apparently the shower is where they do their best thinking. Who knew? 30 minutes into it we're banging on the door and interrupting their watery reverie. Yes, we're dream killers like that.

For school this year we're memorizing what I'm calling the A-B-C's of scripture - a scripture passage for each letter of the alphabet. Should be a fun way to shake things up a bit. I'm not sure where the second part of my brainstorm came from. Probably a lack of coffee or something. I decided since they spend such an inordinate amount of time chillaxin' in the shower that I would give them something to stare at while they're in there. Sorry for the poor pic quality. I took it with my phone...in the shower.

Taping a large Ziplock bag in an area that doesn't get too wet allows me to change out the page inside each week. Around here, we call this multitasking at it's finest.

And in case you're wondering, anxious starts with an A.

Texas in our rear view mirror

As I type this we’re somewhere in New Mexico. We’ve spent the last two weeks roadtrippin’ it from Idaho to Texas and back, logging 2,745 miles with about a 1,100 more to go. We’ve stopped at 87 rest stops, found all but 11 states on the license plate game (anyone from Hawaii?), eaten copious amounts of BBQ, been bitten by 168 mosquitoes, caught crawdads with a stick and cheap bacon, gone fishin’, watched kids learn to drive the golf cart (a rite of passage in our family) and learn to drive the farm truck (another rite of passage), celebrated my dad's 65th birthday with more BBQ (of course!), spent time catching up with awesome  friends and hung out on the family farm unplugging from life. 

It has been an amazing, exhausting gift of a trip. While it was good to come back and visit, ultimately it helped me realize that we aren’t a part of life there anymore. Seeing family and friends was a balm for my soul…just what I needed to be able to finally let go and accept that Idaho is home. 

We’ve left Texas in our rear view mirror, but it will always be in our hearts. 

Perspective

Life is about perspective. Oftentimes we get so caught up in the dailiness of our own lives or intensity of our own struggles that we can easily lose perspective or allow that perspective to become skewed. Looking outside of ourselves is a good reality check.

A friend posted today that their family received a letter from the recipient of her son's corneas and the joy it brought them to know Nick lives on in others.

Perspective.

Attending the funeral of a precious 14 year old friend taken home to be with Jesus in his sleep.

Perspective.

The "C" word creeping into the lives of too many people I know.

Perspective.

Walking the dark road of depression with someone I love.

Perspective.


When life doesn't make sense, when things happen that we just can't wrap our minds around, we come to a crossroads. We can turn away, disillusioned and defeated or we can turn to the One who can somehow help us make sense of it all. 

Turn and lean deeply into Him.  

And in the quiet we hear him whisper "I have a plan in the pain. I'm writing their story - your story - and this part, no matter how hard, is just another chapter."

In the leaning and the whispering we find a new perspective...one that gives us hope again.

Love and bacon

We postponed our Valentine's day family celebration until this morning. Heart shaped waffles with whipped cream, raspberries and chocolate chips and bacon...

 

Because everyone knows bacon equals love.

 

As I spent time writing notes to hubby and the kids, I was reminded of the fact that while V-day is a good time to remember how/why we love the people we do life with, it shouldn't be the only time we celebrate that love. I use to be good at writing notes to the kids. In fact, when they were younger I kept a journal for each of them, writing down milestones, thoughts, observations and prayers for their lives. When did that stop? Why did it stop? I could come up with a hundred reasons, but truthfully they would all sound pretty lame.

 

Like getting up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning to make breakfast and decorate the table in pink and red, love is a VERB! It doesn't merely express an emotion. In fact, it's when we equate love with emotions that we end up on trouble. The reality of it is I don't always FEEL loving towards my family. Chalk it up to hormones, lack of sleep, never ending to-do lists or whatever, but the truth of it is selfishness plain and simple. Love takes laying down my needs/wants in place of theirs. It takes sacrifice. It takes biting my tongue when I want to respond, ironing the shirt when I'm tired, not having the last word, doing the dishes and laundry for the millionth time and knowing it won't be the last. 

 

Real love requires something of me. Sometimes we get lazy and our excuses become lame.  We forget the importance of letting people know what they mean to us. Since we aren't guaranteed tomorrow maybe it's time we put a little Valentines day into every day of the year.

 

After all, who couldn't use more bacon?

Parenting - Letting go...just a little

He saunters off, hat on backwards and backpack slung over his shoulder.  As I watch him go I realize a large part of my heart is walking away with him.  My 6'3" son, my baby, started his second semester of college this morning.  I'm really not sure yet how I feel about it all.  Yes, I know we raise them for this moment, but I'm still trying to figure out how we got from birth to this point so quickly.  Where did the time go? Being in the middle of diapers, discipline, temper tantrums and the chaos of little ones, you think these days will never come...but they do. One day you turn around and there in place of your little boy stands a man ready to face the world.

And so with a hug and a lot of prayer I let go...just a little.  So very thankful that when we let go of them, God never will.  He's got this.

Normal Rockwell we are not!

Most of us grew up with photos of a Norman Rockwell holiday.  Decorating cookies, the family Thanksgiving, unwrapping gifts and sipping hot cocoa while outside snow lightly falls.

Our family isn't like that...not even close.

Over the years hubby and I have learned the secret between having the "perfect" family activity and our reality - lower our expectations.  We realized early on that high expectations were getting us into trouble. Sit down with four little kids for a fun family evening of board games and before we knew it everyone was yelling and jumping up and down over who was winning Candyland.  Everything is a competition...and I mean everything. Realistic expectations allow us to laugh when things get crazy rather than feel frustrated by a bit of chaos.

Today's annual gingerbread decorating extravaganza is a great example.  When the kids were younger they were very much into creating the perfect house or at the very least spending hours trying.  This morning was more about creating dying snowmen out of marshmallows, toothpicks and red icing and seeing who could eat the most candy.  I could feel my frustration rising until my 14 year old looked at me and said, "This is awesome Mom!  I'm having a great time!"  

I smiled and exhaled.

Did it look like the picture in my head?  No, but I think my picture was a little askew.  It's not about everyone working quietly, minding their manners while Bing Crosby croons in the background.  It's about being who we are, about laughing together and creating memories my kids will cherish.

We may not be the poster family for a Norman Rockwell, but it's good...it's very good.

Christmas in November?

I am normally very anti-Christmas before Thanksgiving.  Forget shopping early.  Thanksgiving is the oft forgotten holiday, crammed between the sugar rush of Halloween and the joy that is the month of December. I honestly don't even like to think about Christmas until I've enjoyed turkey day filled with family, friends, amazing Southern food and of course, football. 

But this year is different.  We moved into our house four days before Christmas last year and pretty much just skipped the holiday all together.  The tree did go up in the front window.  I think the kids may have even stuck a couple of ornaments on it, but honestly, none of us really cared.  We were too emotionally and physically exhausted.  Cross country moves are tough on everyone anytime of the year, but holidays can really complicate things.  I think most of us cried our way through the whole season.  Thankfully we managed to at least get the kitchen unpacked enough to prepare our annual appetizer fest on Christmas Eve.  My kids would not have forgiven me for skipping that one.  Keeping our favorite tradition added a sense of normalcy to a tough month. 

Fast forward 11 months and Emma and I are chomping at the bit to start decorating!  We put up the outside lights this weekend.  Don't worry...we're not turning them on.  That would just be wrong.  But we did have an unusually warm couple of days so we decided to take advantage of it before it gets cold next week.  Hubby is out of town and will be SHOCKED to see what we got done.  Let me just say my teenage boys ROCK!  For my friends with little ones, the lack of sleep will all be worth it when they can climb on the roof and put up your Christmas lights all by themselves!

As awesome as my kids are, they drew the line at any other Christmas festivities prior to Thanksgiving.  So the tree and all the trimmings will stay in the garage another few weeks while the excitement builds.  But the Christmas music...well that's another story.

Canadian geese and families...yes, there's a connection

There's a cornfield directly behind our house.  I love the feeling of country living right in the middle of the suburbs.  I enjoy looking out my back windows and watching the Canadian geese feeding on what's left of this year's crop.  The geese fly over in large flocks, but not in a nice, straight V-formation as you might expect.  Their flight formation seems to be mostly organized chaos - they're often out of line, pushing for the front and honking loudly. But while it may lack a bit of order they never really loose their formation.  They are a ragtag band, but they still follow the lead goose who seems to know where he's going.

Reminds me a lot of our family.  The REAL family, not the Pinterest perfect one we often strive for.  In our family Mike is the leader and I would like to say we all fall into formation under that leadership without any complaining, shoving or honking.  But I can't say that.  There are power struggles, arguments, messes...maybe even some shoving or honking.  But ultimately we still follow the leadership God set up for our family.  The leadership model allows us all to respect authority, learn to follow, work through disagreements, swallow our pride and humble ourselves when necessary.  Honestly, it's a lot of work, but it's the only way that family works.  God designed each member to work in loving conjunction with the other as an example to the world of His love.

I wish I could say we are always a good example, but we're not.  We mess up...a lot, but we've also gotten really good at "I'm sorry."  Our relationships are stronger when we work through the shoving and honking.  Geese are not quiet animals.  They make themselves known.  Yeah, we're a lot like those geese.  We like to make our needs known, but we've also gotten better at listening and communicating.  Seems our formation is improving.

We certainly don't look like the picture perfect family, but I've lived long enough to know there IS NO picture perfect family.  Only an illusion we like to chase...honking loudly all the way.

An inconvenient life

Confession time:  I'm selfish.  Honestly, when it comes down to it we're all basically selfish.  We live in a society that promotes "me first" and "looking out for #1".  We fill our schedules with things we want/need to do. Spend money on things we want.  Take vacations where we want to go.  Spend time with who we want to spend time with.  We're comfortable doing things that please us and make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Think for a moment how life would look differently if we surrendered each of these areas to the Lord.  If we asked him to show us what things should be on our schedule, what our days should consist of, how our money should be spent and dare I say it, even where we should go on vacation.  Would that change the way we're currently living? 

We've become a much more transient society and the idea of helping our neighbor is all but lost, leaving families and individuals isolated.  Back in the day friends and family lived close to one another and did life together.  If there was a barn to be raised, the whole community came together to help.  Wisdom was shared over canning, quilting and gardening.  People went out of their way to help one another.  They inconvenienced themselves to do what needed to be done.  Regardless of what was planned for the day, when a neighbor needed help they dropped what they were doing to pull together.

We have convinced ourselves that we're so busy with urgent things that dropping everything to help someone would be too much of a sacrifice.  I'm guessing it was back then too, but it wasn't a question of whether or not they would do it...they just did.  I'm not suggesting we start canning, quilting, gardening or barn raising (although that's a great idea), but that we need to be willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of others, learning to live out the truth of Philippians 2:3 on a daily basis - Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Is a friend feeling overwhelmed with a project?  Spend the day helping her finish it.  Know a new mom who could use an extra set of hands?  Take some time to hold her baby so she can take a nap...or a shower!  Drop dinner off unexpectedly to someone you know is struggling.  Flowers and a card of encouragement may be just what someone needs.  

Be willing to be second.

Be willing to do something for others that they can't currently do for themselves.  

Be willing to live an inconvenient life, dying to self to be Jesus with skin on.

I dare say an inconvenient life is exactly the life Christ called us to live.

Prayer - WORD!

You've most likely experienced a similar scenario - Bible study is winding down. As you being to pack up your things, the leader asks if anyone has any prayer requests...two hours later tummies are rumbling and everyone's looking at their watches while the "sharing" continues.  Please don't misunderstand.  It's not that we don't care about what's going on in the lives of those around us, but too much information can leave us wondering what the heck we're really suppose to be praying for!

 

A friend recently introduced me to one word prayers.  Sure the concept is simply, but I found it to be extremely profound and incredibly helpful in praying for people. 

 

How would you sum up your most important/intimate prayer need(s) in a WORD? 

 

One word, no explanation needed. I really had to stop and think about it.  Sure, I've got my list, but what is the central theme running through them all?  This approach forces you to look at what's important.  The benefit to the person praying for you is that it frees them from knowing all the details.  Again, it's not that I don't care about the details of a friend's life...sure I do.  But if I know every detail of a particular situation, I may be tempted to pray in a certain way, with a bias as to how the situation needs to be resolved.  By praying a single word for a friend, I take God out of any box and pray for Him to work in the way He deems best.

 

Think how this would work in your small group, mom's prayer group or with your best girlfriends.  Instead of remembering five different situations and everything that went with it, you simply remember five different words, each one special to a particular person.  As the Lord brings that person to mind throughout the day/week you simply pray their word for them.  The Lord knows the details and will work accordingly.

 

As I thought about the things going on in my life over the past few weeks, I finally summed it up with the word RELENQUISH.  That one word means a whole host of things and actually applies to several different situations, all of which God sees and understands.  He understands and is moving even on levels I don't yet grasp.  It's comforting to know I have a friend who is praying that word with me this week and I can see Him working already.

 

How about you?  What would your word be?  Leave me a comment with your word and I'll pray for you this week.

Goal setting for the new school year

Summer is in full swing.  Snowcones, movie nights, and water balloon fights are being crossed off our bucket list.  4th of July has come and gone and we're enjoying our time to sleep in and work on projects.  But it's niggling around in the back of my brain.  It's waking me up at night and becoming the main theme of my prayer time. Try as I might, I simply can't ignore it any longer.  What's the "IT"?  Homeschool planning.

It's funny...some years the very thought of homeschool planning and routines causes me to break out in a cold sweat.  Other times I find myself looking forward to new adventures and the familiarity of the schedule.  The jury's still out this year, but I can't put if off any longer or come September I'll find myself checking into the looney bin.

Before I jump in and start ordering curriculum, I'm taking some time to pray and ask the Lord what HIS goals are for our year.  One size does not fit all when it comes to how we learn.  This year we'll have a high school junior (did I really just type that???) who will also be working on college credits, a freshman, 7th grader and 3rd grader.  Whew!  It's important that I consider each of their passions, interests and how they learn. How is the Lord going to use these passions for His kingdom?  What areas of weakness need shoring up?  Are there any gaps that need filling?  Asking these questions allows me to know what to focus on for the coming year.  I can come up with amazing goals, but if they don't line up with His plans then we're wasting our time.

"Without a vision, the people perish."  Homeschool translation: "Without some planning the whole year will go to hell in a hand basket."  Need a little jump-start to your planning this year?  Feel free to print off the goals sheet to use with your own brood.   

Yearly Goals Free Download

Compassion and a chicken sandwich

The kids and I were headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch last week and passed a homeless man on the corner clutching a tattered sign. While munching on our chicken sandwiches a few minutes later, we hatched a plan to buy the man lunch.  Excited, the kids jumped in the car and we headed back to find him.  Pulling up, Connor rolled down the window and said, "Here sir, we bought you some lunch."  For a significant moment their eyes locked  and the man responded, "Thank you son.  God bless you."  As the window quietly slid up, I I saw the tears slip down Connor's cheeks, dripping off the end of his nose.  The kids were moved with compassion and the sudden stark realization of all they have.  My tears were from my mom heart as I watched my prayers for compassionate hearts being played out in front of me.

Living in America with all its blessings can make teaching compassion to our children a difficult thing.  We talk about the poverty in Africa, often when saying something parental like "You'd better eat that dinner.  There are starving children in Africa who have nothing to eat."  Why do we say that?  Probably because our parents said it to us, but what does it mean to our kids?  It's a foreign and abstract concept.  Is it true?  Yes, but until they've looked into the eyes of one of those kids, until they have seen first hand how the majority of the world lives, they can't understand on the level they need to; the level that moves them beyond seeing/hearing to doing.  

As parents we pray for opportunities for our children to see and truly understand;  understand to the point of being moved to DO SOMETHING.  Last week poverty in America took on new meaning for my kids thanks to a chicken sandwich.

Social networks vs. REAL community

One of the hardest things for us to give up when we left Texas was our community.  Not the town.  That wasn't hard.  We lived in Sachse...let that sink in for a minute.  Sounds a whole lot like sexy...but I digress.

No, it was the sense of community created by close friends doing life together that we miss.  We lived close to one another, shared meals, helped with kids...we were purposefully in each other's business.  That's not something easily found and certainly hard to leave.

A true sense of community is extremely lacking in today's society, but if you believe social media we are supposedly more "connected" than ever.  A "friend" is only a mouse click or text away.  If true connection is happening then why do more people than ever admit to feeling alone and isolated?  I can have 1,000 "friends" on FB and not be known by a single one.  Let's face it, most of us don't put our real faces out there to be "liked" and commented on by all.  Instead, we put out the bits and pieces we want people to see.  Maybe we're afraid the reality of our lives will cause rejection...maybe we think the truth of our lives isn't exciting enough to be FB worthy...or maybe we're just so unhappy with our current reality that we paint something more along the lines of what we'd like to have.  Whatever the reason, the connections happening on social media do not usually represent true community.

We want to know people; REALLY know people and be known by them.  We want to believe we can share our junk with those closest to us and they won't run away screaming, but will sit with us in the midst of it all.  The reality is we NEED each other.  Not in a "how you doin'?" Facebook sort of way, but in a "get in your business" sort of way.  We need people willing to walk through depression, cancer, addiction, marital struggles, parenting issues...whatever our junk looks like.  People who don't come wearing high heeled, pointy toed shoes they aren't willing to get dirty.  Nope, I want people in my life who come in wearing mud boots.  Maybe even hip waders.  Let's face it - life's messy.  Living through the mess surrounded by true community makes the stinky mess a whole lot more bearable.  

So if you're in my life, I thank you...and I hope you're wearing your mud boots.

Coffee love & my mom heart

Those who know me know my love affair with coffee.  It makes me happy...and keeps me functioning in a way that makes everyone happy.

Over the last few months my 16 year old has also begun to share that love.  We've developed our own little morning ritual of sitting down together over a cuppa joe.  Now this I love even more than coffee. 

Steaming mugs in hand we talk about life, what the Lord's teaching him, his hopes and fears for the future...things that give me insight into the heart of this amazing young man.    I marvel at who he has become, not because of me, but in spite of me.  God's got hold of his heart and he is truly seeking to follow him.  

Often our coffee times spill over into when we should be doing other things, but honestly I don't care.  Chores, school...it'll get done, but the time I have with him is precious.  He'll be starting college classes in the fall and before we know it, he'll be on his own.  The time we have with him will be winding down soon enough and I don't want to miss one second.  So for now I hide these moments in my heart to ponder when he's grown and gone. 

Yes, coffee keeps me going, but coffee with my sweet 16 year old makes my mom heart amazingly happy.

My new happy place

Photo by Austin Snodgrass

When someone says, "Go to your happy place", what do you think of?  For me it always includes sunshine, flip-flops, sand, a good book and little umbrellas in my drink.  

My recent reality looks very different - cold temps, snow and homeschooling four kids while helping us all navigate the myriad of emotions that accompany a cross country move.  Doesn't look much like my "ideal", but then again maybe I've got the wrong perspective.  Ann Voskamp's recent FB status made me sit up and take notice.  "Make right where you are your happy place.  When thanks to God becomes a habit - so joy in God becomes your life."  Love that so much I wrote it down twice - one for my mirror and one for the kids'.  

If I'm always looking at what is not, I will never learn to accept (dare I say be happy with), my current reality.  As I learn to practice thankfulness for the here and now it begins to give me a different view...maybe even a different "happy place".

So today I will practice thankfulness - for the unexpected snow and the beauty it brings. For warm, fuzzy slippers in place of my beloved flip-flops. For coffee...it's always the coffee.  Maybe I'll put a little umbrella in my cup and call it good.

Ponderings Of Pods and the Pioneer Woman

Sorry for the lame alliteration.  Couldn't help myself.

The running joke around here goes something like this:

"Mom, where's my (                      )?"

"It's in a pod."

"Our whole LIFE is in a pod!"

Pods tend to conjure up images of outer space and extraterrestrial life forms. In case you're confused, here's a visual for you.

The website says, "Everything you have fits."  What they don't tell you is that you will need 10 such pods to make it all fit...yes, 10.  Oh and those people are smiling.  We started out smiling.  By 1:30 a.m. on the last day we weren't smiling so much.

One of the important things that's packed away in the pods is my recipe collection.  I've been forced to rely on my rememberer (which is not so reliable) and the internet. This week I've been revisiting my love affair with the Pioneer Woman.  I still can't figure out how she doesn't weigh at least 200 pounds.  Her recipes would never make it into a Weight Watchers cookbook, but man are they amazing.

Last night we sampled devoured her Corn and Cheese Chowder and get this - I didn't change a thing.  Usually I read recipes and make adjustments to fit our taste, but this one was perfect.  I didn't have the cute little bread bowls, but it was tasty nonetheless.

(Photo from The Pioneer Woman)

Her banana bread is baking in the oven right now.  Can you smell it?  After tasting the batter, I'm thinking this recipe might just beat out my great-grandmother's recipe I've been making for years.  Sorry Granny.

Looks like I'll have some new recipes to add to my collection...if I ever get them out of the pod.

UPDATE: The Pioneer Woman banana bread was a bit disappointing.  It's good, but Granny's is better.  Think we'll stick with what we know.

Teenage wisdom

The running joke around our house is "Gee, I hope I know as much as my teens when I grow up!" While I often tease them for their know-it-all attitude, recently the Lord used my 13 year old to truly teach me about His heart for people.

We were in downtown Dallas and Connor wanted to show us where he'd spent time on his missions trip a few weeks back.  South Dallas is, for lack of a better word in my vocabulary, a bit scary.  For a girl from the suburbs, South Dallas is not a place I have ever spent any time.  As we drove around looking at some of the places he'd been, I commented to him that I was feeling a bit uneasy.  His response struck me to the core and showed me a mirror into my own selfish, fearful heart.

"Mom, I was a little nervous at first too and then I talked to them.  When you talk to them, you realize they're no different than you and me.  They have the same hopes and fears.  They're people just like us."

My eyes see incredible poverty, fear and violence.  His see people dearly loved by the same God who loves me.  I choked back tears as the boy who can't seem to keep his room clean pointed me straight to the heart of the Father. 

Scones with Devonshire Cream - tea time memories

There's something lovely and romantic about the whole idea of "taking tea". American society is too fast paced.  We grab our Venti, triple shot Starbucks from the drive-thru and we're off.  Drinking tea from a dainty china cup evokes feelings of a simpler way of life; one that takes time to slow down, listen and reflect.

No cup of tea would be complete without scones and Devonshire cream.  Add in a little lemon curd and you've got the recipe for a delightfully scrumptious treat.  I've been making this recipe since my teens were babies.  When they grew to where they could sit still for a few minutes, we would use tea parties as opportunities to teach manners, etiquette and character lessons.  I cherish those memories and will often remind my now very tall boy babies that they use to love tea parties with their mommy!

Cream Scones

Combine:

2 cups flour

1 T baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/4 cup sugar

~ Cut in 1/3 cup butter.

~ Add 1 cup whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2.

~ Knead five times on a lightly floured surface.

~ Roll into 1/2" thick circle and cut into triangles OR use a small circular cutter to cut to the desired size.

~ Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Devonshire Cream

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 t cream of tartar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

~ Beat until stiff and refrigerate until ready to serve.