The fruits of my life

I'm not really sure why or when we started calling her Noodle. It could have been when she was still a squirmy little baby or because she was a lanky toddler. Or honestly because her name starts with an N and I was cooking spaghetti for dinner one night and called her that by mistake and it just stuck. Noodle, actually has many nicknames, noodle, nattie, nat nat, nattie no butt (she really hates that one), etc... Regardless of what nickname we call her by, she almost (she's a teenager) always answers with a smile and willing attitude. At the beginning of this school year, superman and I were really worried about how high school would affect her personality. You see our other daughter, uh hem Pumpkin, was quit the punk freshman year. And we were sincerely hoping to not have to endure the frustration again. Much to our surprise, Noodle, has had no suck punkish qualities so far this year. She is loving freshman year and getting involved with band, FCA, theater and orchestr...

Have you ever asked yourself this question? "Who am I?" or said "I need to find myself?" This isn't just a question we ask ourselves when we are teenagers or young adults. I find myself asking this question a lot lately. I have been struggling to keep my quiet time with God everyday. I was once so faithful with this and lately I have let other things and business get in the way. I started with a new firm this year and have found it more demanding than my last. While, I have been continually blessed in my busyness I have found difficulty in finding balance. The further I came from spending time daily in God's word and simple talking with Him the more I found myself asking, who am I? This is the week we celebrate Easter. I felt a deep desire to be in the word this week and to renew my commitment to God to spend time with Him daily. To worship Him, to learn more about Him, and live as He asks me to. John 13:3 says; Jesus knew that the Father had put all t...

What happens when 16 women from different states, backgrounds, and generations come together in an amazing house for one long weekend? One Wild Weekend! I think any woman would be excited to have a weekend away. From schedules, requirements, stress, and laundry:) I look forward to this week almost as much as I look forward to date night with my Superman. This annual trip for me came about when my friend Cindy told me I was going with her. This is Cindy and her loving husband Tim: Isn't she just beautiful? Since, this is my blog, and Cindy isn't here to dispute it, here is how I remember the story's beginning. Cindy is my friend and was my girl scout co-leader. We met at an info meeting for scouts and I asked her to help me out with the troop. Because I am a bit of a control freak, I wanted a co-leader to be a fun lady who would have a blast with the girls, and do what I needed done. Which was basically show up and go on fun trips with us. Cindy is...

Am I a tree hugger? Sometimes, I mean I like trees and all, I am thankful for the beautifully breathtaking world we were given to live in, I even recycle most of the time. But as I found myself making household cleaning supplies recently I wondered if I was going granola? As it turns out, I'm just cheap thrifty! My friend Anna told me she had found a recipe to make liquid laundry soap and that it would cost only one cent a load of laundry!!! Holy cow, Tide (my preferred brand) costs me about 50 cents a load. We we decided to do it. It took us about 20-30 minutes to make it and then it needed to sit overnight before we could combine it with more water and put it in our re-usable tree hugging containers (SEE I RECYCLE). We used this recipe: Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value 4 Cups - hot tap water 1 Fels-Naptha soap bar 1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda * ½ Cup Borax - Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir ...

In July I was visiting my dermatologist to take the next step in controlling my psoriasis, when I happened to ask about a mole on my chin that….irritated me. It was one of those unsightly moles that will mysteriously grow a long “whisker” seemingly overnight, that you don’t actually discover until you are in a public place and without tweezers. Unfortunately, she said it was fine and didn’t need removed. Sigh. Then upon further review of my face she pointed to a tiny spot close to my eye and said, “That one isn’t good, it needs to be removed, schedule on your way out for one day next week”. Double Sigh! Then next week came, and I show up for my appointment to remove the suspicious mark on my face. I am not sure what I expected really, but it was super quick, easy and mostly painless. One shot of lidocaine and one slice with a scalpel and the spot was gone. I discovered two important things that day, one, my dermatologist is awesome, quick, and funny and two, I will never be gettin...

This week at church we started a study on the Apostles Creed. Part 1 “I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth an in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord.” What kind of Father is God? This was a tough topic for me to accept and make sense of. And from time to time, doubt will still creep in. But all in all, over the past year or so, I have come to the conclusion that the earthly fathers God placed in my life weren’t capable to give me exactly what I thought I needed. Maybe it was God’s beginning of His work in me to let me know I only needed Him. He alone could more than fill that empty void that sadness, that… unexplainable gut wrenching anger I held for both dads that I “had.” Couldn’t God see my pain? My fear? My need to be loved? Didn’t he know the hurt that had been inflicted by on me by one and the abandonment of the other? Why did He want me to be so sad? DIDN’T HE LOVE ME? I spent a lot of time lost as a teen. Making choices that could never be erased....

Cold? Did I ask for cold? Just a week ago, when it was close to 90, I was wishing for fall weather, so I could put on some jeans and a sweater. And now, well it's really chilly. And because it's only September, I cannot turn on the furnace. It's a silly rule really, just like I won't turn on the air in May. Those two months, I think should be windows open months. However, the other night I left all the windows open on the first floor.......it was 55 degrees when we woke up. I had to put on socks; I am so not a sock person. But the last few mornings, I have socked up so that my toes don't fall off. I am loving the BSF study group I joined, we are studying the book of Isaiah. It is sooooo not my learning style as it's a very academic approach. But, here's the thing, I want a better understanding of God's promises for those who seek Him. This book is also a source of comfort and learning for my oldest daughter, and as with all teenagers it's a challenge...