BVW #3

Hello Friends!

I apologize for a late post yet again. I had my Bible verse ready to go, but after the events of the last week, I decided I need to change it. So here is your Bible Verse Wednesday for May 22 2013!

This past week the family was dealt two big blows. Something my sister Rachel had her heart waiting for, was crushed and taken away. Perhaps it will be restored, but perhaps not. It was a blessing while she got to hold it. 

Then, a fellow business friend of my Hubby's passed away. The coincidental part was that I met the man hours before he died. I met his mother. I met one of his sons. And then that evening, he breathed his last. It has shaken the community my Hubby works in. It has shaken Hubby and me. We don't know if the man was a Christian or not. Personally, it has open our eyes to a more eternal view of this world. 

Along with a host of other mundane life problems.........I need a good thing. My sister needs a good thing. My hubby needs a good thing. The man's family needs a good thing! 

This verse is a healing salve. "Those who seek the Lord.." I will seek the Lord. I have been promised that if I seek Him, I will find Him. If I seek HIM, I will lack no good thing. Peace, hope, patience, love, kindness...those are all good things that can be mine if I seek the Lord. 

Are you in the same boat? Is your life crazy right now? Are you being dealt some hard blows? The Bible does not lie: SEEK THE LORD! Seek the Lord and receive all the good things He has to offer. 

What other verses comfort you during tough times??

Twitterature in May

Hello Friends!

I am super excited to be participating in Twitterature for the first time! I discovered this lovely linkup last month, but was too late to participate. Boo!

The gist: This link-up is easy place to share what you are reading with short, casual reviews. Write the reviews 'Twitter' style: in 140 characters or less! I can't promise to stick with that but I will try!

Now that I have Baby Girl, my reading time is been drastically cut short. :( But here is what I am reading now:

Parenting from the Overflow by Teri Lynne Underwood

 

Short chapters, discussing overflowing with the fruits of the Spirit. Each chapter ends with applicable questions and ideas. #parenting #fruitsoftheSpirit

Your Beautiful Purpose: Discovering and Enjoying What God Can Do Through You by Susie Larson

#fantastic Full of Bible verses, truths, and loving words. Susie writes from a place she knows full well and shares it as a BFF. #recommend

Here is what else I have read in May:

At Every Turn by Anne Mateer

This was a easy light read. I liked the MC and how Mateer kept them realistic. Fun facts about cars in 1916 #freebie #historicalromance #christian 

Subpoena Colada by Mark Dawson

Funny points. MC is losing control of his life and job as an entertainment lawyer. Bad language & heavy drug use. #diabetes #British #freebie

Intentional Blogger by the ladies at Christian Mommy Blogger

Fantastic download. Comes with many files. Easy, relatable, #helpful. #Recommend for all who want to improve their blogging ministry.

And that is it folks!! What have you been reading in the month of May??

No affiliate links. All graphics taken from goodreads.com, excluding Intentional Blogger which was from their website.

BVW.2 plus Baby Update!

Hello World!

This is my It's-Still-Wednesday Wednesday post! I will share this week's Bible verse first so that if you don't want to see pictures of a cute baby, you don't have too. But that would be pretty odd. Also, check out the first installment over here.So here it is:

This right here is some good stuff. David was being hunted down by Saul at this time. He spent the first part of Psalm 57 lamenting, scared, anxious, questioning. But then, in usual David fashion, he suddenly turned his attention back to the Lord singing praises. I was having a down in the dumps day when I stumbled upon this verse, and I knew just what I needed to do to turn it around like David did---worship. Crank it up and sing!

"Father, I sing your praises, marveling at your works. Let my songs awaken the dawn to sing with me! Everywhere I will worship You!!"

SELAH.

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And now an abrupt change to Baby Girl! 

A lot has changed since our six month birthday. Well, that is probably just me talking as a mom. Baby Girl is now eating oatmeal, avocado and carrots like a pro. Sweet potatoes have been introduced but she is not liking them so far, which is a big bummer for me since I recently discovered how much I love them! 

She is now sitting completely on her own and we have had very few falling over incidents. This kid was pretty much born to sit, becoming a fan before she was even three months! Also, she is now a foot chewing pro! Nothing can stop her! 

The only other 'big' developmental change is she started to say the 'D' sound, so 'da da' is quite common and I even heard a 'daddy' once! Speaking of which, she is ENAMORED with her daddy. When she sees him walk into a room she just lights up and starts flailing even more than usual. Daddy IS pretty awesome, but it sure is setting a spike of jealousy in me! Besides Daddy, her other favorite toys of the moment include her first Ipad app and measuring cups. 

One last picture for the road: 

Thanks for stopping by the CSA! See you again Friday for FMF!!

5 Pinterest Recipes You Need to Try

Howdy Howdy Amigos!

I LOVE Pinterest (find my page here), but because it can become a huge time sucker, I have resolved to try and actually DO and MAKE a lot of the things I pin. This way I feel more justified spending time there and I don't always have to pine for the "Pinteresting Life". Because of this personal challenge, Hubby and I have found several dinner meals that we have LOVED.

Some disclaimers: These ARE listed in order of our favorites from 'least' (let's face it: they are all good!) to bestest. 

ALSO: all pictures used in this post are the pictures I have pinned to my board "Time for Dinner!" and thus are found on the websites listed with each picture! None are my own work!

Okay time to start::

5. Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

http://www.food.com/recipe/paula-deens-slow-cooker-macaroni-and-cheese-219251

This one Hubby will likely argue against but I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I made it while pregnant and already dealing with a slightly elevated blood pressure.........cheese did not help that cause. It was very creamy, and of course as a crock pot recipe, incredibly easy to make! My tips? Cut back on the butter by half and add in some flavoring--onions, pepper, paprika, etc. Good stuff!

4. Chicken Fried Steak

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/The-Best-Chicken-Fried-Steak/Detail.aspx?scale=3&ismetric=0

NUM! Hubby found this one.....go figure, he is the main cook *confession*...and actually made it with WAFFLES! Yes, this northern girl tried chicken and waffles and loved it! So while this recipe includes how to make the gravy, we skipped it in favor of maple syrup. It was suuper easy to use but we made modifications. Such as: no hot sauce (ew) and no vegetable shortening. Not exactly quick, but worth your time.

3. Slow Cooked Mexican Pulled Pork

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/slow_cooker_mexican_pulled_pork/

This was FANTASTIC! What more can I say?? We shared it with his family and they all had good reviews as well. It does go exceptionally well with avocado, our new favorite fruit around the household. But besides avocado, and perhaps sour cream if you really love it, these tacos don't need anything else. Plus, as if it needed another bonus, it is a slow cooker recipe=EASY! Add it to your weekly meal plan ASAP.

2. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

http://minimalistbaker.com/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-cookie-pancakes/

My husband is not a big fan of breakfast foods, which always breaks my heart. However, every now and then I can convince him to eat chocolate chip pancakes, usually from a box. I stumbled upon this super healthy recipe and went for it. He has now asked for them each week for the past three weeks, this week making week four!!

Now....please understand me: I want to eat healthy, however I do not own 'weird' things like flax eggs, almond butter, almond milk, and whole wheat flour (though I might get this one soon). I did replace all of these things this just plain eggs, butter, milk and flour. Also, note that the recipe listed only makes FIVE pancakes! HA! That is what I will eat in one sitting! But this recipe is a MUST!

1. Stewed Chicken Tacos

http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/04/stewed-chicken-tacos/

Oh. My. Goodness. I was petrified to try this. Hubby knows I can't handle spicy things at all....and I saw him adding these big black chiles to the pot......I wanted to stamp my foot and protest. Boy, am I glad I just tried it. They are not spicy! Eat with avocado, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce. But DO eat them. Unless you adverse to awesomeness. Than don't. Eat regular boring taco meat. This recipe does take awhile to cook but is pretty easy as you pretty much add all the ingredients to a large stock pot to stew. DO IT!!

So that is my Top Five friends!!

Do you have any recipes you have found on Pinterest and loved?? Let me know in the comments below and leave your Pinterest link as well!!

FMF: Comfort

Welcome FMF friends!

Time for Five Minute Friday. I am linking up with Lisa Jo Baker. Today our word is Comfort!

GO!

Comfort is what I hope my mama arms can be. 

When Baby Girl has a bad day, that she can run into my open arms for a hug.

When Baby Girl has a bloody knee, that she can run to me for kisses. 

When Baby Girl has received hurtful words, that she can run to me to hear God wisdom.

When Baby Girl gets an A for a hard project, that she will run to me to celebrate over ice cream. 

When Baby Girl's heart is broken by that first boy, that she will run to me to sob and lament. 

I pray daily that I can be that safe harbor for my girl. Life is hard. It is life. But I hope that I can always give her comfort and safety. That I will keep my biting words from passing these lips, that I can keep my patience high, and selfishness low.

And when, not if, I fail, that I can turn to the comfort of my Savior, my safe harbor. In Him, I can refresh, renew, and start over. Then I can turn back to Baby Girl and show her comfort gained from the Lord. 

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Thank you for stopping by the Christian Sugar Addict!!

Bible Verse Wednesday

Hello Blog Friends!!

On Wednesdays for the month of May I will be posting Bible Verses. I want to take the focus off of me or anything else of this world, and put the focus back on the Word.

Today I am sharing Psalm 51:10. This is a cry of my heart many days. I mess up, I fall. It never fails: I wake up for morning devotions and beg for forgiveness.

"Create in me a pure heart, O Father! Renew a steadfast spirit within me, get me through this day with my eyes on you!"

SELAH. 

 

Family Conversation Jar

Hey there Amigos!

Today I want to share a resource that has been sitting around my house for some time. Let's face it, the art of conversation is slowly disappearing from family dinner tables. Hubby and I often kick back and relax watching Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on YouTube during most of our lunches. So I myself am totally to blame for this.

We are losing ourselves in a world of speaking hashtags instead of using 'real words'. Ex: "OMG, did you see that hamburger? #needtopin, jic!!" ....not that I would ever say that...out loud...ever.

As a result, I created our Family conversation jar as a way to help facilitate good discussions around the dinner table. This is also a fantastic resource for when we have company over.

The idea is simple: make up a bunch of questions (What is your favorite color?), write them on slips of paper, and put them in a jar or bowl. Easy Peasey! Then when you are sitting down to dinner, or entertaining, take out the jar and have each guest grab a question or two. 

I started by making up my own questions and printable for my jar. Which you can find just below here:

Made by Me! I printed under option size "wallet size" to fit my mason jar best. Just right click and "save as"

You can access my 30 Husband Approved Questions over here!

Later after some Pinterest research, I found some great resources for family conversation jars! Go ahead and check those out here:

How Does She blog: you will be asked to sign up for their email before receiving this printable.

Beauty and Bedlam blog:  free on their website!!

The Dating Divas website: This is a review of the Private Affair 'game'. A family conversation starter game that will need purchasing.

I encourage you to make a conversation jar for your family. I think the questions will help facilitate some great, and humorous, discussions at your dinner table!

Q: Do you have a convo jar for your family? What kind of questions would you put in the jar??

FMF: Brave

Howdy there Bloggy,

Time for Five Minute Friday. I am linking up with Lisa Jo Baker. Today our word is BRAVE.

GO!

Two weeks ago now our FMF word was JUMP. I wrote about how I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff tempted to jump off and see if the Lord would catch me. 

Here is my follow up post. 

This was beyond my comfort zone. And it showed as I walked into the room, limbs shaking. I slapped on my nametag and grabbed the nearest chair at the emptiest table. One occupant. I was too nervous to speak. 

I used my full bladder as an excuse to get up and leave, to take my time washing my hands and waiting for the 'program' to start. 

I came back to a full table of talking ladies.

'Be Brave', I told myself. So I tried jumping in the conversation, voice shaking, cheeks heated. 'You are such a dork.' was repeated like a mantra in my head. 

"Be Brave" said the Lord. 

I gave up. I gave in. I had jumped, but I was clinging to the edge of the cliff face. Time to freefall. 

And you know what? I had a marvelous time. I got to know 2 wonderful ladies, who I hope to meet up with again. 

Thank you Lord for catching me when I let go. Thank You for my bravery. 

STOP!

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Thanks for stopping by The Christian Sugar Addict!

Healing Balm for an Aching Heart

Welcome Friends,

After a long stroller walk today, I decided to simply sit in the driveway and soak up the day's remaining rays. Birds were singing, kids were laughing, and Baby Girl was content.

I started watching the kids down the street play with their brand new roller skates, laughing and wobbling around on chicken legs. I knew just what was going to happen to these roller skating newbies. Sure enough, one girl comes flying out of their driveway. I could tell by the way her legs were too far apart..and she was going to fast...I wanted to call out to her...

She bit the dust. Big time. Face first, right into the gravel of a street that hasn't yet been swept.

My mama heart wanted to run and gather her in a big hug as I heard the inevitable and instant cries. Where was her mother??

Ah, there she is, walking slow with another baby on her hip. But... then that mama stopped right at the edge of the yard....and then suddenly a heart wrenching cry from the lips of a broken girl:

"Why are you laughing at me?!"

OH! My heart cringes just to hear it still! The depths of pain, misery, betrayal. 

Now, my purpose is not to condemn the busy mother, but to camp here and identify with this crying child. 

Because how many times have we been that girl?? Bleeding from multiple wounds, lying miserably in the street, alone and desperately crying out for love. For a hug. Others may be on the sidelines laughing, even jeering at our pain. Our closest friends, even family, may fall away.  

And as I sat watching this sad scene unfold, it hit me, like a lightening bolt from the Spirit:

God will never leave me OR forsake me (Deut. 31:6)

God will never laugh at my pain; He has been there, felt that.

When I am hurt, rejected, alone, God is my Rock (2 Sam 22:3); He is my ever present Help (Psalm 46:1). He is our one Constant Companion.

Image courtesy of federico stevanin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Often, when I am in pain, I turn and rage at God, "Why am I alone? Why do I hurt so bad??" But God is running to me with open aching arms. My burning heart can heal here safe! He is not mocking my pain from some far away Throne. He is HERE, whispering my name, bringing comfort with His very presence. 

Oh Lord, I pray that I remember these words, may they stick to my heart like glue. I can feel You here, comforting me, surrounding me, and I don't want to leave. Sit, stay, breathe Your Strength, Your Perfect Love. Thank You Father, Thank You.

I pray the same for all who read these words, that you too may feel His overwhelming comfort today and find refuge from the mocking grins. Camp here in the Lord, our Sheltering Rock. 

Q: Have you ever felt this way? What verses comforted you? How can I pray for you today?