Heartbroken...

Separation & Divorce are nasty words. Ones that roll off the tongues of society way to easily. An option far too easily. From celebs in the news, family & friends, and recently, people I look up to for Christian marriage encouragement.

Prayer is all I can offer. My marriage has been through distinct highs and lows. We have pulled through, rode the roller coaster, circled around got back in line, and have enjoyed the ups and down many times over in our almost 12 married years.

As I get back in the blogging mode, I write this for my own children. I write to encourage them in their future marriages that they would recognize that real life, real marriages aren't perfect fairy tales. With God's divine mercy and grace, their daddy and I love each other, make each other laugh and have a genuine commitment to this family-even through, no wait, especially through our failures and imperfections.

What I realize: No marriage is "safe". Please keep your spouse in your daily prayers, be their best friend, the one who romances them, their #1 cheerleader in life. Wake up each morning with a renewed devotion to keeping your marriage a priority.

We Have a Winner For Dinner

Dinnertime around here can really be emotional. Sounds strange? With my family of 5, it's close to impossible to keep everyone happy at meal time. I'm not so picky...the others....well they are! There can be some frowns, pouting, cheers and even tears.

Tonight though was a big night. I thought for sure it would be a 3star night...get it, only 3 of 5 of us would like it...but not the case at all. I'm thrilled to say that everyone enjoyed dinner tonight. It was our first venison steaks of the year. And it rocked!

I will do this from now on. McCormick makes this Brown Sugar Bourbon marinade. Use it. Love it. Marinaded the steaks for a couple hours, then, oh then, I wrapped the steak medallions in bacon. The grill was hot and ready for the marinaded, bacon wrapped, skewered pieces of venison.

Tim, Cayley, & Travis were all digging in before I could even sit down. I was so happy! Adam, well is the pickiest of them all and after some coaxing, he actually tried some. He said he really liked it!!! My heart overflowed.

Tonight was a winner and a complete success. Feeling pretty great tonight.

Not By a Long Shot

My refrigerator door is a reminder of the good things going on in my home, well usually. Being a mother of three means good grades, gold star work, and 100s on spelling tests all hang proudly on the fridge door with random magnets collected over the years. The writing assignment of my 8 year old son was no different, for everyone else anyway. You see, it was based on a biographical interview he did of me, his 32 year old stay at home mom. Seems fine, right? I’m pretty comfortable in my role as a child care provider from my home and I’m able to be with my own children as much as possible. What’s wrong with that? There’s honor in caring for your family, right?

 Here’s “The Life of Sarah Lett (my mom)” by Travis Lett

 My mom was born with her parents. Her mom Debbie was born in Florida. And her dad Robert Chetwood was born in Texas. Her mom Debbie was a home maker. And Robert worked at a police apartment. Her mom had 4 children and Sarah was the oldest. She had a happy life and her childhood was pretty busy. She remembered she was cooking as a girl. She grew up in a city. She liked school and her friends and her teachers.

 ***All pretty normal stuff here so far***

Sarah wanted to be a counselor when she grew up. She ended up being a babysitter. She likes watching movies and reading books.

 ***That is when I wanted to break down and cry. Is that what my life can be summed up as? Maybe it’s the phrase “ended up”. My life isn’t over, not by a long shot. I had to remember that this was written by my 8 year old and this is what he sees every day. I had to hold on to some hope that this would get better, and it sure did.***

She is very proud of her children and her husband for being a hard worker and providing for the family. She has learned over her lifetime to pray and help others.
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Those last words are the absolute truth. Maybe I don’t have a completed college degree, or career to really speak of, but if I can be an example of prayer and service to my husband, children, family, friends, and the children I care for, then I’m more than “ok” with where I have ended up. Don’t get me wrong, I know there’s going to be another season of my life where I will want to work outside my home, but right now I will bloom where I am planted. I will try and live up to the Godly wife and mother role model set for us in Proverbs 31. This is my goal, my career, my investment.

And blogging, where does that fit in? Let's just say, there will be no giveaways, book reviews for companies, or posts just to post. I want to take my blog back to be a place of record keeping for my family, and if something I share evokes a feeling or comment from someone, then cool. I'm going old school and doing this for me. Welcome back.

A Nice Long Break

After a long summer blogging slow down, I guess this was coming. A temporary bloggy shutdown is happening.

God's Perfect Design

It has been a long blogging break for me. Lots of changes. I've dealt with each one as they came, and I'm blessed enough to know that God always has my best interest at heart.

My "babies" are back in school. I am now the mom to a 5th, 3rd, & 1st grader. *sigh* They are all doing amazing and each have adjusted so very well to new schools. I'm one proud mommy.

And...Tim and I are working on a new project together. It's pretty interesting working side by side on something together. Here's something that has been running through my mind and this passage from http://www.bible.org/ does a great job of explaining it.

The New Bible Commentary explains the companionship of marriage:³

The husband and wife complement each other. Suitable helper would be better-translated ‘helper matching him’, i.e. supplying what he lacks. She is his missing rib. Matthew Henry commented on God’s choice of a rib to create Eve: ‘Not made out of his head to top him, not out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved.’ Perhaps this reads a little too much into the rib, but it expresses well the biblical ideal of marriage."

I refuse to let my husband just be someone that I see and pass info along too. He is my best friend and partner in everything. I can't imagine life any other way.

Ususally, we have to wait a while to see what God's bigger plan is for us, but sometimes His timing is shown a little faster :)

Upcoming Post Alert!

Wonder what happens when a 6 and 8 year old boys take over a camera for a couple days???

How about 377 new pictures on the sd card! LOL Stay tuned this week for some adventure pictures ;)

Have You Ever???

Have you ever seen anything cuter?



The.
End.









I love this boy!

Why I Cook...

I have not always "liked" cooking. Dinners were just ho-hum, nothing special. After years of just getting by, I realized that dinner on the table meant more. Now, it's my way of saying "Welcome Home" and "I thought about you today."

My family of 5 have very different tastes and somedays I can feel like a short order cook. I'm always looking for new recipes to try, hoping to find one that may actually please the majority. My husband is really honest, especially when it comes to food, so I would just make a mental note about what was a hit or miss. Life gets super busy and now I've taken to writing it down in a recipe binder. I keep a running list of "family favorites" and keep tabs on new recipes that made the cut too.

Where I find recipes...
Thank goodness for the internet! I'll start there and browse around some very reliable and tested blogs, recipe and tv show website.
Here's my favorites:
Full Bellies, Happy Kids Must try: Orange Chicken. not kidding around. try it. today. A little shout out to Sandra over there :)
Comfy in the Kitchen Must try: Cresent Chicken. made this last week, making it again tonight.
AllRecipes.com Great resource for finding great & rated recipes! i love how people comment and leave notes on what they tweaked.
The Pioneer Woman Can't leave out Ree! must try: Apple Dumplings. simply amazing. She's also getting her very own show on Food Network!!!
Food Network And you can't go wrong with Paula Deen on Food Network! Also a great site for searching and browsing through fun recipes.

Easy? What's That?

Does anything ever important really come easily? Sometimes you come to a moment in your life where a tough decision needs to be made--and guess who's the only one who can make it? YOU! We can make a hundred choices each day, but it's not until you take the cruise control off and realize what's the next crucial question that must be answered.

I'm a people pleaser by nature and serve my God by serving my family. It's a calling I (try to) answer daily, 24/7, 365. Just about every choice I make can effect or influence at least one of the people I live with- that's huge!

Most of the "calls" I make aren't life altering for us, but sometimes they can be. Hard choices are not taken lightly by me and I really prayerfully weigh all options. I will always do my very best to put the needs of the 4 people I share my life with first. I'm not perfect. I can't see the future, but I can live life knowing that my God is bigger than any issue or speed bump I may come across. He sees me through and shows me, ultimately, how things work for our good. Romans 8:28 is my safety blanket in moments of insecurity.


28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Enough With the Heavy

To quote Renee Dwyer

"Enough with the heavy."

Summer starts tomorrow at noon!!! Woohoo! I spent rest time today coming up with 25 activities for the kids to do at home as soon as I hear the words "I'm bored."

So with that, here's my top 25:

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag- as long as you make mommy some too ;)
here's the recipe:

What you'll need:
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup milk or half & half
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 6 tablespoons rock salt
• 1 pint-size plastic food storage bag (e.g., Ziploc)
• 1 gallon-size plastic food storage bag
• Ice cubes

How to make it:
1. Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
2. Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
3. Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
4. Shake until the mixture is ice cream, which takes about 5 minutes.
5. Wipe off the top of the small bag, then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips: A 1/2 cup milk will make about 1 scoop of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don't increase the proportions more that that -- a large amount might be too big for kids to pick-up because the ice itself is heavy.


Chalk Art

Play Card Games

Draw for art show

Bubbles

Read books

Practice singing

Picnic

Write a story

Watch a movie

Computer time

Write in your journal

Take a bath

Wii

Make paper airplanes & race them

Play in your room

Bouncy Castle

Clean your room

Play kickball outside

Slip n’ Slide

Play Frisbee outside

Listen for birds and guess what kind they are

Play Catch

Build a blanket tent in your room

Collect leaves and research what tree they are from

What home activities do you have planned for your summer vacation?

Reason, Season, Lifetime Friends

No one is perfect- especially me! I continue to learn and grow, so with that, I'm "speaking" to someone in particular. If you are reading this, I hope you are well. I'm writing this if I never get the chance to tell you.

I only wish you the very best in life. I'm protecting myself and my family from the emotional drama you brought to our life- probably without even knowing it. I've heard you've had a rocky start to a new beginning and I want you to know that I pray for you in your new life.

I've learned some people come into your life for a reason, season, or lifetime. Thank you for being there when we needed you and I did value our friendship very much. I will always be grateful for our time shared as friends. I'm sorry that I really don't understand what happened or what changed, but I've reconciled it and have moved forward. I will always wonder how you are and will ask about you.

I can only assume that things got in the way of us being friends and choices had to be made. That's life and we all live with the results of the choices we make.

We live in a small town, so I'm sure one day we'll run into each other. Wishing you all the best that life has to offer-
Sarah

When I Can't Be With Them...

I'm not usually an anxious person. I can handle most anything when I have a tiny bit of time to prepare. When my children are at school, they are their own person and dealing with their own happenings. I can't be with them, and sometimes yes, it does bring me some anxiety. This year especially, when my baby started all day kindergarten, I just began praying with them individually before they got on their buses.

Slowly, but surely I have shown them (and myself) that I am trusting the Lord to protect and care for them all day while we are apart. Some days the prayers are a little longer, some may be a quick little "I love you" prayer. Now they look for that moment while we are prepped and ready to go, for that special time with me by our front door.

Our. Front. Door.

The place where I kiss and hug them goodbye in the morning, the door where I kiss and hug them hello in the afternoon.

What an amazing thing to share with my 3!

~Happy Mother's Day~

Spring Cleaning

Well, yes, I'm doing some Spring cleaning. De-cluttering in all kinds of ways. Closets, cabinets, drawers, and even my heart. Clutter builds up everywhere you don't want it. My heart has been so heavy with what is going with another person, along with what they think and say.

Heavy is the perfect word. I let my heart fill with emotions till it weighs me down and everytime I think of this person, it isn't positive at all.

This is not my character.

This is not me.

During this Easter season, I have to be reminded of His love and constant grace for me, His flawed and sinful child. Jesus gave his life for me. I need to extend this LOVE to someone who needs it. I need to let all the hurt go and forgive, even if they never acknowledge what's been done or said. UGH, this is hard, but I have to cleanse myself.

My life is filled with God's incredible blessings!

Prayer from a December 2010 Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion:

Dear Lord, help me to forgive one person today. I lift up my heart. I won’t pretend that it doesn’t hurt, but I am willing to forgive. I’m not always big enough, but You are and I am grateful. I won’t forgive based on a person’s response, or even what is fair, but instead I will trust that You desire my heart to be free so that You can love in and through me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

When Did This Happen?

I guess the window of posing for me with the Easter bunny has closed for 2 of our 3 little ones.

I'm sure I'm no longer "cool enough" for an 8 & 10 year old.

Believe me, I wasn't cool before either, lol!

In One Week

In one week, I'll have a 10 year old daughter.

Start

praying

now.

For A Special Occasion

In December, my husband made a special stop on his way to the deer lease for a special purchase. The most delicious wine.

Ever. Seriously.

Now, I am not a seasoned wine taster, but I do know what I like. The Muscat Canelli is Divine, but wait they even have a Reserve that's even better. So if you head up to the TX Hill Country, stop by Sister Creek Vineyard. You won't regret it. Even if you aren't a connoisseur, you'll have a great time.

So can ya guess what we will have a glass of to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary?

Bless My Marriage

They are my grandparents. Both in heaven now. I know their marriage went through ups and downs, just like ours. 47 years they were married, if I figure correctly.

AMAZING. BLESSED.

Both drew strength from their Lord and served their family everyday.

Tim and I celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary on the 15th of this month. I wouldn't believe it myself if our oldest wasn't turning 10 a few days after. So I pray that the Lord would bless the ups and downs of our marriage, that it would continue to grow in togetherness and love.

The Hunger Games

These three words: The Hunger Games, changed me.

This book series is so hard to describe to someone, but they are amazing.

Filled with joy, sadness, tragedy, and mostly the courage of the human spirit.

Literally, I read these books and stayed awake in bed with the book themes running through my head.

I could not escape them.

The Hunger Games is action filled and pulls you in right from the start.

Really pulled at my heart.

Catching Fire, the second book in the series has even more of what you loved about HG,

if it was at all possible!

Mockingjay, the finale, leads you through twists and turns you never see coming!

Thank you Suzanne Collins for inviting us into Panem and District 12!

Anticipation!

Everyday around 2:30, I get this feeling I can't explain.

Joy.

Anticipation.

Excitement.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for my kids to get home!

I love to hear about their day at school, get their snacks, & start homework.

We fall right into routines and it's so nice! Fridays, I have a movie ready to relax and watch with them. Some days, it's smoothies, some days fruit.

Adam 9 times out of 10 requests a PB sandwich and so I always have it ready.

The kids eat lunch pretty early in the day, so they are so ready to snack when they get here.

Do you do anything special to prep for your kids getting home from school?

What Are You Watching?

Here's a post about tv. Yes, I need some tv time to unwind and just escape the duties of being a wife and mother. So here's truthfully what I'm watching. My mommy only tv time ;)


Some are so thought provoking that tackle some really tough issues:

What a completely relatable show!

Grey's takes on alzheimer's, post tramatic stress, and way more!

Ok, what hasn't gone on with PP?! It's been a tough season to watch, lots of me crying in each episode lately.





Now what I watch for a good laugh:

I just really discovered Modern Family. If you don't watch it, don't be left behind like I felt ;)



Yes, I am a new Gleek! I have said it before- I wish (if I could sing) that my life could be a musical. These kids are living my dream, lol! This is one that deals with loads of social issues as well- ones I'm not ready to discuss with my almost 10 year old, so it's just for me.

And to name my biggest (not so secret) indulgence:

Anything on Bravo pretty much!