More Than Many Sparrows

   Over the weekend, I found a baby bird. A Robin Nestling, to be exact, wiggling around pitifully under our grill, no nest to be found. After a legitimate amount of research and observation, my Mommy Heart could take no more and I nestled him safely, per the online instructions, in a nest-shaped basket, lined with paper towel. I waited eagerly for his Momma Bird to come for him, peeking out the dining room window more times than I care to admit. I never did see her, but I know she must have come because the next day I discovered bits of moss and things in the basket. What a little homemaker. Husband also said he saw the Daddy Robin around, so it seemed the whole thing was going according to "plan." I envisioned watching the whole circle of life from our dining room window. Bringing Little Boy out to say hello every morning. Etc, etc.
   Then the thunderstorms came, and my head started spinning. Would he make it? Should I move the nest? Would Mommy Bird take the proper precautions? But there was nothing to do but hope for the best. The next morning I went to see what had become of him, and imagine my delight when I peeled back the soaked paper towels to find our little friend, seemingly no worse for the wear, with a wet little feather fauxhawk to boot. Everything was going to be alright. But it wasn't.
Yesterday when I went to check on him, I found he had passed away in the night. I tried, really I did to not be upset by this, to remember all the "real" stuff I have to concern myself with, but it was no use. It hurt my heart a little bit. And then, floating around in my head and my heart came the all familiar verse,

     "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside the Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

    I've used it so often to remember not to worry about big things. That God is in control of my life. That if He can take care of things that "don't matter," than He can take care of big things too. And that is what it means. But yesterday morning it meant so much more. It meant that little things did matter. It meant that He saw me. He saw "my" bird. He knew all about it, and it had all been thoroughly under His control before I had ever come on the scene. He saw it wriggling pitifully under my grill, and He entrusted it, even for that short time, into my care. He saw it all, He knew it all. And more than that, He loved me enough to use that experience as a reminder of those constant truths. He sees, He knows, He loves. Big and small.
   So grateful for a God who speaks. Who speaks through sad. Who speaks through small. Thanks for the reminder Jesus. Now I guess I can move on to the "real" things...

Galations

"I {my old self} have been crucfied with Christ so it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith {trusting in} the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God {treat it as meaningless} for if righteousness could be gained throught the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galations 2:20-21 NIV {NLT}

Confession, and it's a doozy: This morning, after I fed baby and put him back to sleep I was having my quiet time on the couch. And when Husband walked in and saw me doing my Bible study, I was secretly glad that he saw me. We're not always up togther in the morning, so I was gratified to know that he would know that I do bible study in the morning. Yikes. I know. If you want to leave now, I understand.

If you're still here, allow me assure you that I was almost instantly revived from my ugliness by this passage I "just happened" to be reading. And it occured to me, pretty profoundly, that if I'm truly living the Christian life by crucifying myself and letting Jesus fill me up and pour out, then husband shouldn't have to see me having quiet time to know that I spend time with Christ. Yeah.

How very hypocritical of me to deem the "law" of reading the Word to be more important than letting the Word be evident in the way I live. Just a thought.

Tried and Truesday: Donut Miffins

So, I don't know about you, but I have about a bajillion pins on Pinterest. If I was the person my Pinterest boards reflected, I would be...the best. So, in an effort to become a little more like my alter ego, I'm buckling down and accomplishing something - and you're going to help! Here's what I'm thinking: What if we have a Pinterest party every Tuesday? I'll share something "tried and true" from my Pinterest boards - a recipe, outfit, DIY, etc - and YOU can do the same by leaving a link in the comments. Sound good? Let's go!

 

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"French Breakfast Donuts" - Original Recipe and Post, HERE

 

 

So, it's not best picture because it was a late night snack attack, but let me assure you, they're pretty much delicious! I followed the recipe almost exactly with a few exceptions...

 

1. I don't have a doughnut pan so I made muffins instead, but it worked just as well with the same temp, time, and everything.

 

2. I didn't have any nutmeg on hand, so I used Pumpkin Pie Spice instead. Also, because I put Pumpkin Pie Spice on everything.

 

3.  Just for giggles, since they are supposed to be doughnut-y, I glazed them with a simple mixture of powdered sugar and milk instead. However, I'm pretty confident that butter and cinnamon sugar would be terrific.

 

So there you have it, enjoy!

       

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I'd love to hear from you, so be sure to post your recent Pinterest success in the comments!

 



 

 

November To Dos

Holy fly-by Fall, Batman, it's November, people! Can you believe it? I'm having a hard time myself, but I am just so excited! This means that "The Holiday Season" is upon us. Now, I know there are many who see this time as more of a burden than the blessing it really is, but I am not one of those people. I live for this stuff. I'm, perhaps, a tad sentimental about all things Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc, so forgive the bells and whistles while I go off the deep end.

This time of year seems to make me {want to be} super domestic and organized, so I did what any domesticated and organized girl would do, I made myself a list!

Dos and Don'ts for November

{Do} Keep my pumpkins and such out and about!

We didn't even make it to the pumpkin patch to get our goodies until a few days before Halloween, so you can bet that those suckers are staying out in all their pumpkin-y glory until Thanksgiving. Pumpkins and Halloween are not mutually exclusive, so enjoy the fruits of your pumpkin patch labor for a few more weeks!

{Don't} Complain about the weather!

I am the worst at this! Every summer I whine about how I just cannot wait until it starts to cool down, and then as soon as it does, I whine about how cold it is. This year, my mantra will be "Sweater weather is my friend, sweater weather is my friend, sweater weather is my friend..." So if you see me mumbling to myself, now you know why.

{Do} Put Pumpkin Pie Spice on everything!

Addiction is such an ugly word....but it's probably the best one to describe how I feel about Pumpkin Pie Spice. I bought it last year for Thanksgiving cupcakes, and this year I use it for just about everything that could use a little Autumn spirit: coffee, french toast, pancakes, doughnuts, apple crisp...if you think Pumpkin Pie Spice might work on something, go with that thought!

{Don't} Buy all the hype and stress!

This time of year doesn't have to be the big bad wolf some people make it. Yeah, so it already feels like the whole year is crashing down, but I will not let it steal my spirit. Take a breath, embrace the season, and don't sweat the stuff you don't have to. Keep perspective, and enjoy!

{Do} Deep clean the house!

While most of the world puts stock in Spring Cleaning, this is the time of year when my cleaning mojo really gets going. There's something so exciting about getting every nook and cranny of the house ready for such a special time of year. Knowing my house is clean makes it feel even more warm and cozy.

{Don't} Expect too much of myself!

I have a baby this year. I will allow myself a lot of grace, and realize that I do not have the kind of control over everything that I {like to think I} usually do.

{Do} Plan ahead!

This is the number one thing that combats potential stress. If I know I can attack all my cleaning in bite size pieces, or that I have a certain day to shop or cook, it eliminates the guesswork and allows me to enjoy the process. Sure, there's still potential to get bent out of shape if something comes up that makes the plan change, but at least it's a start. I can just make a new plan and begin again.

{Don't} Skip ahead!

Another thing I am the worst at is getting so excited about Christmas that I wish all my time away daydreaming about the future instead of enjoying the moment. Especially with my sweet Baby to enjoy, I don't want to miss a thing this year! Maybe that's one reason why I put so much fanfare into Thanksgiving. It's a good way to maintain focus and live in the now.

So that's me, what about you? Is there anything you just have to do this time of year? Feel free to steal some of mine. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it goes. Enjoy the first day of November, Friends!

 

The Lie of Self-Improvement

Hello. My name is Lucy, and I have a flair for the dramatic.

Every couple of {days} weeks, I come to the conclusion that I am not good enough. I am not a good enough Wife. I am not a good enough Mother. I am not a good enough housekeeper. I am not a good enough person. This, of course, comes as a huge blow and sends me into a myriad of prayers and plans, and most importantly - self-improvement. If I am lucky, I manage to scrape out a better existence for a little while before I start the cycle all over again.

It finally occurred to me that, apart from being insane, my plan of attack was just not working, and I think I've figured out why. Because it has been my plan. My self-improvement. My fundamental error is assuming that there is anything I can do in my own power to make myself a "better person."

It is comforting to know I am not alone in this struggle. The Apostle Paul apparently felt the same way,

"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do....

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have a desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is the sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to {sin and} death?

Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"      Romans 7:15-25a

Okay, so it's quite a mouthful, but I love this so human moment that Paul shares with us. He's practically frantic! What I want to do I don't do but what I don't want to do I keep on doing! I know the feeling Paul.

But Paul is a step ahead, because he's got the answer. Who will save me? Jesus. Paul knows what I seem to be learning rather slowly, that he is incapable of doing the good he wants to do, in and of himself. Only Jesus can do that good through him.

See, wanting to be better = good. Thinking I can make myself better = bad. In this age of be who you want to be, pull yourself up by your own boot straps, we have been sold the lie that the power to be the "best we can be" is somewhere inside of us if we only use it. But Paul knows that the only thing inside us the desire to do good and the sin nature that keeps us from doing it. I hope you realize how freeing this is! This is not a gloom and doom message about how messed up we are and how hopeless our situation is. It's a wonderful redeeming message about how messed up we are and how it doesn't matter, if we let God use us despite our weakness. He has the power to make us exactly what He wants us to be. Exactly what He needs us to be so that He can bring about the work He's called us to.

For me, that means abiding in Him and learning to hear his voice so that I can be the Wife, Mother, and homemaker that He has called me to be. He brought me here to this place, to this task, and it would be foolish of me to assume that it is now my responsibility to make it all happen. My responsibility is to be here, and to be willing. Willing to answer when He calls, to do the hard things, and to get back up when I inevitably stumble. That is some serious grace, and I don't know about you, but I need to swim in that today.

Thanks be to God, who delivers me though Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

Romance: Learning to Pay Attention

Confession: I'm a bit of  hopeless romantic, and I grew up fostering a lot of notions and expectations of what married life would be like. Candlelight, daily sweeping off of the feet, ooo lala, etc. And you know what, my fairy tale has not been a disappointment, there's scads of romance there. It's just maybe disguised in a way I didn't really expect before when I spent all that time daydreaming. See, it feels like there are a lot of resources out right now that are supposed to help you figure out how to love your spouse well. These resources are great, and it's incredibly important to cultivate an attitude of loving your spouse well, but there is an element to properly loving and appreciating our husbands that I believe has been underrated. We {I} need to learn to see. Because I don't know about you, but sometimes while I'm over here waiting for sparks to fly the way I think they should, my Husband is pouring love on me, and it's going unnoticed. There's lots of time and places for all the "sweeping" and such {oh boy, are there times and places. Too much information?} but you know what's really sexy?

Working long and hard so that you and baby can stay home.

Going to Walmart to pick up Sunday lunch, and coming home with a brand new shower curtain liner because the one you have is all moldy and disgusts you to no end, and you may have mentioned it...once or twice.

Loading the dishwasher while you're putting the little squirt to bed.

Bringing home leftover Krispy Kremes from work. {I mean, hello?}

Repairing the toilet for the upteenth time so that it will flush properly.

When he says the supper you spent the whole evening preparing was good. And the times he eats it even when it's not really.

When you decide not to bring a change of clothes for the baby while you run Saturday errands, only the baby decides to pee all over everything and you have to go all the waaaaaay back home to get him redressed before going all the waaaay back out, and he {your husband} holds his tongue about your amazing stupidity.

Not that that last thing actually happened...

You see what I'm saying? I'm saying that it's totally important to learn how to love our husbands in a way they will understand, and for them to do the same for us, but in the meantime I want to pay attention to all the ways he's already loving me. God gave me this amazing man who really does love me, a lot, if I just appreciate his methods. I want to see.

 

That moment when...

You were going to write a post about something kind of funny that happened to you at the grocery store, and you were pretty certain it was going to be witty if not hilarious, but you were absolutely certain that it was going to be at someone else's expense, so as you're writing in your head God directly speaks to you and gently reminds you that that sort of post is not glorifying to Him, and you know He's right {obviously}...so you do the right thing and let the potentially funny post go, and it's kind of a bummer because most of the time doing the right thing is kind of a bummer...and then you reflect on the fact that GOD just spoke.to.you...and you decide that's pretty freakin' awesome.