The Cookie Chronicles 3rd Ed.

Cookie #9
October 20, 2011
Chocolaty Drop Cookies
Shane's Choice

I am realizing that chocolate cookies do not photograph well with a smartphone. Someday perhaps I'll invest in a real camera. Anyway, its not about the photography, its about the memories. These cookies are Shane's pick. He actually chose these cookies last time, but I couldn't find mini M&Ms...they sell them at Walmart, just not the food stores. So these cookies were highly anticipated by my cute little rock star of a superhero.

What fun we had planning this day. Our friend Mrs. Michelle came to help me spruce up my blog, you will notice a difference eventually, she is secretly working her magic behind the scenes right now. We cannot have Mrs. Michelle over and not have a party. It is kind of a tradition with my boys. The last time she came, we sat in their mess of a bedroom and had a fantastic party with music, games and a granola bar cake. Good memories. She is a very special lady, and we just love her. You can catch her blog right here.

To make it even more special, it really was her birthday just the day before. So we treated her to flowers and a balloon and Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins, as well as peanut butter and honey sandwiches. I know we really go all out! :) While the boys were pining for her attention I was able to finish the cookies. These may look like really yummy kid friendly cookies, but I must be honest, only one of my children (Shane) really loved them. They are not sickeningly sweet, I think it has more of a dark cocoa flavor..goes very good with coffee. Mr. Incredible loved them, but my twins had no problem saying they were NOT bad cookies, but...not their favorite. The picture below makes me laugh because I totally have another picture of Michelle doing that very thing. It's a sign of love for the cookie...I promise!  

Not sure who will be trying these cookies yet, but I want to update and let you know that last week (after publishing the 2nd Edition), we were able to deliver a butterfly net to another friend as well as a sampling of the Cherry Vanilla Drop Cookies....

..they were a hit! We are thrilled to share the love! That is what it is all about, the memories around the cookies! We have realized that there is always a reason to celebrate. Maybe its not your birthday or a holiday, but it is a new day and it is a day that the Lord has made, so we rejoice in Him and that is reason enough to celebrate. So how are you going to celebrate your day today? Let me know, and in the meantime stay tuned to the next edition of The Cookie Chronicles and remember to celebrate something today...because we all need a little sweet now and then.

Honor

Honor, a showing of respect. My husband and I moved to Florida for two reasons. One, his Mom was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and we thought she might enjoy getting to know her grandsons, and two, his Pop was living alone and could use someone to live with him. As time went on, it became a blessing for both Mike and Pop. We are grateful for our time with him. My boys had the rare opportunity to spend 8 years with their Great Grandfather. They had an opportunity to learn respect for the elderly. Then, in his final years with us, we all had an opportunity to understand like, no one else, what it is like to live with someone we love who suffers with Dementia/Alzheimer's . Taking care of Pop was my husband's way of honoring his grand father and his mother and teaching his boys to do the same. (You wonder why I call him Mr. Incredible?)

Back on August 5th, we helped Pop move into his new home, a Brookdale Community specifically for people with his condition...Clare Bridge Assisted Living. It is an amazing facility! My husband did his research and it really paid off!

The day we dropped him off was not easy. There were some serious tears. We lived with the latter stages of this disorder for at least 3 years. Some of the symptoms that we all endured were: (aside from always having to be with him, and in the last year, he really needed qualified people to watch him for more than a couple of hours, so we never ever went out as a family for more than that.) being woken up 2-3 times a night every night, restlessness during the day, assisting in eating, toileting and bathing, having to be extremely heightened to germs, (keeping all of our food hidden do to that very reason), waking up the children, wandering out of the house...the list could go on. We do it because we love him...so saying goodbye to him that day, was really hard. How can anyone love him like we do?

It took its toll on my children for sure. Especially this boy right here. My sweet Brendan. He has suffered a great deal. For well over a year the boy could not sleep a whole night through. He would wait so he could hear Pop calling for Mike in case Mike couldn't hear him. On rare occasions, Mike and I would leave the boys and Pop with someone for a couple of hours..just for some alone time, however, Brendan would be the one to talk Pop into sitting down and not wandering outside. Brendan would hear the conversations Mike would have with Pop about not doing certain things because he might burn down the house. Brendan has had to see Pop in situations that no child really ever should see. So, it took its toll on him pretty hard. Brendan began to show signs of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsiveness.

It really was the right timing. No matter what it was that forced our hand..the timing was God's all along. My husband received a scholarship to go to nursing school so if Pop were not in a home I would have had to care for him myself. I know that God has given me Grace for the moment before and he would have given me grace to get through if that was His will, but with all of my heart, I know that it was not His will. We could endure no more.

This is Pop about a month after moving him in to his new home. That place is amazing! He is so happy, well taken care of and gets to wander to his hearts content. Oh the love runs deep! Our time spent with him is a joy! We are thankful for our relationship. Brendan is healing, slowly but surely, and we as a family are healing as well. We continue to honor Pop and respect his 93 years of life on earth. My boys have a treasure in the memories made with Pop and we have all learned a valuable lesson in Honor.

Sharing Faith = Tangible Love

Before we had children we had very strong beliefs on how we would raise them. They were not always popular with some family members or friends, but we had a very long time to think about raising children. While much of what we planned on doing seemed intentional, really it was just the way we lived our own lives as husband and wife. There are more things our children learn by observation than by instruction.

I remember a time in my pregnancy with Shane that the doctors thought he was not going to make it. He had sent me home with very little hope. My husband sat with me in the kitchen and while we both cried out to Jesus he brought his 16 month old twins into the kitchen and laid their little hands on my womb next to his and we, as a family prayed for baby Shane. This was the beginning of practicing our faith in our children. Mr. Incredible and I are very aware of the hand of God in our lives and we are indeed sure that our superheros are as well.

So practically speaking, we have seen God in such tangible ways that you will hear my children say things like..."Remember the time Jesus brought us food and left us bags of groceries on our front door?" ...."Hey Mom...Jesus cleaned Pop's bathroom!" or most recently..."It is like Jesus just mowed our lawn." My children know that every good and precious gift comes from the Father...and we see Jesus in skin all the time. So we purpose to be that as well.
Training begins right here at the home. It is part of my job as a Superhero Mom to train these boys to be Godly men/husbands/citizens. To love and respect one another is one of the most important lessons to learn. They are brothers, we are a family, respect and honor begins right here! These are not just chores to earn money, but to be a blessing to this unit we call family. Faith in action!

Shane & Kyle (do you see his name tag...it says.."Super Kyle") volunteer once a month at a local church to help feed the homeless and hungry. It started with the Shane's passion for the homeless. The boy's heart is huge! You can read this story HERE. My superheros have never feared sharing the love of Jesus. When Brendan was 4 he knelt down at his preschool (not a Christian school) and prayed for his teacher's sore foot. Shane and Kyle would ask any store clerk or anyone if they knew Jesus. One time in particular, Shane asked and the man holding the door outside of 7-11 said "No." I'll never forget my sweet superhero with tears in his eyes..."Mom, how will he know?" - We went right to prayer as the man drove off in his car!

At this church where we participate in helping to feed the hungry in our community, Kyle, Shane and I are runners. We are there to help people carry their plates of food and get their drinks and just love on them as they sit and get a nice hot meal.

These two boys have ministered so much love! The guests that come in for a meal are often heard talking about those boys who treat them like royalty. It is true. Towards the end Shane and Kyle will get to have a bite to eat and they will find a place amongst the people to sit and talk. It is so precious to watch and each month their hearts get bigger and bigger! It is such an honor to serve alongside my superheros every month.

Then there is my best friend in the world...Lorrie! She was going through a difficult time for a season. Her way of working through that is to keep herself busy. She came over to the house every day, painted, did repairs and had dinner with us every night for about a week. She is another person in my life who just shares her faith by tangibly loving others. We love to tangibly love each other!

How will they know unless we tell them? How will they know unless we show them? How will they know unless we love them?....just like Jesus!

Harvesting Happiness

When you cannot leave your house together as family for more than 3 hours at a time, you forget what it is like to be spontaneous. Caring for our Pop required many sacrifices, one being that we were unable to leave him for more than a few hours a week, and if we left him, we had to arrange care for him. So much work for a few hours of alone time. There is a blog forthcoming regarding our decision to place Pop in a facility that is able to care for him better than we could, but for now, it has been difficult to write. It is coming however.

So I find myself trying to literally harvest some of these happy times because my superheros are so much in need of some quality family time (and so are their parents). The challenge of course is doing this all on a very restricted budget, but as you can see we manage just fine!

Last Friday, we took a field trip to a zoo (also a blog upcoming this week). It was in lieu of science class so we considered it a field trip. After our fantastic day together, we decided to spend the rest of the daylight over in Downtown Disney. Since we had the ability to do this (nothing keeping us from staring at our watches and a backpack full of sandwiches...we just spur-of-the-moment decided to go)! The best part was that we called Mr. Incredible to join us...and that was just the icing on the cake! Oh how we all love just being together outside of our home!! Mike joined us (he too is just getting use to this spontaneous mindset) after he finished his clinicals, and when we spotted him in the parking lot, it was as if we hadn't seen each other in years (even though we had just seen him 9 hours earlier). So cute, it almost made me get choked up, all the boys and myself just ran up to him and embraced him.

Yes, still in his scrubs, but that is a constant reminder of the amazing story of how God blessed our family by providing a way for him to go to school this year! (another blog...I have some serious catching up to do!)

Here we are with one of the living statues! So fun!

This picture makes me happy. My son Brendan has had the most difficult time this year. Because of his caregiver personality and his sensitive heart, he took on so much during the past few years of caring for Pop. We had no idea just how much his little heart was carrying. Being so close to Pop's room, Brendan could not sleep well at all, always awake and waiting for Pop to get up and call for Mike (Pop would get up all hours of the night and come wake us up on a regular basis--he even woke up the boys on occasion). Brendan was fearful that Pop would burn the house down, or have to call for Mike and Mike not hear him, so his sleep was fretful. Then right before we chose to place Pop in a home, my husband's Mom passed away from a 9 year battle with cancer and we had to say our "goodbyes"--so much for a little boy to handle. Needless to say, he has developed some coping mechanisms that have debilitated him in his everyday life. As of a few weeks ago, Brendan was diagnosed with Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. He has struggled so much..just crying about his fears and anxieties..wanting this to be over.

So this is why this picture makes me happy. Throughout the evening at Downtown Disney, Brendan couldn't help but tell me, "Mom, I think I'm doing so much better! Mom, I think that God is really healing me! I'm so happy Mom!!!" He had so much fun. Three months ago we came to Downtown Disney and he had such a hard time being there! So here we are harvesting happiness.

Shane has struggled with everything that has gone on too, but he exhibits in different ways. Not so much debilitating like Brendan but you could tell once we placed Pop in a home everyone seemed to be shell shocked, as if we were living with post traumatic stress or something. Shane springs back quickly and here he is being the entertainer that he thrives on being. You know, he wants to be a missionary that sings!

Speaking of singing--our friend Dominic Gaudious he plays at Downtown Disney five days a week and since we frequent so often he actually remembered us. My boys love his music. No singing, just instrumental, but so much fun...the bamboo didgeridoo is loads of fun! We had a blast just dancing to the music, laughing and walking around all night long.

Then there is Kyle (very red lips from his Italian Ice), I think somewhat protected by his specialness, he too has struggled, but we can always see the hand of God in this boy. Don't they just make you smile? My superheros...overcomers in every way! Throughout all that we've been through the Lord was faithful to give us joy in the midst of our circumstances. Now that our circumstances have changed, we are having a wonderful time harvesting happy moments to cherish and meaningful memories! More to come!

Beauty All Around

The photo credit goes to my 10 year old son Brendan, who is totally enraptured by the weather and the sky. He really wants to find a storm system and be the first to catch a hurricane..even before the weather experts. It is so wonderful when we finally find our passion. When we are passionate about something, we are motivated, energized and hopeful!

Brendan took this picture outside on our front lawn on the evening of Saturday, October 15th. He came rushing into the house with my camera so excited to show that he captured the Lord's gift to him on film. A few minutes later the scene totally changed...so capturing the beauty of the moment felt...rare. I believe it was Confucius who once said, "Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." So it can indeed feel rare. Last week I purposed myself to spend the day trying to find beauty in everything. I will tell you this, it is much like practicing gratitude, it totally changes your perspective on everything. Life just felt lighter, smelled better and sounded sweeter.

Thus my lead in to continue to write out my 1000 Gifts.

Thank you Father for...

190. The beauty of both the sunrise and sunset.

191. A family full of people finding their passions.

192. Hope when my physical body is failing me.

193. Big bearlike hugs from my man.

194. Your Word that is like a balm to my soul.

195. Friendships that brings immense joy.

196. Freedom that rings in my home after many years of not resounding at all.

197. Our pets that brings us a unique kind of joy.

198. The coolness of the change in season, albeit slowly here in Florida.

199. The quiet sounds of early morning when I spend my time with You!

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17 ESV

The Cookie Chronicles 2nd Ed.

Cookie #8
October 14, 2011
Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies
Kyle's Choice

I really enjoyed making these. I was surprised that Kyle wanted something with fruit in it. He is typically a very "plain" kind of boy. They looked appealing to him. When asked why he chose them, he just said that they look "happy." On this day I purposed to look at everything and choose to see beauty. It is amazing how things change when you make some serious choices. What a "happy" this day was.

I'm not sure why, perhaps it was a highlight of a dim childhood, cherries make me smile. I think my Aunt Dottie use to make me Shirley Temples when I was little. She and my cousin would treat this little pauper child like royalty when they would visit me.
Ah...my mise en place! Enticing ingredients right?

So often when I'm baking I have an audience. I watch the Dinardi children (well two of them) after school. It is good to have a panel of judges...keeps you humble. :)

Everyone gave the warm Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies 5 Smiles!! Of course we made our deliveries around to our neighbors. Sent Shane to do that and he came back with candy. How does he do that? He was just supposed to deliver with a smile....I'm thinking that like any superhero, those eyelashes and dimples just ooze cuteness and they melt people right were they are, not to mention that precious little heart that wants to "love" on everyone! Oh..that is another reason why we are making cookies - to bless our neighbors and be sure we leave an impression of Jesus on them.

Well, finished product. Cherry Vanilla Chip Cookies! It was a sweet day...we even ended it with pancakes and sausage for dinner. Stay tuned to the next edition of The Cookie Chronicles and in the meantime think about how you can add a little sugar to your day...because we all need a little sweet now and then.

Wherever You Send Us...We Will Go!

"And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:15

Wondering what the Lord has in store for this family. I look at this picture and want to cry...from joy. This was the first night we went out as a family in one car, alone, just the 5 of us with our 10 feet...in 2 years. Taking care of Pop was what we were supposed to do...he is our family..we love him. We have felt total confirmation from every angle that placing him in such a wonderful loving facility was the right choice at the right time. We were called to do that...for a season...a long season. Now we are being called for something else.

I'm not sure what yet. I know that there has been a priority shift. We have 3 boys who love the Lord and deeply love to serve people. I have a husband who has such compassion for his patients & such passion for what he is studying. Then there is me -- I have a deep love of God's Word, the Gospel, and a love for his children! I feel like I've been given a story...and a need to share it.

When I met Mr. Incredible in college, we were both a part of a ministry. We served with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship for all the years we were in college together. We did one-on-one evangelism, we did sidewalk preaching, we held prayer meetings and prayer walks. We served side by side and knew that was what we were called to do...for a season.

Then we started to serve in our church...together as a married couple. Mr. Incredible did everything, led worship, preached on Wednesdays, sometimes on Sundays. I taught Sunday School, led Bible Studies and Women's Ministry, spoke at different churches...for a season.

We had children. My mission field became very clear...they were my mission field...they are my mission field. I train them to hide the Word in their hearts. I teach them about the Lord, I demonstrate love. I am responsible for their understanding of right and wrong. I'm to nurture their loving hearts. We model marriage for them. We introduced them all to Jesus and we help nurture their love and trust in Him. They move toward independence in that they want to lay crowns at the Father's feet someday. We nurture their love for others and their desire to serve...this I'm called to for eternity.

Where will you have these feet go Lord? Wherever you send us...we will go!

The Cookie Chronicles - 1st Ed.

Once upon a time, someone gave me a cookie jar that just called out to be displayed. Once my eyes beheld its unique beauty, I new it had to be filled. I was notorious for baking cookies when I was a teacher up north. I would spend 20 hours the Saturday before Christmas break and bake well over 1,500 cookies. In the beginning, I did not have the beautiful Kitchen-Aid....I had a wooden spoon, a bowl and lots of ingredients.

Times have changed. Several years ago, Mr. Incredible purchased a Kitchen-Aid and life became more simple. I continued the tradition of baking every Christmas..tons and tons of cookies. Cookies to share, cookies to eat and cookies to give as gifts. I baked cookies only during Christmas...it was...my thing!

Now that our lives have changed so dramatically here at our home, and since someone gave me a cookie jar that screams..."Fill me up!", the kids and I have decided that we would attempt to make a different cookie every week. I don't know if we will actually accomplish it, but we will certainly have fun trying! So thus begins the Cookie Chronicles. (Silly right?...I just miss writing).

Every cookie was sampled by several people, consistently, and not to be mentioned hereafter, those would be my family and Mr. Dave Dinardi. He appreciates a good cookie..so we make sure he gets at least one from each batch. :)

Cookie #1
August 12, 2011
Oatmeal Scotchies

I had just received the cookie jar as a gift from my best friend and these were the ingredients that I had in the house. Of course Lorrie Blandy sampled many of these. She was with us a lot this particular week. Blessing us by painting the boys rooms and building shelves. Good memories.

Cookie #2
August 18, 2011
Triple Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Kyle's Choice

What can I say, the boy loves chocolate. (Dodger did steal one and then we had to have the talk about how chocolate could be deadly to dogs....we can only hope Dodger was listening..he seemed to be too busy drooling to listen.) We made goodie bags for Lorrie Blandy and our special sister, Ms. Charlotte Sweet (she was in the midst of a challenging group project).

Cookie #3
August 30, 2011
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Shane's Choice
These were by far the #1 favorites...delicious Andes Mints gave this cookie a smooth cool mint flavor, surrounded by decadent chocolate both white and dark! YUM! After the last picture and my husband's comment about how the cookies looked like droppings...I decided against an actual finished product picture here! But did manage to get a unique shot with that very cute little boy in the picture! Our neighbors got to try these. We are good to our neighbors. I was supposed to bring some of these to my Life Transformation Group but I left the baggie on my counter when I left to meet them. They were very disappointed. Ms. Katie did call later in the week to see if there were any left, sadly for her, these were highly loved cookies that just didn't last very long!

Cookie #4
September 7, 2011
Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip
Brendan's Choice
His words exactly...."Why mess with the best Mom!" Both he and Mr. Incredible love these traditional favorites. I'm not sure if it is because of how delicious it is or because it just seems to make tons of them!
Cookie #5
September 25, 2011
Snickerdoodles
Kyle's Choice
Typically a favorite for Christmas, but Kyle loves their crunchy, yet seemingly soft bite and of course that delicate cinnamon sugar combination....Mr. Incredible loves how wonderfully this particular cookies goes with coffee or tea! Did you happen to notice there is a gap in the dates? That would be because the very next day after making Cookie #4 Chocolate Chips, I experienced the worst cluster headache attack that I've ever had. What an ordeal. I was in serious, almost suicidal, pain for almost 2 weeks straight. Even had an adverse reaction to one of the many drugs given to me. I was in no shape to get out of bed, let alone make cookies. UGH! Memories! So I missed two weeks, but that isn't the point. The cookie chronicles reminds me what happened in the gap. Fun huh? Oh and before I forget, Ms. Aleatha and her boys were here when I made these, then after she left Ms. Allison showed up and snagged some for her family too! This makes me smile...remembering my friends stopping by and sharing cookies with them.
Cookie #6
October 1, 2011
Mocha Orange Crinkles
Shane's Choice
What a fun cookie! The delicious combination of orange/chocolate and coffee...you savored each bite and they were beautiful. The dough was made on a Friday and had to be refrigerated overnight. The next day would be Saturday and Brendan's Baptism was the following day. We gave some of these to our new neighbor Ty and our dear friends Mr. & Mrs. Broadway (Mr. Paul & Mrs. Hazel) Mr. Dave Dinardi almost missed out on these, but when there were only 4 left, he picked up his children at my house and was able to snag one before they were gone!
This picture reveals why I love doing cookies every week...it lets me have fun in the kitchen with my superheros. Look at my Shane all disheveled and cute. We are not just making cookies you know...we're making memories!

Cookie #7
October 7, 2011 (My Dad's Birthday-love and miss my Dad-he would have loved these cookies!)
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Brendan's Choice
Just look at those ingredients...how could anyone not want this cookie. The fun part for my superheros is helping to unwrap the chocolate and not get to eat any. There are 36 cookies and 36 candies in a bag. Mom only buys one bag...so there is no eating the peanut butter cups. I however did acquire another bag of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, because as I was rolling the balls I thought I wouldn't have enough candy. So I made an S.O.S. call to Mr. Incredible and he saved the day by stopping and buying more. When I finished making the balls there were exactly 36. (Didn't need the extra candy afterall)...now those extra candies sit in my Lydia bowl and tempt all the children that walk by my entertainment center. The problem with this recipe is that it only makes 36 cookies and you must roll the balls correctly for these to actually work.
Hence the reason for the ruler. I am very particular when baking. I never ever just use a measuring cup..measure cups are always used with knives to level off every single time. Got a lot of comments to this cookie post on Facebook. But it makes me smile nonetheless! My Life Group got to try these. Too bad we had some people absent. They missed great fellowship, and delicious cookies.
I wonder what is next. I'm excited (and I'm probably the only one). So, good for you if you made it all the way through. The next edition of the Cookie Chronicles will only be featuring one cookie. If you need the recipe, just comment and let me know. I'll get it to you. Noticed the I intentionally used the word "need", because we all need a little sweet now and then.

Graditude & Hope

I mentioned on Saturday, at Bagels & Blessings that one of the ways to have hope in the midst of hopeless times is to do what it says in Psalms 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Give thanks for good days present and past - both ordinary good days and the special, breathtaking, moment-of-truth good days. I believe it was Thomas Kinkade ( could totally be wrong on that) who once wrote: "Good days are like shining lampposts dotted along our paths to help us see the way to God."

Either way I know when I'm focusing on what I'm grateful for it is like a medication prescribed just for me, to keep me my heart hopeful, joyful, and at peace!

To remind my friends where this all began you can my last list by clicking here on 1000 Gifts. However, to remind you what this is all about it's a list of 1000 things that we are grateful for - things that we may even take for granted. It was started by Ann Voskamp and she put forth the challenge for us to take a look at what the Lord has so graciously lavished upon us. Perhaps if we took on this challenge of thinking about what we are grateful for and naming them one by one, we would have less time to complain and less time to fear. The Bible says "Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above" so I have started intentionally pondering the gifts that God has already given me in my 42+ years. Care to join me?

Thank you Lord for:

180. Who you are...my hope..my everything.

181. Providing for our every need.

182. Allowing my children to see you in practical ways..(like Jesus in skin mowing my lawn)

184. Giving me fellow climbers who journey this mountain of life with me.

185. Preserving your story, my testimony despite lies and slander that once hit me so hard.

186. Telling me to move out of the way so you can have Your way.

187. Giving me eyes to see and ears to hear!

188. Your faithfulness in the ministry you've called me to..thank you Holy Spirit for showing up every single time!

189. The very personal, rich relationship that we share...I love you too!

I Really Need To Spend More Time Here

Hi, my name is Lisa a.k.a. Superhero Mom (remember that is a Mom of Superheros, I myself am not super Mom). I've been absent and I wanted to reintroduce myself!

Writing is a strange thing. I just have to get into the habit of coming here and not other sources of media (or maybe in addition to other sources of media) to journal what has been going on in my life.

So much has happened since July! God has moved in mighty ways! I have eyes that are starting to smile and a love that is being rekindled. There is freedom where I felt shackled and heart that is beginning to soar! I have a renewed hope and a refreshed spirit! Are there challenges and trials?...well of course. This is a fallen world after all. It is a good thing too, because if everything were rekindled, renewed and refreshed all the time, we wouldn't need to constantly rely on the One who gives us strength, courage and endurance.

So, preparing for Bagels & Blessings is amazingly rewarding, but time consuming as well, hence the lack of time to come and write. Homeschooling brings on the same challenges, not to mention that I'm required to read at least 30 chapters a week for my Life Transformation Group and I have children who are older now and like to utilize their computer time. But alas, this is what brings me the greatest joy...writing...journalling..recording my memories and thoughts. So, I crave this special time.

Interestingly enough, I have found that with my new life circumstances I have a greater desire to spend more time in my living room...with my men. I'm trusting the Lord to work all of this out. So, I want to share, I want to write and post pictures of what is going on in my life again...just because I love it! So...

...if I'm not here writing...I'm not gone forever...I'm just...

Homeschooling 3 boys..a 5th grader (and no I don't feel smarter than a 5th grader), a 4th grader and a 3rd grader..in a one room school house. ♥

or I'm...

Spending time with my superheros...just having FUN making memories and learning LIFE!

or I could be...

Making memories with Mr. Incredible...enriching the love that God has given me in a best friend and husband!

or I might just be doing this....

..because it is my goal to do this once a week...children's choice..each kid gets to pick a different cookie every week.

or (you might want to sit down for this one)...I just might be doing this...

Because I'm trying to bless my husband while he does this...

Just kidding..I mean this...

Mike is studying to be a nurse! So there are times when I'm in charge of the kitchen. (At this time you can pick up your jaws off the floor..I know it is a shock.)

So you get the idea. There are numerous pictures I could post..pictures spending time with friends, reading, studying...partaking in life..now just to fit this back into the scheme of things. I'm gonna work on it! Stay tuned!

Focus

I have been studying Hebrews, partly because I will be teaching on Hope this coming year. I love how the Lord is faithful to allow me to learn first hand what it is He would have me to teach. Last year it was lies of the enemy and the Truth that sets us free, this year it is Hope. I have been unable to write about my present circumstances up to this point, and need to continue to keep some things confidential, however, I am free to share bits and pieces of what I'm learning.

If you know me at all I am not a ballerina or even remotely like a ballerina, well at least not in body and strength. However, in studying Hebrews I began to think a little about ballerinas. They require (among many things) intense focus. In that way I can say that, even I, am ballerina-like. I have been required to have intense focus lately.

Making Christ my focal point as I wade through my day of serious circumstances. Just like a spinning ballerina must keep returning her eyes to a given point, to keep her balance, I too must keep returning my focus on Christ, lest I fall and fall hard.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

The truth is our circumstances are always in flux, and the world seems to be whirling around sometimes. The only way to keep our balance is to fix our eyes on Him, the One who never changes..(also found in Hebrews by the way).

I heard it once put this way: "Are you gazing at your circumstances and glancing at God or are you gazing at God and glancing at your circumstances?" Let's face it...we have a great deal of hardships and battles going on all around us. My son Brendan is struggling so much right now with high anxiety and stress. He is only 10, yet the effects of his surroundings (having to live with an aging Alzheimer's great grandfather and the death of his grandmother) I continue to saturate him with verses like these. We have circumstances, to think we could totally ignore them would be unrealistic. They are in our face.

However, I know, now from experience, there is a remedy! If we gaze too long at our circumstances we will indeed become dizzy and confused. If we "fix our eyes" on Him, continually refreshing ourselves in His Presence, He will set our path straight and we will not fall or lose balance. I have been saturating myself in His Word, spending time in my prayer chair and communing with Him daily. It has enable me to GAZE at Him and only Glance at my circumstances. I want to encourage you to make Him your focal point today...and see what a difference it makes. Let me know what God is doing in your life!

My Little Man With A Big Heart

This is my 8 year old son Shane. He has had numerous opportunities in his young life to see the mighty hand of God move in our midst. He has been a first hand witness to Jesus in skin present at our doorstep, on the phone or making a meal. So why does it surprise me when he has such a heart for the same.

Coming home from Walmart the other day he sat quietly in the passenger seat of my Toyota. Air conditioning running, cold bottle of water sitting in the cup holder and he looks so forlorn. I inquire..."Shane, what is going on in that head of yours?" His reply that warmed my heart, "Mom, she sits there every day, she looks so sad, can we make her a meal?" Talking about the homeless woman that lives outside behind Publix. He is right. She is always out there, looking kind of sad. "Well, Shane, what would you like us to make her?" "Macaroni and cheese?" he says! "Well, I'm not sure what she would do with that, but how about some homemade oatmeal raisin cookies?" So, he decides some homemade sweets made with lots of love will do the trick!

We prayed over these cookies! We prayed for her! We asked that this would be a moment in time that this woman would not forget the love of Jesus. Then we delivered our cookies behind Publix.

Meet our new friend!

(Picture has been deleted out of respect. I didn't realize I could potentially offend anyone.)

A little put off at first, but it didn't take long to see the warmth in her beautiful face. I had done a little asking around first, so I knew her name. "Hi, my name is Lisa and this is my son Shane. He sees you here often and he really wanted to bless you today." Shane hands Colorado a bag and says "My Mom and I made these just for you, we made them with love and they are still warm." She smiled so sweetly at Shane. He noticed her defenses go down. "We just wanted you to know that Jesus loves you and so do we." I seriously got all choked up. Here is my small boy with such a big heart. His first missions trip, right in our own back yard.

I told her that the Jesus loves her and we just wanted her to know that we have been praying for her and that it is quite likely that we will not ever be able to bake cookies again without sharing some.

We exchanged words for a few more moments and then we bid our farewells. She smiled so tenderly at Shane. We got into our car and Shane rolled down the window, and yelled "Bye!!"...she yelled back..."Shane, my note, thank you so much for my sweet note!" then she placed her hands around her face.

When we left the store a half hour later, 2 men had joined her near her spot. Shane looked and said..."OH no Mommy, there are more. We have to feed them too! Look...the sign says PLEASE HELP! Mommy, we have to help!! -- do you think she shared her cookies?"

When I look at him, he seems so small sometimes. He is my baby after all! Lord, continue to foster a desire in the heart of my boy, to reach the lost in tangible ways. We will be inquiring as to what Shane and I can do to feed the homeless.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..." Matthew 25:35